Welcome to Spill the Milk, where we ask some of the UK's most famous mums and dads to reveal all about the wonderful world of parenting.
We caught up with TV presenter and mum-of-three Helen Skelton who has shared the things she finds most challenging about being a parent and her top tips for welcoming a new pet into your family home.
Everyone would always tell me I needed to be a mum
I don't think I knew I always wanted to be a mum. It's not something I ever said when I was younger. But when I used to go on filming trips, especially when I was on Blue Peter with Andy and Joel, everybody said to me, 'Oh, my God, Helen, you need to be a mum', because — I think I just used to probably really patronise them in an annoying way — but I used to just mother them all the time.
I love seeing my kids reach their different milestones
I think every age definitely has a stage. I like the stage that my seven-year-old is at because he kind of gets a joke. Sometimes he sort of looks at me and just catches my eye and we'll have a little giggle. So I definitely am enjoying that stage. Sometimes I feel that because you hit those different toddler milestones first with your eldest, I'm always like, oh, that's a cute stage, and that's a cute stage. The stage I’m at with my youngest Little Miss is that hair pulling, earring pulling stage. So that's fun!
My kids have never been good at sleeping
Sleep. My kids have never slept, ever. Even now, they're terrible at going to bed. And they don't sleep. I wouldn't say that any of the three of them have ever slept. So I drink a lot of coffee. And probably too much wine.
There are a few parenting products I couldn't live without
With Elsie, I would say the SnuzPod when she was little because it was great for whenever we needed to have a nap. I also loved my baby carrier. I was big into the Artipoppe baby carrier.
With my eldest, I used to simply have a ping pong ball all the time and that was his distraction. And I used to get him following a ping pong ball around so he was distracted with that.
As a child, I would climb everywhere
I lived on a farm and I used to go and hide on the roof of the barn. So that was pretty naughty. Like my children are, I was quite a good climber.
I'm so lucky to have my dogs in my life
I've been really lucky because my dogs have always loved the kids. My dad kept saying, 'Oh, make sure you get a dog before the baby's born', but I never needed to. As long as you make sure your dog feels loved, that's the most important thing. We got a dog walker after I had my third baby just to make sure the dog felt like he was still loved. And I think that definitely made a difference. He needs attention just as much as the kids do.
I'm a big believer in Dog’s Trust and rescue dogs. If you get a puppy, first of all, you've got to train them and deal with them growing up. But actually, if you've got a dog from a rescue home, that dog has already lived with someone for however long they've been there.
I have a rescue dog, and straightaway the people at the rescue centre were able to tell me exactly what he’s like, and his temperament. Obviously, if you've got kids, you need a dog that is not that old, you need a dog that's not traumatised. You need a dog that is going to fit in and you can trust them around your kids. So I think rescue homes are really good places to start because you've got people there who have already spent a lot of time with your dog, so they have a really good idea of what they’re like.
Always ask, what the dog is like, what sort of temperament it has, is it good with kids? Is it good with loud noises and kids screaming and shouting? I think rescue centres are very good at knowing a pet and knowing what they're like, so definitely take their advice.
My dream for five years' time
I'd like to be in a fully paid off house, on the beach, with my kids, with my dogs being able to relax and enjoy watching them grow up.
Check out these other famous mums and dads who've spilt the milk: Lydia Rose Bewley and Kelvin and Liz Fletcher
Would you rather…
Would you rather stand on a piece of LEGO barefoot or stand in dog poo with a shoe on?
Dog poo with a shoe on. Hmmm, actually, LEGO.
Which would you rather watch on loop for 24 hours and Encanto or Frozen?
Encanto. I haven't got a favourite song but they're all on loop at the minute in my house.
Which would you rather give up forever, wine or coffee?
Coffee
Would you rather be able to go to the toilet in peace forever or have undisturbed sleep for a year?
Oh sleep, totally.
Would you rather experience your kids temper tantrums in a busy library or on an airplane?
A library. You can get out of there. You’re trapped on a plane!
Helen Skelton is partnering with Petplan to promote the 2022 Pet Awards – join her on the @PetplanUK Facebook page on Monday 29th August at 7:30pm for a live winners’ ceremony, celebrating our pets’ exceptional personalities.