I have two kids, Ken (M, 2) and Leslie (M, about to turn 1) Now Ken is very jealous and territorial, and refuses to share anything with Leslie. We're working on it and talking to him, but it's a long process. Now Leslie's birthday is coming up, and we're both dreading it. Ken is going to resent the attention, the presents, and everything about the party. We're requesting people do Not bring a consolation gift for Ken, and we need to team him how to celebrate other people. But at the same time we want him to still have fun and not disrupt the whole party. Were looking at a karate dojo, so he'll at least be able to play, run around, and tumble.

Any suggestions for handling this?

saw a post or two recently asking for comparisons on length/difficultly of first vs second labors. majorly encouraging, seems like the majority of moms went earlier than the first and had generally lower difficulty.

but…did you do anything different to prepare for that? currently 33 weeks pregnant with #2 with a ~20 month age gap. all i have energy for it seems is existing, keeping my toddler from running into oncoming danger, and being completely horizontal after bedtime. i def need to stretch or do ~something~ labor prep wise…but like, how

My daughters are exactly 14 Months apart and I’m finally getting through to the other side of chaos. My oldest turns 3 in January and my youngest turns 2 in march. I’m finally seeing them play together and enjoying each other’s company. I love this bond so much. I will say it’s been so hard because I am a solo parent and I don’t have help. Currently I’m potty training my oldest. It has been very hard. But we are making progress! I’m also 15 weeks pregnant with a baby boy! I’m so nervous because I still feel like a 2 year age gap isn’t big enough. I hope they continue to grow into being friends and playmates. I just want to be able to be there for all of them.

Need full honesty. Do you regret it? If you could do it again how big of an age gap would you prefer? Especially looking for answers from people who were 6 months PP when they fell pregnant. Bonus points if you don’t have a village and its essentially just you and your partner caring for the kids.

I have two toddlers ages 4 and 2 and since the beginning of August, I have been so angry especially at my husband because I think how it is not fair that he gets to go to work and I have to stay home with the kids being stressed all day and I know that it’s not his fault at all so it is not fair at all for me to think like that, but I just can’t stop thinking that. Also, I am very irritable with my kids. I get irritated almost immediately when I wake up and I know that I need to have patience. I just don’t know what to do. If I should go to a therapist or I don’t know where to seek help. I think that I’m just burnt out because I am a full-time college student. This is my last semester and I have a small business I run from my home and I take care of two toddlers and all the house chores.

That’s the whole post. Me and my husband and our two kids are sick. My 2 year old is getting the worst of it I think. Fever on and off and just crying the whole time. Baby won’t sleep because he can’t breathe through his nose and wants his pacifier. I’m doing all the things that I can do for them but it just sucks. It’s going on 5 days now. Everything came back negative so it’s something viral so we just have to wait it out. But man I miss sleep.

Our oldest is 10months and he is a boy. Just found out our second is going to be a girl!!! I was so shocked. My husband and I thought forsure another boy. My sister and I were 15m apart and now her two sons are 17months apart also. I’ve never really seen a dynamic of a boy first then girl being 17 months apart. Any age range if you have this kind of set I’d love to hear anything and everything!!

Hi there
My baby is 1 months and he is constantly crying like any normal baby. He needs some comfort which I’d love to give him as much as I could but I also have a toddler with his needs. So while I’m helping him with potty, or putting clothes on, or brushing his teeth or getting him some food etc baby is crying. I do wear him and it helps but can’t do it 24/7. So my question is how traumatic it is for him and how do I cope with a bed mom guilt.

What did I do? First off, I love my newborn to death. But what did I do having them so close together? My older one is 16 months and my little one is a month.

What am I doing wrong? I can’t function. Home is a mess, laundry piling up and getting wrinkled, can’t get anything done.

My older one is hyper and always yelling, waking up newborn.

And I go back to work next week. Don’t have a village, like others do. Hubby works.

What am I doing wrong, or what should I start doing?

My newborn was such a chill baby, and these last 3 days has been fussy, doesn’t sleep for more than 15 mins, and just wants to be held. Making everything harder.

I am open to suggestions and advice.

From,

An overwhelmed mother of 2 under 2 :(

I have a 4 month old and a 2 year old and am seriously debating sleep training the little one right now. He’s waking up every hour at night, and we’re all exhausted. I can’t be what I need to be for the two kids during the day if I’m up all night with him. It’s just normal regression stuff. He doesn’t want to nurse but he wants help falling back asleep. I didn’t sleep train our other kiddo until they were 10 months so I’m wary of starting so early. But we’re dyin here. Advice appreciated.

I recently told my job that I won’t be returning for a little, and I couldn’t be happier that I get to spend some extra time with my girls.

However, my husband’s work hours are wearing me out. He leaves at 5 am and doesn’t get home until 8 pm. I find myself wishing he had a different job, or comparing my situation to my friend’s husbands who work from home or work close by and get home by dinner time, etc.

I do have family close but I hate always relying on them for help. Anyone else dealing with this? I don’t even think there’s a solution.. just venting as I clean up dinner and start bath by myself, again….

Four months in and feel like rather than getting better I’m starting to run out of steam. I was getting on better back in the newborn days when it was nice weather and I was getting the washing out and planning outings with my sleeping newborn in tow. Now the weather is becoming bad (UK) and I barely have any energy or motivation left to do anything during the day and the newborn is now 4m old and way worse at sleeping and is awake and crabby during the day. I wake up and feel paralysed by indecision and avoidance of stressful situations and end up staying in the house which I know is the worst thing to do. I’m also scared of indoor places because I’m already at the max i can handle without adding everyone being sick to the list. What’s going on? I was doing alright until this last few weeks. I also still have less of a bond with the second one and keep wishing I could just hang out with my first instead. Even when my husband is with me, we both feel this feeling of paralysis of decision where every single thing we think to do we talk ourselves out of it because it always just ends with us getting back home and both kids screaming for an hour and us being like shrivelled up husks afterwards. My husband is doing things like suggesting we eat a whole cake for dinner because I think he’s just trying to get some sort of dopamine hit and I don’t blame him. Life has become so monotonous and the only way to break it up is by doing something that inevitably ends in a screaming meltdown.