OUR SECRET SLEEP TRAINING WEAPON

This post is sponsored by Little Hippo. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm gonna say it - I'm just gonna come right out and say it: Evie is what you'd call an "easy kid". Slept through the night by 3 months old. Never had a single sleep regression. Transitioned from crib to toddler bed like it was no big deal. We've been very blessed in the sleep department. However, now that Evie is older and can call for me, we hit our first real conundrum: as soon as she hears me up and moving, I hear "Maaaaaaa-MA!" until I go get her (whether is 5 AM or 8 AM). This led to one little question - how do we teach her that wake up time isn't when she hears G or I up and moving - it's a set time each day? And we were stumped, until we discovered Little Hippo.

Little Hippo is a company that set out with a simple mission - to create beautiful, functional children's electronics that don't break the bank. Their first product? A little clock named Mella.

Mella is a sleep trainer clock that has all the bells and whistles with none of the operational difficulty you'd expect from something with all the bells and whistles. A handful of buttons on the bottom of the device allow you to set the time, sleep windows, nap schedule, and even sound effects with just a few clicks. I also love how clean, sleek, and friendly the design is. It meets my need for minimal decor while being cute and friendly enough that Evie greets it each morning when she wakes up.

The way Mella works is simple: a sleeping face and sound machine (we love the ocean effect) indicate when it's time to be asleep. Then, 30 minutes before waking up, Mella's face surround glows yellow. I love this touch, because if Evie's been up since hearing me at my wakeup time of 5 AM, she can see that her wakeup time is getting close! Finally, Mella's eyes open, the surround glows green, and a little icon changes from the moon to the sun. It's time to wake up! I make sure that I go get Evie within a few minutes of wake up each morning, so she knows that green really does mean she gets to start her day.

One thing I'm really looking forward to is Evie being able to start telling what time it is as she correlates the numbers on the face with the activities of our day - Wake up time is at Seven. Lunch is at Noon. Nap is at One. Dinner is at Five, Bath is at Six, and it's Bed Time again by Seven.

If you'd like the chance to win your own Mella, visit my Instagram today! I've partnered with Little Hippo to gift one lucky follower their very own Mella!

#Motherhood #BabyKid

HOW WE TRANSITIONED TO A TODDLER BED

To be honest, I was excited for but dreading this transition. Evie had started to try and climb out of bed (adorable, as it involved throwing her leg over the side while asking me "All done like this?", but scary) but I didn't know if I was ready for her to have run of her room. That's a big responsibility for such a little lady! It was after about 1 month of this that we had our 18 month check up, and when I shared what was happening with our pediatrician, she advised that we transition to a toddler bed.

Back in Evie's Nursery reveal, I mentioned that the crib we purchased could transform into four different stages - that's one of the big reasons we chose the Camden 4-in-1 convertible bed from Child Craft. We also really loved the quality, the price point (under $200!) and the color.

Once we knew it was time to transition, we went ahead and ordered the toddler guard rail. It was under $50, and provided Evie with a way to get out of the bed herself safely, but still had bumpers. Then we were ready to start the transition! Every child is different, but here are a few things we did that I think really helped the process be successful:

1) Talk about it for a week or so beforehand.

We spent the week leading up to changing her crib talking about what a big girl she was and asking if she was interested in a big girl bed. Once she expressed interest, we talked about how much more responsibility she would have, and asked if she was excited (also a yes). I think talking through what it was and what it meant made it less scary when the change happened.

2) Do it over a weekend.

G and I changed the bed Friday after her nap, so we had all weekend to work with her. That way, if the change resulted in sleepless nights, we didn't have 5AM work wakeup calls to deal with too.

3) Make it special.

Friday morning, Evie and I went out and picked out a new toy for her to have sleep with in her Big Girl bed. It was a celebration, and surrounding the change with joy and encouragement really helped all of us transition.

4) Keep everything else the same.

We didn't change our bedtime routine at all. We stuck to the normal routine and schedule as if nothing was going to be different. It was still bedtime, and we were still getting into our bed. We snuggled her the same, turned on her sound machine, said the same good night, and left assuming everything would be fine.

I know you're all wondering, and it seems I was apprehensive for no reason. Evie transitioned effortlessly, climbing into her new bed by herself the first night, falling asleep in minutes, and never gets out in the morning until I go get her. Same with naps. She's in and stays put until I go get her. I think the key to this was having a really consistent sleep schedule & method from when she was little. We always followed the same pattern (bath, book, hygiene, bed) and go to sleep at roughly the same time for naps and bedtime. Since she knows how to sleep, it made it easier for her to sleep in a new environment.

And if you're looking for a crib, we love our Camden convertible, and would highly recommend it to any mama who's searching! It's beautiful, and we love the way it changes with our little lady. I've also linked a few other favs for our bed, like these adorable stuffies from Anthropologie, our favorite crib sheets, and the blanket Evie choose for her bed, which is beautifully done with natural dyes and machine washable.

SHOP THE POST

#Kids #BabyKid #Toddler #ToddlerBed #ChildCraft

KIDS | EVELYN'S SUMMER CAPSULE WARDROBE

This post is a sponsored conversation written on behalf of Freshly Picked. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used in this post. For more about what affiliate links are and why we use them, please visit our FAQ!

If you've been following me for a bit, you know that I LOVE shopping and packing in capsules. They (1) simplify everything and (2) make it so I have a ton of outfits without a ton of clothes (aka less clutter!). For Evie's spring wardrobe, I went with soft blush tones and lots of neutrals, but with summer and the beach right around the corner, I was looking to have a little fun...

That's when I found these adorable Eye See You moccs from Freshly Picked, and I knew I had found my fun piece to build the capsule around. I always get at least one pair of FP Moccs each time Evie changes shoe size (right now we have two pairs, actually) for a few reasons. First off, they wear incredibly well. We've only had one pair start to look worn, and that's because E used them to crawl in gravel.. but that's another story... Second, they are so soft, and mold to her feet. I can tell she's comfortable when she wears them. Finally, they come in so many cute patterns, colors, and styles that they always have something perfect for whatever direction my fashion sense is taking us!

I decided I wanted a few things for Summer:

• More bright colors

• Playful designs

• Activity-centric pieces (swimwear, athleisure, etc)

With that in mind, I build this season's capsule! I found pieces at Target, Old Navy, and Baby Gap primarily. Below, I've highlighted a few favs, like this AC/DC Hells Bells band tee (adorable!), the cutest little peplum zoo top, and bike shorts that are to die for! Just click the images below to shop!

E's 14 months old now, and wearing all size 18 Mo or 18-24 Mo clothing. Shoes are size 3, except for the Nike's, which we had to size up one in.

Let me know if you have any questions, and pop on over to my Instagram if you get the chance... you may have the opportunity to win a pair of your very own Freshly Picked moccs there ;-)

SHOP THE POST

#CapsuleWardrobe #BabyKid