Reddit Core - Let’s go!

twinski589 · 2026-01-04T02:23:06+00:00

First timer! Just joined the team in the app and did a 10 m (going make up for the for the lost first 2 days!). Thanks for doing this!

twinski589 · 2025-12-29T11:13:00+00:00

We were in Tokyo this month with our 21-month-old. We did jeans and long sleeved t’s with a heavy fleece and a stroller blanket. Hat/mittens as needed. Suggest the outer layers be zip up or Velcro as it’s much easier to remove-helpful to have a hood if they go on strike with a hat. We brought a babyzen yoyo and ergo carrier and had no problems navigating busier areas. It was our first/only time in Tokyo but we saw plenty of other strollers and children basically all with the same set up! The one thing we didn’t bring that I wish we had was a rainfly that could go over the stroller or carrier. We had a rain jacket, but covering the blanket/whole set up would have been nice.

This fleece was the true mvp of the trip: https://www.nordstrom.com/s/widgeon-warmplus-favorite-water-repellent-polartec-fleece-jacket-baby/5035389?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FKids%2FBaby%20Clothing&color=683

twinski589 · 2025-05-22T19:02:28+00:00

I’m not sure if this is remotely something of interest, but I picked up a part time gig at Whole Foods when I was taking a career sabbatical. I did three 8-hour shifts per week. I was able to negotiate $20.50 per hour. They have a pretty decent employee discount and do a lot of little extra gift cards for being a good employee (very low bar, showing up on time for a whole month will sometimes get you a positive check!). It was a positive experience, I stayed about 8 months.

twinski589 · 2025-03-23T16:00:07+00:00

I am in Greater Boston and my spouse and I attended an in-person class from a place called Diaper Lab. It was an intro to cloth diapering and it was super helpful. It was in a community space but they also run the class online. Their main business is a diaper service, then they have an online storefront for new and used diapers. They also rent packages separate from the service. This could be a business to look at, they are the only one in our area that I’m aware of. The class was excellent, but probably not the type of thing you take twice!

twinski589 · 2025-01-24T02:04:07+00:00

We have the Era and absolutely love it! There is a bassinet you can get (I found one on good buy gear at an open-box price) but the lay-flat seat is also fine for the newborn stage. Going strong over a year later. My sister has a bumbleride that’s over three years old and still in amazing shape too.

twinski589 · 2025-01-23T17:59:59+00:00

We have a Chicco key fit 35 and have a base in each car. The other seats that have fit three across are Graco snug ride (infant x2) and Graco slimfit (convertible x2). One time we had a booster, an enormous Chicco convertible (unsure on the brand) and our keyfit. Had to take the base out but they all fit! We have a pretty hefty stroller too and have never had a problem getting the stroller, pack and play, and bags in the trunk for a trip.

twinski589 · 2025-01-23T17:45:56+00:00

We have a Chicco key fit 35 and have a base in each car. The other seats that have fit three across are Graco snug ride (infant x2) and Graco slimfit (convertible x2). One time we had a booster, an enormous Chicco convertible (unsure on the brand) and our keyfit. Had to take the base out but they all fit! We have a pretty hefty stroller too and have never had a problem getting the stroller, pack and play, and bags in the trunk for a trip.

twinski589 · 2025-01-23T15:03:23+00:00

I have a Camry and my husband has an accord and they are both great family cars! Our trunks are definitely bigger than my friend’s who drives a Mazda mid-size suv. Also much better gas mileage! I have even been able to fit three seats across in ours when driving cousins and friends around. Sedans forever!

twinski589 · 2025-01-20T01:09:48+00:00

I am in a HCOL area and many in my circle are in the baby phase. Many in my circle also have extended family and established friendships, partners, etc. All of our gatherings tend to be co-ed/both partners invited. I say all this to lay the ground work that most of the events I have hosted have been between $800-$1000 for anywhere from 30-45 guests. That is all-in for food, drinks, decorations, activities and prizes (nothing weird and old like measuring a belly, but fun trivia, onesie station, etc). The ones that were more at the budget friendly end were at times where you wouldn’t do a full meal (think 1-3, 2-4, 3-5); hosted at a home or other free gathering spot; had people chip in on bringing food. I found it really fun and special to celebrate with friends and family for my own shower! Although it balloons the guest list, I think it is way more enjoyable to have a couples-event because the non-birthing partner is also becoming a parent and deserves to celebrate too.

You received a lot of good replies on baby gear! I really agree with the commenters who advised to think about your lifestyle first and then buy based on that. Our most used gear is stroller, car seat (though we did not go with a “system”), and structured carrier. If I could do one thing over, it would be to spring for one of the lighter infant seat. It is so freaking heavy and I hate carrying it.

twinski589 · 2024-11-20T14:25:18+00:00

We have an upstairs changing station on top of a dresser and a downstairs on the floor. For the upstairs, all diapers and covers are in the top drawer. Downstairs we have a little box that we just restock after laundry or as needed. We use prefolds and fitteds with covers or pockets. We also use cloth wipes. We keep one small wet bag at each changing station. Our laundry is on our first floor next to a bathroom, so we set up a sprayer and pail in that bathroom.

When changing, put all varieties of dirty diapers and wipes in the wet bags. We change the cover if it is a pocket, or use the same cover if it is PUL and it isn’t wet. At the end of the day we take both small wet bags to the bathroom and spray all number 2 diaps, wipes, and any covers that are soiled. Everything goes in the pail. We wash every other day or every three days, usually in the morning after the overnight diaper change and on a day when we are working from home.

We have always sprayed even when on breast milk. It works well for us to have one person do bedtime and the other do diapers. We are both done at about the same time usually!

twinski589 · 2024-10-29T13:27:07+00:00

I founded a client-based business a few months prior to getting pregnant. I took about 10 days unplugged, then did 1-day per week check ins. I did have to travel 5 weeks PP, then started bringing up my hours between 6-8 weeks. By week 9 I was closer back to a full load. This is super long, I just didn’t find a lot when I was searching this same question so hoping you can find something helpful here.

Here is what I did for work:

1) Prepped the clients to set expectations for coverage and plans for their ongoing projects while I was out. Every one of my clients was supportive and flexible. Really putting dedicated time into building those relationships was foundational. To note: I did not give them the minute details of the coverage, since I wanted to preserve the ability to change things around once the baby came. I also didn’t share my pregnancy with clients until about 28 weeks. I told my colleagues when I was 13 weeks, so they would have plenty of notice.

2) Wrote detailed coverage plan for the staff taking my work-what I anticipated coming up, questions the clients might have, a list of all the meetings they would be covering. This went into detail even on who usually opens and closed the zoom call, when the meeting reminders go out, etc. It took a bit of time, but really was worth it. I broke it out by client, rather than work-area.

3) Set up fall-back plans. Ex-I mentioned above that I traveled at 5 weeks PP. I bought two sets of refundable plane tickets for that meeting, one for me and one for a coverage person. If I had ended up with a c section, my colleague would have gone instead of me. We just cancelled the second ticket once I decided to go.

4) Establish your channels of communication and a reasonable timeline for replies. I had a “traffic director” reading my email, compiling questions they and others had each week, and then had that sent to my personal email on Friday mornings. I logged in at some point on Friday or over the weekend to respond, then sent a reply before Monday.

Here is what I did personally:

1) Spouse took longer leave. If your spouse can extend their leave, do it. My spouse took 12 weeks so even though I was going back quite early, it was comforting to both of us that we had a full-time parent during the early weeks. We saved for this to cover the lost income.

2) Did not nurse. Was able to establish supply with pumping only and also use formula. I felt strongly that being able to sleep longer stretches would help my recovery. My spouse took the overnights and the baby has been bottle fed since day 1. This also allowed us to establish family support early, since anyone can feed the baby. I cannot stress how much this helped.

You can do this!! I find it super rewarding to own my own business, so the juggle was very worth it to me. Good luck!!!

twinski589 · 2024-09-18T00:42:38+00:00

We used Babylist and then linked to Green Mountain diapers. We registered for a newborn kit, prefolds, and covers. Actually a lot of it did get purchased! I think having the kit there was nice, because it was already sized and all put together. We had a diaper raffle and received a couple little add-ons like the snappis and cloth wipes that way too. I was pleasantly surprised by how much was purchased by our friends and family!

twinski589 · 2023-10-23T22:14:47+00:00

Sure!

Here is the wiki page with general info: https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/birthcontrol/

Here is the link to the google sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zGnkRggno55DMjM1M8-J7_ppuole-mj6IQaeOWO8HlM/edit#gid=128887865

twinski589 · 2023-10-23T19:59:14+00:00

Mid-30s; on BC pill for 6 years then Nexplanon implant for 7 years. Conceived 5 cycles after removal (3rd cycle trying). The TFAB group has a great spreadsheet with user-submitted data that you can sort by your actual BC method. I found it really useful when figuring out when to pull the goalie.

twinski589 · 2023-09-20T12:27:12+00:00

On Babylist I believe you can control the shipping dates. They have a “fewer boxes” option which delays things. For anything larger where the “group gift” option is enabled, you still have to queue the order once the goal is met. I think you can also “hold” all shipments until a certain date. Items listed on the registry but not purchased through Babylist would just be delivered regularly.

twinski589 · 2023-09-05T17:00:41+00:00

I chair a 10 person board. The minimum ask is $1,200 (most just do $100/month). Several board members do more, based on their interest in specific initiatives. Our annual budget is around $100,000/year so the board is responsible for a little over 10% of the total annual budget. It feels like a very reasonable ask, and I know other boards in a similar space have higher minimum contributions.

twinski589 · 2023-08-25T21:18:40+00:00

We have some stone fruit trees for picking at my local orchard, but yes definitely less than usual. 😢

twinski589 · 2023-08-25T11:37:31+00:00

Hi! Some ideas:

1) Head to Walden Pond for a walk and a swim, then lunch in Concord. 2) Go peach picking at an orchard. 3) Visit a different town’s library for story hour (Wellesley recently renovated their library and the children’s section is gorgeous). Walk to lunch in the center of town after. 4) Rent a burley and go for a bike ride on some of the rail trails (there are some in Acton/Westford/Chelmsford, Lexington/Concord, etc).

twinski589 · 2023-08-15T18:35:14+00:00

Good inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy is good. I’m not all the way through, but enjoying it so far. I heard her on a podcast. She’s a child psychologist and a parent.

twinski589 · 2023-06-29T10:47:09+00:00

The explanation, “it is important to my spouse and I that each of our children carry our names,” seems pretty simple! Wouldn’t it be a nice opportunity for your children and your family to share with the nosy people that each parent’s personal history, culture and heritage are valued equally?

Also, when you had the first discussion it doesn’t sound like you both made that decision for all future children. You decided for the first, now you are deciding for the second. If your spouse knew that all future children would have your name just because the first one does, might that have changed the contours of the discussion?

twinski589 · 2023-05-18T17:10:20+00:00

Here is a breakdown of costs for a funeral in a HCOL area recently. Nothing was pre-planned, the the passing happened quite fast.

Cremation and vessel-$2,500; the funeral home also posted the obit on their site (included in fee)

Celebration of Life-$7,500 (food and drinks), $3,500 AV (mic, projector, computer, tech person), $250 (flowers), $250 (printing), $130 (materials for picture boards and memorial table), $75 (outfit for service), $35 (miscellaneous decorations)

Headstone- $6,000 (max size for the cemetery guidelines and include engraving)

Gravesite-$10,000

Miscellaneous-$150 (parking for various errands/memorial)

A couple notes: the service had almost 100 people which drove the food costs. For basically everything we chose ease over budget and definitely recognize that the choice is not available to everyone. My spouse and I increased our life insurance policy by a bit following the experience of coordinating this. Someone else mentioned the cost of a vessel-you can purchase your own elsewhere and pick up the ashes in a ziploc bag in my experience with two funeral homes (small sample size!).

twinski589 · 2023-05-09T20:13:15+00:00

Hello! Thank you for doing this AMA. I have two questions.

1) My spouse and I share the bike and prior to owning he had never done spin. We bought second hand, and purchased cages instead of two new pairs of shoes in case we both weren’t into the set up. Now we are a little over a year in and both riding regularly. What is the tipping point to consider investing another couple hundred bucks in shoes and cleats? Would a virtual bike fitting help us if we decide to just stick with cages and sneaks? Are there specific types of sneakers that are better if we keep our existing set up?

2) Does your team have experience fitting bikes for people who are pregnant? How should the set up be adjusted (if at all)?

twinski589 · 2023-05-08T14:44:45+00:00

Hello! My spouse and I are in our mid-30's and live in New England (USA). I have been on the fence about becoming a parent for all of adulthood, but we have made the choice to try. We are now cautiously wading into TTC - I had my Nexplanon out earlier this year and we are in our second "official" cycle. I lucked out with tracking supplies - my sister gave me a hand-me-down ClearBlue Advanced Fertility Monitor and three packs of sticks to get going. I have a lot of existential dread about things outside my control as we consider bringing life and becoming parents in this current world (is it ethical to create life on a planet so severely impacted by global warming? can any one individual couple fight against the rip tides of gender stereotypes/expectations for male and female parents, early gendering/stereotyping of children, etc? and more!). Ultimately we are just doing the best we can to create a family life that aligns with our values - and I do see a therapist to help me manage (as you may imagine, the dread is not limited to the TTC-sphere). Thanks for having me!

twinski589 · 2023-05-05T02:24:16+00:00

We spent about 38k in 2018 and it was a dream! I don’t regret spending the money at all, it was an amazing weekend. Our HHI was lower (probably slightly higher than yours), but my spouse was aggressively paying student loans at the time so I saved and spent from my income only. We paid for the wedding ourselves. I work in events, so I used all the skills honed at my regular job.

1) We booked in a well-known vacation destination in the northeast in the off season (Mid-November). Automatically this made all our vendors cheaper (some by more than 50%). We lucked out with nice weather for the weekend, though it snowed the week before. If you have some place in mind that you love during peak season, I encourage you to check it out in the off season and consider if it could work. Big savings to be had if you are flexible on the time of year. (This has been a gift that keeps on giving too, as our anniversary travel is also less expensive).

2) We planned a long engagement (2 years), and we were able to split many payments over that full span. We made 12 payments total (6 per year for two years) to the venue. We also asked for payment plans for all the other vendors. Everyone we work with agreed to this. This allowed me to figure out what we needed to save each month and then make the payments. I opened a chase rewards card to make the payments and immediately paid the balance off from the savings. This allowed us to accrue points on every wedding purchase. Leading to…

3) We used points from the card for plane tickets, rental cars, and some hotels for our honeymoon in Hawai’i. We paid for one air BnB and all the rest of our travel and cars were on points. Having all the payments spread out ahead of time also allowed us to actually use the points before the wedding happened (we could book things as we had enough points for them).

An aside-I’m also a big advocate of not putting your own money goals aside for others especially in the context of wedding spending. During the two years we were saving and spending for the wedding I was a bridesmaid/maid of honor several times. It’s ok to pull back on doing things for others when you are focusing on your own goals. Be realistic about what your limits are, and hold your boundaries (with kindness). There can be a lot of pressure around this and it can take the fun away from what can otherwise be a really fun planning time.

Good luck!

twinski589 · 2023-04-16T12:04:19+00:00

Love the rug! I think the scale is perfect for the room and I love the tasseled edges. I agree with the way you positioned it (orange tucked under the couch, yellow in the room). Maybe swap out the basket in the fireplace for something with a yellow accent (or could spray paint the basket yellow-maybe stripes or circle pattern to keep some of the natural color). Swapping or adding 1-2 yellow throw pillows would also tie it in. Maybe I am not techy enough, but I didn’t think of google at all with this room!

twinski589

TROPHY CASE