Parenting Contents Archive

Why do people think it's okay to comment on your body just because you're pregnant?

No, I'm not having twins. Yes, I'm positive. No, one is not possibly "hiding behind the other." I have had two ultrasounds, both only show one baby. I am a small person and it's my third pregnancy. Of course I am going to be bigger faster, that's just how it is. I am seriously about to cry with the amount of my coworkers who feel the desire to have this exact conversation with me. I'm almost half way through this pregnancy, yeah I have a f*ing bump.

I’m so angry

I finally see my cousin after three long years and we go have dinner with my mom and SIL for 2 1/2 hours and my husband calls me 3 times asking questions and at the third call he was getting rude because our twins were getting tired and suddenly he forgot their nighttime routine even though I told him where he can find everything over the phone. When I came home I screamed at him for the first time ever because it made me so angry and frustrated how he can go out for hours and when I’m gone for a couple of hours once a month it’s like the world is ending. He’s not even apologizing because he does not think he is in the wrong. Normally I am not getting that agitated but my cousin lives in japan and I basically see her only a couple of years, so yeah i am getting emotional and I don’t care.

Kids parties just aren't what they used to be...

It's really sad tbh, I remember kids parties being so much fun when i was a kid. Now nobody shows up and even family you have to basically drag them to the party you're paying for. lol I gave everyone a disclaimer "no gifts necissary, just show up and spend the day with us!" I'm renting tables, chairs, and a tent... I'm even buying a bounce house because I have two toddlers (3 kids in total) and it's cheaper to just buy one then rent one for every birthday. I have one sibling who's showing up with his kids so far, I have given everyone 22 days advanced notice and my other three siblings are busy I guess.

Can I hear from parents with small babies? I feel like I’m failing.

My son was born 7 pounds even and was back to birth weight plus an oz at his 2 week appointment, which was about 15th percentile. At his 1 month appointment today, he was only 7 pounds 15 oz. He dropped to the 6th %tile. His next appointment was supposed to be in a month, and instead we’re bringing him back in a week for another weight check. We’re switching formulas to the A.R. They’re guessing he’s not gaining enough because he has reflux and spits up a lot. We had him on Nutramigen because the hospital thought his spit up might be due to a cow’s milk protein allergy. We don’t think so though because he had no other symptoms. I’m just heartbroken for my tiny boy. Him being small on its own wouldn’t worry me much if it weren’t for the large %ile drop. The NP we saw was so nice but definitely expressed her concern over his weight. Just need someone to tell me it’s going to be okay. 😞

I keep getting comments that I hold my 1 month old too much. Is there such a thing?

So I'm a FTM (30) to a beautiful baby girl who just turned 6 weeks and I am just absolutely over the moon about her. As of now I am still on maternity leave home alone most of the day ( my husband had to go back to work right away.) And I feel like there are days where I just sit in the same spot holding and looking at my baby I just love it so much! Well I recently went over to my husband's family house and I keep getting suggestions that I need to lay her down because if I hold her too much she won't know how to sleep on her own. I usually just love her have her sleep on me while I'm awake, she sleeps through the night just fine but their suggestions is almost turning into nagging at this point. I honestly don't know what to think but it's a bit irritating. I guess I'm just looking for some other perspectives because around I'm just getting so much advice it's very overwhelming and making me doubt on how I'm going about things as a first time mom.

What’s the hardest toys to build?

So we are god parents to friends of ours and they are god parents to our children. They have traditionally bought out kids toys that need building, wooden sand pits, large car racing sets etc. Now it’s their first borns first birthday and I’d like to return the favour. The dad isn’t know for his building skills. Help me keep the now running gift joke going….set by them. What’s the best products you’ve received that are a pain to build?

Nighttime breastfeeding causes cavities?

Recently my daughter’s pediatrician said that once her teeth come in, avoid nighttime feeding as it can cause cavities. All of my other breastfeeding friends said they’ve never heard such a thing and when googling it, it says “a valid link has not been made between breastfeeding (nighttime or otherwise) and cavities” — kellymom.com Can anyone point me towards credible studies? Much appreciated <3

How to deal with all the *stuff* you need for babies?

What was your approach for dealing with the HUGE amount of stuff you need for a baby/toddler? Does anyone feel like they are drowning in baby stuff? So much of the stuff is only needed for a short time (e.g. baby clothes that are grown out of in 6 weeks, toys that are no longer appropriate for baby's age). What was your approach to dealing with this? Did you just buy a lot of stuff and get rid of it? Did you keep it? Did you get hand-me-downs and then give them to someone else? Did anyone wind up renting stuff from one of those baby clothes/toys rental companies? If so, what was your experience with that? Looking for insight and ideas on how parents have solved this problem! Thanks in advance. &#x200B;

Does playing with a child ever get less horrible?

I’m convinced that playing with my preschooler could be used as an interrogation technique for war criminals. After a few hours locked in a room with her, I would confess to literally anything just to make it stop. She demands I sit on the floor which really hurts even if I sit on a pillow, throws tantrums if I don’t play exactly the way she wants, and no amount of time is ever enough. My parents literally never did “imaginary play” with me as a child and I didn’t have any other kids to play with until I started school, so maybe I never developed this ability. Or maybe my child is exceptionally tyrannical. I don’t know. But I cannot waaaaait until she’s past the “acting out extremely specific imaginary scenarios over and over without variation” stage. Can’t we just do a craft, throw a ball, dance, or read a book? No. It’s “mommy, play with monkey and kitty!!! NOW!!!!” for the 800th time.

Terrified of giving birth

I’m a first time mom and not due until January. I have been very blessed to have a healthy pregnancy thus far, but I am absolutely petrified of giving birth. I’m afraid of the pain even though I plan to have an epidural, I’m afraid of bleeding and complications and just everything about childbirth. I know this is a bit ridiculous because it’s a natural part of life but I have so much anxiety it’s hard to enjoy right now. Any advice?

Non-greasy sunscreen?

My daughters sunscreen leaves her super greasy and a little tacky. What sunscreens do you use/recommend that aren’t greasy? Is that even a thing? I really hope so cause I don’t want my daughter looking like she hasn’t had a bath in days.

I’m missing work because of my wife’s morning sickness.

My wife and I are expecting another kiddo! We currently have a 7 month old. With our first one she was extremely sick, all the time even with prescriptions from the doctor. This time it’s just as bad, but she must take care of our child while I’m at work. Let me clarify that her morning sickness is all day sickness. I’ve called into work twice this week because I had to miss since she was so sick she couldn’t take care of our child. I’m terrified I’m going to get fired. We can’t afford daycare, nor do we have any family around here or any family that can help for that matter. I don’t know what to do. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Realistic way of going about my anti-vax mom friend who's moving in

My son is 6 mo and her daughter is 4 mo. We became friends while pregnant (she's the daughter in law of my moms best friend) and she's the one mom friend I know. I recently found out last time they were at my house (I live with my parents) after our kids already played together that she won't vaccinate her daughter for anything. They recently were asked to move the RV they live in (he's a traveling nurse ironically enough and disagrees with his wife's decision) and they asked to move into our property and my parents agreed. I was excited for us to be hanging out more and then I found out about the vaccine thing. I'm against that decision and am pretty disappointed but I just don't know how to go about this situation. The baby is younger, and since they don't really play together at this age, is my baby still at risk? Can our kids even be in the same vicinity or should I avoid them all together? How do I go about, in s realistic manner, talking to her about this?

Would you attend a wedding away from your baby at one month PP?

I will be exclusively formula feeding so BF is not an issue. The wedding is in another city so I would be away for one night. 24-36 hours total.

How can I ask my MIL to stop wearing so much perfume?

My MIL lives nearby and visits for a couple hours most days to see our newborn (7 weeks old). During this time she is usually holding/feeding our daughter, sometimes she lays her against her shoulder as the baby sleeps. My MIL has always been one to wear way too much perfume, most people in my husband's family do. It's been so bad lately that I can't even sit on the couch hours after she's left because I get a headache from the lingering strong scent. Also, not sure if it's a mental thing, but my chest feels heavy after breathing it in. I started wondering, if I'm getting a headache and respiratory affects from it could it be negatively affecting our baby at all? I will definitely ask my husband to talk to his mom if there is a potential harm to our daughter, but even if it's completely safe...how do I go about asking her to chill on the perfume? Because I'm really tired of not being able to sit in our living room.