Mother Stories
At Home With Seattle Mama Of 3 Tash Haynes & BreathableBaby
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Belathée Photography
May 24, 2022
With three daughters named Courage, Wisdom, and Glory, we knew Tash Haynes’ motherhood journey would be rich with meaning. And, as the Seattle-based mom, photographer, and influencer shares in our feature, nothing about her voyage into parenting has been without intention and heaps of gratitude. As a child who grew up without a mother and within the foster care system, Tash is consciously giving her daughters the love and assurance that she didn’t receive herself. “I see mothering them as a little opportunity to mother the little girl in me too,” she says. “I am doing all I can to raise my girls to be as confident as possible and to take up so much space.”
In addition to inviting us into her cozy home to talk life, career, and motherhood, Tash and her kids (ages 9, 3, and 1) showed us how they are using the eco-conscious, BreathableBaby Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib in their space. Built with sleep safety and a non-toxic lifestyle top of mind, the Greenguard Gold certified 3-in-1 Convertible Crib and EcoCore Organic Mattress is ideal for infants and toddlers and features their innovative, highly breathable and patented mesh that gives parents peace of mind while their babes are off in dreamland. Check it out and hear Tash’s inspiring story below!
This post is brought to you by Mother + BreathableBaby.
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"Our home is a 1911 Craftsmen with such beautiful character. We have lived here for the last 7 years. Our oldest daughter had just turned 3 and we brought our last two daughters home to this house from the hospital."
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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Tash's middle daughter, 3-year-old Courage, with the BreathableBaby Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, which is suitable for newborns and babies and converts to a toddler bed when the time is right (conversion kit sold separately).
The innovative crib is Greenguard Gold Certified to be free of over 10,000 chemicals and VOCs that are commonly known to pollute indoor air.
It's crafted from New Zealand pine and CARB II compliant composite and finished with non-toxic paint that’s free of lead, phthalates, and formaldehyde—making it safe for baby and easy on Mother Earth.
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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Like all BreathableBaby cribs, the BreathableBaby Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib features the brand's safety-tested breathable mesh that allows maximum airflow for baby and maximum visibility to care-givers (and curious siblings).
The stylish BreathableBaby Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib comes in four color options—White, Gray, Steel Gray, and Walnut—and combines the strength and integrity of traditional wood cribs with the peace of mind that's possible only with BreathableBaby's patented breathable mesh.
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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"Honestly, lived in. There used to be an aesthetic, but so much has changed since having multiple children. Now it’s less about keeping an aesthetic and more about creating a space that is livable and cozy where memories can be made and where our girls feel safe, protected, and loved. For me, that holds more weight than any aesthetic desire."
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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"I never thought about being a mom, but I thought about having a family. I am not sure what that meant to me or what that represented, but as a woman who aged out of the foster care system, I know I desired a sense of belonging, and I guess I assumed that would come from creating my own family one day."
"I definitely had to learn to be a mother. I had to practice my mothering. I didn’t grow up with a mom, so nurturing wasn’t a natural instinctual thing for me. With my oldest daughter, Wisdom, it was the toughest for me to ease into motherhood. My 2nd and 3rd babies came 6 and 8 years later, so I had time to grow, mature, and find confidence in the kind of mom I wanted to be."
"Now I see mothering them as a little opportunity to mother the little girl in me too and I can’t imagine being anything other than a mom."
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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Tash's 1-year-old daughter, Glory, practices her standing skills in her BreathableBaby Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, which features two options for mattress heights, depending on when your baby begins to sit or stand.
Glory's crib also features the cozy EcoCore™ 300 Organic 2-Stage Dual-Sided Crib Mattress, made with a poly fiber core created from over 300 recycled plastic bottles!
EcoCore™ 300 Organic 2-Stage Dual-Sided Crib Mattress, $199.99, BreathableBaby.
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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The dual-sided sleep surface of the EcoCore™ 300 Organic 2-Stage Dual-Sided Crib Mattress lasts from birth to toddler stage, with a firmer side for infants and a softer side to provide extra comfort for toddlers.
Plus, the lightweight mattress makes changing sheets super easy, and the lack of foam or springs means a more comfortable night’s sleep for baby.
EcoCore™ 300 Organic 2-Stage Dual-Sided Crib Mattress, $199.99, BreathableBaby.
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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"I had my babies a bit later than most moms. My first daughter was born at 30 years old. Then, at 34, I went through heart failures and was told I couldn’t have any more kids. At 35 I was miraculously healed and told I could pursue more children and gave birth to my second daughter at 36. She was born 3 weeks early, induced because of my high blood pressure."
"Because of my high-risk pregnancy with my middle daughter, I was on watch for my 3rd and had the same scenario with her. My 3rd pregnancy was the hardest. I dealt with preeclampsia, high blood pressure, and polyhydramnios. It had me on high alert and caused a ton of anxiety."
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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"I truly only wanted girls and felt strongly that my first baby HAD TO BE a girl."
"My mother was given up at birth, I was given up at birth, so having a little girl felt like a healing and a reclamation of my generational line."
"My husband and I also did a ton of work/ community stuff with high school girls for 10 years and I just always saw us as girl parents, so it felt right and aligned when we found out each time that we had a girl."
"With our first daughter, we found out her sex at 16 weeks. Our second daughter we waited until birth and we were so shocked, but it was an amazing experience to wait. And with our 3rd daughter we decided we needed to know so we could plan for a son if that’s what was coming."
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BreathableBaby's 7-Piece Nursery Gift Box includes a bundle of practical safe sleep necessities for a nursery—including 3 super-soft crib sheets, 2 swaddles, and 2 lightweight swaddle blankets.
7-Piece BreathableBaby® Nursery Gift Box, $93.99, BreathableBaby.
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"My daughters' names are representations of what was happening in our lives at the time and personal fulfilled promises from God. My oldest daughter’s name is Wisdom Melan-Adore."
"Wisdom was named with the biblical character Esther in mind. Esther was an orphan who God used to save her people. He gave her wisdom and she was obedient. I always connected with that story and knew that it would be the perfect name for my child because I felt in many ways that the reason I had made it this far is God’s wisdom."
"She got her middle name—Melan—from my sister Melinda. The other half of her middle name—Adore—is a tradition Melinda and I have continued with 6 out of 7 of our children!"
EcoCore™ 300 Organic 2-Stage Dual-Sided Crib Mattress, $199.99, BreathableBaby.
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"My second daughter, Courage, was named after I was told I could never have any more kids. I felt strongly that courage was needed to believe. I later found out that the root word of Courage is Cor, which means heart. And heart failure was the reason why I wasn’t able to have any more children. God healed my heart, Courage was born and came earthside in February, which is heart month. It was all so beautifully divine."
"We gave her the middle name Kairos which means 'God’s appointed time,' and so her name is 'Courage at the right time,' and it’s so fitting. She also has 'Adore' as her second middle name."
"In 2019, I found out I was Haitian and in 2020 I became pregnant. I had this beautiful dream about Haiti in its prime. Flowing and thriving. We named our 3rd daughter Glory Ayiti Adore. Glory means or generally represents 'God’s presence' and 'Ayiti' is the Taino name for Haiti. Her name is a prophetic reminder of the dream God gave me about my homeland."
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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"I love seeing their interests develop. I have 3 kids in three very different phases of life. I love watching my 9-year-old navigate friendships and fashion and pre-puberty. I love hearing her talk about her world and her life and she’s starting to establish her values and what matters to her."
"My middle daughter is learning so much. Asking so many questions and really exploring boundaries and taking in the world, and my youngest is still a baby so it's so fun to just pour into her and be needed by her."
"I just love how I can savor exactly where they are and what is going on in each of their individual worlds."
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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"Sending them into a world that sees them only by the color of their skin instead of all the good we are pouring into them and all of the beauty that they are."
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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"Making sure that I am giving them what they need. Our time is so divided as mothers, and right now, I feel like each of my children really need me. I can’t skimp anyone of their time or their development and sometimes I’m spread so thin."
"The challenge of going from 2 to 3 is in how quickly it happened, and in the middle of the pandemic when we were already having to adjust to so much. It's a learning curve on top of so much change that I wasn't quite prepared for, coupled with the fact that many of us were so isolated, so I didn’t have the support I would have traditionally had, had COVID not been a thing."
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"The highlight is being a mom and being their mom. For all intent and purposes, I shouldn’t have the life that I do. It’s their love that makes my life so good."
Breathable™ Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $399.99, BreathableBaby.
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"Not to think of it too much. Just let it unfold. I always tell Wisdom, our oldest, that her sisters are a gift. They are the best gift that her dad and I could give her. No one will ever be like her sisters or understand her life the way her sisters do and will. She understands that even though she sees them as babies, that they won’t always be and that they are to be treasured."
"I think my advice to other moms would be to foster that sibling relationship and not to get caught up on the mechanics of things. The relationship is far more important than the details of how it came to be."
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"Chaotic. LOL. We are an active and busy family, so bedtime can be a challenge, but we are finding our way. All babies generally go down with a bath and all the bedtime routines between 8 and 8:30pm and mama follows behind shortly thereafter."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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"I absolutely LOVE that it's convertible. The modern and sleek design and the confidence I have in the mesh and knowing that when I put my children in bed for the night, I don’t have to worry."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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"Sleep safety is of the utmost importance to me because it is the longest time a day when I am away from my children and so its so important to me that I feel confident about the 8-10 hours that my kids are asleep that they are safe."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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"I was placed in foster care once I left the hospital and stayed in foster care until I aged out of the system. As far as I know, I don’t have siblings, but the jury is still out. When I turned 25, I found my maternal family and just 3 years ago, in 2019, I found my paternal family."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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"I am consciously integrating gentle parenting into my mothering, as well as financial literacy and joy and pride in their heritage and history."
"I grew up so ashamed of who I was as a little Black girl. I am doing all I can to raise my girls to be as confident as possible and to take up so much space."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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"My husband and I are professional photographers. I always knew I wanted to be a career woman, so I never allowed becoming a mother to impact that. I continued to work and I brought my daughter to work with me, and to this day, I still do."
"My children add value to what I do and I never want to sacrifice nor do I want them to feel that they are a burden to the work I do. We train everyone we come in contact with to respect how we do business and to understand that our kids are part of the package and we lean into opportunities that create space for them to be a part of it."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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"Living through this pandemic has definitely helped me master my work-life juggle. I picked up a new career during the pandemic as a blogger and influencer and I really learned what I am capable of and what I bring to the table."
"Although I haven’t learned anything new necessarily, what I have learned is that mamas always get it done and that nothing is ever that time sensitive. If you do excellent work and you produce results, as long as you get it done, that’s the goal."
"So I work to put my best foot forward, because it's like a deposit of grace when I need it later in life and might be off."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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To transform the BreathableBaby Mesh 3-in-1 Convertible Crib into a toddler bed, simply buy the Breathable Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit (sold separately).
Both the crib and the conversion kit are Greenguard Gold certified and tested by a third party CPSC-accepted accredited lab to meet or exceed safety standards set by ASTM International and the Consumer Products Safety Commission—including those of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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"I am intentional about going to sleep, waking up before my kids, connecting with my girlfriends, going on trips, and paying attention to what my mind, body, and spirit are saying to me and I listen."
"When I am tired, I don’t try to push past it, I go to sleep. I nourish my body and my desires and I put myself first."
"When I am well taken care of, I am overflowing and am able to delight in taking care of my family. That is my best version of myself and it's a gift to my family."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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"Seeking joy. Holding onto peace. Believing the best about people and making life as easy as possible for others. I want to leave spaces better than how I found them and I want to make the room feel lighter. That is what I hope to continue to carry forward as we transition out of this tough season."
Breathable™ Mesh Toddler Bed Conversion Kit for 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, $99.99, BreathableBaby.
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For more on Tash and her beautiful family, be sure to follow her at @itstashhaynes on Instagram, at her blog Wisdom & Courage, and on YouTube.
To shop and learn more about the BreathableBaby products featured, visit BreathableBaby.com.
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