Whether you’re a new mum in the newborn trenches or a seasoned mum navigating life with teenagers - it’s highly likely you’re very tired. We know what it’s like to function on little sleep, so here are our favourite ways to throw money at the problem.
When it’s 9am but already feels like 4pm you know it’s going to be a long day, right? And no amount of ‘take a bath’ or ‘have an early night’ well-intentioned self-care advice is going to cut it.
Mum-of-two Anna tells us; "When I'm super tired I play Doctors with my two and play the patient that can't wake up and they have to investigate. It's not much but it means I can lie down for a few minutes each day."
When we spoke with our resident expert Anna Mathur for her take on parenting burnout, she told us; “I often encounter two different causes of burnout, ‘circumstantial’, so circumstances in your life that mean you’re not able to resource yourself. Perhaps you’re juggling young children with a demanding job and limited childcare. And, ‘created causes’ where you may be trying to do too much, to too high a standard then you may experience less down-time and more frustration and self-criticism when you inevitably miss the goalposts.” The top four things that Anna recommended in that helpful article for mums to do are;
- Cut corners and seek ‘done’ over perfect, be it muting the school WhatsApp notifications or placing boundaries around how you spend your energy.
- Ask yourself, ‘What do I feel? What do I need?’ Next time a good friend asks how you are, challenge yourself to go beyond the ‘I’m fine’.
- Rest rest rest. But, if that’s hard to do, consider what feels restful. Slow your movement to calm your body, or delegate some of the mental load.
- Deep breaths and reading a book might not be as immediate a hit as a glass of wine at the end of the day, but it will be more nourishing.
I'm Stephanie Lowe family editor here at GoodtoKnow and when I became a mum six years ago, I thought it was some sort of competition ‘who was more tired than who’ both with my husband and with my new mum friends, it’s only now as I’m researching into it that I realise utter exhaustion doesn’t have to come with being a mum.
My friend Dionne, mum-of-twins and a teenager tells me; “When I take my kids to soft play I now put my Loop earplugs in. I used to feel all the mum guilt for blocking out their experience, when in reality soft play was a sensory nightmare for me that left me overwhelmed and on the edge. Since using them I think I’m a calmer mum.”
Mum-of-two, Keira agrees, she tells us; “Now when my partner takes the kids to their swimming lesson I don’t load the dishwasher or put a wash on, I sit and stare at a wall, in silence with my hot coffee. And it has made me a better mum. I have more tolerance.”
Lucy, a mum of three always felt guilty spending family money on herself before she slowly realised that that was what she was missing the most about life pre-kids, spending money on herself. “Now I make sure I have some money ‘just for me’ carved out of our family budget, so if I want the fancy dry shampoo I can without asking ‘permission’ which is just soul destroying.”
Amazon Prime Day is here, so if you were thinking of throwing money at the problem now would be the time to do it, whether it's cheap LEGO deals to get you ahead for Christmas shopping or the best beauty deals to treat yourself.
What do mum’s buy on Amazon ?
A cult product, this not only smells amazing but it keeps you going between washes, giving you at least three days. I use it religiously as a working mum-of-one and will be stocking up this Amazon Prime Day. PLUS! On this year's Amazon Prime Day, you can get 25% off, a bargain at just £14.56 on Amazon Save £4.85
These noise-reducing ear plugs are a game-changer if you feel you are just over-stimulated and in need of some quieter time. You can still hear your kids, it just really takes the edge off and blunts a lot of shouting or squealing. "I can actually hear myself think with these in", mum-of-three Dionne tells us. PLUS! On this year's Amazon Prime Day, you can get 30% off, a bargain at just £20.96 on Amazon Save £8.54
It's pricey we know, but wow is it worth it. "A cold coffee just tastes like I've failed." mum-of-three, Louise tells us, but with this, it never goes cold. And it has the Apple Find My feature so I never lose it, which for me is a bonus." While it's leak-proof it is warm to the touch so best to keep out of children's reach. PLUS! On this year's Amazon Prime Day, you can get 15% off, a bargain at just £169.95 on Amazon Save £30
These are guaranteed to keep our little ones engaged for at least 10 minutes while you take a scroll through Instagram/Prime/the shopping list. And, double duty - it's great to take on road trips too. Mum-of-one, Hannah swears by them, "no mess, no fuss, no need to have me involved in any way - they make the perfect independent play. PLUS! On this year's Amazon Prime Day, you can get 45% off, a bargain at just £5.49 on Amazon Save £4.50
Bag yourself a little energy hit every afternoon for the next 2.5 months -it's worth it. Invest in this impressive haul and you'll bag yourself 80 Lindor balls, that's just 26p per ball. Top tip from mum, Lisa "Hide them in an empty box of porridge and I promise the kids will never find them" It really is the perfect gift from you to you. PLUS! On this year's Amazon Prime Day, you can get 20% off, a bargain at just £21 on Amazon Save £5.25
A cult product, and it's easy to see why. Famed for its unique blend of chamomile, lavender and vetiver, designed to help you fall asleep faster. "I swear by this," Diana, mum-of-three tells us. "It smells divine and it works, I promise it does. for me, one sniff and I can feel the 'sleepy vibes' start to quell." PLUS! On this year's Amazon Prime Day, you can get 20% off, a bargain at just £27.20 on thisworks.com Save £6.80
For more treat-yourself ideas take a look at our best beauty deals, our best perfume dupes and the fabulous curated edit of best gifts for new mums, you won't be disappointed.
