Vegan paint for the nursery, A $140,000 nanny and two hours cuddle time a day. Will Meghan be a high-maintenance mum?
Vegan paint for the nursery, A $140,000 nanny and two hours cuddle time a day. Will Meghan be a high-maintenance mum?
Vegan food bowls, celebrity nannies and definitely no Fair Isle baby knits - motherhood Meghan-style looks certain to be a thoroughly modern affair.
Of course, Meghan, 37, is still adjusting to her new role as a mother. However, if she takes her cue from her friends who have already had children - and who have asked for her help and support in raising them as a godmother - then an interesting picture emerges of what kind of a mum she might be.
There will also be the considerable influence of her own childhood - with divorced parents who both worked, and who shared custody, and that very strong relationship with her own mother. From what her pal Serena Williams has let slip, she has already been dreaming about what sort of a 'mom' she will be - and what sort of a child Baby Sussex will turn out to be.
The tennis champion said: "My friend is pregnant, and she was like: "My kid's gonna do this," [and] I just looked at her like: "No, you're not." She was like: "I need to talk to you about tips," because, yes, I had all of those high expectations with Alexis."
She added of Meghan: "She'll be the best mom, for sure."
No photos on the hospital steps, instead this is the first royal Instagram baby, with the couple sharing news of the birth on their online account hours before it was announced by Buckingham Palace.
However, despite their affinity with social media, Harry and Meghan are said to be determined that Baby Sussex has a private childhood. In this, they would again be following the lead of George and Amal Clooney who've never permitted the publication of pictures of their children.
Will this be a struggle for Meghan? She had high ambitions for her blog The Tig before giving it up to join the Royal Family.
She did say last year that she found it 'freeing' being off social media.
However, they have now agreed that Instagram is the best way to get their message across, unmediated, and set up their @sussexroyal account last month.
It may well be that the pictures they share of the baby do not show his face - many Insta-influencers only picture the back of their children's heads in order to preserve their privacy.
The whole issue is rather a hot button for Harry, who remains tormented by memories of his mother's difficult relationship with the "intrusive" media.
In a recent speech he claimed: "Social media is more addictive than drugs and alcohol and it's more dangerous."
High fashion for the baby
Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney is one of Meghan's best friends.
We all know that Meghan loves to shop. If her $715,000 maternity wardrobe was not proof enough, there was a large and well-tended shopping section in her lifestyle website The Tig.
So what will Baby Sussex wear? Her sister-in-law Kate has popularised a very particular vintage style when it comes to her three children, putting them in clothes by Rachel Riley and Cath Kidston.
If Meghan follows the example of stylist Jessica Mulroney, then Baby Sussex will go in a very different direction.
The Mulroney kids wear a lot of adorably scaled-down versions of adult clothes, with bright colours and quirky touches. No smocking, no Fair Isle knits.
Mulroney could be in the running to be the godmother of Baby Sussex.
Meghan's closest friend from college, Lindsay Roth, is living in London and recently had a baby. She posted a picture 'caught reading on World Book Day' on Instagram. The baby was actually looking at a copy of her mother's own chick-lit book "What Pretty Girls Are Made Of."
Meghan's other close friend Jessica Mulroney has been through her own battles with twins Brian and John, eight, and daughter Ivy, five.
She remarked on her Instagram account that the family iPad had been taken away and that the children were having a "digital detox".
Posting a picture of the boys reading in April last year, she wrote: "This is a digital detox. Three months ago we decided to take away all electronics from the kids. It wasn't easy and it's not for ever but the outcome is incredible. So proud of these little readers."
Limiting screen time looks certain to be a priority for both Meghan and Harry. He raged over the video game Fortnite recently, saying: "Where is the benefit of having it in your household? It's created to addict, an addiction to keep you in front of the computer for as long as possible. It's so irresponsible."
When she lived in Toronto, Meghan would often spend weekends with the Mulroneys. Here she will have observed some "gender-neutral parenting" where both parents take on their share.
As Jessica Mulroney shared, alongside a picture of her news anchor husband Ben wearing a tiara: "He's our King or in Ivy's mind, he's Princess Daddy. Despite an extremely challenging schedule, he never misses a birthday, a soccer game or a concert. He makes us so proud. Happy Father's Day @benmulroney. Love you today and every day."
Slumber parties and snacks
Meghan Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland.
Every family makes their own traditions. As the godmother to pal Benita Litt's two daughters Rylan, eight, and Remi, seven, Meghan took part in their 'slumber party' tradition.
She was pictured in 2016 with her hair in a topknot and watching TV in bed with Rylan, who is wearing pink fairy wings.
Other traditions which her friends follow are Golden Globes sleepover parties where the children get to stay up and watch celebrities walk the red carpet, and of course the making of s'mores, snacks made with toasted marshmallows.
Meghan's friend Jessica Mulroney tries to put a healthy spin on some of the American junk food treats and makes 'pizza pockets' using local cheeses and vegetables. Lindsay Roth, meanwhile, is all about green juices and vegan bowls.
A nursery has been prepared at the newly refurbished Frogmore Cottage for the baby, with the walls painted in 'gender-free' neutral shades of white and grey.
It is reported that vegan paint, infused with rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils, has been used. This Auro paint costs $40 for five liters and is produced by the Organic and Natural Paint Co, a British firm.
It makes perfect sense in the context of Meghan's wellness-centered lifestyle —she's had Prince Harry give up vodka for juices.
A source said: "Meghan is actively avoiding any paints tested on animals or ones that contain milk or beeswax as an ingredient."
Food and fitness
Baby yoga looks certain to be tried, as Meghan is a lifelong yoga enthusiast thanks to her mother, Doria, 62, who has worked as a yoga instructor.
There are reports that the revamped Frogmore Cottage has a yoga studio. There may also be baby meditation.
Meghan firmly believes it is vital to set out in the right direction when it comes to physical fitness and food from childhood.
In a post on Mother's Day in 2014, she wrote: "I get all of it. The curfews that were prefaced with "I want you home by that time, Flower, not because I'm worried about what you'll do, but because I'm worried about what everyone else out there is up to."
"The jogs together, and bike rides to the La Brea Tar Pits after school. The time spent in the kitchen, helping her prep dinner, carefully tossing fresh herbs into the salad, and knowing when the shrimp in the gumbo was juuuuust right. I didn't get it then. But I get it now."
"She was keeping me safe. She was teaching me to take care of my body. She was introducing me to history and fostering a love of being outdoors. She was planting the seed for me to become a foodie. She was showing me how to be a daughter, not just in that moment, but for when I became a grown woman."
