1. Band in a box
This set is really fun and interactive. I love that it's all wooden and metal so there's no extra plastic or anything fake. The instruments resemble real instruments and sound authentic. They have held up extremely well. We love the box, too. Easy to store! Both children approve!

2. Soft blocks
I love everything about these for 1-2 year olds. Primarily the fact that they are soft and squishy because you know they're going straight into the mouth. They feature colors, textures, sensory areas, and numbers. They are easy to stack together, but also easy to use for other projects (art! bath!).

3. Chunky puzzle set
I love this brand and this puzzle because the pieces are large but not knobs. The knob puzzles are great, but hello mouth toy! These are still large and easy to manipulate for a little person but also easy to try to fit in for when they're closer to 18 months and up. I love the themes, too! 

I breastfed my little girl for the last time last night. I remember it being such a bittersweet moment with Lincoln and this time was no different. She is so long that her body stretched across my entire lap, her fingers twirling her little piece of hair around her ear. She didn’t even really want to eat before bed, but I did it to get my one last time with her.

We all hear these horror stories of babies not wanting to stop breastfeeding until they’re 4 or drinking a bottle past the recommended time. I always heard it was such a tough process to cut feedings and stop night feedings or dream feedings or whatever you do with your baby. However, both of my kids just sort of figured it out on their own, without much intervention from me.  

This is a really fun activity for more mobile infants, but not required for baby to be on the move. If they are sitting up, have them sit across from you, chest facing chest so you can see each other. If they aren't fully sitting unassisted, put a boppy or pillows around them. If they are not sitting at all, place them between your legs, leaning against your chest.

You all know that I am a huge fan of treasure baskets and Layla has been really interested in songs and when Lincoln and I dance to music so I decided to make a musical treasure basket. ​

Treasure baskets are an amazing way to expose your child to real tools and items that are easily found in your house. I like picking a theme and making a basket around that. You'll quickly discover that children LOVE to manipulate and explore items they see you use. ​

Layla's sleep journey began much differently than Lincoln's because I was educated. I knew all about wake windows and naps, but most importantly, I knew that the newborn stage goes fast and instead of HATING each wake-up, I had the mentality of "this too shall pass" which was honestly refreshing after having such a hard postpartum period with Link. I felt lucky to have such a happy peanut instead of dreading crossing the room to feed her.

However, my kids are only 15 months apart and that brought on some new struggles that I was not fully prepared for. I did the one thing I said I would NEVER do: co-sleep. Unlike with Lincoln, I now had a 15 month old to chase while cluster-feeding, changing dirty diapers constantly, and bonding with a newborn. When Link went to bed each night, I wanted to, too, since I was exhausted. The first waking each night, I'd grab her and put her in bed with me so I could fall asleep while feeding her and she'd fall asleep after feeding.

​Let me start by saying that I went into this baby sleep with zero knowledge. Literally. Wake windows meant nothing to me (I hadn't even heard of this term until I began searching for help). Every nap from the time Lincoln was born to 4 months was in my arms. He was in the pack'n'play in my bedroom with a sleep sack and white noise, but that was it as far as my knowledge of sleep for babies. 

At 6 months this is an example of his day: 

• 6:30 wake
• 8:20 nap for 21 minutes
• 10:52 nap for 31 minutes
• 1:26 nap for 26 minutes
• 5:15 nap for 21 minutes
• 7:00 down for night
• Wake at 10:07, 12:43, 2:10, 5
• 7 wake 

Music exploration is so exciting for a baby! My house is constantly full of music but for this activity, I got out a bunch of different instruments and let Layla explore the different sounds.