Somehow, my teeny tiny person is a year old this month. It seems like yesterday that I was panicking about breaking her every time I touched her, and it’s a little crazy to me that she’s gone from this tiny human on the left, to the cheeky monkey on the right that would rather eat cheerios than do anything else.
So, in the spirit of turning one year old, here are 12 things I’ve learned in 12 months of being a mum.
1. It’s ok (and normal) to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing 100% of the time
2. While babies are fragile, they’re more sturdy than you give them credit for
3. It’s ok to ask for help
4. Cloth nappies are a game changer
5. Make time for yourself and your partner
6. Be your child’s advocate
7. Be clear on how you want to raise your child, and don’t compromise for others
8. Your house will never be tidy 100% of the time and that is ok

Everyone knows that if a baby is having fun, there is a high likelihood that they are making a massive mess! I love having a tidy home, but I love seeing my smiler having fun more, and I’d rather take the time to enjoy her while she is small and have a tidy house when she’s older (read:she can clean up as payback) and make some brilliant memories now. Plus, as soon as she’s gone to bed I hide her toys away inside the TV unit and suddenly my living room is tidy again. Who knew.
9. Take photos, but be present
I love taking photographs as much as the next person, and now that she’s learning to walk I’d love to get it on video, but I’d rather watch it happen in front of me rather than through a screen. We do tend to limit screen time in our house; little one doesn’t watch television so is fascinated by the television in other people’s houses. In 2017, researchers at the Illinois State University and the University of Michigan Medical School published a paper funded by The Pennsylvania State University, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, in which the conclusion was that parent’s excessive use of mobile phones can drive behavioural problems in children under 5. You can read the NHS’s assessment of the paper here. While the study has some issues, I did feel convicted when I read it and resolved to try and be more present in the day time when my mini me was up and about.
10.Be prepared or prepare to fail
11. Always carry snacks
“ADJECTIVE – informal. Bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.”