Category Archives: Uncategorized

Photo courtesy of Dailymom.com

             As many of you know, I am a breastfeeding advocate.  I love all things breastfeeding! However, I also understand that there are some who are discouraged by breastfeeding after six or even 12 months.  Both of my kids are breastfed babies, while I decided to wean my son off the breast at 12 months, he completely weaned around 14 months.  I was ready for him to completely stop breastfeeding at exactly 12 months, because I was exhausted from it! But my handsome son had a different idea in mind.  So do you agree, disagree, or indifferent to extended breastfeeding? I know that this time around my ideas are a little different than I anticipated.  Here’s my thoughts.

           I feel like the topic of extending breastfeeding grosses out many people.  Babies have teeth, they are too old, there are no longer any benefits for a toddler to breastfeed, and it causes bone density for women.  While I did agree with this in the beginning, until I conducted my own research on the matter.   There are still actually many benefits to nursing your toddler after the age of one.  It’s really all about what you can handle and what you think is best.  In most cases, babies usually wean themselves, they will tell you when they want to stop or if they don’t.  Breastfeeding is a soothing mechanism for many babies, my daughter still wakes up at night to nurse, even if she is not hungry.  I also found a great article on BabyCenter.com that extending breastfeeding can in fact be beneficial for your toddlers health, and your own. It can also help prevent some illnesses for both you and baby, including lowering the risks of breast and ovarian cancer for women (Babycenter.com, 2013). 

        Another article I found to be interesting on Parenting.com states that extended breastfeeding helps your toddler’s behavior.  It’s interesting to see different pros and cons of this topic, however I think one of the major cons in this matter are other people’s opinions.  We really worry what others will say or think about it.  My pediatrician told me at my daughter’s 12 month appointment that I already exceeded his expectations by going the full year.  Anything after that is up to me, however he will not discourage me from it, because it will assist in my baby’s health and help fight off different illnesses.  It’s also a great way for mommy to stay healthy, to eat right, and keep a balanced diet.  Again, it’s whatever you want for your baby and yourself. It’s your choice. 

       In a perfect world, I like to think that breastfeeding is just like weaning your baby from a bottle or pacifier.  It takes time.  Just like some babies drink the bottle until they are three or even four, people are going to judge you on every decision you make.  Whatever you decide is obviously what you believe to be the best thing for you and your baby or toddler.  Just remember that every baby/toddler adapts differently to weaning from these things, we are just trying and doing our best.  Do not be discouraged mommies.

       Thanks for stopping by, I love to hear your thoughts and feedback on these issues.  Share my blog and posts with other mommies out there, we need to help encourage and motivate each other to strive for mommy success! 🙂

Here are the articles in my post if you want to check them out:

http://www.parenting.com/article/ask-dr-sears-extended-breastfeeding—-handling-the-criticism

http://www.babycenter.com/0_extended-nursing-is-it-for-you_8496.bc

Top photo: My son Isaac and I
Bottom Photo: My daughter Jocelyn and I

Today my daughter is one! I know, where did the time go? It’s been such an amazing first year with her the love in my heart has expanded and I love her so much.  The bond between mother and daughter is something so special and I didn’t know it until now.  I have had the pleasure to watch her grow and learn new things, and I am looking forward to many more years to come.   She is such an amazing little girl full of energy, she’s so happy all the time and is such a joy to have around.  Although this year has been full of challenges raising a toddler and infant so close in age, It’s also been an amazing experience for me.  I never knew how strong of a woman I was until now, it takes so much out of you to be there for them, waking up at night, breastfeeding, potty training and everything else that comes with it.  Now as my daughter is close to turning one,  I feel like I finally have a schedule down that works for everyone.  My son is a great big brother, he helps me and he cannot wait for her to walk so they can play.  It’s a great feeling as a mother to see them grow and laugh together.  Siblings are so important and I am so happy my kids get to share that bond. Here is what I learned my first year as a second time mommy.

            With the second child comes experience.  I have heard many people say, “The first child is the Guinea Pig” and even though I never thought it was true, it really is.  When you’re a first time mom, you just don’t know what to expect or what to do.  You learn as you go, there isn’t a manual or guide to follow.  As soon as you take the baby home the nurses do not come with you.  With my daughter I knew what to do as soon as she was born and when I brought her home.  Everything was a lot easier the second time around, experience wise.  Of course there were other challenges, like balancing the two kids, making sure I was spending enough time with my son so he didn’t feel left out.  I also found myself to be more patient with my daughter, with my son I was so exhausted that I couldn’t think and I was very irritable.  Waking up the second time around wasn’t as bad as I remember the first time. 

            So what’s my advice here?  Having two little ones is all about balance, you need to make time for both kids.  So how do I do it? Well basically I got a schedule down and had a goal and idea of what I wanted for my household and kids, it’s pretty easy but it takes time to get it down, (at least it did for me).   Everything I did with my daughter was completely different from what I did with my son because I knew what to expect, I don’t have to call the doctor for every little cough or sneeze.  It’s a great because I feel so confident as a mother now, I feel like I grew and matured as a mom overnight and it’s awesome.  Now I see my son growing and wanting to help and be included in whatever I am doing.  It’s great to see him eager to help me, and I try my best to encourage him as often as possible to do things around the house or for his little sister.  I’ve learned so much about myself over the last year, and I would like to tap myself on the back because I managed and both my kids are alive and well 🙂 So don’t be discouraged mommies, you can do it too! It just takes a fine balance and time to learn and everything else will fall into place. 

            Thanks for stopping by, and remember to share my blog with other mommies.  We have to use each others’ experiences and stories because motherhood is a journey, us women/mommies have to stick together so we can strive mommy success!

Top Photo: Thank You Bowl
Bottom Left: Center Piece jars
Bottom Right: Hand Made goodie bags! 🙂

  Birthday Parties are full of fun, from the decorations to games and cake.  However, sometimes for a one year old they are everything but fun.  It’s easy for your little one to get overwhelmed with birthday parties, especially if they are not around a lot of people every day.  I think that when it comes to the first birthday party, the parents are more excited! 🙂 I have been planning my daughter’s birthday for months now.  It’s been such a blast! This is my first daughter so everything is so new to me.  Although for my son’s birthday’s I do go all out, but I have learned how to be more effective when Birthday Party Planning. Depending on your theme or what you are planning to do it takes a lot of effort and money.  I am going to share a few things I did to help make planning easy and cost efficient. 

            Get Organized: Since I am very detailed oriented, I like notes, reminders, and schedules to help me plan events and without them I am lost.  This has helped me a lot in my planning process for example, I have a notebook where I write down my ideas and guest list.  This is very helpful because it helps me keep track of people coming to the party.  I also created a file on my computer for ideas I had for decorations, invites, and cake.  This helps give me a picture of what I want. 

           Do-it-yourself projects:  These are great ideas for parties and are really cost efficient, just remember that these projects can be time consuming and may cost you if you are lacking supplies.  My husband created the invitations for the party, and to print and mail them was $30.00.  They came out super cute and were very inexpensive.  Another thing is to make your own “goodie bags”.  I went to party city and I bought White and Pink plain gift bags, $10.00 each and I decorated them with stickers, ribbon, and Card Stock paper.  I also made different bags for boys and girls.   You can also make your own centerpieces, most of the supplies for this I was able to get at the Dollar tree.  I also used Card Stock paper to help design the jars I bought this paper at Michael’s for $3.00.   Most of my ideas were from Pinterest and Etsy, I just put my own spin on the idea to make it my own.  In total for decorations and invitations, I spent about $80.00. 

            Food: When your hosting an event food is always important.  There are plenty of ways to stretch your buck and have great food at the same time.  I ordered Sandwiches by the foot from Wal-Mart, they are only $28.00 and they come prepared with meat and cheese condiments come on the side.  You can also make your side dishes rather than buying them, this is great especially if you are going to have more than thirty people, and you will spend less at the checkout. Wal-Mart also has a nice bakery, where they will prepare specialty cakes for you and they are very inexpensive starting at $48.00 for a tier cake.  You can order whatever you want or can afford. 

            Games and Prizes: I always like to have games for the kids that attend my parties.  You can do simple games, from pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, races, or water balloon tosses.  Whichever you chose make it fun and exciting for the kids involved.  This year for my daughter’s party I am doing a water balloon toss, and 3 leg race.  I went a bought some small yet cute prizes.  I am also going to print blank pictures of her and have a “coloring station” for the kids. 

            Whatever you decide to do, just make sure to enjoy the process.  Remember your child’s birthday only comes once a year.  It’s exciting but it can also come with stress, stay calm and try to relax.  Reach out for help if and when you need it and do your best for your kids.  If possible, always try to plan events in advance, when you do this it really helps alleviate some of your stress.  I am attaching some pictures of things I made and I will make sure to post some pictures on my facebook page of the party. 

            Thanks for stopping by mommies, share your story by connecting with my here on my blog or on facebook.  So that together we can strive for mommy success! 🙂

Thank you to those who have served and are still serving for our freedom. We are so blessed to live in this amazing country. We have the liberties to educate, empower, and motivate others through our freedom. God Bless America!

           Happy Birthday USA!  I want to start off by personally saying; I am so blessed and thankful to live in this wonderful country.  Today I really honor those who served and have served to support our freedom.  This is one of the first major holidays of the summer (other than Father’s Day in June) and our kids love all the excitement that comes with it.  This is the first year that my son actually understands what holidays and celebrations are all about, and it’s super exciting to watch him light up.  I really wanted to teach him the importance of our Independence without overwhelming him. Even if you’re not the most patriotic person in the world, here are some tips on toddler fun for the 4Th. 

            One simple thing you can teach them is explaining the flag and teaching them the pledge of allegiance. We counted the stars and stripes on the flag, while I briefly explained the meaning.  The pledge of allegiance is something that kids learn in school, but I thought I would start a little early.  I bought a small flag and pinned it up so he could see the flag when we were saying the pledge.  My son also loves to sing, so I decided to You Tube American Patriotic songs, like America the beautiful, This Land, and The National Anthem.  He really liked this, you can have this music playing in the background while your child is working on something, or playing.                  

Here is the hat my son and I made, he wouldn’t take it off last night! It was a lot of fun! 🙂

          I love crafts! I know I have said this before but it’s a great tool for kids to learn different skills while doing them.  So of course, I also did a simple little craft with my son for the 4th.   I went online for a little inspiration, but couldn’t find anything that I liked or that was really toddler friendly.  I seen one of my neighbors with a little hat that had stars on it for the 4th, I loved it and decided to put my twist on it with the tools I already had.  We decided to call it the “liberty Hat”.  Tools you will need are construction paper, Red, white, and blue, glue, stapler, and markers.  You can dress it up whichever way you please, but sometimes simple can go a long way.  My son loves to use glue, so this was a really fun craft for him.  It took about 25 minutes total to prepare and complete.  You can see the picture to the side that it is very simple, we also made one for my 11 month old daughter so she wouldn’t feel left out 🙂

            Well mommies I hope that these tips helped enhance your independence day fun with your toddlers.  I know that Sometimes it can be difficult to find new and innovative ways to keep your kids entertained, so I am here to help and guide moms everywhere through my experiences to use their creative sides a little more! Let’s not forget why we celebrate this holiday, and now as parents it’s our job to teach our little ones and have fun in the process!

            I hope your day is filled with fun, food, and lots of fireworks! Remember to share my blog with other mommies, so together we can keep striving for mommy success!

Introducing Guest Blogger Melissa Wheeler-Vega. She’s a teacher, mom, and wife who is leading her children’s path to educational success!

  Guest Blogger Fridays are here! Today we are going to discuss some quick steps on how to educate your child.  Melissa Wheeler Vega, teacher, mom, and wife is going to share some great tips and advice (from the teacher’s perspective) on how to get active in your child’s education.   Thank you Melissa for joining us on Successfulmommyadvice.com!  Here are the questions parents really want to know, and need to hear in order to help their kids succeed; both in and out of school.

Melissa, thanks again for coming on as a guest blogger.  As a teacher and parent, What are some of the biggest misconceptions about a child’s grades and GPA, why is this so important at a young age?

One misconception many parents have is that grades are the only indicator of a child’s intelligence. This is incorrect, because children must learn how to be “good test takers.”  Children may know the content but the test format or test question can mislead them. This is why it is important to teach your child Test Taking Strategies.  Teaching them the “skills,” of test taking can increase their GPA because they have learned how to apply their knowledge of the content and have become a better test taker.

Awesome response to the question.  I never realized the importance of test taking and the strategies behind it.  So let’s begin with the next question, What are some tips or advice you have for parents when it comes to educating their children?

            One good tip I can give parents about teaching their child is to incorporate learning in everyday life scenarios. This way the learning is disguised and the child doesn’t feel like  they are learning all the time. So have your child write the grocery list or manage their own money. I like to use subtraction stories when we are talking about how many days left until we go on vacation or until Christmas. Take that opportunity with your child and embrace each “teachable moment,” in your child’s day.

Interesting way to look at education, kids are very sensitive to learning they learn something new every day.  I agree with your “teachable moments” It’s important to grasp every aspect of your time and the day.  So, Do you see a difference in children when their parents are doing their parts at home, how?

            Responsibility at home will roll over in the classroom! If the child is taught responsibility   at home they will be a more responsible student in the classroom, in return, getting better    grades. These students are responsibly finishing their assignments and feel their own  learning is their own responsibility. It builds stronger students! Especially with the big   class numbers, teachers are expecting children to become responsible earlier.  Do your child a favor and instill in them the importance of responsibility, it can be a skill that will help them thrive in life.

Responsibility in my opinion is super important regardless of age.  They need to understand independence and how it impacts them even when they are younger.  My son has daily chores and responsibilities, I think that this has taught him to be more independent over the last year.   How do you encourage parents to stay or get active in their children’s education?

            Telling parents the facts on how much their influence in their child’s education can be  encouraging enough for some parents. The outcome when a parent is involved in their child’s education can be amazing! However not every parent believes they have the time to be involved as much as they would want to be. I usually give my busy parents two  simple ways they can be involved in their child’s education.

1.     Communicate with Teacher

            Email is the best way now to communicate, and it’s fast and easy for both parties.  A quick email here and there lets your child and the teacher know you care about their education.

2.     Homework Policy

            By knowing what their teacher’s homework policy it makes sure everyone knows the  expectations. Require your children to finish their homework so it relays the importance of homework in their education. Children who do homework get better grades. Many parents don’t have time to sit down with their child to help them, but try just checking their work when they complete it. By knowing what their homework is you will be more aware what they are learning in the classroom.

            Here it is successful mommies, directly from a teacher/mom.   I think what I took away from this interview is that school and education begins at home with YOU.  As parents its our job to focus on what their needs, weaknesses, and strengths.  Melissa, these tips you provided us with are priceless, I know that I will take this advice with me as begin my journey in education for my children.  Looking forward to hearing from you again. 

            Thanks for stopping by and remember to share this blog with other mommies out there.  We need to support each other so together we can continue to strive for mommy success!

Photo courtesy of www.missyb-andfamily.com

  Let’s face it…When we became moms, we made a decision to give up sleep.  Of course that is not what we thought we signed up for.  If you are a mom with a child under the age of five, I would say you are sleep deprived Mommy.   I have been that way for the past three and a half years, and now with the addition of my 11 month old infant I’m not tired.  I’m exhausted.  My daughter was sleeping through the night from the ages of two months till around 6 months.  She began waking up every two or three hours to “eat”.  I put this in quotation marks because she was actually hungry (in my opinion), Breastfed babies tend to wake up or eat more if you are feeding them on demand.  They use this as a level of comfort to help soothe them back to sleep.  At this point, I was getting about three hours of consistent sleep at night.  I needed a break! I couldn’t cope with waking up every hour on the hour, so what did I do? I reached out to other mamas to see what they did or do in this situation.  So Now I am going to share this with you.  Thanks to all of my friends and family on Facebook who guided me through this process, I appreciate every one of you. 

1. Make sure your baby is nice and full. One of my friends recommended this to me and I agree with this.  My daughter is now learning to “self feed” and is always interested in feeding herself during the day.  Try to give your baby a fruit (Gerber) before bed.  I have tried this over a few nights in a row and it seems to work.  She really enjoys apples or pears before bed.

2. Try not to breastfeed/bottle feed at night. This one is really hard for me, because with my daughter I did not put her on a scheduled feeding.  I decided to feed her on demand and as necessary.  With my son (first born) I would keep better track by writing down feeding times so that I could be scheduled with him. With my second child not so much, I found myself too busy and would just feed her when she was hungry or I was full. Which was often in the beginning.  I think she became accustomed to eating on demand and so it’s been difficult weaning her at night, but I’ll keep trying.

3. You’re baby is reaching or meeting new milestones and is excited and eager to play (even at 3AM).  This in fact is true. My daughter just started crawling on all fours! She is on the move and super active and busy during the day. When she wakes up at night she seems tired, but is still very ready to play and talk.  I think that it’s important to establish a schedule with your babies so they can understand the difference between day and night.  I don’t think my daughter quite understands that.

4. Shorten their naps during the day.  This is another good one.  For an 11 month old baby on average they are supposed to take two 2 and half hour naps and sleep about 11-12 hours at night.  Not happening in our house.  There is no way she is sleeping 11 or 12 hours at night, she stopped doing that at six months.  She does nap during the day and it is for about 2 and half hours.  My cousin referred a great site for me to review on baby sleep patterns.  It also talks about what your baby should be eating to ensure they are full before bed. Here is the link for more. https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/11-month-old-schedule/. 

4. Make sure they are changed and fed really good, then let them cry it out.  I really LOL’d to this one.  I agree with the process of “self soothing” Except  not at 3 AM.  I also have a toddler in the house who will wake up.  At this hour I need them both to be peacefully sleeping. 

            These were all really great ideas and I have been implementing them in my process to better sleeping habits for both me and my baby.  It’s been an amazing journey being the mother of two precious children.  Every child is different and we learn from them as we go.  Sleep is very important for both mommy and baby.  Without sleep we can become crazy people! I remember people telling me to enjoy my sleep before my kids came along and boy were they right! I am now learning to get both kids to nap at the same time.  Even though I should nap with them, I’d rather be blogging, doing laundry, or washing dishes (yeah right).  I guess I will remain sleep deprived until they turn 18! HA!

            Thanks again for stopping by, I look forward to your feedback and comments.  Make sure to share with other mommies out there, so that together we can continue to strive for mommy success.

My 3 year old son and 11 month old daughter Playing together. It’s not always a competition. They have fun too 🙂

     Having one child is tough, but having two comes with a whole different set of challenges.  My kids are two and a half years apart, and even though they are younger I’ve noticed some sibling rivalry occur and sometimes it can be overwhelming.  As the first born, my son was so used to being the “baby” of the family, and it was always just me and him during the day.  With the arrival of his younger sister things have changed and he has found himself fighting for my attention.  I think that it’s amazing how much love your kids have for you when they are little, they crave the attention from you and always want to be with you.  I try to make time for them both individually as much as possible, but I have noticed that he gets impatient.  He loves her and I do not doubt that at all, he is affectionate with her and always eager to help. However, crying, tantrums, and even set-backs have occurred over the last 11 months. 

            So What should you do when this happens? Well what I have learned is that you must, absolutely must make time for both of them.  I know it sounds so hard to do, especially when you have one child under the age of one.  The good thing is, there is hope yet.   I decided to conduct a little research on the matter and decide what works best to get them to play nice.  According to FisherPrice.com I found that dads have a very important role when it comes to this issue.  Have dad play and grab the attention of the older child, so they don’t feel left out.  It also says to read to the oldest child and explain to them what’s happening in the family, sometimes kids have a hard time expressing themselves and books can help ease this process. 

            Even though my son is a little “rough around the edges” with his little sister I see that he protects her and loves having her around.  It’s just taking a little longer than expected to get used to.  It’s almost been a year to date since I brought her home from the hospital, and although things haven’t been super easy along the way I am fortunate enough to say: “they are both alive at the end of the day” LOL. We can do as much research as we want, but we have to put things to practice and live it before we can move forward.  I have found that making time for them together and individually is important.  Try and take the older one for a walk, just you two and you will see changes in the behavior.  These things take time and every child adapts at a different rate. 

            Thanks for stopping by mommies, remember to share my blog with other mommies out there and connect with me to receive my newsletter and other free gifts along the way.  Together we can strive for mommy success, one woman and mommy at a time! 🙂

http://www.fisher-price.com.cn/en_US/playtime/parenting/articlesandadvice/articledetail.html?article=tcm:169-19456-16&parentCategory=FAMILY+MATTERS&subCategory=Preparing+Siblings+for+a+New+Baby

My dad and I at my graduation from college in 2012

My husband and I on our wedding day. April 2011

          In honor of Father’s day on Sunday, I wanted to take a moment and discuss why this day is so important and dear to me.  My dad was a young dad, at 16 years old he was just a kid doing the best he could for his daughter.  Being raised by father was truly a blessing for me.  He taught me many things, from sports, music, philosophy, and the occasional joke; but he also taught me how to be strong, faithful, determined, and confident.  He was not like other parents, but he was just right for me.  I didn’t always like his rules, and felt at times he was “too hard” today I know why he was and appreciate him for it.  Of course like any parent/child relationship we have had our ups and downs and been through things together you couldn’t even imagine.  My dad always made up for the fact that my biological mother was not in the picture.  Although it wasn’t always easy, sometimes he didn’t have the answers when it came to girly stuff but he always encouraged and supported me throughout my life.  Words cannot express the love I have for my father.  As a little girl I remember it used to bother me that Father’s Day was in the summer when I was out of school.  I always wanted to make cute little crafts in class for him.  I think today, he still has some of the things I would make for him. He’s an amazing person with many traits that I admire and I am honored to call him my “DAD”.

            Since my dad has always been the number one man in my life, I knew that I one day wanted to marry someone who made me feel the way my dad did growing up.  Like I could do anything, and that my goals were never out of reach.  God listened and answered my prayers when he placed my husband in my life.  He’s been a great companion, partner, and an amazing father to our two children.  He has taught me so many things in our years together and has accomplished everything that he set out to do.  His love for me and our family is unconditional and he has provided us with a happy life.  I couldn’t ask for someone better to raise my family with.  He’s been a blessing full of ambition with a positive attitude and outlook on life.  I love him more than anything in this world and my life is definitely complete with him in it.  He has made me so proud of all he does and I know that he will continue to go strong. 

            Father’s Day for me isn’t just a day to be “thankful” for that special man in your life.  It’s also a time of reflection and appreciation for all they do.  I am the woman I am today because I have been surrounded by such strong men.  Not only are they dedicated to their families, but they are providers and always there for their kids. I appreciate all the Father’s out there who do whatever it takes for their children.  Anyone can make a baby, but it takes a real man to be a Father.  Happy Father’s Day to all of you dads, daddies, papas, and grandpas.  Thank you all for your hard work, This is your day.  Enjoy it with all the ones you love.

Here is all the things I mentioned in my list. This is currently what is inside of my daughters bag. The small pink bag is the first aide kit I mentioned, it’s pretty compact and fits perfectly. 🙂

          Hello Successful Mommies!! Since summer is approaching quickly, I want to take a moment and talk about the Diaper bag (Drum roll please)! Some will say, packing a diaper bag is not rocket science, but if you’re a mom you will totally disagree. It’s time consuming and almost every time you forget something you need for your little one.  So I decided to create a list based on items I use daily with my infant.  If some of you are like me and have more than one child, it’s best to always pack for both.  By the time I walk out of the house with both kids, the diaper bag(s), my purse, and the stroller, I’m sweating and exhausted.  I think that every mom should know what to pack and how to pack it so that it is compact enough to fit in your bag and your car/trunk.  This is a great list for first time mamas.  I also recommend packing the diaper bag the night before you travel and keep it close to the door.  This way it’s ready when you are and it’s close by in case of an emergency.  I try to fill it up after I return from my outing, but if not once  a week should suffice, depending on how often I go out.  Here 21 diaper bag essentials to help you pack for your little ones.

1.     Diapers.  Make sure you have enough for where ever your going.  I always like to pack a few extra, just in case.  The best way to determine how many diapers to pack is by your child’s eating habits and how often you change them.  I usually change my child every time they wake up from nap and after they eat/drink.  On average 15-20 diapers for newborns/infants, 5-10 for toddlers (ages 1-2), and for ages 3 and up 2 pull ups just in case of accidents. 

2.     Diaper mat. You never know where you have to change your little ones so it’s best to have something to protect them.  My diaper bag included a mat, however there are disposable ones that you can purchase as well. 

3.     Plastic bags.  Sometimes I forget to pack these myself and I have so many of them! It’s great to have plastic bags in your diaper bag for dirty diapers.  Depending on where you are they may not have any, so it’s best to bring your own.  If you have a diaper genie you can always use the bags that come with that as well.  I normally just pack regular plastics bags from the grocery store.

4.     Wipes.  I like to buy the wipes that come in the to go package.  Huggies or Pampers make this, it’s so easy and fits right into your diaper bag.  This way you don’t have to refill anything and when you run out you can just throw it away and replace it.

5.     Desitin or diaper rash ointment.  I like A&D or desitin, however for my daughter I prefer A&D it seems to work better and prevents chafing when she crawls around.  Even if your kids don’t have rashes, just pack it in case in my opinion it’s always better to be prepared. 

6.     Change of clothes.  I always like to have a change of clothes for my baby.  When they are newborns sometimes you have to change them often, however you may have to do this even as infant and toddlers.  I like to pack something light, so maybe a onesie and pants, a pajama, socks, and of course a jacket. You never know if it’s going to rain or get cold. 

7.     Lotion and powder.  Just like us babies need to feel refreshed, I like to pack a travel sized lotion and powder to freshen them up.  This is great for long trips as well. 

8.     Sun block.  I live in Southern California, so the weather can get pretty warm.  It’s always good to keep sun block to protect your babies from the hot sun.  I like to use water babies SPF 50, and it’s a travel size so it doesn’t take up too much room.

9.     Thermometer. You always want to keep one in your diaper bag even if your child has not had fever.  With tethers you just never know what’s going to happen so it’s best to keep one on hand.

10.  Mucus suction.  Whether they are babies or kids, they hate getting their noses cleaned.  For some reason if they are extra hard to reach, it’s best to have the suction with you at all times.  I also like to have a gentle saline or boogie wipes just in case to help moisten the area so it doesn’t get chapped or dry.

11.  Tylenol and orajel/teething tablets. If your child is teething you want to make sure to keep this inside the diaper bag at all times.  My daughter never liked the teething meds however I always kept them on hand just in case things got out of control.  You never know. the area. 

12.  First aid kit.  I actually bought a newborn kit and it came with bandages, nail clipper, syringes, alcohol wipes, and a comb.  This came in a small bag and it fits great in your diaper bag.  These are so great to have just in case you stay overnight or have an emergency.

13.  Hand sanitizer.  Sometimes we are not able to get to a sink to wash our hands, so the next best thing is hand sanitizer.  I actually keep the one you can hook onto the straps of your purse, these are perfect to have and only cost a buck!

14.  Insurance information.  This should probably be at the top of the list, however I know that most people carry this in their wallets.  I like to make copies of the cards and have them inside the diaper bag just in case.  My bag is pretty cool and comes with a plastic pouch for documents.  If for whatever reasons you switch wallets or purses and forget them, you always have an extra with you. 

15.  Bottled water.  I like to keep one in the diaper bag whether it’s for me or the kids.  Sometimes if I go to the park, or even to visit someone you never know if they are going to need water while you’re driving.

16.  Food/Solids for baby/snacks.  I like to buy the Gerber foods that come 2 in a pack, I believe they are 2.5 ounces.  These are perfect for the diaper bags.  You can pack 2 foods at a time and they are super lightweight.  I like to do one of each, so one veggie one fruit but you can pack whatever your baby likes.  My daughter and my son love the Gerber puffs and cookies.  I like to keep these on hand at all times, especially when I am driving and they are crying.  You can also use cheerios, fruit snacks, granola bars, or fresh fruit.  It’s always good to have accessible food with young children. 

17.  Toys.  For newborns this may not be necessary but once your baby hits the three month mark, make sure to keep rattles, noise makers, and tethers in your diaper bag.  My daughter loves her doll so now I just pack that doll, and a rattle for her entertainment. 

18.  Bottles or Sippy cup.  Diaper bags are great because they come with cup holders on each side.  On one side I have a bottled water on the other I have the Sippy cup.  Make sure to pack extra bottles if your pumping or formula feeding.

19.  Nursing wrap/shields.  Even though I don’t always use shields for protection, I like to have them just in case I need them.  They are great tools for latching and biting.  A wrap is great for covering up if you don’t feel comfortable nursing in public

20.  Bibs.  My daughter makes such a mess when she eats! I am always cleaning her up and sometimes her clothes get stained.  Always pack a bib (or 2) just in case you have an extra messy eater like I do.

21.  Blanket/receiving blanket.  I like to have at least one receiving blanket in the diaper bag, and I keep one or two blankets in my car just in case.  Blankets are bulky and take up room and the bag can get heavy.

      Well Mommies that’s the breakdown of “The list” I hope these tips are helpful for you mamas.  I know that when I was a new mom, I didn’t know what to pack and would always forget something.  These items are just the basic essentials for your baby.  You can always add or remove items depending on their age.  I usually pack a small backpack for my son who is three, in there I usually carry a pull-up, extra clothes, and a toy.  What’s great about this is he will carry it himself and I don’t have to worry! 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by! Remember to share my blog with other mommies so that together we can continue to strive for mommy success! 🙂