Parenting Contents Archive

Do you wash baby clothes you just brought home from the store?

Do you wash the baby clothes you buy brand new or the ones you got at the baby shower before you put your baby in them?

"Don't do anything without the baby you can do with the baby" what can you do with your baby?

This is my mantra because it reduces (imo) how much work there is every day. Having a baby adds about 12 "man hours" to every day. For example I take my 9m to the grocery store with me because that's 1 hour total. If I left her home with dad it would be a 1 hr grocery trip and 1 hr of child care (2 man hours). Dad can do other chores or relax while we're gone. If I can keep an eye on her while making dinner that's what I do for the same reason. So what have you figured out you can do with your baby?

Extreme guilt

We've started sleep training using the Fuss It Out method (i.e., CIO in 15 minute sessions). The baby's gone to sleep, but I feel so bad for leaving him to cry his little heart out on his own, he sounded so sad and scared. I feel sick and like I might cry. Anyone else get like this? Does it get better, in anybody's experience? I'm worried he won't love us anymore, or will feel like we don't love him.

How to get my (5YO M) kid to focus on activities when things get tough?

As my kid (5YO, M) grows, I am slowly getting him to take on more activities, such as swimming, Taekwondo and biking. It's a good thing that he tries out the activity, but he will soon lose interest in it when things get tough. He likes to play and be goofy all the times, which I am perfectly OK with. It is when we have to start building his skill or when he is taking classes, that he doesn't take it with focus compared to other kids in his class. I try talking to him on numerous occassion about being serious/focused/paying attention to help him grow, but it's not working. Is there any suggestion I could try/say to him?

7 week old - struggling to put down

He cries and cries and cries for well over an hour. We’d feed, change and rock/walk… eventually he’ll settle in one of our arms… we go over to the pram or the crib and go to put him down and it’s like there’s a hidden trap that signals his body to jump into life and start the process again. Any help guys? I’m on about 3 hours broken sleep a night. We try baths, little play time, tummy time and reading short stories. The crying just is at a stage where we are not sure what the best thing is to do. Verging on a wailing/screaming which upsets my wife and leads to me walking laps around our house that would rival a marathon distance. Any help would be great. Tips Tricks Stories Anything

Any tips for getting my toddler to talk more?

He's 19 months but only says a couple words: basically "mama," "up," "uh oh," "ball" (pronounced "ba"), car (pronounced "ca"), and "kick" (occasionally). We're going to get him speech therapy but there's a bit of time to wait to be evaluated. I am wondering if anybody has advice as to what I can do in the meantime to help him talk more. I feel a bit guilty for his speech delay as I'm a quiet person normally, and it's just not in my nature to talk for the sake of it. I've been trying to increase my efforts in this area, narrate our days, say words over and over to see if he will mimic me, but so far, it's not helping. He watches Ms. Rachel but that hasn't helped his speech either. Even my husband who is much more chill about this issue (and milestones in general) than me said he needs to learn some more words. I see other toddlers his age sometimes and he seems miles behind in speech comparatively.

Feeling like a mom but not a wife/girlfriend?

Any moms out there that feel like a mom but don’t feel like a partner? Lately I feel more like a baby mama than a person in an actual relationship. It’s been weighing on me, I just want to feel like I’m not alone on this

I’ve never been more annoyed with my baby then I am right now

God I have so much mom guilt… I feel so annoyed by my own baby. All he’s doing so far today is crying and crying and crying and I’m exhausted and don’t even kno what to do.. I feel like I hit a wall. Hes 6 weeks and this is the first time I’ve been this upset with my baby… Please tell this is normal? Idk what to do.. I need a break before I break Edit: Yes.. feeding, changing, burping him all day.. he’s usually a great baby but so far today he has been so fussy and idk why but today it’s been so hard for me to deal with

How do i deal with the guilt and stress being unable to sooth my boy

My partner gave birth to our little boy 9 weeks ago quite a stressfull situation and honestly a miracle they both survived. Over the past few weeks ive struggled to bond with him at all as i work so much and hardly get to see him as much as id like to drop a few days at work i really cant afford too, and then theres the crippling guilt i feel everytime he starts crying and get super stressed/pissed off i hate that it makes me feel like this and i dont know how to deal with it (disclaimer i love him to pieces and have never shouted or ignored him when hes crying) i really need help i honestly have very little idea as to what im doing beyond burping, changing and feedig him. How do i bond with him, what tricks do you guys suggest to help calm him, how do i relax.

Miscarriage Support?

I’m honestly not sure if this is the right place to post, but I’m looking for support groups to help deal with miscarriage and all of the emotions that come with that

Throwing up formula, not breastmilk

My 6 week old has been exclusively breastfed, with the exception of having a bit of formula in the hospital when he was first born (which he kept down). We’re trying to supplement with formula to prepare when I return to work but every time we feed him, he throws up (retching, crying, turns pale) almost immediately. We’re doing small feeds and sitting him up. NONE of this happens when breastfed. We’ve tried the yellow Enfamil and the purple Enfamil. Should we change brands? Change to soy? Keep trying this formula as I’ve heard it could take 2 weeks for them to get used to it? Has anyone had this issue? Appreciate any advice/insight!

Daughter calling my bf Dad

So, I have never encouraged her to do this and neither has my bf. Her dad is currently in her life so I don't know how to feel about it. She calls my bf of almost 2 years Dada. He's been here since day 1 and was more there for me when I was pregnant and just friends then her father was(we where not together when I found out I was pregnant.) So he very much is like a second dad to her but I don't want it to hurt her bio dad's feelings or be disrespectful. We currently correct her by trying to get her to say his name instead but she will still call him Dada. I don't know how to handle this. This is my first kiddo and I want her to be happy and everyone to be comfortable. She's currently almost 18months(1.5y/o)

What age kid do you feel is too young to play in a safe neighborhood unsupervised?

I have a 5 and 7 year old. I'm fairly confident they could stay safe in our low-crime, low-traffic suburban neighborhood, and would love to let them roam a bit, unsupervised. (I realize my 5-year-old is too young to do it alone and wouldn't send him out without his older brother). What worries me is other parents who might think it's inappropriate (or worse, call the authorities). What age kid(s) would make you think, "Oh, that kid's too young to be out alone, I should intervene."

445am wakes

Hi all, My kids have always been early risers (5:30ish) but since moving house it has crept earlier and earlier. The boys (3 and 1.5) now share a room so once one wakes the other does too. I can’t seem to leave them as they just escalate each other. Does anyone have any advice or tips??

I'm so pathetic 😭

I'm a single 38 year old hag with a very special needs daughter. I don't date due to life circumstances and I don't have any friends (lost all of them when my ex and I separated). I WFH as a Customer Service Rep and some of my shifts are in the evening when my daughter is at her dad's. Well, lately one of our Sales guys has been chatting with me, most likely out of boredom during these nights (nothing inappropriate or flirty). He made a very funny joke and so now I feel all twitterpated and even had a sex dream about him last night. He lives on the other side of the country (Canada) and I can't get in a relationship due to the circumstances with my daughter so I don't know why my brain even bothers entertaining these thoughts. Being lonely sucks but I'm choosing to find it funny.