FROM THE FOUNDER

 

Before I had kids, I was confident that I’d be able to handle whatever parenthood had to throw at me. With a background in education, an enthusiasm for making lists and being pretty good at making a meal out of whatever was in the fridge, I thought that put me in a pretty good position to cope. And then I had kids. And everything changed.

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Nothing and I mean NOTHING could have prepared me for how totally different my life would be after having two (totally gorgeous but incredibly noisy) girls. It didn’t matter whether I had some nicely stacked wooden toys, an instagrammable set of prints on their bedroom wall and the latest non leaking water bottle. If you’ve cut the sandwiches the wrong way or put the snacks on the wrong coloured plate, the rest of the day can go downhill pretty quickly! 

 

My solution was to arm myself with as much information as I could. I wasn’t the first parent not to know how to handle everything life threw at me and thankfully, everything I needed to know was - technically - at the end of a Google search. And this is where I got stuck.

 

I couldn’t figure out where to actually get my answers from and didn’t know who to trust. There were too many websites and too many influencers trying to sell. So I took to Facebook groups. I wanted to hear from other parents who had been through the same and had advice to share, on everything from snack hack, best buys and messy play ideas all the way to how to talk to your kids about death.

 

Facebook groups saved me and so when the pandemic hit in 2020, and I realised I’d be at home with a one and five year old without the usual support network, I created a Facebook group to bring people together to share tips and ideas, so that we could cope as a team. That group quickly snowballed from a few hundred to over a million and my life turned upside down again. This time though, I was curating the information for others, rather than asking the questions. It was the most powerful and humbling experience of my life. 

 

This is Family Lowdown - a community and brand that I am proud of. I believe that the best advice you can get to help you make the best choices for you and your family comes from other families who have been there. Real lived experience. People who can validate the daily challenges, celebrate the wins and hold virtual hands when it gets tough. 

 

This is what Family Lowdown exists to do. We want to give you the lowdown, from parenting tips to lifestyle choices to adventurous days out. No topic is too niche or off limits for us. We’re here to help and we’d love you to join us on our journey.

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Claire xx

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