It occurred to me, as I tried to ram the Mountain Buggy through the door of Costa Coffee for the umpteenth time, that there are certain annoying things you only notice when you become a parent.

Things you just don’t see when you’re not in charge of a small person, a set of wheels and all the associated paraphernalia.

Annoying things you only notice when you become a parent

I’ve been compiling a mental list Victor Meldrew-style, and the latest Mountain Buggy vs Costa Coffee door battle – which for some unknown reason I continue to take on out of sheer bloody mindedness – has compelled me to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

Annoying things you only notice when you become a parent

1. The state of the pavements. Only when you’re in charge of pushing four wheels (or three, depending on your pushchair of choice) do you realise just how cracked, uneven, jagged and downright dangerous some of the pavements are.

2. Dog poo. It’s everywhere – hiding under leaves, squished into paving slabs and nestled in grass. Pick it up people!

3. Shop doors. Heavy ones, ones that won’t stay open on their own and ones you simply can’t navigate with a buggy without lifting, shimmying and a lot of huffing and puffing: these are occupational hazards now.

4. Shop aisles. Or more specifically, the width of shop aisles. In our neck of the woods Holland & Barrett, Dorothy Perkins and Peacocks are no-go areas with a set of wheels.

5. Public toilets. Or lack of. You know the exact location of all the public loos in your area, which ones have changing mats, which ones you’re actually prepared to change a baby in and which are best avoided.

6. Lifts. You also know the precise location of all shop lifts, which ones take an age (Marks & Spencer – I think they do it on purpose to accommodate their elderly clientele) and which ones will get you in and out in the quickest possible time (H&M).

7. Shop changing rooms. There are shops you just wouldn’t bother trying anything on in with a baby in tow, unless you want to leave the curtain open and risk horrifying a stranger, to the ones you can just wheel right in (just don’t park them within reach of the red alarm cord or you’ll know all about it).

Are there any annoying things you’ve only noticed since becoming a parent? I’d love to hear them!

Linking up with…

The Secret Diary of Agent Spitback
Mummascribbles
My Petit Canard