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Leaf and Steel

motherhood - growth - living

Baby Books to Celebrate Moms Everywhere

April 19, 2022

Mother’s Day is almost here! What better way to share your love of mom with your little one than by reading books on the subject!

Keep reading to see ten of the best baby books to celebrate any mom in 2022.

This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission off of products that are purchased through these links, at no cost to you. You can read more about this process here.

I don’t know about you, but we have books strewn all over our house. They’re everywhere. There are books for the bathtub, books for the stroller, books for grandparents’ houses and books for the car….

our first little book pile for Baby M

“Can you read your book while you wait” is an everyday phrase in our house. My daughter has been a voracious reader since the beginning. I love how much she loves to read! I credit our dedication to reading every day since birth (okay, not every day, I’m human).

In my experience, reading and motherhood go hand in hand!

There’s nothing sweeter than having my daughter crawl into my lap with her favorite book. As much as I love our snuggles during Puffin Rock or Elmo, reading a great children’s book with her is a joy like no other.

When is Mother’s Day this year?

Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 8th, 2022. Mother’s Day is held on the second Sunday in May in the United States.

When should I start reading to my baby?

As soon as possible! Even if it’s a quick little board book in the beginning, get into the habit of reading to your baby immediately. I remember adding it onto my list of things to do when I had a newborn.

Read with your child every single day.

nothings more awkward than reading to a stranger in water who steals all your nutrients

See this article from Parents for more information: “The Benefits of Reading to Your Newborn” (click here for reference):

Studies have also shown that children who were read to as newborns have a larger vocabulary, as well as more advanced mathematical skills, than other kids their age. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, for example, found that kids who are read to every day are exposed to around 78,000 words each year—over five years, that adds up to 1.4 million words heard during story time.

There’s also a direct link between how many words a baby hears each day and her language skills. One study found that babies whose parents spoke to them a lot scored higher on standard tests when they reached age 3 than children whose parents weren’t as verbal.

Parents, “The Benefits of Reading to Your Newborn”

How do I read to my baby more?

I always say that the easiest way to read more books to your little one is to tack it onto an already formed routine. Reading before bedtime, around a mealtime, or after a nap are some of the best times to read with your baby.

Baby M loves to read by herself when I’m making her meals or in the car! By having lots of books in lots of places, it’s easy to keep your little one reading.

What are the best books about moms for babies?

I’ve compiled a list of some classics and newer titles.

My personal favorite is The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. I fell apart the first time I read it. There was something so sweet and comforting about the mama bunny accepting the baby bunny’s rebellion.

The illustrations by Clement Hurd are vibrant and iconic. I would love to hang some prints from this book in my next nursery.

miss my bump

I was encouraged (by the internet) to read to my baby while I was pregnant, that she would be comforted by the sound of my voice. The Runaway Bunny was always my go-to pregnancy read. Of course, I fully expected my infant daughter to have some kind of reaction to me reading the book when she was out. She made it very clear that the book was not her cup of tea…

My goal as a parent is to be “the tree” that my daughter can come home to.

Baby Books to Celebrate Moms Everywhere

The Runaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown

I Love Mom with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle

Is Your Mama a Llama?, Deborah Guarino

Are You My Mother?, P.D. Eastman

I Love You, Mommy, Jillian Harker

The Invisible String, Patrice Karst

My Mom Loves Me!, Marianne Richmond

Why a Son Needs a Mom, Gregory E. Lang

Why a Daughter Needs a Mom, Gregory E. Lang

A Mother for Choco, Kelko Kasza


So, there are some of the best books to help your little one celebrate mother’s day this year!

Are you familiar with any of the books above? Have you read The Runaway Bunny?

How do you plan on celebrating the moms in your life this year?

Let me know below!

O.

More from Leaf and Steel:
  • Easter Traditions to Start with Your Baby or Toddler
  • How I Get Over Writer’s Block
  • How to Create a Home Learning Corner for Your One-Year-Old
  • Lessons from Stay-at-Home Moms
  • How to Take Care of Your Baby When You’re Sick

If you are interested in guest posting on Leaf and Steel, please check out our Guest Post page for guidelines!

Filed in: Favorite Things, Uncategorized • by Olivia • Leave a Comment

How to Take Care of Your Baby When You’re Sick

January 20, 2022

I got sick recently. Like, really sick. I had no idea how I was going to take care of my baby when I didn’t feel well!

I felt very overwhelmed by the idea of being home alone with my baby while my husband was at work.


My husband got sick the day after Christmas.

Then my daughter got sick the next week (hello first ear infection).

I smugly thought I would escape the germs, with “good immune system” and Emergen-C.

I was wrong.

On a Friday morning I felt a little lazy and tired.

By Friday night I was sneezing and snotting and aching and feverish.

We all repeatedly tested negative for Covid, flu and strep.

It was so frustrating to get what I’m calling an “old fashioned” sickness. I think one of the hardest parts was not being so sick for so long!

My husband was so helpful that weekend. He took care of all the cooking and cleaning and child care for our 14-month-old.

How to Survive Your 1-Year-Old’s First Blood Test

I was dreading him going back to work and having to take care of my daughter alone.

It felt like she needed so much and I was feeling so beyond sick.

Since my approach of chugging hot tea and loading up on Dayquil wasn’t exactly working, I knew I needed a plan for the week.

I wrote down a few of the things I was doing in my notes so that I could share it here once I was feeling better!

Make a List of the Things You HAVE to Do

Make a list of the things you have to do and then go through it with a red pen and par it down again. There really are so few things that are urgent and important. For me, that list looked like

  • Brushing my teeth
  • Feeding the cat
  • Feeding/changing/bathing my child
  • Eating
  • Showering

That’s it. I didn’t really need to do anything else, although it was easy to feel like I should have been doing more.

Automate Groceries

Using a service like Instacart is a great way to limit your contact with the outside world and shop from the comfort of your bed, if you can afford the extra fee! Another easy option is curbside pickup, which most retailers now offer. I ordered lots of prepared food when I was sick, so I wouldn’t have to cook. I also wouldn’t want a sick person cooking my food, even if it was my spouse.

Takeout is another easy option to limit stress so you can focus on getting better!

Use Instacart link for $10 off your order!

Sleep When the Baby Sleeps

If you’re like me, you haven’t done this in awhile. Aside from the occasional power nap, I no longer sleep when my baby is sleeping. I treasure nap time – it’s my glorified lunch break during the day where I get to work or read or do whatever I want.Well, when I was sick I passed out every moment I could. I napped every time she napped and sometimes I even napped again when my husband came home from work.

Prep Your Child’s Meals

I did this one every night when I had a little burst of energy and my husband was with the baby. I took some Post-Its and wrote down each of her snack and meal slots and decided what she was going to eat beforehand. Props to you if you’re already a person who does this!

It alleviated a lot of stress I was having about the next day.

Keep Entertainment Simple

Your kid doesn’t need to be constantly entertained by you, sick or not. Let them be bored! When I was sick, there was no park or library or adventures into the real world, and that’s okay! I wasn’t the mom I usually am or want to be when I was sick because I needed to focus on getting better. We all survived!

I spent most of the day curled up in a blanket, pillow on the nursery floor, keeping one eye peeled to make sure my daughter didn’t hurt herself. 

Ask for Help

This one should go without saying, but delegate what you can. When friends offer to drop off soup or do your shopping, let them. I know I couldn’t have anyone physically come and help because I was probably contagious, but if I could have I would have let someone in to watch my daughter for a few hours.

Go to the Doctor if You Need to

My old fashioned sickness lasted a full week, which felt like forever. I had forgotten how when you’re sick it seems like you’ll feel that way forever. I’m still sniffling ten days later and I am kicking myself for not going to the doctor and getting on antibiotics. Next time, I won’t let pride get in the way of getting better!

I think as moms we can put ourselves on the back burner and think that we don’t need or deserve help.


So, those were the things I did to successfully take care of my baby and myself while I was sick.

What do you do when you’re sick and still have to take care of your responsibilities? Do you do anything on this list?Let me know below!
O.


If you are interested in guest posting on Leaf and Steel, please check out our Guest Post page for guidelines!

More from Leaf and Steel:
  • 5 Free Indoor Places to Go with Baby
  • Why You Should Try Blogtober
  • Little Things I Do To Make my Baby Feel Loved
  • Sunday Night Routine for a Successful Week

Filed in: Uncategorized • by Olivia • 21 Comments

Little Things I Do To Make my Baby Feel Loved

January 20, 2022

One of my favorite things about being a mom is showing my daughter just how much I love her! There’s nothing quite like the bond between a mother and child. One of my jobs as a stay-at-home-mom, or any mom, really, is to make sure her world is filled with comfort, happiness, and love! 

Since she is one, she is spoiled by simple pleasures. This is what I love about tiny children – they find joy in the smallest things. Yesterday, Baby M entertained herself with a half-filled sprinkle container, shaking it back and forth.

We all know the stories of the kids who would rather play with the cardboard box that the toy comes in rather than the actual toy, and those anecdotes are completely true!

If there’s one thing we all can appreciate about children it is their innate ability to find enjoyment in the most unassuming things.

We took her to a local holiday light show at Christmastime. It brought tears to my eyes to watch her little face light up with amazement. Last summer, we took her to a farm in Lancaster, PA, and she was absolutely ecstatic to see so many chickens.

It’s true that having children really does make you notice and appreciate the little things.

There are some acts of kindness that I like to practice with my daughter every day. I want nothing more for her to feel safe, loved, and cared for. I have such fond memories of my own mother taking care of me with tender, loving care.

So, here are some of the ways I’ve been giving my girl the love she deserves lately!

Loads of Affection

This one is completely natural! Hugs, kisses, pats…showing constant affection for my baby shows her I’m here and I love her.

Cut sandwiches into shapes

The easiest way to do this is to get a pack of cookie cutters. I use them on everything, from cucumbers to apples to sandwiches.

Bubble Baths

My baby loves a good bubble bath (who doesn’t?)! Burt’s Bees Bubble Bath is our soap of choice.

Set Up Toys

My husband and I set up her toys in the family room play area in different arrangements each night. I have a post on how to set up a learning center for your one-year-old here. I feel like Dwight Schrute setting up Michael’s action figures every night – ha! It makes every morning feel like Christmas morning.

Adventure

Baby M is my “little adventure buddy”. Although I’m pretty introverted, having a built-in travel companion has been so much fun! We visit the local farm, the pet store, the library – anywhere we can go, we go! If it is winter where you are too, check out my post on 5 Free Indoor Places to Go with Baby.

Lots of Fresh Air and Sunshine

We love being outdoors any chance we get. Even though Long Island winters are dark and gloomy, we try to get out anytime the weather warms up. Baby M loves to “travel” by stroller or wagon.

Validate Feelings

This one should go without saying! Labeling and validating my little one’s emotions helps both of us. It helps my daughter learn to identify her feelings and that all feelings are valid! It helps me because it causes me to slow down and put myself in her shoes rather than getting frustrated. She is right on the cusp of toddler-hood so it must be so hard for her to figure out what she needs and how to communicate to me! Empathy is key.


These are just some of the things I do to make my daughter feel loved and that help me feel like I’m being a “good mom”. If cutting sandwiches into shapes isn’t your thing, or you aren’t able to take them on adventures, that’s cool too.

I believe that there are countless ways that we can show our love. At the end of the day, I think patience, kindness, love, and consistency is what makes a good mom.

Do you do any of these for your child? What was the most important thing your parent did for you growing up?

Let me know below!

O.

More from Leaf and Steel:
  • Cloth Diapering with Charlie Banana
  • How to Survive Your 1-Year-Old’s First Blood Test
  • How to Create a Home Learning Corner for Your One-Year-Old
  • Sunday Night Routine for a Successful Week

If you are interested in guest posting on Leaf and Steel, please check out our Guest Post page for guidelines!

Filed in: Uncategorized • by Olivia • 6 Comments

The Best Baby Advice I’ve Received

April 5, 2021

“Go by the baby, not the book.”

It’s the best advice I’ve ever received. Before I was a mom I thought I had it all figured out. I thought I knew exactly what my baby would like or dislike. I would read about the magical connection brought on by baby carriers. I had visions of myself baby-wearing throughout the day, getting things done and soaking up that skin-to-skin contact. Well, my daughter gets overheated very quickly and greatly dislikes the carriers we have.

I read that I shouldn’t introduce a pacifier for a month to avoid “nipple confusion”, but you bet your bottom dollar I was breaking open the binky packaging at 4 am on our first night home. Same with bottles. And teethers.

There are so many “rules” to parenting. So many suggestions. So many apps telling me when and how to feed, nap and bathe my baby. I think I’ve broken almost all of rules the so far. And were doing just fine.

Although I’ve only been doing this for four short months (which is really four years in mom-time), I’ve learned to read my baby’s cues and meet her needs based on this. If she’s vigorously rubbing her eyes, she goes to sleep, even if my Huckleberry app is saying she isn’t due for a nap for another hour. If she’s sucking her hand, she eats. I’m not sleep training. I’m not timing how long she eats anymore.

I go by my baby, not the book. She is fed, clean, well rested and HAPPY. It’s an absolute privilege to respond to her needs and be present for her.

So, go by your baby not the book. They’re going to change the advice in 10 years anyways.

What lessons have you “unlearned” while parenting?

O.

Filed in: Uncategorized • by Olivia • 6 Comments

10 Things I Wish I Did While Pregnant

January 4, 2021

My husband and I always knew we wanted kids. I’m not sure if it’s something we ever discussed, it’s always been a given. We could always be found helping out with friends’ babies or strolling down the baby aisle in Target.

I knew that having a baby would be the most important thing I would ever do. I had my doubts about whether I’d be a good mom and how I’d handle the sleepless nights.

Some blog posts may use affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission  off of products that are purchased through these links, at no cost to you.

I wanted to feel prepared. 

I read What to Expect Before You’re Expecting on our honeymoon. I bought onesies and burp cloths years before our daughter was a little lima bean. I felt ready.


In March I found out I was finally pregnant. 

Let me tell you, I was woefully naive about pregnancy. Looking back I’m not sure what I was expecting – maybe some nausea and tiredness.

I was only 4 week when I started to feel like I had been hit by a train on a daily basis. Then came the nausea, and then the vomiting. And the aching. Everything hurt. I had a few “good” weeks in the second trimester, but overall pregnancy was WAY harder than I had anticipated.

I would tell my husband over and over again that I am not cut out for this. 

The last few weeks felt so long. I was so swollen and cranky and tired of peeing every ten minutes.

I was a whopping zero centimeters dilated at my 39 week exam. After a good cry and a nap, I walked, pumped, bounced, and cried some more until my water broke in the middle of the night.

I remember saying several times during labor that I was so excited to not be pregnant anymore. 

And then I wasn’t. My baby was here.


On our first night home my husband took the baby so I could get some rest in our room after three nights in a hospital bed. I vividly remember pulling my knees up against my stomach and crying because I could. I was relieved to have my body back to myself but I was also incredibly sad that she was out.

For the first week I would cry when I thought about her being in my stomach. I would instinctively rest my hand above my belly button, waiting to feel her kicks and punches.

It’s like I know that pregnancy was physically miserable, but I can’t remember it. 

I miss my big ol’ belly.

I miss being pregnant and I can’t wait to go through the miraculous process again.


Looking back, there are some things I would tell my past self to have a more enjoyable pregnancy.

  1. Buy the pillow before you think you need it.

I bought my pregnancy pillow at around 23 weeks, but looking back I would have gotten it as soon as I was in the second trimester. Not only did it help prevent aches and pains, it kept me sleeping on my side, which is essential later in pregnancy. I got mine off of Amazon and it has kept its shape so far.

I was told to get rid of it after the baby was born or else it would ruin my marriage. 6 weeks out I’m still using it. I love it. I might never stop sleeping with it.

  1. Get as much done as early as you can.

Get the shopping, organizing, nursery done as early as possible. Like I said, the end can be extremely trying, so having a full pantry and finished nursery before hitting 40 weeks 

  1. Make your calories count.

When the nausea took over all I did was sit in bed watching The Great British Baking Show and eating saltines. If I have morning sickness (let’s be real – all day, all night sickness) with my next baby, I plan on eating more efficiently. I hope to have more nutrient dense snacks instead of relying on my prenatal to do all the work.

  1. Get maternity clothes that double as nursing tops.

I bought three of these. Target also has a great maternity line. Buying maternity tops that’ll last into the fourth trimester is a great bang for your buck. Remember to bring them to the hospital, you’ll look a few months pregnant for at least a week.

  1. Take lots of pictures.

This one is self explanatory – you can never have enough pictures, even when feeling like a whale.

  1. Enjoy the silence.

Just sit in it. Do nothing. Soak it up.

  1. Nod and say thank you – but don’t take all the advice.

The best advice I received was to say thank you, but to be wary of taking everyone’s advice. I now see that the least helpful advice came from those who didn’t have children. There are so many opinions on epidurals, cosleeping, exercise, etc. Most of the time our advice is formed from our own experiences. What worked for your great aunt’s sister’s baby might not work for yours. Also, a lot of things that were practiced thirty years ago are outdated, neglectful or dangerous.

  1. Accept that you can’t do everything before.

This may seem contradictory to #1, but it’s true. You can’t do everything before. Your baby might have an allergy to the laundry detergent you bought or breastfeeding might not work out. Prioritize what can be done now and what is going to be determined by your little stranger.

  1. Go out to eat.

I gave birth and was in the postpartum period during the pandemic and so the amount of help I had was limited. I ate all my meals and drank all my cups of coffee cold for the first few weeks. Let yourself go out to dinner and be served warm food on a plate that you don’t have clean.

10. It’s okay to say you need space.

The kindest text I received was “I’m sure you want to be left alone right now, but I’m here if you need me”. There was nothing more I wanted than to be left to my Netflix and nesting and groaning. So many people were asking how I was feeling or if the baby was here yet. There’s nothing wrong with just saying “I’ll let you know when they’re here”.

There is no end to alone time, quiet cups of coffee, or long drives without a crying baby. Although those nine months seem eternal when you’re in them, they really are just a blip before life changes in every single way.

If you could go back to your pregnancy, what would you do differently?

O.

Filed in: Uncategorized • by Olivia • Leave a Comment

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Leaf and Steel is a collective on all things motherhood, growth, and living. Read More…

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