Baby Essentials

Tucker is 6 Months

October 2, 2019

I can’t believe our little nugget is 6 months old! He is growing so fast and time is just flying. I am trying so hard to soak up every moment with him and enjoy those middle of the night feedings (no, he is still not sleeping through the night) and early morning wake-up calls. Tucker is such a joy and we are all smitten with him. Weston is obsessed with his “big belly” and Hampton and Sophie are the best little helpers. They love to make him laugh and play with him on his play mat!

Update: Tucker is still refusing a bottle, but I am hoping to get him more used to the taste of formula by mixing it with cereal to see if that helps him at all. We will see. Also, as stated above, he is not sleeping through the night, but we are about to start sleep training him. I am dreading it, but I think it will make a huge difference for all of us.

Currently, Tucker is still sleeping in and loving his Dockatot. The Dockatot helps the crib transition so much. I am so thankful for it and wish I had known about it with Hamp and Sophie. He is loving his little toy car and his Sophie Giraffe (all of my kids have had one and loved it). He still sleeps in a sleep sack some night and we swaddle him with his arms out some nights. He still loves his bottom half to be swaddled, so we are doing that until we start sleep training, then we will use the sleep sack, only.

Another item we have loved is our baby bouncer. We used the same one for all 4 kids and it has been wonderful. He is getting too big for it now and can get his legs out of the buckle. We joke and say he is our Houdini baby. He can get out of just about anything.

I can’t believe our little caboose is already halfway to ONE. We are having so much fun with him and when he smiles at us with those big blue eyes, we all melt.

Tucker’s 3 Month Favorites

July 22, 2019

I can’t believe our sweet boy is 3 months old (and really close to 4 months, now)! He has truly been a light in our life since he was born and has brought so much joy to us! He is happy little guy (most of the time ;)) and has the sweetest personality. He reminds me so much of Weston, but also gives us some Hampton looks pretty often. He is the perfect baby to complete our family. Even as I write that, I am apprehensive because I am having a hard time saying that he is our last, but he is (unless a miracle occurs).

Cuddle and Kind Doll c/o

Life since having our sweet boy has been another big adjustment. I feel like every time anyone has a child, the entire family goes through an adjustment period and we are still in ours if I’m being completely honest. I have been nervous about school starting up and trying to get everyone on a schedule that works. It is a lot with young kids. I am so outnumbered, but we have fun with it. In addition to giving you guys a brief update, I wanted to share some of our 3 month favorites!

Like Weston, Tucker LOVES sleeping in the Dockatot! This thing is a lifesaver. If you are currently expecting, I can not recommend this enough. We also love these swaddles and this sleep sack. He used the sleep sack the first couple of months, but has outgrown it, so I need to buy him the next size up. We also love these classic sleepers because they are just easy and so affordable. For babies this age, I think simple is best. I don’t like to buy the expensive sleepers because they WILL stain and the baby outgrows them so fast. It’s not worth the money.

I also can not recommend the Haakaa manual breast pump enough! It is AMAZING and every breastfeeding mom needs one or two! They are extremely affordable and I take mine with me everywhere! Here are some more of Tucker’s favorites:

3 Month Favorites:

Why We Are Using Baby Probiotics

September 28, 2018

This post is sponsored by Evivo but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I wanted to tell y’all again – thank you so much for all of your congratulations and well wishes on our baby announcement Monday! We are so thrilled to finally share this secret with you all. It has been a hard one to keep. Y’all know we are big fans of probiotics and fell in love with Evivo baby probiotics after I had Weston. I used them for a short time with him towards the end of our breastfeeding journey and I am so excited to use them again with our newborn this spring.

How to Get Kids Settled For Bedtime

July 31, 2018

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TrustinGentle #ChooseGentle #CollectiveBias

I know we have all been there…our kids are sick (or maybe it’s an every night thing) and absolutely nothing you do seems to get kids settled for bedtime. I’ve been there. In fact, I am the one who’s kids seem to struggle on a nightly basis. One night in particular was a little worse. This past New Year’s Eve, Sophie broke out in a terrible rash and was running a really high fever. The fever started out low the day before, but it spiked this day. She looked so pitiful and like she did not feel good at all, so I quickly called her pediatrician and they recommended I go to a 24 hour doctor’s office (as they were closed). We were there for 4 hours.

My sick (could barely hold her head up) 2 year old had to wait 4 hours to see a doctor. She ended up having strep throat and scarlet fever. The doctor sent her a prescription to our usual pharmacy and by the time we got there, they had closed. I had no idea what to do. It was nearly 11p.m. at this point and I knew I needed to get that medicine in her as soon as possible. I called the doctor office back but they were closed. I started to drive around, not really knowing what to do, when I saw it! Walgreens was OPEN! The drive-thru ws OPEN! I didn’t even have to get out of my car!

I wasn’t sure if they could get her medicine for me, but after talking to the super nice pharmacist, he worked with us to get her perscription and filled it immediately! After frantically driving around after an already exhausting night and a very sick toddler in the back seat, I was so so very thankful! Ever since then, we have used our new preferred pharmacy – Walgreens! They have always been so helpful and are always open. Even more so, they are a pharmacy and retailer who cares.

Now, Walgreens is our one-stop-shop for all things baby! JOHNSON’S® – the brand you trust is now more gentle than ever! JOHNSON’S® baby products have relaunched at Walgreens and I loved their easy-to-find display! As a mom of three under 5, we have gone through a fair share of JOHNSON’S® products over the last several years. It is the #1 choice for hospitals and is now more gentle than ever! A new look from the inside out! There is also a brand new product on the shelves – JOHNSON’S® COTTONTOUCH™ Newborn Wash & Shampoo! It absorbs fast and feels so soft and is great to get kids settled before bedtime!

JOHNSON’S® baby products are 100% gentle and free of paragons and phthalates. They are dye and sulfate free making them worry-free for moms! There are now 50% fewer ingredients with over 90% naturally derived ingredients. I also love that they added the pump top to the bottles making them so easy to use. I already have my hands full enough at bath time! 9 out of 10 parents recommend these simpler and gentler products! JOHNSON’S® continues to evolve with the millennial mom to keep up with the changing needs of mom and baby. They maintain the safest ingredients while staying true to the brand people love and trust.

On a normal night when we are all feeling well but still struggling to get our kids to bed, I have a little routine that really helps! This is something my grandmother actually taught me to do and it really works! When you feel like you can’t get kids settled, try this!

How to Get Kids Settled for Bedtime:

We give the kids a warm soothing bath with our favorite JOHNSON’S® products from Walgreens. This allows them to get some of that late night energy out and they feel good and clean afterwards. Don’t you always sleep better after a good bath? Babies do, too!

Next, I put JOHNSON’S® lotion on them and put their PJs on. We crawl into my bed and read a bedtime story. Sometimes more than one, but we try to choose one a night.

Lastly, I tuck them in bed and if one is not wanting to go to sleep, I lay down with them (lights off) and tell them a story in a soft low voice. Before you know it, they will be snoring! Works every time!

Now through 8/25 you you can buy 1 get one 50% off all JOHNSON’S® baby products with your savings rewards card! Get this special offer here! #TrustInGentle

What Baby Eczema Is Telling You About Gut Health

July 30, 2018

This post is sponsored by Evivo but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

All three of my children have suffered from baby eczema. They are doing so much better after making a few changes to their diet and products that we use, but for a while it was such a problem. I hated seeing them constantly scratching and seeing the red dry patches on their beautiful little faces. It was frustrating not knowing what to do about it and having a lot of different opinions coming at me from all directions. That is, until I started doing a lot of research on baby eczema and how your baby’s gut health can contribute to that along with allergies colic and a host of other issues. A lightbulb went of in my head when I read this because my oldest son was a colic baby and had the worst eczema out of all of them. Being our first baby, we had no idea what what to do about it. Was it normal? Were we doing something wrong?

How to Keep Your Baby Healthy and Happy for Life

September 20, 2017

Each baby is so different. Even my three- having all come from the same mother and father are completely different in their make-up, strengths, weaknesses, preferences, etc. One thing that I think every mother has in common is that they want to keep their baby healthy and happy. Isn’t that why we try to sneak vegetables into mac and cheese and give in on that toy on the checkout aisle? We all want the same thing: a happy and healthy baby.

Artifact Uprising: The Perfect Baby Book for Busy Moms

September 18, 2017

Hampton’s baby book is full of every first, every monthly photo, every little fact about him. Sophie’s has very little in hers, and I had not even started on Weston’s…that is, until I received the Artifact Uprising baby book! This baby book has made it so easy to put together photos and all the special moments I want to remember forever. To all my busy moms out there, this one is for you! I have had no time since becoming a mom to three (under 4) to do anything “extra” and that includes putting together a baby book. It is the phase of life we are in, and I am content with that, but I do want to have all of these memories gathered in one place to look back on.

Ten Month Favorites: A Letter To My Ten Month Old

September 11, 2017

I can’t believe you are ten months old! Where has the time gone? Your life is flashing before my very eyes. I feel like you should still be a newborn, but overnight, you have become my bouncing happy baby boy. You light up the room with your big toothless smile and your hearty chuckle. You have the most beautiful blue eyes and the sweetest demeanor. A few of your ten month favorites include your lovey, MAMS soothers, your Dockatot, cars, bananas, pulling my hair and wrestling your sister. You can definitely hold your own, little buddy!

What’s In My Diaper Bag (VIDEO)

June 20, 2017

This post is sponsored by Mommy Knows Best. All opinions are my own.

Hi guys! So, this is my first video, and I am so excited to be answering one of my most asked questions from y’all: What do I keep in my diaper bag for all three kids. So, I am spilling my bag, literally, and showing you what all I keep in my diaper bag! Click the link below to watch!

Products featured in the video:

Maternity belt – http://amzn.to/2sxP3d4

Nursing pads – http://amzn.to/2sQv0JN

Bottle bag – http://amzn.to/2rAcNMk

I hope you enjoyed watching! What do you keep in your bag for multiple kids?

What I Keep In My Diaper Bag for Three Under Three

April 26, 2017

Recently, I noticed my diaper bag getting heavier and heavier. I decided to finally clean it out, go through everything and reevaluate what I really needed to keep in there for my three babies. I found out quickly that I had accumulated a lot of extras that did not need to be in there. I definitely have to carry a diaper bag because my kids are all very young and still need quite a few things.

Cinda B. Diaper Bag

Top // Jeans // Sandals (similar)// Sunglasses // Bag