6 Months Baby: Schedule, Sleep & Favorites!

Happy HALF birthday to our ((not so little anymore)) baby!

It literally blows my mind that its been 6 months since we added Samson to our family! Its been a wild, fun, EXHAUSTING, half of year full of laughs, smiles, and of course tears...from him, and some from me. Haha. #hormones.

I haven’t posted an update on here because for awhile it seemed to be very “status quo” but I feel as though once you hit 6 months, things start to change and quick. First and foremost: they’re moving. SOS.

Second, they’re sitting (or almost sitting) and…

THREE: FOOD!!

Development:

I’ll start first with some of the development stuff going on these days. Sam is rolling in both directions and trying so hard to crawl it is CRAZY. He is almost NEVER in the spot that I left him in. He’s just started to scoot backwards which is always the first stage they go through! Homeboy is going to be crawling soon which means RIP to me getting anything done around the house!

My other two refused to be caged into a pack and play (they screamed bloody murder) so I’m hoping he takes to it because I’m probably going to have to throw out every single toy we own because our house is basically a choking hazard. Kidding. But we really are going to have to do some serious organizing of the toys in a few weeks! Mom’s of multiple children I’m sure you feel me!

Sidenote- I’m not one to put baby into a pack and play for long periods of time because I do think how our kids were mobile/active quickly was because we let them roam (they all walked at about 10 months!)— BUT I will need it for things like…going to the bathroom, making dinner/eating or showering. You know, basic day to day necessities.

He is trying pretty hard to sit up on his own but still needs a little bit of help! We’ve moved into the regular stroller (YAY for getting rid of the carseat as a stroller). This is amazing because he likes walks so much more! He now sits in a high chair as well and the Summer Infant activity chair. He also sits/bounces in the Fisher Price bouncer/activity jungle! He loves playing with all of his activity jumpers and the toys they have on them- cause and effect, etc. Or just simply tries to eat them. lol.

He laughs, giggles, smiles, coos, and makes all kind of noises! I guess you would have to to make yourself heard being in a house of 3 rowdy boys. HE LOVES his brothers and laughing and giggling with them. He is sooo interested in everything they are doing!

He’s cut 2 tooth and another one on the way as we speak! Growth wise he is clocking in at about 18.5 pounds— 60th percentile in weight and 80th for height!

Nursing

Sam is nursing (or gets a bottle of pumped milk when I’m not home) every 3 -ish hours. Nursing is still going really well although he does get pretty distracted in the day because there is so much going on ((especially with his brothers!)) He also is just pretty much the most smily thing ever and will just stop eating to look up and smile at me! I honestly just want to freeze time in those moments.

He does still wake at night to nurse. Usually around 11 and then at 4 am so its really not that bad. The last few nights have definitely NOT looked like that though. Thanks, teething!

A little part of me died inside when we started solids a few weeks ago. It is such a bittersweet moment, another sign that he needs me a little bit less. Maybe its just me, but I always feel a little bit sad as a nursing mom that the breastfeeding journey is going so quickly and will be over before I know it! This is probably my favorite age to nurse- you still have such great, intimate, moments but the time in between nursing sessions is longer (ie. your life has SOME flexibility #YES), your boobs aren’t as big/engorged, and any kinks you had nursing before are sorted out!

Solids

We started offering solids in the morning (when he was most fresh right before he turned 6 months old. He would wake, and I would nurse him. Then I would wait about an hour or 75 minutes and then offer solid food. We gave him cereal to start with but he didn’t seem to love it…I will probably add it back in now that we are doing 3 meals of baby food a day.

His favorite is probably sweet potato but he likes it all! He’s had carrots, apples, sweet potatoes, prunes, bananas, and butternut squash. I probably could have started him 3-4 weeks earlier (I know a lot of people that start around 4 or 5 months) but he was growing great and the dr. suggested 6 months.

We went from once a day (breakfast), to twice a day about 10 days later (breakfast and dinner), and just this week I started him with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes he wants a lot (1/2 jar) and other times he only has about a tablespoon. I let him take the lead!

Sleep

Ah, yes. Sleep. I feel like I’ve pretty much given up on this for awhile. Between teething, him learning to roll over …its been a long couple of months. I can’t tell you how many nights I had to roll him back over onto his back because he could only turn one way!

So, needless to say Sam has NOT slept through the night. I think his longest stretch was about 8 hours and right now he normally goes 7pn-11pm/12 am, and then goes back to sleep until 4 or 4:30 am. Then eats and goes back to sleep until 6:30/7. I try to look at the positives in that I’m only waking once between 11 pm and 7 am.

However, the last few nights have been ROUGH. Baby boy is in some serious pain and has needed some TLC! Usually I look to do official sleep training around 7-8 months so stay tuned for that!

Napping & Schedule

I FINALLY weaned Sam off the swing about a month ago and I’m kind of annoyed with myself that I didn’t do it earlier. It honesty took him like 2 days to adjust and he naps great in there. Right now I still have him on a Eat, Play, sleep scheudle with his wake time anywhere from 2-3 hours depending. I aim for 50-75% of his naps at home in the crib, and the rest on the go (ie. stroller or car seat).

For naps, we have a routine of a lullabye, close the blinds and put him in the sleep sack. We rock him for a few minutes and when he gets drowsy we place him in the crib awake. He’s honestly a good self soother so we got really lucky with that. He still naps usually 3 times a day and naps range anywhere from 2.5 hours to 45 minutes! Hopefully by 8 months he drops his third nap and we can transition to two naps!

Here are a few of our 6 Month Baby favorites:

Great Baby seat for the tub! He moves around SO much and this keeps him upright and in one place.
Fisher Price jumper
Pack and Play- keep them contained!
Fisher price Mat- still good for this month!
Summer Infant Activity center
Bibs- he is a drooling machine!
Stroller
These spoons are the best for solids
I had this car for my other two boys and my 2 year old still plays with it! Soo good for 6 months & up!
Noodle and Boo are my fave bath products. On sale through the #NSALE! Stock up - also makes a great baby shower gift!
Space Saver high chair!

Loves:

Putting anything in his mouth
Smiling
Baths
Walks
Jumping in his jolly jumper/Fisher price
his family
Food!

Hates:
Being left alone in a room

xo

Alex

3 months old: Sleep, Favorites, & Routine

hiiiii friends!

Yesterday was a HUGE travel day but also was Sammy’s three month birthday! We celebrated by hopping on a plane (his first plane ride) down to florida!! I can’t even tell you HOW MUCH I was looking forward to this! I haven’t had a vacation since August and haven’t travelled at all because the end of pregnancy & newborn life! And while vacation with a little baby can be harder (especially with 2 other children) its still nice to be in the sun even if you aren’t in the comforts of your own home (which is hard with two littles!).

We were actually supposed to head down on Monday but our flight was delayed 3 hours (!!) and we woulden’t have departed until 9 pm! Yikes! We ended up calling and were able to change our flight free of charge to Tuesday late morning (THANK YOU SOUTHWEST you da real MVP!!) so…yeah. Bummer that we missed out on a 1/2 day of our vacation but #sorrynotsorry …I’m not feeling a 11:45 pm arrival in Orlando with a 3 month old, 2 year old and 4 year old! LOL. I’m so glad we switched our flight because everything went really smooth. No delays, landed early, and he pretty much nursed/slept the whole time. I may or may not have gotten a DVT during the plane ride because he was sleeping on me (lol) but at least he was well rested. He was awake for take off and landing, and slept in the car on the way to our place.

Three Months Old

SO, here we are. THREE months old. 12 weeks have come and gone and I still can’t believe it. We are out of the dreaded “fourth trimester” and the best is yet to come. This first 3 months definitely went by a lot faster than my time with my other two boys. Not sure if its because its my last, or because I have two others to look after….!! But anyway, I think I can officially say that Samson is by far the most laid back baby that we have had….evidenced by how he travelled yesterday. He just went with the flow and even last night adapted to the new place really well and slept good. My older two definitely were more sensitive to change so that has honestly been such a blessing! Of course, any baby is a lot of wok and he is by no means perfect & cries/gets fussy! But he is really a very placid, happy smiley baby most of the time. I guess you could say I “did my time” with my first because he was the complete opposite!!

Breastfeeding

Nursing is still going great. Baby boy eats every 2-3 hours, the engorgement (and most of my crazy oversupply) is finally gone, and I’m finally starting to leak (less). I think by now, after nursing my first for 13 months and second for 15 months, I’m used to the commitment of nursing. While it is super draining, I love it. I love the bond, I love the snuggles…and while I would love to start slashing macros and get “my body back” I remind myself this season in life is so short, and to soak it all in. I definitely struggled with this during the first year of my other two boys life, so I’m really focusing on that and just saying “breathe. It will be okay. It will get easier.” This will all come in good time. I guess this all comes with a bit of experience.

I pump when I’m away for work and I will be posting a review (I promise!!!) of the willow pump!! Unless I’m at work, I really try to plan my outings around feeding to minimize how much he gets the bottle (and how much I have to pump!).

I did have to go away for a work trip for one night and that was SO Hard but also so nice because I slept through the night! But he did great with the bottle while I was away and I have a freezer stash of milk so all was good.

Sleep & Routine

I still have Samson on a EASY schedule. Eat, Activity, Sleep, and then YOU time :) It seems to be working out. I don’t have set nap times, just awake time guidelines. Generally he lasts anywhere from 60 minutes to 80 minutes of awake time and then its time for a nap.

Sammy is a pretty good napper and I’m working on getting him consistently napping in the crib. Up until a week ago he was napping either in the swing or on the go (ie. in the stroller!) His naps are definitely shorter in the crib but he DOES go to sleep without any sleep associations. I do put him down fully awake and he puts himself to sleep which is literally amazing- i could never do this with my other two. It just goes to show you can raise them all the same way but honestly a lot of it is down to their tempermant!

I know his routine will evolve as he gets older and become more of a “schedule.” I always see it starts with a set bedtime and morning wake up becoming more consistent. I’ve definitely noticed that over the last month so if you’re a first time mom, this is the place to start- a set bedtime and wake time in the morning. Sammy seems to wake between 7-7:45 am and go to bed between the same time at night. Which brings me to nighttime sleep. The biggest topic when it comes to infants!

Currently he goes down for bed at about 7:30/7:45 and usually sleeps until 1 or 2 am. Then he goes back to sleep until about 6 am where he eats and goes back to sleep until 7 am or so. So, he is a pretty good sleeper. Could be better, could be worse!

I do think having a bedtime routine helps but isnt the be all-end all. His bedtime routine is still the same that I discussed last month where I play a lullaby, bath (if no bath just lotion/massage) put pjs on, and nurse. Then I swaddle and put the white noise on and feed the other side, and lay down in crib. I have tried a few times to have him sleep with his arms out at night (unswaddled) and it was a complete disaster so I’ll try again in a few weeks!

I’m hoping I completely miss the 4 month sleep regression because a majority of the time he puts himself to sleep. Here’s hoping…

Milestones

Samson is babbling and cooing even more, smiling 24/7, and lifts his head up really well during tummy time (which he hates!!). He can roll to his side sometimes…but is nowhere near rolling completely over. He has definitely discovered his hands (they are constantly in his mouth) and the dreaded drooling has begun. Luckily he only spits up every now and again!

Loves…

Being held
milk
his bouncy chair
His fischer price mat
sitting in his swing
smiling
going for walks
the jolly jumper

Hates

Car rides
tummy time
being unswaddled
loud noises

Here are a few of our 3 month favorites for baby:

Baby Boy loves his bouncer || Play gym || Car Seat cover- great for nap time in the stroller and shielding from wind/sun! || Kick Piano Gym! || Finally figured out how to use this wrap! LOVE it. || Great sound machine and super portable for travel! || I have loved this swing for all 3 kids! || Jolly jumper-awesome for burning off some baby energy! || Nice & Warm car seat cover, easy to put on/take off. A must if you live in a cooler climate! || Freshly picked moccs! SO CUTE. Loved these for seb & now for sammy! || PB crib || THE BEST stroller ever || stroller system for the stroller and a britax car seat || Baby Tub || I LOVE these joggers from H & M || My diaper bag-people don’t even know its a diaper bag. I get so many compliments on it! || Fave baby wash/products || Cute jumpsuit for baby || 2 pack jumpsuits || Slub jersey shorts || Cotton pants || How adorable is this whale onesie set || Baby Einstein toy || First faves from Gap- I love their line ||Star onesie || My boppy = my life the first year!! || Drooling starts about now- these bibs are the best || Got this sun hat for my little bub! || Best toy ever for babies! || Sammy loves to lounge in his Dock-a-Tot! Love the buffalo plaid on this one || Best little UGG booties for baby :)

Have a great Wednesday! xo

Alex

1 Month Old & 1 Month Baby Picks

Happy weekend loves! Hope you all had an amazing Valentines Day :)

Happy 1 Month!!!

Oh and happy one month to my little baby! And happy “we-survived-one-month-with-three-kids” to my husband and I! Haha! 

Today I’m sharing a little about our little guy now that he’s a month old  😭 and some of my “one month” baby favorites. 

I plan on sharing some of MY personal one month favorites as a mama that helped me get through the first 4 weeks next week! Also, my fitness/ body update will be shared next week!

I would have to say Baby Sammy falls right in between his brothers. He’s definitely not as fussy as his oldest brother (cause let’s be honest Max was horrible as a baby - cried constantly!!! ) but Sebby was pretty chill!! 

Sleep 

We moved him into his own room about a week ago. He will sleep either in his crib or in his rock and play. I figured he wasn’t sleeping great in our room so might as well move him because we weren’t going to be ruining something good anyways! Lol! 

Sleep in general is still not great although he does do one long stretch for about 3-4 hours. Last night he did a 4 hour stretch; the hard thing is getting myself to sleep at 9 pm and not wasting my life away on my phone, reading or just spending time with my hubby after he falls asleep haha. I hate rushing to bed but it’s worth it so I try to do it. After that long stretch of sleep it’s a crap shoot; I’m lucky if I get more than 2 hrs sleep windows after that. Hopefully he is done with the late night wake ups (like fully awake from 11 pm until 2 am UGH) where he’s up for a few hours. I do have to wait awhile before I transfer him into the crib or rock and play because he will just wake up otherwise. Hey, survival mode rn people!! I’ve been trying to nap a couple of times a week to try and keep myself functioning with the lack of sleep!

Breastfeeding

Big guy nurses like a champ and I would say my biggest issue right now is my oversupply and spraying him in the face haha during let down. When I leave the house and miss a feeding ( pretty rate) I do pump and I use the Madela. I did order the Willow pump (the cordless one) and I will definitely be reviewing that for you all when I get it in! 

Baby Sammy

Sammy is definitely doing more cooing by the day, is super busy and always moving, loves to be held, and doesn’t like a paci! I swear also that we had a real smile from him this morning! He loves going for walks ((so excited for when it’s better weather and we can go every day!)) and likes the bouncer, and the swing!

Not sure how long he is, but he is clocking in at 11 lbs already!! 

1 Month Baby Favorites

Here are a few of our 1 month baby favorites: 

1. Hands down the best investment we made was this swing. It was literally a lifesaver with max…..I mean could not have lived without it. It was the only way he would sleep!! Seb and Sam both have napped in it and it was worth every cent!!

2. The Boppy has been integral to my breastfeeding success especially having a C section. These are also great for working on sitting up later on, and tummy time!

3. I don’t have this version of the Rock and Play (This is the newer/nicer version-mine doesn’t rock automatically, only manually) but I would definitely buy this if I was having more kids/registering for my first. I have used the Rock and Play for napping and even bedtime with all 3 of my babies. They are portable, and put the babies on an incline (some babies prefer to sleep that way, or if they are sick its helpful)4.

4. Where my Disney lovers at?!! Swaddling blankets are great to have around and these aden and anais blankets are so cute and soft. Who can pass up Mickey?!!I use them for everything including leaking when I’m nursing (I put under his face on boppy so I don’t have to wash the boppy covers everyday)

5. Bouncer for a good price- this is the one we have and both my younger two boys liked it for lounging and chilling!

6. The tub we have for baby and had for all 3 kids!

7. Favorite, Favorite, Favorite bath wash for baby. I even use it on the older boys still to this day!

8. This activity mat we have had for all 3 boys and its great for tummy time, and exercise!

9. Sleep sacks are a must- keep babies swaddled without any hassle! Velcros make it easy for you!

10. The Dockatot is probably the only thing I DID buy. ha. This was new on the market after I had Seb and so many people raved about it. I definitely really like it. I use it more for lounging- I set him in it when I’m upstairs getting ready, putting clothes away, tending to his brothers, etc. and I don’t need to worry about him just laying flat on the bed. I know some people use it for napping and he has fallen asleep in it a few times but I don’t intentionally use it for napping. I also got it on sale through the Nordstrom Anniversary sale so for me it was worth it because I got a good deal on it!

11. Cute bath towels from Pottery Barn- we have used these for all 3 babies. Good quality!

12. Obsessed with Little Giraffe blankets and products!

13. This is the basinette that we used, and I have really liked. I also really like this HALO basinette-its def more modern with more technology and options so I may have picked this one if I didn’t already have one!

14. The shusher- it really works!

15. Obsessed with our stroller, we’ve had it for 5 years and its taken such a beating but we have NEVER had to replace anything on it. We walk sooo much and travel a lot so it has been roughed about but is still in great working condition. The quality is amazing, very easy to push and is easy to convert and add a seat if you have a second child!

16. Car Seat

17. Drying rack for bottles, pump parts, etc.

18. Sammy doesn’t really like paci’s, but both of my other boys used these the first month or two. The animal they can grab on to and it helps to stay in their mouth!

19. Car seat cover to keep baby safe from the elements/strangers!! Different designs and are so cute.

20. Winter baby must: warm car seat cover! 
    

Have a great weekend! xo

Alex