When I was pregnant with my first, I didn't really make a big deal of telling people. My husband and I simply told family and friends, personally, one by one. And, eventually, through the grapevine, everybody got the memo that I was going to be a mama. By the time my daughter ...read more
My little lady is about to graduate "the threes." Next year, she'll be in a "fours" program, and so this summer will be devoted to potty training! Her birthday falls on the district cusp, so even though I probably will have her in an extra year of pre-K, it's time she stops using ...read more
Selecting a name for your child can be a daunting task. There are so many things to consider, and it's a huge responsibility for a soon-to-be parent. I had an easy timing naming my son, Grant. I liked that it was a simple, strong, and suitalble name. It means tall and handsome, ...read more
Giving Hugs at the Holidays I admit it, I'm feeling all the feelings of the season. The overwhelming sense to DO IT ALL and the sense that I am doing too much and missing out on the magic. One way to slow it all down and focus on the REAL meaning of the season is to give back. ...read more
Parenting is basically non-stop problem solving. From day one, as a new mom, you react to crying and fussing and whimpering and grunting with all sorts of creative tactics and simple strategies. You coo, you rock, you tap, you pace, and you try countless new things until ...read more
MUST-HAVE 1: Love to Dream Swaddles Babies need quality sleep. And, you know, what Mamas do too! Nevertheless, getting sufficient zzz’s when you have a newborn at home can be quite the challenge. Research shows that babies sleep better if they are swaddled and ...read more
Every mom needs a night out. Good food, great wine, some pampering, and a little socialization… Not that we don’t absolutely loooooove and relish the nightly battle that is "bedtime with babies," but, you know, a break from the norm is a welcome change and a total treat. Every ...read more
September is Baby Safety Month—and as a blogger and mom, I want to do my part to spread the message about keeping infants rear-facing in car seats until they turn two. That’s right, Mamas, resist temptation and keep those bucket seats backwards for as long as you can... But, ...read more
I was so excited to be a part of the first-annual Chicago Baby Show. It was held August 26-27, 2017 at Navy Pier in downtown Chicago and was a blast. We met THOUSANDS of expecting parents and were lucky enough to work with Chicago's top bloggers to host them at the Momtrends ...read more
Baby fever! It's real, and the snuggle is real! This mama felt the tell-tale uterus pangs after visiting the New York Baby Show earlier this month. I got to browse the aisles, touch, test, feel, and ogle all the latest and greatest products for Baby, and experience firsthand ...read more
My sweet girl might be growing up, but she’s still very much a baby. She was a late crawler and an even later walker, and if my memory serves me right, I believe she measured below the 15th percentile in both weight and height at her last pediatrician appointment. She’s a ...read more
Don't mind us... We'll be egg hunting well into May at this rate. My little people discovered the joy of the Easter egg hunt this past holiday weekend, and they're totally committed to making this a daily occurrence. Ha... Imma have to get very creative with my hiding spots at ...read more
When my husband dresses the baby, it's typically a comedy of sartorial errors... Weather-inappropriate top, way-too-small pants (like, where did you find those?!), and mismatching socks. It's a hodge-podge of whatever clean items he can actually manage to pull together. It's ...read more
Would you let your baby sleep in a box? Finnbin is hoping so. Based on a Finnish tradition from the 1930s of providing a sleeper for newborns and hand-selected "must have" products for new parents, the Finnbin is saving space, money, and even infant lives in Finland, and now the ...read more
If there are two things we're serious about finding here at Momtrends, they're: 1.) products that actually do what they claim to do, and 2.) fitness classes that kick some serious butt. And so yesterday's exclusive derriere class at NYC's Exhale spa, sponsored by Boudreaux’s ...read more
I remember with fondness the special bond of feeding my two older girls when they were infants. I did a combination of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding with both of them. After hearing sweet little baby cries, it felt truly incredible to be able to soothe them with breast milk or ...read more
Washing baby bottles is such a time suck. When you have an infant, all you want to do—when you have a spare moment to breathe—is sleep and rest and stare at your bundles of sweetness. Not to mention fold the laundry, make a non-frozen dinner (for once), pee in private, and ...read more
Yes, you can modernize motherhood in all sorts of ways, but we aren't into online baby books. I want a sweet, old fashioned baby book. We've talked about a myriad of apps meant to make your life simpler as a mom, and tech tools to help you store everything online. But sometimes ...read more
I'm not sure where the time went, but somehow 24 months have gone by and I find myself with a freshly minted two-year-old girl. It may sound like a cliché, but I feel like I blinked and she transformed from a helpless little blob of cuteness into a fiercely independent ...read more
When my nephew was born, my brother’s world was rocked, but so was mine! Looking into his tiny face I could see all the possibilities his life could hold. He was born into a family who adored him from the very beginning. Given so much love, I know his future will be filled with ...read more
BabyNes Twitter Party || Monday, Oct. 10 at 6 PM PST/ 9 PM EST || Hosted by: @momtrends, @theshoppingmama || Sponsored by: @BabyNes || Featuring: @DrTanyaAltmann || Hashtag: #BabyNes Prizing: 1 BabyNes machine + a one-month supply of formula Breastfeeding. Exclusively pumping. ...read more
MUST HAVE 1 - BABYNES I was able to breastfeed my first two daughters, however I also supplemented with formula. Like most new moms, I found myself constantly worrying about their nutrition. Were they getting enough and was it the right nutrition? I wanted to make sure they ...read more
My family has always been big on hugs. I have two younger brothers, and since one of them is ten years younger than me, he saw me as a mini-mommy. My daughters know that I have always called him my first baby. I protected him, snuggled with him, put him to sleep, sang to him, fed ...read more
“Hello, muppet.” That was the first thing I said to my baby girl when she was born—when they put her naked little body on my bare chest at 6:48 P.M. November 29, 2014. A silly little greeting meant only for her ears. I remember the comforting weight of her mere 6 pounds—the ...read more