Author Archives: Rebecca Wilkens

About Rebecca Wilkens

BabyLed is the married mother of one beautiful daughter. She and her family live in the Midwest of the United States. BabyLed loves learning new ways for her family to be healthy and happy. She is a strong believer in attachment parenting, cooking from scratch, and alternative medicine (but is very thankful for conventional medicine when it is needed.). She would much rather avoid illness by living a healthy lifestyle than treat an illness after it has arrived. BabyLed loves reading, cooking, nature, and good old celebrity gossip. BabyLed graduated from college with a degree in Elementary Education. After teaching preschool for two years, she quit her job to be a fulltime mommy to her infant daughter. Being one of those "paranoid, first-time mothers" has led to her reading many books and articles on parenting and children. Although she has been around children her entire life, the birth of her daughter gave her a whole new perspective on what children are all about.

The Timing of the Tooth

My baby girl started teething at about three months of age. Her mouth would turn into a waterfall of drool, she’d soak about an outfit an hour, and she’d chomp on anything she could get her little gums on. Each month, my husband and I were certain a tooth would pop through. Each month, we’d tell our friends and family, “Any day now. Her tooth will be here before we know it.” Without fail, each new month would come and go, and with each new month came no tooth. Our friends’ babies, who were younger than our baby, all got … Continue reading →

I’m Back!

As I haven’t blogged in over a month, I feel the need to explain my absence. In the course of about two months, my husband graduated from college, received a job in a different city, we moved, and we attended two family reunions (one that required a plane trip and sleeping in a tent). Those events would keep any person busy, but attempting to do all of them with an 11-month-old? That’s a different story. To begin, packing up an apartment while trying to keep my child entertained was no easy feat, especially because I strongly believe in attachment parenting. … Continue reading →

She Must Have A High Pain Tolerance

The last couple of days have been a blur of unpacking boxes, putting contact paper in cupboards, and flattening boxes. Every time we move, I’m amazed at how much stuff we own. My dear little baby hasn’t been getting much attention, and I’ve been trying to come up with ways to keep her occupied. Yesterday I was struggling with my first experience with contact paper, and it wasn’t going well. At all. It was sticking to everything it shouldn’t, and my daughter was whining and fussing away. A light bulb went off in my head, and I ran upstairs to … Continue reading →

There’s No Place Like Home

We’re moving tomorrow, and I’m a bit apprehensive about it. I can’t wait to be in a new place, and I’m definitely excited to be in a bigger house. What I’m worried about is how my daughter will handle the move. In past experiences, I’ve seen how much she loves being at home. When we’re away, visiting family or friends, she handles it well. However, naps and bedtime are always a bit more difficult at a strange house. When we finally arrive back home, I can almost see her body relax. If she could purposely sigh, I think she would. … Continue reading →

Favorite Disposable Diapers

You probably all know by now that I’m a huge fan and advocate of cloth diapering. It’s what we do 99% of the time with our 11-month-old, and we love it. Still, there are times when, let’s face it, disposables are easier. When we’re flying to visit family and each checked bag costs $25, it’s not worth it to us to pack a suitcase full of diapers. This week, we’ve been using disposables every day. We’re moving Monday morning, and it seemed simpler to pack the cloth diapers away with the rest of our belongings and switch to ‘sposies. (If … Continue reading →

Poop Schedule

As a newborn, my daughter pooped every single time she breastfed. I could count on hearing and feeling a low rumble in her diaper in the middle of every feeding, and she rarely pooped in between feedings. Her pooping happened less often the older she got, even though she was still exclusively breastfed. It was after we introduced solids that her poop schedule became interesting. She never had a problem with diarrhea or constipation, thank goodness. We purposely avoided things like juice and rice cereal to steer clear of those problems. The changes that occurred in her poop had more … Continue reading →

Leaving my Baby with a Sitter

I left my daughter with a sitter for nearly 8 hours last week. In a row. For some of you, that’s a piece of cake. For those who know me well, it may as well have been a miracle. My husband and I were getting together with friends, and we decided our 10-month-old probably would much rather be at home playing with toys. We called up Grandma and Grandpa, who were more than willing to help us out in our time of need. When it was time to go, I kissed my baby goodbye without feeling any stress. I had … Continue reading →

Moving Day

As much as I hate moving, I’m pretty sure my baby hates it more. My husband and I believe in attachment parenting, so she’s spent most of her life in some sort of sling or wrap. She likes it, we like it, and everyone is happy. However, we’re moving in less than a week, and when there’s an apartment to pack up, the rules change. When I’m moving heavy boxes and lifting things off of high shelves, I don’t feel safe having her in tow. For that reason, she’s been spending a lot of time entertaining herself. She’s very good … Continue reading →

Tornado Kit for your Baby

Call me crazy, but I love the thrill of major storms. During the winter, I can hardly contain my excitement when I hear big snow in the forecast. Now that it’s summer, I look forward to thunder and lightning storms, even tornado warnings. Of course, I never want anyone to get hurt or anyone’s property to get damaged; however, I truly enjoy watching severe weather (from inside, of course). Being a mother makes my enjoyment a little different. I still feel a shiver of excitement go through my body when I hear severe weather in the forecast, but my thoughts … Continue reading →

She Thinks Her Poop DOES Stink

Back in the pre-solid-food days in my household, poopy diapers were something my husband and I had to check for. If our baby was fussy, we peeked in the side of the leg gussets to check for yellow. If it had been a couple hours since the last diaper change, we peered down the back of the diaper to check for any mess. Sometimes she had poop in her diaper for quite awhile before anyone realized the need for a change. I miss the days when we weren’t sure if a diaper was poopy until we saw the poop with … Continue reading →