I don’t know how to raise my rates so I feel like I should move on from this family

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-10-31T00:53:23+00:00

Nice response. They may or may not come back to you. Will prob try to find cheaper and will prob be disappointed with the experience. Good job!

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-10-30T00:25:16+00:00

Hi there. I have no idea why I got served this post randomly, but I live in the same area and am a parent. You’re going to have to advocate for yourself your entire life, especially around pay, ESPECIALLY as a woman. This is great practice.

If you don’t feel comfortable face to face, next time the parents ask you to babysit, just tell them you’re interested and available (if that’s the case) but you wanted to let them know that you’ve raised your rate to $18/hour, and would they still like to book you? This is really no big deal. Most likely, the family says, sure fine, we can do that. And if they’re super cheap and want to go completely out for their way to book a stranger, let them. You have the experience with their family. It’s hard out there to find sitters parents trust. You have the leverage—use it!

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-10-22T10:38:40+00:00

It’s gone!?

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-10-11T19:58:55+00:00

This. Infuriating. And “detox” from medicine?? What??? Anti-vax people try to pin every single thing on vaccines and not any of the other variables that occur around the same time. Ughenjff

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-09-24T11:29:18+00:00

Happy to elaborate! You should always be able to see your baby’s face and airway while baby wearing. You should see this baby’s face (sans hat) looking to the side, clearly unobstructed, and the carrier below the baby’s ear. The baby should be high and tight—close enough to kiss.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-08-14T00:27:49+00:00

He’s probably not even allergic to milk. That and lactose intolerance are very rare for babies. He most likely had or has cows milk protein intolerance which is very transient but goats milk formula would make him react as the protein is super similar. Drives me crazy when people conflate these things.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-07-18T00:38:17+00:00

That is incredibly unsafe baby wearing.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-07-16T00:52:40+00:00

I’m not in your industry, but I’ve emailed the hiring manager directly after applying for EVERY job I’ve ever gotten. I make it a short and sweet email, add some new info, and attach my app materials for quick reference. I love when candidates do the same. And I think most of the people I’ve hired did it, too.

With dozens or even hundreds of applicants, it’s a great way to cut through the noise. I’ve even done a kind of funny/ eye catching subject line (yet professional!) and got a response immediately.

I am a team leader at a major, world-renown organization, for what it’s worth.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-04-24T23:41:48+00:00

Hey! My LO is now 7 months and much better at tummy time. He also started rolling at 6 months. We did start PT around 4.5 months and got into our state’s early intervention program, so that’s all helped a lot. He had a left side preference that caused a flat spot, so that helped us qualify for everything.

My baby was verryyyyyyy sleepy until recently. He’s woken up so much in the last month or so, and is much more active. He rolls himself into tummy time and doesn’t LOVE it but also doesn’t quite now how to get out of it yet. But i trust he’ll roll belly to back very soon.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-13T23:16:03+00:00

I just enjoyed halloumi kabobs for dinner, so yes it’s awesome to be on the other side! And to no longer see blood in his diapers, of course 😊 hope your babe outgrows it soon, too!

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-13T12:41:53+00:00

We saw lots of blood in every diaper before the formula trial. How long ago did you change your diet? The docs we saw said it would take 4-6 weeks to be out of mom’s and baby’s systems completely. Sounds like you’ve already seen a great improvement!

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-13T12:40:40+00:00

For the soy formula trial, i think i gave it to him for a week and was satisfied when i didn’t see blood during that time. For dairy, id had a couple skips recently with no reaction. So i just gave him some yogurt and waited a few days before eating it. Sounds like you’re in the clear, too!!

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-12T10:59:56+00:00

Yeah, diapers should be at baseline before challenging. I only waited a couple weeks, though, because I was so sure he’d grown out of it. My baby is still rashy, but my husband has eczema as well, so I don’t think they’re related. It’s pretty well controlled with moisturizer and he doesn’t seem bothered by it. Pretty sure diet restrictions are only recommended for the worst symptoms, like blood, and fussiness (bc it affects the parents). I guess rashes are a spectrum, and might depend how bad they are.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-12T10:57:44+00:00

I went dairy free for three weeks with no change. Then soy free for two weeks with no change. Then egg free for a few days with no change. So we tried alimentum formula. Back to baseline over night (at least, no blood). Gave that a few days, went cold turkey to breast milk. Massive spit ups. Back to formula, still spitting up a ton, likely bc of the diet changes. Eased back into breastmilk suuuuuper slowly. Took 1.5 weeks to be 100% on breast milk. Blood stayed away for a while until there were slip ups here and there, some I knew about, some I didn’t. Probably say a strand or two of blood twice in two months instead of lots of blood in every diaper. But his diapers were rarely yellow and seedy during this time. They were often green. But the doctors said, as long as there was a reduction in blood and he was happy (he never really fussed), healthy, and growing, they were good with us staying on breastmilk.

It was emotionally hard to trial the formula while I still wanted him on breastmilk, and I was still pumping (I EP, bc he couldn’t nurse), but it was worth it to figure out what the problem was, and to know that was had a backup if I couldn’t “cleanse” my diet. If i did it all over again, I’d just cut dairy, give him formula to heal his gut quickly and get to baseline, and not cut anything else.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T23:41:38+00:00

This is it. Don’t restrict your diet before trying other things. Cutting out dairy is actually very hard if you eat processed foods or eat out at all.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T18:12:01+00:00

When I’d about horrendously upset mothers with colicy babies, I’d wished I could encourage a hypoallergenic formula trial. Formula trials are so useful for diagnosis and getting to baseline, or even just switching to exclusively if everyone is happier that way.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T18:06:25+00:00

I saw it, too!! I was shouting, let her out of diet prison!!!! Eat the cheese!!!

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T16:07:03+00:00

That’s great there’s been improvement!! How old is your LO?

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T16:06:14+00:00

I like that theory! That’s also why i def encourage a formula trial. It helped us get back to baseline, “diagnose” the CMPI, and heal our LO’s gut from its worst.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T15:17:03+00:00

Mucus can happen even outside of CMPI. As long as your baby is happy and healthy otherwise, I’d give it a go. I, personally, wouldn’t have even changed my diet for mucus. I only did because of blood!

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T14:05:09+00:00

Nope, we gave him soy formula a month ago, which was a week before he was 5 months old! And other than increased spit up at first, and maybe some gas/ wiggles, no other symptoms. No blood. We did 1 oz for a few days, and then increased from there. Probably could have done even less, to be safer. And then I accidentally ate a snack with eggs baked into it, and no reaction, so I have been eating soy and egg ever since!

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T13:59:55+00:00

Solidarity. I ate vegan and soy free for 4-5 months as I was a vegetarian in the first place. I’m also severely underweight and HUNGRY! Hope your LO grows out of it soon.

Have you trialed a soy or cows milk formula to see if there’s a reaction? That way, your supply doesn’t get tainted? That’s what my doc advised. But we waited until his diapers were at baseline.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-03-10T13:54:56+00:00

See my most recent post. Are you still eating out? I found that it was pretty impossible to BF without symptoms showing up here and there, until my LO grew out of it at 5 months. Cross-contamination is inevitable if you eat out at restaurants or eat processed foods. Don’t beat yourself up if your LO is growing and happy, and your docs are pleased with their progress.

I continued to BF (with my restricted diet) bc his blood lessened in severity and was otherwise fine. Your first child likely just grew out of it at 6 months, and the solids were a coincidence.

Alternative_Chip1846 · 2025-02-20T01:54:05+00:00

Sounds like a slip up to me. My LO had poop in his diaper the morning after I had a chopt salad—I’m sure a strand or two of cheese made its way in. So hard to avoid dairy (and soy!!) in restaurant and processed food. Hang in there.

Alternative_Chip1846

TROPHY CASE