The Supporting Mums vault
A little help for the stage you’re in.
From pregnancy to school days. Find practical ideas for now, or browse the everyday things you could use a hand with.
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Seven stages. Room for your own pace.
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Pregnancy
Before your baby arrives
Appointments & questions
A place for the questions you keep remembering
It is easy to think of a question after an appointment has finished. Keep a small list that you can bring to your maternity team, alongside anything they have asked you to remember.
Pregnancy
Before your baby arrives
Home & baby essentials
Getting your home ready, one useful corner at a time
Preparing for a baby does not have to mean equipping every room. Think first about the jobs you will do often, the space you actually have and what somebody could lend you safely.
Pregnancy
Before your baby arrives
Birth & the first days
Plan the practical bits around birth
A practical plan can sit alongside the birth preferences you discuss with your maternity team. It gives other people somewhere to look for the everyday details while you focus on what you need.
Pregnancy
Before your baby arrives
Work, money & childcare
Put the paperwork in one place
There can be several separate conversations to organise before a baby arrives: work, leave, household costs and future childcare. A short list of questions is a useful start without deciding everything today.
Pregnancy
Before your baby arrives
Feelings & your support circle
Who is in your corner?
There is room for more than one feeling about becoming a mum, whether this is your first baby or another big change for your family. Practical support can be easier to ask for when the request is specific.
First weeks
Birth to 6 weeks
Feeding & finding support
Make feeding questions easier to ask
However your baby is fed, questions deserve a clear answer and individual support. A few notes can help you describe what you are finding difficult without turning every feed into another task to record.
First weeks
Birth to 6 weeks
Rest, nights & safer sleep
Make a practical plan for tired days
Rather than aiming for a fixed newborn timetable, look at which everyday jobs someone else could take on. A small support plan can make it clearer what help is available when you are tired.
First weeks
Birth to 6 weeks
Your recovery & practical help
Ask for the help that actually helps
Support after birth can mean very ordinary things: a cooked meal, a school pick-up or somebody dealing with the washing. You are allowed to be specific about what would take pressure off.
First weeks
Birth to 6 weeks
Visitors & boundaries
Visits that work for you
You can want company and still need visits to be short, flexible or postponed. A simple message can help people understand what would feel supportive without asking you to manage everybody’s expectations in the moment.
First weeks
Birth to 6 weeks
Appointments & new-baby admin
One small home for the important details
Messages, appointment letters and everyday paperwork can arrive when your attention is elsewhere. Bring them together in one place, without trying to finish everything in one sitting.
Early baby months
6 weeks to 6 months
Flexible daily rhythms
An outline for your day, not a timetable for your baby
A plan can describe the parts of your day you can organise without making promises about when a baby will sleep or feed. Start with your own practical needs and any fixed appointments.
Early baby months
6 weeks to 6 months
Feeding questions
Take the question, not the comparison
Other families’ feeding experiences may sound different from yours. When something is unclear, a short question for a qualified professional is more useful than trying to match somebody else’s routine.
Early baby months
6 weeks to 6 months
Play, talking & connection
Small moments count as time together
Play does not have to be a planned session with new toys. A familiar voice, a book or a little shared attention can be a simple part of an ordinary day together.
Early baby months
6 weeks to 6 months
Getting out & finding your people
Make the first outing a manageable one
An outing can be small: a familiar walk, a library visit or meeting one person you feel comfortable with. You do not have to turn a whole day into an event.
Early baby months
6 weeks to 6 months
Childcare & returning to work
A few questions for the next chapter
Thinking about childcare or work can involve practical details and mixed feelings. You can gather information before committing to a particular arrangement or return date.
Older baby
6 to 12 months
Introducing solid foods
Organise your questions about first foods
NHS guidance places the introduction of solid foods at around six months, alongside readiness signs. Use the official guidance for the how-to, and this space to organise what you want to ask or prepare.
Older baby
6 to 12 months
Moving & a safer home
A fresh look at the spaces your baby uses
As the ways your baby explores change, it is useful to revisit the practical arrangements at home. A to-do list can help you organise changes, but it is not a substitute for current safety guidance.
Older baby
6 to 12 months
Sleep & changing routines
Keep the plan flexible when nights change
A change in nights can affect the whole next day. It can help to review household expectations and practical support rather than making the baby’s sleep another task to complete.
Older baby
6 to 12 months
Play, books & early communication
A little play with what interests them
You can build a small collection of familiar books and suitable play materials without constantly adding something new. Let shared attention matter more than completing an activity.
Older baby
6 to 12 months
Childcare & time apart
A useful handover for someone caring for your baby
Whether care comes from family, a childminder or a nursery, a clear conversation can make the practical details easier to share. Keep the information specific to your baby and the arrangement you are making.
Toddlers
1 to 2 years
Big feelings & connection
Make a little room before solving the problem
A difficult moment does not always need a long explanation. It may help to think about what makes an everyday transition less rushed, while keeping your child’s individual needs in mind.
Toddlers
1 to 2 years
Everyday care & transitions
Pick one part of the day to make simpler
Getting dressed, leaving the house and coming home can each involve several small jobs. Choose one repeated part of your day and make the practical steps easier to remember.
Toddlers
1 to 2 years
Family meals & the mess around them
Plan the jobs around family meals
Meal planning can start with the practical workload: what is in the cupboard, who is shopping and what happens on a busy evening. It does not need to become a judgement about how a child eats.
Toddlers
1 to 2 years
Play, talking & exploring
Something simple to share
Choose a small play moment that fits the space and attention you have. You can talk, look at a book or join an activity without turning it into a lesson.
Toddlers
1 to 2 years
Outings & everyday safety
An outing with a little more breathing room
A manageable trip starts with a few practical checks, not a bag filled for every possible situation. Think about your destination and the support you need as well as what to take.
Preschool years
2 to 5 years
Toilet learning
Keep the practical arrangements simple
Toilet learning can involve home, childcare and more than one adult. A conversation about the arrangements can be helpful without setting a deadline for your child.
Preschool years
2 to 5 years
Getting ready & little bits of independence
Let the morning list belong to your family
A short checklist can make the getting-ready jobs visible without expecting a child to manage them alone. Use words, drawings or doing things together, depending on what is useful.
Preschool years
2 to 5 years
Feelings, friendships & family changes
An invitation to talk, not a test
Sometimes a child wants to tell you about a moment; sometimes they would rather draw, play or say nothing. A gentle invitation can leave space for different ways of communicating.
Preschool years
2 to 5 years
Play & early learning
Keep an ordinary afternoon ordinary
There is room for play that is not a project. Choose something that suits your home, your child’s interests and the energy you both have available.
Preschool years
2 to 5 years
Nursery & starting school
Make room for the questions about starting
Starting nursery or school involves both everyday arrangements and your child’s individual needs. Ask the setting directly what would help, rather than trying to prepare for an imagined perfect first day.
School years
5 to 11 years
School mornings & after-school rhythms
Give the busy edges of the day a little shape
Before and after school can contain a lot of small demands. A visible plan can help you share the remembering, without turning every afternoon into a strict timetable.
School years
5 to 11 years
Friendships, feelings & worries
Leave a little space for the conversation
A school-day question does not have to become an interview. Find a moment when your child is comfortable talking and be open to hearing about something small, mixed or difficult.
School years
5 to 11 years
Learning, homework & school messages
One home for the messages that matter
Forms, reading notes, event dates and school messages may arrive in several places. A small adult-led system can keep important actions visible without making a child responsible for all the admin.
School years
5 to 11 years
Screens & growing independence
A family conversation about being online
Digital routines work best as an ongoing conversation, not a single rule written once and forgotten. Think about what your child uses, who can contact them and how they can ask for help.
School years
5 to 11 years
School holidays, clubs & family time
A week that fits the people in it
Holiday weeks and school clubs can bring different hours, costs and collection arrangements. Start with the commitments you actually need to cover, then leave some unplanned space.