Category: Momma + Baby

My snoo review

Hey guys! If your into this post your probably a momma of a little one, or about to be! My little cooper is only 7 weeks today, but I have a lot of questions about the snoo so I figured I would share my experience with it as of now and later on when it’s time to transition I will post about that as well!

To start off, The snoo works by using motion, sound, and a snug safe swaddle method to sooth and calm your baby when they are goingj to sleep or get fussy/wake in the middle of their sleep! The motion and sound are supposed to mimic what they feel in the womb! It is sold here -> By the HAPPIEST BABY COMPANY

Me and my husband decided to purchase the snoo instead of renting! It is regularly around $1300 or you can rent for $118 a month. We chose to purchase because we got it during a Black Friday sale for around $800 I want to say! When we did the math Ryan figured we weren’t saving too much money if we rented it for 6 months at that price and that we could always turn around and sell it! Or if you plan on having more children I’d think buying is the way to go!

( If you are interested in the snoo I would keep an eye on their website/follow them on insta etc. because they have sales very frequently! )

So anyway, typically kids stay in the snoo for 6 months! When we brought cooper home from the hospital we came home with two nighttime rules, he wasn’t sleeping in our bed (although he is in our bedroom) and we weren’t waking him in the middle of the night every 3 hours for feedings, we were letting him wake us! Also, we are swaddling him until the recommended age for nighttime sleep and following a strict sleep and feeding schedule during the day to ensure a good nights rest for the whole family! We never let him sleep more then 2 1/2 hours during the day & WAKE him if he hasn’t woken in that time frame. At night, we have never, NOT ONCE, woke him for a feeding. (We were able to do this since he’s always Maintained his healthy weight, if not you obviously have to wake the baby for feedings during the night)

(Before you use your snoo, for a newborn I would set it on the limited motion option, the first time it went on high it literally looked like it was going to jiggle his head off! It’s completely tested and safe obviously for newborns, but I didn’t like how it looked lol so we turned it down! Their little neck muscles haven’t developed at all at that point, now I could turn it up and he would be fine!)

The first night in the snoo was eye opening to us with how great this thing was going to be, it rocked him slowly and he slept so well swaddled tight!

Typically when it’s time for him to go to sleep I feed him, rock him till he’s a little drowsy and then TURN ON THE SNOO, and set him in it, zip him up, and let it do it’s job! He’s never had to “cry it out” in the snoo to fall asleep! He may fuss a pinch if it’s for a nap, but it’s literally not even for two minutes!

Lately in the past two weeks, sometimes if he is fussy for a nap, I will put him in it at a time where he has calmed down from crying but yet is still crying, I zip him up tight in there and pat his little belly or rub his head, and offer the pacifier and the snoo will go on a higher setting and calm him! Again, this never takes even 5 minutes!

We try to do at least two naps a day in the snoo, with it on, in a dark room.

The other great thing about the snoo is the app! ( I will post screenshots below to show y’all how it works. It shows you in red their fussy times and in blue their calm times! There’s also lots of settings you can change to customize to your liking! For instance, we have it on the limited motion setting, we have the sound on high (white noise) and we have it set to be motion sensitive, so if he is squirmy or fussy it kicks on a tad faster!

Here’s an example of his day/night yesterday/last night!

Here’s an example of his night when he was 5 days old.

I am a bit worried about how this will go when it’s time to transition him to the crib but lately have done some reading and it seems to work itself out!

For instance, to get babies used to being out of the swaddle, happiest baby recommends taking one arm out the swaddle for a week, if that works and doesn’t wake them (babies don’t have control of their reflexes till a certain age and their sudden movements startle and wake them) then you can let the other arm out the next week. Also, snoo has a weaning setting, so when the baby is calm it will not rock unless he gets fussy! I will update you guys later on this as the time draws near!

To touch briefly on his sleeping habits, I read several books and took a class on the most common sleep training method, none so far have involved crying it out. We also use a owlet, I will post more about this in the next few weeks. Cooper is 7 weeks old and is sleeping 5 – 6 hours in a row at night with one wake time.

Obviously, I definitely recommend the snoo! If y’all have any other questions feel free to ask!!!

XoXo, Chelsey Rae!

Newborn day to day must haves

Hey guys! Excited to finally get this post up! Listing all the things we have been loving and using DAILY for the baby!

There is so many things people say you need or things they say make your life easier with a newborn! I found it so helpful to read peoples blogs that told you what they were using that I wanted to get one up for y’all! Listing all items below with descriptions!

Diaper Caddy | $39

Diaper caddy is a must! So easy to grab to take or keep in any room and comes with foldable changing mat! Obviously when baby is first born they are probably sleeping in your room in some sort of bassinet! The first few weeks I kept this on my nightstand because it was so easy to throw the mat on the bed and change him in the middle of the night during feedings!

Activity Gym | $69

Newborns focus on black and white! Cooper has loved the high contrast gym and its great for yummy time!

Formula Dispenser |$200

This is one of our MOST FAVORITE things we have! It’s like a coffee maker but for bottles! Literally makes a bottle in 2.5 seconds!!! AMAZING especially when you have a screaming baby in the middle of the night!

Newborn lounger | $32

Love this and so does the baby! So easy to carry into any room and it almost makes them lay kinda scrunched up if that makes sense, so I think that makes them feel comfortable like they were in your belly!

Owlet smart sock & monitor | $399

Highly recommend for piece of mind while baby sleeps at night, to give piece of mind while you sleep!

Baby Bath Sink Pad | $39

So easy to be able to stand and bath him in any sink in the house until he gets a little bigger!! Love the side petals for supporting him!

Bouncer Seat | $199

Cooper’s definitely a little movement baby! This thing is so easy to put them in and bounce with your foot while you do something like makeup or fold clothes!

Bottle sterilizer and steamer | $99

Makes bottle cleaning ridiculously easy!

Baby shusher | $35

They call this a miracle and it really is!! Baby’s love the sound of this and it totally soothes them when crying!! The size makes it so easy to throw in or by their carseat, stroller or even in their crib!

Baby head support/shaper | $19

Got this for cooper while he takes his naps, this helps prevent flat head! I only use while he’s being supervised and it’s great because it’s machine washable if need be! Comes in a few different colors!

Bandanna bibs | $18

Set of 8 – love these bibs because they can be two different adjustable sizes and have been the only type of bib that fits his little neck! To be honest I wouldn’t recommend the white because the formula stains, but it does the job, not like he walks around in the bib!

Night light | $20

Have raves about this light since before baby was born if you’ve followed for a while! It works with your touch/tap, can be super dim or super bright and can be taken off pad and walked with! Also has a warm or bright light setting! We love it when feeding at night to keep the room dark and cooper drowsy!

Changing Pad | $70

Loved this for the color and texture! So easy to wipe off instead of worrying about washing a changing pad cover!

If you guys have any questions about any products I am happy to help!

Just shoot me a message!

XoXo, Chelsey Rae

Baby Cooper’s Nursery

I planned on doing this before Cooper came, but since he surprised us, it threw me off a little!!!

When I found out I was pregnant I knew either way I wanted baby’s nursery to be pretty neutral, then when I found out my little lovie was a boy, I decided I wanted to go with a sweet little baby animals theme. (I always tell Ryan he’s going to become a veterinarian and love animals lolll basically, just because I love animals! Ryan laughs and thinks I’m crazy!)

Anyway, baby animals theme, neutral colors and I wanted the room very simple, light & bright!

I also knew I didn’t have/or want to spend tons of money on the room because he’ll grow out of all that before we even know it! The most expensive thing in his room is probably the glider that was from pottery barn! I am a big fan & believer of refinishing furniture to give it a whole new look and feel, so we had my old dresser repainted white and gray to match the feel of baby’s room. I reused the mirror from my bedroom at my old house and sconces as well. Everything else is really reasonably priced and I’m tagging it all in the slider below!

– NURSERY DECOR –

P.S. – about these curtains, AMAZING amazon find! EVERYONE asks about them and we loved them so much we ordered some for downstairs as well!!

Things that can’t be linked on LIKEtoKNOW.it below! All from restoration baby.

Bedding

Lamp | $129

Animal bookends | $69 each

XoXo, Chelsey Rae

What I’m packing in my hospital bag

Hey guys! We’re getting super close to baby fitz making his big debut! Times like these I am SO grateful for the blog and all my girls on Instagram because when I put up a question y’all seriously are SUCH a huge help with all the answers that come through!!

After asking what I’d need in my hospital bag I compiled all the things that multiple people said and started packing! Some things I didn’t put on here like brining your own large towels (they say the towels at the hospital suck), obviously all the things for healing that you need! Also a breast pump if you plan on breast feeding! Whatever you’ll plan on doing for some type of “pad” or “diaper” …. I know, this sounds so glamorous! lol!!

I’m also packing two flowy type dresses to leave the hospital in! I’ll tag the things not in the picture in a slider below it!

Everything in the picture below is clickable! Click and it’ll take you directly to the item 🙂

– OTHER ITEMS IM TAKING –

XoXo, Chelsey Rae

Baby Shower + Registry.

Hey y’all! Been working on trying to get this post out for a while! Lots of people have asked to share my registry and top favorites that I got! Of course without the baby here I can’t give my full review on most products it there’s a few things me and Ryan tried to start using in our bedroom, etc. To try to get used to before little man gets here!!

Before we get to all that, let’s chat about the shower!!

Most would say that I had my shower very early – that was the plan! I’ve heard too many of my friends say they wish they had had their showers sooner in their pregnancy to be able to set the baby’s room up sooner and be more prepared for things they did it get! I think the timing of mine was perfect for me, I had it around my 7 month mark, the baby’s room is basically finished with a few minor touches left, and I was able to get all the things I didn’t receive as sweet gifts, on my own!

To touch on another subject, I honestly got SOOOO many things I had on my registry! Again, after being at friends showers and seeing them get nothing but clothes, I had made the decision that I had to somehow ask for no clothes. I brought it up to Ryan and a few other people and asked if they thought that was rude if I could find the right way to word it! Most said no, so we brainstormed a way to word it that would sound right! Truth be told, I got a few comments from people but I don’t regret it at ALL! why not get a new momma the things she needs instead of buying clothes? And clothes are such a personal preference! I know this is kind of a old school thing, and people get excited about buying baby clothes, but that’s not what a new family NEEDS.

The shower was held by my amazing momma with lots of help from my mother and law, my aunt sweet aunt Renee who always goes above and beyond with the party set ups, and my nanny, she was responsible for the delicious cookies! The was shower at the Southern Hotel in Covington and the venue is absolutely gorgeous!! I wanted to keep things really simple and light + airy, for some reason as the years go on I just want more and more simplicity for party’s, from decor to even the amount of people!! It makes for a much more enjoyable day!

For my registry I registered at POTTERY BARN, AMAZON, and BUY BUY BABY. Click any of those links and you can check them out! I honestly just went between two of my best friends registry’s to make mine! Seeing similar things they had registered for and just picking things I personally thought would work for us as well!!

Here are some items we are already loving + some that were absolute MUST HAVES for us!

UPPA BABY CRUZ STROLLER | $679

(In Bryce white, compatible with MESA car seat)

UPPABABY MESSA CARSEAT | $299

(In color Bryce as well)

Baby Brezza Formula Dispenser | $199

White noise machine | $49

Something we already started using to get used to it in our room! We love it now lol can’t sleep without it!

4MOMS pack & play | $299

BABYBJORN bouncer | $199

Everyone raves about these and my best friends little girls absolutely loved it!

Baby Shusher | $35

Again an item I always hear clients and friends rave about, it’s pretty genius! Literally all it does is say shhhhhhh over and over again lol but I can see how baby’s would love it!

Newborn BOPPY lounger | $32

TOUCH CONTROL NIGHT LIGHT | $20

Another thing we are already using! We both are OBSESSED, I know it’s something so simple but the light gets bright bright and then veryy dim! So dim I could sleep with it on! It is touch controlled which is so convenient and can be used on or off of its charging station.

Owlet Smart Sock and Monitor System | $399

This was a absolute must have. If you haven’t heard of this read up on it! In a nutshell it monitors the baby’s breathing and heart rate and stuff while they sleep!

Stokke high chair bundle | $388

4MOMS MomaRoo infant seat | $219

This looks amazing and I see people that have it rave about it! It has different settings to rock the baby!

Ill be sharing more and more as we discover what works for us! Registry details below

– AMAZON –

– BUY BUY BABY –

– POTTERY BARN –

XoXo, Chelsey Rae

Sharing more shower pics below! Thankful for my friend Krista for always being a amazing photographer!

📸 : Krista Cheramie Co.

the worst pregnancy advice…

Hey guys! In the wake of all this craziness it kinda feels weird to be talking about shopping, but us pregnant people still need clothes as our bumps grow right?! Especially if this clothes thing has been a struggle for you like it’s been for me!!!

I remember when I first got pregnant TONS of people told me to NOT spend money on maternity clothes…this by FAR has been the most terrible advice people gave me lol!!

The last few months I have been SO happy that I started spending money on maternity clothes! If you really look they have some store that have TONS of cute clothes that aren’t too expensive! And let me tell you, it makes ALL the difference in the world that your clothes fit right just to make you feel better!!!

Towards a certain point, even when your shirts fit, your belly gets so out there that you look like Winnie the poo with the bottom or your belly hanging out – THIS is a issue for me pahahaha!

Anyway! My advice to any pregnant woman would be to definitely spend the money on making yourself feel good with new clothes that are made to FIT that prego tummy!

I lived all winter in my lululemon leggings and in the past few weeks I was like okay, I need shorts!!! And T-shirt’s that will cover this stomach!! It’s about to be hot as heck around here in Louisiana and I need something to throw on and go but still feel comfortable!

My first purchase were THESE soft shorts you see in the picture! BEST BUY EVER! After that it was on and I purchased a few more things!!

Linking some websites below that I love to shop on for pregnancy stuff and linking some clothes I already have/are in my cart below that!!

PINK BLUSH MATERNITY

H&M MATERNITY

BOOHOO MATERNITY

this website has some great stuff but it’s hit or miss, I end up returning half the bag when I get it but it’s worth it to find good pieces. Once you get the sizing down your good!

ASOS MATERNITY

ruches side maternity shorts | $32

I’d order a size up in these if you want a little bit more looseness in your legs.

Cotton T-Shirt | $18

These are technically not maternity shirts, but they come low enough to cover the belly!!’

– THINGS IVE PURCHASED –

– THINGS IN MY CART –

XoXo, Chelsey Rae