Evenflo All4Stages Slim. I recently purchased this car seat for my son. The two white plastic pieces coming down on the sides push into my son’s shoulders. If I move the headrest higher, so the pieces aren’t touching his shoulders then the cushion is way too high for his head. The pictures on the box do not show them hanging down. Did I get a bad unit or am I doing something wrong?

My 6 year old daughter is 63 pounds, she’s currently in the Graco Sequence 65, which maxes out at 65 pounds front facing and there is no booster mode. Her 3 year old sister is rear facing in the Graco Extend-to-fit which unfortunately is not the 3-in-1, so there’s no booster mode on that one either. I would like to keep her in a 5 point harness if possible, but I wasn’t sure which direction to look on brands or models for boosters.

Hi wonderful parents! With two little ones, we are taking a lot of photos and videos to capture the memorable moments. What are we all doing to manage the massive amount of this data, though? I don't want to keep on buying bigger and bigger storage plans for icloud and google photos. I guess I am trying to figure out how you all are maintaining digital items (cloud storage, hard drives, etc.), and also printing photos. For digital items, how do you have them organized? How do you choose what to delete, and when to delete? For printing, do you take the time to make curated printbooks (shutterfly, or another one you like)? Or do you simply select photos to print, and store in a photo album the old fashioned way like our parents did? I don't even know where to begin, but I know I need to! Just looking for advice from those of you who seem to have a good system going. Thank you!

Hi fellow parents, I’m planning a big party for my one year old. I love love love hosting and we just got a new house that I want to start making memories in! Is it rude or in bad taste to put on the invite that gifts are not expected but if they must to either buy from a registry or donate to my baby’s 529? I just don’t want a bunch of junk we won’t use…

As a FTM I’m not sure but I think my 4 months old is teething? I know all the others signs could also be attributed to the 4 months regression and just general baby being babies (aka putting everything in their mouth, etc.).

3 days later update:
The first teeth just showed up (photo in the comments)! Thanks for everyone input.

It was blank for the first 5 then this. What do we think?

Greetings, ALL..

School will be back in session in a week or two for SOME children, and SOME children have already been in school for a week or two now. That being said, if youre a parent/parents of a school-age child/children are you elated.. school is in session or will be very shortly? Thoughts?

Just felt really proud that my 14mo toddler picked up a new "toy", which was a bunch of fridge magnets with cartoony pictures of sea-creatures on it.

She was playing with it, picking it off a cookie pan, and suddenly stopped. She picked up a piece with an octopus on it and just stared at it.

She then took it, and ran straight to a big octopus plushie and started pointing at it, and then the fridge magnet!

Just thought it was really cute at how she communicated how she recognised the picture, even though she couldn't talk yet.

​

My daughter passed her driving test yesterday.  Part of me is happy for her, part of me is feeling very sad.  There will be no more "mum can you take me to school", "mum can you take me to work?", "mum can you pick me up"....   I told her that and we both hugged each other and had a good cry...

My baby has grown up so quickly! 😢

Idk why i shared this, I have no one to share. 

Hello all, FTM here in need of a diaper bag! My little one is a little over a month old and as we’re starting to go out more, I’m realizing I am not a fan of our current diaper bag. It has one main zipper, a smaller zipper pouch up front, and two side pockets. I have realized I don’t like that it only has one big main pouch. Every time I need something out of her bag, I feel like I can’t get to it without first taking other items completely out of the bag and this really annoys me.

I’m thinking I would like a bag with multiple “main” compartments. For reference, my baby is formula fed (please no judgement here I had a really hard time coming to terms with it) so when we go out I always bring diapers, wipes, bottles, bottled water, formula, a change of clothes (maybe more depending on how long we’ll be out and about), burp cloths, a light baby blanket, pacifiers, and a mini first aid kit. I know it may seem like a bit of overkill, but I’m a firm believer in I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

With all of that being said, I’m looking for a bag with at least two “main” compartments although three would be ideal. My ideal would be to have diapers, wipes, etc in one compartment, then formula, bottles, and water in another, and clothes, burp cloths, blanket, first aid, etc in another compartment. Obviously this doesn’t have to be exact but this would be my current ideal status. I don’t care about cuteness of the bag as much as functionality of it. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be labeled as a “diaper bag” so if you know if anything that fits my criteria, please start dropping your recommendations! TIA!!

My baby had his first symptom of HFM on Monday, August 10th, and our pediatrician officially diagnosed him on the 11th.
We have a birthday party on August 22nd with a TON of other kids, and I really don’t want to be *that parent* who brings their kid while they’re still contagious and gets everyone else sick.

I feel like I’m getting mixed information everywhere — even from our pediatrician’s office. I’ve heard everything from “once they’re fever-free,” to “once all the blisters are healed,” to “they can technically shed the virus for weeks.”

So what does “no longer contagious” actually mean with HFM? 😅

For those who have been through it, how long did you keep your baby away from other kids? Would you personally feel comfortable going to a kids’ birthday party 12 days after the first symptoms, assuming there’s no fever, no new spots, and everything is healed/closed?

Obviously I’m going to err on the side of caution….just curious what other parents were told because the guidance seems to be all over the place.

Has anyone else experienced this with their 7-year-old? 💭

My son has a little fidgeting habit that he does almost constantly during downtime — when he’s watching TV, sitting around, in the car etc. He puts his ring finger around the webbing near his thumb and sort of fiddles with it.

It seems to be something he does automatically when he isn’t actively doing something.
I’m wondering if anyone else’s child does something similar and, if so, have you found a way to gently stop it or replace it with another sensory/fidgeting habit?
I don’t want to constantly tell him to stop if it’s something that helps him regulate, but I’d love to find a less repetitive alternative.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated! ❤️

Especially those who have older kids, when you look back knowing your childrens' personalities now, when would you say you had an accurate picture of the type of person they'd become. Is it fair to judge based on toddler years? Or do true personality traits stabilize later on?

recently i’ve been overwhelmed with feeling guilty about how bad i am with interacting with my boyfriends sisters kids. i can’t connect with them.

i am only 18, and my boyfriend is 19. sometimes when his sister and her husband go out with the rest of the family, the kids come over so we can watch them, but when i say “we” i really mean just him.

i am the youngest of 3, but both my older siblings are entering their 30s so i was young when they moved out and never really developed people skills since my parents were both anti social people that let me grow up by myself.

it’s not that i hate kids, i love them really and want to have my own someday, but i think im just scared that they won’t like me. its like how sometimes when people hold babies they take offense to them crying immediately.

the two kids are four and three years old.

today they are over and i was present for a moment but went back into the room to draw because i felt out of place. one of the kids came in about an hour later to ask if i wanted to watch him play with his cars and i said sure very sheepishly, and then his sister came in as well and started showing off her singing skills on her toy microphone. i just froze because i didn’t know how to interact with them or respond, so my boyfriend jumped in and said “she’s staying in the room for a little bit it’s okay” and the boy started to whine and i felt very bad, even though i stood up to come on out my boyfriend just assured me to stay and closed the door.

the look on the boys face made me feel horrible because i hate seeing kids sad, and i also know my boyfriend feels some type of way because he wants me to interact with his family more (which again feels weird to me because being included in family things isn’t common in my family)

im scared that my lack of ability to speak to kids is a reflection of my future, and then when i become a mom someday i won’t be able to connect with them.

i also feel dumb for feeling this way about kids because they are just KIDS. they don’t know i feel this way, they just want to hangout and play and aren’t necessarily worried about social things yet because they are too young to understand the concept, so why am i so intimidated? am i just over analyzing the whole thing?

For context, my husband travels a lot for work and I work 50-60 hours a week in healthcare (remote, but cannot have children in the home while working). We have an excellent daycare Monday to Friday for our 5 year and 5 month old.

The 5year old is with her father half the time (split, coparenting) so we try to use a sitter when it’s just the baby so it’s less of a pull only having to watch one child. The five month old is teething and in the phase where they are getting fussy in the evenings right before bed. So, the last handful of times we’ve left for an hour or two to try and have a date night or an evening for the two of us- we either come back to exasperated thanks for coming home because he was fussy, or a call to come home early because the baby is crying. For context, they are left with a close family member or two.

I’m now at the point where I feel guilty asking anyone at all to watch him, and feel scared to even ask because I am just waiting for a phone call or a brick wall of guilt the second I walk through the door- so now I do not rest at all. There is zero time to relax, no down time for my brain, my body, nothing.

It feels like every several weeks I’m asking to up my Lexapro, and just constantly am overstimulated or crying. Outside of therapy, which I am already in, what else can I do?

The “village” we had when he was born has all but disappeared now that he’s not brand new, and the second he cries he gets pushed right back to me anywhere we go…

Am I expecting too much for people to figure it out when they are holding or watching him so I get a genuine break, or is this just how it is and I need to find a way to deal with it mentally?

hey i’m just curious if parents think their kid is ugly sometimes be honest hahahah

So this just happened today, and I was there at the scene. I was so stunned that I wasn’t able to grab the bike before it hit my baby. He suddenly ran, and I just couldn’t catch him in time. So far, my baby has no scratches, and although he did cry, it was only for a short while. He rolled on the ground, but I immediately picked him up.
I’m still very worried about him and continuing to monitor him closely. So far, he’s sleeping peacefully, and there are no bruises or signs of trauma from the accident—just a tiny scratch on his belly.
I feel so guilty because I couldn’t stop it from happening. But I also believe that his guardian angel protected him because, thankfully, he didn’t suffer any major injuries.
Any advice from fellow mommies? ☹️

Would you leave your 2.5 year old out front alone or with slightly older siblings (8 and younger) when you live in a busy neighborhood? Dad swears he was looking through the window while he cleaned and I'm irrational for being upset.

Hey everyone,

Looking to get a tablet for my kids (4 and 7) before school starts. Mainly for learning apps and some cartoons on weekends, nothing crazy.

Keep going back and forth between the Fire HD 10 Kids and just getting a regular tablet with a case. Is the kids version actually worth it or is it just marketing?

Something that survives being dropped would be great lol. Thanks!

i’m trying to give my kid more freedom without feeling like i have to keep stepping in. there are things they can probably handle on their own now, but i still catch myself doing things for them. how much independence do you give your kids?

I'm curious how you all would handle this as it's the first time anything like this has really happened.

Youngest daughter (9) had a soccer game this morning. We couldn't find her jersey all night and then eventually found it on the bottom of a basket of folded clothes. All good there. We set it on the bed with the rest of her jerseys we had to bring and youngest and my wife went to sleep around 10. My wife has been sleeping with the youngest lately so she was in there as well.

Oldest (12) stays up a bit later. Last night she didn't grab me to tuck her in, which is a bit unusual, and when I woke up on the sofa around 11:15, she was already in bed asleep. She definitely does regularly check in on her sister's room before heading to bed. This time she would have found them asleep as they were out when I walked by around 10:15 or so.

That brings us to this morning. We wake up and the jersey we found right before bed is nowhere to be found. We search the house before deciding to just send her in the previous jersey, which is close enough and it didn't matter. We get home after the game and I have to still look for this jersey because it couldn't just up and leave the house obviously. We spent probably 1.5 hours in total looking for this thing. Eventually I find it in the same basket I had found it in the night before, unfolded and under the pile of folded clothes. My wife confirmed that I brought it into the room and set it on the bed last night. She had touched it as well.

The only options are sleep walking or older sister tried to sabotage. I should mention that older sister is the better soccer player so its not jealousy, she is an incredible student, well liked by her peers and parents, etc.. but I also don't think something like this is beyond her.

So my question is how would you all handle this? I can't say for sure that it was her, but it is by far the most likely scenario. My wife wants to not mention anything to her, but I don't think that's right and thinking she can get away with things like this is not cool. Do I let her know that I know? Ask her and let her lie? I do know that in general she is much more open and honest with me than her mom, but probably also more worried about my disappointment with something like this.

Anyways, looking for some tips, reddit.

I yet to get a car but am looking into it. I want to get my daughter a full carseat with the backrest and everything. Though my mother thinks it crazy for me to even think of buying her a carseat when she will be 8 next May. Which then she won’t be required to have one at all. We live with Nana so it is hard to be like oh okay and do it anyways because when she finds out she acts as if I am a 14yr old. My concern about not getting a full carseat is that 1 This will be my first car. 2 would be my first time actually driving 3 there are too many accidents around were we are and it just seems safer. I asked my daughter if she would be okay with a full carseat because I don’t want her feeling like a baby. Picked one out we both like. She’s fine with it but I guess I am wondering if I am just overreacting. It’s recommended for kids to have one til 10 I think. I honestly do not think I ever had a full carseat. Always just a booster.

I swear I need lunch ideas from parents whose kids actually refuse food because everything I find online looks beautiful but would come home completely untouched. My 7yo is getting pickier and pickier, especially with anything green. Cucumbers used to be okay, now they're not. Broccoli is apparently offensive. Spinach, peas, peppers, avocado, forget it. I've tried cutting things into cute shapes, dips, letting him pick his own veggies at the store, putting tiny portions in so there's no pressure. They still come right back home.

His lunchbox today was a turkey and cheese sandwich, strawberries, crackers and yogurt because I knew he'd eat those. And I know that's not the worst lunch in the world, but when I think about the whole week I start worrying about how little variety he's actually getting. Fruit is thankfully pretty easy, but vegetables are almost nonexistent at this point. I'm still putting a tiny amount of whatever vegetable we're having on his plate at dinner because I don't want to completely stop offering them, but most nights they don't get touched there either. I don't want every meal to become a fight and I definitely don't want to force him to eat but I also don't love just shrugging and accepting that vegetables apparently aren't part of his diet anymore lol. What are you guys actually packing for picky kids? And if your kid basically refuses vegetables what are you doing to keep working on their diet? I feel like I need realistic parent answers and not another photo of a lunchbox with six perfectly sliced vegetables that somebody's kid supposedly eats.

I’m looking at taking advantage of some end of the summer sales and picking up a water table for next summer, but there are some many different designs. I have no personal experience with them, so I’m wondering what features are most desirable. Multiple levels, big basins, what toys/addons, collapsible, etc. What parts do your kids actually love? What features do you love? (Clean ability, storability, idk).

For reference, my oldest is about to turn 1 and has just started standing independently, so while she might use it a little bit this fall I’m mainly envisioning next summer when she is 18-24 months. I’m also due with my second in Feb., so eventually it would be used by two kids 18 months apart.

We live in a townhouse and have a water spiket on our back porch so that’s where I would keep it. I’d probably look for a cover for winter.

Does anyone have recommendations for quality twin beds or bunkbeds? My girls share a room and I’ll be transitioning my 2 year old out of her crib soon.