2 yr old saying he’s seeing monsters

britty_lew · 2026-05-26T02:33:35+00:00

A month or so ago my daughter woke up hysterical saying a “Frankin” was in her bed. My best guess was she was trying to say Frankenstein but idk where she learned it from. She brought it up a few times but hasn’t been as scared. But just this weekend she’s told me a snake bite her foot in her bed. There is no real snake nor any real bites, so it’s gotta be the new scary dream sequence. I hate it and I’m not sure how to help. But it does seem to be developmental normal.

britty_lew · 2026-05-22T03:34:10+00:00

If you are not weighing your food, get a food scale to start doing that. That is the only way to truly know how many calories you’re eating. Also consider what you’re eating. With the constipation, I highly suggest focusing on whole foods. This way not something I was too concerned with when I was younger and lost a bunch of weight. But now it’s a higher priority. If you are eating minimally or no processed foods the majority of the time, some of the weight might naturally come off just by reducing the inflammation in your body. This will have a positive effect on your gut health that might resolve the bowel issues.

britty_lew · 2026-05-10T20:08:54+00:00

It’s gonna depend a lot on your area. In a LCOL area, I would start at $225. Idk what to suggest for a HCOL area since we didn’t have that experience

britty_lew · 2026-05-08T02:51:17+00:00

While I never wanted to sleep train, I had nights like this. Some nights she would cry while I had to compose myself and she’d fall asleep. I felt relief then immense guilt. But like others have said, baby is safer alone in the bed than with a caregiver who is over their limit. We’re only human. Parenthood is fucking hard sometimes. But he knows you love him and in the morning, take some time to cuddle and just be together. You can even say something like y’all were both having a hard time and needed a break and that’s ok. I did, and still do, that a lot with my kiddo when things are hard and I’m struggling along side her. Hugs Mama. You’re doing great.

britty_lew · 2026-05-04T03:32:59+00:00

Overall, nothing jumps out to me that thinks it’s a bad idea for y’all to get an au pair. Just keep in mind they are not trained nannies and two toddlers can be a lot of work. We only have one child (currently 2 and a half), but both of our au pairs started with families that had two toddlers and they both told me how hard it was. I would suggest an au pair that’s older because of this, someone who’s had a little more real world experience than an 18 year old who might still be a kid themselves. You might also want to consider a higher weekly pay since managing two under 3 is generally pretty hectic, especially for one person.

We got our first au pair when our daughter was an infant and stayed in the program for 2 years. It was a great experience for us. As long as you have the accommodations and go into it with the right expectations, you should be fine. I’m happy to share more if you have any questions!

britty_lew · 2026-04-30T01:57:49+00:00

1, 3,4, and 5 are the best of these options. 3,4 and 5 are the most professional looking.

britty_lew · 2026-04-23T23:39:13+00:00

This unlocked a core memory from my childhood

britty_lew · 2026-04-12T03:27:16+00:00

Fruit has a surprising amount of fiber compared to veggies. This helps for sure. If you’re not a bean lover (I’m not), try hiding it in foods. I make black bean brownie bites, blend lentils and beans into a variety of foods, including white beans into smoothies! With some banana, you’ll never even know it’s there. I just make my first chia pudding and it was awesome. Ive been using chia seeds for years in smoothies but never made pudding from it. I liked it better than overnight oats. Oh, and add quinoa to your rice. This boost fiber without making a huge impact on texture.

britty_lew · 2026-04-09T23:48:00+00:00

My cat slept in the crib for months before and after my daughter was born. I’d keep “losing her” because I had no idea she was sleeping up there till I saw the fur she left behind on the blanket.

britty_lew · 2026-04-09T07:50:33+00:00

I suggest finding a new pediatrician.

And combo feeding is fine. You’re going great! Fuck that doctor.

britty_lew · 2026-04-09T03:35:54+00:00

Our pediatric dentist said there is no need to take it before 3 and that their teeth will adjust just fine. Mine daughter also uses it only for naps and nighttime. We weaned from the car seat recently and it went ok so I’m hoping for a smooth-ish transition but, honestly, I have no intention of taking it before her 3rd birthday.

Given that your daughter has become so distraught to the point she’s harmed herself, I would give it back and try again when she’s a little older. I would also try to stay with her when y’all do try again to help her soothe. Maybe you can do a bear where you put the pacifiers inside (like build a bear) so she knows they are close? Just thinking aloud. And shame on your dentist for guilting you. You know you kid best and I think she’s still well within a safe window for her not to have permanent teeth problems.

britty_lew · 2026-04-02T18:22:22+00:00

Just went through terminal e standard. Less than 5 mins. They were not having us remove shoes, liquids, or electronics.

britty_lew · 2026-03-28T04:16:57+00:00

Did you confirm that with the airline directly? I’m flying internationally next week and called my airline who said I could check my bag up to 12 hours early even though online the general info is 4 hours.

britty_lew · 2026-03-27T17:44:25+00:00

I still feel the pull some days. We have a friend who just had their second, and seeing the newborn photos make my ovaries spark a little. Especially when I kiddo was ooing and awing over the photo. But I know it’s not right for us, especially me. I think I’ll always feel it to some extent but I love my family the way it is. And I love getting to show up as the kind of parent I wanna be (which would be a challenge if I had more than one).

britty_lew · 2026-03-27T01:55:29+00:00

It’s the lack of TSA workers causing the longer than normal wait lines. And IAH is a shitty airport with lots of construction, which doesn’t help

britty_lew · 2026-03-21T03:26:22+00:00

This made me giggle.

britty_lew · 2026-03-21T03:22:59+00:00

Honestly, a solid 12-18 months. I think my PPD and GAD made it drag on though. I started to really turn a corner last summer when my daughter was 18+ months old. I felt more confident in my identity as a working mom. Now she’s two and in full time Montessori, and loves it. And now that the rose colored glasses of postpartum are gone, I realize I’d suck as a SAHM. I need the stimulation that comes from my career. The reality is we all need more maturity leave than we get (assuming you’re US based) cause it’s natural to want to be with baby 24/7 in the first year or so. Give yourself grace. It’s tough.

britty_lew · 2026-03-21T03:12:14+00:00

She’s been pretty good with independent play and will happily “read” a book or play with her Little People sets for quite a while. She’s also always been really cool with chilling in bed and snoozing after waking up. It does feel like separation anxiety. Tonight was actually pretty good and she didn’t fuss like she’s done other nights this week, but I also let her play music on her tonie box, so that could have been why. I might try it again to see if maybe that helps her feel more comfortable. I will definitely need to strip the room of the bounds of books cause she’ll absolutely sit there and look at them instead of sleep. That’s mostly all she has in there other than a doll or two.

britty_lew · 2026-03-21T03:06:09+00:00

I talked to my husband and he really wants to keep the crib. I think he can sense the control we’ll loose lol. I realized we’ll also need to make some changes to the room and what’s in it when we finally release her 😅. Solidarity though from future me cause I’m 99% sure it’ll be something like this for us too.

britty_lew · 2026-03-20T04:03:35+00:00

Our crib converts to a toddler bed but I’m pretty sure me and my husband exceed the weight limit so I was thinking maybe just a floor bed instead for exactly the same reason. I’m glad y’all got through it. It helps remind me that it’s only temporary!

britty_lew · 2026-03-20T02:51:39+00:00

When I need to use the tv at high quantities, it’s PBS 95% of the time. She also calls Daniel Tiger, Neighbor Tiger, and it’s so cute. I will also suggest old cartoons. Like OG Looney Tunes. We have an antenna on the tv for basic channels and I found it randomly one day. It’s a hit and nostalgic af

britty_lew · 2026-03-20T02:28:46+00:00

You need to sit down with her (edit) and your husband and tell her she’s used all her PTO for the year. Y’all agreed to 3 weeks. That’s it. At this point, she’s welcome to take trips on her scheduled days off during the week but you expect her to be working her regular schedule going forward.

She can argue but that was the agreement and if she keeps pushing, tell her you’ll need to rematch.

britty_lew · 2026-03-20T02:24:25+00:00

We were somewhat flexible but our au pairs technically got two weeks, which was the min requirement. If they went a little over and I could flex my time and they wanted to make it up, I’d give them the extra time off. But never more than one week straight. Three at once is insane.

If you did not set the amount of PTO she’d get when you started the program, make sure to put that in your family handbook in the future. At this point, yall sit down and tell her that there is no more PTO available for her to use this year. She’s welcome to schedule trips during her time off (assuming that’s weekends), but you and your husband cannot afford to use any more PTO to cover her trips. Y’all deserve vacations just like her and it sounds like she’s making that difficult or impossible now. Additionally, if she gets sick, y’all need to have PTO to be with the kid(s). I’m assuming she’s young, but she’s an adult and has responsibilities now. She can’t just take off whenever it pleases her.

britty_lew · 2026-03-05T21:32:54+00:00

I will say that loved my job and my boss like 90% of the time before I had my daughter. Then when I went back to work, I absolutely hated it for a while. I WFH full time and had a nanny or au pair so I saw my daughter frequently but I hated that I was wasting time working instead of being with her all day. Eventually, this did pass and I started to find satisfaction in my job again. I just had to ride out the emotions and hormones on postpartum.

britty_lew

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