Guest Post From Andrea @ Messy Nest Mama

Hello Foxy Friend! I hope you had a good weekend. I'm on my way back from vacation, so I have one more guest post for you! I'll be back tomorrow with a blog hop with my fellow Blended Blog ladies to showcase our favorite kitchen tools! Today I have another wonderful Mama, Andrea, from Messy Nest Mama, talking about getting your baby to sleep through the night. Funny enough, I have been meaning to write this post too, but every single thing she wrote here is exactly what I would have written too! So now I don't have to write it, okay take it away Andrea!

The idea of your baby sleeping through the night may make you laugh out loud, but it is possible,  I promise! I felt the same way a few months ago. I thought I would never sleep more than a few hours again in my life. Out of desperation I began reading up on baby sleep and found some things that really worked for us. These are my seven tips to get your baby to sleep through the night. They worked for this zombie mama and I hope that they work for you too! First I want to offer a disclaimer: my baby is not a perfect sleeper. Levi sleeps through the night most nights (8pm-6:30am) and some nights he wakes at 5am. Every now & then we have a really rough night & he's up at 1am and 5am. No baby sleep plan is foolproof. Babies go through many growth spurts and developmental leaps & as mamas we try to help them through as best as we can and that is where these tips come in! I will include affiliate links to the items that we use and love- be sure to check those out!  

Seven Tips to Get Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night

  1.Follow a routine- Plan your day around the EASY plan.

• Eat- Feed baby
• Activity- Play time
• Sleep- Nap for baby
• You- Time for Mama to relax or take a shower

By feeding baby first you ensure that he has plenty of energy to get in a good, full meal. This is very important as you will see in tip 2. To learn more about baby routines I read On Becoming Baby Wise and found it very helpful. Do not associate Babywise with cry it out- the author discusses letting baby fuss for a very small section of the book. The books main focus is getting to know your baby and creating a great routine for baby. This book has been a huge help for me! There is also a great Facebook group called Babywise Mamas that may be a good resource for you! 2. Be sure baby is getting full feeds- It is very important that baby takes full meals during each EASY cycle and does not just snack. You should start encouraging full meals from birth. You can do this by making sure baby does not fall asleep while eating by tickling his feet and back, removing his clothes, or simply taking a quick break from eating to refocus on the task at hand. Keep that little cutie awake and alert!

   

3. Pay close attention to wake times- Each baby has an amount of time that they can handle being awake before they become overly tired. Suggested Wake Times Birth- 6 weeks- 45 minutes to 1 hour 6 weeks- 3 months- 1 hour to 1.5 hours 3-6 months- about 2 hours 6-9 months- 2.5 to 3 hours 9-12 months- about 3 hours This time includes the feeding. So if it takes your newborn baby 45 minutes to nurse (Levi was a slow nurser) then they may be ready for a nap right after eating, especially during the first few weeks.

The key is to watch for sleepy cues

Sleepy cues include:

• yawning
• sudden crankiness
• rubbing eyes

As soon as you see a sleepy cue it is time for a nap ASAP! Then the YOU part (aka Mama time) starts! Be sure to use at least one cycle (or two!) to relax and enjoy the quiet. The cleaning can wait!   4. Use a white noise machine This can be a fan, air purifier, radio on static, or a white noise machine. Babies are used to the noisy sounds of the womb and will find white noise comforting. It will also help drown out the sounds of the house and other family members. We love the Nuk air purifier- puts out the perfect amount of noise and helps keep the pet dander of our golden retriever mix down! Find the air purifier by clicking here.   5. Swaddle I am a big fan of the swaddle for babies under three months old. There is not a lot of room in the womb! Babies are used to being in a tight space in their mamas bellies and find comfort in being held tight. From birth, swaddle your baby for night time sleep and naps. We used the Halo Swaddle Sleep Sack and loved it. It has a two way zipper so that you do not have to remove the swaddle during middle of the night diaper changes- this is key! Find the Halo Swaddle Sleep Sack by clicking here.   

 6. Bedtime routine Establish a bedtime routine that you can follow every night. Be sure to separate feeding from bed by at least twenty minutes. Our nightly routine consists of bath, nursing, book, prayers and then bed. My husband & I really enjoy our bedtime routine. Both of us really love spending this quality time together as a family reading books and praying. My favorite book for little ones is On The Night You Were Born. I still cry when I read it to Levi- it is just the sweetest book! Find a routine that works for your family & that you can stick to every night.

   

  

7.Establish day & night During the day be sure that you keep the house bright and open the curtains. Get out of the house for a walk or sit on the porch to catch some sunshine rays! At night keep the lights low, close the curtains and keep things quiet. This will help regulate your baby's internal clock.
 

 

Andrea Kelly quit her day job to become a stay at home mom. She started blogging to warn new moms that motherhood is the scariest hood you will ever go through. Check out her tips & survival guides at www.messynestmama.com. 

Don't forget today is the last day of the giveaway! Last chance to win $150!!! What are you waiting for hop on it and get to entering!

Guest Post From Adreonna @ The Keele Deal

 Happy Friday Foxy Friends! Another fabulous guest post today, this time it's Adreonna from The Keele Deal, she's a cute mama, raising a sweet little man and traveling and exploring is her thing with her hubby. Now onto a real life story...that's kinda funny.

A couple of nights ago we needed to run to the grocery store for a few things. As we were getting ready to leave I gave our toddler the car keys, this is a common ritual at our house. (Our little guy likes to hold the keys and walk to the van, then he will hand them back so we can unlock the door and get him in his car seat.) I gave him the keys thinking we were about ready to walk out the door, then my husband remembered he needed something upstairs so he ran up and then I got distracted by something. Then we heard the toilet flush! At first we didn't know if he still had the keys when he flushed the toilet or not. Once we searched the whole house twice we finally acknowledged what we already knew, he had flushed the keys. In case you're wondering, YES a set of car keys will go down the toilet. Knowing the car keys had gone down the toilet here are the next steps we took.  

This post may contain affiliate links

Step 1: Search the House AGAIN!

I know we already searched the house, but we really, really hoped that he had dropped the keys somewhere before reaching the bathroom. No such luck.

Step 2: Google - Can Keys get flushed down the toilet?

Keys are heavy (especially when there are like 4 of them on a ring), they can't get flushed, right? Wrong! After searching on google I found that it's quite common for keys to get flushed down the toilet by toddlers as well as adults.

Step 3: Google - How to Get Flushed Keys Out of the Toilet

There are a surprising number of articles about how to get your keys back after flushing them. An article on eHow says all you need is a wire coat hanger.

Step 4: Discuss if you really want the keys back

Yes, Jared and I really talked about if we would want to use keys that have spent time in the toilet. We came to the conclusion that since they are metal they could be sanitized.

Step 5: Try to get the keys back

After finding a wire hanger Jared spent 10+ minutes trying to get the keys out of the toilet.

Step 6: Go back to Search Results from Step 3

The other options we found included taking the toilet off and trying to see if it was still in the back of the toilet or calling a plumber. Since we are renting we decided taking apart the toilet probably wasn't the best idea, and a plumber is more expensive than getting new keys.

Step 7: Give up on getting your keys back

Step 8: Search for Toilet Locks on Amazon

These Toilet locks are a best seller on amazon, plus they are inexpensive and easy to install.

Step 9: Order Toilet Lock for EVERY toilet in your house

If your smarter than me you will install toilet locks BEFORE your toddler gets your keys.

Step 10: Make New Copies of Your Keys

 

Have your kids ever flushed anything down the toilet? Did you get the item back?

 

Adree is a mom of soon to be two kiddos, from the west living on the east coast. She loves traveling, photography and doing everything she can with her family. She blogs about everyday family life as well as family travel.  

Guest Post From Kristie @ The Offical CEO Mom

Hello Foxy Friends! Today I have my first guest post from Kristie who is a kick butt mom doing her entrepreneurial thing. Today she is taking a break from that so she can talk about enjoying motherhood. Take it away Kristie!

Ayden, my third child, was born on my birthday weighing in at 7 pounds and 4 ounces! He came in screaming so the whole floor could hear him :). It was the most beautiful moment; more precious than I could have imagined.
I remember reading a blog post that I came across via Pinterest about how different it is to have three children. She wrote how you change how you parent by the time you have your third child. She wrote how you start out super overprotective with your first, wanting to get the best and most expensive items for your child. Things dial down a bit with the second and by the time your third comes, they are basically on their own. It was a really funny post. But my journey was quite different.

When I had my older two children, I was young and had no idea what I was doing half the time. I had to lean on my mom a lot. I enjoyed being a mother, but I was also working and going to school. I missed out on a lot. This time around, I am able to be more present. I am able to be at home and enjoy each and every one of Ayden's growing moments. I am older and more mature. Thankfully, I am in a place where I am able to take care of him. Watching him grow over the past few weeks has opened my eyes to just how much I have grown.

Ayden was in the NICU the first few days after he was born. I spent every moment I could next to his bed; all day and all night. I only went home once to take a shower. Sorry, baths just were not of importance at that time! It was very hard to deal with. Tears would fall the moment a nurse would try to encourage me.
But what I learned from those few days was just how strong I am as a mother; something I briefly lost sight of.
He is a fighter. Despite the threats of pneumonia, failing lungs, and other breathing issues, I was able to bring my baby home. I left that hospital with a whole new perspective on motherhood.
 
Being a parent of one child is not easy. Three is definitely serving up to be a challenge; a beautiful one.
Finding balance has been a journey all on its own. But we are finally getting the hang of things.
I have found my joy for motherhood again. I look forward to packing lunches, homework sessions, and late night breastfeeding. Some days I sit and thank God for giving me these lives to raise and mentor through life.
Some of the parents I met in the NICU are still there, some of those babies won't get to come home at all. I am blessed to be a mother; I am blessed to be Nya, Micah, and Ayden's mom.
 

Kristie is a freelance social media strategist and a mom of 3. She has a passion for moms and strives to help them reach their business goals. You can connect with Kristie easily on Twitter (@ceomomblogs). This post was originally posted on theofficialceomom.com

Mommylogues by Work It Mommy

Happy Monday all! Today we're off to get Baby Fox assessed for Kindergarten, yikes! Then Friday we are finding out his teacher assignments and Monday we start school! Holy Cow!

Today I am over on Whitney's blog, Work It Mommy, talking about my experiences going through both an epidural and a natural (totally on accident, yes I screamed a lot and am fairly certain if someone in the hospital wanted a natural child birth, they were seriously reconsidering after listening to me), child birth. Click here to go check out what your birth plan really means!

First picture with Baby Fox

First picture with Mini Fox.

Linking up here

I'm Guesting Posting On Simply Annie

Hi all! I know, I know, it's Saturday and I'm posting, who am I?! I am guest posting over at Annie's blog, Simply Annie today! Although a new blogger friend, she's just the sweetest. She and her husband have the cutest little girl. She's a yoga lovin', doesn't sugar coat real kind of gal who you'll all love!

I'm over on her blog today talking about getting a workout in with kids. How are there enough hours in the day?! You have to make time, obviously, but I tell you how I try to fit in some exercise into my schedule!

Here's that time I was rushing out the door to get to the gym for my class and wore every color in the rainbow, oops! But hey, I got it done!

Taken after class and most people were gone

So head on over to Annie's blog to check out my post!