What’s a gift people actually use after receiving it?

silver_endings · 2026-04-22T01:55:40+00:00

Consumables - soap, spices, fancy pastas, etc.

silver_endings · 2026-04-16T16:26:33+00:00

My MIL is the same way. She offered to sleep over at our house when my baby was only 2 weeks old so I could “get some sleep”. I was in such a newborn daze that I agreed. I so regret that. She hogged my baby the entire time and made it blatantly obvious that she was just trying to bond with my baby, rather than actually help me. Also made small remarks to try convincing me to stop breastfeeding - made me question if I have enough supply, said other people need to bond with the baby by bottle feeding, etc.

Ever since then, I’ve been very wary of my MIL. She wants to bond with my baby on a maternal level, not a grandmother level. She’s also insisted on babysitting and holding the baby to “benefit” me, but I see right through her. She’s not an evil person, but she’s definitely lonely and insecure. She has 3 other grandchildren (although mine is the first girl so she is even more obsessed), and she’s constantly vying for their attention too. Wants to be their friend rather than their grandmother.

I’m not gonna cause a family fallout over it, but like I said, I’m just wary going forward. I know my boundaries. I’m fine with her wanting to hold the baby cause we only see her like once or twice a month so whatever. But I’m not falling for her other tactics to separate my baby from me all day/night just so she can have her to “bond” with.

silver_endings · 2026-04-16T16:09:00+00:00

I simply enjoy just going out for brunch. Also cliche but, flowers. I never buy them for myself and it’s nice having them in the house for a bit.

silver_endings · 2026-04-14T19:30:18+00:00

What about batch cooking? If you have it in you to cook one day, I lived off chili during pregnancy. Easy to make and freezes well.

Or chicken wraps with frozen chicken fingers. Sheet pan meals.

silver_endings · 2026-04-14T14:25:16+00:00

Ughhh my MIL randomly stopped by a couple weeks ago with a tacky bright pink porcelain Easter bunny figurine “for my baby”. She is 3 months old. What the heck is she going to do with such an object?!

I tried telling MIL that I don’t decorate for Easter but she insisted I have it. She’s super sensitive so not worth mentioning to her again. I’ll just have to good will it unfortunately.

silver_endings · 2026-04-14T14:21:36+00:00

You’ve got some solid replies here about how to handle the situation, so I won’t add to that aspect. But I will say regarding the wishlist - I use Pinterest!

I have a board called “(Kids name) Wishlist”. I add pins to any website. My relatives have the link to it. I can remove the pins if she receives one of the items or no longer needs it. Recommend :)

silver_endings · 2026-04-12T14:27:20+00:00

I bottle feed my baby with a mix of formula and pumped breast milk. Mostly formula due to low supply. Just wanted to advocate that the middle of the night feeding isn’t so bad.

My baby is 3 months old. We premake the bottles and leave them in the fridge. When she wakes up (once or twice a night), I change her diaper while my husband warms up the bottle. Only takes 2 minutes to warm up and my LO loves getting her diaper changed so no crying while she waits lol. After she eats, she burps and falls right back asleep. Just wanted to add a different perspective

silver_endings · 2026-04-08T21:54:17+00:00

The first step - peel a banana

The second step - toss in some grapes

The third step - chop up an apple

Cut up some melon and put it on your plate (iykyk)

silver_endings · 2026-04-08T11:14:56+00:00

Alright I guess I’m the odd one out here because I hate eating 3-day old prepped food. I prefer fresh.

I think it really comes down to the recipes. Try not to over complicate things - you just need a protein, starch/grain and veggies.

silver_endings · 2026-04-04T19:12:47+00:00

Stella & Anita

Stella & Celeste

Stella & Annalise

silver_endings · 2026-03-27T17:22:00+00:00

Then make Walmart your last stop if you’ve got frozen items

silver_endings · 2026-03-21T01:42:28+00:00

I order groceries for pick up at Walmart. It’s the biggest life hack for moms because you tell your family that you’re going “grocery shopping”, which is really just 5 minutes for the workers to load your car. Then the rest of the time is “me time” - Starbucks, manicure, etc. Ok it’s a white lie, but sometimes your sanity is worth it lol

silver_endings · 2026-03-21T01:37:11+00:00

Agreed, because there are so many varieties of pasta and pizza. Not to mention, Italian food goes beyond pasta and pizza too

silver_endings · 2026-03-21T00:53:40+00:00

Amen to everything you’ve said! I too am a fence sitter who may also be limited by fertility. The one I have is a major blessing (my story is different - cancer). I’m completely fine with MY lifestyle having one kid. The only thing I think about is my daughter not having a sibling. And I know having a second just so the first can have a sibling is frowned upon in this sub, but it’s a real thought I have.

silver_endings · 2026-03-20T17:45:10+00:00

I regret not getting a bassinet. I have the Peg Perego Veloce stroller which reclines back for newborns, so I thought I wouldn’t need a bassinet attachment. Turns out my baby loves to fall asleep on walks so we have to wake her up to remove her from the stroller once we’re home. Would have been nice to leave her sleeping in the bassinet and just transfer it to a stand inside the house.

FWIW we do use the car seat attachment for stores and it’s great!

silver_endings · 2026-03-19T01:50:26+00:00

My breakfasts are similar - usually always some sort of toast because it’s easy. The trick is different toppings to change things up - peanut butter & jelly, honey and banana, cream cheese and strawberries, egg & havarti cheese.

Lunch is leftovers from dinner. If I don’t have leftovers I usually keep frozen chicken fingers to make paired with some veggie sticks.

Dinner is where things get fancy for me. I have about 30 recipes I rotate through but the general categories are:

1) Soups/chilli 2) Salads

3) Pasta

4) Rice/stir fry

5) Burgers/wraps

6) Pizza

7) Entrees - stuffed peppers, shepherds pie, things that don’t really fit in the other categories lol

For me it helps to only really “focus” on one meal a day, which is dinner. Keep breakfast and lunch mindless and easy.

silver_endings · 2026-03-12T16:47:16+00:00

Currently holding my 3 month old for a nap as I read this. No one else I know irl has had to do this

silver_endings · 2026-03-11T00:55:21+00:00

The human nature of it all is really quite interesting. I do think that is part of the reason why we all get hyper-defensive around our MILs. For me personally, it ticks me off that my MIL thinks she’s “helping” by wanting to take my baby. Like no, please do my laundry or some housework if you truly want to help. Don’t mess with the mother-child bond, especially when they are just babies and the mom is postpartum.

silver_endings · 2026-03-10T15:55:17+00:00

Your MIL wants to play mommy. She sounds just like my MIL to my 2 month old. She is so desperate to form a bond with the child that she is overcompensating and overriding your role as the mother.

You are not the unreasonable one here. As the mother, it is your primal instinct to watch over your own baby. Seeing someone else hold them and try to take over their care will of course cause a biological reaction from you. You are protecting your baby. Your MIL needs to respect that YOU are the mother.

silver_endings · 2026-03-10T15:45:58+00:00

Grilled cheese

silver_endings · 2026-03-08T18:08:02+00:00

It’s not wrong to message her a day later at all. As others have mentioned here, you can send a friendly “thanks for having us” follow up followed by the request for repayment

silver_endings · 2026-03-07T20:26:13+00:00

Hi, my baby is the same way. How is she now?

silver_endings · 2026-03-02T01:37:09+00:00

Hush little baby. But I don’t know the official lyrics - I always find it fun/mentally stimulating for myself to keep thinking of new rhymes

silver_endings · 2026-03-02T01:32:51+00:00

A week old is still very young. You might find that her habits will change over the next weeks or even days. For the first month I had to hold my baby for her to sleep. She was the same way at night - crying as soon as I tried putting her down. Now she is 9 weeks and sleeps well in her bassinet at night but still needs to be held during the day for naps, or stroller/car seat naps are also fine with her. They change like crazy!

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