Vanilla Coconut Coffee Sugar Scrub

Vanilla Coconut Coffee Sugar Scrub

I am not your typical beauty person. I own make up wayyyyy over the time frame you should because I just don’t use it enough. I get my eyebrows waxed maybe 3-4 times a year tops! So do I really have anyyyy business providing you with a recipe for a category in life I suck at? Ehh probably not, butttt I made it and used it, and LOVED IT! So I would be doing you a disservice to not share it.

A little background on why I even got to the point of making my own body scrub to begin with… I don’t want to blame it on pregnancy and having a baby, because I don’t think that is 100% the issue, but I do believe that our bodies are sold to these little beings and they do with it what they please, and then leave it confused and a hot mess after they vacate. Yes, our bodies change, inside and out. For me, my skin became EXTREMELY dry and itchy. During pregnancy it was manageable (no, it was not that pregnancy pups, just dry, stretching skin) after, it was okay for a little and then all of a sudden it got really bad. I would itch so bad in my sleep I was breaking my skin open. It was getting bad.

I changed my body wash; switched to homemade (not by me) all natural goats milk bar soap. Helped a little. Started taking vitamins again, ehh I can’t really conclude if that has helped or not. Either way, I’m STILL itching. So I dug out some body scrub I had from pregnancy that really helped! And that does seem to help a little as well currently.


Side note: I’m still breastfeeding so I’m starting to think I need to do some research on skin not shedding or something while nursing…. any insight? Leave a comment!!


So since the body scrub was working well; I felt that was a win!! What I DIDN’T like was I had a thick film on my skin from using it. And I would SCRUB with those exfoliating gloves, and it still wouldn’t get all the film off me. So I just thought ummmm I should just make my own! This way I would know what was in it. And I could pick what I wanted, and how it would smell. I wanted control over my body scrub.

I’ve been on quite the coffee kick lately, so I’m not surprised one bit that this has coffee in it. I know a true beauty person would have all the research on why use coffee, or how coconut oil is amazing for your skin, but quite honestly I know diddly-squat about any of that. My main focus was, try it and see if even a little bit of itching goes away. Well, it did. So score!!!

One thing I love about this recipe is that it smells AHHHHHH-mazing while scrubbing away. But you don’t smell like coffee after your shower. Clearly I don’t think that would be any issue at all, but I do usually shower at night and I don’t want to smell like coffee in bed.

Another side note I feel I should mention. This is messy. It will get all over your shower/tub. And look like a coffee war went down in there. But it easily rinses right off! I did a little reading when looking for some recipes (which I ended up compiling a few different ones coming up with my own) but one girl mentioned she wasn’t sure of the “proper disposal” method for this. Should coffee ground be put down the drain? I don’t know. I usually dump the bulk of our grounds from coffee in the trash, and then rinse the basket out and down the drain, and we don’t have any sewer issues. But if that concerns you, maybe just put something down to catch the grounds and toss.

Vanilla Coconut Coffee Sugar Scrub

2 cups semi-packed brown sugar (I used light)

1 cup coffee grounds (I saved used ones)

¾ cup unrefined coconut oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons white sugar (optional)

 

  1. In a medium to large sized bowl, something you can use a mixer and not destroy the kitchen, add 2 cups brown sugar and 1 cup coffee grounds. Beat with a hand mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk for about 2 minutes until mixed well and a little fluffy looking.
  2. Add ¾ cup coconut oil and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract. Whisk together with coffee and brown sugar mixture until thoroughly combined for about 2 more minutes.
  3. If your mixture looks too wet for your personal preference, this is where you can add white sugar, or more brown sugar to the mix. I added white sugar just to add another type of exfoliating agent to it! I honestly have no idea if white sugar has any perks :p
  4. Store in airtight containers like a mason jar.

The CIO Journey: Recapping Nights 6 & 7

Sleep training is hard. Everyone experiences something different. Every baby is different, so advice from one mom might not work for your baby. But I think sharing my experience will at least give mommas and daddys out there that are desperate, just one more option. Might work, might not! You can read about Sleep Training Decisions, and how we decided on the method we pursued. You can also follow the entire joinery night by night, Sleep is a Precious Thing.


Recap of CIO night 6

Post from my Facebook page recapping night 6!!!

“Last night was the first night, everrrrr, that I didn’t put Finley down to sleep. It was a bittersweet moment. Buttttt she needs to know it’s not just me that can put her to bed.

She cried a little but was sleeping AND laying down within 20 mins tops!!! Still progress!

She slept from 7:30pm-7am😱🙌🏼 STRAIGHT THROUGH. didn’t cry once, didn’t fuss once, allllll night long!

We needed this. I’m so happy it is working!”


Night 7 Using CIO Method

CIO night 7 update

Posted by Alyssa Rae Barnes on Tuesday, October 3, 2017

CIO Journey: Recap of Nights 4 & 5

CIO Night 4

This is the post I had up on my Facebook page from the recap of night 4.

“Last night I think was possibly a turning point for us! Though she fell asleep bent in half👇🏼👇🏼 pictures below, she did sleep from 8-5! She slept like this for maybe 2 hours and then finally made her way to her belly without fully waking up. Or at least didn’t freak out if she did wake up 🙌🏼.

I think I did make the mistake of not waiting 10 minutes for her to cry for me to go in and nurse. Honestly, I was actually sleeping and enjoying it, and before I knew it I was nursing her 😂. Nursed her and put her right back down. But she didn’t go back to sleep. I think she was just up for the day. So at 6:15 we got up (which I’d prefer 7, but this will do l! Hahah) my goal is to get on a 7:30 bed time 7 wake up time.

She also must have pooped after I nursed her. I was super surprised when I changed her this morning since she NEVER has a morning poop anymore hahaha. So that could contribute to why she wouldn’t go back to sleep. I’m assuming I would have been able to smell it if that’s why she woke up to begin with… but that could be a factor as well hahaha.

Progress. Progress. Progress.
One day at a time!”


CIO Night 5 Recap

We are making waves, and we are riding them in STYLE! Yes, using the Cry it Out [CIO] method is hard, and we ran into interesting road blocks [ ahemmmmm sitting up to sleep miss finn]. But each night, well besides the second night, it was getting better and better.

It wasn’t easy making the decision to go for the CIO method, you can read about how we made that decision here, Sleep Training Decisions. If you are curious as you how we got to THIS point, you can check out all our other updates and caps here, Sleep is a Precious Thing.

CIO night 5 review.

Posted by Alyssa Rae Barnes on Sunday, October 1, 2017

Our CIO Journey: Sleep Is a Precious Thing

Sleep training. I have learned SO MUCH! I have learned each night is a new surprise. I had moms teach me SOOOOO many different methods, which was amazing! I had back up plans for the back up plans for when something didn’t go in my favor. (Yes, it has happened A LOT!) We had some major decisions that needed to be made, we started off with Sleep Training Decisions. I will not tell you this has been “easy” because I can confidently laugh in your face and then fall into your arms and cry; and say that THIS IS HARD! Being a parent is HARD. Making decisions that shape another [human] life is HARD!! I mean seriously, who gave us permission to do this!? :p

Whatever it is we decide to do; whatever we feel is the best for these little mini me’s attached to our leg – or boob- or hip… I hope that we stick together. Take advice without complaining someone is pushing a method down your throat, or showing another parent under the bus because we don’t know the circumstances. I think we all can agree we are all RIGHT and we are all WRONG!

Check out below each of the different nights we documanted during this journey!! If you have any specific questions about what we did, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below 🙂

Cry It Out: In the Moment Of Night One

The Morning After CIO Night One

CIO Night Two and the Morning After

CIO Journey: Recap of Nights 4 & 5

CIO Journey: Recapping Nights 6 & 7

Our CIO Journey: Night 2 and the morning After

Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road… I feel like this is a signature path we are on. This journey is HARD, but it is also so rewarding.  Sleep is important, not just so we aren’t crabby, but as a growing child, sleep is needed for development. Sleep training can be difficult, read about Sleep Training Decisions , or the other nights on our journey here, Sleep is a Precious Thing.

CIO Night Two update.

Night two was by far the HARDEST night of them all. She was on and off for basically a full 7 hours. She wasn’t upset the whole time, but ugh the frustration of a child sitting up sleeping is something I wouldn’t wish anyone else to ever have to deal with! Looking back I am SOOOO glad that I stuck it out. This was a major turning point for us! The only thing I wish I would have done earlier was practice laying down with her. SHOWING her how she could lay down on her own.

 

Day 3, the morning after CIO night 2

Nap time 😴 Has anyone used CIO for night be not naps or naps by not night or night but not middle of the night or naps? I'm sure it's best to do it all at once but she needs to sleep, right🤔🤐

Posted by Alyssa Rae Barnes on Friday, September 29, 2017

The Morning After CIO Night One

Have you decided to start sleep training? Did you even know that was actually a thing? Psshhh because as a new mom I had NO IDEA! Sure, I heard people talking about crying it out, and honestly, I was just against letting my baby cry and cry and cry. But let me tell you, things changed after MONTHS of zero sleep. When my daughter was about 10 months old and waking every 20 mins, I was a walking zombie; something needed to change. You can read more about Sleep Training Decisions for additional inforamtion!

If you missed the videos from our first night, during and after letting her cry it out you can back track here and see those videos.

Check out my video on my recap of night one; the morning after :p

The morning after: CIO

Posted by Alyssa Rae Barnes on Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Cry It Out: In The Moment Of Night One

Check out my Facebook LIVE I did from night one of resorting to the cry it out [CIO]. If you want to read more on how we made the decision to try out the CIO method, you can read about that right here, Sleep Training Decisions!

I would also like to add, in case you don’t continue to follow the other nights, and morning afters of our CIO journey, we did end up taking out the DockAtot. I wouldn’t recommend STARTING to use one when they are older. There are age restrictions for a reason :p (keep scrolling for a night one UPDATE video!)

CIO. Night one

Posted by Alyssa Rae Barnes on Tuesday, September 26, 2017

 

CIO night one : update

Posted by Alyssa Rae Barnes on Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Sleep Training Decisions

Hi mamas, mama-to-be, daddy-to-be.. or anyone else reading this post! We need to talk about SLEEP. Yes, we all love it. Depending on where you are at in life, sleep could be 8 straight hours, 20 straight minutes, or anything in-between!

Sleep training was something I literally had no idea was even a “thing”. You think about becoming a parent and you just see cuddles, kisses, and some poop in your future. You know babies sleep, and you know babies don’t sleep. But, I mean, am I training a child to sleep like a train a dog to go potty outside?

In the beginning I was a firm believer in the fact that my child would carve this path for me. I would follow their lead and we would all be as happy as can be. Why wouldn’t we, she knew what she needed or didn’t need, so if I follow her cues, I could have a happy baby, have life, and “breeze” through this thing called parenting 😉

… I know, I laughing at myself too. SO go ahead, get that good HAHA out at my last statement.

Fast forward to NOW. I do still believe babies have a GREAT instinct of knowing what they need, especially as they get older and you need to adjust to starting foods and then whole foods and water and milk and naps, crawling and walking.. the list goes on and on. We can’t force our children to be ready for any of these things, they will move on when they are ready, all we can do is follow their lead. But what about sleep?

I am not a stranger to the book section… on amazon :p I have my fair share of parenting books. Some I read the whole thing, others a few chapters, some a few pages… others are still sitting unopened. I tried a few of the methods. I was completely against the CIO (cry it out) method. I made up my mind that if my child was crying she was crying for a reason. She needed her mama to rescue her!

So I tried the “no crying sleep solution”. This was quite the process haha. First you needed to go through all these mental check lists, of “if you are ready to actually do this”. Then you need to log your entire day… you needed to log naps and nighttime; how did they fall asleep, where did they fall asleep, what time did they fall asleep, did you move them after sleeping.. at night there were even more things to log. I did it though, I did two or three days and nights of logging. Then it was time to test it. The method basically means you put the baby down awake, but stay in the room. You can rub the baby’s back, or something like that. They fall asleep and you slip out. So, I’m like cool let’s try it. So night one.. she’s screaming and jumping and trying to climb out of the crib as I’m there calmly patting the back of a raging baby hahahaha. The book never said what to do for a baby that was mobile, or a demond.. haha JK!! But there wasn’t advice on how to calm a baby that wasn’t laying down. So after one night I did give up on this method. It was just not right for me.

Im going to back track a second here. I want to tell you about my daughter’s sleep transitions over the past year.

Starting off Finley, was an AMAZING sleeper. Newborn to about 3 months old she was a normal breastfed baby, she was up every 4 hours, basically on the dot. As a brand new mom getting 4 hours of sleep in a row I saw that as a WIN! I was happy with that!

Around months 3-4.5 she was only getting up once and sometimes even sleeping through the night! I also need to add that at this point she was basically putting herself to sleep as well at night! RIGHT!? SCORE!

Then we hit the “4 month sleep regression”. We hit that around 5 wish months. Well, this was my downfall. I catered to her regression. We were sleeping on the couch together, I was going in at every peep she made! I figured something must be wrong, my once, “sleep through the night baby”, is waking up; she needs me. Well, between 5 months and 10 months we went from sleeping through the night to up 2 times, then 4 times, then 8 times a night, until I was up about every 20 minutes with her. YES, you read that right, every 20 minutes she was waking up. Which sometimes meant between her waking up, me nursing her, and then walking around and getting her to sleep, by the time I would walk back to my room and pick up the covers, she was awake again! I should also mention naps were almost nonexistent, or 20 mins tops!

We did get a Dockatot around 9ish months. That helps so much with the naps, she was taking 2 hours naps once we got that! She was sleeping better at night, but she was still up 4-5 times a night (on a good night).

Finally, I took my struggles to Facebook hahah. I mean, let’s be honest… you can read as many books as you want, but first hand mama advice with a push of the button help center is what all sleep deprived mamas need in their lives.

After a TON comments with advice and techniques. We settled on the Cry It Out Method. But of course it wasn’t just that simple. Did you know there are essentially two ways to do this sleep training method? There is the lenient version and the hardcore version. At least thats how I think of them :p

So what exactly is CIO? CIO stands for cry it out. You want to first, before anything, settle on a bedtime. What time EVERY NIGHT will your child go to bed? Ours is 7pm. But the goal is between 7-7:30pm. That means she is SLEEPING by this time, not starting bedtime routine at this time. Next, plan a bedtime routine. This can be as long or as short as you would like. Ours most of the time is; dinner, play a little (depending on time), nurse, bath, lotion, diaper, pajamas, teeth, say goodnight to daddy and dog, books, prayer, bed. It sounds like a lot, but really, I can drag it out for 45 minutes if I need to, or do it in a quick 15 start to finish. Routine is so important. Finley now knows that once she is in the tubby, is it time to calm down for bed.

The Lenient Version>> this is when you don’t just leave your baby to cry and cry. You set a schedule for yourself. The schedule can vary depending on what is most comfortable for you. Some parents set a 5-10-15-20 rule. Some do every 30 mins. The point is; you go in to calm the baby. but you DO NOT. I repeat you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT PICK UP THE BABY! This is the most important rule of this method. You are teaching your baby independence. They need to know they are capable of soothing themselves to sleep. So if you plan to go in, you can lay them back down, pat or rub their back, sing or talk softly, but you do not pick them up! So if you decide to go in after 5 mins to soothe, and then wait 10 and go in and then wait 15.. or go in every 30 minutes.. that is up to you and you’ll have to read your baby to know exactly what will work best.

We tried the lenient version the first night. However, it makes things DRASTICALLY worse! The first time I went in and it was awful. The next time my husband went in, and although it didn’t sound like a murder was going down in our nursery, it still wasn’t pretty. It was legit painful, broke my heart to see her so upset. That’s when we decided to try out the hardcore method.  (ps. In another post I will go through night to night our CIO experience.)

The Hardcore Method >> this is the drop and leave method. hahaha. Kidding, but not kidding. You go through your bedtime routine and with the baby still awake (can be drowsy, but NEEDS to be awake) you put the baby in the crib. After you leave that room, you do not go back in unless it is an emergency situation. The only exception I see in the hardcore method for going in, is if you are still a nursing mama. Breastfed babies do tend to still nurse during the night (once or twice tops), so if you do go in to nurse, you pick up, nurse, and put right back down, and make sure it is before that baby falls totally asleep! That is very, very important. The hardcore method is not to abandon your baby; it is for the babies that do need that tough love. Once we stopped going in after we put her down during night time routine, everything changed for us.

I also want to add that we did not sleep training until Finley was 10 months old. Though, I do think it is something we should have done when we hit that sleep regression. I knew she was capable of sleeping through the night already, so I should have started to sleep train at that point- so around 5-5.5 months. I knew that she did not need to be up multiple times to eat at night. I do not recommend this for any baby under 3 months old, and honestly I would talk to your doctor before trying any type of sleep training. Nutritional needs should always come first! However, sleep is also super important for physical and developmental growth.

So why CIO works and why you should consider it.

There seems to be a ton of debate around this method, and I can see why. A baby crying, i mean, screaming their lungs out does NOT seem like a step in the right direction. Some will even go as far as to say it is setting the child up for abandonment issues and the feeling of helplessness. Believe what you want, I am not here to force my opinions on you, only to share an experience. Then there is the other side, a baby needs to learn to self soothe, a baby can’t do that with mommy doing it for them. Your baby will learn independence and setting up for a smooth transition into becoming a toddler learning to self soothe by crying it out. I won’t lie, I used to think it was abandonment. I couldn’t do that to my baby girl!!! But you get to this point in sleep deprivation that you know it is not “normal” anymore. You know that this is NOT the best thing for you, let alone that precious child.

There is much more to “crying it out” than just letting your child cry until exhaustion. In my personal opinion, they are learning the difference between crying because of survival reasons; nutrition, pain, etc., and crying for attention. Don’t get me wrong, give that baby attention 100% during waking hours! Love on that baby HARD when she’s awake. But, she needs to learn that awake time is for playing and cuddling, and night time is to sleep and recharge. Because sleep is just as important for them as it is for you.. (talking to that mama dragging from day to day with 7 cups of coffee and tooth picks holding her eyes open). No one in the house can function without proper sleep. Not you. Not the baby,  not your significant other, not even the dog.

Within a month of Finley sleeping through the night, she started to babble (yes at 10 months old she wasn’t even babbling), she started saying mama and dada, she even started walking! Makes me wonder how much her lack of sleep was holding her back physically, and developmentally. She started nursing more often and longer during the day, she started eating more at her meals. She was a new baby. She was always a super happy baby, but you can really see the light in her eyes now!

**NOTE: I am not telling you as a mama what to do for your baby, I am simply just giving my insight on my journey as a mama. I am not trying to give any type of specific instructions or information out to you, just going off my memory :p

Sleep Baby=Sleeping Mommy
Sleeping Mommy=Happy Mommy
Happy Mommy=Happy Family!

Why you really DON’T “have to” find out the gender of your baby.

I’d like to start off by saying that no matter what you choose; to find out or not find out the gender of your baby, I support your decision either way. Neither way is right or wrong. But, I am going to tell you why I personally think you should WAIT to find out!!

We live in a day in age where surprise and mystery, and the chance to be anxious about something doesn’t exist. Sure, you can plan a surprise birthday party, but that’s just a surprise for ONE person; iffff the secret is actually kept. We also live in a world that we know how much money is being taken out of our account before it’s gone, what TV show is airing not just within the next hour, but literally the next 3 months+, and what the weather will be like for the week (even though that’s still sometimes a surprise- haha).

But there IS a surprise that can be fun, and you’ll love it no matter what. Yup, the gender of your baby. So why don’t more people want the surprise? Here are the answers, uhmm excuses 😛 I hear…

1. I have to prepare.
This is the biggest and most common answer I get in return to my statement of ” you should wait to find out!!” I just find this one so funny because I felt 110% prepared for my little one. We had absolutely EVERYTHING and more than we needed to bring a baby boy or a baby girl into this world. Plus buying gender neutral for your big ticket items is smart; chances of your next baby being the same gender is still only 50/50! I will say the only real prep you need, is to decide if it’s a boy, if you’ll be having him circumcised or not. Otherwise all decision are the same for a boy or girl!

2. What about a nursery theme?!
This one I guess makes sense. However, I don’t think it’s a good enough reason to not be surprised by the BEST SURPRISE EVER! There are a ton of really, really cute neutral themes, that you can go back and put a boy or girl accent on after the baby arrives! We did light blue, grey and white for our color; with cute owls. Once miss Finley was born, I got cute grey pink and gold curtains, and will be getting a few wall images that are girly. The reason I say this isn’t a big deal, is because in no time at all they will have a favorite character or something and you’ll be redoing the room anyways!

        

3. I just can’t wait.
But, you can. First off it is so amazing that NO ONE in the entire world, with the exception of a small select medical team that takes the ultra sound and records the results, knows what is growing inside you! No one can spill the beans! I can tell you that it WILL be human. And that you WILL love it to death either way. I also know for a fact that you CAN wait, because not long again you didn’t have a choice but to wait! Guess what, no one even had a complaint about it 😉

Those are just the top three that I hear all the time. I am a huge fan of waiting to find out. Honestly, it was hard. Because we COULD know if we wanted. We actually tested ourselves to the max; we have the ultra sound lady put the gender on a print out of the ultra sound and seal it. We gave to to my husband’s secretary, and she locked it up in a safe that only she knew the combination to! So it was right there, at our fingertips. But we powered through. That moment that our baby emerged from my body and they said “it’s a girl”… okay, now I’m crying…

I’m not saying that having a baby you know the gender of, is any less of an adrenaline rush or special moment. But, boy oh boy is it surreal to fall in love all over again. All those days, weeks, months of gut feelings are proved wrong or right in a single moment. Ps, mom’s gut feeling is usually the right answer 😉

It is the best surprise life can give you. A surprise that can’t go a wrong. A surprise you’ll love love love, LOVE no matter what. Plus it is just so fun to see everyone else’s anticipation, and watch everyone battle it our over who is right, which old wives takes hold true, and which ones are totally out there!!

So be brave, take on the challenge and DON’T find out the gender of your next baby!! It is hard, it is exciting, it is so much fun!!

Do you have any gender stories? Did you also decide to not find out? Or why did you decide to find out?!

Feeding Baby: Homemade Avocado

I think it is safe to say that most of us are, or at least try to be, conscious of what we use to fuel our bodies. As adults we have been through the active teen years where you could eat everything and anything; the college years when we experience at some point the inevitable “freshman 15”, even if it was our super senior year… [HA!], and the young adult life where you are just searching and waiting for life to “settle down” or a change to happen… ahh I don’t want to get too far off the main subject here, our BABIES!

The point I was trying to make is, you have been there done that with food. You know what is GOOD for you, and what isn’t. You know the fresh greens provide vitamins and minerals and a double cheeseburger does not. So, if you KNOW these simple pros and cons of certain foods, it should be a no-brainer when it comes to feeding your little offspring 😉

My little girl is just over 4.5 months old. Before I get any backlash, I have done my research and have considered all pros and cons of when to start her on solids. She’s been showing the signs of being ready since she was just over 3 months old, and as her parents, my husband and I decided she was more than ready to start! Plus, we of course got the go ahead from her pediatrician.

Unfortunately our poor baby was a little backed up (before we started foods) so we started with prunes! She’s probably one of the only babies out there who got their first taste of foods and it was prunes… but since that was my first time preparing, I made some mistakes, however things went better with the avocado! So, that is why I am sharing the homemade avocado recipe with you!

Feeding Baby: Homemade Avocado

Equipment:
-Mixing bowel
-Knief
-Spoon/Fork
-Blender
-Measuring Tablespoon
-Freezing Tray
-Glass Jar or Freezer Bag

Ingredients:
-Avocado (I used two)
-Water

Directions:
1. Cut your avocado(s) in half, discard the pit. If you have some small light brown spots, that is okay, but you can scoop them out and discard if it makes you feel better.
2. Scoop out all contents of the avocado. During this step you can either scoop into a bowl and mash with a fork, or place directly in the blender.

** If using a blender, I recommend using at least 2 avocados because otherwise the mush will stick to the sides if there isn’t enough in thereto keep it going!
3. In the blender at 1 Tablespoon of water per avocado, if just using a bowl and fork, wait to add water until mostly mashed.

4. Divide into portions. I put them right in freezer trays and froze them (especially with avocado since it browns so fast, and I don’t feel comfortable adding lime juice to her foods right away) Once frozen, pop out and place in a freezer bag, or a glass storage unit of some type!

A few tips that I would like to share! I am NOT an expert by any means, this is my second time in my life attempting to make baby food. But, the first piece of advice I can give; is to not use breastmilk in the prepping phase. This just makes it way easier in the thawing process. Using some water or other liquid, you can heat it up, with breastmilk in it, you cannot do that! So, if you are like me and do want to have breastmilk in it for aiding in digestion and the added nutrients, do yourself a favor and add it right before serving it!

My second piece of advice is use LESS THAN a full tablespoon when freezing portions. they recommend 1 tablespoon per serving when starting off, however if you freeze a full tablespoon, and then plan on adding breastmilk to thin or for the nutrients, you’ll end up with more than a recommended serving. Starting with less, you’ll have about a tablespoon when you add breastmilk, or other liquids right before a feeding! 🙂

PS. She really liked the prunes, but she isn’t really a fan of the avocado… must take after her mama on that one!

Stay tuned, next we are going to try either peas or green beans!!