5 Tips for Working from Home with Toddler/Baby

I know this Pandemic/January has made a lot of us work from home or be completely home-based. I’m going into my 4th exclusive work from home year. 

So trust me when I say- BEEN THERE DONE THAT! 

It can be a roller coaster of emotions. 

3 Black Children's Books by Black Authors

It’s sooo important to find books for your little ones that inspire them and show that their skin colour is represented and celebrated. It gives a sense of pride and hope in them to know that people that look like them have achieved great things. I want Ava Rose to grow up knowing that she is special and has the potential to accomplish whatever she sets her mind to, just like the black people she’s seen and read about. 

If you want to inspire pride in your children and make them feel like they’re represented, I suggest you grab these three books during your next bedtime story session!

Covid Summer Baby Bag Checklist

Lately, we have been taking Ava out on little excursions (obviously while social distancing). So far, we went to the zoo, a big park and to the splash pads. We're just trying to slowly add some normalcy to our life. 

One thing I've noticed is that I have add to add a few "extras" to diaper bag. 

I thought that it would be a perfect time to share them as I know some parents are now starting to ease up and go out.

Here is what's in our baby bag.

Decluttering 101: Tips for New Moms

As a first time mom, I accumulated a lot of stuff. A lot of gifts - mixed in with a few purchases. Now that Ava Rose is almost two. We decided to get rid of half of the stuff and keep the best ones for baby #2 *Whenever we are ready for that* 

When it comes to decluttering your space, there is honestly no right or wrong way to go about it. Everyone has their own routine that works for them but for someone like me who is extremely sentimental... it takes forever for me to start. Best outlook to have - It all comes down to simplicity and minimizing unnecessary things in your space!

21 Mommy bloggers share their toddler routines and activities

It’s crazy how things change so quickly. I am grateful to stay home and have my family safe... But I’m not gonna lie- I can tell how bored she is. There’s not much I can do to change the boredom especially with me working but I decided to give her her own space in our living room.

Most of the stuff we already had! The only thing that I purchased was a table set from IKEA which was extremely affordable at $30 CAN. My husband purchased the toy box plus she made me that lovely art in the background for Mother’s Day. I thought it would be a perfect addition to her space. I love that she has a place that she can go when she feels like she wants to sit down and eat or quietly play.

Easy Fun Easter Activities for the Family

Every year I try to come up with new and exciting activities built around Easter. This year I have created my top three family fun Easter activities that all can join in to create memories. But, most of all this holiday is near and dear to my heart because it is the celebration of Jesus- which is important to teach our kids!

Family Fun Easter Activities

The Best Way to Introduce Food to a Picky Child

I am not sure if your kids are like mine! They love to eat pizza, chicken nuggets and tater tots all the time! Those are mom’s quick go-to’s on those long days of working and juggling motherhood. But, seriously kids are picky they hate veggies and anything that has texture! It feels like mission impossible at times.

So what do you do?

Get creative! That’s what you do… super creative in the nutrition world for kids!

Life Update + Tips for Choosing Child Care

A while back I wrote a blog post about being a Self Employed/Entrepreneur Mom and Working from Home with a Baby. I’ve never knew how much love that would get. As fun as it was having her at home (seven days a week with me)- I know that she was getting bored and it was requiring me to take a lot of time out of my schedule to play/entertain her. Which is fine some days BUT when you have deadlines!! Not ideal. I always felt horrible having to have the TV on in the background at times.

After extensive research and moving houses- I decided to get "help". Making sure that she was with the best care. How extensive are we speaking? I mean going to four of the best day cares in my city within 48 hours. Which was insane but literally allowed me to compare them with fresh eyes. We decided on one which was completely out of my traditional ideas of a daycare but she loves it.

HOW did I do it?

Decluttering Tips that you Need to Know if You're a New Mom

A mother’s job is hard enough! We have to stay organized and know where everything is at a moment's notice! Especially if your child is having a meltdown and not able to find what they are looking for. How many times do you go to a store and your child begs you to just buy one more toy, game or craft. In the back of your mind your thinking “oh geez”… MORE clutter to add to the mess. We have to constantly organize and declutter their spaces!

One golden nugget of truth is from when children are young always include them in the clean-up stages to help them be responsible and take pride in their space … bonus they tend to remember where things are too! It’s so hard to stay ahead of the game by cleaning and decluttering areas to help ease our stress but in the long run, keeps kids entertained and they learn as time goes on. I’m happy I came up with this plan- so I would stop doing double the work!

Here are my top tips for decluttering spaces

Self Employed/Entrepreneur Mom: Working from Home with a Baby

Deciding go back to work and not take a full mat leave was a hard decision. I started working "again" when Ava Rose was four months. FYI- I took two months off to prep. Let me reiterate that this is one of the hardest things that I have done BECAUSE I also decided to go to school part-time as well. Looking back on it- it was extremely WILD but I had to do it. 

Why did I go back? 
Living on one income can be tricky because you honestly have to cut back on a lot and I'm spoiled. Well I'm used to doing what I want/when I want. Having to look into my resources to do things I wanted/ having to possibly not do it. NOPE. Not the life for me.

My support system: My family/mostly my mom dedicated a good amount of time a week to come and watch Ava while I caught up on sleep/school work/emails. My brother would come and watch the baby during my classes. This is in addition to help from my husband/dad of course. 

Review: Maxi Cosi Magellan Car Seat

I’m happy that I had to opportunity to be a Maxi Cosi mom from day one! I know if you read my Maxi Cosi Lara Travel stroller post. You will know that we requested the famous Zelia stroller from our family (pre-Ava Rose) and I’ve been in love with it ever since. We have been using the bucket seat from when Ava came home from the hospital in my car until 6 weeks ago.

The things about babies/toddlers is that they grow fast. Oh boy, do they grow fast. I mean I just bought a whole bunch of clothes for Ava like 2 months ago and she has already grown them out! Since she is now 16 months and super tall for her age. Recently we started noticing that she no longer comfortably fits in to her car seat in my car. I tried to prolong it as along as I could... But we knew it was time for an upgrade. I was also super lucky and grateful Maxi Cosi gifted us the Magellan Car Seat.

Three tips for your baby when using baby pouch foods

I recently wrote about my thoughts on baby led wending and it was suggested that I also write about baby food as well. We actually still give them to Ava as a "snack' after her naps. It's quick- it fills her up. Plus she just eats them on her own (very little supervision needed)!

Just like everything out there you need to pay attention and follow safety/handling procedures when giving them to your little
one. This will make sure that your baby does not get sick.

Resort Vacation Must-Haves for Babies or Toddlers under 2

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that our first family vacation was a bit of a mess. We ended up in Bahamas at the same time as a hurricane. Thankfully, we were in a part of the island that just got a lot of rain and crazy wind... but it honestly could have been so much worse. I don't mean to be overdramatic but I low-key feel traumatized by it. Thankfully, we got home safe and sound.

I am doing to toot my own horn. I did an AMAZING job figuring out what to pack for the baby. That I even OVER packed. I am also so thankful for all the moms I connected with before my trip to figure out what items I should bring for Ava.

My Quick Thoughts Baby-Led Weaning

Starting your baby on solid foods is somehow both fun and daunting. Solids is a huge stage in their development and a sign that you're doing everything right, but it's also stressful. 

• When are you supposed to do it? 
• How much do you give? 
• What is the best way? 
• How can you make easy on your baby?

Four Tips for Travel with a Baby 1 Year Old or Under to Prevent Heat Exhaustion

In September, we went our first family vacation. It was a mess. Two words: Bahamas & Hurricane. I did an amazing job at making sure my baby was cared for when the rain subsided and the sun was OUT! Man it was hot! A bearable hot but the type of hot that would be exhausting for a baby or infant.

The last thing I wanted was ANY heat-related illness- for all of us. Thankfully all those tips that i researched when Ava was a few months-old we're so helpful.

FYI - all of this is pretty self explanatory BUT you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to forget about the simple things when your away from home. 

SPF Is your friend

Please don’t forget to pack this in your suitcase. A lot of people feel like just because they have melanin that they don’t need sunscreen. That’s a complete lie! Wear it! A cool perk from my hotel was that they offered sunscreen to guests on the beach. I should add that there are kid-friendly options as well! On top of that - keep your little ones head fully covered. I had a few bucket hats that I rotated for Ava.

Bottles: Glass vs. Plastic Pro vs. Con

I remember back 20 years ago when glass bottles were the norm. Yes I’m that old. We started Ava on plastic and silicone based bottles... which I don’t regret but there are a few benefits to glass bottles that we have observed in the past few months.

Thank you to Dr. Browns they gifted us Options Glass Wide-Neck starter set!

Not sure if you seen these in-stores but they feature an anti-colic vent system. If you have a baby who takes in a lot of air or gas. You totally need a paced flow! These help reduce feeding issues, helps digestion and also helps to preserve vitamins. I'm thankful that they added nipples for 9+ months for Ava Rose. I waited until baby girl was at least 10 months before I introduced these bottles because I wasn’t sure of the weight and overall sentiment that she would have towards them. 

She does so well with them! I wish I started earlier.

Guest Post: Toddler Hair Care

In the Black community, the topic of natural hair is seemingly never-ending and personally, it’s a favourite of mines. For all intents and purposes, I have two girls ages 2 and 2 months but I will focus on my toddler’s hair care in this blog post.

Charlotte was born with a head of curly hair however, the crown of her hair grew a bit faster than the rest so for awhile, she looked as if she was sporting a fro-hawk. Back in 2009/2010, I learned that the key to what makes black hair thrive (in terms of health and thus, length retention) was moisture and since then, I have implemented the LOC method for myself and even more intentionally for Charlotte’s hair.

The LOC method stands for Liquid, Oil, Cream. This is the specific order that one must apply product to the hair to ensure maximum moisture retention. Similarly, there is the LCO method that stands for Liquid, Cream, and Oil. Since I am such a big advocate for natural hair in all its forms, I implemented this method when Charlotte was about three weeks old.

Crib safety in Canada

As a new mother, I swear nothing gave me more anxiety than then crib.
It stayed empty for like 3 months!

Convincing my little one to finally fall asleep is hard enough at one (All she wants to do is play), but when I put her down in her crib I want to know that she's going to be safe and secure. I heard too many SIDS stories via online and heard about too many close calls that I had to do a lot of research before putting baby girl in there. There are a lot of articles and blog posts that talk about official Canadian crib safety standards. I’m not going to lie some are over dramatic and if your a new mom like me... We just want to learn some simple tips for making our baby's crib safer. Thankfully my months of research has you covered!

Here are a few things I've learned from reading up about crib safety online and speaking to other moms about keeping your little one safe during sleep time.

There are a few obvious ones that I think we all know, like don't give your newborn baby a blanket to sleep with (even though I know it's tempting on cold nights). The best alternative is a sleep sac! We had a few for baby girl that we purchased and received as a gift.

Review: Maxi-Cosi Lara Stroller

Can we talk about strollers for a minute? 

I remember when I was 30 weeks and the hunt to find one (that had everything I wanted) was tricky. I knew I wanted a bassinet stroller which came with a car seat. FYI: Super important for leaving the hospital. I was extremely grateful that the Maxi-Cosi Zelia stroller just came out on time and met my full expectations. I was even luckier that I put it on my baby registry and my brother purchased it for us. We have been rocking it ever since.

We always knew that when the time came that we wanted to get a travel stroller as well. 

Why? 

When my Ava and I are just out shopping- it's all fine but the minute I need to take her up a flight of stairs we're in trouble. Thankfully I only had to do this once so far and my husband was there BUT... I remember the struggle. And I don’t want to have to do all that again on vacation.

A few months ago, I started the hunt because we wanted to travel a lot this Summer. I knew that meant that a plane would be included and thinking of everything we have to carry is stressing me out and we haven’t even left yet!!! Plus the thought of struggling with a big stroller through the airport and the narrow aisles of a plane is giving me nightmares. 

Thankfully, I found a solution. I was gifted the Maxi-Cosi Lara stroller.

REVIEW: Dreambaby Mayfair Converta 3-in-1 Playpen Gate

The best thing about being a parent is watching your little one grow up. Every new milestone is exciting! Ava Rose is so smart! I just love the way how she catches on to things. Their process of learning how to crawl is no exception, even if it is the “belly/military” crawl (like what she is doing). The scary part is that it makes you realize just how dangerous your house is. 

Without giving out my full details I live in a decent sized townhouse that has a open concept kitchen/living room/dining room. Not my first choice- but the best choice that my husband and I had at the time. We totally didn’t think it through if we had kids... 

Back to the baby: My 11.5 month-old has been crawling a lot lately. And getting into EVERYTHING! The one thing about her is that she quite quick! I don’t know where she got it from but if she sees something she likes... she goes for it. It's adorable....until she heads toward the TV unit, or the stairs. Pretty sure that if we leave her be- she'll crawl her way right out the front door altogether. 

I’m so happy that I was introduced to Dreambaby. They graciously gave me the opportunity to chose a gate of my choice for Ava. When my husband and I started researching we looked into everything and a Play-Pen Gate was the best option. More specifically, we went with the Mayfair 3-in 1 Play-Pen Gate!