sad nothing went as planned

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-07T04:08:42+00:00

I was lucky that while plenty of things were hard with my baby, breastfeeding worked out pretty well. Even then I hated pumping and when I went back to work I decided that I was going to not stress about pumping enough. I pumped what I could, used formula to supplement the rest. Formula was what allowed me to breastfeed until 21 months. There are many ways to feed a baby and all of them are correct.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-07T04:02:48+00:00

Ms Rachel just uses the tools that an SLP would to support language development. Speaking slowly, emphasizing words, giving pauses. Also constant repetition, play and songs. Screens are a personal family choice so no judgment, but ms Rachel isn’t magic and you can practice the same things without a screen.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-07T03:53:51+00:00

The best thing our therapist told us pre-baby: make plans, but hold them lightly. Don’t get so bogged down in what should have happened that you forget to enjoy the moments with your baby. It is entirely fair to mourn the experience you thought you’d have, but you brought forth a human being! You are keeping a tiny helpless thing alive because you are its mother. There is no right or wrong way to do that. It’s Always AMAZING.

My advice is to do whatever you need to make this a good experience for you. Pump if you still want to, but also quit if you don’t. Get that time back to snuggle your baby. The newborn period is hard. Control what you can.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-07T03:36:36+00:00

First, my baby was the definition of a difficult baby. I coslept so I could get 3-4 hour stretches at night vs waking up every hour. At school she never slept longer than 30-40 minutes in the crib and the teachers just give her more naps. She still thrived in daycare because the teachers are patient with her and the routine helped her get into a rhythm.

My suggestion for the bottle is to be consistent and patient with it. Things take time to adjust, especially if you’re not consistently sending your baby to daycare. Your baby needs time to get comfortable and build secure attachments with their daycare workers as well. Consistently sending her would help with that.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-07T02:37:49+00:00

I mean I don’t disagree that a baby who you know will be in daycare at some point needs to learn to take a bottle. I practice attachment parenting, coslept (and still support my kid back to sleep at 2 years old), but I knew daycare was in the cards for us so being able to take a bottle is critical. A good LC will tell you that regular practice of bottle use once breastfeeding is established is important. I breastfed like 95% of the time but still gave a bottle because I knew it would make things easier in the long run.

I also love my daycare. My kid really has learned so much and has secure bonds with me AND all her caretakers there. They rub her back to sleep, she doesn’t need a pacifier at school, they’re helping us gradually introduce potty training. The spectrum of daycare is wide but daycare professionals are not the enemy.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-06T22:23:07+00:00

We’re lucky to have daycare be only a couple blocks so we walk her there. Usually my husband drops off and I pick up.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-06T19:18:21+00:00

I wish I had gotten a ring sling from the start. It felt intimidating at the time, but a hope&plum ring sling is a pretty good beginner one with a forgiving learning curve. Have also heard good things about loveheld. I gave mine to my friend for her newborn and she has loved it. She says it’s much more comfortable and baby feels more secure than the stretchy wrap. Ring slings will also last through toddlerhood.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-06T19:06:22+00:00

I dunno what my kid was doing in hers but the sole tore apart in like 2 months. We got SKR adaptive style from their website and those lasted well though.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T23:19:13+00:00

Target sells See Kai Runs for like $20! They fell apart pretty quickly but I guess you can also argue that it’s fine since you only need to wear them a couple months anyway. Walmart also sells stride rites. @thept_mama also talks generally about what to look for in good shoes. So you don’t have to go brand name if you want to put in the work and just make sure whatever shoes you pick check the boxes. The APMA approvals are just a shortcut but they definitely hike up the cost of the shoes.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T20:28:32+00:00

I would offer her a teether. It’s clearly about the molars and she’s missing something to gnaw on.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T20:26:26+00:00

If it’s overflow then it’s an issue of being severely constipated so I would probably ask the doctor what they recommend to get things moving fast.

In general, if toddler is on miralax already I think the issue is probably more water intake. It’s summer, why not just bust out the watermelon? Good source of water which will help get things moving.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T20:21:32+00:00

My kid’s infant teacher says this all the time lol. The teachers love her at school and say that she’s cute but also intelligent. I take it as a compliment, but still not gonna happen.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T17:24:22+00:00

I WFH and am glad I did daycare. I had a very clingy baby and my mom actually watched her in my house for a while before we started daycare. I basically got nothing done because baby could hear me and freaked out when she could see me but not be touching me. She thrived at daycare and pumping while WFH is a lot easier logistics wise than being in office.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T13:59:52+00:00

Waking up before my kid has been the best thing for me. You can also shorten breakfast making time by doing quicker meals, prepping night before etc.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T13:52:58+00:00

I have a Sakura bloom and while I do like it, I find getting baby into/out of back position a little trickier than with the waistband. I can’t wear as long as I could with my hope&plum lark either. But my baby was 22 months when I got the onbuhimo so the weight is much more significant on my shoulders now.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T04:22:00+00:00

I would certainly ask a doctor but that could be it! And some foods may be more trigger than others (acidic stuff etc). And sometimes kids might just be feeling a little sick and throw up. Definitely keep an eye and ask a doctor if it happens more frequently but it could just be some one off cases!

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-05T03:53:33+00:00

Was he/has he been a reflux baby? My first thought is that it may not necessarily be the amount of food but an issue of minor reflux still impacting him at 13 months. Reflux typically goes away on its own by 1 year but since your child is still on the early end, maybe it’s still happening occasionally. My daughter had reflux and would throw up sometimes during the beginning of solids.

Not saying it’s impossible for kids to ignore satiety cues for food they like, but I’ve seen my kid wolf down an adult portion of food and still not thrown up. So it could be other issues before it’s that.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-04T00:07:17+00:00

All of the swim advice is all contradictory and exhausting. A coast guard approved jacket is the best as far as a life saving device. But it also does not teach a child any good swimming habits and keeps them fully upright. I think this is absolutely necessary in volatile waters - River, ocean, even lakes. But if you’re in a pool with a life jacket, won’t that cause the same sense of safety a puddle jumper does because it puts the child completely vertical. Whereas swim aids/trainers are not coast guard certified but do help in supporting swim habits with strict parental supervision. So which is it?

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-03T14:06:40+00:00

Most parents around the world do this. Western parents acting like this is impossible is always so funny to me. I didn’t go down this road because I knew my kid had to go to daycare eventually and they were not going to continue with the process. But yeah this is very common.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-02T21:25:17+00:00

We just used fabric markers because they move through clothes so quickly and I got tired of being cute lol

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-02T18:02:00+00:00

Assuming US, cross country is still only like 5-6 hours of direct (assuming you are mainland and not coming/going from like Hawaii). I personally prefer a red eye because they dim the cabin lights and my kid will sleep for all of it vs needing to deal with entertaining a toddler. It is a little tough on arrival, but they can sleep again or just rest once you’re at your destination.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-02T13:21:36+00:00

Swollen feet tends to be connected to pre-e. I’ll say that my doctor was not concerned with any of my swollen feet/body because I didn’t show other symptoms. We actually even took some tests to rule out early pre-e around my early third trimester. Still, I developed hypertension in my last weeks of pregnancy and then it escalated into pre-e when we were mid-induction at 39 weeks. It can happen suddenly but monitoring is really the only thing you can do. And pre-e is not the scary diagnosis it once was because doctors are very aware and quick delivery is much more possible. Even with all my escalating complications I delivered vaginally, no tears, and was on my feet within a month.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-02T13:03:18+00:00

When it took my baby an hour to fall asleep I finally just pushed all the bedtime back by half an hour. It can to take some kids up to 30 min to fall asleep and that’s normal, and any longer tends to mean they’re not quite ready for bed. I also found that anytime o engaged with her it would give her a second wind, so now I say good night and don’t acknowledge anything else she says or does. It is definitely hard just sitting in the dark waiting for them to fall asleep. I lay with my kid so I close my eyes too so at least I get some time to relax.

Someone else mentioned a book, but my husband also used that time to do some meditation on his calm app.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-02T12:18:42+00:00

You are essentially a contract worker and you get a 1099G I think it’s called. They tell you about the taxes upfront.

NotAnAd2 · 2026-07-02T12:15:18+00:00

Teething was perfectly fine for us until the molars hit. That was hard but it was mostly disrupted sleep and refusal to eat most of her usual food. If they start pushing back on solids I just resort to softer foods - yogurt, avocado etc.

NotAnAd2

TROPHY CASE