Millie's October Edit: Everything our contributing Editor is loving right now

I am, and always have been, an Autumn girl.

Give me crisp mornings, chunky knitwear, Sunday roasts with a disproportionately generous glass of Pinot Noir and I'm in my element. It’s been a long time coming but the first proper chill in the air is here and has filled me with an almost unreasonable amount of joy (don’t get me started on the rage that a 26 degree October day fills me with).

While the shops are already doing their level best to convince us that Christmas is practically upon us, I'm making a conscious effort not to wish this lovely little in-between season away. I've been thinking a lot lately about the idea of being where your feet are. Not constantly looking ahead to the next milestone but actually enjoying the bit we're in. Something I find exceedingly hard as a mum who always has her eye on the next thing she has to organise but hey, a girl can try.

This month I'm leaning wholeheartedly into autumn. Long walks, good books, cosy pubs, slow Sundays and absolutely no Christmas playlists until December. There's something rather lovely about a season that doesn't demand very much of us beyond wrapping up warm and making ourselves comfortable. And I intend to revel in it.

What I’m wearing

With the weather getting progressively wetter, I’ve turned my attention to upgrading our wet weather gear. There’s nothing I love more than matching with my minis and Merry People’s playful yet practical matching boots are perfect for splashing through the puddles together.

I have been living in my Plumo studios raincoat, a gift from my husband following the rather eventful birth of our enormous son a few years back. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend birthing a 9lb plus baby unmedicated, it turns out that it can garner you enough sympathy to warrant your husband spending approximately six times what he believes to be an appropriate amount to spend on a raincoat (not a reflection on the price of a Plumo coat which I think is reasonable for a forever piece but more that my husband expects every item of clothing to cost no more than 20 quid. We do not see eye to eye on this.)

Where we’ve been

I've been a busy girl about town this month, lucky enough to attend some very exciting launches in the parenting world.

First up was my all-time, ride-or-die baby brand, BabyBjörn, who hosted a lovely morning to celebrate the launch of their newest baby carrier and an updated version of their iconic bouncer. Quite how you improve upon perfection is beyond me, given that the original bouncer practically saved my life in the two-under-two trenches (we even took it on holiday with us), but they've only gone and done it. With a new three-point harness designed to thwart even the most determined pair of 'helpful' sibling fingers and improved suspension to help little ones feel more settled, it's firmly on my list of must-haves for new parents. Another reason I love BabyBjörn? They've been championing hands-on fatherhood in their marketing since the 1960s, long before it became fashionable to show dads doing actual parenting. Big props to a brand that has always understood that raising babies is a team sport.

Next up was an absolutely glorious morning back in my old stomping ground of Stoke Newington (yes, I was once adamant that I'd have to be dragged south of the river kicking and screaming. Oh, how times have changed). We gathered at Fink's at Clissold House to celebrate a collaboration between two of my favourite children's brands, Organic Zoo and Binibamba. A match made in heaven, quite frankly. A morning surrounded by gorgeous babies wearing even more gorgeous clothes was almost enough to make me consider having another one. Almost.

Last but certainly not least, my son and I headed to Jaego's House for a fascinating morning with elevated baby skincare brand Smoosh, who hosted a Mothers Moving Culture panel discussion. The brilliant line-up featured Katie O'Malley, journalist and founder of A Long Way to Go; Victoria Georgiou, co-founder of Smoosh; Shannon Peter, content editor at Liberty; and Leslie Emmons Burthey, marketing director at Our House. The conversation explored how modern motherhood is evolving, challenging the tired old narratives about who mothers are, what we want and how we're represented. It was a genuinely thought-provoking discussion about the role brands, media, retail and communities play in shaping our experience of motherhood, and why it's high time they caught up with the women they're supposedly speaking to. Plenty of food for thought, and a lovely reminder that motherhood and having a seat at the cultural table are very much not mutually exclusive.

Getting away

For some reason, Autumn to me always feels like the season of the staycation and I’ve got my eye on some glorious boltholes in the UK countryside.

I am almost reluctant to share my favourite for fear that if word gets out we’ll never get a booking there again but I have to call out The Rectory in the Cotswolds.

Tucked away behind the village church in Crudwell, The Rectory is an impossibly lovely 18th-century former rectory set in four acres of Cotswolds countryside. With just 18 bedrooms, gorgeous interiors, open fires and a heated outdoor pool, it's everything I want from a country house hotel without any of the stuffiness. The staff are wonderful, the bartenders remember your cocktail order (always the mark of a great establishment, in my opinion) and the restaurant serves the most delicious seasonal British food, courtesy of chef Damian Clisby. And if you can bear to tear yourself away, their sister pub, The Potting Shed, is just across the road serving excellent elevated pub grub and local ales.

If it's a getaway for the whole family you’re looking for you can’t go wrong with Calcot Manor & Spa. A gorgeous 14th-century country house hotel tucked away in the Gloucestershire countryside that has somehow managed to marry proper grown-up luxury with genuinely thoughtful family-friendly hospitality. And I don't just mean a children's menu and a few crayons at dinner. There's an Ofsted-registered Playbarn offering up to four hours of complimentary childcare a day, a dedicated hangout for older children complete with gaming consoles and a private cinema, and designated family swimming sessions. They've even thought of all the fiddly bits of travelling with babies, with bottle warmers, sterilisers, tonies boxes and other essentials available in the rooms. Best of all, there's a children's high tea at 5pm, meaning you can get the little ones fed and settled before enjoying an actual grown-up dinner courtesy of their dedicated babysitting service. Imagine!

The little luxury

It is officially cosy season and there is no better time to invest in some premium bedding. My go to favourites are Piglet in Bed. Their 100% linen gingham sheets are the cosiest I have slept between and I’ve got my eye on their Rhubarb and Rose gingham set for cosy season.

On my bedside tableAs the weather gets colder my skin, unfortunately, only gets drier so my bedside table has been playing host to a trio of products I've been slathering on for a last minute moisture injection before bed. 

When it comes to beauty products I don’t think you can beat the classics and my Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour cream falls firmly under that category. I use this on my lips and under eyes before bed and it works its magic overnight.

I have also been giving my hands some love with the Aesop resurrection hand balm. It’s the very best. One in the handbag, one on the bedside table is my rule for hand creams and lip balms and I highly recommend if you too always forget to apply these.

Eating out

We’ve been in hibernation mode over at Chez Rousseau this months. The intoxicating combination of colder weather, Celebrity Traitors and our brand new sofa has made the prospect of leaving the house feel frankly ridiculous. However, I have found one thing capable of luring me out of my cosy little cocoon: the martini menu at Brutes of Mayfair. Because if there's one thing this girl loves, it's an exceptionally good dirty martini. Brutes little pink order card mean you can customise your perfect martini, from your choice of spirit and how wet or dry you like it, right down to the garnish. And we're not just talking olives here. This is Mayfair, darling, so naturally there's caviar on offer, although personally I'm rather taken with the option of Monster Munch. At £16 a martini, it's also surprisingly reasonable for the postcode.

Currently lusting after

If you follow me you’ll know that I’ve had the Baina Sulis organic cotton robe on my wishlist since last winter. Full length, soft, impossibly chic with its Taba/Noir colourway. Truly what more could a girl ask for. Currently justifying this one under the ‘cost per wear’ girl maths logic that is sure to absolutely not fly with my husband.