Name: Rachel Koren
Little Ones: Kamila Almost 3, Katarina 8 Months.
Tell us about the first time you really felt like a “mom/dad”
It was when we were in the hospital when my first daughter was born, it was the first day, she was only a few hours old, and I remember my husband holding her playing nosey-nosey with her teeny tiny little nose, and watching him look at her with such love in his eyes, that’s when I felt it the most. Just a wash of parental love come over me, and falling in love with our first little girl.
If you can tell your baby one bit of advice what would it be?
Try not to fight so much with your parents when you are a teenager. Being a parent is really hard, and all we want to do is protect you and love you, and teach you how to protect yourself, make the right choices so you can be happy in life. I remember I wasn’t always was so nice to my parents & I was pretty rebellious when I was a teenager, something that I regret as an adult, and as a parent now myself.
How do you balance your child's needs with your other responsibilities?
I accept help. As a business owner and mom of two, I have my hands full. I’m super lucky that my husband also works from home and is so involved with raising our kids. He helps so much, I don’t know if I could handle it as well with out him. We also have a part time nanny to help out during the week so that we can get work and errands done. Sometimes you can feel guilty as a mom, that someone else is spending time with your kids when you should be the one doing it. But my husband has been a great support in letting me know that it’s ok, and that I shouldn’t feel guilty about it. I need to get things done and be happy too, otherwise it will take away from the time that I do spend with them. Plus, our kids are pretty lucky that we are both able to work from home and be more available to them
Two tips for a new mom
- Take professional newborn photos. That time goes by so quickly and they are photos that you will treasure forever. Professional newborn photographers make it super easy on a recovering new Mother because they have a lot of experience getting those perfect little shots of your precious baby. Frame them! They also make great gifts to give grandparents and family members.
- Read parenting books. There are so many different opinions and theories out there on how to raise your child and sometimes when you are struggling or feeling lost/frustrated, reading some time tested advice can not only give you a different perspective on how to deal with a situation, it will help make you a better parent overall. I read one recently that actually taught me so much about myself and inspired me to react differently to my daughters actions, which made things better for both her and I. Just because you are a parent now, doesn’t mean you know all the answers.
what is your favorite finn+Emma product?
I love both the organic cotton clothes and the playgym. We use both daily & they are such great quality products. The playgym and toys I have were from my oldest daughter and now my new baby is using them and they are still in perfect condition. It’s such a versatile playgym & can even be used to help when baby is finding her balance to walk.
The clothes are such high quality & super cute. Both of my girls wear the pajamas. They hold up great in the wash and I love the subtle and simple prints & colors.