4 THINGS: I wish we had bought earlier

If there is every an event in your life that requires you to buy a lot of 'stuff' it's having a baby! There are endless checklists online, parents are often more than willing to share their 'must haves' and there's just no avoiding buying a lot of the essentials. I absolutely loved shopping for all thing mini, both before Isabella was born and after. Those 3am night feeds were the perfect time for a spot of online shopping! After a few months of new orders arriving almost daily (of course I needed to stock up on endless craft supplies for my 2 month old!) we decided to take a step back and think carefully about whether or not we needed each item. However, there have been a few things I really wish we had bought earlier. There use would have made life easier, we would have got more use out of them and therefore making the more expensive purchases worthwhile.

5 THINGS: That have been easier since returning to work

Returning to work for anyone who has been on either maternity or shared parental leave can be a really daunting step. I've documented a lot on here about how worried I was about returning to work and therefore having to leave Isabella. I've now been back at work for over a month and it has honestly not been anywhere near as bad as I had built it up to be in my head. I'd worked myself up, spent so many nights laying awake worrying and not listening to other parents telling me it's not as bad in reality. So I thought I'd share five things that have been much easier than I thought they would be since returning to work, in the hope it will help anyone who is currently struggling with the thought of returning to work.

5 THINGS: I said I wouldnt do as a parent...but did...

During those last (blissful) weeks of pregnancy, when I was on maternity leave and enjoyed pootling around the house preparing for our baby to be born, I thought long and hard about what kind of parent I wanted to be. Of course I wanted to do the best for our daughter and be the best parent I could be. Only problem was....how?