I figured I’d be in for a few surprises when I became a parent.

I didn’t expect to be a girl mama. But I am and I love it. I didn’t expect to deal with quite so many ear infections, but hey - I’ve got spidey senses for that kind of thing now. I didn’t expect to embrace the leggings and oversized sweater look as much as I have, but show me a sweater with the words coffee or mama incorporated into it, and you can practically hear the cha-ching from my bank account.

The one surprise, though, that truly took me by storm?

Cluster feeding.

I figured I’d be in for a few surprises when I became a parent.

I didn’t expect to be a girl mama. But I am and I love it. I didn’t expect to deal with quite so many ear infections, but hey - I’ve got spidey senses for that kind of thing now. I didn’t expect to embrace the leggings and oversized sweater look as much as I have, but show me a sweater with the words coffee or mama incorporated into it, and you can practically hear the cha-ching from my bank account.

The one surprise, though, that truly took me by storm?

Cluster feeding.

Here are two words that I’d never heard together before becoming a mom: Cluster feeding. And sweet mercy, did they ever send me spinning. Yep, won’t be forgetting those words in a long, long time.

I remember my baby’s first cluster feeding experience with me. So many thoughts flew through my brain as my newborn continued to eat ... and eat and eat and eat and eat:

We used to sigh when it was time to “fall back” with Daylight Savings, knowing that it would mean losing a whole hour of our typical 10-hour sleep. Now we have kids. Enough said.

To be fair, DS does take a lot out of a parent.

If you are a parent who is dream feeding or is thinking about dream feeding: I get you. Most parents who dream feed do it in hopes that they will achieve longer stretches of sleep. And honestly, when you’re a parent of a newborn, yes - anything to get more sleep.

There are 4 scenarios where dream feeding will help your baby stay healthy:

Do you have a nap wish list? I did. For almost every single nap. My nap time wish list was essentially a list of hopeful to-dos while my baby napped soundly for over an hour: work out, clean up last night’s dinner, shower, sleep.

At least that’s what it was in theory. In practice? Well … the naps weren’t always hitting that “over an hour” mark … nor were they happening at a reliable time.

We all get to sleep in different ways. Whether we realize it or not, most of us have a particular “way” of wrapping up the day, or habits we form that lead up to sleep. Personally? There’s nothing like finishing the day with a hot shower, glass of water, and reading a chapter or two in bed by candlelight. Then I love to turn on the fan and turn out the lights.

Bedtime routines - the way we understand our journeys to sleep - are even more important to babies. In fact, the bedtime routine is the most important tool you have in communicating sleep to your little one.

From enjoying a meal with a good friend, to popping out for a coffee, from enjoying date nights kid-free, to parenting with my village, you can count on the fact that my littles have learned to nap on-the-go. And after three babies of my own, you can also count on the fact that I love to try out the best products for making family life on-the-go easier.

This is why I am super excited to introduce you to Phil and Ted’s Traveller Travel Cot. What is it? It’s the perfect travel cot for littles of all ages: from birth into the pre-K world. This 4-in-1 marvel truly does change the game for sleep on-the-go.

Those newborn weeks can feel NUTS. We are living in the land of a massive life change, suddenly responsible for the cutest little baby on earth, with naps all over the place, sleep all over the place, cluster feeds here and there, and allllll sorts of developmental leaps.

Sleep can be especially tricky with newborns. Their wake windows are 45-60 minutes, they nap anywhere from 4-6 times a day, and naps can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours.

Mama, that first nap of the day is my favourite time of the day. Bring on the breakfast smoothie, work out pants, and to-do list. This is the time where I can choose to rock the productivity or soak up the solace.

Why is the first nap the ideal time of day to lavish on myself or my home?

Parents: the day has finally come! After three babies and years of searching, I have found THE diaper. What do I mean? Well, let me take on a snapshot journey through moments of my 6 years of parenthood:

Naps and night stretches ended oh-too-soon by diaper blowouts.

Daily loads of laundry.

Changing baby’s diaper, onesie, and crib sheet through bleary eyes in the middle of the night.

Trying to parent-hack my way to preventing leaky diapers by sizing up, doubling up, or including a pad.

I used to feel so exasperated when packing my toddler up for a sleepover. If I wanted the night to go smoothly, it meant that my little one’s routine needed to be consistent. So into the backpack went the night light, the sound machine, the baby monitor, the tooth brush … you get the idea. It took forever to pack up the pieces of the nighttime routine, nevermind untangling the cords once we actually got to Grandma’s house. Cue my saving grace: the MELLA Ready to Rise clock.

As mamas, we all have our own stories and adventures with feeding our little ones. I still remember my first day breastfeeding at a public event. I forgot to lock the door to the washroom at a wedding, and a groomsman walked in just in the nic of time to be accidentally flashed. He panicked and fled the washroom like he’d never seen a woman’s breast before. It was awkward.

How many of us have been in this situation: Our wee one starts crying uncontrollably, and after over an hour of bouncing baby up and down on your shoulder doing laps around the kitchen, attempting to shove a bottle into their mouth, and singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” 14 times … all of our efforts to calm baby aren't working? 🙋‍♀️

Picture this: It’s the perfect day. The sun is shining, you’ve managed to get out of the house to meet a friend for a coffee and walk on the beach. The air is fresh and warm. You see signs of Spring all around. You’re feeling hopeful, good, and a little like yourself today (and - let’s be real - it’s been a minute since you’ve felt that way).

For some, Daylight Savings is a delightful sign that Spring is on the way. For others, it’s a phrase included in their mental book of parent curse words.

Regardless of how you view it, it can feel overwhelming at times to know you’ll have to adjust those nap and bedtime schedules.

The good news? It is way EASIER to make adjustments during Spring Forward Daylight Savings.

When I find a parent hack or product that is a game-changer in the mamahood, I have to share the love.

This one is a real joy for me to rave about. West Coast Walls has Changed. My. World. And considering that the pandemic has narrowed my world to my home, my office, and Starbucks, that isn’t much of an exaggeration.

West Coast Walls is a local company in my neck-of-the-woods. They provide stunning, removable wallpaper and wall decals. And when I say removable, I don’t mean “you can pull it off along with half of the drywall.” I mean: You can remove it easily and find a beautifully-preserved wall behind it.

Ahh, swaddling … the 104th thing that made me feel completely unprepared to be a parent. I actually practiced this one on a doll while pregnant, right along with diaper changing and clicking baby into the car seat. As it turns out, swaddling was a lot tougher to do on a LIVE baby … nevermind an overtired baby who had just passed gas and was in the middle of the 5-8 week brain leap … anybody else relating over here? Just me? Cool.

It's a question that makes most of us cringe: Can my baby sleep too much?

I know, I get it. You’re already exhausted and feeling like you can barely string 2 hours of sleep together at a time. Hearing the phrase “You have to wake your baby up” would make me want to spill my precious daily cup of hot coffee all over you. It’s just that soul-crushing.

But here we are. You’ve typed that question into your search bar, and you’ve landed here. So let's get down to it:

I don’t know about you, but a baby nest was at the top of my baby shower registry.

After I found out I was pregnant, I spent hours on Instagram, scrolling through feeds of adorable babies … and a lot of those babies were lounging peacefully in a baby nest. It was the quintessential item that I associated with a happy, sleeping baby.

Now, let’s pause for a moment. Some of you may be reading this thinking, What the heck is a baby nest?