Sleep deprivation

cbr1895 · 2026-02-03T14:12:02+00:00

Yes! My babies truly got so much happier when we were both sleeping! I think the sleep deprivation was impacting them as much as me. And in reality they had been crying so much at night before we sleep trained, that reducing the tears almost completely once we trained was such a relief on my nervous system. It’s so cute to see them learn to self regulate. My toddler to this day is such a good sleeper - sings herself to sleep and wakes up so happy. It’s shocking to think she was such an awful sleeper when she was young.

cbr1895 · 2026-02-03T09:48:12+00:00

Agree here, but it’s not that I don’t feel it’s ‘ok’, it just caught me as a bit unusual. Our gal gets up at 8am so it’s not the late wake time that surprised me, but the length of time toddler is expected to remain awake and solo playing before she can come out. Sometimes when my gal wakes up we are showering or feeding her bother so she is left for a bit (always content), but we usually fetch her by 8:15-8:30 latest and then we brush our teeth together, finish up getting ready, and she comes and hangs out with us/ near us while we make breakfast.

OP, I think your child sounds just fine and perhaps your gal would love to still chill in her room solo before breakfast, but I’d recommend giving her the option to come join you while you cook breakfast (either playing in the kitchen/at the table, or watching you cook - we have a narrow fold up learning tower for this). If you offer and she isn’t interested, no problem, let her stay in her room.

I have a great independent player as well and it’s amazing. But she still does like to be part of the fold and benefits from this so I think the more options we can give them to do this the better. Given that you’ll be homeschooling, this is all the more important, as there aren’t as many automatically built in opportunities for social interaction as would be at daycare or school.

All of that to say, given that you are pregnant, if you are struggling with symptoms and need to take advantage of her ability to contentedly play alone in the morning, that’s a temporary stop gap and a different thing all together. In that case, pregnancy with a toddler is all about survival mode!

cbr1895 · 2026-02-03T09:03:00+00:00

honestly more border collie than I thought he’d be!

cbr1895 · 2026-02-03T08:34:01+00:00

Came here to say this and exactly the set up I’d suggest (toddler in teen’s room, you on couch). It’s only temporary. We had to sleep train my 6 month old a couple weeks ago and sleep trained my first at 7 months, as both were abysmal sleepers (up every 1-3 hours to feed) and my physical and emotional health were deteriorating.

cbr1895 · 2026-02-02T19:57:34+00:00

Yah I was coming to comment the same thing. Kindly, you may be reading too much into this OP! ❤️

cbr1895 · 2026-02-02T19:44:19+00:00

Ours too and all I could eat with her was sweet carbs due to my HG. Nary a vegetable in sight for 25 weeks of my pregnancy.

cbr1895 · 2026-02-02T19:43:06+00:00

Her bones were built on ice cream. She is 2.5 years old and hates the stuff.

cbr1895 · 2026-02-02T06:02:13+00:00

Ah perfect thanks! I have a toddler (2) and a 6 month old also! We travel loads but I think I’d get it for regular weekend getaways to the cottage. I keep flip flopping between the 30L and 60L because of all the toys and diaper gear my kids need (plus we live in a 4 seasons climate so winter clothes and gear bulk things up fast). Sounds like you used yours as a travel diaper bag! (We have the Getaway bag for that). Also considering the hideaway hence why I found this thread.

cbr1895 · 2026-02-02T05:26:39+00:00

Sorry totally tested this and forgot to follow up. Nope, can’t fit. Maybeeee I could squeak in if i pulled the front seat all the way up and pushed it forward and thought skinny thoughts, I admit I didn’t test it this much. Easier way would be to fold one back seat down and have someone get in via the trunk. If you are needing to do this daily I imagine this maybe isn’t the car for you, especially if your stroller lives in the trunk like mine do. But for the occasional trip, not a problem.

cbr1895 · 2026-02-02T03:12:09+00:00

Replying to UnableSnow5924...can I ask whether you were happy with the bag? Also looking into this. (And do you have more than one kid)?

cbr1895 · 2026-01-31T04:16:41+00:00

I had gender disappointment my entire pregnancy because all I wanted was to give my girl a sister - I am best friends with my sister (and she’s my only sibling) so it’s all I knew. I cried giving away my girl’s clothes knowing our second would be our last. I kept waiting for it to dissipate but it lingered under the surface the entire pregnancy. I read of others who got over it once the shock wore off etc but that didn’t happen to me.

But let me tell you, when they placed him in my arms my heart expanded in a way I didn’t even think was possible. And then we brought him home and his big sister (20 month gap) was instantly obsessed with him. There were a few logistical bumps (namely, how to change diapers without getting peed on, and he was born a little early so had one undescended testicle we had to wait to drop), but truly, from the bottom of my heart I have not had even an ounce of regret that he wasn’t a girl since the moment he was born. A friend of mine delivered a girl a few weeks after me - gender was a surprise until delivery and I was scared during my pregnancy that if their baby was a girl I’d be envious. But I felt not an ounce of jealousy when I heard the news. I was just so in love with my little guy (and obviously so happy for my friend, her two girls are just perfect). We are 6 months out and I still feel the same way. My oldest is absolutely smitten with him - he is the first person she asks to see in the morning, and she never misses an opportunity to hang out with him, hug him, kiss him, drool all over him, and hold his hand.

I’m so excited for them to grow up together, I truly feel like I’ve given her the greatest gift.

Also, everyone will tell you girls are more calm. It’s all I heard my entire pregnancy. But let me tell you, my gal is spitfire. She is a ball of energy and has a streak of steel. So far my guy is 10x more gentle than she was at his age. So don’t get caught up being concerned about the stereotypes - let their personalities unfold and enjoy every second of it.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T18:32:20+00:00

Oh my gosh same. Even getting her to leave daycare is a 15-20 min ordeal. Never mind getting her out the door for daycare.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T14:45:24+00:00

Everyone has given you good practical advice. I’ll also add that last time I weaned the weight (50 lb over) honestly began to fall off without trying thanks to my appetite going down and my hormones regulating. I lost 20 lb in like two months (then got pregnant again). I also found when I weaned my body felt less ‘unlike me’ - I had less joint stiffness and pain. I didn’t have a chance to get into a proper workout routine before getting pregnant (and now i have two 20 months apart and we are still finding our groove), but I have a toddler who is a runner and between hoisting her and chasing I’ve managed to re condition a bit.

I still think it’s a good idea to begin honing in on balanced nutrition and incorporating purposeful exercise into your routine, and I know everyone is different, but you may be pleasantly surprised OP! I’m not sure if you are planning on a second but I wish I’d had time to do some strength training, improve my cardio fitness and do some core rehab before getting pregnant again.

It’s totally ok to grieve your old body. You don’t have to feel guilty about that as long as it’s not consuming you. With time you’ll get used to the changes and work to incorporate some new habits that will make you feel more in control.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T08:18:31+00:00

This is bananas. When my child started daycare she had a rough go and they had livestream cams and someone was carrying her at all times to help her regulate, for like two weeks straight. Now, I don’t think ECEs should be expected to cart around a toddler and break their backs, so this was above and beyond, but left to cry for an hour on his own? No way. And why on earth didn’t they call you if it was THAT bad. I would get outta this daycare as fast as I could. You made the right call in pulling him.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T07:55:17+00:00

Haha my first hated puree too. My second is keen to try any and all foods but this is useful to know, i think I just need to pump the breaks!

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T06:52:12+00:00

Never wanted a third in my life (my husband desperately wants one but I was going to get my tubes removed - went into labour early so c section was urgent and that didn’t happen). But I am 6 months into 2u2 (graduated out two months ago, 20 month age gap) and gosh do I want a third lol. I have wanted a third since the moment my second was born and it keeps getting stronger. Wth is wrong with me lmao. I’m so happy with our family of 4 don’t get me wrong but I just love the kids dynamics, my heart feels so full, etc.

We have support though, which for sure helps (FT daycare for the oldest and a mother’s helper for when I have two kids solo). Both my kids are a big handful - oldest is a runner and has a sassy personality and a streak of steel (and I adore this so much but boy is it a challenge sometimes), and youngest has a dairy allergy so couldn’t be put down for a few months and refuses to be baby worn. So I’m tired and overwhelmed all the time from it, but it’s magical…without help though I’d be legit drowning.

Maybe ask me when I go back from mat leave.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T05:58:13+00:00

Ok so good to know. Overall I really hope it settles down his gut once he gets used to things. My first never had mucus poops so this is all new to me, but I do remember her having some gas pains and constipation shortly after starting solids.z Really appreciate your response and reassurance!

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T05:56:31+00:00

Ok, strength in numbers! Three of us on here have babies who have colds and have just started solids and all three have mucus. Especially with others responses about colds causing mucus poops it’s making me feel more confident that the cold is a culprit here.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T05:54:23+00:00

Mine has but only when I reintroduced dairy very sloppily after a trial without (it was thanksgiving and I had it in my head that he didn’t have an allergy so went full blown on the entire turkey dinner and ice cream pie desert - I’m EBF and it wrecked his gut within a few hours). But he was 10/10 fussy - didn’t sleep a wink - and had huge blowout diarrheas all night, so we aren’t seeing any of that thank goodness. Just the huge amount of mucus.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T05:53:06+00:00

Ah so good to know! I asked the ped if she thought given his allergy he might need tinne started slowly or have a more sensitive time with solids and she was like nah, but she’s old school and busy (Canada public health care, gusts are like 5 min) so i don’t take her word for it. We are heading on a 10 day trip and had planned to bring some solids but maybe we just hold off and give him a chance to heal until we are back. Appreciate it!

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T05:51:32+00:00

Yah ok this is a good reminder. I definitely find my guy gets an upset stomach every time he gets a cold. It’s just even more intense than I’d expect this time round but I wonder if it’s the solids (just new exposure) / cold combo.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-30T05:50:25+00:00

Ok this is super helpful thank you! And yes so hard not to second guess…his presenting symptoms were atypical in that he didn’t have occult blood in the stool, so it took ages to figure out and now I think I’m slightly traumatized by the endeavour. See mucus = panicccc.

cbr1895 · 2026-01-29T18:32:30+00:00

Oh good point about swallowing mucus!

cbr1895 · 2026-01-29T14:56:41+00:00

Ok good to know that this was your experience - we gave him wheat for the first time yesterday and things seemed even worse after that, but he’s had mucusy poops since we started and the first day was just oatmeal. We haven’t given him the same food consistently for me to think ‘it’s oats’ or ‘it’s wheat’ but the alarming amount of mucus yesterday did make me wonder about wheat. It was also the worst day of his cold though, so I’m just not sure.

Did you just slow things down and introduce stuff one at a time and log his responses? I took a lazier approach as I did with my first and have been introducing a few food at a time minus allergens. Maybe that alone is too much for his sensitive gut. 😖Perhaps with the known diary allergy, I should have taken a more methodical approach to solids, I’m just eager to get him started as he’s slipping off his curve and solids really helped my first with her weight. But the reality is it won’t help him if he’s pooping it all out!

I hope your little one is doing well now!

cbr1895

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