How to Make Homemade Baby Food

I knew that I wanted to make my own baby food as soon as I knew I was pregnant. There is so much sugar and extra unnecessary additives in jar baby food, I didn't want to risk it. So far, I've made bananas, squash (the hardest of them all because of all the seeds), and now carrots. I am so proud of myself that I have to pat my own self on the back. I am getting the hang of this and loving every second of it.

How I made Carrot Baby Food:

1. Peel Carrot, washed throughly, and cut in half (first photo)
2. Steam Carrot until soft (Since I don't have a steamer. This is what I did: I put the carrot on a metal slotted spoon, added a little water to a pot, and balanced the spoon over the water making sure it did not touch, and cover the pot with a lid. It worked perfectly! (second photo)
3. Added Gerber Rice Cereal, Freshly Pumped Breast Milk and Carrots to my Nutri Bullet and blended til it was nice and pureed
4. Here is the end result (below)

(Original Post creation date 2/15)

DIY Non-Slip Toddler Footwear

I purchased these really cute Spiderman house slippers for my son. I was disappointed that he couldn't wear them because they were too slippery. We have hard wood floors throughout so I needed to put something on the bottom of his slippers to prevent him from falling. I was excited for another DIY project :)

The first time around, I glued double sided adhesive pads on the bottom (those are the white squares you see on the bottom in the first photo). That didn't work because the adhesive wore off quickly. I knew I needed a better game plan. I recently purchased a Non-Slip Indoor Rug Pad for our new rug and had some product left over. I decided to use that for the bottom of his slippers. If its good enough to prevent our rug from slipping, it will prevent my son from slipping as well. 

 I cut out some of the Rug padding to fit the shape of his slippers. I grabbed my handy dandy glue gun which I loveeeeeee (I swear I've had this thing forever and it was only $1 or $2 on clearance!) I glued the rug padding to the bottom of his slippers and they are perfect. He can walk around the house freely and I don't have to worry about him falling.

The finished product

Close up of my Glue Gun

Our FIRST Christmas

Cannot believe my son celebrated his very 1st Christmas. It was such a joyous occasion for my husband and I. We knew that he was too young to really appreciate the gifts, but we still wanted to do something for our baby boy. We picked him up a humongous Elmo. It hugs, talks, and sings. I think he enjoys it as you can tell by the picture below LOL. Along with shoes and clothes, we also purchased a Exersaucer for him. Too bad his legs aren't long enough to enjoy his new toy :( We had a blessed day filled with lots of love and relaxation due to the rain which always makes us super lazy. How everyone else Christmas was a great one

Christmas OOTD (Jeans and Sweater by Gymboree in-store, Socks by Old Navy in-store, and Moccasins by JaxHoo)

My Top Diaper Picks♡

My husband warned me as soon as we found out we were pregnant not to get inexpensive diapers. He swears when the diaper is inexpensive, it can cause the baby to get diaper rashes because it's not made with the dry weave layering. I guess it's the same concept as a maxi ladies. It made sense what he's saying, but the way he was talking you would think he works for a diaper manufacture or something. LOL! I kind of put the idea in the back in my head.

When my male coworker out the blue told me which diapers to buy and those to avoid, I knew they both were not pulling my leg at all. From then on we purchased Huggies and Pampers (non Swaddlers) for our son. At the hospital, they gave us Pampers Swaddlers and we loved these so much more! We never knew there was really a difference between Pampers and Pampers Swaddlers, but there is! 

Pampers Swaddlers have a wetness indicator while the non Swaddlers pampers do not. What is this wetness indicator? When the diaper is wet, a blue vertical line appears on the front on the diaper. It's the best invention yet. It saves so much time on having to check to see if the baby has messed his diaper. The diaper is great on absorption and fit too. 

Pampers Swaddlers (A soiled diaper)

Yes the Swaddlers are little pricier than regular Pampers, but it is worth the extra coins moms. There is nothing like changing a diaper that is dry. It is a waste and aggravation to the baby especially while they are sleeping or napping. 

I had to try another brand called BabyGanics because I purchased these beforehand. Why did I? They were on clearance at Target (maybe because the box design changed), they were Chlorine Free (I didn't know diapers could have Chlorine in them), and the brand has great reviews :)

I was hesitant at first because of my love for Swaddlers but when I saw that these also had a wetness indicator, my hesitation faded quickly. LOL. After trying them out, WOW!! The wetness indicator on these are opposite from the Swaddlers. Instead of a line appearing, the light green building blocks on the diaper disappear when the diaper becomes soiled. The diapers are also very soft. They are so soft they remind me of cloth diapers. They do not feel plastic-y like disposable diapers.

I also love that the velcro straps are large and wide with lots of stretch. This is wonderful because it allows the diaper to fit my son nice and snug without being tight. 

Which diapers are my favorite? BabyGanics!

What is your favorite diaper brand and why?

LaTasha

Is It Safe to Breastfeed and Drink Alcohol?

While I was pregnant, I did not miss alcohol one bit. Soon after I had the baby, I still had no taste for it. Now that weeks and months have past, I wanted to treat myself to a cocktail but I was unsure how to go about this while breastfeeding. The baby comes before my own desires so I had to consult with my lactation consulting nurse first. She informed me that I could enjoy a glass or two or wine while breastfeeding without affecting or harming the baby. I was pleased to hear this. What I needed to do was wait at least an hour after I had my last sip of wine, then I could feed the baby. Ok cook, I began to think of a game plan on how this would be possible, so I only drink when I know I will not be breastfeeding and that is....

1. When we're out in public away from home for at least an hour
2. While the baby is sleeping for the night
3. When I am feeding him via a bottle because he has to have a cereal in his diet to avoid from overeating (I will touch on this in a future post)

So if we go out to dinner, I make sure I order my glass of wine early on so by the time we drive back to our home I would have passed my hour time limit. To double check this rule, I purchased some alcohol test strips for at home use. I grabbed mines from Babies R' Us and they are totally worth it. I cut the strips in half to extend my supply because they are kinda pricey. I test my breastmilk before the hour was up and it tested positive. I waited an hour and tested again and it tested negative.

Alcohol Home Test in Breast Milk

Thanks for stopping by, LaTasha

New Mom Must Haves

Since the birth of my son, I have been excited about sharing as much as I can with other new moms. I wanted to dedicate a new blog just for you so here it is. Yes, I am a MOM (Mommy On a Mission)!! If you're not familiar with me, I am that same gal from Elle Loves Elle. I am still a lover of fashion and all things beauty so you can still check me out there. Now, on to the good stuff....

I couldn't be more happier and excited with my son. He is healthy as can be, loves to eat and smile. He is such a happy baby and I thank God for him every single day :) I have learned so much about motherhood and things that have been lifesaver for me. For all the new moms out there, or those wanting tips on what to purchase or must haves, this post is definitely for you.

Swaddle Blankets are great for newborns. It gives them the comfort of still being in the womb. I grabbed these from Walmart or either Babies R'Us and love them. At the hospital after delivery, we received so many compliments on our blanket with the sweet peas all over. These are really great because they are not too thick and not too thin. They have a little stretch which is great for conforming to the baby.

Purchase from Walmart

If you are looking for something a little more personalized, please grab a swaddle blanket from Boco Baby. We put our son's name on his blanket and he took his hospital pictures with it and looked so handsome. I love the quality of the their items and how unique everything is. 

We love the NUK brand and what they have to offer for our son. My husband mentioned making sure the baby's gum, mouth, and tongue is kept cleaned so we went shopping around and found Gum & Tooth Wipes by NUK. After each feeding, we give his mouth a good cleaning. They taste pretty good (Yes we tried them out LOL).

Purchase from Babies R' Us

I also love NUK Breast Wipes. I use these before every feeding and before I pump. I just want to make sure my breast and nipples are as fresh as possible at all times. This is especially important for me because I use nursing pads. 

Purchase from Walmart

Lansinoh is another brand I am loving. I don't have any negative feedback with any of their items. I grabbed their nursing pads which for me was not an option. I have heard so many embarrassing stories about accidents and soiled tops so nursing pads are A MUST HAVE to eliminate a milk disaster. Yikes!

Purchase from Babies R' Us

Keeping your breast moisturize helps with soreness and cracking. I use Lansinoh Lanolin Cream faithfully. I make sure before I shower I add the cream to protect my breast even more. Also a little tip is to let soapy water run over the breast in the shower to prevent further irritation or soreness instead of washing directly with soap and water because that will dry them out even more. 

Purchase from Babies R' Us

To store my breast milk, the Lansinoh bags have been amazing. I can write the date, amount, and time on the bag without the ink seeping into the milk. They are easy to store and I find them much easy to heat than the bottle since it takes forever to heat the baby's bottle.

Purchase from Babies R' Us

I will be adding more helpful tips as time permits. I hope you've enjoyed this post. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will glad try to assist. Now I have to get back to my little one :)

Thanks for stopping by, 

LaTasha