Don't be a manic mum: 12 ways to juggle work and kids
Being a working mum is a constant balancing act between concentrating on your career and spending quality time with your child. So, we asked babyworld members and working mums to give us their top tips for striking the right balance. Here's what they said ...
 "Make sure that you and your partner/husband establish ahead of time that you split the housework. It gets done in evenings and the weekend. The absolute minimum gets done - dust is irrelevant and as long as you can see the floor that counts as clean."
"Be proud of yourself and get some rewards where you can. In the long term - your child will be proud too."
"You are entitled to some 'you' time - so make sure you get it. I make sure that I can go off for a few hours' shopping or to get my hair done every once in a while."
"I went back to work when my children were about 8 months old and breastfed them in the morning and evening until they were a year old. I really valued this closeness to them at the beginning and end of my working day."
"After the first hard month back at work after having my son, I bought myself something nice from my first salary, to remind myself that there was something in it for me too!"
"I would say: decide how much time you want to spend working and then arrange for your child to be looked after by someone else at that time, or asleep. Then do your best to stick with that. Otherwise work can take over completely and you end up not getting any pleasure out of your children or anything else."
"I say - making time for your self is VERY VERY important - sometimes I used to go months before I even had half an hour to myself and I would start to go a little crazy but recently my husband has had my daughter for an afternoon and that helps me to look after myself a bit more."
"While you're at work don't feel guilty about thinking about your baby - Daddy's do that too - but don't let it interfere too much with your work. Enjoy your 'professional' time, and then enjoy you 'mummy' time when you're home."
"Always wear a sweater or t-shirt over your work clothes until you dropped your baby off - you know how it is!"
"If you're breastfeeding your baby and planning to go back to work, start offering a bottle as soon as poss so they get used to it before you go back. It helps if someone else gives the bottle as it less confusing. Anna seemed to accept that if mummy was around she could be breastfed, but if mummy wasn't then she had a bottle."
"Get what you're entitled to! Apply online for Working families' tax credit. You can fill in a form online and it all gets calculated in a matter of seconds! Go to www.inlandrevenue.co.uk, and click on the appropriate icon."
"I work from home and have just bought a really compact see and hear baby monitor which helps me immensely when I am working during the day. I just clip the unit to my belt and can then keep an eye on my daughter without constantly getting up."
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