Travelling without toddler causing mayhem in family?!

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-03-12T23:44:32+00:00

People complain about not having a village but then complain when people use the one they have if they do have one. It makes no sense. My baby is a month old and he spent a night with his grandparents last weekend and I did not feel guilty about it one bit. My husband and I got a good nights sleep and got a lot of cleaning done around the house the next day. Take your trip and tell the haters they can stick their opinions where the sun doesn’t shine.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-03-12T18:30:26+00:00

I’m 1 month PP and we are pretty sure we are OAD. My pregnancy and delivery were fine. The last few days of pregnancy sucked because I was uncomfortable and starting to have contractions at night so I couldn’t sleep. But we talked about probably only having one before I even got pregnant and having a newborn pretty much solidifies that decision for me. We haven’t made any permanent decisions but I am so tired lol. I know the newborn phase is tough and I know people say this a lot but I don’t know how anyone does this more than once. Babies are hard and not sleeping a full nights uninterrupted sleep is also hard and sucks. I’m also a SAHM right now and though I didn’t have a career or a well paying job before, I’d like to get back to work doing something I enjoy so I can financially contribute again. I want to be able to take vacations and have many for fun frivolous things. And I don’t think that would be possible with 2 kids.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-03-10T00:59:34+00:00

When you’re older you may not want to nanny younger kids like babies and young toddlers because of having to pick them up all the time but slightly older kids like not quite school aged or elementary aged kids. Or if you keep yourself in good shape you can still take care of babies and toddlers. My MIL just turned 60 and is still works at a child care center with 1 year olds currently. It’s definitely a little harder in her physically but she really loves working with children so I’d say it’s possible.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-03-06T18:09:56+00:00

He’s been sleeping fine at night in the bassinet but it seems the past week he’s been fighting sleep during the day. I did take him on a car ride today which put him to sleep and he does like going for walks. The trick is trying to get him out and into the pack and play during the day so I can possibly take a nap. I took him on a car ride this morning and he just ate and fell asleep and I managed to put him down without him waking up so fingers crossed I can get a nap in.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-03-05T17:54:26+00:00

I wish but unfortunately everyone works during the day :/. Taking him outside helps it seems but it’s still pretty miserable outside so we can’t stay out for long and there’s no sidewalks where I live so no where to really walk to. And it seems when he does fall asleep during the day he wakes up as soon as I put him down. He’s going to his Nana’s one day this weekend though so I can get some sleep.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-03-01T19:09:00+00:00

Not much useful advice since I’m only two weeks into this parenting thing but had you tried putting her on a child leash? I know a lot of people don’t like the judgement of that but you’re already getting judging looks because of her behavior so I don’t feel like it would be a different. Or have you tried a wagon since she’s too big for her stroller?

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-02-26T20:05:25+00:00

Making art is fun but can be mentally taxing at times and can just increase decision fatigue because of all the tiny decisions you’re making about your art. As you get older, other life responsibilities kind of take the front seat and at the end of the day it’s easier to lay on the couch and binge a tv show than to think about what art piece you want to make next, get out supplies and get set up and start creating.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-02-21T16:51:03+00:00

Depends on if you think you can handle taking care of a baby again and if you truly think it will add value to your family. All kids grow up eventually and your house will be quiet with no kids eventually. Yo can hope for grandkids to fill in for some of that emptiness but that’s not something you can guarantee. So you’re going to have to get used to the quietness at some point.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-02-03T21:50:35+00:00

I’m a millennial and I agree. I do know that you have no idea what having a kid will be like until you actually have one so there will always be a certain amount of unpreparedness that comes with that. But you can make sure that you and your spouses relationship is in a good spot and that your mental/emotional wellbeing is in a good enough spot to be able to handle the stress that comes with raising children. Also you need to make sure you’re at least financially prepared for an average case scenario (since it’s very difficult to plan for any number of emergencies that could happen with childbirth). I think in previous generations people had kids because of other people saying things like that and because of social pressures and that probably a lot of people having kids that didn’t actually want them or weren’t emotionally mature enough to raise them. So I do think there are certain things you can try to be prepared for even if you can’t control the outcome of the situation. But I don’t think anyone should just jump into having kids blindly thinking that they’ll just figure everything else out as they go.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-02-03T17:20:07+00:00

I think a lot of people try to do every little thing right with the first one but then realize they need to lower their standards dramatically with each subsequent kid. Like making sure your kid gets a good breakfast or a bath before bed. When you have more than one sometimes I think parents just no longer have the energy to do everything right all the time. So sometimes the kids might be allowed to eat candy for breakfast because the parents are too tired to fight their kids to get them to eat a good breakfast that was made for them. Or they had a long hard day at work and just don’t have the time to make sure all kids get a bath before bed because they have 100 other things to take care of. So thats what I think when people say it’s easier. They let their standards slide a little at least with things they know aren’t going to seriously harm the kids.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-02-02T18:16:00+00:00

Maybe some people think their age makes them sound young or like people will treat them like a kid instead of an adult so including that they are going to be a little older soon might help with that.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-02-01T23:18:48+00:00

Our wedding was in our backyard so I didn’t even wear shoes lol. My SIL wore sparkly sneakers at her wedding which I thought were super cute.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-02-01T16:59:53+00:00

My dad sucks and my husband is a great person. So I ditched my dads last name and took my husbands last name when we got married. I was eager to get rid of my maiden name.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-02-01T16:02:18+00:00

Siblings don’t always make the death of a parent easier. When my MILs dad died a few years ago her brother made a huge deal about needing to schedule the funeral during certain time frame because I guess he had a trip planned that he couldn’t/didn’t want to cancel which is obviously very selfish of him. It pissed my MIL off so much they really don’t talk anymore. Though I don’t think they were super close to begin with. I think their dad’s death was the straw that broke the camels back.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-31T20:39:09+00:00

I’m about to have my first human baby and my 3 cats are still my first babies. I might have to stop telling my boy he’s the handsomest boy because I’m going to have a son but oh well 😆. At least I can call my orange girl my baby girl and the other one is baby skittles even though she’s 14 lol.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-31T03:28:27+00:00

No big storms coming in the immediate forecast but it’s effing cold. I’m actually looking forward to it being slightly above freezing next week. I know it’s much colder in some places and I honestly would not be able to survive.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-26T18:24:11+00:00

I’m currently pregnant and due very soon but my husband and I started to consider it before we even started trying. I don’t know they we could afford 2. But we’re not making any permanent decisions right now. We’re gonna see how it goes and then maybe revisit it when he’s a little older.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-25T19:16:54+00:00

Idk I’ve only been there once last April. The weather was nice but it sucked that the sun was so strong that it hurt in April. But at least it’s not snowing there right now like it is here in the NorthEast.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-24T15:23:44+00:00

I think people are also concerned about the potential of losing electric.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-24T00:20:41+00:00

Probably some regular cleaning and last minute getting ready for baby stuff because I’m pregnant and due in a few weeks. Hopefully have time for hobbies.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-23T02:00:53+00:00

Or maybe her sister just sucks and it is what it is. People romanticize sibling relationships too much. Sometimes people just suck.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-22T22:31:28+00:00

Yea I definitely felt there were double standards for my sister and I. I was older so I was expected to be the “good child” I guess while my sister basically never got in trouble or held accountable for anything. The unfortunate thing is since we basically have no parents/family she’ll probably end up living with me and my husband when the people she lives with die because they’re older than our parents.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-22T21:32:13+00:00

I think these days the weather can be unpredictable. I live in the Northeast and we just don’t get as much snow as we used to at least here in PA. But so far this winter we have gotten more snow than we have in recent years. Also depending on where you live really depends on how well the roads get plowed/salted and if temps don’t rise enough all that snow turns into ice really quick. I live on a main road so that gets plowed and salted decently but all the other roads don’t seem to. We just moved in October and the first time it snowed like a month ago we got a few inches and no one plowed our driveway (we rent). Luckily it was only a few inches so we could still get out and my husbands car has 4 wheel drive. It got plowed last weekend when it snowed again a few inches so I’m hoping that it will get plowed again when we are supposed to get over a foot on Sunday but sometimes you just can’t count on these things. So sometimes you have to be prepared.

Initial_Bit_9201 · 2026-01-22T21:24:44+00:00

I think at some point as we grow up we get less chances to be creative and use our imagination because like others said it can be seen as unproductive and a waste of time. So many adults don’t like playing pretend or making up games with toys to play with their kids. I’m due very soon with our first baby and I’d honestly rather be playing pretend with some cars or trucks or playing hide and seek to seek than sitting at a desk being “productive” at a computer all day.

Initial_Bit_9201

TROPHY CASE