Maternity Monday: Ellen Wrap Dress

Ok ladies – I would love to hear all your tips on ditching the pacifier. DD is about 27 months and we want to get rid of it before our new baby arrives in 6 weeks for a variety of reasons. I’ve been slowly weaning her off it for the past few days but terrified to take it away for naps/night time sleep. For anyone who did this – how awful is it? Is it just 3 days of screaming at bedtime? I can deal with that – we did Ferber method last year. 1-2 weeks?? She understands everything so of course we’ll be talking to her about it, but there are big crocodile tears whenever we say “no paci”.

I have a four year old girl who loves to wear dresses and probably needs to start wearing bike shorts? It feels like we are there? Where do you buy those? Any favorites? TIA!

Talk to me about the SNOO sleeper, especially if you’ve tried it and have also used other bassinets/sleepers to compare. I am generally a no-frills baby gear person (my crib is on the third kid, $200 from a big box store, for example). But sleep deprivation is the WORST, and I’ve had bad sleepers so far, so I’m being tempted by a used SNOO listed on craigslist even though it is still ungodly expensive.

For context, with by last kid, I mostly did a combo of co-sleeping and rock-and-play (now recalled, sadly). It was not terrible, but also perhaps not advised by the current authorities on baby sleep. With the one before, it was straight to the crib, where mostly he just screamed and hardly slept. It was awful. Current child is due this winter, so I have some time to figure it out, but I’m in a rural area and don’t expect expensive baby gear goes on the used marked often around here.

I’m trying to search for a conversation I remember seeing about this but am just having no luck, so here goes – opinions on the best age to start daycare? We have a general preference for daycare over a nanny (we like that there are multiple adults at daycare and being someone’s full-time employer makes us nervous). However, it looks like I’ll be coming back from maternity leave right into a busy work season for both of us, and especially for my husband (which will last about 3-4 months before easing up), so we’re considering going with a nanny for a while to give us some more flexibility right at the start and ease my return to work. But I remember reading threads here about how separation anxiety increases at certain times developmentally, and I’d like to avoid doing a nanny-daycare switch right at that time if we can. So between 5 months, 8-10 months, and 12-14 months, is there a best option for starting group care? FWIW budget is a consideration, but we can stretch on this for some time if needed.

I think is partly cabin fever talking (at least one person has been grievously ill with a stomach bug for the last ten days, and I have been doing a lot of caretaking since I had it the mildest), but I am feeling pretty lonely. It feels like so many of my friends have just dropped off. It’s so hard to make plans as a working parent, as everyone here knows, and it just feels extra hard when people cancel plans on me at the last minute. Tonight is my first time leaving the house solo for something fun, and my movie partner just canceled because she wants to wait until her other friend can go also. Well, this is the only night I can go for the next two weeks. So I’m going to go alone. I tried texting some other people but obviously hardly anyone can do it last minute.

It’s hard to be spontaneous (and frankly I’m not a real spontaneous person anyway, pretty much a plan-maker), and I take it so personally when people cancel. We have a standing bi-weekly women’s horror movie night that has been canceled by everyone but me the last four times it was supposed to happen. It makes me feel like people don’t even want to do it anymore, despite them always saying they do.

I’m sure I’ll get some tough love here which honestly, I’m too sensitive to read right now, but I just feel lonely and miss having friends and casual hangouts that aren’t with my husband. (And unfortunately for him he’s had two different illnesses in the last two weeks so he’s been either working or sleeping so we’re clearly hanging out less than usual!)

Sigh.

My husband and I are planning to TTC this fall and currently have a toddler. Reading a bit about CMV to prep (aka give me anxiety). Besides handwashing, not sharing food/drinks, not kissing your toddler on the lips (this one makes me really sad), anything I’m missing in terms of preventative measures? I’m thinking ahead to potty training in the near future for my toddler and cleaning up accidents – wear gloves?

On a similar note, do your doctors talk to you about CMV when pregnant with your second, third child?

Spamtest123

Ladies, help. I’m home from work (biglaw) on maternity leave with my twin boys, who just turned 3 months old and I feel like I’m drowning. They’re actually sleeping well at night (once they go to sleep, generally after a couple hours of crying), but I can’t seem to get any semblance of a consistent schedule or routine during the day. And honestly, what are you supposed to DO with infants all day? It doesn’t help that it’s been HOT and rainy here, so walks and sitting outside m are out. Going anywhere by myself with them feels daunting… and also like it wouldn’t be that much fun for them. But the endless dance between two fussy babies in my house all day is driving me insane. I knew I probably wouldn’t LOVE the newborn phase, but I didn’t think it would be quite this challenging. And on top of it, I feel guilty for wishing away their babyhood. Please give me some perspctive here!