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and I can’t really remember it (baby brain is real) but also because it’s probably not wise to try force a tiny baby into a strict routine, especially when you’re feeding on demand and awake all hours of the night. Having a strict routine and following it every day has helped me retain a sense of control over a life that is very different from the one I had before, but it’s also helped me juggle being a mum and having a job. The nature of my job (social media) means I have to work every day, and although I can do it at home, I can’t really do it with a baby attached to me so I need Hazel to sleep in her cot for a decent length of time. I’m becoming less uptight about The Routine as I grow more confident in my parenting – for example, about a month ago we stopped using the white noise machine in Hazel’s room.

Hazel is now 18 months old and in the last few weeks, she’s exploded with new skills. After taking her first tentative few steps about two months ago, she’s finally cracked the walking game and is literally running about the place as fast as her little legs will carry her. Although I think we’re on the fringes of the 18-month sleep regression, as 1/2 wakeups have been creeping back in – sleep regressions have always hit Hazel hard and she struggled with them at 4, 8 and 12 months, so I’m prepared for a few weeks of turmoil before (hopefully) things settle back down. I’ll write a full post on this, but her confidence has come on massively since she started and it’s a joy to see her experiencing so many new things while she’s there.

We live in a pretty standard Victorian terrace house without the space for an additional playroom to house Hazel’s toys, so almost everything is stored in our living room. With a little rejigging, I managed to squeeze this table and stools set from Aldi (a Specialbuy last summer so sadly not available now) in there too, giving Hazel space to sit and ‘draw’ on her magnetic drawing board, or ‘read’ a book. This is an Ikea Kallax unit with soft storage boxes (also Ikea) which house all Hazel’s toys. By choosing kid-friendly pieces that fit with our interior style and hiding the rest away, our living room is a space for Hazel and us.

If you’re looking to establish breastfeeding, keep breastfeeding going after a setback or continue breastfeeding past a certain age, there’s so much support to be found online. We are pushed (but not necessarily supported) towards breastfeeding at every turn, but all breastfeeding journeys come to an end at some point – whether that’s through self-weaning (some children become disinterested in feeding as they get older, and all children eventually lose their ability to latch) or through choice. And I want to recognise the pain of having that choice taken away, whether that’s because you are unable to breastfeed due to a physical problem or a lack of support, or because you feel pressured to stop breastfeeding before you are ready due to the (incorrect and totally baseless) opinions of friends/family/society. Work out which feeds they need (i.e. a morning feed because they’re hungry, feeding during illness) and which feeds they want (i.e. a pre-nap feed for comfort), and try to offer an alternative to their ‘want’ feeds instead, like a cup of water, a snack or distraction with a toy.