Summertime fun

poetryandoceans

Thought it might be fun to chat about summertime plans and adventures, as well as what gear/hacks people are using to deal with the summer heat. What are you doing? What are you planning? What are you dreading?



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poetryandoceans

So over here in the PNW, they are forecasting a very hot, dry summer, which I am dreading, because our house is NOT equipped to handle the heat. Already I've noticed the nursery is the hottest room in the house, so sleep is going to be a bit of a challenge, I think.

We're planning a little getaway end of June. We've been taking LO swimming in pools, and he LOVES it, so we're planning on introducing him to the ocean then. My husband feels a life jacket is essential for this, but I'm a bit on the fence - we're not going to be going deep, the beach we're going to be near is very very calm, and LO has been doing fine in the pool without one. But I'm open to it. What do you guys think? What are you doing, water-wise?

kswiger06

We are going to a minor league baseball game in 1.5 weeks. That sounds fun, but I hate trying to plan pumping around outings. It's for my husband work. They do this as a family outing so everyone can have fun and bring their kids.

In mid July we are going to the myrtle beach area (garden city) for vacation. It's a looooong drive but we always leave at night because it's easier to let the kids sleep most of the drive lol. Plus traffic is a lot nicer too. We'll be joining a coworker/friend of my husband for a day for some shark week fishing. And then just spending the rest of the time with just us and the kids. I love the beach but we've had both good and bad experiences taking babies, so I'm not going to be too overly optimistic lol.

So far we've had a few hot days, but in general it's been quite mild for summertime so it hasn't been too bad on us.

ColeBug89

@kswiger06 We are going to Myrtle Beach! We leave at the end of June and return July 5.

We have a bit of a dilemma with our beach trip though...We are going with my parents and family friends. My H couldn't get off the full week so he was just going to do a long weekend (we are 8 hours from Myrtle so it's not worth the drive for 1-2 days). Well, we just found out last night that his family decided to plan a surprise 60th birthday party for my FIL the same weekend without checking dates with my H! My H was so mad! My ILs go camping every July 4th and the party will be at the camp grounds. H loves camping (not my thing, but I go for like a day or two) so I think he is going to stay back and go camping and spend time with his family. It stinks, but I don't blame H one bit. My FIL had open heart surgery literally the week before Ella was born, so I want H to spend time with his dad while he is still able to.  

On a positive note, I have 2 weeks left of work and then I'm off until August! I'm so excited to spend 6 weeks home with Ella! My mom works in the schools and is off during the summer as well so we will probabaly spend some time with her. Other than the beach, we don't really have anything planned. We may take a few day trips here and there, but nothing is set in stone yet.

As far as water, Ella loves water! She has a baby pool that we will fill up for her to play in. It's been unusually cool here but hopefully the weather will warm up soon. I'm also thinking about signing Ella up for swim lessons. At our local YMCA, lessons start at 6 months and she will be old enough at the end of the month. She will also have 1-2 water play days at day care before I pull her for the summer.

poetryandoceans

@ColeBug89 We're looking at swim lessons too! Theo's old enough for them at our local rec (they start at 4 months) but we've had really busy schedules lately. I'm hoping that in a month or so we might be in a better position to sign up for swim lessons and be able to attend regularly. They keep the tot pool the temperature of a bathtub practically, so Theo seems to think it's the biggest bathtub ever, and he looooves bath time. So it's been a hit so far  

@kswiger06 I've really been wrestling with the long drive thing! I think driving at night is the best idea from a sleep perspective, but I'm mainly just being cheap, because I'm really loathe to pay for a night's lodging only to arrive at 9 or 10 pm (or later)... I think we're going to hope for a really really long nap :S 

BlondePeanut

Today is the first day without rain in a week, but the pollen is very high. We are going to the zoo sometime this month or early next month. We don't have any real vacation plans. I did take a week off in September for our anniversary and my plan is to just enjoy time with DH and our LO. My work does have an annual picnic at a theme park which is coming up in Aug so as long as I can get the day off to attend, we are hoping for a free fun filled day. My grandfather also has a pool so we are hoping the peanut will like the pool since she loves the bath. DH got her a bathing suit so we will see how she likes it. 

SawyerRichardson

We got back from our first road trip about 2 weeks ago. We went from Atlanta to Chicago for a graduation party. Stayed there for 2 days, then went from Chicago to Detroit for a wedding and stayed there for 6 days. Senna did WONDERFULLY! I was so nervous because she usually gets so hot in the car seat. So I bought a little fan to clip on to her car seat and it seemed to help. I was also nervous about her schedule getting thrown off and getting overstimulated but she was great! We stayed with my grandmother while we were in Detroit so I was able to stay on top of her nap schedule a little better. We drove through the day and she actually slept through most of the driving. I made sure to have some toys with me for the times when she was awesome and it seemed to help.

For the rest of the summer we don't really have any plans yet. A local swim school has a free weekly swim class for babies from 3-6 months so I just signed up for the wait-list for that. She absolute loves the water so I'm excited to get her in the pool. I was a competitive swimmer all through middle and highschool so I'm thrilled that she likes the water!

H and I keep taking about moving out west so we will probably take a trip to Colorado to check it out and see if we like it out there. Neither of us like the heart of Atlanta too much!

Xstatic3333

Hi guys-it's been a while but hoping to jump back in a bit. 

We we are going to a family friendly concert festival later this month. I'm very nervous. S has gotten pretty strict about his routine so I'm not sure how it will go. Then, we have a week on the Cape in August. That should be nice and relaxing! Finally, Labor Day weekend we have an unorthodox wedding in Maine. My friends getting married are homesteaders, so they are growing all their own food for the event (meat too) and everyone will be camping on their land. It's going to be an adventure! We got a huge tent we can put our PNP in. 

I'm jealous so many of you started swim class already! Nowhere near me does it until six months. 

@poetryandoceans when we go to the beach I am planning to have him wear a life jacket in the water. You just never know with the ocean. Weird things can happen. It's also possible we'll just plop him down in a tidepool if he can sit by then and call it good. 

jlellis603

Wow it's so great to hear all of you getting the LOs in the water already! I wasn't really sure what the protocol was for this. Wyatt is 3 months now so we cant use sunscreen yet. But our family has a lake house that we are at every weekend. I want to at least get his toes in the water or something! I've seen those baby float things where it's like a seat with leg holes and a canopy over it. Anyone used one? Or are they even recommended for babies this little?

madamerwin

@poetryandoceans whereabouts in the PNW are you? I'm in Portland, and I am dreading a hot summer. We don't have AC (because no one here does), though we have portable units that keep the house closer to 80 degrees on super hot days (vs. 95-100 degrees).

This weekend we're taking a little road trip up to northern WA to visit H's grandma, who has dementia and recently fell and hurt her foot... We're worried she doesn't have much time left, so we're doing a quick trip. It's a 4.5 hour drive, but last time we did it with the baby, just over a month ago, he slept most of the time.

We also planning on going on a camping trip with the baby next month, though I told the friends who are planning it that it needs to be close to town, just in case it's a disaster and we have to come back early.

I'm impressed with everyone who has started taking their LOs swimming! I really want to do that, but I need to look in to where there are baby classes. There's a really nice indoor pool at our local rec center, could be a good place to spend hot days this summer!

catmommac

I really want to take LO swimming but the baby swim classes are expensive around here. We have a lakehouse we go to a couple times each summer and there is a public beach nearby. But since he's only 4 months, no sunscreen. We'll have to wait. He loves bath time though!

We've planned our road trip from Detroit to Salt Lake City for July and I hope it all works out. 

chef'swife

We plan to take a long weekend to Chicago and Lake Michigan and then hopefully a week visiting friends in Charleston and Raleigh so we will get some beach time in there. 

We we also love to be tourists in our own city. We have a membership to our amazing Children's Museum, the zoo, and our state history museum, so we spend a few hours in the inside museums on hot days and head to the zoo when it's a little cooler. Our oldest is headed to Girl Scout camp for a week in July so baby brother and I will get to hang around the house. We signed big sis up for a summer reading program and some fun workshops for free at our public library. 

poetryandoceans

@madamerwin I'm actually just over the border in Canada (close to Vancouver, BC), but I saw PNW because this is a mainly American board, and, well, the weather's the same both sides of the 49th!  

Indoor pool is where we plan on spending most of the hot summer days. We're in the same boat AC wise. I think we'll mainly be setting it up in LO's room, so we might have to spring on a second one, because while his sleep is the priority, we're going to need some too

@Xstatic3333 Yeah, I ended up agreeing with you about the weird currents in the ocean. I just received my infant PFD from Amazon.  

lfrank12

Right now the only trip we have planned is a wedding for my husband's cousin at the end of August. It's up in Michigan so it will be a 4-5 hour drive for us. I'm also hoping to
get Amelia in the water at some point this summer! I got her a swim suit from Carter's with a UPF protection rash guard so now we just need to find ourselves a pool to use 

birdiejo

jlellis603 said:

Wow it's so great to hear all of you getting the LOs in the water already! I wasn't really sure what the protocol was for this. Wyatt is 3 months now so we cant use sunscreen yet. But our family has a lake house that we are at every weekend. I want to at least get his toes in the water or something! I've seen those baby float things where it's like a seat with leg holes and a canopy over it. Anyone used one? Or are they even recommended for babies this little?

Those things don't work until they are wayyy sturdier. You could like hold the baby in it? I think even at almost a year my daughter couldn't sit in it without plopping over. 

birdiejo

We're going to the beach for July 4th but I'm not ready for a swimsuit.   

jlellis603

@homemake oh man thanks for the heads up! Yeah if it comes down to it we could always like hold him up in it? We will make it work! Its going to be 93 this weekend so I do want to get him in the lake to cool off a bit

Xstatic3333

@jlellis603 you could look into the Otteroo! It's super cute, though I don't know if it's considered safe for lakes. 

poetryandoceans

@homemake I bought a maternity swimsuit so I could get in the pool when I was pregnant... and I'm still using it :S I hear ya. 

ColeBug89

@poetryandoceans Kind of related, but I still wear some of my work maternity tops! They are very comfortable and fit better than some of my pre-pregnancy tops. Also easier to maneuver for pumping at work lol.

kswiger06

@ColeBug89 we go down to myrtle beach on July 15... so close lol

 We also have to wait until 6 months old for swimming lessons, but our older kids took swimming lessons and it was a joke. We live in such a small area that our options are limited so I'm sure we'll do at least 1 session with Austin, but I'm not holding my breath ( ) that it'll be any good.

I don't ever trust anything that's supposed to hold baby up. We have tried so many different things with our older kids, and they were all too wobbly and would easily dump over. Our son was 6 last time he dumped over, so now he won't actually sit in a donut float, he just goes up through the center and holds on with his arms lol.

I'm dreading the swimsuit. I wear a tankini with a skirt bottom, I'm sure I can get it on, but I know it's not going to look good. My stomach still looks like I'm 4 months pregnant. And I'm retaining A LOT of weight. Every time I try to diet, my milk supply plunges. Even cutting back a small amount I end up noticing 1/2 my milk not produce. If Austin didn't eat everything I pump I'd do it, but right now he eats every drop and about once a week I have to thaw a bag from my freezer stash.

poetryandoceans

@kswiger06 Oh my goodness, I've noticed the same thing about milk supply and trying to get back in shape. I've even noticed on days when I try and get a good solid sweat on my milk supply tanks. Any kind of diet is a complete non-starter. I go from getting 4 oz in a session to less than 2. 

And that whole "breastfeeding makes you lose weight" is a crock (at least for me personally). My lowest weight postpartum was the day I came home from the hospital. My milk fully came in the next day, and it hasn't been that low since. 

@ColeBug89 me too! About halfway through the pregnancy, I realized I was gonna need to nurse afterwards, so I started only buying maternity clothes that would also work for nursing. I'm growing increasingly skeptical I'll ever get back to my pre pregnancy wardrobe. 

lfrank12

I bought my first one piece swimsuit a few weeks ago but am still too afraid to try it on. Pre pregnancy pants are still not an option here so fabric shorts and dresses have been my staples so far

varimama

I'm glad I'm not the only one struggling with weight loss. I lost a bunch right away but then it stopped and just fluctuates +/-5 lb. what I eat doesn't seem to matter. I've had days where I've binged on carbs, cake, and pie and been down 5lb and days where I've had only healthy food and been up. I haven't noticed a dip in supply but I haven't pumped in forever. Rid doesn't seem upset but my only real exercise is walking. Depending on the day we walk 1-2 miles unless it's raining. I want to start doing some core exercises but just haven't found the time. 

We dont have any plans yet this summer. DH is taking a week off around his bday but we're just gonna hang out and be a family. I'm really excited for that bc I miss DH's paternity leave when it was the 3 of us all the time. 

jlellis603

Xstatic3333 said:

@jlellis603 you could look into the Otteroo! It's super cute, though I don't know if it's considered safe for lakes. 

I was so excited when I just googled it! But you're right, it isn't safe for open water

kswiger06

poetryandoceans said:

@kswiger06 Oh my goodness, I've noticed the same thing about milk supply and trying to get back in shape. I've even noticed on days when I try and get a good solid sweat on my milk supply tanks. Any kind of diet is a complete non-starter. I go from getting 4 oz in a session to less than 2. 

And that whole "breastfeeding makes you lose weight" is a crock (at least for me personally). My lowest weight postpartum was the day I came home from the hospital. My milk fully came in the next day, and it hasn't been that low since. 

My husband has given me a look like he doesn't believe me about my milk supply and my diet. To be fair though, my first 2 kids, I lost all my weight while pumping. With this one, I'm having a similar experience to you. I lost 18 lbs quickly after birth, but then I gained 10 back!! I've been able to get 5 of that off, but I'm still about 15 lbs over my prepregnancy weight. I'm not sure why this pregnancy and postpartum have been so different for me, but I'm hoping it all just magically snaps back.

@marriedhamstermom I've had days full of pizza and junk and weighed much lower than healthy days lol

People going to the beach... I'm planning on getting a giant umbrella to offer shade for Austin, while on the beach, but what are your plans to battle the Sun? Will you use sunblock a little young? I'm thinking sunblock is better than getting too much sun, but I'm not sure how we are going to tackle it the whole trip.

poetryandoceans

@kswiger06 Diet and milk supply are totally connected. I have a good friend who has a baby with milk protein allergy, she had to cut it completely out of her diet. Not only did her supply reduce, but the milk she produced went from fatty fatty milk to practically skim. It makes a huge difference. Right now I'm prioritizing my supply, but I'm sure this time next year I'm going to be kicking myself. 

ColeBug89

@kswiger06 Ella will turn 6 months exactly 1 week before we head to the beach! I plan on using sunscreen, but she also has a long sleeve bathing suit (I think they are called rash guards?) and a hat as well. We will be putting her under an umbrella as well. I was going to ask her doc if he has any pedi-recommended sunscreen, so maybe just call Austin's doc to check if sunscreen is ok early?

I am very fair-skinned myself and so is Ella, so I imagine we will also limit our time in the sun. I can usually only handle 3-4 hours outside before the sun and heat are too much. We will probably try to do inside activities like the aquarium, shopping, or just hanging out in the air-conditioned beach house! 

poetryandoceans

@kswiger06 We bought a little pop-up shade tent to pop LO in whenever we're out in the sun. It folds down quite small for travel. It's marketed as a travel sleep solution; it's apparently unsafe to use for infants under one, but I think that's just for sleep. We put our LO in there with some toys and he plays quietly and can look at the sky and get fresh air, but no direct sun.

I would definitely think sunblock is safer than too much sun, and if we found ourselves in a position where we needed to make that call, I would use the sunscreen no problem. We're hoping the tent plus long sleeved swim suits can help.

kswiger06

Oh that sounds like it might be handy for all sorts of times for us like working in our garden, I'm going to look into what you're talking about with the pop up shade tent thing @poetryandoceans

poetryandoceans

@kswiger06 It's called a PeaPod. Like I said, if you google it, you'll find a lot of dire warnings about it, but I did some digging, and they all involve leaving babies under one to sleep in them overnight. Once I set it up for the first time, it seems really clear it's not a particularly safe sleeping solution for a kid, but it's great for shade. It can sometimes retain heat a bit, so I drape it with a white swaddle to reflect the heat a bit. 

Xstatic3333

I'm with you all on needing to eat a lot. Our grocery bill has gone up exponentially.  I am just so hungry all the time, and I really notice a supply dip on days when I don't get my calories in.  I'm exercising a bit anyway for mental health reasons, but that's more I need to eat. I have lost most of my pregnancy weight in terms of the number on the scale, but my body is far from the same. I have loose skin that hangs over the top of my pants and am not sure if that's something that tightens up over time or just the new me, but it sucks. Even without that, my tummy still looks a solid 4-5 months pregnant even though my diastasis recti, in clinical terms, was gone after a few weeks of PT. I bought my first one piece for this summer and I actually like it a lot, so I think I can put my insecurities inside and enjoy the beach, but it has been a bigger adjustment than I thought it would be. 

varimama

@Xstatic3333 I've got the loose skin in my belly too. I think it will tighten up over time but I've read it took 9 months to stretch out so don't expect it to go back quickly.

I've also found that I had to go up a pant size even though I weigh less now than I did before we started TTC ( I had lost weight before I got pregnant so my pre pregnancy weight is still lower than now). I think my hips are just wider from pushing out my kid's mongo head his head  was over 100 percentile at birth and still is! I wonder if that will go back...

poetryandoceans

@marriedhamstermom I'm in the same boat with you in terms of hip width. My kid decided he was going to be a special snowflake and come out with his head sideways. I'm convinced my pelvis and hips will never be the same. 

kswiger06

@Xstatic3333 I was much younger with my first 2 kids, but my skin did tighten back up after having them.  It bounced back after around 1.5 years but was completely back to normal by 3 years... my sister though looks like she never popped kids out after a few months. So i guess it depends on the body... sigh lol

chef'swife

@kswiger06 Me too!  Recovering from pregnancy at 35 after a c section has been much tougher and slower than it was at 28 with a vaginal delivery. My husband tells me to be patient because my body(and our family) have been through a lot but it's hard not to get frustrated. 

Xstatic3333

@kswiger06 that's good to hear! I can live 1.5 years, I was just hoping the answer wasn't never. I know it's a silly thing to worry about but it does bug me. I don't mind stretch marks or weight gain but I didn't anticipate the flap. 

@chef'swife it's definitely hard to be patient. Hang in there!

kswiger06

@chef'swife I'm sure having a csection must make it even harder! I try to be patient but it's hard when summer is here and I don't feel as confident in my regular summer clothes... I've been wearing yoga pants and maternity jeans because my regular jeans are too tight for my comfort. 

@Xstatic3333 I don't think it's silly, it's natural to want to feel good about the way we look. My belly has a lot of flap going on (and some extra padding lol) and it drives me crazy. My stretch marks never have bothered me either, but my flap needs to go 

BlondePeanut

I am struggling with the weight loss too. I already have some supply issues so I can't afford to diet and lose more milk. I did lose alot of the baby weight but now I am stuck with a belly flap hanging over my c section. It has flattened out some, but I still have a sag of lose skin and jiggle that hangs down with some extra padding on the sides lol. I can possibly get away with a high wasted bathing suit bottom...i honestly haven't even tried any bathing suits yet. i am also still wearing maternity jeans...regular jeans I would have to wear a larger size to feel comfortable on my belly area, but then they are way too baggy everywhere else and look horrible. so i have been sticking with yoga pants and velour pants most days.