As a new mum even if it is the second time around, it can still get exciting and scary at the same time.

Prof J is going to be 9months in a few days and it is amazing how much he has grown so quickly.

He is already crawling and cruising all over the place. This has made me realise, again, how quickly our precious children grow so fast.

And in the midst of everything else- work, commitments etc we should tap into the power of a soft cuddle with our little ones before they grow up and leave the house!

I wanted to take some time today to step away from work and talk about our little ones who make it all worth it.

This is as part of a campaign carried out by Fairy Non-Bio. The lovely hand printed cushion in the above picture, with my words, was designed for Prof J as part of the campaign.

The power of a soft new born cuddle stays with a mother long after their baby has outgrown their baby clothes research reveals today.

The research, carried out by Fairy Non Bio and Mumsnet, surveyed over 1500 parents to look at those early few months spent with their new born. It found that as new parents, it’s those fleeting new born cuddles that are the most treasured of experiences, which all too soon become their most cherished memory.

Key points from Fairy Non Bio’s survey of 1500 mums, as carried out by Mumsnet:

• Almost 60% spent at least a quarter of their entire day cuddling their new born
• 74% of new parents most savoured “cuddle time” over any other moment in the day.
• 15% of parents with a baby aged 0-6 months  found only an hour or less a day between chores and other pressures to enjoy cuddle time
• The number one piece of advice from more experienced parents to new mothers was to “forget the little things because time flies and you can’t get it back”.
• 70% of parents with babies 9 months+ said that the one thing they would have done differently as a new parent was spending more time cuddling their baby.
• More than two thirds of parents say the one thing they would have done differently is spend more time cuddling
• 70% of parents wish their child would stay new born for longer just so they could enjoy the power of a soft cuddle- I am definitely one of those parents! 🙂

[Tweet “70% of parents wish they had spent more time cuddling their baby”]

The survey findings revealed that experienced parents are even more appreciative of how fleeting time with new borns is.

70% of parents with children between 9 months to 4 years old confessed that the one thing they would like to go back and do differently as new parents, was spending even more time cuddling their baby.

Mothers said they would  give up Facebook (73%), sacrifice chocolate (70%), and swap spending time with their partner (30%) to go back and have just one more precious cuddle with their new born.

I definitely know what this means. I wanted Bionic to grow up so quickly but with Prof J, I wished he would stay a tiny baby longer.

Anastasia Roumelioti from Fairy Non Bio comments, “We understand that baby’s first few months are incredibly precious for both mother and child.  Fairy Non Bio is helping to make every embrace as special as possible by leaving the baby’s clothes super soft. We know time is fleeting and so are encouraging mums to spend as much time cuddling with their new born as possible. This is the power of a soft cuddle: unlocking the memory of the perfect, soft cuddle before time takes it away.”

The findings also reinforced how tough it is to be a new mum with respondents who are parents of young babies agreeing that it’s easy to become preoccupied by other ‘jobs’ which encroach on precious cuddle time. Cleaning the house (83%), working yourself back into pre-pregnancy clothes (69%) and getting baby into a strict routine (62%) were listed as the biggest demands on new parent’s time.

But even though 15% of parents with a baby aged 0-6 months  found only an hour or less a day between chores and other pressures to enjoy cuddle time, almost 60% spent at least a quarter of their entire day cuddling their new born.

With the power of hindsight, the number one piece of advice from parents with children 9 months+ was to forget the little things, such as staying on top of the housework, because time with your new born soon flies and you can’t get it back. I agree!

Other top advice to new mums from the Mumsnet survey, included:

1. Mummy knows best even when she thinks she doesn’t
2. Try not to be super mum (with God you can be :)- my thoughts!)
3. You can’t spoil your baby with cuddles
4. Sleep when the baby does
5. Housework can wait
6. Take a ‘baby moon’
7. Don’t compare yourself to other mothers – every baby is different
8. Trust your instincts
9. Treasure every moment
10. If you thought you were in love before you had a baby – wait till you meet your baby!

Check out this  lovely, hand-crafted poem mantra from a little one to mummy 🙂