12 Things You Should Never Clean With Vinegar
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Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts
Prepped baby food jars
Skinny Pants for Aisy
A lot of you know I'm moderately addicted to making baby skinny pants right now and here's two of my favorites so far. They're fairly simple to make using the Made by Rae baby tights pattern except instead of closing up the ends to make tights, I just hemmed the bottoms to make pants. Both of these are supper cute with Aisy's new moccasins. (pics to come)
*Note: make sure you use a knit (stretchy) fabric.
Hipster baby t's for Aisy
We're not rich...yet ;) so it felt good to make some cute t's for my baby girl out those cheap white ones you can buy in a five pack in the baby aisle.
This one I love! Simple but elegant bird in muted girly colors and goes great with her jean skirt.
One can never go wrong with adorable animals when it comes to baby and lets be honest, adult clothing too. I always smile when dressing Aisy in her purple-tinted panda shirt.
This shirt is a completely original design where the other two are stock images. Elephants were the theme in Aisy's room even before we knew she was a girl so it was fun to make this one special and add pretty text.
If you're interested in one of these designs for a t-shirt or onesie feel free to contact me.
Best first baby food purée
I can't say enough about making my own baby food for Aislynn. Since the very beginning she has suffered from allergies and food sensitivities of all kinds so early on I learned to make sure I knew exactly what was going into her system.
Here's the recipe for the first puree we tried with her and to this day she still loved it in a squeeze pouch with her shredded chicken or as a to go snack.
Apple Carrot Puree- Blend 1-2 apples with 3 carrots that have been steamed. For a quick steaming method, you can place the chopped and peeled fruits and veggies in a microwave-safe glass bowl with a little water, or use the steamer basket. We use this electric steamer contraption, which makes everything easy to steam at once in layers. Add enough water to thin it out. Apples and pears can also be boiled for 7-9 minutes until tender. Fill squeeze pouches and freeze or refrigerate.
I love using the infantino squeeze station system the best but there are plenty of pouch options out there.
Sensory play:water in a bag
This play activity is so easy and can be put together in minutes and cleaned up in seconds! Just fill a ziplock bag with water 3/4 full and add 2-3 drops of food color. For the color below we added one drop of green and one drop of blue.
Then we used Aisy's favorite butterfly stickers and put them on the top of the baggie after taping down all the edges so as to prevent bitting the baggie ;).
Rainbow Spaghetti:Sensory fun
This rainbow noodle sensory activity was so much fun for both of us! The color stayed only on the noodles and the olive oil made our skin nice and smooth!
Thanks for the inspiration growingajeweledrose.com we'll be back for more!
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Aislynn had so much fun finding her bath toys!
She ate a few noodles but that was part of the sensory experience.
I liked doing this activity in this plastic bin because it was easier to clean up than in the bath tub. The noodles were easily dumped in the trash and the oily bin cleaned up nicely with dish soap and water.
A few more pics of the cuteness!!
Thanks for the inspiration growingajeweledrose.com we'll be back for more!
Love Through Training: The Nap Struggle
Love through training: The Nap Struggle
There she was again, standing up in her crib with that adorable grin just begging me to give in to her plea to keep playing and skip nap time....
...when the grin didn't serve her the crying began along with the continual getting back up to stand in her crib in protest. After 48 hours of nap rebellion my one year old was getting far too unhappy to let this power struggle go on. She usually would take a second nap later in the afternoon and it really helped keep her together until bedtime because her morning nap was much earlier in the day. As a preemie, she very much still needed this second nap and as a parent I'm painfully aware that lack of sleep during the day begets lack of sleep at night.
It took a very intense twenty minutes but because we introduced the basic sleep training timeline of twenty minutes to allow the brain to calm itself down at a young age, she was asleep only a half hour later than her normal nap time and for me that was a big win!
Here's what we did. I laid her down after a routine similar to bedtime (diaper change, white noise/fan, and dark room, kisses) then quickly left the room whit the door slightly open. I then used our video monitor to see when she was reaching for the crib bars to pull herself up and spoke firmly "no please Aislynn". She pulled back her hands and cried for a while before trying a second time to pull herself up and was met with the same firm but calm response "no please Aislynn". Again she pulled her hands back, cried for a little while, and gave it a third try. "No please Aislynn"My tone was the same firm but calm. She gave a final whimper then went to sleep for an hour.
I really value giving her the gift of sleep as well as the gift of healthy boundaries to help her brain establish itself to react well in a safe and loving environment. She's going to learn somewhere/somehow so I'm glad I can control part of the learning to make it positive and healthy instead of negative or harmful.
Happy Napping!
Helpful Tips:
- I will never ever regret purchasing a video monitor!! In addition to the above victory, It made earlier sleep training much easier and less painful as a mommy because I could always see that my darling one was ok and just needed to teach herself to calm down
- Making sure to put power behind your "NO" by using it sparingly and only when you are committed to following through with a consequence when it's disobeyed is a crucial part of the above success story.
- A firm but calm voice is much better received and should come from a place of calm authoritative strength and love. Your little one never wants to and never should be in control even though they will test you a million times a minute!
- Give yourself a break! We all make mistakes and get worn down so get a good nights sleep and try again tomorrow!
- Training is a marathon. Build on what you have already established but never go back on previously set rules. Consistency is like a warm blanket and a pacifier to your kids.
- Ask for help! Parenting is tough so get a baby sitter and get some you time whenever possible so you can be at your best for your little one.
Chia seed cereal
Mom and baby both love chia seeds!! They make any liquid the consistency of pudding as they soak in the moisture. We add fruit to our Chia, Buckwheat and Hemp cereal that's yummy hot or cold.
Turkey quinoa and raspberry puree
Ingredients
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup shredded turkey breast
1/4 cup washed organic raspberries
1/2 cup water
1 cup shredded turkey breast
1/4 cup washed organic raspberries
1/2 cup water
Directions
- To prepare the quinoa, bring two cups water to a boil and then add one cup dry quinoa. Allow to simmer over medium heat until all water has absorbed, which takes about 10 minutes. Stir the quinoa often to keep from clumping or burning to the bottom of the pan.
- To prepare the shredded turkey, place one or two turkey breast in crock pot with enough water (or organic vegetable stock) so that the top of the turkey breast isn't covered. Cook for 4-6 hours on high. Then separate with fork or tongs. Pack leftovers for other meals in the fridge for later use.
- Measure and add one cup of the cooked quinoa to a blender. Then add 1 cup shredded turkey breast and 1/4 cup washed raspberries. add to the blender along with the steamed carrot. Pour in the water, cover the blender, and pulse until the baby food comes together. You can also use a hand blender to puree.
- If the blend is too thick, thin with additional water, formula, or breast milk.
- For additional flavor, add fresh parsley. Yum!
This recipe makes two cups of baby food .Freeze leftovers in an ice-cube tray and pop out single servings when needed. Let come to room temperature in a small bowl or warm in the microwave.
Carrot Banana Quinoa Baby Puree
Such a yummy puree for the little one and fairly easy to prepare in bulk and freeze for later use.
Ingredients
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup steamed and chopped carrot
1 banana
1/2 cup water
1 cup steamed and chopped carrot
1 banana
1/2 cup water
Directions
This recipe is so easy to prepare, and your lil will love the sweetness of the banana and carrot!
- To prepare the quinoa, bring two cups water to a boil and then add one cup dry quinoa. Allow to simmer over medium heat until all water has absorbed, which takes about 10 minutes. Stir the quinoa often to keep from clumping or burning to the bottom of the pan.
- You'll notice the quinoa opens, or releases a curl, changing its small, round shape. Once cooked, cover with a lid and let sit for 10 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooling, chop and measure the carrots and then steam until fork tender.
- Measure and add one cup of the cooked quinoa to a blender. Peel the banana, break apart, and add to the blender along with the steamed carrot. Pour in the water, cover the blender, and pulse until the baby food comes together. You can also use a hand blender to puree.
- If the blend is too thick, thin with additional water, formula, or breast milk.
- For additional flavor, sprinkle with cinnamon, which is also helpful in soothing sore, teething gums!
This recipe makes two cups of baby food that your lil will love. Freeze leftovers in an ice-cube tray and pop out single servings when needed. Let come to room temperature in a small bowl or warm in the microwave.
Baby purees
I love making my own baby food purees for my little one. It's how I know exactly what she is getting into her little tummy and the result is a very happy baby who sleeps well, plays happy, and food sensitivities don't get in the way of her learning and developing well.
Here's a few purees that she likes
(we just cook items till soft and blend them up in our blender with warm water to desired texture)
Cauliflower squash
Banana blueberry and beets
Carrot sweet potato applesauce
Rice cereal and apricot
Raspberry pear
Chicken apple and kale
Zucchini pear
