People do have useful things to say and there will be bits and pieces of advice that are absolutely invaluable, but the truth is that no one else has ever parented your baby, so whether it’s your best friend, your mother-in-law or a wonderful health care professional, they are not the experts in caring for your baby: YOU are.
What has been the biggest learning curve about becoming a parent?
I think the biggest challenge for me is how to handle the repetitive nature of life with a toddler, without getting bored. Toddlers (or mine, at least!) need a regular rhythm to life, for days to take roughly the same shape, regular meal times, familiar play places and visits… I find the monotony tough at times – in fact, that’s exactly why I took on running Happy Mondays, to add a bit of brain food to the regular routine of our lives!
Name three products you couldn't do without
A micro-scooter for Joshua
A Beco Gemini sling for Oscar (we used an NCT caboo when he was newborn)
Wine!
We'd love to have you on
the team - check out www.nct.org.uk/branches/beckenham-borders/meet-team
for more details about
volunteering
Anything you wish you'd never bought?
A million things! Countless toys that broke or never caught Joshua’s imagination, and lots of sleep training books that I read and then never acted on. Perhaps the most bizarre one was a special drying rack for baby bottles that came as part of an eBay bundle with a steriliser; I never really understood why I was supposed to use it, and never had space for it, but I kept it for a year before throwing it away.
Where are your favourite local haunts?
With toddler: Deli Nene in Beckenham town centre; Mayow, Kelsey, Crystal Palace and Dulwich parks; Brown and Green’s in Mayow Park; Wavelengths swimming pool in Deptford; any branch of Franco Manca for amazing, and not expensive, pizza. And if you’re heading into central London, you can’t do better than the London Transport Museum. Without toddler: Dalhousie in Crystal Palace (SUCH amazing cake) and The Bridge House in Penge… I’m not saying toddlers aren’t welcome, but these are my havens for toddler-free time (there’s no such thing as baby-free time for me just yet!)
Any advice to someone interested in volunteering for NCT?
Just get in touch! I was so nervous about whether I would be wanted or whether I’d be taking on too much but was made SO welcome, and encouraged to contribute as much or as little as I was able. I’ve made lovely friends and am really enjoying giving something back in this short respite from working life. We'll need a new Happy Mondays Coordinator in September - go on, you can do it!