Parenting Contents Archive

Internet tells me we’re getting so close!

Has anyone taken their newborn to therapy with them?

I’m due in a little over a week and my next appointment is the day after my due date. I really need to keep my appointment… but I had to move pretty far from therapist and I don’t want to be away from my baby that long. Virtual isn’t an option with my current circumstances. If I happen to give birth before then, would it be inappropriate to ask if I can bring him/her? I’m assuming they’ll sleep the entire time, or at least that’s what I’m hoping for… Also, I would never even consider bringing a child to my therapy appointments if it wasn’t a newborn. I know it’s not preferred. Opinions?

Sad reality..

When you give your parents a grandchild and all of a sudden they got toys and McDonald’s money now.. 😭😂

Anything I should know/have before taking my one year to the beach?

We never took my son to the beach last year, because he was under one and wouldn't have really enjoyed it in my opinion. This year I think he'd love it, so I'm thinking of taking him often since I live so close. I'd love to know any essentials I should have besides sunscreen and any tips or tricks.

My husband bought me a sandwich

It doesn’t seem like much. But I had back to back meetings for 4 hours this morning. And he noticed and picked something up for me when he went to get his own lunch. He even ordered me the thing I always choose at the restaurant he bought from. We’ve been working on building back from a low point in our relationship and this just feels like really great progress. I’d choose a consistent amount of this level of consideration over showy gifts any day. Happy Friday y’all!

I am so done

My husband is away for work and solo parenting just fucking sucks. I'm done with feeling overwhelmed by fucking everything. I'm fed up with being overwhelmed and then snapping. Kid and dog both got yelled at today. I'm supposed to be a "cycle breaker" and instead, I'm the Mom Who Yells. I wanted to be the Gentle Parent Who Never Loses Her Cool but I deleted Instagram because if I saw another "it's not ok to tell your kid they hurt your feelings because your feelings are your responsibility" or "if you yell at your child you are ruining their life" post I was going to actually lose my goddamn mind. *Screams*

Does the vent system in Dr. Brown's anti-colic bottles actually do anything?

I've fed my son from Dr. Brown's bottles since birth. He's now one year old, but still takes most of his calories from bottles due to developmental delays/medical issues/feeding troubles. (We're working on transitioning him to cups and solid foods but it's a slow process even with speech and OT!) My son does well with the narrow neck Dr. Brown's nipples so speech/OT don't want me to switch to a different bottle model. But after a year of hand washing those pesky green plastic straws, I'd love to just ditch the vent system and use the bottles without them. Do they actually meaningfully reduce the amount of air swallowed? Thanks in advance!

I miss my freedom

I love my little chunk so much but currently crying because I hate missing out on important things with my friends or choosing which friend to support. I miss being able to leave the house and return when I wanted or leave multiple days in a row. Just needed to let this out.

I realized I'm already in Get Off My Lawn mode

I'm glad my kids play outside with their neighborhood friends, but my patience is wearing thin. I've literally seen their friends slam an aerosol can in front of our driveway and not pick it up, throw a water bottle I just politely gave them into our yard, and leave snack wrappers (also that I provided) in our backyard. I've said something in the past but (internally) lost my sh*t today when their friends rang the doorbell 3x in a row. I was polite but had to say something and ask they not do that. I'm all about age appropriate behaviors and giving kids grace, but I only have so much patience. I've entered the Get Off My Lawn Phase 20-30 years early. Edited for grammar and no permission to repost/reuse this.

What's the creepiest/weirdest thing your kid has said?

My 5yo daughter constantly says the most nightmare fuel things. Or just looks behind us and giggles or waves and says it's her secret friends. One of her friends is apparently "the spider horse" or something. Anyone else's kids do this? My partner says it's probably normal but we're both kind of new to parenting

Diaper brands

Hi I'm someone who doesn't have any children. I've been invited to a gender reveal where you bring diapers or wipes depending on which gender you think the baby will be. Can someone please reccomend good brands? And what size should I get? Thank you I'm advance. (I don't really trust the commercials)

6month old tried a donut today

My six and a half month old has been eating since four months and loves foods. We’ve been through quite a few allergens with no issue. We visited a local donut shop today and the baker gave her a little donut hole and she got to take a little bite before her dad ate the rest. Someone tell me this makes me a cool mom and not a bad parent. 😂 until then she’s only had homemade baby food and breastmilk so this was a special treat.

How do I potty train my brother with delayed speech?

My little brother has Down's Syndrome and will be turning 6 this December. He doesn't speak he only babbles sometimes, but he's pretty clever! He still wears diapers but he grabs my attention and stands next to the bathroom when he needs to be changed. We do have the potty thing and i did try and explain it to him and have him sit on it multiple times but I don't think he understands what he needs to do after sitting on it. I did try and make him sit there when I felt like he could need to use the restroom soon but it's like he thinks the potty isn't used for you know what. He only ever signals that he needs the bathroom after he's done with his business. Any tips on how I could approach this? also!! sorry if my explaination wasn't the best english isn't my first language.

Am I the A*hole?

So I feel like an A*hole atm, we’re on Easter holidays for a few more days and I’m trying to get the kids into normal bedtime routine as that has slipped slightly, not fully my fault but will take the blame. I’m a single parent with two kids aged 6 & 3. My 6yr old has suspected ADHD anyway he fixates on things and has to do them or he ends up having a meltdown. Well it’s 7:35pm I’m trying to get them to sleep, he’s upset crying because I told him he couldn’t have a book in bed as he fixated on a particular story. Anyway I gave in let him spend 15 minutes reading every page back to front continuously but I feel like an A*hole, surely I should be thrilled he wanted to read but I was more interested in getting him to go to sleep 😤😫

I married a non English speaking immigrant. What first language to our teach toddler?

Hi fellow parents. For those of you living in bilingual households, what language did you teach first to your child? Context: I’m a bilingual American (Spanish and English). My husband only speaks Spanish. Our two year old understands both but isn’t really grasping how to form full sentences yet. I feel like we are all over the place and it’s not fair to our sons development. I speak to him in both languages, my husband speaks on Spanish to him, my husband and I only speak in Spanish, daycare speaks in English. He’s getting a good mix of vocabulary in both languages but I’m worried that we need to stick to one language so he can learn to construct sentences and express himself better. I’m a stay at home mom so what I teach him will have more weight since he interacts with me more than his dad who works long hours. I’m stressed because i think we are confusing him. One min I’m speaking English then i then to dad and speak in Spanish and flip flop all day.