Admittedly this is something of a niche genre, the ‘whilst breastfeeding’ reading list, but the good news is that the following are excellent reads even if you don’t have an infant requiring you to sit down every hour or two.
The reading-while-breastfeeding thing has been my main source of news updates over the past 6 years, along with my general connection to the outside world, as having 4 babies in a short space of time can in some respects leave you a little hermit like, with the golden triangle of home–school gate — play date just about my limit, albeit in a few different countries.
There are some critical requirements of anything being read one handed on a phone, whilst nursing a baby. It has to be interesting enough to keep me awake (literally, given that reclining in a darkened room requires heroic efforts to prevent me from falling asleep); simple enough to be read despite severe and long term sleep deprivation (I tried downloading some classic Dosteovsky for a while but it was beyond me – now and likely forever); and, ideally, nothing to do with babies – as the general googling for baby advice is a separate and equally relied upon source of reading material in-and-of-itself.
House Envy
Look we’re all a cliche in some regards whatever our stage of life, but when you are in the midst of nursing babies you might, like me, find yourself moving away from celebrity gossip and towards house interiors for your kicks. Here’s where I get mine:
Image source: Houzz
Houzz
If you don’t know about Houzz already then please immediately abandon this stupid post and download the app. The most fun a married 30 something can have swiping right, or is it left. In any case this is totally addictive interiors inspiration at its best.
This has an excellent selection of articles and house tours and when I get bored of the constant swiping of Houzz I migrate over to apartment therapy for a casual browse. Also excellent for resolving real life interior dilemmas, if you have any.
I had this in my draft list with the title ‘The other one I cant remember’ because it’s relatively new to my radar and the name was eluding me. Anyway there we are, remodelista.com, less hours of background research on my part but with what looks to be a beautifully curated selection of interiors.
Blogs
Obviously, given my predilection for blogging and blogs. I have spent so long reading these blogs that I forget other people might not be aware of them. In any case I am also always happy to find a new blog to follow, so feel free to throw any recommendations my way. In the meantime, here are 3 of my go-to reads:
This really is a fantastic blog – hard to say whether I like it most because of the excellent style articles, frequency of updates (daily!), beautiful house tours or the very fun Surprising things about parenting around the globe series. For all these reasons, an excellent blog to investigate, if you aren’t already familiar.
Written by Alex, a London fashion stylist/editor with reliably good fashion tip offs – most often, as the name suggests, at a more accessible level than other fashion edits. Recently with more interiors updates too which covers all the bases in one blaze of glory.
Another blog I have been reading ever since a friend recommended it to me some near 5 years ago. Bridget is an American blogger with her professor husband and 6 children. A different family setup, great photography and I always enjoy her ‘things I didn’t buy at target or else I’d be broke series – the story of my (mostly online) shopping life.
Guilty pleasure
I abandoned the mirky world of celebrity gossip this year but that gaping void had to be filled with something, and that something was the Am I Being Unreasonable forum on Mumsnet, where people post their often petty frustrations ready for people to either support or roundly admonish them. Hugely judgemental, often hilarious.
More to come, on breastfeeding reading material, in the form of some more style, recipe sources, and general culture. Lots to be read, and no Facebook liking in sight.
