I get asked a lot of questions about baby routines, stuff we bought and actually use, apps we love etc so I thought I’d list everything here. There really is no manual on how to be a new parent, but blogs like this with real experiences are always so handy to skim over and take what you want front. Hopefully my experience can help new parents out there, go into their new journey a little more aware, organised and less stressed.

---

---

Hospital Bag

I wrote a detailed blog on what we packed, read that HERE. To be honest, this was still too much and over done. I hardly used anything and stayed in the same clothes most of the time. However if you’re packing a mini suitcase like I did, there’s no harm packing extra things for “just in case”.

---

Apps We Use

The Wonder Weeks App is like our baby bible. We lived by these updates with Alaska and will do the same with Loxley. It’s an app that warns you when your baby is going through a developmental leap and BLOODY OATH it’s so bang on accurate! When your baby is starting to sleep less, or seems moody AF, then check out the app and BOOM he will most likely be in a bastard of a leap!

• 

---

Sleep Time

Sleep Sack. Loxley sleeps in the Love To Dream sleep sacks. Alaska did as well and always slept a lot better when she felt more secure and cuddled. These sleep suits allow the baby to still suck on their hands through the suit, helping them to self settle. When baby starts to roll, there are suits that allow you to unzip one or both arms. Alaska slept in a sleep suit until she was 18 months old.

Sleep Wear. We also LOVE the Bonds zippy suits because you can zip the bottom half of baby during the night to swiftly change the nappy. The double zip means you don’t have to completely strip baby, which usually wakes them! I always stock up on sizes during their sales. They are a big make and I always size down.

Sound Machine. We use a sound machine for both our kids. We use a portable one for the pram HERE and a larger portable one HERE for home. Started both from when we brought them home from the hospital. We always found adding in white noise helps them to sleep even when it’s noisy (like at the shops etc).

• 

• 

• 

---

Unsettled Baby

*This is our experience, every family and baby is different and really shouldn’t be compared. I’m sharing this as we get asked often about it. Please speak to your own doctor to discuss management and treatments*

I want to start by saying YES Loxley cries. I just choose not to ever share these hysterical moments of my son bawling his eyes out aka losing his shit crying! It may appear that Loxley seems settled and happy but this is only what I choose to share online!

This was new territory for us as Alaska never vomited and hardly ever cried. We noticed Loxley had reflux symptoms when we got home in that first week. He would arch his back in pain and scream this ear piercing screech after/ during each feed. This was always followed by vomiting that looked like thick cottage cheese. It would take hours to settle him, for it all to start again by the next feed. Our midwives and OB made some suggestions we could try before leading to medication.

We’ve noticed a HUGE change in Loxley and he’s a lot more content and settled since birth. He’s not “cured” and he is still very unsettled at times, absolutely hates being put down and god forbid we leave him on his back for too long! He’s almost stopped projectile vomiting, he’s finally sleeping longer periods and a lot more settled during the day. I’ve shown a lot of sleeping photos of Loxley but I can promise that he’s usually awake minutes after.I implemented all of the below when Loxley was two weeks old. We are only just now noticing a difference but like I said, its not a cure. It’s taken 7 weeks to see major improvements.

• Cut out diary – Some people suggest removing Soy also
• Cut out Chocolate – There’s actually a long list of foods to remove which is meant to help
• Reduce caffeine – I’m on one cup of coffee a day but try and only have decaf
• Chiro weekly visit– Loxley was almost 11lbs born and possibly had trauma during the vaginal birth, coming out of a narrow space, throwing his body out of whack. Adam our Chiro is extremely gentle and hardly touches Loxley. It’s almost like a very subtle massage, nothing like the traditional chiropractic adjustments. But the effects are still very obvious!
• Padbury’s Colic Mix – Loxley takes this 4 times a day before a feed. Read more about it HERE

---

Routine

We had a pretty strict routine with Alaska and have tried to implement the same with Loxley. However, second kid syndrome means you have LESS time to do anything second time around! He doesn’t really have much of a routine yet during the day, but we try to stick to one at night.

• Starts at 6pm
• Has a bath for as long as possible. We use @chamonixRainorganics click HERE for 20% info. Smells like heavenly coconut and is really gentle on Loxleys skin
• After bath time I give him a little body massage. We use Little Bairn sleepy time massage oil HERE
• iGets dressed and in his sleep suit
• Feeds to sleep. Usually takes an hour or more though as he doesn’t let us put him down until he’s un a really deep sleep
• Sound machine on in our room
• Sleeps in his bassinet by my side. During the night I feed him lying down next to me and then put him back into his bed once he’s done.
• Dream feed at 10pm and he wakes every three hours or so for a feed

• 

• 

---

Baby Language

This info excites me and I really wish this was made into a manual that was given to every parent when they leave hospital! I can’t stress how accurate this was for us, even though it’s not scientifically proven! We used this with Alaska and it was like a light bulb moment for us. The way we reacted to Alaska’s cries instantly changed and she became a lot more settled because of it.

Watch this video with Oprah HERE. It explains how this baby language works and what sounds to listen out for when baby is crying. When you hear the sounds, you’ll have a WOW moment I promise.

Here is the list of what each cry and sound means, to help you understand your baby needs a little faster than trying to figure it out completely blind.

---

• 

Mums Selfcare

I’m not going to lie, going from one to two HAS BEEN HARD! Like wowwww no one can prepare you for this journey until you’re on the ride yourself! I think it’s more dealing with lack of sleep, a hectic toddler who’s on the go go go and a baby who needs feeding, holding, soothing around the clock too. First time around, you can watch Netflix all day long and hold your baby. Second time around, it’s not as relaxing ahaha.

1. They say to sleep when baby sleeps but second time around this is almost impossible. When Loxley finally lets me put him down during the day, Alaska is usually awake and needs to be entertained. I try and go to bed early at night, usually when both kids are down I’ll go too. This means I get a couple of hours in before the 10pm dream feed.
2. Remember to drink as much water as possible, prepare your bottles the night before to make your mornings easier.
3. I always go to bed after I’ve tidied my house. I prefer to wake up to a clean slate than be overwhelmed as soon as I get up. It takes me 10 minutes to do a tidy every day instead of letting mess build up and become overwhelmed by the end of the week.
4. Try and shower daily. I know this sounds like an obvious thing, but sometimes, especially with more than one kid, you have a child clung to you ALL THE TIME and the showering side of things becomes impossible. If you try and shower just before you get into bed, you’ll feed a lot more relaxed and refreshed.
5. Invest in a baby carrier and carry baby close when they are being fussy. Instead of stressing out about having to put baby down and seeing them sad, just carry them! We have the Chekoh wraps (use code kyreeloves discount) and for the first two weeks I wore Loxley pretty much daily, just so I could get shit done around the house!
6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. if family can have your toddler for the day, jump on that. If someone wants to come fold your washing, say yes.

This blog is in no way sponsored, I do NOT earn commission off any of these generous codes when they are used.
All words, creativity & thoughts are completely my own.

Don’t forget to stop by my Instagram page for more inspo, shits & giggles.