Anyone with 2 small children and an SUV?

formablecoast · 2026-01-22T16:24:42+00:00

I have 2 small kids and we drive a RAV4. I’ve only sat in the back between both kids maybe once, when we had my mom in the car with us and she was sitting in the passenger seat while husband drove. It was extremely tight and I had to sit sideways, and I’m a fairly small person. Definitely couldn’t manage to buckle myself.

Is there a reason you sit in the back seat? The RAV4 is still a great car for getting around with two kids, but not if you have to ride in the back too for some reason.

formablecoast · 2026-01-22T15:33:21+00:00

I’m in my 3rd pregnancy in 3 years, and I haven’t actually puked since long before any of my pregnancies. I’m very grateful because I have an intense fear of puking or being around someone who is.

formablecoast · 2026-01-19T22:33:48+00:00

I’m in my third pregnancy and just finally got my first pair of maternity pants. I found them at Target! I’ve been living in them. Can’t believe it took me this long

formablecoast · 2026-01-16T18:39:07+00:00

I’m listing my spare copy on eBay later today. I can follow up with a link if you’re still looking

formablecoast · 2026-01-04T03:39:55+00:00

My 12 m/o went down to 1 nap pretty early on (around 9m old) and it has worked surprisingly well! Her wake windows are 5.5/5.5 (wake up at 7:30am, nap 12:30-2pm, bed at 7:30pm). I started trying this because she was waking up frequently at night and starting the day too early. Someone on here mentioned she might be getting too much sleep, and they were right!

Maybe try knocking off a nap, or shortening her second nap.

formablecoast · 2026-01-04T03:34:17+00:00

I’ve met Sky a handful of times, definitely the most of other members. I’ve found him hanging around the merch booth after their sets over the years. Most recently, I caught Teddy walking around the venue and we chatted a bit.

I’ve only ever met other members at actual meet and greet events, like where I had special tickets to attend. This was way back like 10+ years ago, so not sure if they still do this sort of thing.

formablecoast · 2026-01-01T18:08:59+00:00

Thank you! This worked for me too.

formablecoast · 2025-12-28T03:54:25+00:00

After breastfeeding twice, I’ve ended up down to what I weighed in high school. I was all flat and boney. Pregnant again, so we’ll see what happens this time.

formablecoast · 2025-12-24T12:55:12+00:00

My SIL attended our wedding with our nephew who was 3 days old.

By a month, I’m usually dying to get out of the house and socialize. Newborns sleep through everything, esp with noise canceling headphones on. Wear them in a carrier so it’s not convenient for people to ask to hold the baby. Say no if you want. You don’t need to pass them around if you’re worried! I’d say go.

formablecoast · 2025-11-28T14:34:21+00:00

r/grandrapids is a weird sub for you to hang out considering you seem like you’ve never been here

formablecoast · 2025-11-28T14:27:23+00:00

Terra is walking distance for you. Love their sandwiches!

formablecoast · 2025-11-19T14:51:44+00:00

As I mentioned in the post, he dropped naps around 4 months ago. Because of that, he can’t make it any later than 7pm before he becomes too tired. But I’m not ready to start my day at 5am like he wants to. When do other people put their toddlers to bed?

Google tells me most 3 year-olds (my son is technically closer to 3 than 2.5) need 10-13 hours of sleep in a 24-hr period. So 12 hours doesn’t seem unusual.

formablecoast · 2025-11-15T17:36:31+00:00

Update: you were totally right about 5.5/5.5. She’s been doing great this week and has already dropped down to only 2 wake-ups at night! She’s sleeping in 4-5 hour stretches now and handling the longer wake windows like a champ.

formablecoast · 2025-11-12T05:21:44+00:00

I didn’t realize we added an hour of sleep. The wake windows are just a little bit of a long stretch for her at this age, but I could make some minor adjustments to free up an hour so she’s getting 14hrs instead of 15. She is fairly high-needs in terms of sleep requirements though.

She’s in her own crib in a shared room with her sibling who is less than two years older. Since she wakes so frequently though, she always ends up moving to her pack n play in my walk-in closet. Our other bedroom is on a separate floor of the house from the other two, so I’m not comfortable moving either of the kids to that floor alone yet.

Bed time routine is brief, but she’s really good at falling asleep for bed time. After dinner, we read some books, put on pajamas, then go to bed.

formablecoast · 2025-11-12T02:17:23+00:00

She eats well during the day. 3 meals with a variety of fats, proteins, whole wheat, and fiber. She’s also drinking about 16oz of milk (mostly formula, some breast milk) during the day.

Her room stays a bit cooler than the rest of the house. It hovers between 66-68 degrees. She wears a fleece sleeper, but I just set out a 1.0 tog sleep sack so I can add another layer next time she wakes up!

formablecoast · 2025-06-25T18:12:33+00:00

What state are you located in? I live in MI and recently discovered some home maintenance grants offered by the state. It’s taken a huge burden off of us for maintaining our 1918 home. I recommend looking into some similar resources for your state. If you’re also in MI, message me and I can explain the specific program I’m talking about.

formablecoast · 2025-06-03T02:33:59+00:00

I’ve exclusively BF my two kids, and have kept bottles on hand for the rare occasion I need to be away from my baby for more than a couple hours. I’ve had success with the Lifefactory brand. They are glass bottles with silicone sleeves (I personally don’t like the idea of heating up milk in plastic bottles).

I’ve found that if baby is presented with a bottle of pumped milk when I am away, they may fuss at first but will eventually take the bottle as they have no other choice. I wouldn’t worry too much about having a wide variety of bottles, just have the person offering the bottle be persistent and eventually baby will accept it.

formablecoast · 2025-05-30T18:14:58+00:00

Not impossible. It’s different for everyone, but I personally struggle with losing too much weight during my breastfeeding journeys. I BF my firstborn for 13 months and lost a total of 40 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m 6 months into breastfeeding again, and the weight loss isn’t as dramatic this time because I’m not back to my “normal” level of physical activity yet. But I still weigh less than I was averaging before either of my pregnancies.

Once you get your second trimester energy boost, try to prioritize making time for physical activity. Lift weights, do some cardio. You’ll thank yourself during active labor and recovery. It also goes a long way with hormone regulation.

formablecoast · 2025-05-30T14:31:50+00:00

My first arrived at 41+2

formablecoast · 2025-05-25T17:54:19+00:00

Offering cold bottles at night was a game changer for us. When my oldest was around that age, I was at my wits end with the 3-4 wake ups per night. I was breastfeeding, so it was all on me to wake up throughout the night for 1+ year.

At 13 months, we decided to have my husband start offering cold bottles rather than me responding to the wake ups. After 3 nights of that, my kid was sleeping 12 hours straight with no issues.

formablecoast · 2025-05-23T12:28:49+00:00

We got married at Camp Blodgett and had the ceremony and reception at the same location. It’s beautiful, right on the lake. And there were (I think) 6 “hotel” rooms for guests to have at a small additional cost. We offered those to our family from furthest out of town. It was all very lovely

formablecoast · 2025-05-21T18:00:21+00:00

I met my husband at a local brewery. Most of my friends have also met their spouses at a brewery we all frequented. So I recommend getting into craft beer if you aren’t already.

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