The post everything you need for a beach vacation with a toddler appeared first on But First Koffee.
]]>Every time we travel with bb I am amazed by how much stuff a 25 pound child needs. After a few beach vacations with bb, I feel like I have found the happy medium between being totally unprepared and packing WAY too much. This was a beach vacation we had to fly to, so I was forced to limit what I brought to the essentials (which is still an obscene amount of stuff). But I still felt totally prepared. So here’s everything you need (& need to know) before going on a beach trip with your toddler.
Grandparents
I am half kidding…but really. Blake and I both got to sit poolside and enjoy a cocktail while bb played in the pool with her gram and papa and it was glorious. I actually cannot imagine a more perfect vacation than being able to relax while watching your little one have the time of their life in the pool with their biggest fans.
Sunscreen
bb has crazy sensitive and fair skin. We spent the better part of last summer trying to figure out a sunscreen that didn’t give her a rash but still provided adequate coverage/didn’t rinse off after a second in the pool. If you are a mom and try to stick to cleaner products, you have probably already stumbled across Gimme the Good Stuff‘s website. If you haven’t, you must check it out now! She does product guides for formula, sunscreen, shampoo, laundry detergent and even mascara. That’s where we found Babo Botanicals and it is the BEST! We bought both the SPRAY and the STICK. We would cover bb in the spray then add the stick to areas that tend to get burnt (nose, cheeks, hands, etc.) PS- if this is your first time heading to the sun with your little one, apply the sunscreen before you leave the hotel room and before you put the swimsuit on your little one! Poolside or beach sunscreen application is just a recipe for disaster. Same goes for your sunscreen, mama.
Long sleeve swimsuit
Like I said, we have a crazy fair skinned baby so coverage is key. If we are going to be in the sun for longer than a half hour, I always put her in a long sleeved swimsuit.
Sunglasses + hat
Here is the deal, all hats are NOT created equal. Here are bb’s preferences. She HATES the under chin strap, so forget those. Some of the big floppy ones catch the wind easily and off they go. The two that work for us are, (1) a wide brimmed baseball cap with elastic back so they stay on and (2) a super stretchy floppy hat that basically suctions to her head.
Floaty
I feel like we have tested them ALL by now. Here is the verdict…the muscle man floaties with the chest strap is the way to go. bb is 22 months and she was swimming alone in the pool with this floaty after about 5 minutes. We’ve also tried: (1) a regular baby life jacket and she can’t keep her balance in that, so skip that one unless you are on a boat and actually need a real life jacket; (2) a baby float with sun canopy: she loved that until about 10 months when she wanted to have more freedom and swim like the “big kids”; (3) a swan inner tube, I am actually not sure what I was thinking when I bought that one, major flop.
Beach snacks/water
The key here is no mess and no sand. Snack packs are our jam. Speaking of snacks, make sure you have some wipes to wipe down their little hands before snacktime (but what mama doesn’t have a stock pile of wipes nearby at all times). Don’t forget to hydrate your little ones during a day in the sun. We prefer to bring juice boxes so you can just toss it when you are done. Better than having to rinse sand and grime off your sippy cup.
Toys
Nothing can ruin a beach day or pool day quicker than a toddler with toy envy. By the end of the trip, we have bought about every pool and beach toy on the market. Here were the greatest hits, (1) a kick board, which bb referred to as her “boogy board” because she heard the big kids call theirs that, (2) toys that sink to the bottom – she was totally fascinated with watching us dive down to the bottom of the pool to pick up her troll dolls (3) bucket and shovel – obviously and (4) balls – the pool ones that can fill with water then be squeezed out. This one is totally unnecessary and didn’t fit in our suitcase on the way back, but we also got her a tiny wagon that she could load all of her toys into for the day and drag around, which was a huge hit.
Swim Diaper
If your little one is still in diapers, I would recommend packing two swim diapers. We wash them out after a day of swimming and let them dry overnight (when you are in a hotel without access to a washing machine). But sometimes they do not dry entirely overnight and no one likes to put on a wet swimsuit.
Wet bag
Usually, we strip bb down at the pool before we head home/back to the hotel. So a wet bag is key for the wet swimsuit and swim diaper. Itzy Ritzy makes awesome ones that are machine washable and super cute.
Robe
So this one is definitely not a necessity, but it works for us. Have you ever tried to put a wet child into fresh clothes? It’s like that scene in Friends when Ross can’t get his leather pants back on. So we always just wrap her in a warm and fuzzy robe post pool day.
Things we have brought in the past but find unnecessary now:
A baby beach chair: while these are quite possibly the cutest thing, they sit in them for a hot minute then move onto something new, so for a trip when you are limited on space, ditch the chair.
Baby tent: this was 1000% necessary when bb was immobile and we could actually keep her confined to the shade. Now, good luck keeping her inside a shaded tent.
Beach blanket: like I said, good luck keeping your toddler confined to a certain space on the beach. And unless you practice some kind of parent voodoo, you are unlikely to get much time to yourself to sit on said blanket as most of your time will be spent in the sand or water with your little one!
Happy travels with your little one! xoxo
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Everyone says that life starts to speed up the second you have kids and it is SO true. Somehow, days, weeks and years are just flying by in the blink of an eye. In some ways, it feels like just yesterday we had our first date with Meg + James! We were both new mamas in dire need of some mom friends and quickly bonded over the fact that we both were trying to start a blog! I also instantly knew we would be bffs because James was also our boy name (both Meg’s dad and my dad are named James) and Meg ordered a glass of wine at lunch and asked if I wanted to start with an appetizer (um, my answer to that question will always be YES). At the same time, it feels like Meg + James have been a part of our lives forever, and I can’t imagine doing this motherhood thing without them. Watching James + bb become best friends has been one of those mom things that just melts my heart. More about why you need mom friends, HERE!
So in honor of our first date anniversary and to thank all of YOU for following along this past year, we are doing a giveaway with some of our favorite products that have gotten us through motherhood, so far.
TO ENTER…
(1) follow @megmcmillin_ and @katelyngeoffrion on instagram
(2) tag a mama friend in the comments section of each of our instagram posts!
(3) follow Katelyn Geoffrion and Meg McMillin on Pinterest
(4) leave a comment on each of our blog posts with what you want to see more of! Meg’s post HERE!
OK, HERE’S WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS!
table high chair $69
This is one of my top favorite baby products EVERRRRR. We travel, a lot! And this high chair folds up flat and fits into my suitcase. We leave for Florida on Thursday, and this will be the first thing to go into the suitcase! We have a full sized high chair, the Boon, that we use at home most of the time. But we use the Inglesina a lot too. It is GREAT for crafts because it entirely disassembles easily and can be thrown into the washing machine. And let’s be honest, life with a toddler can get messy. Final thought, bb went through a phase where she would not sit in a restaurant high chair. She would climb out or try to kick it over, so we would actually bring this high chair to the restaurant with us. Worked like a charm! More tips for traveling with a baby posts HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE!
$30 gift card
I love brands started by mamas for mamas. This is one of those brands. The founder had kids with eczema and Tubby Todd was born! All of the products are plant based and 100% natural. Unfortunately, bb has crazy sensitive skin and just about everything gives her a rash. Tubby Todd is gentle on her skin and has been part of our nightly bath routine since she was born! For more about our nightly bathtime routine and how it got bb sleeping from 7pm-7am by the time she was 4 months, read HERE!
Bundle $49
This was one of the first things to go on the baby registry. We never want our little ones to get sick, but it inevitably happens. Somehow, we managed to skate by until bb was about 18 months without having to give her any tylenol. Well, trying to get a strong willed 18 month old to take tylenol out of a syringe, goooood luck. She is OBSESSED with her binky, it is actually a problem. And Frida makes this genius part syringe part pacifier that is a miracle sent from god. If you a mom of a child that does not like taking medicine, this is for you.
foot muff $140
This brand is one of my FAVORITES! If you live somewhere like Chicago that gets super cold in the winter, this is your brand. The foot muffs make me want to be rolled around in a stroller all winter long. Not kidding, they are THAT comfy. They also make THESE genius gloves that attach directly to the stroller. They have thought of everything! More of our winter baby essentials, HERE!
block set $17.99 and rattle $12.99
Our tiny ones are little explorers. Everything they see and touch ends up in their mouth. So it’s no surprise that the toy pendulum is starting to swing back in the direction of wood toys. Plastic toys may be cheap, but they are cheap for a reason. They are loaded up with toxins and chemicals which inevitably end up in your little one’s mouth. Bannor has the best selection of clean and practical baby toys and blocks! We have honestly been using our blocks since bb was a couple months old. Blocks are a classic toy that won’t be discarded in a month or two.
changing mat $20
Having a baby can transform your house in a not so glamorous way. All of a sudden, your clean and organized house looks like fisher price threw up all over it. But not all baby products have to be hard on the eyes. Gathre does baby gear soooo well in the most minimal and aesthetically pleasing way. And every mama can use an extra diaper changing mat, am I right!? Head to megmcmillin.com for more tips on how to keep your home serene and clean post baby!
mini mat $19.99
Just one of the 9 bazillion reasons I am thankful for finding Meg + James is picking up mama tips along the way. Meg discovered this mat and it is the BEST! It sticks to the table or counter so no more picking up bowls and throwing them on the floor. It is compact so it’s the perfect size to bring on trips with us and to restaurants.
organic cotton muslin wrap $39.99, wash cloths $24.95, and bibs $29.95
Before having bb, I thought the world of baby clothes was basically Nordstrom, Target, Baby Gap…you know the standard spots. But there are SOOO many amazing brands with the cutest, modern baby clothes. Burrow & Be makes the sweetest baby clothes, pajamas, blankets and swaddles. James + bb are both wearing Burrow & Be in this shoot and we could not get over how cute they look! + the tiny bunny pattern is the perfect design for Easter! BB just grew out of all her pajamas, again :(, so we will be stocking up on some Burrow & Be pajamas!
organic cotton blanket $32 and hat $13
Neutral, organic + gender neutral…Cole & Cleo does all of these sooo well! Their organic swaddle + hat is my go-to new baby gift! When bb was first born, I was a psycho about what type of clothes and blankets I let touch her skin. So I was constantly on the hunt for organic cotton options. Why? Unlike conventional fabrics, organic cotton is free of pesticides and harmful chemicals that can be tough on that fresh, beautiful baby skin. Another reason Meg and I bonded, we are both a little bit crazy about trying to stick to non-toxic products. Meg’s guide to non-toxic baby products, HERE!
sophie the giraffe $24.99
I have to be honest here, this is one of those toys that I thought to myself “am I really going to register for a $25 chew toy?” I inevitably did, because what baby registry is complete without a Sophie the Giraffe? And I can honestly say that this little giraffe was worth every penny. It was one of the first toys bb bonded with. There is something about the little black eyes that just hooks a baby. And the shape makes it really easy for them to grasp when they first start reaching for things. It is 100% natural rubber and food grade paint so it is entirely safe for your little ones to chew away. For the first year of life, this toy came with us everywhere. I can still remember the first time she make it squeak by herself. Her determined little face and the look of pure joy when she finally made it squeak are imprinted in my mama memory forever (honestly, tearing up just thinking about it).
+ a $50 buybuy BABY gift card!
Thanks for following along with us and watching these two grow up! Dying inside looking at these old pictures, how has so much changed in ONE year!
More of Blake + James HERE, HERE and HERE
xoxo
Katelyn & Meg!
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Since the new year (and our near month long flu virus) we have made a couple changes around our house to try to stay healthy and sane. Our goal is simple this year, to work on doing life at a slower pace. There are some things that will never change, I will always NEED to travel. But when we are home, we are slowing down. And slowing down does not happen without one major change…learning to say ‘no.’
Just this one tiny change has made our lives SOO much calmer and better this month. It is something I have always been bad at but never noticed just how bad I was until I had BB. Having a child brings into sharp focus the reality that there are a finite number of hours in a day. I’ve never so appreciated having free time. A couple weekends ago we had NO plans for the first time in months and it was liberating. Our weekend was calm, no rushing, no running from place to place, and it felt GOOD. So we are simplifying our lives by learning to say no so weekends like that can happen more often.
But there is an art to saying no. It’s not like snapping your fingers and giving up sugar. It can be uncomfortable and hard. Like anything else, good things take time + effort. If you struggle with this concept as much as I do, here is some Monday motivation to learn to stop saying yes and start saying no.
. . .
Learn to say no without giving an excuse. Saying no is hard. Saying no without giving an excuse is even harder. Every day, I am trying to remind myself that it’s ok to say no to an invitation even if I don’t have other plans. No excuses, I don’t need to explain myself, I can simply say ‘no.’
Saying no does not make me a bad friend, or a bad person, it is just a form of self-care.
“The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to just about everything.” -Warren Buffet
Setting boundaries is healthy.
Try to learn to say no without a side of guilt.
Don’t say maybe when you really want to (or know you eventually will) say ‘no.’
Say ‘no’ to the things you don’t want to do, so you can say ‘yes’ to the things you do.
“Focusing is about saying no” -Steve Jobs
. . .
ps- Blake asked if he could join our girl gang. To this I did say ‘yes,’ but scrunchies are required. Outfit details linked below the post.
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A couple years back, Blake and I decided to scrap giving eachother Christmas presents and focus on enjoying the holiday season together. Sometimes, I can get caught up in gifting and making wishlists and forget that the holidays should be about spending time with family and friends.
When BB came around, the holidays took on a whole new meaning. I am that mom that gets way too emotional for milestones and I could not get through a holiday activity last year without getting weepy about it being BB’s first Christmas.
This year the holidays are even more fun because BB kind of gets it! She is constantly pointing at the decorations all over the city and saying “oh oh ohhhhh.” Santa is “ho ho” and she puts her tiny hands on her belly and giggles because his belly “shakes like a bowl full of jelly.” I need this holiday season to slow down so I can soak it all in, or I am going to blink and it will be December 25. The holidays can be so busy and hectic that one day just rushes in to the next one. So, I need to make an effort to make every single day count.
Enter, the Holiday Bucket list. Blake and I love making bucket lists. Well, I love making them and Blake is a good sport and plays along with me. We make them for any reason we can come up with. And possibly my favorite all year is the Holiday Bucket list. This year, we have two. Part I is with BB and Part II is the adult version. So, here is Part I…
(1)
Zoo Lights: Lincoln Park Zoo, which has free admissions, sets up the most amazing Christmas light display in December. We have gone every year we have lived in the city but I CANNOT wait to see BB’s eyes light up under the twinkling lights!
(2)
Bake Cookies: we did this last week with BB and she had soooo much fun. I set up a little cooking station for her where she could watch me making the cookies and assist. She had her own “dough” without eggs (in case she tried to sneak a bite, which she of course did). We will definitely be doing it again before Christmas.
(3)
Ice Skating + Millennium Park Christmas Tree: tip, skip the overcrowded, tiny ice rink on Michigan Avenue and venture a little further into Millennium Park for the ribbon. It is a skating path and way more fun than the basic rink! This is going to be BB’s first time on ice skates!
(4)
Butch McGuire’s: checked this off the list today! If your child loves trains, this is the place for you. There is a train track circling the bar with two trains circling constantly. Endless entertainment.
(5)
Arts + Crafts: BB is at the age where she finally enjoys sitting in one place and coloring. We are going to step up our arts + crafts game and do some holiday crafts! I am thinking DIY ornaments + presents for the grandparents.
(6)
Santa: obviously. Last year we met Santa at Monica and Andy’s on Halsted and it was so nice! They have a professional photographer who sends you pics, the store is clean and cute, and the line was not outrageous. This year it is Sunday, December 17th at 10:00am.
(7)
Christmas Around the World: this is at the Museum of Science and Industry and I have wanted to go for years. This is the year! They have 50 decorated Christmas trees representing the different holiday traditions around the world.
(8)
The Polar Express in 3D: every year, the Shedd Aquarium shows the Polar Express in 3D on select dates in December. I have always wanted to go but never made it. This year, I think BB would actually enjoy it.
(9)
Wonderland Express at the Botanical Gardens: like I’ve said, BB is OBSESSED with trains. So anything train + holiday related, it’s on our list. The Botanical Gardens sets up toy trains that wind their way through plant displays. Sounds amazing for mama + mini.
(10)
Christmas movie night: Out of sheer necessity, BB watched Moana twice (once on an airplane and once when Blake’s flight was cancelled and I was hosting a baby shower), and that is the extent of her TV exposure. But she LOVED it. So, I thought we could break our no TV rule and have a special Christmas movie night. Set up a picnic at home, snuggle up on the couch with some hot cocoa and watch her very first Christmas movie. Any suggestions for a good holiday movie for a toddler?
xoxo
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
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Parenting has a serious learning curve. You figure it out as you go along. But, there are a couple things I wish I had figured out sooner because they would have made my life soooo much easier. Some of these seem so trivial, but something as simple as a clean countertop free of baby gear makes this mama so happy.
1-wash your bottles in the dishwasher every night
If you have a child or you are pregnant and you know me, chances are I have told you how life changing this was. Until BB was about 8 months, I felt like I was constantly washing bottles. We had the ugliest drying rack on our counter and it just looked like baby had exploded all over our kitchen. Until another mom told me THE BEST TIP TO DATE ABOUT PARENTING…so here it is. Buy as many bottles as your baby needs throughout the day. As they use them, rinse and put them into the dishwasher. Buy one of THESE handy gadgets to keep the bottle parts together in the dishwasher. Run it on the sanitize cycle + energy saver mode overnight and wake up to perfectly clean bottles every morning. I am constantly cooking, so our house goes through a lot of dishes and pots and pans, so the dishwasher is full by the end of the day. As BB eats her breakfast, I unload every morning and put the bottles into a cabinet. The day I realized bottles could actually be stored in a cabinet instead of on an ugly drying rack on the counter was one of the best days of my life. But really…do it.
2-don’t stress about milestones and timelines
According to most books I’ve read, my pediatrician, and my milestone apps, BB should be off her bottle by 18 months, which is in less than a month. I️ have been so stressed about such a little thing because she is not ready to give it up and maybe more importantly, I️ am not ready to give it up. Three times a day, and only three times a day, I️ get to hold my baby like she is still 2 months old. She snuggles into me and it is the best feeling in the entire world. After her bottle we read books together on the couch and it is my favorite time of the day with her. The rest of the day, she is going a million miles a minute and cannot be bothered with snuggles. My heart hurts thinking about giving up that special time with her. So this will be one timeline the Geoffrion family will be blowing past.
3-buy two of everything important
Anything essential, buy two. Buy two sheets for the crib. I will even take it a step further. Layer the crib sheets, so when it’s time to wash the top sheet, you simply pull it off, toss it in the washing machine and there is a backup sheet already in place. If your little one has a security blanket or special stuffed animal, buy a backup of the exact same thing. BB will literally stand in front of the washing machine pouting and saying “banky” until her blanket is back in her arms. And god forbid I forget to switch the blanket to the dryer before bedtime. Skip the drama and swap it out for the backup.
4-people judge, period
No matter what decision you make about parenting, someone will think it is the wrong decision. That’s ok, you know what is best and if you had decided the opposite, someone else would be judging you. Open parts of your life up to social media and the world of blogging and times that by 1000. Parenting takes thick skin, grow it sooner rather than later and ignore all the haters.
5-it’s ok to leave the house with little to nothing
For the first few months of BB’s life, every time we left the house I felt the need to have a lifetime supply of diapers, 20 pacifiers, so many wipes, toys, backup clothes and countless other things. It is sooo liberating to realize that all you need is one diaper and a tiny travel pack of wipes for trips to the park, dinners, and errands. Those two things fit in almost every purse I have.
Photography by: Cassandra Eldridge
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You all know I have an obsession with shoes, and that obsession is ten fold with BB’s shoes. It is only fitting that we kick off the series with our favorite trendy baby shoes! I mean, how cute are these mini combat boots and mini adidas?! I rounded up my favorite trendy shoes for girls below. For all things BOY, head over to www.megmcmillin.com.
During our playdate, they spotted two dogs through this tiny mail slot and literally opened and closed the mail slot for 15 minutes while taking turns saying “doggie.” I mean, the cutest ever. More insanely cute mini outfit pics coming soon…
James’ outfit | pants | sweater (similar) | shoes | BB’s outfit | sweater | skirt (similar) | shoes
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]]>In reality, I think some babies are just born great sleepers and others are not. But, there is still a lot we can do as parents to push them in the right direction. I am not a doctor and by no means a sleep expert. I am just a mama who was blessed with an amazing sleeper and who did a lot of research to get her baby to sleep through the night. Every single baby is different, and pretty quickly you will learn what works for you. You and only you know your baby. Read as much as you can about sleep, talk to as many mamas as you can about sleep, ask your doctor as many questions as you can about sleep and then figure out what advice you want to take and what advice you want to leave. For us, the best advice we every received was BATHTIME. Bathtime turned our good sleeper into a rockstar sleeper.
So, how to start sleep trainings. First, “sleep training” is not as intense as it sounds. When I was a new mama, I had this vision of sleep training as locking your baby away in their room where they cried it out all night. That is not it at all. Sleep training is simply helping your baby form healthy sleep habits. It is a gradual evolution and you ease into it. No expert would suggest to start sleep training your 4 week old, in the traditional sleep training sense. But they would say it is healthy to introduce a bedtime routine and begin to teach your little one that nighttime is for sleeping.
Here are the 10 steps that worked for us to ease into sleep training and get BB to eventually sleep from 7pm-7am by the time she was 4 months old. At 16 months, she still goes down easily and now sleeps from 7pm-8am. We will cross our fingers and hope and pray that all our future children are born with BB’s amazing sleeping skills and that these steps hold true for them.
(1) Give yourself 4 weeks
Don’t even begin to worry about sleep and sleep routines for the first 4 weeks. Your newborn is going to wakeup, a lot. That’s normal and healthy. Use those 4 weeks to get to know your baby and learn how to be a mama. You cannot spoil a newborn. Enjoy every single minute of baby snuggles. Don’t worry about forming bad habits by letting them fall asleep in your arms or on your chest. Do whatever you can to enjoy that time and bond with your baby. You can sleep train later.
(2) Set a bedtime
When you are ready to start “sleep training”, set a bedtime. Even when your newborn is waking up throughout the night, it is still smart to set a bedtime. At 4 weeks, it is way too soon to get rid of night feedings. Your baby will and should continue to feed in the middle of the night for a couple months. But, all wakings and feedings after bedtime will be sleep feeds (dark lights, no talking, and other things that signal to baby that it is not time to wake up). We picked 7, because our goal was BB sleeping from 7pm to 7am every night. I will have to say that this is one of the most challenging parts of trying to get your baby to sleep through the night. This means you are home and starting bedtime every single night by 6 or 630. We NEVER missed a bedtime, which takes dedication and a lot of missed dinners, outings, and social events. But it is SO WORTH IT. Our bedtime routine is one of my favorite parts of being a mama.
(3) Establish a routine
It sounds absurd to start a bedtime routine for a 4 week old, but it worked for us. Newborns can pick up on subtle hints and figure out pretty quickly when you want them to sleep and when you want them to be awake. Early on, the routine is simply intended to signal to your baby that it is time to sleep. As they get older, they will rely on routines to wind down before bed.
(4) Start your routine long before your baby is overtired
If you know your baby is going to get tired and cranky around 7, your bedtime routine should start long before that. You want to create a soothing and loving bedtime routine to make your baby feel comforted and calm before bed. Hysterical and overtired babies are not calm and cannot be comforted.
(5) Be realistic
When we first “established a routine,” it was absurdly long and BB would be cranky and overtired by step two. Pick two or three of these elements and attempt to get through them:
- bathtime
- baby massage
- soothing music
- sound machine
- books
- lullabies
- swaddle/sleep sack/security blanket (we used those three in that order at different stages in her development)
- bottle or breastfeed
What worked for us was bathtime, lotion and a massage, a sound machine and a swaddle. But above all else, the most important step in our routine was bathtime. Very quickly we realized that the nights BB had a bath, she slept so much better. I would get in the bath with her, we would dim the lights and it put her in a zen like state. At 16 months, she still LOVES her bathtime and so do I. If you incorporate bathtime into your bedtime routine, a bath every day can dry their skin out. So we only use soap every two or three days and we always lotion her after her bath. We use TUBBY TODD exclusively, because it is soooo gentle on her crazy sensitive skin! After her bath we turn on a sound machine, wrap her in her swaddle (now we give her her favorite blankie) and move onto step (5). As BB got older, we added other things into our routine like books and lullabies.
(6) Top them off
No matter when your last feeding was, right before bed, top them off with as much milk as they will drink. Full babies SLEEP.
(7) Put them down sleepy, but awake
Put them down in their bassinet or crib sleepy but awake. This was really hard early on, because BB would start to fall asleep the second we took her out of the bath. If we managed to keep her awake until her bottle, she would be sound asleep after a few sips. But as she got older and could make it through her bottle without passing out, we would try to put her down sleepy, but awake. If you do not want to rock your two year old to sleep every single night, take this tip to heart.
(8) Teach your baby to self-sooth
Do yourself a favor, buy BRINGING UP BEBE and read about Le Pause. Le Pause is the reason BB slept through the night at such a young age. If you don’t want to read that book, I will give you the cliffnotes. When a newborn starts to cry in the middle of the night, French parents observe and pause for a moment before they jump in and try to sooth their child. Newborns have short sleep cycles (sometimes as short as 40 minutes) and the greatest challenge in sleeping through the night is learning to connect those sleep cycles and go back to sleep on their own. Between them, they might need to cry and fuss before they learn to put themselves back to sleep. The crying does not necessarily mean they need to be fed, rocked, or held. Give them a moment to try to sooth themselves. I am not suggesting you allow your newborn to cry it out, but do not jump in the moment your baby starts to wiggle and fuss and stick a boob or bottle in his or her mouth. Give them the chance to learn to self-sooth.
(9) Be consistent
Find whatever works for you and your baby and be consistent. Babies love consistency.
(10) Adjust as needed
As your baby progresses from newborn to infant to toddler, starts to crawl then walk, moves to his or her own room, starts to teeth, little curve balls will be thrown your way. Things that used to work will go out the window and you will have to adapt and adjust. Don’t stress out about those little changes and adjustment periods. Babies adapt really easily and you will be shocked how seamless transitions are. I was so worried to move BB from her bassinet to her crib at 6 months. I thought she was surely going to cry all night and our perfect little sleeper would turn into a disaster. I kept pushing it back and pushing it back until one morning she literally crawled out of her bassinet and flopped onto my bed. The night we moved her into her bassinet she slept like a baby straight through the night as I cried in my bedroom all night long :(. Babies adapt easier than we do. So far, we haven’t been thrown a curve we couldn’t figure out. But who knows what tomorrow’s curveball will look like…
Photos by Cassandra Eldridge
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If there is one thing you cannot survive motherhood without, it is mom friends. Raising kids really does take a village, a village filled with other moms who have gone through the same thing you have gone through. I am not suggesting you abandon your lifelong friends who have been there through thick and thin, but you also need a tribe of other mamas who can help you get through those rough patches.
Here are 10 reasons you need mom friends:
(1) They just get it: the love, the exhaustion, the frustration, mom friends just get it.
(2) You pick up tips from them: when you hang out with other moms and their babies, you inevitably pick up tips. Just today, I was talking to a mom friend at the gym when she pulled a stroller out of her teeny tiny gym locker. It was literally a Mary Poppins moment as she unfolded this huge and amazing stroller. AND, it fits in the overhead luggage bin on the airplane. I promptly went to Nordstrom.com and ordered the BABYZEN YOYO. This will be a lifesaver for my first solo flight with BB next week.
(3) You operate on the same schedule, baby time: quite possibly the best thing about having mom friends, is having someone who understands baby time. They know that an invite over for “dinner” means 4pm so the babes can get home in time for bedtime. They understand that sometimes you have the very best intentions to meet up, but naps don’t go according to plan and you are forced to cancel. And they fully support your decision to crack into a bottle of wine at 4pm on a Tuesday.
(4) They also have baby on their brain 24/7: motherhood is consuming. No matter what you are doing, it is always and constantly on your mind. To avoid boring your childless friends with your 15th story of how cute your child is, find a mama friend who is equally consumed by how cute their tot is.
(5) They’re someone to vent to: we all have those days. The REALLY long days that seem like they will never end. I love my lifelong friends to death and I would not trade them for the world, but sometimes you just need to vent about your baby that seems to be possessed by the devil to another mama who will not judge you for calling your own child Satan.
(6) They understand mom guilt: the mom guilt struggle is real. When you’re working you feel like you should be with your baby. When your taking time for yourself, you feel like you should be with your baby. When you complain about a frustrating week with your baby, you instantly feel that mom guilt creeping up on you for complaining about your near perfect and insanely cute child. Mom friends have been there and felt that, too.
(7) They help you problem solve: don’t get me wrong, parenting books are great. I could not survive without them. But sometimes you need to talk through a real life problem with another real life mama going through the exact same thing.
(8) They’ve been that tired too: they understand what tired means. Until you have had a child, you do not know what tired is. Yes, non mamas have been jet-lagged, sleep deprived from working long hours, sleep deprived from law school or med school, but they have never experienced exhaustion like a mama has. Not even your spouse or significant other can relate to the level of exhaustion. They didn’t grow a human for 9 months, then push it out, then let it suck on your boob until it is raw.
(9) They respond appropriately when you tell them that you or your significant other have come down with the flu: and by respond appropriately, I mean react like it is the mother trucking disaster that it is. The flu and parenting should never meet.
(10) They provide much needed mama motivation: when BB was about 7-8 months old, we went through a rough nap patch. We were rocking her to sleep for every nap and my joints were literally aching from head to toe. I could not rock her to sleep for another nap but I also couldn’t handle the whole “cry-it-out” thing. I was over at Megs one day with the babes and it was James’ naptime. So Meg grabbed him, walked into the room, put him down in his crib and walked right back out. He fussed/cried for a little bit, she turned the volume down on the monitor and sat back and continued talking to me like it was no big deal. I needed to see another real life mom in action putting her child to sleep to understand that some fussing and a little crying is normal and ok. I also needed to see that she wasn’t a total basket case while James fussed in his crib. The next day was the first day of naptime bliss in the Geoffrion home, and we have had a perfect little napper ever since, all thanks to some mama motivation from Meg. For more mama motivation, see Meg’s POST today on www.megmcmillin.com!
Ok, you get it. You need mom friends. I understood I needed mom friends pretty quickly after BB was born, but I didn’t have any and I didn’t know how to find them. How do you find these mom friends? I read so many blog posts and articles about finding mom friends. They suggested going to mama and baby classes, to parks, or to join Facebook groups. Ok, maybe that works for some people, but I am not very outgoing and I suffer from resting bitch face, so I have been told I am hard to approach.
After about 6 months of going to classes, parks, new mom meet ups, I still did not have a really good mom friend. I had some moms I had exchanged numbers with or who I met up with at the park, but no one I really clicked with. The reality is, just because you have one thing in common, motherhood, does not mean you are going to have anything else in common. So, here is the #1 and most effective way to make mom friends:
BLIND DATES. Yep, blind dates with other moms. Meg and I met on a blind date and instantly hit it off. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers if they know any other moms with children around the same age as yours who they think you would get along with. And guess what, mom dates are nowhere near as awkward as real blind dates because you instantly have something to bond over, your children. Maybe you both went through the adoption process or both had a c-sections or both have terrible sleepers. There is SOME common ground there. If I can find mom friends, resting bitch face and all, so can you!
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]]>I have always loved yoga, but lately, I have not been doing it as much as I would like to. With the baby and Blake’s work schedule, I know there are a limited number of workouts I can squeeze into a week. And to be honest, I always opt for the workouts which get the quickest “results.” At Soul Cycle, I know I am going to get a major cardio workout + arms packed into 45 minutes. And I love that I see results quickly. But I feel the wear and tear on my joints after a few too many souls in a row.
So, we decided to start FINALLY using our gym’s daycare (which I have been too scared to use the first 15 months of BB’s life) so we can go to yoga together. Why is working out so much easier and better when you have a buddy? And we are committed to doing two yoga classes a week, plus some extra stretching and yoga at home.
I love stretching and incorporating yoga into my day at home, so BB has been watching me do it since she was born. Now she is at the age where she wants to try everything we are doing. A couple months ago, she started doing (what slightly resembled) down-dog out of nowhere. We realized she was starting to pick up on the yoga I was doing around the house, and it is the cutest thing ever. So I decided to make it a part of our daily routine together.
Let’s get a few things straight before I dive into the details. First, toddler “yoga” is a phrase I use very loosely to mean any sort of stretching or physical activity remotely resembling yoga that we can do together. Second, BB’s attention span is that of a gnat, if I can get BB to pay attention and enjoy doing “yoga” for 5 minutes, I consider that a HUGE win for the day. But, yoga is a calming and healthy habit to have and I am going to do everything in my power to hope that BB grows up incorporating it into her life. Third, winter is around the corner, which means I need a stockpile of indoor activities up my sleeve. Insert, baby yoga.
So here is how to get started with your tiny tot:
(1) Teach by example: babies love routines and they pick up on them pretty quickly. Incorporate yoga into your day with your tot. Even a few flows and some stretching will peak your baby’s interest. Before I start, I try to clean up the other toys and start with a clean room, so she understands we are moving onto a new activity and she can try to devote some attention to it.
(2) Let them tell you when they are ready: at some point, they will show interest in what you are doing. Let them try to imitate you and show them how fun it can be. Start basic, stretch your arms up, and show them how to do it. Then touch your toes, and show them how to touch theirs.
(3) Slowly teach them yoga techniques and poses: BB is still too young to REALLY do toddler yoga with me, but she loves trying to follow along. Here are a few of the first yoga techniques to try to master with your mini yogi.
- Sitting: this might seem like common sense, but teaching a toddler to sit still can be like trying to catch water in a sock. Slowly, BB is learning to sit facing towards me with her legs crossed. We are calling it “pretzel pose.” Keeping your terms consistent really helps them catch on quickly.
- Deep belly breathing: sit on the floor with your toddler facing you in pretzel pose, if you can get them to sit still. If not, just teach by example. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest and show them how your belly and chest rise as you take a deep breath in. Really exaggerate your exhale to show them how your belly falls when you push the air out. Then, place your hand on their belly and chest and ask them to take a deep breath. She is still trying to master this, but in the meantime, she loves sticking her belly out as far as she can.
- Overhead inhale: yoga is all about combining movement with breath, so teaching them to connect the two at an early age is key. BB is LIGHTYEARS away from this, but she loves trying to follow along. I simply exaggerate a deep, deep breath in, as I sweep my arm up and over my head. Then I exaggerate my exhale as I sweep my arms down and touch my toes. Do this over and over again as they *try to follow along.
- “Fun” postures: BB loves downdog, so we do this often. Really, any pose where she can we upside down. And anything that involves lifting one leg off the ground. We do tree pose and seated/standing side stretches. All of these poses work on balance and building body awareness. She also loves when I “superman” her, so we do that a million times a day. I try to make it into a mini ab workout for myself.
- Animal postures: BB is obsessed with animals and animal sounds. So, I try to incorporate that into our yoga sequences. FROG: is malasana. BIRDY: is badhakonasana. KITTY CAT: is marjariasana. BUG: is child’s pose. These are all animals BB loves.
- Shavasana: BB has a very hard time lying down flat. For whatever reason, she really does not like to lay her head back. We try to end our yoga sessions with a quick shavasana. Usually, this last .2 seconds.
(4) Matching yoga clothes always help ;): FLEXI LEXI makes the world’s cutest toddler yoga clothes, and matching sets for mamas.
As she gets older and we find other ways to incorporate yoga into our routine, I will share what works and what doesn’t work!
Photography: Cassandra Eldridge
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