Things I’m Loving Friday
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Surprising Callie!
Surprise! I’m in Florida! I headed south with the boys on Wednesday afternoon as part of a grand plan to surprise my niece Callie (and my sister and brother-in-law) on Thursday for Callie’s FIRST birthday!!!
I cooked up this little plan a few weeks ago and, with my parents’ help, was able to execute it to the fullest! Chase, Ryder and I hung out at my parents’ place until Thursday evening when my parents were planning to go over to Leslie and Ross’ place to celebrate Callie’s birthday. The boys and I hid around the corner in their front yard and ran out to say “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” and it was just the best!! I absolutely hate that we don’t get to see Callie on a daily or even weekly basis and any chance I get, I find myself thinking of ways for us to make it down to Florida to see this precious little girl!
The boys clearly love their only cousin and Callie is such a trooper about happily accepting a lot of Chase cuddles and grabby Ryder hands.
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Beach + Pool Time
What would a trip to Jacksonville Beach be without lots of beach and pool time!? Considering the fact that both boys are 100 percent water-obsessed, you better believe we’ve been spending our fair share of time splashing in the pool and ocean.
This is actually our first trip to the beach since Ryder learned how to walk and it definitely feels like all hands on deck with both boys running and splashing and playing. Ryder was a little timid around the crashing waves for the first five minutes of our first beach trip but he soon found his courage and now he beelines for the surf. It’s keeping me on my toes, that’s for sure!
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Maple Sea Salt RXBar (+ My RXBar Power Rankings)
I almost always have an RXBar in my bag for emergency snacking purposes. I’m not sure if the maple sea salt is a new flavor or if I’ve just never seen it available in my area before but I picked up a couple of them at the grocery store two weeks ago and they’re awesome!! I have a continually-updated RXBar power ranking in my mind and this flavor just made its way into my top five. My current favs (in order): Chocolate Coconut, Gingerbread (seasonal and SO GOOD), Chocolate Sea Salt, Pumpkin Spice (another seasonal find) and Maple Seat Salt.
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Well Rested Mama Giveaway: Customized Sleep Training Plan
If you are on the struggle bus when it comes to sleep with your infant, baby or toddler, I think you are going to be all about the giveaway I have for you guys today! I know how hard and defeating it feels when your baby is up all the time and you feel like you’ve exhausted every single baby sleep training trick in the book. When Chase was a baby, I felt like I read just about everything there was to read to help him sleep through the night and it just didn’t happen. Now it seems like there are a lot more resources for baby sleep help for those struggling and my friend Cara, founder of Well Rested Mama, is one of those fabulous resources!
Cara is an elementary school teacher turned certified sleep consultant and works with parents to create customized sleep training plans for infants, babies, toddlers, twins and young children. (If you happen to be in the Tampa/Clearwater area, she also offers in-home sessions.) She believes there is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to sleep training and creates plans that align with your specific parenting philosophy and values.
If you think you and your infant, baby, toddler or little one would benefit from help from Well Rested Mamas, check out Cara’s services (there are packages at all price points) and definitely enter today’s giveaway!
One blog reader will win a customized sleep plan from Well Rested Mamas ($189 value), a Starbucks gift card and a Zipadee-Zip sleep swaddle!
To enter this giveaway, simply follow @WellRestedMama on Instagram (if you have an IG account) and leave a comment on this post telling me about your biggest sleep-related struggle. (My answer: With Chase, his small size made me feel like he needed lots of nighttime nursing sessions and that bled into a lot of other sleep-related struggles. My sleep-related struggles with Ryder all centered around the four-month sleep regression.) I will randomly select a winner next Friday morning. Good luck!!
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Around the Web
Food: Kid-Approved Crockpot Meals / Vegan + Gluten-Free Granola Bars / Raw Brownies / Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
Fitness: 30 Minute Boot Camp Style Workout / Leg + Booty Blast
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Friday Flashbacks
Crock Pot Coconut Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Stew (A delicious veggie-packed recipe that tastes great as leftovers, too!)
High Protein Hemp Oatmeal (Dairy-free with 14 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber per bowl.)
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My biggest sleep concern with my 7 week old is getting her to sleep in something totally flat!!
My 11 month old sleeps through the night maybe 2-3x a week. I just hate the unknown of what the night will bring!
Naps! I cannot get my fourth month old to nap in his crib. Right now he sleeps great at night, but will only nap on me, in his carrier, the car, etc.
My biggest is struggle is my 3 year old waking up at 3am and staying awake.
My biggest sleep struggle is going to be comparing my two kids! I’m about to have my second and my first was amazing sleeper- so I am bracing myself and could use all of the help I can get!
My biggest sleep struggle is knowing how much to limit (or not limit!) nursing at night for my 5-month old baby. She wakes so many times per night, but I feel bad denying her milk if she’s hungry!!
My babe is about 8 months and is still waking up every couple hours to nurse (we co-sleep) She goes right back to sleep but she wants to be right next to me. The hardest part about her sleeping habits (besides I’m exhausted!) is that each night is different in knowing what to expect. She always starts out in her crib but after she wakes up I just bring her to bed with my husband and I. I truly don’t know if I even believe in sleep training. All i know is she feels so safe and secure next to me and that this “phase” will soon be over. With that being said, I’m sure there are some better habits we could get into to make naps and the initial point of bedtime a little easier! My son who is 3 slept with us for his first year, too, and now he’s a great sleeper! It’s so crazy how different all kiddos are!
My 10 month old has always been a bad sleeper but it has just gotten SO BAD the past few months while we are staying at my parent’s house. She sleeps in the same room as us and I probably jump up too quickly to quiet/nurse her when she wakes in the middle of the night so she doesn’t bother anyone else!
My sleep struggle is newborn sleep. She will not sleep on a Flat surface at all and even fights sleeping on our chests. She’s still young but we want to start implementing good
Sleep habits.
My 1.5 year old wakes up sooo early everyday. Anywhere between 4-5:30am. We’ve tried everything we can think of!!
My little guy is almost 9 Months old, and the biggest struggle is that he is getting all his milk at night and doesn’t want to drink any milk during the day. It keeps us all up at night!
I agree with another poster about inconsistency being my biggest sleep struggle. Sometimes my son is up 1 time a night and sometimes he’s up 7 times and it’s exhausting!
This is my second set of twins, but man the sleep deprivation is so, so hard. I am not sure how long I should continue to wake the twins at the same time to nurse. They are totally different sizes, and I feel like the larger may be ready for longer sleep stretches, but I don’t dare try for fear of losing even more sleep.
Right now we are trying to get our 13-month-old in his crib overnight in the same room as his 3-year-old sister. Let’s just say it’s not going great…
Baby sleeps through the night (9 weeks) but current struggle is transitioning out of the swaddle!
My biggest sleep struggle is with my 14 month old who still wakes up every 2-3 hours every night. Eventually each night I throw in the towel and just put her in bed with me so I can get a little bit of sleep and be able to function for work the next day. I feel like I have read about and tried so many things, but nothing seems to help/work. Any kind of help/advice would be amazing at this point!
My biggest sleep struggle is with my 14 month old. She still wakes up about 2-3 hours every night. I eventually throw in the towel and put her in bed with me so I can attempt to get some form of sleep and be able to function at work the next day. I have read and tried so many things, and nothing has worked. Any and all forms of advice/help would be amazing at this point!
My six month old son wakes up screaming and we aren’t able to console him! Thinking he’s just very tired and wants to be asleep but is unable to self soothe. We feel helpless, but I’m also trying to not feed him every time it happens bc I don’t want him to be reliant on feedings to calm down
My 6 1/2 month doesn’t know how to put himself back to sleep when he wakes up in the middle of the night. The only way he’ll go back to sleep is if he nurses (and he’s not hungry). Oh and he doesn’t nap!
I have a 4 month old, and while he is a pretty good sleeper at night, I struggle to get him to nap which makes him cranky most of all day! I’m also headed back to work soon, and am struggling with how our morning routine shifts will affect him.
Ugh I’m at my wit’s end with my 4 month old and her terrible NAPS! She needs alllll the sleep crutches, then falls asleep for 5 minutes, wakes up and the cycle starts over! I put 20 minutes into every nap and they only last 35 minutes!
Napping is such a struggle!! He sleeps ok at night but cries when it’s nap time! He’s 5 months old and it’s so hard to get anything done during the day whole I’m home alone.
My biggest sleep struggle is trying to transition my 4 month old foster baby to sleep in the same room as our 7 month old daughter without them constantly waking each other up during naps/nighttime sleep!
I would love to win this! I live in the Clearwater area too! My biggest sleep struggle is that my 4 month old has never been a good napper! When he does go down for a nap, it’s only about 30 min!
I have a 4 week old that won’t sleep anywhere but my arms or a swing. I am so tired that I often wake up to find I didn’t close her diaper all the way or I forgot to zip her pjs up or that I fell asleep with her in my arms and I worry about safety.
Besides that my biggest concern is how trying to get her and my toddler to sleep takes time away from my relationship with my husband and my personal time. It’s so frustrating to feel like you are working or on call literally 24/7 and there is no time for self care or strengthening relationships.
Our biggest sleep struggle is that nothing has ever ever worked for our 7 month old. I feel like we’ve tried EVERYTHING to improve sleep and nothing has worked long term. Feeling defeated and like I’ll never sleep through the night again ?
My oldest has always been a terrible sleeper…the hospital even called it when he was born! At almost 3, he finally sleeps through the night, but always wakes before 6…usually 5:30 despite multiple interventions. Add in our 7 month old who has had constant ear infections and I am one tired mama.
My 16 month old has been the worst sleeper since birth. During one stretch she woke up every 30 minutes all night long. Meaning, I didn’t sleep ever. Now we are finally sleeping at night but she still wakes up early and doesn’t take good naps. My three year old sleeps more than her. It wouldn’t be as much of a concern if she wasn’t so obviously lacking sleep and over tired. She wakes up upset and clearly still needing sleep but won’t sleep more. I definitely could use the help.
Oh sleep. How I miss thee! My 7 month old is a pro at falling asleep on her own. She still wakes once or twice a night and I I’ve tried to let her cry it out but always resort to breastfeeding to get her back to sleep when it doesn’t work. She falls asleep immediately after a quick snack. I’m weak when I hear her cries!
Biggest struggle- getting my 8week old to nap independently.
Also would love to have a more consistent night time routine.
My 16 month old has the worst FOMO and is so hard to get down for the night. I also have a 3 and 5 year old and am often solo for bedtime and it’s so stressful.
Ever since my 8 month old voluntarily dropped his 3rd nap in the evening he’s terrible to put to bed. He starts fussing at 630 but won’t go to bed until around 8-930 and then wakes up around 10/11 and has to be settled again. It’s full on meltdown crying and losing his marbles for 1.5-2 hours and it’s not pleasant for anyone trying to get him down.
My issue is similar to yours – he’s so tiny that I don’t want to deny him a night nurse!
I would gift the consultation to my sister who had trouble with her little guy taking consistent/good naps. But I have trouble with early wakings with my baby! Thanks for the IG account info, it looks like a great resource!
My 3 month old hates being swaddled but startles himself at night when his arms are free. I’ve tried the Merlin sleep suit but then he can’t bend his arms which also makes him upset. I’m stumped!
My biggest sleep issue with my 15 month old is stopping the middle of the night moves into our bed. He refuses to sleep all night in his crib and it is horribly affecting my husband and me. I would be so incredibly happy and grateful to be able to get some help with his sleep issues
With sleeping we struggle the most with getting our toddler to fall asleep quickly. We put her to bed at 8pm but she won’t actually fall asleep till 9:30-10pm and she will still get up at 5:30am. I would do anything for her to sleep in till 7am.
Here I am at midnight nursing my 9-week-old to sleep again, for the fourth time tonight. I’m so tired. I’ve tried nursing to sleep. I’ve tried rocking to sleep. It all works, but how do I keep from doing it over and over again? How do I get us both some more sleep? All I can think about is sleep. And then you say you’re having a giveaway! A sleep giveaway! You’re giving away sleep! I can’t believe my eyes. Haha. A sleep plan would be INCREDIBLE! Please! I would love some advice. A sleep plan is what dreams are made of! 😉
We’re struggling mostly with naps for our almost 5 month old, and I expect some challenges when we transition him to his crib soon!
My struggle with sleep with my 11mo is the literal physical struggle we have before he goes to sleep. All the shushing and bouncing while he kicks and squirms. He won’t go to sleep any other way. He eventually will settle on the breast (the only time we still breastfeed, and I feel guilty about not providing more breast milk throughout the day), and he will want to breastfeed the whole night long! #sleeplessinbaltimore.
My 7 month old is a terrible sleeper??♀️ Has been from the start. She can independently put herself to sleep at bedtime, but will wake up multiple times a night, for up to 3 hours? I feel like I’m still in such a fog.
Have you tried the banana walnut Rx bar? It’s new to me and my fave right now especially in the am. Like banana bread in a bar. And I normally don’t like banana flavored stuff. The chocolate sea salt is my next fave followed by the seasonal Gingerbread and pumpkin (hope to see them out soon!)
My 2 month old is pretty decent sleeper – sometimes. I think my biggest struggle is me! I hear so much advice about schedules, wake windows, dreamfeeds, sleep training, and so on – it’s hard to know which path to go down!
My biggest sleep related struggle is new – my son is in a Doc Band (helmet) for the next 10-12 weeks. We live in a warm weather area and he is so hot and miserable overnight. But he’s only 4 months so he still has a startle reflex. Nights have been even more rough than before.
In the thick of sleep issues right now. My almost 18 month old is still waking at night to nurse. ? I know it’s bad and I should cut her off but we live in a small space and I don’t want her to scream and wake her brother up! I know I’ve created bad habits but dealing with one cranky baby is better than 2 in the middle of the night. ??♀️
My biggest sleep concern is that my 16 month old is waking up between 5-5:30 in the morning all of a sudden! Makes for some very stressful mornings when we’re all sleep deprived and trying to get ready for the day!
My biggest sleep concern is my 4-day-old has his days and nights flipped. Trying to work on more awake time during the day, but it’s been tough! I also have a 19 month old who has been adjusting to the new baby and napping erratically.
I have 5 1/2 month old twins and they sleep pretty well but are very dependent on the pacifier and Merlin Sleep Suit. We’ve tried to transition them out and it has gone horribly! I know they are going to roll soon and we’ll have to transition them to something else and I would love help in that department! The last time we tried they were up every hour in the night and completely boycotted naps.
Honestly, I feel like I’m just too exhausted THINKING about setting a more consistent sleep pattern at night. I can read all the articles and tell myself to do it … but when night comes .. I’m just too tired and want to maximize my sleep ? having a personalized plan I feel like would help baby step me to help my baby get better sleep!