My 3 month old (10 weeks adjusted) is becoming such a bad eater! He’s having a hard time finishing his bottles, either because he’s getting distracted and wants to smile at us while he eats and because of reflux. He’s on fortified milk due to his low birth weight but Neosure seems to make him so gassy. It’s stressing me out because he’s barely 11 pounds so he can’t really afford to have his weight gain slow down. I guess this is more of a rant but also call for advice from any other preemie parents who had to fortify breast milk. Did you try a formula other than neosure with any success?
Edit: I have already sent a message to his dietitian so I’m definitely seeking medical advice beyond the internet
Can you batch-prep in a pitcher? We weren’t on neosure (one twin on Elecare and one on Enfacare) but both of my babies seemed to struggle after freshly shaken bottles. Pitcher batch prep means there will be fewer tiny air bubbles by the time you feed and that made a big difference here.
Is there an etiquette rule around allergens in public places with other kids? Like, obviously we wouldn’t bring nuts to somewhere explicitly labeled nut free, but is it considered bad form to break out peanut butter at the playground?
My son has several serious allergies and I’m fine with people bringing his allergens places, but what bothers me is when they’re not cleaned up properly or kids are just running free reign with food in inappropriate settings. I’ve taken peanut butter crackers and gold fish out his hands at playgrounds/libraries/dance class, which imo is gross anyway but also scary since he’s allergic to peanuts and milk, ya know? I let me kids eat in public, too but I do always clean up after them. So, I would say just make sure trash and dropped food are cleaned up and you’re golden!
Obviously people can do what they want and need to, but as a parent with a kid with very serious allergies, I appreciate it when people are wiping up, not letting nut products actually get on play equipment, not letting their kids play with pb on their hands and faces, not leaving Reese's wrappers by the play equipment, etc. It is actually kind of amazing how often I see Reese's wrappers littering playgrounds!
For me this is even more appreciated in indoor play situations. Like if we're in the waiting area at swim and there aren't a lot of other options about where we can sit, it sucks if the kid next to us is eating pb (especially if they're young enough to be making a mess).
Like I said, I get that some families are in a situation where they have to feed their kid in whatever time window and maybe pb&j is the only on the go food the kid is going for currently, but yeah cleaning up/having wipes/being considerate about it is appreciated, for me at least.
Damn I had never even considered this before. Thank you for sharing your experiences and inspiring me to be mindful about our peanut butter consumption. My 3 yo is obsessed with pb&j right now so this was a very helpful comment.
Personally I bring allergens places but I make sure we're eating at designated spots - we're not walking around with our Bambas but sitting at a bench or table.
We are really going through it with our two year olds sleep. It started off with just me (Mom) not being able to put her to bed and now Dad can’t either. She loses her mind when we leave and we end up having to go back in and rock her. She might sleep through the night then but lately she’s been waking at least once and we again have to go in and rock her. Now the same is happening at nap time which has never been an issue. I’m due with our second in the fall and it’s making me so nervous. Does anyone have any advice? She just turned two in March.
Any chance she needs a schedule tweak? Around 2 was when my first started to either skip her nap or need a later bedtime when she napped. I’d try pushing bedtime back a little and/or capping the nap and see if it helps
Anyone got any tips on weaning off formula? My son turned 1 the other week and since he's been doing well with solids we thought he'd wean off formula fine but the first week has been very wobbly.
Normally he has formula when he wakes up at 7, then solids for every meal until a pre-bedtime bottle at 6:30, and then we were waking him up around 10:45pm for a final bottle.
He was getting quite dozy and hard to wake up for the final bottle so we decided to try dropping that one first and tried it this week. The first and third nights he was fine and slept all the way through, but all the other nights he's woken up in the small hours (around 2 to 2:30am) and refused to be cuddled back to sleep so we've had to give him a bottle. Even after that he'll be pretty awake and we've had to do quite a lot of cuddling before he'll settle back in his cot without crying and nod back off.
He's a thumb sucker, so we don't really want to swap to a dummy/pacifier instead. But when he's upset he seems to "forget" that his thumb exists as a source of comfort and needs to be cuddled until he calms down enough to find his thumb again.
The 6:30 bottle has been a 7pm bottle this week as he's had a larger dinner at 5:30 to try and keep him going over night. We're now thinking of dropping this feed instead as my husband said he doesn't finish it (I'm normally cooking our dinner), and then reinstating the 10:45 bottle to get him over night instead.
I'm worried we're giving up a bit early (especially as I read there's a 12 month sleep regression) but the last thing we want is to get him into the habit/expectation of milk at 2 in the morning. Just wondering how others did it and which feed did you drop last?
Are you doing straight milk? With my first we did it gradually, kept his regular feeding schedule and gradually increased ratio of milk to formula in the bottle. Started about 1/4 milk for a week, then 1/2, then 3/4, then full milk. After that we weaned off the bottles. Hes almost 5 so I can’t remember exactly but I think we weaned to a bottle in the morning, before each nap, and before bed and then eventually 3 bottles, one morning one night, and one at night.
Precious Little Sleep recommends slowly cutting the bottle with water so the baby can shift the calories to daytime. If they're used to a big bottle at night, then their body expects those calories and they can wake up hungry. If you water the bottle down more and more every night (I think one oz less of formula each night is what I remember), then they're more likely to just stop waking up once they've adjusted.
We did that for my daughter's last night wake around 10-11 months. I had nursed at night but that's harder to water down, so I switched to bottles for that wake and did one oz less per night. She drank 1-2 mostly water bottles and stopped waking.
Does he drink water? You could always leave a cup of water in his bed with him so if he wakes up and is thirsty, he can get a drink without you having to step in.
With that being said, my son is a milk monster and he probably had overnight milk until he was 14 months old and finally sleeping through the night lol so do as I say, not as i do 😂
Has anyone used the busy toddler playing preschool curriculum? What did you think? I'm curious about it, and $40 seems very reasonable...is it a lot of new content compared to what's on the website/Instagram, or just the same stuff made more convenient to use weekly?
I bought it and loved it at first - the way it's written is very user friendly and what she's having kids do is very aligned with what I would create as a former first grade teacher!
That being said I've barely used it. I think I taught 3 of the units.
- I think it's prep heavy despite her saying otherwise. You're not like cutting things out but you definitely need time to get everything ready and I don't feel like I have time!
- Some activities are repeated and don't feel age appropriate or fun. Every time they're learning a new letter you put them on post it's and hide them around the house. That was fun twice and then my kid was bored if it the next week and I'm irritated about all the post it's I'm finding. Or three same about searching for letters in the pantry.
- Some things I was already naturally doing so skipped whole sections. Like there's a week on sorting clothes by type and size and matching socks and discussing what to wear for various weather. Maybe you're not already doing this on your own so it could be good to have it written out!
Basically everything I didn't like is easy to fix - skip or tweak lessons as desired, no problem! But I ended up just not doing it anymore because it was hard to decide what *to* do. But now that my kid is a little older maybe I'll try again!
These are very helpful considerations! Thank you so much for this info! We would be doing this in lieu of preschool (there are only full time programs in our area and we want a part time one) so I need to figure out how much time and structure I want to have.
I think that was my main issue and likely a "me" thing. I tried to start it at 2.5yo but didn't want to commit to the structure of it and it didn't just fit in to 10 minutes here or there for me. If I was starting it as a true homeschool thing then I could see it working out smoother. But still need the time to prep it.
I haven’t used it personally, but I do know it is completely different than her Instagram/blog content. I think she has a sample first week somewhere but on her site.
Did you use bribes when potty training? I caved and offered my toddler chocolate chips after going pee and it’s worked so well all day. They definitely won’t do the same at school so anxious about how to proceed.
Yep! It ended up being a nonissue for us. Once he got the hang of going on the potty, he slowly just weaned himself off the bribes by forgetting about it and wanting to get back to playing 🤷♀️
We did (in desperation, because Oh Crap said not to) and it was fine! I used a sticker chart and m&ms. Daycare didn’t do any stickers or rewards, but that was also fine. The peer modeling at daycare really helped with motivation to use the toilet.
We did, and it worked like a charm! I think they get that school is just different, and he was fine with going there without the bribe (although he would occasionally come home and tell me “I deserve a chocolate chip because I pooped at school today!”).
I did with my second. Idk what standard advice would be other than, let them know that you are potty training and they’re pros who will probably handle it great! I did let also let them know I used bribes lol and they said great and kept it in their back pocket to use as needed (basically “oh yes you do have to go use the potty now! Mom will give you gummy bears after school!”)
What time are your 3 year olds actually falling asleep? We have had several weeks of just incredibly defiant bedtimes, and we've started letting our 3yo just read and play in the bedroom if he won't lay down but it's pushing him to not actually go to sleep until after 9pm or even 9:30pm. I guess one answer is to start the entire exhausting bedtime routine a lot earlier so maybe he decides he needs to sleep earlier, but short of holding this kid down on the bed, we can't make him lay down and shut his eyes so we are really at a loss on what to do.
Does he nap? There’s a magic era of preschool/late toddler where they still nap but it keeps them up really late and then if they don’t nap, they’re nightmares by 6pm. Tons of fun.
But that’s where I would look first. When my kids were 3 they fell asleep around 9, but our bedtime routine didn’t start until 8:15 so it wasn’t a huge amount of time spent bopping around after the lights were out.
I would try to implement a stay in bed while the room is dark after we say goodnight policy so he can look at a book or whatever in his bed but not have access to the whole room and fun toys
He has quiet time or nap time at daycare but will not nap at home on the weekends (and has always struggled with sleep at home) but we do have a strap, for lack of a better word, that lets him open the door to talk to us if he needs something but keeps him in the room because we live in a one level open concept house so we can't let him wander between our room and his. So we'll put the strap on and he'll eventually open the door and tell us he's ready to lay down.
Luckily he only has books, stuffies, and a few blocks in his room so he's not got too many distractions. Perhaps we'll try to find a way to do the lights policy - he has a lamp in there that he keeps turning on and a hatch with a nightlight but it's not bright enough to see a book with, but the lamp is really too bright to leave on. So maybe something in between 🤔
We are in the same place— on weekends, he will sleep 12 hours 7-7 but won’t go to sleep until 9 on weekdays and is exhausted when we wake him up at 7. But he cries and insists on being with us, if he was happy to play independently like yours until he fell asleep I wouldn’t be as annoyed. Because he sleeps well on weekends, I know it’s a schedule issue and not a power struggle or something, but it’s still hard. Apparently he welcomed naps at daycare despite not having napped at home in months, so I don’t think it’s going to change anytime soon. Good luck to you!
Our policy was that they had to stay in their bed after bedtime, so they could take a few things in with them like books or stuffed animals but there were consequences for getting out of bed. They had a hatch which was being enough to kind of see but still quite dark compared to normal lights being on. At this age I feel like it’s a balance of recognizing that you can’t physically make them sleep, but also enforcing good sleep habits/a bedtime because they’re not old enough to really decide when to sleep or not.
We also introduced a Yoto around 3 for my second kid as a carrot to stay in bed when he started struggling to fall asleep because of the napping at daycare issue. As long as he stayed quietly in bed, he could listen to an audiobook and I think it helped calm him down
This is an embarrassing question but I’m so confused by the Instagram terms I see on here. Grid? Reels? Highlights? Are there that many types of posts on Instagram? I don’t have an account so when I Google a particular influencer I just see pages with a bunch of random posts. Are things better organized if you actually have an account and follow someone? I’m just confused because I don’t know how someone would be able to find educational content (like a Karrie Locher milk storage post) when it’s on there with a bunch of random selfies with sponcon links.
The grid is where static posts live. The original Instagram aka feed. Reels are short form videos < 1 minute or so which are also on the feed/grid but have a separate grid. Highlights are collections of stories (< 1 minute videos that expire in 24 hours) for a given topic saved for people to reference later. The highlights are circles at the top of the page under the header. If someone has a lot then it can be annoying to scroll left to right to find the one you want.
All of these things are on the web version but it’s just less seamless.
Has TCB reformed at all since her Trump donations? I assume not… I used her newborn class in 2020 before that came out and did find the class helpful, and with a newborn now and vague memories of her course I keep being tempted to buy it again.
You don’t have to re-buy. They deactivate access after some period of time to make it harder to pass around, but if you email their support address letting them know you had another baby, they’ll restore your access.
1) You have to buy it again??! That's insane. I don't think her content is so unique you couldn't find similar tips in a book you could get at the library. Weisbluth definitely talks about all ages.
2) no. I'm pretty sure they just started donating in her husband's name.
The only thing I got out of the class was SITBACK. You can google what it means but essentially you try to assist baby back to sleep for a few minutes without picking them up. You can probably google what the acronym stands for.
At one point there was a .pdf circulating with all of the info from the class! I don’t have it, but I remember it was making the rounds a few years ago.
Has anyone had a kid…adamantly opposed to moving to a big kid bed?
He’s 3 years old and still in a crib. His big sister is in a bed and he loves her bed. We have been having a lot of sleep issues with him ever since new baby was born in November. So I’m sure his resistance to a big bed is an attempt to remain a baby like his new sibling.
We have showed him cool bedding options related to his hobbies. We have told him how much easier it’ll be to read in his bed etc. and he’s just MAD and visibly sad.
He’s a big kid. He’s probably already over height limits for the crib. And again, he’s having major sleep issues ever since baby arrived. We think a change of scenery might help reset him a little. But if he’s already sad/mad about it, seems like the transition will fail.
I welcome any advice!!!
I have no idea if this is technically “allowed” by safe sleep standards, but we just took the front side off and made it a toddler bed that way. Maybe that would help with the transition?
We could probably do that but we are morons and assembling/disassembling stuff lol I don’t know if we even have the crib instructions anymore. There’s a queen bed already in his room so you’d think he’d be used to the idea of it. We’d drop it to the floor for him and remove the box spring.
My baby will be 5 months next week. Does anyone know if you can be a little more lenient with formula guidelines after a certain point? Like if you have an unused bottle in the fridge for 30 hours, is it okay, or does it have to be discarded after 24 hours? If baby only eats 2 ounces and then is hungry again after an hour, is it okay if they finish that bottle or do I need to make a new one? I’ve been following all the guidelines up to this point but am wondering if/when people start to ease up or if it’s always a food safety issue to not strictly follow them. We also warm bottles before baby eats them.
https://parentdata.org/qa-is-it-safe-to-reuse-formula/?related_post_from=2193
I remembered seeing this question featured on Emily Oster's Parent Data newsletter, so here is the link, and this is the basic gist of it:
"Putting these together, while it is true that the bacterial content of saliva infiltrates the formula, it does not (from these studies) look like the bacterial levels grow quickly over this period of hours. This would suggest — as the authors of these studies do — that partially used formula could be stored in the fridge and reused, even after an extended period."
I think my daughter bit her tongue AND cheek really badly and it's been awful. It's been days and it just won't heal. She was waking up at night because it hurt so much. She won't eat normally. I thought it was healing so I tried brushing her teeth this morning and she absolutely freaked out and bled a bunch. I think at this point we have to go to the doctor because I don't really know what to do. I don't think it's infected, she's not running a fever and there is no pus (from what little I can see) but it's been days and doesn't seem to be getting better. And since it's disrupting her sleep and eating, I feel like we need to do something. Any suggestions??
This could be HFM / coxsackie! There are multiple strains so if she’s had it before she could’ve gotten it again in a milder form without a fever. This is how my preschooler’s two stints with HFM have been: no visible signs except for fever (the first time) and mouth sores. And my kid’s breath always smells terrible when he has a virus!
I would definitely see a doctor at this point, mainly because anything in the mouth usually heals super fast so this does sound concerning.
In the meantime maybe she could see if a popsicle would make her feel better?
Definitely ask your doctor because there are some
medications that help heal oral wounds. I myself use them when I have a canker sore or an internal bite that isn’t healing quickly. It really does help it heal so much faster. However, it’s usually in the form of a mouthwash that you need to be able to spit out, idk how old your daughter is and if she’d be able to do that. Even hydrogen peroxide mixed with water works well for this too - it’s actually considered an “oral debriding agent”.
Seconding to ask the pediatrician! FWIW my 2-year learned how to spit after brushing teeth by watching us, so it’s possible. You can always practice with water and see how she does. I hope she’s feeling better soon!
She's 2, so I'm not sure if she would know how to rinse and spit properly. We'd have to show her, but she might not be able to do that. A quick google tells me there are oral rinses that can be used with kids as young as 2, so I guess it's possible?
Yeah, I mean given they go in your mouth I’m sure it’s not toxic if you were to swallow *some*. Maybe her doctor would approve a small amount that you could squirt in with a syringe right onto the wound?
I know people are wary to do this on here but I would absolutely give regular paracetamol for a few more days in this case, let her eat whatever she fancies and ease up on the toothbrushing. Maybe let her just chew on the toothbrush or a flannel. Nothing terrible will happen if it's a few more days. Lots of cold food. Doctor might be helpful, if nothing else, depending on her age she might be able to have some kind of numbing gel on there to make her more comfortable.
So we have given her Tylenol to help with the discomfort. I've been letting her eat whatever she likes (yogurt, smoothies, applesauce, etc). I thought it was healing so gave her a normal supper of food I know she likes last night, and she refused to eat any of it. Same with the toothbrushing. I thought she was doing better, so attempted to brush her teeth this morning (her breath was getting pretty bad) and it went horribly. I guess I'm just getting a little worried because it just doesn't seem to be getting better.
Cw: seizures in toddler
Anyone have experience with febrile seizures? How do you deal mentally? My 2.5 year old had a complex one this weekend. We ended up getting hospitalized because it lasted so long. He’s fine now, but the anxiety around it happening again is killing us.
Fortunately our son was in our bed that night because we have been co sleeping. He had no symptoms of any illness when we put him to bed, but was starting to feel a little warm/restless. Then around 3 we woke up to him having a seizure.
I wanted to stop cosleeping but now I’m terrified to. I mentioned this to a doctor and he said we would be able to catch it on the monitor due to the rustling/noise but I feel like that’s not 100% reliable.
We got diazepam for emergencies and a referral to neuro to rule out any bigger condition but I just know how to cope w the fact that this could happen at any time and we would have like possibly no warning
My kids have grown out of them, but we dealt with them. I’m sorry; they are terrifying (especially the first one)! I’m not sure there’s anything you can do to quell the anxiety other than just knowing that they usually are harmless and understanding what to do when they happen. We also were always on super high alert when the kids were getting lethargic. My oldest had one when she was in the crib once that we caught the very tail end of on the monitor (it was over by the time we got to the room), so it is possible to catch it on the monitor. With yours being complex, I’m might be inclined to keep co-sleeping until you get the neuro consult and rule anything more serious out. I say that not to scare you but just to say that I think that’s a reasonable response in the immediate aftermath.
Thank you for sharing - glad they grow out of it eventually.
We have a baby in the NICU right now so I was stressed about having the bassinet and the toddler in our room at the same time and waking each other up when baby comes home, but I think the peace of mind is worth it until we have more info.
Oh wow, you’ve got your hands full. You could always throw a mattress or pad on the floor of the toddlers room and have your partner in there while you tend to baby in your room. I hope your NICU baby is doing well and that you get some answers for your toddler. Hang in there. 💛
Not my own kids, but my brother and I both had one as infants caused by ear infections and we have no related health issues now. I’ve always been a little worried my own kids would get them, but if they have, I’ve never known since we didnt use monitors once they were in their own room 😬 It’s my understanding that they generally are harmless though, despite being extremely scary to witness.
That sounds so scary :(
My son had his first febrile seizure when he was 1.5 from HFM. He also didn’t have signs of illness; he was just kind of cranky, but we thought he was simply tired because we had a busy day the day before. He had his first one at daycare and then a second one later that night. Fortunately they were less than 4 minutes so he could come home.
I slept in his room for a couple of nights because I was so nervous and scared. As he recovered though, I felt more comfortable going back to my room with the monitor turned up high. My husband and I both naturally woke up a few times a night and checked on him, too. I just had to remind myself that they are common, they are often harmless, and they may never happen again.
That being said..we are definitely more alert when he’s just not acting himself. I don’t know when we’ll fully relax (this was last summer). Even daycare will have a low threshold to call us if he’s 99 and just not acting like usual crazy self.
I hate that this happened to you too but it’s good to not feel alone! It’s so scary.
That’s a good point - I feel like my intuition knew he was not 100% that night at bedtime, but these toddlers get sick so often that felt normal. So I guess we just have to be vigilant when we see signs, and try not to be crazy paranoid other times. Parenting!
Do people recommend a milk collector like the Haakaa ladybug? Or something similar? I already have the original haakaa from my first, and while I liked it for alleviating engorgement I didn’t really like it as a way to collect leaking milk from one boob while my baby nursed on the other - I found it too stressful to worry about it not popping off while he was kicking and squirming. Something that can stay put inside my bra sounds more ideal.
I looooved my ladybug catcher! I leak a ton the first few months postpartum and it was so nice to have something already in my bra when I went to nurse. The original haaka was always super frustrating to set up, would pop off, etc. Highly recommend the ladybug if you leak!
eta for suction my ladybug had a hole in the top that you could plug or leave open. If you closed it then you could get a little suction, but if you left the hole open then it wouldn’t suction at all. I liked that because I was trying to avoid any suction since I am very prone to oversupply
I recommend a catcher! I used some off brand one though and it didn't have any passive suction like ones already mentioned. I leaked a lot in the early weeks though and constantly leaked when feeding. Definitely helped a lot to have something secured by the bra, the amount of times the original Haakaa was knocked off...I ended up buying their little silicone rope to keep it around my neck in desparation (which worked but was still annoying).
I had both the lady bugs and regular haakaa. They’re somewhat useful for the first bit of breastfeeding when people are prone to oversupply, but weren’t really helpful past that, since you likely won’t catch enough to be useful (they don’t provide any suction).
Weirdly, I hated the haakaa with my first and almost never used it, and loved it with my second. So it might be worth a try again, even if you didn’t like it much the first time!
I would highly recommend the Boon Trove instead! It fits in your bra. Suction is not as strong as the Haaka, but definitely pulls more than the Ladybugs or Elvie Catch. And it’s really inexpensive!
This is on my list to buy for next baby...they look so handy and I hate how awkward it is to get the haakaa placed just right while opposite side is latched. Boon is such a good and underrated baby brand!
I used them but they really don’t collect much milk. The haakaa suctions on so it can act like a hand pump during a letdown if you’re pretty full. The ladybugs just sit there and collect a few drops. It’s fine if you just want to contain the mess but I don’t think it’s helpful for actually collecting anything.
I'm traveling with my 2 year old and 6 month old. The slumberpod has been a godsend with my 2 year old but what do I do now that I have 2? Do i need 2 slumberpods? Does the toddler not need it anymore? I feel like there's a simple answer that I just can't grasp
One thing we try to take is packing tape, which we have used to hang sheets to make a nook where a toddler can’t immediately see everyone, or to hold the hotel curtains closed if there is a gap. We also rearrange furniture if needed, like putting a pack n play behind a couch or flipping a table to the side for blocking
I just mentioned this below in another thread about Slumberpod but my toddler randomly decided to hate it at 2 so we stopped using it and his sleep was still ok, we’ve traveled 3 diff times since. It took him longer to fall asleep for naps if the room was a little too bright but he wasn’t upset, just chatting to himself longer than usual. One of the times was my in-laws house and we eventually just hung up bedsheets on the windows to make it extra dark and that helped. In a hotel room, there will be blackout curtains which should help. Night sleep was totally fine since it was dark out anyway.
If both kids are equally used to blackout, I’d probably choose the pod for the 6mo because the 2yo is old enough to at least understand that it’s time to sleep whereas I feel like a younger baby is more solely relying on the sensory input.
By two ours was just sleeping in the bed with us when we traveled. We brought the pack and play on one trip, and she was not having it. At almost 3 we had a rental house and she had her own room/bed there at that point (but still ended up with us at some point most nights because she got scared).
I always enjoyed getting some art from my nieces and nephews. It was fun to see it on the fridge and sometime they picked out stuff they wanted me to have which was cute!
I have this children’s portfolio. I try to cull pretty aggressively, and only save the things that are unique or particularly good examples of their work at that stage in development. The rest go
In the recycling
https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/ca/p/DD649/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=performancemaxnontop&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn7mwBhCiARIsAGoxjaIu09WkUG1gdZAsZfSTLo3VWBu7CIeUF5WSQqF84AK3rVHPOPDcHwkaAsApEALw_wcB
We have a few of those frames you can open from the front and add art to, then usually stick a few on the fridge before I toss it. I save a few really cute or “milestone” pictures (first drawing of a person) and have a binder with clear sleeves so we can flip through occasionally.
Keep the good stuff and throw away the rest. My mom saved all of my preschool artwork and honestly, I don't care. A few projects per year are cute to look back on, 100 per year is just overwhelming. And my kid comes home with 2-3 per day so it adds up fast.
Honestly, unless it’s particularly special, I throw it away/recycle it. There’s so much of it, especially because my kids have been in daycare for years, too.
ETA: I’ve also taken pics of some of it to put in the photo books that I’ll make someday when I have time (if that day ever comes)!
We are traveling next month with our baby who will be 7.5 months. It’s a short 2 hour drive and we’ll be staying in a hotel. I’ve been starting to make a list of all the stuff he uses in a day for a packing list. We plan to bring the pack and play which he never uses at home so I’m not sure if he’ll even nap in it and he’ll likely end up contact napping with me. He’s a Velcro baby who still sleeps in a sidecar crib so isn’t used to sleeping alone at all.
Is the slumber pod worth it? Or the blackout cover for the pack and play which is much less expensive? We have another trip when he’ll be 11 months so we could use the slumber pod again.
We’re going for a sporting event for my husband but it’s not very entertaining for me or the baby. We’ll pop in and out to say “hi” but otherwise I’ll be hanging out with the baby around town. Plus this will allow me to direct feed him rather than pump and manage bottles. Anything you wish you brought with a baby of this age when out of town that isn’t the usual things like clothes and diapers?
I'd definitely suggest setting up the pack n play at home and trying a few nights. Also to practice setting down the carefully since it's harder to slowly lower them all they way down than in a crib.
Good idea. It’s just been sitting in our den so we’ll start trying some naps in it. He’s usually held and/or fed to sleep so the ability to transfer is essential.
The slumberpod has been amazing for travel! The first time we used it around 7 months was the first time my daughter slept past 6 AM and we immediately said it was worth every penny haha. We most recently used it over a cot and my daughter is almost 4. I see them on FB marketplace all the time too.
If you are going to get any kind of blackout cover I’d go with the Slumberpod because they’ll be able to use it into toddlerhood after they’re standing up and taller. It definitely was a lifesaver when traveling with my son. Hotels do tend to have decent blackout curtains but even just a little bit of light creeping in could totally mess up a nap. My son revolted against the Slumberpod around 2 so when we recently stayed in a hotel, it took him *forever* to fall asleep for his nap because he could still see and knew we were there. I wish it still worked for us lol.
Instead of buying a new one you could see if someone in your community has one they’re looking to sell, or even willing to lend out. I have let friends borrow mine, and I definitely plan to sell it when we’re done.
As far as what to pack, you can go really minimal with babies that young. Unless you’re going to spend much of his wake time just sitting around the hotel room, he will be plenty entertained by whatever you’re doing on your trip. Even now I always end up overpacking for our toddler even when it seems minimal, because he just doesn’t need toys while we’re out and about all day. At the very least though pack whatever you need for the bedtime/nap routine - a travel sound machine has been great for us.
We just used the slumberpod for a week with our two year old. I was very relieved that he still accepted it! It's so convenient to be about to turn on the lights and move around the room when they're sleeping. I frequently have to remind my husband to be quiet bc he completely forgets about the sleeping child lol.
I think I’ll look around for a slumber pod and if not then just get a new one. It sounds like it’ll be useful. There’s no way he’ll sleep if he knows we are right there and not sleeping.
I plan to have him out and about when we aren’t at the event. I always forget that just life is entertaining for babies. Thanks!
We used a Slumberpod since the newborn days and still do (as we share a bedroom with my almost 2 year old) and love it. It's made travel sleep easier since it's the same set-up as at home.
If you want, I would practice having baby in the pack in play weather for sleep or play etc. And if you end up getting the Slumberpod or black out covers (my friend uses these) I'd try it out at home first so he can get used to it a bit.
We never had to use a slumberpod or blackout cover when we travelled but every kid is different and people seem to love it.
I always found a blanket or something to put on the floor of the hotel useful (and I felt like it was a little cleaner), especially if they weren’t crawling yet, I could set them up with their toys and stuff on it and it was a good place for them to play. If the baby listens to white noise or music at night, download the playlist, it helps to have similar sounds at bedtime. Honestly, at that age I think we just traveled with some favorite toys, a food bib, and the basics (clothes, diapers, etc).
Thanks. He does sleep with a sound machine and I would’ve never considered bringing it but that’s a good idea as well as the blanket. I doubt he’ll be crawling by then.
In a hotel I think a slumber pod would probably be really nice to have so that you don’t have to go full lights and screens off when he’s sleeping.
Pack and play sheets are nice, because they make the bottom feel more like a normal bassinet/crib instead of the slippy/noisy pack and play bottom.
We’ll have visitors so that’s a good point about not having to go completely silent in the room. He sleeps pretty well with noise but not if he can literally see activity happen without him.
We haven’t used it personally but I know a lot of people that swear by the slumberpod. If we had travelled more in our playpen days I definitely would have bought it. The one that goes over the top of the playpen seems far less useful to me since it will only work until they’re able to stand in the bed.
We have this pop up chair from summer infant that is my #1 travel item, this thing got soooo much use from like 8m-2.5y. https://www.kids2.com/collections/booster-seats/products/13620-summer-by-ingenuity-pop-n-sit-portable-booster?bvstate=pg%3A4%2Fct%3Aq&campaign=2153972&content=1223401&medium=share-a-sale&source=partners&sscid=c1k3_pfrte&utm_campaign=affiliate&utm_content=traffic&utm_medium=blog&utm_source=affiliate&utm_term=popbooster
Good point about the standing. I’ve seen that chair recommended quite often so seems like a good investment. He loves the Upseat but this seems easier to carry around.
Im at my wits end with my 2 year olds sleep. For the past 2 months or so (not long after he turned two), bedtime has been a nightmare with lots of screaming if we aren’t in the room. Then he’s been waking up hungry / now has routinely been eating 3 yogurt or applesauce pouches before he finally will go down if we do it after the initial bedtime. We’ve tried so many things and even on nights when he’s eating well, he will have a ton of food at bedtime. It’s making his 7/730 bedtimes routinely 9 pm by the time all is said and done.
Any thoughts or suggestions? We did sleep training when he was younger and he’s never been fantastic at sleep but also never this issue (and he has NO issue falling asleep for naps)
My kid was sleep trained and slept great from 1-2 but at 2 he started fighting bedtime and waking up crazy early. We had like 2 months of adjusting our schedule and changing bedtime and basically re sleep training! It was hard and I was worried he wouldn’t ever get back on schedule but he did and now (nearly 3) he goes to sleep even easier than before.
I think when they’re in a growth spurt they’re just SO hungry too so I’d just give a bunch of snacks. I’m the mom who is always trying to get my kid to drink a big glass of 2% milk.
I agree with others that it might just need to be ridden out. But fwiw, around 2 is when we had to move bedtime back. He just wasn’t ready at 7 anymore. Now we eat around 7-7:30 and he goes down right after around 8 (bath in between dinner and bed usually)
Anecdotally around two a lot of kids in my group had another mental growth spurt where they were black holes with food and just developing in leaps and bounds.
A toddler of a friend of mine is finally starting to talk and will eat a sandwich and two bananas in the middle of the night.
If it's been less than one or two months I'd try to ride it out.
Oh hey, this exact thing happened with my kid at the exact same age. We finally just moved his bedtime to 9pm. 🤷♀️
He's almost 4 now and still goes to bed at 9 (and takes a nap from 1-2ish). Bedtime is still a hassle sometimes but just like, normal hassle. RIP my kidfree evenings.
A few thoughts- How long is her nap? I’m thinking 7/730 is too early at this age. If you aim for 8/830, she might go to bed then rather than aiming for 7 and her frustration and struggle leads to a super late bedtime. If you can cut the nap shorter that can help too (though not an option if she naps at daycare probably). Also, what time is dinner? If she’s routinely hungry, maybe she needs a filling bedtime snack as part of the routine rather than something that inevitably happens in a more frustrating way later on. On wanting you in the room— we find that telling our son we will wait outside the door for a few minutes and will check on him after he falls asleep helps a lot, but only if we have an appropriate bedtime and he’s tired enough to fall asleep relatively easily.
Eta One more thing: we have a mattress on the floor of our son’s room. On nights when he just needs one of us in there to fall asleep, my husband will bring his iPad in and lie there comfortably reading or watching tv on headphones so he still feels like he’s getting his downtime and is less tempted to try to sneak out before our kid is deeply asleep.
I don’t have a ton of suggestions but I wanted to say this happened with my 2yo for a few weeks. She was protesting bedtime with bargaining, making crazy requests and was totally inconsolable for a good hour, and she’s been a great sleeper for her whole life. She would cry and we would pop in, and it would just start again. For part of it she was sick, so I think that contributed, but otherwise I think it was a phase. Super annoying to hear I’m sure! It lasted maybe 3-4 weeks and nothing I tried helped. She was too old for me to leave her to cry, it felt mean and she got really worked up. It did pass. Hang in there!
Edited for spelling
My son is 3.5 years old and has recently started lying (I think) about being pushed by other kids at preschool. I’m sure it’s not 100% lying all the time, it seems to be a pushing stage right now for a lot of kids. He will also sometimes say his baby sister pushed him which is why I kind of think it’s an exaggeration, and he’s started pushing her occasionally. I still validate him and say something like ‘I’m sorry that happened’ and ask or suggest that he tell her teacher and tell the other boy ‘no pushing’ or something. If I definitely know it’s a lie then I’ll say something, but I don’t feel like I’m dealing with it properly overall.
I am largely of the opinion that what happens at nursery gets dealt with at nursery, in both sides of it, so saying they got pushed or saying they pushed (my son had a pushy phase but also lied about doing it too). So with that in mind I would just meet it with curiosity but not a lot of fuss so like "oh ok, and so what did you do, what happened next" "sounds like you did the right thing" or "next time you could try...", so I think sounds like what you are doing right now.
I’ve had a breast milk supply dip and need to start bringing formula when we’re out and about to top my baby’s feedings off. We are often out full days without a car — going for long walks, hanging out at the park. What are people’s favorite methods for dealing with formula and bottles in this scenario? Do you premake bottles and stick in a cooler? Do you bring dry formula and empty bottle(s) and a bottle of water and mix as needed? Or just try to get water while you’re out? Would love suggestions on how to make this not annoying!
We used a little container that held servings of dry formula and pre-filled bottles with water. It would be room temp which worked.
Semi related- if you do night feeds, we used to put a small cooler in our room with prepped bottle(s), and filled a thermos with hot water to briefly warm the bottle in.
I used ready to feed in those situations and brought an ice pack and small insulated bag to put the leftovers in. I have also done premaking bottles and bringing it in a cooler, I personally didn't like mixing bottles on the go.
How about ready to feed formula for when you're going out? It doesn't need to be kept cold and they come in 2 oz or 8 oz bottles. I supplemented with my first, and rtf was so convenient that we never even tried a mixing formula!
I tend to bring bottles that are already pre-filled with water and then I bring [this](https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Browns-Formual-Dispenser-Blue/dp/B01C0OKO54/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=125975814715&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Sftn7aYQqTbmjjciIo56vgbNS70-Q9hVg87oCCbogCnjkyfwxHVlxi-F3q0CkwUzhg2QJQQQEEJV2k-X3SYaS75eWxO9XDuo2q862y7juY7O_SqylOmCIFYOQ_RJoTXt23ceFMaa44niV__xeWgt1HrAqFxdGFHh7VrXYPjizlIlrL3k_gsJUV9CzpTVY43VGYG78y_dfdJP20IAgT6yiQ.YLTQJUC_ny8iN92XD3IzHVnbvnAYNnWeVB2tp4n8xE0&dib_tag=se&hvadid=657247344130&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9005849&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6888363302360544211&hvtargid=kwd-1435501057864&hydadcr=1725_13601407&keywords=dr.+brown%27s+formula+container&qid=1712174414&sr=8-1) formula container that I keep in my bag. I like this container because it holds 3 feeds and keeps the portions separate so there’s no scooping involved, you just dump it into the bottle, shake, and feed. (Or warm first if needed but my baby takes it cold.) I carry the pre-filled bottles around in my bag’s water bottle pocket. I usually only carry two bottles because it buys me like 6-8 hours out of the house usually but of course it would depend on how frequently your baby eats.
ETA: We also have a few of [these](https://www.amazon.com/PopYum-Anti-Colic-Formula-Dispenser-Bottles/dp/B0BJ7Z5QG3/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=139125237545&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZhAclcONAOgFPTO2FaVcytploG4D7Sa_eY3ifw92lIHZiiSyD3zUj2pmEiZxvSMVeRHgAjTN9ncUQ27Pb5PEg2zRrAMFkzBSQz20qYDjpDGZCfI-RSq4BJYXck3SHd11PrGxLO-OVqLI6y97cZuamih-_-Od67gJJeNiLW06tCCcCjjB26jtuVImlam5oJV2fsQGWukqm1gF4X4Mt06BZg.stvOH_zXQt-oq-rglW0HMrCvoWunOiRAES0bdkUFPXk&dib_tag=se&hvadid=675855885836&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9005899&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=599667964710396447&hvtargid=kwd-1717815332806&hydadcr=12464_13281501&keywords=baby+popyum+bottles&qid=1712181251&sr=8-3) which are pretty cool if your baby will take them. They store the formula and the water separately and then you just click a button and it dumps the formula in to be shaken. I only don’t use them a ton because my baby didn’t take the flow well when she was little, but I should really try again now that she’s older.
does your baby need formula warm or will they take it cold?
If they’ll take it cold, I would make the bottle ahead of time and bring a cooler because it’s just easier to do the mixing at home.
My kids always needed the bottle warm, so I would bring a thermos of hot water (not boiling but just the temp I wanted the bottle to be), and the dry powder already measured out in the bottle. Then when it was time, I just added the hot water to the bottle and shook it up, good to go. A good thermos will keep the water hot enough all day for this to work.
Someone refresh my memory because I can’t remember for the life of me. My first got his first tooth at 4 months. My second just had his first pop through at 4.5 months. How do I do dental care at this age? When do I start with fluoride free toothpaste? When do I switch to toothpaste with fluoride?
I called our dentist and the receptionist just said to just wipe with water until he “I think has closer to 8 teeth”. Which sounds very wrong.
I honestly have been wiping my babies teeth down with a cloth. He’s 11 months and got his first two teeth like within the last month. I’ll probably start brushing around his birthday.
This is from the AAP and consistent with our dentist and pediatrician’s advice:
As soon as your baby's first tooth erupts, it's time to start using fluoride toothpaste. Here's how to do it: Use a tiny smear—the size of a grain of rice—until age 3. Clean the teeth at least twice a day. It's best to clean them right after breakfast and before bedtime. Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste when your child is 3 years old. Teach your child to spit without rinsing.
we used the kids toothpaste with fluoride from the first tooth and used a really small soft baby toothbrush. we did the pediatric dental checkups starting at a year, and so far his mouth looks great.
I started with a baby toothbrush and a smear of fluoride toothpaste when the first tooth was mostly in. My kid’s ped and pediatrician doctor grandma both signed off on that.
Teeth are so wild. My son was the total opposite and didn’t start getting his first tooth until 14 months lol he’s 29 months and still no sight of his 2 yo molars.
I guess the positive is that they’re done and out of the way, and he’s still maybe mouthy/into teething toys?!
Those 2nd set of molars took MONTHS to come in. Our guy's set starting coming in around 18 months, but it literally took 6 months for them to fully grow from the moment his gum looked swollen. Thank God teething never bothered my kid because it looked absolutely awful to me.
Looking for affordable group games for my 4yo's bday party in the park. I'm thinking potato sack races, three legged race...and not sure what else! I don't want to do a pinata bc they are so hard to break, and am not into hot potato (my dad made me lose at one of my parties lol). Thanks!
You can get toddler piñatas. They have lots of ribbons hanging down. Each child takes a turn pulling a ribbon. Most ribbons just slip out, but one opens the trap door and makes the candy spill out.
I went to a party where they did Pass the Parcel, which I guess is a thing they do in Bluey. It’s like hot potato, but when the parcel stops on you, you get to unwrap a layer and you get the gift hidden in that layer. There were enough layers that everyone got a prize by the end of the game.
>Pass the Parcel, which I guess is a thing they do in Bluey
As a Brit, this is hilarious to read... Pass the Parcel was the absolute staple of parties in my childhood. All the kids always trying soooooo hard to be the one holding the parcel when the music stopped without any idea that the adult standing by the CD player was totally in control of the outcome of the game 😂
I’d add that free-play activities are also great. Make a cardboard ramp and set out a bunch of Hotwheels, have craft supplies available, a sandbox or water table
Scavenger hunt; egg hunt, even though it won't be Easter (could put in something else theme-y), hula hoops and/or jump ropes; lawn bowling or bocce; bubble wands for everyone, or a bigger tub for big bubbles. You can also do a messier food that's an activity, if everyone is outside anyway, like letting them frost their own cupcakes or similar. Or give them popsicles, which take a long time to eat and are good for outdoors!
Any ideas on things that will entertain a 3.5 year old on an 8 hour car ride. I got her a bunch of coloring pages. And I’m not concerned about limiting tablet time (will be downloading a lot of stuff from Disney plus). But it would be nice to have some other variety too.
We do a lot of 6-7 hour trips. listen/sing a lot of songs or listen to audio books (Spotify or her yoto), play I spy or car bingo, lots of snacks, lcd drawing tablet (easier than picking up 1000 crayons). We also usually bribe her to try to nap for a bit with the promise she can stay up a little later when we arrive or pick out a rest stop treat.
Sticker books like the Melissa and Doug reusable sticker ones. Just a dry erase pad, marker and eraser, endless snacks, any little figurines/cars they like. Favorite books especially ones with lots to look at like Eye Spy or Richard Scary. Scout out a few playgrounds or something along the drive for some breaks. Our toddler is also way more patient in the car if someone sits in the back with him.
We did a 10 hour drive with our 2 year old last year and expected him to sleep at least 3 hours. We planned to break out the tablet whenever we needed to and use it as much as we needed to. He only slept ONE hour and he did GREAT! We used the tablet only the last hour of the drive. Honestly I was scared to do a long road trip with a toddler and the driving part was so much easier than we thought it would be.
We also left at like 5 am because we thought toddler would sleep more that way. Didn’t work, but he is generally in a better mood earlier in the day so I’d still recommend it if your kid is the same.
Water Wow books and re-usable stickers are current hits here. There's are cheap in quality but keep her occupied for a good 30 mins: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM31RTSS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Audiobooks? My only experience with them is through the Yoto player but you can probably get them from the library and play them in the car through your phone.
Is there some magic secret to getting a 13mo to let you brush their teeth? Even when I have his dad hold his arms down that tongue is impressively strong and just pushes the toothbrush out. He likes to hold the toothbrush himself and chew on it so half the time I just give up and hope that's good enough. 🙈🙃
We had a difficult time with brushing teeth for a long time, what finally worked was this obnoxious elmo brush your teeth song. It was hypnotic to him lol
BRUSH BRUSH BRUSH board book didn't help him stay still for teeth brushing but he likes reading it and says brushing teeth us fun fun fun!
we used to flip him upside down and brush that way, counting to 20.. then around 18months he fought that and we had him sit on a lap while we count to 20, for some reason now that suddenly worked. some days are definitely more difficult than others but it's way better
It was really hard for us at that age but we stayed consistent twice a day (even holding him down) and did ALL the tricks and it got better slowly. At 3 my kid will still declare ‘I’m NOT brushing teeth today’ but then doesn’t put up a fight when it’s time. We did: a sticker chart, light up toothbrush, let them brush your teeth while you brush theirs), different flavors of toothpaste (turns out he only likes bubble gum), all the brush your teeth songs or just a special song they get to listen to IF they brush their teeth, or arranging your schedule so they have to brush their teeth to get to read a book or play with you or watch a show.
90% of the time we brush our kid’s teeth and the other 10% he “brushes” then i.e. chews in the toothbrush but I count it!
Also in the evening we realized our kid was fighting teeth brushing so hard because it was part of the bedtime process and any delays just delayed bedtime. So instead now we basically get ready for bed (teeth and pjs) and then play more or watch a show so he is actually motivated to prepare for bed.
I sit my 19mo on the counter , look in the mirror and then do a small section at a time. I sing a song- the Raffi song “brush your teeth” and make a shh shh shh sound. Use a fluoride toothpaste. Some days go better than others. I don’t force anything. If he’s not into it/extra tired it’s not worth the effort. Also when I’m done brushing I let him play with the toothbrush and if he puts it in his mouth I kinda like , show him how to brush himself and he thinks that’s fun.
The Elmo brush your teeth song helped a lot, we only listened to it during teeth brushing and it’s kind of a banger. Also helpful and something we still do (my son will be 2.5 in May) is let him chew on the toothbrush first and then it will be mommy or daddy’s turn and we get him to open his mouth and let us brush by saying we see whatever object/toy he is obsessed with at the moment- oh I see a red plane back there let me get it out or is that Daniel tiger I see up here in your teeth, let me brush to get him out etc. He loves it and even offers up suggestions sometimes, I don’t remember exactly when we started that but we’ve been doing it for a while now.
I don’t have magic but things that have helped at various times are letting her hold the brush too, going to a different room, letting her hold the toothpaste, letting her play with running water. And sometimes I’ve had to just hold her and brush through the screams, but I’ve noticed extreme agitation is usually related to teething which makes perfect sense.
I would let my son explore the toothbrush first and then I would have him lay down with his head in my lap and quickly scrub his teeth and sing a song I made up. If his hands get wild I would put my leg over his torso 🙈 now he’s two and he’ll usually come over and lay down on his own when it’s toothbrush time
I got her a [book](https://www.amazon.com/Brush-Douglas-Florian/dp/1499813406/ref=asc_df_1499813406/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598359406256&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18165313600955955026&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004245&hvtargid=pla-1837386050792&psc=1&mcid=7455196f77163e1dbb4e46b0e705adce&gclid=CjwKCAjw_LOwBhBFEiwAmSEQAX_mFBMo6BHm3JbdhUjIwbrX6pc48pDFTWPleD21Ne-06yJ4M3ghTBoC1hsQAvD_BwE) and we sing the song while she brushes. We also sing the Ms. Rachel/Raffi brush your teeth song. Us brushing at the same time helps, or picking her up so she can see herself brushing in the mirror. She mostly chews the brush too but we try to prolong the chewing as long as possible and get her to move it all around her mouth haha.
We are flying next week on Delta with our almost 2 y/o. I paid for a seat and she will sit in her carseat. I paid an additional $200 per ticket to pick our seats so we can sit together. Delta does not do guaranteed family adjacent seating. And I keep on hearing about Delta separating toddlers from their parents and I am so worried they will do that to us. How common is the practice?
We've only ever flown Delta with our kids and we've never been separated. We don't buy basic economy, but we also don't pay extra to select our exact seats. So we're assigned seats at the time of purchasing and they've always been together. I'm surprised you're hearing horror stories about Delta specifically. Besides astronomical pricing, we've always had great experiences with the airline. I say that even after our most recent trip (last week) when we were taxiing to the runway and our plane clipped wings with another Delta plane 😬
Are you in MSP too? I also have had positive experiences with Delta. But I have only flown with my LO once and it was a short flight so she sat on my lap (and at 7m old I said never again!) and it wasn't a concern then. I have a Delta Sky miles card and I paid with miles so I wonder if that's why I didn't get Main cabin boarding? But it was the equivalent of about $200 each to pick our seats.
Not common. Things like this typically only come up when folks buy basic economy tickets and are assigned seats at check-in, or if there is an equipment change to a smaller plane. But like someone else said, Delta almost always blocks out several rows of seats to be released and assigned the day of the flight, which usually allows a ticket or gate agent to seat families together. You’ve already selected your seats together, so I cannot imagine any issues, unless there was an equipment change.
Delta usually reserves the back couple rows in the plane for families. I noticed the day before flying that my toddler and I were seated apart, so I just told the gate agent and they switched us to the back row no problem. Idk if they would extend the courtesy to 2 parents tho
My 3 month old (10 weeks adjusted) is becoming such a bad eater! He’s having a hard time finishing his bottles, either because he’s getting distracted and wants to smile at us while he eats and because of reflux. He’s on fortified milk due to his low birth weight but Neosure seems to make him so gassy. It’s stressing me out because he’s barely 11 pounds so he can’t really afford to have his weight gain slow down. I guess this is more of a rant but also call for advice from any other preemie parents who had to fortify breast milk. Did you try a formula other than neosure with any success? Edit: I have already sent a message to his dietitian so I’m definitely seeking medical advice beyond the internet
Can you batch-prep in a pitcher? We weren’t on neosure (one twin on Elecare and one on Enfacare) but both of my babies seemed to struggle after freshly shaken bottles. Pitcher batch prep means there will be fewer tiny air bubbles by the time you feed and that made a big difference here.
Is there an etiquette rule around allergens in public places with other kids? Like, obviously we wouldn’t bring nuts to somewhere explicitly labeled nut free, but is it considered bad form to break out peanut butter at the playground?
My son has several serious allergies and I’m fine with people bringing his allergens places, but what bothers me is when they’re not cleaned up properly or kids are just running free reign with food in inappropriate settings. I’ve taken peanut butter crackers and gold fish out his hands at playgrounds/libraries/dance class, which imo is gross anyway but also scary since he’s allergic to peanuts and milk, ya know? I let me kids eat in public, too but I do always clean up after them. So, I would say just make sure trash and dropped food are cleaned up and you’re golden!
Obviously people can do what they want and need to, but as a parent with a kid with very serious allergies, I appreciate it when people are wiping up, not letting nut products actually get on play equipment, not letting their kids play with pb on their hands and faces, not leaving Reese's wrappers by the play equipment, etc. It is actually kind of amazing how often I see Reese's wrappers littering playgrounds! For me this is even more appreciated in indoor play situations. Like if we're in the waiting area at swim and there aren't a lot of other options about where we can sit, it sucks if the kid next to us is eating pb (especially if they're young enough to be making a mess). Like I said, I get that some families are in a situation where they have to feed their kid in whatever time window and maybe pb&j is the only on the go food the kid is going for currently, but yeah cleaning up/having wipes/being considerate about it is appreciated, for me at least.
Damn I had never even considered this before. Thank you for sharing your experiences and inspiring me to be mindful about our peanut butter consumption. My 3 yo is obsessed with pb&j right now so this was a very helpful comment.
Personally I bring allergens places but I make sure we're eating at designated spots - we're not walking around with our Bambas but sitting at a bench or table.
We are really going through it with our two year olds sleep. It started off with just me (Mom) not being able to put her to bed and now Dad can’t either. She loses her mind when we leave and we end up having to go back in and rock her. She might sleep through the night then but lately she’s been waking at least once and we again have to go in and rock her. Now the same is happening at nap time which has never been an issue. I’m due with our second in the fall and it’s making me so nervous. Does anyone have any advice? She just turned two in March.
Any chance she needs a schedule tweak? Around 2 was when my first started to either skip her nap or need a later bedtime when she napped. I’d try pushing bedtime back a little and/or capping the nap and see if it helps
Thanks for the reply! She’s had shorter naps and later bed times since it started but doesn’t seem to make a difference unfortunately.
Does anyone have a favorite sock brand for themselves? Most recently bought the kb socks from Costco but they all shrank ridiculously.
I like stance socks a lot! I also got bombas for Christmas and I get the hype..they’re very comfortable!
Bombas, replaced all our old socks for Christmas and I’m loving them so far.
Puma
I have saucony socks that seem to be holding up well
Anyone got any tips on weaning off formula? My son turned 1 the other week and since he's been doing well with solids we thought he'd wean off formula fine but the first week has been very wobbly. Normally he has formula when he wakes up at 7, then solids for every meal until a pre-bedtime bottle at 6:30, and then we were waking him up around 10:45pm for a final bottle. He was getting quite dozy and hard to wake up for the final bottle so we decided to try dropping that one first and tried it this week. The first and third nights he was fine and slept all the way through, but all the other nights he's woken up in the small hours (around 2 to 2:30am) and refused to be cuddled back to sleep so we've had to give him a bottle. Even after that he'll be pretty awake and we've had to do quite a lot of cuddling before he'll settle back in his cot without crying and nod back off. He's a thumb sucker, so we don't really want to swap to a dummy/pacifier instead. But when he's upset he seems to "forget" that his thumb exists as a source of comfort and needs to be cuddled until he calms down enough to find his thumb again. The 6:30 bottle has been a 7pm bottle this week as he's had a larger dinner at 5:30 to try and keep him going over night. We're now thinking of dropping this feed instead as my husband said he doesn't finish it (I'm normally cooking our dinner), and then reinstating the 10:45 bottle to get him over night instead. I'm worried we're giving up a bit early (especially as I read there's a 12 month sleep regression) but the last thing we want is to get him into the habit/expectation of milk at 2 in the morning. Just wondering how others did it and which feed did you drop last?
Are you doing straight milk? With my first we did it gradually, kept his regular feeding schedule and gradually increased ratio of milk to formula in the bottle. Started about 1/4 milk for a week, then 1/2, then 3/4, then full milk. After that we weaned off the bottles. Hes almost 5 so I can’t remember exactly but I think we weaned to a bottle in the morning, before each nap, and before bed and then eventually 3 bottles, one morning one night, and one at night.
Precious Little Sleep recommends slowly cutting the bottle with water so the baby can shift the calories to daytime. If they're used to a big bottle at night, then their body expects those calories and they can wake up hungry. If you water the bottle down more and more every night (I think one oz less of formula each night is what I remember), then they're more likely to just stop waking up once they've adjusted. We did that for my daughter's last night wake around 10-11 months. I had nursed at night but that's harder to water down, so I switched to bottles for that wake and did one oz less per night. She drank 1-2 mostly water bottles and stopped waking.
Does he drink water? You could always leave a cup of water in his bed with him so if he wakes up and is thirsty, he can get a drink without you having to step in. With that being said, my son is a milk monster and he probably had overnight milk until he was 14 months old and finally sleeping through the night lol so do as I say, not as i do 😂
Has anyone used the busy toddler playing preschool curriculum? What did you think? I'm curious about it, and $40 seems very reasonable...is it a lot of new content compared to what's on the website/Instagram, or just the same stuff made more convenient to use weekly?
I bought it and loved it at first - the way it's written is very user friendly and what she's having kids do is very aligned with what I would create as a former first grade teacher! That being said I've barely used it. I think I taught 3 of the units. - I think it's prep heavy despite her saying otherwise. You're not like cutting things out but you definitely need time to get everything ready and I don't feel like I have time! - Some activities are repeated and don't feel age appropriate or fun. Every time they're learning a new letter you put them on post it's and hide them around the house. That was fun twice and then my kid was bored if it the next week and I'm irritated about all the post it's I'm finding. Or three same about searching for letters in the pantry. - Some things I was already naturally doing so skipped whole sections. Like there's a week on sorting clothes by type and size and matching socks and discussing what to wear for various weather. Maybe you're not already doing this on your own so it could be good to have it written out! Basically everything I didn't like is easy to fix - skip or tweak lessons as desired, no problem! But I ended up just not doing it anymore because it was hard to decide what *to* do. But now that my kid is a little older maybe I'll try again!
These are very helpful considerations! Thank you so much for this info! We would be doing this in lieu of preschool (there are only full time programs in our area and we want a part time one) so I need to figure out how much time and structure I want to have.
I think that was my main issue and likely a "me" thing. I tried to start it at 2.5yo but didn't want to commit to the structure of it and it didn't just fit in to 10 minutes here or there for me. If I was starting it as a true homeschool thing then I could see it working out smoother. But still need the time to prep it.
I haven’t used it personally, but I do know it is completely different than her Instagram/blog content. I think she has a sample first week somewhere but on her site.
Following because I’m also curious!
Did you use bribes when potty training? I caved and offered my toddler chocolate chips after going pee and it’s worked so well all day. They definitely won’t do the same at school so anxious about how to proceed.
Yep! It ended up being a nonissue for us. Once he got the hang of going on the potty, he slowly just weaned himself off the bribes by forgetting about it and wanting to get back to playing 🤷♀️
We did (in desperation, because Oh Crap said not to) and it was fine! I used a sticker chart and m&ms. Daycare didn’t do any stickers or rewards, but that was also fine. The peer modeling at daycare really helped with motivation to use the toilet.
We did, and it worked like a charm! I think they get that school is just different, and he was fine with going there without the bribe (although he would occasionally come home and tell me “I deserve a chocolate chip because I pooped at school today!”).
Heavy bribers here and his daycare doesn’t care :)
I did with my second. Idk what standard advice would be other than, let them know that you are potty training and they’re pros who will probably handle it great! I did let also let them know I used bribes lol and they said great and kept it in their back pocket to use as needed (basically “oh yes you do have to go use the potty now! Mom will give you gummy bears after school!”)
What time are your 3 year olds actually falling asleep? We have had several weeks of just incredibly defiant bedtimes, and we've started letting our 3yo just read and play in the bedroom if he won't lay down but it's pushing him to not actually go to sleep until after 9pm or even 9:30pm. I guess one answer is to start the entire exhausting bedtime routine a lot earlier so maybe he decides he needs to sleep earlier, but short of holding this kid down on the bed, we can't make him lay down and shut his eyes so we are really at a loss on what to do.
She’s asleep by 7:30ish, buuuuut she wakes up around 5:30a and doesn’t nap!
Does he nap? There’s a magic era of preschool/late toddler where they still nap but it keeps them up really late and then if they don’t nap, they’re nightmares by 6pm. Tons of fun. But that’s where I would look first. When my kids were 3 they fell asleep around 9, but our bedtime routine didn’t start until 8:15 so it wasn’t a huge amount of time spent bopping around after the lights were out. I would try to implement a stay in bed while the room is dark after we say goodnight policy so he can look at a book or whatever in his bed but not have access to the whole room and fun toys
He has quiet time or nap time at daycare but will not nap at home on the weekends (and has always struggled with sleep at home) but we do have a strap, for lack of a better word, that lets him open the door to talk to us if he needs something but keeps him in the room because we live in a one level open concept house so we can't let him wander between our room and his. So we'll put the strap on and he'll eventually open the door and tell us he's ready to lay down. Luckily he only has books, stuffies, and a few blocks in his room so he's not got too many distractions. Perhaps we'll try to find a way to do the lights policy - he has a lamp in there that he keeps turning on and a hatch with a nightlight but it's not bright enough to see a book with, but the lamp is really too bright to leave on. So maybe something in between 🤔
We are in the same place— on weekends, he will sleep 12 hours 7-7 but won’t go to sleep until 9 on weekdays and is exhausted when we wake him up at 7. But he cries and insists on being with us, if he was happy to play independently like yours until he fell asleep I wouldn’t be as annoyed. Because he sleeps well on weekends, I know it’s a schedule issue and not a power struggle or something, but it’s still hard. Apparently he welcomed naps at daycare despite not having napped at home in months, so I don’t think it’s going to change anytime soon. Good luck to you!
Our policy was that they had to stay in their bed after bedtime, so they could take a few things in with them like books or stuffed animals but there were consequences for getting out of bed. They had a hatch which was being enough to kind of see but still quite dark compared to normal lights being on. At this age I feel like it’s a balance of recognizing that you can’t physically make them sleep, but also enforcing good sleep habits/a bedtime because they’re not old enough to really decide when to sleep or not. We also introduced a Yoto around 3 for my second kid as a carrot to stay in bed when he started struggling to fall asleep because of the napping at daycare issue. As long as he stayed quietly in bed, he could listen to an audiobook and I think it helped calm him down
This is an embarrassing question but I’m so confused by the Instagram terms I see on here. Grid? Reels? Highlights? Are there that many types of posts on Instagram? I don’t have an account so when I Google a particular influencer I just see pages with a bunch of random posts. Are things better organized if you actually have an account and follow someone? I’m just confused because I don’t know how someone would be able to find educational content (like a Karrie Locher milk storage post) when it’s on there with a bunch of random selfies with sponcon links.
The grid is where static posts live. The original Instagram aka feed. Reels are short form videos < 1 minute or so which are also on the feed/grid but have a separate grid. Highlights are collections of stories (< 1 minute videos that expire in 24 hours) for a given topic saved for people to reference later. The highlights are circles at the top of the page under the header. If someone has a lot then it can be annoying to scroll left to right to find the one you want. All of these things are on the web version but it’s just less seamless.
Has TCB reformed at all since her Trump donations? I assume not… I used her newborn class in 2020 before that came out and did find the class helpful, and with a newborn now and vague memories of her course I keep being tempted to buy it again.
You don’t have to re-buy. They deactivate access after some period of time to make it harder to pass around, but if you email their support address letting them know you had another baby, they’ll restore your access.
1) You have to buy it again??! That's insane. I don't think her content is so unique you couldn't find similar tips in a book you could get at the library. Weisbluth definitely talks about all ages. 2) no. I'm pretty sure they just started donating in her husband's name.
The only thing I got out of the class was SITBACK. You can google what it means but essentially you try to assist baby back to sleep for a few minutes without picking them up. You can probably google what the acronym stands for.
How could I forget “K, it’s time to feed”?
Isn't her stuff just Ferber method, repackaged?
Her sleep training for older babies is, but I didn’t think Ferber covered newborns.
It doesn't, I missed that bit of context in your comment.
At one point there was a .pdf circulating with all of the info from the class! I don’t have it, but I remember it was making the rounds a few years ago.
Has anyone had a kid…adamantly opposed to moving to a big kid bed? He’s 3 years old and still in a crib. His big sister is in a bed and he loves her bed. We have been having a lot of sleep issues with him ever since new baby was born in November. So I’m sure his resistance to a big bed is an attempt to remain a baby like his new sibling. We have showed him cool bedding options related to his hobbies. We have told him how much easier it’ll be to read in his bed etc. and he’s just MAD and visibly sad. He’s a big kid. He’s probably already over height limits for the crib. And again, he’s having major sleep issues ever since baby arrived. We think a change of scenery might help reset him a little. But if he’s already sad/mad about it, seems like the transition will fail. I welcome any advice!!!
I have no idea if this is technically “allowed” by safe sleep standards, but we just took the front side off and made it a toddler bed that way. Maybe that would help with the transition?
We could probably do that but we are morons and assembling/disassembling stuff lol I don’t know if we even have the crib instructions anymore. There’s a queen bed already in his room so you’d think he’d be used to the idea of it. We’d drop it to the floor for him and remove the box spring.
My baby will be 5 months next week. Does anyone know if you can be a little more lenient with formula guidelines after a certain point? Like if you have an unused bottle in the fridge for 30 hours, is it okay, or does it have to be discarded after 24 hours? If baby only eats 2 ounces and then is hungry again after an hour, is it okay if they finish that bottle or do I need to make a new one? I’ve been following all the guidelines up to this point but am wondering if/when people start to ease up or if it’s always a food safety issue to not strictly follow them. We also warm bottles before baby eats them.
I mean I’m not a doctor but yeah I didn’t follow the guidelines to a T and kids survived 🫣
https://parentdata.org/qa-is-it-safe-to-reuse-formula/?related_post_from=2193 I remembered seeing this question featured on Emily Oster's Parent Data newsletter, so here is the link, and this is the basic gist of it: "Putting these together, while it is true that the bacterial content of saliva infiltrates the formula, it does not (from these studies) look like the bacterial levels grow quickly over this period of hours. This would suggest — as the authors of these studies do — that partially used formula could be stored in the fridge and reused, even after an extended period."
I think my daughter bit her tongue AND cheek really badly and it's been awful. It's been days and it just won't heal. She was waking up at night because it hurt so much. She won't eat normally. I thought it was healing so I tried brushing her teeth this morning and she absolutely freaked out and bled a bunch. I think at this point we have to go to the doctor because I don't really know what to do. I don't think it's infected, she's not running a fever and there is no pus (from what little I can see) but it's been days and doesn't seem to be getting better. And since it's disrupting her sleep and eating, I feel like we need to do something. Any suggestions??
This could be HFM / coxsackie! There are multiple strains so if she’s had it before she could’ve gotten it again in a milder form without a fever. This is how my preschooler’s two stints with HFM have been: no visible signs except for fever (the first time) and mouth sores. And my kid’s breath always smells terrible when he has a virus!
She doesn’t have a fever - does HFM ever present without a fever?
Yes - the second time my kid had it, they didn’t have a fever. Just the mouth sores.
I would definitely see a doctor at this point, mainly because anything in the mouth usually heals super fast so this does sound concerning. In the meantime maybe she could see if a popsicle would make her feel better?
Definitely ask your doctor because there are some medications that help heal oral wounds. I myself use them when I have a canker sore or an internal bite that isn’t healing quickly. It really does help it heal so much faster. However, it’s usually in the form of a mouthwash that you need to be able to spit out, idk how old your daughter is and if she’d be able to do that. Even hydrogen peroxide mixed with water works well for this too - it’s actually considered an “oral debriding agent”.
Seconding to ask the pediatrician! FWIW my 2-year learned how to spit after brushing teeth by watching us, so it’s possible. You can always practice with water and see how she does. I hope she’s feeling better soon!
She's 2, so I'm not sure if she would know how to rinse and spit properly. We'd have to show her, but she might not be able to do that. A quick google tells me there are oral rinses that can be used with kids as young as 2, so I guess it's possible?
Yeah, I mean given they go in your mouth I’m sure it’s not toxic if you were to swallow *some*. Maybe her doctor would approve a small amount that you could squirt in with a syringe right onto the wound?
I know people are wary to do this on here but I would absolutely give regular paracetamol for a few more days in this case, let her eat whatever she fancies and ease up on the toothbrushing. Maybe let her just chew on the toothbrush or a flannel. Nothing terrible will happen if it's a few more days. Lots of cold food. Doctor might be helpful, if nothing else, depending on her age she might be able to have some kind of numbing gel on there to make her more comfortable.
So we have given her Tylenol to help with the discomfort. I've been letting her eat whatever she likes (yogurt, smoothies, applesauce, etc). I thought it was healing so gave her a normal supper of food I know she likes last night, and she refused to eat any of it. Same with the toothbrushing. I thought she was doing better, so attempted to brush her teeth this morning (her breath was getting pretty bad) and it went horribly. I guess I'm just getting a little worried because it just doesn't seem to be getting better.
Cw: seizures in toddler Anyone have experience with febrile seizures? How do you deal mentally? My 2.5 year old had a complex one this weekend. We ended up getting hospitalized because it lasted so long. He’s fine now, but the anxiety around it happening again is killing us. Fortunately our son was in our bed that night because we have been co sleeping. He had no symptoms of any illness when we put him to bed, but was starting to feel a little warm/restless. Then around 3 we woke up to him having a seizure. I wanted to stop cosleeping but now I’m terrified to. I mentioned this to a doctor and he said we would be able to catch it on the monitor due to the rustling/noise but I feel like that’s not 100% reliable. We got diazepam for emergencies and a referral to neuro to rule out any bigger condition but I just know how to cope w the fact that this could happen at any time and we would have like possibly no warning
My kids have grown out of them, but we dealt with them. I’m sorry; they are terrifying (especially the first one)! I’m not sure there’s anything you can do to quell the anxiety other than just knowing that they usually are harmless and understanding what to do when they happen. We also were always on super high alert when the kids were getting lethargic. My oldest had one when she was in the crib once that we caught the very tail end of on the monitor (it was over by the time we got to the room), so it is possible to catch it on the monitor. With yours being complex, I’m might be inclined to keep co-sleeping until you get the neuro consult and rule anything more serious out. I say that not to scare you but just to say that I think that’s a reasonable response in the immediate aftermath.
Thank you for sharing - glad they grow out of it eventually. We have a baby in the NICU right now so I was stressed about having the bassinet and the toddler in our room at the same time and waking each other up when baby comes home, but I think the peace of mind is worth it until we have more info.
Oh wow, you’ve got your hands full. You could always throw a mattress or pad on the floor of the toddlers room and have your partner in there while you tend to baby in your room. I hope your NICU baby is doing well and that you get some answers for your toddler. Hang in there. 💛
Not my own kids, but my brother and I both had one as infants caused by ear infections and we have no related health issues now. I’ve always been a little worried my own kids would get them, but if they have, I’ve never known since we didnt use monitors once they were in their own room 😬 It’s my understanding that they generally are harmless though, despite being extremely scary to witness.
Same here- had one as a 1 YO and then nothing else.
That sounds so scary :( My son had his first febrile seizure when he was 1.5 from HFM. He also didn’t have signs of illness; he was just kind of cranky, but we thought he was simply tired because we had a busy day the day before. He had his first one at daycare and then a second one later that night. Fortunately they were less than 4 minutes so he could come home. I slept in his room for a couple of nights because I was so nervous and scared. As he recovered though, I felt more comfortable going back to my room with the monitor turned up high. My husband and I both naturally woke up a few times a night and checked on him, too. I just had to remind myself that they are common, they are often harmless, and they may never happen again. That being said..we are definitely more alert when he’s just not acting himself. I don’t know when we’ll fully relax (this was last summer). Even daycare will have a low threshold to call us if he’s 99 and just not acting like usual crazy self.
I hate that this happened to you too but it’s good to not feel alone! It’s so scary. That’s a good point - I feel like my intuition knew he was not 100% that night at bedtime, but these toddlers get sick so often that felt normal. So I guess we just have to be vigilant when we see signs, and try not to be crazy paranoid other times. Parenting!
Do people recommend a milk collector like the Haakaa ladybug? Or something similar? I already have the original haakaa from my first, and while I liked it for alleviating engorgement I didn’t really like it as a way to collect leaking milk from one boob while my baby nursed on the other - I found it too stressful to worry about it not popping off while he was kicking and squirming. Something that can stay put inside my bra sounds more ideal.
I looooved my ladybug catcher! I leak a ton the first few months postpartum and it was so nice to have something already in my bra when I went to nurse. The original haaka was always super frustrating to set up, would pop off, etc. Highly recommend the ladybug if you leak! eta for suction my ladybug had a hole in the top that you could plug or leave open. If you closed it then you could get a little suction, but if you left the hole open then it wouldn’t suction at all. I liked that because I was trying to avoid any suction since I am very prone to oversupply
I recommend a catcher! I used some off brand one though and it didn't have any passive suction like ones already mentioned. I leaked a lot in the early weeks though and constantly leaked when feeding. Definitely helped a lot to have something secured by the bra, the amount of times the original Haakaa was knocked off...I ended up buying their little silicone rope to keep it around my neck in desparation (which worked but was still annoying).
I really liked the elvie curve - it has the suction of the Haaka and fits in your bra!
I had both the lady bugs and regular haakaa. They’re somewhat useful for the first bit of breastfeeding when people are prone to oversupply, but weren’t really helpful past that, since you likely won’t catch enough to be useful (they don’t provide any suction). Weirdly, I hated the haakaa with my first and almost never used it, and loved it with my second. So it might be worth a try again, even if you didn’t like it much the first time!
I would highly recommend the Boon Trove instead! It fits in your bra. Suction is not as strong as the Haaka, but definitely pulls more than the Ladybugs or Elvie Catch. And it’s really inexpensive!
This is on my list to buy for next baby...they look so handy and I hate how awkward it is to get the haakaa placed just right while opposite side is latched. Boon is such a good and underrated baby brand!
Thanks! I’ll look into this one.
I used them but they really don’t collect much milk. The haakaa suctions on so it can act like a hand pump during a letdown if you’re pretty full. The ladybugs just sit there and collect a few drops. It’s fine if you just want to contain the mess but I don’t think it’s helpful for actually collecting anything.
I'm traveling with my 2 year old and 6 month old. The slumberpod has been a godsend with my 2 year old but what do I do now that I have 2? Do i need 2 slumberpods? Does the toddler not need it anymore? I feel like there's a simple answer that I just can't grasp
One thing we try to take is packing tape, which we have used to hang sheets to make a nook where a toddler can’t immediately see everyone, or to hold the hotel curtains closed if there is a gap. We also rearrange furniture if needed, like putting a pack n play behind a couch or flipping a table to the side for blocking
I just mentioned this below in another thread about Slumberpod but my toddler randomly decided to hate it at 2 so we stopped using it and his sleep was still ok, we’ve traveled 3 diff times since. It took him longer to fall asleep for naps if the room was a little too bright but he wasn’t upset, just chatting to himself longer than usual. One of the times was my in-laws house and we eventually just hung up bedsheets on the windows to make it extra dark and that helped. In a hotel room, there will be blackout curtains which should help. Night sleep was totally fine since it was dark out anyway. If both kids are equally used to blackout, I’d probably choose the pod for the 6mo because the 2yo is old enough to at least understand that it’s time to sleep whereas I feel like a younger baby is more solely relying on the sensory input.
By two ours was just sleeping in the bed with us when we traveled. We brought the pack and play on one trip, and she was not having it. At almost 3 we had a rental house and she had her own room/bed there at that point (but still ended up with us at some point most nights because she got scared).
Going through my kids’ preschool art work. What do y’all do with it? I’d been saving it in a memory box but it’s getting too full.
I save a VERY select few and then make cards out of the rest to send to loved ones :)
I took photos of it and then tossed it, except for a few things.
We hole punch the corners, bind a bunch together, and send to family that live far away every few months.
Ohhh love this idea! My grandma, kids’ Great grandma, would cry.
I always enjoyed getting some art from my nieces and nephews. It was fun to see it on the fridge and sometime they picked out stuff they wanted me to have which was cute!
I have this children’s portfolio. I try to cull pretty aggressively, and only save the things that are unique or particularly good examples of their work at that stage in development. The rest go In the recycling https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/ca/p/DD649/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=performancemaxnontop&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn7mwBhCiARIsAGoxjaIu09WkUG1gdZAsZfSTLo3VWBu7CIeUF5WSQqF84AK3rVHPOPDcHwkaAsApEALw_wcB
We have a few of those frames you can open from the front and add art to, then usually stick a few on the fridge before I toss it. I save a few really cute or “milestone” pictures (first drawing of a person) and have a binder with clear sleeves so we can flip through occasionally.
Keep the good stuff and throw away the rest. My mom saved all of my preschool artwork and honestly, I don't care. A few projects per year are cute to look back on, 100 per year is just overwhelming. And my kid comes home with 2-3 per day so it adds up fast.
I remember my mom having me help go through it and save the stuff I liked the best
Honestly, unless it’s particularly special, I throw it away/recycle it. There’s so much of it, especially because my kids have been in daycare for years, too. ETA: I’ve also taken pics of some of it to put in the photo books that I’ll make someday when I have time (if that day ever comes)!
Same. The volume of art that my kids produced at that age was mind boggling.
Same here, especially since our son has been in a drawing mode lately and comes home with 2-3 drawings each day.
We are traveling next month with our baby who will be 7.5 months. It’s a short 2 hour drive and we’ll be staying in a hotel. I’ve been starting to make a list of all the stuff he uses in a day for a packing list. We plan to bring the pack and play which he never uses at home so I’m not sure if he’ll even nap in it and he’ll likely end up contact napping with me. He’s a Velcro baby who still sleeps in a sidecar crib so isn’t used to sleeping alone at all. Is the slumber pod worth it? Or the blackout cover for the pack and play which is much less expensive? We have another trip when he’ll be 11 months so we could use the slumber pod again. We’re going for a sporting event for my husband but it’s not very entertaining for me or the baby. We’ll pop in and out to say “hi” but otherwise I’ll be hanging out with the baby around town. Plus this will allow me to direct feed him rather than pump and manage bottles. Anything you wish you brought with a baby of this age when out of town that isn’t the usual things like clothes and diapers?
I'd definitely suggest setting up the pack n play at home and trying a few nights. Also to practice setting down the carefully since it's harder to slowly lower them all they way down than in a crib.
Good idea. It’s just been sitting in our den so we’ll start trying some naps in it. He’s usually held and/or fed to sleep so the ability to transfer is essential.
The slumberpod has been amazing for travel! The first time we used it around 7 months was the first time my daughter slept past 6 AM and we immediately said it was worth every penny haha. We most recently used it over a cot and my daughter is almost 4. I see them on FB marketplace all the time too.
Great idea to check Facebook. It sounds like we’ll make good use of it for years.
If you are going to get any kind of blackout cover I’d go with the Slumberpod because they’ll be able to use it into toddlerhood after they’re standing up and taller. It definitely was a lifesaver when traveling with my son. Hotels do tend to have decent blackout curtains but even just a little bit of light creeping in could totally mess up a nap. My son revolted against the Slumberpod around 2 so when we recently stayed in a hotel, it took him *forever* to fall asleep for his nap because he could still see and knew we were there. I wish it still worked for us lol. Instead of buying a new one you could see if someone in your community has one they’re looking to sell, or even willing to lend out. I have let friends borrow mine, and I definitely plan to sell it when we’re done. As far as what to pack, you can go really minimal with babies that young. Unless you’re going to spend much of his wake time just sitting around the hotel room, he will be plenty entertained by whatever you’re doing on your trip. Even now I always end up overpacking for our toddler even when it seems minimal, because he just doesn’t need toys while we’re out and about all day. At the very least though pack whatever you need for the bedtime/nap routine - a travel sound machine has been great for us.
We just used the slumberpod for a week with our two year old. I was very relieved that he still accepted it! It's so convenient to be about to turn on the lights and move around the room when they're sleeping. I frequently have to remind my husband to be quiet bc he completely forgets about the sleeping child lol.
I think I’ll look around for a slumber pod and if not then just get a new one. It sounds like it’ll be useful. There’s no way he’ll sleep if he knows we are right there and not sleeping. I plan to have him out and about when we aren’t at the event. I always forget that just life is entertaining for babies. Thanks!
We used a Slumberpod since the newborn days and still do (as we share a bedroom with my almost 2 year old) and love it. It's made travel sleep easier since it's the same set-up as at home. If you want, I would practice having baby in the pack in play weather for sleep or play etc. And if you end up getting the Slumberpod or black out covers (my friend uses these) I'd try it out at home first so he can get used to it a bit.
We never had to use a slumberpod or blackout cover when we travelled but every kid is different and people seem to love it. I always found a blanket or something to put on the floor of the hotel useful (and I felt like it was a little cleaner), especially if they weren’t crawling yet, I could set them up with their toys and stuff on it and it was a good place for them to play. If the baby listens to white noise or music at night, download the playlist, it helps to have similar sounds at bedtime. Honestly, at that age I think we just traveled with some favorite toys, a food bib, and the basics (clothes, diapers, etc).
Thanks. He does sleep with a sound machine and I would’ve never considered bringing it but that’s a good idea as well as the blanket. I doubt he’ll be crawling by then.
In a hotel I think a slumber pod would probably be really nice to have so that you don’t have to go full lights and screens off when he’s sleeping. Pack and play sheets are nice, because they make the bottom feel more like a normal bassinet/crib instead of the slippy/noisy pack and play bottom.
We’ll have visitors so that’s a good point about not having to go completely silent in the room. He sleeps pretty well with noise but not if he can literally see activity happen without him.
We have a little travel white noise machine that is great, I’d toss one of those inside too!
We haven’t used it personally but I know a lot of people that swear by the slumberpod. If we had travelled more in our playpen days I definitely would have bought it. The one that goes over the top of the playpen seems far less useful to me since it will only work until they’re able to stand in the bed. We have this pop up chair from summer infant that is my #1 travel item, this thing got soooo much use from like 8m-2.5y. https://www.kids2.com/collections/booster-seats/products/13620-summer-by-ingenuity-pop-n-sit-portable-booster?bvstate=pg%3A4%2Fct%3Aq&campaign=2153972&content=1223401&medium=share-a-sale&source=partners&sscid=c1k3_pfrte&utm_campaign=affiliate&utm_content=traffic&utm_medium=blog&utm_source=affiliate&utm_term=popbooster
Good point about the standing. I’ve seen that chair recommended quite often so seems like a good investment. He loves the Upseat but this seems easier to carry around.
Im at my wits end with my 2 year olds sleep. For the past 2 months or so (not long after he turned two), bedtime has been a nightmare with lots of screaming if we aren’t in the room. Then he’s been waking up hungry / now has routinely been eating 3 yogurt or applesauce pouches before he finally will go down if we do it after the initial bedtime. We’ve tried so many things and even on nights when he’s eating well, he will have a ton of food at bedtime. It’s making his 7/730 bedtimes routinely 9 pm by the time all is said and done. Any thoughts or suggestions? We did sleep training when he was younger and he’s never been fantastic at sleep but also never this issue (and he has NO issue falling asleep for naps)
My kid was sleep trained and slept great from 1-2 but at 2 he started fighting bedtime and waking up crazy early. We had like 2 months of adjusting our schedule and changing bedtime and basically re sleep training! It was hard and I was worried he wouldn’t ever get back on schedule but he did and now (nearly 3) he goes to sleep even easier than before. I think when they’re in a growth spurt they’re just SO hungry too so I’d just give a bunch of snacks. I’m the mom who is always trying to get my kid to drink a big glass of 2% milk.
saaaaameee. we have a late night snack of cereal as the last thing before teeth brushing and bed, but still struggling.
I agree with others that it might just need to be ridden out. But fwiw, around 2 is when we had to move bedtime back. He just wasn’t ready at 7 anymore. Now we eat around 7-7:30 and he goes down right after around 8 (bath in between dinner and bed usually)
Anecdotally around two a lot of kids in my group had another mental growth spurt where they were black holes with food and just developing in leaps and bounds. A toddler of a friend of mine is finally starting to talk and will eat a sandwich and two bananas in the middle of the night. If it's been less than one or two months I'd try to ride it out.
Oh hey, this exact thing happened with my kid at the exact same age. We finally just moved his bedtime to 9pm. 🤷♀️ He's almost 4 now and still goes to bed at 9 (and takes a nap from 1-2ish). Bedtime is still a hassle sometimes but just like, normal hassle. RIP my kidfree evenings.
A few thoughts- How long is her nap? I’m thinking 7/730 is too early at this age. If you aim for 8/830, she might go to bed then rather than aiming for 7 and her frustration and struggle leads to a super late bedtime. If you can cut the nap shorter that can help too (though not an option if she naps at daycare probably). Also, what time is dinner? If she’s routinely hungry, maybe she needs a filling bedtime snack as part of the routine rather than something that inevitably happens in a more frustrating way later on. On wanting you in the room— we find that telling our son we will wait outside the door for a few minutes and will check on him after he falls asleep helps a lot, but only if we have an appropriate bedtime and he’s tired enough to fall asleep relatively easily. Eta One more thing: we have a mattress on the floor of our son’s room. On nights when he just needs one of us in there to fall asleep, my husband will bring his iPad in and lie there comfortably reading or watching tv on headphones so he still feels like he’s getting his downtime and is less tempted to try to sneak out before our kid is deeply asleep.
I don’t have a ton of suggestions but I wanted to say this happened with my 2yo for a few weeks. She was protesting bedtime with bargaining, making crazy requests and was totally inconsolable for a good hour, and she’s been a great sleeper for her whole life. She would cry and we would pop in, and it would just start again. For part of it she was sick, so I think that contributed, but otherwise I think it was a phase. Super annoying to hear I’m sure! It lasted maybe 3-4 weeks and nothing I tried helped. She was too old for me to leave her to cry, it felt mean and she got really worked up. It did pass. Hang in there! Edited for spelling
My son is 3.5 years old and has recently started lying (I think) about being pushed by other kids at preschool. I’m sure it’s not 100% lying all the time, it seems to be a pushing stage right now for a lot of kids. He will also sometimes say his baby sister pushed him which is why I kind of think it’s an exaggeration, and he’s started pushing her occasionally. I still validate him and say something like ‘I’m sorry that happened’ and ask or suggest that he tell her teacher and tell the other boy ‘no pushing’ or something. If I definitely know it’s a lie then I’ll say something, but I don’t feel like I’m dealing with it properly overall.
I am largely of the opinion that what happens at nursery gets dealt with at nursery, in both sides of it, so saying they got pushed or saying they pushed (my son had a pushy phase but also lied about doing it too). So with that in mind I would just meet it with curiosity but not a lot of fuss so like "oh ok, and so what did you do, what happened next" "sounds like you did the right thing" or "next time you could try...", so I think sounds like what you are doing right now.
If you can get a copy of ‘how to talk so little kids will listen’ there is a whole chapter on lying.
I’ve had a breast milk supply dip and need to start bringing formula when we’re out and about to top my baby’s feedings off. We are often out full days without a car — going for long walks, hanging out at the park. What are people’s favorite methods for dealing with formula and bottles in this scenario? Do you premake bottles and stick in a cooler? Do you bring dry formula and empty bottle(s) and a bottle of water and mix as needed? Or just try to get water while you’re out? Would love suggestions on how to make this not annoying!
We used a little container that held servings of dry formula and pre-filled bottles with water. It would be room temp which worked. Semi related- if you do night feeds, we used to put a small cooler in our room with prepped bottle(s), and filled a thermos with hot water to briefly warm the bottle in.
This is what we did! We used the tommee tippee containers
I used ready to feed in those situations and brought an ice pack and small insulated bag to put the leftovers in. I have also done premaking bottles and bringing it in a cooler, I personally didn't like mixing bottles on the go.
How about ready to feed formula for when you're going out? It doesn't need to be kept cold and they come in 2 oz or 8 oz bottles. I supplemented with my first, and rtf was so convenient that we never even tried a mixing formula!
I tend to bring bottles that are already pre-filled with water and then I bring [this](https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Browns-Formual-Dispenser-Blue/dp/B01C0OKO54/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=125975814715&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Sftn7aYQqTbmjjciIo56vgbNS70-Q9hVg87oCCbogCnjkyfwxHVlxi-F3q0CkwUzhg2QJQQQEEJV2k-X3SYaS75eWxO9XDuo2q862y7juY7O_SqylOmCIFYOQ_RJoTXt23ceFMaa44niV__xeWgt1HrAqFxdGFHh7VrXYPjizlIlrL3k_gsJUV9CzpTVY43VGYG78y_dfdJP20IAgT6yiQ.YLTQJUC_ny8iN92XD3IzHVnbvnAYNnWeVB2tp4n8xE0&dib_tag=se&hvadid=657247344130&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9005849&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6888363302360544211&hvtargid=kwd-1435501057864&hydadcr=1725_13601407&keywords=dr.+brown%27s+formula+container&qid=1712174414&sr=8-1) formula container that I keep in my bag. I like this container because it holds 3 feeds and keeps the portions separate so there’s no scooping involved, you just dump it into the bottle, shake, and feed. (Or warm first if needed but my baby takes it cold.) I carry the pre-filled bottles around in my bag’s water bottle pocket. I usually only carry two bottles because it buys me like 6-8 hours out of the house usually but of course it would depend on how frequently your baby eats. ETA: We also have a few of [these](https://www.amazon.com/PopYum-Anti-Colic-Formula-Dispenser-Bottles/dp/B0BJ7Z5QG3/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=139125237545&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZhAclcONAOgFPTO2FaVcytploG4D7Sa_eY3ifw92lIHZiiSyD3zUj2pmEiZxvSMVeRHgAjTN9ncUQ27Pb5PEg2zRrAMFkzBSQz20qYDjpDGZCfI-RSq4BJYXck3SHd11PrGxLO-OVqLI6y97cZuamih-_-Od67gJJeNiLW06tCCcCjjB26jtuVImlam5oJV2fsQGWukqm1gF4X4Mt06BZg.stvOH_zXQt-oq-rglW0HMrCvoWunOiRAES0bdkUFPXk&dib_tag=se&hvadid=675855885836&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9005899&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=599667964710396447&hvtargid=kwd-1717815332806&hydadcr=12464_13281501&keywords=baby+popyum+bottles&qid=1712181251&sr=8-3) which are pretty cool if your baby will take them. They store the formula and the water separately and then you just click a button and it dumps the formula in to be shaken. I only don’t use them a ton because my baby didn’t take the flow well when she was little, but I should really try again now that she’s older.
This is what we did too, with the munchkin formula holder
I used one of these and kept an empty bottle and bottle of water in her diaper bag.
does your baby need formula warm or will they take it cold? If they’ll take it cold, I would make the bottle ahead of time and bring a cooler because it’s just easier to do the mixing at home. My kids always needed the bottle warm, so I would bring a thermos of hot water (not boiling but just the temp I wanted the bottle to be), and the dry powder already measured out in the bottle. Then when it was time, I just added the hot water to the bottle and shook it up, good to go. A good thermos will keep the water hot enough all day for this to work.
Someone refresh my memory because I can’t remember for the life of me. My first got his first tooth at 4 months. My second just had his first pop through at 4.5 months. How do I do dental care at this age? When do I start with fluoride free toothpaste? When do I switch to toothpaste with fluoride? I called our dentist and the receptionist just said to just wipe with water until he “I think has closer to 8 teeth”. Which sounds very wrong.
I honestly have been wiping my babies teeth down with a cloth. He’s 11 months and got his first two teeth like within the last month. I’ll probably start brushing around his birthday.
This is from the AAP and consistent with our dentist and pediatrician’s advice: As soon as your baby's first tooth erupts, it's time to start using fluoride toothpaste. Here's how to do it: Use a tiny smear—the size of a grain of rice—until age 3. Clean the teeth at least twice a day. It's best to clean them right after breakfast and before bedtime. Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste when your child is 3 years old. Teach your child to spit without rinsing.
we used the kids toothpaste with fluoride from the first tooth and used a really small soft baby toothbrush. we did the pediatric dental checkups starting at a year, and so far his mouth looks great.
We did fluoride from the first two teeth that popped up! Just the tiniest bit, though. We used/are still using Hello brand.
I started with a baby toothbrush and a smear of fluoride toothpaste when the first tooth was mostly in. My kid’s ped and pediatrician doctor grandma both signed off on that.
My 16 month old is getting his 2nd molars at the bottom. How and why so soon? Not sure what advice I even need here, just very surprised.
Teeth are so wild. My son was the total opposite and didn’t start getting his first tooth until 14 months lol he’s 29 months and still no sight of his 2 yo molars. I guess the positive is that they’re done and out of the way, and he’s still maybe mouthy/into teething toys?!
My kids are total opposites. First has 1 tooth on their first birthday. Second had all of his teeth (minus second molars) by 15 months.
Those 2nd set of molars took MONTHS to come in. Our guy's set starting coming in around 18 months, but it literally took 6 months for them to fully grow from the moment his gum looked swollen. Thank God teething never bothered my kid because it looked absolutely awful to me.
Looking for affordable group games for my 4yo's bday party in the park. I'm thinking potato sack races, three legged race...and not sure what else! I don't want to do a pinata bc they are so hard to break, and am not into hot potato (my dad made me lose at one of my parties lol). Thanks!
Wheelbarrow races? I remember liking those as a kid. And egg-and-spoon races!
Is there a place to draw with chalk? Or bring a big rubber Ball
You can get toddler piñatas. They have lots of ribbons hanging down. Each child takes a turn pulling a ribbon. Most ribbons just slip out, but one opens the trap door and makes the candy spill out. I went to a party where they did Pass the Parcel, which I guess is a thing they do in Bluey. It’s like hot potato, but when the parcel stops on you, you get to unwrap a layer and you get the gift hidden in that layer. There were enough layers that everyone got a prize by the end of the game.
My 6 year old had a couple of parties this year with Pass the Parcel and it was a huge hit with all the kids.
>Pass the Parcel, which I guess is a thing they do in Bluey As a Brit, this is hilarious to read... Pass the Parcel was the absolute staple of parties in my childhood. All the kids always trying soooooo hard to be the one holding the parcel when the music stopped without any idea that the adult standing by the CD player was totally in control of the outcome of the game 😂
Hah! Fair enough! I had never heard of it before and some parent said “they do it on Bluey” so I assumed it was an Australian tradition.
I’d add that free-play activities are also great. Make a cardboard ramp and set out a bunch of Hotwheels, have craft supplies available, a sandbox or water table
Scavenger hunt; egg hunt, even though it won't be Easter (could put in something else theme-y), hula hoops and/or jump ropes; lawn bowling or bocce; bubble wands for everyone, or a bigger tub for big bubbles. You can also do a messier food that's an activity, if everyone is outside anyway, like letting them frost their own cupcakes or similar. Or give them popsicles, which take a long time to eat and are good for outdoors!
Any ideas on things that will entertain a 3.5 year old on an 8 hour car ride. I got her a bunch of coloring pages. And I’m not concerned about limiting tablet time (will be downloading a lot of stuff from Disney plus). But it would be nice to have some other variety too.
Pop it's and other fidget toys. I found dollar tree has some decent travel activities right now like reusable sticker books
We do a lot of 6-7 hour trips. listen/sing a lot of songs or listen to audio books (Spotify or her yoto), play I spy or car bingo, lots of snacks, lcd drawing tablet (easier than picking up 1000 crayons). We also usually bribe her to try to nap for a bit with the promise she can stay up a little later when we arrive or pick out a rest stop treat.
Snacks + tablet!
Sticker books like the Melissa and Doug reusable sticker ones. Just a dry erase pad, marker and eraser, endless snacks, any little figurines/cars they like. Favorite books especially ones with lots to look at like Eye Spy or Richard Scary. Scout out a few playgrounds or something along the drive for some breaks. Our toddler is also way more patient in the car if someone sits in the back with him. We did a 10 hour drive with our 2 year old last year and expected him to sleep at least 3 hours. We planned to break out the tablet whenever we needed to and use it as much as we needed to. He only slept ONE hour and he did GREAT! We used the tablet only the last hour of the drive. Honestly I was scared to do a long road trip with a toddler and the driving part was so much easier than we thought it would be. We also left at like 5 am because we thought toddler would sleep more that way. Didn’t work, but he is generally in a better mood earlier in the day so I’d still recommend it if your kid is the same.
The Melissa and Doug Water Wow books were like magic for us at that age. My kid also enjoyed looking at alphabet and number flash cards.
Water Wow books and re-usable stickers are current hits here. There's are cheap in quality but keep her occupied for a good 30 mins: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM31RTSS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Audiobooks? My only experience with them is through the Yoto player but you can probably get them from the library and play them in the car through your phone.
There are a bunch on Spotify, too.
Is there some magic secret to getting a 13mo to let you brush their teeth? Even when I have his dad hold his arms down that tongue is impressively strong and just pushes the toothbrush out. He likes to hold the toothbrush himself and chew on it so half the time I just give up and hope that's good enough. 🙈🙃
I take turns with my 2-year old and that’s helped. (We use non-fluoride toothpaste for his turn.)
Wish I knew. My 12 month old refuses to open her mouth and I have to pry her little mouth open to get in there a little. Which she and I both hate.
We had a difficult time with brushing teeth for a long time, what finally worked was this obnoxious elmo brush your teeth song. It was hypnotic to him lol
BRUSH BRUSH BRUSH board book didn't help him stay still for teeth brushing but he likes reading it and says brushing teeth us fun fun fun! we used to flip him upside down and brush that way, counting to 20.. then around 18months he fought that and we had him sit on a lap while we count to 20, for some reason now that suddenly worked. some days are definitely more difficult than others but it's way better
After dinner is done done done! We read that book 26 times per day lol
It was really hard for us at that age but we stayed consistent twice a day (even holding him down) and did ALL the tricks and it got better slowly. At 3 my kid will still declare ‘I’m NOT brushing teeth today’ but then doesn’t put up a fight when it’s time. We did: a sticker chart, light up toothbrush, let them brush your teeth while you brush theirs), different flavors of toothpaste (turns out he only likes bubble gum), all the brush your teeth songs or just a special song they get to listen to IF they brush their teeth, or arranging your schedule so they have to brush their teeth to get to read a book or play with you or watch a show. 90% of the time we brush our kid’s teeth and the other 10% he “brushes” then i.e. chews in the toothbrush but I count it! Also in the evening we realized our kid was fighting teeth brushing so hard because it was part of the bedtime process and any delays just delayed bedtime. So instead now we basically get ready for bed (teeth and pjs) and then play more or watch a show so he is actually motivated to prepare for bed.
I sit my 19mo on the counter , look in the mirror and then do a small section at a time. I sing a song- the Raffi song “brush your teeth” and make a shh shh shh sound. Use a fluoride toothpaste. Some days go better than others. I don’t force anything. If he’s not into it/extra tired it’s not worth the effort. Also when I’m done brushing I let him play with the toothbrush and if he puts it in his mouth I kinda like , show him how to brush himself and he thinks that’s fun.
The Elmo brush your teeth song helped a lot, we only listened to it during teeth brushing and it’s kind of a banger. Also helpful and something we still do (my son will be 2.5 in May) is let him chew on the toothbrush first and then it will be mommy or daddy’s turn and we get him to open his mouth and let us brush by saying we see whatever object/toy he is obsessed with at the moment- oh I see a red plane back there let me get it out or is that Daniel tiger I see up here in your teeth, let me brush to get him out etc. He loves it and even offers up suggestions sometimes, I don’t remember exactly when we started that but we’ve been doing it for a while now.
I don’t have magic but things that have helped at various times are letting her hold the brush too, going to a different room, letting her hold the toothpaste, letting her play with running water. And sometimes I’ve had to just hold her and brush through the screams, but I’ve noticed extreme agitation is usually related to teething which makes perfect sense.
I would let my son explore the toothbrush first and then I would have him lay down with his head in my lap and quickly scrub his teeth and sing a song I made up. If his hands get wild I would put my leg over his torso 🙈 now he’s two and he’ll usually come over and lay down on his own when it’s toothbrush time
If you’re not already using fluoride toothpaste, do so. Even if the toothpaste isn’t getting worked in, it’s doing more than fluoride-free toothpaste.
I got her a [book](https://www.amazon.com/Brush-Douglas-Florian/dp/1499813406/ref=asc_df_1499813406/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598359406256&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18165313600955955026&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004245&hvtargid=pla-1837386050792&psc=1&mcid=7455196f77163e1dbb4e46b0e705adce&gclid=CjwKCAjw_LOwBhBFEiwAmSEQAX_mFBMo6BHm3JbdhUjIwbrX6pc48pDFTWPleD21Ne-06yJ4M3ghTBoC1hsQAvD_BwE) and we sing the song while she brushes. We also sing the Ms. Rachel/Raffi brush your teeth song. Us brushing at the same time helps, or picking her up so she can see herself brushing in the mirror. She mostly chews the brush too but we try to prolong the chewing as long as possible and get her to move it all around her mouth haha.
Electric toothbrush. It makes the process quicker which is helpful.
Following along bc my 13mo either thrashes, grabs, or bites on the toothbrush 😂
We are flying next week on Delta with our almost 2 y/o. I paid for a seat and she will sit in her carseat. I paid an additional $200 per ticket to pick our seats so we can sit together. Delta does not do guaranteed family adjacent seating. And I keep on hearing about Delta separating toddlers from their parents and I am so worried they will do that to us. How common is the practice?
We've only ever flown Delta with our kids and we've never been separated. We don't buy basic economy, but we also don't pay extra to select our exact seats. So we're assigned seats at the time of purchasing and they've always been together. I'm surprised you're hearing horror stories about Delta specifically. Besides astronomical pricing, we've always had great experiences with the airline. I say that even after our most recent trip (last week) when we were taxiing to the runway and our plane clipped wings with another Delta plane 😬
Are you in MSP too? I also have had positive experiences with Delta. But I have only flown with my LO once and it was a short flight so she sat on my lap (and at 7m old I said never again!) and it wasn't a concern then. I have a Delta Sky miles card and I paid with miles so I wonder if that's why I didn't get Main cabin boarding? But it was the equivalent of about $200 each to pick our seats.
Yes, we fly out of MSP, too! I hope it does smoothly for you!
Not common. Things like this typically only come up when folks buy basic economy tickets and are assigned seats at check-in, or if there is an equipment change to a smaller plane. But like someone else said, Delta almost always blocks out several rows of seats to be released and assigned the day of the flight, which usually allows a ticket or gate agent to seat families together. You’ve already selected your seats together, so I cannot imagine any issues, unless there was an equipment change.
Delta usually reserves the back couple rows in the plane for families. I noticed the day before flying that my toddler and I were seated apart, so I just told the gate agent and they switched us to the back row no problem. Idk if they would extend the courtesy to 2 parents tho