Month: January 2016

AVOIDING THE ‘MUM BUM’

Mind The Gap sign on tube station platform in London UK

Whether you’re sat on the floor at Gymboree, wedging the pram in the car boot or saving Sophie la Girafe from the floor for the nineteenth time that day; it seems there is no escaping the ‘Mum Bum’.

If you’re not au fait with the term, let me explain. You’ve had a baby, maybe not quite back to pre-baby weight and your once favourite jeans don’t fit as well as they used to. Now whilst wearing said jeans and finding out that 98% of your day is spent bending over; you have what can only be likened to a builders bum. Sat in coffee shops, at baby sensory classes, in the doctors waiting room; you can be sure to find an abundance of Mum Bums, constantly being rectified with a quick yank up of the jeans or pull down of the top but to no avail. The Mum Bum wins….every time.

Sound familiar? I know. I’ve been there. THE MOTHERSHOP has the solution with these crack-concealing (sorry) high street hero pieces…oh and some outfit inspo too.

£48 Topshop

Dungarees are maternity heaven; room for bump, easy access for feeding and no possible bum show. Winner every time.

[Pic credit: Pinterest]

Look for high waisted pieces; trousers and skirts. Wrap skirts are great for a bit of give for bending down, and loose trousers with a pair of Adidas Originals will work for park laps.

Stock up on the bum busters now; and leave the wardrobe malfunctions to the workmen…

: Massimo Dutti

: £19.99 New Look

: £40 Zalando

: £120 Jigsaw

: £30 River Island

: £39.99 Zara

Matchy matchy

T-shirts £18 and £28 available from Tease + Totes

Ok I’m not suggesting you head down to your local Sainsbo’s in an adult baby-grow, but I’m noticing a growing trend for Mum’s and their little ones in coordinating outfits and I’m liking it. We had a taster last winter when Dolce & Gabbana sent their models down the runway with a matching mini-me in tow and others have since followed suit. Tease + Totes have their brilliantly empowering ‘Girl Power’ tees (above), where proceeds go towards Worldreader, a non-profit mission to get digital to books to all children.

Now there’s ways of doing this, and doing it well as it could go very wrong indeed. Keep it simple, don’t go matching head to toe, a top or jumper works best. Like these sweatshirts; now I love a sweatshirt, I love a grey sweatshirt, I love a grey sweatshirt with a slogan on it (still with me?), so this little combo from Bob & Blossom is tres bon in my view…

Sweatshirts £38 and £24, available from Bob & Blossom

And it’s not just apparel either, Sophia Webster jumped on the twinning is winning bandwagon with her Mini collection. The ‘Chiara’ style below is very sweet in teeny sizes. I’m not sure I’ll be rocking the heels round Peckham Rye Common pushing the Bugaboo but then again you never know…

£294 and £95, Sophia Webster

If in doubt, keep it simple. These monochrome tee’s from Threaded Tees are a winner, just add a flash of red lipstick (on you, not the baby), your well-loved jeans and you’re good to go.

Threaded Tees £21.41, available from Etsy

This post isn’t complete without a special shout out to Selfish Mother. Any cool mama in the know has a ‘Mother’ sweatshirt in their wardrobe (or in their clothes mountain, or on the bedroom floor). The brain child is founder Molly Gunn and her clothes are a hit with celeb Mum’s such as Fearne Cotton and Myleene Klass. I live in mine and am contemplating getting a t-shirt for the summer. For those who aren’t familiar, Selfish Mother don’t just make quality cool clothes, they do a lot of good for the world at the same time. They’ve raised over £50K for charities including Women for Women International, The Refugee Council UK, KIDS, and Help Refugees UK so buying one of their pieces goes a long way. Do it.

£45 Selfish Mother

£13 Selfish Mother

Click on brand for stockists:

Feeding Time

If you thought styling a bump was limiting, wait til you get to breast feeding…Tops suddenly need to be easy access (ahem..) Of course there’s actual maternity feeding tops, but after nine months of wearing maternity clothes you’re gagging to get back to some of your faithful old favourites.

So from zips to wraps, buttons to pussybows, here’s THE MOTHERSHOP’s edit of the top 10 feeding tops on the high street. Enjoy.

[Click on the image for details]

[Picture credits Asos, Cos]

Bags of Style

_DSC4533-Web

Hurrah! Changing bags finally got cool. If you didn’t already know, Tiba + Marl is the place to go for a changing bag with a difference, offering trend inspired bags for parents with style. All the bags from the collection have a fashion led focus to this practical bit of parenting kit. The brains behind the mastermind are Mum’s Anna Tizard and Lydia Barron and with a career history of designing for Kurt Geiger and Sigerson Morrison and a buyer for Topshop and Urban Outfitters, the girls certainly know their stuff.

Delphine Bum Bag £45

When I was choosing a bag I remember thinking, does it really need to be a ‘changing’ bag, what’s wrong with a normal bag?! And no, of course it doesn’t have to be, but the well thought out design and crafty compartments certainly make life easier; especially if you’re using bottles.

ELWOOD_BLACK_03

The thing I love most about Tiba + Marl is the street style look. Given that 80% of your time as a new mum is spent pram pushing, whether it be on your way to a NCT cake scoffing session, shopping for nappies or laps of the park willing your baby to sleep, the cool designs will fit into not only your style but your life too.

Elwood Backpack £120

Mabel Tote £115

James Satchel £

My personal favourite is the black Elwood backpack, its the ideal unisex choice so saves fashion conscious Dad’s from the embarrassment of carrying a girlie bag to change the baby. It has a padded changing mat included, an insulated bottle holder (yes, insulated – genius!) and the best bit? There’s extra padding in the lower back area because if like me, having a baby seems to go hand in hand with back ache.

To see the full Tiba + Marl range click here