Squatty potty is too hard even for my coordinated 4 year old to balance on to effectively self potty- the turning to put seat down the turning back requires too much foot position changing. We have an ikea step stool we use and I use that as my squatty potty.
$7
It’s possible that just breastfeeding will be enough as babies are more efficient than the pump. I personally would breastfeed and see if baby still seems hungry or if they seem satisfied.
I am almost done with potty training for kid 2 (just diapers at night/naps now), and have never used a small potty seat. We have a lot of bathrooms in our house, and so we have a few different configurations, but have also used others while at friends and families houses. Any old (comfortable) potty seat with a hook and a step stool will work imo. They just need to be able to reach both of those things on their own. I like the one that mounts to the toilet right into the lid best, but the kids like this one best for comfort.
https://www.frysfood.com/p/fisher-price-the-perfect-potty-ring/0088796147666
Yes!! We did this. I’m posting here to remember to come back later and respond in more detail.
We started “early” in the sense that if Pipsqueak ever wanted to sit on the potty we would praise just that action. It happened maybe once a month or so starting around 24 months. Something clicked around 2.5 and she started being able to release on the toilet. It was still very infrequent and we never pushed “trying” but if she say on the potty she would usually go. Still on the once a month or so frequency.
We planned to do full potty training a little before 3 but then we all got COVID and delayed it for 3 months since we had travel and other big events planned. What we did instead during that time were several “practice days” where we gave her juice boxes to drink and went naked indoors for a few hours or the whole day. I know some people think that’s confusing but we were very clear that it was just a low-pressure day to practice and learn, but it wasn’t the REAL DEAL. For our kid that worked great and when we went fully into underwear at 3 yr 1 months she didn’t have any accidents the first week and has only had 4-5 accidents in the last 4 months since then.
FWIW Our daycare recommended delayed potty training (until 3ish) and the book “Stress Free Potty Training” which I really liked and had different sections based on different kid personalities.
ETA the squatty potty thing didn’t work for us either and we have different step stools I’m every bathroom depending on the space. One from target that looks similar to the IKEA one @Bracken_Joy posted and one from Amazon that has handrails.
Age… I think @Economista had decent results with her youngest training early. My second is also very into training and often only needs 1-2 daytime pullups OR catches stuff midway, holds and finishes in the toilet. He has used cuba big toilets with no seat, tiny cuba daycare toilets smaller than a daycare toilet here, regular and giant toilets here. He sometimes wants the little seat.
I probably will do a stretch of parent led training with him soon, because he is stripping off and running to the toilet midstream anyway, and his brother is having accidents. So why not 
.
With B1 his succesfulest training was a winter one, but we can heat the house pretty well.
Yes, D2 was fully trained without daytime accidents by 2.5. She was very motivated and we always let her guide us. If she wanted a naked day we gave her a naked day. She started doing full naked days without accidents at 24 months. However we 100% leaned into the little potty and had one in every room, so she never had to hold it for more than a few steps before sitting down to pee. D1’s OT also stressed how important it is for them to have multiple potty options, not just the big toilet, so that they have a choice about where to go. The whole toddler choice thing.
We potty trained Spore at 2y 3mo. (He wore an overnight diaper until close to age 3.) We wanted to try to do it well before the new baby. He regularly had dry diapers, and a lot of his slightly older daycare friends were training at the same time. We lucked out, it clicked pretty easily. It was about 3 days of full-on home time and 3 weeks before he was pretty reliable.
One of our bathrooms has a combo seat insert + ladder. It’s a pretty bulky plastic thing but very easy & comfortable for him to use and move by himself, and you don’t need to wash out the potty.
We take a bunch of road trips though, and the little plastic potty has been clutch for that. For quite a while it actually just lived in the car.
We had a car potty for ages. And took it to stores and malls. So I complain but actually look how far we’ve come!
Need some social skills guidance.
Meowlets classmates love him. In the morning, when they see him in the parking lot, they always say hi to him.
He ignores them. Even if I prompt him, even if they keep trying.
Just straight up ignores them.
Whereas when he sees any non classmates, he’s very excited to engage with kids (especially if they are older)…
I just don’t know. I don’t want to hurt other kids feelings but I can’t force him. And I’m not sure how to help him work through whatever it is to get him to say it back. When I ask him why he doesn’t he says “I just don’t want to/I’m bored/I don’t like them.”
Anyone have any thoughts? I know @rocklobster you have a shy kid.
Shy is a word for it. 
We may get a different one when we complete her behavioral testing in two weeks. Today was our intake appointment and the very lovely and obviously experienced pysch----? basically made all the right nods and sounds, asked the right questions and finished our sentences(in a good way) as we tried to describe things and at the end said, “Well I think it’s clear based on what we have here that we should pursue the testing.” Onward then!
Umm so. Solidarity? For now we do tell her that she doesn’t have to play if she doesn’t want to, she doesn’t have to talk if she doesn’t want to, but she does have to be kind. So we do force her to answer a greeting, but after that she is allowed to say, “I don’t feel like talking right now,” or “I don’t want to play, thank you.” This is my own strategy and not like…a professional one, and clearly only works because she’s verbal and mostly seems happy with the compromise, and then will repeat the phrase or be happy to ignore a friend while she plays the way she wants to. But in contrast she’s really excited to see the kids in her class or any babies, and less excited about older kids, especially if they are particularly loud or wrestle-y. So IDFK but I don’t think that helps you, I’m sorry.
Side note: I am taking a 4 week online parenting group right now with the “How to talk so little kids will listen” author and it’s so refreshing and helpful. She has exercises that we do through the week and then we get together and discuss how it went - it was a little pricey (and it goes from 8-10pm 
) but I recommend.
Oh and this is all about me and not you, but I feel compelled to say it in the interest of full disclosure - I think the biggest problem for me in the scenario you described (when it happens to me) is the natural tendency to feel some residual embarrassment in front of the other adults in the situation. I’ve had to work really hard to let those fucks go and let Pebbles be herself - as is. It’s easier said than done though, of course.
Maybe modeling for now? You say hi to the kids, you respond. And in private, you explain to Meowlet that this is the way of the world, we respond to not hurt their feelings, be polite, however you want to frame it, even if we don’t want to play or don’t like them. And then with the modeling, maybe you can ask him to join you in it eventually. Like, “Let’s say hi and wave at them together!”
Oh that’s interesting! I think for me it’s less embarrassment or shame, but more like… reciprocity? I expect parents to guide their children to behavior that is friendly and kind with regard to Meowlet, so I want to do the same for them.
When he stims I don’t actually notice it (because to me it just makes sense that it’s part of his language now), but when he randomly starts speaking pretend languages, it’s embarrassing haha. I don’t really express that. I more just narrate what he’s doing to offer context to others. “Oh you’re speaking some Arabic now? That is so fascinating.”
I really like that idea! I also think we can practice and play it out and maybe that will help him understand how the other person or kid feels if they don’t get a greeting.
Should I be avoiding eating eggs myself since I’m nursing and my daughter is allergic to eggs?
I think so. When D2 was showing symptoms to egg I had to cut it out of my diet or stop nursing her. I had to cut out egg, soy, and dairy
I figured as much, but I’m surprised it took me a few days to go oh, maybe I shouldn’t eat eggs…
Yes. I bet you can worry less about the unknown allergy now.
I don’t think this is a hot topic in this group that will make everyone mad?! But let me know
Ok, teething and Tylenol. Bernito is five months old today and in the early stages of teething. Three nights ago he was inconsolable and Tylenol did calm him down, so it felt like the right thing then. 10/10 would Tylenol inconsolable baby again
Last night was kinda rough, and I was on the fence about it? Wife said he was up every half hour, and then tapped me in at 2:30 to feed him. He was up from 2:30-3:30 and wouldn’t go down after eating, which is unusual for him. He seemed uncomfortable and eventually passed out. I was going to give him drugs if he was still up at 4, but luckily he fell and stayed asleep.
He’s normally such a happy little dude that it’s a big change to see him upset. We’ve had the normal regression stuff that looks like him waking up often, but he’s usually pretty easy to settle.
No fever and no other symptoms, pediatrician grandma was a little skeptical that it was teething until she saw him in person.