r/moderatelygranolamoms

Freaking out about ticks

I’m in Ontario and people (mostly online) are saying we’ll have a terrible tick season ahead, as most of you probably heard as well.

I am pregnant (FTM) and freaking out. Just had a dream tonight about and I can’t take it much longer. Where I grew up ticks (specially on people) were not a problem AT ALL.

Have you seen the size of a baby tick? There’s NO WAY I’d be able to see them early enough.

Maybe worse of all is I have two very fluffy dogs. I can barely reach their skin when I’m trying to look for bugs, and I’m considerably granola about them. For the past seasons we did only sprays and garlic/brewer’s yeast and that worked perfectly, but now I’m doubting it all.

I don’t have a specific question, just maybe WTH do we do? How do you manage to check for ticks and be confident about it?

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u/Cl000udy — 11 hours ago

Cloth Diapers/SHEIN/lead Part 2

So yesterday, i posted here that i bought cloth diapers from SHEIN and that im looking for alternatives since ive found out that they may contain lead. (You guys were so very helpful by the way, thank you!!)

Anyway, my search is currently on hold because i honestly am so worried about lead contamination now... i feel like i am losing it so i would appreciate any guidance.

I have a bunch of clothes from SHEIN in my closet from over a year, and i dont know how many times ige washed it with baby clothes now... im rewashing everything that i think i may have washed with the cloth diapers, throwing away all of my SHEIN products, and i keep wondering should i rewash my whole closet? What else might be contaminated? Im overthinking and frnatically searching and ive yet to come across any answers to my questions. Im frantically cleaning and worrying...

Do i really need to be doing all this? Do i need to throw away evrrything SHEIN? Do i need to rewash my whole closet? Whats the best way to wash them? Im on my third laundry cycle and very tired so if anyone has any knowledge on what i really need to do here, please let me know... thanks in advance. ❤️‍🩹

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u/Sensitive_Bank8345 — 9 hours ago

Glucose 3 hour test

I have my three hour glucose test in two days. I failed my first test by 2 POINTS!!!!! Passing was a 134, I got a 136.

I only gained 14 pounds so far, I’m 31 weeks, eat pretty healthy, stay active… why am I SO SCARED I’m going to fail again?

I’ve heard a lot of women can fail the first test and pass with flying colors on the second.

I also took the fresh test which I highly recommend it actually tasted pretty good. I would love to hear some reassuring stories 🥲

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u/Impress-Rude — 21 hours ago

Baby Names!

Hi, all!

I've seen a few posts about baby names, and I'm here to add mine! I know I could post on r/namenerds (and I have before!) but right now, I'm wanting to hear thoughts from this community instead.

I feel like our name vibe is vintage, naturey, cottagecore, magical (and sometimes midcentury diner, I've been told 😂 Maybe a little Wes Anderson?)? Just curious to hear thoughts on these names and any additions you think might fit! (Her brother is Nathaniel, if that helps!)

  • Eleanor (Nora)
  • Edith
  • Violet
  • Piper
  • Gwendolyn
  • Eileen

Thanks for your ideas!!

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u/saw-whetowl — 1 day ago

Diapers!

First time mom! We want to exclusively use Coterie (we still will use them) but received SO many target gift cards from my shower.

Coterie is unfortunately not sold at target, what would be the next best (non-toxic) diaper option that we can purchase from there?

Also any other non-tox baby product recs from target?

Thank you! ♥️

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u/Impress-Rude — 1 day ago

Water bottle recommendation for kids

I am in search for a new cup for toddler. She uses glass open cups at home but when we are out and about she has a tendency to throw her water from the carseat when she is done drinking. Added bonus if the recommendation makes a Moana cup lol. Even though my daughter only gets screens when she is sick, she discovered Moana via music and books and she is obsessed.

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u/florinbuttercup242 — 19 hours ago

Wool rugs

I think many of you here are on the same ‘natural fibers’ rug journey as me. If you bought a wool/natural fibers rug(s) that you love (or hate and wish you never bought), share it here. Not just “check out this brand/website” - share the link!

I’ll start:

Bought this rug for the playroom in blue grey. Sheds a little but not bad, doesn’t totally withstand cat claws but I just take scissors and trim the loose threads here and there. Easy to spot clean

Bought this as a runner. Doesn’t really shed, stands up well to cat claws but difficult to spot clean

Bought this in green as a runner. More teal than the green pictured. Withstands cat claws and doesn’t really shed. Easy to spot clean. Would probably buy another one of these

Bought this in brown for our office. Doesn’t withstand cat claws well but I just trim the loose threads. Didn’t really shed. Easy to spot clean

u/Mission-Motor364 — 1 day ago

Have you ever had someone offer you hand-me-downs, you gratefully accepted and then they didn’t follow through?

Why do people do that? And why am I too shy or forgetful to follow up 🤦🏻‍♀️. Anyone else or do I just have flaky friends/family?

View Poll

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u/dms2628 — 1 day ago

Max & Lily?

Edit;; solved by the lovely commenter, I am a bit sleep deprived this week and didn't realize it was inside out lol

I bought this loft bed off Marketplace but I wanted to check out official weight limits, materials, etc. The person I bought it from said she thinks it's Max & Lily brand, but she also got it secondhand so not sure!

Google results show very similar beds that are Max & Lily, but the model looks a little different. Does anyone know if this may be an older model? I know it's a niche question but I really appreciate any insight! ❤️

u/tabookduo — 1 day ago

Cloth Diapers/SHEIN/lead

Hi all,

Im in need of some advice and possibly product recommendations.

I recently purchased cloth diapers for my baby from SHEIN. We're poor, and SHEIN is the only place that delivers straight to where i live. So it was affordable and convenient. I put one on my baby, no more than 5 minutes later, came across an article saying lead is found in SHEIN products in dangerous levels, took the diaper off.

I love the idea of switching to cloth diapers, its got so many positives, so im pretty disappointed. Like i mentioned SHEIN is the only place that delivers here that is also affordable, but id love to hear any recommendations for affordable products so that perhaps maybe ill find something that delivers... (and no, facebook marketplace is not an option here, i basically live in a village)

If theres no other option, and there probably isnt, ive researched more into the whole lead in the SHEIN products and what its affect can be. So it turns out that lead is not absorbed through skin very well so the risk of it harming my baby is very low. It appears it causes damage if ingested or inhaled and the baby will most likely not be biting the diaper...

Also, the lead isnt necessarily in all SHEIN products, i believe theyve only tested a couple, but ofcourse im going to assume that it is to be on the safe side...

So, im thinking is it worth it to keep the diapers from SHEIN since the risk is so low... or just continue with disposables? im lost and would love to hear yalls opinions.

Thanks in advance.

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u/Sensitive_Bank8345 — 1 day ago

Car mat warning

I’m going to be annoying for a second because this is exactly the kind of thing I wish someone had posted before I put new mats in the car.

I was looking for non toxic stuff for the backseat because my toddler drops snacks on the floor and then, because toddlers are feral, sometimes tries to eat the snack anyway.

A bunch of listings say low odor, eco, safe, all the magic words, but when I asked what the actual material was and whether there was any third party testing for VOCs, suddenly it was just “premium TPE” and a smiley customer service reply.

Maybe I’m overthinking it, idk, but the new car smell from some car floor mats is not cute when the car seat is basically baking back there in July. I’m not saying every mat needs to be hand woven by forest elves lol, but if a company is selling to families and using crunchy language, I feel like the testing should be visible somewhere and not hidden behind “trust us.”

Anyone else started checking mats the way we check pajamas and crib mattresses?

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OXO Smart Seal Food Storage Containers?

i bought these containers after seeing 'borosilicate glass' but i'm handwashing them and only now realized the lids are made of plastic 😞 it was a poor decision to go shopping after a very tiring shift because my judgement was clearly nonexistent

would you guys still consider them safe to use? the lids are made of BPA free plastic. if not, i would love alternatives (air-tight/leakproof food storage containers)

From Google Images

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u/computernoobe — 1 day ago

European based ethical clothing for moms?

Post pregnancy, nothing from before fits and second-hand (vinted) is just depressing. I would love to treat myself to 2-3 new pieces for summer, which brands would you recommend?

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u/Altruistic-Menu- — 1 day ago
▲ 70 r/moderatelygranolamoms+1 crossposts

I'm Regretting Hiring a Sleep Consultant ... advice?

I recently hired a $900 sleep consultant because my mental and physical health was TANKING from lack of sleep.

Now Im 3 days in and feel like I hired the wrong person. Feeling so much anger, shame & regret. Id love some perspective, encouragement, others experiences, advice?

Context:

We have a lot of odd factors to our life which made gentle sleep books like "No Cry Sleep Solutions" difficult to follow. Which is why I wanted to hire someone who could take all our factors into place & give us a clear plan to follow.

- 8m old baby who wakes up every single sleep cycle (every 45 minutes) since he was 4m old.

- We have always coslept/contact napped and nursed or rocked to sleep. We love cosleeping & would continue if our baby could sleep ling stretches/through the night.

- We live in a weird studio apartment (no doors/rooms). It is impossible for us to make it pitch black in the day. And its hard for us to move around house once baby is asleep.

- We are okay with a small amount of crying 2-5 minutes before being soothed, but did not want to do "cry it out".

- My baby was born with a rare eye condition & is severly visually impared (he can see light & track objects close to face. But overall limited vision & highly sensitive to sound.) He HATES being confined & we were never able to use a swaddle or sleep sack.

- My husband and I both have ADHD & find it very hard to be strict with routines. It doesnt come naturally to us & we thrive with go with the flow. Which is the opposite of all sleep advice & why we wanted a clear plan rather than us trying to make one.

---------

Now for our current situation. About 2 weeks ago I was at my absolute lowest point from sleep deprivation. We had tried to read several books but could not get ourselves to make a plan that made sense. It was overwhelming just to survive - let alone make a massive change. I learned sleep consultants are a thing from a friend & immediately started googling "gentle sleep coach". I looked up 5 people & they all just offered online classes but i wanted a live coach to help.

Finally i found a woman who makes a custom plan & works 1 on 1 for 2 weeks. Had a consult call the next day where i told her everything. She sounded like she had a wide variety of tools, high success rate, said she understood & within two weeks we would be in a totally different place. I was deeply vulnerable & hired her right on the spot.

Well... she doesnt actually have a wide variety of tools. She has very specific tools which is basically just variations of classic sleep training. Now that we have her plan I see a lot of it doesnt work for us. We spent a week trying to buy all the stuff she reccomended (another $300 investment - even buying it all second hand).

We bought a crib, a blackout tent, a sleep sack. All of which is brand new to my baby. He HATES the sleep sack & cries so hard when we put him in the crib.

We are now 3 days into the actual "sleep training" and I really dont like her or her tools! There was no transition period & I feel like her solutions would only be "gentle" if baby was already used to the tools she offered. Its like she has no idea what its like for a cosleeping/nursing to sleep baby.

The method she is having us do in this "gentle sleep training" still involves 2+ hours of crying per wakeup. (Pick Up Put Down Menthod for those who know). We are supposed to just stick with it but my baby & I are a mess. He now crys so hard/claws at me when i even walk toward the crib. And this is not what i wanted. It is a cry it out method and my soul feels shattered to be doing this to him.

She is supposed to check & respond 3 times a day. But she responds much slower than that. And her advice is just generic. Exactly the info thats on the handouts she gave us. She doesnt seem to be really listening to our specific challenges or adapting. We are logging a ton of data for her and she hasnt referenced it at all.

I feel like such a failure.

I want to quit and find someone who actually is gente & understands cosleeping. But I already invested sooo much money & my body/brain feel like theyre on 0%. I cant afford to hire someone else & I really want my baby/myself to sleep!

Anyone have any advice or wisdom to share????

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u/Ok_Draw_4187 — 2 days ago

How are we getting veggies in?

kiddo goes to daycare and eats a lot of colourless foods there. we’re trying to mitigate that at home by making her a variety of veg and fruits. I’m really trying to introduce more colours too.

any suggestions on how to get more veg in? for me and my husband too! I add lentils and veggies to pasta sauces now but I wanna try more stuff. she’s fairly picky with new foods.

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u/Agitated-Rest1421 — 2 days ago

Ten little splash sandals

Everyone raves about ten littles shoes, but are the feelings equal on the splash sandals? They are “non toxic” EVA foam (whatever that means), and I’ve always heard crocs are not good for developing feet.. but maybe these are better since they have a proper heel strap?

They’re basically the only shoe on their website in stock and I’ve been contemplating buying but keep going back and forth

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u/Mission-Motor364 — 2 days ago
▲ 11 r/moderatelygranolamoms+1 crossposts

Mom has severe nut/stone fruit allergy, baby has lactose intolerance. Recommendation for nut free lactose free formula?

Everything seems to have coconut oil in it. Switched to goat milk formula but we are suspecting baby is allergic to that too, as she’s throwing it up as well. We have an appointment with an allergist soon but we’re hoping to try something else in the meantime since baby is puking after every formula feeding. She is eating purées and doing great too. The issue has persisted for about 6 weeks and baby is 7 months old.

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u/hoetheory — 2 days ago

Mineral sunscreen lead contamination

Zinc oxide is preferred to titanium dioxide (better UVA1 coverage, less reactive oxygen species), and both mineral ingredients are preferred to chemical filters.

However, there is emerging evidence of heavy metal / lead contamination. Anyone know if brands with mineral SPF without heavy metals? I realize this is almost impossible to find.

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u/DermMD — 2 days ago

What do you give your kids for immune support?

School year is almost over and I’m already thinking ahead to next September. We tried gummy vitamins this year but I didn’t notice much of a difference. My daughter is healthy overall but she’s super active and sometimes complains about feeling tired so I’d love to give her a little extra immune and energy support going into the new school year. Looking for something easy, preferably sugar free, that a 6 year old would actually take without a fight.

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u/Delicious_Let4791 — 2 days ago