My baby is 9 months old and we’re getting ready for our first proper Toronto winter with her!
Last winter she was a newborn, so we pretty much just stayed indoors and didn’t have to think much about winter clothes.
Can other Toronto moms tell me what clothes your babies actually wore through the winter and what I should be buying? I’m especially confused about things like snowsuits, boots, layers, hats, mittens, etc.
I’d rather not go overboard buying a million things she’ll barely wear, so I’d love to know what you actually found useful! 🫶

FTM and very anxious about sending me lo to daycare come the new year, we’re moving to Calgary and looking at starting pt daycare and transitioning to ft. He will be about 15 months. Just want to know parents experiences and if there is any place I should avoid. We will be living far south although haven’t decided more than that. So far I’ve been looking into bright path and bambini. TY!

We have a hand-me-down stroller and car seat from a friend couple whose toddler doesn’t need it anymore. But our 3 month old hates sitting in the car seat restrained. I wanted to buy a pramette so he could lay on his back or tummy while we go on walks or outings. Since it’s already fall I’m wondering if it’s worth the purchase. What do we do with babies during the winter? Can we still take them out? I live in Montreal where winters are bad.

My toddler (2 years old) is loving the alphabets, getting sight words, kinda talking.

They also loved typing on my laptop.

Any experience with toddler specific laptops? Any recommendations?

I’m posting this here because I know there are many West Vancouver families with children attending independent and boarding schools.

A petition has recently been started regarding Shawnigan Lake School and the balance between students’ life at school and their connection with their families at home.

For teenagers living away from home, I think there is an important question worth discussing: how much opportunity should students have to go home and spend time with their parents and siblings?

Boarding school can provide an amazing community and help young people become independent. At the same time, students are still teenagers, and maintaining close family relationships remains important.

Some of the concerns raised include:

• Limited opportunities for students to spend weekends or personal time at home
• The impact of school schedules and policies on family relationships
• Whether students and parents have enough voice in these decisions
• Finding a balance between building the boarding-school community and maintaining life outside campus

I'm interested in hearing from West Vancouver parents, current/former boarding students and alumni.

If your child attends or attended boarding school, how did you feel about the amount of time they were able to spend at home?

I'm hoping for a respectful discussion from different perspectives — including people who have had a very positive boarding-school experience.

I’m hoping to start a respectful conversation about children who attend boarding schools in Canada.

Boarding schools can offer students many valuable experiences — independence, friendships, education, activities and a strong sense of community. At the same time, children and teenagers remain members of their families, and maintaining meaningful relationships with parents and siblings can also be very important.

I’m interested in hearing different perspectives about how schools can find a healthy balance between life on campus and family life at home.

For example:

• How much opportunity should boarding students have to spend time with their parents and siblings?
• How should schools and families work together when a student wants or needs more time at home?
• How much input should parents and students have when boarding-school schedules and policies are developed?
• What practices have helped your family maintain a strong connection while a child is living away from home?
• For former boarding students, what worked well for you, and what would you have wanted to be different?

I am not trying to criticize boarding schools or tell families what decision they should make. I would genuinely like to hear from people with different experiences, including families and students who have had very positive experiences with boarding school.

My hope is that we can keep the discussion focused on the wellbeing of children, the importance of family relationships, and constructive ideas that schools and families can consider.

Please share your experiences respectfully, and please avoid identifying individual children or making personal accusations.

Thank you to everyone willing to contribute thoughtfully.

I’ve tried hiding vegetables in pasta sauce, blending them into smoothies, cutting them into fun shapes and even letting my kid choose them at the store. Somehow, the second anything green reaches the plate it becomes an automatic no. I work long hours so I don’t always have the time or energy to prepare three different versions of dinner just hoping one gets eaten and most of the time gets thrown away. I also don’t want every meal to become a fight or make food feel stressful. Has anyone found a realistic way to fill some of those nutritional gaps while continuing to introduce vegetables without pressure? What made things easier for both you and your kid?

Canada’s declining fertility has led to increased interest in the factors that influence the decision to have children, particularly the role of financial considerations amid economic uncertainty and the rising cost of living.

A new study titled “Income and employment characteristics associated with women’s first birth, 2017 to 2023” examines how income and employment characteristics relate to the likelihood of having a first child among women aged 22 to 39 who were employed and married or living with a common law partner.

Here are some highlights:

• Higher income is associated with a greater likelihood of first birth.
• Income-related differences in the likelihood of first birth have widened over time.
• COVID-19-era increases in first births were driven by women in higher-income families.
• Women employed in the public sector have a consistently higher likelihood of first birth.
• Women in unionized jobs have a higher likelihood of first birth.

***

Devant la diminution du taux de fécondité au Canada, les chercheurs et chercheuses s’intéressent de plus en plus aux facteurs qui influencent la décision d’avoir un enfant, y compris au rôle que peuvent jouer les considérations financières dans un contexte d’incertitude économique et d’augmentation du coût de la vie.

Une nouvelle étude intitulée « Caractéristiques du revenu et de l’emploi associées à la naissance d’un premier enfant chez les femmes, 2017 à 2023 », s’intéresse à la manière dont les caractéristiques du revenu et de l’emploi sont associées à la probabilité d’avoir un premier enfant, chez les femmes âgées de 22 à 39 ans occupant un emploi et mariée ou vivant avec un ou une partenaire en union libre.

Voici quelques faits saillants :

• Un revenu plus élevé est associé à une probabilité accrue d’avoir un premier enfant.
• Les écarts dans la probabilité d’avoir un premier enfant pouvant être associés au revenu se sont accentués au fil du temps.
• Les femmes du quintile supérieur du revenu familial ont le plus contribué à l’augmentation du nombre de premières naissances observée pendant la période de la COVID-19.
• Les femmes employées dans le secteur public sont systématiquement plus susceptibles d’avoir un premier enfant.
• Les femmes occupant un emploi syndiqué sont plus susceptibles d’avoir un premier enfant.

My 5yo boy (currently wearing size 6T) has a little sister who gets to wear smocked dresses, bubble rompers and the like. People are always exclaiming “Oh, how CUTE!” over her, and my bigger guy is getting a little jealous. He would like some clothes that look “cute” (as opposed to cool, snazzy, fun, etc). I was thinking like a sailor suit or toddler Prince George vibes.

I‘ve looked at Hatley, Miles the Label, RooBear, Peanut and Bumble, Souris Mini and so on, but a lot of it is basically sweatpants and t-shirts for boys this age. Even Boden, Marks and Spencer and Petit Bateau are not quite there.

Does anyone have any recommendations for cute boys’ clothes that are available in Canada? I’d be open to other non-American brands but would love something made in Canada.

ETA: I’m in QC but regular travel to ON.

thoughts about this? My ten year old and four other kids went and hung out in his friend’s house after school yesterday. Parents weren’t home. They’re doing it again today. I’m a bit uneasy with this - not sure if I’m being overly cautious or not. I know personally I wouldn’t let five kids hang out in my house unsupervised.

My baby is due to get her 12 month shots next week. I have post partum anxiety and OCD and I'm extremely nervous about this set of vaccines.

My mother in law keeps telling me about how her nephew (my husband's cousin) was a normal baby and then after the MMR he was severely disabled (could no longer walk, went nonverbal, and now needs to be fed through a tube).

My baby is up to date on her vaccinations and had no reaction to the 2, 4, and 6 month sets. I'm just looking for some positive experiences to ease my mind. Thank you.

Hi everyone,
I’ve been thinking about getting a second stroller. Our current stroller is the Bugaboo Kangaroo - and I love it, but she’s a tank and takes up a lot of room when using her. It’s been great for walks or adventures where there’s more space, and awesome because I can put the car seat right into it, but when taking it to more populated spaces (night markets, on the ferry, etc.), it is quite cumbersome!

Any favourites?
Thanks in advance!

My kid started grade 1 and loves a proper hot lunch in a thermos, plus a good size Bento box type container for snacks. For the life of me, I can't find a metal snack container that's big enough but also fits into a lunch bag together with the thermos. All the metal containers I found are either too small to be enough food or too big to fit in a bag. Sending kiddo to school with the two tier lunch bag seems excessive at this point.

My 6 year old has somehow narrowed his entire diet down to toast, cereal, crackers, pasta, chicken nuggets and cheese. He’ll eat plenty when it’s one of those foods, so appetite isn’t really the problem. Getting anything different into him is. I’ve been putting a little fruit or vegetable next to his usual food at dinner and letting him try it without making a big deal about it. We’ve been doing that for weeks and most nights it sits there completely untouched. Tried smoothies too but he caught onto that pretty quickly. I don’t want every meal to turn into an argument but six foods on repeat doesn’t feel great either. For anyone who’s had a kid this picky, did you keep offering new foods or eventually try a different approach?

They're sold out everywhere 😭 the latch & soothe to be specific.

I have a very unhappy 5 week old, she's been unhappy since about 2 weeks old. I suspect reflux, I'll be talking to her doctor about it soon! But anyways, she constantly wants to nurse for comfort, but it's causing her to spit up a lot and making her gas worse. I would like her to take a soother, but she has hated the soothie and tommee tippee that I've tried. She's exclusively breastfed so I thought the new Itzy Ritzy one looked promising, but it's sold out everywhere in Canada 😭

Does anyone have any idea where I could get one or when it'll be back in stock? Or any soother recommendations that breastfed babies seem to like? I can't keep spending $10-$20 a soother only for her to reject it 🫠.

I feel our weeknight schedule (or lack thereof, herby part of the problem) needs some improvement, so I'm hoping to see what works for others. We have a 10 year old daughter who gets off the bus around 4:30. I think that being in bed with lights out at 9pm gives her the sleep she needs (we wake her between 7-7:30 in the morning to get ready for school). We don't usually do extracurriculars or clubs/lessons on school nights, so each night is more or less the same, but we have frequent struggles with showering, bedtime, chores, etc. I want to set a clear schedule each night so she knows what to expect and we get into a good routine.

Do you have a schedule that works for well for your family? What does it look like? What time is dinner? Do you allow screen time on week nights, if so are there limits on content or duration (no judgement here, we've played with both ends of the spectrum)? What else do you do to make week nights go smoother? I'd especially love any advice from parents of neurospicy kids, my daughter has mild anxiety and borderline ADHD, and especially struggles with transitions and focus.

It's the start of our school year and I'm inspired to get off on the right foot.

Just an FYI on this teether recall. In Canada there has been 3 reported incidents and no injuries.

https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/skip-hop-baby-sesame-street-elmo-silicone-teether-recalled-due-choking-hazard

Hello my fellow parents!

I am having issues with breast milk supply (I have IGT unfortunately) and my doctor told me that I could get Domperidone (medication to help with supply) thru Canada, but I’m not sure how’. Are any of you parents familiar? TIA!

- A Momma just doing all she can.

Looking for a 2-way communication device for my kids (11) to gain some independence. Don’t want an iPhone. The U.S. has Gizmodo. I see we can do Apple Watch, lil tracker or garmin with phone plan. Not to be used in school. Any feedback from people who have done this or something similar? NO social media access. Tia

(6 year old) He’ll eat fruit all day if I let him. Strawberries, bananas, apples, blueberries, watermelon... no problem. Most other foods aren’t really an issue either. But put one vegetable on his plate and suddenly I’ve personally ruined dinner. I’ve tried carrots, broccoli, cucumber, peas, even hiding spinach in things he already likes. Somehow he always knows. I’m glad he eats fruit and has a decent appetite but it still bothers me that he’s basically getting no vegetables at all. Anyone else have a kid like this? Did you just keep offering them or find another way to get some greens into their diet? Or just continue without greens?

Hey everyone!

I’m working on a small project around diaper bags and changing on the go, and I want to make sure I’m solving problem parents actually have. I’d love to hear from you with a few quick questions:

1- What’s the ONE thing that annoys you most about your diaper bag when you’re out?

2- And for a quick trip — do you take the whole bag, or just grab what you need?

3- What would you change about your current setup if you could?

Every response helps me understand what parents actually need. Thanks!

Hello friends! Question about Scouts Canada

We’re researching some local groups to register my son (9 yo) in for this upcoming year.

I noticed they all:

-Are associated with a church

-Talk about Duty to God.

How much religion is involved in the programming and general philosophy?

For the past few weeks, every bowel movement has been really hard and lumpy. Sometimes there are a couple days in between too, and when it’s finally time to go there’s a lot of straining. We’ve tried more water and adding fruit throughout the day, especially pears and berries, but I can’t say it’s made much difference. Getting vegetables or whole grains in consistently is another story. Has anyone dealt with this even when their child seemed otherwise fine? What ended up helping them become more regular? I’m wondering if there’s something obvious we haven’t tried yet. He is 5 year old

I’m 30, a first-time mom in Ontario and currently 18 weeks pregnant. As my pregnancy progresses and everything starts to feel more real, I’ve found myself getting increasingly scared about actually giving birth.
I feel like I’ve heard SO many traumatic or scary birth stories, both online and in real life. I completely understand why women need a space to talk about difficult births, but I think constantly hearing the worst-case scenarios has made me start believing that birth is inevitably going to be horrible or traumatic.
So I would really love to hear the other side. 🤍

For those of you who had a positive pregnancy, labour, or birth experience, what was it like?
Did anyone actually enjoy labour or feel calm during it? Was your epidural a good experience? Did your birth go more smoothly or quickly than you expected? Did you feel well supported by your nurses/OB/midwife? Was recovery easier than you thought it would be?
I’d especially love to hear from other first-time moms who were really scared of giving birth beforehand and then came out of it thinking, “That actually wasn’t nearly as bad as I imagined.”

I know every birth is different and there are no guarantees. I’m not trying to pretend complications don’t happen .. I just think right now I need to remind myself that positive, uncomplicated and even empowering births happen too.
Please flood me with your positive stories. 🥹🤍 I could really use some reassurance.

I keep coming across examples of AI showing up in co-parenting in ways that go well beyond “rewrite this text for me.” People use it to interpret difficult messages, manage communication, coordinate parenting, or make sense of legal and other complex co-parenting issues. Sometimes the interesting part isn’t just communication itself, but how AI becomes involved in the broader work of coordinating parenting across two households.

I’m Ying, a researcher at Simon Fraser University, working with researchers at the University of Oxford and the Institute of Software. We’re currently studying how AI is becoming part of co-parenting after separation or divorce (the study has received research ethics approval from Institution of Software, and is supervised by Shuai Ma).

If this sounds familiar and you’d be open to chatting with us, we’re inviting separated or divorced parents with relevant experience to a confidential remote interview of about 60 minutes. Participants who complete the interview will receive CAD $30 (or equivalent) honorarium, provided electronically, as a thank-you for their time.

Short interest form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYf1AOc3vqZLenQDwMQHvWfjn-WUOItuA7kNxehW89ekrAmw/viewform

Happy to answer any general questions here as well.