This child. This hair. No one loves it more than me. See, I my hair is pin straight. My whole life I have wanted curly hair. I used to make my cousins curl it for me every time we had a sleep over. They would spend hours. It would fall flat within minutes. So I’m seriously jealous over these amazing curls. That said, I also had ZERO clue about how to care for curly hair.

To wash or not to wash curly hair

I was washing it almost daily (as I do my own…I know, I know, I’m not supposed to do this but I can’t help myself). Then I realized that I probably needed to do something different for her hair. I started researching the curly girl method and the “no poo” method–I also consulted with my own mama, as she is probably the one who passed these crazy curls down to my little one. 

Honestly, it’s a simple concept that I almost feel silly writing about it. But I just started not washing her hair unless it was REALLY dirty. My girl is a dirt loving, rambunctious, food slinging little so I sometimes have to really stop and ask myself–will this wash out with just a good finger scrub and water?

Products for toddler’s curly hair

If I feel like she needs a little more cleaning power I use a mild shampoo–I like at her roots. I always condition her hair whether I shampoo it or not–we use the and I use the after she gets out of the bath as a leave in conditioner. I always spray this on before I brush.

Then, I use a that is great for curly hair. I ONLY brush it when it’s wet. Then after I have detangled I scrunch a dime sized amount of this amazing into the ends of her hair. I love it because it doesn’t make her hair “crispy.” Verb also makes an amazing that we usually try to use (and leave in overnight) once a week.

Side note: I use ALL Verb products on my own hair and absolutely notice a difference from when I was using “store brand.” 

Embrace the curly chaos

I have already started talking to her about caring for her curly hair–we talk about not brushing curly hair when it’s dry and using her special cream. I know a bunch of curly haired mamas that are only now starting to own their curls in their mid-thirties, and I’m hoping my daughter can embrace this chaos from an early age because not only are they absolutely beautiful but they are part of what makes her, her.

Read More

The best baby bathtub. Not really the most sexy baby item on the block but definitely something you need (unless you want to wash baby in the sink old school style–been there, done that).

It only took me having three kids to find a baby bathtub that I actually loved. Who knew you could LOVE a baby bathtub.

With my first two I used this Fisher Price guy. It was big, it sat on the counter (or the floor), it had this little mesh thing so tiny squish didn’t sink. It worked–I mean I was successfully able to bathe two babies, right? But I hated it.

You see, babies are slippery little suckers. Giving them a bath is not fun or relaxing when you’re constantly worried they are going to slip under the water if you aren’t holding them in place…and if you’re holding them in place what hands are you supposed to use to soap them up and rinse them off. It was a struggle. With my third little nugget, I decided to buy a new bath tub. I stumbled upon this Munchkin one. It was inexpensive and looked like baby could actually sit and enjoy the water vs slipping and sliding everywhere.

I absolutely love this bathtub. Emma can actually sit in it (and has been able to since she was about a month old—Took me a while to give her a bath… she’s the 3rd kid….) The way it’s designed is the perfect recline for baby. They are totally propped up and you can actually let go of them and use your hands to soap them up/rinse them without them slipping under the water.

I love that this tub doesn’t use a ton of water, making a more eco-friendly choice than some of the bigger baby bath tubs.

Another awesome feature is this bad boy is compact enough to fit into a sink, or it can sit on the counter or floor. It also fits into the bottom of my linen closet so it doesn’t take up too much space (or it could be hung up using that little handle in the back).

Read More