Parenting on Instagram
This might be a weird concept but there’s something really special about filling your IG feed with positive, amazing messages about parenting. You’re usually scrolling through when you’re up late at night after a crazy feeding or when you’re covered in baby shit sitting on the toilet, which is totally when you NEED that pick-me-up, not yet another post on your childless friend having a grand old time (love you, but fuck off).
These are the accounts that literally got me through day-to-day with their resources, learnings, positive message, and just light.
@busytoddler
Don’t let the initial grid and content fool you. Yes, Susie’s jammie-jam is toddler activities to keep them busy but really her whole philosophy on how to approach your kid and parenting is just spot-on. She doesn’t parent to be on Instagram, she parents to give her kids the best damn childhood which includes lots of not picture perfect stuff like low-key birthday parties and silly fun and two-year-olds being two is fine (I am LIVING this right now). She is also coming out with a book and I can’t wait to read it.
@legendairymilk
If you are thinking about breastfeeding and it becomes a part of your journey, then this account was super helpful in answering hard-to-ask but important questions like, is my nipple too big for my pump part? LOLOL I really appreciated that they kept it REAL about breastfeeding, which no one tells you but like it’s so fucking hard. You think that a baby should just automatically latch on like a magnet and you’re golden, but it’s actually pretty easy to get wrong, and they help you through it. They sell lactation supplements too which I was lucky to not have needed, but might be worth looking into if you have any trouble.
@lovelyluckylife
Ok, let’s be honest, mommy influencers are usually fucking annoying. They’ll post these amazingly staged photos and be like “ohmigod parenting is soooo hard guys, because babies fuss during photo shoots!” and you just want to barf all over their face. Val is not one of those people. Sure her children are like crazy adorable and she has a cute life BUT she keeps it real. She curses (of course, super bonus point), and she loves shopping on Amazon (you will want every thing she shares, they’re always amazing), like seriously you’ll wish she was your best friend in real life.
@stylefitfatty
Fatima is another mommy influencer but just lovely. Ok we can never be friends in real life because she is so fucking sweet and a delight and works out and all that, but she is literally someone I would want to be if I had another chance at life and it’s such a breath of sweetness in my timeline. Yet she’s not like precious and annoying so really she’s a unicorn.
@feedinglittles
They have a course on introducing solids to your baby, which was AMAZING. You learn so much about food relationships, how to set up a child for later success when they start getting picky, and also to not stress out if they don’t take to food right away and that all of it is totally normal. Just like with every other baby shit you WILL stress out about solids, but they make it super simple. Lu never ate baby food or mush, and we started him on solids with things like asparagus spears and avocado slices. We were probably super lucky with him, but he’s a super good eater now and I do believe it’s because I had the concepts from Feeding Littles. They also have a course that continues on to the toddler years so they have you covered.
@weetalkers
Carly is a lovely human being who loves children and language development. Sure, your kid might not talk until after their first birthday, but it was really helpful to learn about how language is learned and what I can do in my daily interactions with the baby to have varied vocabulary, repetition, and play, as well as the importance of reading to them, but presented in a non-shaming and positive way. She’s just a ray of sunshine and a great add for your feed.
