Momma’s Wardrobe: Maintaining Your Style After Pregnancy 100%

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Life will change a lot after you’ve had a child. No matter how much you prepare yourself in the nine months you have before the little one arrives, it will always be hard to predict just how much this sort of change will impact your lifestyle. A lot of people have to change the way they spend their time, the food they eat, and, unfortunately, their wardrobe to match their new parental status. Overcoming this isn’t impossible, though a lot of mothers find it difficult, and fashion is often one of the first areas to fall apart. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the work which can be done to keep your mind on style once you’ve had your child.

Loving Your Body


Having spent the better part of a year with a baby growing inside you, caring about the state of your body can be hard for a lot of new parents. Having gained more than ten kilograms, it will be easy to think that there isn’t much you can do to bounce back, though this simply isn’t the case. A lot of moms are able to get right back into shape once they’ve had their kids, and the act of exercising will help you to fall back in love with your body. The type of clothing you wear can also impact this, and there are loads of women’s clothing stores which will have what you’re looking for.


Getting Inspired


A lot of new parents feel as though they need to improve themselves once they’ve had children. Now that you have to be an example to someone, it makes sense to be a little more modest with your outfits, though this doesn’t mean that you have to keep yourself completely covered up. Websites like Instagram can be great when you’re in search of inspiration. Not only are they filled with people who love fashion, but they cover a huge range of different topics and tastes, making it nice and easy to find clothing which matches the styles you like without having to shop around.


Use Your Child


While they might not care about fashion when they are older, a young child simply can’t be left in control of their own clothing. Instead, you will dress them, pick their garments, and will have the chance to make them as stylish as you like. Over the last few years, loads of companies have started making fashionable clothing for children. They don’t need to be designer brands or expensive items, with even the cheapest of clothing stores having options which can be used to make your little ones look great.


With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to get started on the work you put into maintaining your style after having a baby. A lot of parents struggle to get their lives back on track once all is said and done, but this doesn’t mean that you have to one of them. Instead, if you do the right work, you can maintain everything you used to love about your old lifestyle.


Best Toys For Children Ages 0-6 Months

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I’m a firm believer in saving money and buying things that my baby will actually use and need. Every baby is different and you have to adjust to each child’s need. This time around I avoided buying every toy I saw – instead I opted for toys that could grow with him and be used for longer periods of time.

Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Seat

Similar

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I’m in love with this seat – especially for the price. You can find this seat for under $50 and it will sometimes go as low as $35. For a chair that can last you for at least two years it’s well worth the price. I was worried we were not going to get much use out of the in the beginning. Clayton did not enjoy sitting in it when he was younger (0-2 months) Now he loves it! He’s able to engage with the toys.

Baby Einstein 4 in 1 Kickin’ Tunes Music and Language Discovery Activity Gym

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This is another great all around toy to have. When your child is very young you they can enjoy laying on their back looking at the toys. This toy offers a pillow to enhance tummy time and it’s perfect for their little bodies! As they get older you can break the toy apart. The piano that once served for them to kick their feet on now becomes a piano that they can enjoy playing sitting up.

Fisher Price 2 in 1 Sit to Stand Activity Center

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Your little one will go gaga over this one! They can begin using it as early 2 months although I would wait until the child is about 3-4 months and has good upper body control. The seat spins around 360 degrees to provide endless fun. Once your baby begins pulling up you can replace the seat with the attachment piece that serves as a ramp!

Car Seat Toys

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Babies love to look around and adding something to their car seat helps to make travel a breeze. Clayton loves looking at his toys and now that he is older he can play with them as well.

5 Basic Skills All Children Should Learn

It is our job as parents to equip our children with as many life skills as we can. Of course, we aren’t infallible, and we don’t know everything - but what is essential, is that we lack the skills we seek out others who can teach it. 

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Photo by Hannah Tasker on Unsplash

Here are a few skills that all children should learn, that will be useful for life. 

First-aid

Sadly not enough adults have first aid training either. So this makes it the best thing to do as a family or for one of the adults in the family to take a class or a course with their children. The idea is you can never know when it might come in handy, you child might have an accident themselves or be around someone who is choking or has a minor burn - and they will be able to help to the best of their ability while calling for help. 

Swimming

There are so many drowning accidents every year when children who aren’t strong swimmers or have no swimming skills hop in the water only to find it overwhelming. As soon as you can, you should get your children swimming lessons. Swim classes will equip your child with the basics, and then moving on from that they can earn a range of badges and swimming accomplishments. 

Cooking

So many children grow up into adults and move out before they really learn how to cook. And while that can be a lot of fun, if you teach them some basic meals as they grow up, they will be pretty self-sufficient when they leave home. 

They don’t have to be able to handle hot pans and thing fresh from the oven, but if you include them in chopping herbs, mashing potatoes and learning to measure flour and other ingredients they will have all the basics ready for when they are responsible enough to use the oven or hot pans. 

Money

One of the most crucial life skills is going to be money management. There are so many adults who are in deep debts, sometimes through no fault of their own and other times it is because once they hit 18 and got offered so much credit, they didn’t know how to manage it properly. 

There are a few options like children's bank accounts that have a simple debit card. Or if you would prefer they really understand money, they can do chores and earn cash for each one. Having cash in their hand will mean they need to calculate how much they have versus how much they need for what they want. 

Finishing

Set tasks that can be completed by your child alone. This will teach them that they can do things independently. Making beds, tidying the table ready for dinner, cleaning the floor. Simple tasks that need to be completed and are safe enough not to need a watchful eye all the time. 

So there you have it. 5 simple skills that can help set your child up for adulthood. Of course, you don’t want your children to grow up too quickly, but helping them on the way to being self-sufficient when they leave home is an excellent thing for them, and you.  




Mom Hack: Clean Your Child's Toys Quickly With Dapple All Purpose Wipes

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Baby Clay is growing up on me y’all. I didn’t think things happened this quickly but they do! He coos, smiles, spits, and tries to put things in his mouth. I know it will only be a matter of time before he’s putting EVERYTHING in his mouth but I’m ready for it because I have Dabble Baby on my team!

Upon finding out I was pregnant, I began obsessing over what was best for new babies and I found Dapple Baby.  They were very well ranked online and a few of my mom friends mentioned how much they were enjoying their products so I knew I had to try it. I purchased the Dapple Baby Dish Liquid and fell in love! After many uses, I can truly see what all the fuss was about. My bottles are extremely clean without the film and I don’t have to worry about what’s going into his body. (I even use it on my pump parts!)  

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Dapple Baby was nice enough to send me some of their other great products so I could let you all know what’s up!

They offer a wide range of products:

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Dish Soap (Scented, Unscented)

Dishwasher Detergent Pacs

Laundry Detergent

Toy and Highchair Spray

Stain Remover

All Purpose Wipes

All Purpose Cleaner

More importantly, all of their products are made with plant-based ingredients that are biodegradable, and made without parabens, formaldehyde, SLS and SLES, as well as synthetic dyes or fragrances. So you don’t have to worry especially if your kiddos have sensitive skin or allergies.

Dapple Baby makes these All Purpose wipes that I love to use when I need to clean his toys after they’ve been dropped. I can also clean his car seat when we’re on the go and any other surface that he will come in contact with. This comes in handy when I’m not able to get to the kitchen sink to wash things.

So if you’re in the market for some new cleaners make sure you check them out!

Keep up with Dapple Baby online:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

The Ugly Truth: Postpartum Depression

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For every woman motherhood is not some magical place. She’s not jumping over the moon with joy or smelling every flower she sees. She’s tired, sad, frustrated or down right confused! I’ve been there and trust me it isn’t easy.

It is estimated that 1 in 5 women who give birth globally experience postpartum depression. (Read more here)

I was a part of that 1 in 5 when I had Madelynn. The crazy part is I didn’t even know I had it. I was doing everything I could just to keep going. I had so many mixed emotions and I wasn’t attached to her like you would have expected a new mom to be. I did what I had to just to get through the day. I neglected myself and partner.

Upon finding out I was pregnant again, I was terrified. I wasn’t sure if I would have to go through this again. Lord knows I didn’t want to. I felt so conflicted and stressed myself out constantly. Studies say that women who have suffered from PPD before have a 50% chance of having it again. That did not ease my fears.

Thankfully, I’ve been doing well. I’m bonding with my baby and having the time of my life lol, outside of the sleepless nights and milk supply worries. It’s typical mom stuff.

BUT

If you feel like you could be experiencing postpartum depression don’t be afraid to seek help. When people ask is there anything they can do for you allow them to. You don’t have to be super woman all the time. We’re human! Your life will never be the same after having children. Embrace the change, know that you’re stronger because of it and most importantly BREATHE! They are only little for a while.

 

Staying Fly From Pregnancy to Motherhood | PinkBlush

PinkBlush kindly sent me this top – as always the opinions are my own!

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Who wants to choose between style and comfort? I don’t! Most days you’ll catch me in some comfy pants and an oversized shirt. Especially now that pregnancy is over and I’m dealing with my new body and giving myself time to heal after a minor setback. However, I do know how to clean up rather nicely!

One of my FAVORITE things about PinkBlush is they know how to do motherhood style right! They truly take you from pregnancy and beyond and this top I picked out is no different. As most of you know, I have plans to nurse my little guy so anything I’m choosing to purchase these days has to meet those requirements: easy access to the milk! The shirt was designed to accommodate you before, during and after pregnancy.

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I’ve chosen to pair this sweater with a tank top underneath. I love that it clings at the bottom as it won’t rise up when I bend over. The front opening is perfect for the times I have to breastfeed on the go. I can simply slide my t-shirt up and still have coverage on the sides as my stomach will not be exposed.

I’m wearing an XL. This shirt comes in sizes S-XL. The color does say beige but it’s more of a gray.

For my plus size mamas, you know I can’t forget about you. They also have this top just in a different color. Check it out here!

Looking to level up your spring wardrobe start now and check out their latest styles here!

Don’t forget, they aren’t just for mamas they carry baby and kids items too! Look here!

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Pretty in Blue 💙💙💙

This dress was graciously gifted to me by Pink Blush and my opinions are my own!

We’re officially over the hump! We’re in the second trimester and past 20 weeks!!! Reality is finally settling in and Baby Middleton is preparing to make his arrival in January! I had the opportunity to bring you all another awesome collaboration from Pink Blush! This time I wanted to pick something that would pair perfectly for my maternity photo shoot!

Here is my style of choice the light blue maxi dress.

I know you’re probably thinking…that’s it? But yes, honey! This is it! First and foremost, its simple and beautiful! With an understated item like this YOU choose how to dress it up or down. This dress comes in a variety of colors but of course, I chose blue because this mama is having a BOY!!

The look I was going for was simple yet whimsical. I added a pair of light blue flats because you can’t really tell because of the length of the dress. (Which is a major plus!) I accessorized with simple baby blue and gold necklace/bracelet and earring set.

Color Options: 13

Sizes: S-XL and 1X-3X

Plus Sizes: Click Here

Straight Sizes: Click Here

What I LOVE about this dress is the material. I’m always leery of maxi dresses because if the material isn’t right it will hug me in the wrong place and this mama isn’t having that! I like a dress that flows with my body and shows off my curves but covers my flaws. This dress is a thick jersey/spandex like material and it does an excellent job at flattering my body type. It also has some support for my heavy chested ladies!

I can definitely see myself wearing this post pregnancy because I love it. That’s another great perk about Pink Blush, they make clothing that you’re able to wear during and after pregnancy so you don’t feel stuck with a bunch of maternity clothing. This color will be perfect in the Spring time as well.

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As always, remember if my style isn’t on your radar check out some other trendy options that they have. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Maternity Dresses

Pink Blush Clothes

Related Article: Getting Ready for Fall with Pink Blush