Parenting Contents Archive

My son is delayed and I feel so guilty

My son just turned 8 mo on the 15th, he still can’t get to a sitting position nor sit without support. I think the reason why is because he spends a lot of time on me , I have been holding him way too much I think and I might have not let him get on the floor that much for him to practice and get the confidence and now I’m afraid to go to his ped appointment because that’s my fault he doesn’t meet his milestones on time.

Millennial parents, what age are you letting your kids play outside by themselves?

I fondly remember being a kid in the 90s, before the widespread use of cell phones and GPSs, where I'd be gone for several hours a day with no ability to phone home and it was like a normal thing. For some reason that seems terrifying now that I am a parent. My son is still a long ways away from that point, but it seems like these days are long gone according to some of my peers with older kids. What is your policy?

Man flu

My husband caught a rare strain that's most virulent around kids bedtimes and in between kids wakeup and school dropoff. There's a daily miracle where he's cured as long as the kids are out of the house, or if we have plans with friends. Hallelujah!

Friend vaped beside my baby.

An old friend of mine reconnected after being out of touch for a few years. She's a big pot smoker and has been for a while.(she has no kids) The other day she was at my house and just whips out her vape right beside my six month old and took a huge puff. I freaked out and told her to stop and go outside immediately. She made it seem like I was overreacting, and got snippy with me. But I don't think I was. Im strongly re thinking this relationship. Am I blowing this out of proportion or is this something that would draw the line for you ?

I'm failing at everything and I feel like I'm losing my mind.

I'm seriously considering getting in the car and driving away. I keep screwing up and letting my kid down. Today I was 20 minutes late for pickup because I didn't realize it was an early release. Having a newborn and a preschooler is more than I can handle. I feel like a trash parent. Can someone please tell me that having two kids gets easier? It doesn't help that my house is falling apart. Today alone we have had issues with mold, the hvac, and the crawl space flooding. All of the problems add up to $30k. I just don't think I can take another thing going wrong.

Daniel Tiger!

So I am alone with my baby most of the day and we listen to tons of music! Let me just say that Daniel Tiger songs absolutely slap! Lol I can’t get them out of my head and I’m not complaining lol Does anyone else have a favorite kid song musician?

I Can't Catch a Break

I swear this is the first time in a year that I have the apartment to myself and I can literally hear my kids. Wtf?! Lol. My hubby took the kids to a playdate after school. They live in the adjacent building and my kids on their balcony making all kinds of noise (which is a no). Plus my hubby keeps texting me asking all kinds of questions. He actually asked me to help him so he could leave 🙄 How can one man be this fucking incompetent? His first play date folks. Lord, give me strength. I'm putting on my house music. Fuck 'em.

Baby-proofing room help. Moving 10mo to floor bed soon. More in caption.

So we're moving our almost 10 month old to a floor bed soon, and she will be able to roam around her room unsupervised (while we're asleep). My husband thinks I'm being way too cautious, which is why I'm posting here asking for help. The ball in the pics is roughly the size of baby's head, just a little smaller. Are these areas safe? Are babies dumb enough to crawl towards these areas and shove their head through? (Bear with me, I'm a new parent). Are the loose cords tucked away like that okay or should we adhere to the wall? In general, is catty-cornered furniture okay? I know a floor bed without guardrails needs to be at least 1 foot away from walls and furniture. But does that same rule apply for a floor bed with guardrails? I can't find anything about this anywhere. Thanks in advance!

Should I be “getting ahead” of diaper rash?

Hello! My daughter is just about 6W old. She’s got what I’d consider frequent but typical newborn poops. So far, I’ve not noticed any redness or diaper rash, so I haven’t been using much product. If she’s farting a lot I’ll put some penaten on as a barrier for the next big poop (if I catch it in time). I’m just wondering if I should be using cream proactively or reactively. Advice welcome :) thank you.

Vacation

I worked my ass off all week. I cleaned. I packed as best I could with an adorable unpacker by my side. I have pretty decent ADHD so I really struggle with packing in general; it’s especially difficult when a little girl wants to inspect every item and ask 500 questions per minute. I reiterated many times this week that I needed a good amount of time to ficus on packing, alone. I also need more time bc I have a few chronic illnesses that slow me down considerably. But he HAD to get several runs in. And HAD to mow the lawn bc he put it off several times. And a million other things that came up at the last minute. So guess who didn’t have any time to pack? Or shower? Or give the kid a bath? He predictably threw a fit that we were late to leave. We won’t get to my in-laws house until midnight. And they plan on leaving for our vacation destination at 7am. I’m going to pull my fucking hair out.

Do you refrigerate nursery water?

Just what the title says. I’ve never known anyone to refrigerate it, but the label says to once it’s been opened.

Conversations

What are your go-to conversational workarounds in instances when polarizing topics arise, it’s clear we have different views, and I don’t wanna go there? Normally I’m so good at staying level headed and coming up with thoughtful diplomatic responses, but with baby stuff it just feels so personal and triggering when people are being pushy! Every kid is different and I just wanna do what works for mine. You know the usual instigators of unsolicited advice: “sleep training”, breastmilk/formula, baby led weaning/purées, daycare, when to make transitions like bassinet to crib or starting solids, etc.

4 week old congestion

My 4 week old has been congested since birth, especially after drinking a bottle. It keeps him (and us) up at night and i found him gagging on it in the middle of the night. Doc said it’s normal, but it’s been 4 weeks now and it hasn’t cleared. I need help.

Safe or sanitary?

I have this Tiny Love playard and can't find any fitted sheet for it online. In the photo, I put a crib sheet on it, but it bunches up as it's too big. Does the bunching make it unsafe? Do I just place him to sleep straight on the mat? The mat cover does not come off for washing. So, I'm just wondering what happens if he has a blowout while he sleeps. I know people use the bassinet feature, but are they really all just using the mat naked and never putting the baby on clean sheets? What do I do? How does this work? Who made me the adult???

My dog annoys me since having a baby and I feel bad.

I'm a FTM to two month old and also the owner of a rescue dog who is 3. Prior to baby, my dog was my life. I went out of my way to give her long walks and new toys and brushed her teeth daily. Now I really hate going on walks because I have to carve out time from my busy day and i get annoyed when she is always following me or bugging to play. I feel bad and to make matters worse she has terrible anxiety and is a velcro dog to me. She hates my husband despite training efforts and medication. She growls at him and I'm fearful she will show the same behavior to my lo (they are always seoerate and I will not hesitate to rehome her should this happen). I just want a break from the dog responsibility. I hate how she follows me everywhere and I hate that I have to always discipline her when she barks at my husband. I used to look down at people who rehome once baby comes but now I get it. I was a huge dog mom before my baby came but now I just need a break and I feel awful.