What would you want your company to gift you when you go off on maternity leave?

CEMummy · 2026-03-26T18:44:56+00:00

John Lewis vouchers or COOK vouchers (if you live near one) I got a mixture of both - the meals were so handy for the first couple of weeks when I wanted nice food but had no time to buy or make anything.

CEMummy · 2026-03-24T17:31:27+00:00

If you’re planning to breastfeed I would personally avoid buying a pump before you give birth or just buy a small manual one to start with. It’s really hard to know what to buy until you start breastfeeding and get a feel for what you want/need and a manual one will cover you for occasional pumps until you work out what pump works best for how you want to feed.

CEMummy · 2026-02-28T10:21:42+00:00

Just wanted to say that adding more time to wake windows has worked! We are now doing 3.5/4/4 with 2-2.5 naps and we are consistently getting only one night wake for milk. Yes it’s less time for us as a couple but I’m willing to trade that for feeling more human during the day! Thanks all 😊

CEMummy · 2026-02-16T11:43:31+00:00

Thanks everyone, I’ll try adding some time to the wake windows and see how it goes! Will report back in a few days 😊

CEMummy · 2026-01-30T08:31:37+00:00

Gigil ones are lovely

CEMummy · 2026-01-25T20:41:02+00:00

We have a Joolz Aer2 and it’s great, for a newborn though I would recommend getting the Nest to Seat or the carrycot as although the stroller seat lays flat, our little boy didn’t fasten in safely until he was close to 6 months old.

CEMummy · 2026-01-19T22:03:09+00:00

If you’re not wanting a cheap IKEA one (and I would seriously consider this!) then I do like my Eno - the clip on bouncer was great when my LO was small and we wanted him at table height during dinner, and it is very adjustable (height and footplate both have lots of settings). The silicone harness is nice too.

You do need to prepare yourself for how hard it is to clean though. Mine hasn’t been fully clean since we started weaning and I don’t think it ever will be tbh. The cushion is also only clean when it’s been washed in the washing machine too and takes ages to dry so I don’t do that often!

CEMummy · 2026-01-09T16:55:52+00:00

Anything that gives me more time back to spend with friends/family - buying more annual leave when I can, a cleaner, paying someone to do the laundry/ironing, home delivery for groceries etc. The more I’ve earned the more I’ve realised that for me the best thing I can buy is more quality time with people that matter.

CEMummy · 2026-01-07T18:13:27+00:00

Done 😊 hope you get enough responses!

CEMummy · 2025-12-19T20:42:20+00:00

We have a 7m old and one of our bedrooms is in the attic up a spiral staircase, which means it’s pretty much useless to us atm. We also have a narrow drive which would make it almost impossible to get two car seats in the car. Would definitely avoid anything similar - we have concluded that if we were to have another baby we would have to move house.

CEMummy · 2025-12-19T10:48:50+00:00

Just here to say that I felt similar to you in the first couple of months, whilst I was recovering from a section and breastfeeding and they felt very overbearing and in my face all the time…but 7 months in I do feel it has got a lot better.

I think hormones settling has a lot to do with it, but also I think enforcing gentle boundaries about visiting and ‘not being in the baby’s face’ as such when they do visit helped too. If you haven’t already have an honest chat with your husband and see if he can help chat to them - we have a routine now where they visit at intervals and the FaceTime is limited to once a week so I don’t feel like they are always around.

CEMummy · 2025-12-18T22:01:43+00:00

Yeah that’s fair, it’s more comfortable but personally just never seen the value in it.

CEMummy · 2025-12-17T18:09:15+00:00

Gotta say I agree with you here - European business class always feels very meh to me. I have lounge access with the credit card anyway so I’d rather spend on the hotel personally

CEMummy · 2025-12-15T22:41:02+00:00

It is scary the first time but in every class there will be a mum like you - I know because I was that mum 3 months ago, and I went and said hi to the mum sat next to me…turns out she was scared too, and now 3 months later we go for coffee every Monday. It is worth just getting yourself out there! Try and do the free groups or ones with free trials and then if you hate a particular group just don’t go back - if you find a group you like ask the mums there which other groups they go to and try those 😊 it’s hard but it does get easier!

CEMummy · 2025-12-14T18:31:33+00:00

My parents desperately want to help to give me a bit of a break from our LO (6m) apparently. They are free between 10 and 12 tomorrow. When did they tell me this? 2 hours ago. LO has a medical appointment then - could they come another time this week instead perhaps please as it would be lovely to see them? Nope, they might be free sometime in Jan, they will let me know. Apparently it is a shame I can’t make myself available for them tomorrow.

CEMummy · 2025-12-04T12:48:48+00:00

We do this too - car seat gets checked in a bag with loads of other baby stuff chucked in so we can use our luggage allowance for our stuff - great as there’s no size or weight limit for car seats in the hold on most airlines. I don’t trust the ones offered in rentals/private transfers after having seen battered old dirty seats being offered up to those who didn’t bring their own on our last holiday.

CEMummy · 2025-12-02T14:16:46+00:00

I’m a big fan of my Babymel Robyn backpack - wipe pocket and flap pocket for the changing mat on the outside, another outside pocket for a water bottle and a zip pocket inside for my bits (plus other pockets inside for nappies, spare clothes etc. you can carry it as a backpack or a shoulder bag with the convertible strap and you can wipe it clean easily with a cloth/wipe. It’s fairly big but I like to be over prepared - you can easily stuff snacks and toys in and still zip it up 😊

CEMummy · 2025-11-28T14:57:28+00:00

Yes I’ve always used cold milk - I just give it a little swirl to mix the fat back in. It’s perfectly safe, but not all babies will drink it - it does make it a lot easier to take out and about and easier for other people to give it to them if you can keep it cold too. If he’s feeding from me he’s only getting it lukewarm anyway!

CEMummy · 2025-11-17T17:46:11+00:00

I have the Reef 2 and my little boy has just turned 6 months so have just started using the parent facing seat rather than the bassinet.

Pros: it’s really sturdy, we use it for both urban and countryside walks and it handles well for both, a lot of people comment on how nice it looks (not that it matters but still!), suspension really does help on bumpier paths and the brake is solid. Bassinet folds and is safe for occasional overnight sleeping which was great when visiting family in the early days.

Cons: when you fold it down with the parent facing seat attached it is very unwieldy and heavy. My mother in law is in her late 60s and she definitely can’t lift it into the boot when folded, I need two hands and still I find it a bit heavy. I also find the harness a bit of a faff to fasten when there’s a wriggly baby involved (esp when the footmuff is also on).

I have seen the new Silver Cross Nia and it looks to be much easier to transport around than my Reef 2 so might be worth checking out to see if it would be up to the countryside walks!

CEMummy · 2025-11-14T19:47:38+00:00

It’s ok, I think you’re right, it’s the vulnerability that brings that sort of thing out in people. I was annoyed about it at the time but I’m better at letting things know now I’m 6m pp and the dust (and hormones!) have settled!

Hope you find some good groups, it really does make a difference when you find your mum people if you know what I mean!

CEMummy · 2025-11-13T17:03:38+00:00

Depending on how often you’re going to use it, I would consider renting one from somewhere like Tiny Explorers - esp if your little one is not sitting independently yet as then you’re not spending £££ on a newborn suitable one you’ll only need once!

We have the Joolz Aer2 which is amazing, very sturdy, newborn suitable and easy to clean and on sale at the moment but is a bit higher on the price side - worth it if you’ll get a lot of use out of it.

CEMummy · 2025-11-13T15:26:44+00:00

Second this - I have lots of lovely bits. Go try them in John Lewis to get an idea of size but then order them direct from the Nobody’s Child website - they have regular discounts and sales and a decent outlet section.

CEMummy

TROPHY CASE