Liz Fraser - The Yummy Mummy’s Survival Guide

Playpen.Huge, ugly and never used. If you must lock your baby in a cage, then a travel cot would be as good.

Nappy disposal system.Why would you want to keep nappies full of poo inside your house for more than two minutes? Throw them in the wheelie bin immediately!

The Ultimate Luxury Baby Gear—Because Looking Good Doesn’t Stop with You

Storksak Classic Shoulder Bag:Finished with a chic leather trim, with a wipe-clean interior and pockets for hot or cold bottles.

Posh Baby Changing Bag:As used by Ms Paltrow and Ms Cox-Arquette, has metal feet so everything doesn’t get soaked from the bottom up, and is the most sturdy I’ve seen. The Reversible Day Bag/Tote is slightly cheaper, machine-washable, with straps long enough to stretch right across the pram handle, which I could have done with at times.

Petit Planet:Made of soft nappa leather and pony skin, these luxurious bags have been designed to cater for every emergency in true Yummy style. Mobile phone pouch, make-up compartment, washable changing mat and much more.

Dior Baby Bottles:Oh go on—it’s quite funny!

Bill Amberg Sheepskin Snuggler:This supremely cosy snuggle-bag is fully machine-washable and mouth-wateringly stylish. It is also great for lining prams on cold winter walks.

And some cheaper alternatives…

I am always happy to buy second-hand baby clothes and toys, but somehow when it came to the basics of pram, cot, high-chair and so on, I had to have them new, clean and unexposed to another baby’s snot and spit. Just a personal thing, which probably involves some irrational motherly pride too. You can get some fantastic second-hand bargains at car-boot sales and by looking on good old eBay, and never be too proud to accept a hand-me-down from a friend or relative. I’ve just inherited a friend’s buggy, as our old one finally caved in after seven years of hard wear, and, while it’s not the loveliest piece of baby equipment I’ve ever owned, it’s free, and it’ll do the next six months perfectly.

If none of this sounds appealing, and new is really what you’re after, try these for value and no loss of style:

High Street Clobber

Mothercare has come a long way since the days of shapeless dungarees and flowery blankets. They stock all the necessary basics at reasonable prices, and just occasionally you can spot a really stylish piece.

Other stores to take a look at, while you are actually shopping for yourself and not your baby, include Boots, Argos and John Lewis, and if you can set an entire Sunday aside, then never forget Ikea. Flat-pack equals better value, remember?

Online

This is the best place to start to get an idea of the styles you like. If you can bear to buy without touching and smelling first, it’s also the easiest way of baby-furnishing your house. Search under ‘baby equipment’ and you’ll have enough choice to satisfy even your high standards.

TOP TIP: I have heard miserable tales of cots and prams arriving late, with bolts and screws missing, leaving the baby to sleep in a drawer for a few weeks and Mummy unable to go out until the extra parts arrived. Order online items with plenty of time to spare, and be ready to get your Ikea ‘how does this fit together’ head screwed on.

For You

Yummy Mummy clobber.There is a complete list in Part Seven, but for now you might want to sort out some earplugs and a blindfold, if you are intending to get any rest in the hospital at all, and maybe the new Mummy-friendly handbag should make an appearance before you go into labour—because it’s fun, and because you will need it the moment you step out for the first time. Your new make-up and beauty routine will be helped if you get loaded up with beautiful products now: trawling around the heavenly ‘pamper-me’ counters at John Lewis will be a lot less fun in a few weeks’ time.

Baby announcement cards and thank-you cards.Obviously you can’t be 100% certain which flavour you will end up with (even seemingly enormous penises have turned out to be nothing more than enormous umbilical cords or fingers, though what exactly they are doing down there is anyone’s guess), so hold off the ‘It’s a Boy!’ stationery for now. Much better to go for something neutral and classy, which can apply to either sex.

You will hopefully get lots of presents in the next few weeks, and there’s nothing like a prompt, beautiful thank-you card to set your Yummy Mumminess off on the right track. Smythson has the most coveted ones, but if you’re after something more affordable it’s worth a rummage around your nearest ‘lifestyle’ shop, which is bound to have something gorgeous and unusual, and WH Smith can also come up trumps.

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