STM+ Check-in [January]

rnielsen321

@llamamama14
I actually switched to Huggies Cruisers Size 6 diapers for my 35 lb 2 yo. We were die hard Pampers peeps. (Hated Huggies past NB size 1)Then they didn't have any at WalMart one day so we picked up a box. I will emphasize the CRUISERS... they are high waisted, elasticized at the back and cover my long waisted wee one. DH picked up size 6 regular Huggies and they hold NOTHING! Are shorter, less absorbent and no waistband to speak of. Even DH was fed up and went back to get the cruisers.... We have some Pull Ups we were handed down. DD has very little interest in Potty training. Except all her babies and bunnies go on the potty, and she wipers bums, and stuff so mayber we are warming to it? 

catlady1215

I'm going to also agree that something about the cinched elastic backs of huggies cruisers that just worked so much better for an older child. we hated those backs when he was alittle. only pampers and luvs. But made the switch and never went back. we didn't use pull ups much to give an opinion on those.

llamamama14

@rnielsen321 @catlady1215 Thanks. Yeah I hear a lot of moms hate Huggies for babies. Interesting that they work well for older toddlers. 

lisa2589

I think it depends on baby/kiddo’s shape too- I very much wanted use Pampers, but after 2 months of blowouts as a newborn I ended up trying a box of Huggies that a neighbor gave us- turns out the elastic waistband is WAY better for big chunky babies. And still to this day as a 2.5 year old I can count on 1 hand the blowouts we’ve had since switching to all Huggies. 

BurlapandLace

We got DS one of those little potty seats you just sit on the floor - it should be here today. (Got one with the back ledge/lip thanks to the suggestion here about boys needing that! Thanks!). I was really against getting him a special potty. I just got him the seat that sits over the seat on the regular toilet. But I think that’s where a lot of his fear of the potty is coming from - being up so high? Worried about falling off? Falling in? I’m not sure. But I’m hoping the potty seat on the floor will be less scary to him and maybe we can make some progress on him being even remotely interested in it. Not being terrified of it would be progress. So fingers crossed 

llamamama14

@BurlapandLace good luck. DS had potty fear for a while. His fear I think was actually letting the poop go, not being up high. (He's over the fear now, just stubborn/ doesn't want to be bothered.)

BurlapandLace

@llamamama14 ~ I don’t think he’s mentally even processed the letting go of pee or poo into the diaper. He has sat on the potty only once and it was traumatic. And now he refuses entirely. 

I do like the suggestion, and odd as it sounds, of the poop party though! 

dinodna3

@BurlapandLace We ended up getting both too. It was nice to have the little floor potty in whatever room you play in. I found DD would go more when it was right there in the living room inside of having to walk to the bathroom. 

ramennoodlegif

@BurlapandLace I'm telling you, it works! DD would get super excited about wishing it the best as she flushed. 

sunshineandwhiskey

I’m secretly keeping track of all this potty talk for DD haha! Pedi recommended we wait until the end of summer with new baby coming and she’ll be 25 months then. GL to everyone!!! 

mytinc

@kfren - we do something similar.  Let's say my kid's name was Bob.  We have Bob wave bye as we flush and say (bye bye, Bob poop!)  Or pee or whatever.

Our second was resistant to poop on the potty.  We had trouble for 3 months.  He was completely trained for pee and we didn't use pull ups, so the poop accidents were awful.  Then one day we had a successful poop on the potty.  He looked in and got so excited saying "I pooped a worm!"  He was more into the shape of the poop than anything, shapes lije hotdogs, sticks, worms, rocks, whatever.  So it finally clicked for him (he's 3) and he still tells it goodbye.  "Bye bye, worm poop"!

llamamama14

Has anyone had 2 kids in preschool at the same time yet? We're planning for next fall when we'll have a 3 y.o. and a 2 y.o. in preschool. DS is currently at a preschool we love and would like to stay at but they won't have 3s and 2s on the same days next year. I'm thinking of switching to a larger preschool that has more class options so we'll be able to coordinate days over the next few years as the 3 kids move through preschool. 2 kids on different days seems like a waste to me because it's twice as much pick up and drop off without ever having a break from both kids... but we do love our current preschool.

BurlapandLace

Anyone else’s kid turn into a total brat when grandparents come to visit? 

When my mom or my ILs come to visit, DS turns into a complete brat. Hitting me, not listening, pushing buttons and boundaries, refusing to eat, fighting sleep, just overall a pain. I mean it’s not like he’s a perfect angel when they aren’t around.  He’s a normal toddler who pushes boundaries. But he is 100 times worse when grandparents are around. 

aharv77

I’m trying to remember how quickly DD moved from size to size in diapers since it’s been 3.5 years since we had to deal with them! 

We’re building up our stockpile but all the articles I’ve found about how many of each to buy seem like they vary a lot, probably because every baby is different! Anyone have any suggestions or accurate estimates on the number of diapers per size? I just don’t want to end up with too many of one size.

lisa2589

@BurlapandLace YES. It’s so frustrating. 

sunshineandwhiskey

@harveyabbey77 oh man! I used to have a nice spreadsheet with est number of diapers per size (like an actual legit value) and how many we had. Let me see if I can find it! It took me a week to put together because I used a ton of different websites and charts, plus I didn’t want to over buy by a ton. We had enough diapers for a year, and only like a half a box extra each size. 

jsl82

@harveyabbey77 I know this isn't what you want to hear- but I think it depends a lot on the baby.  I had DD the same time as a co worker and DD was true to size most of her first year (fitting into 0-3 until she was 3 months at which point she moved up to size 2 diapers).  My co workers son on the other hand was in 6-9 months and size 2 diapers at the same time.  Boys tend to be bigger and will probably grow at a faster pace. It will also depend on baby's size at birth- this baby feels a solid pound bigger than DD so I am expecting to not need as many newborn diapers and am focusing on sizes 1 and 2.  

aharv77

@sunshineandwhiskey That’d be great if you could find it! Thank you!

@jsl82 I totally know it’ll depend on the baby and this guy is measuring big already so I’m also focusing on 1’s, 2’s and 3’s for our stash! I’m just worried about buying too many of one size. The sites I’ve looked have swings in the number of diapers of like 500+. I’ve also been taping receipts to the boxes every time I buy so I could always exchange if we end up with too much of one size. Just trying to get close to right if that’s even possible

May14th2011

I'm really surprised but potty training is going really well here. DS is almost 2.5, and is down to about two diapers a day, one at nap time and one at bedtime. We're having some trouble with him keeping underwear dry, but as long as he's naked, he goes when he needs to. My goal this week is to keep him in underwear and help him realize when he needs to go. He does well in underwear for short trips, like taking DD to preschool, but any longer than that and he goes in them. I think he forgets that it's not a diaper. 

May14th2011

Diaper-wise, I feel like my kids moved sizes pretty quickly. We buy in bulk at Sams or Costco (whichever is near us) so maybe it's because I'm buying giant packs? By the time they finish all 200 (or however many there are), they're ready for the next size. But DS was in size 5s by about 18 months, and hasn't moved from there. 

sunshineandwhiskey

@harveyabbey77 so I can’t find my nice spreadsheet but I found my notebook from DD and this is was I looked to get for each:

newborn: 150-200 (originally I bought 0, but we needed them)
size 1: 500-750 (we weren’t in these as long as I thought we would be)
size 2: 750-1000 (we were in this size for awhile)
Size 3: <500 (we almost skipped this size haha size 2 goes to 18lbs and size 4 starts at 22lbs)
size 4: what were in now and have been for awhile. 

I only stockpiled size 1 and 2 since that theoretically gets you to a year or close to a year. It’s also about the time DD developed her sensitivity to diapers. 

catlady1215

@may14th2011 that's awesome!! What we did for underwear was make a huge deal about big boy undies, which I'm sure you're doing. But we literally asked him to feel them every 5-10 mins and tell us if they were dry. 

marcus7676

@May14th2011 we followed the oh crap book, which recommends going from no pants / diapers to just pants for at least a month, before introducing undies.  Undies are slightly restrictive which makes kids think that they are like diapers.  DS went without undies for about 2 weeks - - maybe try just pants?

ramennoodlegif

@harveyabbey77 Seriously with @jsl82 on this.
DD used size 4 the longest, while DS (who is 17 mos.) has been wearing size 5 since his 1st birthday. DS is currently 10 lbs. and 4" bigger than DD was at his age. He was smaller than her at birth, but was born at 38+4. My niece, who was born 11 days after DS is still in size 2. Seeing the two of them side-by-side is hilarious.

aharv77

@kfren I think that's what makes this so difficult! My Type A personality really wants me to get this right but the realist in me tells me that this is going to be impossible. I'm already farther ahead of the game than I was with DD at this point so I'm going to call it a win!

rnielsen321

Wow. I can't even believe how organized you guys are with the diaper thing. I cannot even fathom estimating how many diapers at what size. 

My LO was out of NB in about 2 weeks. She was 8 lbs 12 oz, and LONG. She never wore NB clothes. I brought stuff to the hospital that she literally never wore. And then she just kept growing. It is all a blur but she was in 12 mos by 6 mos, 2T by 12 months. 3T by 18,   and at 2 yo we are settled into 4T (if it is american, canadian brands are cut smaller) As for diapers, we saved the cash, clipped coupons from our mailers and price matched the heck out of Walmart. We were in a super tiny place, with NO storage... so no chance to stock pile.

You ladies! I bow down to your organization ad tracking!!! AMAZING!!

I am thinking that now I am a member of Prime, whether to do the diaper subscription thing. Anyone have any feedback? 

lisa2589

@rnielsen321 me! Amazon subscribe and save is my lifesaver. I constantly price check between them and Sam’s Club, and amazon continues to win. I get a box of diapers delivered monthly (though since she turned 2 we’re going through the diapers a little slower, so sometimes I’ll use the option to skip a month) and wipes come usually every 3 months or so. You get an email a few days before it ships every month so you can be super flexible if you need something a month earlier or later than you thought.  I used to do diaper genie cartridges as well, but did find that those actually are cheaper from Sams. 
Its just so nice not to throw a huge box of diapers in the cart while you’re trying to get a hundred other groceries and a toddler who won’t ride in the front part of the cart anymore. 

sunshineandwhiskey

@rnielsen321 No advice on the Amazon subscription, but I use the Honest subscription.  I love and hate it.  Its nice that diapers will always be there to show up in the size i need, but sometimes I don't need an "every 6 week" bundle of diapers.  So i'm constantly changing the ship date.  I would make sure you can do that with Amazon prime too.  I think at first it wouldn't make a difference, but now, we're not using as many diapers, and I definitely end up with a small stash. 

katelynrae86

What @rnielsen321 said! I'm impressed by all this organization  (I love a good spreadsheet, @sunshineandwhiskey)...I stockpiled some when I was pregnant, but now I just head to costco for a giant box when we are getting low. Although, I should check and see if Amazon would be a better deal.

kmurdock925

I had a decent stock pile with DD1 and I think 1 pack of size 1s and 1 pack of size 2s for DD2 but I'm barely thinking about stock piling unless I see a killer sale.  Honestly- I think returning/exchanging the boxes where I needed a different size was more of a pain than just going to the store (or sending someone or amazon-ing) for a new pack.  I'm probably the minority there, lol.

sunshineandwhiskey

@kmurdock925 i agree actually!  I'm glad i stock piled, but I probably won't for this one.  They say most places are nice with exchanging, but every time i went they gave me attitude.  I'd rather just wing it haha or i'm thinking about the subscribe and save

lisa2589

@kmurdock925 I agree! And you never know if your LO will have a sensitivity to a certain brand. I have a box of NB, a box of size 1 coming, I think I’ll just order one of each size up to 5 so that when it’s time to switch sizes I’m not SOL. 

catlady1215

@kmurdock925 I'm not stock piling for this one either. I had a lot cause of the shower with DS. But I almost feel like a FTM cause he's 5, cause i can not remember how long he was in each size. So I don't even know what to guess. I know he lost weight the first month cause breast feeding didn't work. But he plumped up fast at 2 months and kept going. He was a Chubs. I might just buy a smaller pack of nb and size 1, in the brand we liked, to start and see how it goes. 

kmurdock925

@catlady1215...yup, I don't even know if I'm going to buy any nb.  While I'm not planning on having a shower or anything (DD1 is 18 months...and new baby is also a girl...so it isn't really necessary) I wouldn't be surprised if someone buys some nb diapers as a gift.  I also know I make big kids and nb diapers don't last so I'll take as many from the hospital as I can fit in my bag, hahaha.

I think I'm on board for the 1 box of each size.  DD1 is currently in 5s and 6 at night so I'll have plenty of those around.

murraydog2008

I did Amazon subscribe and save with both kids. That's actually how Amazon hooked me in the first place....When I was pregnant with round 1, Amazon was just ramping up their subscribe and save program and you could get some really deep discounts.  I agree with what others said about it being so convenient to not have to lug a big box of diapers from the store and to have them just show up at your door. They also are the best price if you're comparing name brand diapers.  I've never stock piled before and felt like this was a good way to get diapers.  I also made the jump to reusable diapers on my #2.  I didn't use them for the newborn period, but once he was big enough to fit into the reusable ones, they were great! We still did disposable at night because they don't leak but I loved saving money! If anyone wants to talk about reusable diapers, I'm happy to help you sort it out. It's totally daunting at first, but once you get into a rhythm, it's great! Even my DH (who is at home with the babies) was able to use them easily.  He was asking me over the weekend if we can get the reusable ones for the newborn phase too.  I don't really think for us it's worth the investment to get those ones because this is our last baby but I appreciate how excited he is for diapering our baby. hahahaha

catlady1215

i really need to look up this amazon subscribe thing. I only just got prime last month so I'm behind on stuff. but I'm all about avoiding store runs.

mytinc

@MamaLlama14 - I currently have two kids in preschool (3 years old and 4.5)  The 3's class only meets Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9:00 - 11:30.  The 4's class is Mon - Thursday at the same time.  The pre-k class is Monday - Thursday is 9:00 to 12:30.  So despite DS1's friends mostly going on to pre-k we kept him in the 4s class just to make pick up easier on the three days a week they both have class.  We were assured he could go from the 4s class right to Kindergarten with no issue.  We both work full time so we coordinate a neighbor picking them up from daycare to take them to preschool and then DH takes them from preschool back to daycare during his lunch.

It will be nice next year when DS1 is in kindergarten and we only have one in preschool (but we'll still have two in daycare).

llamamama14

@mytinc Yeah I'm going to try to get them both Mon/Wed or both Tues/Thurs. Both for the ease of pick up and drop off and for more of a break. There aren't spots at the school where I can coordinate schedules but I'm gonna get on a waitlist.

marcus7676

@catlady1215 prime is a necessity with a NB! How did you survive before?    I made so many MOTN orders (swaddles, more milk teas, sleeping things).

catlady1215

@marcus7676 I have no idea! Lol. I only started shopping online after having DS. But now i figure DH works late a lot in the summer... DS with his hyperactivity is not fun in a store... then add lugging a NB? I will not want to be hitting up stores. It was time lol.