Pushchairs and dog mess

Becoming a parent presents many challenges. Some of these are quite straightforward, such as changing nappies; others are more testing, such as how to stop your baby screaming while trying to pay for your shopping in a busy supermarket.

But for me, one of the most eye-opening has been learning to push the pram.

I know it doesn’t sound too problematic but I’d never appreciated just how difficult it is even to get into some shops.

And when you can get in, it’s amazing how narrow the aisles are in some places – I’ve also lost count of the number of people I’ve had to apologise to after accidentally bumping into them while trying to negotiate a particularly tricky special offer display.

The problems don’t end there. Dog mess is a real issue – there’s nothing more annoying than rushing into the house with a hungry baby only to find you’ve left a stinking trail of muck behind you.

Then there are those people who think it’s ok to park their cars across the pavement, leaving you with no choice but to walk on a busy road. It’s not only inconsiderate, it’s also downright dangerous.

But it’s not all bad news. While walking across Chirk Aqueduct last Sunday, we were approached by a dog walker asking if we had any spare nappy bags. “I’ve left my bags at home and I think my dog’s about to go to the toilet,’ she explained.

At least that’s one less pile of dog dirt for me to avoid.