9 Tips For Parenting as a New Mum

Becoming a mum for the first time can be overwhelming and a little frightening. The best advice to help you through comes from experienced mums who have already been there. We spoke to journalist Tiffany Wright, who let us know her top nine tips that she wished someone had told her before becoming a mum.

1. Remember everything is just a stage – This sage piece of advice is great when you are sobbing your eyes out over lack of sleep/cracked nipples/baby’s crying. Babies change so quickly and so do their bad habits – so when you are feeling overwhelmed just remember that this ‘stage’ will soon pass.

2. Take muslins with you EVERYWHERE – Never leave the house/kitchen/nursery without one. Muslins will literally become your life savers - they are perfect for a multitude of jobs from mopping up baby sick to swaddling your little one.

3. Olive oil is great for banishing cradle cap – Cradle cap (a bit like dandruff for babies) is something lots of little ones get, but it’s easy to get rid of with a simple household product - olive oil. Just rub into your baby’s head and in a few days it will be gone!

4. When people want to buy you baby clothes, ask for them in size 3 months plus – When I had Rupert a lot of well wishers sent us gorgeous clothes in newborn sizes. The problem? Just a couple of weeks later and Rupert had grown out of them all! Buying clothes in a slightly bigger size means your baby will get a lot more wear out of them.

5. Get a bouncy chair – The bouncy chair is literally my lifesaver! Although unsightly (most of them are bright yellow and green) babies seem to love them due to the fact the bouncing mimics the rocking sensation from when they were in your womb

6. Buy a Sleeping Bag instead of tucking your baby into bed with blankets or sheets – Sleeping Bags take the stress out of putting your baby to sleep. They literally button up like a mini pair of dungarees, meaning your baby is kept warm throughout the night without you having to use a blanket/sheet and worry about them wiggling their way under it and suffocating.

7. Download a baby tracker app - These apps help you keep track of when your baby was last fed. I love the ‘baby feed timer’ app – perfect for tired mummies who need a reminder about when to feed and which boob you last fed on.

8. If you are bottle feeding, don’t buy 10 of the same bottles - Your baby (like us adults) can be fussy, so you’re best to test out a few bottles to see which one your baby likes the most before you invest in lots more.

9. Be honest with other mums – There is a huge amount of pressure nowadays for women to be ‘super-mums’ We are expected to breastfeed with ease, have our baby in a routine by 10 weeks and have a baby who ‘never cries and always smiles.’ The truth is – anyone telling you that that is the case is LYING. If you are finding motherhood hard then admit it to other mummies. You’ll be surprised that when you talk about the worries and issues you are having, other mothers will admit they are in the same boat.  And there is a huge amount of comfort in that.

For more advice on parenting, maternity taboos, breastfeeding and pregnancy from a like-minded mum, head over to Tiffany's blog or you can follow her on Instagram.