Forget the gadgets and so-called must-buys. Here’s what really makes parenting easier, and a whole lot more fun…
By Fiona Gibson
A mum friend on speed dial
If you’re on maternity leave, or a full-time mum, it’s natural to sense a void where your friendships with colleagues used to be.
A flexible attitude
A week can stretch to infinity when you’re at home with a small child, which is why meeting up with friends, taking your child to activities, hel
A bright ideas box
A box filled with paints, crayons, glitter and craft materials is the cheapest and easiest way to keep your child happy at home.
Hands-on support
It comes as no surprise that 60 per cent of dads prefer to play with their kids rather than get stuck into the nitty-gritty (scary fact: one in five
Time out
No one can be in sparkling ‘mum mode’ 24/7. We all need breaks, with no one demanding biscuits/drinks/cuddles every second.
A place to get messy
Experts are calling it the ‘cotton wool generation’, due to our fear of letting our kids run wild outside and get dirty.
Helping hands
It might seem easier to tackle chores yourself, but the earlier your kids start helping, the more adept they’ll become at getting jobs done (one iVilla
A rainy-day stand-by
Ah, those rainy days which seem to stretch forever.
A child-friendly sanctuary
Every mum needs a child-friendly place that’s not home, and not the park either (let’s face it - few things are more dismal
A night off!
When asked what they miss most about their pre-baby lives, over half of new mums said their social lives, according to one survey.