I knew after my first baby was born that I would need to get out of the house. I was already on the back foot as I didn’t do an NCT class but I was terrified by the pressure to make small talk at baby and toddler groups. Structured “Baby Classes” seemed the way to […]
Life with Babies and Toddlers
I found the baby years challenging to say the least. I had postnatal depression, struggled to bind with my babies and found the sleep deprivation very hard to cope with. Both of my babies had colic which meant hours of screaming every night and one was particularly sicky so I smelt of vomit for a good six months.
By the time they were toddlers I was coping a bit better but still found parenting relentless. As an introvert, I need a certain amount of alone time to function and unfortunately toddlers, who like to keep you company even on the toilet, don’t really allow for that.
Despite the challenges, we did have some good times. After my second was born I knew it was important for me to get out of the house so started attending a toddler group. I made friends and eventually ended up running the group which gave me a sense of purpose.
Society still pushes the image of women who are happy and fulfilled simply because they have had a baby however this isn’t the case for most women. Motherhood manages somehow to be both the hardest thing I’ve done as well as being mind numbingly boring for much of the time.
There is a big difference between loving your baby and loving motherhood. While I did slowly fall in love with my babies, I’ve never fallen in love with motherhood, and that’s ok. There are a hundred different ways to be a good mum, finding parenthood so tough in the early years has taught me not to judge others and I hope people afford me the same courtesy.
I found that the best way to cope with motherhood was through honestly and humour so many of the posts in this section laugh at the challenges or give honest accounts of them along with some advice on how to cope.
My Postnatal Depression Story: Recovery From Postnatal Depression
Postnatal Depression can totally ruin the early months and even years of motherhood. For me, it actually started in pregnancy with prenatal depression and continued until my baby was about 6 months old, when I became much more able to see the funny side of motherhood. While the sleep deprivation was a big factor for […]
Coping with Colic in Breastfed Babies
I first heard of colic when I read my first baby book. It effects up to 25% of babies. I assumed I’d be one of the lucky, unaffected ones, particularly as I planned the breastfeed and I’d read that colic in breastfed babies was less common. I wasn’t. It took me a while to realise […]
Toddler Group Crafts – Activities for Groups of Toddlers
Toddler group crafts are great because the children get to express themselves and take something home at the end. I’ve included four ideas here but don’t forget, toddlers will have a great time with some crayons and colouring sheets too. Personally I prefer open ended activities where the children choose their own way of creating but […]
Toddler Food Activities – Great for Home or Toddler Group
Everyone knows, kids love to snack. I think that’s why toddler food activities always go down well with them. Here are my favourite food based toddler group activities from my 3 years running a group. Don’t forget, when planning food based activities for a toddler group, you’ll need to be able to provide allergen information […]