Shop small – my favourite boutique baby brands for SS18

VEST: GARDNER AND THE GANG; TEDDY PRINT: PHOTO TYPEWRITER

I’m not much of a shopper these days – I haven’t the patience for navigating the too-narrow-for-a-pram aisles of women’s clothes stores, nor the notion of undressing and redressing numerous times under the harsh lighting of cramped changing rooms. My wardrobe is a mishmash of feeding-friendly jumpers and dungarees, and occasionally swapping my well-worn pumps for a pair of sparkly boots is about as ‘FASHION’ as I get.

But when it comes to buying new glad rags for Teddy, I just can’t help myself.

The minute a popper snaps open under the strain of his ever-growing torso, I come over all giddy at the prospect of stocking up on new outfits for him.

10 genuinely useful tips for first-time parents

Advice can be a bit Marmite, can’t it? And never more so than when a new baby arrives on the scene. Every woman and her stretch marks has something to offer, welcomed or otherwise.

But while one well-meant suggestion might leave you feeling like you’re doing it all wrong (don’t let it!) another can – quite literally – save the day.

And it’s that sort of 24-carat gold I want to load up my pockets with. I have little interest in what finger-wagging Mrs X did circa 1925 or what the 12-year-old next-door will do when she becomes a mum one day.

But people who are parenting now, who are in this whirlwind with me and who have either unearthed or coined ideas and tricks that are working for them… THAT I want in on.



And my goodness are there some corkers! Some things that when they’ve paid off with our little rascal have left Mr R and me feeling like giddy school kids who’ve passed a maths test thanks to a little-known cheat.

Some seemed so obvious or so slight a change to what we were already doing, how could they make a difference? They did.

Some make us look like utter loons when we wheel them out in public. Some have a 50:50 success rate. Who cares! I want them in my mummy arsenal.

A hack shared is a parent’s sanity saved. So as a measure of goodwill – and a bargaining tool should you lovely lot have any wisdom to proffer in return – here are my couldn’t-do-without tricks making our family life easier.

THE CAR SEAT SWING
Transition is a baby’s bete noire – moving from a snuggly cradle in your arms to a cold, upright, restrictive car seat is the worst of all. In Teddy’s case, this usually results in an uncharacteristic outburst of breathless screaming and writhing to break free. Until we pick up the car seat by the handle and swing it back and forth. Ensure baby is fastened in securely and your grip is tight, and calm will hopefully be restored within minutes.

IN A HEARTBEAT
Gently tapping Teddy’s bottom as if sounding a heartbeat has soothed him since the beginning. Even now when he’s overtired and fussing over a feed, it calms and comforts him, almost as if it’s a reminder of the sensation of my heart beating against him in the womb. Throw in a soft ‘choo-choo-choo’ sound and he’s in baby bliss.

STOP THE SNACK AND SNOOZE ROUTINE
I recently tuned into an episode of The Parent Hood, where Sarah Norris (aka The Baby Detective) was discussing how to get your baby to sleep through the night. I nodded along to her advice, ticking off the things I was already doing with Teddy (a not perfect but not terrible sleeper). ‘Don’t let baby fall asleep at the breast…’
Guilty. That was how I’d been putting Teddy to bed for months – laying him down when he was milk drunk and knocking at the door of Slumber Land. But by letting him drift off mid-feed, he wasn’t filling himself up enough to sleep longer than four hours. ‘Treat feeding as a business meeting,’ Sarah continued. So no sleeping on the job.
Now I set aside an hour to feed, wind, feed, wind, read a story, change position, feed – whatever it takes to keep Teddy awake and ensure he’s good and full. He sleeps for 8 hours straight. Cheers Sarah, my boobs and eye bags are so grateful!

WEAR YOUR BABY
Hair to dry, housework to do… blogs to write – but baby will not be put down? Wear them. Literally. Put on your baby carrier or sling, pop them in and regain use of both your hands. If you’re lucky, they’ll fall asleep as you go about your to-do list. Hands-free mummying is something I cottoned on to quite early on and it was especially useful in the initial weeks, when Teddy and I were getting to know each other and I was finding my feet as a mummy. You can read about my recommended slings and baby carriers here, which I still use daily almost six months on.

WHAT GOES UP, GOES DOWN
The flaps at the top of baby vests aren’t just there to make it easier to put them on. They’re damage limitation for when a poonami hits – a force of excrement so severe no nappy stands a chance of containing it. Pull the vest down over the shoulders to save smearing it over your little darling’s face. It’s slightly less gag-inducing than the alternative.

KITCHEN ROLL IT
On the subject of nappy changing, keep a roll of ultra-absorbent kitchen paper to hand. Heck, walk around with it permanently under your arm! Never mind blotting dry washed salad leaves, it comes into its own when tackling snotty noses, dribbly chins and whatever lies in wait in Teddy’s nappy. Roll out a couple of pieces on the changing mat ready to soak up anything that escapes – and if, like us, you have a baby boy, tear off an extra piece in case he decides to give you a fountain display before the clean nappy is in place.

SORT IT OUT
Better to be looking at it than looking for it – sounds so trivial and perhaps a little condescending, but when you’re blindsided by an emergency outfit change at 3am, being able to open a drawer and know exactly where everything is can be the difference between a quick fix and a bumbled attempt resulting in a screaming fit that wakes up the whole street. Vests in one pile, sleepsuits in another, nappies and wipes in reach etc etc. Mr R goes one step further and ends one nappy change by setting up the station ready for the next – disposable bag opened, kitchen roll in place, nappy unfolded… Efficiency is the name of the game.

LET’S TALK ABOUT SOCKS
I’ll be damned if I can get them to stay on Teddy’s twinkle toes all day long, but socks do make cracking scratch mitts (which, incidentally, I’ve found to be an utter waste of money – like giant, flimsy oven gloves that fly off with even the slightest movement). Even in those sleepsuits with the little hand flaps built in, a thumb somehow manages to escape in the night leaving his chubby little face looking like an Etch-a-Sketch come morning. Socks are like straightjackets for baby hands.

BABY BICYCLE KICKS
Tummy ache giving baby gyp? Lay them on their back and slowly but firmly move their legs as if they’re in a LBT class, aiming to get their knees as close to their nose as you can. And out comes the wind. This little move is what gave Trumpy Ted his first nickname (poor kid).

STOP THE CLOCK
So you need to leave the house by 11am ON THE DOT? Set your timer for half an hour earlier. Getting a baby out of the door can take an age – there’s always an unplanned change/feed/nappy bag restock/‘Oh marvellous, it’s throwing it down and I’ve no idea where the rain cover is and now the dog needs another pee’ to factor in, regardless of how organised you think you are. Tell yourself you actually need to leave at 10.30am at the latest and you’ll be out by your true deadline.

Natural ways to induce labour

I should probably begin by admitting the title to this post is somewhat misleading. I don’t believe there is an infallible means of bringing on labour other than actual medical induction – baby will come when they’re good and ready, thank you very much.

That said, as someone who was convinced her baby would come early but in fact ended up feeling fat and frustrated for EIGHT LONG DAYS past her due date and was one Braxton Hicks away from taking a knife to her birthing ball, I’m oh so familiar with the need to feel like you’re doing something that may in some way – however microscopic – move things along a little. Or at the very least, that will help get your body ready for the impending birth… whenever that might be.

Postnatal fitness – 5 quick workouts for new mums

Forget ‘bounce back’, think gradual deflate. Make way for a marshmallow belly where once a perfectly taut bump resided. And expect things to wobble in an unfamiliar way. For a little while, at least.

This is the reality of a postpartum body. Prod it, celebrate it, be grateful you can see your toes again! But don’t feel you must commit to it as a form of life sentence. A little movement can go a long way in helping you shift back into a more familiar shape.

Swapping 'the pump' for a bump – prenatal fitness tips

My life before motherhood was an active one. Morning yoga, gym five days a week, a run or bike ride at the weekend… I was – am – one of those irritating people who actually enjoys working out.

But when I discovered I was pregnant, I rashly called time on my fitness habit, fearful that my baby might somehow drop out if I moved too vigourously.

An unnecessary – and brief – hiatus, it turned out.

It's just you and me, kid – when paternity leave ends

Those first couple of weeks as first time parents are perhaps the most special of all. Demanding, yes, as you and your partner navigate myriad learning curves, often on the back of little (read: no) sleep. But aside from studying a language or taking up a new sport together, there are few other occasions when you embark on something as a couple from the same standing start. Whatever baby throws at you, you’re in it together – the good, the bad and the downright disgusting.

Mr R and I were equally clueless when Teddy arrived.

Breastfeeding in public – what I've learnt

Let’s face it – no one really wants to get their boob out in public. Especially in those early postnatal days, when learning how to breastfeed can be challenging enough. But short of rendering ourselves housebound until weaning, getting to grips with nursing in front of others is just another module to master in the New Mums Curriculum.

I’m lucky, Teddy has been a great feeder since day one – a real guzzler (a relief, as I know it can be a stressful time for some). And aside from a little soreness, I was pretty comfortable with it too, learning his hunger signals. A stir, a cry… there I was armed to feed.

But venture away from the comfort of home and suddenly unleashing myself on cue became a more daunting prospect.

Getting pregnant with PCOS

This time last year I was hopeful. Hopeful that we would soon have a baby. Hopeful that the 18 months of fertility acupuncture and seven months of actively trying to fall pregnant would pay off – and the prospect of more invasive treatment wouldn’t need to materialise.

I was lucky. I did conceive without intervention – just two weeks into 2017, in fact. And it was the most wonderful revelation. Who knew peeing on a stick could be so thrilling!

Getting to that positive pregnancy test had been emotional at times, as I imagine it is for many couples, complications or otherwise. We hadn’t told anyone of our efforts, so trying and failing to get pregnant as the months rolled by was a silent struggle. I think I’d even managed to convince people – my parents included – that I didn’t want children, favouring the stoic over the sob story. Cue excitable (shocked?) wails upon sharing our happy news.

Creating festive family traditions

Our Christmas tree fell over this week. Twice. Add to this a handmade wreath felled just hours after hanging thanks to an unprecedented dumping of snow, my festive cheer was teetering.

Deep breath, move on.

My rational self tells me it is, after all, just a tree (never mind that it was the White Company baubles and not the Ikea copycats that shattered). No one was hurt, it was easily fixed etc etc.

But the sentimental (or perhaps hormonal) part of me wants everything to be perfect – this year more than any. Not only is this our first Christmas as parents, but it’s also the first time we’ve decided to stay home and do it our way. Both mine and Mr R’s families live up north, and much as we love celebrating the big day with them it feels like the right time to break that tradition and start a new.

There’s no funny in perfection, though, is there? Perhaps a wobbly tree and a diminishing number of decorations will be ‘our thing’? And what’s Christmas without just a little chaos.

But I do have some ideas to at least try and weave into our festivities this year and in those to follow. Traditions I hope, one day, Teddy will associate with our family Christmases and look forward to.

Some are old, some are brand new and others a tad ambitious. Perhaps they’ll inspire your own family rituals, too…

Baby's first Christmas: a gift guide

It’s a fine line isn’t it – ensuring your baby’s first Christmas is special without going OTT on the gift buying. Teddy will barely be three months old come December 25th and will be oblivious to the festive merriment, but I still want the day to be memorable – for my sake.

So I’ve been on the hunt for gifts he can (attempt to) unwrap that will both entertain him now and aid his development in the months to come. Here’s what’s on his Christmas list this year…

Newborn 'essentials' and other useful kit

Having a baby presents an entirely new shopping list. An extensive, expensive shopping list. The spreadsheet we created for all our ‘must haves’ could have spanned our kitchen wall – how on earth did my grandmothers manage with little more than a pram and tin bath?

Looking around our house now, though, in practice some of those ‘must haves’ are more ‘little luxuries’. I seemed to have forgotten that we have a washing machine the day I ordered 20 muslin squares – ‘But they’re organic cotton!’ was my justification to my baffled husband…

There are a few hero items I really couldn’t do without, though – the Ranson baby essentials. 

The lineup below is by no means exhaustive but it does contain things our family has found invaluable, and which may help shave a few items off your own to buy list.