Instagram accounts we have loved:
There is so much information out there for you to access and Instagram is, in our opinion, the easiest and most digestible of the platforms out there. As mothers it can be lonely and often isolating doing the everyday on your own, and Instagram can provide you an opportunity to connect with people going through similar life events. It doesn’t have to be family related but anything you fancy. Our advice is to find some accounts that provide high quality information with people that you can relate to. They can become a comforting companion to your everyday life! Below are the most important accounts to us:
Baby_led_eating – Carla has followed Hannah since her son Austin was around 9 months, he is now 4.5 years. Hannah has two children, her youngest Isabelle is only a couple months younger than Carla’s Austin. Carla followed her originally for weaning recipe ideas, which she has so many great and easy ones on her account, but over the years she has branched out into other areas of interest, like toys, weaning accessories and even some house renovation updates. She has a wealth of information on her site and definitely worth a follow.
Baby_led_weaning_cookbook – Natalie Peall is the owner of this site, and her recipes are affordable, quick and really delicious. She has an app where you can access all of her amazing recipes which we would highly recommend. Such a great find for mother’s who aren’t that confident at cooking and want to stay on a budget.
Bobinandbumble – This lady makes the most amazing accessories for you and your baby. They range from hospital bag, baby bag accessories to nursery and weaning accessories. They are such brilliant quality and the patterns are beautiful, Carla has bought several things for herself and as gifts. Seriously a great addition to anyone’s collection.
Eatingwiththekids – Laura Wilkinson is the owner of this site page and she again is a recipe guru. She sells her recipes in packs, they are grouped handily together according to a cooking approach, such as slow cooking, one pot and air fryer. They are all fantastic and seriously delicious. They come in a handy pack of recipe cards and are such great quality. Her recipes are not just focused on children, but family-orientated food. Carla has bought all the packs so far and loves them. She does also have some great cooking and organisation accessories for sale as well.
Sick.happens – Penny is a paediatric nurse in Australia. Her page is a wealth of information on children's illnesses and how as parents we should manage these. She offers online courses as well. Her page is a comfort for more anxious parents and is a fantastic resource. We would definitely recommend following her.
annabelkarmel - Annabel Karmel is a very well known children's recipe book author. She also has a range of ready-made meals in the supermarket and posts lots of recipes for you to try at home with your kids.
ellaskitchenuk - Brilliant recipe ideas and brilliant pouches! We are big fans of Ella's kitchen, their pouches were a go-to for us when our babies were younger, whether we were out and about or just exhausted.
Daisy First Aid - A course that Gina did after having her first child. A really comprehensive and important afternoon well spent learning on how to give first aid to your child and to spot the signs of when action is needed. You go away feeling much more confident and prepared. Definitely recommend!
Apps we have loved:
The Wonder Weeks – This is an app designed to give you a personalised tracking of your baby’s developmental milestones. It provides information on when and how long to expect developmental ‘leaps’ and how this might affect the mood of your baby. Always useful to know when to expect a period of grumpiness! There are lots of extras on the app as well, so you can use it to track more closely your baby’s changes.
Little ones – This app is focused on routines for your baby, there are a wealth of programmes that you can purchase that give you high-level and detailed breakdowns of the suggested routines for your baby’s age range. Carla found this app really useful to understand what daily sleep routine her babies should follow. The app gives you information on how much day sleep is ideal for your baby and how many naps they should be having to optimise their night sleep. With the ultimate goal of a baby who will sleep through the night. Obviously as with everything, no baby is the same, but the authors provide great tips and approaches that could help in achieving the utopia of enough sleep. They also provide a community within the app, so you can get additional support which is a great. It also encompasses feeding schedules as well, but this is predominantly focused on breast-fed babies, so may take a little tweaking if bottle-fed. Gina, just winged it when it came to schedules and sleep and followed no routine.
Sound Sleeper - This is a white noise app that Gina used a lot. There is a selection of different sounds that your baby may prefer.
Books we would recommend:
Your Baby Week by Week – Dr Caroline Fertlemen. This book very simply gives you a breakdown of what to expect and the changes that your baby will go through within their first 6 months. Each chapter covers a week of your baby’s expected development and gives you as a parent an idea of what to look out for. Carla found this book very informative but as with everything baby there is no one size fits all. Buy Here
Blissful Baby Expert – Lisa Clegg. She is a mother, and worked as a nanny and maternity nurse. Carla found her book very reassuring and informative. Her approach is not restrictive which is useful and her sleep section is very supportive. Buy Here
Recipe Books:
Wean-in-15 – We are big fans of Joe Wicks. Even if you aren’t into his workouts, he is an extremely family orientated which we love. He is always posting about his children, and when he was weaning he was very open with the fact that he worked closely with a nutritionist. From this he created his wean-in-15 books full of great recipes and really helpful advice. We would thoroughly recommend them to anyone who is starting their weaning journey!
Annabel Karmel’s New Complete Baby & Toddler Meal Planner – Carla used this throughout her weaning of Austin. She still cooks many of them now he is older. It has great recipes and useful planners for the everyday approach with your little one. Also she does some ready-made foods for when your baby is toddling which we would highly recommend too!
Ella’s Kitchen the First Foods Book – This was great book for giving practical advice and tips to first time weaners. The recipes were simple and tasty. In addition to this you get a weaning tracker if you want to capture your progress at home. We love Ella’s Kitchen food, they have an amazing range of ready-made foods and snacks too. Check them out on your next trip to the supermarket! Buy Here
Ella’s Kitchen the Cook Book – Following on from weaning they have another recipe book which caters for all. Again a solid choice with a great range of recipes. Buy Here
My First Meals by Grace Mortimer – This another recipe book Carla has enjoyed. It only came out in 2022 but it focuses on the more simple, fast and great tasting recipes, which is a bonus if you are running around after your little one all day! Buy Here
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