Motherhood Archives - Our Tiny Nest

0 In Baby/ kids/ Motherhood

Benefits of sensory play

This post is sponsored by Baby Einstein™, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Giving your child opportunities for sensory play encourages them to learn about their surroundings. From babies through children, they learn about the world around them through their senses.

What is sensory play?

Sensory play is any activity that encourages children to use their senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, balance and motion. Sensory play has been shown to enhance brain development and neuroplasticity.

Benefits of sensory play:

Promotes fine motor skill development
Promotes language development
Stress reduction
Promotes independent play and imagination
Aids in developing and enhancing memory
Invoke curiosity

Some of my favorite sensory play ideas:

Baby Einstein Strum Along Songs™ Magic Touch™ Guitar – This guitar is made with magic touch technology and plays sounds to respond to your baby’s touch. The guitar helps introduce colors and music while also encouraging the development of motor skills. It responds to baby’s strumming patterns to encourage self-expression and creativity. You can switch between 2 guitar sounds: acoustic and banjo. You can find the BabyEinstein guitar available at BuyBuyBABY now!

Sensory bins – I like to make various ones for the change of the seasons. It usually involves either cloud dough or water beads and an array of seasonal items for the kids to dig through and find.

Homemade play dough – My boys love this edible dough made up of frosting, confectioner’s sugar and sprinkles! And it’s super easy to make.

November 20, 2020 By Nicolle

0 In Baby/ Motherhood

Products for new mom and baby – a Babbleboxx review

Products for new mom and baby - babbleboxx review

This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own

Welcoming a new baby is an exciting time! One of things I looked forward to each time was trying out new products and gadgets for mom and baby. Babbleboxx recently sent me their new mom and baby favorites and I had the opportunity to test out some cool goodies. Read on below to see all of the products and read my review.

Baby Magic Bath and Body Products for Baby

Baby Magic’s Calming Baby Bath, Calming Baby Lotion and Gentle Baby Lotion keep your baby’s skin hydrated and soft. Baby Magic has been a trusted skincare company for little ones for several decades. All of their products are hypoallergenic and free of sulfates, dyes, parabens, and phthalates so you can feel safe using them on your babies. And they smell really good too!

Starting in September, Baby Magic will be donating a portion of proceeds to Baby2Baby. Baby2Baby is an organization that provides children living in poverty with all of their basic necessities, something every child deserves.

To purchase, click the links below.

Calming Bath

Calming Lotion

Gentle Baby Lotion

Disney Lullaby Playlist

One of the greatest gifts you can get as a mama, whether you’re a new mom or a veteran is the gift of sleep. Disney Lullaby is a playlist featuring calming renditions of all of your favorite Disney tunes to help soothe your baby to sleep. Music has been a huge help as far as getting our little guy into a sleep routine. (Read more about my sleep tips here). Download Disney Lullaby on whatever streaming service you use to stream your music.

Download the playlist on your preferred streaming service here

Auto-Dish Detergent Pods from Lemi-Shine

With a new baby around, you’re going to have alot more dishes and bottles to wash. Lemi-Shine dishwasher detergent pods combine citric extracts for extra cleaning power that helps remove hard water stains, stubborn grease and food. I love cleaning products that use less chemicals and these detergent pods are a cleaner version. They’re available at most major retailers like Target, Walmart and Amazon.

Get up and Go B12 supplement

Boost your B12 with these great tasting and quick dissolving B12 supplements by Pink Products. Each tab offers a blend of 5,000mcg of Vitamin B12 and L-Carnitine so 1 tab is all you need! Plus they’re free of gluten, dairy, artificial flavors and preservatives.

Visit pinkproducts.com for a $2.50 off coupon and to find a retailer near you! Valid through 12/31/20

My First Horoscope Book

I love all things that tell me more about people’s personality types, horoscopes, enneagrams you name it. This book is so cute! My First Horoscope would make a cute baby shower gift for expecting moms to learn more about their little one’s personality. Mav is a Cancer like me and Maxwell is a Libra like his dad. It’s so crazy the similarities.

Baby Banana

Baby Banana is a company most well known for their baby toothbrushes and teethers. These are a huge hit in our house right now since Mav is teething. All of their products are 100% non toxic and BPA free. We personally love the Mystical Dragon Toothbrush (also comes in a Unicorn) to help introduce little ones to oral hygiene as well as soothe achy gums (works great in the freezer!). The Lil Squish Jellyfish is also a great sensory toy and teether as well!

Use code FALL50 to get 50% off through 9/30/2020

Breastfeeding Consultation from SimpliFed

Lastly, if you plan on breastfeeding or pumping, this is a great resource for you! SimpliFed is a group of highly trained lactation consultants available online for virtual appointments to help you make decisions and guide you on your journey through feeding your baby. I love their mission which is to help moms through the decision making process of infant nutrition – whether that means exclusively breastfeeding, deciding what pump to buy and/or supplementing with formula.

SimpliFed is offering a 10% discount for all of my followers and subscribers ! Once you book an appointment, you will enter OURTINYNEST-SimpliBox110. This code will get you 10% off a 30- or 60- minute lactation consulting appointment.

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August 27, 2020 By Nicolle

1 In Motherhood/ self care

Why every mom should take a night away

This post is sponsored by The Gideon Putnam and Roosevelt Baths but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I recently was scrolling through Facebook when an article caught my attention – “Why every mom needs a solo vacation”. That’s exactly what I need I thought to myself. But is that selfish? Can I leave my husband alone with two little kids under 3 while I go on a vacation? Ok so maybe not a week, but I could go away for one night I justified to myself. So that is just what I did.

I booked a night at the Gideon Putnam in Saratoga, that way I wouldn’t be too far in case something should happen to the boys. I made plans for a mineral bath and massage the following morning at the Roosevelt Baths. I could hardly wait. A night away to myself. I hadn’t had a night to myself in almost four years.

Friday night as soon as the hubs got home, I kissed him and the kids goodbye and headed up to Saratoga. I hit tons of traffic on the Northway but I didn’t care. I was alone by myself in the car and rocking out to Eminem and 50 cent like I was back in the year 2000.

I walked through the doors of the hotel to check in and I had never felt so free. I made my way up to my room, slipped into a plush bathrobe and ordered myself some dinner and a glass of wine. It felt so indulgent. I settled in for the night in my large king sized bed all for me and my book. I couldn’t even recall the last time I was able to relax with a good book uninterrupted.

The next morning, I woke up and took a nice hot shower, got dressed and headed out for a cup of coffee and brisk walk. Alone in the fresh air, I was finally aware of my own thoughts. I thought about who I had become over the past few years and who I wanted to be, where I saw myself in the next few years. I re-connected with myself, the person I was before becoming a mom. My number one job will always be a mother, but I have other aspirations for myself too both in my career and in my personal life. With my goals set in my mind, I strolled over to the Roosevelt Baths for my mineral bath and massage. As I floated in the large tub, I listened to the spa music and the sounds of the water in the tub. All of my tensions literally melted away and I felt like I left them behind in the bath.

As I got back in the car to head home, I felt energized and refreshed with a new sense of mental clarity. I walked in the house and was greeted with a huge hug from my three year old as he jumped in my arms and the baby smiling and cooing when he saw me. I realized then that taking a night away every so often wasn’t selfish at all. They deserved the best version of me.

So if you’re feeling frazzled and like you’ve lost touch with yourself, take a night away. I promise you it’s just what you need.

I think I might make it an annual thing 😉

And thank you to the Gideon Putnam and Roosevelt Baths for my little “momcation”.

Read my post on

10 Self Care Tips for Moms

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November 20, 2019 By Nicolle

0 In Motherhood/ postpartum

A letter to my second born

A letter to my second born…

Over the past 14 weeks, I’ve been trying to put all of my feelings into words. For you are already so different than your big brother and have changed our lives in the most incredible way.

You are truly a miracle. One we weren’t expecting, but the happiest of surprises. For you are our redemption. I can vividly remember the morning I found out I was carrying you. I was shaking with joy and disbelief. After agonizing over tracking my cycle every month and numerous pregnancy tests and trying to get pregnant with our first, we were prepared for a struggle when it came time for baby #2. But you came in and blessed us with ease.

Long before you were here, I was full of worry. I worried about how our lives were going to change. We had just gotten comfortable in our routine as a family of 3. I worried, “how can I love you as much as I do your big brother?” But you have taught me that my heart is capable of multiplying.

And though this pregnancy may not have been as magical as my first, you have given me the birth experience that I felt I was missing out on the first time. You’ve taught me to be more confident and trust my body.

You are my calm in the chaos. The peace I need to balance the wild child ways of our first born. The “go with the flow” to balance your strong-minded and willful brother. Most days I feel like all I do is yell, cook and clean and then look at the clock to see it’s only 9:30am. But as I hold you after your bath and get you ready for bed, you remind me these days are fleeting.

The other day I put away all of your newborn clothes and started folding all of your brother’s size 3 month hand me downs into your drawers. I couldn’t help but tear up. You have taught me to truly embrace every stage. You will be the last time I felt life inside me, my last “bump photo”, my last time home on maternity leave, my last first birthday, and last first Christmas. But yet, it feels right.

Thank you my second born, for you complete our family in every way.

October 18, 2019 By Nicolle

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