Mums the word…
Being a mum is one of the hardest jobs in the world. There is no salary and you are on call 24-hours every day seven days a week. Some of the skills needed are nursing, teaching, cleaning, cooking, washing, chauffeur, playmate, story-reading, shopping, repairing and from the moment your ‘little one’ is born you will be on duty and worry about them for the rest of your life as well as trying to be a good role model. When you put it like that it doesn’t sound an attractive proposition, but it is the most rewarding and blessed position in the world. Some are better at it than others since there is no instruction manual to be found and most of the time you need to be intuitive and even the most experienced of mums need to seek advice and assistance sometimes. Many mums hold down full-time or part-time jobs as well as attend to the home, as bringing up a family is a costly business with schooling, toys, outings, clothes, treats and food to think of. Below is a list of sites on the Internet for mums. It is nice to have a list of good websites to turn to when you need advice, information or even to interact with other mums to share tips and experiences. These sites give the opportunity for all that and more. Besides offering forums for chatting, discussing and solving you will also find that some of them give the chance for you to completely unwind and relax after a hard day when the little ones are in bed. So stick the kettle on, put your feet up and enjoy what the list has to offer.
1. Mums Online – http://www.mumsonline.net
Mums Online is a forum for parents to relax and discuss family life. Current topics can be chosen from categories such as parenting, health, diet, education, deals, home, shopping, gardening and recipes with a forum for debating, discussing and pondering. There is a special section for articles which contains great tips and information for shopping, parenting and food with advice for getting little ones to eat healthy vegetables. There’s a competition section where you can win prizes and although the sites’ admin doesn’t appear to have been updated there are recent posts, so the community is still active.
2. MumStuff – http://www.mumstuff.co.uk/
MumStuff is a very popular UK site and ranks highly on Alexa.com. Useful tips can be found for mums to be with advice on what to eat along with healthy teas and herbal drinks. Information and tips for labour and post labour can be found and there is a complete section for planning and throwing a baby shower along with ideas for gifts in the online shop. A further section can be found for young mums with hints on breastfeeding and information for getting back in shape after birth too.
3. Newparent.com – www.newparent.com
This is popular site in the USA with young mums with all the latest news and information in the baby world. Articles can be found with advice for pregnancy, babies and toddlers and a section called ‘get answers’ allows you an opportunity to ask any question to the community. There is a breastfeeding guide and a new baby checklist along with expert advice on getting little ones into bed. A section for giveaways is given on the site and subscribing is encouraged in order to join the community.
4. Mums Club – http://www.mumsclub.co.uk/
This is a popular site from the UK with a blog and a forum for exchanging parenting advice and it is also one of the top sites for mums in business as it contains good information about working at home and earning while looking after the children. There are lots of categories with topics containing information on clubs, events and business opportunities as well as a guide for buying gifts and a magazine with interesting articles to read. The site has a large community and joining is advised for posting, commenting and obtaining further information.
5. Mumsnet.com – http://www.mumsnet.com/
This is the most popular site in the UK with a high rank on Alexa.com. There are illustrated articles to read with information on pregnancy, babies, children, education, life-style, money, food, work and news along with reviews and offers. You can find tips of the day, quotes of the week and recipes plus there are some useful tools for due dates, ovulation times, meal planners and babies names. You can join the blogging network and also find a Mumsnet club local to your area.
6. Just Us Mums – http://s1.zetaboards.com/Just_Us_Moms/index
This is another great site for mums to meet other mums and discuss everything about motherhood. Registration is fast, free and simple and there is a special forum for new members. The site has ‘kiddies corner’ and ‘mums chat’ with lots of posts to read giving tips and advice. A special section called ‘the fun shoppe’ has some great games to play and as you make friends you can search for them in the member’s area search facility to see who’s online.
7. It’s a Mum’s World – http://www.itsamomsworld.com/
This site has lots of different categories containing articles with interesting information. Categories include baby, toddler, preschool, school age, disabilities, baby names, baby shower, pregnancy, health and mom’s room with a forum for chatting and meeting other mums. The site was developed by a team of writers with families whose aim is to improve children’s health by bringing issues to the fore as well as providing valuable information for improving parenting skills.
8. Mum Knows Best – http://mumknowsbest.com/
This site knows that mums need time to themselves and the site is dedicated to giving healthy recipes as well as providing tips for beauty and looking well. There is a section for connecting with other mums to discuss your day and games and prize competitions can be found to help you relax. There are many illustrated articles to read with useful facts and advice and logging in is advised to participate in the forum.
9. Mums Like You – http://mumslikeyou.com/home.php
Mums Like You is a social networking site for mums to share tips and hints on families in the forum and blog. There are articles and reviews to read with a guide for mums, which gives good advice and you can have your say at the polls on the site. There are groups to join and goodies to be found in the marketplace and a long list of reasons is given explaining why you should join the site.
10. Working Mums – http://www.workingmums.co.uk/corporate/aboutus/
This is a site for mums that work whilst looking after the family. The site gives advice about starting work again and working from home with over 300 jobs and 40 franchises offered. The latest jobs are highlighted with the top employers listed and jobs can be searched by sector, location or type. There is a magazine to subscribe to and training and courses to attend are listed. Events and the latest news are advertised and asking for expert advice for interviews and CVs is welcome.
