Parenting Contents Archive

Cat naps in the crib, but contact naps for hours

My 3.5 month old will nap for 30 min or less in the crib, so I’ve just been sitting in the rocker with him in my arms for 1-2 hours at a time. He sleeps fine in the crib at night so I don’t know why naps are an issue there. I would like to get stuff done around the house when he naps, but he hates the carrier. How do I get him to stay asleep in the crib?

I did it!!!

It only took 30 years, but as of (last) Monday, I’m an empty nester!!! And yes, it is glorious!!

Dr chided me about drinking and I feel ashamed

So I found myself drinking out of stress and went on naltrexone to help cut down on my drinking with my GP. I go to skills therapy, couples therapy, exercise, have a good “village” so I have plenty of support and healthy outlets that I’m working on using. I had to get my liver enzyme levels checked with a blood draw and the doctor yelled at me bc my enzymes are high 😭 she said I absolutely have to cut down on drinking. I’m proud of myself for the first day in a long time that I didn’t even have 1 drink—maybe that’s embarrassing, idk, it is progress for me. I just felt so ashamed when I got the test results even though I’m moving in the right direction and now have a bigger fire under my ass to take care of myself. Momming with a 3 year old and newborn is hard 😭 anyone else been through something similar?

Them: "The early days are so precious - Don't blink or you'll miss it!" Me:

I'm a bad mom

I don't know what to do. I've realized today that I avoid my baby at all costs. I don't neglect her. But I don't engage her to play. I don't want to hold her because she spits up and squirms and it's easier to just set her down and pop the binky in her mouth all day until her dad gets home. She doesn't get any meaningful fun time until her dad is home. I just ... don't want to. I want to do anything else. Watch TV, play a game, read a book. I don't know what I wanted from this post. Just wanting to know if anyone else has gone through this maybe.

Introducing a Lovey at nap and bed time was a GAME CHANGER!

At 15m my son who is sleep trained since 7m started having difficulty at night falling asleep independently. It sounded like he was really distressed so we held him to sleep the nights he cried. One night my husband and I both tried to hold him to sleep and it just didn't work. An hour passed and we were getting desperate. So I gave my son a lovey that had been sitting unused in a drawer, put him down in the crib with it and left the room. He immediately snuggled up to it and fell asleep! It also helps him during naps. If he wakes up halfway through the nap he has trouble falling back asleep without my help but if I put the lovey in the crib with him he will find the lovey and cuddle with it until he falls back asleep. Just thought I'd share this idea in case it helps someone else out too :)

HOW DO I DRESS HER FOR BED AFTER 9 months??????

I feel stupid asking this but please somebody explain to me why it seems like they just stop making sleepers for babies after 9-12 months. Also- it is summer yes- but why are all the pajamas short sleeved? Am I missing something here? Aren’t we supposed to be putting babies in sleep sacks and not having blankets in the crib? Then why are all summertime pajamas short sleeved while all sleep sacks are sleeveless. AM I MISSING SOMETHING? I sure as heck am not going to be able to sleep if my arms are just bare. And why do they stop making onesie pajamas for babies after like 9 months. What is this world we live in?

Toddler turning 4 in July, hates having his teeth brushed.

Idk what to do I'm at a loss for words. I understand their hands are not fully developed at this age, so he will need help brushing his teeth. When I let him have the toothbrush, he just holds it, or sucks the toothpaste right off. (Don't worry, it is fluoride-free training toothpaste.) However, when I help him, he just screams and hits and kicks and has an epic meltdown. It is like this every single time I try to help brush his teeth. I'm at loss for words, I don't know what to do. I'm always gentle with him and talk calmly to him, but he just screams bloody murder or hits/kicks me every single time. Please don't judge me. I feel like a failure of a mom right now and I'm crying as I type this post 😢 I just want my baby to have healthy teeth.

HELP! Baby will NOT sleep unless held. We’re losing it.

He’s 11 weeks old and we have tried it all. Putting down awake, putting down asleep, heating the bassinet, heating the crib, rocking, shushing, white noise, fan, swaddle, transition swaddle, etc. He’s been like this since birth. If he’s put down, he will only last 20-30 mins MAX before he is actually awake and upset. It’s not active sleep, he’s actually awake. Anyone else have this happen? What did you do/how did you manage? When did you get them to sleep independently for longer stretches? I’m not even looking for sleeping through the night at this point! My husband and I are not personally open to bed sharing (though nothing against it) and we are currently taking turns sleeping in shifts overnight. I’d like to not have my day start at 3am for much longer if possible.

When is it “spoiling?” Evidence based only please

I see many people say “you can’t spoil a baby. If they’re crying, they need something.” “Baby” is a vague term… some people think of their 18 month old as a baby; some don’t. Example: A brief Google search tells me nighttime weaning is not recommended until 6 months old; this is because apparently they do not actually NEED to eat, but wake up out of habit. I understand there is a point where babies put together “I cry, Mom appears.” Based on scientific evidence, when is a baby capable of putting together this type of cause and effect? And is that the point where one can let them cry it out as long as they are fed, clean and safe?

Speech therapy for (almost) 4 year old?

My son is two months away from turning 4, and I'm really worried that his speech is not as developed as it should be. When he had his 3 year check up, the doctor recommended speech therapy, but another doctor also told us it would likely work itself out. A few examples: Store = "gorr", Toy = "ko" Lunch = "nun" Water = "nyanyr" Floor = "gorr" (same as how he pronounces "store") And so on. We read and sing every day, and we have done so since he was born, but I don't know what else to do. Now that he is almost 4, I'm very worried that it wont disappear on its own. I don't even know how I would MAKE IT to speech therapy... (we are a 1 car household; wife works during day and I work at night). Has anyone gone through this or have any advice or tips or suggestions. Open to anything really. \*edited to say that in all other areas of development he is normal or above average\*

Dropped her first toilet deuce 🥲

I bought my 11 month old a baby potty from IKEA and figured, still young, but why not get her acquainted with it? Sat her on it for three minutes or so, telling her to "push", and she did!!!! I hadn't even thought it through beforehand because I didn't think she would and then realized *do I wipe her standing up now??* I even took a picture to remember her first little toilet turd. Becoming a parent makes you weird and I'm ok with it!!

Long Vacation Car Ride

Hello! We have a summer vacation planned and it will take 10 hours to get there by car. We will be taking our 20 month old and 6 year old. We are trying to plan the best time to leave. Do we break it up into two days? Do we leave in the middle of the night like 1-2am? What has worked best in your experiences?

Gifting neighbours on becoming parents?

My neighbours welcomed their first baby and I want to gift them something. We are not very close but they live two doors next to me and we exchange pleasantries when walk past-by. I have a 10 month old myself but being an east Indian I have no idea what the cultural norms are (they are caucasian). Need advice, thanks.

Need advice on baptism

My husband was raised baptist and I was raised catholic. We possibly want to get our baby baptized but don’t know where to start since we don’t belong to a church. Advice?