Parenting Contents Archive

Do you expect your kids to care for you when your old?

I'm struggling to figure out how much money to put into thier 529 college accounts. Making choices between minor medical treatments for myself and college savings is hard. So is deciding between fun things now versus lifelong investments for them. I haven't found a good answer for just how much I split those funds. So I start googling financial planning with kids. And almost every article says something like "don't neglect your retirement becuase it will be costly for your kids to take care of you". Personally I find the thought of relying on my kids financially pretty disgraceful. I'd honestly rather die that be a financial burden on them when I'm old. But based on what I was reading it seems pretty common for parents to expect that from thier kids. Am I the weird one for thinking this way? Additional context: I'm American in case that wasn't painfully obvious. I have a better than average retirement saving but these days that probably won't be good enough.

16 pound baby in size 4 diapers?

Sooo my 4 month old baby is 16 pounds 1oz (he’s also 26 inches but idk if that has anything to do with it) the last time he got checked which was a little more than a week ago.. and he just kept having constant blowouts wearing a size 3 diaper. Like a lot of blow outs. I decided to try out size 4 diapers on him to see if it’ll stop the blow outs. Why did it work? He’s not even in the weight range for size 4 diapers yet it fits.. I’m confused lol

PSA: PPD is not to be taken lightly. Please seek assistance ASAP at the first signs and symptoms .

Severe Congestion

Does anyone have any advice for bad congestion with a newborn? We just got back from the doctor after a long night of no rest due to the congestion. Doctor assured us not to worry and to just use saline drops and suck out boogs 3-4 times a day. He is sounding better but the wife and I are nervous about another scary night listening to the poor guy suffer. Thanks!

Would you fly without your partner?

My mom just asked me to come out to see her this summer and I am lightly considering it. My son will be 6 months at the time, the flight is like 80 - 90 minutes, and I would only be gone for 2 nights. Would you do it?

Should I lie to my husband about the next one lol?

I feel so bad…. My husband is the most present father but he misses all of her firsts because of work. We’re both active duty military but I’m home with her all the time now because I’m getting ready to separate and we have no childcare here. But that means he has days where he’s gone for like 32 hours because of duty, and this girl waits for all those days to pop off with a milestone lol. Her first time smiling, her first real laugh, how much she has improved during tummy time, her first reaching and grabbing moments, and last night while he’s underway, she has the nerve to roll over lmao. She was getting so close but waited until the evening of his underway. He gets so sad. Should I just lie on her next one and when he sees her do something I’ll just be like omg no way how crazy…. Anyone else have a partner with bad luck? To be fair, she only shits during the day with me lol.

Fast dinner ideas I can make in 20 minutes?

So I have 2 kids, oldest is 26 months and youngest is turning a year old this week. My dilemma is that my oldest has speech therapy 4 times a week about half an hour after I get them home from daycare and pretty soon after that my youngest goes to bed so I have maybe 15-20 minutes to make something for the youngest before the session starts. I can’t cook after that because my oldest won’t pay attention during therapy if he knows I’m making food as he can see the kitchen from his table. I can’t move him anywhere else as we have a very small apartment. So right now I’m only making a couple of quick things I can throw in the microwave for the youngest but I hate feeding her the same thing every day. I am also making a separate meal for the oldest after she goes to bed and I would like to make something for both of them at the same time just to cut down on cooking. If anyone has suggestions I would really appreciate it as I feel like I’m drowning against the clock daily.

What to get as a baptism present as an non-believer?

Please remove if not the place but I am not sure where else to ask. My best friend is having her youngest baptized on Sunday and I will be attending. They are not super religious but her family is Catholic so it’s important to them. I want to bring a gift but every gift I see is either a cross or a book about praying, etc. I support her baptizing her children and whatever she chooses to teach them about her religion. I am an atheist and this has never been an issue within our friendship. Would bringing money in a card be rude? I just feel super disingenuous buying a cross or something super religious. Any ideas for other things or if cash would be ok?

How are you keeping your hollow legged kids fed?

It's 2pm here and my 12 month old has eaten, 1 can of Vienna sausages, scrambled eggs and avocado, 2 packages of belvita crackers, a cheese stick, a cup of milk, yogurt, Cheerios, peanut butter crackers, a banana and an orange. He has also had a nap and three cups of water. I feel like all I do is open snacks while making meals for this kid. Which I'm fine with but is there any way to maybe get a few minutes of extra time in between meal prep so that I can get some cleaning done?

Do you avoid buying baby clothes with buttons?

I just got my first order from Kate Quinn and I am OBSESSED. However, I noticed there were buttons on the back off all of the dresses I ordered. Aren’t buttons a chocking hazard for babies? Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable on their back if they are laying down? Am I over thinking this… 🤣

On the use of trees in diapers

Help with hurt feelings

It’s me… I have the hurt feelings. My fifteen year old son hates me and his father. He won’t talk to us, yells at us and his siblings, cries when we finally do get mad at him and try to set boundaries. In school he’s an a honor roll student, liked by both staff and students. He’s active in sports, music and other activities. He’s had a wonderful life with loving, supportive parents. And he hates us. I know it’s hormones and probably a phase but I feel like this is going to break me, like I’m constantly walking on eggshells waiting to see what mood he’s going to be in when he wakes or walks through the door. How do I toughen up and not take everything so personally?

Is it okay to let my baby cry while I get something done real quick?

My LO is two months old now and wants to be held most all the time, which is expected, but it makes getting things done so hard. I really need to pump, move a load of laundry into the dryer, make myself some food, etc. Never anything more than 15 minutes. I set him down under his play gym and he usually is okay for a minute, then starts to cry. Is it okay to let him cry for no more than 15 minutes so I can pump/eat/etc?

Mom guilt

Even though I love spending time with my baby and they are the light of my life…. Sometimes the hours of peekaboo and picking up spoons (that will be thrown again immediately) begin to drag on and I look forward to putting them to bed. I’m so tired. I know I’m not a bad mom for feeling like this (I think) but the guilt is real.

How do you stay at home moms make money?

I work from home in payroll and billing and was trying to work with my job on working modified hours so I can take care of my baby during the day. Most of the work I do can be done any time of day and my manager didn’t have a problem with it, but HR won’t let me. Now I have to figure something else out. I’m so upset because this was my favorite job. I can get by working part time even, I just need some income coming in for bills. About 25,000 annually. What are all you other stay at home moms doing to make some money?