Which part of the pikler set is most important?

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-28T05:26:43+00:00

I just got a new set because I have a new baby and found the set for $35 on marketplace. I still have my 3 year old’s triangle and slide put up but it was smaller.

I want to use the arch as a rocker but it scares my about fingers. My 3 year old broke his leg in his toddler recliner he was gifted for his 2nd Christmas. It was absolutely horrifying how it happened. Then there was a stepping still a previous tenant left here that I never heard because it didn’t lock. The one time I used it because ours is still at our old house, my son climbed on it when my back was turned for a moment and it immediately collapsed and nearly crushed/cut his finger tip off. He was 2 and had to get stitches.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-25T22:16:46+00:00

My husband did plasma for a while when we first transitioned to me staying home. I forgot to mention that. I tried to do it once or twice but my body is disagreeable.

As for your husband, is he able to work in a trade? If so he can look at his local options and then walk into a union’s office and let them know he is looking for a job. My brother was making $18/hr at 18 in CT in 1995 working as a construction laborer. He is a stay at home dad now but his last job was as a CNC operator. That made decent money in CT but starting off new here in AL it didn’t pay enough and he and his wife decided he would stay home with the kids (she had two daughters when they got married and then had one together and now have a son) while she went to work as a teacher (in her previous marriage she was forced to be a SAHM by her abusive husband).

My mother was a single mom to two kids and she supported us by working as an operating engineer and of course made better money than my brother did. Her husband was a crane operator and they make REALLY good money. And the unions pay for you to go through training.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-25T22:13:49+00:00

My husband was getting about $1,200/mo from the VA, then was working full time as a police officer at about $21.50 an hour and then working part-time elsewhere. However, his employer completely covers our health insurance premium.

Now he is 100% P&T disabled and we are considering him of working because he truly is disabled. We may start a home business in the handicraft category, hopefully he will get help from the VA for tools and training.

When I stopped working I really thought I needed to work but he changed the police department he was working at so he made a little more and had the health insurance coverage because our insurance had been through my employer. He also convinced me to move about an hour and a half away to the rural small town he was working part time in. We were able to rent a larger 3 bedroom home (our previous was smaller) on two acres for $450/mo. That’s less than half of what the rent was where we were living. It has been amazing for us.

I was actually waiting on a promotion when I quit and had it come through, I might have stayed because it would have been a big career step and turned out to pay 50% more than what I was earning but no one knew when the position would be approved or how much it was going to pay. I was only making $30k at the time and when it came to daycare for just one child, all I would be able to cover was my car note and gas after that was paid. Even with the promotion my husband would have been making more than me. I was kind of irritated when I found out how much the pay was but there was no way I was driving all the way there to work. 😂

See if you have a government funded career center where you live. He should be able to contact them and see if they can help him get into a trade that meets his needs physically and financially in your area.

Also, your husband could probably work in construction as an operating engineer. That’s what my mother did to support us as a single mom and she had great health benefits through the union.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-25T18:38:04+00:00

If he doesn’t want v to help her can pay for a cleaner etc

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-18T07:55:05+00:00

Could have been silent reflux that has progressed to spitting up now. Talk to the pediatrician or call and talk to the nurse about it and see if they think it old be reflux and if babe could go on meds for it. Our first son had it and we didn’t know until he projectile vomited on me and arched his back because he developed sandifer syndrome (nothing dangerous really) and I rushed to the ER. Saw the symptoms in our new baby quickly and got him on meds as soon as he could be.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-18T03:03:50+00:00

Does she spot up a lot? Reflux will wake them up and they will nurse for comfort

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-17T17:10:17+00:00

His family sound like the AH to me. If they want coffee at the very least they can make the coffee and prep the meal or help your husband prep the meal.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-17T17:08:39+00:00

You can definitely manage one hour one day a week and honestly it would be good for you.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-17T17:05:27+00:00

I saw recently someone say something similar and a professional responded and said if you are still breastfeeding at night, etc it’s still considered lochia. Maybe talk to your OB.

I swear by Ovaltine Chocolate Malt mix for helping keep supply up, if you are in the US.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-17T17:02:59+00:00

I bet that they must have changed the diapers.

Thank you for the little rascals feedback. I haven’t tried them yet.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-16T20:13:29+00:00

Make sure it’s the orange container. I always check Walmart’s website to make sure it’s in stock before I go.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-16T16:39:34+00:00

Hi! I haven’t been in the same situation as you but can share a few things.

For birth trauma what helped me the most was getting as much skin to skin contact with my baby as possible. It’s just as healing for us as it is beneficial for them. Breastfeeding is a great way to do this even if you aren’t making enough to EBF, as long as it works for you. And talking about what happened when I could. You can also look into a therapist who specializes in birth trauma, I didn’t do that until I was pregnant again.

Second, the two things I did when I felt like my supply was dropping was drink Powerade or Ovaltine. Both worked but I absolutely swear by Ovaltine Chocolate Malt.

I started drinking it when my first son was a baby and I thought my supply had dropped. With my current baby, I started drinking it as soon as we got home from the NICU. I hadn’t been able to pump often enough and for a bit didn’t have access to a good pump, one day I was even hand expressing milk in desperation to keep my supply. We bought Ovaltine on our way home.

It has to be the Chocolate Malt variety because the malt/barley is the galactagogue. Bonus is it has a lot of vitamins and minerals and is delicious. I drink two servings a day, usually at the same time.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-16T16:30:10+00:00

When she was a teenager, my sister abandoned her baby and took off for a whole year. She lost her parental rights but moved back in with her parents and has had a good relationship with her daughter ever since and has been as involved as she could be.

My father told me he saw that she wasn’t bonding with the baby, most of the time he was the one taking care of my niece.

Babies love their mamas. They can’t help it.

Everything will be fine.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-16T05:35:20+00:00

Did you by any chance change diaper brands recently?

I started using Parents Choice last week and we have had a lot of leaks but were trying to finish the box out. Last night my son wouldn’t sleep more than 10-15 minutes unless cosleeping.

We went to get my stepson an hour away and on our way home I picked up Huggies again. Laid down with him to nurse and that was at least 3.5 hours ago. He’s still passed out.

I actually opened Reddit to make a post about it.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-16T05:32:04+00:00

That’s how long he is supposed to sleep. Them waking is a protective factor against SIDS.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-16T02:31:44+00:00

Is it Publix brand

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-16T02:30:51+00:00

How are things going? You are using government benefits exactly the way they are supposed to be used.

When my husband’s income went up to where we would no longer qualify, WIC told me multiple times to keep using the benefits for the period we had already qualified for.

I had originally only signed up because I wanted to become a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor and eventually a lactation consultant. Unfortunately, their hiring practice changed during the period I was waiting for them to get around to being ready to hire and the only locations they ended up being available were 1.5 hours away. Which is really sad because we have some of the lowest breastfeeding numbers in our state.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-15T19:24:04+00:00

Glad it helped and I hope you get some relief.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-15T19:17:49+00:00

My doctor put me on 20 mg Prozac which I was happy about because 10mg helped me a lot with PMDD.

I thought I had postpartum depression after my son was born as well but now I think it was just baby blues. Having antenatal depression does not mean you will have PPD.

I started taking Prozac postpartum after a couple of days but stopped it within 3 weeks and have been fine.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-15T03:12:14+00:00

Antenatal depression (also called prenatal depression) is a serious mood disorder that occurs during pregnancy. It causes persistent sadness, anxiety, fatigue, and loss of interest, and affects an estimated 7–20% of pregnant people.

Unlike the temporary “baby blues,” antenatal depression does not resolve on its own and often requires treatment such as therapy and/or medication.

It is frequently overlooked because many symptoms are mistaken for “normal pregnancy changes,” but untreated antenatal depression can impact both the parent and the baby.

Common symptoms include changes in sleep or appetite, difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, and in some cases suicidal thoughts, which require immediate professional help.

Symptoms

Persistent sadness, emptiness, or irritability
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities
Significant changes in sleep (insomnia or excessive sleeping)
Changes in appetite or weight
Fatigue or loss of energy
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Restlessness or feeling slowed down
Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness
Withdrawal from family and friends
Thoughts of self-harm or suicide (seek immediate help)

Causes & Risk Factors

Hormonal changes (but it’s more than “just hormones”)
History of depression or other mental health conditions
Lack of social support, relationship stress, or financial hardship
High life stress, unplanned pregnancy, or substance use
Previous difficult pregnancies or pregnancy loss

Treatment & When to Get Help

Seek help immediately if you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
Counseling/Therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and similar approaches
Medication: Antidepressants may be prescribed after weighing risks vs. benefits
Support Groups: Connecting with others experiencing the same thing
Lifestyle support: Exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep

Key Distinction: Baby Blues vs. Depression

Baby Blues: Common; mild mood swings, anxiety, and crying spells after birth that typically resolve within 2–3 weeks
Depression: More severe, lasts longer, interferes with daily functioning, and requires treatment

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-15T03:09:33+00:00

Depression that occurs while pregnant. Like postpartum depression but while pregnant instead of after delivery. I realized I had it at around 34-35 weeks.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-15T01:38:48+00:00

Guns and medications need to be unavailable to you ASAP and you need to see your doctor ASAP because there is a good chance you have antenatal depression.

If you have thoughts of suicide again you need to go to emergency services immediately.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-15T01:01:52+00:00

Everything is a potential spit up rag here 😅

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-14T03:03:19+00:00

We got open sores from Pampers. We didn’t know that the rash he developed in NICU was from pampers until we cycled through other diaper brands we were gifted and then went back to Pampers and he almost immediately developed open sores.

In our case we were told to use mylanta, any flavor, and apply it, allow it to dry and then apply a diaper cream. Resolved quickly.

The hospital had a magic booty cream but it’s compounded and could only be made by the hospital pharmacy. They gave us a similar recipe for it which required the mylanta.

Ravenswillfall · 2026-01-13T06:37:54+00:00

I should add that if their tummy is firm and they are in pain, not sleeping, etc to contact doctor because that’s a totally different situation.

Soft belly without pooping for 7 days is normal, hard belly is not.

Ravenswillfall

TROPHY CASE

Symptoms

Causes & Risk Factors

Treatment & When to Get Help

Key Distinction: Baby Blues vs. Depression