The course starts with the basics: understanding the different layers of the pelvic floor and learning how something as simple as abdominal breathing can support both activation and relaxation. It’s informative as well as empowering.

We trained together as a group, supporting each other and sharing experiences — and yes, babies were welcome, too! I felt incredibly safe, understood, and well-guided throughout the sessions. Yessica creates such a warm and inclusive atmosphere, and the fact that the course is held mainly in English makes it accessible for everyone, locals and expats. So maybe you don’t only find your strengt again or the one or other new mom friend 🙂

The class is perfect for anyone who’s been cleared by their doctor for pelvic floor training 6 to 10 weeks after giving birth and wants to gently regain strength in a supportive group setting.

Yessica is a wonderful warm and understanding person. As she has been living in Cape Town, South Africa, before she started her family, she knows how demanding expat life can be thus she has a very open ear for everything international

Practical info about the Pelvic Floor course:

• When: The next course in English starts on Wednesday, June 25 from 10:00 – 11:00 AM, 6 Sessions

• Where: Maybachstraße 9, 70771 Leinfelden-E. (with changing rooms and showers available)

• What to bring: Comfortable clothes, clean indoor shoes, a towel, and water

• Costs: 90 Euro (Please note that the course is not covered by German health insurance as this is not your “normal” postnatal workout)

You can get in touch with Yessica via email or through the contact form on her website.

If you’re in the area and looking for a thoughtful, well-rounded way to reconnect with your body postpartum, I can genuinely recommend this course from personal experience. You’ll leave each session feeling stronger — physically and emotionally.

More information

Yessica’s website www.mami-gesundheit.de (only in German but the course will be held mainly in English)

The post My Experience with “MAMI-Fit Pelvic Floor Course” in Leinfelden appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

The post Back after baby break appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

Maybe you remember my last post back in November 2021, where I shared the news that we are expecting or second baby (if not, you can find it here.) Ever since I haven’t been much active, blogging-wise. And I have missed it so much. I love sharing my love for Stuttgart with you guys, keeping you up to date about what’s going on and giving some local tips.

Pregnant in Stuttgart: Maternity sickness and co.

But this second pregnancy has been really tough. I can count the weeks were I felt healthy and strong on one hand. It all started with a severe maternity sickness that lastet for over 10 (ten!!) weeks and on most days I only managed to leave the bed to go to the bathroom to throw up. I felt extremely weak and miserable.

And when the maternity sickness started to fade away, the Kita bug season started. I caught every single infection our little girl brought home from her playgroup. And while she suffered from it just a few days, every single one hit me quite hard. I guess that’s because your immune system is low during pregnancy. So in the end I had five infections that lastet between one and two weeks each. Ufff….

Well, and the third trimester brought the normal tiredness and pregnancy problems that it holds in stock for most moms-to-be. I could sleep all day but after one hour of lying down either my hips hurt or I need to get up to pee – or both 😀

Pregnant in Stuttgart: Balancing work, family and health

So I had to make a decision where to step down a bit in order to manage my energy level throughout my pregnancy as well as I could. Obviously there is the little one and she is priority number one.

Then there are my clients: my German conversation group clients as well as the clients that book my Local Buddy Service. I didn’t want to let down any of them so it was a priority to keep on working with them for as long as I could. So the only part of my work I could cut short was the blog. My heart was bleeding.

Now, as I am approaching the end of the pregnancy, I am super nervous and excited to find out how life as a mom of two will be. I talked a lot to friends how already have more than one kid, I read books about raising siblings (I am the only child in my family so I have no personal experiences!) and did as much research as I could about what to expect the first days and weeks. But of course you can prepare yourself that much but in the end your reality might be very different to everything you are expecting. So I try to be as relaxed (haha, as if! :-)) and open to everything that comes our way as I can.

Pregnant in Stuttgart in times of Covid – let’s talk about mental health for a second…

During this second pregnancy I was not only feeling miserable because of the sicknesses. I was very low at some points mentally too. And I think it is very important to talk about that openly. When you follow influencer moms on Social Media you can get the impression mom life is super easy. They look happy on every picture, dressed up as if they do nothing all day but brush their hair and put on make up. BUT THAT’S NOT REAL! Well, maybe for some moms it is and bless them, they are lucky. But it is not the reality for others, me included. Mom life can be tough. Being a pregnant mom can be much tougher. Being a pregnant mom in the middle of a pandemic… well, I found it extremely hard and I have learned from many conversations that I am not the only one. So that’s why I want to address this topic here on the blog.

My friend Anne from fannetastic food (who had shared a very open post about life as a new mom of two on her blog a while ago) has sent me two really helpful books: Waiting for Birdy and Motherwhelmed [both affiliate links to amazon]. They both deal with exactly the topics I am dealing with myself at the moment. There were many, MANY times during this second pregnancy where I felt totally overwhelmed (or let’s say motherwhelmed :-)). The sicknesses, the Covid situation that made it hard to meet other people, my work… everything just seemed too much sometimes. Talking to friends and reading those books helped me tremendously. It made me see that I am not the only one who is struggling during her second pregnancy, especially in times of Covid. If you are in a similar situation I can only recommend talking about it! With friends, family members and professionals. I also included my midwife at some point, when I was really really low.

Mom life is tough. Period. We don’t need to pretend we aren’t struggling when in reality we really are. Speaking openly about how you’re feeling doesn’t only help you and your situation. It also helps others as it takes away the pressure to be the perfect mom on the outside when at the same side, you’re burned out on the inside. So this is a big YES to more honesty on blogs and social media! We moms are great! But we are allowed to feel motherwhelmed, tired, sad… you name it, from time to time!

Outlook on life as a mom of two

This hasn’t been your usual “oh pregnancy is SO great and wonderful” post, has it 🙂 I have to admit myself that I feel a bit sad when I think about this pregnancy and that it wasn’t as joyful and easy as my first one was. I have a bit of a bad conscience towards the baby because I feel he deserves the best and that also includes a happy pregnancy. It is a bit crazy, I know 🙂 But on the other hand I am SO happy and thankful for this pregnancy because it will bring this little boy into our lives. The most amazing gift life can give you. And yes, I am nervous about how life will be with two kids. My heart starts bleeding when I think of my little girl feeling jealous or sad because she isn’t the center of everything anymore once the baby is there. But at the same time I am SO grateful and happy for her that she does not have to grow up as the only child. You see, I have very mixed and confusing feelings here 🙂 But I know that everything will turn out great in the end. And that’s why I can’t wait for this little boy to arrive in our lives and for us to start this new chapter!

Workwise, I really really hope I will find my strength and creativity again in late spring or summer to start blogging on a regular basis again. I have SO many ideas for new posts 🙂 Next to my weekly articles about what’s up in Stuttgart I would like to share more insider tips and also more tips especially for families. And then there is the guide book “Highlights and Hidden Gems of Stuttgart” on which I am working FOR AGES and which is nearly finished. So I hope I can publish it this summer! Stay tuned for that, it will be awesome! Packed with SO MANY insider tips, many of them are not even known by most locals.

If you have read until here: you are amazing, thank you 🙂 If you are a mom of two or more or pregnant at the moment and can relate to some of the experiences I wrote about today, please feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments.

And to all moms out there: We’ve got this! Chaka! 🙂

The post Pregnancy update: Pregnant in Stuttgart with baby # 2 appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

[Post with amazon affiliate links* and other links to shops where I bought the furniture and decoration of our German kids room.]

Let’s start with these cute wardrobes.

Aren’t they adorable! At first I thought they resemble little houses but then I noticed they look like changing rooms how you find them in sea towns. One thing I didn’t like about them tough is that the mechanism of how you attach the “roof” to the wardrobe isn’t working a 100 percent. The screws are somewhat to long or so for the wardrobe and can damage the surface a bit. We bought them online here but I just noticed that the price has increased in the last months…

The drawer on the left is actually an old one from our bedroom. It is an IKEA  Malm.

What I love the most about this corner of the room are the colorful dots. They are wall tattoos and easy to remove once the little one doesn’t like them anymore one day. As soon as I have put them up, they have changed the whole atmosphere of this part of the room, making it joyful and cozy. I found them here on etsy and simply ordered three different colors.

The lamp with the lion head on the drawer is the newest accessory of the German kids room. I actually ordered it online on my birthday so it is more a present for me then for her 🙂

OK, let’s move on the the next wall…

As I have mentioned in my last post, the little one doesn’t sleep in her own bed yet (it is used for reading books in it at the moment:-)). But when she decides to do so she will have her own little house to sleep in 🙂 This bed is very low so it is easy for her to climb in and out by herself. There is also a “fence” which is half as long als the length of the bed that we can attach to it on the open side to prevent her from falling out at night. We simply put a blanked on top of the bed to make it even more cozy. I found this beauty on etsy, too, but unfortunately the shop doesn’t seem to sell it anymore.

The little bunny flying away with a balloon is a wall tattoo, too. I found it on amazon [affiliate link]. However, we didn’t use the stars that come with it but ordered golden dots from this etsy shop.

The seat is an old one from our former living room. It is an IKEA Ektorp.

Next to the seat we have a little Montessori inspired book shelf. All the books face the little one when she is standing in front of her shelf so it easy for her to find the book she wants to look at. We bought it online here.

In the middle of the room we have an activity area. The mats on the floor are from Ikea as well, called Plufsig. You can fold them when you want to store them away and they are water resistant and thus also easy to clean.

The wooden activity center is again from etsy. The set consists of the climbing triangle with three different sides, the bridge that is a rocking toy when you turn it around and the slide that can also become a bridge as you can see in the picture above. The set was actually a birthday present from her grandparents and now, in her new kids room, we finally have enough space to put all three parts up together. She loves it 😀

So this is our German kids room. How does your little one’s kids room look like?

Disclaimer:
Some of the links in this post are amazon affiliate links. This means that when you click on them and buy something on amazon later I get a little compensation from amazon. This does not affect your price but it helps me to maintain my blog. Thank you for supporting Living in Stuttgart 🙂

The post Part two of my room tour of our German kids room appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

[post with amazon affiliate links*]

Before Christmas the little one had only a small nursing room with the changing station, a shelf with some toys and that’s it. So during January and February we started to redecorate. We moved our bed in her nursing room and created a whole new kids room for our big girl in our former bedroom 🙂

For the record: She is still sleeping in our room. We have decided against sleep training or something similar and sleep in a what you could call “family bed” – minus the bed 😀 We have the mattresses and the slatted frame directly on the floor (too scared of our little whirlwind  falling out…) It sounds strange but it is actually quite comfy and very very nice. I know there is a huge discussion about what is “wright”, sleep training, own room, family bed… We do we, you do you. It’s all good as long as it feels good for you and your family 🙂

So, let’s start with our room tour, shall we? 🙂

Kids room in Germany – the play shelf

I wanted this part of the room to be a fun area, with bright colors. But also organized. It is a bit Montessori inspired. Every toy has it’s given place. That makes it easier to keep it clean and organized.

Let me point out her favorite toys (she’s 19 months old)

Toys in a German kids room

1. Grimm’s rainbow – This is such a “must-have” at the moment 😀 You see the rainbow in nearly every kids room on Instagram, Pinterest and co. But what can I say, it is great! First of all, it looks good 🙂 Then there are thousands of ways the kids can play with it. At the moment she likes to sit in the circles 😀 One day they will become bridges for toy cars to drive over or caves/houses for little animals and dolls. We also practice colors with them actually. You find more information about Grimm’s rainbow here
2. Plantoys instruments – not that it sounds like an angels choir but she likes to hammer on her drum and xylophone and enjoys it quite a lot. These instruments are from Plantoys
3. Toniebox – This is another must-have in Germany. The Toniebox is a music box for little kids. Using it is super easy: You just have to squeeze one of the “ears” to turn it on and then place one of the many little figures on top of it. You can forward by “slapping” the box on the side. Most of the story- or song figures are in German but some come in English, too. Our little one is obsessed with it. And she already has her favorite songs and dances to them :-D. You can get a Toniebox through amazon for example as well as a Tonie figure with English songs [affiliate links].
4. Lego Duplo Primo – These building blocks from Lego are designed for the youngest. But I fear they are not produced anymore?! We got them handed down and I have only seen them in second hand shops so far. But they are great! Super easy to put together and build towers with. Plus there are little cars and figures, too, that keep the little one occupied for quite some time. If you want to look for them you could check on eBay and eBay Kleinanzeigen.
5. Imbucare Letter Box – Imbucare boxes stem from the Montessori approach of learning. They stimulate the development of eye-hand coordination. Due to its special design, Imbucare boxes encourage repetition and training of finger and hand (joint) motor skills. Our little one is nearly too old for this box but we still play with it from time to time. You can find the Imbucare letter box from Nienhuis here.
6. Spinning top – The good, old spinning top 🙂 A classic that shouldn’t miss in any kids room. Ours is very similar to this one here [affiliate link]
7. Hammer game – I am still debating with myself wether this hammer game where you knock the moles on the head is cute or cruel… But the little one likes it so all is good 🙂 You can find it on amazon for example [affiliate link]

So much about her play shelf. The potty on the right is actually not in use yet 😀 She likes to play pretend with it.

I hope this first part of the room tour was somewhat fun and interesting for you. Maybe you got the one or other inspiration for your little one’s room. And Easter is coming up so it you’re still in need for the one or other present… 🙂

What toys do your little ones love to play with? And is there any toy you would LOVE to buy but don’t find it here in Germany?

*about amazon affiliate links
Let’s face it, amazon isn’t your nice next door company. It is way better to buy stuff a) locally or – even better- b) second hand. But sometimes this is hard to do (lockdown…) and we order online (me included of course). So in that case, if you go to amazon via my affiliate link, amazon has to pay me a little compensation. That supports my work here on the blog and at the same time the big global player amazon supports a little Stuttgart-based blogger and does at least some good 🙂

The post Things you do during the lockdown: Redecorating the kids room appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

Transparency: This article contains unpaid advertisement as well as  affiliate links. It is based on my own experiences as a mom in Stuttgart and I only point out things and services that I personally know and can recommend. 

1. It’s all a phase

Sleepless nights, sore nipples, teething, baby blues, weaning blues… Most moms encounter these things so don’t ever think you are alone when it’s getting tough! One thing a good friend told me right before I gave birth was this: “It’s all a phase. It will be hard sometimes. But it will pass, I promise you.” Man was she right. But this is also true for the good and sweet things. Your baby will not always smell like a newborn so enjoy it as long as it holds on! Your baby will not always fit in those tiny rompers, so take lots of pictures – mental ones and real ones. Your baby will not always make those cute noises, so safe them in your mind, your heart and on film… I could go on like this forever because now, one year later, I already miss all those little things 🙂

2. All those examinations…

When your baby is born it already has a lot of appointments. With your pediatrician. They are called “U-Untersuchungen” in German and it is very important that you don’t miss them. The following U examinations await you in the first 12 months:

• U 1 will take place in the first hour after you gave birth and the doctor will check your little one’s vital functions.
• U 2 will take place on day 3 to 10. It includes tests for metabolic disorders,  cystic fibrosis and a newborn hearing test.
• U3 will take place within week 4 to 5. It includes – amongst others – a consultation about the vaccinations.
• U 4 will take place within month 4 to 5. It focuses on the physical and mental development of your child.
• U 5 will take place within month 6 to 7. The physical stage of development is in the focus of the examination.
• U 6 will take place within month 10 to 12. The doctor now looks at everything your child can already do. Special attention is paid to possible developmental delays so that, if necessary, early support or treatment can be provided.

You will get a special pass/book for all U-Untersuchungen, the yellow Kinderuntersuchungsheft. The exact date and the results of all examinations are recorded in the Yellow Children’s Examination Booklet by the doctors and, in some cases, midwives and maternity nurses. The booklet supports parents in preparing for the respective early detection examination by providing information on the age-appropriate examination contents. It is usually given to you in the maternity clinic – in the case of home births by your midwife or obstetrician.

3. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate

First of all: vaccinating your baby is not mandatory in Germany. But it is highly recommended. Your pediatrician will tell you what vaccinations are recommended, when they will be due and answer all your questions.

4. Post-birth fitness

You will not feel very fit after giving birth, this much I can tell you 🙂 I enjoyed participating in post-birth fitness classes. Special Rückbildungskurse are even payed for by German health insurances. Here your trainer will focus on the pelvic floor, your stomach and your general fitness and well-being. If you want to do more, special post-birth yoga or fitness classes will support you. I visited the courses offered by Laufmamalauf (Run Mom Run) and enjoyed them a lot. Some of them are even in English.

5. Fun groups for babies (and moms 🙂

Meeting other babies and moms is a lot of fun. You can join special Krabbelgruppen in Stuttgart, some of them are even in English or follow an international approach. I wrote about three of them in this former mom life update.

6. Where to buy baby stuff?

Believe me, you will need A LOT OF STUFF for a baby. I personally bought most of what we have second hand, on special baby bazaars in Stuttgart or on eBay Kleinanzeigen online. It doesn’t only save you money, is is also good for the environment to buy used items.

But there are of course also great addresses for new baby stuff in Stuttgart.

For example we bought our pram at Babyone in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. For the stroller we went to Metzingen and bought it at Princess, a store that is well known for it’s excellent counseling and huge selection when it comes to prams and strollers.

When you’re looking for a fine selection of high quality products like toys and such I can recommend motchies in Stuttgart-West and Korbmayer in the city center.

The drugstore dm has a great selection for babies when it comes to food and – that might come as a surprise – clothes. I can highly recommend the silk-wool rompers!

For more inspiration visit the post I have written about shopping for baby items in Stuttgart.

7. How do Germans introduce solid food?

From conversations with expats from all around the world I know that the German way of introducing solid food and weaning is different to many other approaches. In general baby nourishment is closely linked to culture and thus different from country to country. In Germany most parents feed their babies purees after a few months and introduce meat in a very early age. Find out more why and how in this article I have written about the German way of introducing solid food to your baby.

8. Oh I feel the blues…

Some of you might have heard of the “baby blues”. It can hit new moms a few days or weeks after giving birth and can even grow to a real depression. Very often it is linked to the sudden change of hormones in the female body after giving birth.

In my personal case I didn’t experience the “baby blues” but what I call “weaning blues”. It hit me – as the name suggests – two weeks after we have completed weaning. From one moment to the next I felt super weak, physically but also mentally. At first I didn’t know what was going on but then I found out that a lot of moms are experiencing the same and it has also to do with the change of hormones.

As I know from personal experience how horrible this might feel like and how helpless and lonely one can feel it is important to me to spread the word about this situation, the “weaning blues”. So in case it might hit you, I want you to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There are many of us out there who are experiencing or have experienced the same and went through the same you are going through at the moment. And: It is no sign of weakness to seek help! Your gyn or midwife are the first addresses you can – and should! – turn to! You do not need to suffer!

9. Help!

I can only imagine how it might feel being a new mom in a foreign country. If you need support I can recommend the local company Gravidamiga. The specialize in supporting international moms in Stuttgart. They offer private counseling as well as courses.

10. Helpful books and more

There are TONS of parenting books out there and I haven’t read all of them. That being said I want to recommend one book that I truly loved: The Wonder Weeks [affiliate link]. Apparently in the first year, all babies undergo the same developmental steps at the same time. This book tells you what is going on with your baby at the moment and how you can help him or her to master this step. This book has helped me big times understanding why the little one was grumpy one day and happy the other. And I got a lot of inspiration for games I could play with her.

Moreover, there were two Netflix shows that I LOVED as a new mom:

Firstly: The letdown. A comedy about new mom Audrey and her struggles. SOOOOO good, SOOOOO true and SOOOOO funny!

Secondly: Babies. A documentary series that follows parents around the world through the first year with their babies. Moreover, every episode focuses on different research findings about the development of babies. SOOOOO interesting!

11. Make memories for a lifetime

I couldn’t sound more stereotypical but: Times flies sosososos much when you have a baby! I can’t believe how much our little one has changed in only 12 months!! She’s not a newborn anymore, not even a baby but a toddler. Make sure t0 enjoy your baby as much as possible in this short first year. And believe me, as easy as this sound now, as hard it can be after a night without sleep or the fifth shirt you have to put into the washing machine because someone puked on it AGAIN in one day… But, oh my god, all those priceless little wonders! Those toothless smiles! My heart is melting when I think of it 🙂

Find a good balance between enjoying your baby “technic-free”and taking pictures and films of him or her to save all those wonderful moments for the future. Another wonderful way of conserving the “smallness” of your baby is to get 3 D imprints of their feet or hands. We went to Kerstin in Waldenbuch and she did a great job! She speaks English too and has worked with a lot of international families already. You find more information on her website: mk13.de

Another thing we did was take pictures of the litte one each month. Like this we could document how she was growing and developing. We have used these pretty wooden blocks [affiliate link] and the milestone cards [affiliate link].

Moreover, I also wrote a diary for the little one in this first year. My mom did the same for me and it was so touching and also super interesting to read it now, as a mom myself, with my baby undergoing the same developmental changes I did 🙂

Disclaimer: Please note that I am no doctor, nurse or midwife. For any concerns about you or your baby please turn to your gyn, midwife or doctor. 

The post 11 things you want to know as a new mom in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

Moritz and I have been debating in the days leading up to the big day whether or not we should celebrate. We are still in the middle of a pandemic, right? But I reallyreallyreally wanted to celebrate so we decided we organize an “open garden” for a small number of friends so that there would still be enough space for the guests to keep their distance. Luckily the weather was on our side, too.

OF COURSE the little one didn’t understand what was going on. And after half an hour or so she was done with socializing and wanted to run around the house for a million times and play with the toy frog in our rainwater collector.

But it was so lovely celebrating this past first year amongst friends and people who care about her. It melted my heart 🙂

The last 12 months…

When I look back at the last 12 months I can’t believe how many things have changed. Obviously our whole life has changed 🙂 We have become parents and are now responsible for a little, helpless, super cute and wonderful human being. I think I personally have changed tremendously – and am still the same person at the same time, too. Does that make any sense?? 😀

I am so thankful that Moritz has taken nearly one year Elternzeit (parental leave) so that I was able to work again a bit after 3 months. I think this was a great experience because I could really have it all – I was a new mom but still self-employed and active. I can only speak from my point of view but for me it was very healthy to be able to wrap my head around other topics than diapers and such all day long.

Another thing I am very grateful for: Our amazing trip to Tasmaia when the little one was 5 months old. We have spent 2 wonderful months in Down Under in a camper van and were able to enjoy this adventure as a family and make memories for a lifetime.

Then the pandemic hit us and we came back prematurely. But at least we made it back safely and healthy.

I remember how strange it was at first to be stuck at home with the little one with no play dates and Krabbelgruppen to attend. I think I can call us lucky again as she is too young to understand what is going on. But I also remember how glad I was when it became warmer and the situation a bit better and we were able to meet friends in the fresh air again.

What a whirlwind of a year. Not only our personal little world has changed so much, everybody’s world has.

When I can wish for one thing for the little one’s first birthday it is that this next year will bring a cure for Corona and wisdom for mankind. Haven’t these past months shown us what is really important? Family and friends and health? We really don’t need much to be happy but very often we forget about that. I wish for the little one and all other kids of the next generation that we as a society learn and grow, that we stop buying stuff only to throw it away again, that we stop destroying the planet and our health and that we remember what is really important and act upon it. I know, I know, big words 🙂

Sources for new moms and moms to be in Stuttgart

If you want to browse through my experiences as a new mom in Stuttgart, check out the following articles:

• What I’ve learned from being a new mom in Stuttgart for 3 months
• What I’ve learned from being a new mom in Stuttgart of a 4 months old baby
• What I’ve learned from being a new mom in Stuttgart of a 5 months old baby
• Being a mom in Stuttgart of a 6 months old baby
• Being a mom of a 7 months old baby (no, I didn’t forget the “in Stuttgart” part 🙂 I wrote this mom life update while we were on our trip in Australia)
• Being the mom of an 8 months old baby in Stuttgart
• Being the mom of a 9 months old baby in Stuttgart
• Being the mom of a 10 months old baby in Stuttgart
• Being the mom of an 11 months old baby in Stuttgart

You find an overview over all my mom life updates here.

If you are pregnant at the moment you might find helpful tipps in my category Pregnant in Stuttgart.

And if you’re thinking about introducing solid food to your little one, here is an overview about the German way of weaning (with recipes for purees and a pdf-document that holds all information and that you can download for free).

I plan to post an article about things I would have loved to know before I became a mom and another about what to buy before the baby arrives (and where – in Stuttgart and online). So stay tuned for that when you’re expecting a little one yourself 🙂

Thank you for staying with me this past year. It was so special to me and I love that you were a part of it through this blog 🙂

The post Happy 1st Birthday, little one! appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

[This post contains unpaid advertisements as well as affiliate links. Affiliate links are always marked as such on Living in Stuttgart.]

But before we start: Check out the super cute shorts the little one is wearing on the picture above! A friend of mine started a small business here in Stuttgart. She offers baby shorts and trousers in the cutest colors and styles. You can find her on Instagram under the name Kaiserkleidchen. When you like one of the designs, just write her a direct message 🙂 These are the designs I went for: 

Sooo cute, aren’t they?!

Anyway…

How is the little one at 11 months?

Veeeery active. She LOVES to walk. She still needs to hold on to our hands but apart from that, nothing is stopping her 😀 Her favorite tracks lead around the house and up and down the stairs. From time to time she lets go of one hand. But it seems like it is still very tricky for her to hold herself upright so she grabs for the second hand again quickly. She still loves her little walker/cart [affiliate link] but she definitely prefers to walk holding ours hands now.

On the sleeping front I can report: things have changed for the best ever since we completed weaning three  weeks ago. Now she sleeps through most of the nights and that is AMAZING!! Falling asleep is still a problem for her in the evenings (not during the day though. she only needs 5 to 10 minutes to nap…?!) but once she is sleeping, not much wakes her up anymore.

When it comes to eating she is getting more and more curious about “real” food and tries everything we hand her. Of course she doesn’t like everything… but at least she tries! 🙂 Her favorite meals at the moment include:

• pancakes – either with vegetables or ham and cheese
• pasta (without sauce!)
• wiener sausages
• fish (so far we have tried salmon and mackerel and she likes both)
• and she is still a HUGE veggie lover and nearly inhales broccoli and cauliflower

And as dessert all kinds of fruits are always high in demand. Her favorites at the moment are raspberries and watermelon 🙂

What is she loving lately?

• I could name her most favorite activities “The two R’s”: running and reading! As I have mentioned earlier, she is up on her feet from dawn to dust… But she is also a big “reader”. Well, of course she is not really “reading” but she loves flipping through her picture books. Sometimes she makes noises while doing so, just as if she was reading to herself 😀 I love that we were able to install an interest in books in her already. Reading is SO important and in my opinion, it starts in this young age.
• Watching animals. We have been to the Wilhelma (this is how our zoo in Stuttgart is called :-))  with her last months but in the end she doesn’t need a whole zoo. It is enough to go to smaller enclosures like “Saurucken” at Naturpark Schönbuch where we were able to observe wild boar and deer. And she also loves to pay the horses a visit on the fields behind Möhringen.
• Playing with her stacking tower [affiliate link]. It took a while until she figured out how to play with it but now it keeps her occupied for quite some time.
• Playing with these little man from Grimm’s [affiliate link]. She loves to take them in and out out of their bowls. She doesn’t care about sorting the colors but it is so cute watching her working with them very concentrated.
• Watching other kids at the playground. She doesn’t approach other kids herself a lot but she is very interested in them, especially in older kids.
• Splashing around in her baby pool. We have this pool with it’s cute mushroom top [affiliate link].
• Playing with this toy frog in our rainwater barrel 😀

How are you feeling as the mom of an 11 months old baby in Stuttgart?

Great and not so great. Let me start with the great part: It is SO amazing seeing her grow into a toddler. She is a little personality now. She knows what she likes and what she doesn’t like. And she can tell us! She has a wonderful spirit, she is strong minded but also kind and I pray that she will keep and grow these attributes throughout her whole life. And it is so fun that we can really play with her now.

But this last month was also hard. Hard because I didn’t react very great to the completion of weaning. It all went great  at the beginning and I was so released about that. I didn’t breastfeed her during the day anymore anyway, just at nighttime. When we decided to end that now, too, we were worried a bit. But she only woke up in the first two nights from now and then and when she did we offered her a bottle with plain water and she accepted it most of the times. In the third night she slept through. That was the first time in nearly a year that we slept through, too. You can imagine how surprised we were when we all woke up in the morning with the sound of the birds singing – not at nighttime with the sound of a crying baby. From then on she slept through most of the nights. Only in the first week there were two nights were she woke up and then it was a bit tricky to make her fall asleep again. But now, this isn’t a problem anymore.

So far, so good. You can guess that I was so happy that everything went so well that I didn’t anticipate what happened two weeks later. It was a regular Sunday noon. I prepared lunch for her, steamed veggies with pasta. One of her favorite dishes. For some reason she didn’t like it that day. That totally irritated me. And then Moritz gave her a Wiener sausage and she nearly inhaled it. And this made me so upset that I started to cry. And all of the sudden I also felt very, very exhausted. I needed to sit down and could have fallen asleep at the spot. I told Moritz that I have to lay down right now and that’s what I did. Luckily this happened on a weekend so that I wasn’t alone with the little one. I took a very long nap and when I woke up again I still felt so weak that I stayed in bed for a bit longer. I started to google and found a lot of articles about women who have experienced the same a few days or weeks after they have completed weaning. Apparently this is the equivalent to the baby blues some new moms are experiencing right after birth. It has to do with the hormones and that makes totally sense for me as I always react strongly to a change of hormones. I felt SO relieved when I read through theses articles because I realized this breakdown is actually quite normal (and doesn’t mean I’ve totally lost it! :-D). I just wonder why I haven’t heard about it before. The baby blues after giving birth is quite well known but this breakdown not so much I think. This is why I wanted to share it with you because if maybe one of you will experience the same in the future you might remember what I wrote here and you won’t feel like you’re the only one on earth who is going through this…

Now, one week later I have to admit that I still feel more tired than usual but it is definitely getting better and better from day to day. And I can assure you: I am not crying anymore when the little one doesn’t like the food I have prepared for her! 😀

The post Being the mom of an 11 months old baby in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

But before I start one word about the picture at the beginning of this post: HOW GREEN IS THE BACKGROUND?! 🙂 I look as if I am hiking through some rainforest! Whereas it is just Schmellbachtal between Stuttgart-Rohr and Leinfelden! We are blessed with the lush nature in and around Stuttgart, aren’t we?!

How is the little one at 10 months?

She is SO active! After she had started to pull herself up last month she is standing now whenever she can. She is standing when she is flipping through picture books that are lying on the couch, she is standing and leaning against the mirror and “talking” to herself, she is even standing when we have to change her diapers (yep.. quite a challenge… :-D).

And not enough that she is standing now, she even started to climb up the stairs and to walk when she can hold on to something. And now, that she has acquired theses new skills, she wants to practice them all the time! So you can imagine there is a lot climbing up and down stairs and walking around and through the house. My poor back.. 😀

While on the one hand she got more active through these new skills on the other hand she got more relaxed regarding her sleep. I think it has to do with the fact that all the four new teeth that I could see coming through are now there and don’t hurt her anymore. And according to The Wonder Weeks [affiliate link] she is in between two development steps at the moment and thus this is a relaxed phase right now anyway.

After she hasn’t eaten much for a little while last month she is now back to her old self and enjoys the purrees I make her as well as little samples of our food. If you are curious to find out more about the German way of introducing solid food to your baby check out this article that I have put together a few weeks ago.

Oh, and she can say “Papa” now! With a real “P”. You can guess who was especially happy about that 🙂

What is she loving lately?

• Riding her rocking animal. We got this adorable giraffe from labebe [affiliate link] second hand from Ebay Kleinanzeigen. It is not only a rocking animal, it also has four wheels so we can push her through the house on it. She loves it!! She looks so proud when she is riding her giraffe. It is too adorable!
• The ball pool I got for her recently on Ebay Kleinanzeigen. It looks like this one [affiliate link] and she loves picking out balls and throwing them in the hallway. Yeah, I know, like this I can join in the “fun” when I have to pick up all the balls afterwards…
• Being in the garden. She always wants to go outside. When it was raining the last few weeks she used to point out through the window to the garden and look at me with her big eyes. I know, there is no bad weather, only wrong clothes – but I really didn’t feel like crawling through the muddy garden so I had to break her little heart and we stayed inside (with all her toys, books, the ball pool.. I know, what a burden ;-)) But now that the sun is out again we go out a lot and she loves it. There is so much to see and discover like grass, birds, snail…

I can’t wait for summer to arrive. We have bought a baby pool (guess where, Ebay Kleinanzeigen of course :-)) and I am SO looking forward to watching her splash the water in it:-D

The post Being the mom of a 10 months old baby in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

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Introducing solid food to your baby the German way – official recommendations

When I started to do research about how to introduce solid food to my little one I turned to the website of Baden-Württemgberg and found this brochure: Von Anfang an mit Spaß dabei – Essen und Trinken im ersten Lebensjahr. It points out all the official recommendations that are based on scientific research. Unfortunately it is written only in German. So here comes an overview about the main facts when introducing solid food to your baby the German way in English:

• Don’t start with solid food before the 5th month as it might overwhelm your baby’s body.
• Don’t wait longer than the 7th month as breast milk or formula won’t supply enough iron and zinc in the second half of the first year anymore
• Trust your baby. It will show you when it is ready for solid food. Indicators are when it is interested in what’s on your plate, when it tries to grab your food and when it opens it’s mouth so that you can give him or her a spoonful. Your baby should be able to sit upright and turn it’s head away from the food before you start introducing solids.
• In Germany we start with a vegetable-potato-meat-puree. It is full of iron and zinc and thus provides exactly what your baby needs after the first 6 months. This puree is usually served as lunch.
  • Vitamin C is important to help the body absorb the iron so it should be part of every lunch. You can for example mix 3-4 teaspoons of apple- or orange juice in the puree or offer your baby fruit puree for dessert.
  • In order to help your baby to get used to solid food you should start with introducing just one sort of vegetable at a time and just offer a few spoons. Increase the amount from day to day and introduce other vegetables, then start mixing the vegetables with potatoes and add one tablespoon of oil. Use high quality and organic oil. Rapeseed oil is particularly good  but linseed oil, sunflower seed oil or soy oil are also suitable.
  • Replace the meat once or twice a week with fish. Salmon, cod and haddock are very healthy for your baby.
  • If you are skeptical about introducing meat at such a young age vegetarian alternatives are 10 g millet or oat flakes. They are a good source of iron, too. Add 3-4 tablespoons of apple or orange juice or fruit puree as iron from plant sources is harder to absorb for the body and the vitamin C is very needed. Raising your baby vegan is not recommended.
• Between month 6 and 8 the second puree follows: The official German recommendations state that it is now time to introduce milk-grain-puree as dinner. This is the first time the baby gets introduced to whole milk. It is a good source of calcium, proteins and iodine however you can also use formula or breastmilk for this puree. Fruit is also part of this puree in order to help the body absorb the iron of the grains.
• The third puree is introduced between month 7 and 9 as afternoon-meal. The grain-fruit-puree is prepared without milk.
• Water is introduced with the third puree. 200 ml spread over the day is sufficient until the baby starts eating what you are eating, then the amount should be raised to 600 ml.

Introducing solid food to your baby the German way – recipes

Here come the official recipes for the three purees named above:

Vegetable-potato-meat-puree

Cut the vegetable, potatoes and meat/fish in small pieces and steam for 10-15 min. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and blend everything. Add water until the consistency is as your baby likes it. Add the fruit puree or juice into the puree or serve the puree as dessert.

Milk-grain-puree

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