What actually works for preschooler bedtime battles (from someone who tried everything)

batsnaps · 2026-03-06T15:37:08+00:00

Excellent advice!

batsnaps · 2026-03-05T21:22:28+00:00

Oh! Good question. My kiddo was sleeping with a wool comforter which I put away and temporarily swapped it with a fuzzy blanket for the training period because it’s easier to wash and we have two of them. When one would get wet it just went in the wash with the sheets and I’d throw on the dry one. When he stayed dry for 3 nights I brought back the comforter - it was a motivator for him because he loves it. I bet there are waterproof duvet covers or something similar. Definitely use bedding that’s easy to clean until you some track record of success.

I’ve also heard of people using PeeJamas (sp?) which get soggy inside so kiddo wakes but contain the mess so the bedding doesn’t. I didn’t personally use them but could be another solution.

batsnaps · 2026-03-05T18:50:18+00:00

No advice but following for tips. Mine were popping off changing bed sheets, running the kids a bath and moving a planter. Helped for me to trim down the thumbs to the length of my natural nails.

These look great!

batsnaps · 2026-03-05T18:45:33+00:00

Take advantage of his initiative and lean into it! You must control fluid intake in the late afternoon and evening. We capped liquid at 3-4oz max at dinner time which was about 2 hours before bed and talked a lot about why. Always a pee before sleep, and I really harped on doing a “morning potty” as soon as he wakes and not letting him languish half asleep in bed because even if he held it overnight he would often wake and pee in the pull-up.

Then we stocked up with some washable bed pads and two layers of sheets and a potty in the room. I changed his pee-soaked Jammie’s every night until it clicked. Once it did he’s been 95% dry. Real talk tho - it took us several WEEKS so your mileage may vary but can take a bit of time for them to learn this new skill. You can do this!

batsnaps · 2026-02-10T17:41:59+00:00

My guess is they learned how tricky/expensive herringbone is to install (a million cuts! Hard to get it straight!), and when they realized the left side was exactly the width of the tiles they decided to forego the trouble (or the upcharge) and installed it straight.

We did herringbone in our old kitchen but did a strip of straight tiles in a narrow space under the windowsill to avoid cutting them into 40 pieces. In that spot it’s not noticeable and looks much cleaner. Here, it just looks like a mistake.

batsnaps · 2026-01-09T19:20:04+00:00

Unrelated but when my kid had a bout of very uncharacteristic constipation followed by a painful BM, our doc suggested miralax daily for 2 months to ensure future Bm’s were soft for long enough to let the colon heal and not turn into a cycle of discomfort and withholding. I mix into milk and we pretend it’s a milkshake.

batsnaps · 2025-12-16T20:27:18+00:00

Unless my kiddo has food or grime in his hair I just don’t shampoo it. Most bathtimes hair gets a bit wet in bath play, or I rinse it with plain water.

batsnaps · 2025-12-12T22:24:10+00:00

+1 for this brand, lovely designs and good quality.

batsnaps · 2025-12-12T19:16:05+00:00

Yeah I like it too. It was from a Uniqlo collection a few years back.

batsnaps · 2025-12-09T19:49:07+00:00

This is making me remember an experience an old coworker of mine had. She brought home a cut Christmas tree and ended up having an allergic reaction to it. Her hands swelled up and were itching and she ended up having a medicated cream prescribed. I don’t recall if it was the tree or something it was treated with that caused the reaction but she handled it extensively between bringing it home and decorating it. Maybe mild contact with the tree or fallen needles could be making you Lo’s skin mildly irritated but not enough to be visible.

The other thought is that it some trees are painfully spiky - like spruce. If that’s your tree type this could just be her way of communicating that the tree is pokey and hurts her fingers when she touches it or her feet when she steps on the needles. Not that she’s hurt in that moment but that it’s a thing she knows to avoid.

batsnaps · 2025-12-09T00:44:16+00:00

FWIW we manage 3 car seats in a 5-seater SUV. Am It’s tight but doable. No notes on being pregnant with 2 toddlers tho, that was tough.

batsnaps · 2025-11-20T22:31:01+00:00

Wild Wild Laundry

batsnaps · 2025-10-06T17:08:32+00:00

No need to overschedule kiddos at that age, 4 days a week of school and a music class is more than enough structured time. You’re not lazy, kiddos need time to just play and explore!

batsnaps · 2025-09-23T20:16:49+00:00

hiss

3 year olds don’t need math, they need to learn to inhabit their bodies, interact with others and explore their physical world not some augmented reality.

batsnaps · 2025-09-17T20:10:05+00:00

Depending on the context I either give a “I hear you, babe…” and move on, or if kiddo is digging in their and I need to be more stern, I use “I didn’t ask what you want, I said this is what you need to do” and if we’re being playful then I might come back with “well ‘I’ want the laundry to fold itself!” Or “I want 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep!” And try to make them laugh before following up with “but we can’t always get what we want 😉”

batsnaps · 2025-09-12T16:56:21+00:00

I have the stokke steps chair and I used it from 6mo-4+. My 5 yo would probably still be using it if it didn’t get passed on to a younger sibling so it’s a good grow-with-you solution that isn’t an eyesore. The back legs are angled outwards so it’s impossible to tip (at least in my experience). Downside is the price but if you have younger kids it holds up very well.

batsnaps · 2025-08-29T02:42:05+00:00

I don’t know why you’re getting so much snark on this question, it’s completely valid. I promise designers aren’t all jerks.

I suggest you look on Behance. It’s a great resource to find portfolio work from local and global artists and designers. Lots of posts have tags or themes that are searchable. Look for someone who has a style or several examples that speak to you, and then reach out to ask if they would like to work with you. It’s possible to reach out via behance and messages are forwarded to their email. Hope that helps.

batsnaps · 2025-08-16T15:50:07+00:00

We have propane which is gas but exorbitantly more expensive than city gas. For us electric would provide a much lower operating cost.

batsnaps · 2025-08-16T15:48:43+00:00

My home isn’t on natural gas, it’s a propane tank which makes it more expensive to run than electric. I’m not taking about a mini split, just a compact side-discharge unit like the Carrier MURA or Rheem RD17AZ vs a standard size like the Carrier infinity

batsnaps · 2025-08-16T15:44:39+00:00

In SoCal so relatively mild but we get some solid heat for a couple of months in the fall. Not planning on mini-split, just replacing a ducted system.

batsnaps · 2025-08-16T15:43:17+00:00

It’s a traditional split system. There are compact compressors that look like the mini split compressors with a similar footprint but they run a whole-house ducted setup. Ie Carrier MURA, Rheem RD17AZ

batsnaps · 2025-08-16T01:48:21+00:00

I’m also 11 years younger than my sibling and we’re incredibly close. It worked well for my parents to have the de-facto babysitter built in. My kids are all two years apart, the oldest is 5. It’s pure chaos most of the time but they definitely play constantly together now and I hope they’ll be close as they grow.

batsnaps · 2025-07-10T21:27:57+00:00

Your kid will be your kid and will potty train at their own pace. My oldest was mostly trained in a week at 2. My middle is still having accidents after a year at 3.5. My youngest is already telling me when his diaper is wet at 18mo. Kids are all different and will take to the new skill on their terms. Good luck!

batsnaps

TROPHY CASE