Bad SAHM Habits to Break

Moming is hard, like really hard. Being a SAHM, it is so easy to fall into bad habits. No one is around to see that you haven't moved from the couch all day, and if you did move from the couch, it was to hand your little one the iPad so you can continue to sit on the couch lol. Or maybe that was just me?! I know I share all the fun, get up and go activities that my daughter and I do on my blog, but even though I have unicorn blood, I too can/have fallen prey to bad habits. Here are some of my bad habits and how I ditched them.
Bad SAHM Habits To Break - TheDailyAprilnAva
*This blog post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through them, at no further cost to you, helps support TheDailyAprilNAva

Wearing Sweat Pants Everyday
At one point, I was throwing on tshirts and sweats almost daily, I probably barely even combed my hair. Not anymore! I know we need to be comfortable chasing around the little people, but now my new idea of comfort is a dress paired with sandals or jeans, a cute top and sneakers. I have been making it a point to look nice when we leave the house because you never know when someone will offer to take a pic of you with your child, or you will run into an old friend. I definitely don't want the old friend thinking "man, she looks rough" lol.


Not Packing Snacks 
No matter how much your little one eats before you leave the house, hearing, seeing, or smelling food will make them want to eat again, and they will whine until they get to eat! Case and point: I took my little person for a playdate. She had a full belly before we left the house and we weren't staying at the playdate long so I didn't bother bringing her snack. As soon as the other mom mentioned "snack" Ava wanted a snack. The whining began, and she wasn't even hungry!! So whatever you do, have some food stashed somewhere lol. I love keeping fig bars in my purse now. Lesson learned!


Too Much Screen Time 
This is a biggie. Kids can be hypnotized by a screen whether it's a kindle, iPad, television, or computer. A hypnotized kid means a break for mom. Win, win right? Wrong!!! I have personally found that too much screen time for my daughter makes her a cranky, stubborn, mess. I made the mistake of letting Ava play games on the kindle or watch PBS Kids a little too much a few weeks ago. Of course when I tell her that it is time to move on to something else, the tantrums began and  it seemed to go on for days. #help So to eliminate this behavior, we cut the cable and Ava is a new person! She is pretending a ton more, we play together more, she is attentive, and she is listening better. I will occasionally let her watch Reading Rainbow or an animal documentary on Netflix, but having the TV on all day is non existent and I am happy with that.


Can you believe it? This well planned and organized mom was leaving the house wearing sweat pants and no snacks! Thankfully I realized what I was doing, it took a few pictures of me looking horrible to realize it lol. Do you have any bad mom habits? What are you doing to change? Leave a comment below! Until next time

Bad SAHM Habits To Break - TheDailyAprilNAva
April K.
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Must Haves For New Moms

So you're pregnant or just welcomed a new baby, congrats! I remember being pregnant and registering for everything under the sun for my new little squish. I knew exactly what I wanted and needed for her and my family and friends were able to get those items for me. But guess who I forgot to register for, me! I truly did not realize that I would need a few essentials to make my life a little easier for the postpartum time period. I'm sharing the items that saved my new mom life, have a look.
Must Haves for New Moms - TheDailyAprilnAva

*This blog post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through them, at no further cost to you, helps support TheDailyAprilNAva.
 
Reusable Sanitary Pads - These are a MUST. Nobody warned me that my privates would be so irritated from wearing a disposable pad daily for weeks!! Save your vagina and get cloth pads. They are so comfortable that you almost forget you are wearing them. Just rinse the pads in the sink under cold water before throwing them in the washer machine.

Washable Reusable Bamboo Nursing Pads - These nursing pads were one of the best gifts that I received. As a first time mom, I had no idea how much my breasts would leak breast milk! You will have to change your nursing pads multiple times a day. Reusable nursing pads were good to have so I didn't have to buy disposable pads over and over again.

Soothing Wash - I've been using this brand for years for feminine care. The ingredients are stellar and beneficial for a post-partum mother.  


 
Contigo Purity Glass Water Bottle - It was really convenient to have a water bottle by my bed. I think I was exhausted for about a year after my daughter was born lol, so not having to get up often to get water was great.

Snack Bars - Again, you aren't going to want to keep getting up over and over again, especially in your first days after having baby. So keep some snack bars by the bed to eat in between meals.

Post-natal Vitamins - After giving birth, my eating habits changed, I was eating everything in sight! Nursing makes you hungry, and sometimes I was so tired that I just ate whatever I could get my hands on. Post-natal vitamins were a big help in getting me the vitamins and minerals that I needed to produce milk for my daughter. 
 
Nursing Nightgown - I wish I had a nightgown or two specifically for nursing. I had no idea that nursing nightgowns were a thing! I mainly slept in big t-shirts and when it was time to feed, I just removed my shirt. Had I known about nursing gowns, I probably would have had one for every day of the week. There were many cold nights where I'm sitting the the bed topless and freezing lol. Don't be like me, pick up a few nursing gowns!

Ring Sling Baby Carrier - When I first had my daughter, I still had my dog (he passed recently). And I quickly realized that I didn't have anything to hold my daughter in for a walk around the neighborhood. The stroller was too complicated to pull out for a quick walk, so I ordered a sling. A sling is great for quick trips to the store, a casual walk outside, and even in home use for soothing baby while getting chores done.
    

Even though I had experience caring for infants, I didn't have experience caring for my own infant, 24 hours a day! Here are a few books that were life savers for me:
1. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, 6th Edition: Birth to Age 5- I still refer to this book and my daughter is 5 years old now.

2. The Happiest Baby on the Block; Fully Revised and Updated Second Edition: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer

3. The Wonder Weeks: How to Stimulate Your Baby's Mental Development and Help Him Turn His 10 Predictable, Great, Fussy Phases into Magical Leaps Forward
 
I can honestly say that if you are about to give birth, you NEED everything on this list. If I had to re-do my birth experience over again, I would have these items before  my daughter arrived instead of scrambling to order them when I got home from the hospital while in a daze from pain medications lol. You can see the full shopping list HERE or click the pictures to see more information n the products. Do you have anything that you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments below! Until next time.

April K.
Check out A Few Of My Favorite Things shopping list HERE
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