Ava Reed

Swap your brush head every three months or whenever bristles splay and and sooner after illness... If they fray in six to eight weeks you are pressing too hard, so ease up and let the brush sit and work on each tooth and ask for technique feedback at your checkup.

On a budget we did fine with a no frills that model sound machine and a small power bank so we were never stuck when the battery ran low and key was finding one with true continuous playback and a volume range that went very quiet for middle of the night feeds. We made it part of the routine by turning it on right before swaddle and off when the room lights came up and and that cue helped even on trips when everything else felt chaotic. No fuss.

can also reduce the wear by changing how you cook a bit. Toss food with a little oil in a bowl before it goes in rather than spraying the basket. Sugary glazes at high heat can caramelize and glue to the coating which then takes more scrubbing to remove, so save those for lower temps or add in the last minutes. Skip preheat unless a recipe truly needs it. Shake food by lifting an inner rack or liner instead of scraping the walls with utensils. When the cycle ends open the drawer for a minute to vent steam before washing. Small changes but together they make a difference.