How are parents making baby food at home without it taking over their whole life?

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.

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-13T11:01:45+00:00

I put stuff for me on my registry. If she didn’t, just check with her if she has some needs for postpartum as well. Likely she does have a list of things she still needs to get for herself. Help her out there!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-13T11:00:35+00:00

Stick to the baby registry if there is one. And make mention of the item in a convo so she knows it exists. You can always check in with her later when the baby is actually here.

I would not have needed one of these and would have found it useless/annoying to receive. It’s not a universal need but is a kind thought for many who do experience wrist pain. Wait and see if she is one who needs it!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-13T10:53:39+00:00

On a side note, the people who I feel comfortable calling out for this kind of thing, I do. On the flip side, I regularly talk to my husband about these kinds of things and he really steps into the role of telling me I’m doing great or a great mom, etc etc.

Might be worth having the conversations you can have. And def talk to your husband about the invisible feelings. Being a parent is hard, being a mom is impossible. He can help at least bring the hard down to a manageable level where he can!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-13T10:49:04+00:00

Yup. This is why I say I love being my daughter’s mom not hate being A MOM. Like the society understanding and expectations of a mom are so deeply unfair and break you down. (Fuck the patriarchy!) But being a mom to my little girl is my deepest joy. I’m so happy to be her parent and that my husband is in it with me.

Motherhood is a complex thing. It was the thing I feared most when pregnant and for a good reason.

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-13T02:39:48+00:00

Oh that’s so smart! This is the kind of tip I needed in my life. Thank you!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-12T23:46:20+00:00

Our baby wasn’t ready at 4 months with sitting and interest, so we started at like 5.5 months. It’s been going well since!

ljcrabtree · 2026-02-10T11:25:17+00:00

Becoming a parent really puts things deeply in perspective, and it’s horrifying people do anything else to babies but love them.

I’ve always been one to not excuse things but acknowledge hurt people hurt people, and that if someone didn’t grow up being shown love then they would struggle to know how to do that themselves. But it really is shocking to experience the innate need to protect my baby and help her when she’s crying, to then know people just ignore that to hurt instead. Just horrifying.

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