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THANKS FOR SHARING ALL YOUR THOUGHTS. IT’S GREAT TO HEAR YOU’RE LOVING GURGLE

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Clare receives Millhouse’s Healthy Eating Kitchen and Market Stall

I subscribed to Gurgleafter picking up a copy in Mothercare. Now, every time it arrives, my ten-month-old flicks through it for a good hour, kissing all the photos of babies. Then my husband takes it to his ‘office’ for a while, and comes out giving me tips on weaning or telling me how important it is to ‘trust your instincts’. Finally, after he’s gone out with a mate, and Emily’s in bed, I get the chance to read my favourite magazine in peace. Bliss… Clare,byemail

Mothercare. Now, every time it arrives, my ten-month-old flicks through it for a good hour, kissing all the photos of babies. Then my husband takes it to his ‘office’ for a while, and comes out giving me tips on weaning or telling me how important it is to ‘trust your instincts’. Finally, after he’s gone out with a mate, and Emily’s in bed, I get the chance it for agoodhour, kissing all the photos of babies’ ‘Every time it arrives, my ten-month-old flicks through

INSPIRING STUFF Wowzers! I can’t remember the last time a magazine gave me so much to look up. So far I’ve got a book, three websites and two recipes. I’m keeping hold of this copy for future reference! And thank you for MumsinCharge– full of kind words and important things to remember on the sometimes tough journey of motherhood. Cleo,London

MuMs in charge

All new pArents wonder if they’re doing A good job. joAnne MAllon chAts to experienced MuMs, Asking theM to reveAl All their secrets

So, it’s your first day in a highly responsible job. You’ve had no training, little experience and have few clues about what you’re meant to be doing. How can you trust yourself? It’s a question almost all first-time parents have asked themselves. While you’re probably not a doctor, and you might not have written a book, as far as your baby’s concerned, you’re the expert now. But how can we learn to trust ourselves and our instincts? We ask some mums (and experts) who’ve been there, done that, for their tips.

MuMs WHo’Ve leARnT To TRusT THeiR insTincTs

Mother of eight children between two and 16, Annie Spratt says that her instincts have increased with each child: ‘I do believe strongly that we all have an inbuilt maternal instinct that grows along with our children. Everyone hopes they have ‘ it’ from the offset and even if it doesn’t show straight away it soon kicks in when our little ones become ill – you ‘ feel’ when something’s not right – almost a sixth sense! Katherine Elphick, mum to two under twos agrees: ‘When Alice was newborn

I knew she wasn’t feeding well and that she was crying because she was hungry, but all the midwives told me she was latching on fine and not to worry. But, at six days old, she was weighed and had lost so much weight that we were rushed to A&E. I was really angry with myself for not trusting my own instincts as she was quite weak by then.

‘Now I have another newborn and I have learned to listen to those gut feelings and am much more relaxed and confident as a result.’

‘Maternal instinct to me feels like a sense of “oneness” with my children. You just know when something is wrong with them. It sounds a bit corny, but it’s so true.’ Annie spRATT

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‘When it comes to your child, you are the expert – nobody knows them as well as you do. There are lots of interesting pieces of new information out there that weren’t around when your parents had you – from tips and ideas in books, magazines and websites, to well-meaning advice from friends. If they work for you, fine, but if they don’t you don’t have to use them – at the end of the day, every child is an individual and your relationship with them is unique.’

eileen HAYes, gurgle’s pARenTing expeRT

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Remember things you loved about your parents, and the things you didn’t. And write a list of the great qualities that you have that you bring to your new role as parent. TD

use All YouR senses Mother of four Sarah Ockwell-Smith founded BabyCalm, which aims to empower new parents to raise their babies with confidence. Sarah thinks that we need to adjust our attitude to understand how our baby’s feeling: ‘Think of your baby like a real person, because they really are little people. They will feel hungry and cold, but also lonely and scared. The more you hold your baby, the less it will cry’. Sarah believes that a lot of early bonding boils down to physical contact, and keeping your baby close: ‘A new mum needs to let go of her intellect, she needs to not worry whether she is doing things “right or wrong”. It’s ok to “ just be” – to enjoy today without worrying who her child will be tomorrow, to love and know them just as any other mammal does, by scent, by touch, by sight, by sound, not by development stage or “what to expect next”. She is an individual – as is her child – and the expert.

‘Babies may not talk, but they are master communicators. What about sounds over words? What about touch? What about sight? What about smell? We have five senses, so why do we only use one when trying to understand each other? For me – sight and touch are the most important when trying to understand a baby.”

Building confidence While you may be a new parent, TeeJay Dowe, author of Perfectshun, £14.99 (Ecademy Press) points out that you do have some skills to draw on: ‘You already have experience of being parented. This may have been fantastic or not so great. Either way that’s fine, because you get to choose what kind of parent you would like to be to your child.’

Am I doing this right? TeeJay adds: ‘Ditch any notion of trying to be perfect, as it will cause you nothing but stress, worry and pressure, causing self-doubt and sabotaging your goal of being confident as a parent. Give yourself permission to be human and be the best parent you can be – enjoy the whole learning process.’

and scared. The more you hold your baby, the less it will cry’ people. They will feel hungry and cold, but also lonely ‘Think of your baby like a real person, because they really are little gurgle.com 77

THE NIGHT WATCH Thank you for a fantastic magazine that I read cover to cover last night, while feeding my 16-week-old son every one and a half hours. I really valued comments made by mums in MumsinCharge, and love the balance between articles for first-time mums and those who can’t remember what life was like before the kids – I also have a busy three-and-a-half-year-old. From one of your regular ‘Am I the only one awake?’ readers. Kara,Lancashire

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ALL IN THE MIX Having not read a parenting magazine since being pregnant, I was handed Gurgleat my 18-month-old’s nursery today and realised what I’ve been missing! It‘s is a great mix of advice, tips and fun. But what I love best is its excellent coverage of issues from newborn to pre-school. Being a mum is an amazing journey – keep up the good work! Alex,Brighton

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IT’S A GIFT Gurgleis exactly what I’ve been looking for! Having an 18-month-old means that we’ve outgrown baby magazines, but your features about bedroom decor and the kids’ fashion, were perfect. The shopping pages were full of great ideas, too. And the magazine itself will make a perfect stocking filler for my friends with kids! LouiseGraham,Hillsborough

Elodie wears Fair Isle cardigan, £18, and heart print top, part of set (both 1-5yrs), £20, M&Co; pink tutu, £55, Angel’s Face; spotted tights (2-10yrs), £14, Mini A Ture; floral print boots

(9-4), £29.99, River Island.

Willow wears Fair Isle cardigan (3mths-6yrs), £15,

Next; floral print tunic (214yrs), £25.99, Zara; fuchsia tutu, £55, Angel’s Face; beige bow boots

(3-12), £29, Next.

Adam wears fur bear hat (3mths-6yrs), £7, Next; tweed blazer (2-14yrs), £39.99, Zara; print shirt (2-6yrs), £80, Paul Smith; grey skinny jeans (2-14yrs), £15.99, Zara; leather boots (9-4), £45.99, River Island. Elodie wears fur gilet and print tights, part of a set (3mths-6yrs), from £27, Next; tulle skirt (2-12yrs), £112, Kico Kids; blue top, £12 (2-10yrs), The Little White Company; Bow boots (3-12), from £29, Next.

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Delia wears jumpsuit, £79, Ted Baker; wedges, £40, Next; necklace and bangles, as before; bag & earrings, from a selection, Absolute Vintage. Ellise wears jumpsuit, £39, miniature.dk; sandals, £10, Next. Madelina wears dress, £16, Monsoon; necklace, £5.99 H&M; sandals, £15.99, Zara Girl.

Wonder walls transform your child’s bedroom into a wonderland with amazing stickers, murals or wallpapers. lucy ryder richardson knows how

Fun of the Fair wall stickers, £80 per pack, funkylittledarlings.co.uk

Fun of the Fair wall stickers, £80 per pack, funkylittledarlings.co.uk

Funky Little Darling’s Alpine Circus mural

Battery-operated Big Ben wall clocks, from £80

Fluoro Lost Garden wallpaper, £165

No-one taps into a child’s wildest dreams better than Mandy Colliss and David Quinton, the husband and wife design duo behind Funky Little Darlings. One look at their wallpapers and stickers and you feel like you have entered a Willy Wonka world of fun and fascination where multi-coloured soldier ants march across walls, fluoro flowers burst into life and cute kitsch teddy bears fly in on balloons. Mandy thinks the scale of their work is part of their appeal: ‘One mum telephoned us the evening we finished her kid’s room to say she had found her son and husband lying on the bed curled up together just staring at his new wall. Moments like that make doing what we do so worthwhile.’ Their wild imagination is gleaned from anything from the British countryside to visits to Japan to Sgt. Pepper’s album cover,

but it’s daughter Daisy who provides the biggest inspiration. ‘We always ask her what she thinks,’ says Mandy. And it turns out Daisy is quite the designer herself. ‘We’re moving her to a larger room and she wants a white, acid yellow and grey colour scheme.’ Having a child has taught Mandy and David to design more responsibly, and their aim is to be ‘100 per cent eco-friendly.’ If you’ve recently decorated, then their new sticker range can instantly turn a magnolia wall into a fantasy hedgerow even the most novice DIY-ers can pull off, we promise. A cool and clever British company with fresh ideas and ethics. We like.

bedrooms bedrooms

Little Daisy’s

Little Daisy’s decorating tips Lots and lots of colour ‘I’ve asked for a big mural wallpaper on one of my walls. I like lots of colour in my bedroom. But I think the colours should be more grown-up now that I’m seven.’ Make room for friends ‘My friends will have sleepovers with me, so I am having a cool new bed that has a pull-out bed underneath so they can all stay.’ A place to put my stuff ‘I have got lots of toys and books and things, so I am having a bookcase built along one wall. Mummy and I decided it should have sections painted in some cool colours so it works well with my new mural.’

Pet sounds

Brilliantly bonkers design duo Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire combine vintage imagery with modern, surreal flourishes. Who doesn’t want a squirrel running along a trombone? Their designs would make a great statement on any wall. 10mx52cmroll,£40, minimoderns.com/shoppe

Meet more designer whizzes who are putting the fun factor back into wallpaper

Dragons’ den

Paperboy was conceived after mum Victoria Cramsie couldn’t find a boy’s wallpaper for her twin sons, Rory and Archie, that felt handmade, but wasn’t too twee or whimsical. The result is her own selection of magical designs (such as ‘‘Ere Be Dragons’ and ‘Spitfires’) that are fun enough for little kids, yet cool enough for older ones. 10mx52cmroll,£78, paperboywallpaper.co.uk

Cheeky monkeys.

make for very.

funky walls.

more ideas gurgle.com 147

HONEST APPRAISAL My little one is nine months old, so I’m pleased Gurglehas articles for parents of slightly older children and not just newborns or pregnant women. I loved WonderWalls: the rooms were beautiful and I found it inspiring. I also liked BundlesofJoy– it was so honest, showing real women dealing with the ups and downs of motherhood. There isn’t much I don’t like, although some of the clothes featured can be a little pricey! Melanie,Doncaster

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READ WITH MOTHER My son and I so enjoy Gurgle. He loves me reading articles aloud as he looks at the bright pages. As a first-time mum I really appreciate the great advice, particularly on breastfeeding and teething; I’ve also taken the advice on HowtoBrainTrainYourBaby and am reading to my son whenever I can. RachaelandAshton,byemail

14 gurgle.com WHY NOT TELL US WHAT YOU THINK? Email us at letters@gurglemagazine.com

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