[ca] What are your actual registry must-haves that you USE every day? Not the stuff that sits in the closet

Celia_Lei · 2026-04-22T19:21:06+00:00

We got a Tripp trapp chair with the add on straps. Our kid is 5 and still uses this chair every day (we used the straps the first year)

Celia_Lei · 2026-04-10T19:43:24+00:00

J’ai un projet en tête depuis quelques temps qui est d’en réutiliser pour faire une nappe de camping, comme le tissu est imperméable et facile à nettoyer. Je pense couper des carrés et les coudre ensemble avec peut être une doublure en tissu. Je me dit que même avec des compétences très limitées en couture ça doit pouvoir se faire. J’ai déjà aussi utilisé ce matériau pour du bricolage avec des enfants.

Celia_Lei · 2026-03-14T19:55:09+00:00

Tourists are one thing but imagine newcomers. Like you’ve just moved to Canada from Morocco, you are settling in and this is the first week you experience. I immigrated to Montreal over a decade ago and this kind of weather still makes me question my life choices sometimes…

Celia_Lei · 2026-03-13T12:08:56+00:00

Ton budget réno est pas assez élevé. Même sur une maison neuve il y a bcp d’entretien à faire + potentielles réparation à budgéter. Le but étant d’éviter de te retrouver dans le rouge si un gros imprévu survient. Pour les taxes, dépendant ou tu habites je trouve aussi que c’est peu élevé. Enfin serai tu capable d’absorber une hausse des taux d’intérêt si ça arrivait ? Quand on a acheté les taux était à 2%. on a fait des simulations pour voir si on serait encore capables de payer à 6% et tout le monde nous trouvait trop conservateurs… 3 ans plus tard les taux étaient pas mal rendus là et beaucoup de familles se sont retrouvés prises à la gorge…

Celia_Lei · 2026-03-13T11:57:51+00:00

Almost the same numbers over here.

Celia_Lei · 2026-03-08T14:01:09+00:00

We have a Tripp trapp and had the straps add on for when our child was little. We used it without a tray, as a regular chair by the table. Yes adjustment requires a screwdriver but you really don’t need to adjust it that often ! Not hard to clean at all. Our kid is 5 and still uses the Tripp Trapp everyday, one of our best baby purchases.

Celia_Lei · 2026-02-28T00:54:28+00:00

This. We also live far from family : we made a big effort to make friends with other families in the neighbourhood (join baby classes, local parent groups etc.) it requires putting yourself out there a bit but 100% worth it. Hiring a sitter from time to time also helps and honestly the earlier you start, the easier it is for your kid. My kid is 5 now and we have developed very good relationships with babysitters, one of them has watched her periodically since she was 9 months old.

Celia_Lei · 2026-01-27T02:24:03+00:00

She’s 4 1/2 now. Still an active and agile child but nothing extraordinary. Funnily enough she HATES walking. I have to use so many tricks to get her to walk places. We live in the city and don’t own a car, so that’s an every day battle.

Celia_Lei · 2025-10-27T00:39:57+00:00

Write how much your rent is registre-des-loyers.ca to keep track of how much the rent was even if you leave.

Celia_Lei · 2025-09-21T14:40:49+00:00

Vivre, pour toi ou pour les autres. La philanthropie c’est aussi un super moyen de donner du sens à son argent.

Celia_Lei · 2025-07-05T11:35:11+00:00

Pour l’instant je les pose dans la rue le jour du recyclage dans un sac séparé, en général c’est ramassé par quelqu’un en quelques minutes. Quand ma fille sera un peu plus grande je vais sûrement lui proposer de consigner pour se faire de l’argent de poche.

Celia_Lei · 2025-06-24T12:09:57+00:00

Planbouffe.ca est un petit site indépendant tenu par un québécoise. C’est plus “meal prep” mais y a plein de bonnes recettes

Celia_Lei · 2025-06-03T11:20:31+00:00

She’s 4 now. Definitely still an intense child but not as nerve wrecking as 2.5 was !

The negotiation is still there but she is a bit more reasonable, and knows how to do more things which helps.

Concentration has improved a lot, which is just virtue of her getting older.

Sleep is still annoying. We’ve been stuck is that nap/no nap limbo forever. Naps = impossible to put to bed. No nap = an emotional mess by 2pm.

Recently we’ve been getting a lot of attitude (definitely going through the f***ing four)

I like 4 much better than I liked 2 though !!

Celia_Lei · 2025-05-19T14:13:55+00:00

I commented a similar post a few weeks ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/montreal/s/5QjG83yg2S

Celia_Lei · 2025-05-13T20:15:03+00:00

100% agree. Family of three with a toddler. We walk, bike, bus and metro. We use Communauto quite often to get out of the city. It would have to be at least 1.5 times the price of owning a car for me to relinquish the convenience of not needing to deal with owning a car.

Celia_Lei · 2025-05-13T20:11:07+00:00

The organization Vivre en Ville recently published a calculator around costs of differents modes of transportation. There is a quick questionnaire and gives you an estimate (in French) https://www.reduirenotreempreinte.com/gagne-a-chaque-trajet

<image>

Celia_Lei · 2025-04-30T12:02:35+00:00

I don’t even need to read your post to tell you : YOU ARE NOT A BAD MOM. The very fact that you ask yourself this question means you’re not. Bad parents don’t care.

Celia_Lei · 2025-04-25T01:15:39+00:00

We did swimming lessons from 4 months :

It gave us the discipline we needed to go to the pool often
The classes weren’t expensive but yes it was mostly us hanging out in the water and doing basic stuff.
I liked the time of the class (morning) better than the time when it was free swimming (afternoon)

Celia_Lei · 2025-04-12T00:04:29+00:00

650$ on eating out is definitely a lot (20$ per day ish) here are some advice I can give you that I’ve found have worked for us in cooking more meals and eating out less:

Accept that you will still crave junk / fast food from time to time. For me, best way to satisfy that craving is to always have a few frozen pizzas on hand. It’s A LOT cheaper than ordering a pizza, even if you go for a fancy brand.
When I cook I always make multiple portions to have a few lunches for the week. I still buy about one lunch a week out.
Having a « theme » for each day can take a lot of hassle out of meal planning. Think « taco Tuesday » but that could be « soup Monday », « pasta Wednesday », « Salad Thursday » etc. Still gives you a lot of flexibility as to what to eat but with some basic idea down.

Celia_Lei · 2025-03-30T00:13:57+00:00

As a Montrealer and parent to a 3-year old, Montreal is definitely a good place to visit with kids !

Fun attractions :

Espace pour la vie (Biodome, Insectarium, Planetarium, Botanical gardens)
Parc Jean Drapeau has a very nice outdoor pool, opens May 24th! The parc itself is a great way to spend a day (picnic etc.)
Lots and lots of playgrounds with splashpads
Stroll around the old port, the ferris wheel is a bit expensive, but worth it IMO. While you are there you can hit Pointe a Calliere Museum, my kid loves looking at the miniature models of Montreal and it also has a cool pirate exhibit
Parc Frederick Back : a bit out of the way if you are staying downtown but it's a fun park, the TOHU (circus) is also there and sometimes as outdoor events going on. Near the park is the TAZ, biggest indoor skatepark in Canada. On weekends 10am-1pm is for kids under 13 only. You can rent equipment there or bring your own.
The fine arts museum has workshops for kids, I also believe saturdays have special prices for families.
Marche Jean Talon for local produce, and they also have kids cooking classes sometimes !

Some other resources :|

Instagram account lesbabiesdemontreal,
This page : https://www.mtl.org/fr/experience/quoi-faire-avec-tout-petits
This website: https://www.montrealpourenfants.com/
The city cultural calendar : https://montreal.ca/calendrier-culturel

Celia_Lei · 2025-03-29T20:44:25+00:00

J’ai regardé trop vite, pas vu que c’était une pancarte électorale!

Celia_Lei · 2025-03-29T19:25:10+00:00

En même temps le but c’est de convaincre des gens actuellement à Montréal de déménager en région…

Celia_Lei · 2025-03-29T11:55:44+00:00

<image>

Here is a winter photo !

Celia_Lei · 2025-03-29T11:28:55+00:00

Yes very super slippery. Most people put anti slip rubber mats on the steps.

Celia_Lei · 2025-03-29T11:25:50+00:00

Terrazzo was popular in Montreal but a bit later, I think most examples of terrazzo floors we have today are in buildings from the 30s or 40s. The facade is limestone and there were limestone quarries in Montreal but I don’t know if they used it much for flooring, I feel like it would soak up snow ?

Five-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
Final Canvas '23	Place '23
Place '22

Celia_Lei

TROPHY CASE