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The Brazen Alternative to Sleep Training

Featured image - alternative to sleep training

The brazen alternative to sleep training is…well, no sleep training. (Ooh, and a few extra hot tips which I’ll share with you at the end.)

OK, so maybe it doesn’t sound all that crazy. But bear with me, because I wish I’d known this.

I’m here to tell you that if you decide not to ‘sleep train’ your baby, if you shun the books and theories and just kind of see what happens…

If you go with the flow, let nature take its course, help your child get to sleep any which way you can rather than following some stinky set of ‘rules’…

Drum roll…

It will probably be OK.

And that’s the bit the books, courses and even sleep helplines don’t tell you. Because they don’t want you to know it will be alright. Otherwise who will buy their books, their courses and fund their pesky helplines? Err, well nobody, I guess.

No need for those sleep training helplines
Yes…is this the, err, baby sleep training helpline?

Alternative to Sleep Training – the Back Story

Continue reading “The Brazen Alternative to Sleep Training”

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Early Signs of Pregnancy – Ultimate Guide

One of the early signs of pregnancy can be swollen breasts

I’ll let you into a little secret…. Now and again I forget to take my contraceptive pill, and all hell breaks loose. Suddenly I’m back Googling early signs of pregnancy like it’s 2014. Only this time it’s with a mild panic.

Don’t get me wrong, if we had an accidental pregnancy I’m sure we would welcome it with open arms. (Unexpected second child, if you’re reading this, Mummy and Daddy think you’re amazing! Thanks for rocking up.)

It’s just that I’m forty this year, it took us a very long time to have a successful pregnancy, and realistically my body doesn’t have a great track record at staying pregnant (you can read more about that here).

So I think it’s fair to say baby number two is not on the master plan. We are eternally grateful for the crazy little man we have, and everything feels beautifully complete. (Am I tempting fate here..!) Continue reading “Early Signs of Pregnancy – Ultimate Guide”

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Guilty of Mum Guilt – With Freebie!

No! Do not let mum guilt beat you. Read this post then pick up your FREE downloadable guide!

One thing I wasn’t prepared for when motherhood kicked off was the amount of time I’d spend feeling guilty. When I haven’t actually done anything wrong!

That DREADED mum guilt. Do you know the thing I mean? It seems to pop up everywhere, like an uninvited jack-in-the-box, with a dumb taunting face and stupid flashing fairy lights. Quite honestly, I wish it would just pee off.

It can quite happily invite itself to any situation. Wobbly toddler has a little topple (whilst you may have been checking your phone)? GUILTY. Baby gets nappy rash because you tried out those two-for-one nappies? GUILTY ONCE MORE.

And if you caught my recent post about comparing your little one to others, you’ll know I feel that panic every time I see a child acing something I haven’t taught my offspring to do.

(Ooh, excited side note – I have a FREEBIE for you at the end..!)

Guilty About the Little Things

Now here’s a mum guilt example. When I was pregnant, I read ALL OF THE BOOKS. I mean, I love a good book anyway, and who doesn’t get excited about a project(!)

Well, this one book called Brain Rules for Baby suggested that children under two shouldn’t watch TV. It was written by a very clever brain scientist, so who was I to argue. (Yes, yes, I know. First time mum with all those crazy ideals! PFFFFFFFFF.)

Mum guilt - feeling guilty about letting toddler watch TV
What, this thing? A TV? Err, no…KEEP YOUR EYES AWAY!!

Now, I was doing pretty well with this until recently…. Continue reading “Guilty of Mum Guilt – With Freebie!”

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Stop Comparing Yourself to Others, Mummy

Stop comparing yourself to others - my guide for mummies everywhere.

Stop comparing yourself to others! But urgh, why is it so hard..?

Comparing yourself or your child to others will steal your happiness. Yep, that’s right. It will rock right up in its woolly balaclava and snatch the very joy from your delicate little palms.

So today I’m thinking about why we do this to ourselves and how we can just flaming well stop it! Because we should just concentrate on being fabulous us, have faith in our parenting skills and be proud of our gorgeous little bundles of craziness in all their ratty, snotty glory.

Hell yeah mummies, let’s crack this.

Should you stop comparing yourself to others completely?

OK, I’ll admit it. Just like the big guy with the twiddly moustache from the advert says, a bit of comparison can be a useful thing.

I mean let’s face it, none of us are born knowing how to mum. We learn and take our inspiration from others, to some extent. I know I’m often taking a sneak peek at how other mums do things and thinking bloody brilliant, I’m stealing that snazzy little trick.

And that sort of comparison is OK, as long as it makes you happy, and the person you’re copying isn’t some sort of child-hating Cruella de Vil. But… Continue reading “Stop Comparing Yourself to Others, Mummy”

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Toddler Learning Games – Free and Fun!

Learning Games for Toddlers

Ooh, I’ve got a treat in store for you this week. Drum roll. We’re having a special guest – and she’s bubbling over with ideas on how to keep your kids quiet over the holidays. Erm, I mean lovely toddler learning games…

Now here’s the thing. I’ve bitched about toddler groups. I’ve moaned about tantrums. So the heat is really on to keep this child of mine entertained. And seeing as his becoming a brain surgeon is pretty much my retirement plan, it needs to be educational as well as fun. I do like to multi-task.

So that’s why I’ve brought one of my lovely blogger friends, Nanny Maryanne, to the rescue. Her website is here if you can’t resist knowing more:

https://nannymaryanne.com/

She’s here to help me, and of course you delightful bunch, with her invaluable Nanny advice on toddler learning games. She’s going to divulge some invaluable tips on easy games you can play at home without having to fork out for a bunch of stuff (and fill your house with more kiddie crap!).

Yep, how lucky are we. The advice of an actual professional Nanny without having to pay for a thing. Bloody hell, we’re getting dead fancy.

So without further faffing, I present to you the amazing, kind and gorgeous being that is Nanny M. I’m sure you will love her as much as I do. Continue reading “Toddler Learning Games – Free and Fun!”