Parenting Contents Archive

Baby's favorite non-toy toy?

My almost 9 month old is learning to stand and walk, so right now his favorite thing we own is a laundry basket that's roughly the height of his shoulders and he just toddles around in it happy as a clam. This got me thinking, what other common non-toy things should we be playing with?

Do you change diapers at every night feed?

That’s basically the question. I have a 8 week old, who is doing two 4ish hour stretches at night. We have been changing his diaper during his night feed (usually a bottle with dad) but it tends to wake him up and he has to be actively put back down after eating. The other day we got thrown off schedule and he woke up for 2 feeds. The second time I was just too tired and grabbed him from the bassinet and nursed him til he fell asleep in bed and it was sooooooo easy. Did I miss the memo in this one? Is this how others do night feeds? Or does a baby really need a change at night to stay healthy and comfortable?

How old was your baby when you got your first smile

My partner is deploying when our son is 6 weeks old and won’t be back until he is 7 months and I’m hoping he will get to see his first smile before he leaves

When do you get used to your new life as a mom?

I am scared. Even when things have improved a lot after three months of my baby, I still feel I am mourning my old life and get pretty overwhelmed at times, is this normal? Should I get used to the suffering of worrying about making a good job as a mom?

Siblings can’t be separated

I have two girls a 3 yo and a 4 yo (yes, i know, i dont know how i did it either). They play together all the time. Sometimes, the other would not do stuff unless the other one is there. When we go to the park or at a playdate, they still play with each other and not play with the other kids (sometimes they do interact but only for a few minutes then they’ll go and do their own thing together again). Is this normal? Im just worried that they will not have any friends.

Breastfeeding with COVID?

My husband just tested positive and I’m so nervous my 6 month old and I will get it. I have always EBF and wonder about others experiences? I’ve read that the antibodies pass to baby if mom is infected. I’m hoping this will result in a mild case for my baby if she does get sick. Just looking for some reassurance. Thank you in advance.

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Under 5 covid vaccine in the US

Has anyone vaccinated their under-5 baby for covid (I'm mostly interested in babies closer to 6 months than 5)? In my state, there is very little information on the vaccine. I can't find a pharmacy that offers it for under 18 months, nor can I find a pediatrician that carries it. Just looking for general experiences here.

Itching?

Anyone else dealing with being very itchy post partum? I literally feel like I'm covered in gnats. I've had my husband check my head for lice and obviously none but I itch so much! I'm usually a dry person to start but this has been so much worse. I assume it is all to blame on hormones. Next step is back to cold showers. Oh how I'll miss my relaxing warm showed. Any advice for itchy skin besides more water...good lotions? Maybe an oatmeal bath...

I don’t want to go back to work

I only got 8 weeks of maternity leave and I go back on Tuesday. I’m dreading the thought of working and having to deal with a hungry/crying baby. Thankfully I WFH and so does my husband but with the little sleep I get I don’t know how I’m going to accomplish anything. I’m so tired I just want to cry.

Feeling frustrated, inadequate & failing my kids

So it’s summer and my young teens are spending all day in their rooms. Yesterday they were stoked about getting out of the house after I suggested we need to do SOMEthing. Aaaaand now they’re both “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. Nah.” The hell, man? I don’t want to be a dick about it the way my father was and be a brute and force them out of the house for adventures. That dude was on another level of crazy and I don’t talk to him anymore. But I’d love some advice or ideas on how I can encourage or motivate my guys to do something adventurous or whatever. Thoughts?

8 y/o still pretends his stuffed animal talks to him

For some context, he is on the Spectrum and is kind of "young for his age." He has a stuffed animal that he really loves and sleeps with every night, which I think is adorable. However, he pretends like this stuffed animal talks to him. He'll often say things like "oh Rainbow told me that there is a lake near here!" (And weirdly enough, when he says things like that, it's usually true.) He will have back and forth conversations with this Teddy bear. He even plays board games with him. I don't think that there's anything wrong with that at all, I had stuffed animals as a kid and played with them for a long time as well. I just wonder if there's a certain age where I would need to be concerned because it seems to him like it's very real. Am I being too worried about something that I shouldn't be? I know it's different because he's on the Spectrum I just wanted some reassurance

My 4yo daughter is afraid of housefly

I (35m) have 3 daughters 6, 4 and 2. Lets say their names are Katara(6) Toph(4) and Azula(2). Toph has been sleeping in the same room with Katara for 2 years now. She used to say I see shadows and I am afraid of them and we used to sleep with them until she fell asleep. Now she is afraid of all the bugs too especially ants and houseflies. Now she can't go to the toilet if there is a fly inside. Saying they are harmless doesn't stop her. Ps: My wife is afraid of bugs too.

When did you move LO to their own room?

Our LO (2wo) sleeps in a bassinet in the living room for day naps and in a bassinet in our room at night. Is 3wo too early to move them to a bassinet in their own room with a baby monitor? My husband goes back to work in a week and I feel like we will sleep better (in the 3 hour stretches baby gives us haha) if we don’t hear every grunt and movement from baby throughout the night but I’m also terrified to move him out of reach so soon. When did you move your baby from your room to their own? Any advice?