July 1, 2020

Eight Months with Sasha: Feeding, Sleeping & Everything in between.

Eight Months with Sasha

Eight Months with SashaEight Months with SashaDress: H&M | Sunglasses

Eight Months with Sasha:

Before having Sasha, I was very honest about being unsure whether we were going to have another.

I was nervous and scared for a number of reasons. The question “are you having another?” was not one I had an easy time answering. Eventually, after deciding we would go for baby #2 and getting pregnant, my fears did not go away. I was scared shitless.

Now, our baby girl Sasha is almost eight months and as the old saying goes, your heart expands and you simply cannot imagine life before them.

With everything going on in the world, it’s been an intense couple of months. However, the one thing I know for sure is that Sasha has bought us so much joy. It also helps that I’m way more confident at this whole parenting thing, making everything that much better.

Here’s where we are with everything from feeding to sleeping:

Breastfeeding, Bottles & Food:

I’ve officially stopped breastfeeding. With Nate, when I stopped, I suffered from PPD after abruptly weaning. I felt so guilty and felt like I made the biggest mistake by stopping. One night, I stayed up till 2AM researching “can you resume breastfeeding if you’ve stopped for a few days?” The answer is: anything is possible with a lot of work.

Well,  the beauty of having another child is that you take all of that wisdom from your first and apply it to your second. This time around, there was zero guilt with stopping. Our time was up and I was damn proud of myself for doing the best that I could.  I knew that no matter what, Sasha would be fine.  Once we stopped, I continued with HIPP HA formula. Before that, I was supplementing, so it was an easy transition.  With Nate, we used Holle, another German formula, but Holle made Sasha very constipated, so HIPP HA was recommended and it solved that problem.

For those wondering why Holle or Hipp (both German):

I did endless research on formulas when I was pregnant with Nate and I was a bit more comfortable with the ingredients that were in European formulas than American. Now, I’m not knocking anyone who gives their child American formula. In the end, you have to do what you’re comfortable with. Zero judgement, but just sharing what I based my decision on.  I get our formula here. They’re based in Brooklyn and the shipping is always incredibly quick.

At around 5 months, we started introducing food. We’ve been doing a mix of different things like avocados, bananas, peaches, baby oatmeal (usually mixed with fruit) and a variety of other things. I wish I was comfortable with Baby Led Weaning, but it just makes me nervous, so I’ve been sticking with this.

For the days or moments that I’m too busy, lazy or tired to prepare food from scratch, I’ve also given pouches. I also recently started giving her Yumi, which we’ve been loving. It’s definitely a bit pricier, but I appreciate how fresh the ingredients are. At the moment, she eats real food about 2x a day. We’re using Nate’s old OXO highchair, which I love!

Sleeping:

She’s still sleeping in our room, in the Baby Bjorn travel crib (it’s the best). At this point, I really should have her in the crib, but I’ve been holding off. Mainly because until recently, she was either waking up once in the middle of the night or at 5AM. Since her and Nate are going to be sharing a room, I didn’t want to put her in there until she was fully sleeping though the night. However, I don’t want to jinx anything, but for the last few nights, she’s slept from 6:30PM to 6:00 AM.  I was putting her to sleep around 7PM, but Jess from Sleep Shop, recommended I put her to sleep a a bit earlier.

While it sounds counterintuitive, she explained that it causes babies not to go to bed overtired. I’m sure you’ve heard of the term ‘sleep begets sleep.’ Well, as of now, it’s been working! Crossing all fingers that this continues to be the case.

Currently, she usually naps two times a day.

Usually three hours after her first wakeup, so if she wakes up at 6AM, she’ll go down at 9AM and sleep till about 10:30AM. Then she’ll take her second nap around 1:30 and sleep till about 3. Now, it doesn’t always work out this way, but that’s an idea.  There’s so much information when it comes to sleep, so I highly recommend finding something that works for you! There’s the E.A.S.Y schedule (google it – so much comes up!) which is kind of what I used with Nate, mixed in with Baby Wise. With Sasha, I needed a bit more guidance, so I had Jess help me out. She has so much valuable information on her Instagram, so I highly recommend checking it out. If you need some personalized guidance, reach out to her. She’s the best.

The main thing to ensure everyone is happy: get your child on a schedule!!! It’s the key to everything.

Hat: Eugena Kim (old. similar) | Tank: Mango (wearing the XS/S) | Shorts: One Teaspoon (I went with my usual denim size) | Sneakers: Keds | Stroller: Citi Mini Baby Jogger Double

Strollers, Carriers & Getting Around:

It feels like we have 15 diff options for getting around. Before Sasha was born, I wasn’t 100% sure what our stroller plan would be. I was kind of winging it as we went along, mainly because I already owned several strollers from Nate. Our main stroller for Nate was the Bugaboo Cameleon3 which served us incredibly well. Four years later, I’m still using it. Initially, I thought that the Bugaboo + the addition of a footboard (for Nate) would be fine, but quite honestly, the footboard is not the most comfortable. Nate is someone who still likes to be in a stroller rather than walking with us, so I knew we needed another plan.

It took me almost seven months, but I finally broke down and got the Baby Jogger Citi Mini Double. I was pretty hesitant about getting a double, convinced that we wouldn’t need it, but it was the best stroller decision we made. It’s the most comfortable, easy-to-push and gives the smoothest ride. Aesthetically, it’s not the prettiest, but I went for it based on the feedback of several friends and all of the positive reviews out there.

I also use my Artipoppe baby carrier quite often. If you’re interested, I wrote an entire post about it.

For our carseat, on-the-go days, we’re still using the Doona. The Doona has made our life so much easier and something I wish we had with Nate. She’s going to grow out of it in a few months and at that point, we’ll put the Nuna carseat in.

Eight Months with SashaRomper: Pehr | Bow: Kind Ribbon

Sasha’s Eczema:

Some of you may be following along on stories, but if you’re not, Sasha has had some mild eczema on her cheeks and her body. We have ruled out food allergies, so other than that, it wasn’t clear why she was getting it. Apparently, some babies just do and eventually, most grow out of it by a year.

Right now, it never fully goes away, but I can keep it pretty contained. We’re having the most luck with Eucerin Eczema cream, Honest Eczema Balm and Babo body wash.  When I posted about it, I got an incredible amount of recommendations and I’ve learned, different products work for different people. I tried so many recommended things, but most didn’t work that well for us and I was trying to avoid a steroid cream.

transitioning from 1 to 2 kidsPJs: Clover Baby (using code ‘Otis20 for 20% off) | This collab is with my friend, Kim, of EatSleepWear who struggled with three years of infertility and multiple rounds of IVF. The rainbow print represents her rainbow baby, Otis and all the other rainbow babies out there. 

How it’s been going from 1-2:

This is something I want save for a bigger post. It’s such an important conversation and a worry that like myself, so many mothers have. In short, it’s been incredible. Seeing Nate become a big brother, especially as an only child, has been so special to watch. I know a lot of it has to do with his age (they’re 3.5 years apart), but he’s been patient, nurturing and now that she’s developing such a personality, he always wants to be around her. I know this will change or we’ll go through ebbs and flows, but so far, he’s all about her. Whenever she wakes up from her nap, he enthusiastically tells me “lets go get her!” It’s really cute.

I also know that not everyone can plan a specific age gap and that some parents prefer their kids to be closer in age, but their age difference has played a huge part in making the adjustment easier. Nate is self sufficient enough and we’re not worrying about taking care of two really small children.

Again, I want to make this a bigger conversation so if there are any specific questions you’d want me to answer, please let me know in the comment section.

Baby Favorites:

I’m finalizing a ‘Sasha Favorites’ post, but in the meantime, I saved most of the baby items we love in my Amazon shop. 

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24 comments

  • Leslie

    In your old post re: your internal struggle to have another child or not, you mentioned being afraid of losing out on alone time which is my #1 fear in having a second! I am an introvert so it’s super important to me. Curious what your experience has been with this since having Sasha?

    • Helena

      Hi Leslie,

      I totally get it. Honestly, before Covid, I found it pretty manageable. I would make alone time for Nate and we would continue our little dates, whether going to the park or out for breakfast. Keith, our nanny or one of our parents would watch Sasha. it’s been a bit more challenging to have one-on-one time with everything going on, but honestly, it’s been nice in its own way. This time has really bought us closer and when I do suggest that Nate and I take a walk, he’s like “how about Sasha?” he wants her to come! All in all, it takes some strategic planning but it’s 100% possible to keep up your one-on-one time with your first.

      • Karah

        I think Leslie meant alone time for you; not with you and the kid/s. I too am an introvert and this is also a concern of mine. Prior to covid, were you able to fit in time for yourself, to be able to reflect and rest?

  • Alex

    Thanks so much for sharing so openly and honestly! I’m due with #2 and my kiddos will be 3 years apart- seems like the perfect age difference.

    • Helena

      congrats!! I really find it to be such an amazing age difference for so many reasons.

  • Rinata

    Thanks for always being so open and honest! Curious – how did you rule out allergies ? Allergy test or just trial of diff foods? My 9 mo has eczema too and I truly don’t know if it’s related to food or not. Considering doing an allergy test.

    • Helena

      Hi Rinata,
      We tried non dairy milk (before she was eating any solids or anything else) for a few weeks and same thing. When I was breast feeding, I also gave up all dairy, eggs, nuts, etc.. and same thing. Our Pediatrician confirmed that with some babies, it just happens and typically ends up going away. I’ve noticed it’s less severe as she’s getting older.

  • DANIELLE Mertz

    My daughter is 3 and has had eczema her whole life. It’ll have tried every soap and lotion possible. The one soap that’s been a game changer is a natural goat soap from Etsy, the store is Stone River Soaps. The owner is wonderful and has recommended different versions to try!

    • Helena

      Hi Danielle!

      oh! great to know. thanks for the recommendation!

  • Karah

    Helena, just curious, what about baby led weaning make you nervous?

    • Helena

      Hi Karah,
      I’m not really sure! I guess the choking aspect even though I know there’s a huge difference between choking and gagging.

  • Janine

    Aww gorgeous little girl 🙂 Great to hear how well things are going for you! I still remember your blogpost admitting you are quite scared for baby #2 and look at your little family now! 🙂
    xx Janine
    https://walkinmysneaks.blogspot.com

  • sapna kumar

    Such a cute babies you have. Mesmerizing pics you have shared.Loved to read your story.

  • Mary

    Hi Helena

    Great post. Is Nate still taking a nap ? If so how do you coordinate that w Sasha’s?

  • MK

    Great post. Even though my girl is only 6wks, I appreciate this valuable content to be aware of going forward. Thank you for sharing as always. 🤗

  • web root

    Thanks for all that valuable information!! I just want to say your article is very helpful, that’s very clear.

  • supportformcafee

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  • nortontechsupport

    Amazing..thanks for sharing this!!! I was really looking for it.

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    Thank you for the awesome informative article. such a great list.

  • Leeza

    Hi girls! Sasha is a GEM! Any favorites for sleep sacks and bibs? Also, my girl is exactly same age as Sasha, have you guys started crawling at all?

  • rahman

    thanks for information contant.

  • McAfee Retail

    Thanks for this collection.

  • Sandy Gomez

    Hello Helena!
    I was curious to know if you use any hair products on Sasha. My little girl is 17 months old and lucky has a head full of hair that is ready to be styled! Any recommendations would be helpful. Thank you so much!

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