Meet our BornFree Parent Panel, made up of our core team of 2 mums and a dad, who from the 1st of October will be writing regular blog posts on all kinds of parenting issues:

Amy Sheridan

Author of and1moremeans4

I’m a married, working mum to 5 wonderful children. I have 4 girls aged 5, 4, 3 and 18months and my son who is 4 months old. I have always wanted a large family and having my children so close together has made us all very close and one big happy family. Juggling family life and working 24 hours a week can be a rollercoaster of emotions but it is very rewarding being surrounded by lots of love and happiness. I have been with my husband for nine years and we met whilst I was still at school. I was only 19 when I had my first daughter and she changed my life forever.
 
I began blogging and writing in March 2009 whilst I was pregnant with my 4th daughter. I have always loved writing so I set up my own blog and began rambling away about my life with 5 little ones sharing the honest truth about parenting, the highs, the lows and the funny bits in between. I hope to share some good stories, advice and everything parenting related and make some good friends along the way.

Ben Wakeling

author of Goodbye, Pert Breasts: The Diary of a Newborn Dad and Ben Wakeling – the Blog

Ben has lived in Warwickshire all his life, and currently lives in the small town of Kenilworth (where the average age is around 80, and the average driving speed in the low 20s) with his wife and two young sons. During his day job he works as a Quantity Surveyor for a leading UK housebuilder, and therefore spends his days drowning in numbers. He is passionate about writing, and has recently self-published his first book, ‘Goodbye, Pert Breasts: The Diary of a Newborn Dad’ – an informative and hilarious account of one man’s journey through the ups and downs of pregnancy, with practical advice for dads-to-be. During the weekends, Ben spends most of his time pushing his eldest son on a swing in the local park, or chasing after him in a soft play centre, and loves every minute. Among Ben’s dislikes is the sound of crunching, excessive exercise and talking in the third person.

Emma Sheppard

Author of Me The Man and the Baby

Emma is a busy stay-at-home Mum and blogger. She has been blogging at Me the Man and the Baby since the birth of her son in April 2009, sharing tales of the ups and downs of life with her partner Jon, and lively toddler Oliver.

Emma started blogging to make new friends after moving to a new town, but now finds her blog attracts visitors from all over the world, and occasionally stirs up controversy! As a parent blogger, Emma has also had the opportunity to attend PR events all over the country, from family-friendly farms in Oxfordshire to a sneak preview of the Christmas collection of one of London’s top department stores. Head over to her blog to find out more.

 

Each season we’ll also feature 2 guest panel members who will write a regular monthly post.

Meet our Autumn team:

Cathy James

Author of NurtureStore and Home made mummy

Cathy James is the mother of two girls aged 4 and 7 and lives in the north of England. She is a childminder who looks after babies and pre-schoolers and is rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. She’s passionate about giving children a great start in life and believes children thrive with a gentle routine, great food and lots of play. With a background in training and coaching, Cathy understands children are natural learners who develop best when they have an active, positive environment. Cathy will be sharing ideas on easy and fun things you can do at home with your children to help them develop the important early learning skills. She writes about children’s play, learning and crafts at her own blog www.nurturestore.co.uk. When she’s not doing jigsaws or making models with egg boxes she loves cooking and gardening. Cathy writes about all things home grown, home cooked and homemade at her blog www.homemademummy.net.

Chelle McCann

Author of The Adventures Of Mamma McCann and Mamma’s Must Haves

 I am Chelle, I am proud mum to a beautiful red headed ball of energy. A Brighton wife and mamma writing under the guise of Mamma McCann. I started blogging when I was 17 weeks pregnant, wanting to give first time mums like me an honest diary of my feelings and thoughts throughout pregnancy. I also run a review site where a group of parents give honest yet positive  reviews. This came about as a result of reading too many negative reviews and becoming confused with what’s good/bad in the mummy buying world.

Since my pregnancy and having my little Fizz I have gone through all sorts of emotions, been given lots of advice (not always taken) and it’s been such a rollercoaster. I’ve gone from exclusively breastfeeding to bottle feeding, from puree feeding to baby led weaning, from sleep training hater to sleep training  lover. I love baby wearing but can still often be seen suffering from pushchair envy.

I want to tell you the truth, not gloss it over andI’d  like to share our adventures whether good, bad, exciting or scary.

Share on Facebook