Parenting Contents Archive

How does everybody cope (or not) with the constant cleaning required when you have kids?

I was never a real clean freak until I became a parent. My wife and I find ourselves cleaning 2 hours during the course of the day which can be mentally exhausting and extremely frustrating. I just can't seem to let go of the idea that the house will be a perpetual mess so every night we do a thorough cleaning and get the place to look as clean as possible.. only to do it again the next day. I just can't go to bed with a mess everywhere and there is no way to prevent the mess unless you spend the entire day picking up. I have two young kids for reference. How do you guys deal with this / cope with it or am I being extreme?

My 9 y/o wants bigger allowance due to inflation.

Yes, she's 9 and argues that, since inflation makes everything more expensive, her weekly allowance should be raised. I guess she's got a point. I'm just smiling, feeling mind-blown, laughing and thinking how that kid always amazes me.

Hip seats, yey or ney?

MIL asked if she can see me c-section scar

FTM here. I delivered my son with an emergency c-section. MIL asked if she could see my caesarean scar. I find it kind of weird that she want to see a scar so close to my intimate parts, what do you think about this?

~72 hours old, struggling with weight

We just had our first on June 8th at a little over 37 weeks, born 7lbs 2oz, 20 inches. Everything is fine, she’s passed all her tests— except she’s dropped 11% of her birth weight already. Went to the pediatrician today, and she was pretty concerned. Baby’s actually been eating well since she’s been home (or so it seemed) but ped wants her to essentially double her intake, which is proving VERY difficult. I had a pretty traumatic hemorrhage immediately after birth that I needed time to recover from, so my milk hasn’t come in yet, colostrum just started. We’ve been feeding with formula. She enjoys it but almost always falls asleep at the bottle. Pediatrician absolutely wants her to gain weight by tomorrow morning, or there’s a possibility she’ll recommend a hospital visit. It’s feeling like a very harrowing race against the clock. Any advice would be so appreciated.

"We're too liberal with milk in this house"

He's mad because he gave 5 y.o. DD milk in a coverless cup. Ofc she did not finish it. I reminded her it was out before I left the room. He was present. He could have put it away or reminded her or gee, I dunno, not pitched a fit when 2 y.o. DD knocked the cup over later which resulted in milk seeping onto his paperback book. I'm the only one who remembers to put the kids' drinks in the fridge if they don't finish them. I also know they're small and don't drink as much as he or I do with our meals. So I don't give them a full 12-16oz of anything except water. Unlike him. Because he wouldn't know moderation if it pegged him. But apparently "we're too liberal with milk in this house". 🤔 Whatever that means.

Evacuated due to wildfires

Guys, I would love some good luck, prayers, blessings, anything, sent my way. We are in Alberta and we’re evacuated due to wildfires, again, and this time my house is in very much the danger zone. It is so close it’s scary. The weather is insane, the fire travelled 22km last night which is unheard of, and I’m just terrified. Thanks.

Quick Reminder: Flairs don't negate the sub rules.

Tagging your posts "Casual Conversation" or "All Advice Welcome" doesn't somehow translate to: "Free-for-all, shame everyone for following evidence-based parenting practices all you like!" I'll just leave this here for a bit then put the one about the blackout back up because I feel that's more important and this is just... ughhhhhhhhh. Also one other thing from the same threads: If you post links claiming they back your stance and we find that they do not (in other words, you're on here trying to con people), you will be permanently banned for the first offense. There is no coming back from trying to spread falsehoods in here to suit some agenda you have.

Abuse questionnaire in hospital.

I didn't know what flair really applied to this question I have. Is it standard procedure to have every woman that gives birth in the hospital fill out a questionnaire about whether or not they are victims of domestic abuse, or does the staff only give out that form if they see red flags/signs of abuse?

“Reverse” parental controls?

I’m pregnant with my first baby. My MIL lives with us. She leaves the TV in the living room on all day, whether she’s really watching what’s on or not. She babysat a friends kid this week and put kids shows on for her all day, which made me realize that we will definitely have an issue as I want to limit screen time for my baby. I really have two questions. 1) how harmful is it for my kid to be around “background TV” (usually the news) for most of the day? Will the baby be interested in it at all? 2) we have cable and streaming services. MIL doesn’t know how to use the streaming apps. Could I contact my cable provider and block the kids channels on cable? I would use the streaming apps instead when I want to put something on for the baby.

FTM - What are the necessities I should pack in my hospital bag?

I feel a little stupid asking this but I'm a FTM and I really don't know what to expect. What are the necessities I must pack and have in the hospital bag?

Baby won’t sleep

My 11 week old whips his head side to side and slams his legs onto the bed. He is so tired but can’t seem to sleep deeply. This just started happening. Before the last week or so he would occasionally get 4/5 hour stretches. No dietary changes or schedule changes. He is EBF and won’t take a pacifier or bottle😅

My toddler calls my boobs “babies” but it sounds like boobies.

I was so confused how she learned they were called boobies until I realized she was saying “babies” because babies drink milk from them. She then sucked on my arm pretending she’s drinking milk from them. Oh boy 😅 (For reference she’s 19 months and I have a 5 weeks old who nurses)

Is my baby playing in a playpen alone bad parenting?

So my LO is 8 months old and crawling and standing and getting into everything. My husband and I couldn’t let her out of our sight, even for a second, so we got out one of our larger pack and plays and put her toys in there so she can run around like crazy while we have a moment to sit down. But she’s now in there all the time to play with her toys as opposed to out on the floor. It’s large and we get in and play with her and she comes out to cuddle and she has a jumpy and she sits with us and snuggles so she isn’t in there 24/7 but maybe an hour of play in there while she’s occupied. Is that bad? I don’t wanna use it as a babysitter but she honestly enjoys her toys independently and is within a foot of us on the couch talking to her. Anyone else do this?

10 days PP and feeling stressed

I’m a FTM, 10 days PP, and feeling insanely stressed. Not sure if it’s the hormones or baby blues or what but I can’t eat, my stomach is in knots, and I’m crying a lot. Im breastfeeding and my baby is not gaining enough weight so I’m pumping and feeding like crazy trying to get milk in him. I’m sleep deprived and have a lot of intrusive thoughts about him suffocating in his sleep or someone dropping him on his head. I’m also still so sore from birth and my digestion is a wreck. I’m lucky enough to have my husband and mom helping out but I’m still feeling so overwhelmed. Just looking for any words of advice or if anyone can relate.