There is A LOT that happens in the first 3-months of baby being in the world, when people tell you things go by fast, they are completely right. Honestly, the speed and changes happen faster than lightning. That is, unless your baby is crying or you’re in the middle of a 2am feed, sloths can cross the Brooklyn Bridge faster.

Sharing a few of our survival methods and some of the products that helped ease the days and nights of the fourth trimester. If you read this post on newborn and new mom essentials, you will see some repeats, but there are a few other things we ended up loving once our little one got just a touch older.

For baby entertainment:

1. A pack and Play with upper level paired with this mobile. The pack and play was my moms suggestion, and let’s just say, it saves my life everyday. I kept thinking of it as just a travel tool, but honestly, bust it out ASAP. This was the only spot our little one would hang out by himself for a few minutes in the beginning. We have it in-between our kitchen and living room so he can hang out with us, but not be in our arms. Giving us time to put dishes away, make lunch, fold some clothes etc. At the start, it was just very short stretches, but once I purchased this mobile to go on it (shoved through a little opening in the corner of the pack and play) those stretches became 10, 15, maybe even 20 minutes of him happily looking at his mobile and toys. We still use this at 3+ months and we take the mat out and put it on the ground when it’s tummy time.
2. This baby swing and this bouncer are both used everyday on high rotation. We switch between the swing, the pack and play and the bouncer when we are trying to get things done around the house. We keep him in the same room as us so he isn’t alone, but again, we don’t have to hold him the entire time.
3. Baby carrier. For when we do need to carry him because he is just being fussy and nothing else will do, we pop on the baby carrier and simply take him with us, either for a walk or again to do some chores around the house or even just to sit on the deck and give our arms a bit of a break.
4. One random object that saved us countless times was a giant black, white and red poster at my moms that hangs on the wall. When Harrison would be very fussy (especially around 6-8 weeks, which was brutal) it felt like he was only happy if he was being held and looking at his favorite poster. I found some reproductions of the poster she has, it’s a Bally Ad from the 80’s that ran in France. I would highly recommend having some large black and white graphic poster with simple shapes.

For baby sleep:

1. Taking Cara Babies this is the sleep training method that we’ve been using and I’d say overall we’ve been doing great. Around 3 months old, Harrison would go to bed around 7:30pm, wake around 4am for a snack and then go back down until about 7am. It was not always perfect and there were (and are) good nights and bad, but it helped us get those longer stretches and gave us goals to work towards.
2. Moms on Call Schedules. While we did not read the moms on call books, I really like having their app. It gives you age appropriate schedules. We began using around 9 weeks old and at first they were a challenge for us to follow but after a bit of practicing they’ve really helped us and also helped Harrison! He was often wanting to eat at or before 2 hours even at 9 weeks, but then would spit up A LOT, stretching him slowly to about 3 hours (give or take a bit) in between each feeding has allowed him to actually digest his food and then be able to have a better feed come time. Or at least, that’s what it seems like. The schedule isn’t much different than what is suggested by Taking Cara Babies, but I like having it on my phone to refer to and the app also provides some little helpful tips.
3. When we brought Harrison home we used regular swaddle blankets, he quickly was able to break out of them. So around 2 weeks old we switched to these swaddles, which were great. He began sometimes breaking out of these around 6 weeks old and just generally being a little fussy going into them. I tried several times to transition him to this arms up swaddle as he seemed to like sleeping with his arms up when he was in his stroller on walks. He didn’t take to them immediately, but right as I was about to give up on them, he slept his longest stretch he had ever done while in it. We put away all of the other swaddles and he was arms up from then on out- about 7 weeks old. We recently switched him to this sleep sack and I credit an easy transition to having done the arms up swaddle which gave him a bit more freedom to move, while still helping to “contain” him a bit.

For mom:

1. Let’s talk nursing bras. For the first two months I lived in the simple pull to the side bras, these are my favorite and the ones I still sleep in/night nurse with. However, once I started (sometimes) wearing real clothes I wanted some clip down ones that were actually attractive, thus far, these are the only ones I’ve found that don’t make me feel like a grandma.
2. Sweat pants and leggings with pockets. Any that you find comfortable will do, but you will want to have pockets. You’ll almost always want to have your phone with you so you can refer to your tracker app (see this post for the on we love) and there’s a good chance there will be several other things you need to carry along with baby.
3. Towards the end of my “fourth trimester” these nursing camis also became a favorite. I layer them under a button up shirt when I want to look a little more put together.

Shop the post here:

You can also now shop all of my baby essentials here. I will be adding to this list regularly, these are products that we use constantly and are our absolute favorites.

The post Surviving The Fourth Trimester appeared first on Bonjour Blue.

A bit over a month ago, we welcomed our son into the world. So far, we’ve found some absolute favorite products that have helped make our lives just a touch easier, both for our son and for mom. Here are all of the details, none of these products are sponsored, just what we really love and what isn’t quite working for us.

1. Swaddles. We have a ton of swaddle blankets and used them a lot in the beginning, but sometimes fabric would come loose and honestly our son loves to wiggle in his sleep so after a week or so they just couldn’t contain him. We have been using these velcro and zip swaddles for the past three weeks and they’ve done great for us. The swaddle blankets we have still get used, just for other things (covering our clothes, draping over when nursing, draping over the stroller bassinet etc.) so I’d still recommend having a few on hand, but don’t go crazy.
2. Breast pump. The breast pump we (I) use is the Spectra and while I haven’t done a ton of pumping it seems to work well when I have tried, that is, once I figure out the settings to use thanks to a friend and some online forums. That being said, I wish I had a different one. While pregnant, I always saw ads for the wearable breast pumps (the Willow and Elvie) and thought “can’t a new mom just get 15 minutes to sit and pump in peace, why does she need to wear the damn thing??” I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not being able to do a quick load of laundry when he is napping because I have to pump, or feeling like, I can’t easily pick him up if I need to while pumping is a huge downside for me. Being “chained” to a pump is miserable, some people don’t mind it, but it’s absolutely the reason I do not pump more and almost exclusively breastfeed as of now. I’m strongly considering purchasing one of the wearable ones and wish I had from the beginning. My recommendation would be to get one of the fancier new wearable ones if you can swing it, they’re not cheap, but if you’re planning to pump I’d say they are pretty close to necessary for a busy mom. However, I have read some reviews for both of the wearable pumps that output may not be as good. If I end up trying one, I will be sure to share an update and review.
3. Baby lounger. We purchased this baby lounger and this cover and could not be happier. We keep it mostly on our bed as a safe place to pop him down quickly. It’s cozy and generally he loves being in it, and it gives mom and dad a helping hand when we need to put clothes away in the bedroom or just get a few things done.
4. If you are breast feeding and/or pumping this nipple butter is a must (or any other good nipple butter). Use it after every feed or pump session- every single one. Also, take the advice from the Kelly Mom website and do the salt water rinse rinse every single day- make it a priority. Shot glasses work great for this. Nipple care is one of my top three priorities everyday, it’s up there with napping and showering. I value it above eating on many occasions to be totally honest.
5. Also in the breast care category are disposable breast pads. I also use the reusable ones, but when your boobs are still adjusting they make leak A LOT and keeping your nipples dry is really important- the disposable ones just do a better job at that. These are the ones I use. For reusable I recommend these– I now tend to wear reusable during the day and disposable at night.
6. Again, if you’re breast feeding/pumping, get some button down pajama/lounge tops. At least for me, I either like to wear a button down top for easy access or I just end up taking my shirt off each time. The key holes and what not work too, but I find that it’s just another thing to deal with (holding the fabric back while holding the baby and making sure latch is good etc.) instead of just focusing on trying to get a good latch so your nipples hold up. If I’m going out somewhere I do the key hole ones, but for around the house, don’t make your life any harder.
7. This tracker app is a lifesaver for diaper changes, feedings, growth, sleep, pumping etc. We currently don’t track his sleep, but we use all of the other options and love it. There is a small learning curve (or maybe just look at it before the baby is born and you’re sleep deprived…) but once you get the hang of the interface, it’s very easy. We love it because both Eric and I have it on our phones and it syncs across both of our devices. We tried a few others and ended up going back to this one.
8. Have a bouncer seat or swing for baby as well, you’ll need another safe place to put baby down. We have this bouncer seat and this swing and use both on a regular basis. We did not originally register or think we would need the swing, but we received it as a gift from our family and honestly, it is really helpful.
9. Get a baby carrier. Everyone has a different preference for baby carriers, we use this one now and both love it. We also have this one for when he gets a little bigger. However, I do think I would have liked to have one of the soft all fabric ones for around the house in the beginning.

Update on additional essential items:

These additional items are mostly no brainers, but we have found a few favorites among the basic essentials.

1. These burp clothes are our favorites, they absorb better than any others we have and we find ourselves reaching for them most often.
2. This hand pump/let down collector is probably the biggest essential for a breast feeding mom that I forgot to put in originally. I used this every session for the first 3 weeks or so and it helped to build up our freezer stash without ever having to actually pump. I probably had 30+ bags of frozen milk by the time I actually started pumping and it helped to really establish my supply. Now I use it a few times during the day and use the extra I collect to add into the milk I pump in the morning. This usually means that I can add an additional 1-2 oz. to what I pumped in the morning to freeze giving me larger portions for future use. I have the generation 2 pump with suction base.
3. In terms of clothes we have a lot of basics from Carter’s but we also received some gifts of other brands that we love and ended up splurging to get a few in larger sizes for the future. Angel Dear, Kissy Kissy and KicKee have all become favorites. Their fabrics are so soft and stretchy compared to the plain cotton.
4. Another new mom. Even more crucial than all of these material items has been having the support of another new mom. My friend Julia has played that role for me. She was about 20 weeks ahead of me during pregnancy so I benefited hugely from having her be a bit ahead to answer questions and be able to give me much needed pep talks- and even some 2am texts when we were both up, exhausted, and breastfeeding. She has been a life saver on many occasions talking me off an exhaustion ledge or giving me advice on what worked for them. So get yourself another new mom- having that extra support person will save you.

Shop the post:

The post Newborn and New Mom Essentials appeared first on Bonjour Blue.

1. This dress is one of m favorite purchases. When I first purchased it, I did question it a few times as it was probably my priciest purchase. I wondered if I’d really get enough use out of it and if it was worth the cost. Now that I’m well into my third trimester, I consider it a complete necessity. It’s a versatile day-to-night piece and it’s easy to get on.
2. As far as basic t-shirts go, these ended up being my favorite. They’re extra long and the fabric is exceptionally soft.
3. I purchased several pairs of maternity specific joggers but honestly, none of them were worth it. My favorite pair are these non-maternity joggers. I purchased 2 sizes larger than what I normally wear and they’re still working perfectly. The band is seamless and they have plenty of stretch.
4. Somewhere around the 25 weeks mark my usual underwear, well, wasn’t thrilled with the amount of stretching they were being asked to do. I thought buying “maternity” underwear was silly, but holy crap was I wrong! These are incredible. They sit under your bump and whatever fabric they are made out of is excellent.
5. A few weeks back I posted about these bras, and I absolutely stand by them and still love them. However I did purchase a few “nursing” bras that I also really like.
6. When it came to skincare, I honestly didn’t change much. Most of the products in my routine were already safe for pregnancy but I did find this moisturizer to be superior to the one I had been using for the winter. This oil has been a favorite for a while and I found myself adding it into my routine more this winter as it helps with healing acne scars. Something that has been more difficult during pregnancy than before. For stretch marks, I’ve been using this cream and this belly oil and so far, so good.

The post Worth the Splurge appeared first on Bonjour Blue.

We are more than half way through this pregnancy, gone are the severe pregnancy sickness days (thank goodness!!!) and come are the days of round ligament pain. Early on in most pregnancies, changes start happening, and quick. Here are my 7 early pregnancy essentials:

1. Comfortable bras to grow with. Almost immediately my breasts began changing, and by 12 weeks I was spilling out of my old bras. I wasn’t ready to purchase nursing bras and began the hunt of finding a very comfortable bra that would have plenty of stretch if the growing continued. After trying several I landed on this True & Co. bra. It’s incredibly comfortable, plenty soft for sensitive nipples and has continued to stretch with me as I’ve needed. I purchased two and at this point they’re the only bras I wear. For sizing reference, prior to pregnancy I wore a 32B in most brands. Currently I am probably about a 34D and purchased the size medium. It’s a good snug fit but does not dig and the fabric is stretchy enough to expand a bit more.
2. Around 10 weeks my pants began to get, well, tough to zip. I can remember even using a hair band to fasten my jeans one day as I waited for my maternity pants to arrive (yes, seriously). I tried 4-5 different pairs of maternity leggings before finding ones I loved. So many were either way too hard to get on (looking at you Spanx…) or I hated the fabric. In the end, these leggings were the hands down winners. In the picture they come to above the models ankle, on me at about 5’6″ they cover my ankle easily.
3. My first trimester was miserable as many peoples are. I carried puke bags with me the few times I was able to leave the house and spent the rest of the time with either a bucket or toilet next to me. Around 16 weeks when I was finally back to a functioning level I started doing pre-natal yoga. Thus far, it’s been one of the best things I’ve done for myself. My back pain has been helped significantly- after a long day of shooting my back was killing me in the beginning with just the little bit of extra weight. Now at the end of the day the soreness is minimal. We are fortunate enough to have a wonderful pre-natal studio in our neighborhood and they’ve been a great resource when questions have come up. I cannot recommend pre-natal yoga enough, between the strengthening and stretching it’s been a game changer.
4. Around the half way mark in my pregnancy some new breast and nipple changes began to take place. Skipping to the end of that TMI story means- get some nipple cream earlier than you think. I now use it daily, even though I thought I’d only need some when I began breastfeeding. Even if you’re not having nipple issues before breastfeeding, the lactation consultant I spoke with said it’s never a bad idea to start moisturizing early! This is the nipple cream I went with and here is another great option. Both are organic products which is what I was looking for. I have only tried the first and am so far happy with it and will purchase again when I run out.
5. In addition to needing some new pants right away my next investment was finding some maternity tank tops to help extend the life of some of my non-maternity sweaters and tops. I looked around and quickly realized almost every one had side ruching. For me, I wanted a smooth look under clothes but had the hardest time finding maternity tops without all of the bunching fabric at the sides. I finally found these (which are currently on sale for under $14) and purchased in 3 colors. They’re easy to wear and great as a base layer so when your sweaters start riding up your belly isn’t hanging out.
6. The amount of pregnancy books is overwhelming on the market. However, so far my two favorite, that came recommended to us by many many people, are Expecting Better and Crib Sheet. Both are by the same author, an economist originally based in Chicago. They’re research based books that bring an analytical thinking to pregnancy and infancy. For us, they were right up out ally and both my husband and myself read them.
7. Finally, stretch mark prevention. While I cannot tell you if the one I’m using is a winner, because I haven’t been though the full pregnancy growing process. I can tell you it was what my favorite instagram dermatologist recommended and used throughout both of her pregnancies. I use this one at night (derms recommendation) and this belly oil after I get out of the shower (friend recommendation). For both I’m applying to belly, thighs, butt and boobs to cover any and all of the possibly expanding parts. The oil is all natural and has a very calming scent which I love.

Shop the post:

The post Early Pregnancy Must Haves appeared first on Bonjour Blue.

As September is finally upon us, I have a strong urge to flip my closet from Summer to Fall. Although, to be truthful, I was having this urge about 3 weeks ago while August was still in its full and toasty glory. Fall tends to not only signal the beloved “sweater weather” but a time where I can finally start laying again without the fear of completely sweating through all of my clothes.

Alex Mill has been on my radar for few months now- and I finally found the piece I’m going to try from them. This little crop sweater in classic navy. Every season I invest in one new navy blue sweater, typically because the one from the year prior has been so well loved that the amount of pills, and sometimes holes, makes it better for lounging inside rather then seeing the light of day. I tend to always pair mine with high waisted jeans (this pair is currently on repeat in my closet.)

For an everyday outfit accent I love a pretty pendant. Monica Rich Kosann pieces have been catching my attention recently, and this necklace in particular seems perfect. While it’s certainly an investment piece (or wishlist piece) her chains can be worn with a charm or without giving you a two in one necklace. I’d top off the navy sweater and moon pendant with this leopard print coat and suede bow sling backs.

This French terry dress from Cuyana first caught my attention while Julia over at Gal Meets Glam was wearing it, and I have to admit, I was influenced. I will be hard pressed not to be clicking “purchase” on it soon.

Shop the post:

The post Fall Favorites appeared first on Bonjour Blue.