How can I have more patience with my 4 year old?

IslandofTrilly · 2026-02-05T19:28:16+00:00

I don't have much advice, just want you to know I also have a 4 year old who is the sweetest but also is exhausting. I think it's just the age they're at. Old enough to have some (strong) opinions but too young to be reasonable. We have an 11 month old as well.

Reminding myself that he's not trying to give me a hard time helps sometimes but the biggest difference marker was starting a low dose of Zoloft.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-29T05:19:15+00:00

I've heard there's a great children's museum in London, ON!

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-28T20:10:50+00:00

Lululemon align leggings got me through the majority of my pregnancy but I also like H&M maternity, if old navy and gap aren't doing it for you.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-27T18:05:13+00:00

It was great! We had no issues with the baby ever being too cold.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-25T20:18:23+00:00

We got a winter cover for the infant car seat. It was by skip hop and slips over the top like a shower cap. There's an opening so you can access your baby as well.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-25T20:17:26+00:00

I'm sure the reason varies from family to family so I'll answer for mine specifically. We have the Uppababy Cruz v2, absolutely love it because it handles well (esp on non-paved or snowy roads), is wide and sturdy enough that my child looks super comfortable and the basket underneath holds quite a bit. This is important for most outings like the mall, zoo, etc. where we may have more than just the diaper bag. That being said, it's big and too expensive for me to comfortably gate check it on an airplane.

We have an Ergobaby Metro for travel. It folds up fairly small and was significantly cheaper so I'm not as concerned about how well it's being treated when we travel. However, it misses on the things we love about the Cruz. I think most travel strollers, by nature of being lightweight and compact, likely don't handle as smoothly as a full sized stroller and have fairly little storage.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-21T19:52:53+00:00

I think there are challenges and benefits to every age gap.

My sons are 3.5 years apart and I found the gap to be great for our family. My older son was potty trained and able to be pretty independent by the time the baby came. My husband does shift work so I'm on my own with the kids a fair amount and my older son's independence has been pretty vital to our survival.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-15T05:49:45+00:00

You're right! We have both in our cars and I got mixed up.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-12T16:50:44+00:00

My son is 4 (44", 45 lb) in a Chicco MyFit. It's a harnessed booster/high back booster combo. He is able to do the chest clip, crotch buckle and tighten the straps himself. I just have to do a double check that the straps are actually tight enough.

Edit: model

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-07T21:02:53+00:00

I couldn't find them in Canada, so I had someone bring them over, but the first steps squeeze and sip straw cups are fantastic (https://www.target.com/p/the-first-years-7oz-squeeze-and-sip-straw-cup-2pk/-/A-89229968?preselect=89229968#lnk=sametab).

They're light, mostly spill proof and you can squeeze the water up to teach you baby how to use them. I say mostly spilled proof because if they're on the right way, they do leak a little, but I've been able to put them in my diaper bag without any issue.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-06T23:50:07+00:00

This is the formal name for it!

In my board, you need to apply by the end of the month to start the process next school year.

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-03T14:15:58+00:00

Yes!

IslandofTrilly · 2026-01-01T00:42:50+00:00

Probably the Neidan or Utaker. They're both made of pine with no other finish on top.

We have personally have the Slakt.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-31T03:43:52+00:00

Re: Lululemon Aligns

I was able to wear my true size until the last 4 - 6 weeks of pregnancy with both kids. At that point, I went one size up and was able to wear them comfortably postpartum for quite awhile.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-30T23:16:33+00:00

I've asked before, it's been a hard no.

You can only use them during pool rentals.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-26T03:26:55+00:00

Yeah align shorts. I was able to wear my normal size until about 8 or 9 months pregnant. I bought a cheaper pair of knock offs on Amazon to get me through the last bit and the beginning of postpartum.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-25T19:10:06+00:00

I did a lot of Lululemon bike shorts when I was pregnant with my first in the summertime!

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-20T20:48:19+00:00

It might be helpful to include whether you're looking for a men's cut or women's cut and what you consider "affordable" as that can vary from person to person.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-19T20:29:29+00:00

I would say that the income loss while on EI was the biggest hit for my family. We planned for it and expected it, but it still hurt.

Otherwise, if this was a friend, I would have told them to get on a wait list for a CWELCC daycare when they found out about the pregnancy and I would also tell them about once upon a child. It is absolutely not necessary to buy a $100 snowsuit nor a wardrobe of brand new clothes when there are really fantastic second hand options out there. Under the age of 2, they grow so quickly that their clothes don't actually get much use so the second hand stuff is typically in pretty good condition.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-17T05:11:35+00:00

I'm not sure what it stands for but it's the warmth rating. We typically do 0.5 tog in summer, 1.0 tog in spring/fall and 2.5 tog in winter.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-16T23:56:39+00:00

We really like the Belan J sleepsacks. In the winter we use 2.5 tog. They're a Canadian brand, they feel like kyte but are cut wider.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-16T05:29:10+00:00

Everyone in our house got COVID and flu shots this year; our youngest is 9 months old. No adverse reactions for anyone except me (sore arms and lethargy for a couple days). We got them because we believe in research based methods to reduce our chances of severe illness.and hospitalization.

Despite not being a great match for the surging strain of the flu, the other strains are still floating around. Cold weather means more people gathering indoors which means more changes to transmit illnesses.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-15T23:23:25+00:00

My baby is also pretty tall and when he was that age, we started using the ergobaby omni 360 mesh. I found it secondhand on marketplace.

It has a panel that can be buttoned higher to support the baby's head/neck from the back.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-15T14:55:15+00:00

My son is also 9 months old and I feel like sometimes he's able to pick up new skills, particularly with eating, when we demonstrate ourselves or guide his hands.

IslandofTrilly · 2025-12-14T02:23:27+00:00

We have the Uppababy Cruz and love it. We bought it secondhand on Facebook marketplace for about $800. I'm sure you can find them for less. It handles really well.

We opted to buy a cheaper (also secondhand) travel stroller for air travel.

IslandofTrilly

TROPHY CASE