One on One Time With My Babies

couch +  similar |  pillow

Now that my 3 big people are at school all day, I’ve been really trying to carve out some special time one on one time with the babies. When I say “special”, I don’t necessarily mean something big and extravagant. Special one on one time for us is a set time when all of my attention is 100% on them. I think as moms we try too hard and think everything has to be a big production to count. That is so far from the truth! So today I wanted to share a couple of my favorite things to do in my one on one time with the babies.

couch +  similar |  pink pillow  |  bookcase  |  gold dog

… READING …

I think I’ve shared here before, but if you didn’t know, I am a HUGE fan of children’s books. Like started collecting them before we even had little people because I just love them so much. Our office has cupboards full of them and I love that it is slowly helping my little people gain that same love of reading. One of my very favorite things to do is read to the babies. They are both at that stage where books just suck them in. They pick apart every picture pointing out details they recognize and its just so fun to see them catching on.

Houston has had some delays with his speech and recently started working with a speech therapist. It has been amazing to see just from listening to me read to him the words that he will catch on to and start to say more and more himself in his own version of “reading”. I love that its such a fun way to teach speech concepts without them even knowing it.

Besides that is is introducing them to a love of  words + reading, I love that it means snuggle time! We just created this new little reading nook  with fun pieces we found at Walmart and it is heaven for them. I was shocked to find so many adorable pieces. They were so affordable but are really such great quality. I love that they blend well with the style of the rest of our home. Something about having a cozy little space of your own to  read a book makes it  more fun. Even my bigger people are loving it!

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… COLORING …

table + chair set  |  pink stool + in mint option

I don’t know about your little people but mine, especially the babies LOVE coloring! Really I think a lot of it is they think they are getting to make a mess and be a little destructive, and what kid doesn’t love that?! Houston is all about doing whatever the big kids are doing because as he always tells me “I big mom!”.  When he sees the big people doing homework he wants to be just like them. So coloring and “writing” are something he has really started to love.

Having done some speech therapy for Hayden, and now for Houston, it has made me more aware of development and helping things progress a little faster for Harper. I love to take advantage of our coloring time and make it a teaching moment too. It is really so simple but we kind of do like a copy mom game. I will draw a line or shape and tell them to do the same and they copy me. It has helped their fine motor skills so much and they think its so fun. Win win in my book!

I think the most important thing to remember in making one on one time with your people special, is to keep it simple. It doesn’t have to be dragging out every piece to a train set.  Your people just crave and love that time with you and your attention more than anything. Sometimes our coloring or reading happens in the car while we wait for a soccer practice to be over, but we make it work. The biggest thing I’ve been trying to remind myself is to just be present.  So I wanna know, what are you favorite things to do with your little people, whether they are babies or even grandbabies?!

in partnership with Walmart

photos : aubrey taiese