Things your suddenly allowed to do once your a parent

I often find myself totally immersed in something only to stop and think 'what the hell am I doing?' these usually include and are not limited to....
humming the theme tune to 'Baby Jake', 'Mr Bloom' and a whole back catalogue of Cbeebies tunes! this has happened in the supermarket AND most embarrassingly on the bus where another Mum gave me a knowing nod...
the playground, suddenly I'm allowed to be on a swing or go down a slide, make a sand castle or just run around like a lunatic just because I have a small person with me and the odd looks have stopped!
watch cartoons knowing that no one will judge you for it except your own child when you actually like a show more then they do (guilty as charged, I'm a sucker for postman pat just for the theme tune alone)
talk in a ridiculous voice and refer to yourself in the third person...'Mummy wants some of your biscuit, can Mummy colour that bit in...'
wear pyjamas most of the day And look a mess, everyone will think you've been up all night with your child, you don't have to mention the bottle of wine you may have had the night before
Buy and play with toys....Toys R us was a distant childhood dream where by when I grew up I would own that shop and keep all the toys for myself, well that didn't happen but i do spend a large amount of my time looking at toys and 'testing' playing with them.
Buying clothes...ok so i use to spend all my money on shoes, bags, clothes and nights out, these days its toddler clothes (well they just keep growing!) toddler shoes, (who knew wellies were SO vital) toddler bags (nappy bags, change bags, bags for toys, bags for biscuits) and toddler days out...its a rock n roll life.
Funfairs...so my son cant go on any rides, doesn't stop me going on them though.

Id love to know what other parents have found themselves doing?

Those little things that make life easier

So I thought I'd write a list of things I have found invaluable in the past 2 years, I don't know about you, but the world of baby shopping hit me like a ton of bricks, where do you start! despite working in a baby shop I was still totally clueless when it came to what I liked, needed and could afford.
So here are a few things I would recommend and why...
for a new born.
 Dribble bibs, bibs can be ugly, boring or just not right for you baby, and if you have spent a fortune on cute clothes do you really want to cover then up with a plain ol' bib? dribble bibs are fantastic,they look like cowboy bandannas, they are soft, really great choice of patterns and colours and can be washed a million times ( I should know, my son could dribble for England) I went through loads of them because I'm a fabric fanatic, I got mine from http://www.bandana-bibs.co.uk/, but they're everywhere now.
for the paranoid parent
I loved the Gro egg, its basically a night light with a temperature gauge on it so you know how hot or cold the room is, it glows a different colour according to the temp, so blue was too cold, yellow was cool but ok, orange was warm and red was hot, sounds like its replacing common sense, but with a total lack of sleep and fear of doing it all wrong the little yellow glow was a reassurance that at least the room was the right temperature! peace of mind  for the befuddled.
for your crawler
now if your baby is anything like mine you will blink and they will suddenly go from adorable bundle to catastrophic crawler, as much as I loved my son exploring, there were times when I just needed to see him and he see me, hence the Bumbo chair. controversial choice as its pretty marmite in my house, I loved it, some friends hated it and that seems to be true of most people. Its a rubber formed chair which you can plonk your monster in to and they can sit and watch the world, my son loved being at the same level as everyone else, and would burble away happily taking in everything from his new perspective,
for your nibbler
The baby safe feeder. The number one thing I could not do with out when my son was teething/weaning, its essentially a mesh dummy. (sounds weird but such a good idea) you stick food inside the mesh, screw the dummy together and let them chew away safe in the knowledge that they can't choke on any little bits. I found a lump of carrot was the cure for teething as he would chow down on this cold carrot for hours until the pain had subsided and this was how we introduced most of his first tastes too.
for your wannabe walker
now there are a million things you can buy to encourage your child to walk, but Im a great believer in letting it happen when it happens. However, my best investment and the one that brought the most joy was the door bouncer, its a pretty simple device, a strap in swing which attaches to the door frame (most doors) it doesnt leave a mark, but is seriously sturdy!and your child can bounce away learning to steady themselves using their legs. a lot of giggles and squeals, but totally redundent once they are running around by them selves.