Clem the Cookie Jar

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Why we’re sharing this

When we first had Oogs, we knew we wanted to do things our own way – parenting that fit our lifestyle instead of forcing us to completely change it. What we didn’t expect was how often people would raise their eyebrows at our choices!

From skipping the pram to potty training at 4 weeks old, we’ve made decisions that work for us but aren’t exactly the norm. They’re not revolutionary or wildly new ideas, but they’re just different enough to make people ask, “Wait, you do what?!”

Here’s a look at a few of the things we do with Oogs that make people think we’re a little crazy – and why we love them anyway.

TL;DR

• We have never used a pram. Baby-wearing has been a game changer for travel, connection, and fitness
• We have no set routine. Flexibility has kept us happy, healthy, and adventurous
• We use reusable nappies. Sustainable, cute, and kinder to Oogs’s bum – but not without challenges
• We started potty training at 4 weeks old. No poos in nappies since 5 months old – worth the early effort!
• We never bought a nappy bag. A tote bag and now a simple backpack have done the job just fine

We have never used a pram

When Oogs was born, we went straight to baby-wearing. We started with a soft sling – this Freerider one to be exact – and later moved to a more ergonomic baby carrier (the Tula explore) as she got bigger. I’m not sure if we’d have used a pram if we lived somewhere other than London, but this setup worked so well for us that we’ll definitely stick to it for any future kids!

We didn’t actually decide to skip the pram, it just happened. We even inherited a really great, expensive one, but living in London without a car meant walking, bussing, and tubing everywhere. None of these are exactly pram-friendly, with narrow pavements, endless stairs, and busy public transport. After seeing other parents turned away from buses or struggling to fit prams onto packed tubes, I actually started to feel a bit of anxiety about the whole thing.

So we stuck to carriers, and honestly? I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Apart from the obvious benefits of easier travel, I’ve noticed so many other positives too.

Benefits:

• Faster development. Oogs had strong neck control super early and was sitting up and walking (holding our hands) by 4 months.
• Better naps. She could tuck her head in to sleep whenever she wanted, and I didn’t have to stop what I was doing.
• Feeding on the go. Once I figured this out (around 5 months), outings became so much easier.
• Bonding. I loved being so close. Talking, singing, holding hands, and soothing her felt so much more interactive than pushing a pram.
• Fitness boost. Carrying Oogs worked wonders for my core, pelvic floor, and posture. Progressive weight training 😂
• Adventure-ready. Hiking is a big part of our lives, and wearing Oogs is basically like carrying an 8kg weight vest!

Challenges:

• She didn’t like being put down. From about 2 months onwards, she just wanted to be held and is near impossible to get to sleep without cuddling. Can be a little frustrating at times for sure.
• Limited storage. Pram parents have loads of storage, while I had to carry everything in a bag. I told myself it was minimalist, but I was definitely jealous sometimes!

Despite the challenges, this is one of the best decisions we’ve made. I’ll 10000% do this with all my kids – at least until they hit a year old. Though I am aware things may change as she gets older and we have more kids 👀

We have no set routine

Before having Oogs, one of the things we agreed on was that we didn’t want to completely change our lives. We didn’t want to lose our sense of identity or become parents who felt stuck at home following strict schedules. Instead, we chose to keep things flexible – and so far, it’s been great.

We have a loose structure; Oogs usually wakes up between 7-8 (on a great day, 9 😍), has a couple of naps (mostly in the carrier) during the day, then goes to bed after dinner, sometime between 6:30-7:30. That’s when we’re home and sticking to normal days.

But if we’re out for dinner at 7 or staying out until 11? No problem. She’ll (maybe) nap in the carrier, and we’ll brush her teeth and get her into her jammies when we’re home.

Benefits:

• Oogs is super flexible. Even when overtired, she’s happy and just wants to be involved.
• We’ve kept our independence. Our personalities and mental health have stayed intact because we’ve adapted her “schedule” to ours, not the other way around.
• Less stress. I never feel like I’m missing out, which has made the transition to parenthood much easier.
• More connection. Oogs feels like an active part of our life, rather than someone we have to plan our lives around.

Challenges:

• Sleep struggles. Putting her down for naps or bedtime can be tricky, especially when we’ve had a busy day.
• The future? I wonder how this flexibility will hold up as she grows – or if it will work with multiple kids. Any advice? Please share!

We use reusable nappies

I think this is becoming less and less of a rogue thing. Or maybe that’s just the type of accounts I follow 😂

For us, the decision was partly about the environment and partly about practicality. I know the overall impact isn’t wildly different when you factor in laundry, manufacturing, and transport, but the idea of avoiding landfills just felt right. Especially when taking into account reusing them with any future babies.

That said, we’re not strict about it. When Oogs was born, the reusable nappies were too big, so we used disposables until they fit. We also switched to disposables when we travelled to Venice, Lanzarote, and Hong Kong, and we still use one disposable overnight since bigger wees have made leaks more common.

Benefits:

• Eco-friendly. Less waste and better long-term sustainability.
• Super cute designs. There are so many designs and patterns!
• Kinder on her skin. Oogs hardly ever gets nappy rash.
• Reusable wipes are amazing. Way better at cleaning up messy situations than disposables.

Challenges:

• Fit issues at first. They didn’t work well when Oogs was tiny, and it’s a trial and error of what set up works for you. I’ll do an entire post on our set up in the future & link it back here! For now, these are the nappies, inserts and liners we love, and they are super affordable too.
• Leaks. Bigger wees required trial and error to get the right setup.
• Storage. Carrying dirty nappies when out and about wasn’t always fun.
• Laundry. It’s an extra job—but one we’re happy to take on.

At the end of the day, yes, it is easier to use disposable nappies. But in my experience, not easier enough to settle my guilt each time I throw one away.

We started potty training at 4 weeks old

This one always surprises people, but yep – we started potty training at 4 weeks old! While I was pregnant we read (reeled) a lot about potty training and “elimination communication“, and it really resonated. Babies give cues when they’re about to go, and who actually wants to sit in their own poo? Not me, and I’m guessing not Oogs either.

So Anytime we saw those signs we’d pop her on her little top hat potty (absolutely love). As Oogs was one of those babies that shat 10 times a day (I kid you not), we obviously missed loads. But after a couple of weeks we were definitely getting more and more. It became almost like a game and would be so excited whenever we ‘caught’ one – it’s the little things.

By 5 months, she was completely poo potty trained. Now at 8 months, the last time she pooed in a nappy was 3 months ago! 🎉 Hello solid poos 💩 and thank you breastfeeding, for those early easy-to-clean ones.

Quick tip: put a little toilet roll in the potty to make it easier to clean after pooping ✨

Benefits:

• No poo explosions. Fewer wipes, less mess – absolute win.
• Long-term benefits. Early potty training makes the transition easier later.

Challenges:

• Hands-on at first. Paying attention to cues took effort, but it quickly felt natural.

We’ll 100% do this again with any more Cookies-to-come.

We never bought a nappy bag

Not that I didn’t look! I spent hours Googling nappy bags while I was pregnant—those little wipe dispensers looked so cute. But I never found one I liked, and since I planned to breastfeed, I didn’t need space for bottles.

So we used a tote bag, and it worked perfectly for months. Eventually, we upgraded to a simple backpack with compartments (still not a “nappy bag”), but can be a tote or a backpack, and it’s been great! I love that it can be a tote as I don’t find it super comfortable wearing a backpack and a baby carrier at the same time.

Benefits:

• Budget-friendly. No need for pricey nappy bags.
• Practical. Flexible storage that’s easy to carry.

Challenges:

• Organisation. Tote bags get messy quickly as babies need more stuff.

I guess this isn’t a case of whether we’d do this again as we now have our bag 😂

Final Thoughts

So, are we completely crazy? Maybe? People definitely say so 🙈 But these choices have worked for us so far, and honestly, we wouldn’t change them. They’ve made parenting feel more natural and less stressful – plus, we get plenty of stories to tell.

What about you? What parenting decisions have you made that turned heads? Share your experiences in the comments or tag us on Instagram @clemthecookiejar!

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Save this post for later! Whether you’re considering reusable nappies, early potty training, or skipping the pram, pin it now to revisit these tips anytime.