Momsessed: Lilliana Vasquez's Parenting Essentials Include A ‘Triple Threat’ Beauty Product & All Things CoComelon
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Lilliana Vazquez has quite the impressive resume. She was the Emmy-winning TV host for E! News and Pop of the Morning, is a frequent reporter and guest on TODAY and Access Live, as well as a fashion icon and author of The Cheap Chica’s Guide to Style: Secrets to Shopping Cheap and Looking Chic. Vazquez recently spearheaded a healthy habits campaign with the beloved children’s show, CoComelon, and she is now producing a podcast, Becoming an Icon, which is only fitting given her long list of influential roles. In July of 2021, she took on yet another lifechanging role, but this one took her to square one. As the mom to a precious toddler, Santiago, she decidedly shifted from expert to student.
“I’ve really embraced my new identity as a student,” she told SheKnows. “Santi is the best teacher and he’s been able to teach me more about myself in these last 18 months than I have learned in the last 10 years.”
As she built up her career, Vazquez didn’t think much about becoming a mother. In fact, it wasn’t until her OBGYN told her she might not be able to have a child that she realized just how much she wanted to be a mom.
“It’s amazing how badly you can suddenly want something, when the possibility of having it might not exist,” she said.
Vazquez and her husband Patrick McGrath then embarked on a six-year-long fertility journey. The heartbreak and hardships of infertility are not easy to talk about, but Vazquez has graciously shared her experience with audiences worldwide, shedding an open and honest light on an issue that women often and understandably keep to themselves. In fact, even Vazquez wanted to keep her journey a secret at the start.
If there is one thing she wants people to know, it’s this: “Infertility doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t see age, race, religion. It can happen to anyone.”
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When Vazquez announced her pregnancy in March of 2021, she told PEOPLE she felt “complete and over the top elation.” It was a feeling, she said, that she had never felt before. Of course, as any parent will tell you, that elation only grows throughout a pregnancy and a child’s life. Now, after years of pain and loss, Vazquez says she is parenting young Santi “from a place of abundance.”
“An abundance of love, joy, time, energy, patience and respect,” she told SheKnows.
And as you’ll see below, an abundance of CoComelon.
The podcast I’m listening to right now
I love Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen. She has incredible guests and eye opening conversations that always make me question everything! I love it.
The books my kid is obsessed with
Right now we love reading I Am Enough by Grace Byers (also available on Amazon), Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (also available on Amazon), and The Kissing Hand (also available on Amazon).
What I’m currently reading myself
The Light We Carry (for pleasure). (Also available on Amazon).
Oh Crap! Potty Training (for parenting). (Also available on Amazon).
The beauty product I never leave the house without
Merit Cream Blush. I use it on my lips, eyes and cheeks! It’s a triple threat!
The app that makes my life as a parent easier
YouTube is our lifeline. We love to watch our favorite CoComelon songs/episodes, and he’s also in a rotational schema, so real-life videos of anything that spins/turns is a must!
The music we listen to as a family
We love music in our family, and Santi loves to sing and dance, so we use songs as a tool to teach him about new routines. A perfect example: He’s getting ready to start a Montessori program, and since I know he thrives on structure and predictability, introducing a new concept via a song first (like CoComelon’s “First Day of School”) helps make that experience more familiar and ultimately successful for all of us!
The TV shows and movies I actually enjoy watching with my kid
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The show was such a huge part of my childhood – it was instrumental in helping me learn English so it’s been really special sharing that with him as his language skills are exploding!
The parenting accounts I follow
FeedingLittles on Instagram – The best toddler recipes, and plenty of advice for picky eaters. It’s also so easy to follow and perfect for moms like me who aren’t great in the kitchen!
CoComelon on Instagram – I love the community and connecting with other like minded parents! And the tips and hacks they share are so useful and helpful!
Dr. Martha Psychologist on Instagram – She has such a patient and tender approach to parenting and I learn so much from her reels!
The subscriptions I have for my kid
Lovevery quarterly playkits.
Little Spoon meal plan kits.
The skincare products my kid loves
We love EllaOla! Their products are developed by pediatric dermatologists and they use the most natural and baby safe ingredients! It keeps my son’s skin hydrated and happy!
The non-screen-related toys that keep my kid occupied
Our CoComelon Ultimate Learning Adventure Bus goes everywhere! He won’t put it down – if only they made a travel-size version!
The products my kid can’t live without
DouDou personalized baby blankets.
Any and all of Tiny Cottons‘ kids clothes.
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