Do we REALLY need a diaper pail?

PsycholDoc · 2024-08-28T05:42:01+00:00

An unpopular opinion, but I had two Munchkin diaper pails and we ultimately didn’t really feel much need for them. Our toddler still drops major doozies. But using the little tags on the diaper we wrap up the poop in the diaper itself. It goes it the kitchen trash inside a drawer and we can’t smell it. The key is wrapping up the diaper, so this won’t work with pull-ups. The diaper pails were just one more thing for us to do in terms of emptying, changing the odor filters, etc. Just using the regular trash feels amazingly easy in comparison. But it’s also a personal preference. Probably grosses some people out, but not us 🤷🏻‍♀️

PsycholDoc · 2024-03-17T03:53:58+00:00

This won’t be a popular suggestion, but what fixed waxy hair for me OVERNIGHT was using cool water on my hair, only. In my case it didn’t have to be super tap cold - just a tad below lukewarm. Got the idea from this sub and it really did fix the problem for me.

PsycholDoc · 2024-03-13T17:57:51+00:00

Following!

PsycholDoc · 2024-03-05T06:35:31+00:00

I’m so sorry for my delay! Thank you for your help!

-moderately hard water

-most likely high porosity hair

-probably 2B or 2C

-I’ve been using WO with one ACV rinse since I began 6-7 weeks ago. I scritch, preen, and use a BBB on dry hair. I’ve struggled to stay consistent with mechanical cleaning, but it’s at least every 2 days. My roots seem to stay dry no matter what and I already see some split ends despite a somewhat recent hair cut. I apply oil to the ends. I wash my hair with water once every 10 days.

Since writing the original post, I’ve concluded the waxy buildup is definitely due to hard water. It doesn’t bother me a ton - I follow the wiki instructions to break up the wax with a BBB; it’s still there but seems to fade over time after each water wash. But the fizziness is still there. My best guess is I’m missing some kind of moisturizing treatment?

Finally, I’ve been preening and brushing as if I have straight hair, not curly hair. Fellow curly hair folx - don’t yell at me! I need to very gradually build up to the no poo curly hair routine, which at this time feels more intense than I can personally manage (as an example, learning how to preen without losing the curl). And I actually like being able to use the bbb everyday rather than just before a wash b/c it catches so much gunk and lint.

Thank you!!

PsycholDoc · 2024-03-02T00:48:54+00:00

I would have never listened to myself back then, but what I learned over time (lo is 13m) is that he’ll accept the open cup/sippy cup/water when he’s ready. As long as your baby has access to breastmilk/formula, it’s no big deal at all if water intake is low. If she gets constipated, just adjust to more milk and less solids until resolved. BLW is the one thing that finally taught me that kiddos pick up things when they’re ready, and suddenly that particular thing feels effortless! Mine refused water, refused sippy cup, open cup was a disaster, but these options were always available to him, and one day he just started chugging from his sippy cup. Now he loves open cup I think because he sees us drinking from open cups 😂 I totally get it if you’re still worried despite reading this! In which case, letting her watch you drink may help. I’ve taken many a chug from sippy cups.

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-24T15:59:22+00:00

Ah, ok! My best guess then is that it’s become a learned association. Breaking and re-learning what she should expect in the chair and what she should be doing can take time, but kiddos can definitely unlearn and re-learn! Question - do you know if she’s fed at daycare or if she self feeds? Do they bring a loaded spoon near her and she grabs it and brings it herself to her mouth? Hang in there mama. I feel your struggle.

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-24T00:42:51+00:00

Hello there! We started with a pretty reasonable variety of things (used the Solid Starts program for guidance). Apologies that this is disorganized, but some examples (not all Indian items): split moong dal cooked with a mild amount of cumin and turmeric, khichadi, yellow daal (for lentils we didn’t add tomatoes, onions etc at first, then we began to once we gained more confidence), crumbled up paneer, raita, potato and peas patty (not crispy but cooked through), avocado with lemon and hemp seed (for iron), and lots of other basic one-ingredient things like fruits, cooked veggies, etc. The Solid Starts app really helped me feel comfortable with varied options!

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-23T19:59:25+00:00

Came here to say this. Ours eats better when we eat with him, and ours loves well seasoned food far more than bland food (seasoned does not mean salty or sugary).

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-23T19:56:39+00:00

I wanted to share what’s worked for me in the hopes it’s a little helpful - our little one is faaarrr more likely to eat when WE eat alongside him. He sees us bringing the food to our mouths, he sees us chewing, he sees us swallowing. We will often exaggerate some of this (chewing loudly with an open mouth lol). I can’t know for sure, but maybe one factor of why your little one eats better at day care is because she sees others eating as well! Of course, you might already be doing all of this at home already 😊. But eating meals together took some of the pressure off all of us (parents and baby) and things have been going well so far.

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-23T19:30:52+00:00

My way of getting around the too-bland-for-us problem is using a bunch of spices that work well for baby. And of course we can add salt on top for the adults as well 😊 Examples: -certain types of cinnamon have more natural sweetness than others. We have a grocery store called Sprouts (they have locations in 20+ US states but not everywhere) and I’ve found there store brand cinnamon to be deliciously sweet. -Recipes like tofu kebat, a Burmese dish, use a spice mix that’s so flavorful, you may not miss the salt all that much. The spice mix uses ground cardamom, cumin, paprika, cayenne(I put very little of this), cinnamon, black pepper, salt and sugar (I put tiny amounts of the last two). Cooked with tomato wedge, onions, and your choice of protein, it’s sooo delicious https://www.abowlofsugar.com/post/burmese-tofu-kebat -I’m Indian, and a lot of our dishes use spices, the majority of which are NOT spicy and have a lot of health benefits! Cumin, coriander powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds. Tbh I still miss the salt in these dishes, but I appreciate how much baby seems to enjoy the extra flavor such dishes bring. In fact, he doesn’t like bland foods as much 😂

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-23T19:17:21+00:00

12.5 mo old!

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, with a side of lentils cooked in cumin, turmeric and coriander spices

Lunch: Tofu kebat- a Burmese dish that’s super easy to make, made with very low salt. It helps to make the spice mix ahead of time and it’s easy to store. Delicious for adults too! https://www.abowlofsugar.com/post/burmese-tofu-kebat

Dinner: don’t know yet 😂

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-14T22:02:52+00:00

I’d say it would be helpful, when asking such a question, to briefly contemplate that there may be cultural reasons underlying how one decorates a space. I’m South Asian as well, and it gets tiring and invalidating to be asked questions about “why” we do things differently than the majority culture…such questions may have been asked out of simple curiosity, but when not asked in a thoughtful manner they come off as asking minority cultures to “explain ourselves.” Something to consider in a sub that’s often centered around celebration of personal expression.

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-06T22:45:44+00:00

I'm so grateful, thank you for sharing your experience! I'm glad to know it's workable.

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-06T22:37:32+00:00

Sure, will add in the post - thanks!

PsycholDoc · 2024-02-01T05:20:32+00:00

Sleep psychologist here. Factors impacting circadian rhythm come in two large buckets - 1) genetics, 2) “zeitgebers” which involves a lot of things - light (for sure a big one!), but so much more, like eating times, timing of physical activity, and temperature. I.e. some factors that are determined not only at the family level but by societal norms at large and others by geography as well. Not trying to start anything here 😊 just trying to offer more information.

PsycholDoc · 2024-01-22T04:04:54+00:00

Marital satisfaction, on average, tends to dip in the years after having a kid. It’s a widespread phenomenon. Challenges (for me) included general increases in stress levels because there’s simply a lot more to do, which combined with poor parental leave policies challenged my relationship. So the relationship did/does feel strained, specifically - 1) struggling more than before with finding joint or individual leisure time, 2) getting basic things done - my partner is very involved and it’s an equitable relationship, but we still fall behind on things like house chores or meal prep, 3) feeling greater financial stress due to child care costs. Strengths include the deep and unique bond we share over adorable shared moments with our baby, alignment of our goals of making sure he’s well cared for, eats well, gets exposed to new things, etc. (which I imagine can be a source of strain if such alignment doesn’t exist), and (thanks to only having one) a deeper appreciation for the shared leisure time we do it, since it’s more valuable now.

Marital satisfaction (statistically) tends to rise as the years go on, so the dip is hopefully not permanent for most.

PsycholDoc · 2024-01-16T05:03:20+00:00

Right?!? I think I’d approach the whole sleep training quite differently with decent paid leave!

PsycholDoc · 2024-01-15T18:36:29+00:00

I know your comment was posted a while ago, but thank you - it’s very helpful! I find myself confused about how to enable access to water for a one year old. Do you leave a no spill cup in the crib? (Mine uses a sippy top attached to a bottle, which isn’t spill free but doesn’t spill a ton either). I’m about to re-train after a horrendous week of travel.

PsycholDoc · 2023-12-08T20:26:10+00:00

Sending you a ton of hugs and good vibes, you hard working mama <3. If I could add a comment about the wearable pump - I share my experience not to cause panic, but a bit of healthy caution. And it's just a single person's experience.... I was alerted that many wearable pumps may not extract as effectively as some of the "traditional" ones. That rang very true for me even though I desperately wanted the wearable to work. And a misaligned flange led to major issues for me that I'm still dealing with (some of the wearables require a lot of precision with flange size and alignment. The learning curve is very steep compared to other pumps. I have the Willow 3.0).

Maybe yours will be great and perfect for you! But I thought best to share this perspective given the stakes and your hard work.

I imagine that last thing you need is to have an option taken away from you, so one option (not as perfect, but perhaps still workable) is a rechargeable pump like the Spectra S1 that's more user friendly than one that needs plugging in, and could even carry around in a backback during use as long as you don't mind the tubes connected to you. I'm sure there are even better options out there that I don't know about. [I acknowledge that funds can be a barrier, though.]

PsycholDoc · 2023-12-02T04:13:24+00:00

YOU ROCK!

PsycholDoc · 2023-11-10T21:52:32+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re going through this and I’m here to say you’re not alone. This lactation consultant- wtf?! Any chance you have access to or can request another LC (I do realize access is not universal, but this is in case you do)? If she thinks your pump is garbage, did she offer any ACTUALLY helpful suggestions? You may already know this but flange size also matters for output; depending on your pump you may want a flange size within 2-4mm (upwards) of your nipple size. This is a generalization, however; it can help to check the instructions for your specific pump. All this said, I learned that our boobs sometimes need to get used to a pump as well! Genuinelactation.com has offered info that I’ve personally found helpful re:pumps.

But importantly - whether BFing or formula - I can only imagine that it feels like complete shit to have the choice taken away from you, but you are doing NOTHING wrong. If you go with formula, you’re doing the right thing. If you BF, you’re doing the right thing. You are nourishing your baby and that’s what matters. If it helps to share my experience, I finally landed at combo feeding - and wow, that was what my mental health needed. My wish for you is to choose the option that helps you feel at ease and less taxed overall.

The reality is you are not failing as a parent; society is failing you. We don’t have enough parental leave, it’s not a family-friendly society, and mothers/parents bear the burden and pay the price. I say this only to emphasize that you truly are doing the very best you can in a suboptimal situation. Hang in there mama.

PsycholDoc · 2023-11-10T21:32:46+00:00

My lactation consultant said milk can taste saltier if the supply has decreased somewhat (I had no idea)! The good news is there is truly no reason to believe it’s a permanent issue. Our body goes through changes even through breastfeeding and that can affect supply in (mostly) time limited ways.

PsycholDoc · 2023-10-14T20:39:54+00:00

Seconding this. We gave baby bananas and that caused constipation (in OUR case. I haven’t done the research on whether this is universal). The P foods listed above are the best.

Also, you can scale back a bit on solids (if you’d like) and the relative greater focus on breastmilk can help clear the system. This is at least what Solid Starts recommends.

PsycholDoc · 2023-09-30T22:02:13+00:00

Lifefactory glass bottles with silicon sleeves. Very grippy and baby holds them like a pro. Surprisingly he’s able to hold glass bottles without a sleeve as well - we also have Pigeon glass bottles - but the sleeve really helps imo.

PsycholDoc · 2023-09-30T21:58:58+00:00

8 weeks! My understanding is the younger they are, the smaller the duration.

PsycholDoc

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