I wanted to call it All The Things I Wish People Had Told Me About Parenthood But They Were Too Busy Going On About Sleep Deprivation, but it's only a little book and there wasn't enough room on the cover. So I called it Welcome to Parenthood. It's a little handbook that I made for my brother and sister-in-law, who are expecting their first baby in October. There's nothing earth shattering inside, and nothing controversial. I don't go into breast versus bottle, or immunisation, or co-sleeping or any of the other components of so-called attachment parenting. Whether they ask for it or not, there will be plenty of people dishing out advice on those issues!

Instead, I focus on the things I either had to go hunting to discover, or only found out too late, about welcoming a little bub into your life. Like, what exactly do you need to have ready on the day you bring baby home, and what can wait until later? What criteria should I consider when it comes to choosing a pram or carrier (or to deciding between the two)? Did you know that newborn babies make freakishly loud zoo-noises when they sleep? This scared the bejezus out of me and Mr B on Madeleine's first night at home.

These are the chapter-ish sections:

↑↑↑ WHAT TO HAVE READY AT HOME (What you'll need from Day 1, and what you can get later) - Getting dressed - Sleepy time - Change time - Bath time - Feeding

↑↑↑ GETTING OUT AND ABOUT (Prams, carriers and cars) - Never leave home without... - Pram or carrier or both? - What to look for in a pram - What to look for in a sling or carrier - When wearing the baby - In the car

↑↑↑ GETTING HELP (What's available and where to find it) - At hospital - Friends - Community help

↑↑↑ OTHER RANDOM TIPS

The book went at the top of a little care package I put together for my brother. Just little baby things that don't necessarily occur to new parents (at least, they didn't occur to me), but that end up coming in really handy. If you're curious, this is what went into the care package:

I hope they like it!

ps. I used Artifact Uprising to lay out and print the book, and I absolutely love the result. The paper is recycled and just a wonderful texture, it feels like such great quality. I added a lot more text than I think Artifact Uprising is normally designed to take, but it was still pretty easy to use. There are layout templates and then you just drop and drag images in after uploading them to the site. You create a frame if you want to add text anywhere, and adjust the size according to what you want. The little book cost me $12.99 plus postage. So affordable!