Parenting Contents Archive

Ear piercing -- Pediatrician uses gun

Hi all, My 5 year old wants to get her ears pierced. I'm debating whether to go to a piercing salon that uses a needle, or her pediatrician who uses a gun. Honestly I'm surprised they use a piercing gun as I've heard you can't fully sterlize them? and are inferior to needles... But on the other hand, it IS at a pediatric clinic. I'm leaning toward the piercing salon because they'll have more experience and probably better equipment? Thoughts?

My son made a poop angel in my carpet

Today I sat my 15 month old in his play yard in my living room so I could use the bathroom and change clothes real quick. I left him alone for not even five mins. In those five mins he took off his diaper pooped in the floor then rolled around and smeared it in my carpet. Then when I picked him up he put some in his mouth and ate it. I started panicking calling his doctor to see if I needed to do anything for him. They said just monitor him. I’m traumatized by how gross this is lol I was Litterally hosing him off forever it felt like. I can’t get it out of the carpet either so any tips on that would be great. Oh and it’s my birthday so I guess his present to me was a massive poo stain in the floor. 😂

My ex husband laughs at our 11 year old son

He laughs at our son when our son gets upset or has emotional responses to things. Our son is emotional. He has trust issues and he has low self esteem and I worry that my ex is going to mess him up so badly. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips?

Disaster news coverage can trigger PTSD in kids — even if they are thousands of miles away

When disasters strike, the flood of images on TV and social media can have a powerful psychological impact on children – whether those children are physically in the line of danger or watching from thousands of miles away. Research using brain scans shows how simply watching news coverage of disasters can raise childen’s anxiety and trigger responses in their brains that put them at risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms. It also explores why some children are more vulnerable to those effects than others. Read more about the findings and tips for parents: [https://go.fiu.edu/disaster-news-ptsd](https://go.fiu.edu/disaster-news-ptsd) *Thank you for reading /ScienceBasedParenting!*

Elementary-aged parents: what shows/characters/brands are your kids in to?

I’m curious what brands/shows/general things are your kids are in to come elementary school? I have preschool-aged girls and like everyone else in their class, Elmo and Paw Patrol are life. Disney Princess are just starting to become a thing. At drop off this morning, another mom was talking about how her oldest (going in to 3rd grade) is officially “over Princesses bc they are too baby for her now.” I asked her what comes next and she had no idea. It got me thinking—what are kids in to these days? (esp girls, since that’s what I have and what I know) I feel like post-Disney princess is too young for mainstream pop culture but then I realize that I got my first two CDs—Britney Spears and *NSYNC—the Christmas I turned 9 (I know, dating myself here) so maybe not? Are there any pop culture phenomenons that only elementary school parents know about, much like Cocomelon was revealed to me upon having a baby?

Baby hanging out

Lol- just as the title. How much are you hanging out with your baby? Like she loves her play gym, loves her swing, loves her walks, loves to breast feed, and nap and her bouncer, sure we talk thru-out the day but I mostly work while she’s doing her thang and I’m doing mine - is that bad mother material in the making ? Yes I chat with her and sit on floor with her for a short burst through the day!

Risk of large group (~500-1000 ppl) exposure and meeting newborn?

FTM, 36 weeks. MIL just decided to go to a large out of state conference the week of my due date (this is not for work, just to see old friends) and is still expecting to come visit immediately after. People will be coming in from all over the world and sounds doubtful anyone will be masking. We are trying to decide if we should tell her that if she does this she will have to wait to meet baby and for how long after. Any advice for large group exposure close to meeting baby?

Saw an unsafe setup at a "Stay and Play" at a Y. Should I report what I saw? Am I just a nervous FTM?

Hey all, maybe I'm off the wall just tell me kindly. I went to tour a Y facility with my husband and we checked out the stay and play there. Max 90 mins time inside for a child, you stay on site and work out, babies at least 6 weeks+. What I saw though has me very worried. The cribs had loads of blankets, pillows, and toys in them. There was only one person stationed in it and they told me they are not required nor do they have training in child care so I don't think they know 'better'. (They won't even change a diaper - they call you for that. Kinda useless with a two month old but anyway. 🤷) Should I report this somewhere? Am I being overly paranoid?

Did anyone have a small baby who eventually became normal size? Feeling defeated.

My son was born 3 weeks early and has mild pulmonary stenosis but is otherwise healthy. However he is TINY. 1st percentile for weight and 2nd for height (70th for head though lol). He was growing along the curve but lately I felt he’s not and took him in and they said he isn’t growing as much as he should so I need to increase the calories in his milk. I just feel sad that he’s so small and what if he’s just like that forever? Did anyone else have a small baby but they eventually caught up? He’s 13 weeks and 10 lbs 3 oz so he’s not even close to the 12-13 lb mark to sleep through night. My daughter was a big baby and slept great at 2 months and ate well.

Cloth masks for Pollution

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9904893/ TL; DR: Cloth masks provide very little protection from pollution when compared with surgical masks and N95 masks. However, if cloth masks are fitted with a replaceable filter, then they can be comparable to N95 masks. Flagging this as Corona because I thought I could resuse my COVID cloth masks. This study shows that I can't.

Did anyone have a small baby who eventually became normal size? Feeling defeated.

My son was born 3 weeks early and has mild pulmonary stenosis but is otherwise healthy. However he is TINY. 1st percentile for weight and 2nd for height (70th for head though lol). He was growing along the curve but lately I felt he’s not and took him in and they said he isn’t growing as much as he should so I need to increase the calories in his milk. I just feel sad that he’s so small and what if he’s just like that forever? Did anyone else have a small baby but they eventually caught up? He’s 13 weeks and 10 lbs 3 oz so he’s not even close to the 12-13 lb mark to sleep through night. My daughter was a big baby and slept great at 2 months and ate well.

How often do you play with your kids?

Growing up, my parents rarely played with me. I grew up with a lot of cousins and I’ve got my sister as well. My wife and I truly enjoy play time with our kids (2&5) but there are days that are just too much. My 5 y/o after an entire day at school constantly asks to play with her, which I do more often than not. I know I will regret declining her invitation at times once she’s older and more independent. Am I the only parent that feels this way? I’m guilty as hell but sometimes, after a long day at work, I’d like to be able to just sit down and do absolutely nothing which in reality, is impossible at this stage. I’m just ranting at this point and would appreciate other’s thoughts.

Where is my son getting this?

My 10yo son has recently starting being unruly and insulting me. He calls me things like a "brokey" and an "NPC" I don't know what those words even mean, are they young peoples phrases? The other day when I told him to eat his veggies he said I was "an agent of the matrix" which I don't understand because I have never showed him that movie. I tell him to do his home work and he just says he's "working on his side hustle" and that modern education isn't important and when I try and talk to him about where this is coming from he just tells me I'm "failing in every metric" I just don't have any idea where he is getting words/ideas like this from and I really don't know how to deal with him anymore!!

When did your LO say their first actual word?

Curious as a FTM to a 10 month old!

Am I the only one that feels like a failure because my baby can’t fall asleep alone?

I’ve tried what seems like all of it.. She’s 12 weeks tomorrow and I’ve tried drowsy but awake… pacifiers, rocking, shushing, hand on chest…. Idk what else to do. All these sleep courses make it such a big deal and I feel like I’m failing and she’s getting older and I still have to transfer her in deep sleep. Aside from the transfer, she’s a good sleeper. Gives good stretches. Naps are still short and random and I extend with contact naps. Ugh.. **sigh** that’s all.