Giovanna Fletcher On How She Combats The 'Terrible Twos' And Why Social Media Can Be Great For Mums

'In some ways it's completely manic having a toddler and a newborn.'

Giovanna Fletcher only gave birth to her and Tom Fletcher's second child in February, but having a newborn baby isn't her only worry.

Now her eldest son, Buzz, has turned two, the 31-year-old revealed her plans for combatting those "terrible twos" parents so often hear about.

The family have been attending weekly baby sign classes - where kids learn how to communicate from as young as 10 weeks old. 

"We have been attending the classes from early on with Buzz, so we can actually communicate with him a lot," Fletcher told The Huffington Post UK.

"It's absolutely amazing because he can ask for things he wants, like a drink, then laughs when he gets it, because he enjoys the fact he can communicate."

Giovanna Fletcher with her husband Tom, two-year-old Buzz and baby Buddy 

Fletcher said she has been told toddler tantrums are caused by a lack of communication and the child wanting independence.

But she said Buzz's ability to communicate his needs, and therefore gain a level of independence, through signing, has at times helped avoid him having a paddy. 

"I know it sounds strange," she continued. "But instead of acting out, if he really wants something, he can sign and say 'Look mum, I'm thirsty', then the situation is done.

"Now Buzz is replacing the sign with the word, it really highlights how much they take in and can pick up in that first few years. Crazy."

But Fletcher is aware of the fact that Buzz, who has only recently turned two, is still likely to experience the "terrible twos" in the future.

"He's obsessed with McBusted and drums and guitar and the other day he asked me to put McBusted on," she explained.

"I said 'No' and his lip wobbled and his eyes welled up and it was horrible.

"My heart melted straight away and I did wonder how I'm going to deal with terrible twos if he can use that manipulation!"

Aside from working out how to deal with Buzz's tantrums, Fletcher is adjusting to life as a mum-of-two.

She admitted that since she gave birth to her second son, Buddy Bob, in February 2016, life has been a lot calmer than expected.

"It's much easier having a newborn the second time round, because you know what you're doing," she said.

"But in other ways it's completely manic because you've got a toddler and a newborn.

"The second time round you feel more confident, although I don't feel like you can ever feel 100% confident as a parent, I think you're always just winging it and just pretending you know what you're doing."

Fletcher said Buddy looked "identical" to Buzz when he was first born, but two months on she is beginning to notice the differences between them.

Unlike Buzz, Buddy can settle himself to sleep really easily and calmly.

And sleep - something Fletcher admitted to thinking she would barely get much of when having two kids - is also easier than she thought.

"The night feeds are a lot easier," she said.

"I was preparing myself for a complete lack of sleep, I hardly slept at all with Buzz and I was always so tired.

"But Buddy gets up at 2am and then 5am for 20 minutes each time, so it's really easy."

Two-month-old Buddy Bob with Tom Fletcher

As well as getting used to having two children around herself, Fletcher said she did worry Buzz may not like having to share his parents.

She tried her best to make sure he was included when Buddy came home, having heard stories of the "older child feeling left out".

"I think that's gone really, really well," she said.

"Buzz adores Buddy, it's really sweet. He just wants to kiss him all the time, a bit too much really.

"He's still so young, he always used to kiss my tummy and say 'baby', but he didn't do it for a week after Buddy was here.

"Once he was just running around and then suddenly he said 'baby' and went over to Buddy and wanted to cuddle him.

"He leans down next to him and goes 'ahh'. He can say 'Buddy' and it's so sweet."

Now Buzz is used to having his baby brother around, Fletcher said she's enjoying spending time as a family of four.

"We like going for long walks with them, and taking them to the park," she said.

"Weekends we have all of our families over and we all just play, we're trying to go outdoors more, it's a big thing for us.

"Buzz wants to run around, we feed the ducks a lot and have a couple of places near us for walking such as around big lakes and a lido.

"The simple things in life are the best things, thats what I remember doing in my childhood."

Fletcher frequently shares snippets of her family life on social media, with photos of her kids' antics, family time and motherhood.

However one post she shared received a much bigger response than expected.

Fletcher posted a selfie taken in the mirror showingf her stomach just 11 days after giving birth, with a caption explaining that a stranger had pointed and laughed at her "mum tum". 

The post had 74,000 likes and sparked thousands of comments from mums about post-baby bodies.

"I didn't expect the reaction at all," Fletcher said. "I'd got out of the shower a couple of days after that comment was said to me and I asked myself how I felt about my body.

"It made me think I wanted to share it online and I was just blown away by the reaction.

"There were people saying 'This has happened to me' and those agreeing and saying we should be thankful for our bodies. 

"I don't think the stranger who said it to me meant it, but I wanted to show that my body has given me something amazing and there are many people out there who can't have children who would kill for stretch marks and a slightly protruding tummy.

"You have got to thank your lucky stars really that you're in that position."  

The mum-of-two said she felt social media is a great platform for mums to share the highs and lows of parenting with a community of like-minded people.

Discussing the rise in mummy blogs and vlogs, Fletcher said more mums are being honest and accepting "no one is perfect".

"I think mummy guilt is everywhere and whatever you choose to do with your child, there is guilt attached to it," she said.

"We have got to realise we are on our own little paths and we all want the best for our kids but ultimately, we have to do what makes us happy.

"We are all doing the best job we can and it's not anyone else's business to comment on it.

"I guess on social media you are allowing people to comment on it, but I just think people post things to go 'It's okay, no one is perfect'."

Fletcher said mums sharing the most honest and not-so-glitzy side of parenting, can be a huge comfort for those who feel lonely. 

"In that moment, those honest posts of kids getting up in the night are funny and can take the stress away for mums, because you know you're not the only one going through it," she said.

"It's not moaning, we all know we are extremely thankful for our children, it is just comical belief that you need when you're up and everyone else is asleep.

"It can be really lonely at the times being a parent and I think it's important to make it feel like you're not alone, you're part of this whole network of people and everyone is going through it.

"Everyone likes to bash social media but I think it's great. It's really inspirational and it gives people a bit of encouragement to plough on."

Fletcher, who won Celebrity Mum of the Year in March 2016, said all new mums need to remember "no one knows what they're doing".

For any parent who is struggling with any aspect of parenting, she said everyone has days where things just get a bit too much.

"I can remember when Buzz was first born, within the first week I was like what have I done?" she said.

"You get through it because once you hit six weeks they start smiling.

"It's all quite overwhelming so just remember to breathe I would say and if you're having a bad day, remember it doesn't last and it will pass."

Celebrity Babies Born In 2016
December 2016: Joanna Page and James Thornton(01 of45)
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Joanna page announced she gave birth to her third child on Tuesday 13 December, a boy called Noah. (credit:Stuart Wilson via Getty Images)
December 2016: Kimberley Walsh And Justin Scott(02 of45)
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Walsh announced she had given birth to her second son on Wednesday 14 December. (credit:Karwai Tang via Getty Images)
December 2016: Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher(03 of45)
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Mila Kunis gave birth to her second child with Ashton Kutcher. They are already parents to two-year-old Wyatt. (credit:Photo by Noam Galai (@noamgalai))
December: Dapper Laughs And Shelley Rae(04 of45)
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Dapper Laughs (aka Daniel O’Reilly,) announced his girlfriend Shelley Rae had given birth on Sunday 4 December.
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November 2016: Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna(05 of45)
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The couple welcomed their first child together on 10 November. They welcomed a baby girl named Dream. (credit:Raoul Gatchalian/STAR MAX/IPx)
September 2016: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively(06 of45)
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September 2016: Paddy' McGuinness and wife Christine(08 of45)
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September 2016: Jessie Ware(09 of45)
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Jessie Ware gave birth to her first child - a baby girl - with her husband Sam Burrows on Monday 5 September. (credit:Jeff Spicer via Getty Images)
August 2016: Natalie Cassidy(10 of45)
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August 2016: Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green(11 of45)
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Megan Fox gave birth to her third son with husband Brian Austin Green on 4 August. She called him Journey River Green. (credit:Lionel Hahn/ABACA USA)
August 2016: Jools and Jamie Oliver(12 of45)
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Jools Oliver gave birth to her fifth child in August 2016. (credit:Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)
August 2016: Luisa Zissman(13 of45)
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Luisa Zissman gave birth to her second daughter on 2 August 2016. (credit:Mark Cuthbert via Getty Images)
August 2016: Ellie Kemper(14 of45)
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July 2016: Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen(15 of45)
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July 2016: Liv Tyler and David Gardner(17 of45)
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July 2016: Nicky Hilton and James Rothschild(18 of45)
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July 2016: Emily Blunt and John Krasinski(19 of45)
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June 2016: Dani Harmer(20 of45)
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The 27-year-old actress welcomed her first child with her boyfriend Simon Brough. She called her daughter Avarie-Belle Betsy Brough. (credit:Dave M. Benett via Getty Images)
June 2016: Alex Fletcher(21 of45)
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Alex Fletcher and her husband Neil Davies welcomed their son Hanson on 3 June, weighing in at 8lbs 9oz. (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
June 2016: Tina Barrett and Paul Cashmore(22 of45)
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Tina Barrett announced she gave birth to a baby boy named Roman via Twitter on 20 June. (credit:David M. Benett via Getty Images)
June 2016: Eddie Redmayne and Hannah Bagshawe(23 of45)
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The couple welcomed a baby girl named Iris on Wednesday 15 June. (credit:Paul Archuleta via Getty Images)
June 2016: Tess Holliday(24 of45)
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Tess Holliday gave birth to her second son, Bowie Juniper on 6 June. (credit:Jason LaVeris via Getty Images)
June 2016: Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas(25 of45)
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Ginnifer Goodwin gave birth to her second son with Josh Dallas. (credit:Paul Archuleta via Getty Images)
June 2016: Steve McFadden(26 of45)
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The 57-year-old actor reportedly welcomed his fifth child with girlfriend Karen Cairns. (credit:Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)
May 2016: Ronnie Wood and Sally Wood(27 of45)
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Sally Wood gave birth to twin girls on 30 May. Ronnie wood turned 69 two days after the girls were born. (credit:Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)
April 2016: Chrissy Teigen and John Legend(28 of45)
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April 2016: Kelly Clarkson(29 of45)
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March 2016: James Van Der Beek And Wife Kimberly(30 of45)
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March 2016: Suranne Jones(31 of45)
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March 2016: Gareth Bale and Emma Rhys-Jones(32 of45)
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The Real Madrid footballer announced on Instagram that his partner Emma Rhys-Jones had given birth to their second daughter called Nava Valentina Bale. (credit:Karwai Tang via Getty Images)
March 2016: Ne-Yo And Crystal Renay Smith(33 of45)
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March 2016: Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie(34 of45)
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February 2016: Tom Fletcher and Giovanna Fletcher(35 of45)
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Tom Fletcher's wife Giovanna gave birth to the couple's second son on 16 February. The couple named him Buddy Bob Fletcher. (credit:Instagram/TomFletcher)
February 2016: Tracey Crouch and Steve Ladner(36 of45)
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February 2016: Andy Murray and Kim Sears (37 of45)
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Andy Murray's wife Kim Sears gave birth to the couple's first child together, reportedly on 7 February.
February 2016: Kirk Norcross and Holli Willis (38 of45)
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Former TOWIE star Kirk Norcross and fiancée Holli Willis welcomed their first child together on 9 February. They welcomed a baby girl named Violett. (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
January 2016: Tyra Banks and Erik Asla - York Banks Asla(39 of45)
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January 2016: Coleen and Wayne Rooney - Kit Joseph Rooney(40 of45)
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January 2016: Harry and Izzy Judd - Lola Rose Emma Judd(41 of45)
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January 2016: Louis Tomlinson and Briana Jungwirth - Freddie(42 of45)
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