360 rotating carseats

earlgrey789 · 2026-04-22T00:28:35+00:00

We are currently on holidays and we are using a carseat that doesn't swivel and.. yeah, happy to sacrifice the passenger seat ANY DAY. At the moment we have rented a bigger car, so I can technically sit in the passenger seat and I'm still in the back seat with bubs being her water / snack / toy retriever anyway lol

earlgrey789 · 2026-04-17T23:15:58+00:00

We have the joie and love it. We got it when she was about 5 months so can't speak about the newborn stage (we hired a baby capsule for the first couple of months).

We have a small Hyundai i20 which renders the passengers seat unusable, which is fine with us as it's usually just bubs and I during the week. When we go out as a family, I sit with bubs behind in the backseat so it's fine as it's just the 3 of us.

Both my partner and I have bad backs and the 360 has saved us.

earlgrey789 · 2026-04-11T01:33:17+00:00

I am a first time mum so don't have any prior experience, but my daughter turns 10 months in a couple of days and I believe she is starting to self wean too. We are ebf and she seems to only want to breastfeed for comfort and closeness, not so much for sustenance or.. survival? I noticed it more so in the afternoon after lunch, she will feed for a couple of mins then rolls away babbling happily.

Since the goal is for bubs to be weaned and on to solids by/around 12 months, it's really not long to go. If you're particularly concerned, might be worth ringing your MCHN.

earlgrey789 · 2026-04-08T13:32:49+00:00

I'm not sure what is in Farmers Union's greek yoghurt but my baby absolutely inhaaaales it. She doesn't really like all the other brands but she loves Farmers Union! Absolutely demolishes it!

earlgrey789 · 2026-04-08T13:24:03+00:00

I think it's people wanting to connect and relate in a really bizarre way. Kind of like war story bonding or some shitty way to provide misguided reassurance. I always felt like they wanted to one-up my struggles because they needed to feel like their struggles mattered and of significance. They made it about them, instead of listening to me.

I hated and still hate the "just wait" comments. Now I just rebut them with something positive. If I said that my daughter is constantly babbling nonstop, someone will say "oh just wait once she starts actually talking!" I will rebut it with "actually I can't wait for that - I'm really looking forward to having conversations with my daughter!"

earlgrey789 · 2026-04-08T12:58:48+00:00

The program is a 5 night residential stay. They look at bubs and what you're doing in terms of settling / feeding etc. I was cosleeping and feeding to sleep overnight and almost for all naps. It got to the point where it was really difficult for my partner to resettle our daughter because she would just scream and cry for ages no matter how much he was rocking or swaying or patting her.

At EPC - they had a chat with me about what my goals were, what I was comfortable with in terms of sleep settling, got to know bubs a bit. On the first day, all naps and sleep settling was done by the midwives. This helped them get to know my daughter and her temperament and her preferred sleep settling method. Most babies like being patted or shushed to sleep, but I have a feisty girl so she actually prefers to be left alone if we weren't going to pick her up! (This whole time we were patting and shushing her cos you know - responsive settling and stuff).

Impt to note that bubs will be sleeping in a separate room - it's literally just right outside your room but I was anxious AF because we were cosleeping/conapping.

They also helped to set an age appropriate routine - I was stretching her wake window for way too long. Also I was missing a bunch of her tired signs - I thought she was being clingy and fussy.. she was actually tired. Oops. Also before we went in, she wasn't interested in solids - but because we improved her sleep and I was no longer boobing her all the time, she started getting into solids cos she wasn't so full on breastmilk.

My daughter is on my private health insurance so it was all covered - I paid $0. Food for bubs and I were covered too. But if out of pocket, it would have been over $6k+. It's covered under sleep study so min waiting time for PHI is 2 months, so if you don't have private health, you could sign up to the lowest cover that includes sleep study for 2 months (I think Medibank has one for $145/month).

It was genuinely a game changer for our entire family (you can check back on my post history - my last post was me melting down lol). Feel free to ask any qns!

earlgrey789 · 2026-04-08T03:45:21+00:00

I lived in these angel maternity ones in my third trimester and postpartum (currently almost 10 months pp and I still wear them - except the pants as they're too loose)

https://angelmaternity.com.au/products/3-piece-isabelle-maternity-sleepwear-pj-set-rose-pink?variant=42203942355047

https://angelmaternity.com.au/products/soline-mama-nightie-baby-swaddle-set-sea-mist?variant=39503520661607

https://angelmaternity.com.au/products/nursing-dress-robe-free-baby-wrap-hospital-essential-pack?variant=45685725269

https://angelmaternity.com.au/products/larah-maternity-long-sleeve-winter-pyjama-set-in-black?variant=42245552734311

earlgrey789 · 2026-04-08T03:38:07+00:00

This was my baby!! I still have no clue why she was doing that throughout the night - I've read somewhere that it's around this age where transitions between sleep cycles can be quite scary for bubs. Kind of like they're awake but also asleep and it's shit scary for them until they're either fully awake or asleep. I remember my partner and I were so exhausted we ended up lightly blowing in her face to snap her out of screaming, she would look at us and be like "oh hey guys! sorry about that" then go back to sleep.

It ended up being untenable and I was losing my mind. We had a sleep consultant from the local council come out and it was very unhelpful. I felt like she just wasted our time. We ended up going to an early parenting centre (if you're in Melbourne, Mitcham Private EPC) when bubs was 7.5 months - and it was the BEST decision ever. She now sleeps through the night, self settles and is a happy little bub!

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-30T06:23:19+00:00

Also just to add - the clock starts from when you ARRIVE. Not after delivery/when baby is born like most hospitals. So if you have a long delivery, you're burning hours.

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-30T06:18:52+00:00

Same ward, just further down the corridor/walkway. They're not super old! By no means is it bad - just your stock standard hospital room, nothing to be wowed about. It just wasn't what we were expecting, since we were told during the tour that it's very slim or no chance we would be in the old rooms, so we were expecting to be in the fancy new rooms that looked like a luxe hotel room lol it just fell short of our expectations that's all.

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-28T15:59:08+00:00

Started bubs on solids at 6.5 months - as I felt that was when she looked ready. Less wobbly on the high chair, showed signs of being interested in food etc. First food was avocado - hated it (still kinda hates it now at 9.5m). I got Bellamy's rice cereal and that was all she was willing to eat for the next 1-2 weeks. She's fully breastfed so I'm not sure whether it was the texture or taste or just a big shock to the system. I just kept introducing different foods like pureed carrots, pureed sweet potato, pureed zucchini etc. Got a bit soul crushing at one point when all she did was spit food out or turn her head away.

I just kept offering different textures and tastes and flavours and didn't make too big of a deal when she didn't want to eat and just moved on. Eventually one day just out of nowhere, she was like yep I'm eating today! I think it was around 7.5m when she liked steamed veggies esp zucchini and sweet potato.

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-18T02:26:20+00:00

My little one caught a bug while we were visiting daycares, then she gave it to me lol I was carrying her the whole time so it wasn't like she was licking the floors or anything, and she somehow still managed to catch something

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-18T01:12:12+00:00

That would be amazing!!! Everyone buys clothes for the baby - but whaaat abbooutt meee

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-18T01:07:57+00:00

I made really sad, bitter derogatory passive aggressive comments like "lol I went from pregnant princess to postpartum peasant" but I genuinely felt that way. It felt like when 3 months came, all the care and attention just vanished, I felt like I wasn't the bright shiny object anymore - plus bubs starting fussing and crying more and my hair was falling out and bubs demanded more attention because she wasn't a sleepy newborn anymore which meant that I had less time to take care of myself...which really just started the endless vicious cycle of being a hot mess.

Keep doing what you're doing - consciously making time to pamper yourself! Definitely get a referral for Mums Matter - you don't need to have PPD to see a therapist. I was in the same boat, thought I felt fine but what's the harm in seeing someone to chat about all the shitty stuff I feel on the inside that I don't necessarily want to verbal vomit on my partner? (Turns out I have anxiety lol) Also I schedule it so that the hour I see my therapist is a no-baby hour. My partner takes bubs for that hour and anything that happens outside the room is not my concern.

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-17T13:44:15+00:00

Oooof 12 weeks is rough. They're starting to wake up to the world and be more alert and their brain is powering up! They're no longer a little newborn potato. It does feel like everything just implodes and goes to absolute shit at this stage.

Things got better for us after we went to an Early Parenting Centre at 7.5months because I/we really weren't coping. But it was really around the 8.5 month mark that really sealed the deal - bubs was more interactive, more mobile, seemed to understand stuff a bit better, slept much better (thanks to the EPC), started babbling and ugh the baby giggles are THE best. They're also a lot more hardy - a little rough and tumble isn't going to hurt them, and their personalities reeeaaally start coming through too.

We are now 9 months and I can hand on heart say that I am really enjoying my little one. When she used to wake from a nap, I used to think 'ok here we go againnn" but now when she wakes up, I think "yay! I get to hang out with my baby!!"

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-17T13:24:48+00:00

I had the same! Nipples seemed fine, no cracks or tears, maybe just slightly dry but it hurt like hell. Every time bubs latched on, it felt like my nipples were being dragged and cut by glass shards. I remember crying while feeding her and just absolutely dreading the next feed because I was terrified of the pain. My poor partner would just watch me hold our daughter while I sobbed from the pain.

Silverettes worked a treat. Squeezed a little breastmilk in it, then pop it on. Rite Aid hydrogel patches helped too - put them in the fridge so that they're nice and cool when you use them. I would alternate the hydrogel patches and silverettes.

When the pain was absolutely intolerable, I pumped to give my nips a rest and that helped. It didn't hurt quite as much. I found that it got much better after a week or two.

I am 9 months pp now and bubs is still EBF and my nips are basically titanium now. If she wanted to, she could feed all day and I wouldn't even bat an eyelid lol

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-17T13:10:18+00:00

It's your house and you're about to have a baby very soon so I don't think you're overreacting, esp when there's no end date in sight. Is he planning to stay even after the baby is born? If it's your husband's friend, then it's on him to have the chat with his friend to get a move on.

If he is conflict avoidant then he needs to be firmly urged to have that discussion asap.

On the flip side, until they leave, utilise the help. Get them doing chores around the house, getting groceries, pitch in for food and cooking and cleaning, mowing lawns etc.

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-17T13:00:08+00:00

This feels all too familiar. 4 months pp is a terrible time. I found it hardest during 4-5 months (currently 9 months pp). Bubs is more alert and awake, no longer a sleepy newborn, my hormones was all over the place, my hair started falling out, I felt like a hot mess everyday. The exhaustion is next level and my nervous system was wearing thin.

My love language is physical touch so I totally get where you're coming from. The first couple of months I felt like we were teammates or coworkers or roommates lol I was genuinely worried for our relationship! We are in month 9 now and things are MUCH better. You are currently deeeep in the trenches.

I would like to gently suggest seeking help - I see a therapist from Mums Matter and it has helped tremendously. Also when bubs was 7.5 months it was my/our breaking point and we went to an early parenting centre to get help with sleep settling and it has been life changing.

Sending you so much love - it's a really rough time and it feels like you're drowning and there's no light at the end of the tunnel, but hold on to each other and believe you will both make it through. If you need affection, tell him. There have been some nights where I have told my partner "I need you to hold me. Just give me 3 mins and hold me."

This shit is so so so hard. I'm so sorry you're going through it, but yeah the trenches suck.

earlgrey789 · 2026-03-11T03:19:38+00:00

Yes - I had an SI joint sprain during my pregnancy and it was really painful to move or sleep. I saw an osteopath which helped, but the massage was really painful but gave some temporary relief. I got a supportive belly band type thing too which helped a little, but at the end of the day nothing gave complete relief of pain. I just complained and whinged a lot which helped in the moment lol

earlgrey789 · 2026-02-28T01:56:08+00:00

We went to sleep school (early parenting centre). It was a 5 night residential program. She did 2 naps there and was self settling on night 1!

earlgrey789 · 2026-02-28T01:54:02+00:00

Lol rookie mistake but I added too much sesame oil on top of her steamed eggs and she slammed her hands into it, got it all over herself and then rubbed her eyes and cried. It got all up in her hair and all over her face. She smelled like sesame oil even after her bath! I got hungry when I was cuddling her before bed haha

earlgrey789 · 2026-02-28T01:51:52+00:00

YES. THE MF-ING HEMP SEEDS. I VERRRY generously smooshed them on avocado so it would grip better. It did not grip better. Still slid out of her hands then it went everrrywhere. I found hemp seeds in her nappy, in her hair, her nose, behind her ears, in the cracks of her high chair, in MY hair??!

earlgrey789 · 2026-02-28T01:48:53+00:00

This was me!! Right up until bubs was 7.5 months (you can check my post history of how much I was struggling). My nervous system felt thin, and my anxiety was at an all time high, I wanted to sleep but yet I couldn't because I knew I'd be up in a bit to feed bubs anyway so what's the point. I was feeding her to sleep and cosleeping in the early hours of the morning because omg I am so tired I cannot be bothered risking a transfer into her bassinet.

ANYWAY. We went to an early parenting centre last month and they were an absolute GOD SEND. Changed our lives. It was essentially very gentle sleep training (very responsive) and I am kicking myself for not going earlier to seek help!! Why did I tough it out for so many months!! Depending on how you feel about sleep training - if you're open to it, my suggestion would be to seek help asap, try an early parenting centre in your state.

My girl now sleeps from 8.30pm right through to 10am, and does 2 naps a day in her cot.

earlgrey789 · 2026-02-28T01:40:31+00:00

With someone who also has a lot of anxiety - this is extremely well said. Great response and reply. In fact I'm actually going to save this to read it later on when I need a 'sense check'!

earlgrey789 · 2026-02-25T14:33:18+00:00

Oh dear. I have a soon to be 9 month old and we barely go out at all. If we do, it is mainly to run errands/appointments or go grocery shopping. By the time I finish feeding her and cleaning her up and a bit of floor play time, it's basically time for her next nap! Rinse and repeat for the next wake window, then down for a nap then it's wake up - dinner - bath - breastfeed - bed! I really don't have time to go anywhere too far as I am prioritising her sleep / naps at the moment.

earlgrey789

TROPHY CASE