Brave Little Lamb Blog

Ah, the elusive sleep schedule of a baby — a topic that can either unite parents in shared exhaustion or spark heated debates about the best tactics for getting those precious hours of shut-eye. While there's no one-size-fits-all solution (trust me, if there were, I'd have patented it and retired to a hammock somewhere), there are certainly strategies that can help you navigate the labyrinth of baby sleep cycles with a touch more grace (and perhaps even a few extra winks for yourself).Understanding the Mysterious World of Baby SleepBabies, bless their tiny socks, operate on a sleep schedule that seems to defy all logic. From the moment they arrive, they have a knack for keeping us guessing: "Will tonight be the night they sleep through? Or will they treat us to a marathon of adorable midnight shenanigans?" It's a rollercoaster ride of sleepless nights and daytime naps that are as unpredictable as British weather.Setting the Stage for Sleep SuccessCreating an environment conducive to sleep is key. Think of it as setting the stage for a Broadway production, except the star performer is a pint-sized human with a penchant for drama (and occasionally, projectile spit-ups). Keep the room dark and quiet for nighttime sleep — cue the blackout curtains and a white noise machine that could rival the sound of a babbling brook.Nailing the Nap GameNaps: the holy grail of daytime reprieve for both baby and parent alike. The challenge lies in coaxing your little one to succumb to the siren call of daytime sleep without turning it into an epic battle of wills. Watch for those subtle signs of sleepiness — the droopy eyelids, the adorable yawns that could power a small wind turbine — and strike while the iron is hot (or in this case, while the baby is still awake enough to fall asleep without a fuss).Embracing the Rhythm of RoutineRoutine is your new best friend. Babies thrive on predictability, like tiny sleep-seeking missiles programmed to go off at precisely the same time each day. Establish a bedtime routine that's soothing and consistent — think gentle baths, cozy pajamas, and bedtime stories that even Shakespeare would envy (okay, maybe not quite, but a good attempt).Surviving the Midnight SymphonyAh, nighttime awakenings — the surprise concerts that no one asked for. When baby decides that 2 a.m. is the perfect time to practice their vocal range, arm yourself with patience and a well-stocked diaper changing station. Resist the urge to engage in a game of "Guess That Cry" and instead, focus on swift, ninja-like maneuvers to soothe and settle your little one back to dreamland. Finding Your Inner ZenAbove all, remember that sleep, like parenting itself, is a journey, not a destination. There will be nights when you feel like a sleep-deprived extra in a zombie apocalypse movie, and that's okay. Take solace in the fact that you're not alone in this sleepless adventure. Seek support from fellow parents who understand the struggle and don't be afraid to laugh at the absurdity of it all. After all, someday soon, you'll look back fondly on these sleepless nights and marvel at how you survived with your sanity intact (mostly).So, fellow sleep-deprived mamas, let's raise a mug of lukewarm coffee (because who has time to drink it hot?) to mastering the art of baby sleep cycles. With a dash of patience, a sprinkle of humor, and a whole lot of love, you've got this. Here's to restful nights and cheerful mornings — may they come sooner rather than later.

Baby knitwear is more than just a trend – it’s a celebration of comfort, sustainability, and timeless style. Whether you’re dressing your little one in a handmade sweater or gifting a knitted blanket to a friend, these pieces carry a special kind of magic.

Motherhood, with all its highs and lows, is a profound and transformative experience. By understanding and addressing postpartum depression, we can ensure that every mother has the support she needs to thrive

How to Master Baby Led Weaning Is your little one ready to add food to their milk-dominated diet? If so, you're at the right place! Take a moment and pat yourself on the back to making it past the first few months of motherhood, now it's time for the next AMAZING milestone. This milestone is very exciting but can also make a lot of mamas anxious.  With the fear of choking, this comes as no surprise--we mamas do tend to worry about everything. Have no fear mama, we are going to cover all the basics of baby-led weaning such as: How to avoid choking When to start baby-led weaning Proper foods to use when baby-led weaning Some product recommendations to help with this process So, what exactly is baby led weaning? Baby Led weaning is simply letting baby feed themselves, allowing them to control how they eat. This allows them to explore foods instead of spoon-fed typical purees. Nothing is wrong with purees at all, babies fed puree foods go on to eat successfully as well.  But today we are explaining baby-led weaning for all mamas interested in learning. Remember, you don't have to give up formula or breastmilk--this simply is an addition to their breastmilk/formula intake.   Some benefits of baby led weaning include positive eating experience, baby learns correct way of swallowing and chewing food and more! When can you start this process? You can start this process as early as 4 months old (which is recommended by most pediatricians if baby is ready).  However, most mothers seem to start baby led weaning around 6 months old.  But how do I know if my baby is ready? The tongue thrust reflex should be gone-every baby is unique, but this reflex usually goes away around 4-6 months of age. Strong head control-baby should be able to hold their head up with no support, baby will be sitting up to eat so you want to make sure they have good head control. Baby should have interest in eating, you never want to force your baby to eat- if they reach for food/spoon or seem interested watching you eat they are interested How to avoid choking when eating? First, let's define the difference between choking and gagging.  Choking=something is trapped in their airway, which makes them unable to breathe (I know, so terrifying!) Gagging=coughing up food is baby's way of learning their eating limits *Choking is doesn't involve coughing up, so you need to act quickly Learning what to do in these situations is vital, learn how by reading this article by healthline--click here. If you're like me, I have mistakenly thought my baby was choking when he was really just gagging or coughing up his food. You're not alone, a lot of mamas make this same mistake.  When babies eat only pureed foods, they don't get to learn their limits when eating. I learned this with my son-- I did not do baby led weaning; we did purees.  When we did move onto solid foods, he would take huge bites and have trouble eating those bites.  I started baby-led weaning later than I should have but doing this helped him learn what he can control with his chewing and swallowing.  Essentially, you want to provide baby with age-appropriate foods that baby can learn to chew and swallow safely. What are good baby-led weaning foods to try? Try to choose foods that baby can easily break down with their gums.  Foods with soft chunks are great because it teaches baby to chew down those chunks before swallowing. Here are some great options we recommend: Sweet Potato or Russet Potato Banana Avocado Carrots (cooked) smashed blueberries thinly sliced strawberries smashed peas smashed corn Also, the puffs (cereal like pieces) dissolve quickly and are great for baby to chew on When baby is eating, they can swallow a piece of food that is too big which will cause them to gag--this is okay. As we discussed before, this is their way of learning their limits. Always be close by but let them learn to eat.  Once baby is older, you can try giving them small portions of what the family is eating that day. (Such as spaghetti, mashed potatoes. grilled veggies, soup and so on) If you want to know which foods to avoid, see our list here. How do I start? You are going to want to start slow. Milk should be their main source of nutrients for the time being. You will gradually increase how much food you give your baby as they signal, they are wanting more. At about 8 months they should be enjoying an array of different foods throughout the day. When baby is trying different foods and textures, it allows them to enjoy the process and enjoy the different foods.  This will help your child become less picky with food as they get older. Down the road, your child will soon eat the same meals that you and your family eat. So, when doing baby-led weaning, you're going to want to have baby try foods that you are eating. It is important to note that you won't want to give them too many new foods to try at once. You will want to spread out new foods by a couple of days, doctors and nutrition experts will recommend different rage of days.  But I'd stick to 2-5 days between foods depending on your baby. This is important because in the event your child has an adverse reaction to a certain food, you will know which food has caused it. Product Recommendations Silicone Bibs- I talked about this in my baby must haves, but need I say more. They are easy to clean and catch most food spills.  It's a no-brainer. I highly recommend Mushi Silicone Bibs, they are excellent. Shop them right here on our website. Silicone/Plastic Suction Tableware- Silicone ones are again easy to clean, the plastic ones are good too they just require more cleaning at times.  Suction tableware is so helpful because babies love to play and move bowls, plates and dishes around while eating.   Utensils- You can get utensils in silicone, plastic/stainless steel combo or plastic.  I think they do what they are supposed to do, any option will be great for baby. I recommend Munchkin, NumNum and Itzy Ritzy Cups- This would include cups for water to have at meals, or other liquids as they get older.  Cups with straws are great for cup beginners, we loved the TommeeTippee Straw cup.  Another great cup for learning is the Munckin 360 Trainer cup, I love that it is non-spill and teaches little ones the drinking from a cup motion. For open cups there are a lot of good brands such as: EzPz, Mushi and Munchkin Snack Cups are great for one the go, but also great for at home.  They are non-spill and teach baby how to reach in and grab the snack from inside the cup. It will take a little bit for baby to learn how to do this, but they will eventually learn.  Recommendations would include Munchkin, Skip Hop, and Mushi. The end goal of baby led weaning is for baby to enjoy eating a balanced meal and for baby to be able to chew + swallow properly while enjoying many different flavors + textures in the process. If you have made it this far, thank you so much reading this blog all about baby-led weaning.  I hope that this milestone journey goes smoothly and wish you the best of luck in your journey. Leave a comment below on your thoughts and what baby's favorite food has been thus far--I can't wait to see what the favorites are.  I know for my son, is favorite was bananas. (He still loves them!)

Hello. We decided to make this blog post all about the kiddos! We have created three adorable coloring pages for letters A, B + C.   You can use paint, crayons, markers, pom-poms, glitter--you name it. Just make it fun for your little one.  We can't wait to see what your little lambs create!  Please post a picture(s) of their masterpiece in the comments or email us. That would make our day!   To download the coloring pages, click on the picture above or copy + paste the link below: https://www.dropbox.com/s/iojjgp9bvzrcebe/abc_COLORINGSHEET.pdf?dl=0   Thank you for choosing Brave Little Lamb to be a part of your amazing little family! 

Baby Schedules to Try Baby and kids thrive on daily schedules, but it can be difficult to find a schedule that works for your unique child.  With my son, I would research to find a few schedules for his age group and try them to see what worked for him the best.  So, in this blog I will be sharing a schedule you can try for your babe.  I will have some for 3-6months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months and 12-18 months. When I had friends or family watch my son, I had my schedule ready to go (color-coded I may add!).  I’m a very structured, planner-type, schedule orientated person.  I feel better knowing my baby is on a schedule and I can stay on task with my day.  If you’re not a schedule person that is just fine, but I feel children need a schedule to adapt to.  They need to know when it is time to play and when it is time to wind down. Also naps, feeding times, feeding amounts are all up to you. Everyone and every baby is different--my son for example loved his naps and was fed more ounces than others at his age.  Your schedule may differ if you're introducing solids as well (you can see that on one of the 3-6-month schedules).  Whatever your lifestyle is, or baby goals are, your baby will adjust.   Keep in mind, schedules never have to be followed to a T, but are more like a guideline.  If you have schedule that you and your child are loving right now, please share in the comments!  New mamas and veteran mamas, we can always help each other—as we know motherhood can be chaotic at times. 3-6 Months 6-9 Months 9-12 Months 12-18 Months (1 Nap Schedule)

Finding Hope in the Midst of Miscarriage   I know what you are thinking how can the words hope and miscarriage be in the same sentence.  But I will tell you from experience there is hope after a miscarriage, there is a rainbow after every storm.  Today I will be sharing my miscarriage story and how I found hope after it happened, I do want to warn you this may trigger you so please read this blog when you are ready. I had what you call a Missed Miscarriage, if you don’t know what that means—it’s basically having a miscarriage with no signs or symptoms.  This was my very first pregnancy and we actually conceived on the very first try.  Everything was all so new to me, I knew miscarriage was a possibility, but I thought there would be no issues (which having a miscarriage with your first pregnancy is quite common).  During this pregnancy I felt completely fine and had no bleeding, one thing I did notice was symptoms I had experienced prior had gone away.  I didn’t know what had happened until I had my 8-week ultrasound, baby measured at 6 weeks gestation and no heartbeat.  I remember feeling numb during the ultrasound I knew something was wrong and the ultrasound tech didn’t say a word the entire time.  I remember waiting in a chair to speak to my doctor, when the couple next to us was holding ultrasound pictures and smiling from ear to ear. Here I was cold, with no ultrasound pictures—nothing but frantic worry.  When finally talking to the doctor she told me it was very likely I was having a miscarriage but there could be a chance the baby was conceived later than I thought. She scheduled me to have another ultrasound in a week to see the growth, she told me the baby should grow and heartbeat should be there by 7 weeks gestation.  I held on to that hope and prayed continuously.  A week had passed, and I was ready to see what my fate was, I get the ultrasound, and nothing has changed—I also had no bleeding and felt fine.  It was confirmed I was having a missed miscarriage; my options were to wait for the miscarriage to happen naturally or schedule a DNC.  I couldn’t bear the thought of a DNC, so I waited naturally, and it happened about a week later.  How was I feeling? Awful.  Ashamed.  Rejected. Incomplete. Very Sad.  This was one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through and a very dark time in my life.  Grieving this little baby took some time, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions.   God and I had some talks that is for sure, but about a month after I felt like I was in a good place with the Lord.  It wasn’t easy though, I had to deal with my grief, I had to learn this wasn’t punishment, I had to re-discover how much God loved me and how He was with me this entire time. "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."-Romans 8:28 God promises that He is with you in your darkest valley--Psalm 23, 121 Your tears matter to God, He keeps track of each tear you cry--Psalm 56:8 Trust Him to carry you when you have no strength--Deuteronomy 33:27 HOPE. Here is where I found hope, only in Christ Jesus. I learned to have faith—stronger faith and to trust God with my trials, trust Him with my desire to have a child and trust His way.  Doing this was not overnight and it took a lot of discipline, but I highly recommend you start trusting God with your brokenness—he knows your hurt and He will come through.  Take it one day at a time, one prayer at a time.  "...my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.  "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!  My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."-Lamentations 3:17-26 The Ending. So how does this story end?  Well, if you have read the About Me section on Brave Little Lamb you know there is a happy ending!  After the miscarriage, once I got my cycle back, we started trying again.  I luckily got pregnant again on the 2nd cycle with my wonderful son, Eli.  He is our little rainbow baby and so full of life—I thank God every day for him.  In the moment of miscarriage, it feels like time is not moving at all and everyone around you is announcing their pregnancies.  It feels like your time will never come but trust me, IT WILL.  Often, this is how infertility feels or even just struggling to get pregnant—maybe it’s taking longer than you imagined or hope it would.  In these moments, take heart that God will come through at the perfect and right time, He sees you + your hurt, hears your prayers and He is near to you.  Cling to God in these difficult times, pray whenever you have feelings of hurt/brokenness. Read the Word when you feel discouraged. Talk to someone when you feel alone, I know more women who have had a miscarriage than those who haven't. Serve those around you—that always distracted me from my own problems and it made me feel better.   Do you feel alone? Do you want to talk to someone? Do you need prayer? If you answered yes to any of those questions, please feel free to email me. I would love to pray over you and talk you through this difficult time. When I was going through my miscarriage I felt very alone. I actually submitted a prayer request through a local radio station on their website and someone on their prayer team sent me an email with such an encouraging message.  I want to do the same for you, if I have the opportunity. Email: abbyepatton@outlook.com Want to share your miscarriage or infertility story to bring hope + encouragement to others?  I would be happy to feature you on an upcoming blog post about miscarriage or infertility. *Blog experience preferred but not necessary. Email, press@bravelittlelamb and we will get back to you regarding due date and other details. This is not a paid blog, just simply to help and encourage moms + want-to-be moms with your story! However, we will be giving you special discount at our store for your kindness + bravely sharing your unique story.

We have included 5 simple + easy recipes to use if you are making purees from scratch. These are great to use with any food blender or processor, but you can also mash them up yourself.  You can store your purees in ice cube trays or any small container--just make sure to keep track of when you made it. 

This week's blog is all about baby must-haves to help new mamas decide what to add to their registry or for experienced moms who want to try out new products for their baby(babies).  All suggestions or additions are welcome, comment below your baby or breastfeeding must-haves!