Imagine sharing your parenting journey with people you’ve never even met, let alone spoken to. Well, that’s what hundreds of mums are doing across the UK, right now, online. Welcome to the world of mummy blogging.
The mummy blogging phenomenon started in the US (where there are over 6,000 ‘mom’ blogs). This time last year there were around 100 mummy blogs in the UK – today there are over 1000, and more launch every day.
So what exactly is a mummy blog?
Well, essentially a mummy blog is like an online diary of experiences and thoughts, tips and ideas, updated at least once a week (and in some cases every day). It’s a brilliant way to connect to other parents, particularly if you’re a Stay At Home or Work At Home Mum. It can also be a fantastic record of your child’s early years and a way to help family and friends keep track of their progress.
"Blogging lets you share experiences with other mums in the same situation as you, and also gives you a real outlet for self-expression," says Sally Whittle, one of the UK’s top mummy bloggers who blogs about life with her four-year-old at Who’s the Mummy?
"It’s the virtual equivalent of having lots of friends round for a coffee morning. You can get support and input on everything from getting baby to sleep through the night to potty training and starting nursery. Mummy blogging allows women to create a virtual community to support them through what can be the most challenging but rewarding experience – raising children."
10 of the best UK mummy blogs
To see more check out the Tots100 index of the UK's top 100 parent blogs:
Café Bébé Karin writes about life with her 20-month-old ‘Little Miss’ and has recently started vlogging (video blogging)... in her tiara
LivingwithKids Lively mix of parenting news, stories and savvy shopping tips
Beetroot and Gherkins Hilarious, warts-n-all account of pregnancy and motherhood
Have a lovely time Holiday reviews and ideas for daytrips, all written by mums.
BabyBaby Full-time mum-of-two Sandy writes about raising her two little boys, Presley and Cash, born within a year of each other
English Mum Gorgeous step-by-step recipes and entertaining blog posts
A Modern Mother Stories and witty observations and comment from mum-of-three and top UK parent blogger Susanna
CarrotsandKids Family blog focusing on gardening and crafts, featuring stunning photography from mum-of-five Deb
New Mummy Anecdotes and parenting tips from 20-something mum-of-one Carol
Hairy Farmer Family Funny, frequently poignant account of family life
How to set up your own mummy blog
By Sally Whittle from Who’s the Mummy?
- To set up a Mummy blog is actually not as scary as you might think. Use a blogging platform such as Blogger or Wordpress to create your own personal blog and then customise the design.
- Once you’ve signed up for your account, you need to think about the name of your blog – something that captures your personality and hints at what you’re going to write about.
- Next – start posting! There are no rules about what you can write about on a blog (as long as it isn’t libellous), or how you often you have to post new content. It’s all about how you feel, and what works for you.
- Think about how much you’ll reveal on your blog. Ranting about your MIL might be very therapeutic but would you feel awkward if she read it? Consider what levels of privacy you want to set. You might choose to make your entire blog password protected and just invite friends and family to read it, for example. Or you might have a public blog, but choose not to use any of your children’s names or photos. (Experts would always advise against doing anything on a blog that identifies exactly where you live, or your children’s full names.)
- One of the best ways to let other people know about your blog is by reading other Mummy blogs and commenting on them – most bloggers will come and have a look at your blog to return the favour! Gradually you’ll start to attract more readers and make some new ‘bloggy’ friends.
- To meet and connect with other parent bloggers and get help, support and feedback, join the online community British Mummy Bloggers
