I am very pleased to announce that I’ve got a promotion at work, but my new role involves more travelling and leaves little time for writing. At the moment I feel like I don’t make it back in time for Jack’s bedtime as often as I’d like to, so I hope this new position won’t make that harder than it is already. I know I’m not the only parent struggling with juggling work and family, and it seems to be a common battle, particularly for families where both parents work. Keeping everyone – including your boss – happy is not always possible.

So, I think I’ll aim for most of the people, most of the time. They do say that no one gets to the end of their life and thinks ‘I wish I’d spent more time at work,’ so I will try and keep this in mind when I take on my new role. I think as long as you work hard when you’re there and try not to waste time at the water cooler discussing last night’s TV, you should be able to get everything done and be back at a reasonable hour. If that doesn’t seem to be happening then I guess it’s time to chat to the boss.

My partner and I initially decided we would share drop offs and pick-ups from nursery. Because my partner works at the nursery it made sense that she would pick Jack up, but once Jessica was born and she was on maternity leave, sharing the load seemed the right thing to do. When I do pick Jack up from nursery I like to make a little adventure of it and now the weather’s perked up occasionally we drive home via the park. A little kick around of the football and maybe an ice cream is a good way to use up the dreaded bath-time hour and get them tired out before bed.

Anyway, hopefully the new job will still allow me to do my fair share of parenthood, or at the very least I’ll do the best I can with the time I have.

Goodbye and thank you for reading my posts.

I must say I was a bit surprised to learn that men’s brains are hard-wired to remain undisturbed by a baby’s crying.

Research from the National Institute of Child Health in the US, which took brain scans of 18 men and women, found that the so-called fairer sex were left more alert after hearing a baby’s cry. In contrast, the brains of men were found to remain in a resting state after listening to the same noise. What the researchers did not test was the reaction to hearing your own child cry, although the results of the tests were the same for parents as for those without children.

There is no doubt that listening to your own baby’s cry is distressing no matter whether you are a mum or dad, and it seems that having two children has not made me any less immune to those cries. After we had Jack we came to understand what his different cries meant, but it took a while to work it out and my immediate reaction was that he was in distress and we should try and help him.

Since we’ve had Jessica we are a little bit better at working out what her cries mean, although every baby is different and it’s quite difficult to determine every time. There is some comfort in knowing that if she is letting out a hungry cry, we can feed her and she will be content. A teething cry may be eased with a dose of medicine and an attention cry obviously deserves a cuddle.

Occasionally I think that I’m looking forward to the day when Jessica can speak and is able to tell us exactly what she wants. Jack is more than capable of doing so though and as he’s right in the middle of his ‘why does …?’ phase, I think the phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ sometimes springs to mind.

New research from scientists at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada suggests that they in fact play a vital role in helping children to develop their language. During the study, researchers found that parents would ask their children more complex questions about the pictures in the story book than they would if they were reading them a book with pictures and words. Perhaps it’s because you’re over compensating for the fact that the books have no words but the facts are there to see, picture books encourage mums and dads to ask more complex questions.

I read to Ben every night and I do wonder how much of it goes in. I’m currently reading him rhyming books as I think the rhythm of them is nice for him to hear, plus they’re fun for me to read. When I read to my nephew, who’s four, he often asks me questions about characters in the stories I’m reading to him. Before reading about this research I used to think of it as interrupting in a way. Now I see that it’s actually a really important part of children learning, questioning what’s around them, and really understanding things.

It can feel a bit boring repeating the same stories over and over again but recent research from the University of Sussex has suggested that re-reading stories helps children to learn words and broaden their vocabulary. So, the next time you’re sitting down with your toddler to read him or her the Gruffalo for the umpteenth time, remember it’s good for them. Likewise, if you’re worried about the usefulness of a picture book, don’t be. Research shows it’s an effective way to learn. I guess the lesson to take away from all of this is that sometimes it’s advisable to take your child’s lead, from time to time they really do know best.

Watching Jessica grow and change got me thinking about developmental milestones in general. I realise now that babies come to things in their own good time.

Jack was a relatively late walker finding his feet at 18 months, and it’s possible that Jessica will be too, although only time will tell.

I’m able to be a lot more philosophical about these things now as we have two children and I finally understand that you can’t push stuff like that, it’ll just happen naturally. What’s more, it really doesn’t matter whether your child is an early or late developer; they all get to the same point eventually.

I think it’s a good thing that there is so much information out there about milestones and stages in a baby’s life, but there are so many sites offering advice that it can all become a bit overwhelming. It’s easy to read a chart and be concerned that your little one hasn’t reached that stage and wonder why. It’s really tempting too to compare notes with other mums and babies. As a dad I’ve often felt out of my depth when it comes to talking about our children and the book I’ve borrowed most from my partner, which I think of as my bible, is What to Expect in the 1st Year. While it does list different milestones by month it makes a point of reassuring parents that all babies are individuals and as such will reach each stage in their own time. I use it as a guide and it’s helpful because if I’m ever worried about anything I can flag it up with my GP.

When Jack was born we were consulting every baby book and website available to us. With Jessica we just let her get on with it and I see milestones as something to be excited by rather than a stage to be concerned about whether she has reached or not.

“Mothers eating a lot of junk food while pregnant are setting up their children to be addicted,” she said. It’s clear what Dr Muhlhausler’s views are on diet in pregnancy and it’s hard to ignore yet another study which highlights the importance of eating healthily when pregnant. What’s not so easy is to put healthy eating into practice. I promised myself I would eat well when I was pregnant with Ben. I started off pretty well, and my morning sickness certainly helped to curb any cravings I may have had. Once I went past the three month stage though I definitely found it harder to stay away from unhealthy food. I certainly ate more biscuits and chocolate than I normally do, and would definitely agree that sugar is addictive. The more sweet things I ate in a day, the more I craved them. Some friends who were pregnant at the same time as me seemed to find it hard to avoid the lure of hamburgers and chips, although I think I was more of a sweet than a savoury fiend.

I think most people relax their diets when they are pregnant and I believe this is no bad thing. Although I agree that it’s important to eat well in pregnancy I also think it’s vital not to punish yourself if you slip up once in a while. As with most things, moderation is key. If you enjoy biscuits and crisps occassionally it may do you more good than harm, just don’t eat the entire tin!  Maybe it’s a good idea to set yourself a limit and replace some sugary treats with fruit.

How did you get into hosting festivals?

“My husband Rob da Bank ran a record label and we used to do parties to support it in Ibiza and Miami – that was about 15 years ago – we did lots of partying! We got to meet our business partners John and Ziggy who manage the Cuban Brothers. It felt like the right thing to do festivals so we naively took our first steps. We hosted our first Bestival in 2004 and lost huge amounts of money on all the gear and kit.

About 10,000 people came along – most of them on the guestlist and free! I think of it as a real turning point in the festival industry. It was brilliant, such a special event and everyone could really feel it. Absolutely exhausting though! At that stage we had a very small team in place so we did most of the work ourselves. That first year I ran the bars, we litter picked in the early hours of the morning and we didn’t have enough security so we had to do the security guard thing too!”

And how did Camp Bestival come about?

“I have three boys: Arlo 7, Merlin 5 and Milla about to turn 3. At the time I’d just had Arlo and was expecting Merlin – I wanted to host a festival where the kids could join in the fun too. It didn’t feel right to change Bestival so we decided to create a new family festival to appeal to our generation. The very first Camp Bestival was in 2008.”

Any top tips for combining festivals & kids?

“Yes, go into it thinking it’s for the whole family. It’s not about reliving heady experiences before you had kids! It’s about having a magical family time – creating real moments.”

What are your festival essentials? Any must-have products?

“Yes, a really good pair of walking boots, even if it’s not bad weather, I spend so much time on my feet. I wear them all the time, even on stage in my big frock for the finale!”

Oohh… dressing up. What are you going to wear this year?

“Well Camp Bestival this year has an HMS theme – I’m not yet sure what outfit I’ll wear but Robbie and I both turn 40 this year. Our theme is naughty nautical so I’ll be wearing the same to both!”

What, for you, are the highlights of this year’s festival? And what are the kids really excited about?

“The kids are just really excited generally about Camp Bestival. Arlo is very keen on Horrible Histories. There’s also lots of woodland craft, nature workshops and falconry displays that my son Merlin loves. He’s really into making things – we call him Merlin Maker.

This year we’ve created a big art town which he’s so excited about – a huge marquee with everything from knitting to comic making workshops. We’re using lots of recycled things to keep the costs down.”

You work with your husband. How do you make it work?

“It’s fine as we don’t really cross over in our roles. Robbie programmes the music and he’s the front man. I do all the background stuff, I design the show and create all the different arenas and elements. When we talk about it it’s usually over a glass of wine, it’s quite fun and productive. Bestival for me is my full time job whereas Robbie is hugely busy with lots of other work – DJing and radio shows. Do I find our festivals stressful? Yes, especially with the economy as it is. Plus we’re dealing with absolutely enormous budgets – the breakeven comes in the last few tickets.”

Any really standout festival memories or moments?

“Yes. We had our first proper date when we were 18 at Glastonbury and Robbie proposed to me at Glastonbury in 2000. Another brilliant moment was Robbie DJing at the top of this huge bonfire space rocket – he had literally seconds to get down a steep ladder before it exploded. And Robert Smith from the Cure was another one – Robbie had tried for years to get them down to Bestival so it was just magical. He brought out a guitar decorated with all my paintings.”

And finally any tips for getting the most out of a festival?

“Come with friends! Share the experience and it makes it so much more memorable. You see the most amazing sets ups in the campsite – people who’ve gone to so much effort and had lots of fun planning it. And remember to dress up!”

For more details on Camp Bestival visit www.campbestival.net

We used to have a big blossom tree in our front garden and I think that’s why they bring back happy memories from my childhood.

I was having a look online today and found a site which shows you how to make your own blossom tree at home and I thought it’s a nice craft activity for rainy spring days.

Click here to have a look at the tree collage and other craft ideas.

I also spent some time in the back yard with Jack at the weekend. I took him to the garden centre in the morning where we picked out some flowers to plant. I try to give him a choice in matters when the outcome isn’t really important as it gives him a sense of ownership.

When he got back we dug up the soil – OK it was mainly me but he has a set of gardening tools so he was able to help – and put the plants into the ground.

Now we can watch them grow and he knows he’s had a hand in them blooming. If it all goes wrong and they die a death I guess we can have a chat about things not always going your way and replant something new!

As the weather’s so unpredictable in this country, it’s always good to have a few rainy day activities up your sleeve for when the clouds inevitably start gathering.

In addition to craft pursuits, cooking is always a winner with kids. I always find rice crispy or cornflake cakes are really easy to make, don’t require many ingredients and they’re really tasty too.

If you’re feeling a bit stuck for cooking ideas why not check out the BBC’s I can cook web page here. It’s got plenty of recipes designed for little ones and you can choose from savoury or sweet – whatever takes your fancy.

The mini changer folds out to a full size changing matt, with padding so it’s comfortable for your little one to lie on. If you’ve ever used a public changing table you’ll know that sometimes they’re less than pristine, so it’s quite nice to lay your matt over the top.

It can hold wipes, nappy sacks, and about four nappies, so it’s perfect for when you’re out and about but don’t want to lug a massive bag with you.

Sudocrem is another life saver. It sorts out nappy rash, insect bites and sun burn in an instant and I recently discovered it’s also great for my skin as it seems to dry out and clear up spots really quickly.

Ben had reflux when he was born so he used to be really uncomfortable when I laid him on his back. This meant that my Baby Bjorn became an absolute life saver. He was never happier than when he was strapped to my chest, and if I was having trouble burping him, a few minutes in that would sort him out.

It was great if I fancied a walk in the local woods which would have been tough going with a pram or if I had to pop to the local shops and didn’t want to bother getting the buggy out of the back of the car.

There are loads of slings out there now so there’s something for everyone.

I don’t know if it made a difference but I loved the fact that my baby monitor played music. I still put it on when Ben goes to bed at night as I think he now associates it with sleep. If he wakes during the small hours I can turn the tunes on remotely and it usually seems to soothe him back to la la land.

The last thing I’d be lost without is sleep bags. I think I’ve probably got every one in each age range and tog rating. That way I can adjust his bag depending on how hot or cold it is and I know he’s in the right size one.

Because I live in the capital I thought it might be worth taking advantage of one of the many events on offer.

If you’re in London with your kids today (April 23rd) you might want to check out Leadenhall market as they have Morris Men dancing, Shire horses to pet and admire, plus live music to enjoy throughout the day.

Anyone who likes exhibitions may want to venture up to the V&A Museum of Childhood in the capital as it has a host of things for the family, from dancing and storytelling to mask making.

If you want to stick closer to home you could try making a mask of either St George or his dragon at home.

I’m certainly no artist and Jack could probably teach me a thing or two about drawing, but I do occasionally try my hand at crafty things. The liberating thing is that when you do stuff like that with kids it doesn’t really matter what the end result looks like. What they enjoy is spending time with you.

So, why not look up mask-making on YouTube and have a go at putting something together? You can normally find quite a lot of things at home to make things from and most supermarkets now stock glue, card, pens and paint to get you started.

You could even try making a St George’s-themed cake or a suit of armour or sword for your little one to do battle with.

Face-painting is another fun activity to try with your children. While most people would find painting an animal on their child’s face a daunting prospect, I’m sure the majority of us could manage to paint a St George’s cross without too much trouble.

VisitEngland.com has a good list of events which are taking place across the country to celebrate St George’s Day so why not check that out too?

Bambino Mio nappies tend to get a very mixed press. I call it the Marmite effect. You either love them or hate them. We loved them. Lots of mums complain that they are unable to cope with newborn, sloppy poo and that it leaks out of the side. I never found this a problem. In fact, I had far more problems with disposables during the early months. I found the innovative Bambino Mio system to be incredibly easy to use (dare I say easier than the all-in-ones I’ve tried since?) and, once I’d got my head around the need to sluice sloppy poo off nappies before it caused permanent staining, I found them astonishingly easy to clean and to fit into my daily routine.

I used Bambino reusable nappies more or less full-time from when Lara was about 6 weeks old, to 18 months old when she moved out of reusables into disposables (due to the fact they just weren’t up to the job any more). I felt a pang of disappointment. I also felt the effect on my purse strings. Disposable nappies cost a lot of money (I was going to say “cost the earth” but then I realised that was a given!). Don’t get me wrong, I really do appreciate the convenience of disposable nappies when I’m out and about or travelling. I use them for exactly that – a convenience – in the same way that I use ready-made foods or takeaways. However, you can’t beat the warm glowy feeling of changing a cloth reusable nappy.

There was an element of nostalgia when we lifted the old first-size Bambino Mio pre-fold nappies out of the loft for Holly’s arrival. We moved Holly into disposables at about 2 weeks old once her cord stump had dried out and was clean and tidy so that it wouldn’t get in the way of the top of the nappies. The first thing we noticed was that Holly is a lot smaller than Lara was at the same age so we were able to use the newborn size nappy wrap that we had got for Lara but never used. We have also tried out our one-piece nappies on Holly which we only started using with Lara later on in her nappy journey – they look very cute when they are all buttoned down to their smallest size!

As a second-time mum, I think the pleasure of using reusable nappies is even greater than before. Each time I change a nappy I can’t help but gloat at how much money it is saving me. My outgoings on nappies for Holly this time were more or less zero. Yes, I still have to pay for water and electricity to put on a nappy wash every 3 days and yes, I have had to buy more nappy sanitiser and (when Holly gets bigger, liners) but other than that, everything is paid for already from our initial outlay for our first child.

Here’s how they work…

Bambino Mio nappies have a three-step nappy system. On the outside you have a waterproof cover which you can re-use for several nappies in a row as long as they don’t get wet or dirty. On the inside you have a square of thick cotton which is folded to add lots of absorbency. And over the top of the cotton nappy you place a thin liner.

The nappy covers

I love the nappy covers. They are honestly the easiest of all of the nappies I’ve used. We tended to live with 5/6 wraps and around 18 nappies so that we could do a turn-around every 3 days. The wraps didn’t get much reusage when Lara was at the childminders as both childminders were very unwilling to re-use them. One of the perceived downsides to the wraps is that you have to spend money on new wraps as your child grows. Actually, I see this as a big positive. It means that the nappy wrap is a good size for your child at one particular time and is well-fitting. I struggle with nappies that expand using poppers because I could never find exactly the right size of Lara’s waist, or legs. I never had this problem with Bambino Mio.

The cloth nappies

The cotton nappies are the crux of the nappy system. You can fold them in several different ways to provide absorbency where you need it. I had always opted for a simple rectangle, folding the nappy twice to provide a triple-thickness. I could have the nappies pre-folded so that I could quickly slot one in during a nappy change. When, a few months in, Lara started wetting through the nappies we had a wobble and moved to disposables. Bambino Mio came to the rescue to help me try and move back to cloth nappies. They sent Lara some of the extra large cotton nappies and a pack of the MioBoost extra absorbent inserts. The cloths looked ENORMOUS but they did provide extra absorbency. The only down-side was that they made the nappy so bulky that trousers wouldn’t fit over the top so we reserved these nappies for chill-out clothes ready for bed.

Bambino Mio nappies are undeniably bulkier than most other cloth nappies we have tried but this was never a problem for us. We soon learned to buy a slightly larger size of trousers for Lara to accommodate her lovely squishy big bum.

The liners

As for liners, you can use any brand of liner you like, but the Bambino Mio ones are available in my local supermarket so that suits me fine. I learned not to use a liner until Lara started weaning because sloppy poo just slips through, or squidges out of the sides and the liner makes this worse. When Lara was on a fully-fledged adult diet we used the liners with great success.

Right from the very beginning I always used an added absorbent booster in Lara’s nappies overnight. A tip off from a good friend made me seek out some terry and some bamboo inserts which I folded into the cotton part of the nappy. I’m convinced that the extra absorbency helped with Lara’s sleeping patterns during the night. The MioBoost absorbent boosters come in a set of 3. They are incredibly soft and have a slight shaping to them to help them sit inside the nappy. I didn’t find them any less absorbent than my existing inserts but I’m not sure I noticed a great increase in absorbency. I did however like the fact that they are a lot better made and therefore likely to stand the test of multiple washes better than the two or three different types of insert I have tried before. I also think that at around £6 for 3, I think they are great value.

The verdict

All in all, I found that both the bigger nappies and the MioBoost gave me the confidence to start using reusable nappies again. I found that I still had to change Lara’s nappy almost immediately after she has wet it. Thank you Bambino Mio for convincing me to give them a try again!

The money bit

Most local councils in the UK offer a financial incentive to parents who choose to use cloth nappies due to the reduction in landfill costs to themselves if their residents reduce waste levels. Unfortunately, most councils also require you to show recent receipts for the cost of your nappies and nappy equipment. Somehow it feels a bit wrong that a second (or more) time mum can’t also claim the incentive for subsequent children. It would have been very easy for me to acknowledge the convenience of disposable nappies and revert to them full-time for Holly but instead I have stuck with it and not only am I eliminating a whole load of landfill due to not using disposables… I’m doubly saving them landfill space by reusing all my equipment from last time. Perhaps I should get twice the reward?

Anyway, I devised a plan that would mean I could benefit from the cloth nappy incentive this time too. I calculated approximately how many Mio Liners and how many tubs of Mio Fresh nappy sanitiser I had used for Lara right through to potty training and then bought the entire 3 years supply of these in bulk all at once. The council have acknowledged my outgoings and sent me a cheque for my incentive of £30 which is approximately what I spent. This means that the only cost ahead of me for using cloth nappies is energy and water bills.
Enough about money. The best thing about cloth nappies is seeing them dangling from the washing line, naturally bleaching in the sunshine, all clean and fresh, knowing that Lara’s bot was – and Holly’s bot is – being looked after!