u/Significant-Toe2648

First a disclaimer—please don’t recommend babywearing or having the oldest walk/bike/use a rider board/go in the jogging stroller basket as those aren’t options for us right now. My three year old still happily rides in a stroller and it’s the only way she will nap, so I need a recline feature.

I am looking for a stroller for long walks on not-perfectly-even sidewalks. I need three dedicated seats and it would be nice to have a fourth as a sometimes option for an older child (or have that room for storage).

I am ok with something being heavy to push as it enhances my workout.

I have a Toyota Highlander but plan on switching to a minivan in the future.

What has been your favorite stroller for three kids 3 and under?

So far I’ve looked at the Zoe triple, Valco with Joey seat, Larktale Caravan, and Wonderfold Elite W4. Leaning toward the Wonderfold.

I’m looking for an option that combines the best of both worlds or is in the middle ground between a double jogging stroller and a Wonderfold W4 wagon. It would need all-terrain tires for old, bumpy sidewalks and a recline feature.

We will need 3 dedicated seats (not a jump seat or rider board), with a fourth seat being nice but not needed all the time.

I’m conflicted, because on one hand we really could use the space and features provided by a Wonderfold W4, but I’m worried I’ll avoid using it due to the size and bulk.

We have been trying out a Jeep wagon but my kids hate it because of the straight back and lack of footwell. It only has two seats so it wouldn’t work anyway.

The Zoe strollers with 3 seats have tires that are great for a mall, but not practical for bumpy sidewalks.

I’m also very interested in being talked in to the Wonderfold if anyone wants to weigh in!

We are a family of many girls. All the girls so far have 3 syllable firsts + 3 syllable middles, so if you are going to say either of these make for too long a name, it’s falling on deaf ears.

Another girl coming soon, I can’t wait.

My husband said either name is fine. I prefer Emmeline (em-muh-leen) as a name, but I like the ring of Isabel Emilia better. Then I think, that’s silly, I should just go with the name I truly like more. Then part of me thinks I should save Emmeline in case with have another girl.

Here’s my hesitation on that—we already have a Madeline. Would those names be too close (Emmeline and Madeline)?

I forgot to ask my doctor this yesterday, and obviously what she says is the most important, but I’m just wondering how it went for others. If you gave birth after age 35, did your doctor really push for an induction at 39 weeks?

I had an induction last time because baby was 10lbs so we had to get her out. Not sure if I will have another big baby. If I do, I know I won’t be allowed to go longer than 35 weeks (sorry meant 39).

I don’t really want an induction because obviously you can’t use the birthing tub and at my hospital they wouldn’t allow me to use the mobile monitor so I had to stay perfectly still in bed; all my pain management strategies got thrown out the window.

I ended up getting the epidural twice but really want to avoid it this time for reasons specific to me and my situation (not because I think I’ll win a “prize”).

Anyone who has been through multiple births unmedicated, did subsequent labors and births ever get any easier?

My first birth was incredibly painful back labor that felt like all the typical things you hear. Like my back was being ripped in two but over the course of 5 hours. Then with my second birth I wasn’t allowed to move, I had to stay in bed for the monitor, which made things really really hard. I was managing the pain really well with movement but after I was no longer allowed to move, I had to give up and get the epidural.

Because I had an induction last time, many of the other forms of pain management like a birthing tub were not available to me, not sure if that will be the case this time or not.

The place where I grew up has a top-tier library system, many kids have a stay at home parent, there’s nice (free!) pools for residents only, and just so much to do. As many kids as you have, you can bring.

We are temporarily (probably 2-3 more years) living somewhere else for my husband’s job and let’s just say, it’s very different from where I grew up. It could be worse so I try not to complain. But I just feel bad about all the missed opportunities for my oldest.

But my biggest pet peeve here is that all the free community events and classes are exclusively for only children! Practically speaking, you are not allowed to come if you have more than one child (unless neither parent works apparently, dual non-working parents can bring 2). Story time at all the libraries, free art classes at the museum, and several other fun things I’ve found for enrichment are off-limits to us. We do some paid classes too, but with 3+ kids, having to pay full or nearly full cost for each sibling gets extremely expensive, and it’s frustrating when there are free events available as an alternative that we already fund with our taxes.

We have a family rule of no (non-grandma) babysitters until after a certain age, so we’re just dealing with it for now. Plus, that still wouldn’t be fair because all the kids should get to be in on the experience.

I get it, a lot of the kids here are not well behaved (or rather, their parents don’t do their job) and that rule probably has to be enforced to keep the chaos to a minimum. But I really dislike the promotion of small families and the exclusion of the majority of families. Community programs are so helpful for homeschoolers especially, and I’m sad we’re missing out.

Is this how it is where anyone else lives, or is it just us? Anyway, I’m just bummed about it and needed to vent to my fellow homeschool families.

I have been loosely following a preschool program this year with the intent to truly start in the fall. It’s going well; it’s mostly literature based and conversational though so we’ve only been casually learning letters and sounds through books, Doodling Dragons, the ABCs and letter sounds song, etc.

I I don’t need opinions on whether or not preschool is necessary or whether or not we should solely be playing, I’m educated and confident in my choice.

That being said, I came across a preschool teacher that makes videos and she was showcasing some really fun and helpful looking materials from companies like Learning without Tears and Theraputty, and now I have a little Amazon cart going. (Not an ad, just admitting I am a sucker for a convincing video I guess!)

We already do lots of play-dough, I have pencils and crayons that I’ve shortened, we use markers, cutting/pasting, and an easel for chalk and paint. We also work on letter sounds a lot. But now that we are really going to get into letter formation and recognition, I’m all ears for your “holy grail” materials.

If you used sandpaper letters and a salt tray for making letters, did you find it helpful?

Even though there is no way I would ever leave my children at a preschool in our current area (it’s not good, temporarily here for husband’s job), I guess I’m worried about her missing out on cool materials that preschool teachers may be tuned into.

As soon as we step out on the patio, flies start flying around it, even when we don’t have food (I just showered, I swear!). I tried spraying peppermint oil and planting mint, rosemary, and marigolds. Does nothing. I put up a fly trap with bait out in the yard to attract them further out to the yard instead of the patio. My husband just power washed the patio and furniture, it’s clean as a whistle out there. He doesn’t think installing a ceiling fan will help, but that’s my next suggestion. Any other ideas?

I prefer Lowe’s even though it’s farther. For some reason I feel like I can never find anything in Home Depot and I can never find anyone to help me. The layout of Lowe’s just feels a lot more pleasant. We also have Ace but I’m indifferent on them.

For someone who gains pregnancy weight in their arms, about 90 percent of it is so unflattering! I have some of their old tank tops, which are great, but their new ones have a huge cut in right where one’s armpit fat would be. So many spaghetti strap and narrow strap pieces. Could we get a little upper arm coverage please! And cotton! And some longer shorts! The other half of my pregnancy weight goes right to my inner thighs, lol.

(Or more of course). How far apart are they? Baby #3 is on the way and she’ll be slightly less than 2 years apart from the middle, who is 2 years apart from oldest. Ultimately I would love to have four or five. My husband is in the military so it’s a one-woman show over here most of the time. Am I crazy!? How are your age gaps working out?

We didn’t start until I was 31 almost 32 so time is of the essence.

…we don’t have a pool or any potentially dangerous water nearby? (It’ll be about $1000 total.)

Basically, I was going to do it with my three-year-old but she is too hesitant to get in the pool. So instead, I was going to enroll my younger daughter who loves the water (16 months). But it’s not like we or our neighbors have a pool that would be a risk factor for us. I’m realizing most of the parents who do this do have risk factors in their life.

To be honest, I’ve gotten used to going, being outside, and seeing the other kids, moms, and teacher, and I would love my youngest to learn the new skill. We have exhausted all other possible mommy and me style play groups and sports in the area and they are all on pause for the summer. It’s too hot here in the summer to be anything but poolside. All the friends I’ve made moved away a year or so ago and I can’t seem to get new ones; no one will respond when I try to plan meetups. But I know that’s probably not really a good justification for this use of funds, as I’m realizing while I type this out.

I would LOVE to do swim lessons where I’m in the pool with them (much cheaper!!) but since I have two, there’s no way to do that. My husband’s schedule is too variable for him to make any set time.

We go to the splash pad but it is constantly overrun by daycares…to make money via public infrastructure I guess. So this was really the only water opportunity we had.

With my first pregnancy, I only gained the lower end of the recommended weight gain. However, with my second, I gained slightly more than the recommended amount and baby ended up being very large as well and got stuck on the way out. Of course, it’s impossible to know which one caused which, but my doctor is watching my weight closely this time and may want a c section if baby gets too big. With no family nearby and two other little ones to chase around, I definitely want to avoid that if possible.

I have eaten a whole food plant based diet for almost 20 years, am “naturally” slim, and do not typically have to worry about my weight, so I hate when I have to think about it or restrict in any way. I have several certificates in nutrition so I know what to do, but it gets hard when I’m feeding two little ones, they obviously don’t eat what I eat, and my appetite is crazy. Panera (a rare treat) accidentally gave me two veggie sandwiches the other day and I ate both in one sitting. So abnormal for me! I’ve already gained about half the recommended amount and I’m only 17 weeks!

Just looking for commiseration and your best tips. I’m trying to prioritize fruit but no matter how much we buy it is gone so fast!