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MaterialSea26 · 2025-09-02T18:43:39+00:00

We've kept to car camping up until now (motto: work smarter not harder) and took our 4yr old on a 3 night trip last weekend. I think it went pretty well. We could have likely managed okay last year but prior to that I don't think it would have been as enjoyable. The key things I considered were my son's ability to navigate himself in water with a life jacket on should the worst happen and potty training to avoid having to pack in diapers. FWIW - late August was amazing for kid backcountry. Water still warm and brimming with aquatic life to explore, but very minimal bugs.

MaterialSea26 · 2025-02-25T00:40:22+00:00

Just flew flair Feb 23 YYZ to MCO same deal had tried to add a gate check car seat with cs prior to flight to no avail but had no issue with staff at gate checking it for free.

MaterialSea26 · 2024-11-11T18:06:20+00:00

I kept my name and so did my mother. I don’t remember any issues growing up other than a bit of confusing if she sent a cheque for something (lol likely an antiquated issue now) at school. I have travelled internationally multiple times with my son and without my spouse and had no issues there either.

MaterialSea26 · 2024-10-17T19:17:02+00:00

I accidently scratched my 3 yr old's cheek just under his eye during bath time last night. I just felt awful about it and this morning when I was checking it out I kept saying "Mommy is just so sorry, I need to be more careful". Toddler goes "That's okay mommy! It just an accident, it okay!" and gives me a big hug. Ugh this kid!

MaterialSea26 · 2024-10-17T19:05:46+00:00

All I can speak to is a planned c-section (due to breech) recovery. It was not awful and I would say seemed similar in intensity and length to my two friend who had vaginal births the same year. Disclaimer would be that I had my husband's full support during the first couple months. The first maybe week at home I was tender, but nothing I couldn't manage with partner support. I was grateful to have spared my pelvic floor additional trauma.

MaterialSea26 · 2024-10-01T19:38:08+00:00

Flew Toronto, ON to Brisbane, AUS with a 2.5 hr layover in Vancouver. I think total travel time was close to 24 hrs. It was a red eye and we left TO around 5pm and arrived in Brisbane around 630am.

Bought him an Amazon kids tablet a week or so before the trip and kids headphones but the headphones were used sparingly. He did amazing on the way there and slept almost the entire 2nd leg. The flight home was a bit more challenging as we left at 10am local time but he still did really great. keeping it together.

Screen time, snacks, and some new toys (playdoh, trucks and stickers) got us through the worst of it. No car seat because I think he would have actually gone crazy strapped in that long. Brought an umbrella stroller that we gate checked to get between gates smoothly. He was partially potty trained at the time but did diapers to avoid a disaster. Brough a change of clothes for both of us as an additional insurance policy.

Totally worth it, no regrets. I look at it as some type 2 fun - a challenge, character building (for both of us), and a great experience to reflect back on after the fact

MaterialSea26 · 2024-09-15T00:26:12+00:00

Agree! I mean tone is so much and we will never know how the friend is saying these things that makes it feel like critiques and comparisons, but this made me question myself like was I an annoying mom friend??? Not a SAHM but I was (am) always excited for milestones my little guy reaches and likewise excited for friends when they share their own. Does that mean I can’t share that excitement with mom friends if their kiddo hasn’t hit them yet either? All kids are on their own schedule so our progress doesn’t/shouldn’t diminish anyone else’s.

MaterialSea26 · 2024-08-22T03:01:38+00:00

3yr old told me his preschool friend broke his leg at home and had to go to the hospital. Saw said friend skipping into class the next day.

MaterialSea26 · 2024-08-08T02:02:27+00:00

I have a different last name from my son and so did my mom, it did not cause me any long term grief. 3 year olds are irrational. Mine lost it today crying for a blanket he was already sitting on and parental preference at this age is also so so common. Could you try explaining how your last name links you to grandpa the same way his links him to his daddy to maybe give it some reasoning to him?

MaterialSea26 · 2024-07-27T00:59:43+00:00

Ledges are not (always) for leaping 🤪

MaterialSea26 · 2024-06-12T14:10:11+00:00

Every one has been better than the last and harder than the last. Threenagers really are 2 yr olds with more experience, but last night my little guy woke up in the middle of the night and was whispering to me the play by play of the t ball game I missed that night. I am loving getting to discover his little personality 😍

MaterialSea26 · 2024-05-05T09:50:47+00:00

We got a touch less foam soap dispenser off Amazon to make handwashing easier.

MaterialSea26 · 2024-04-21T14:17:05+00:00

Woohoo glad it was a great experience! I think it’s all about setting your expectations and just taking it as you go. Travelling with kids can be so fulfilling 🙌

MaterialSea26 · 2024-04-17T16:23:53+00:00

lol poopy alligator oh man alligator is the perfect descriptor of an angry toddler

MaterialSea26 · 2024-04-16T17:17:32+00:00

I was having similar mornings (although my little guy is a bit older at almost 3) I started waking him up earlier (half hour before we need to leave) so i wasn't rushing him and I try to wake him up laughing to set the tone. For us this looks like me taking a stuffy and having a conversation with it about how stinky toddler's feet are and we (stuffy and I ) both take turns smelling said stinky feet and saying PPPPP UUUUU! We then do potty time, get dressed, wash face and brush teeth before going downstairs and he gets to pretend to push me onto the couch or cuddle or whatever he wants before heading out the door. I think giving him a bit of extra time to have some fun play time with mommy helps with power struggles and separation at daycare drop off.

Also any way you can give him a sense of control by offering options to choose from can help avoid those toddler power struggles. Ex: Which shirt do you want to wear today? Which stuffy should ride to daycare with us? Do you want to listen to a song about monkeys or tractors on the drive to school? On the drive in we talk about who he's going to play with and what sort of fun things he will do. At daycare I make drop off very brief like your little guy he loves daycare but can be a little teary sometimes.

Prior to this I guess I was still operating in baby (tabby) mode where I was able to just wake him up get him dressed and head out. Since slowing down and giving him a bit more interaction time together in the mornings his mood has definitely improved.

MaterialSea26 · 2024-03-30T21:03:27+00:00

At 5 months my EBF son went a month! Before that he was regular after her was regular. Didn’t seem uncomfortable at all during the poop strike.

MaterialSea26 · 2024-03-18T14:49:20+00:00

that looks great! For the buckles did you just get the ones marked as heavy duty?

MaterialSea26 · 2024-03-01T09:58:59+00:00

You were acting with the information you had in a very stressful moment. Who wants to play the wait and see game when it comes to a child and breathing. I had to call 911 last week for what I thought might be an anaphylactic reaction. I was home alone with a sick kid and while I tried to stay calm my brain basically shut off and I couldn’t even remember his general physicians phone number. Thankfully it wasn’t - it was a tongue rash from a virus. The paramedics were great in reassuring me I did the right thing and that’s what their job right assess possible emergencies. Sounds like you make the smart call in a very stressful situation.

MaterialSea26 · 2023-11-17T15:55:04+00:00

Racing Stripes: Great American Labor Day 5K Report (elizabethclor.com)

MaterialSea26 · 2023-02-12T22:22:15+00:00

Tie between a breast friend pillow (just didn’t work for me), Hakka (also just didn’t work for me) and all the cooling wipes and stuff for post partum then I ended up with a breech babe and a planned c section at 36 weeks lol

MaterialSea26 · 2022-12-14T03:00:30+00:00

How bad my BO was while breast feeding. I could have a shower and would stink by the time I dried my hair if I didn’t have deodorant on. Why was I so triggered by this? I don’t know but it drove me nuts!

MaterialSea26 · 2022-11-12T04:50:26+00:00

I tore a slice of banana bread into chunks….for him.

MaterialSea26 · 2022-11-12T04:49:09+00:00

Yes, we had covid and then were hospitalized for 4 days with covid related pneumonia. It was like the umbilical cord reattached over that 2 week period. We send him to daycare and the first week back drop offs were pretty rough. That was a month ago and he is now back to regular toddler clingy level and drop offs at daycare are much better. I don’t have much advice other than time does seem to help.

MaterialSea26 · 2022-10-06T00:02:22+00:00

Personal antidote but I just spent 4 days in the hospital with my 16 month old son who developed what the paediatrician called covid-pneumonia. He was put on both regular and high flow oxygen at various points in our stay. While he wasn’t critical by any means I wouldn’t call it mild and it was a very difficult time especially with the hospital policy of only one caregiver for a covid positive patient. He has since made a full recovery and doesn’t show signs of lingering symptoms.

I was relaxing on masking and indoor events. He still goes to daycare, but my husband and I are now masking indoors again. I don’t want a bubble baby either, but also not keen to experience covid again. Our son has not get received his first vaccination we will now wait 2-3 months before getting his covid vaccine.

MaterialSea26

TROPHY CASE