Baby’s First Foods Schedule and Tips

Congrats! You’ve been a mama for about 4 months! Breathe for a second… cuz it’s about to get real crazy again for a little bit! 🤣

It’s time for your little one to start trying baby food (after you get an okay from your pediatrician at the 4 months appointment).

I can honestly say beginning this new chapter with Joshua has been insane! There are not a lot (or any that I have found) of clear resources on how to introduce new foods to baby. I’m the type of person that needs step-by-step specifics — you give me the big picture and my brain shuts down. So, for all of my fellow sequential learners, this one’s for you! I’m going to try my very best to lay it out as simply and comprehensibly as possible! And BONUS — I’m going to provide you with a free downloadable schedule of foods and exact portions to feed baby until you get the hang of it!

See also: The Work-At-Home Mom’s Flexible Schedule

What You Need Before You Start Baby Food

If you haven’t stocked up on new things since your little turned three months old, check out my comprehensive list of what to get rid of and what you will need to stock up on, but for now, here are the basics.

  1. High chair — There are 3 main types of high chairs — the traditional high chair, the clamp-on-seat that connects to the side of a table, and the booster seat high chair; the one you choose depends on your preferences and house/storage size.

As my family lives in a pretty small house, we decided it would be the best fit for us to get a foldable traditional high chair. Our chairs are too short for a booster seat to be comfortable for us to feed my son, Joshua and the idea of my squirmy little one hanging off the side of a table just didn’t sit well with me.
We chose the Graco Table2Table Fold 7-in-1 High Chair for our “tiny home.” I was very impressed with the Graco brand when we bought our stroller, so I knew this was a brand I could trust. I love any product that grows with your child (money I don’t have to spend later). This high chair turns into a booster seat, a seat with a table, and a toddler youth chair. Also, you can sit your toddler in the toddler chair and baby in the booster seat at the same time. My favorite part? It’s foldable! You can easily store it away when it’s not in use. (It comes in three different colors that range from $139-169, so make sure you click on the three color options to choose the best price/color combo for you!)

baby first foods schedule high chair must haves
baby first foods schedule high chair must haves
Related: The 3-Month Purge

2. Baby Food and/or Baby Food Processor — Parents can make the decision to either make their own baby food with a baby food processor or buy pre-made baby food from the grocery store. Neither option is “more correct” than the other. It is an individual decision for what works best for your family.
If you do plan on buying baby food, I encourage you to research the best brands. This will be the first manufactured food (unless your baby has been drinking formula) that will go into your little one’s body. They are not used to manufactured foods like we are, so it is best to make sure you are putting quality, safe, and natural products into your child. There are some great, reputable organic baby food brands out there!
Plum Organics, a certified organic non-GMO brand, was ranked the #1 baby puree in 2020. The Stage 1 Plum Organics (what your baby will start out with) has only 1 ingredient, fruit! It has no artificial preservatives or sweeteners and is unsalted — not to mention kosher. You can buy an 8-pack with 4 different flavors, a 9-pack with 3 different flavors, or an 18-pack with 3 different flavors. The packaging is BPA free which is always a plus for our littles (and for ourselves). And if you’re really into the environment you will be happy to hear that the packaging is recyclable.
If you’re still wanting to be in charge of every ingredient that goes into your little one’s mouth — like this control freak mama right here! — and you have a farmer’s market in the area (or a green thumb), then you have the option of making your own baby food. This really excites me as a mom because I feel like I am nurturing my child in every way possible! I get to change him, cuddle him, love him, and now I get to make his food!
We have the Magic Bullet Baby Bullet food processor for making Joshua’s baby food. I love that it comes with tons of accessories including a mixing bowl, a spatula, separate containers for the refrigerator and freezer which have rotating caps to mark the date, and a recipe book that tells you how to introduce new foods and gives suggestions of which foods to try based on your child’s developmental level! I just love products that manufacturers obviously put parents first when they were creating it, and this is one of those products!

**Keep in mind that homemade baby food can stay in the freezer for 30 days and the fridge for 3 days.

3. Infant spoons — Now that my son has been eating baby foods for a month, I have discovered that rounded spoons work better than squared spoons. It may be the brand or my individual child, but the rounded spoons seem easier for him to get every last drop of baby food off of.

4. Bibs — I’m sure you received more bibs than you know what to do with at your baby shower. If you haven’t already, it’s time to pull those out! I’ve come to love using polyester bibs for feeding-time — I like that I can wipe them off and use them all day instead of getting a new bib for each feeding — and regular (cotton-blend) bibs to catch unforeseen drool and spit-up accidents the rest of the day. We also absolutely love these apron-like bibs!

You may also be interested in: 20 Newborn Must-Haves in 2020

5. A calendar — I have a calendar on my fridge specifically for Joshua. It has all of his appointments, who will be babysitting him on what days, and now what foods he will be eating. It isn’t absolutely necessary to plan out exactly what your child will be eating, but let me tell you why I do it.

🍼I am not a morning person, so when I first wake up I don’t automatically remember what he’s
supposed to be eating or how much.
🍼In that first month or two when he is trying new foods, the days may start blending together
and you may forget if he is supposed to be eating half a jar or a whole jar today.
🍼You never know when an emergency may come up and someone has to watch your child. What
and when he is supposed to eat will already written out for a babysitter and that’s one less thing
you have to worry about.
🍼You can make sure you have all of the supplies you need for your baby’s meals for the whole
week (or month if you plan that far).
🍼If you’re making your own food, you can write down when to make a food, what day it expires,
what day to pull it out of the fridge, etc.

baby feeding first foods schedule and tips calendar

6. Patience and a good attitude — The first (or second, or third) meal of baby food isn’t going to go smoothly (but congrats if it does!). Your little one has never eaten food off a spoon, nor have they ever had anything except breast milk and/or formula, so suddenly having a colorful foreign object with a strange smell in their face is going to be met with some interesting reactions. Your baby may eat nothing! Your baby may open his mouth right away and then spit it all out! Or your baby may eat her whole portion after 5 minutes of trying. All of these are okay results! The point of the first week or so is to get your baby used to eating from a spoon! No matter the result, you are doing great, Mom!
Don’t forget to smile through the grossness! Your baby knows your emotions and if you’re stressed, she may not respond well! Just have fun! This isn’t a test; it’s preparing your baby to one day (not today!) be able to eat on his own. Baby steps, Mama, baby steps!

Related: Enjoy the Little Moments, Mom!

What Baby Foods to Try First

There are a plethora of baby foods to try with your little one! You can really start with anything, just make sure you are choosing single-ingredient foods that are appropriate for a “supported sitter.” If you are buying pre-made baby food, look for labels that say “supported sitter” or “stage 1.”

My son’s pediatrician — and Gerber — recommends starting the first week with rice cereal — which you will see on the printable schedule I will provide you. As this is the first week he will be having something new in his system, you will need to start slow (see schedule). With each new food she tries, you will also need to introduce these slowly to make sure she does not have an intolerance or allergy to a specific food, but once she has tried that food and loves it, you can feed it to her regularly. I like to switch back and forth between fruits and veggies each day to make sure Joshua is getting a good balance. I also like to put a little bit of rice cereal and formula in his baby food each day to give him some extra sustenance and calories because he is a slow grower. This, however, is optional.

**After following the schedule for 2 months, you will have introduced your baby to every food available in Gerber Supported Sitter. If you still want someone to plan your feeding schedule for you, Gerber has a weekly schedule with 6 different weeks planned for you. They provide these schedules all the way up to preschool age!

Baby’s First Foods Schedule:

👀👉🏼 Enter your email to receive access to my download library including the Baby’s First Foods Schedule sent straight to your inbox! You will receive an email with the download library link and my personal password to the page. Read the instructions at the top of that page on how to download. Scroll to find the Baby’s First Foods Schedule and download all three images. Make sure to read the first page which gives you instructions on how to read the schedule.

You may also be interest in: Free Baby Playtime Schedule and Activities

Keep scrolling on this post to find my some of my Pinterest boards you may find helpful! Follow my Pinterest page for tons of parenting hacks and mom-spiration!

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Click the board you are interested in following to be taken to the link.

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Have you started baby food with your little one? What has he or she loved and hated so far? My son LOVED prunes and HATED peas. We would love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments!

37 Quarantine Activities for Seniors

During this unnerving and unfamiliar time, we all know someone, a loved-one, who is in the age range of preferred fatal targets for the Coronavirus. People who are 65 years old and older; our grandparents, our great-grandparents, our great-aunts and uncles, maybe even our neighbors.

I called my sweet MeMaw the other day and my heart broke to hear her say, “I’m about to run out of stuff to do!”

You know you’re bored mindlessly sitting on Facebook all day or binge-watching Netflix, but what about the older generations who depended on relationships without phones and internet and Facetime? Generations who don’t have an addiction to sit in front of a TV and vegg-out for hours on end waiting for this quarantine to end? Generations who, even before quarantine, were calling to see when the next time would be that you would stop by just to say hello and bring those sweet grand-kids along with you?

SHOUTOUT to @realfamilyideas for helping me find this picture!

It is our duty as the younger generation to do all we can to make this time less depressing for our beloved seniors.

Fortunately, we have been blessed with the technology and time to help our elders stay active, entertained, and joyful during this trying time.

Quarantine Activities for Seniors

I have compiled a list of activities for seniors to do on their own, as well as activities that family members can do with them over Facetime. Please DO NOT go to the homes of your parents’ or grandparents’ who are 65 or over. This is a time in which we need to practice social distancing.

You may also be interested in: Enjoy the Little Moments, Mom!

Activities Over Facetime

How to Get Facetime:

There are lots of ways to video call your loved ones:
🎥If you both have an iPhone, you can call your parent or grandparent and then click the
“Facetime” button. Andriods can do this only if both Androids have the same service provider.
You simply make a phone call and click “video call.”
🎥Download the Skype app to your computer, smart phone, or tablet
🎥The Facebook Messenger app has a video call option
🎥Everyone is using the popular Zoom app to talk to multiple people at once. You can use the
free version for 40 minutes at a time. When the call ends, just call back for 40 more free
minutes.
🎥The Google Duo app is another option. I have never used it, but have seen recommendations
for it.

Activities:
  • Play Pictionary
  • Play Charades
  • Play Hang Man
  • Let grandma host a cooking show for your kids (the could cook, too!)… I have a 4-month-old and we call my mom every morning on Facebook Messenger. She talks to us while doing chores. We call it The MiMi Show.”
  • Have the kids come up with a skit or comedy sketch beforehand and preform it over Facetime
  • Show and Tell
  • Have the kids interview the grands… ask questions about their life growing up or what they remember about being their age
  • Play just about ANY board game. You can roll and move the pieces for the grands.
  • Have a meal together! Just call and chat while eating!
  • Play “I Spy”
  • Older kids can help with a crossword puzzle
  • Have a dance party! (Have the grands teach the kids what the most popular dance moves were back in the day!)
  • Have a fashion show (This is a popular one in my family. Let the kids put it on and grandma do the commentary!)
  • Have a riddle contest
  • Have a “dad joke battle“… Tell corny jokes. If you laugh your opponent gets a point. Whoever has the most points at the end wins.
  • Have a prayer service or worship service
  • Read together
  • Let grandma help with homework
  • Download the “Draw Something” app to your phones (if you are talking on another device) and play against each other
  • Have a concert for grandma
  • Write down a large word (like these hilarious words) and compete with the grands to see who can come up with the most words.
  • Morning devotion. You could read a kid one and/or an adult one… or choose a family one and discuss it together. There are TONS of devotionals available on the YouVersion app.
  • Have a themed costume party (80s, tacky tourist, hobos, etc.)
  • Show the kids how to do Pilates — PUMP UP THAT 80S AND 90S AEROBICS MUSIC!
  • Help the grands set up a book club with their friends over Facetime
    👉🏼BONUS ACTIVITY: Follow my Corona Virus Quarantine Activities Pinterest board to find even more activities!
Related: Inexpensive and Free Date Ideas He Will Love

Activities for Seniors to Do on Their Own

  • Puzzles (My mother-in-law has been mailing her mother puzzles. Her mom takes the puzzle out the box outside her house using gloves, throws the box in the trash can, and brings the plastic package inside the box into the house).
  • Knitting, sewing, quilting, cross stitching (Ask your parents or grandparents to make you something. Be specific. Have them make you some pillow shams or a new dress for your baby girl!)
  • Take up a new hobby. What is something they have always wanted to learn? Teach them how to look up how-to videos on YouTube.
Photo by Edu Carvalho on Pexels.com
  • Read. If they have exhausted all the books in their house, tell them how to download the Audible app for audio books (the first 30 days are free), Kindle app (this is usually already downloaded on a new phone), or the Books app for iPhone (which is usually already downloaded). Some local libraries also have apps to “check out” ebooks.
  • Explain to them how to record a video on their phone and have them record a “how-to video” to post on social media. This could be a cooking video, sewing video, or gardening video!
  • Crosswords, word searches, Sudoku… you can download free apps for puzzles like these.
  • Creative writing (short story, novel, poetry)
  • Memorizing scripture
  • Free online museum tours (just Google that phrase and you will find museums whose websites have these available)
  • Do that house project they’ve always been meaning to get to (putting photos in albums, organizing the home movies by date, organizing the closet by season, etc.)
  • Make things for people in need (surgical masks, stuffed animals for kids doing outpatient chemo, crocheted octopuses for NICU babies, casseroles for non-essential families who no longer have a paycheck, etc.)
  • Set up a war room and PRAY for our world!
    👉🏼BONUS ACTIVITY: Follow my Corona Virus Quarantine Activities Pinterest board to find even more activities!

Do you know someone who would love to see this list? Share it with them!

What are some activities you have done with your loved ones over Facetime? Share with us in the comments!

You’ve got this, Mom!

The Good Friday Mom

A Lesson From Mary on Motherhood

I have never before given thought to Mary on Good Friday. Now that I am going into this day of celebration and reverence as a new mother, I can’t help but think about Mary at the foot of the cross watching her Son die for the sins of the world.

I was moved by Michelle Landsberg’s quote: “It is the very moment we give birth that we first begin to truly understand and fear death.”

I can only imagine what Mary must have been thinking. “Why Him, God? Why does my son have to be wounded for the transgressions of the world? Why does He have to be bruised for our iniquities when there are so many evil people who could be hanging there in His place? Why does it have to be my perfect baby boy You blessed me with?”

I’m sure Mary was in so much anguish watching her Son cry out in pain; after all, she was human. But I don’t think she regretted raising the Son of God. I don’t think she regretted saying “yes” to God’s plan about 33 years prior. I believe she looked back at her journey of motherhood and reminisced about what it was like to raise Jesus.

I believe she laughed and cringed when she remembered the day they left Jesus behind in the Temple when He was 12. I believe she smiled a proud grin when she thought about the day He was baptized by His cousin John. I believe she giggled as she closed her eyes and could clearly see a baby Jesus taking His first teetering steps across the dirt floor of their home.

You may also like: Enjoy the Little Moments, Mom!

It’s so refreshing to remember that Mary was a mother. She went through everything we have gone through in raising our children. Fellow blogger, MaryLou Driedger says in her post Thinking About Mary on Good Friday, “No doubt her faith in God sustained her through the most difficult trials of motherhood.”

As a Christian mommy, you have the task of “training your child in the Way he (or she) should go.” We have no way of knowing in the early years of their lives what calling God has in store for them. Will your child be a doctor, a teacher, a worship leader? The possibilities are endless at the moment. But even though we don’t know what our children will be called to do for the Kingdom, we can still follow Mary’s example.

Related: 5 Scriptures to Pray Over Your Child

Luke 2:22-38

When Jesus was eight days old, Mary and Joseph took Him to the Temple to be circumcised according to Jewish Law. A man named Simeon was moved by the Holy Spirit to pronounce a blessing over Jesus. He told — or rather reminded — Mary that Jesus was to be the salvation of both the Jews and Gentiles. He then went on to bless Mary and Joseph and tell Mary that raising Jesus and watching Him fulfill His calling would be like ‘a sword piercing through your soul.’ Wow!

Mary knew what she was getting into with being the mother of Jesus. She was reminded by people, through God, that it was going to be a tough road.

Raising a child up to be a follower of Jesus in this day and age — a time where the world tells us everyone has sex before marriage and that’s okay, “live your truth,” and eat Tide Pods — can seem like an impossible task. But I’m sure Mary felt that way every time she was reminded who her Son was.

See also: To Be a “Good” Mom Rather than a “good” Mom

Earlier I quoted Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the Way he (or she) should go.” I don’t know about you, but I tend to quote the first part of this verse and leave out the second part thinking it is just implied, but as parents, we should take a moment to analyze it.

“And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Mary did her absolute best to raise Jesus as a follower of God, preparing Him for His calling. Just like Mary, our duty as a parent is to prepare our children as best we can for the Divine calling God has planned for them. And just like Mary, we have to have faith that God equipped us as mothers to raise our children in the way necessary for them to accomplish that calling.

“Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother…” (John 19:25).

Mary stood at the cross and watched her Son fulfill His calling. She knew, no matter how much she wanted to, that she could not fulfill it for Him. It’s a tough moment when your kids become independent. They’ve spent their whole lives needing you, and then one day, out of no where, they don’t need you anymore.

As sad as that day may be for you, I want you to look back and remember. Laugh about the time you frantically searched for your child in Walmart only to find them chilling happily in the toy aisle. Cry happy tears at the moment you saw them get baptized and publicly give their life to God. Giggle with overwhelming joy as you close your eyes and picture your baby taking their first steps.

And then hand them off to God with faith that He can take it from here. ‘You have fought the Good fight. You have finished the race. You have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). You have spent a lifetime raising this kid in the Way. Now, as hard as it may be, it is time for you to stand back and watch what God has in store for them.

You’ve got this, Mom!

Know a mom who is struggling with letting their kids become independent? Share this with her!

What would be your advice to a mother who is struggling with this? Comment below! We would love to hear from you!

10 More Baby Hacks

Disclosure: “You’ve Got This, Mom!” participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program providing a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. Most product links lead directly to Amazon.com.

A month ago, I shared 10 valuable baby hacks that I learned from being a new mom to my then 3-month-old… you can read that post here. Well, I have grown a month older, a month wiser, and a month tired-er… but I have 10 more baby hacks to share with you! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Just like in my last baby hack post, I wanted to go above and beyond for you! Under many of the hacks is some extra information or a link to a specific product I use! I know mommin’ is tough, and I wanted to make these hacks that much easier for you. So, make sure to not miss out on the info I included for you under the hacks!

Hack #11

Here are some of our favorite onesies brands (click the pictures to be taken to the websites):

Related: 20 Newborn Must-Haves in 2020

Hack #12

Here are our favorite tushy-friendly washcloths:

Hack #13

Every baby is different and, therefore, has different formula needs. Joshua started on Similac Pro-Advance Non-GMO Formula while he was in NICU, so we kept him on it. His pediatrician also recommended this formula to us as well, so if you haven’t chosen a formula yet, this is a really great choice!

The best option to get your money’s worth is the 36 oz can, but you can also buy Powder Stickpacks and Ready To Drink Bottles. These alternative options can get expensive, but we like to use them for traveling.

Hack #14

The Similac Formula cans come with a new scoop in each can! I just kept one of the scoops, washed it, and put it away in case I lost the new scoop (I’m really good at losing things) or for traveling. Joshua goes to his grandma’s 45 minutes away once a week and when I pack I put the old scoop in his diaper bag so I don’t have to remember to pack the new one if I feed him before we leave.

Hack #15

This is a handy hack I learned from the lactation consultant at the hospital where I delivered. Just putting your pinky lightly on the corner of your baby’s mouth should be enough to get her to release the nipple, but if not, you can wedge your pinky inside of her mouth.

Babies will all prefer different bottles. My son loves Parent’s Choice 5 oz Bottles the best — which I’m very happy about because they are REALLY affordable.
We also use Medela Bottles with him. It took him about a month to get used to this brand, but we already had them because they came with my breast pump, and we were determined not to buy more bottles.

Hack #16

You may also be interested in: To Be a “Good” Mom Rather Than a “good” Mom

Hack #17

When your little one starts teething, she will also start drooling. I got real tired real fast of constantly changing Joshua’s wet onesie, so I started using bibs. Now that he is eating baby food, I use regular (cotton-blend) bibs for drool and polyester bibs for feeding time. I like that I can wipe them off and use them all day instead of getting a new bib for each feeding.

Top Post: 20 Newborn Must-Haves in 2020

Hack #18

My son is obsessed with his WubbaNub pacifiers. He holds onto the attached stuffed animal for comfort and uses it to push the paci back in his mouth. WubbaNubs come in all kinds of stuffed animals including a giraffe, elephant, unicorn, moose, and sloth.

I was sad when we had to buy new ones after 3 months of use because he loved his deer and giraffe, so I cut off the pacis for him to keep the stuffed animals. The pacis came off way easier than I anticipated and leave behind a cute, green smile.

We never use the WubbaNub in his crib because he could push it over his face and it could cause suffocation. We only use them during the day when we’re watching him. A pacifier you can use at night that is just like the one attached to the WubbaNub is the Phillips Avent Soothie. Here is the 0-3 month pacifier and the 3+ month pacifier.

Hack #19

Need ideas for postpartum exercise? Follow my pinterest board where you will find exercises to help you get your pre-pregnancy body back and exercises to do with you baby!

You may also be interested in: How to Manage Your Time with a Newborn

Hack #20

I cannot recommend the Kinedu app enough! This app keeps track of your baby’s developmental skills and specifically gives you an activity that will help you and your little one work on the skills they should be learning next. It gives a quick, weekly assessment to see what your baby has mastered so it can update the videos you are seeing. We use the free version and absolutely love it!
*** If you are reading this during the Corona Virus Quarantine, from now until 4/15/20, Kinedu has opened their entire library for free to help us all out during this terrifying and confusing time!

What are some mom hacks you have found helpful and would like to share with us? Tell us below in the comments. We would love to hear from you!

Know any mamas who could majorly benefit from these hacks? Share this post with her!

BONUS HACK! 👇🏼👇🏼

Follow my Mom Hacks Pinterest board to stay updated on the BEST hacks!

Free Baby Playtime Schedule and Activities

God, works in mysterious and wonderful ways, y’all! I do plan what blog posts I want to write, but the majority of the time God places something on my heart last minute and those posts get pushed to later… or never 🤣. God put this post on my heart very early last week to write, and I really didn’t know why until today.

I’m a stay-at-home mom (#SAHM) with a 4-month-old baby, so this quarantine-induced pandemic isn’t much different from my daily life, but for most moms, this is The Shining! Mamas love their kiddos, but all of a sudden, they have to learn how to balance working at home, momming, and wife-ing all at the same time — a skill I’ve been working on for 4 months and still don’t have it down!

Related: How to Manage Your Time with a Newborn

Take a moment, Mom and BREATHE! I’ve been doing this for a third of a year and still have moments where I have no idea what I’m doing — AND THAT’S OKAY! Take it one moment at a time!

If you’re a mama with a baby who is usually in daycare all day, you have probably already run out of ideas by now of how to keep him entertained. Well, look no further, Mama! I would love to share my flexible schedule and ideas with you to help you come up with tons of fun activities for you and your little one!

Flexible Baby Playtime Schedule

If you’re like me, an hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute schedule just stresses you out even more! If you miss one activity or something takes longer than it was supposed to, it throws off your whole day! I need a flexible schedule that tells me what to do without telling me what to do… you know what I mean?

You may also like: A Work-At-Home Mom’s Flexible Schedule

When making my schedule, I knew my son, Joshua, is awake between naps 4 times a day. I also knew I wanted my play times to be purposeful by choosing activities that worked on his 4 main developmental areas: physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social/emotional. I placed each developmental area in a time-slot that I knew I would have the appropriate amount of energy for at that time of day (I am not a morning person, so I knew I wasn’t going to put “physical skills” before noon, but I also didn’t want it to be right before bedtime either).

One thing that makes this schedule so flexible is that you can move things around for your — and your baby’s — personalities, preferences, schedule, etc. And the second reason is that you will not grow bored doing the same activities over and over day in and day out because you will have a plethora of activities to choose from — and as your baby grows, he will need new activities to help develop new skills.

Developmental Skills For Babies

Here are the skills your little one will be learning for the first year of his life:

Linguistic/Communication Development
Babbling, gestures, communication, speaking, and comprehending.

Social/Emotional Development
Interactions, attachment, self-awareness, and independence.

Physical Development
Reflexes, posture, senses, head control, movement, coordination, rolling over, sitting up, finger dexterity, crawling, hand coordination, standing, and walking.

Cognitive Development
Exploration, memory, attention, abstract thinking, knowledge, imitating, and musical skills.

What you need to know before you print the schedule…

  1. Grab the free printable below and make sure you check out both pages — page 1 is the actual schedule, and page 2 is activities for each developmental skill.
  2. Some activities encourage multiple skills (BONUS!!) — for instance, helping your baby play with her feet promotes both physical and social/emotional skills — so you can use those activities in other areas, but they were mainly placed where they were because it most obviously promotes that skill.
  3. I chose activities that would work for a range of ages so that this chart wouldn’t just be beneficial to a specific group of moms, and so you could use these activities for a while!
  4. You can follow my Pinterest board I created with lots of fun developmental activities for even more activity options!
  5. These activities don’t have to last very long. Your little one will probably become tired and/or overwhelmed after about 10-30 minutes.
  6. I highly suggest downloading the Kinedu app! This app keeps track of your baby’s developmental skills and specifically gives you an activity that will help you and your little one work on the skills they should be learning next. It gives a quick, weekly assessment to see what your baby has mastered so it can update the videos you are seeing. We use the free version and absolutely love it! The free version gives you 3 free activities a day and each video starts off by telling you what developmental area is being promoted in that skill. The paid version (about $40 a month) gives you access to the full video library, but I personally find that unnecessary for me and Joshua. I start our day by watching the three available videos and noting what skills they encourage, then making a mental note to do those activities during the appropriate scheduled time. *** If you are reading this during the Corona Virus Quarantine, from now until 4/15/20, Kinedu has opened their entire library for free to help us all out during this terrifying and confusing time!
You may also be interested in: 20 Newborn Must-Haves in 2020

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I hope you get so much out of this schedule I created for you! But most importantly, I hope you get tons of wonderful memories with your sweetheart!

What activity do you think your little one will love? What activity isn’t included that you would like the share with other mamas? Tell us in the comments below!

Know any mamas who have suddenly become a work-from-home mama? Share this post with them!

You’ve got this, Mom!

Amazing Tips and Products for Deaf Parents and Parents of Deaf Children

Disclosure: “You’ve Got This, Mom!” participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program providing a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. Most product links lead directly to Amazon.com.

**First and foremost, to clear the air of any confusion, you will see me use the terms “deaf” and “Deaf” throughout this post. These are terms used within the Deaf community. Little-d “deaf” refers to anyone who is legally deaf, while big-D “Deaf” refers to anyone who uses American Sign Language (ASL) as their main form of communication. You do not have to be deaf to be Deaf; hard-of-hearing (HOH) people, children of Deaf adults who use ASL at home, and others can be part of the Deaf community.**

I am a hearing parent of a hearing child, but I have been infatuated with and connected to the Deaf community since I was very young. I fell in love with ASL at just 6 years old and, teaching myself, became fluent in the language by high school. This opened doors for me in college to become friends with Deaf students; friendships I still have today!

One of my friends, Becky, whom I’ve only known for a few years, is a Deaf mother of a hearing child. Becky and I share a passion for bridging the gap between Deaf/deaf and hearing, and to provide information to Deaf/deaf people to help make life in a hearing world easier! Although her child is grown now, Becky and I have recently been discussing what current products are available to new deaf parents and/or hearing parents of deaf babies.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I started researching. I learned that, even though those products are out there, there is not a lot of information available to parents about what is out there and what are the best products.

**Because there are very few easy-to-find resources on this topic, I compiled the best I could find on a Pinterest board. Please be sure to follow it to keep up with new information on the subject!**

Tips for CODA Parents

“CODA” or “KODA” are slang terms in the Deaf community that stand for “Child/Kid of a Deaf Adult.” CODAs can be either hearing or deaf, but 90% of the time a child of a deaf adult is hearing.

A popular question among hearing parents is “How do deaf parents hear their children cry?” Well, obviously they can’t “hear” their children cry in the usual sense of the word, but deaf parents are more than capable of taking care of a child in the same capacity as a hearing parent.

Deaf parents rely on their other senses to understand the needs of their child; they see that a child is crying, feel their temperature, etc.

Fortunately, there are some fantastic products out there that capitalize on these senses for when a deaf parent is not in the room with their child — because these parents need peace of mind to sleep as well!

👉🏻👉🏻You may also be interested in: Establishing a Newborn Sleep Schedule 👈🏻👈🏻

Alert for When Your Baby Cries

There are actually a lot of options that can provide deaf parents with the ability to know if their little one needs them from the other side of the house including digital and vibrating monitors, apps, and even special dogs who have been trained to alert you of your baby crying.

Baby Monitors

Here is a review of the 5 best baby monitors of 2020 according to Vera Baby Spot.

Our absolute favorite, which came in second on their list, is the Summer Infant Babble Band Wearable Audio Monitor. Unfortunately, after much searching, it looks like this product is no longer manufactured, so a great alternative is the SereneLife Wireless Baby Monitor and Smart Watch. You wear the parent unit just like an Apple Watch and get an alert through vibration when your child cries.

Apps

Thank God for technology; I don’t think I have ever said that until I had a baby! The conveniences that technology gives us as parents (digital baby monitors, googling parenting questions, etc.) is just amazing. Cloud Baby has created an app that lets you monitor your child through your iPhone, Android, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, or Apple TV. You have to have at least two of these devices for this to work. For instance, you would place an iPad, Mac, or Apple TV in your child’s room and you would be notified through whichever other device you are using as a parent unit.

The app itself is $3.99, and if you already have these devices, then you’re spending less than $4 on a high quality baby monitor. When we were researching this product, we were amazed to see an average of 4.8/5 stars from 12.9K ratings on the Apple app store ratings (which is almost unheard of for any app or baby monitor). Just check out this user’s review!

When your baby moves or makes a noise, you will get a notification. Deaf parents can set their phones to vibrate or vibrate and flash (if you have that option on your phone) and can be woken from their sleep with the alert.

👉🏻👉🏻 20 Newborn Must-Haves in 2020 👈🏻👈🏻
Trained Hearing Dogs
Photo by Yuliya kota on Pexels.com
deaf_parenting_children_service_dog.jpg

Did you know there are dogs that are trained to alert you when your baby is crying? Mommy Gone Tropical explains: “Deaf parents still have the ability to obtain a hearing dog to assist with alerting them to the baby’s crying. However, the hearing dogs are expensive. There is a wide range of hearing dog costs from $0 (donation-based) to more than $30k, so it is not always the ideal option you would utilize. Some deaf parents get lucky with their regular dog taking on that responsibility naturally while other dogs are simply lazy just like mine.”

Paws with a Cause specifically trains dogs for this purpose (as well as alerting you for smoke alarms, door bells, phone calls, etc. We thought it was absolutely precious that their motto is “You Listen For Me.” Even though this is expensive, it is still our favorite option; how much better would it be to be woken up by your sweet fur-baby than by a vibrating or super bright monitor?

Car Safety

Driving with a child in a rear-facing seat can be stressful for any new parent because you can’t see what they are doing. A great idea for seeing your child while driving is installing a mirror. However, many baby mirrors for the car are not crash-tested and could cause major injury to you or your child in a crash. If you are going to buy a mirror for your car, make sure it has been crash-tested by manufacturers.

The BRICA Crusin’ In-Sight Baby Car Mirror is a great choice because not only will you be able to keep an eye on your little one, but the mirror will keep him entertained during the trip with fun lights and music. We love how well this mirror is strapped on to the seat; there’s no way it’s coming off!

If you’re looking for a cheaper and simpler option, BRICA also makes a crash-tested mirror that has no extra bells and whistles; it’s just a mirror. The Munchkin BRICA Baby In-Sight Car Mirror has the same straps as its flashy counterpart to safely keep it in place.

Tips for Parents of Deaf Children

As a hearing parent with no ties to the Deaf community, finding out that your child is deaf is world-changing! There are so many decisions you have to make — hearing aid vs. cochlear implant vs. no device, Deaf school vs. mainstream school, speech vs. sign language, etc. Although those decisions can be put on the back burner for a while, preparing your home — and your parenting — for a deaf child is something you have to be able to jump right into! These products and tips should help with the transition.

Alternative Soothing Methods

One reason I began wondering about what products were available for deaf parents or parents of deaf children was because my 4-month-old son cannot get to sleep without me singing to him. This, of course, peaked my curiosity about how deaf babies can be soothed to sleep.

Probably not as a newborn, but once your baby starts becoming more aware of his surroundings he may become very uncomfortable in a pitch-black room. Being completely deprived of all of your senses at once can be very disturbing to anyone (think about being in a completely black, completely silent room by yourself). Also, depending on what caused your child’s deafness, he may feel very dizzy and disoriented in a dark room.

To help your child with this, you could buy a night light, a light mobile, or good old-fashioned glow-in-the-dark star stickers.

Bedtime Routine

It’s also important to have a very strict bedtime routine. If your little one is having trouble being soothed at bedtime, he needs a routine that calms him but also helps him know what is coming next. Giving him a warm bath, changing him into pajamas, and rocking him will help calm him down before bed and may even get him to sleep before you put him in the crib.

👉🏻👉🏻Related: Establishing a Newborn Sleep Schedule 👈🏻👈🏻
👉🏻👉🏻Also: Two-Month-Old Sleep Schedule & Napping Tips👈🏻👈🏻

Developmental Toys

Fortunately, you probably already have a lot of toys at home that will help your deaf child with development. While the noises that a toy makes will probably make no difference to your child, other things about their toys will appeal to them. Look for toys with bright lights and colors, different textures, and rattling or vibrating toys. If you have a toy that makes sound, put your hand on the speaker and see if the sound makes a vibration. Your little one will love to practice using his sense of touch and sight!

Here are some of our favorites!

👉🏻👉🏻 Related: 20 Newborn Must-Haves in 2020 👈🏻👈🏻
Language Development

Even if you don’t want (or haven’t decided on) your baby becoming fluent in ASL, using baby signs as soon as possible is very important to your little’s language development.

Baby signs are beneficial to both deaf and hearing children. Studies show that babies whose parents have used baby sign language with them from infancy start to communicate months earlier with their parents (manually) than their peers who are just getting verbal communication.

Whether or not you care about early development of language skills, all babies have to have some form of communication from very early or they will have learning and communication issues later in life.

We love this image from Can Do Kiddo about the benefits of baby sign in her blog post “Why, When, and How to Start Baby Sign Language.”

It is recommended to start using baby signs with your child as early as 6 months. This is when she will start understanding that signs have meaning. She may start communicating back with you immediately, but most babies don’t start using the signs on their own until 8 months.

And if you do decide that you want your child’s main form of communication to be speech, don’t worry! “A common concern regarding baby sign language is that this method of communication will take the place of verbal language for your baby. However, Aylet says that sign language will actually accelerate your baby’s verbal skills: ‘If your little one is growing up in a house and community full of people who use speech as their primary means to communicate, then when your baby or toddler can speak, he/she will’ (Can Do Kiddo).

Make sure when you’re communicating with your baby that you make eye contact and express yourself through movement. Your little one needs to understand that something different is happening rather than just the routine movements of day-to-day life.

Expressing Your Feelings

Even though your baby can’t hear you with her ears, she can still “hear” you by seeing your expressions. When you’re happy, smile big and move about joyfully. When you want her to know how much you love her, cuddle her and tickle her toes. Be aware of how you talk to her so that she knows what you are feeling. Even if babies have no idea what you’re saying, they pick up on emotions pretty quickly. Before you know it, your big, happy grin will bring a precious smile to your little one’s face!

Other Resources

Check out my fellow mommy blogger’s, Donna Stephen of More Than A Mommy Blog post about her experience with hearing loss in a child and her interview with ASL teacher, Megan Stokes.

Have you used any of these products before? What other tips and tricks do you have to share? I would love to hear from you! Comment below!

You’ve got this, Mom!!!

The Work-At-Home Mom’s Flexible Schedule

Disclosure: “You’ve Got This, Mom!” participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program providing a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. Most product links lead directly to Amazon.com.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that being a mom is a job in and of itself. Throw a career into the mix and you’ve got two full-time (or full and part-time) jobs demanding your attention. So, how do you balance the two without losing yourself — or your mind?

This was a question I found myself asking last week. I have been blogging for 3 months now, and Joshua is about to be four months old! When he’s not napping, he thinks he has to be in my arms at all times which means I only have 30 minute to an hour increments (2 hours if I’m lucky) to get all the things done. Over the last 3 months, my go-to in those moments has been to work on my blog, which caused my house to become a disaster and me to become overwhelmed because I wasn’t getting any me-time (self-care is important, ladies!!!).

I spent some time looking at different #WAHM (work-at-home mom) schedules on Pinterest. There are some great tips and printables out there, but I wasn’t finding anything that spoke specifically to me, my personality, and my life as Joshua’s mom.

If you’re anything like me, writing down exactly when to do things stresses you out. If you don’t eat your breakfast by the scheduled time because your little one still hasn’t laid down for his nap, it throws off your whole day and you have already started out with a feeling of stress and defeat. (And what stork is dropping off babies at people’s houses that follow nap time schedules, because I’m going to need his number.)

I knew I needed something flexible to incorporate all that life, and Joshua, has to throw at me, so I sat down and created my own flexible schedule. During my Pintrest-ing, something that was very intriguing to me was time blocking which, essentially, is budgeting your time like you would budget money. I took that idea and tweaked it to be my own (as I encourage you to do with all of this information because no schedule is going to be perfect for everyone!).

What are your main duties?

First, I thought about the most important things that I wasn’t getting done or knew I needed to budget more time for. These things, for me, were (in no specific order) cleaning the house, working on my blog, being a mom, spending time with God, spending time with my husband, and having me-time.

Time Blocking

Looking at all of my “main duties,” I decided to divide up my day into 4 categories and sprinkle Joshua-time throughout the day as needed (depending on his day-to-day self-made “schedule”).

These categories are:

Me-Time: Read my Bible/pray, read a book, watch TV, shower, etc.

Wife-Time: Clean the house, pay bills, to-do list

Work-Time: Anything pertaining to my blog (writing, social media, video editing, etc.)

Family Time: Spending time with my husband by cuddling, talking, watching TV together, playing games, etc.

My husband and I had recently decided that we want to turn off our phones by 7:30 pm and spend time together, so the first thing I blocked was “family time.” I also had been trying to wake up by 5:30 am to get more things done before Joshua wakes up around 7:30, so I added these times first.

Now that I knew when my day began and ended (before family-time), I was able to divide up the time by three to fit in my three remaining categories. This gave me 4 hours and 40 minutes for each. (This may seem like too much time for some of the categories, but you never know what is going to happen. You may have to run an unexpected errand, your kid may decide not to take any naps that day, or you sleep through your alarm. Allotting yourself too much time is better than allotting yourself not enough time.)

Suggestion: You can divide these between however many categories you have, allot more or less time to one of the categories depending on the needs, or move back and forth between categories each day (like block scheduling in school).

Now, it was time for me to fill in my categories. I decided to start my day with me-time because I am not a morning person, and I usually sit and watch TV for far too long before starting anything productive. I put work-time (blogging) at the end of the day because my husband is usually home by 3:30 and can watch Joshua so this is my most uninterrupted time. That left wife-time to the middle of the day.

The flexibility of this schedule is perfect for me. I can’t schedule an exact time to eat breakfast and lunch because I never know exactly what time Joshua will be napping. With this schedule, I know that sometime during me-time I need to eat breakfast, and sometime during wife-time I need to eat lunch. I also try to go for a 45 minute walk with Joshua around 2 pm depending on when he wakes up from his nap.

Related: How to Manage Your Time With a Newborn

Other Helpful Tips

Get a planner!

I have been using a planner since the 4th grade. If I didn’t have a place to write down all of my to-dos, my head would probably fall off and roll away. Having a planner or just a simple desk calendar to write everything down gives your mind a huge break because you’re not having to store all of this information up there!

Check out these mom-planners!

Five-Minute Tasks

I got this idea from Raising Kids, Making Money. This mom suggests making a to-do list of tasks that only take 5 minutes. So, when you put your baby in her bouncer in front of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and you know that will only keep her content for 5 minutes, you have a list of things you can get done rather than wasting that time thinking about what you can get done.

Pray Without Ceasing

When you’re feeling the stress, “cast all anxieties on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Know that somedays you just aren’t going to get things done. I literally typed half of this blog with a screaming, sick baby in my arms. All I accomplished today was taking him to urgent care for a fever and speed-typing this post.

If all you get done tomorrow is cuddling with your little one because she had a bad day, then you did exactly what needed to be done that day!

Learn from the hiccups today and grow to have a more productive day tomorrow.

And remember… You’ve Got This, Mom!

The 3-Month Purge

Disclosure: “You’ve Got This, Mom!” participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program providing a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. Most product links lead directly to Amazon.com.

Can you believe your baby is already 3-months-old?! Where has the time gone? Just yesterday you were taking him home from the hospital at only a few days old!

Being a mom finally doesn’t feel all that odd to you anymore. You think you’ve got it all figured out, and then it hits you! Your kid is growing! He’s learning all new skills that you have to nurture and encourage! There’s all these new products you need to buy! Well, no worries, Mom! I have a list of all the necessary things you need now that your little is 3 months!

(Click here to read my list of 20 Newborn Must-Haves in 2020.)

1. Pacifiers and Bottles

Pacifiers

It’s time to throw out all of your baby’s pacis and bottle nipples! There are a number of reasons for this including hygiene and development in your little one.

You should throw out a pacifier as soon as you notice any damage, but manufacturers recommend going ahead and replacing them by 2 months just to be safe. If your baby is still using the same pacis since he was a newborn, it’s time to throw them out if you haven’t by now — It’s okay! I haven’t either! Oops! Your pacifier may also not be age appropriate for your little one anymore. While some pacifier packages say 0-6 months, some packages specifically say 0-3 months. It’s time to go through your pacis and look for 0-6 month or 3+ month pacifiers.

My son loves his WubbaNubs, so I am planning to cut off the pacifier part and and throw them away, then sew up the holes on the stuffed animals and keep them for when he is old enough to play with them. I will be replacing these with new WubbaNubs. Even though some of the WubbaNubs are listed on Amazon as 0-3 months, the WubbaNub manufacturer says they are recommended for 0-6 months. There is no new model of WubbaNub you need to get now that your baby is moving on up! You will, however, need to buy the next size up (3+ months) of the Philips Avent Soothie Pacifier 2-pack or 6-pack if you don’t want your little to have the WubbaNub unsupervised in their crib to avoid the risk of suffocation.

Bottles

It is also time to buy new bottle nipples. Developmentally, your child is getting ready for a medium flow nipple; packages will be marked “3-6 months.” Throw away all bottle nipples that he has used. You should not save these for a future child. They could already be damaged or close to cracking which could be a hygiene or colic issue for a future baby.

You can either toss the bottles that go with the used nipples, or keep them for back-up, but you should go ahead and buy the next size up. Three-month-olds drink about 5-7 oz of formula per feeding, and the bottles you are using now probably only hold 5 oz.

My son’s favorite bottles are Medela — a high quality, popular brand. It took him a few weeks to get used to them, but his other favorite brand, Parent’s Choice (a very affordable brand), only has slow flow and fast flow.

2. High Chair

Can you believe it? Your little one will be sitting up and eating baby food next month! To do that, you will need a high chair. You will want to go ahead and buy one during month three so when you get the go-ahead from your pediatrician, you and your baby will be ready for action — gross, mashed green pea spitting action.

There are 3 main types of high chairs — the traditional high chair, the clamp-on-seat that connects to the side of a table, and the booster seat high chair; the one you choose depends on your preferences and house/storage size.

As my family lives in a pretty small house, we decided it would be the best fit for us to get a foldable traditional high chair. Our chairs are too short for a booster seat to be comfortable for us to feed my son, Joshua and the idea of my squirmy little one hanging off the side of a table just didn’t sit well with me.

We chose the Graco Table2Table Fold 7-in-1 High Chair for our “tiny home.” I was very impressed with the Graco brand when we bought our stroller, so I knew this was a brand I could trust. I love any product that grows with your child (money I don’t have to spend later). This high chair turns into a booster seat, a seat with a table, and a toddler youth chair. Also, you can sit your toddler in the toddler chair and baby in the booster seat at the same time. My favorite part? It’s foldable! You can easily store it away when it’s not in use. (It comes in three different colors that range from $139-169, so make sure you click on the three color options to choose the best price/color combo for you!)

3. Bobby

If you haven’t already, you should soon be seeing signs of your little one trying to sit up on her own. Before you know it, she will hate laying back in her bouncer, crib, or swing and will need something supportive to help her get a better look at the world.

Boppys are recommended to help your infant strengthen her back and neck muscles.

The Boppy is great to start using as soon as your baby first starts trying to sit up. You can prop her up or let her lean back on the Boppy. The pillow is thick and tall enough to make up for your little’s lack of core strength and will help her build it.

The Boppy comes in dozens of different designs, and the covers can be easily removed to be washed in the washing machine (my favorite aspect, of course), so I would recommend buying at least one extra Bobby case so you can still use the Boppy when one cover is in the wash.

Woodland Creaters Boppy Cover

Elephant 2-Pack Boppy Cover

Pink Unicorn Bobby Cover

4. Sleep Sacks

Around 3-6 months, your baby will be ready to transition out of a swaddle. If your baby can roll over on his own, get completely out of the swaddle, or has started getting very frustrated with the swaddle, it’s time to transition!

So, what’s next for your bundle of joy?

You can either transition to a Sleep Sack or straight into pajamas.

The Halo SleepSack will have the familiar warmth of the swaddle, but your baby’s arms will be free in case he rolls over in his sleep. Halo even makes sleep sacks that wrap snug around your little’s torso to help him feel even more like he is still in the swaddle. The National Sleep Foundation says your baby should be in a SleepSack until he turns 1.

Huggy Bears
Triangle Neutral
Woodland Medium

5. Baby Food or Food Processor

Pretty soon, you are going to get the go ahead from your pediatrician to start letting your baby eat baby food — this should be a very interesting experience! If you have not already made the decision about whether or not you want to buy baby food or make your own, you should probably make that decision now.

If you do plan on buying baby food, I encourage you to research the best brands. This will be the first manufactured food (unless your baby has been drinking formula) that will go into your little one’s body. They are not used to manufactured foods like we are, so it is best to make sure you are putting quality, safe, and natural products into your child. There are some great, reputable organic baby food brands out there!

Plum Organics, a certified organic non-GMO brand, was ranked the #1 baby puree in 2020. The Stage 1 Plum Organics (what your baby will start out with) has only 1 ingredient, fruit! It has no artificial preservatives or sweeteners and is unsalted — not to mention kosher. You can buy an 8-pack with 4 different flavors, a 9-pack with 3 different flavors, or an 18-pack with 3 different flavors. The packaging is BPA free which is always a plus for our littles (and for ourselves). And if you’re really into the environment you will be happy to hear that the packaging is recyclable.

If you’re still wanting to be in charge of every ingredient that goes into your little one’s mouth — like this control freak mama right here! — and you have a farmer’s market in the area (or a green thumb), then you have the option of making your own baby food. This really excites me as a mom because I feel like I am nurturing my child in every way possible! I get to change him, cuddle him, love him, and now I get to make his food!

We have the Magic Bullet Baby Bullet food processor for making Joshua’s baby food. I love that it comes with tons of accessories including a mixing bowl, a spatula, separate containers for the refrigerator and freezer which have rotating caps to mark the date, and a recipe book that tells you how to introduce new foods and gives suggestions of which foods to try based on your child’s developmental level! I just love products that manufacturers obviously put parents first when they were creating it, and this is one of those products!

Don’t forget infant spoons and bibs! We absolutely love these apron-like bibs!

6. 3 Month+ Toys/Teething Toys/Activity Mat

Your baby probably hasn’t shown much interest for toys in the last three months, but that will change before you know it! It’s time to pull out those 3 month toys you got from your baby shower!

Provide your little with some toys that double as teethers as she could very well be sprouting teeth soon. Teething can start anywhere from 2-6 months, but both my son and I started showing early signs of teething at just 1-month-old, so get those teething toys as soon as possible because you don’t want to need them and not have them! Make sure you have teethers that you can freeze and the ones that don’t have to be frozen. Sometimes my son likes the frozen ones and sometimes he doesn’t; babies are pretty persnickety!

You’re baby will be working on learning some important skills this month, so look for toys that light up, make noises, and have bright colors to encourage your baby to reach, grab, put things in her mouth, and practicing rolling and sitting up.

It’s also a wonderful idea to purchase an activity mat! These generally come with colorful, noise-making toys and will help your baby love tummy-time! They also fold up easily for storage, so if you don’t have a lot of room for toys, an activity mat could be an alternative to a bucket full of toys.

The new trend is water mats! It’s just like an activity mat, except it has water in it! Instead of your baby laying on her back to play, she is laying on her tummy moving objects around inside the mat. Unlike an activity mat that generally has the toys above her, this mat encourages crawling and helps her use muscles she wouldn’t be using while laying on her back. They also tend to be more affordable than activity mats.

7. Activity Center

Pretty soon, your sweetheart will be holding up his head on his own (around 4 months), and when he does, it’s time to upgrade to an activity center! I know my son is more than ready to get out of his bouncer and have some activities to do! Activity centers come in every kind of variety you could imagine — bouncing, spinning, wobbling, stationary — the options are endless! Your choice in activity center ultimately comes down to space in your home, how much you’re willing to pay, and the kind of activities you think you little will enjoy the most. You’ve been around him for 3 months now, you have some idea of what toys and activities he likes and doesn’t like.

Time sure has flown since you brought your baby home! I know you’re looking back and thinking how far you have come as a mother and how much your baby has learned in just 3 short months! I pray this next chapter of your infant’s life goes as smoothly as it can, and, in the trying moments, you stop and take the time to appreciate how small and precious this gift is.

You’ve got this, Mom!

Baby Hacks for a Happier Baby and Happier You

Disclosure: “You’ve Got This, Mom!” participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program providing a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. Most product links lead directly to Amazon.com.

My son turned 3 months on Monday! Where did the time go?!?!

In the past 3 months, I have learned some valuable newborn hacks that have made life as a new mom a whole lot easier, and I wanted to share my newfound knowledge with you.

Below are my top 10 newborn hacks that will change life with baby! But I wanted to go above and beyond for you! Under many of the hacks is some extra information or a link to a specific product I use! I know mommin’ is tough, and I wanted to make these hacks that much easier for you. So, make sure to not miss out on the info I included for you under the hacks!

Hack #1:

Hack #2:

We love the Johnson’s Hand and Face Wipes (here is a great deal for a 4-pack and a 12-pack). I keep them where I generally feed Joshua everyday so they are easily accessible to me when I see that his neck and palms need to be cleaned. My favorite lotion to use on him (and me) is Johnson’s Baby Moisturizing Lotion.

Hack #3:

Babies will all prefer different bottles. My son loves Parent’s Choice 5 oz Bottles the best — which I’m very happy about because they are REALLY affordable.
We also use Medela Bottles with him. It took him about a month to get used to this brand, but we already had them because they came with my breast pump and we were determined not to buy more bottles.

Hack #4:

Hack #5:

When Joshua is upset and the usual things don’t console him, I try any number of these hacks.
Make life even easier on yourself! Invest in a car seat that quickly fits into a stroller. I don’t know what I would do without our Graco FastAction Jogger Travel System.
Our favorite way to carry our son around the house (my husband included) is in the Ergobaby Aura Wrap Carrier. If I’m walking to my neighbor’s, doing chores, or dancing with him to salsa music, this wrap is easy to put on, comfortable to wear, and takes up little storage space.
I made a playlist of lullabies on YouTube that I can quickly pull up when he’s fussy. You can make your own or follow mine.

Hack #6:

My son is obsessed with his WubbaNub pacifier. He holds onto the attached stuffed animal for comfort and uses it to push the paci back in his mouth. WubbaNubs come in all kinds of stuffed animals including a giraffe, elephant, unicorn, moose, and sloth.
We never use the WubbaNub in his crib, however, because he could push it over his face and it could cause suffocation. We only use them during the day when we’re watching him. A pacifier you can use at night that is just like the one attached to the WubbaNub is the Phillips Avent Soothie. Here is the 0-3 month pacifier and the 3+ month pacifier.

Hack #7:

I have written previous blogs about feeding schedules. You can read my suggestions and tips for a newborn feeding schedule and a two-month old feeding schedule.

Hack #8:

These onesie brands have consistently been my favorite brands! However, just like kids and adult clothes, baby clothes sizes should not be treated equal. Here are some of my favorite onesies in these brands currently available (click the pictures to be taken to the websites):

Hack #9:

Hack #10:

Here is a 2 minute video of a baby crying that you can play for your pet.

Hey, Mom! I really hope these newborn hacks give you a peace of mind and make life a little easier for you! Please let me know what hacks you tried or any other hacks you have figured out for your little one!

You’ve got this, Mom!

Inexpensive and Free Date and Gift Ideas He Will L❤VE

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The year 2020 is well underway. Christmas lights have (hopefully) come down, January is but a memory, and Valentine’s Day is just a week away!

If you’re like me, a busy mom who feels like Christmas was just yesterday and her house still hasn’t recovered from it, you probably have nothing planned… and no money to do anything too extravagant.

No worries! Here are some date and gift ideas that won’t break the bank and will still show your wonderful man how much you appreciate him!

*Valentine’s Day is on Friday this year, but you don’t have to celebrate on Valentine’s Day. Talk to the grandparents about keeping the kids one night during the week or on Saturday while you celebrate, or wait until the kids are asleep, and have a date night at home.

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Free Dates:

  • Build a blanket fort (Our mattress is light enough that we take it into the living room and use that as the base.)
  • Go for a walk in a park, in the historical district, at the beach (If you live in the south, and it’s not too cold), etc. (Shout out to Memphis Putman for sharing this idea with us!)
  • Coupon book (Back rub, he picks the movie, you do one of his chores, fishing trip, etc.)
  • Paint/draw each other’s portraits (Don’t let the other person see it until it’s done. My husband and I did this, and we still have ours hung on our fridge. The finished products were hilarious and a great memory! See the picture to the right? He painted me and I painted him. 🤣)
  • Go stargazing or sleep under the stars
  • Play his favorite board game/card game/video game
  • If you have a boat or ATV, take it out for the day!
  • Find a dance tutorial on YouTube and surprise him with a free “dance class”
  • Karaoke party (You can search just about any song on YouTube with “karaoke” behind it and find the karaoke version. For example, “my girl karaoke“. To prepare, you could go ahead and make a playlist or just wing it!)
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  • Spa night (Give him a back massage and foot massage.)
  • Scavenger hunt (Send him around the house or around the neighborhood.)
  • Go to a local park that has a free tennis court, volleyball court, or basketball court and play against each other (or invite another couple and play doubles).
  • Watch the sunset
  • Create a couple’s bucket list together
  • Sit down together and each write 26 date ideas on pieces of paper. Put them in a jar, and you now have 52 weeks of date ideas that one or both of you would enjoy! (Look on Pinterest for date ideas. Make sure to throw in some cheap and free options.)
  • Pick wild flowers, and make a bouquet together
  • Go to the mall, and pick out silly outfits for each other to try on
  • Sit together with a cup of coffee and talk. Turn off your phones and just be present with each other.
  • Take “The Intimacy Acceleration” quiz — the quiz Penny and Sheldon test in Big Bang Theory to see if it will make them more attracted to each other and by Daniel and Natasha in The Sun is Also a Star movie and book. Don’t forget to stare into each other’s eyes for 4 minutes at the end. (My husband and I did this and really enjoyed the experience!) Here and here are clips from the episode on Big Bang Theory about the quiz.
  • Work out together (This increases endorphins and euphoria.)
  • Find funny BuzzFeed couple quizzes
  • Make a love time capsule
  • Participate in his favorite hobby with him

Inexpensive Dates:

  1. Cook him a romantic dinner (You can never go wrong with steak… or recreate the meal you had on your first date or at your wedding.)
  2. Find a cooking tutorial on YouTube and have a in-home “cooking class”
  3. Just drive around and talk (I put this under “inexpensive” since you have to pay for gas.)
  4. Rent his favorite movie from Redbox, and surprise him with popcorn and his favorite movie snack
  5. Go to a museum (Many museums have suggested donations rather than actual prices.)
  6. Go on a picnic (This could be free if you grab food you already have on hand.)
  7. Dollar store date
  8. Decide on a set amount of money to spend, and go to the arcade
  9. Check out Groupon to see what their current deals are. Try something new!
  10. Netflix and Chill
  11. Have a bonfire with s’mores
  12. Grab another couple and go to the mall for a scavenger hunt finding items that start with each letter of the alphabet, be sure to take a picture with each item, and the first couple finished gets dessert courtesy of the other couple. (I found this idea here.)
  13. Get copies of Do You Know Your Husband? and Do You Know Your Wife? and compete for who knows whom better. Loser gives winner a foot massage or has to pass over the remote for 1 night.
  14. Bake heart shaped cookies, decorate them with icing and sprinkles, and post on social media for people to vote who made the best. THEN EAT THEM!
  15. Go to the Dollar Tree, buy all your favorite candies, and JUST PIG OUT!
  16. Fly a kite
  17. Tie-dye and/or paint shirts for each other

Liked these date ideas? Follow my Date Night Pinterest board:

Free Gifts

  1. “Open When…” letters (I did this for my husband and he loved it!
  2. Write him a poem
  3. Write him a song
  4. Draw/paint him a picture
  5. Make him a pillow out of an old shirt he likes and an old throw pillow
  6. A personalized card
  7. Make a board game with YOU TWO as the theme
  8. Choose some Bible verses that remind you of him, write them down, and write why you chose them
  9. 365 Note Jar (Tedious, but definitely a great way to show him how much you appreciate him!)
  10. This ridiculously precious and punny gift you can make with hot glue and spoons 🤣😍

Inexpensive Gifts

  1. Bro-quet (Go to the Dollar Tree and put in his favorite things.)
  2. Gift card (Don’t roll your eyes at this one. My husband is really hard to shop for, so sometimes I surprise him with a gift card to Game Stop or Academy. We don’t spend much on ourselves, so I’m gifting him the ability to spend money on himself without feeling guilty about splurging. It can just be $10-20 if that’s all you can afford. It’s the thought that counts.)
  3. His favorite candy/snack (Or turn a bunch of his favorite candies into a cute card)
  4. Pocket knife (You can find inexpensive Case Knives.)
  5. Walmart always has fun men’s graphic tees from $5-20
  6. Breakfast in bed (Make all of his favorites!)
  7. A mix tape/CD
  8. Go out for a romantic dessert rather than dinner. FroYo, ice cream, sopapillas, cheesecake… (You would be surprised how much money this will save you.)
  9. Buy a frame at a dollar store and print your favorite picture of the two of you (Here is a really precious note to add to it.)
  10. Photo collage
  11. Year-long husband or dad devotional
  12. The 31 Day Pursuit Challenge — My husband and I are currently reading these books with our Bible Study group and absolutely love them! You can get the couple’s set for $22.98. Each day has an action or date idea to help you better pursue your spouse. You can buy them separately as well and do it on your own.

Liked these gift ideas? Follow my Inexpensive Gifts He Will Love! Pinterest board:

You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to show your husband how much you love and appreciate him. You don’t even have to spend $1! Just going out of your way to do something thoughtful that you know he will love will be enough for him.

You’ve got this, Mom!

What are some inexpensive or free Valentine’s dates or gift ideas you have? Which of the ideas from above are you going to try this year? I would love to hear from you! Comment below.