Goldie girl slipped into our family so easily, it was probably the easiest transition yet. We only spent one night in hospital, which was the night she was born. I remember the first 24 hours she was born she just slept, I think she fed once and I remember telling myself, sleep sleep sleep sleep, the baby is sleeping sleep! But you can’t help but lay awake staring at them. The Adrenalin still pumping through you giving you that last bit of energy you’ll have for the next couple of years.
I’m constantly flooded with questions relating to Goldie’s routine and how she’s adjusted to our household so I’m hoping this blog answers them all for you! I’ll be talking routine, food, products and tips so grab a coffee and your notepad and enjoy!

Feeding

This first 4 weeks was the easiest time, Goldie was a newborn; like proper newborn, she fed and she slept and fed some more and slept even more! Her awake times during this period were around 5-6 hours a day and the rest was spent snoozing.
She was breastfed and she was probably my easiest to feed. I think I just let go of any expectations and thought whatever will be will be. My plan going into our feeding journey was to mix feed with breast milk and formula. The reasoning behind this was when Levi was born I never mixed fed and it took us almost 2 months to get him to even take a bottle! He was near 10 months when he finally took one and then slowly we introduced formula and all was fine but I just remember for 10 months it was just me, I was the only one who could feed him, we could never be apart, I couldn’t do much where he wasn’t allowed to come with me. I just remember it being a really hard time, so with Bowie I mixed fed from day 1. This meant Phil could get up during the night or if I was out somewhere with both kids I could just whip a bottle in his  mouth instead of finding a parents room to hide in ( I wasn’t very confident back then and didn’t really feed out in public) If i was sore and needed a break or if he was overly fussy we had a back up plan. So that was my plan with Goldie, but when she came along she just fed so well! It was literally the easiest transition into feeding I’d had, I was still sore but It was bearable. With Levi and Bowie I pumped from very early on, my breasts were very engorged and my thought process was “I just need to get the milk out” not being very involved with social media back then I didn’t really have this community to reach out to and ask questions (I was the first of my friends to have a baby so no help there) so I just did what I thought was right, this was actually a really bad idea! I ended up giving myself an over supply and ended up with mastitis quite a few times. I never pumped with Goldie after receiving a lot of advice about pumping, I was told it’s best not to do it until after the 6 week mark as the first 6 weeks is when your body and your baby communicate about supply. And it really worked in my favour, when my milk came in I was uncomfortable for probably 2-3 days and then it just  calmed right down and I never had an issue. I never got mastitis, I never had a blocked duct, I never really leaked unless I was feeding. Not pumping in those first few weeks really benefited me and I’m glad I just let my body do it’s thing.
Goldie and I breast fed for 3 whole months before I introduced formula, I decided to do this because I was finding in the afternoon she was super fussy and ripping at my breasts, my breasts felt empty and I just thought if this was going to help out night time routine and keep her well fed then so be it. I use Bellamy Organic, I’ve always used this brand and love it, it is more expensive then some of the other brands but It works for us and I feel confident knowing it gives her what she needs.
By 4 months Goldie was off the breast and on full time formula bottles, I tried to feed her but she just preferred the bottle and my milk just stopped producing as much, I couldn’t even pump successfully (I did however use the Haaka Pump to catch the let down and they are amazing!) Once i stopped I never leaked or got engorged, my breasts just went back to normal size and it was a really easy adjustment, I probably wasn’t emotionally ready to completely stop but I had to follow her lead and she’s so happy and flourishing so I don’t feel guilty about it. She’s just hit 5 months and starting to try solids. You can start babies from 4 months if you like but I really wasn’t in a rush to start this process, so far she’s had sweet potato puree and steamed potato wedges (no skin) we love to do BLW in our home, less puree’s and more soft finger foods. She’s only been trying food for about a week now, just once a day I will give her something just to get use to the taste and texture, she wears more then she eats but it’s all in good fun.

Sleep and routine

YALL WANNA KNOW, everyone is so interested in our sleep routine which makes me find comfort in knowing I’m not the only parent who doesn’t sleep haha. Goldie has never slept through the night, I always hear these stories of parents with magical unicorn 4 month olds who are sleeping through the night already and let me tell you, those children have probably been drugged. haha just kidding, but honestly I wish I knew the secret!.
Goldie is actually pretty good though, before she was born I think I hyped myself up about the lack of sleep I was about to get because I remember how tired I was with Levi and Bowie. But when she came, I dunno; I was almost excited to wake up with her in the night, that was out time, our quiet time, no boys, no noise, nothing. Just me and her spending quality time, she’d rest her little hand on my boob while she fed, looking up at me with her big brown eyes, making the loud swallow gulping sound that babies do and I just lived for it. I absolutley loved it, I never felt tired during the night. I was always tired in the morning though, if I was up before 7am I was a dragon haha.
The first 6 weeks we just kind of went with the flow with her routine, she woke the standard every 2 hours a day and night for a feed. By 6 weeks it was around 3-4 times. When she hit 6 weeks her sleep did change during the day, she had more awake times and her witching hour came on hard and ugly! from 5pm she would be fussy and cry until 9 sometimes 10 o clock at night. That’s when I got in touch with The Sleep School. They have programs you can purchase for newborns+.
We soon realised she was becoming overstimulated in the afternoon and wasn’t coping without a proper bath time routine. From then on-wards she was on a casual routine during the day with a strict one for bed time which i’ll share below.

7:00-7:30am – Wake, Change nappy Milk feed Playtime, floor play,
8:15-8:30am – Morning Sleep in Cot
10:00-11:00am – Change nappy Milk feed Playtime, floor play, (big tip was never to stretch awake time  if baby appears tired before suggested nap time)
11:15- 11:30am – Sleep time
1:30- 2:00pm – Change nappy Milk feed Playtime, floor play, or outing
3:30-4:00pm – Afternoon Nap time
5:00pm – Change nappy Milk feed
5:30 – Bath Time
5:45 -6:00pm – Milk Feed & Bed time
9:30-10:00pm – Dream Feed
Overnight- Feed on Demand

That was the routine we followed, the daytime didn’t always go perfectly, sometimes I found she was tired a bit sooner or would sleep a bit longer then the suggested nap time, the only thing we followed to a T was the bath time bed routine, this was a game changer for us and ultimately ended the witching hour!! Her routine now, which she’s followed from about 4 months is awake times 2 hours, so we always put her down for a nap 1.5- 2ish hours after she wakes so she doesn’t become over tired and cranky, her bottles are every 3-4 hours. Bath time has been moved to 5pm, and she’s usually down between 6 and 6:30 depending on when she woke up from her last nap. She still has her dream feed around 10pm and wakes 2-3 times during the night before waking at 6/6:30am to start the day.
She went through the four month sleep regression and that was tough but all you can do is ride it out and know it doesn’t last! And ask your partner for help, I got up to Goldie by myself for 3 months and it took a really bad night where I got so frustrated I was ready to throw her for me to say to Phil, Hey. I NEED your help. He was amazing and he stepped up but don’t be afraid to ask! Otherwise they’ll just sleep right on through and pretend like they don’t hear shit!

Out Numbered

So many questions about the jump from 2-3 and how we feel being out numbered and how do we survive! Honestly, I feel like you just adapt to what’s thrown at you. I think you forget how very little newborns require when they’re first born, they just kind of sleep and feed for the most part so you still have time and energy to put in to your other children. By the time the baby is older and does require that little extra from you you’ve already been doing it for 2 months and you don’t even remember what it was like before hand. I feel as though as long as you let go of expectations and don’t feel like you have to do it ALL you’ll be okay. I was content with spending my time at home, I didn’t feel like I HAD to get out every day ( I remember doing this with Levi, always felt like I had to leave the house at least once a day to feel like I had achieved something) but now I’m just chill.. If the house wasn’t cleaned when Phil got home, who cares, if I didn’t get to the washing, fucking yolo. I just let go of expectations, I would do a tidy up once a night when all the kids were down and Phil was home to help me, I don’t feel like I’m solely responsible for cleaning my home, he lives here and they’re his kids too, it’s called team work. It took me a really long time to leave the house alone with 3 kids, even just to the park. I never wanted anything to happen to one of them because I had my hands full or I couldn’t keep my eye on all 3 of them so I didn’t go anywhere. I’m pretty confident in going some places now, I would NEVER and I repeat NEVER go to the shops alone with three, don’t get me wrong I don’t have badly behaved kids but you can just never be too careful and it’s not that I don’t trust them I just don’t trust other people. Too many horror stories and it’s just not worth the risk.
Routine with three kids is hard sometimes but it’s not impossible, I just keep the boys routine flexible. When I’m doing Goldie’s bath routine the boys are usually having dinner, even if it’s just a snack dinner like plain pasta and fruit and then when Goldie’s down and I’m finally cooking Phil and I’s dinner I’ll give the boys like a second dinner if I don’t feel like they’ve had enough. Some nights I manage to cook the Hello Fresh meals ready for 5 so we can just eat that. Phil is usually gone from 6am most days and home around 7pm most nights so I try not to put to much pressure on myself being alone. When I’m putting Goldie to bed the boys will either be in the playroom or watching a movie, they know to be quiet when i’m putting her down but it did take some time for them to learn.

Things I love

There are so many baby products out there now and it’s hard to know what to invest in! So I’m going to share with you what I own/use/would buy again. I’ve also Hyperlinked these products so you can shop them directly.

Snuggle Me Baby Lounge – We used this product religiously for the first 4 weeks. Goldie would sleep in this next to me on my bed while Phil slept with the boys in there bed. I just wanted her close to me but wanted to know she was in her own space. Sometimes I would drag it around the house with me if I didn’t want her to lay down in her bouncer. She loved the snuggle me up until about 8 weeks and then for some reason wasn’t as into it. I also think around the same time she was becoming aware of when I was and wasn’t holding her/around so didn’t like it when I put her down. She doesn’t really use it now but I pull it out occasionally for a cute photo. I think it was definitely worth the investment considering we used it religiously in those first 0-6 weeks and you can always keep it for the next baby or resell.
4 moms baby Rocker – I didn’t get this exact model, this is the one up from ours and I wish I had.While She liked the other version of the 4 moms rocker I feel like she would have liked it a whole lot more if it had the other movement features that this one offered. Our one only moved back and forth where as the one linked moves all sorts of ways and is meant to replicate the womb. It also has a aux cable where you can play music through speakers.
iCandy Pram  – You can buy these online from Baby and Toddler town, Our exact model was the iCandy Peach Pram Chrome Dove and I tell you it is the best pram we own by far. If i can give once piece of advice it is INVEST IN YOUR PRAM. This will be your best friend for the next 3 years, you will take it every where and it will be the thing that either makes you or breaks you. You want an easy pram that’s smooth and light and easy to move around people in the shops (because they don’t fucking move for you) The Bassinet piece has been incredibly handy for us, Goldie would sleep for hours in it while we were out and she still does! It comes with the seat as well ready for when you want it but we still love the bassinet! Highly Highly Highly recommend this pram!
Dock-a-tot Baby Lounge The Dock a tot is actually a really handy lounger for outings! Because of the high sides it’s perfect for the beach and stopping the sand come in or for using at the park. It has a soft but firm bottom lining so you can’t feel the ground under you, not to mention this beautiful rose print is incredible. If you didn’t have the snuggle me lounger then you could definitely use this at home as well but because we had two we had one for home and one for out.
Snuz Pod Bassinet  – Absolutely LOVE this bassinet and definitely think it’s worth the investment! This bassinet has so many cool features that parents can benefit from, I LOVE that the sides zip down so that you can put the baby right next to your bed, it has an adjustable height so that you can level it with your mattress, if you love the idea of co sleeping but aren’t comfortable having baby in your actual bed then this is perfect for you. I have the bassinet in the corner of the room and sometimes If she’s unsettled I unizip the side and pat her while sitting next to her, saves doing that awful lean over the bassinet/cot. I also love that it has slightly curved legs so you can gently rock baby at night. It also features a tilt setting so if your baby has reflux or a slight cold and you want to elevate them you can do that. I also find this bassinet to be larger in size, Levi and Bowie both grew out of there bassinets at 3.5 months, Goldie is 5 months and still has room to grow! I actually cannot recommend this bassinet enough and I will be so sad when she finally grows out of it!
Baby Bjorn Pink Rocker – Actually my favourite baby product we OWN. This is the one thing we have used EVERY SINGLE DAY since Goldie was born. She loves her bouncer so so so much! It has 3 height features which is good for sitting up and laying down, the material is a thick cotton so they feel supported and it has a really great dip for their bottoms so they don’t slide out even when not strapped it. Goldie has just started in the last month rocking herself by kicking her legs, this is so great for her gross motor skills! The other thing I love about this bouncer is it folds down flat so I actually take it with me everywhere! To friends places or if we go away, it’s so easy to take with us and she honestly is so so happy in it. The cover is also removable and it’s super easy to slip on and off and you can just wash it in the machine as normal. If you’re going to invest in a good baby product, THIS IS IT.
Chekoh Baby Carrier – Also one of my fave things, I literally used this everywhere! I would put my Chekoh carrier on before I got in the car to go pick the kids up from daycare so that when I got there I could quickly put her in with no fuss! And my favourite part, the kids couldn’t see or touch her (because daycare germs ew!) I would do my grocery shopping in it and she would just sleep the whole time! Highly recommend the Chekoh wraps, for yourself or even as a gift! You can use the code JESSIIKA for a cheeky 10% off too!

The Stork Nest is another great store that has loads of baby products, I recommend The Beaba Cook! It’s my saving grace now that Goldie is old enough to eat solids! It’s such a mess and time saver I don’t even know how I did baby food without it!
They have a huge range of baby things, and nursing Bra’s (The Bravado ones are amazing!!)  use code LOVEJESSIIKA for a sneaky 15% discount store wide!

These are probably the main things I get asked about the most but if you want to know about anything else drop it in the comments below!This pretty much sums up the first 5 months with Goldie in terms of the things we get asked, but again If I’ve missed anything drop a comment below!  I don’t have any discount codes for the stores listed above but check my discount highlights for more stores and cute baby things! Last;y if you’re thinking about baby number 3, take this as your sign; DO IT!
It’s busy, but it’s fun.

Thanks for reading x