Becoming a parent for the first time used to be like turning up to your first day in a new job to find the whole office had gone on annual leave, leaving you to figure it all out for your yourself: no handover notes, no welcome pack, no line manager to shoulder the responsibility for your rookie mistakes.
Then along came the mummy-blogosphere.
Ever since, mothers have been coming out in their droves to talk about their experiences and share their pearls of wisdom with other mums online.
Whether you’re looking for practical advice, lifestyle tips, a laugh, a cry, or just the reassurance you’re not the only wondering what time you can crack open the gin – there is a mummy blogger out there just for you.
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With thousands to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start so here are five of our favourites to get you started...
Guilty Mother
Jo WimbleGroves
Jo is on a mission to abolish mum guilt. Guilty for returning to your career, guilty for not returning to your career: it would seem we’re damned if we do, damned if we don’t. And ‘Guilty Mother’ Jo understands this as much as anyone. A successful businesswoman and “guilty, hardworking mother for the last six years”, Jo, 37, hasn’t so much ditched her guilt as “learned to manage it” and by sharing and collaborating ideas and conversations with other Guilty Mothers, she hopes “we can all start to feel less guilty overall”.
“The thing to remember about motherhood is that the perfect mum is the imperfect mum,” she says on her blog biography. “Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you’re doing a great job. And this is me, telling you, you are doing a great job.”
Covering everything from the reality of being a working mother and the importance of carving out me-time to tips for dealing with imposter syndrome, Jo offers the kind of sound advice and emotional support every new mother deserves.
“The thing to remember about motherhood is that the perfect mum is the imperfect mum,” she says on her blog biography. “Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you’re doing a great job. And this is me, telling you, you are doing a great job.”
Covering everything from the reality of being a working mother and the importance of carving out me-time to tips for dealing with imposter syndrome, Jo offers the kind of sound advice and emotional support every new mother deserves.
Baby Budgeting
Becky GoddardHill
As a mum of two, former child development trainer and social worker, and published author (How to Afford Time Off With Your Baby), Blogger Becky Goddard-Hill is more than qualified to talk about parenting. But it’s her smart, simple, money-saving ideas and thrifty tips that are the star of the show here.
Budgeting might not be the sexiest of subjects but raising a baby can be a pricey business. And if the title is conjuring up unwanted images of spreadsheets and bank statements, don’t worry – Baby Budgeting reads more like a practical lifestyle magazine with a focus on thrifty ideas.
From tips on drying your clothes in winter (without the fear of soaring energy bills) to scores of affordable products to browse, and simple upcycled craft ideas, Goddard-Hill makes saving money, dare we say it, fun.
And if you’re panicking about your Christmas budget, head to the Thrifty Christmas section for loads of festive money-saving tips and ideas.
Budgeting might not be the sexiest of subjects but raising a baby can be a pricey business. And if the title is conjuring up unwanted images of spreadsheets and bank statements, don’t worry – Baby Budgeting reads more like a practical lifestyle magazine with a focus on thrifty ideas.
From tips on drying your clothes in winter (without the fear of soaring energy bills) to scores of affordable products to browse, and simple upcycled craft ideas, Goddard-Hill makes saving money, dare we say it, fun.
And if you’re panicking about your Christmas budget, head to the Thrifty Christmas section for loads of festive money-saving tips and ideas.
The Baby Bible
Olivia Siegl
If there's one thing to be said about The Baby Bible , this 'No-Bullshit Guide To Motherhood’ tells it like it is.
Olivia Siegl’s warts-and-all (#nofilter) blog is a refreshing antidote to the Instagram-perfect lifestyle blogs that can leave some mums feeling less than adequate. Offering a helping hand through the “wilderness of motherhood”, Siegl imparts her wisdom not from the higher ground but as someone speaking from (sometimes dark, often hilarious) experience. This is the kind of mum you wish was in your NCT group.
From honest tales about her struggles with postnatal depression to her wry ‘No Bull’ guides to everything from breastfeeding to new-mum survival, The Baby Bible is genuinely useful but more importantly it reminds us to stop aspiring to unrealistic notions of motherhood. A regular blogger for HuffPost, Olivia also has a book in the pipeline. Watch this space...
Olivia Siegl’s warts-and-all (#nofilter) blog is a refreshing antidote to the Instagram-perfect lifestyle blogs that can leave some mums feeling less than adequate. Offering a helping hand through the “wilderness of motherhood”, Siegl imparts her wisdom not from the higher ground but as someone speaking from (sometimes dark, often hilarious) experience. This is the kind of mum you wish was in your NCT group.
From honest tales about her struggles with postnatal depression to her wry ‘No Bull’ guides to everything from breastfeeding to new-mum survival, The Baby Bible is genuinely useful but more importantly it reminds us to stop aspiring to unrealistic notions of motherhood. A regular blogger for HuffPost, Olivia also has a book in the pipeline. Watch this space...
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Adventures Of A Mum
Lara Jarvis
Meet Lara Jarvis: former IT professional, wife of Stuart, and mother to Henry, 3, and George, 1. Mixing tales of family life with practical lifestyle tips and advice, Adventures of a Mum is a perfect example of the warm and personal touch that sets lifestyle blogs apart from their traditional magazine counterparts.
The stylish and well-curated content covers all the usual lifestyle stalwarts, from fashion, family and food to travel and interiors – but with a particular focus on beauty. Find everything from quick-fix beauty products and Christmas gift guides to advice on weaning and getting your baby to sleep.
Lara also has her own Youtube channel, which covers everything from easy, everyday makeup tips to cool toddler bedroom ideas.
The stylish and well-curated content covers all the usual lifestyle stalwarts, from fashion, family and food to travel and interiors – but with a particular focus on beauty. Find everything from quick-fix beauty products and Christmas gift guides to advice on weaning and getting your baby to sleep.
Lara also has her own Youtube channel, which covers everything from easy, everyday makeup tips to cool toddler bedroom ideas.
Selfish Mother
selfishmothercom
If you prefer to seek the wisdom of crowds, you’re sure to find some likeminded souls at Selfish Mother. Edited by founder Molly Gunn, this “blogzine for brilliant women” has built up a huge and ever-growing community of bloggers, and covers every mother-related topic imaginable.
Although the posts come from a hugely diverse range of women, they have one thing in common: they never judge. In Gunn’s words, they are: “faultlessly honest, sometimes funny, inspirational, motivational, observational, slightly addictive, extremely shareable. Hardly selfish at all.”
Although the posts come from a hugely diverse range of women, they have one thing in common: they never judge. In Gunn’s words, they are: “faultlessly honest, sometimes funny, inspirational, motivational, observational, slightly addictive, extremely shareable. Hardly selfish at all.”