Over the last few months I’ve been going through our baby things and slowly getting rid of things. We’re 100% sure we’re done having babies, and while it’s sad that the baby part of our lives is over, we’re happy knowing our family is complete.

But as any parent knows, babies amass quite the collection of stuff. Our storage closet was literally full of things our kids had grown out of.

As I started going through our kids’ old things, I realized that it was going to take more than just a weekend to get rid of everything. Some things I could sell, some things I could donate, and some things just needed to go in the trash.

If you want to get the most out of your old baby things, you’re probably wondering where to turn. Luckily, I’ve gone through it all and I’ve got a helpful guide so you know what to do with used baby items!

What to Do with Used Baby Items

What to Do with Used Baby Clothes

The thing we had the most of was baby clothes. We only have one girl, so everything she’s grown out of in the last six years was just sitting in storage tubs downstairs. And as for our boy clothes, some of them didn’t last through two boys, but we still had a lot that both of them had worn and we didn’t need anymore.

Keep

I’m pretty sentimental, so when I was going through all the clothes, I chose a few special outfits to keep. What I do with them in the future, I’m not sure, but pieces like what my babies wore coming home from the hospital or some of my favorite outfits, I just couldn’t get rid of. I have a special bin for each of my kids, and along with other special mementos, I decided to keep a few of their baby clothes in there.

Sell

Some of the clothes we had left were nice enough to sell. The easiest way to sell baby clothes is either through a garage sale or through a second-hand clothes store like Once Upon a Child or Kid to Kid. You could post them to Facebook Marketplace too, but that seemed like a lot of work with the amount of clothes we had.

Donate

Donating is what I did with most of our baby clothes. We got a lot of baby clothes for free when our babies were little, and I wanted to pay it forward and donate clothes to other mamas who might need them.

How you donate your baby clothes is up to you. You can either give them to friends who have babies or younger kids, donate them to a women’s shelter, or give them to Goodwill.

Recycle

There’s always a few outfits that are torn or stained from baby food or spit-up, and while you could throw those away, the better option would be to recycle them. I just googled “textile recycling near me” and a whole list of places came up.

What to Do With Used Car Seats

Car seats are kind of a tricky thing to get rid of. You shouldn’t donate or sell a car seat unless you’re 100% sure it’s never been in an accident. I personally would never take a used car seat from someone, just because you never know if it’s been compromised. You can’t drop them off at Goodwill, because they don’t accept used baby equipment, and that includes car seats.

Donate

There may, however, be a way to donate your car seat still. I googled “car seat recycling” and I got a lot of local resources about donating car seats. They did have some restrictions, though (like the car seat can’t be older than five years and it can’t have been in any accidents).

Trade-In

The best way to get rid of an old car seat is to trade it in. Target offers car seat trade-in, usually once a year. You can bring your used car seat to your local Target and trade it in for a coupon for 20 percent off a new car seat, stroller, or select baby gear.

Walmart also offers car seat trade-in one a year, and they give you a $30 Walmart gift card that can be spent on anything in return. However, they do not accept booster seat trade-ins (Target does).

Recycle

Some places can recycle your car seat if the above option don’t work for you. The website recycleyourcarseat.org has different links for different states, so you can check there and see if you can recycle your old car seat anywhere near you.

What to Do With Used Baby Equipment

There are lots of options for getting rid of baby equipment like cribs, high chairs, bouncers, strollers, diaper pails, swings, or changing tables. And depending on what type of equipment you’re getting rid of, some options are easier than others.

Sell

If your baby equipment is pretty gently used, selling it is a great option. I sold most of our old baby equipment via Facebook Marketplace, and that was easy. There are also second-hand baby and kid stores that accept used baby equipment. You can get some decent money back when you sell things, too!

Donate

Like I said before, Goodwill won’t accept used baby equipment, but you can give it away to friends or neighbors, or you can try calling local women’s shelters and see if they’d be able to take things.

Recycle

For anything that’s been through multiple kids and you can’t sell or donate, you may have to recycle them. This gets kind of tricky. Sometimes they’re made of different materials so you can only recycle parts of them, or you may have to take them apart in order to recycle them. Call your local recycling service and see what they’re willing to take. And heads up, sometimes they require a fee to recycle baby things.

What to Do With Used Baby Toys

Keep

If you have any special toys, like a favorite stuffed animal or action figure or something, that’s totally okay to keep. I have my favorite stuffed animal from when I was a kid and now my kids all take turns sleeping with it. Just try to be very minimal with anything you keep.

Sell

Some baby toys you could probably sell for a few dollars. The easiest way to do this is to have a garage sale. Posting them online is going to be a lot of work for not very much money.

Donate

Lots of places accept used toys, like Goodwill, preschools, churches, or charities. As long as they’re in good condition and still work, donating used baby toys is a great option. In some cases, you may need to call ahead and make sure they’re accepting donations, but if it’s like Goodwill, just drop them off.

Recycle or Trash

If the toy is broken, super worn, or generally not in good condition, you should try and recycle it. If you can’t, just toss it.

What to Do With a Used Breast Pump

I looked into selling and donating my breast pump, but there were health restrictions on doing this. So unless you go some back-alley way outside of Facebook Marketplace or Goodwill or something, your’e going to have to recycle your used breast pump (even though that does seem like a huge waste).

Recycle

Some breast pump manufacturers (like Medela) will recycle the pump unit part of your breast pump if you send it in. You do have to pay for shipping, but if you want to be responsible, this is what you should do. The rest (like the breastshields, connectors, tubing, or bottles) should be recycled through your local recycling program.

What to Do With Used Books

Keep

My parents kept a few of my favorite books from when I was a kid, and I really enjoy reading them to my kids now. Especially the ones that aren’t super popular that probably won’t be around in 20 or 30 years.

Sell

You can of course try to sell used baby books. The best way to do this is probably in a garage sale. But there are also websites and stores that buy used books, so you could try that, too!

Donate

I actually haven’t gotten rid of any of our old baby books, but when my kids do outgrow them, I plan on donating them. You can donate books to Goodwill, a library, schools, or a local charity. Books for Africa is a charity that sends books to Africa (obviously). You can send them via mail, or they have a few drop-off locations in the United States.

Recycle

Books are 100% recyclable, so if you have books that are so well-loved that they’re falling apart, recycle them!

What to Do With Used Pacifiers

Trash

Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do with used pacifiers but throw them away. They shouldn’t be reused because they can harbor bacteria, so just toss those babies when you’re done with them.

What to Do With Used Feeding Supplies

I’m including things like bottles, burp rags, sippy cups, and baby spoons, plates, and bowls in this category.

Sell

As long as things have been sanitized, it’s fine to sell these things. I’d recommend selling bottles somewhere like Facebook Marketplace, and everything else is more likely to sell at a garage sale. And you’re probably not going to get much from anything other than bottles. Especially if they were pricey to begin with!

Donate

All of these things can be donated to Goodwill, as long as they meet CPSC’s current standards and haven’t been recalled. Women’s shelters would probably also accept sippy cups, bowls, plates, and spoons, as long as they are in good condition.

Recycle

If any of these things are broken, cracked, or just not usable anymore, recycle them. Burp rags can be recycled as textiles and if your bottles, sippy cups, spoons, plates, and bowls are made of plastic, they can be recycled, too!

Is there anything I didn’t cover? I’ve been through all of our baby bins, and I think I mentioned everything I found here!

What are you motivated to get rid of now? I hope you have fun! And now that you know what to do with used baby items, if you’ve caught the decluttering bug, make sure you head to my post with an on-your-schedule declutter challenge printable!

The post What to Do With Used Baby Items appeared first on Life With My Littles.

You know those moments when you’re in the middle of it all, about to fall apart, and you realize that one day you’ll look back on these days and miss them? As my kids get bigger, I have those moments more and more.

Sometimes they happen when you’re wishing you could be done with a particular stage, and sometimes they happen when you’re enjoying a moment and suddenly realize you may not have many more like it.

They are moments you wish you could freeze forever. Moments that come and go quickly. Moments that as parents, we’ll all look back on and miss one day.

Having little kids is such a joyful, hilarious, exhausting, unique, and demanding time in our lives, and as much as I’m excited for my kids to grow up, it’s also really hard watching them get bigger.

I recently realized that our kids are out of the baby and toddler stages. Our youngest is three, and if I wasn’t homeschooling my other two kids, he’d be in preschool two days a week. I don’t change diapers anymore, I don’t breastfeed anymore, I don’t feel tiny kicks in my belly or have to wake up at night and rock my babies back to sleep. My kids are getting big, and there are a lot of things I’m really going to miss about having little kids.

I’m going to miss waking up early to a tiny face by the side of my bed whispering “I have to go potty.”

I’m going to miss sticky hands, faces, and tables.

I’m going to miss high pitched, squeaky voices talking non-stop and jabbering on about everything that pops into their little minds.

I’m going to miss being tired because I slept on the floor next to my baby’s crib.

I’m going to miss snuggling during naptime, when my littles would curl up and try to burrow deep into my arms.

I’m going to miss hot baby breath right in my face.

I’m going to miss playing Legos on the floor, digging through giant bins of Legos looking for exactly the right one for my kids.

I’m going to miss reading picture books and singing songs before bed.

I’m going to miss packing school lunches and sneaking in treats every once in a while to brighten my kids’ days.

I’m going to miss going through laundry, spraying stains from melting popsicles and rolling in the grass.

I’m going to miss brushing little teeth with tiny toothbrushes and bubble-gum flavored toothpaste.

I’m going to miss holding hands on walks, at the mall, at the store, and in parking lots.

I’m going to miss buckling little bodies into car seats, making sure they’re safe and secure before driving around town.

I’m going to miss the silliness, the laughs, the faces, and the goofy made-up jokes.

I’m going to miss that sweet, fresh, newborn smell.

I’m going to miss soft, fine hair and my kids letting me run my fingers through it when we sit together.

I’m going to miss getting endless gifts of flowers, leaves, and rocks.

I’m going to miss encouraging them to climb to the top of the slide and then catching them at the bottom after the slide down giggling.

I’m going to miss folding tiny clothes fresh out of the dryer.

I’m going to miss watching them run to me and excitedly exclaim “I did it!” when they do something new for the first time.

I’m going to miss making breakfast and lunch for them each day.

I’m going to miss snuggles after bath time.

I’m going to miss taking selfies together, using silly filters and making goofy faces.

I’m going to miss having dance parties to loud, annoying songs that consequently get stuck in my head for days.

I’m going to miss helping my kids with their clothes, putting socks and shoes on in the day and pulling shirts over heads at night.

I’m going to miss being gifted pictures constantly.

I’m going to miss gumless smiles, first teeth coming in, and wiggly teeth falling out.

I’m going to miss holding hands up and down the stairs and walking slow so their tiny legs can keep up.

I’m going to miss watching kids’ sports games and dance recitals.

I’m going to miss the pure, carefree sound of belly laughs.

I’m going to miss tiny voices singing the wrong notes and wrong words to their favorite songs.

I’m going to miss soft baby skin.

I’m going to miss putting bandaids on scratched knees and being the one they run to when they get owies.

I’m going to miss tiny, flat bums.

I’m going to miss onesies.

I’m going to miss they way they run when they’re little, arms flapping, feet stomping, giggling wildly.

I’m going to miss having little kids.

Having little kids isn’t always easy. There are plenty of moments where I’ve been scared, felt inadequate, and hid in the bathroom to get a moment’s peace.

But having little kids is such a magical part of parenting, and while it’s easy to say you can’t wait for your kids to get bigger, you’ll quickly realize that you miss those days once they are bigger.

So I’m holding on to all those little moments, little things, and little hands. It’s not all cuddles and belly laughs, but I don’t want to forget a moment of what it’s like to have little kids.

The post Things I’ll Miss About Having Little Kids appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Hey mamas! Welcome to the thirty-fifth post in my Honest Birth series! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve featured someone, and I’m excited to share another real mama’s birth story, because I think it’s so important to share our childbirth experiences with each other. My goal with this series is to provide a place for women to share their birth stories without holding anything back, as well as compile stories for pregnant mamas to read in preparation for their own childbirth experiences. Every mama is different and every birth is different, and I believe that when we share our stories we help each other.

Today I am featuring my friend Kaylee Jones. Kaylee was one of my sister’s good friends growing up, and I’ve known both her and her husband for almost 15 years! Kaylee and her high school sweetheart-turned-husband Scott have three kids and live in Colorado. Today Kaylee is sharing the birth story of her first boy, who was born just a few months ago during the coronavirus pandemic. If you’re currently pregnant and wondering what birth is going to be like in the middle of all this madness, this is a great story to read!

Read to read her son’s birth story? Here we go!

The Birth Story of Carter Jones

My husband, Scott, and I have two little girls, an 8 year old and an almost 6 year old. We had our little boy 2 months ago. We wanted more children, but because of certain circumstances we hesitated. We prayed often to know when we should plan to try and have more kids. About 2 years ago we received a very clear impression that we were ready. It took us a year of trying before we were able to get pregnant. We hadn’t struggled to get pregnant before, therefore it was a very hard year full of tears, questions, and prayers. We were thrilled when we finally found out we were pregnant in September of 2019. We had no idea about some of the other trials and struggles we would soon face with bringing a baby into the world in 2020 during the worldwide Coronavirus Pandemic.

I had a fairly easy pregnancy, other than dealing with migraines during the 1st trimester and some early contractions, which is normal for me (having had some preterm labor and medications administered with both of my girls to avoid having them too early).

At 28 weeks pregnant, things in the world seemed to be getting crazy. Schools closed and I had to help teach my children as we did remote learning from home. Church was canceled until further notice, and we proceeded to do that from home with just our family as well. My husband, who works as a baker and manager at his father’s restaurant, was not able to work for 6 weeks. Masks were suddenly being worn everywhere and it seemed as if daily things were getting more and more out of hand. This was our life for the rest of the pregnancy and even after our little guy was born.

During this time there were a lot of concerns. Would my husband be allowed in the hospital when our baby was born? Would I have to wear a mask the entire time I was in the hospital, including during labor and delivery? Would it even be safe to have the baby at the hospital? How long would we need to stay away from family and friends once he was here? Will they only be able to see him through a glass door and not hold him? These were just some of the questions that constantly filled me with anxiety during this time. These were questions that never crossed my mind when either of my daughters were born and I couldn’t believe I had to consider them now. There were times I struggled not to let the anxiety become completely debilitating.

On Thursday, May 28th, at 39 weeks, we spent the day getting all our last minute things ready before baby came. We set up the baby monitor, cleaned more thoroughly, got laundry done, and had one last family outing as a family of 4 with a picnic in the park for dinner. We had a feeling that our little boy would be coming soon and spoke to the girls about how that might mean leaving for the hospital in the middle of the night and filled them in on what our plan would be with having their grandparents watch them. Little did we know how quickly that exact plan would be put into action. That very evening my contractions started again. I was up all night and didn’t get any sleep. They were getting more and more painful as the night went on. Finally at 1am I grabbed an apple, turned on “Friends”, and started timing them. They were coming about every 4 minutes and lasted anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute. I was worried about going to the hospital only to be sent home, disappointed that we weren’t going to have our baby yet. Finally, just before 3am I called the doctor, told them what was happening and was told to head to the hospital. I woke up my husband and told him it was time. We got our hospital bag, woke up the girls and got them settled with their grandparents. We said our goodbyes to our sweet girls who were wide awake and thrilled. We knew they probably wouldn’t be getting much more sleep that night as they anxiously awaited to hear the news that their baby brother was born.

We got to the hospital and the parking lot was nearly empty. We checked in through the ER entrance where, before we could enter, both of our temperatures were checked and they asked if we had experienced and shortness of breath, coughing, or had been around anyone with COVID-19. When everything checked out okay, they gave us masks and we were allowed inside. My husband was allowed in with me, but was told once in the hospital he would not be allowed to leave and re-enter. We were brought back where they monitored me for an hour to determine if I should stay or be sent home. Before long, it was determined that we would be staying to have our baby, and I was transported to the labor and delivery room. Once in our room we were allowed to take off our masks, although the hospital staff had masks on at all times. We only needed to wear ours when in the hallways, being transported to different rooms. I was so relieved when they informed me that a week earlier they changed protocol and moms didn’t have to wear masks during delivery. There was limited staff and the hospital seemed almost deserted with only one other patient who had their baby that same day.

I got my IV and got all set up, relieved to know that our baby boy would be born soon. We were so excited to meet him. Around 6am, the anesthesiologist came in and gave me an epidural. Now we played the waiting game as my body progressed for baby to come. Although I was progressing pretty well, they decided to help speed it up a bit by administering a small amount of Pitocin. As I was getting close to being dilated to a 10, they turned down the strength of the epidural so I would be able to feel the contractions and push better.

At 1:50pm, the nurses decided it was time to push and had me try before the doctor came in. At the next contraction I started to push and they immediately told me to stop and wait until the doctor arrived. It wasn’t going to take long for him to come. I waiting about 10 minutes before the doctor and nurses were all there and ready. They were completely covered without a bit of exposed skin anywhere. They had two sets of gloves on, a mask, face shield, and gowns. It almost looked like I was having a C-section the way they were dressed and prepared. There was no doubt that they were taking no chances and no risks, but were taking every precaution to keep both us and them healthy and safe.

It was 2pm when they were ready and told me to push on the next contraction. Our little boy was born 4 minutes later. I pushed through one contraction and he was here. I was able to watch the entire time because there was a light right above the hospital bed that was turned off and reflected it all. I had never watched before but there was something so amazing about being able to watch my baby be born. My husband, who is a little squeamish, has never been one to watch or cut the umbilical cords. This time, the doctor asked me if I wanted to, so I was able to cut the cord as well. They immediately put our little boy right on my chest for skin to skin time. He kicked his feet and managed to climb his way onto my face. The nurses were amazed and said they had never seen anything like that before. He was absolutely perfect – born on Friday, May 29, 2020. He weighed 7lbs 13oz and was 19.5 inches long.

Everything went as smoothly as possible. Other than not being allowed any visitors, it was a wonderful experience. We felt very safe and well cared for, and I have had a smooth recovery as well. We didn’t have contact with family or friends for about a month before he was born and almost 2 weeks after. Finally we allowed our immediate family to visit and hold him. While we have been very cautious, it was so incredibly hard not seeing family once we were home.

Despite how long it took us to get pregnant and the chaos that was going on in the world when he was born, I cannot deny the Lord’s timing. Our little boy has brought nothing but calm, peace, and joy at a time when that has been nearly impossible to find. I will always remember this amazing experience and the incredible blessings there were every step of the way.

Wasn’t that so beautiful? Even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, birth is still such a beautiful thing! Thanks so much to Kaylee for sharing her story on the Honest Birth series! I’m hoping to have some more coronavirus birth stories coming soon, so keep checking back!

The post Honest Birth #35 featuring Kaylee Jones appeared first on Life With My Littles.

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Happy Star Wars Day!

If you aren’t a Star Wars fan and have no idea what I’m talking about, May 4th is Star Wars Day because May the FOURTH (instead of force) be with you! Get it? Yeah, it’s clever!

Anyway, I’ve been planning this post for a long time, since all three of my kiddos are big Star Wars fans. My oldest son has tons of Star Wars LEGO sets, my daughter has a Princess Leia costume and a Star Wars blanket, and my youngest son has a bunch of Chewbacca stuffed animals and loves Yoda and stormtroopers. It’s adorable. And since my kids love choosing their own books, it only makes sense that we’ve read a lot of books based on the Star Wars world (or should I say galaxy?).

We’ve checked out a LOT of Star Wars books from the library, and there are several that we just love. So whether you’re headed to the library soon, or want to build your home library, I’ve got you covered! Today, to celebrate Star Wars Day, I wanted to share our favorite Star Wars books for kids!

Star Wars Books for Kids

Chewie and the Porgs

This book is so cute! We got it from the library and had to renew it several times before my youngest would let us return it!

Check it out

ABC-3PO

A Star Wars ABC book! Each page has little poems about the subject of each letter, and we love it!

Check it out

OBI-123

Star Wars counting book! It goes up to 20.

Check it out

Search Your Feelings

A book all about different feelings (shown with characters from the movies!)

Check it out

Creatures Big & Small

A Star Wars animals book!

Check it out

Star Wars Block

This cute little block has 100 Star Wars words to learn!

Check it out

BB-8 on the Run

This one was actually recently read by Daisy Ridley on the Disney IG page

Check it out

The Galaxy Needs You

A cute book that follows Rey and teaches kids about how unique and special they are!

Check it out

Goodnight Darth Vader

This is one in a series of books by Jeffrey Brown that envision what Darth Vader would've been like as a dad raising a young Luke and Leia. It's hilarious!

Check it out

Darth Vader and Son

Another in the Jeffrey Brown series

Check it out

Vader's Little Princess

Another in the Jeffrey Brown series

Check it out

Darth Vader and Friends

Another in the Jeffrey Brown series

Check it out

Rey and Pals

Another in the Jeffrey Brown series

Check it out

I Am a Sith

We love these "I Am A..." Star Wars books from Little Golden Books! They're so fun!

Check it out

I Am a Jedi

Another in the "I Am A..." Star Wars series from Little Golden Books

Check it out

I Am a Stormtrooper

Another in the "I Am A..." Star Wars series from Little Golden Books

Check it out

I Am a Wookiee

Another in the "I Am A..." Star Wars series from Little Golden Books

Check it out

I Am a Hero

Another in the "I Am A..." Star Wars series from Little Golden Books

Check it out

I Am a Pilot

Another in the "I Am A..." Star Wars series from Little Golden Books

Check it out

I Am a Padawan

Another in the "I Am A..." Star Wars series from Little Golden Books

Check it out

I Am a Princess

Another in the "I Am A..." Star Wars series from Little Golden Books. We actually have this one and my daughter loves it! It shows Leia and all the ways she was a role model throughout her life!

Check it out

I Am a Droid

Another in the "I Am A..." Star Wars series from Little Golden Books

Check it out

Are You Scared, Darth Vader?

This one is so funny! We checked it out from the library and had a good laugh! It's also a fun one to read using different voices!

Check it out

5-Minute Star Wars Stories

These 5-Minute Stories make great bedtime stories!

Check it out

Obviously there are a lot more Star Wars books for kids out there, but these are just some of our favorites. I tried to include books that were geared towards kids of all ages, and it was honestly hard to narrow down our favorites because there are so many!

Whether you’re a fan looking to introduce your kids to the Star Wars world, or you just want some Star Wars books for yourself (no shame!), these 24 books are the books you’re looking for!

The post Star Wars Books for Kids appeared first on Life With My Littles.

I’ve been working from home with kids around ever since I started my blog almost seven years ago. I started when I had a five-month-old baby, worked through having another baby (18-months apart from my first), and then worked through having a third baby two-and-a-half years later.

It’s hard finding time to sit down at my computer and work when I’ve got three young kids who need a lot of attention and care. But it’s something I’ve had to figure out in order to help support our family.

With schools closing for who knows how long, I know a lot of working moms are suddenly finding themselves having to manage working from home while taking care of their kids. No matter how old your kids are, this can be a struggle.

I wanted to share some of my tips for working from home with kids for all those mamas who are feeling overwhelmed with everything that’s going on right now. Hopefully some of what I’ve learned can help ease this weird, difficult situation we’re all in right now!

Tips for Working from Home with Kids

Accept that you’re going to be busy

The life of a work-at-home mom is a busy one. You have to be efficient about your time if you’re going to get everything done. Downtime you usually use for watching TV might need to be used for work, and that’s okay. This is a weird, new thing we’re trying to figure out, and routines are going to be interrupted for a while.

Sit at the table and work while your kids color or do school work

Depending on your workload and profession, you may have to fit in work whenever you can. Sometimes that means working with your kids around you while they do something quiet, and the dining table is a great place to gather and work together!

Schedule when you’re going to work

If you have a set time scheduled to work, it’s easier to follow through and enjoy the rest of your day. Schedule a few hours after lunch to get work in, or a few hours in the morning while kids play. Scheduling the time you’re going to work helps you feel more committed and makes it easier to actually work when the time comes.

Work when your kids are sleeping

If you’re a morning person, get some work done before the kids are up. If you’re more of a night owl, stay up after the kids are in bed and work. And if your kids still nap, work during nap time! I don’t wake up early or stay up late unless I have a lot of work to catch up on, and I usually only stay up at night because I am not a morning person, but if this will work for you, take advantage of it!

Set up a work space

If you don’t have a home office, set up a designated space for work. A space where you don’t have to clean up all you’re working on every time you take a break, where you can have some privacy and focus on your work instead of what the kids are watching on TV. We’ve used one of our bedrooms as an office for the last few years and it’s made a big difference in my productivity.

Remember this won’t be forever

This is just a temporary situation. No one can say how long it will last, but it’s going to get better one day. Kids will go back to school, parents will go back to work. Do what you have to to make it work.

Remember you aren’t alone

Nothing like this has ever happened in our lifetimes, so we’re all feeling the same way. We’re all just trying to do our best to make things as normal as possible for our kids while keeping them and us safe and still doing our jobs, whether that be full-time mommin’ or working from home for the first time. It sucks a little bit, but we’re all going through this together, and there are lots of other mamas you can reach out to who can relate.

Utilize quiet time

Quiet time is still a struggle for me with my oldest, but we’re working on it! Set a timer for quiet time when you work so kids can see how much time they have left, and then check in on them a few times. Quiet time doesn’t have to be super elaborate or full of pre-planned, themed activities. It can be as simple as doing some mazes, word searches, or color-by-numbers, playing a puzzle game, doing an actual puzzle, reading, or building a town with LEGOs. If you have younger ones, I’ve also put together some great ideas for quiet time with toddlers.

Give yourself grace

It’s okay if your kids watch a lot of TV so you can get your work done and support your family. It’s okay if everyone stays in their pajamas all day and you have cereal for dinner. You’re doing what you have to right now, and nobody can tell you the right way or the wrong way to get through this. Be patient with yourself, and if you have a rough day, the good news is that you can try again tomorrow! You’ve got this!

Set up a rewards system

When your kids are good at playing on their own (especially during quiet time), reward them. It can be something as simple as an extra snack or an extra episode of their favorite TV show. You can come up with a different rewards system for each kid, or stick with the same thing. I’m all about bribes and sometimes there’s no way I can have time to work without them.

Put on a movie and lock the door when you have calls to make

Remember that video that circulated a while ago of the guy on TV who was working from home and his kids burst in during an interview? Don’t be that guy! If you have conference calls or video calls or team calls, put a movie on for your kids and then make sure there’s a locked door in between you and your kids. That way you won’t have any interruptions.

This last week has been the weirdest week of my life. Regular things are so completely different, and it’s been hard for me to adjust. Fortunately, my kids are adjusting to being home just fine! They’re so resilient!

If you’re among the many moms who are now working from home instead of in an office, I hope these tips will be helpful. Working from home with kids can be a challenge, but it’s one that you can absolutely overcome. Figure out what works for you and cling to that. Stay positive, look for the good, and don’t falter. You’re awesome, amazing, and you’re going to get through this!

Check out the other posts in my Stuck at Home series here:

• 36 Things to Do With Kids
• 10 Things to Watch With Kids
• 35 Things to Cook With Kids
• 7 Ways to Stay Connected With Friends and Family

The post Working From Home with Kids appeared first on Life With My Littles.

This post contains affiliate links.

I breastfed my first baby for eight months, my second baby for six months, and my third baby for 13 months. During that time, I figured out a lot of things that made nursing easier, and a lot of things that sounded cool, but really didn’t make a difference.

Since it’s always helpful to pass on information to new mamas, I wanted to throw together this list of breastfeeding essentials with all the things I loved having on hand for breastfeeding! Hopefully it helps a new mom who was just as unsure about what she needs as I was the first time around!

Breastfeeding Essentials

A Notebook and Pen

From the day we got home from the hospital to the day I stopped breastfeeding, I recorded what time and for how long my babies would eat. The doctor at the hospital recommended writing it down so I could make sure my first was eating often enough, and it was really helpful! I wrote down the times I started and stopped and what sides I started and stopped on (because I have a horrible memory!).

With my first baby, I also ended up recording when I gave him his vitamin D, when he had a bath, and how many wet and dirty diapers he had (only for the first few weeks). There is a lot to remember when you have a baby so writing down how often you nurse is really helpful. And I kept my notebook on a side table next to my chair so I would always have it handy.

A Clock

Preferably a digital clock so you can be more exact, but this goes along with writing down how long your baby eats. Of course if you’re using your phone and the notes section on your phone, that would count for the clock, too, but it really helps to have a clock right there so that you can know how long your baby is eating. Sometimes they may eat for less and you might want to remember that so next time they can eat more.

Nipple Cream

Nipple cream is a lifesaver, especially in those first few weeks when your nipples aren’t used to breastfeeding. There are few things worse than a dry, cracked nipple.

There are two kinds of nipple cream that I like. Lanolin was what I used with my first two babies. It’s like super thick, almost waxy, lotion (that you don’t have to wipe off before nursing) and it saves you. I used a little tube of Lansinoh lanolin, and since you don’t need a lot when you use it, I only went through one tube for each kid.

With my third baby, I used Earth Mama Nipple Butter. It’s lanolin free, organic, and doesn’t have any parabens or artificial fragrance. It works just like the Lansinoh lanolin, but it’s a little more natural. Whatever kind of nipple cream you get, just get it before your baby is born because even if you’ve nursed before, you will need it as soon as you start nursing your new baby!

Nursing Bras

You definitely want to invest in a nice nursing bra (or two). I can’t imagine trying to breastfeed without one. I actually got a cotton one and then a regular underwire one so that I had one to sleep in and one that was more supportive during the day. I talked to a lot of other mamas and even compiled a list of where to find the best nursing bras that you can look at if you have no idea where to start!

Nursing Pads

When you breastfeed your baby, you will leak. It can be a lot or a little, but you definitely don’t want to be out in public and soak through your shirt. Nursing pads are absorbent little pads that you just stick inside your bra and they save you from embarrassing leaks. If you don’t know how to choose the right nursing pad, there are disposable and washable nursing pads. What you choose will definitely be based on your personal preferences. I personally like the disposable ones more, but I know lots of mamas who like the washable ones more. It’s good to try out both and then see which you like more!

A Comfy Chair

A few months before our first was born we bought a new couch and recliner set and they were so comfortable. We decided to put the recliner in our baby’s room and use that instead of buying a rocking chair because once I was done nursing him we could still use the chair. I used it to nurse all three of my babies, and we still have it today. You could also get a rocking chair, but repurposing it after you’re done nursing might be a little harder. And whatever you get, make sure it’s comfortable enough that you can sit in it for long periods of time!

A Tablet, e-Reader, or Smart Phone

With my oldest son, I loved nursing with my Kindle Fire by my side. By the time my youngest was born, smart phones were fancy enough that I just used that while I nursed. Nursing can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes (especially in the beginning). And just sitting there watching your baby can get old, no matter how cute and precious they are. Having a way to get online or watch a show is amazing! And it really helped me during night feedings because it helped me from falling asleep while nursing!

Nursing Cover

If you’re the type who isn’t comfortable nursing in public, you’ll want one of these. I made myself a nursing cover for under $5 and it was super helpful whenever we went places for more than a few hours. But if you’re fine pulling your shirt up whenever, that’s fine, too!

Boppy Pillow

I used the same Boppy pillow to nurse all three of my kiddos. The few times we traveled and I didn’t have it with me, I tried using a regular pillow or nothing and it just wasn’t the same. Out of everything on this list, my Boppy is probably the most important of all breastfeeding essentials. The Boppy makes it so much easier because you don’t have to hold your baby up as much and you can have an arm free. And bonus, the Boppy can be used for tummy time and helping baby sit up too, so it’s got multiple uses.

Breast Pump

Regardless of whether or not you’re planning on pumping exclusively, I would recommend getting a breast pump. A breast pump can really help alleviate the pain and discomfort that comes along with engorged breasts, whether that’s from your baby not eating much, baby sleeping through the night, or something else. Another reason why having a breast pump is handy because if your baby has baby food for a meal or you have to be away from baby during a time you would feed them, you can pump and help yourself not get engorged. The website Aeroflow Breastpumps is a great resource for getting a breastpump through your insurance!

Breastmilk Storage Bags

If you are going to be using a pump, you will need a place to store the milk, and storage bags are the ideal choice because you can easily put them in the freezer and save milk for a few months if needed. Plus, it’s gut-wrenching to have to pour freshly pumped breastmilk down the drain. I used the Lansinoh storage bags and they were perfect.

Note: Another cool product that I’ve discovered since breastfeeding to store breastmilk are Milkies Milk Trays. They let you freeze breastmilk in 1-ounce increments. Super helpful for when you only pump a little bit!

Burp Rags

Burp rags are definitely a breastfeeding essential because if you have a baby who spits up when you burp them, you won’t want that getting all over your clothes. I also used my burp rags while I was nursing by tucking them into my bra so that if my babies didn’t quite get everything, it didn’t run down and get my bra wet. Burp rags are really handy and I definitely wouldn’t start feeding my baby without one close! I made a bunch of DIY burp rags for all of my babies, and they lasted the whole time I nursed!

So there you have it, my complete list of breastfeeding essentials! Breastfeeding can be awkward and hard at first, but it’s such a special experience and a great way to bond with your baby (not to mention a good excuse to go be alone for a few minutes!). And if it doesn’t work, it’s okay to stop breastfeeding. Formula exists for a reason!

This post was originally posted June 16th, 2014.

The post Breastfeeding Essentials appeared first on Life With My Littles.

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When I was pregnant with Little J, I decided I wanted to make my own burp rag and bib sets. So I made a bunch of sets with all these cute boy fabrics I found and I LOVED them. The burp rags I made were incredibly easy, I packed them in his hospital bag when he was born, and I used them the entire time I nursed (eight months).

The best part was that they lasted that long, and I’m sure they would last even longer if I wanted to keep using them, but I definitely wanted to make new girl burp rags. Hence, this tutorial!

Note: I used the first set of burp rags I made with my second son four years later, and they still held up great!

Now when I say these are the easiest and best burp rags you will ever sew, I really mean it. Two rectangles of fabric sewn together, flipped right-side out, and then topstitched. I am not kidding, they are that easy.

So now that you’re not scared of this sewing, let’s dive right in!

Yield: 2 burp rags per 1/3 yard

The Best (and Easiest) Burp Rags You Will Ever Sew

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: easy

This is the easiest tutorial for a burp rag you could make! Only three steps, and they are the best DIY burp rags!! Great for easy baby gifts, and they last through multiple babies!

Print

Materials

• 1/3 yard minky fabric, prewashed
• 1/3 yard patterned fabric, prewashed
• thread to match

Tools

• Cutting Mat
• Rotary Cutter
• Ruler
• Sewing Machine

Instructions

1. Cut a rectangle 10×18″ out of both the minky fabric and the patterned fabric. I used my cutting mat and rotary cutter and it made it so easy.
2. Sew the two rectangles together, right-sides together, with a 1/2″ seam, leaving a 1″ opening in the middle of one of the edges.
3. Flip the burp rag right-side out, and topstitch all the way around, including on the opening to close it.
4. Just kidding, there isn’t a step four. You are done! I told you that was insanely easy! And they work so well.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Cutting Mat Ruler
• 
  Rotary Cutter
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  Cutting Mat

The minky is super soft on baby’s face, and the cotton is breathable and you can pick any cute fabric you want!

I love the set I made for baby girl and I can’t wait to use them!! These also make for great gifts!!

Good luck and happy sewing! And if you want to try out sewing something else for baby, you can use my tutorial for a standard car seat cover or a quilted car seat cover! Or check out my best and easiest bib tutorial!

This post was originally published on September 4th, 2014.

The post The Best (and Easiest) Burp Rags You Will Ever Sew appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Well I finally got my 7-week-old to sleep. After trying two different swaddles, a pacifier, patting his back until my new mom tendinitis kicked in, rocking him, and trying to nurse him three separate times, he is finally in his crib sound asleep. At least until he wakes up in two hours and we get to go through it all again.

Being a mom is hard. From the second you find out you’re pregnant and have to spend the next eight months feeling nervous, uncomfortable, and tired all the time, being a mom is hard.

Then you have to push a 7 or 8 pound watermelon-sized baby out of a teeny, tiny hole, and even with an epidural that’s still no walk in the park.

Then you go through the newborn stage where you are more tired than you’ve ever been before, sleep only in two-hour increments, and constantly have some kind of bodily fluid on your shirt. You change endless diapers and feel like you’re an on-demand milk factory, not to mention that if you have older kids who also need taking care of, you’ll feel stretched very thin because they’ll need feeding and care and attention, too.

We recently had a day that started at 5am with the 4-year-old and 2-year-old waking up before the sun and getting out toys to play with. That night my 7-week-old had only gotten a few hours of sleep, and the rest of the time he spent crying and eating, which meant that I had only gotten a few hours of sleep, and the rest of the time I spent trying to calm him and feeding him. We decided to go to Target to bolster our moods and get a few groceries and of course, my daughter dropped half a bag of popcorn all over the floor. Later in the day while I was feeding baby boy, my older two were playing in the backyard. When I finished, I went out to tell them to come inside and found that they had been playing with the water tap on the side of the house and were both soaking wet and covered in mud. I gave them both baths while our colicky newborn cried in his bouncer the whole time. Not to mention that on this particular day, my husband was working from 7am-10pm. I was asleep with the TV and lights on when he came home.

Sometimes I have moments where I feel completely overwhelmed and I’m just in survival mode trying to make sure everyone is fed and has clean diapers or undies on. Sometimes I don’t enjoy being a mom. It’s hard having to wake up every two hours every night to take care of a baby with colic, and sometimes, I feel like I’ve lost a big part of myself. Life is very loud and very wet these days. There are times when I don’t know how I’m going to make it without a few more hours of sleep.

And that’s okay. It’s okay if you don’t enjoy every moment of motherhood. Nobody said you had to enjoy being covered in spit-up and running on 3 hours of sleep while cleaning up a bowl of cereal your toddler spilled at breakfast.

There are times when everybody is crying and I feel like I’m about to lose it, too. Sometimes, I do lose it. Sometimes I have to lock myself in the bathroom so I can have a break from being touched by one of the tiny human beings I made. Sometimes it’s all I can do to regain my composure and gather the strength I need to go back out again.

There is nothing else in the world that has brought me the spectrum of emotions that I have gone through having and raising my kids, and I’ve only been a mom for four years. It’s physically exhausting, often maddening, and sometimes it hurts my heart, but oddly, I have never been so happy.

I wouldn’t want anyone else to have my job of raising these three perfect, albeit messy and wild, children. I love being the one who does things for my kids. I love that I am the one they come to if they scrape their knees or get their feelings hurt. That’s my job, and I don’t want anybody else to have it.

Yes, this is just another blog post about how being a mom is hard but worth it, but can we ever really read enough of those kind of posts? I say no. We can always benefit from encouragement and support and from knowing that we aren’t going through this alone. It takes a village to raise a mother. We’re never alone, and it’s okay if you don’t enjoy every moment of motherhood.

Being a mom is hard. But part of the job description is that we never stop trying. Eventually, we figure it out and before you know it, the part we thought was hard is over. I may be in the trenches right now, but I know that one day, I’ll look back and remember the good moments along with the bad.

And so will you. You’ve got this, mama.

This post was originally published March 27, 2017.

The post Being a Mom is Hard–And That’s Okay appeared first on Life With My Littles.

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I am a list person. I make grocery lists, to-do lists, lists of things I want to buy, lists of things I want to make. I’m a list person. So needless to say, I had a whole big list of things to do before while I was pregnant before my first baby was born.

It was actually super helpful because not only did it keep me busy until he got here, the things I did were things that helped me out once he was born, too. I wasn’t rushing around trying to get addresses for announcements or worrying about little things like what we were going to have for dinner once we got home, because I had prepared before he was born. I was able to stay relaxed and enjoy the time with our new bundle of joy!

This list I’m sharing today has 25 things to do before your baby is born to help make having a newborn easier and more enjoyable for you! These are 25 things that I personally did that you may or may not find helpful. They aren’t in any particular order, and if you have anything else to add, feel free to leave a comment and contribute! (Or check out my post that has 15 more things to do before your baby is born!)

25 Things to Do Before Your Baby is Born

1. Pick a birth announcement

If you live far from family and friends, or if you just want to show off your perfect new baby (who doesn’t want that?), a birth announcement is a great way to introduce your newborn. You can either do something simple yourself by copying something on Pinterest or you can use a photo website with premade layouts (Shutterfly is a great one!).

If you decide what you want before your baby is born, you won’t have to stress about picking a birth announcement after they’re born.

2. Gather and print addresses

If you do decide you want to send out birth announcements, it can be even more stressful to gather all the addresses and figure out who you want to send them to after baby is born.

The solution? Gather them all before! You can compile them all into a Word document with a label template and print them out while you are pregnant so once you get your announcements, you just have to put the sticky labels on the envelopes and pop them in the mailbox.

Plus if you work on it while you are pregnant you can have time to think about who you want to send them to.

3. Get a waterproof bed pad

Not for baby, for you. My husband and I have a nice pillowtop mattress that my parents bought us when we got married, and I was not about to have my water break on it and ruin it. I was very worried that if my water did break in the middle of the night, we would have to leave fast and the amniotic fluid would do some serious damage to our mattress while we were away at the hospital. So instead of being nervous to fall asleep as your due date approaches, invest in something like this waterproof bed pad that you can just put under the sheets on your side of the bed.

And don’t try and be cheap and think you can get one of those plastic drop cloths that you use for painting. I tried that at first and it made way too much noise for me to even be able to fall asleep. Which at that point in your pregnancy you need to try and get as much as you can between the ten bathroom trips each night. And even if your water doesn’t break until you are at the hospital, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

4. Pack your bags

Since you never know when baby is going to come, the sooner the better with this one. You should pack a hospital bag for you, a hospital bag for baby, and if your husband is smart, he will let you pack a little bag for him.

I had my bags packed and sitting by the front door a month before my due date. Yes, I was excited, but I was also prepared!

Here is a list of what I packed in my hospital bag, and here is a list of what I packed in my baby’s hospital bag.

5. Get your carpets cleaned

Now this may not be appropriate for everyone, but living in an apartment that has nasty carpet and weird stains from the previous tenants made me really want to get our carpets cleaned because I knew we were going to be spending a lot of time on the floor with our new baby.

So, about a month before my due date I went and rented a Rug Doctor machine and cleaned our carpets. Not only did they smell amazing and look amazing after, I felt much better about our Little J rolling around on the floor. Plus, if you haven’t done this in a while, it might be a nice thing to do before baby is born because after, you are not going to have time (or energy) to do this.

And here’s a tip: I did a Google search for some coupons and called around at a few stores to get the best deal. So if you are going to add this to your list of things to do before your baby is born, do some research and get the best price!

6. Pick a pediatrician

If you don’t have a pediatrician yet, ask friends, look online at websites like healthgrades.com (but be cautious of how many people have reviewed them), and see if your hospital has contracts with any local offices so they can come to the hospital and visit your newborn right after delivery.

It’s much easier to have this done before you have your baby because you don’t want to be at the hospital holding your perfect little baby and have a minor panic attack when the nurse asks you who your baby’s pediatrician is and then tells you how soon you need to schedule your first appointment. Having a pediatrician picked out prior to your baby’s birth is nice because you can get home and immediately schedule their appointment without worrying about if you are calling a good one.

Some pediatricians actually will let you come meet with them while you are pregnant for a kind of “meet and greet” appointment. I actually did this the month before our first baby was born and felt very good about the pediatrician my friends recommended. One less thing to worry about!

7. Pre-wash baby’s clothes

Again, this is something you don’t have to do and which won’t be for everyone, but I did it with all three of my babies’ clothes (especially after I got all my first son’s clothes out of storage!). I used Dreft because it’s hypoallergenic and I loved the way it smelled. It was really fun to wash, fold, and put away all of their tiny clothes!

8. Invest in a nursing bra (or two)

If you decide you are going to nurse your little baby, you will want to get a few nursing bras. You aren’t supposed to use underwire until you’ve been breastfeeding for three months, and I personally like ones without because I can use them when I’m sleeping and still be comfy.

I would definitely recommend getting at least one nursing bra because trying to put nursing pads in a regular bra and readjusting them every time you feed baby is pretty tough and it’s just easier to have an actual nursing bra that clips and makes things easily and quickly accessible for when baby is screaming because he’s hungry.

9. Check to see if your insurance covers a breast pump

If you are going to nurse your baby, a breast pump is really nice to have for the times that you won’t be able to nurse baby or for when baby decides to sleep through the night and you wake up engorged and crying in pain because you have two rock-hard lumps on your chest.

This particular point was very important for me, because the hospital called and got the wrong information from someone at my insurance, and after being told it was covered, we got the fancy breast pump, only to find out four months later that it was not covered at all and we owed like $300.

I would recommend calling yourself (maybe even a few times to verify information) to see if your insurance covers a breast pump. If you aren’t sure what kind of breast pump you want to try, this post of the best breastfeeding products talks about both manual and electric pumps.

There’s also a company called Aeroflow Breastpumps that does a lot of the work for you, and while I haven’t personally used them, I’ve heard great things about them making the process of getting a breast pump through insurance easy!

10. Make freezer meals

My best friend and I were due two weeks apart with our first babies, and we got together a month before our due dates and made a ton of freezer meals. This is a fun idea because it can take one day or it can take a few days (and when you are getting close to your due date you want to keep yourself busy). Our tiny freezer had almost no room for anything else after two days of making freezer meals, but it was so worth it. 

My husband and I found out that the recipes that we liked most were actually not crockpot ones, but ones that were casserole-like and were baked in the oven. Lasagna, pasta, chicken fajitas, those types of meals were our personal favorites.

And making freezer meals is really nice for after baby is born because once your family goes back home and you are left alone, the last thing you want to do is make a hot meal for you and your husband. Here’s a great post about freezer meal tips and recipes to make before your baby is born!

11. Attend classes at your hospital

Most hospitals offer free baby classes for expectant parents. I would highly recommend checking to see what kinds of classes you can take.

My husband and I signed up for three, and even though he only went to one and I only went to two, it was really helpful. I took a notebook and filled up multiple pages with things like how to give baby a bath, how to care for a circumcision, breastfeeding tips, how to swaddle baby, and how to change a diaper (somehow I made it through life without changing a single diaper until my first baby was born).

Plus you can ask the teachers/nurses any additional questions you might have. And you may even make some pregnant friends who are due around the same time!

12. Install baby’s car seat

I seriously think I drove around for about five weeks with an empty car seat in the backseat of my car before my first baby was born. Car seats aren’t super hard to install, but you don’t want to get to the hospital and realize that you left your new baby’s ride at home.

A lot of places will offer car seat installation checks where you can bring your car in and they will check to make sure you’ve installed the car seat correctly. I was going to do this with our first until my husband made fun of me and told me he knew what he was doing. I did however go and do this with my second baby, despite him mocking me. I also took our our convertible car seat in to get checked when we got that. Very helpful.

For more information about keeping kids safe in their car seats, check out this post about 8 Car Seat Mistakes You Are Probably Making.

13. Bake cookies to thank your nurses

I know this one is kind of silly, but it’s a nice gesture! And this obviously shouldn’t be done until pretty close to your due date, but it is really nice to have a bag of cookies that you can give to the nurses once you are officially checked into the hospital.

And if more than a few days goes by and you aren’t in labor, it’s always nice to have a bag of cookies waiting for you to make you feel better. You can make more for the nurses after you eat the first batch.

14. Get 2 waterproof mattress pads for the crib

I think most people probably only have one waterproof mattress pad on their crib, but we layered a waterproof crib mattress pads and then a fitted sheet, and then another mattress pad and another fitted sheet. That way, when your newborn wets the bed or throws up in the middle of the night, you can just pull the first layer off and they still have another protective layer there in case it happens again. You don’t want to be trying to wash and put on a new mattress pad and sheet in the middle of the night! 

It’s definitely worth the extra bit of money to have a spare mattress pad on the bed. Trust me, you’ll be grateful in the middle of the night!

15. Paint your nails

This may seem silly, too, but you are going to be taking a lot of pictures at the hospital holding your new baby, and since you probably won’t feel your best after your baby is born, it’s nice to have a little bit of glam to make you feel better!

I painted my nails a nice baby blue color (since I was having a boy) and it actually turned out really nice for the pictures that we had taken at the hospital.

16. Buy some “in-between” clothes

One of my friends actually suggested this and I didn’t do it the first time around and I regretted it.

As much as you want to be your pre-pregnancy size after your baby is born, it will not happen immediately. And since you won’t be pregnant anymore, you probably won’t want to wear your maternity clothes. So before you have your baby, go buy some “in-between” clothes that you can wear until you fit back into your regular clothes.

I really wish I had done this the first time because I couldn’t fit back into any of my jeans or shorts until my baby was about 2-months-old, so I ended up wearing sweatpants or my maternity pants until then. And without a large, round belly, the band on my maternity pants sagged and wasn’t the best self-esteem booster.

So, before you have your baby, just get a pair or two of in-between pants, and maybe a few looser-fitting tops. PinkBlush Maternity has some great clothes for looking good during and after pregnancy.

17. Look through your baby’s baby book

If you haven’t gotten a baby book, I highly recommend it. There are usually sections you can fill out before your baby is born about you and Daddy, the day you found out you were pregnant, the ultrasound, and things like that.

Plus you can see if there is a spot for a newspaper clipping from the day they are born and baby hand and footprints. Otherwise you might not remember to get a newspaper or baby’s footprints in the actual baby book. And it’s cute to see the pages that talk about baby’s birth and you will cry and be excited and scared and thrilled all at the same time while looking through them (yes, that is from personal experience).

18. Charge your camera battery

I know that everyone has a smart phone and can take pictures on their phones, but I’m old-fashioned and I love taking pictures on my DSLR rather than my phone.

My camera takes really nice pictures, and it was nice to be able to have my phone as a backup instead just in case. Plus, you will be taking like a million pictures at the hospital of your perfect new baby so you want to make sure your camera can handle all that pressure.

19. Do a test run to the hospital

If this is your first baby, or you haven’t delivered at the hospital you are planning on, it is always a good idea to do a test run and see not only how long it takes you to get there, but to make sure you know exactly where to park and go once you get there.

I didn’t think the signs outside of our hospital were super clear and it was nice to go and make sure we knew where to park and then where to go in and what floor to go to and everything. Because once you’re in labor, you don’t want to waste any time.

20. Stock up on hand sanitizer

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about having a baby, it’s that people will ALWAYS ask to hold them. It’s nice to have some hand sanitizer stashed around your home (especially by the changing area!) and in your bag so that when people do ask to hold your baby, you can politely have them sanitize their hands first, since there’s not always a sink around to wash hands.

21. Make your birth plan

Some OBGYNs or hospitals will give you a sheet to fill out, but some don’t, so it’s always nice to be prepared and at least feel like you are going to be in control. Your hospital may provide you with one when you pre-register, or you can check out this helpful post with things you should include on your birth plan.

It’s important to remember that your birth plan is Plan A, and sometimes, for your health or the health of your baby, things will have to change. Your birth plan should discuss your ideal birth situation, but you also need to remember to be flexible when the time comes and not panic if you can’t do everything the way you wanted. The most important part of a birth plan is that you cover all possible situations so you can prepare ahead of time and you won’t have to make decisions when you are in the moment and your nurse is asking you what you want to do.

You can fill in things about how you want your labor to go, what you want to do during labor, who you want in the room with you when baby is born, and if you want the chance to breastfeed right after baby is born. It is a really handy tool to have, and it can help put your mind at ease about delivery, even if you don’t completely stick to it during labor (which you probably won’t!).

22. Get a special baby notebook and folder

Both before your baby is born and after, you’ll probably get a lot of handouts and a lot of information. It’s really helpful to have a special place to store papers and write down all of the things you are told, because you’re most likely not going to remember everything they tell you right before you are discharged and sent home.

I also decided to use my notebook to write down questions that I might think of at home so that I wouldn’t forget to ask them while we were at the pediatrician. And for the first few months, I also recorded when my babies ate, when we bathed them, and how many wet and dirty diapers they had.

The folder is really handy because you get a lot of paperwork at the hospital and instead of shoving it all in your bag, you can nicely store it in your folder and keep it organized so that when you get home you know exactly where to look for that handout on immunizations. If you decide to go to baby classes at the hospital you can also use the notebook and folder for information you get there.

23. Get a package of milk freezer bags

I actually didn’t even think about using these for what I’m going to tell you, but I wish I would have because it would have helped a lot. If you are going to have a pump, having a box of milk storage freezer bags is really helpful.

Sometimes baby decides he doesn’t want to eat on one side and you get engorged and it’s miserable. It’s super handy to have some milk freezer bags so you can pump and then save the milk that you pump so that later, if you are going to be away from your baby, there is some milk for him ready in the freezer.

Sometimes you’ll get engorged and need to pump just a little bit so that you can sleep at night. It’s a waste to pour milk you pumped down the drain, so go ahead and freeze it! These 1 oz milk trays are the perfect way to freeze just a little bit of milk so it won’t go to waste!

24. Look up a newborn photographer

Some hospitals have contracts with baby photographers and they will actually come around to your rooms while you are there and take pictures. We were lucky and had the chance to get our first and second babies’ pictures done while we were still in the hospital. Check to see if your hospital has something like this, and if they don’t, you might want to start looking around for a newborn photographer. Or, if you want to save money but still want pictures of your perfect baby, you can look on Pinterest at the many tutorials on how to photograph babies on your own.

If you’re doing baby announcements this is especially handy, because once your baby is born you don’t want to have to try and look around for a photographer last-minute. The last thing you want to do after giving is birth is to stress about finding the perfect photographer and getting good pictures. It’s nice to plan ahead and have that all set up before.

25. Make Daddy feel special.

A lot of times the mom gets pampered and showered and the dad can feel left out. Let him know how much you appreciate him and the support he has given (and will give you during labor) by putting together a special “new Dad” kit for him.

I put in some soap, some Pop Rocks, tissues, a few books about daddies, a sports onesie, some Sour Patch Kids, some Diet Mt. Dew, air freshener, earplugs, and a few other little personal things to make life as a new dad easier. Not only was it fun for me to put together, it was nice to be able to be able to recognize his part in all of this, too!

Most importantly, just get excited! I know it is the worst waiting around for your baby. Then once your due date passes you are just trying to do everything you can to pass the time. Just enjoy it and try to relax. Babies come when they are ready, and when they do, it is an incredible experience.

This post was originally published in August 2013.

The post 25 Things to Do Before Your Baby is Born appeared first on Life With My Littles.

I want to start this post by saying that I have never had a miscarriage. I don’t pretend to understand what it feels like, or what someone who has had one must go through. But I have had a lot of friends who have, and I know that it is not talked about nearly as much as it should be. My husband and I struggled with infertility, and I felt so alone in that journey. My goal with this post is not only to give advice on how to help someone who has had a miscarriage, but to create awareness at how common miscarriages and infertility are.

In the last few years, two of my best friends have had miscarriages. Each time, I was absolutely heartbroken for them. One of my biggest fears is to lose a baby, and I couldn’t imagine what they went through. The first time I felt like I had no idea how to help her, and even though I wanted to do what I could, I didn’t know what to do. The second time, I was able to reach out in a few different ways to help care for and comfort her. I know that I was able to help lighten her burden, even just a little bit.

When I first started doing research for this post, I posted on Facebook asking my friends to message me if they felt comfortable sharing their story and what was helpful for them when they had a miscarriage. I had so many people send me messages telling me what it was like for them and what people did that helped them get through it. Miscarriages are so much more common than you might think. Between 10-20% of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage (source). So even though it’s not something people openly talk about, miscarriages happen at least in 1 out of ten pregnancies. I don’t tell you that to scare you, only to make you realize that they aren’t as rare as you might think.

So what do you do when your friend or sister who was so excited to finally be pregnant tells you that they lost the baby? I talked to eight different women who gave me advice on what helped them the most to come up with this list. I am so grateful for their openness with me and that they were willing to talk and share their experiences. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to write this post.

How to help someone who has had a miscarriage

1. Acknowledge that you don’t know what to say

If you haven’t had a miscarriage, you might not know what to say. And you definitely aren’t going to know how they feel. So say that. One of my friends said that when someone told her “I wish I knew what to say,” it was exactly the right thing for her because she was acknowledging that she hadn’t gone through it and she didn’t know what her feelings were like at that time. Which is completely true. Don’t pretend like you know what they are going through. You don’t. And letting them know that will really help.

2. Give them a gift

Another friend told me that she heard of a girl giving someone a flower to plant that would bloom every year so she could remember her lost baby. Something physical to represent the baby that was lost that can be displayed is a great way for them to remember the baby. People who have miscarriages don’t want to forget their baby, no matter how early they lost their baby. It was still theirs. Even making a fleece tie blanket she can wrap herself up in is a simple thing that can make a difference. Other more simple gifts could be a condolence card if you are far away, or even sending flowers can help lift someone’s spirits. Making an effort to try and help can mean the world to someone who has had a miscarriage.

3. Give them a hug

Several of my friends said that receiving hugs really helped them out. Even if you aren’t a huggy person, sometimes just being held can really help. So just stop by and give your friend a hug. Honestly you might not need to do much more than that.

4. Just listen

Don’t try to fix their problem, don’t try and get them to be grateful for their other kids, don’t try to give advice. Just listen to them. Let them talk about how they are feeling, and then be there so they can cry on your shoulder. Husbands are great, but sometimes you need a third party for support. Be that person for someone.

5. Let them know you are thinking about them

Whether you are close or far away, send them a text, give them a call, or just do something to let them know that you are thinking about them. Knowing that people care is going to help them feel loved, and a lot of my friends said that that was what they needed most. So reach out, tell them you are thinking about them, and that will mean a lot to them.

6. Give them some alone time

They might just want to be alone, so ask if you can take their kids for a few hours so they can nap or pay for them to go get pampered somewhere. Sometimes they might just want to think about it by themselves, so let them. Give them a chance to do something for themselves without worrying about anything else. And if you offer and they say no, that’s fine, too. This might not be for everyone, but give them that chance because it might be what they need.

7. Take them out so they can do something normal

Some people might want to distract themselves for a few hours so they can take a break from the pain they are going through. So go out with the girls for ice cream or for hot chocolate. Go get your nails done together. Do something you might do on a girls’ night out. Just be around friends and have fun doing something together.

Losing a baby is not something I would ever wish upon anyone. To those who have gone through one (or several), I am so, so sorry. Always remember that you are not alone, and you are loved.

I want this post to help others know what to do for someone who has had a miscarriage. My heart breaks for everyone who has ever had one. I can’t imagine the pain that accompanies it, and I think it must be even worse because women don’t always feel like they can tell people. We need to take away the stigma that comes with miscarriages, and be more open and supportive. A baby is a baby, whether it is born or not. Please help me share this message by sharing this post. We need to help women who have had a miscarriage know that they are not alone.

Again, I want to say thank you to all of my friends who talked to me for this post. I couldn’t have written this without you.

This post was originally published May 11, 2015.

The post How to Help Someone Who Has Had a Miscarriage appeared first on Life With My Littles.