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

I had to laugh at how much I became obsessed with this particular product. It felt similar to picking up a new hobby, like bird-watching. Though instead of bird-watching, I was baby-watching. Instead of talking my hubby’s ear off about different kinds of birds, I was talking about the monitor’s different functions. Instead of interpreting different bird calls, I was learning to interpret different types of my baby’s cries. The monitor was my nerd-out set of binoculars. And I thoroughly enjoyed using it.

Turns out, there was a lot I didn’t know about sleep, temperature, and my baby that would have helped me to sleep more soundly at night. So allow me to give you the 411 on navigating sleep through warm weather:

When it comes to temperature, heat is the one we need to be especially aware of. Coolness actually helps to induce melatonin, which helps sleep. Whereas when your little one is too hot they can struggle more in sleep, become lethargic and waking more. In toddlers, overheating can cause nightmares or disorientation.

Has anyone else been living the #shortnaplife? It’s not my favourite place to be.

Short naps are naps that last 20-30 minutes. They are especially rough on the mental health of everyone involved … for a few reasons.

As parents, we often feel a sense of relief after we lay baby down for their nap - especially once we see them drift off to sleep on the monitor. Whew. Time for a break. We go over our mental list of goals: shower, cup of tea, favourite page-turner. We turn the water on in anticipation, and set the kettle to boil. But just as we’re stepping out of the shower, we hear that telltale waaaaaaaaaaa! So much for the tea.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Ah, the toddler nap. One of life’s special gifts. I gave an especially-loud cheer when both of my children moved to one nap. Why?

There is only one.

No juggling of the schedule throughout the day needed. There is a morning, and an afternoon. I know when to schedule appointments, coffee dates, playground time … the world is my oyster.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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:

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.