Peter Harris

Good point - Solid advice. I’d also lock your router’s 2.4 GHz to 20 MHz only and set a fixed channel (1, 6 or 11) instead of auto so it isn’t shifting at night. If the camera allows it and force night vision to stay on or off to stop the IR LEDs from repeatedly toggling, and give the cam a DHCP reservation or static IP so lease renewals don’t knock it offline. If it’s a non‑Wi‑Fi monitor, re‑pair to a different channel and keep both units away from big metal, mirrors, and microwaves.

The 3‑month rule is solid but some off-brand heads have dye that fades faster than the bristles wear, so trust splaying and feel more than the color. If yours look worn in under 6–8 weeks, that’s usually too much pressure or a abrasive toothpaste - ease up and consider a gentler paste. Rinse well and store the head upright to air-dry instead of capping it; staying dry helps the bristles last closer to that 3‑month mark.

Agree with you - Co-signing those sets and you’ll get more “YouTube vibrant” results if you keep a limited palette: a transparent yellow, phthalo blue, and quinacridone rose will mix almost anything without needing 24 colors. For a small space, pans are tidier than tubes, and a cheap white dinner plate works perfectly as a mixing palette. Also skip sets loaded with opaque white or chalky fillers - those mute the glow and make blends look flat.

On a tight budget I go by the first few ingredients. If you see sodium lauryl sulfate or ammonium lauryl sulfate up high and skip it for daily washing. Look for gentler cleansers such as cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium cocoyl isethionate, or disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, plus moisturizers like glycerin and panthenol and fatty alcohols. Avoid SD alcohol or denatured alcohol near the top since that can be drying. Color safe wording is a plus. To make it last,, pour some into a small bottle and dilute with water so it spreads easier and you use less each time. Wash the scalp, squeeze suds down the lengths, then condition the ends. Stretch it.

Oh man, I totally get that model frustration as a new parent and those middle-of-that model-night feeds are tough enough without equipment acting up. I had a similar issue with mine overheating and it turned out that model sensor was getting gunked up from mineral buildup in that model water. What worked for me was giving it a good clean with some vinegar solution every couple of weeks, and that stabilized that model temperatures a lot. Also, try testing that model milk temp right after with your wrist or a thermometer to catch it before feeding. Hang in there, you'll figure it out. If it's still wonky,, maybe check if that model outlet is providing steady power, sometimes that can mess with appliances.