Casey Major-Bunce: Meet Portsmouth's Instagram 'mumfluencer' - who has plenty of ideas on how to entertain children

Now, with a social media following of 54,000 followers, her tips and tricks have been shared across the UK and even shared by Mrs Hinch – the cleaning influencer with 4.6m Instagram followers – who regularly uses Casey’s hacks.

Casey, who has lived in Portsmouth and surrounding areas all her life and went to City of Portsmouth Girls School (now Portsmouth Academy), started her social media career last year with the encouragement of her friends.

Her journey into motherhood hasn’t been the easiest feat, but she has handled life’s obstacles with grace.

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When Casey became pregnant with her first child – Ayron, now 12 – doctors discovered that she had a bicornuate uterus which is also referred to as a heart-shaped womb.

The congenital condition only affects one in 500m people and can cause premature labour in pregnancy and the chances of carrying twins successfully to full term are slim. But since she was only pregnant with one child, the doctors thought she would be fine.

She then became pregnant through artificial insemination, and discovered she was carrying twins. Sadly, she lost one son who had stopped growing at around eight weeks, and Kaiser, now seven was born.

When Casey and her husband Adam, who is a transport consultant, decided that they would like to try for a third child, she opted for IVF.

After three rounds and two embryo transfers, she fell pregnant again with twins – Matilda and Arabecca, who are now three.

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Despite the odds the 32-year-old has four children who help inspire her to find cost-effective and entertaining activities to keep her brood happy.

She said: ‘It’s really difficult to navigate through, with my daughters, they’re both the same age and that’s really easy for the simple fact that they want do the same thing.

‘That you can take them out and you know they’re always going to be happy doing that. But however my 12-year-old might not be happy doing something that my three-and-a-half-year-olds are doing and vice versa, and exactly same for seven-year-old.’

‘So I’ll come up with all sort of fun ways to sort of do things with all the kids at once. Now, I’m not a baker, so you’ll see on my Instagram I hardly ever bake anything. I haven’t got the time.

‘You’re busy. You’re never going to find the time, it’s too hard. However, if I can sit all my kids down at once and give them each like a couple of bowls, each with everything they need to make and I say right, we’re going to make something. Let’s see how it turns out, and that’s what I’ve always done that.’

Casey credits her mum for teaching her to creating fun activities for the kids at home.

‘My mum was disabled since I was six years old after she had my baby brother. It went from going out in the day and having day trips out and things like that to my mum not being able to walk. Mum has been in a wheelchair for years. So that stopped and she’s always done things like this with me, she had to do things differently. I think I learnt a lot of what I do now from her.’

Casey has always enjoyed sharing her life on social media, and being a part of local mum groups on Facebook. Often the go-to friend for advice, and sharing her hacks, friends encouraged her to share them on Instagram. Reluctant at first, she decided to post her first reel in October 2022 which reached 10k likes, and in just eight weeks she had over 20,000 followers.

On the success of her Instagram page and the highlights of being a mum influencer, she says: ‘Just connecting with other mum’s and speaking to them. ‘I think being a mum’s hard enough without putting extra pressure on yourself, even if you haven’t managed to wash your hair that day but maybe come onto my page and just make something nice with the kids. You don’t have to do 15 things in one day, even if you just complete a couple of tasks you’ve won.’

‘I have got so many good mums, lovely mums messaging me, not even just mums, but nans. I’ve got people from nurseries and nannies messaging me. It’s been really crazy.

‘You get the odd comment now and then, but I usually just put up my stories and have a laugh about.

‘But yeah, it’s been going really well and Mrs Hinch started following me just before Halloween. I’m followed by Stacey Solomon as well. Mrs Hinch has done four of the hacks now and tagged me and made the stuff that I’ve made, which obviously that is crazy. It’s been wonderful. I’m really enjoying it and I’m not finding it stressful because it’s something that I’m doing anyway with the kids.’

As her following continues to grow and more and more hacks being posted for mums wracking their brain on what to do on weekends and holidays (check out her latest hacks for Easter). Casey hints they may be a book in the future:

‘I would like to write a book of hacks. I’ve got so many that sometimes I think would be better probably writing it down on paper and pen. I’d love it to be something that every mum sort of has in the house and they could go to each season, baby hacks, and as the kids get older home hacks.’

To keep up to date with Casey and find out tips for Easter and more follow her on Instagram @majorbuncehome

Some of Casey’s ‘mum hacks’

1. Chop stick hack – Line up a pair of chopsticks on top of a paper napkin, roll up the napkin and bend at the middle for an easy way to use chopsticks as a beginner.

1. Fairy liquid hack – run out of fairy liquid max and can’t find a replacement? Why not take the top from your old max bottle and pop it on a fairy original bottle for no spills.
2. Yoghurt drink hack – Avoid yoghurt spillages by placing the yoghurt drink into a reusable water bottle.
3. Toy hack – apply Velcro to puzzle pieces to prevent them falling out
4. Easter ice lolly - Use an egg box and fill them up with plastic eggs. Make two small holes in the plastic egg, one in the middle for a lolly stick, and one on the side for air flow. Fill up with juice and pop a lolly stick in and leave them overnight.