Amy’s story
Amy lives in Land’s End with her partner, Henry, and her little boy, Jonah. A 24-year-old mum, Amy spoke to us about the confusing and relentless advertising of baby products on social media.
Tell be a bit about you
I work as a personal assistant in London, and in my spare time I love to read. Although, I haven’t been able to do much of that in the last three months since Oscar was born! Oscar’s been doing really well. The first two weeks were hard – that sort of exhaustion is something you can’t imagine until you’re in it. But we’re getting more sleep now, and having Oscar is the most fantastic thing in the world. I knew that I would love him as soon as we had him. He’s the best.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the baby products on the market?
I 100% feel overwhelmed by the amount of baby products available. There is so much out there, it’s so difficult to know which one is the right thing for Oscar. I find myself reading all the reviews, but everyone says different things. Ultimately, when it comes to your baby, they are the most important thing in the world. So I felt like I was desperate to make sure he has everything he needs. But I found it hard to know what he needed, and what he didn’t. Navigating the market and choosing what product would be the safest can be difficult. On top of that, some products are just so expensive.
Do you feel confident when online or in a shop, which products are a good option for your baby?
My entire Instagram feed is constantly just babies babies babies. I see so many ‘spend an evening with me’ reels where people use all sorts of gadgets with their baby whilst putting them to sleep. Everyone has so many views and opinions online about what works for your baby. But you don’t really need all these gadgets, and they are all so expensive.
Have any products you have bought every been recalled?
I once received a recall alert for a product I had bought, so I sent it back and got a full refund. I was able to then use that money to buy him toys instead!
Do you use The Lullaby Trust’s safer sleep guidance? If yes, which guidance did you find most useful?
I found The Lullaby Trust’s co-sleeping guidance really useful. When Oscar wouldn’t sleep in his cot, I spent about a month with him in our bed. The guidance taught me to make sure he was on his back at all times, with no pillows, and no duvet near him.
I also find the guidance about safer sleep in cold weather really useful. I sent that guidance to my mum because I found that we often had different opinions about how to dress and sleep Oscar. The guidance she used when I was a baby is very different to how it is now.
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You can support people like Layla
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