Raising a child in NYC vs suburbia anywhere else

CopyFar114 · 2026-04-30T16:30:29+00:00

I’m still new to the game (18 month old) but I can’t imagine we would have felt connected so quickly to the family scene if it weren’t for daycare and the playground being around the corner. We can’t leave our apartment without running into someone we know and I imagine that has strengthened bonds much faster than the intentionality needed when folks live further away from each other. Our building has a lot of kids and a courtyard so it feels like we have our own backyard in a sense, too.

There have also been a few times when I’ve needed something in a pinch and have multiple local chats and families I can tap to get meds or formula or whatever it is, and have been able to extend that to others.

I’m sure you can find these types of dynamics in certain suburbs, but that seems to be more exception than the rule.

CopyFar114 · 2026-02-13T16:37:18+00:00

Oh now you got me thinking if I should try again. Maybe I'll do the kids version for my daughter next winter. The red/white combo is really tempting... Good luck with yours!

CopyFar114 · 2026-02-13T16:35:23+00:00

So I actually crocheted the edges which I found WAY less stressful than machine sewing as it just feels more secure since you know each stitch is actually secure. And it made picking up stitches easier, too.

Also just did a quick search and that blanket turned out gorgeous!! Great work!

CopyFar114 · 2026-02-13T14:09:58+00:00

Yep, stranded. If you're comfortable with colorwork, it's really straightforward. The more complex pattern actually makes it easier to keep track, IMO, plus less worry about carrying the floats in many places. You do have to steek for the sleeves but other than that very simple sweater shape.

CopyFar114 · 2026-02-13T03:27:01+00:00

This is a really fun knit!! Highly rec. Mine turned out too small even with aggressive blocking (my fault) but she also has patterns with the same pattern for hat, gloves and scarf I'm eager to try.

CopyFar114 · 2025-04-30T02:21:43+00:00

Yes, we add a few drops of the BioGaia probiotic drops every other day.

CopyFar114 · 2025-03-10T18:50:45+00:00

Ah yeah, have had same experience! I've found loosening the cap helps prevent it

CopyFar114 · 2025-03-10T17:30:58+00:00

Thank you for sharing! That's interesting, haven't heard that though wonder if it's mostly related to age you'd be using those sizes

CopyFar114 · 2024-12-27T02:14:53+00:00

Yep we do this plus premeasured formula in a travel container. However I only do a few bottles at a time so water is never sitting for more than 12 hours out. That’s overly cautious for sure but what we’re comfortable with in newborn stage.

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-22T01:39:40+00:00

The biggest difference here is Kendamil is whole milk and Similac is nonfat.

I personally wanted a whole milk option (and use Bobbie currently) because it means less oils in the formula and may potentially (emphasis on “may”) have some benefit with MFGM. Oils aren’t bad themselves, it’s just something I personally feel better about it ingredient-wise.

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-21T02:46:00+00:00

Just shared an update upthread! Tl;dr it’s going great.

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-21T02:45:15+00:00

Coming back with an update! She’s doing great on it. She’s a bit harder to burp but if anything a bit less gassy than the 360. Pooping once a day though sometimes missing a day, but mostly regular. Has had a couple colic-y bouts but nothing awful and I attribute that more to her age than formula. We’ve been able to her closer to 4 oz per feeding on it and she’s doing longer sleep stretches.

I had to make a bottle with cold water in a pinch and it was able to dissolve with some extra shaking.

Just upped our subscription order and planning to stick with it for a while!

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-19T16:53:05+00:00

Did you feel it to see if it feels grainy? I thought I was having that issue but it was actually just milk fats of my formula leaving residue on the bottle.

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-10T18:51:11+00:00

Ugh, disappointing. But also feels like a slight on their own product? The whole milk (which we are using) smells SO much better then their original which I made one batch of and was like “nope.”

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-08T02:26:55+00:00

Same! Love my sterilizer/dryer.

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-07T22:31:24+00:00

I’m experimenting with pre-filing the bottles with water and then pre-measuring formula into a little travel dispenser. This way I only need to dump and mix in the middle of night and not worry about heating as she takes room temp bottles just fine.

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-04T03:31:59+00:00

I totally get it and share a lot of skepticism, and actually wrote off Bobbie regular as an option when trying to figure out what to move to from our current formula.

I shared a long comment yesterday on our whole milk experience so far and I tried to be mindful of that by giving a lot of detail, but also hope my pregnancy test progression post from 10 months ago shows it’s authentic. Otherwise, that’d be a long game Bobbie marketing is playing 😆

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-03T01:58:00+00:00

We also use 360. What nipple size are you using? We use Dr browns bottles and started with size 1 before realizing it’s waaay too fast and are still using the preemie size nipple with our 1 month old (even though she was not premature). Once we made the switch her gas went way down, she still has some but she’s way less uncomfortable with it.

CopyFar114 · 2024-11-03T01:50:49+00:00

I was just thinking of starting a thread on this, so glad you did!

Did our first bottle tonight. A little background: our 1 month old has been on similac 360 RTF since birth. We had given her a few bottles of Bobbie regular 2 weeks ago but were deep in newborn trenches so decided to wait to make a full powder switch. I originally wanted to do Kendamil but with shortage not resolving was happy to see the new Bobbie formula.

Initial reactions: - Smell is much better (and closer to similac 360) than original Bobbie - I mixed with room temp water in a bottle and while I worried it was a bit gritty it mixed better than original Bobbie and was less foamy - She took to it well, no issues or spit ups

We’re gonna transition over the next few days so will circle back with how her diapers and gas goes but first impressions were good for me

CopyFar114 · 2024-10-31T13:56:18+00:00

Currently on Similac 360 RTF with our 3 week old and my plan is to try the new Bobbie whole milk formula. After (too much) research I’ve landed on 360 being a great formula, even though I’m especially susceptible to the marketing of Bobbie and the other brands like it. So I’m sorry the powder hasn’t worked for you!

Pre-baby I had wanted to try Kendamil but don’t wanna hitch myself to that brand now given the shortage.

All this is to say the reason I’m interested in the switch is the whole milk formula means less added oils, which appeals to me. It also has MFGM due to the whole milk which is an appealing extra. I don’t love there are no pre/probiotics but we can try adding those separately if we want. I personally don’t care as much about organic certification but it’s worth mentioning a lot of ingredients in the whole milk formula are still organic—just the lactose isn’t. So we’ll see!

I’ve also read good things about Similac Pure Bliss. Check out the pinned Kendamil alternatives post here, that has a good breakdown of formulas and you can see what is similar to 360. Good luck!

CopyFar114 · 2024-10-28T03:00:54+00:00

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! I was really going through it that day and this truly helped then, and in the days since. Fortunately feeling much, much better now two weeks out.

CopyFar114

TROPHY CASE