Christine Lakin wanted to create a modern nursery for her infant son Baylor B., while still keeping things sweet and “boyish.”
“We got Baylor in his own room when he was 2 months old,” the Hollywood Darlings star, 39, tells PEOPLE of herself and husband Brandon Breault, adding that while “some folks” might consider that “too soon,” she “had a hard time sleeping” while “hearing every noise he made throughout the night.”
“My husband and I would jolt up in bed and wait, realizing he was just dreaming, making crazy noises. And then we’d both exhale and plop back down and try to get back to sleep. It was crazy,” she shares, adding that their 3-month-old son is now “doing great in his crib” and takes “the majority of his naps there too.”
In fact, Baylor’s crib and dresser set, both from Évolur, are the actress’s favorite parts of the nursery. “So sweet, simple and modern,” she remarks, describing the toffee-and-brushed-white furniture sets. “I love the wood mixed with the white accents and thought it was boyish but still cool.”
And both the Maddox 3-in-1 Convertible Crib ($400) and Maddox Double Dresser ($580) offer parents a bit of flexibility, as the crib can convert into a toddler bed and comes with three mattress-height settings to fit ever-growing children, while the dresser can also double as a changing station.
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As for the other aspects of Baylor’s nursery, Lakin explains that she also loves “the Delta Children rocker ($280 to $345) with the low back — it looks like a cool swivel chair and less like a traditional rocker, and the contours are really comfortable.”
“I kind of want one for my room,” she adds playfully.
In addition to the sleek furnishings, the nursery also contains some sweet personal touches, including a “special” sculpture of multi-colored crayons that spell out Baylor’s name, which was made by Art 2 the Extreme.
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Adding a pop of sentimentality to Baylor’s changing-station area — which features accessories and a diaper pail from Ubbi ($70) — Lakin included a special nod to all of the states that the family hold near and dear to their hearts.
“I saved three state flashcards from a photo shoot years ago, thinking they would make really sweet wall art one day and I was so thrilled to find them,” she shares.
The cards, by watercolor artist Summer Robinson, represent California (where the couple reside) and both her and her Breault’s home states of Georgia and Wisconsin, respectively.
A paper animal mobile ($68) from Etsy shop Little Drops of Sun and a framed copy of the couple’s pregnancy announcement — which also features Baylor’s big sister Georgia James, 2½ — adds an even sweeter level to the personalized decorations.
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Opening up about her baby boy’s milestones, the Step by Step alum tells PEOPLE that Baylor is “a snuggle dream.”
“He’s dishing out so many smiles and laughs, and loves his activity mat and his big sister’s singing,” she adds. “We started getting him on a schedule a few weeks ago and he’s starting to sleep through the night, which is a blessing for Brandon and me. Seven hours of sleep in a row? Game changer.”
Although her son “wakes up at 5:30 a.m. no matter what,” Lakin shares that she has come to embrace her early routine. “The Great British Baking Show is my morning jam! Bottles and coffee and some pleasant British freak-outs over pie lattice and trifle is a great way to start the day,” the actress jokes.
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Asked how her daughter Georgia is adjusting to being a big sister, Lakin shares that she’s “constantly surprised by her sweet, generous nature toward her brother.”
“She calls him ‘my baby’ and is a great helper with retrieving burp cloths and nail clippers and bottles,” the star praises her older child. “She loves watching me, so there’s a lot of baby dolls being nursed and put to bed under dishcloths in our house, currently.”
Lakin’s “funny, independent preschooler,” whom the couple “potty trained just before Baylor arrived” is “doing great,” although she admits that “finding a public restroom in a flash can present some challenges.”
“We took her to Disneyland for the first time as a Christmas gift and she nearly lost her mind. I don’t know who had more fun — her, or my husband and me watching her,” Lakin remarks. “She loves painting and her stuffed animals, cooking me breakfast in her play kitchen and putting on her Doc McStuffins costume and giving us all checkups. I like them. The dog … not so much.”
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Speaking about breastfeeding, Lakin describes it as a “full-time job.”
“Remembering to drink tons of water and eat the right foods and get rest (haha, right) all contribute, and with another child it’s just hard. So I pump as much as I can,” she shares, adding that she also takes “supplements by Lactivist and Majka.”
“I supplement with formula (I use Holle) and just do my best,” she explains. “Every body is different, and I have to appreciate mine for what it can do and let the rest go.”
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However, while both of her children are doing well, it’s never easy to juggle taking care of two at once.
“The fact that you just want to snuggle baby two but your toddler is upending a box of Cheerios in the kitchen or yelling for a tushie wipe, or when you’re reading a book to your toddler and the baby starts wailing from his crib … the juggle is real,” Lakin shares.
“If I felt like I had zero time for myself before, this is sometimes a whole new level of survival. I joke that I live on coffee and dry shampoo (kidding, not kidding),” she continues.
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Lakin, who went to work five weeks after welcoming Baylor, adds that while she’s been excited to “dive into” new projects — like directing an episode of The Goldbergs — the “mom guilt” that comes with having “not one but two babies at home” is difficult to contend with.
“It’s intense and the sleep deprivation can wear on me like an invisible tormentor,” she shares. “I know it will level out when Georgia and Baylor are able to play more together, but the days when Brandon and I can’t divide and conquer are exhausting.”
Adds the mother of two, “The good part is I’ve done this baby thing before, so my anxiety over whether I’m doing it right is so much less than it was the first time around and I feel like I’ve been able to be more in the moment and enjoy the baby time.”
“But all I want for Christmas is sleep. Seriously. Forget shoes and clothes and fancy jewelry. Give me a quiet room and a pillow, Santa,” Lakin jokes.
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