Hi my loves!
In honour of National Breastfeeding Awareness month (August), I partnered with Walmart to share with you all my baby feeding essentials from infant to toddler stage. Everything I used and currently use for baby Liam is available at Walmart and they are are supporting this national event with the best deals on breast feeding items and other feeding items. Everything will be linked below!
One thing I learned after having baby Liam is that 90% of the time spent with him involves feeding. Boy is this a challenge for someone who can barely feed herself lol! From infant to toddler stage, which is the stage Liam is at now, feeding definitely evolves. I thought it would only get easier but let me tell you, I thought wrong. Mama’s are the strongest people I know because every stage of feeding your child is challenging in its own way and yet we still manage to make it work through the hardships so that our little people our well fed.
When Liam was first born, naturally I began breastfeeding. It was painful, it was hard, but it was also such a beautiful experience. Like, how does milk get formed in your body all of a sudden for your baby?! I am still mind blown. To help make breast feeding easier, I visited a lactation consultant to show me how to get Liam to latch on better and I couldn't thank her enough. I definitely recommend seeing a lactation consultant to every mom who is having difficulty with breastfeeding.
Below are some products that helped me so much with my breastfeeding experience and are all available at Walmart. I love how its literally a one stop shop for everything.
I used nipple cream to soothe the area which helped make it less painful.
I am not sure if everyone experiences leakage due to breast milk but nipple covers were life savers!! I was a little uncomfortable about breastfeeding in public so I would go do it in private areas whenever I could but when I got myself a multi-use cover, I did not have to inconvenience myself and my baby anymore. It made it so much easier to breastfeed on the spot knowing everything was covered.
When I became comfortable with breastfeeding, I started using a breast pump to help increase my milk supply, store formula for times when I cannot breastfeed and to empty when they felt too full. I actually tried out two breast pumps from the same brand and loved them both for their unique qualities. You can read more about what I thought of each breast pump here.
Here are some breast pumping essentials:
At Liams first doctors visit, the paediatrician advised that I should supplement with formula to bring up his body weight. So I began to breast feed, formula feed, and bottle feed up until 6 months. It was definitely a hectic schedule for me because it felt like that is all I did everyday. After 6 months, I began to formula feed exclusively because he refused breastfeeding and frankly I was exhausted from pumping. The formula we used is Enfamil, also available at Walmart for such a better price than anywhere else! We fed him formula until 15 months of age. I love that it comes in different stages for their development and growth. Liam did have some difficulty with bottle feeding around 4 months of age but we stayed consistent and tried a few different bottles until he took it. Linking all the baby bottles we love below.
When Liam turned one, we tried to switch him over to 3% dairy milk but he wasn’t a fan of it and I found making him formula easier. We finally made the switch at 15 months going back and forth between 3% milk and unsweetened almond milk. Liam loves his milk warm, so we use a bottle warmer to warm it up for him. It is so handy to have and I find it so much quicker than letting it warm up in a cup of hot water.
I have tried both of these bottle warmers and they are both great!
Get ready for more dishes when it comes to bottle feeding. I think that it is the one downfall but at least you get a break from having to breast feed all the time. Also, using a bottle brush cleaner and bottle sterilizer makes it that much easier for you. I honestly recommend both of these to every mama bottle feeding their baby.
At around 4/5 months of age we introduced baby cereal to Liam. We then moved onto baby purees at 6 months and baby led weaning at 8 months. He started to eat everything we ate after 1 year of age. If you are going to try baby led weaning, I highly recommend the baby plates with the suction on the bottom because these little people are not as innocent as they look haha. They will chuck that plate to the floor (I know from experience). Though, you will find his food on the floor regardless. One of the joys of baby led weaning. Stay patient with this process. You will find yourself cleaning the floor after every feeding but its worth getting them used to eating on their own early on. Think of the small breaks you get to do other things while they feed themselves!
When we started to introduce sippy cups to Liam, we had to find him a soft spout that mimics a bottle. So we started with that until we transitioned to a straw sippy cup which is now his absolute favourite. He drinks his water and juices out of it but we have not yet transitioned him from the bottle to a sippy cup for his milk! I tried it a few times and he drinks it like he does his water with just a few sips and passes it back to me. I hope we can get there soon. I would appreciate any advice you guys may have to help with that!
I always keep in mind that every baby is different and they move at their own pace. Some can be more difficult with feeding and others can be a breeze. Just don’t give up mama, you will find your groove and what works for you and your baby. I hope you found this post helpful! Don’t miss out on shopping the deals at Walmart for breast feeding and feeding essentials all available online.
Let me know in the comments section if you use/used any of the items I mentioned!
Lots of love,
Hanan XOX