u/Fit_Change3546

And what DIDN’T work?

We have a very cozy 1,100 square foot ranch-style home built on .75 acres that we adore. 3 small bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and living room, a little sunroom entryway, and a basement we can eventually finish at least partially. We never want to leave, if possible.We currently have a 1yo daughter and definitely plan for a second in the next two years; we’re certain we can swing that in our current space with no problem. We’d love to have three, or four as a stretch, if resources allowed in the future. I’d love to hear from people whose families (either growing up or raising your own families) had 3+ kids in a small home— what worked, what didn’t?

EDIT: Thank you all for the stories and advice! I’m overwhelmingly hearing that a second bathroom is a must— totally agree and that’s moving up in our plans haha. 😉

My daughter has been weaned a while. I had like 70 ounces of frozen milk still, just in case, in the deep freezer. It was taking up space and making me sad, so I donated it to a local mom who was feeding her lil babe with donor milk to supplement her low supply. Bittersweet to see the last of it go but also know it’s helping feed another baby.

More of a mini-vent than anything. I love thrifting and getting things secondhand. I like reducing waste, getting a deal for something I would need to buy anyway, finding sturdy old things that are better quality than their new counterparts. Love it even more now I have a baby; I want her world to be less trashed up AND I want to save money on baby/child expenses where I can.

My mother-in-law detests thrifting and finds it gross. She also has a total Amazon addiction that drives me batty.

Took a little trip to a local thrift store yesterday. My daughter (1yo) fell in LOVE with this Our Generation doll. Kissing and hugging the doll, didn’t want to let her go- super sweet. The doll needs some TLC but is in good shape. I’m happy to get it for her and clean the doll up. My husband tells his parents how cute she was being with this doll.

Well, grandma comes over today, sees the doll, makes a face, and says “does the doll have a name? So I can buy her a new one and you can throw THAT old one away.”

I almost snapped.

It’s to the point where I don’t like telling her (and some other people in our life) when something I get is secondhand, like the baby’s stroller or the carpet in her room. Normally I’m proud of consuming less new and finding a good deal on something nice and high-quality and cleaning it up nice…. But the judgement is intensely annoying.

I’ve had my ears pierced three times. They always get infected and close up. The third time, my left ear was fine but the right kept getting a big ugly lesion in the back of the piercing; I had it drained and such as urgent care like twice before I finally gave up and took out the surgical stainless barbells that I’d had in since they were pierced. I THINK I’m allergic to many materials, apparently including surgical steel. My left love piercing is still open and I’m determined to get the right re-pierced. What are some metals that tend to work for people with very sensitive skin?

SOS laundry pros! How do I de-stinkify my shirts? I use Dove Clinical antiperspirant (20% aluminum) and I think it's been clogging up the armpit fabric of my shirts. There is NO staining or visible/texture differences in the fabric. I put them on and 20 minutes later I stink like BO even if I'm totally clean and unsweaty. It's driving me completely nutty. I have a 4 year old front loader Maytag, use Tide Powder, a little Borax for hard water, wash my normal laundry loads in warm-hot water; everything gets beautifully clean (including my cloth diaper loads!!) with my current routine EXCEPT my underarms of my shirts. I'm switching to non-antiperspirant soon to help mitigate this, because what's the friggin point if this stuff makes me MORE stinky... but

How do I get rid of the buildup that has already occurred? How do I undo the stinky damage that has been done? 😞

I have Tide Powder, Kirkland Brand free and clear liquid, Oxi powder, borax, and an enzyme solution at my disposal. Help me be free of the stinky!!!!

My very healthy 75%ile height/weight 10.5 mo girl is less and less interested in bottles. She was EBF her first 6 or 7 months and circumstances made us go to formula after that. She’s never been super attached to the bottle. Never needed it to fall asleep. Loves her straw cups and open cup and 360 cup and will drink water or formula out of any of them. LOVES food and is a great eater, three large meals a day with maybe a snack, too. The past few days she’s just had 6 ounces of formula with each meal and maybe another few ounces in a straw cup or bottle once more if needed. At our 9mo appt we mentioned she was only drinking like 16-20 ounces of formula a day even then, but a great eater, and our ped was totally unconcerned. We figure if she doesn’t miss the bottle, may as well wean her off it mostly and go to straw cups most of the time now. A couple of my friends with similar age babies have given me odd looks about it, like they think I’m rushing her or something. Is it really that bizarre a choice?