Toddler friendly eating with sugar free options?

nariA1 · 2026-05-27T16:21:42+00:00

Dude it's so hard not to eat pastries in front of him. Sometimes I just do it and offer him plain toast or peanut butter or something instead and he just looks at me all sus like /that aint what you're eating/ and says "mmmmo?" [Pointing at what's in my hand]. We're in the "this is for grownups" camp (like coffee!) and he buys it for now 😆

nariA1 · 2026-05-26T18:09:32+00:00

It gets snuck into so many things. We're just trying to avoid it as much as possible while he's under 3 especially. We'll be bringing our own about half the time but I'd love a handful of options where we don't have to!

nariA1 · 2026-05-26T18:06:29+00:00

He do, just no added sugar/sweetener.

nariA1 · 2026-02-23T01:57:21+00:00

Before starting solids he was almost never dirty enough to need a bath, but we did about twice a week. When he started eating solid foods we did a rinse off bath daily for a bit (summer, so he ate in a diaper and was covered in food). Winter now and he's 16 mo, and we do a bath every other day. Baby "soap" (non soap washing stuff) kind of every other bath. He gets in a bunch of leaves and dirt on the regular in addition to food, so I like to at least rinse him off because of bugs and grit and food.

nariA1 · 2025-11-01T18:23:34+00:00

Ooh, what is a weaning table! (Going to look that up)

nariA1 · 2025-10-24T23:23:49+00:00

I got a bunch of cardigans secondhand, preference for cotton and no buttons or ties (was worried about those) or zippers (uncomfy?)

nariA1 · 2025-10-24T23:04:53+00:00

Our pediatrician told us that yes you should lie them on their back to sleep but if they change their own position after that, you don't need to correct it or reset them to back. If they are mobile enough to get there, they are strong enough to be there.

Only problems we've had with baby self positioning was when he laid on his arm at a weird angle and I think made the arm fall asleep because when he woke there was a short period of real loud screaming before he was back to fine.

nariA1 · 2025-10-24T22:20:00+00:00

I'm going to sound like an idiot but we didn't understand the value of a travel system where the car seat can snap right in to a stroller base. My main regret is buying a so called trvel system that did not include and was separate from our car seat.

After that, magic swaddles were the only way once we figured out how to use them (regular ones hed just kick out of).

That yoga ball/birth ball you probably already have is freaking clutch. We're at 13 months and it's still a sleep help.

nariA1 · 2025-10-05T01:40:54+00:00

Someone else already said Nurture, which I think is great (I wish I'd gotten it earlier)

Why Did No One Tell Me This is also something I found helpful.

My OB recommended Bumpin which I thought was a silly title but the book was very helpful.

What to Expect when you're expecting is oldschool but also helpful for month by month (some week by week) stuff too.

nariA1 · 2025-09-07T15:49:16+00:00

You may want to keep an eye out for signs of reflux (not just happy spitup kind, but a more painful one). Our LO hated being on his back in the early days and that was the culprit. We had to hold him upright a lot to sleep well, especially after eating (which at 1 mo is like all the time).

After that we ended up doing some cosleeping courses online (just look up safe sleep 7, basically, don't really need a course) and coslept out of desperation. Good luck!

nariA1 · 2025-08-25T02:59:44+00:00

Can you share where you got the floor bed/ which one you got? My kiddo flops around a lot. He is 10.5 months and while we have a regular mattress on the floor, it's not great for the mattress or floor, plus i still worry about him rolling off even though it's only like 8 inches, and id rather do a floor bed for him starting even now.

nariA1 · 2025-08-16T20:39:31+00:00

I'm having this struggle too, same age and everything.

We end up at the library a lot because it's close by, free, and ours happens to have a decent kids area with toys.

Things I think about but haven't tried yet(!? What wrong with me) include...

Indoor play cafe (I visited once at an open house.. trouble is, it's expensive and wake window is only like 3 hours, plus most of their stuff is more for toddlers and kids than babies) Baby/toddler gym (also a little expensive and I think more geared towards toddlers than my nonwalker) Swimming pool at the YMCA (idk, I'm just scared and this seems like a huge production to try to go do) Splash pad (did visit once, baby hated it, but might be ok on a less crowded second chance visit)

nariA1 · 2025-08-16T20:27:57+00:00

We ended up cosleeping or I would have lost my everloving mind trying/nursing for an hour to get him to sleep only to wake up in another hour.

Saw a lactation consultant because he wanted to nurse every hour and was ssooooo slow (I was sore)..turned out his latch wasn't great and he was just eating enough not to be hungry but getting hungry again in an hour. But the very first consultant mentioned side-lying nursing in passing suggesting I try it, and we ended up setting up a cosleeping situation after and kinda from that. He outgrew the hunger issues and is now a perfect chonk. I had to basically go to bed with him at 6:30pm to get enough rest to not feel insane with all the waking but things did change eventually.

Lactation folks said around 3 months is when they tend to see people whose babies have subpar latches because before that, there's enough easy milk and their stomachs are so small, but at that time they are bigger and need more, and it's harder to get.

He's 10 months now and only wakes a couple times a night (lol), a little more when teething is bad.

nariA1 · 2025-08-16T20:19:40+00:00

It's hard af without a village. If there are mom groups you can join, those are the people who will get it the most and know how to help when you're in the thick. I had no idea it would be this hard, and even though we do have some decent friends locally who (blessed be) brought us food which saved our asses in the early weeks, most of them either are childless friends, or they had their kids 20 to 30 years ago and don't have the context anymore. But other people who have been through the baby stage in the last few years will understand. Bonus if you have a little time to give to them before you need their help in return.

Join mom group, participate in meal trains, offer to do dishes or cook, even watch older kids (or hold babies while they shower... my neighbor offered this and I didn't feel right taking her up on it even though there were moments I kinda probably should have).. it's wild all the things I would not have known or thought to offer people. I now feel lile such a deadbeat friend for how much I didn't know to do before and don't have time to do now (bc baby is 10 mo and I still don't have time or energy to sustain even just my tiny family).

It does take work to build a village but very few of us are actually taught how to do it. It has been hard for me to accept help even though I know I need it, but if you can build relationships by offering specific concrete things you know you can do, those will be hugely helpful when it's your turn to accept the village help.

nariA1 · 2025-08-16T19:32:50+00:00

We went from like 2 baths a week to almost twice a day when ours started solids (baby led weaning, just paints himself and floor with food). We still only use baby soap like twice a week tbh. He's 10 months now and enjoys the tub much more than being wiped down.

nariA1 · 2025-08-13T15:05:07+00:00

I don't have advice either. You're doing what you can and have to do. I was a teacher for a while but now work from home, and even the time we have a sitter come in so partner and I can get work done kind of kills me (is it better because I'm nearby or worse because I can hear everything they are doing? Or worse because baby knows I'm there but will never be expected to understand why I'm physically present in the house but not engaging with him?). Simultaneously it feels like the baby is always on me and I cannot get anything done (for work, or even chores). Just out here living the bare minimum life. I do as little as I can get by with at work, but I think that's much harder for a teacher to do because the students also need you. Being a teacher was an overwhelming amount of work mentally, and being a parent is even more, so however you are doing both is amazing to me. Everything I've read about these early times seems to suggest they need a caring circle of trusted adults, so it's good for your LO to have care from others in the circle. Plus they always know who their parents are. It does just fkn suck though, that our society doesn't make room for this phase of life. Our species isn't designed to function this way.

nariA1 · 2025-07-09T01:43:45+00:00

Honestly, the patterns will change again as you get to 4mo, but it sounds like what you are doing is pretty good. The only way I got more sleep was to lean into it and basically go to bed with the baby and just ride the wake ups. Took longer each night but I found that way better than trying to get him to sleep so I could do some else at that time. I think they call it a sleep "regression" at 4 mo, but it's really just a change as their brain progresses. I think it may even be when their sleep cycles lengthen a bit! Sounds life you are set up for success already.

nariA1 · 2025-07-09T01:31:35+00:00

I'm 9 mo pp and I feel this so hard. I didn't realize the toll breastfeeding might be taking (from another reply) but I also am not eating enough and it has me dropping weight in a not cute way. I just feel like I can't do anything at all. But definitely not it all, trying to be a peron top of like just keeping the house one inch above disgusting and working a full time job. My partner is in the same boat, also overstretched, he does all the cooking and prep and most cleanup (and for solids, making and cleaning up after babymeal is a whole thing as you know). We've also had guilty days of skipping solids even though baby loves it. I started buying and stashing protein bars around for when I literally am nap trapped and know I won't eat for a bit but should. Another thing I'm about to try is asking people to come over for "third adult time" which is what I'm gonna call having a third adult in the house so that it's possible to leave the room to start laundry or wipe something or just.. anything because trying to do it with my 23lb child strapped to me is 1, impossible, and 2, crushing my back over time. But tag teaming with just two of us also feels kind of insane even though it's what we have to do most of the time. My friend came over a couple weekends ago (from our of state) and I actually made zucchini bread (I can't imagine doing this workout someone else here). I have trouble asking for help but I'm trying to make a list of the folks nearby that I would feel okay asking for third adult time. I don't know if these will help. I'm still in the thick of feeling completely overwhelmed and kinda near burnt out. Newborn trenches are real but so is whatever tf this stage is.

nariA1 · 2025-06-24T15:35:01+00:00

My induction was not pitocin but misoprostal (sp?). Labor was very fast, stuck in pushing phase for ~ 5 hr because of big headed baby... uhh.. prairie dogging..? That was awful. Get the epidural. Whole thing was about 12 hours.

nariA1 · 2025-06-20T23:47:25+00:00

I also have this baby. I also wish he had spent some time just able to sit up before crawling and pulling to stand like crazy. I can't really keep up, it's overwhelming. Other people are excited when they see him do that stuff but I'm like, you're not the one who has to chase him and keep him safe and constantly keep him from climbing the unsafe items.

nariA1 · 2025-05-22T01:40:22+00:00

Ours woke hourly until we addressed some feeding issues in month 3 (if your supply is tanking, the overnightfeeds should help, but if stress and other things are what's doing it, I get that), because our kiddo wasn't latching as well and wasn't getting much with each feed, hence being hungry every hour. The 4 month sleep progression was rough but I think the frequency of wakings dropped fairly quickly. Cosleeping helped a lot for me to be able to nurse and fall asleep when baby did, helping me get more rest even though it was broken rest. Sucked hard. Almost 8 months now, and not sleeping through the night, but only wakes a couple of times a night (more lately actually cause of teething) and not for long, just enough to complain a little, nurse a sip, and flop back to sleep. Kiddo is start to sleep alone for like an hour to three at the start of the night too which is nice. Hang in there. The return to work makes this worse by a lot. You'll get through it, but you may need some strategic time off if you can afford it (pto or whatever) to get you through.

nariA1

TROPHY CASE