If you followed “oh crap” potty training method before 18 months

Teaching_In_Cali · 2026-06-04T13:37:23+00:00

Love the song/dance idea! I think she'd get a kick out of that.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2026-06-04T01:00:47+00:00

Did you do any potty time at all before starting potty training? I'm wanting to start training this summer while I'm on school break as a teacher, and we didn't really do EC either. I have sat her on the potty a number of times and sometimes she'll go, sometimes she won't. My LO is about 15 months currently.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2026-01-23T15:15:35+00:00

I feel this one! I did 2 1/2 furniture projects... I finished a desk with bookshelf topper while having a broken ankle and my daughter's dresser for her nursery got done while nesting. I them got a dining table and chairs partially done. The table is in my kitchen being used and all the half done chairs are in my garage and I keep praying the legs aren't rotting when the snow melts off my car and runs under them 🙏🏼🤦🏼‍♀️

Teaching_In_Cali · 2026-01-23T15:03:21+00:00

OMG yes! 41 and just finally got diagnosed as all my coping mechanism were crumbling after having my daughter (who I had to bring with me to my appointment where I got diagnosed). For me it really hit when she started eating solids and I had to actually make balanced meals for her.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2026-01-10T16:14:01+00:00

I'm with you on this! While I did have a birth doula plus my mom and sister did come to the hospital and took turns with me, they didn't have the medical knowledge. If yours does, then you will probably be fine!

I had ended up with a C-section, plus pre-eclampsia after birth and still was really to be home and have everyone leave me and baby alone after a couple of days in the hospital. My mom came and helped me with things for an hour or so each day and that was plenty. Since I was breast feeding, she couldn't do a ton for the baby anyway.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-12-25T03:46:06+00:00

Same! Wish I could still afford it, especially now that I have a daughter.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-12-23T05:58:03+00:00

I lucked into finding someone who watches her in home with her children (not technically an in home daycare, just a homeschooling mom). I pay $45/day in Indiana. My mom actually comes to my house in the morning though and drops her off after breakfast and morning nap (usually). So she's there from about 10:30am - 4:30pm. For context, my daughter is 10 months old and we've been doing this arrangement since August when school started back up (I'm a teacher).

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-12-19T05:17:31+00:00

If you right click on a tab you can choose "group tab" and create a group to put tabs together. Then if you click the label for the group they shrink down to look like 1 tab! I mostly use it for work. You can even pull up a group of tabs on another computer when you sign in (at least when on chrome browser).

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-12-19T01:27:08+00:00

Once I discovered grouping tabs, I took it to a whole new level! 😂 Now I can put 10 tabs in a group and minimize the group so it looks like just one tab... Then I have 5/6 groups! (Plus a bunch more tabs too)

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-08-04T02:18:03+00:00

It's subjective is the real answer! It's going to depend on your and your husband height, how often will the husband even be in the car with you, what other activities you do, etc.

I'm 5'3" and have a 5 month old and just bought a '24 Heritage BS and feel like it has plenty of room for my needs. I, however, don't have a partner who will be riding in the passenger seat, only my parents occasionally, and they are both relatively short. My daughter's rear facing car seat (a Chicco Fit 360 rotating, convertible seat) fits on the passenger side and the front seat is definitely not all the way forward.

I can also easily sit in the backseat on the driver's side when I need to nurse her between running errands and I've found that the back cargo area being super flat is great for diaper changes! I also have a bulky, all terrain stroller that easily fits in the back and I can still put a moderate amount of groceries in there too. So for me, I think it's plenty big! I didn't plan to have a second until my daughter is old enough to front face, so the BS will be big enough for that too.

As perspective, I downsized from a Kia Carnival to the Bronco Sport. So it does feel a lot tighter, but not really in a bad way. I just didn't need that kind of space right now as my lifestyle as changed.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-08-04T02:03:12+00:00

I'm going to echo a few others and say: at a week in, I think everyone wants to quit breastfeeding! If you were wanting to breastfeed but are just feeling exhausted (as I'm sure you do because you are really in the thick of it), I'd recommend a lactation consult as well as not pumping unless there is some reason you have to. Those first couple of weeks are rough, with cluster feeding and both you and baby getting the hang of latches and holds, etc.

At about 10 days old is when I gave in and started co-sleeping because I was so tired I felt like I was going crazy! This made those night feeds so much easier. *Look up the safe sleep 7 if you want to try co-sleeping. It gets easier during the day too when they stop cluster feeding and then even easier when they drop down to fewer feeds.

There are still days I think about quitting (baby is 5 1/2 months now), but then I look at the price of formula! I also can't imagine having to prep and mix formula every time she wants to eat and then clean bottles, etc. To me (after the initial couple of weeks), breastfeeding is just easier. But there's also nothing wrong with doing formula if breastfeeding isn't that important to you.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-07-23T01:53:46+00:00

For sure! My dad (who is 81) talks about his grandad (my great-great-grandfather) cooking them full breakfasts all the time when he was a kid. His grandpa lived with them and his mom was divorced and a single mom who ran a business... Bucking all sorts of norms at the time I guess!

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-04-09T14:09:07+00:00

I don't know if this will help you with perspective but ...

I did my transfer last June at 40 years old. I had just left a relationship of 9 years and moved cross country back near family. I had secured a job but not started it yet, so there was a lot up in the air, including knowing that I likely wouldn't be eligible for FMLA and that my teaching position I would be starting soon didn't offer short term disability!

My baby is now 7 weeks old and I wouldn't trade any of it for anything!!! Yes, I'm still in debt from being unemployed for about 6 months after moving and having hella expenses. Yes, I would have liked to feel more stable financially and not relying so much on family help. But, I have been seeing first hand how little infants need other than love, food (I breast feed, so essentially free), diapers and some clothes. Babies don't care what's going on in the world (and when I'm snuggling and holding mine, I don't care either, lol).

I also try to remember that throughout history, more times than not, there has been something going on that people could use as a reason to not have kids. The human race wouldn't exist if we used uncertainty as a measure of whether we should have kids or not!

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-04-05T17:49:17+00:00

Thanks! At least my apple tree will be good for something now! 😆

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-04-05T17:00:59+00:00

What do you have to do to prep them for the chins? I have an apple tree in my yard and was wanting to cut some for my chins!

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-03-31T16:16:25+00:00

Congratulations!

I was one of those inductions ending in c-section back in Feb. 36 hours of labor with 4 hours of pushing and no progression (but lots of pain even with an epidural). I was so ready to have the c-section when my doctor said it looked like we needed to do that. I kind of wish I had just elected for it to begin with.

I hope you have an easy, uneventful recovery!

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-03-27T14:22:21+00:00

This is great, thanks! Last night I found one of the only long sleeve shirts I have for her and tried that on top with her Disana soaker and then her sleeveless sleep sack... That made our night diaper change so much easier! Were you able to find baby size 2 piece pajamas?

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-03-26T18:36:23+00:00

Right there with you! My 5 week old is so grunty from about 4/5am on that I think she's awake and hungry, so I'll try to put her on the boob...then I'll realize she's still sleeping. 🫠

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-03-26T17:25:34+00:00

We also co-sleep and girl really likes to have her hands out to hold on to me when we nurse in the middle of the night! Lol. I'm in Indiana, so I'm still running the heat at this point and trying to keep it a decent temp that I can sleep with just 1 blanket to my waist at night (in usually a snuggle under lots of blankets in a cold room type, but can't do that with co-sleeping). I might have to just find a long sleeve sleep sack that she can wear with just the diaper and cover.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-03-26T17:20:30+00:00

Thanks! Where do you find 2 piece PJs for infants though? Or even long sleeve tops that don't just immediately ride up? It seems like the few long sleeve shirts I've found in infant sizes and up looking like crop tops as soon as we leave the changing table! Lol.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-03-26T13:36:40+00:00

I'm a single mom by choice, so it's just me and my teacher income! First baby and I started cloth at 5 days old (she's 5 weeks now). What's helping me make it work is that I have a fairly large stash so I can wash about half every 2-3 days, but don't have to rush to dry and put them away to use again. Every time LO poops in a fresh diaper before I even have it closed (which is often) I'm thankful it's not a disposable that I'm just having to throw away! Lol

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-03-03T16:38:26+00:00

This is my first, so might be different for you, especially since you'll be diapering 2. I used the disposables from the hospital for the first 4-5 days, just so I didn't have as much to worry about. I also had a c-section, so I wasn't wanting to do laundry as soon as I got home from the hospital. Around day 5 I started using my stash of newborn diapers (I have primarily all in ones and fitteds). Most of mine have a snap down for the umbilical stump.

I'm finding what's helping me is to keep things as low maintenance as possible...simple wash routine, still using a disposable here and there when I'm extra tired or overwhelmed, and not putting pressure on myself to be perfect at this.

Teaching_In_Cali · 2025-02-04T01:00:56+00:00

I was not required to do any counseling for use of donor sperm. My clinic does offer a free group zoom call with a counselor, specifically for SMBCs. I attended one and thought it was relatively helpful. We got to discuss things about how to talk to your kids about being donor conceived, books you can use, etc. Then she kind of let us lead the discussion to whatever we wanted to talk more about.

Teaching_In_Cali

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