Hanna Kinsella: July column

Hanna is settling into having two babies to care for, and is thrilled with progress so far

And then there were two

Things have definitely changed at home now we have our new baby girl in our lives; it’s been very hectic and having two babies to look after is challenging to say the least! I feel like I’m managing OK though, and this time around I feel so much more confident and I’m really enjoying it.  

She’s a great baby and she’s sleeping well, she’s up every four or five hours, so I know we’re lucky with that. I’m still doing the combination breastfeeding and bottle feeding, because with my lifestyle and filming commitments that’s just been the most practical. I have found it so much easier this time. When I had Max, I had lots of problems, it was really painful, but I’ve had a completely different breastfeeding experience which I’m really grateful for. 

Hitting those milestones

Max is now at that age where he’s really intrigued by everything and so curious - he’s crawling and pulling himself up on furniture, so I honestly think he’ll be taking his first steps any day now – and that also means he wants lots of attention. I want to try and make sure that I take in all that development and those milestones because when you’ve got two you have to split your attention. I’m just very conscious of trying to give him as much of my time as the baby.

At this stage I think it can feel like a lot, but hopefully as they get older they’ll be like best playmates and it’ll be great for them and for us. Honestly it does feel lovely having two and especially having a baby girl now. I love Max to bits but having a little daughter is something else. She looks like me when I was a baby, I think she does anyway, so it’s really nice to have that. 

Day trip to Chester Zoo

We’ve already had quite a few trips out together as a family; we’ve taken her out for walks and I’ve done quite a bit of filming with her which has been fun. 

We went to Chester Zoo recently which was really good – we set up the double buggy and it was just a lovely family day out. Obviously, the baby had no idea what was going on, she was completely oblivious, but Max loved it. 

He loves animals so he was just fascinated by them all. He is still a bit too young to know exactly what’s going on but he was definitely appreciating it. We went into the butterfly area and he was looking at those, and he especially enjoyed seeing the giraffes. 

I’m also going to be going to Water Babies with my daughter soon. I didn’t manage to do it with Max, although I do take him swimming, so I’m excited to try it. I’m looking forward to our first session and I’ll let you all know next time how that went! 

Practical gifts

We’ve had so many lovely gifts since the baby was born, lots of really pretty clothes and also some which have been really practical which is just what you need as a busy parent. 

We were gifted a Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine, which just makes up the bottle for you, such a time-saver, and the Baby Bjorn bouncer is amazing. You can have it on three different settings including a newborn one, so I put her in that, rock her, and she’s so happy in it. 

I’ve found baby grows with zips on are so much easier. There’s a shop called Little Dinkers which does them and especially if you’re doing night feeds or nappy changing in the middle of the night, they’re so quick to get on and off, I absolutely love them.