I just found out that some friends of mine had their first child about a month ago. I’m utterly clueless when it comes to parenting-type stuff, so can anybody recommend any suitable gifts to celebrate the occasion and/or help out the new parents?
Offer to come over and do the dishes (or laundry, or clean the bathroom…). Even just holding the baby for a few hours so the parents can sleep is helpful.
(I have a three-week-old daughter - these have been the most helpful gifts).
Ask them what they didn’t get, or didn’t get enough of. It’s lacking in surprise vaue, but usually helpful. DON’T buy clothes that will never be wearable, e.g. a winter outfit which will fit the baby in June.
Lots of disposable diapers… unless they have a diaper service for cloth diapers. Doing chores or errands for the new parents really is a great help! Letting the mother even get some sleep is a blessing. Clothing is not recommended, I got too many gifts of clothing for my daughter and she never wore them all 
. A night out for the parents is also a wonderful treat BUT they may not wish to leave baby with a sitter for a while, I know I didn’t want to go anywhere for the first five months. Ask them what they might need because that’s what a thoughtful friend would do.
Cloth diapers from Wal-Mart. They’re not fit to use as diapers, but they serve well as light blankets and barf rags.
Also, go over to their house and send them to bed and tell 'em to sleep until they wake up. Be prepared to crash on the couch that night because once new parents are out they’re pretty much out for several hours 
Gift Certificate for food to be delivered. Oh not to have to cook dinner after being up all night.
We never seemed to have enough receiving blankets at that age. My daughter and I loved the little dog from first years that made noise when it moved. Other parents might not like it as much. A cute outfit. Contrary to popular belief, not all new parents are overwhelmed with gifts of baby clothes. We had to buy plenty and really appreciated the cute outfits that people bought. She more most of her clothes out, at least to the point they frayed a bit; baby clothes get washed a lot.
Also, your rapt attention as they babble on about their little one.
A buncha board books. Ones with clear and simple photos/pictures of babies, animals, or familiar things are always favorites, or any of the classic titles (a decent bookstore can help you out).
Try
Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?
Runaway bunny
Goodnight moon
Sandra Boynton titles (really for older babies, but fun for parents)
Very hungry caterpillar
Jamberry
Good night gorilla
If you’re feeling highbrow and heirloom-y, throw in a book of ‘poetry for young children.’
What’s a receiving blanket?
(And thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! Please keep 'em coming.)
When my daughter was a newborn, the one thing I wanted more than anything else was sleep. I remember days when my husband was off work and would tell me to go to sleep and bring me the baby long enough for her to nurse, and then take her back out into the living room.
Bliss.
I say go over bearing food and then tell them to go to sleep. newborns are pretty easy to take care of and they will love you forever.
The parents will, that is. The kids, well, you never know. 
I also second the “Ask them what they want/need.” suggestion. I am just now getting around to selling off my daughter’s baby clothes on ebay and am finding so many things that I barely remember her wearing. When she was that young we didn’t take her out much, so she wore gowns all of the time. Clothes definitely wouldn’t have come in handy for us.
Receiving blankets are just baby blankets. They’re good for everything. In addition to blankets, ours were drool mops, nursing coverups, makeshift changing pads and something to hide behind during peek-a-boo.
I’ve been told one can never have too many onesies on hand, what with various fluids always squirting out of the little tykes.
A receiving blanket is a small blanket that you bundle the baby in. Infants like to be bundled their first two or three months.
Onsies are always needed. And the cute garment called a bubble, which is like a onsie only gathered in front.
If you have experience with small children and aren’t afraid to help out, giving them time to rest a bit is always nice. And lots of disposable diapers. 
I wish I could get some rest at times but it’s all taken in stride. Call them first though (of course I’m sure you knew that 
).
Diapers aren’t cheap. If you can, get a box from one of those warehouse outlet places. They are usually priced as if you were to buy the same amount from a drugstore that had them on sale. When they are smaller they’ll go through them faster.( This is just if they aren’t going the cloth diaper route).
Is this their first child? Because they might be just planning to use hand me downs. Luckily I just had my second boy, so he is going to use #1’s hand me down clothes.
Yep, the baby barf quicker-picker upper.
Another vote for a huge box of diapers. They will love you for it.
I always give new mom’s a “Vacation in a Basket”
I put together a basket with bath salts, & oil, candles, a bath scrunchy, chocolates, wine, (if I know mom can and does) or tea, cookies, & a CD of soothing music.
I add a note with instructions.
“Fill bath with warm water, bath salts&/or oil, place the candles around the room, set a little table next to the tub with nibblies and wine or tea, put on the CD. Give Dad the baby, with instructions to take him or her out for a ride.
Lock the bathroom door. Turn the CD up enough to drown out incidental crying (Dad will live.)
Sink into the warm water and float away.”
Every one has been a huge hit. Of course, it could be adapted for a couple, but a sitter would be involved.
I asked this very question last fall, and gots lots of good ideas.
When a friend of mine had her first baby, I bought her a reference book on how to care for infants.
Later, she told me that it was invaluable to her. “Otherwise, I would have been calling my mom at 4AM to ask if babies were supposed to hiccup.”
For a new parent, an easy way to find out if something is “normal” or cause for concern can be wonderful.
Babies are rabid consumers…
Diapers, wipes, baby bath, formula if they use it and you know the kind, onesies, the ever versatile cloth diaper, baby gas relief drops, baby tylenol/motrin, blankets (my kids loved ones with silk or the really soft fleecy ones)
Then for the parents - gift certificates for take-out, offers of babysitting time, friendship! If this is their first child it is likely that now that the 'oooh a new baby how cute" has worn off they have found themselves left out of their social circle. People assume you’re busy with the baby when all you want is a chance to speak with adults for an hour or so!
If you’re considering disposable diapers, find out if the parents have a preference for any particular brand. My wife certainly did. She “loved Luvs” and thought “Huggies hugged” too much. (That was the only way I could remember which to buy when I went to the store.)