MOTHERHOOD MINIS: BITESIZE INTERVIEWS WITH REAL MUMS - KEEPING IT REAL WITH CHLOE.
Hey everyone and welcome to our May edition of Motherhood Minis, featuring bitesize interviews with real mums. A quick unfiltered glimpse into the lives of our Matchstick Monkey parents and their little ones!
This week, we chat with the lovely Chloe. Chloe is a single parent to gorgeous baby Scarlett. Her Instagram is full of adorable pictures of her baby, as well as some lifestyle.
We catch up over a non-decaf coffee at the 3 am club (we all belonged to it, ladies!), winging motherhood and the importance of recharging.
- How many children do you have?
Chloe: I have one daughter named Scarlett who is 15 weeks old.
- Do you have any pets?
Chloe: Yes, I have four cats!
- What region of the country do you live in?
Chloe: We live in the West Midlands.
- What are your favourite aspects about being a parent?
Chloe: My favourite aspect of being a parent is the feeling that you get when your baby looks at you with all the love in the world, so full of innocence. I also find myself beaming with pride when Scarlett learns something new and watching her little personality start showing more and more each day. I absolutely love the feeling of responsibility over her, I think it gives life a completely different meaning, and the fact that every time she smiles at me I’m filled with so much love. I want to say it’s hard to pick a favourite aspect, I love the whole thing!
- Of all the baby stages, which have you found the most challenging?
Chloe: I think the stage we’re going through at the moment is probably the worst I’ve found so far, which is the teething. I know she’s not cutting teeth just yet but she’s just not happy unless she’s chewing on something. I find it’s now begun interfering with her bed time sleep. Scarlett has been sleeping through for a few weeks now, but since the teething has started it’s become a struggle to get her to settle and will often find it taking an hour or so to actually get her to sleep.
- What are your top tips for dealing with the day after a less than restful night?
Chloe: Coffee! I always find that having a bath when Scarlett goes for her morning nap helps me to relax and then the rest of the day tends to go a little smoother. It might sound silly, but I like to list things throughout the day that I need to do, and that way, when I find I haven’t slept the greatest, I know I won’t forget to do something that could be important! I’m still suffering with a bit of baby brain so a restless night doesn’t help! Just don’t overdo it!
- What was the best advice that you could give to an expectant mum/dad?
Chloe: Sleep when you can before the baby is here, make sure you’re well rested in preparation! The first few months you’ll really wish you had slept before the baby arrived! They always say sleep when the baby sleeps but realistically it’s not always an option, I don’t think I ever napped when she did! Although Scarlett slept through from quite early, I was quite lucky! Don’t stress if your little one doesn’t. It will happen when it happens! Don’t beat yourself up if something you’d planned for your baby doesn’t work! I have found it’s very much trial and error as you’re getting used to your baby and getting to know them. Not everything you try with a baby is going to work the first time! You cannot love your child too much, cuddles are such a good way of bonding! Just enjoy all the time you get to spend with them because it goes way too quickly!
- Do you see yourself as an influencer?
Chloe: I wouldn’t say I’d brand myself as an ‘influencer’ as such, but I do like to think that my opinion as a parent, could help other people in decisions they want to make. For example, testing and reviewing products. I would like to think my reviews and opinions would play a part in whether or not someone else wanted to purchase that product.
- How has your growing Instagram following changed your day to day life?
Chloe: It’s changed my day to day life as I’m now documenting what me and Scarlett (mainly Scarlett) get up to. Any products that I find we are using I will now capture and mention them on our account. This isn’t something I would have ever done before, so that’s different. I was always an active Instagram user before Scarlett arrived so it’s more that she’s kind of taken over now.
- Why do you think your account has become so popular, is this something you planned from the start?
Chloe: I’d never planned on our account having such a high following, I did have a large following before I started posting Scarlett, but I guess we have attracted more parent accounts as tanga now the main use for my account now! Scarlett is a brand rep for a few brands and I have made many new parent friends through this, which is lovely!
- How old were your children when they started to teeth?
Chloe: Scarlett has been showing signs of teething since around 6 weeks old! We had our check up with the doctor and she confirmed that Scarlett’s top gums were hard and that was a tell tale sign of teething!
- Did any of your children have symptoms of teething, or did they just come through without a fuss?
Chloe: Scarlett’s teeth haven’t yet cut through, but she is constantly dribbling and does not take her hand out of her mouth. She constantly moans if she doesn’t have anything to chew on and relieve the pressure in her gums! I’ve found she now doesn’t feed properly and will just chew on the bottle teat instead!
- Did you use any teething products? If so, what helped?
Chloe: We have our matchstick Pig teether which helps so much and Scarlett absolutely loves! I use teething powders when I find her teeth are bothering her more than usual. These help but I wouldn’t use them regularly. Same with the teething gel, I will pop a little bit on her dummy just before her naps or bedtime and I find this will help her to settle a little better than without!