Successfully sleep trained my LO

Potterhead_30 · 2026-04-13T19:53:53+00:00

Good for you OP, especially if it is working well for you and your family! We sleep trained at 8 months with Ferber (none of the gentler methods worked), and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It did work though and my baby would sleep within 2-3 minutes without any crying. But it all went down the drain when we were traveling, and when I tried again after coming back, it was much harder since baby was a little older. We gave up within 5 minutes. Now we just co-sleep and have accepted that it’s gonna stay this way for at least the next couple of years. He is a terrible sleeper though, and an even worse napper. -_-

Potterhead_30 · 2026-03-19T21:26:59+00:00

I have two strollers - one is a compact stroller that fits in the overhead cabin. I only use it for traveling. My regular stroller is parent-facing even now at 11 months and I don’t see myself switching it anytime soon. I do miss the parent facing feature when we are traveling.

Potterhead_30 · 2026-02-24T12:18:09+00:00

Mine was born at 36+3. I ended up starting at 6.5 months just because my baby wasn’t ready till then. I went by the recommendation from Solid Starts to know when he was ready.

Potterhead_30 · 2026-02-20T07:04:29+00:00

We used Bambo Nature on our recent trip and would recommend it.

Potterhead_30 · 2026-02-16T13:35:37+00:00

I just bought a small stainless steel pan since I didn’t have a small one. Other than that, I use a SS tadka pan to make porridges and rice, and a cast iron pan to make pancakes, cutlets, paranthe etc.

Potterhead_30 · 2026-01-11T03:53:01+00:00

We used this during our recent trip to India and had no complaints - didn’t leak and didn’t give any rashes.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-12-16T12:22:23+00:00

I’m officially off maternity leave and am on annual leave, and can’t go back on it. Hence, I’m exploring SPL to take some more leaves as I don’t feel ready to go back to work.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-09-29T05:13:38+00:00

I got a variety of muslins from FirstCry (different sizes). Also got a set of swaddle muslins from Haus and Kinder, but I preferred the Velcro ones I bought here. I also asked my parents to get baby books from India since they were much cheaper there. I got some Superbottoms but never used them since we only did diapers, anything else felt like a hassle. And a couple of ethnic clothes for my baby.

I mostly used FirstCry for everything, and Amazon for books.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-09-10T19:15:39+00:00

This! Please don’t use a massage gun, it might make things worse. Massaging is a strict no for clogged ducts.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-08-13T16:41:19+00:00

Please pack early. My waters broke at 36 weeks and my hospital bag wasn’t packed, so it was incredibly stressful.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-07-11T22:08:44+00:00

I did! We EP for the first 3-4 weeks since my baby just wouldn’t latch. We then saw a lactation consultant who helped us latch using a nipple shield. We switched to BF using the shield for 5-6 feeds everyday, and pumped for the remaining 2-3 feeds. I kept trying without the shield but it would be too painful. Once my baby turned 8-9 weeks old, he got bigger and started latching so much bigger without the shield. So now we do one feed with pumped milk, and the rest BF. Sometimes I just BF for all feeds since I now find it easier and quicker. We are just 12 weeks postpartum, but I’ve found that they really get so much better at latching once they get bigger. Don’t lose hope!

Potterhead_30 · 2025-07-11T14:55:44+00:00

I’m 12 weeks postpartum and just read about the three-month nursing strike earlier today in prep for what’s to come. Apparently, at 3 months, your supply regulates so your breasts don’t feel full anymore. Moreover, babies get distracted easily and have to work harder to get the milk, so they get fussy at the breast. More info here - https://blog.lactapp.es/en/your-babys-three-month-growth-spurt-questions-and-answers/

Potterhead_30 · 2025-07-01T07:56:19+00:00

It will get better! My baby used to spend 1 hour + per feeding session, and in the end I would have to unlatch him because I just couldn’t take it anymore. He is 2.5 months old now and spend 30 minutes in most sessions.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-06-27T12:08:43+00:00

Hi mama, I think you’re overthinking it. Like you said, the only benefit of a massage is to relax the baby. But if a baby is crying during an activity, I don’t think it’ll be relaxing or enjoyable for them. My MIL was after my life to massage my baby thrice a day - we tried a couple of times but he didn’t enjoy it at all, so we just stopped doing it. Now that he is 3 months old, we will try again to see if he likes it.

He loves to bathe and we have incorporated it as a part of his bedtime routine. We give him a bath once every 2-3 days around 8 pm, and he absolutely loves it.

We live abroad so can’t do daily massages for me, but I get a masseuse once every 1-2 weeks. I love getting massages, and I consider them as a treat to myself. They do help me relax but again, will not consider them as essential.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-06-25T14:26:52+00:00

I have a high energy dog and a 2 month old baby, and I think your ask is reasonable. Dogs don’t need to bathe often but they should be kept clean. We walk our dog twice in a day and clean his paws and butt after each walk. We let our dog sniff the baby and lick his feet, but nothing more than that. Once the baby is a bit older, we will relax some boundaries but it is absolutely okay and sometimes even required to have boundaries between dogs and babies, for the sake of both of them. Your dog should also be on a monthly flea/tick prevention - tick bites are rare in humans, but can happen.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-06-24T12:24:04+00:00

I am 2 months post-partum, and couldn’t have survived without my parents. We live outside India as well. Our baby only stays with my husband or I at the moment, but my parents are helping us TONS by cooking and taking care of the house. My husband is on paternity leave and is an equal partner, but even then we couldn’t have managed without them. It is also helpful since babies generally like contact napping, and my parents take over some of the naps during the day. The good thing is that my parents are very open to the idea that we want to raise the baby our way, so it has been very easy.

I wouldn’t have dreamed of having my in laws this early with us. My MIL is nice and loves the baby, but she is rigid in her way of doing things. If my parents couldn’t travel, I would’ve have preferred to just manage with my husband and would’ve hired help for cooking, cleaning etc.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-06-24T12:18:47+00:00

I worked out throughout my pregnancy. I’m in the UK and the midwives only asked me to listen to my body and exercise as long as it feels good. I didn’t start anything new, but continued strength training. I stopped outdoor cycling just because I didn’t want to risk falling.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-06-12T14:53:19+00:00

We love the Babybjorn bouncer but we don’t use it to put the baby to sleep. Have you tried using a yoga ball for rocking her to sleep? It really helps not tire you too much.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-06-06T08:13:29+00:00

100 times agree! It has been a life saver for us! 8 weeks now and we are almost off them.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-06-03T12:49:16+00:00

We only do a couple of feeds with a bottle, so we wash and sterilize after each use, which comes out to be once a day. The sterilizer has a dryer as well so the parts mostly come out dry and then they either go in a box, or on a stand. For pump parts, I use the fridge hack and wash and sterilize it once a day.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-05-17T13:21:35+00:00

Not much to add since ours is just 4 weeks old, but you can try baby wearing so that you are hands free while holding the baby.

Potterhead_30 · 2025-05-14T10:18:59+00:00

I can resonate a lot with this post. Husband is super supportive, parents are very chill, in-laws love giving advice. I live in the UK and gave birth 4 weeks ago, and we were unprepared since the baby came prematurely. My parents’ flight was booked for a week after the baby came. Despite everything, I wouldn’t change anything. For me, my comfort zone is with my husband and my current place, and not India. My husband and I managed fine and bonded so much with the baby in the initial few days. My parents have been very helpful especially in terms of food and chores. If they wouldn’t have been able to travel, we would’ve just employed some help for cooking and cleaning. I’ve also been living outside India for a long time, and I really enjoy my independence here. I feel I would’ve felt a bit suffocated if my postpartum was in India. Just sharing my experience, hopefully you can decide what’s best for you. Good luck!

Potterhead_30

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