5 space-saving baby items for the minimalist mama

Alright, I’ll just come out and say it – WHY do babies have SO MUCH STUFF??

 Those of you who know me know that if there is one thing I cannot stand in my home, it is clutter. Of course, minimalism and motherhood are kind of like an oxymoron…good luck keeping a clutter-free home when there is a giant colorful bouncer playing “Old MacDonald” on repeat next to the kitchen.

 While pregnant, I remember re-doing my baby registry every other day in order to mentally check off where I was going to store all of the baby gear. Honestly, how does such a small person take up so much space!?

 Living in a small condo in Chicago, I had to cut down from the beginning. And so began the countless hours of research looking for things that did the following:

•    folded easily

• could be stored under bed/crib/furniture

• were multi-purpose

 Here are some of my favorite baby gadgets that made the cut:

Baby Bjorn Bouncer

This is one of the items that we use pretty much every day. It is lightweight, easy to fold and comes in a wide variety of neutral colors (we got it in the grey, which coincidentally hides spit up perfectly, so I will call that a win). It folds up almost perfectly flat, so you can easily store under the sofa or in the closet. A great contraption to keep the tiny human distracted while you sit at the table.

Shop bouncer here.

Graco Slim Spaces Compact Baby Swing

Yes, you read that right… “COMPACT” (aka, music to my ears”.  There are so many great swing options out there – this one is on the simpler side, but gets the job done! It is battery operated (so you can move it around the house), has adjustable height and folds up easily so that it can be stored under your furniture. Speed can be adjusted from a dial up at the top and the best part is, our little guy LOVES it!

Shop swing here

Jolly Jumper (with doorway clamp)

Another fan-favorite in our home! We knew we wanted some sort of stationary bouncer, but didn’t have room for any of the bouncer stands. [Introducing] the Jolly Jumper! It attaches to the molding on your doorway so you can attach and remove once you are done. EVERYTHING folds up and can be stashed away in a bag to be used later. Some minimal scratching on the molding is inevitable, but an easy trade off when you consider the space-saving aspects.

Shop jumper here

Hatch Baby Grow Smart Changing Pad + Scale

We are also big fans of this multi-purpose gadget. Changing pad is made of foam, so easy to wipe off messes. Also has rubber feet on bottom to keep it in place when on top of the changing table. Came in handy, especially those first few weeks when we were tracking baby’s weight like crazy. Just hook it up to the Hatch app. And VOILA – you have baby’s weight logged!

Shop changing pad here

OXO TOT Splash & Store Bath Tub

Another one we did a lot of research on. This one is a foldable bathtub that includes a hook so it can be flattened and hung up in a closet for later use. Our son is almost a year old and we have used it non-stop since he was a newborn.

Shop bath tub here

So whether you are a fellow city-dweller or a minimalist at heart, these items are sure to help you conserve that ever-so-precious real estate in your home when the little peanut arrives!

xo, Sara

Back to work after baby - a day in the life

Going back to work after maternity leave is no frickin’ joke. You read about it, you hear about it, you mentally prepare for it (or try to), yet when that moment comes it is MUCH harder than you were expecting. At least it was for me.

I went back to work this past week and I feel like the 2-3 weeks leading up to it, I had an overwhelming sense of #dread. Questions like “how am I going to juggle work and baby?,” “how am I going to deal with him away at daycare all day?,” “what am I going to do if I have to work with him from home?” – all of these thoughts crossed my mind at least 200 times a day.

My husband and I both work from home right now, so we decided to “wing it” those first couple of weeks until full-time childcare begins… “ehhh, c’mon…how hard can it be??” (famous last words).

Week 1 was a bit of a circus…

The face he makes when I put him in his walker so that I can get a bit of work done - the “I’m completely innocent” face as I’d like to call it. Also, yes, he tried to eat the corner of my notepad.

 Day 1 with baby

• 9:00AM: Log on and catch up on email after 24 weeks of maternity leave (I’m spoiled, I know).

• 9:05AM: Rush project arrives in inbox.

• 9:20AM: Bring coffee into my office (aka, my bed) and attempt to start rush project. Hear baby crying in the other room and guiltily ignore cries in hopes that husband will attend to baby.

• 9:25AM: Success! My plan has worked and baby has stopped crying. Hear footsteps approaching and realize that husband is simply bringing baby into my office so that he can work in peace from his office (the couch).

• 9:40AM: Baby is babbling and grabbing at all of my work supplies. Baby attempts to stick pen in his mouth and now has ink all over his face. Try to open baby’s mouth to check for ink while simultaneously Googling toxicity levels of pen ink. Phew, we are in the clear.

• 10:05AM: Baby is again crying and inconsolable. Realize that we are way overdue for his second breakfast.

• 10:07AM: Begin feeding baby, who has decided to fight the feeding with all of his might. Back is arched, legs are kicking and he continues screaming.

• 10:20AM: Switch baby to the other side in hopes that he is simply boycotting the left nipple today. Nope. Apparently the right nipple is also in the doghouse.

• 10:30AM: Finally get baby to latch for 30 seconds and he keeps kicking the computer screen. Look over and realize that he has somehow opened up Zoom on my computer.

• 10:32AM: In a panic, try and reach for my computer so that I can disable camera access before my boss accidentally gets a surprise call.

• 10:36AM: Phone begins ringing with impatient client on the other end. Ignore.

• 10:40AM: Baby falls asleep while eating. Gently burp and put him in the Dockatot next to me.

• 10:41AM: Reach for my coffee, which is now cold. Contemplate adding ice and cream to make it a fancy “iced” coffee. Laugh to self quietly.

• 10:43AM: Finally log back into computer and open up email. Begin downloading documents for rush project and hear loud and suspicious noise coming from the Dockatot.

• 10:44AM: Baby is awakened by the sound of his own blowout and begins crying.

• 10:46AM: Pick up baby to get him changed and see that the Dockatot is covered in mustard-colored stains.

• 10:48AM: Rush project was due 18 minutes ago…has not yet been started.

For all of you parents navigating childcare during COVID, I cannot even begin to understand how you did it. Major props to you!

For now, we will continue trying to succeed at our balancing act until our full-time childcare begins. We will also invest in some camera stickers to avoid accidentally being stuck on Zoom while breastfeeding the baby.

 Xo, Sara

There will be milk…everywhere

Let’s talk about breastfeeding. The momentous occasion where mother and child are supposed to come together in a sacred bond. Except for me, it was a wild hyena, blindly trying to locate the local watering hole in the middle of the night.

Before having your baby, you read all about breastfeeding and pumping. Words like “latching, nipple balm, shallow latch, wide latch,” etc., etc. become a part of your regular vocabulary. What no one tells you is that there will be milk…literally everywhere.

My milk came in the day we were leaving the hospital. I woke up and slowly rolled out of my hospital bed to take one last shower. When I looked in the mirror, the two giant coconuts staring back at me startled the living sh*t out of me. WHAT! You were not there yesterday…where did you come from?!

Ladies, when you see your engorged boobs for the first time, it is an experience in and of itself. It is like seeing two ripe summer melons that are not even connected to your body. Except that they are…and they hurt like hell.

It took a while for us to get into the groove. My hospital stay involved: (1) pumping, (2) supplementing with formula, (3) baby’s tongue tie removal, (4) nipple shields, and (5) numerous lactation consultants. Nothing like what you see in the movies…

Now, once you are home and tackling the “calm, serene journey of breastfeeding” from the comfort of your own home… shit hits the fan (now, I mean metaphorical shit, because actual shit will eventually hit your fan when you have an infant and that is a whole different ordeal).

 Below is a timeline of a typical morning with a newborn:

• 6AM: Wake up because your boobs hurt. Sit up and realize that there are two watermelon-sized leak stains on your bed sheets. Ahh, crap.

• 6:15AM: Decide whether you should pump or breastfeed your infant. Peak in bassinet. Infant is asleep – I will pump.

• 6:20AM: Once all pumping gear is assembled (pumping bra, pump flange, tubes, bottles, etc.) begin pumping. Infant hears noise, smells milk, gets jealous, starts screaming.

• 6:22AM: Decide whether to stop pump session or grab pre-made bottle from refrigerator to feed said screaming infant.

• 6:23AM: Unplug pump and decide to breastfeed in hopes that the tiny human will calm down. Begin breastfeeding and infant falls asleep after 45 seconds.

• 6:24AM: Unlatch, remove nipple shield[1], remove Hakka pump[2], begin burping infant. Immediately notice warm sensation on stomach, legs, feet. Look down and realize that you are leaking all over yourself, your bed sheets and infant’s face. Grab a burp cloth to clean up milk.

• 6:26AM: Finally dry the puddles of milk, rinse out nipple shield and Hakka pump. Begin swaddling infant. Infant wakes up, fiercely opens eyes and mouth and begins furiously swaying head from left to right indicating signs of hunger. You have to be frickin’ kidding me.

• 6:28AM: Reassemble milk drainage apparatus on each breast and prepare to feed infant for round 2. Infant latches quickly and begins chomping on right nipple. Falls asleep again.

• 6:30AM: Repeat Steps 1-8.

By 10AM you have hopefully been able to feed your infant, who is most likely asleep…again. If you had a really successful morning, you will have also been able to change into a fresh postpartum diaper + pad and nursing bra with clean/dry nursing pads (warning – you will never be able to locate a dry nursing pad when you need one).

My suggestion – get a Costco membership. Go to Costco, make a beeline for the back right corner and locate the biggest box of Swiffer wipes you can find. You are going to need them, because those first few weeks, there will be white splotches of breastmilk covering your entire home.

With that being said, my journey was not smooth or serene by any means, but I am damn proud of what our new mama bods can do :). As long as the tiny human is happy, growing and thriving, I will take that wild hyena any day.

 xo, Sara

[1] Small suction device slightly resembling a nipple banana peel. These are given to you at the hospital if your baby decides to bite your nipple, causing bruises/bleeding. For me, it was a godsend those first few weeks. Luckily the little guy has now weaned off of it and the nips are back to normal.

[2] A silicon milking apparatus that suction cups to your breast while you are feeding your infant on the opposite breast. Because, no one warned you that your milk ducts get jealous when you are feeding your child on the opposite breast and will leak like Niagra Falls in a thwarted attempt to seek your attention.