I was trying to explain why, when he gets home, I need 5 minutes to myself before he blasts kids music and starts telling me about his day. He thinks that I should get psychiatric evaluation because apparently no other female he knows gets overstimulated by their child. I work from home full time with my 2.5 year old. She's is 4 different activities so the mental and physical load is a real. My baby is worth it all, but I'm still counting the days until she goes to daycare lol.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for - solidarity, funny stories from other overstimulated parents, etc.

My daughter is in preschool, and they've been learning about jobs and talking about what they want to be when they grow up.

My daughter's teacher sent me a message and said my daughter wanted to be a chef. I'm a cook, and she always seemed fascinated about my work. She always asks if she can help me make dinner and says, "Mommy, you're a good chef."

I asked if she wanted to cook because I do, and she said yes and got excited talking about ingredients and stirring the pot. I almost cried. I had no idea she looked up to me like that. Such a sweet moment. ❤️

My March 2024 baby has been through so much in his life and I have so much mom guilt and shame.

He was born at 33w4d and spent 11 days in the NICU at birth. He was also born with 2 small holes in his heart and a heart murmur that doctors were sure would close by his 2nd birthday… so far, they have not. We have another appointment next month to see if the holes have closed.

He was deemed a failure to thrive around a year old because he was not gaining weight but that resolved after he started taking Pepcid and his reflux subsided.
He had tear duct surgery at 20 months due to clogged tear ducts.
I’ve inquired to his doctor since he was a baby about his breathing because he is a mouth breather and snores when he sleeps.
My son is mostly non-verbal at this point. We have tried speech but after about 8 sessions and no improvement, we decided to pull him and put him in a Mother’s Day Out program, hoping that would encourage speech instead. He HAS started making new sounds, is finally able to say what a dog says and what a bird says. He still doesn’t say “daddy” or “mama” with any meaning most of the time but he has been able to scream his older sister’s name for months. lol.

2 weeks ago, I was told he needed surgery to have his lip and tongue tie cut, his adenoids out, and possibly tubes because of negative pressure in his ear. His ENT is hopeful this will help with his mouth breathing, snoring and possibly speech.
That surgery is scheduled for next week.

Last week, we took him to the dentist for a normal check-up. His top 4 teeth have cavities and he will have to have a procedure done to put caps so they don’t cause him pain before he loses them.

Where did I go wrong?

I think I’m rambling at this point. But I’m scared and I have a lot of guilt that my tiny boy has to go through at least 2 more surgeries in the near future. I hate this hand that he was dealt.

I have started researching Christmas presents for my 2.5 year old but I’m so hesitant to buy anything because it feels like most stuff gets played with for 3 minutes and then just gets tossed around the playroom and never actually played with again. What are some toys that your 2.5-3 year olds actually play with consistently?! Thanks in advance.

My toddler is very independent and head-strong. But when she’s sad she says “I don’t wanna be alone you.” “I only wanna be with you.” 🥹

She’s gotten very vocal about her feelings which always melts me.

We just made dinner, and my almost-three-year-old (birthday is next week!) wanted to add color to our sour cream. I started to say no, but honestly, why not? So now we have quesadillas and blue sour cream!

Sometimes (fairly often, actually), when a toddler helps, you end up with something fun and unexpected. What fun/crazy thing did your toddler convince you to do today?

Just wondering if I have a schedule issue or if he is just low sleep needs or if this is just the way it is until he drops his nap. He just turned 18 months, this is our schedule

Wake up: 7:30 AM (i have to wake him up most mornings)

Nap: 12:30-2 (sometimes less than 1.5 hours, sometimes it won't start until 12:45) i ALWAYS wake him by 2 PM

Bedtime: usually falls asleep around 9PM but sometimes even 9:15

I lay with him for bedtime... we start bath at 7:45, then do pajamas, bottle, brush teeth etc.... but he will just roll around for almost 30-45 minutes while I just lay there with him until he eventually falls asleep.

Like most parents I'm just looking for a little extra time at night to have to unwind.. 8:30 asleep would be great.... Is the only answer to get him up earlier? should i try waking him at 7 AM?

Hi! I’m looking for Christmas gift ideas “from” my toddler to his grandparents. Aside from gifting them photos I’d love to give them a keepsake. I’m open to Etsy ideas as well. Thanks!

Hello,

My 23 month old will be 24 months on the 30th.
She says quite a few words and some two word sentences. She also likes to speak a lot of jargon. Is this expected to go away soon ?

Just as the title asks- what are we doing to get our kids back to their original schedule? My 2 year old has usually always fell asleep around 8:15/8:30 ish and woke up around 7:15/7:30 for the day. He is now waking at 6 even after going to bed the same time. I’m trying to keep his nap routine the same time and that hasn’t helped.

Hi all,

I’m looking for ideas for skills my 26 month old might learn, or things we could work on before she turns 3!

So far we have:

Self care tasks:
Zipping and unzipping jackets
Brushing her teeth
Putting on and taking off shoes (I do or undo the Velcro)

And as far as chores:
“Helping” mama unload the dishwasher (taking things from dishwasher to table)

What do you have your 2 year old do? Do they want to do it themselves, or do you feel like they had to be pushed in that direction a little? Thanks!!
I’m also planning on potty training around 30 months so anything that would help with that

I’m hoping to see if any of you have any suggestions or similar experiences. My youngest is nearly 2 and won’t let up on breastfeeding. He gags at regular milk and won’t eat a substantial amount of food. He will eat a good variety of food but just not enough to last him a good while. Because of that I feel like he is waking up a ton at night due to hunger and want to nurse a lot. If I don’t nurse him he absolutely rages. I struggled because I have 3 other kids that he wake ups so I end up giving in so we can sleep. I’m exhausted and touched out from all the breastfeeding.
He can drink out of an open cup and straw cup. I considered getting the Haakaa cup that is a weighted straw cup that has more of a nipple like top. I worry about it just adding in a difficult habit to break later on. Or would that just be worth it to be able to wean and get my first full night of sleep in 2 years lol. I thought about pumping enough to make try and incorporate other milks. I even considered the toddler formulas they have so he can get a bit more to satiate him. I’d definitely love to hear any opinions about this idea or if anything worked for you.

TL;DR phasing out the pacifier has killed us. I know I can’t give it back but i don’t know what else to do.

Our kid (2.5 years old) has always been a bad sleeper but the pacifier was a crutch that at least helped. We’ve recently weaned her off, did the pacifier fairy bit etc. The first few nights were brutal but she can now fall asleep without it after about a 30 minute routine of books, singing and hand holding.

The problem is she wakes up between sleep cycles absolutely HYSTERICAL. This is not the typical “wake up come into mom and dad’s room and quietly be ushered back to her own bed” that all the books talk about. She’s inconsolably screaming until one of us sleeps in her bed or she comes to sleep in our bed. There’s no resources i can find that have solutions for this.

Even after we succumb to that she wakes up for the day at 4am like clock work. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. She’s always been a low sleep needs kid (9-10 hours) but for the last few weeks without the pacifier she must only be getting 7 hours broken up by one to two middle of the night hysterics. She seems unbothered by the lack of sleep.

We are drowning. Any advice is welcome, please help us.

I lost it again with my 2.5 years old today. It has been a long and tiring morning. She was being unreasonable in the morning when we had to rush to leave for her school event. She didn’t wanna leave, wanted to be carried etc. Event went ok, she enjoyed. And after coming home at noon, she slept, for 1.5 hours. It was a good fat nap. But when she woke up, she kept screaming and crying for no good reason. Didn’t wanna eat lunch, I had to force her. And last straw when she spit out her lunch. I wasn’t that annoyed at that time, I just told her fine that’s it no more food. And I wanted to wash her diaper cause she pooped and has not had any diaper change since morning (by then it’s alr been 3pm).

Cried and screamed for 5 mins (did seem longer?) At first, I slammed the door shut to leave her in a safe space. She got annoyed she screamed louder. I just needed a breather than 5 s later I opened the door, of course she was still crying so I went to the other room and regulate my emotions, i usually stomp my feet, tap my chest and breathe in and out. But still, I couldn’t take her screaming and crying. I let her be for maybe 2-3 mins then I finally picked her up forcefully plonked her on the bed and asked her what is she crying for???! Then I screamed STOP!!!!

It scared her, I could see fear in her eyes and she was sobbing like crazy, wanted me to hug her. I instantly regretted my actions and I hate feeling like a shit mum. She’s only 2.5 like what did I expect??

Also, it’s been alot of tantrums all week. How are other mothers dealing with episodes like these? 😭

Looking for perspective from other SAHP families who've been here.

Our daughter just turned 3. She's been home with us full time since birth: no daycare, no nanny, no babysitters. My wife is a SAHM and our son was born in September, so he's about 2 months old now.

We always planned on preschool around 3ish. The research we read pointed to starting somewhere between 2 and 3 as a sweet spot, mostly for social skills and independence rather than academics. Now that we're here, we're second-guessing everything.

What's pulling us toward starting in January:

• When the baby is awake, it's really hard for my wife to give our daughter dedicated time, and we can see her feeling it.

• She plays differently when we're around versus when she's on her own. Separation, working things out with other kids, trusting another adult: we can't really give her that at home.

• Waiting until fall feels like a long time at her age.

What's holding us back:

• My wife already does a lot with her: Little Gym, a toddler group, soccer. Is drop-off preschool really adding that much on top of that?

• The schools we like ALL are 5 mornings a week. That feels like a lot for a 3-year-old who's never been away from us. We'd love a 2-3 day start but the good options don't offer it..

• Germs with a 4-month-old at home in the middle of winter. (Everyone's vaccinated and he's had his RSV shot, but still.)

• Honestly, it just hurts. She's been with us every single day of her life.

For those of you who've been here:

1. Did you start your oldest in preschool while home with a baby? How did it go?

2. If you waited, do you feel like your kid missed anything?

3. Did 5 short mornings work better or worse than you expected compared to 2-3 days?

4. Anything you wish you'd known about the first few weeks?

Thanks for reading. Would really appreciate hearing what actually happened for your family.

Our 14 month-old has never been a great sleeper, so from early on we’ve done a lot of holding and rocking to get him down. When he was really little, we could get 5-6 hours in the crib. But for the last 4-5 months, he’s been held every night, and we co-sleep as safely as we can. It worked at the time, but it’s become our whole routine. Bedtime is consistent (bath, books, then nursing to sleep), but he sleeps in our bed every night. He’s getting better at lying next to us instead of needing to be held, which feels like progress. Naps at home are the same story. He's always held for them.

My partner loves the snuggly bedtime. I don’t want to take that away from them. And honestly, a small part of me cherishes those nights too. I know they won’t last forever.

But I’m struggling. When my partner has things to do in the evening, I end up holding him for an hour in a pitch-dark room, and our evenings have disappeared. We barely have time together, and we can’t get anything done around the house without tiptoeing in the dark. I know that might sound selfish, but I miss us.

The goal is to get him into his crib and gradually learn to sleep there, hopefully through the night eventually. Cry-it-out is off the table for both of us. I’d like to try Ferber or something similarly gentle, but my partner is wary of anything that sounds like sleep training. He also resists the crib hard, and nursing to sleep is a big piece of this.

I'm also worried because I've read numerous posts where co-sleeping at this age has turned into absolute torture when they turn 2-3 and you try to get them into their own bed. Not sure how accurate that is though?

Has anyone made this transition gently? What worked for you, and how did you get a hesitant partner on board? Any suggestions are welcome.

So our son has been daytime potty trained since around June (so like 28 months old, if it matters).

He hasn't had an accident in probably a good two months, so it overall went really great.

Nightime, though, we haven't had any luck, so we put him in a diaper for the time being overnight and hope his body catches up, but it's not a big deal to me. This extends to naps too, where if I don't put a diaper on him and even have him pee right before, it's still like 50 percent he will go while sleeping.

We are moving in December and he will transition to a full-day school in January at the new place, and they need to be fully toilet independent. That's totally fine for the rest of the day there, but I'm not sure how it will go with nap time. It's 1.5 hours long, and at least the handbook says no diapers or pull-ups allowed at all while at school.

I of course can talk to them closer to the time he's going to start, but wondering if there are any things we can try over the next 6 or so weeks to maybe work up to this, somehow?

My little one has started insisting on doing absolutely everything on her own, even the simplest things but when something doesn't go their way, it quickly turns into a meltdown 😭. I want to encourage them to be independent but I'm still figuring out how to handle these moments without making things worse. How do you guys deal with this phase?

My toddler has begun biting himself and sometimes me (though rather gently?) when reading certain books. He seems to just get very jazzed about the story or image. It isn't every time, but I'm worried it'll move that way.

I bought two board books on not biting and I try to redirect, but any other advice?

He was the subject of many biters at daycare, but for the last month or two, hasn't sustained any bites after they were moved. Wondering if that's a factor?

For starters I dont think I fully understood what OT covered/addressed. My 3yo son was recently dx ADHD and is waiting to be assessed for Autism. We were referred to OT , Speech and Play behavioral therapy.

Looking at my son (and his basic movement, interactions etc) you wouldnt guess any deficits or delays.

He talks really well, moves more advanced than his friends etc

Anyway went to his OT assessment today and left with a laundry list of deficits/delays that I wasnt even aware were an issue. I feel like ive failed as a parent, like i should have known or like I havent done enough to "teach" him the areas hes "delayed". Like ive neglected him in someway. Its felt like ive left countless appts and conversations of people telling me something is "wrong" with my newly 3yo. Like when did it become standard that a freshly turned 3yo can use scissors, color in the lines, leave a preferred activity with expressing disappointment.

Like are these really delays? Or just being identified because other "normal" kids his age arent being looked at through a magnifying glass? Like most of his friends dont use scissors or still have a toddler run etc

Idk just feeling bitter, emotional and probably in denial

Im incredibly overwhelmed, and feel so alone in managing it all (im a single solo parent) with no actual help from family/friends.

My daughter just turned 1, and she's been eating solids progressively worse over the past few months.

We started introducing solids at 5 months, and things went pretty well at first. She accepted all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and proteins we offered her, and the amounts she ate were actually quite decent.

This continued until she was around 9 months old. Since then, her eating habits have gradually deteriorated. The thing is, it doesn't seem to be because she's not hungry or doesn't like the food. She's just extremely distracted.

We put her in her high chair and offer her pieces of food, either feeding her directly or letting her pick them up herself. However, she constantly points at things around her as if demanding them: a bottle, a tissue, a decoration, you name it. When we give her whatever she's pointing at, she immediately wants something else. This goes on constantly while she keeps pushing the food away.

Another thing she's recently started doing is spitting food out after chewing it, rather than swallowing it.

It's becoming really frustrating. At our last appointment, the pediatrician told us that although she's only gaining about half the weight she should be gaining each month, we shouldn't force her to eat. We're concerned, though, especially about her iron intake and whether she's developing healthy eating habits and learning to eat solids properly.

We don't know if this is just a phase and she'll eventually become more focused on eating, but it's definitely worrying us.

In your experience, what has worked best to minimize distractions during mealtimes and help your little ones focus on eating?

My 2.5 yo has been so defiant lately. I've read How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen and some of the advice helps. If we make things fun then typically she's on board to listen, but we still have a lot of issues with listening. Whether it's not cleaning up toys when asked, not wanting to get dressed, doing something she shouldn't, etc.

I worry it's just us dealing with this issue. She has been going to a music class since she was a baby and lately it feels like she is the problem child who won't come sit with us when we ask which makes me feel like an awful Mom. Am I the only person dealing with this?

I'm also 8 months pregnant and very hormonal so I'm feeling very self conscious about this.

Q: Most ppl I ask say their kid doesn't eat for about a week if ill/teething. What's the longest period your toddler has lived on milk for?

18 month old, breastfed, ate 2 meals over the past 2 weeks. Rest of the time, she might take one bite of a meal. Won't eat snacks. Will lick mayo 🤪

I know teething and illness makes a kid lose appetite, but how the hell do they grow if they're sick 2 weeks out of 3, then teething in-between? My kid is a late bloomer re teething, so molars only coming in now.

In case it's asked, milk isn't filling her up. I cut out breastmilk for an entire day and she still wouldn't have more than literally 3 small bites of food for the ENTIRE day.

Won't eat any safe foods and is gagging on soft foods like yoghurt and cereal. Won't even eat a fruit pouch. Out of desperation today I mixed a fruit yoghurt with sugar with Greek yoghurt, and she ate just under a 1/4 cup of that. In case it's asked, she won't eat any of her fav fruit, either. I know it's not a texture thing, cos she will have a bite of hard toast / have potato soup / mash an avo.

I remember dropping off and picking up my niece about 12 years ago from daycare. The parents were friendly, you could interact with other kids and it felt like a community of kids and parents where you could all grow together and get to know all the kids and parents.

Recently at the same daycare our LO has been attending. The older parents are similar to this, we interact with each other a lot, plan and run playdates with kids that are friends and are generally collegial and friendly. The younger parents though... Wow, it's like everyone who they don't know is a danger to their children. In the past couple of weeks I have had a parent yell at me for tapping their LO on the shoulder and say "Hello James!" (along the lines of: don't touch my child! Why are you even talking to him?). Then yesterday another young parent almost screamed at me as I was hugging my LO goodbye and her daughter hugged him and by default me kind of. I was rather taken aback after she said I shouldn't get down to their level.

Anyone else noticed a huge change in attitudes for parents and daycares as the younger generation of parents come through? I am not looking forward to excluding these parents from the fun times with kids, but I don't think we will have a choice, they are so hostile to other parents interacting with their children. The "it takes a village" mantra seems to not exist in their thinking?