Becoming a mother can be crazy overwhelming. There are so many things to think about… How will adding a kid into your daily routine change things? What does it mean to be a good parent? Do I breastfeed or formula feed? What do I prioritize in my new life?

You think you have it all figured out, and then BAM your kid’s personality changes. What is happening?! It’s so frustrating at times when your child is growing so quickly and you have no idea what is going on.

When a friend of mine suggested The Wonder Weeks app, I was not expecting much. The app was almost a dollar to put on my phone. I put in my son’s due date and name and it calculated every “wonder week” that he would go through, which are also called “leaps”.

The app gave me a notification every time a wonder week was about to begin! Then I could read all about what was happening inside of him brain, what to expect from his behavior (sleeping, eating, attitude, etc.!), and how to help him get through the leap!

Of course, because every child is unique and grows at different paces (and we can’t know the exact time of conception which would affect the timing!), the timing wasn’t always right on… but the general time frame was super helpful in knowing what to expect.

When my child went from his normal personality to the “leap” personality, it was alarming the first couple of times! He seriously seemed like a totally different kid.

One of the most encouraging things a fellow mom ever said to me, which goes right along with the information in The Wonder Weeks, is that knowing that it’s only a phase will help you to be a better parent.

When your little angel suddenly starts doing the strangest and most frustrating things, like waking up every hour through the night, throwing foods at you that he usually loves, or throwing tantrums about the stupidest things; remember that IT IS ONLY A PHASE! You will get through this one just like you got through the last one.

I also found so much comfort in knowing that the stressful behavior and short-term changes were a sign that growth and maturing were happening in his little brain! There’s nothing more amazing as a parent than seeing your child grow in knowledge, maturity and individuality.

If you know what things your child is learning during that leap, it makes it so much easier to get through the struggles of the leap because you know there is a purpose. It also tells you how long to expect the leap to last. Some are only a few days, while some last over a month. It gives you a timeline and makes things so much easier to deal with!

If you aren’t a smart phone kind of mom, there is also a book which I’m sure is great and offers even more information than the app does. I hope you find this parenting hack as helpful as I did! Good luck!