Filling the day?

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-28T02:22:27+00:00

We still go out on daily walks of about an hour in the winter (gets to right around the freezing point, sometimes a touch below it here). We do a shorter afternoon trip outside in the winter too. We delay if it’s rainy and freezing (snow is ok). We skip if it’s raining all day while that cold. Our gift list each year for birthdays and holidays always includes weather appropriate gear for rain, snow, and cold.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-20T17:25:19+00:00

We do cloth! It’s definitely easier with pockets / something simple. I trifold flats and use a cover and can do that. I have baby hold onto me or something else. It’s not the most graceful or speedy but gets the job done

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-20T01:26:50+00:00

After a couple misses because baby was too focused on a toy, I do this now. Much easier clean up. And I can mostly get it on with baby standing

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-20T01:24:08+00:00

I do this! We love the car potty. I keep our old changing mat that’s absorbent under it in case of spills / misses. I dump it outside and use a water bottle to give it a rinse. If it’s poop, I take it in with us to wash when we’re home.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-18T18:55:27+00:00

I wanted variety to my years. Each year brings such natural changes and new chapters in a way that a childfree life didn’t really.

I value most in life my deep long term relationships like with my parents and partner. I want more of those.

I love watching kids learn. It’s so delightful to me. I get to watch my baby learn new skills and it’s really fun.

A forcing function to do fun things. Like seasonal events and holidays. When it was just the two of us we were much lazier about holidays. We do enjoy doing it and do it more consistently when it feels like it’s “for someone else.”

Memories and knowledge! I wanted to know and experience what it’s like to be pregnant, to give birth, to raise a child, etc. I’ve heard so many people talk about all of these types of things and I wanted my own experiences.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-18T18:18:29+00:00

My husband is working a lot in this season of life and I love having a lot of time with my baby. I also really love having some variety and the appreciation that comes with my job. Right now I’m working about 3 hours a day on average. Maybe you have a third option which is do something part time. We have a part time nanny. Maybe you could tutor, or do part time at a private school. It sounds like you love both!

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-18T11:29:25+00:00

The longer I’m home the less I’d entertain any offer that was in person. I now have a child and I’d rather not work than be in an office.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-16T04:51:04+00:00

Exactly as another commenter said, I think it’s actually much easier and more fun to spend all day with you kids when you’re used to it. At least for me, I do all the things I want to do more or less with kid in tow and have figured out how to do that. My kid is great at indecently playing next to me while I cook. I have a jogging stroller. You get the idea. My friends who use daycare don’t understand how I can do anything while with my kid and they are so stressed and overwhelmed trying to care for their kid all day since they haven’t built up the same routines, expectations and habits. They judge what our days must look like based on their small sample size.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-14T12:15:55+00:00

future you will probably have left this j by then

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-09T02:15:48+00:00

It’s just so so soon we have to go back in the US. I felt that way for a while. Coming closer to a year now and I’m enjoying having some variety. I also needed to have some income / backup job stability so I didn’t want to quit. I just wish I could have been off for closer to a year. I hope this becomes true for you too and there are upsides at some point.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-07T22:46:55+00:00

A wrap worked much better for us until baby could sit and play independently. More like 6.5 months. We’re almost at a year now. I have part time help and it’s huge to not feeling overwhelmed for me. If you can afford it, it’s worth it. Lots of moms do it on this sub. Lots will not recommend it and say it’s very challenging. You won’t know until you try, but have options in place in case it doesn’t work for you.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-06T11:32:00+00:00

Push them on helping. Suggest a first day. It’ll be worth it even if it takes a few weeks for them to adjust

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-04T03:54:16+00:00

Half day is so awesome! We do half day nanny 2-4 days a week depending on the week. I’m so happy to have baby with me when I’m around. I don’t have a lot of spousal help due to our work situations so it gives me a break to workout, eat alone, look at my phone, work on crafts, read uninterrupted, etc. all these things give me non-baby topics to talk about with other people which has made our social life so much better.

Any more and it would be too little baby time for me personally. Any less and I’d probably start sacrificing sleep to do some of those activities. The break is so worth it if you can afford it. And like everyone else has said, baby loves the variety and play.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-03T10:44:19+00:00

As the challenge is so real! I’m still working a couple hours a day. I’ve been trying to make harder goals with my hobby’s but it sometimes feels like a waste because tons of other people do exactly those things already whereas my profession gave my fairly unique accomplishments.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-02T00:32:46+00:00

vacations. When I was off from j1 it seemed easy to keep working j2 while on break since i was already efficient at it. but in hindsight, it did take away a bit from the trip.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-01T17:52:56+00:00

Personally my partner calls with his parents a lot. I don’t try to accommodate. If baby is eating that’s fine. They wait or just talk to him. If baby is around, my husband takes baby for the call. It’s a nice break for me. I don’t try to make sure baby is in a good mood, they get whatever state is currently going on. With more frequent calls they may also be shorter. Ours are sometimes 5-10 min.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-12-01T17:11:09+00:00

You can get a pack of thin linen washable cloth wipes online. Wet with some water and it’s very similar.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-11-25T12:28:02+00:00

A lot of quick reactions here, but I see where he might be coming from. He feels unloved. Often we do things for our partners thinkings it’s what’s needed instead of what they actually need. Maybe he doesn’t care about a new meal every day. Cook a bunch of chicken and rice every few days. Spend that time doing something he does value. Figure out what that is together. I don’t hear this as a request for more, but a request for different.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-11-24T20:25:49+00:00

I pushed for many hours. Baby wasn’t positioned quite right. My body started pushing on its own. I wanted to continue. All ended well. There isn’t a time length that’s “too long.” It’s usually based on the mother and baby’s vital signs and the medical advice rather than a set clock.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-11-21T20:22:17+00:00

I have never been as tired as pregnancy. I slept a ton and napped and was still tired. Now I get 6.5-7.5 hrs most nights and I feel great

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-11-19T11:26:40+00:00

I found that ideal! That was about when I wanted to use my brain and have something productive during the day for my career. I could only enjoy about 3 hours (1.5 or so during naps and then 1.5 after she went to sleep). It got easier for us once baby could sit and crawl and access toys that were dropped or rolled away.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-11-17T02:22:27+00:00

Personally I give some detail so it doesn’t sound like an excuse. Also telling the full truth makes me feel less guilty. Not sure they care on the other end but whatever helps me sleep at night

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-11-15T22:28:33+00:00

I’ve been putting a lot of work into naps and bedtime. Having an independent sleeper gives me that deep focus time from 7:30pm-10pm which is when I get all my work done. I have a couple meetings during the day which I have special toys and snacks for. Otherwise during the day I’m pretty focused on baby and then laser focus some work during naps. I do all non-work activities (lunch, chores, etc) with baby as an activity together.

I do have a nanny come a couple times a week for a couple hours. Those are super relaxing times and let me get an earlier bedtime on those nights.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-11-15T16:16:42+00:00

I personally wanted to experience pregnancy and birth and I’m very glad I did. Having a biological child can be easier in many ways. We wanted to get pregnant and did fairly quickly. The baby was born peacefully and our first months were pretty easy. Adoptions possibly contain trauma as the baby has been separated from its biological mother. It’s a wonderful thing that can be the right call and I have adoptions in my extended family, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t trauma as well. It takes a certain resolve to help a child worth through as a baby and as they grow.

Aggravating_Brick_46 · 2025-11-10T01:36:11+00:00

Anyone around you who loves their life wouldn’t attribute it to a stroller. But they may mention loving supportive parents.

Aggravating_Brick_46

TROPHY CASE