Ever sat in the car outside your own house with a sleeping baby in a bid to get a bit of peace and quiet? Or set off on a car journey only to turn around and drive all the way home again to pick up a forgotten toy?

Then you’re not alone!

things you only do when you become a mum

As a mum of three the list of bonkers things I’ve done since becoming a parent is lengthy. One of my latest acts of ridiculousness includes walking around with a pair of nail scissors in the pushchair for three days in the hope the baby *might* fall asleep so I could cut her nails (she didn’t).

I asked some fellow bloggers what bonkers lengths they’ve gone to since becoming parents and confessions range from holding in poo (yes poo!) to avoid waking the baby to looking for a toy you know perfectly well doesn’t exist.

Bonkers things you only do when you become a mum

1. Sit in the car outside your own house. “I’ve often sat in my car on the driveaway when returning from somewhere and they’ve both fallen asleep. I’ve sat there for a very long time, just to get some peace and quiet and prolong the madness that will happen when I wake them up!” says Victoria at Lylia Rose.

2. Embark on massive detours in a bid to keep the peace. “We once turned the car around three hours down the motorway because we had forgotten the manky, hole ridden comfort blanket and the thought of a night away without it was just too scary to contemplate,” says Amy at All About A Mummy.

things you only do when you become a mum

3. Perform utterly pointless tasks in a bid to keep the peace. “My son once dreamt he had a toy that he had seen in the shops. He was absolutely convinced he had it. The more I tried explaining that it was just a dream the closer we were heading to a full-scale meltdown,” says Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes. “So instead I spent all morning helping him look for a toy that he didn’t have!”

4. Walk around bursting for the toilet. “I never thought I’d ever have to hold my poo in for an extra half an hour because the baby was very nearrlyyy asleep. The risk was just not worth taking AT ALL!” says Joanne at Winging Mama-hood.

things you only do when you become a mum

5. Pace back and forth in your own house. “My son falls asleep so gracefully in a pram so when he wouldn’t settle in winter when it was raining I have been known to spend a good two hours walking around the downstairs of my three-bed semi,” says Carla-Marie at My Bump 2 Baby.

6. Invest in ‘back up’ toys. “My daughter was inseparable from her panda teddy so we bought about three more as back up,” says Beth at Twinderelmo. “One day we couldn’t find the one she loved so out came the back-ups. But they weren’t tatty/filthy enough so I spent the rest of the day trying to make him look old and battered by rubbing his fur and wearing down the label, in the hope she would love him. All in vain, as we found the original at bedtime!”

things you only do when you become a mum

7. Sing the same song over and over and over again. “I sang 10 (sodding) Green Bottles for what seemed like the entire flight to Portugal when Poppy was eight months old as she just wouldn’t settle and it was the only way to keep her quiet,” says Fran at Back With a Bump. “She’s two and a bit now and still loves it – when she’s tired in the car she’ll ask for ‘bottles.”

8. Carry random items in your pockets. “I’ve carried around pockets full of stones from the beach because my daughter wanted to bring them home for her darlings (her dolls)!” says Pip at Pip Milburn.

things you only do when you become a mum

9. Buy things you don’t need. “I have just agreed to take two goats so that my 17-year-old can get something quirky and hopefully impressive on his CV!” says Kate at Kate On Thin Ice.

10. Put the clocks forward in a bid to trick them. “I put all the clocks in the house forward once when my now-teenager was having a sleep over so the kids thought they’d made it to midnight for their midnight snack, but it was really about 10.30,” says Cass at The Diary of a Frugal Family. “Luckily none of them had mobile phones at that age as it worked a treat!”

things you only do when you become a mum

What’s the most bonkers thing you’ve found yourself doing since becoming a parent? Are you guilty of any of the above (extra points if you’ve also bought goats!) I’d love to know!

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10 signs you’re turning into a Mombie

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