Conversations with Toddlers: Surviving Maternity Leave with a Sense of Humour

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Starting maternity leave with a second child is easier than the first time around. You know how to look after a baby and you’re pretty well set up already: just need to reassemble the cot, wash the baby clothes and figure out where on earth you stored the breast pump .

You’ve already read and discarded most of the advice on baby care, you’ve decided between breast and bottle feeding, natural birth vs drugs vs caesarean. You don’t have time to worry about it all anyway. You’re too busy chasing your toddler, holding down paid employment, running a household and trying to get ready for this new baby.

Of course, not forgetting that you’re heavily pregnant. So you’re exhausted, your feet are swollen, you’ve got reflux, backache, pelvic pain, insomnia and an acute inability to play Lego, build train tracks, stand in a playground for hours and build sandcastles.

But this time around, at least you’ve got someone to have a conversation with during the long, long weekdays - your always hilarious, often infuriating toddler pal.
From disastrous kids’ parties to family holidays from hell; through hippy yoga classes, teething toddlers and pathologically fearful preschoolers, I slowly came to terms with the mess and disorder that was life at home with my two gorgeous little boys.

Eventually I learned to burn the baby advice books and cherish the precious time at home with my kids.

Grab a cuppa and join me on my journey from corporate whizz to stay-at-home Mum with this collection of heartwarming, hilarious and sometimes tragic stories about surviving maternity leave with a sense of humour.