Tips for Planning Baby's First Birthday

I’m not much of a party person, but when it came to my daughter’s first birthday party, I was all in. Children grow so much and reach so many important milestones their first year of life. How can you not celebrate it? This was my first time ever hosting a birthday party, so after having done one, I’ve gained some experience as well as some planning advice and tips to share to hopefully make your party planning easier and your baby’s big day run smoother.

PLANNING

                                                                                                                        Party Theme

The theme is the first thing to decide when planning a baby’s first birthday. I chose Peter Rabbit as my daughter’s theme since she loves the books, the movie, and sleeps with a Peter Rabbit rattle every night. When choosing the theme, you could base it off your child's favorite character, their favorite book or tv show, or keep it neutral. Choose what you think your baby will like and be sure to check out Pinterest for some great ideas.

Invite List

Next is creating your invite list. How big or small your invite list will be should be determined by your child. If your child is social and gets excited by large groups of people, then by all means, throw a big party. But if they cannot handle large crowds, it’s best to not invite a large group of people. If unfamiliar people scare your child, it’s best to not invite them to the party either. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm your child and make them feel uncomfortable on their special day.

Place

This should be determined after the invite list is made since you won't know until then how big or small of a place you'll need. If you have a larger group of people, it would be best to hold the party outside at a park or at a venue. If your guest list will be short, holding the party at a house will be fine. Our apartment was too small to hold all 12 of our guests, so we held the party at my mom’s house.

Date and Time

Choose your baby’s party either before or at least a week after their 12 month vaccines. If you do it too close, you run the risk of either having a cranky and sick baby at the party, or having to cancel the party altogether because your baby doesn’t feel good. A second tip is to make the party after your child’s first nap, or whenever your child is at their best attitude. My daughter’s party was from 3-5pm, supposed to be in-between her first and second nap, except she decided not to take her nap. So she was fussy her entire party and all she wanted to do was bury her head into my chest. So do whatever it takes to get your child to sleep. You will regret it if not. Lastly, if your baby’s birthday is near a holiday, keep in mind people may already have other plans and parties to attend. If that’s the case, you might want to plan your baby’s party either before their actual birthday or a week or two after.

                                     Decorations

When buying your baby’s decorations and party supplies, I feel advance is always best so that way you’re not trying to buy everything last minute and you’ve had enough time to go out and buy the things you actually want. I did all my shopping online to get Peter Rabbit themed supplies, so I definitely had to plan and buy in advance so that way all our stuff arrived on time. Some things took almost 2 months to arrive, to put things into perspective. Some things to buy are invitations, thank you cards, streamers, banners, plates, napkins, cups, forks, spoons, etc.

Baby’s Outfit

Choose what you want your baby to wear on their special day. Keeping in Peter Rabbit theme, I ordered a Peter Rabbit dress for my daughter. I ordered it from Etsy, so it was handmade especially for her, which made it extra special.

Food

Food is one of the most important factors of any celebration. Keep the food selection in theme with your party. With ours being Peter Rabbit themed, we served lots of garden and “rabbit” type food. We served fruit tray, veggie platter, chips and guacamole, Chickpea Salad Sandwiches, and Fruit Infused Water.

                                                                                             Smash Cake

The smash cake is probably the highlight of every first birthday party, so this is not to be missed. Normally what people do is they buy a sheet cake at a store like Stater Bros., Walmart, Krogers, and the like, because when you do, you get a smash cake for free. However with us being vegan, and my daughter having food allergies and intolerances, we decided to go the homemade route. I’m also not too big on junk food and processed sugars, so I made her this baby-friendly Vanilla Apple Birthday Cake with shredded carrots folded into the mix to make it a “carrot” cake, and wanted to make this Tofu Vanilla Frosting to go with it, but I was pressed for time and ended up using a pre-made cream cheese frosting from the store. As for everyone else’s cake, I made carrot cupcakes topped with the same cream cheese frosting.

EXTRA TIPS

♥Keep the weather in mind. If it will be cold, snowy, or rainy, it’s best to not have an outdoor party like at a park.

♥Do whatever it takes to get your baby to sleep before the party. Nothing is worse than a cranky guest of honor.

♥Have the party last about two hours. You don’t want less than that or everything will be rushed, and no longer than that or things can get pretty boring for your baby and you run the risk of your child getting cranky and sleepy all over again.

♥Have the house decorated the night before and all your food pre-chopped, for things like your fruit and veggie platter, so that way you have little to do the day of and things are less stressful and run smoother.

♥Do not plan games. You will most likely not play them. We had three games planned with prizes for the winners and we did not play any of them except for family who stayed long after the party was over. It was just a waste of time and money planning and preparing for them.

♥Have a designated picture-taker/videographer so that way you get to be in the present moment and to be in pictures with your child and not experiencing everything from behind the screen.

♥Have a designated gift tracker who writes down who got your child what. It will make writing thank you cards so much easier.

That is it for my first birthday planning advice and tips! I hope it was helpful and give yourself a pat on the back. You've just completed your first year of parenthood!

Baby Travel Essentials | What's in My Baby's Travel Bag

Whether it’s by plane, train, or car, traveling with a baby can be stressful with all the extra baggage to make space for and lug around. My partner and I have traveled with our baby quite a bit in just her first year and have learned along the way what is practical and what isn’t to make for an easier and stress-less trip, so here I will be making a list of the sort of things we pack for our baby when traveling to give other parents an idea of what to bring for theirs. Keep in mind what’s practical for some parents may not be for others as different kids may have different needs. This is just a guide and what works for us, so when you’re making your packing list, have your own baby in mind and pick and choose items as you see fit.

Wyatt the Whale

We bring our daughter’s sound and light soother with us to make her feel more at home. This would not be an essential for most people, however our baby falls asleep quicker with Wyatt.

Pack n’ Play

We always bring our Graco Pack n’Play for any overnight trip. Our baby does not sleep with us so having a pack n’ play to act as a crib while we’re away is a must.

Epipen

This is something a lot of parents will not need, but if your child has any kind of serious allergies, whether food or environmental, an epipen is something to not forget and to keep with you at all times.

Diaper Bag

The diaper bag is an essential as it is the main thing that every parent lugs around during the day for their child to keep all their little things in. I even quit using my own purse so our diaper bag is not only my baby’s bag, but mine too. I use the Skip Hop Chelsea Diaper Bag in Black.

Diapers and Wipes

Whether you’re cloth diapering or using disposables, diapers and wipes are a must for all babies and toddlers still in diapers. We choose to use disposables and how many diapers we bring depends on the duration of the trip.

Formula, Bottles, Bottle Soap, and Bottle Scrub

Our baby is not breastfed, so bringing formula with us is a must at this stage as it is still the bulk of her nutrition, and how much we bring depends on the length of the trip we are taking. Of course we need bottles to put the formula in, and if our trip is longer than three days, we always bring soap and a bottle scrub to clean her bottles with.

Diaper Rash Cream

Diaper rash cream is something I like to carry with me on trips “just in case”. I have never needed to use it on a trip before, but I like to keep some on hand in case I do need it. Nothing would be worse than to need diaper rash cream, not have it, and then have to go out and buy some. My favorite diaper rash cream is the Earth’s Best Organic Diaper Relief Ointment.

Baby Spoons and Pureed Foods

Once our baby was old enough to eat solid foods, we started bringing a baby spoon and jarred purees with us along with the formula.

Snacks (Crackers, Fruits, etc.)

Also after my baby started eating solid foods, I would pack lots of extra food besides formula. Dry things like crackers, gummies, and freeze dried fruits are great for snacks on the go like at an amusement park, plane ride, car ride, etc. I like to save the juicy snacks like berries, mangoes, and other fresh fruits for the beach or for breakfast at the hotel where I can wash my baby off more easily.

Bibs and Burp Cloths

This is another thing we would pack more so when our baby was younger and messier with food, but it is still something we pack even at a year old. We always bring one of each and use them as we need them, which is hardly ever anymore.

Gripe Water

When your baby is screaming and fussy and all else fails to calm them down, that’s where gripe water comes in. We have had to use our Mommy’sBliss Gripe Water on a few different trips, so I always pack it with me. I mix it in with her bottle rather than giving it to her by syringe.

Toys

I always bring a few small toys with us on trips for my daughter. We have a pink cell phone for her to watch videos on for long car rides, and a mixture of little stuffed animals, crinkly toys, and rattles to play with in the stroller, in the car, while we’re at a restaurant, or to have her sleep with at the hotel.

Blanket

Now that my baby is older I started putting a blanket in her crib with a few small stuffed animals to keep her company while she sleeps, so we do the same for travel as well. A blanket is also good to drape over their car seat to keep them warm, especially if you have no heater in the car. This is also more for winter travel.

Sun Hat and Sunglasses

A sun hat is good to bring to keep your baby’s head from getting burned in sunny locations and baby sunglasses are good to bring to keep the sun out of their eyes, especially during road trips when your baby is still rear facing. Nothing hurts your ears more than listening to the effects of the bright sun shining in your baby’s face for hours.

Swimsuit, Swim Diapers, Beach Towel, and Sunscreen

Also in sunny weather, families usually like to take a beach trip or have a relaxing day at the hotel’s pool. A swimsuit and sunscreen are to protect their skin, swim diapers are if your baby is still in diapers, and a beach towel for drying them off with.

Body Wash

Body wash is obviously needed to give your baby a bath with. I don’t like using the hotel options as they always leave my skin dry and the shampoos leave my hair brittle and greasy. The ingredients in them are terrible too so I always bring travel sized versions of what we use and will bring a 2-in-1 body wash and shampoo combo for my baby.

Few Changes of Clothes (socks, jackets, pants, shirt, shorts, pjs, etc,)

How many outfits I pack depends on how long we will be traveling, but bring how many you think you will need plus a few extra. Some outfits might get ruined by poop explosions, pee spillovers, or get really stained from food. Always keep an extra change of clothes with you in the diaper bag when you’re out an about. We did not do this at Disneyworld and my daughters pants were soaked with pee and we had no extra change of clothes so half the day she was sitting in soiled clothes. Another time we were at a restaurant and had a poop explosion and had no backup clothes so out daughter had to be pant-less at the restaurant and everyone was staring. Don’t be unprepared. Also check the weather right before you go so you know what sort of outfits to pack.

Stroller

A stroller is a must if your baby is not able to walk yet. Your arms would not make it if you tried to carry your baby around all day while exploring a town or city.

Baby Carrier

Even though we have a stroller with us to push our baby around in, I always like to bring the baby carrier with us too. Since strollers are not allowed in lines at amusement parks, a baby carrier is easy to hold your baby in since your arms won’t get tired. And at a festival once, we ended up having to put our daughter in a baby carrier since the stroller started getting too full of merchandise and handouts and we were running out of arms. Also it just feels nice to keep your baby close to you.

Bottle Cooler Bag and Icepacks

Our bottle cooler bag was a gift from the hospital we gave birth at and I love it because it keeps our baby’s leftovers cold while we’re out and about so they won’t go bad. We forgot we had it so before we started using this we were throwing out a lot of milk. And of course for the bag you will need some ice packs. We bring our own from home and freeze them in our hotel freezer overnight.

Baby Thermometer and Lubricating Jelly

This was more for when my baby was much younger when she got colds and fevers more frequently, but I liked to bring a flexible tip thermometer with lubricating jelly (for checking the temperature rectally) on trips with us. Again, I’ve never felt the need to use it on a trip, but for some reason it’s something I just like to keep on hand to use if we feel like she’s about to come down with something.

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know in the comments what your travel essentials are for your baby!

Tips for a Vegan Holiday with Non-Vegan Family Members

Though I feel the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, it can be daunting celebrating your first holiday as a vegan. I went vegan the beginning of December 2014, so Christmas was my first holiday as a vegan. Since then, I have had many more years experiencing vegan holiday’s with the family, not only Christmas, but Fourth of July and Thanksgiving as well. Of course there are more holidays to be celebrated, but these are the three our family gets together for the most involving food. In this post, I will be giving you some tips on how to celebrate the holidays with non-vegan family members and sharing some recipes that I really enjoy and think you might too.

But first, everyone knows what basic non-vegan ingredients are like meat, dairy, and eggs, but there are some not-so obvious ingredients to look out for. Here are two helpful links for vegans to check out: 

Sneaky Non-Vegan Ingredients

Food Additives

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are my tips to celebrating the holidays with non-vegan family members!

TIP #1: LET YOUR FAMILY KNOW YOU’RE VEGAN

My first tip is letting your family, friends, or whoever you’re celebrating the holidays with, know that you’re a vegan. We always celebrate with family, and if your family is like mine, it is always one person (the host) preparing the feast for the whole family. This is so important for everyone to know, especially the host, because the host probably woke up that morning at an ungodly hour to prepare the feast for everyone, and maybe even started prepping things the night before getting everything ready, only to have you show up and not eat anything. Yes, other people will be there to partake in the feast, but it may cause hurt feelings between you and the host because they may feel insulted, attacked, unappreciated, that they’re cooking isn’t good enough for you, and so on. It’s just better to establish that you’re vegan ahead of time to avoid conflict. I went vegan in December 2014, weeks before Christmas, so it was important for the family to know. My older sister, the host, said I need to figure out food for myself because she’s not going to make a big feast for everyone, then an entire separate vegan meal for me, which is totally understandable and I wasn’t expecting her to think or do that at all. So this brings me to my next tip.

TIP #2: PREPARE AND BRING YOUR OWN FOOD

The last thing your host needs is the stress to figure out how to make a vegan feast, so hop in the kitchen and make the vegan version of what everyone else is going to be eating. This is also a great time to show others that veganism isn’t such a weird thing and that you can eat the same dishes that taste the same, just no cruelty to animals involved. I wake up early myself, prepare a vegan feast for me and my boyfriend, then pack it into paper bags and bring to the hosts’ house. My youngest sister is a former vegan, now a vegetarian, so she eats both what I make and what my older sister makes and sometimes my mom will try the vegan versions of what I had made, so I think that’s really cool. As I mentioned before, the three holidays my family celebrates involving a big feast are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fourth of July. Below is a general meal plan of what I would make on these occasions:

Thanksgiving and Christmas: 

Tofurky 

Cranberry sauce: Make your own or from a can

Mashed potatoes: Mash potatoes with unsweetend almond milk and earth balance butter, salt, and pepper

Gravy 

Green Bean Cassseroles: One, Two, and Three

Dinner rolls: We use Kroger brand frozen dinner rolls

Sweet Potato Casseroles: One, Two, and Three

Or make how you usually would but instead use earth balance butter and Dandies vegan marshmallows

Desserts: Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Fourth of July:

Burgers: Use Beyond Meat burgers, vegan buns of choice, onions, lettuce, tomato, vegan mayonnaise, and daiya or chao cheese to make cheeseburger. 

Corn with vegan butter

Potato Salad: Make how you usually would but without eggs and use vegan mayonnaise like Vegenaise or Just Mayo 

These are recipes I like, but of course you can look up your own recipes on Google or Pinterest to find what appeals to you and create your own meal plan.

TIP #3: BE PREPARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

My last tip in having a vegan holiday with non-vegan family members is be prepared to answer some questions that anyone may have. Because let’s face it, if situations arise that need to be discussed or there’s questions to be answered, a family gathering is usually the place people are going to do it. As mentioned earlier, I had gone vegan weeks before Christmas, so me being vegan and veganism in general was a new concept to everyone and something no one really could understand. Be prepared to be questioned the standard “why are you vegan” and “where do you get your B12, protein, calcium, etc”. These questions may have gotten old by now, but it’s important to be able to answer kindly and respectfully and in a way that doesn’t make the other person feel attacked by your responses. Talking about veganism can be as heated as discussing politics.

With all that in mind, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and that these tips helped any vegan out there on how to celebrate with non-vegan family. I also made a video version discussing this topic on my YouTube channel here.

10 Tips for Planning a Babymoon

Although pregnancy is an amazing and joyous time in you and your partner’s lives, it can also be one of the most stressful and hectic. That’s where a babymoon comes in. A babymoon in a trip taken before the baby is born and gives you and your partner a getaway from all the baby-related business. It’s also so nice and refreshing to focus on yourselves and bond as a couple, something that often gets put on the back-burner once the baby is born. My partner and I went on a babymoon during my 8^th month of pregnancy, and it was one of our favorite trips we’ve ever taken together. Below are some of my tips and things to think about when planning your babymoon.

CHOOSING YOUR DESTINATION

Firstly think of what kind of a trip you would like to go on. Some people may like to stay closer to home like maybe a few hour drive, but I would say most people would like to venture out and go someplace they have never been to before, like a different country or state. When choosing our babymoon, my boyfriend and I chose New Orleans. We chose it for a few reasons: 1) We had never been before, 2) We’ve always wanted to go, and 3) We wanted to go someplace it would be hard to travel to once our baby girl was born. New Orleans is a 9 hour drive from where we live so we knew we wouldn’t be taking that long of a drive anytime soon after our daughter was born. And plus, New Orleans is not a very kid friendly place so we also wouldn’t be going anytime soon because it wouldn’t be very exciting for our daughter. So a babymoon just seemed like the best time to go to New Orleans while it was still just the two of us. We also were thinking of a different country for our babymoon since traveling by plane with a baby can get tricky, but considering our pregnancy was high risk from the beginning, plus travelling to a different country would be more expensive, and all the travel arrangements like vaccines, passports, visas, and all that take some time to sort out, we thought it would be best to stay within the United States. But if you would like to travel outside of your country, keep in mind that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women should avoid traveling to any destination where there has been a Zika outbreak. The Zika virus can cause severe birth defects in babies whose mothers are infected, so be sure to check that your destination is Zika-free on the CDC’s website.

TIME YOUR TRAVEL WISELY

Choose a time when it’s not so early in the pregnancy when you’re suffering from morning sickness and fatigue but not so late when you feel heavy, sluggish, and in pain. That’s why the time suggested for a babymoon is during the second trimester (weeks 14 through 27), when you’re past the sickness but not too big to get around easily. But of course you can have your babymoon in whatever stage of pregnancy you feel comfortable with. We took ours in the third trimester since that was the only time we could take off work together.

FOR FLYING: Some airlines have restrictions about flying in the third trimester. So if you’re planning on traveling by plane, check your carrier’s policy before you book your tickets. Another tip for air travel is to request an aisle seat to make those frequent bathroom trips easier.

FOR A ROAD TRIP: Choose a babymoon spot within a reasonable driving radius. What’s considered “reasonable” is different from person to person, but this probably won’t be the best time to be road tripping across the country. Make sure to also factor in time you’ll be taking for frequent bathroom stops, food breaks, and a chance to stretch your legs.

FOR A CRUISE: A cruise may seem like such a luxury, but it may not be the best time for a babymoon, especially if you suffer from morning sickness. The rocking of the boat may make you seasick and you’ll be stuck with no escape. Also a cruise in the late stages of pregnancy may not be a good option in case anything we’re to happen and you need a hospital right away (like say your baby decided to come early!). You’ll be stuck out on the sea with no help readily available.

MAKING YOUR STAY MORE COMFORTABLE

Sleeping during pregnancy can be hard enough at home in your own bed, so sleeping in someone else’s bed may be even harder. There’s no way you can know what they hotel’s beds will be like beforehand, so for extra comfort bring extra pillows and maybe your own blanket. On our babymoon, I brought my body pillow with me to sleep with. Also when making your reservations, make sure to get a king-sized bed for lots of space to toss and turn (sleep during pregnancy is hard!). Also note that the closer you are to the action, the busier the hotel and hotel’s perimeters will be. So keep in mind that if you want to get a good night’s rest, pick a hotel out just outside the happenings, but if you want to stay within the action for easier getting to and from activities, you might have to sacrifice a good night’s sleep.

SKIP THE LANGUAGE BARRIER

A medical emergency is a lot easier to deal with when there’s no language barrier. So unless you’re fluent in that countries language, be sure to book your babymoon in a country where everyone, or almost everyone, speaks English. Also, a babymoon taken at a place where you can understand the language makes for a stress-less vacation.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

Find out what medical services are available at the nearest hospital or birthing center to your hotel. Once you’ve found a center that suits your needs, run your plans past your midwife or ob-gyn and give them the clinic’s name and office numbers (this is more so to let your OB know you’ve got everything under control, especially if they are skeptical about you traveling in the first place). Make sure to have your insurance information with you at all times.

FINANCIALLY

If you feel like you won’t have enough money to be going on a trip with all the money you’ll be shelling out for baby gear, start saving and setting money aside starting the beginning of the pregnancy to ensure you and your partner can take one in the later stages of pregnancy. If you decided you want to go on a babymoon late and money is an issue, you can even stay at your own home, but take time to pamper yourselves and do things together as a couple. Play games, watch movies, take relaxing baths, sleep in late, do whatever you usually couldn’t do otherwise. Only you know your financial situation and what you can afford so make the most of whatever decision you and your partner make.

PREPARE FOR THE WEATHER

When planning your babymoon, especially if going out of state or country, check to see what the weather will be like where you will be staying because it may be the opposite to the weather you’re having where you live. In New Orleans where we took our babymoon, it was raining the entire trip, so we had to be sure to bring warm clothes and an umbrella. If it will be sunny where you’ll be travelling, make sure to bring sunscreen, cooler clothes, and the like.

A babymoon is something I think every couple should take. Your life as you know it is soon about to change dramatically and you won’t be able to travel or do something for yourself whenever you like. Take advantage of this freedom! Once the baby arrives, he or she will become the center of attention and take up most, if not all your time, which can sometimes put a strain on couples. By taking a babymoon and investing time to be together with your partner, you’ll be entering parenthood more connected than ever. Don’t forget your camera to capture the moments!

See our babymoon in action here!

Middle Names for Amelia | Baby Girl Names

One of the most important things to discuss with your partner before your baby arrives is what the baby's name will be. When my boyfriend and I found out we were having a baby girl, we knew we wanted to name her Amelia, but wasn't sure what the middle name would be. I wanted it to be 'Colette', which is what it ended up being, but initially my boyfriend was skeptical on the middle name and we decided to create a list together. Below is a list of the middle names we came up with. I hope anyone who reads can benefit from this list and will give you some ideas! You can also watch the video version on my YouTube channel!

♥ Elise

♥ Elizabeth

♥ Jade

♥ Blake

♥ Aria

♥ Nevaeh

♥ Celeste

♥ Madison

♥ Harlyn

♥ Everly

♥ Quinn

♥ Zemira

FALL FASHION | OOTD

I've always loved the atmosphere that autumn creates: leaves changing colors, weather getting colder, eating comfort foods like warm drinks and hot soups, sweaters coming out, holiday's coming up, and it seems that the closer we get to the winter months, the friendlier the people appear to be. My favorite of these, though, is the fashion. I love fall fashion. It's cold enough to bring out the sweaters and skinny jeans but not so cold you have to completely bundle yourself up, which is what I have done here. I am in the midst of the autumn leaves wearing my mom's Peanut's sweater from the 80's that says "BOO", paired with black skinny jeans, and my favorite black faux leather heels. Happy fall everyone and have a wonderful holiday season!

What's in My Hospital Bag + What I Actually Used

About halfway through my pregnancy, I was already researching and starting to make a list of all the things I would need to bring with me to the hospital. I read blogs and watched videos of so many other mom’s hospital bag checklists and there was so many things I came across that seemed pointless to me: like house slippers, bath robe, makeup, 3 separate hospital bags for mommy, baby, and daddy, hairdryer, curling iron, lotion, socks, shoes, a bunch of different pairs of clothes, and so on. Of course I am not making fun of or arguing with how other mother’s decide to do things. This is their own, unique, experience and they should pack what makes them most comfortable. But for me personally, I kept in mind that I wouldn’t even be at the hospital for more than a day or two and, as a minimalist, I wanted to pack lightly with everything in one bag and bring only the absolute necessities. I chose to bring what seemed the most practical to me and the things I thought I would actually be needing and using for my stay. But of course, even I ended up bringing more than I should have and used less than half of it. In today’s post, I am going to be sharing with you everything I packed in my hospital bag, indicating what I used and what I ended up not using.

WHAT’S IN MY HOSPITAL BAG - EVERYTHING I USED

HEALTHY SNACKS

As a vegan, this was important for me since there were only fruit cups and fries at our hospital cafeteria and junk food in the vending machines. In my bag, I packed things like nuts, juice, raisins, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and kale chips. My boyfriend would also go out and pick up extra produce and would bring meals from restaurants as needed.

                                                          LOOSE CHANGE OF CLOTHES

I wanted to bring a loose change of clothes so it would be easy access if they needed to hook me up to the monitor or take my blood pressure or anything of the sort. Also wearing tight clothes after giving birth would have been uncomfortable.

CELL PHONE AND CHARGER

Having a phone on hand was a must so I could keep in touch with family and friends and we also used it to play soft music at night when we went to bed.

CAMERA AND CHARGER

Having a camera was also a must to capture moments and take never-ending pictures of our little one.

WALLET WITH ID AND INSURANCE CARD

A wallet with everything in it is always handy to bring with you everywhere you go. You may need to present your driver’s license and insurance card to the hospital staff. I also needed my insurance card so I could use the number on the back to call the insurance company to add my daughter to my insurance.

BABY BOOK

To pass the time, I filled out my daughter’s baby book when she was sleeping. In her baby book, there is a section all about her birth: name, date of birth, place of birth, time of birth, hair color, eye color, weight, length, etc. There is also a section for her hand and feet prints.

 TWO GOING HOME OUTFITS FOR BABY

You never know what size your baby will be at birth, so having two or more outfit options is a good idea incase one is too big or too small. I brought a newborn and a 0-3 month size outfit. Then again, our daughter was a preemie size, coming out at 6lbs 6.1oz, so what we brought was still too big for her anyway. We ended up going for the smallest option, the newborn outfit, which was special because it was my going-home outfit as a baby.

EVERYTHING I DID NOT USE

SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, AND A LOOFAH

Birth is a messy process, so I thought one of the first things I would want to do was take a shower. Boy was I wrong. With how heavy I was bleeding and still getting blood on the bed, trying to breastfeed, etc, a shower was the last thing on my mind. I knew if I took a shower I would still end up feeling gross. I ended up just taking a shower once I got home. We were only at the hospital for a day anyway.

                                                                             LONG, THICK PADS

I brought so many of these knowing I was going to be bleeding postpartum. However, the staff provided them for me so I ended up using theirs rather than my own.

MATERNITY UNDERWEAR

This was a must for me. I didn’t want to get my pretty Victoria’s Secret underwear all dirty and messed up so I chose to keep those looking nice and brought a few pairs of my maternity underwear. Yet, I still did not use my maternity underwear because the hospital staff kept some disposable mesh underwear for me in the bathroom. So again, I used theirs rather than my own.

NURSING PADS AND NIPPLE CREAM

Knowing I wanted to breastfeed, I thought these were a must. However, we couldn’t get my daughter to latch on the entire time we were there, leaving no reason to put on nipple cream as they were never cracked. As for the nursing pads, since we could never get my daughter to latch on, my breasts were never stimulated and not enough milk was produced for them to even leak. I ended up not using either one of these.

                      
                     

                                BABY RATTLE TOY

I thought at least one baby toy would be a good idea to bring. I thought she might like looking at or cuddling with one of her stuffed giraffe rattles, but of course, she took no interest. A toy is really of no use to bring as they will be sleeping most of the time and a few hour old baby is not going to care or know what to do with such a thing.

DIAPERS AND WIPES

Yes, diapers and wipes are important but, again, these were also items that our hospital staff provided for us inside the drawers of the table my daughter slept on.

BABY BLANKET

My daughter was born in the middle of winter, so I thought she might get cold. However, she was kept warm from the person’s body heat of whoever was holding her and from her being swaddled. The only time we used her blanket was when we were going home. We draped it over her in the car seat. We could have saved space in my bag if we just left the blanket in the car.

So that is it for my hospital bag list of everything I brought and didn’t use! I would have used most everything in my bag, like diapers, wipes, pads, etc. The only reason why I didn’t was because I would rather use theirs first rather than my own. A tip for you is to check with your birthing center and ask them what all they will be providing for you during your stay so you know what needs to be packed or not. If I had done this, I could have used a smaller bag, like a purse, rather than my travel carry-on suitcase. I hope you enjoyed this post and don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel where I also posted a video version of this topic. I am assuming those of you who are reading this are most likely women nearing the end of their pregnancies trying to get an idea of what to pack in their hospital bags. If you are one of those women, I wish you the best of luck, a smooth delivery, a healthy baby, and an overall wonderful birthing experience. Giving birth is so euphoric!

Why Our Child Was Not Put in Daycare

Amongst all the things that needed discussing between my boyfriend and I during pregnancy, one of the biggest was deciding childcare options for our daughter once I was off maternity leave and back to work. We knew we did not want to hire a babysitter or put her in daycare, which is what a lot, if not most, parents end up doing. I try to always keep an open mind, but after thinking it through, there are just so many reasons why I did not want to put my child in daycare, which is what I felt like sharing online today considering I have had so many people, especially pregnant women and new moms, asking me my viewpoint on this topic. Be sure to also check out my video version on YouTube here.

My biggest problem with having a non-family member watching my child is that most likely they are not going to treat your child with the best intentions. Any random person is not going to care too much about having a relationship or strong bond with your child and is probably just doing it for the money. As far as daycare goes, most daycare centers only have maybe two caretakers handling a large group of kids of all different ages. Which means while my baby is crying wanting to be fed and paid attention to, one of those caretakers is feeding another baby and the other one is breaking up a fight between two five year olds, leaving my child and a few others left alone. While some kids are taken care of, others aren’t, and there is little to zero one-on-one with your child, and I want someone very hands-on with my child. With a babysitter, they are in charge of watching your child only, but even then, how well are they really watching them? Years ago, a family friend of mine had a babysitter (who was a close friend of theirs) watch their three-year old daughter who was disabled and in a wheelchair. I will never forget that devastating phone call phone call saying the babysitter wasn’t watching her and their three year old baby died. The babysitter had taken her out in the backyard and rolled away from her in her wheelchair and drowned. The wheelchair weighed her down and she was found at the bottom of the pool. To this day I am scarred from that. How did the babysitter not know that she was rolling away from her? How did she not hear the splash to go save her? I know that may not be the case for everyone, but I feel like when money is involved, anyone is going to want to watch your child and they're going to only half-ass it.

Another issue I have, with daycare specifically, is the amount of germs spread. It’s almost impossible for your child to not get sick in daycare. I feel like daycare is a germ house. Children may be sent to daycare sick, and you don’t know how many kids are putting their hands in their mouths and touching other things and sneezing and coughing and picking their noses and not washing their hands. Then your child takes these germs home, gets sick, and then everyone else in the house gets sick. Some of the worst illnesses my brother and I got were from being in daycare. It’s hard to even remember a time when we weren’t sick. My brother was always catching weird colds and getting temperatures as high as 108°F. My brother caught a cold from daycare once, gave it to me when I was about six weeks old, I got RSV from it and almost died in the hospital. I would rather not put my child in a germful environment and keep her and the family as sick-free and healthy as possible.

With my family being vegan, and no one else around us is, we also worry if a daycare caretaker would feed our daughter anything we did not send with her with or anything we would have told them not to. When my brother was eight months old, the caretaker in daycare fed him a hamburger and another time a different caretaker had given him someone else’s breast milk. So it just leaves me thinking something like that would happen with my child. After all, we’re not there, so how would we know what goes on unless they tell us or we catch them when we come to pick our daughter up?

Besides all the horror stories and things I feel like can go wrong at daycare, there’s the financial aspect. It is so expensive to hire a babysitter or put a child in daycare. The going rate for caretakers these days is about $10 per hour, which is more than what I make an hour. So it makes no sense for me to give away all the money I’m making, plus having to take some money from my boyfriend’s paycheck, for someone in daycare to watch my child when I can just stay at home and take care of my own child. Either way, I’m making no money, and if we were to put our daughter in daycare we’d be losing money since we’d have to use both incomes to pay for it.

So that may be leaving you guys wondering: "who watches your child while you’re at work?" My boyfriend and I made our schedule to where we wouldn’t have the same days off from work. So that leaves us with four days out of the week (my two days off plus his two days off) for one of us to be home with her. The other three days of the week is when we might need someone to watch her. Some weeks we only need someone for one day of the week and we’ve had weeks before where we didn’t need anyone at all. Sometimes it works out that way because my boyfriend gets off from work usually at 12:30pm and sometimes I don’t have to go in until 2 or 3 pm, so he’s usually off before I even have to go in. When we do have someone watch our daughter though, it’s a close family member, usually my mom but sometimes my boyfriend’s sister. We also do not pay for them to watch her. I feel like you should not have to pay family to take care of family, and also, as I stated before, when money’s involved anyone is going to watch your child. It may sound selfish to some, especially since the babysitter/caretaker is doing you a favor, but by not including payment, it ensures that the person watching our daughter actually wants to, that they have the time for her, and that they want to spend time with her, creating a more loving, fun, and safer environment for our daughter.

I hope this answered everyone’s question as to why we chose to not put our child in daycare and that it had helpful deciding factors for you (if you’re in that stage where you need to decide who will watch your child when you go off to work) rather than just leaving you feeling like you read a biased mom’s blog post! Thank you though for reading and let me know in the comments your thoughts on this topic.