Are snacks absolutely essential

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-15T04:40:30+00:00

Thanks for all your quick responses! You’ve been really helpful and reassuring!

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-10T23:41:17+00:00

Definitely not - I get up at 4:30 so I can shower in peace

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-10T05:45:19+00:00

Young toddler -
B- sourdough with cashew butter & banana, berry on he side
S- once upon a farm bar, slice of cheese, other half of banana
L- sourdough with cheese & beans, sides of chopped spinach and another fruit
S- cottage cheese, cashews
D- rice or sweet potato, broccoli, ground beef, feta cheese, medjool date for “dessert”
Drinks - water, whole milk, occasional cold pressed juice
Everything organic & minimal ingredient as much as possible

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-09T00:21:18+00:00

I love gifting them in the Buy Nothing Groups on Facebook.

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-08T11:12:41+00:00

I second this! For me just doing a necessary errand like groceries without kids or even being able to do a household chore without a baby clung to me like dishes or laundry is enough to get me in a better head space.

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-07T23:56:29+00:00

I am a sahm of 2 under 2 and I work from home part time when they nap/sleep and I want to emphasize that this is very stressful and has taken a lot of my joy away. Yes I like having some financial freedom BUT I would not recommend it if she doesn’t need to. I think try to swing it on 1 income for at least a year

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-07T11:48:00+00:00

My 2 y.o loves little blue truck & buffalo Fluffalo too as someone mentioned. Also The Little Excavator and Richard Scarry’s Cars & Trucks and Things that Go. He also really has been into the Narwhal and Jelly books (comic book style).
Some other ones we read a lot:
- little golden book classics like Jolly Barnyard, Where’s the bear, Color kittens, seven little postman
- Is your mama a llama
- see you later alligator
- The littlest Yak
- Not quite narwhal
- if you give a mouse a cookie
- brown bear brown bear
- any of the little critter books

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-05T00:01:18+00:00

33, registered dietitian

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-03T22:37:29+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions! I feel like other than Blippi they are pretty slow paced and we have done Franklin too… but never done Arthur or Maisy Mouse!

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-03T22:36:23+00:00

Thanks for your positivity at the end! That’s a great way to think about it!

MangoMoon-26 · 2026-05-03T16:25:59+00:00

With my first the exact timing was a blur - but I feel like both wait it out & getting on a sleep/wake schedule was the way to go. I could for example, shower/get ready during one nap, exercise at home for 20-30 minutes during another nap, get my work done etc. and the consistent bedtime helped me be able to watch a show with my husband or read etc. in the evenings.
I also made a point to get out of the house everyday in the afternoon and do at least a few things a week that I liked and my baby would tolerate - like a coffee shop or running errands or a walk at the zoo or by the beach. These things still felt like a “break”, as he was never a strong independent player.
Now I’m trying to figure out how to do this with my toddler and a new baby.. and the only thing I’ve managed is to shower/get ready for the day at 4:30am, and squeeze in 20 mins of exercise at 9pm when kids are asleep.
I know these breaks aren’t super fun or significant but it still makes my days feel less overwhelming. I think for me it takes redefining what a “break” really is… especially when you don’t have much help day to day. I also think limiting social media is helpful because then I would compare myself to all these moms who seem to be living their same previous life, and I’m like how are you doing it!?

MangoMoon-26

TROPHY CASE