Baby wearing advantages (plus my favorite carriers!)

When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter in 2013, I had rarely seen baby wearing (beyond romanticized yet racist pictures of mothers from other cultures). But when I read about all the benefits of baby wearing, I knew I wanted to try it!

I bought a few different types of carriers, and I’ll be honest, baby wearing didn’t really work for me at first. But with a little practice, I got better at it, and three children in, I absolutely love baby wearing for all its cuddling opportunities (and convenience)!

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Sleep regressions (what I wish I’d known sooner)

sleeping toddler

Perhaps you’ve heard of the dreaded sleep regression. Or maybe you’ve heard, “the 4 month sleep regression is a myth!” and you want to punch that person in the face because your experience says otherwise and you are TIRED.

Note: The Evidence-Based Mommy’s official stance is against punching people in the face. Even when you really want to.

Regardless, something like this has happened to you: You and your child had gotten into a predictable sleep routine. Maybe he was sleeping all night, maybe he wasn’t (and that’s okay! No, really.), but you at least knew what to expect.

Then all of the sudden, his sleep drastically changes for the worse.


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Bed sharing with baby: How to do so safely

Like many first-time parents, I was totally clueless when I came home with my first baby. I had at least done enough research expect to not get a lot of sleep, but I had no idea what reality would be like. Little did I know our baby would be co sleeping with us!

My husband and I had made a beautiful nursery for our little girl, but we also had a bassinet in our room. We figured she would stay in that little crib for a few weeks and then we’d get her used to sleeping in her own room. Ha!


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Why moms benefit from journaling (and how to get started)

Journaling and mindfulness

Do you as a person sometimes get ignored within that all-consuming title of “mom”?

Moms often forget to look inward, because we’re so busy taking care of the pressing task of the moment—diapers, dinner, piano practice. Our feelings and aspirations matter, so give them some attention!

I’m here to share some ways journaling can help.

This post describes different types of journaling to help you find a good fit for you. It also includes tips for starting a successful journaling habit so you can reap the benefits from this practice.


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Purple crying: when you can’t make your baby stop crying

baby won't stop crying

Congratulations on your new baby! You’ve been home with him or her for a month or two now, and everything has been a huge adjustment. You might feel sometimes that your heart could explode right out of your chest with the love you have for this new little creature. But right when you start to think you’re getting the hang of life with a baby, something changes. Every evening, your baby won’t stop crying. Like, for hours. You feed her, you change her, you try to get her to sleep but no dice. You try singing, you try bouncing, you try freaking everything, all to no avail. It’s awful.

And let’s be honest, there’s a good chance that your hormones have not shifted back to normal yet, and your emotions are still all over the map. So having a baby cry and scream at you for hours on end can make you frazzled and send you totally over the edge!

I remember this stage with all three of my babies, but I especially remember it with my oldest. My husband and I had no idea what to do. Was this colic? Were we doing something wrong? Were we bad parents?

It turns out, the answer to all three of these questions was a resounding “no.” And by the third child, I had a huge realization that completely changed my outlook on this stage and made it SO much easier! Of course, I’ll share some tips with you on how you might be able to comfort your baby during this stage, but ultimately I want to tell you the perspective shift I had so that it can hopefully help you the way it did me.


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Breastfeeding a toddler

When I was pregnant with my first child, my friend asked me if I thought I would breastfeed. I responded, “I’ll try it and see how it goes.” So my daughter was born, and I was fortunate enough that breastfeeding came really easily to both of us.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I will make a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

At that time, I hadn’t thought about how long I would breastfeed, but I knew I wouldn’t be one of those “weird” people who breastfed a kid past babyhood. I had read that some people did that in this fantastic book (seriously, if you read only one book during pregnancy, make it this one) my friend gave me, but I was sure extended breastfeeding wasn’t for me.

Little did I know that I would end up so passionate about nursing and its benefits! Five and a half years later, I have tandem nursed twice, meaning my oldest and middle nursed simultaneously and later my middle nursed at the same time as my youngest. Now, I’m breastfeeding a toddler for the third time. This means I have nursed non-stop for over five years.


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