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Baby, Breastfeeding, Motherhood, New Born, Sponsored, Toddler
Tips for Weaning Your Baby and Picking a Formula
- 3:10 am
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
This post is sponsored by BJ’s Wholesale Club. As usual, all opinions are my own.

Everything that I thought would be easy about motherhood turned out to be more complicated than it seemed. Weaning a baby was hands down one of the toughest things I did. For me, my first time was even harder than potty training. There I was pregnant and weaning a baby, and it took me all of three weeks to wean her off breastmilk, but I managed to learn enough that it was much easier with my son. Now that I have a third baby, I know exactly how I will be approaching weaning her. She isn’t very interested in nursing during the day because she’s distracted crawling and playing with her siblings, so I think that might make weaning her simpler. In the meanwhile, I wanted to share a few things that I learned while weaning my older kids for those of you going through this experience for the first time:

Be patient.

I know this might not be what you want to hear but weaning a baby can take time, while it can happen quickly it’s important not to set a timeline. Keep an open mind, so you’re not disappointed or worse get frustrated. It can be even tougher if you’re the one initiating the weaning so be patient with your child.

Take a gradual approach.

Instead of going cold turkey, try replacing a nursing session with a bottle. I’ve found that this works better when we’re not in the same environment so instead of giving your baby a bottle in the rocker where you usually nurse her change the location. I take my kids out to play most mornings now that it’s summer, so the baby is getting used to having a bottle while we’re out. Creating a new routine in a different environment will help your baby adjust.

Continue to enjoy bonding time.

Whether you’re weaning a 3-month-old or 1-year old baby, what you’re both going to miss most is the bonding time. Honestly, my older kids and I still enjoy so many sweet moments, and I never eased up on the cuddles even when I stopped nursing them. Find ways to continue to give your baby your undivided attention, so your baby continues to feel connected to you and secure.

Picking a formula that’s right for your child is the first step. Here are few things to consider when picking a formula:
- Baby’s age
- Food allergies
- Budget
- Baby’s needs (colic etc.)
Formula for baby 0-12 months

I’m not sure if I will wean my baby before she’s one or after but I’ve already started to look into my options for both age groups. Like diapers and wipes, formula is something we can’t afford to run out of as moms. So as a BJ’s Wholesale Club member, I plan to take advantage of those savings on formula. Considering the needs of a busy baby like my daughter, BJ’s exclusive Berkley Jensen’s non-GMO infant formula, which is one of the closest formulas to breast milk and supports brain development is one of the best options. I’m a big fan of the quality of Berkley Jensen products especially their wipes and diapers which I switched to earlier this year. I’ve been recommending them to all the moms I know. If you’re on the fence about trying Berkley Jensen infant formula, keep in mind BJ’s offers a 100% money back policy on Berkley Jensen products, so if this formula isn’t a good fit you can return it.

Formula for toddlers 1-3 years

For older toddlers, a few of the moms in our music class swear by Enfagrow Toddler Next Step. What I know is most toddlers still do not eat enough to get all of their nutrients from food, so getting additional nutrients like DHA which is essential for their little rapidly growing brains. So, Enfagrow Toddler Next Step which also has probiotics can provide the nutrients that are lacking in their diet. If you want to save on formula, keep in mind that that buying wholesale is more cost-effective, and BJ’s accepts manufacturers coupons so you can combine them with their coupons for additional savings for all-around winning. Since I always lose my coupons, I started to select and save my coupons to my membership card digitally with BJ’s Add-to-Card feature. If you still do not have a BJ’s membership take advantage of this promotion and sign up for one here and you will receive a $25 BJ’s gift card. If you’re busy you can take advantage of several shopping options including free shipping on diapers and wipes online and shop BJs.com – Pick Up in Club.

Sign up for BJ’s for only $25 until 9/29.

What are your tips for weaning your baby?
Children's Books, Giveaway, Motherhood, Product Reviews, Sponsored
Encouraging Your Child to Become a Confident Reader | Tons of Resources
- 2:00 am
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
This post on encouraging your child to become a confident reader is sponsored by HarperCollins.

A few years ago, when my daughter was entering Kindergarten, my husband and I decided to teach her to read. We had no idea how we would do it, but by trying different methods, we found what worked for her, not just to learn to read but to become a confident reader and a lover of books (she’s already read five chapter books one week into her summer break). Her teachers are incredible, so I don’t want to take all of the credit, but we understood our role especially as parents would be a significant impact on the process. Now that our four-year-old son is heading to Kindergarten, we are pulling from the same resources we used four years ago to help him to learn to become a confident reader too and finding books that excite him, like the I Can Read! series from HarperCollins. We have one advantage, he loves books and wants to learn to read like his sister. If your child is learning to read for the first time too, I wanted to share some of these resources we’re using to encourage reading in our family, so you can also use them to prepare your little one for Kindergarten. Plus keep reading until the end for a Back-to-School giveaway!

Be Patient!

The first thing I want to emphasize is the importance of being patient with your child while they learn to read. Don’t show any frustration if it’s taking longer than you anticipated or your child is reading slowly. Give them space to learn without you judging their progress or rushing them to the next step https://amzn.to/2Ks1JxIand celebrate their achievements, that’s going to build their self-confidence.

Make it fun.

I cringe whenever I hear parents use reading as a punishment, reading should be fun and it’s our job to show them that. I take my son to story times at our local library, and he loves dancing, playing with other kids and getting to hear an exciting story. While we’re there, he always asks me to borrow books for him so, during his first week of summer, I got him his first library card, so he’s able to borrow as many books as he likes.

Read books about characters your child loves.

When my daughter was learning to read, I noticed that her vocabulary improved when we read books with characters she loved. Our librarian, Miss Maria was the one who introduced me to the I Can Read! Series and she even had a program that summer where she gave out the books to kids who submitted their reading logs. The I Can Read! books are all color coded for different reading levels, these range from your child’s very first book to advanced readers. They were so good that I invested in them and bought a few for her that I’m happy my son now reads and recently HarperCollins sent me a few more for my son. His books are level one which is for kids who are excited to read on their own and can recognize words. What my son loves most about the I Can Read! books are they feature his favorite characters. His books feature beloved characters like Paddington Bear, The Berenstain Bears, Splat the Cat, and Pete the Cat. Actually, there are over 400 I Can Read! books for your child to choose from. Find out even more here about why to choose I Can Read! books.

Read together.

I think what my son loves most is snuggle time during reading; he associates it with family time. These days besides his dad and me, his sister reads to him too which warms my heart. We encourage him to read and sound words out, sometimes together and other times by himself, it’s always rewarding to see his face when he sounds a word out correctly or learns a new one.

Reinforce learning with I Can Read! activities.

To ensure that he’s never bored this summer, I utilize the free printables on the I Can Read activities website; he loves the mazes and word searches which are all fun ways to reinforce what everything he’s learning. You can download them for your child here.

Teach your child a few sight words weekly.

We’re working on sight words, and my son learns a few each week, this not only helps retain what he learned during the school year but gives him a good foundation for kindergarten. Sight words are easy for most kids to memorize but some words may be more challenging than others. Follow your child’s cues to know what’s best for them. We use an app on his Amazon Fire tablet to learn sight words which seems to keep him engaged.

Take the lessons to real life outside of the books.

One thing you will notice as your child learns to read, he or she will start reading signs and forms everywhere or trying to sound them out. Encourage them as they ask you for help or randomly quiz them letting them know that you’re confident they could read a street sign. All of this will help them to become more confident about reading. You can get more ideas here on the Can Read! Website and here is an excellent resource with 100 tips to teach your child to read.

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Motherhood, Sponsored
Finding the Right Preschool for Your Child
- 6:48 pm
- 0 comments
- by Adanna Dill
This post on finding the right preschool for your child is sponsored by KinderCare. As usual, all opinions are my own.

As a mom of three, I’m amazed by how fast kids grow especially within the first three years of their life. The baby is now almost eight months old, and she’s curious about her environment; crawling all over and using her motor skills more and more every day. A few days ago, she was playing with her siblings, and while watching them, I had a flashback of my experience looking for a preschool for my oldest. I started looking just about the time she was the baby’s age, and I wish I had the KinderCare Super Simple Guide then, it would have saved me a lot of heartache. I learned the hard way instead, that finding the right preschool for your child can be tough but with patience is possible.

I started by taking tours of childcare centers in my area with my husband, some of them we hated the minute we stepped in, others we didn’t like their policies, facilities or the way the teachers answered our questions. I started with those closest to our home, and as I crossed those off my list, I moved further along my commute route to make it easier for drop-off. I didn’t know much at the time, but I knew that I wanted a preschool that focused on learning through play, was clean, with teachers I felt comfortable leaving my baby with. After about seven tours, I found one that fit most of the things on our list and enrolled her.

I worried so much I must have called almost every hour the first day, we made it through the first week, but as soon as I started to feel a bit more relaxed, she began to get sick regularly. During drop-off, I would ask questions that I felt were vaguely answered, and I started to feel bothered by the fact that she didn’t seem to be encouraged to express herself creatively because the teachers apparently did all of her art that she brought home. A few months in I discovered that she was getting sick because they were giving her food she was allergic to. I felt so disheartened and scared that I took her out and had to take time off work to care for her and find a new preschool for her.

As a parent, my instinct is to protect, so I started the process over again with even more clarity over what type of center I was looking for. I asked in a mommy group, and a few moms made a recommendation of a preschool that while close to train hub would add about 10 -15 minutes to my commute. I wasn’t thrilled about adding time to my commute, but everything about this preschool turned out to be a good fit when I took the tour.

It was clean, modern, all of the teachers were passionate and listened attentively to my concerns even bending down to address my daughter (a telling sign of a good preschool teacher according to KinderCare), and it was National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) accredited. There were systems in place for children with food allergies, the kids went out to play often, there were books everywhere within the kids reach, and I didn’t have to worry about her coming home with her teacher’s artwork because they encouraged the kids to express the world the way they saw it visually. We loved everything about this preschool from the day she started to her very last day. She was always happy to go, and they even started her potty training for me since I was a scared first-time mom. Sending her to this preschool meant that I was able to leave her every morning and not feel guilty.

By the time my son came around, I knew what I wanted in a preschool, and the process was much easier. When I met his first teacher, I knew she would understand his personality, and she did. She surpassed my expectations.

As I embark on this journey a third time, I’m confident about what’s most important for my child — an environment that’s created with her needs in mind, nurturing teachers and getting her ready for kindergarten. There are so many things about KinderCare that makes them an excellent fit for her. I love the convenience of their locations throughout New York City, their focus on open-ended art which allows creative expression which I know helps kids feel empowered and builds their self-esteem and their emphasis on hiring teachers who genuinely care about nurturing children in their formative years.

If you’re looking for the right preschool for your child, don’t be afraid to take as many tours as you need to make your decision. Bring your questions with you, take note of the teachers and how they respond to your child, how your child responds to the environment and consider if the location would be practical. You can use the KinderCare Super Simple Guide to help find the right preschool here.

How did you go about finding the right preschool for your child?