Because I was breast feeding for the first five months, it was the 'Eating' column that I found most useful. I used the codes 'RB' and 'LB' to note down which boob baby had been feeding from, and for how long. There is space at the bottom of the page to record the daily total, in mls or in minutes. As the length of time between feeds became shorter and feeds became longer, I knew exactly when I needed to add a bottle feed and later start weaning.

Having the Baby's Day notebook (in its primitive state) allowed me to spot this change easily. And once I did start weaning every mouthful of baby rice or apple pure was recorded too! I entered a B (Breakfast) L (Lunch) or D (Dinner) in the eating column, and then wrote what he had in the 'observations' column. This helped me see what his likes and dislikes were, how different foods might effect his nappies. In addition, if your child shows signs of intolerance of certain types of food keeping these sheets will help you see the patterns of cause and effect.

Although 'Nappy Change' may seem like a strange column to include, experienced parents will know that when you have a baby nappies and their contents become a big part of your life, and a major conversation topic. I still remember the health visitor asking me "Has he had a poo today?" and me feeling like such a rubbish mother because I didn't know. The truth was that the days had merged into one and I just didn't know if that horrible nappy change was two hours ago or two days ago! I used the codes 'W' and 'P' in this column, and (had I had it from the beginning) could have told her when the last 'P' was to the nearest fifteen minutes!