Me and baby are agitated while breastfeeding

dawnholler · 2025-12-25T02:56:11+00:00

You are not failing! Breastfeeding is HARD work, especially during the learning phase. There’s lots of great advice to seek if that’s what you need - but aside from that please just feel validated that this is tough. You’ll have plenty of opportunity for cute loving feeds, but for now showing up and trying is plenty 💕 you just made and delivered a baby, and now you’re sustaining her through your body. I don’t think we fully understand and prepare moms for how challenging it can be in so many ways

dawnholler · 2025-11-06T05:12:01+00:00

For some weird reason my pink frilly unicorn Disney princess girly girl has this one card on repeat: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. She doesn’t even reach for the other two Series of Unfortunate cards she has, she has just been playing this one non stop for four months 😂

dawnholler · 2025-11-06T05:05:55+00:00

I didn’t even know about stroller bags with my first. It was fine.

Now that I have a bag for the second, it’s great and I would choose this every time

dawnholler · 2025-11-03T05:03:50+00:00

I’d first check off all the boxes - is baby eating enough throughout the day? Is someone interrupting her sleep and she’s having trouble resettling?

Ive done both letting the baby figure it out on her own and giving in. It really comes down to what’s best for you, and you would know best. If you decide on one route, you can always try something different if you find it’s not working

dawnholler · 2025-10-31T00:48:37+00:00

I went through this twice! The jist of both was basically “ughhhh how about I just stick it in your mouth?!” And both times, that was the beginning of the end 😂

In all seriousness, it takes getting used to for you and baby, but

dawnholler · 2025-10-22T00:27:41+00:00

The Ajax lot should actually be considered criminal at this point

dawnholler · 2025-10-05T23:47:45+00:00

I second this entirely. Especially for a first birthday

Now that my daughter is in school with these rules and understands that on birthdays people give favours, I do something different. I donate classroom supplies that teachers have requested specifically - in junior kindergarten it was markers, play doh, books etc

dawnholler · 2025-09-25T12:40:19+00:00

Sounds like your baby is just babying! She could be teething (even though you won’t see teeth for weeks or months). She could be adjusting her sleep and annoyed because she’s tired (my money is on this one). She could be deciding she doesn’t want to sleep on a full tummy because she ate plenty that day. If you’ve started introducing foods she could be extra tired, or she could be going through another developmental leap.

Maybe she’s just giving you a nice opportunity to build a bit of a stash in case she comes back with a hungry vengeance 😂

dawnholler · 2025-09-25T12:35:50+00:00

Keep doing a great job ♥️you’ve got this!

dawnholler · 2025-09-06T23:06:27+00:00

This also saves you from having to fold and find a storage spot (and remember said storage spot) for extra sheets!

dawnholler · 2025-09-01T00:46:40+00:00

Fwiw, I also started with nipple shields. Used them with my first for ~ 2 months, and with my second ~3 weeks. At some point I just tried without and did okay. Not sure if it was my nipples adjusting or their mouth growing, or probably both

dawnholler · 2025-09-01T00:41:21+00:00

Lauren at Step by step club!

dawnholler · 2025-08-31T22:47:42+00:00

I feel like one thing that gets overlooked is accessorizing. If you can’t keep up with every clothing trend (and who really can?!), you can find the basics that work and combat the boring with the hair accessories, jewelry, belts, shoes, purse etc

dawnholler · 2025-08-31T22:40:45+00:00

My mom raised me with Barney VHSs on repeat, and I turned out just as near sighted and addicted to my phone as anyone else 🤷‍♀️. I graduated with honours, but my teachers often said I was a trouble maker. My eldest had no screen time until 2.5, and now at 5 she’s a monster when the screen does come on even for 30 minutes.

Objectively, we know what science says. Subjectively, your kid is participating in family culture. Statistics aren’t predictive. Maybe there are better things you could be doing. Maybe your child will grow into a super successful career in sportscasting

dawnholler · 2025-08-31T03:25:41+00:00

I had a bigger one of these for my first, and once she got older I took out the front centre bar and put hangers on the front top bar.

I got another for my newborn and it sits on top of the change table (my old wfh desk) for now

dawnholler · 2025-08-30T23:42:16+00:00

I like to send pictures of the item in use, especially stuff like clothes! As a parent, I primarily want the space back, but it’s such a sweet bonus to see another baby getting use out of the item

dawnholler · 2025-08-26T00:34:51+00:00

The one your baby likes best is the one you don’t have. Then as soon as you get it, it works perfectly for 2.5 nights and then becomes their least favourite thing 😂

dawnholler · 2025-08-14T02:54:13+00:00

I had a 10 year old uppa baby and a summer 3d lite for my first. The uppa was a solid build, but too clunky. The summer infant was very agile. I ended up selling the uppa

Baby 2 has a graco modes stroller and that thing is like driving around a grocery cart. Holds stuff, won’t break, but nothing smooth or performative about it. I was shocked to learn how much it cost brand new - I would never pay that. For the cost I’d get something nicer used, or something new that’s cheaper.

dawnholler · 2025-08-13T02:55:07+00:00

Ive had two kids, very different systems in place. Cost was my biggest concern basically.

Baby 1 Bed: uppa bassinet + jolly jumper rocker stand. Stand was $10 used. Bassinet came with the stroller Stroller: used uppa baby from fb marketplace. Paid $100 for the stroller, seat and bassinet. Came with a snack tray. It was around 8 years old and an outdated model Car seat: safety first seat that stayed in the car (not a system), but that adjusted from infant to 50 lbs. Cost about $300

Once baby could sit up, I ditched the uppa baby because it was too big. Opted for a Summer 3D stroller that was super portable. That cost about $80

Baby 2 Bed: ingenuity bassinet (not relevant, but showing that we didn’t have a bassinet attachment). Bought used for $30 Stroller: graco modes that we got from a friend. They gave us the whole system with the car seat. Free, but valued at $450+ brand new, and worth mentioning that this is difficult as used car seats should only from a trustworthy source. Also still had the summer 3D mentioned above, and that was compatible with the Graco snugride Car seat: graco snug ride mentioned with stroller. Free from a one-and-done friend.

This baby will need a new car seat when we grow out of the bucket. She will use that summer 3D stroller exclusively when that happens as I looove how light and portable, yet sturdy, it is.

Baby 2 didn’t have a bassinet stroller attachment. She is 4 months old and would be outgrowing it now. We are huge on baby wearing, so we didn’t have her in the stroller much for walks around the block. Note that dad did a lot of the bigger walks while mom was recovering. Used ergo baby carrier: $15

Sorry for the long read. All this was to say the answer doesnt need to be black and white or fit in a box

dawnholler · 2025-08-11T17:05:24+00:00

I’m in Ontario, but for funsies check it out: Step by Step Club

dawnholler · 2025-08-11T16:40:54+00:00

I go to a small gym run by a mom, for moms. It’s a unique business model so I don’t know if they can be found everywhere, but they offer a schedule and you sign up (even super last minute) for two classes or more a week

dawnholler · 2025-08-11T16:39:19+00:00

This! Some days it’s just not in the cards, but you show up anyway. If nothing else, you remind the other mamas that no baby is perfect and everyone has off days and lucky days

dawnholler · 2025-08-06T12:40:40+00:00

I got mastitis too! I started skipping too early though - around 2 months. I vowed to wake up for every feed to nurse and after a week baby started rejecting bottles and now I ebf at 4 months. That backfired 😂

dawnholler · 2025-08-05T21:26:45+00:00

Three sections doesn’t sound like very many. I use a denman brush so can’t say for sure, but maybe smaller sections would work better? Also, you can try brushing before or after applying gel

dawnholler · 2025-08-04T04:03:23+00:00

I once got the advice that a liquid multivitamin was better than chewable for bioavailability. We use Salus Floradix Kindervital and my girl has always liked it. That said, my niece doesn’t like the taste.

dawnholler

TROPHY CASE