It has been way too long since I have posted on my blog. Not that I wanted it to be that way.
But life happens.
Since my last post I became pregnant and had our third child, a beautiful baby girl who is now 3 months old.
I have attempted to be a part time work from home mom with a “regular job” but had to quit that within a few short months.
Officially became an autism/special needs mom.
And every once in a while I took a nap too.
This may be the most cut and dry post I have written thus far, but the goal of this is not to be the most informative article but rather just being truly off the cuff. Because that is where I am at and need to be at this point.
Can you relate too? So many times have you thought about doing something that you enjoy only to get that thought interrupted by whatever is happening in the moment? Maybe you’ve ran into somebody at the store and they ask what’s new and you don’t even know where to start?
This is my “ran into you at the store” moment, where I give the quick facts jack so we can make a plan to meet up for coffee later. Life seems to go that way for all of us, the tornado of different seasons can take hold of us and spin us around so dizzy that we don’t where the ground or the sky is above or below anymore.
It’s been too long since I have chatted with you and I missed it-a lot. I don’t know in this current part of my life how often I get to “go have coffee” with you but I do know we will have a lot to talk about.
I am excited to share any struggles or victories that have come up with my new and ever-changing job description as a wife and mother with the hopes that it may help you too.
Thanks for saying hi to me, it’s good to see you again. Let’s meet up for coffee later.
Spring is getting closer and closer, yay! We can start being outside more, nature is starting to get ready for the season, and we get to celebrate Easter! One of the best parts about celebrating any season or holiday is to incorporate it into daily routines and play. This is a great way to teach our little ones about Easter and have a little fun with it too. Therefore, I put together a list of Easter activities for babies and toddlers into one post for easy reference.
The post includes my favorite Easter activities for babies and toddlers that I have found, ranging from low prep to minimal prep. Looking for a way to plan all of your at home activities for the week? Check out my Children’s Activity Planner printable here.
Thanks for visiting, I hope this gives you some great family fun time together! Let me know in the comment section which activity your kids liked the most 🙂
Getting ready for another baby in the house (or maybe more!) is always exciting, stressful, and emotional-and that’s just for the parents! But what about your other baby who is now going to be the big brother or sister? How are they feeling? Do they even know? How do you prepare your toddler for a new sibling?
Maybe you’re like me and the “older” child is still very much a baby too (mine was maybe 7 months old when I became pregnant again). You will definitely want to check out my previous post on this very subject here. There you will learn about different tips, tricks, and hacks to get ready for having two under two.
One of the tips I mentioned in that article was to prepare your older child for the baby. This subject alone deserves its very own blog post to break down all the different ways you can help your oldest get ready.
Help Your “Toddler” Know What’s Coming
I put toddler in quotes because your oldest child may be in fact, still an infant themselves! They may not even be verbal yet, so how can you even begin to talk about your growing belly?
I mean, can’t they see the growing bump on their favorite jungle gym, aka mom???
I think books are a great starting point for building the concept of a little brother or sister coming. Even if they can’t comprehend all the words you are saying, the pictures alone will help explain things.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase aproduct through my link, at no extra cost to you.
This is the book that we read to our son at minimum once a week. In the back of the book is comments from the author on how to prepare your toddler for a new baby.
Side note-it helps make for a cute pregnancy announcement! We took a picture of our son “reading” the book and it was adorable.
Have your child see you taking care of a baby
The reason I say baby versus an older child is because that’s exactly what’s coming-a baby! Of course, it never hurts for them to see you taking care of older children as well, but it may not click like it would a baby.
If your older child is also your first child, it will be a huge transition to having to share mommy and daddy’s attention with someone else.
Is there someone you can babysit? Have a playdate with someone who has a baby? The more exposure the better.
When I was pregnant with my second, it was the heart of the lockdown of the pandemic. So socializing with others wasn’t an option for me. And you might be in a stage in your life where no one else has a baby right now.
What I suggest then is “taking care of” a baby doll. Feeding, changing, the whole bit. Even just holding the doll while walking around the house. I know it might feel goofy, but they might catch on to what you’re doing and get curious about it.
That would be a great time to incorporate taking care of the doll into playtime. Play is how children help process their world and emotions. It helps that they can explore what it’s like to take care of a baby beforehand.
Once my second child was born, I found my son (again who was only 15 months at the time) grabbing his “baby” and taking care of the doll while I took care of his sister.
So. Stinkin. Cute. 🙂
Make transitions happen-like now!
Most of us adults have trouble with any one big transition, let alone multiple transitions at once. It’s too much. How can we expect any more out of our kids?
In a matter of a few short months or weeks, the whole family dynamic is going to change. Again, like us, they are going to want some control in the chaos (even good chaos) and have something to hang onto while their whole world has changed.
What are some transitions that need to happen for your toddler/older baby?
Is it:
Weaning off the bottle/and or breast?
Sleeping in a toddler bed?
Moving out of mommy and daddy’s room?
New car seat, new spot in the car?
Getting rid of the pacifier?
By having this transition taken care of now, it will help both you and your baby get into a new flow before adding another kid in the mix.
But be warned! You will most likely see a regression in your older child on any developmental changes once the baby is born.
That is totally normal.
Give your older child a big hug and kiss and know that this is temporary. They will catch right up to any progress made in no time.
Start delegating night and nap routines to someone else.
This very much applies if you plan to breastfeed. You definitely can still partake in parts of the routine but when it comes to actually getting your toddler in their bed and to fall asleep, maybe dad can take over then.
Perhaps you are in a situation where it’s just you for bedtime and don’t have anyone to hand it off too. In that case, if your child isn’t already doing it, have them get used to falling asleep in their room on their own.
I definitely struggled emotionally with not being the one to put my first baby to sleep. But I knew in a very short time I was going to be breastfeeding again and it wasn’t the best-case scenario for us.
It is good for your child to learn to be comfortable with having someone else do this routine. This can help increase their own self-soothing skills and won’t be as drastic of a change for when you’re in labor.
Have your toddler spend a night or two at someone’s house.
Or have someone come spend the night at your house and then YOU are away-babymoon, perhaps???
While I was still breastfeeding my oldest, I didn’t want to be gone from him at night, but that’s just me. Once he was weaned it was very important to least have 1 night where he spent the night away.
If possible, have them stay wherever or with whomever will be taking care of them while you’re gone. Once again, when it comes time for the baby to be born your older one has at least experienced their first night away from the parents beforehand.
Ways to help your toddler transition when the baby is born
This topic is going to be discussed in a follow-up post because there’s a lot to it! For now, the best advice I can give is to make sure to “baby” your older baby.
Even though they are at the ripe old age of 2 (or 3 or 4…), they are going to need that reassurance that they are still your baby too!
Let me know in the comments what you have found helpful from this article. Please consider subscribing to stay up to date on all of the newest content and to receive your free Children’s Activity Printable.
I was not even 7 months postpartum before I became pregnant again with our second child. Though my husband and I were very excited, a sudden overwhelming feeling of fear seeped in.
How are we going to handle having two babies less than 16 months apart???
So what about you-are you feeling a little bit panicky right now? Wondering what it takes to get ready for kids close in age?
I think most of us on this side of things would say that there’s only so much preparing you can do. As much as possible, roll with it and relax. You already have at least one baby under your belt, you’ve got this!
Nesting is going to look a little different this time around, a little less polished maybe. But that is totally okay. Here is probably going to be my biggest tip for you:
Cut yourself some slack!
You absolutely cannot compare to how it was to prepare for your first baby. At that point in general you could go to the bathroom, shower, and eat on your terms. Nowadays, you have a little one to chase around with your growing belly.
Maybe you were like me and for awhile you are pregnant AND breastfeeding at the same time (don’t worry, my doctors were totally okay with it)!
You get my point? Shift your mindset to not set up expectations for yourself so high that you are left frustrated.
So with that being said, let’s dive in.
Still createa baby registry, even if you don’t share it with others.
Well-meaning people would often say to me “At least you have all the stuff you need already.”. To an extent, that’s true. But I still found myself needing either a few things or two sets of something for both babies.
Depending on the age of your older child, you may find that you need two of:
Cribs
Highchair/booster seat (ours was a 4 in 1 highchair so that I personally didn’t need two)
Changing stations
Car seats
Sound machines (if not sharing a room with older sibling)
Diaper pails
This all depends on your personal setup for home or away, but with essentially two babies you need two of everything basically.
Remember, with creating a registry you will be eligible for any offers or discounts that come with completion. A friend of mine created a registry but didn’t share it with other people but was still able to use all the benefits included.
My registry was still active from our first child, so I was able to very easily edit my list for what I needed versus starting from scratch.
If someone offers to host a “Sprinkle” for you, take them up on it!
In case you aren’t familiar with the term, a sprinkle is a smaller scale baby shower for someone that has already had children before. I know some mommas aren’t into having a lot of attention be on them, but the focus is to celebrate this new baby coming as well as support for the momma.
My mom was very gracious to offer to host a sprinkle for me (thanks Mom!). It was really nice to take a break from nesting to celebrate and be around people who love me.
You already are going to have your hands full as it is, don’t be afraid to let people bless you.
Invest in a double stroller.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase a product through thelink at no extra cost to you.
Yes, your oldest may be walking (more like running) regularly but they sometimes get tuckered out too. On family walks my oldest will walk for a little bit but eventually needs a break.
Feel free to ask parents at the park or on the street how they like their double stroller. We have done that before and usually parents are more than happy to chat with you.
It seriously feels like a secret club; having kids close together. Parents that are in this club just get it like no one else does.
This is the stroller that we have:
I can fold and unfold this thing one handed. What I really like is that it works with Graco’s Click-Connect System. I was able to use the baby car seat for baby #2 and click it onto the stroller all without waking her up. I highly recommend this one.
Organize hand-me-downs as you do laundry.
Maybe you have been doing this all along, or maybe you still have a newborn and wrapping your head around being pregnant again. No worries! Having kids close together means that there’s a good chance that the older one’s clothes are still in style and not lost in the dungeon of storage.
We all know kids outgrow sizes overnight sometimes. Keep using unscented laundry detergent (or pick it back up), and as baby #1 outgrows items, either hang it up in baby #2’s nursery or put it in a bin for later. I still organize my hand me downs for my second child this way; sorting as I put away clean laundry. Because do you really have the time to dedicate a whole day for this task? Probably not.
Don’t sweat if thesecond nursery isn’t absolutely perfect in time for the baby.
If you have major mom guilt over this one (or anything really), just know you are in good company! With your first baby, you probably had more time and let’s face it more money-hello diapers-to devote to creating the perfect nursery.
Something I told myself that may help you is that the child’s room will be in constant development just like how they constantly develop. Chances are your nursery for the older baby or now toddler has already evolved to their interests.
I really struggled with mom guilt over not being able to devote as much as effort to my second pregnancy as my first.
What’s wrong with me? Do I not love my secondchild as much as my first? Will they think I favor our oldest because their nursery isn’t Pinterest-perfect?
That’s silly, right? But that’s what happens when we leave our thoughts and hormones to their own devices!
To combat this, I would and still write letters to my children, explaining to them what’s all going on during this time. I write about being pregnant during COVID, having kids close in age, reminding them how much I love them even if I can’t do everything I would like to for them. And you know what? Then I feel better! I am keeping all these letters and planning to give it to them down the road.
Use shortcuts for making a freezer meal stash.
If you can devote a day or an afternoon to make a huge batch of freezer meals to use after you give birth, that is great. But even if you can’t or don’t want to do that, break up making your stash over days or weeks.
Start or re-use old recipes that you like for freezer meals and buy double the ingredients; one for today’s meal and another to throw in a freezer bag for later on. Boom. Done.
Need a step easier than that? As you buy groceries, buy some sort of frozen meals every trip you can. I am a big Costco fan, so when we would make a run to the store I would buy smoothie mixes, waffles, pizzas, etc. in bulk.
Still not simple enough? I hear ya! Start building a stash of gift cards for restaurants to have on hand. Or ask for them as gifts for Christmas, birthdays, etc. My mom would give me a bunch of gift cards for places to eat when my children were born. They were seriously a Godsend to me (Again, thanks Mom!).
It’s also nice to have some extra meals available for whoever is taking care of your other children while you are in labor or at the hospital.
You probably already have a milk stash for your kiddo and don’t even know it!
Remember how I said earlier how I was breastfeeding and pregnant at the same time? It came in handy! I already had a good chunk of frozen breastmilk that my first child didn’t need but I could still hang onto for my next baby.
Reminder: frozen breastmilk is good for up to 6 months after the date that it was expressed.
Though I was able to thankfully breastfeed both of my children, I did have to supplement with formula for my second baby for a couple of days. Even after my milk fully came in, I still hung onto those cases of formula for quite awhile.
If you fed your baby formula, please comment to share your experience on how long normally formula has a shelf life for. It’s always good to know!
Definitely consider getting an additional breast pump if you plan to breastfeed.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I would be eligible for another pump through our insurance. I would double check this with your insurance if that is the case for you or not. My understanding was that I was able to obtain another one after one year of receiving a breast pump but that is because I was pregnant again.
This may seem unnecessary for you, but I liked having two different pumps. The older pump was still operable, but you need to routinely replace valves and other parts.
Especially for you working mommas, if you have two pumps you can leave one pump at home and have the other one in the car or at your work. You have enough things to carry between diaper bags, car seats, purses, etc. That’s one less thing to haul back to the car!
Prep any birth announcement or ceremonies beforehand as much as possible.
This tip will apply to you based off your cultural and religious views. For us, we observe infant baptism into the Christian faith.
I already scheduled a baptism date with my church that worked for both the pastor as well as the sponsors. I also bought any decorations I wanted and created a meal plan ahead of time. That might seem extreme but it was really nice to not have to completely scramble around after the baby is born.
But what about preparing the older sibling???
So this one is a biggie. There is so much that goes into this that I am going to create a follow up post that’s dedicated to this topic alone.
But for now, my #1 tip in regard to this is to make any big transitions for the older sibling BEFORE the baby arrives. Even if your oldest is going to fall in love with their new sibling, sharing the spotlight is going to rock their world. If you try to transition anything of their current “normal” during this introductory phase, it can leave the older child feeling totally out of sync. Some transitions you may need to do are:
Weaning off breast and/or bottle
Sleeping in their own room
Car seat placement in the car
Changing from crib to toddler bed
Potty training
Bed and nap time routines
Like I said, I will be going into greater detail on this in my next post. Stay tuned!
There is so much to do to get ready for any new addition to the family. It will be a lot of work and craziness but be prepared to have a lot of fun too. I wouldn’t change it for the world having our kids 15 months apart.
Please comment below on any tips you have to share or what you found most helpful. I so appreciate you taking the time to be here today, have a great day!
I was not even 7 months postpartum before I became pregnant again with our second child. Though my husband and I were very excited, a sudden overwhelming feeling of fear seeped in. We were going to have two under two!
How are we going to handle having two babies less than 16 months apart???
So what about you-are you feeling a little bit panicky right now? Wondering what it takes to get ready for kids close in age?
I think most of us on this side of things would say that there’s only so much preparing you can do. As much as possible, roll with it and relax. You already have at least one baby under your belt, you’ve got this!
Nesting is going to look a little different this time around, a little less polished maybe. But that is totally okay. Here is probably going to be my biggest tip for you:
Cut yourself some slack!
You absolutely cannot compare to how it was to prepare for your first baby. At that point in general you could go to the bathroom, shower, and eat on your terms. Nowadays, you have a little one to chase around with your growing belly.
Maybe you were like me and for awhile you are pregnant AND breastfeeding at the same time (don’t worry, my doctors were totally okay with it)!
You get my point? Shift your mindset to not set up expectations for yourself so high that you are left frustrated.
So with that being said, let’s dive in.
Still createa baby registry, even if you don’t share it with others.
Well-meaning people would often say to me “At least you have all the stuff you need already.”. To an extent, that’s true. But I still found myself needing either a few things or two sets of some things for my two under two.
Depending on the age of your older child, you may find that you need two of:
Cribs
Highchair/booster seat (ours was a 4 in 1 highchair so that I personally didn’t need two)
Changing stations
Car seats
Sound machines (if not sharing a room with older sibling)
Diaper pails
This all depends on your personal setup for home or away, but with essentially two babies you need two of everything basically.
Remember, with creating a registry you will be eligible for any offers or discounts that come with completion. A friend of mine created a registry but didn’t share it with other people but was still able to use all the benefits included.
My registry was still active from our first child, so I was able to very easily edit my list for what I needed versus starting from scratch.
If someone offers to host a “Sprinkle” for you, take them up on it!
In case you aren’t familiar with the term, a sprinkle is a smaller scale baby shower for someone that has already had children before. I know some mommas aren’t into having a lot of attention be on them, but the focus is to celebrate this new baby coming as well as support for the momma.
My mom was very gracious to offer to host a sprinkle for me (thanks Mom!). It was really nice to take a break from nesting to celebrate and be around people who love me.
You already are going to have your hands full when you have two under two, don’t be afraid to let people bless you.
Invest in a double stroller.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase a product through thelink at no extra cost to you.
Yes, your oldest may be walking (more like running) regularly but they sometimes get tuckered out too. On family walks my oldest will walk for a little bit but eventually needs a break.
Feel free to ask parents at the park or on the street how they like their double stroller. We have done that before and usually parents are more than happy to chat with you.
It seriously feels like a secret club; having two under two. Parents that are in this club just get it like no one else does.
This is the stroller that we have:
I can fold and unfold this thing one handed. What I really like is that it works with Graco’s Click-Connect System. I was able to use the baby car seat for baby #2 and click it onto the stroller all without waking her up. I highly recommend this one.
Organize hand-me-downs as you do laundry.
Maybe you have been doing this all along, or maybe you still have a newborn and wrapping your head around being pregnant again. No worries!
Having two under two means that there’s a good chance that the older one’s clothes are still in style and not lost in the dungeon of storage.
We all know kids outgrow sizes overnight sometimes. Keep using unscented laundry detergent (or pick it back up), and as baby #1 outgrows items, either hang it up in baby #2’s nursery or put it in a bin for later.
I still organize my hand me downs for my second child this way; sorting as I put away clean laundry. Because do you really have the time to dedicate a whole day for this task? Probably not.
Don’t sweat if thesecond nursery isn’t absolutely perfect in time for the baby.
If you have major mom guilt over this one (or anything really), just know you are in good company! With your first baby, you probably had more time and let’s face it more money-hello diapers-to devote to creating the perfect nursery.
Something I told myself that may help you is that the child’s room will be in constant development just like how they constantly develop. Chances are your nursery for the older baby or now toddler has already evolved to their interests.
I really struggled with mom guilt over not being able to devote as much as effort to my second pregnancy as my first.
What’s wrong with me? Do I not love my secondchild as much as my first? Will they think I favor our oldest because their nursery isn’t Pinterest-perfect?
That’s silly, right? But that’s what happens when we leave our thoughts and hormones to their own devices!
To combat this, I would and still write letters to my children, explaining to them what’s all going on during this time. I write about being pregnant during COVID, having two under two, reminding them how much I love them even if I can’t do everything I would like to for them.
And you know what? Then I feel better! I am keeping all these letters and planning to give it to them down the road.
Use shortcuts for making a freezer meal stash.
If you can devote a day or an afternoon to make a huge batch of freezer meals to use after you give birth, that is great. But even if you can’t or don’t want to do that, break up making your stash over days or weeks.
Start or re-use old recipes that you like for freezer meals and buy double the ingredients; one for today’s meal and another to throw in a freezer bag for later on. Boom. Done.
Need a step easier than that? As you buy groceries, buy some sort of frozen meals every trip you can. I am a big Costco fan, so when we would make a run to the store I would buy smoothie mixes, waffles, pizzas, etc. in bulk.
Still not simple enough? I hear ya! Start building a stash of gift cards for restaurants to have on hand. Or ask for them as gifts for Christmas, birthdays, etc. My mom would give me a bunch of gift cards for places to eat when my children were born. They were seriously a Godsend to me (Again, thanks Mom!).
It’s also nice to have some extra meals available for whoever is taking care of your other children while you are in labor or at the hospital.
You probably already have a milk stash for your kiddo and don’t even know it!
Remember how I said earlier how I was breastfeeding and pregnant at the same time? It came in handy! I already had a good chunk of frozen breastmilk that my first child didn’t need but I could still hang onto for my next baby.
Reminder: frozen breastmilk is good for up to 6 months after the date that it was expressed.
Though I was able to thankfully breastfeed both of my children, I did have to supplement with formula for my second baby for a couple of days. Even after my milk fully came in, I still hung onto those cases of formula for quite awhile.
If you fed your baby formula, please comment to share your experience on how long normally formula has a shelf life for. It’s always good to know!
Definitely consider getting an additional breast pump if you plan to breastfeed.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I would be eligible for another pump through our insurance. I would double check this with your insurance if that is the case for you or not. My understanding was that I was able to obtain another one after one year of receiving a breast pump but that is because I was pregnant again.
This may seem unnecessary for you, but I liked having two different pumps. The older pump was still operable, but you need to routinely replace valves and other parts.
Especially for you working mommas, if you have two pumps you can leave one pump at home and have the other one in the car or at your work. You have enough things to carry between diaper bags, car seats, purses, etc. That’s one less thing to haul back to the car!
Prep any birth announcement or ceremonies beforehand as much as possible.
This tip will apply to you based off your cultural and religious views. For us, we observe infant baptism into the Christian faith.
I already scheduled a baptism date with my church that worked for both the pastor as well as the sponsors. I also bought any decorations I wanted and created a meal plan ahead of time. That might seem extreme but it was really nice to not have to completely scramble around after the baby was born.
But what about preparing the older sibling???
So this one is a biggie. There is so much that goes into this that I am going to create a follow up post that’s dedicated to this topic alone.
But for now, my #1 tip in regard to this is to make any big transitions for the older sibling BEFORE the baby arrives. Even if your oldest is going to fall in love with their new sibling, sharing the spotlight is going to rock their world.
If you try to transition anything of their current “normal” during this introductory phase, it can leave the older child feeling totally out of sync. Some transitions you may need to do are:
Weaning off breast and/or bottle
Sleeping in their own room
Car seat placement in the car
Changing from crib to toddler bed
Potty training
Bed and nap time routines
Like I said, I will be going into greater detail on this in my next post. Stay tuned!
There is so much to do to get ready for any new addition to the family. It will be a lot of work and craziness but be prepared to have a lot of fun too. I wouldn’t change it for the world having our kids 15 months apart.
Please comment below on any tips you have to share or what you found most helpful. I so appreciate you taking the time to be here today, have a great day!
I don’t know about you, but I think getting a toddler to follow any sort of instruction can be an uphill battle. This is especially true for those very strong-willed types (aka mine and every other toddler on the planet) who are not ready to go to bed but their mama sure is!
We tried every tactic in the book. The first attempt was to sing cleaning up songs-that was a total failure. I can remember trying to keep my cool as I’m singing and picking up his toys, meanwhile he’s running around on the couch in his diaper like a little jungle boy.
Second, I attempted to use stickers as a reward. That lost its magic real quick. Then I used candy, which only made my child more hyper. Finally at my wits end after a long day; I would lose my cool and tempers flared, and time outs were being handed out left and right. Not a great way to end the day for anyone.
Finally, I had an epiphany. During our mommy and me music class, my child would pick up toys; put them in the bins; and hand it to the teacher like a pro. That’s where it dawned on me: the toys were minimal, organized, and picking up was part of a routine.
What does your child’s main play area look like? If it looks anything like mine did at one point there was no order, looked cluttered, and over all uninviting. Don’t have time or the money to do an overhaul all at once? Me either!!! These changes have been made over time and over paychecks and that’s okay. Progress is progress!
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links to which I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Make toys accessible and visible. While I do think larger storage bins (like the fabric ones) definitely serve a purpose, they are probably better suited for bigger items such as stuffed animals. The vast majority of toys are smaller in size and get quickly buried under a mountain of teddy bears. This is just asking for a kiddo to dump everything out to look for one specific toy.
This is the type of shelf that I use in my home. What I like about them is that there are multiple bins, and they are at a good height for kiddos that under 4 feet. Often, my kids will take out individual bins of toys that they want to play with.
Organize toys by type. I was originally very skeptical of this step-will a toddler really keep toys sorted? The answer is definitely yes! Once again, going with the sub-organization by bins and by type of toys; my kids will simply take out whichever category of toys they want to play with.
When it comes to labeling, I wouldn’t sweat it too much. If you have the time and energy to print out a picture/symbol for each bin and laminate it, good for you! But if you just want to put a sticker label on and write the category in marker, that works just fine for us.
Here’s some categories that I am currently using to help get you started:
Blocks & Shapes
Tractors
Cars
Princesses
Legos
Paw Patrol
Balls
As you can see, you can go as specific or broad as you need to; this system needs to work for what’s best for your family.
Declutter, declutter, declutter! You would think that it would be every kid’s dream to have a room filled with toys but in reality, it’s not. Especially with young children they can get overwhelmed very easily with too many options. Having too many things stifles creativity, creates stress, and takes more time out of your life picking things up. I am making it a daily habit to find at least one item a day that is either trash or to donate. Please don’t donate junk to organizations. If something is still in decent condition but not up to the level of donating, put it out to the curb if possible. Of course, that depends on where you live, but you can always post it as “Free” on a buy/sell/trade website.
Decluttering takes so much work and is a lot of mental and emotional energy too. I constantly need motivation and encouragement especially after a holiday or birthday where a big dump truck of stuff comes to my house. I have been listening to this book on audio and have been loving it. I highly recommend reading or listening to this book for inspiration:
Lastly,make cleaning up toys as part of the daily routine for your family. For us, it works best to do the big pick up of toys at the beginning of bedtime. I’m partial to it because I like to do a nightly cleaning but maybe a different time of day works better for you.
With any type of new system or routine, it will take repetition and trial and error to make it smooth. So be patient with yourselves and your little ones, but make sure to be consistent. I usually start with taking whatever empty bin, for example the cars bin, and say “Let’s find all the cars and put them in the cars bin”. We focus on that category until it’s done. This is much more manageable then giving the basic command of “Pick up your toys!”. That’s kinda equivalent to having a doctor to say, “You need to lose weight!”. Way too broad!
If you have a specific spot for books and larger items, your child will get to know each item’s “home” over time. It’s so much easier to say, “Where does the baby stroller go?” versus trying to find a new spot every night.
I hope you find these tips helpful, practical, and easy to implement in your home. I know I have found great improvements in clean up time with both my 1-year-old and 2-year-old. What used to be a raging battle has become another box in the checklist of daily tasks; minimal effort to be done.
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When I get to go to Disney, I feel like I’m coming back home. If you are a die-hard Disney person like me, you know exactly what I’m talking about! This past September of 2021, my husband and I took our two toddlers for their first ever plane ride to go to our first big family vacation. Not just any vacation-Disney World-during COVID. But you know what? We had an absolutely MAGICAL time! And so can you!
Since our trip we have had so many friends of ours with little ones asking us for some tips and tricks that we learned along the way. Hopefully this can help you too whether you are on the fence of going or not, or you’re getting ready to head to Disney.
I will say this ahead of time, there are so many factors into planning a trip some tips may be more crucial than others. This past trip was in September (which is hurricane season and still very hot); we flew (so we could still use Magical Express); and we stayed on Disney property (we stayed at the Contemporary Resort). However, I just got done helping out some friends of ours that are staying off property and driving there and the advice still rang true for them!
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Use a travel agent when planning the trip. I don’t know about you, but I have to take care of so many things throughout the day, I just don’t have the time or the energy to be researching good deals for a vacation. You can use a local travel agency or an online agency typically without any extra cost to you (the agent gets a commission from Disney when you book a trip through them). It was so nice to have someone else do all the research, keep up to date with changing COVID policies, and take care of any issues along the way. Of course you don’t have to use an agent, but if you have little ones, you need all the help you can get!
Lower your expectations for the vacation, by a lot! There’s a reason why it’s called Disney WORLD-you can go there regularly and never be able to do and see everything. So don’t try to push your stroller around the parks like a crazy person trying to get everything done. This is a vacation remember? Plus, your little ones aren’t going to be able to keep up that pace, and neither will you! Take a cue from your kiddos; slow down, take time to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. Disney has mastered the art of atmosphere-from small details, to smells, music, take it in!
Take a break in the middle of the day. Especially on park days, you need a break from the crowds and walking, and the heat (I’m pretty sure my eyelashes started to sweat because of the heat!). I thought for sure my kids would be like other tuckered out toddlers snoozing in the stroller, nope! My kids needed a full out break and nap at the hotel. Even if you aren’t staying on property, you can always leave the park for a few hours and come back. For example, if it’s a Magic Kingdom day for you and driving back to your hotel isn’t an option, you can always ride on the monorail (which is a ride in itself) and go have lunch at the Polynesian hotel and go back to Magic Kingdom. The much slower pace is needed for young kiddos to have energy to stay up for fireworks.
If you don’t already, have your 2-year-old start wearing a mask before the trip. At the time that I write this post, 2 year olds need to wear a mask in any indoor place in Disney World, including transportation. I have seen some 2 year olds do just fine with a mask, but others, not so much. My two year old has sensory issues so we were able to get help/practice/tips from their occupational therapist. But if your child doesn’t receive services such as this, give them practice in the store, church, wherever. You will also want to buy toddler versus kid sized masks, those are too big.
I wasn’t able find the exact ones I used for my child online, but these are fairly close in style. If you are going during the warmer months, you will definitely want to bring change of masks for the day.
Just be prepared that your toddler may act like, well, a toddler. They may not want to wear a mask because they are tired/hungry/hot/etc. which may inhibit you from doing certain attractions. For example, we were going to go play in the indoor playground at the Dumbo attraction. When we got to the entrance, the cast member would not let us in unless our child wore a mask. Our kiddo wasn’t having it and so we weren’t allowed to go in. But instead we played outside by the splash pad nearby and had a GREAT time! So please, please, please be nice to the cast members, even if they turn you away. They have a job to do, and we are all doing the best we can during these difficult times.
5. Grown-ups definitely bring a chain for your mask. You will be hopping in out of buildings all the time; so it’s mask on, mask off, mask on, mask off (did anyone else think of The Karate Kid movies when I said that??). You need to be hands free as much as possible when you’ve got little ones in tow.
6. Light up your stroller for at night, especially at the parks. Believe it or not, there are dark spots in the parks, that includes stroller parking. We put lit up bracelets on our stroller and it made it so easy to find our stroller after coming out of a ride. You can definitely use glow sticks too. Have fun with it!
Once again, I wasn’t able to find the exact product I used, but I got Mickey ones. You can always check the party favor section of big box stores too.
7. Take advantage of the parks during fireworks if your kid doesn’t like the noise. It is SO much to take in for us as adults, let alone little kids! Some children wore noise-cancelling headphones. But if your child is still overwhelmed with things, go on some rides! The majority of guests are at the fireworks, leaving all these rides with little to no waiting time. Plus the parks usually are playing the show in the speakers throughout the park so you can still feel like you are part of the show. If a park does fireworks (Animal Kingdom does not), typically you can catch some at different spots in the park.
8.Socially distanced character meals are still worth booking. If anything, it probably works to your advantage if you have toddlers. Just because your kids may adore watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, they may not want ANYTHING to do with Mickey Mouse giving them a hug! We went to Chef Mickey’s for breakfast and I was very happy that social distancing was in place for this instance. The characters still come to your table to interact with you and still pose for pictures just not within touching distance. It was really nice to have that experience without having to tell Goofy to hit the road because of a toddler being scared.
9. Definitely give your kids time to let loose. My suggestion is to go find the water or playground area in the park before you do any rides or wait in lines. Again, if Disney is a lot for us as adults, just think how it is for the kids! Getting their wiggles out ahead of time may help them feel more oriented in this new space and be a little more cooperative for the rest of your day.
I think I can honestly go on and on about different tips. I cannot stress enough how amazing cast members are and how much Disney caters to families. You need to decide what’s right for you and your family. Hopefully these tips will help you have a safe and healthy Disney COVID vacation-with toddlers!
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When I was pregnant with my first baby, I BARELY skimmed through information about giving birth via C-section. Somehow in my mind I thought if I didn’t think about it too much then I won’t need one! Well, after a looonnggg labor with my baby boy the doctor told me I did indeed need one.
By the time I was pregnant with my second child for various reasons I needed to deliver again via C-section. The difference between the first and second time around was huge, in a good way! So even if this isn’t part of your birth plan or you are about to get your C-section scheduled, here’s a few tips to keep in mind:
Laboring beforehand can impact your comfort level during the surgery. If you are in labor prior to the surgery, your body has already done so much work! The anesthesiologist will make sure that it’s completely safe for them to operate on you; but because your body is more tired you just may feel more sensation during (tugging, pressure, etc.). When I had my second child, it was scheduled so my body was much more rested and able to handle it better.
You will have NO core strength after giving birth. The surgeon has to cut through your abdomen in order to get to your baby. So all the nerve connections between your abs and brain are disconnected at the incision site. So be very gentle and careful when getting out of the hospital bed (use those bed rails girl!) and out of chairs. It will get better as you heal!
Postpartum bleeding will still happen! It doesn’t matter how you will deliver, your body will still need to get rid of all the excess blood involved in making a baby. The bleeding just might be lighter or shorter, or maybe still the same! It varies from person to person. Some moms just love the mesh underwear the hospital gives you to wear; I personally did not. These are the disposable underwear I recommend. I used these with both of my deliveries and they are so comfortable.
Speaking of underwear…. don’t do what I did and NOT buy high waisted underwear. My first C-section I wore my regular bikini style and it rubbed on my healing incision site and it was super uncomfortable. For my second baby I made sure to buy this exact kind of underwear and it was way better. You can pick out different colors but I definitely suggest black (no explanation needed there!).
You will be in painfor awhile, but it will get better with time. Due to potential pain medications you may be taking when going home, you will be under certain restrictions. Typically, you are not allowed to drive for two weeks and not allowed to carry more than 15 pounds (which is basically your baby, diaper bag and/or car seat). Keep this in mind for enlisting help once the baby arrives (please have a plan BEFORE you give birth)! Due to the possible medications, hormones, weight restrictions, you may have trouble going to the bathroom. During your nesting phase I would recommend buying some stool softener to have ready for your postpartum recovery kit.
Even though recovery isn’t smooth (and what postpartum period isn’t?), remember that women give birth via C-section every day. The best thing you can do is rest and do what is best for you and your family. These comments are based off of my own personal birth stories; so always consult your doctor for medical information and advice.
I am borderline addicted to watching YouTube videos, aren’t you? Especially “Mommy Vloggers”, they really are the best! I get so much cleaning, cooking, decorating, and fashion ideas from them.
BUT…..I end up comparing myself, and my home to these ladies. Usually I give myself the short end of the stick with the comparison game. Leaving me feeling inadequate, discouraged, and just overall down on myself-not good at all.
So here’s a few tips that I use myself when I start feeling that way:
Give yourself (and them!) some much needed grace. Remember, that these ladies and their crew have to edit content into a timely video that is still entertaining. Sometimes all day cleaning turns into an all week cleaning for me! You can only do what your day allows you to do.
Break up your projects into much smaller (almost macro sized) time slots. I am currently on a much needed decluttering of my house. If I waited until I had a whole day or afternoon to do it, the kids would be in high school by then! For me, all I can do is find just ONE item a day from each room (kids’ rooms, closets, etc.) to either toss or donate. It is amazing how quickly my donate box is filled up!
Do projects based off of YOUR budget; not theirs! Do you have $500 to drop on organizers at the container store? If you do great, but I don’t and that’s okay too! Maybe all you can squeeze out of your budget is a $10 drawer organizer to FINALLY conquer that junk drawer of yours. Sure, it’s not as satisfying as having the whole house organized but it can bring so much peace to know you have one more place that is neat and tidy.
Remember to be thankful for what you all have. I know that sometimes we underestimate this but it’s so necessary. It’s hard to not envy a person who seems to always be put together, the house is gorgeous, and they have all the best things, but this life is only temporary. Fashion and style changes; if you have a safe place to sleep at night and food to eat then we should consider ourselves blessed!
Maybe take a “break” from watching vloggers!? If you don’t have regular cable like me, this cuts out a lot of entertainment, so this is a tough one! But sometimes it might just be best to take a break from having your eyes on the screen long enough to be able to truly look at your surroundings. This may be true if you are in a difficult season of your life; do what’s best for you at this time. You can always go back to watching the videos that you love with eyes and heart in a balanced spot!
What’s your favorite way to clean and take care of your home? All at once or little by little? Please share!
We did it….we survived our first month with a newborn and a toddler. I knew it was going to be challenging and exhausting but you just never know for sure until you hit the ground running.
I was nervous for months and shed tears with concern of how my son (my first baby) will react to my daughter. Will he hate her? Will he think I don’t love him anymore? Just how the heck do I prepare essentially an older baby for a younger baby?
I am so happy and grateful to report that my son is an amazing big brother. He is always giving her kisses and hugs, it’s seriously so sweet it will make you cry. I am not sure if it’s because he’s so little himself and/or his personality is why it’s working or what. But we definitely try to include him in as much of taking care of her as possible. A downside of him being so little is he isn’t fully aware of everything spatially so he tries to sit next to her and almost ends up sitting on her. Yikes. I’m definitely more on guard then ever before!
So am I exhausted? Oh yeah. Stressed? You betcha. Do we have a messier house? Yes like never before! But I also am trying to enjoy all the chaos, meltdowns, crying along with the smiles, hugs, and fun. Why? Because I know that this is a super special time in our lives with our babies. Soon enough they will be wanting to live their own lives; mommy and daddy will be the farthest thing from cool. But for now I get to sit and rock them to sleep, hold their hands and change their diapers. So many diapers….
If you are in the trenches of parenthood with me, take a moment to soak it all up through your baggy eyes and dark circles. Because one day we are going to wish we could go back in time to this very moment. -Kathy
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