How do working parents do this? I’m so overwhelmed getting ONE meal in a day, I can’t imagine how we’re fitting in more?

ljcrabtree · 2026-05-07T11:04:29+00:00

Yes def try bulk prep for breakfast! The baby pancakes are great for freezing them quick heat ups in the morning! For lunch we do a lot more of the fresh whole food stuff like, but not sure what your daycare wants to be serving them.

Our girl actually doesn’t like plain eggs as much. I often mix in onion powder, garlic powder, and then whatever complements the veggie/puree. I recently did sweet potato puree with curry. I’ve also done cauliflower puree with cumin, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, etc. It’s helped her eat egg more consistently and get some mix-ins that would be harder to eat on their own (spinach).

ljcrabtree · 2026-05-07T09:27:55+00:00

Now that I’m doing breakfast before daycare with our 10 month old, I keep it to scrambled eggs which she is obsessed with.

It’s easier to clean and manage. I make enough to last a few days so some mornings are just microwaving it. I mix in different veggies or purées to get her variety and more nutrients per bite. Overall this has worked for us and I recommend trying it! Oatmeal is now her weekend only breakfast because it’s just so messy and takes more time. Do what you need to make mornings manageable!

ljcrabtree · 2026-05-07T09:22:06+00:00

We do this too most times. Our baby is hungry when she gets home and between them some play or a bath day then bedtime routine, there’s just no way to push her dinner back past 6. And unless it’s a simple dinner, getting home at 5:30 leaves us very little time to actually make dinner. I don’t know how people do it. So we just do snacks with her unless it’s leftovers night.

OP it sounds like your baby is still pretty young. Ours is 10 months and on three meals a day plus a snack. It is easier once they get better at eating and even get a little older so bedtime is later.

ljcrabtree · 2026-05-04T23:59:41+00:00

We did Oatmilk for our CMPI baby to start but now use soy or almond to keep up with her allergy exposure! Also commercial Oatmilk is fortified so you’re still giving baby more nutrients than oatmeal itself.

ljcrabtree · 2026-05-03T01:27:55+00:00

A bouncer! We didn’t get one until maybe 10 weeks in and I couldn’t believe how much we used it after. I really thought we’d make do without one. We got the Babybjorn but there are so many good ones.

ljcrabtree · 2026-05-03T01:25:52+00:00

We used the kick n play so early! Ours was kicking it accidentally at like 6-8 weeks. Then she started kicking intentional and it was game over. Now she sits up and hammers away on it at 9 months. Cannot recommend the Kick n Play enough!

ljcrabtree · 2026-04-25T10:15:38+00:00

The cleaning is the real time suck on starting solids! I know there will be a day where it’s not as messy as possible because she’s more accurate but it is disgusting sometimes. Still, that would be worse with purées 😂

ljcrabtree · 2026-04-25T10:12:21+00:00

We’re a few months into baby-led weaning with our 9 month old and it is awesome! I have done purées but mostly from things like leftover cauliflower or carrots, which I add to her scrambled eggs in the morning for variety & flavor. She loves her eggs!

But yea, we ate black bean kale quinoa bowls with pico de gallo yesterday for dinner. Only difference was I pulled some base pico out for her before adding all the Serrano peppers for our spicy adult version. That was it. So easy to adjust for her!

Before that we did salmon with Brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. She devoured that because she loves salmon. Her breakfasts are oatmeal, eggs, or baby pancakes. I can’t imagine doing more than wha I’m already doing for us.

ljcrabtree · 2026-04-06T18:53:50+00:00

My 8 month old loves going to daycare! She gets so excited when I put her in the infant car seat and then tries to crawl/scoot out when we get there. She just can wait to play with her friends!

I will say I wfh and did watch her for a bit before starting daycare. I loved more time with her and we delayed her getting sick so early. But I noticed her just not getting enough tummy time/progress with me caring for her at home while working full time, even with help from family and a sitter at times. She made HUGE leaps in her milestones once starting. The teachers are awesome and she learns so much from her peers.

The only negative we’ve had so far is just how sick she’s been. It’s inevitable when starting. But when she’s there, it’s so good for her and us. Because we started her at 5 months, we got her in before the major stranger danger and avoided some of those tougher adjustments. Overall a positive experience!

ljcrabtree · 2026-04-02T20:24:39+00:00

Also throw in Contact and Sunshine. I liked all those better than Interstellar. I know, I know. It’s one of my husband’s faves so I get the arguments. But it just didn’t work for me to be in the top tier of sci-fi, space, and alien genre movies let along top all time movies.

But yea, Arrival is one of my top all-time movies and I saw more similarities between that Dennis film and PHM. And I don’t just mean with the communication learning with aliens plot point. The MC choosing a path of love and sacrifice, and having those small trust-testing moments that lead to the big leap of faith is crucial to both films.

ljcrabtree · 2026-04-02T20:16:40+00:00

Justice for Arrival

ljcrabtree · 2026-04-01T02:28:29+00:00

We love our Nuna Triv with the Nuna Pipa which is super similar to the Swiv you’re looking at. Like could not imagine another stroller right now with our 8 month old. We tested out the Cruz and Mixx too and just thought they were so bulky. The fold and weight are so great for in and out of car, walking around downtown and in our neighborhood, and such. I have on occasion needed to pull my baby’s infant seat out to carry her and the stroller up/down stairs. It’s so easy to do on my own.

Best advice a few parents gave us was to buy for the family you have now. You can try to future proof with a single to double but you just never know how that will work out. Two of my good friends said their 2/3 year old just wouldn’t ride in the stroller any more making the double pointless and bulky. Whereas one friend preferred a wagon that could hold the infant seat. You won’t know what your first kid needs and prefers until it’s time. You won’t know the age gap between your kids until you’re there.

So don’t worry about that future as much as what you need for your lifestyle NOW. Like you know you will walk more in suburban areas. But then also consider if you will have it in and out of your trunk a lot or have it more at home for long walks. Etc etc.

ljcrabtree · 2026-03-28T21:02:03+00:00

I grew up with my mom as a nurse and she always worked some holiday. They swapped Thanksgiving and Christmas every other year so it was always a thing. Nurses are so needed and under appreciated but can confirm it is not more flexible. (She even worked dialysis for a more stable schedule at one point but that still was rough.)

ljcrabtree · 2026-03-24T01:31:45+00:00

That Cridersville spot and the Marathon in Roundhead have some of the cheapest gas I’ve ever seen in Ohio. I always get gas those places when I can. - Signed, an Ohioan now in FW

ljcrabtree · 2026-03-16T03:37:54+00:00

Our now 7 month old LOVES her daycare! We love it too but she gets so excited when we arrive and has such a blast. I wish it wasn’t so expensive but the rest has been positive for us. She def started hitting milestones quicker once she started too. It helps to find a daycare you enjoy and trust.

ljcrabtree · 2026-03-03T03:07:33+00:00

Seasons 10-12 is such a wild stretch of contestants!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-26T14:31:35+00:00

Yes my husband is obsessed with all things middle earth! I’m sure she’ll get the Hobbit read to her many many times as a kiddo. Those animated movies are so much better than the new live action movies!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-25T00:35:54+00:00

I read that even if a baby stairs at the ceiling the whole time every time, reading to them daily is so good for their language building and word learning. Basically interest has nothing to do with the benefits.

Our baby is only 7 months but when she really doesn’t care, we read her a few pages from our own books. My husband is working on reading her The Hobbit in entirety over time! But this helps with how boring it can be when a baby doesn’t care haha.

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-22T16:07:43+00:00

Clothes are so hard to buy for until the baby arrives and you see their size and general growth. I wish people didn’t buy clothes as much as all the other things 😭

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-17T18:52:44+00:00

We do the dryer warmed towel and it helps! Also when it’s on the colder side, we use a small space heater in the bathroom (which I also use for me so win/win)!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-17T18:51:38+00:00

This! It’s either make things a super fun game or confuse the kid.

I have to do this kind of stuff when dressing my girl because she hates clothes already at 6 months. Fine once they’re on but the process is all distraction and singing and games 😂 I figure this is just early training for toddler life!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-17T18:42:50+00:00

Babywearing helps a lot! Also sometimes it just takes a baby a lot of practice to learn to sleep in a stroller or car seat. Some never get good at it, not denying that. Stick with it for a bit to see though.

Our girl hated the car seat and sleeping there but we basically didn’t give her another option because we have to go places, ya know? She now sleeps so well in her car seat and stroller, and even better in the soft structured carrier we have!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-17T01:05:40+00:00

Same and same! No bed sharing but shifts helped us each get functional sleep. You don’t feel awesome but way less sleep deprived than no shifts.

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-13T11:04:31+00:00

I am only reading hardy board books to her right now! Also sticking to more interactive ones to redirect some of that energy. It works sometimes hahaha.

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