Last weekend I found out that two of my good friends are having a baby. Good times!
Having lived through all of that not so long ago its a funny sensation hearing news like that- even if they have no idea yet, you get a little tingle at the enormity of what lies ahead for them.
At 11 weeks they're a little way off pushchair and car seat thoughts but I've told them that when they're at their wits end from reading reviews they're welcome to pick my brains. But this post isn't about that, its about two other things I learned you need to survive those early weeks of parenthood: a good toaster and a good fridge!
Bear With.
You see, if you've not had children you may not be aware that EVERY SECOND COUNTS. Your little bundle needs feeding every three hours and might sleep for 40 mins within that, if you're lucky. So you start to realise that the minutes in between become particularly precious. 40 minutes spare? I challenge you to shower, dress, put some laundry on, empty the dishwasher or wash up (or both) and then oh, EAT! Which is where your faithful toaster comes in. I lived off Tea and Toast, I'm not ashamed to admit it. But for the first time in my life I found myself tapping my fingers while the bread was in there, urging it to toast quicker. Yep, time really does get that important. So my advice is that if like us you have a bargain £10 toaster from Sainsburys, ditch it now and get a super quick, super reliant one. Refer your other half to this post if he thinks you've gone a bit mad, I promise it will make a difference.
The other really simple way to improve your post baby life (apart from convincing grandparents to baby sit as often as possible) is to buy the best fridge that your budget can buy. Obviously a big fridge freezer is good because, like all the books say, you'll spend your maternity leave cooking and freezing meals ready for when the baby comes and you cant be bothered to cook. If you haven't been doing this then I highly recommend the first option of a really good toaster and by the way, you can cook Birds Eye Potato Waffles IN THE TOASTER. (they take 2 or 3 turns) Think about that for a minute. Waffles in the toaster. Amazing.
Anyway, back to the fridge.
It goes without saying that by the time the baby arrives you'll be a dabb hand at internet shopping. Promise me you'll do this. Its not just my advice- the motherhood expert Jessica Chivers says the same in her book 'Mothers Work!: How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work'. Your Saturday mornings are way more important to you and your family than spending them in Tesco! Do your weekly shop online when the baby is asleep, and treat yourself to glass of wine too.
Doing a big weekly shop means that you'll need plenty of room to store your fruit and veg to counteract all the toast you're eating. And a good fridge will keep it all fresh for aaaaaaaages. I promise. Now this 'talent' may be something that all modern fridges have, or it may be at least one of the reasons why our fridge was £600 when the rest were £300. (Apart from the shiny black Samsung one which was £900 standing aloof in the corner of Currys that all men were making a bee line for). 'Look it can show our digital photos on the front' Really.
Anyway, our fridge has the secret power of making a bag of salad or rocket last for over a week. Yes. A WEEK. Not just open a bag, use it tomorrow and maybe the next day if you're really lucky, but instead a whole week. You only have to make the effort to buy your green stuff once a week and then it will stay in your fridge, healthiness on tap. Amazing.
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| This is where the magic happens |
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| A big fridge means you can collect tacky fridge magnets |
(I'm aware that this is all very #firstworldmiddleclass problems, but I'm sure you can throw in some food wastage ethics on there too) And in honesty, I thought I was the only one that thought salad always went off over night in the fridge, but it seems my newly expecting friends thought the same too. They now have fridge envy.
So there you have it. Buy a new toaster, get a clever fridge and remember that you can cook Birds Eye Potato Waffles in the toaster.
Supporting information: Full details of our fridge can be found here: http://www.johnlewis.com/siemens-kg39eai40g-fridge-freezer-stainless-steel/p461069
If you're on Maternity leave and trying to get your head round returning to work then Jessica Chivers' book is amazing- you'll find yourself reading it cover to cover in one sitting. I downloaded it on Kindle on my phone because thats the only way I get time to read books these days, but you can get it from Amazon by clicking here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mothers-Work-Guilt-Smooth-Return/dp/1848503199
I have not accepted any payment or sponsorship for this post, I just wanted to share the joy!
Labels: Maternity Leave, Mums advice, Parent Advice, Parenthood, Things to buy for Baby, What to buy
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