Sometimes silly; sometimes a little taboo; but always a GIANT help. Every mother has a secret weapon that she uses during trying times and helps her endure the wild world of parenting. We asked mothers on #teamtula and in our community to share their own secret weapons. Perhaps they'll come in handy the next time you're feeling helpless.
Almost Everyone's Secret Weapon: A Tula Baby Carrier
We would all agree that in many instances a Tula carrier has saved the day. From providing comfort for a tired baby to allowing us to tend to other duties or needs of another child, using one of our baby carriers provides a comfortable, hands-free way to bond with your baby.
Kara - Community Outreach at Baby Tula And Mom to Henry, Avery, Oliver, and Violet
Kara's Secret Weapon:
Coffee. Time to myself (doing ANYTHING… bath. Target. Grocery shopping. Driving… just anything where I’m not having to take care of a human). And MORE coffee.
Rina - Marine Corps Vet and Spouse, Entrepreneur, and Mom to Raven and Robyn
Rina's Secret Weapon:
The beach is my happy place. My place of peace. The place I can go to almost any time of day, with or without my kids and enjoy as much or as little time as we want. On the days that nothing seems to be going right or even on the days where life feels like it couldn’t be any better...the beach is there. We go. We sit. We walk. We swim. We pray. We lay. We rest. We run. We set intentions. We read. We play. We are free to be whatever we want to be at the beach. And any place that makes me feel free is where I find joy and power.
I’ve found that every time we come back from the beach, even if we only go for 10-15 minutes, we all return a little more relaxed, a little happier, a little calmer, a little more centered, and sometimes even a little burnt. But it never gets old.
Stephanie - Former owner of Abby's Lane INC, marketing and sales assistant to Smart Bottoms and bumblito, independent business consultant and Mom to Abigail, Camille, Lucy, Sebastian, Jaxson, Oliver, and Violet
Stephanie's secret weapon:
A daily mug of 50% reluctant self-confidence, 50% a supportive partner, topped with an airy mixture of 15 minutes a day to recharge with a dash of optimism.
Being a mom for 16 years now, I have the luxury of seeing the "proof" of putting in the hard work to see some of the benefits, so that totally is cheating but by golly, I am going to take it. My husband, my partner of 21 years and cheerleader for all things our family, has carefully helped to build a foundation on which everything is built. Our ever-evolving relationship, a family, our happiness, our failures, our confidence, our journey through parenting triumphs and hard falls we never saw coming.
I also try to remember these mantras: Trust your instincts, say no to those who shade your sun, love your babies over and over, don't be afraid to apologize to them a hundred times a minute if needed. Give yourself permission to be human and fail sometimes, because at the end of the day our children are human too and need to know that it is ok to start over. Be the light for them, it will help them shine brighter but also be the lighthouse beacon home when needed. Love their failures as much as their successes, and always be the soft place where they can land.
Chelsea - Account Coordinator at Baby Tula and Mom to Maya
Chelsea's Secret Weapon:
I don’t want this to sound cliché or cheesy but, my secret weapon is my husband! He has been my support, my punching bag, my third hand, and everything that screams help!
Another secret weapon, I follow @takingcarababies on Instagram and she helped SO much with me navigating newborn sleep/feedings/awake time and still look to her blogs for advice!
Priscilla - Community and Social Media For Baby Tula and Mom to Remi and Oslo
Priscilla's Secret Weapon: Quiet time to listen to podcasts
I spend a lot of time arguing with little humans, so when I get an opportunity to enjoy thought-provoking conversations, storytelling, or an update on actual adult topics I always feel recharged. Podcasts tend to be a little less of a time commitment than a book or film for me, so grabbing my headphones during a grocery store run or turning on a podcast while I am driving helps me to crawl out of my parenting bubble and think or learn about other things. Podcasts like Cool Moms (which we have featured on our blog) and Upbringing can even inform my parenting and provide relatable laughter.
Allie - Senior Operations and Project Manager at Baby Tula and Mom to Rocky
Allie's Secret Weapon:
Ok, this might be controversial or frowned upon. My secret weapon, above all else, has been thumb sucking! I was so grateful to have a thumb sucker when my son was a baby because he could calm himself down and soothe himself really easily – I think it made the first two years of parenting much easier for me. The orthodontia I will inevitably have to pay for one day was well worth the cost of an easy and happy baby!
Another secret weapon I use now. When my kid is on a food strike I end up putting him in the bathtub and tossing in bits of cut up food for him to eat out of the water. It might sound gross but it really works! He thinks it’s a game and I get to make sure he gets some nutritious food in him. My favorites are cherry tomatoes, grapes, baby carrots, bell pepper slices, blueberries, and even dried apricots.