Parenting Contents Archive

"God, I wish mine were non-verbal!"

No you don't. These fuckers are not quiet. Non-verbal does not equal silent. It equals more screaming and crying than the average child. My son has been squealing for three hours and I'm fucking LOSING IT. I know they're not being serious but the next person to say this can babysit for an hour. I can't deal with this for a minute more fucking hell. Anyway, I'm going to go drown myself in the fucking shower.

Did your high needs baby make you not want anymore kids?

My boy is now 4 months and after getting through colic I have now begun to accept it’s not just a phase.. he’s definitely a high needs baby. Which is kind of nice because at least now I’m not thinking “we just gotta get though the colic” or “we just gotta get to month X then he will chill out”. After looking into it he’s definitely high needs. I was convinced I wanted another child but I don’t want to chance having another high needs baby- I think I would just absolutely die of exhaustion haha. Especially if he is a high needs toddler and child.. I mean I couldn’t even imagine him as a high needs toddler alongside even a Buddha baby! It just sounds like way too much. Even my cats asking for treats feels like too much on the really hard days with him. Has anyone else felt they didn’t want anymore children because of a high needs baby?

Has anyone changed their baby’s name?

Or have you thought about it? I have a 2 week old. I thought I liked her name when I was pregnant but now I’m having serious doubts. It is obvious that no one really likes the name including friends and family. My husband still likes it. This name is short and easy to pronounce. It’s in the top 100 names currently. She doesn’t have a middle name. Should I change it? We are having trouble thinking of a replacement name. Has anyone changed their baby’s name before? Do you regret it? Are you happy you did it or didn’t do it? I’d rather not share what the name is.

Watching the Duggar documentary, sobbing.

I have been pretty emotionally vulnerable to sad or tough stories especially about children and babies lately. And.. I am watching the Duggar documentary just sobbing. How could you do this to children. It’s like looking evil in the eye and seeing how they spread the evil specifically targeting the most vulnerable people who depend on them for love and safety. I am sick to my stomach. Sobbing. Hugging my babies a little longer today like it will up for the pain endowed on these poor children.

toddler safety backpacks/"leashes"?

I have an 18-month-old who is highly active, runs when walking would suffice, will not hold my hand (and I'm not about to squeeze it to death so he can't escape), and doesn't respond to his name very well. I've walked around our neighborhood with him a couple times, and he loved it so much that he often begs me to do it again, but I just didn't feel secure with him running totally free. it makes it a stressful experience for me rather than feeling like I spent quality time with my son. I really want to try one of the backpacks with a "leash" attached, but I know they come with some stigma and seem dehumanizing. I just want my son to have fun and be safe. is there any research supporting or denying negative effects from these backpacks?

What do your older babies/ toddlers wear for naps? Especially when they are just down to one midday nap?

I’ve been doing a full change into pjs and sleep sack for naps for my toddler for years. They are 3.5 and 2 now and my older son just stopped napping but I still make him lie in bed to listen to an audio book to at least chill for 30 mins and I change him into pjs because I don’t want his play clothes in bed…but then I also realize he is putting his dirty sweaty self into his pjs/his bed (and like might have a little sunscreen on etc). We sometimes do pre-nap bath if they are just absolutely feral that morning and covered in muck but usually if it was just a normal park day, we do what I described. It’s annoying to do a full change for both of them twice a day (and then back into play clothes after nap)…idk I’m just curious what everyone else does. Is there a better way?

Is it okay if your baby is little?

My baby was just under 6lbs when he was born at 38 weeks. We eventually got him up to 25th percentile but he has slowly been dropping. Now, at 7.5 months, he’s just over 15lbs at 2nd percentile. For context, I’m 5’4 and <100lbs so very petite. My husband is also slim. The doctors are confident it’s genetic. My son eats 30-35oz of formula per day, isn’t fussy, and sleeps through the night. That said, everyone I know who has had a small baby seems so worried. I’m wondering if I’m missing something. Could this be impacting his brain development or something?

Why is my husband like this??

I have tried to talk to him about this. His tone when speaking to me is so condescending and obnoxious. My mom and sister have noticed and brought it up to me. The thing is he speaks to his sisters this way sometimes too. Honestly, it’s embarassing. I just got off the phone with him and he was in a public place. I can’t believe he’s OK with other people overhearing his ugly tone!! I would say about 50% of the time he speaks to me this way. Any tips on how to get my husband to speak to me with some level of respect??

At what age did you let your child use a public bathroom by their self?

Trying to get a general consensus on if my husband and I are irresponsible parents or if my MIL is being unreasonable and overprotective. I’m talking specifically about multi-stall public bathrooms that are in generally safe environments. I am interested in knowing what age you would let the child use the toilet in the stall alone and what age you would be ok with the child going into the bathroom on their own.

Part time, daycare consideration

hello, interested in the groups perspective on this. My wife and I would like to put our child in daycare for part of the time. we are trying to decide whether it’s more advantageous to do five days a week for a half day each day, or fewer days of the week but the full day on those days. Are there any things to keep in mind in deciding between these approaches? Is one approach more commonly offered by daycare centers than the other?

Just put my kids to bed at 5pm

3 YO has been throwing a tantrum for a couple of hours. She doesn't nap anymore because she wouldn't 75% of the time, and if she did nap, she would be up till midnight. This means cranky toddler in the evenings most of the time. The last time she had a tantrum like this, I put her to bed and she magically stopped. I just put her to bed, at 5pm, and she is happily laying down in her room. Fucking mind blowing. 5 month old is fussy as hell, of course. Sorry baby boy, you get an early bed time too. They normally go down between 6:30-7, but I don't give a shit tonight. I have had to wake up at 4am the last two mornings, money has been tight, AND we had to fire a really, really good employee (totally justified, unfortunately. Still fucking sucks). I've been stressed as hell, and got damn these kids are going to bed at 5pm so I can take a breather. I'll regret it in the morning, but I'll deal with that later. Cheers

Chicken pox

So, I'm aware there's chicken pox going around my daughters nursery. I want your opinions as I don't know what to do. Half of my says do nothing, if she gets it she gets it. The other half of me is saying asking for her to meet the kid that's got them currently so she has that immunity ? What do I do ?

How short of a memory do you need?

We have a 12 YO adopted son. Wife and I are both teachers. Yesterday we were both not feeling great and wife wanted to cancel an ice cream date with family friends. I could go either way but I supported her. Son was upset and couldn't seem to understand that she was not feeling well. Also not feeling well but willing to compromise, I offered to bring him but wife didn't like that I was making a decision for her. Things...took a turn. I spoke to him awhile later, he wrote an apology letter, and things should have been good. Right? Fast forward to today and wife is still mad at the boy. She won't look at him. She's short with him. While he was in the shower, I mentioned that it might be best to try talking to him soon. She doesn't think he has learned his lesson, but I think he did. In your experience, especially with this age, how "short" of a memory is necessary to move on? I want to honor her feelings but I also don't want him to needlessly feel guilty.

For anyone who has decent/great baby's that slept, how bad did the 4 month regression f that up for you?

My baby is approaching 4 months, and he's a decent sleeper. It isn't a sleeping through the night situation and naps are mostly on the short side but overall I can't complain. He's a baby. I'm wondering how bad the sleep regression will be for us. Anyone who has a good or decent sleeper, how bad was the four months regression for you? And how long did it last? Did you do anything to help?

YOUR diet

Has anyone on here successfully improved their diet? Weird question, but as an older parent, I really want to improve my health and am considering moving to a plant based diet. Parenting can be stressful and exhausting though, so it’s tough. But I’d love to heat success stories! I’m also going to start working out again. I had a baby four months ago, and know it will take awhile, but am tired of feeling so out of shape!