Hi Mommas & MTB,
We’ve almost made it to the weekend! It’s been super rainy in LA and we’ve been stuck in doors a lot. Between that and Evelyn now crawling I’ve had some super challenging and exhausting days. I wanted to give all my momma readers out there some encouragement – and also a shout out to all the full time stay at home moms!
This past week has been a challenging one! Evelyn is mobile, crawling, constantly going after things she shouldn’t, reaching to pull herself up and then face planting hard. There’s way more screaming and crying as she’s developed preferences. We’re having to get more and more creative when it comes to keeping her entertained during diaper changes, her twice a day lotion application, giving her gripe water or tylenol. She doesn’t want to be put down ever. My only refuge is going out on walks. It seems to calm her down and put her in a better mood. However, we’ve had a week of rain and therefore had to stay in doors and by Friday of last week I was losing my mind. We were both frustrated and over tired. I felt like crying.
I feel like in those moments it’s so important to take a deep breath and change your perspective. I put her in her highchair, gave her a strawberry to suck on through her mesh feeder, asked Alexa to play the Trolls Soundtrack and just danced like a crazy person around the kitchen. She was laughing and clapping. I was out of breath and it was a good workout sans walk. We did this for about 20 minutes and it gave us that time to recharge and be in a better place.
I’m still new to all this but I wanted to share some of my mom hacks I’ve discovered for tantrums.
- Get a handheld mirror. Babies LOVE to see themselves in a mirror. I hand her the mirror to hold and talk to herself through diaper changes, lotion & getting dressed and giving her meds and it’s been a life saver. My sister actually figured this one out!
- Phone in selfie mode- When you are desperate on the go, a baby screaming, who sees themselves on video, instantly stops having a meltdown.
- Mesh feeders with fruit – Evelyn LOVES strawberries and mangos. For her solid “meals” I give her protein and more nutrient dense veggies, but for “dessert” I’ll give her favorite fruit in a mesh feeder. This keeps her occupied for at least 10 minutes. It gives me the time I need to put in a quick load of laundry, or clean up the kitchen, load the dishwasher or cook and eat a meal for myself. Also, you should always supervise baby while eating but I love that because she’s eating from the mesh feeder she isn’t going to choke and that gives me the ability to get a chore done.
Lastly, shout out to the full time stay at home moms out there. I am so thankful to have a flexible work schedule and I now am home on Wednesdays, Fridays & the weekends of course. And while it’s amazing to have all this time with Evelyn it is also such a challenge!
Each person has their own valid struggles whether working or staying at home. And while there are so many sacrifices us working moms make I do feel that staying at home, at least for me, is more mentally challenging.
As a working mom, and with a dual income, we can afford a sitter or housekeeper to help out from time to time. If I was a stay at home mom I know Tim wouldn’t be down for us to pay for additional help, and we probably wouldn’t be able to afford it. Yes, I’m exhausted having to get up and dressed for work. But I got to shower and have adult conversations throughout the day. That’s not something that happens most work from home days. And while an hour commute each way isn’t ideal, it is nice to have two hours a day of alone time to gather my thoughts, listen to podcasts or enjoy an audio book. Having that balance, between adulthood and motherhood and that mental break have been so helpful as I balance feeling fulfilled in motherhood while also pursuing other passions.
If you have any tips for keeping baby entertained or to divert fussiness please let me know in the comments below!!
Have a great Easter Weekend!
Xo,
M