I have seen a few people doing this tag, more so on Youtube but I thought I would jump on the band wagon and have a go at answering these tricky questions. Tricky, because I don’t want to offend anybody but will try to answer as truthfully as possible.

1. Pro-life or Pro-choice?
Pro-choice, each women should be able to choose what they put there body through. Different people can be in different positions or situations in their life that affect their decision and one should know that the decision to have an abortion is never taken lightly. Even though abortion isn’t something I would ever choose, I wouldn’t judge someone if they had or wanted to.

2. Baby wearing?
I preferred baby wearing with a baby carrier instead of a sling. I found the sling to be too much cloth and got myself all wrapped up without being able to carry a baby. I completely believe it works, especially in the fourth trimester, otherwise why would so many parents do it in other countries so much. All babies are so used to hearing a heartbeat and being in a closed space, in the womb, after all it gives them comfort. I remember sitting on the sofa for hours with Tobias when he wouldn’t sleep without touching me, so baby wearing became essential!

3. Circumcision?
It’s not what I would choose for my off-spring, but I haven’t got anything against it. I know some people who have had it done for religious and health reasons. I completely understand that and that’s their choice.

4. Adoption?
This is difficult for me to answer. Gavin wants to adopt as he feels that there are so many children in the world that need loving homes and families. However I just don’t know if I could find the love they need. I have mixed views on adoption and feel I would need to educate myself further before making this decision.

5. Baby piercing?
This is a no, no for me. I think I will leave it up to a certain age before giving my children the choice to go ahead with piercing. Again, I know that for religious reasons some people choose to do this early and that is their choice, which I have nothing against.

6. Breast VS Formula?
I breast fed Tobias and I am very proud of the fact that I was able to do this and that I stuck it out. With the next baby or any future babies, I hope to be able to breast feed again. However I’m not holding out and would be happy to bottle feed. So my answer is fed is best.

7. CIO (cry it out) VS other?
Leaving a baby to cry for a few minutes to see if they will self settle doesn’t hurt them but hearing it for more than a minute is heart wrenching. It must be in a controlled and structured environment though. I learnt this the hard way, to let Tobias cry a little before going to him and it did take a while for him to get the hang of it, but in the end it benefited both of our sleep and I’m so happy I went down this route. Do remember that crying is the only way a baby can tell you when something is wrong, so if the crying continues you must act on it.

8. Smacking?
No! There has to be another way. Sometimes just saying ‘n’o isn’t enough, especially if something they were doing was dangerous. Tobias can have tantrums in a split second now but I always use other means then smacking. Establishing rules and boundaries and rewarding good behaviour has to be the way forward, I don’t feel the need for it.

9. Co-Sleeping?
This makes me very uncomfortable to answer and I shall explain why. I am against co-sleeping overall, due to the health reasons (rolling on top of them), needing your own space (to keep sane) and establishing good sleep routines for the future. I understand why people do it and I (begrudgingly) am one of those people. So even though I hate it I do it for an easy life! I would recommend to anyone who goes down this route to invest in a king size bed!

10. Home VS Public VS Private schooling?
I would love to have the money to send my children to private school. Smaller class sizes mean more one to one with the teacher, which surely has to be positive. I personally wouldn’t know where to start with home schooling so wouldn’t choose this route for my children. Having said all this, the public schools are brilliant in my area and as long as i do my research when the time comes, my children should have a great school experience.

11. Vaccinations?
Yes, I agree with these. If it helps my babies to be safe in this world I would always choose to help them. I do like to research the different vaccinations, to see if it’s worth it. For instance the yearly flu jab that is offered, just doesn’t interest me. It only protects against one type of flu for that year which is a guess by scientists!

12. Medicating children?
Yes, as long as its not over medicated. Calpol is my best friend when it comes to Tobias!

13. Cloth VS Disposable nappies?
I am gutted. I wanted to be the eco mum, using reusable nappies but they just didn’t work for me or fit into our lifestyle. I certainly salute every mum who is able to use cloth nappies but we use disposable ones.

14. Store bought baby food vs homemade?
I started by making all Tobias first foods when weaning as I wanted to know what was in the food and I wanted to support our local producers. After reading the contents of some baby food, I was happy to give these to him. Now he has a varied diet of foods that I have cooked and the Annabel Karmel meals that you can buy. Just like milk feeding, fed is best!

These are my answers to all the controversial subjects, that get parents talking. I completely believe in the phrase ‘Do You!’ Meaning, do what works for you and don’t be bothered by other people’s s choices, views or feedback!

Much love
Rebecca