New mothers, we applaud you! Motherhood is full of joy but it sure isn’t easy. Thankfully, there are scores of fabulous resources out there that will guide you through the dizzy highs and fuggy lows of being a parent. Here, we’ve rounded up some essential ones to arm you for the journey ahead.

Baby Centre


This website is invaluable. Find out what to expect from your pregnancy each week, browse baby names, make a birth plan, print a checklist of what to pack for hospital – on and on goes the list of useful features here. You will be amazed by how quickly Baby Centre replaces Mail Online as your go-to lunchtime reading.

The Parent Hood Podcast


Brought to us by the sisters Dr Chiara Hunt and Marina Fogle, founders of the wildly popular antenatal Bump Classes in London, this engaging podcast is a fount of information about all aspects of parenting today. In each episode, carefully chosen expert guests cover crucial matters like how to build resilient children, postnatal depression and what it’s really like to have IVF.

Mumsnet


Forgive us for stating the obvious, but Mumsnet is a well-established and implicitly trusted resource for mothers nationwide. No one can give better advice than the people who have trodden the path before you. Justine Roberts (the much-lauded founder) gives us her favourite sites here and discusses both child-benefit cuts and biscuits here.

Marloe


Let’s face it, now is the time for retail therapy. A baby needs a lot of kit, and you might as well make it look as pretty as can be. At Marloe London, you can buy practical and gorgeous accessories for family life. We just love the Day Bag and the Muslin Comforters, with their on-trend scalloped edge.

Tamba


The panacea for those of you blessed with more than one child at a time, the Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba) website is full of advice, real-life stories and research. Be sure to register with these guys – they are the only UK-wide charity working to improve the lives of twins and triplets and their families.

Childcare.co.uk


Whatever you say now, you (and your marriage) will need a babysitter from time to time. With over two million members, childcare.co.uk is the largest UK database of registered child-minders. The award-winning site will connect you to everything from a maternity nurse to a babysitter to an au pair to a nanny – and even to a private tutor when the time comes! Read an interview with its founder, Richard Conway, here.

Clary and Peg


Based in London, this vintage-inspired, maternity-friendly womenswear brand is getting a lot of attention. Rosamund Pike is a fan. The versatile collection offers a range of pretty jumpsuits, dresses, dungarees, turbans and headbands that combines a nostalgic vibe with contemporary design. Dressing for pregnancy and new motherhood is a whole lot more exciting with this website up your sleeve.

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March 2019