We caught up with mum-of-three and author of ‘Mindfulness for Mums’, Izzy Judd, about how she and her husband (Mcfly’s drummer, Harry Judd) make sure that they are equally involved and engaged in their baby’s early years.
Becoming a mum has not been an easy journey for violinist and author, Izzy Judd. At one point the 38-year-old feared she’d never become a mum due to her personal fertility struggles, but now she’s welcomed her third child, baby Lockie, into the world. How’s she found adding another member to the Judd clan?
“I think two to three has felt easier than one to two,” she admits. “Going from one to two suddenly felt like I had 100 children, so adding in a third sort of just fit in. Lola and Kit are both at school as well, so I've got that extra time with Lockie, whereas Lola and Kit were only 18 months apart so it was a very intense period having two babies in nappies. I feel very lucky, because I've spoken openly about our fertility struggles, and there were times when I really didn't know whether I'd be a mum to one, so to be a mum to three is wonderful.”
For some families, adding another little being to the pack can be a challenge, but Izzy says Lola and Kit have loved getting a little brother. “I was more worried about Kit because he was the youngest, but because him and Lola are such a unit they've sort of stuck together and now when they come through the door from school they’re like ‘where's Lockie?’ They help me give him his feeds, they play with him, so actually they've been pretty useful.”
As well as having very helpful children, Izzy says her husband, Harry, is also very hands on with the kids. The couple have always been great at sharing child responsibilities between them, but one thing Harry has been getting more involved in this time round, is Lockie’s feeds, which has significantly helped with him and his son’s bonding.
“We are part of Aptamil Advanced Follow On Milk’s ‘Share The Moments That Matter’ campaign and there was some interesting research that they did which said two thirds of new dads admit to feeling left out in the early days of parenting, and I think when Lola was born Harry really struggled with that. Feeding is a really peaceful time of the day, you have to sit, you’re looking at your baby, you're interacting with them, it's a really precious moment and it's important for Harry to have those moments with Lockie. So being a part of this campaign has highlighted the positives for us in being able to share the feeding responsibilities and it also gives me the chance to go and help Lola with her reading or Kit with music practice or whatever it might be.”
Is there anything Harry’s particularly better at than Izzy? “I mean, he's definitely the fun bus,” she confesses. “I'll get them all ready for bed and calm them down and then he'll come in and just start throwing them around and before I know it they're all ramped up again! I'm like ‘I've just quieted them down for bed’. But Harry's also really good at drawing, so he does a lot of crafts with the kids. He loves baking, getting out in the garden, he's very hands on.”
The violinist has just started Lockie’s weaning journey, which everyone seems to be enjoying. “Lola and Kitt find it really funny when I give Lockie a new food. I gave him strawberries the other day and he pulled the funniest face and they were like ‘I don't think he liked it’ and I said ‘no, he's just getting used to the taste’. I'm enjoying it this time. I think the first time round I was so desperately trying to get it right and overwhelmed with all the equipment and books, whereas this time I'm a bit more go with the flow.”
Red pepper and cauliflower puree are two foods Lockie’s particularly been loving. “I’m just trying to get as many tastes in him as possible as I've got a very fussy middle child who will only eat sausages and pasta, so I'm trying my best to try and get lots of different tastes into Lockie.”
Weaning can be a very daunting process, but Izzy says the best piece of advice she can give is to relax into it. “Just try to have a bit of fun experiencing new tastes and don't get too overwhelmed with all the stuff that you think you might need. Just go with the flow and if it doesn't work out one day, just try again the next.”
The family of five recently went on holiday to Tenerife, the first time they’ve been away since the pandemic. “It took me about a month to get ready to pack up and organise everything for three kids, it’s unbelievable how much you have to think about. I'm a little bit like Monica from Friends”, she admits “a bit of an organised freak, but once we were there it was lovely.”
Holidaying with one child can be hard enough, let alone three - what are Izzy’s top tips? “I definitely recommend taking grandparents,” she laughs. “I put a spare set of clothes and swimming costumes into our hand luggage in case there were any problems with the suitcases. I also got the kids these toweling zip up hoodies, which were really useful when they got out the pool because they were always going ‘I’m so cold’. And having a heated pool was really important, because then the kids are happy to stay in it, especially earlier in the season when things haven’t heated up.”
Izzy and hubby Harry’s relationship, as parents and partners, always seems so strong, so we couldn’t let her go without asking what their secret is…
“I think fundamentally, Harry and I are just really great friends,” says Izzy. “My mum always said to me, ‘make sure you marry your best friend’ and I really feel that in Harry. Even when we have tough days, I feel like he and I really understand each other and we're learning all the time, especially from having children. My favourite time of the day is when Harry cooks dinner, he's much better cook than me, and we sit down and catch up on the day and I think that's just really important to keep communicating with each other. Like everybody else we have ups and downs and struggles, but ultimately, there's just a lot of love there.”
Izzy Judd and husband Harry join Aptamil Advanced Follow On Milk’s ‘Share the Moments that Matter’ campaign to highlight the powerful and emotional connection made between parent and child when feeding. To find out more visit here.