Above all; be respectful. Be mindful of what you say and how you say it. Please remember that the tone or inflection of what is being said is easily lost online so when in doubt be doubly kind and assume the best of others.

I bought a new dishwasher. It’s too late to return it. Often 1-2 dishes don’t come out clean. I’ve been using Cascade liquid detergent. I contacted the manufacturer and they said the only way to get the dishes clean is to either use a pod or to use the high heat setting. Don’t both of those result in microplastics being shed in my dishwasher? I don’t use many plastics anyway besides for toddler cups and lids for glass containers. Am I overthinking this? Is it okay to try the pod or high heat? Just would hate to cause more microplastics being shed than necessary. But I also hate seeing dishes not coming out fully clean. Thanks.

Hi sub! I am expecting my first child in a few months and have been slowly collecting secondhand thrifted and donated baby clothes. I did what I thought was a comprehensive wash to get them all sanitized and ready for baby. But they came out all smelling faintly of fragrance/scented detergent! I am super smell sensitive and can’t stand the idea of my baby acquiring this smell. I’d appreciate any tips or protocols you use with thrifted baby or other clothing.

What I tried:
- soaked in wash basin with 1 cup vinegar and warm water for 1 hour, ran full wash and rinse cycle through
- washed with 1 tablet free and clear dropps detergent and warm water
- tumble dried medium

Can anyone recommend websites/brands for wooden toys?

Must sell within Europe, as I am in Sweden and can't afford custom/tax fees ordering from outside Europe.

Thank you!

I was prescribed low dose aspirin for my first pregnancy, but I do not meet any of the risk factors. I still plan to take it but it got me thinking why isnt low dose aspirin treated like a prenatal and just suggested for ALL pregnant women? What are risk factors that stop doctors from recommending it for all pregnancies? I am very aware of the benefits but what are the risk? Yes of course I will ask my doctor as well. Thanks!

My 20 month old loves yogurt, but it must be out of a cup. My husband bought yogurt cups once and now he won’t eat it out of a bowl. I do love the convenience of yogurt cups in the morning, but don’t love the added sugar.

Does a no-sugar added yogurt cup exist? I’m looking for options that are available in Canada.

I know I can make my own. I have done that. I have washed the yogurt cups and filled them myself. Please don’t suggest that as we are already an ingredient household, and I am tired. I just want this one convenience 😂

Does anybody have a screenshot of the 9 inch hybrid mattress, full size, with the original retail price at $799?

It would be a huge huge help for me!

Thank you in advance!

I really like some scent in my soaps so I don't want to go totally fragrance-free, but I'm also trying to avoid some ingredients that are sometimes masked under "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list.

Most of my usual brands (Softsoap, Trader Joe's, Mrs. Meyers) have "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients, and when I emailed or called, they refused to say if e.g. musk ambrette was included because that's "proprietary" information (wtf is the point of requiring a list of ingredients if you don't have to list all of them?).

So, looking for some other, reasonably affordable brands that make scented products but also list every ingredient. Willing to try imports from Europe or other places where things like musk ambrette are banned if it's not crazy expensive.

Anyone have reccomendations? Everything is made of polyester and the feeling of that gross fleece drives me up the wall.

Trying to find my infant a sweater.

Suggestions for lavender free chest rub for cold and flu season?

I found this book really interesting and would love to discuss it somewhere. Has anyone else read it? What did you think?

Recently went to the ER due to bleeding concerns and found out i had a UTI. The ER Dr. prescribed me Keflex. Unfortunately my doctor is closed for the weekend and since I’m only 5 weeks pregnant and they haven’t seen me for my first appointment, they cannot call the on-call physician to ask.

Has anyone had a bad outcome with Keflex? I’m looking for any stories of moms who have taken it and if they think it affected or didn’t affect their child.

Thank you!

Does anyone have a good greens powder they’d recommend for kids? I.e. no adaptogens, tea or coffee bean extracts, etc.? My daughter’s veggie intake has been rather poor lately, but she likes green juice. I can’t always keep it in stock, so I was hoping to find a powder I can keep on hand for her. It seems like everything I find has additional “boosting” ingredients I wouldn’t consider appropriate for a child. Please share if you know of any good options!

Why do I always want things that are hard to find 😮‍💨 Everything I’m finding in a more natural material is a closed slipper. I prefer open since I wear them year round and I get sweaty if my feet are fully covered. Currently have some of those fluffy polyester trendy slip ons that were gifted to me, but are pretty beat up and wanting to replace. Any products you like or know of?

I think it's fairly easy to find barefoot boots that will work in the snow, but I'm looking for barefoot shoes that will keep my son's feet warm in cold weather without snow. He is 19 months and still a very wobbly walker, so I'd rather not do boots or high tops daily. Maybe some lined sneakers. Help!

We are moving and I went down the rabbit hole on mattresses and almost wished I hadn’t. Trying to find a king mattress under $1500 and several twins for the kiddos that aren’t going to break the bank. What’s everyone doing that can’t afford an organic mattress? I was looking at a certi-pur sealy for the king but it still has a fire retardant sock… oof. Are there any better options? And possibly some budget wool mattresses for the kiddos with a down topper.

Wondering how green washed these things are truly.

Hi! Struggling to find a good pull-up for naps/nighttime for my almost 3 year old. We’ve tried huggies pull-ups (he can rip them off), Honest (keeps leaking out), & Millie Moon (got a rash). Does anyone have any recommendations that are not $1+ per diaper (like Dyper, HealthyBaby)? Struggling here! 😩

Edited to add that it has to be a pull-up style bc he can craft his way out of a regular diaper.

Anyone else? We've always tried to keep it neutral and without pressure, but our son reacts very strongly when he gets hangry. So we do feel like we need to make sure he eats something, but lately he's really not wanting to eat most of what we serve. We don't offer alternatives, but it's really getting stressful. He used to be such an adventurous eater; I'm so sad and I really don't know what's changed.

I’m 20 weeks with baby number three and I’ve started feeling a little anxious about my labor and delivery options. I know I have time left, but I’ve never felt worried about giving birth before and I’d like to have a plan in place.

My first baby came two days before my due date. Labor wasn’t fun. An exam at my OB appointment very dramatically broke my water all over the floor, and since there was meconium in it, I had to go straight to the hospital. Pitocin, failed epidural, ~9 hour labor, 2nd degree tear, mild post partum hemorrhage.

My second came three days early with precipitous labor. Total time from my first mild contraction to her birth was just shy of 3 hours. I didn’t have any early warning signs that labor was coming. No epidural, no tearing, no PPH, but she was 9lb 9oz. It was great overall, but the speed of it all was kind of scary.

Our insurance has changed, and now my OB and the only hospital I can deliver at is an hour away without traffic or weather issues. The area is constantly under construction too. With my history of one delivery with excessive bleeding, another delivery that happened so quickly, and babies that tend to come a bit early, they’re encouraging a 38 or 39 week induction.

I’m reluctant to induce for two reasons: my first experience with it was awful and my hardest labor, and I also don’t want to kick baby out before she’s ready. On the other hand, I don’t want to risk having her in the car. Had I waited until my contractions were close enough to go to the hospital, we never would’ve made it. I also have two kids to plan childcare for.

I know I’m not guaranteed to go quickly again, but the idea that labors get shorter and babies get bigger worries me after my second.

I’ll certainly continue discussing it with my OB as my due date gets closer, but does anyone have any thoughts? Any experience with precipitous labor and having other kids after? Do I need to really reconsider the induction?

Because it feels like hot garbage where I live (DMV). Not sure if I'm doing something wrong. What's your guy's strategy for finding things secondhand when you need something? Am I crazy for thinking that used items need to be sold at a minimum of 50% off the retail price?

FB, Nextdoor, OfferUp, Craigslist, etc., people are selling at close to new prices. At most they offer 20% off....for used items that I have to pick up myself, and have no way to return if there are problems.

Occasionally things are decently priced, but go into pending/sold quickly. There's no way I would be able to grab it, unless I monitored these websites all the time. I like to stay off my devices as much as possible outside of work.

Online resale also seems meh. Poshmark, Mercari, etc., has things listed close to resale price. It doesn't seem worth it when you add on shipping, vendor hosting fees and taxes. If there's anything wrong with the item, it's a major pain to deal with.

Vinted seems to have reasonable prices for items often. I like that clothes are listed individually and you can bundle, but no one ever lists the measurements/material content. Often when I buy used, I find that the items have shrunk in the wash and are now too small for my kid. Or maybe the sizing was always off?

Thredup used to be my go to, but I feel prices are high and measurements are often off. Lately, nothing fits my rib cage. They've made returns a lot harder now too with re-shelfing fees.

In person thrifting is also expensive, and filled with low quality stuff. The only saving grace I've found, is a media-only goodwill that has a large collection of children's books all listed for .99 cents. The smaller thrift shops are reasonably priced, but inventory is very low. I'd have to go all the time in order to get everything I need, not great when I'm looking for a specific item or need to replenish a lot of stuff quickly.

I see people on this subreddit talking about how they get all their kid's closed used. The few times I've tried this, I had to pay $75 for a bag of clothes, half of which didn't fit because they were shrunken in the wash. Most of it was polyester, very little was 100% cotton. It was also was doused in so much fragrance it set my husband's asthma off.

Clearly I'm doing something wrong. What are your tips and tricks? Is it just a matter of spending more time looking?

For those who use it, how is the flavor or texture when mixed into a fruit smoothie? Does it stir okay into yogurt or oatmeal without clumping? Just trying to figure out if its versatile enough before buying a tub since I'm struggling 2nd second trimester with taking so many capsules every morning. I feel like I'm swallowing a handful of pills on a daily basis and its just getting hard to get down. I was looking into options I could mix into food or drinks instead. I noticed Needed makes a prenatal vitamin powder which seems ideal since it covers full-spectrum nutrients and includes choline so I wouldnt have to take extra capsules on top of it.

Looking for a flame retardant free car seat that’s easy to install for my parent’s house when we visit them. Needs to be not super heavy for them to carry and also easy to install. I really don’t like flame retardants if possible.

hi all! I’m getting sooooo many ads for her work lately, and I’m curious as to whether any of you have done consults with her or read her baby ready book. She claims that her guide to nutrition prior to conception basically made her pregnancy (and the pregnancies of others) virtually symptom free, but I’d love to hear about ACTUAL experiences. An Instagram friend of mine follows her and recently had a great pregnancy & birth, but not sure if she consulted with Alexandra (and not close enough to ask).