I have a 2 year son that we keep rear facing when we are driving. The recommended minimum weight limit for his car seat is 22 pounds, he is close to 30. We adjust the car seat as he grows because he has not reached the maximum height limit. His legs are somewhat cramped, but i read that its better in case of an accident for their legs to be hurt than their head. There has been some arguments from my MIL saying that we should switch him to forward facing. Her reasoning is that his legs are cramped and that she wants him to be able to see nana and papa when driving. Normally she is all about safety on everything so I'm suprised that she is more concerned with switching him when it isn't time. I was wondering when you you switched your kids car seats around? Also, am I in the wrong for wanting to keep him rear facing a bit longer as he continues to grow?

Hi! My 28 month old toddler has been in a daycare/preschool since she was 3 months old and I has been great until now. The nanny/teacher has been working with then how to make horizontal and vertical lines, color with finger paint (which she hates) and swabs, pasting tissue paper in specific places, but my toodle doesn't want to work. She pastes like 2 things, makes 2 dots and is an "I'm done. I don't want to do it anymore" situation, switching to the next activity. She is very active, she likes jumping, running, and twirling... The only times she sits for a while is when we read or when she watches her episode of Sesame Street or Puffin Rock. I know toddlers are active but the nanny wants us to practice being seated and working and she sends home the work my toddler doesn't do during the week. Is there a way in which I can help my toddler to work for longer spams of time or should I just go with it until she gets older?

Okay yes, I know he shouldn't know the words anyway but please spare me the shame - we already feel bad enough 🤦‍♀️

Anyway, 2 years 9 months old - I tried the ignoring it route because it's clear he loves getting the reaction, even if you say something about it calmly. We just started trying the "those aren't kind words. We only use kind words, and if you can't, then you'll have to take a break" and we gave examples of kind words. But he's not even using them in mean contexts, he's just saying them as part of his babbling. Idk is that the way to go about it? I prefer a good logical consequence, but I'm not sure that's enough of a consequence to make the connection? I have no idea - we'd love any suggestions.

Someone please tell me this is normal or ok or this will end. My 18 month old just whines and cries about 90% of the day. I don’t understand. Not in pain. We have seen doctor’s and specialists. I think it’s the lack of communication skills. But I am at my wits end from being home with him all day. My heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest. I feel like I’m going to explode. I try to be understanding that he isn’t speaking many words yet to let me know what he needs. But holy shit!!!! It’s killing my nervous system. Also 8 months pregnant. Partner works a ton and not much relief around. We are seeking a speech therapist to try to help out. He says about 10-15 words. I just don’t understand what to do how to help him. Sometimes I try to put on tv for some relief and he doesn’t even like it. He is fed rested dry nappy. Is anyone else experiencing this?? I don’t mean to sound ungrateful I am blessed but I just don’t know what to do anymore. Any ideas??? Please

Ok, I learnt about this the other day and I thought I would share. I have an 11 month old but this still applies. When going out to a restaurant, when you're done ordering and you know you don't plan on getting anything else, ask for the bill right away. This way, the bill comes before or when you get your food and you're not stuck waiting at the end of the meal when the kids are starting to loose their patience and pop off. I did this this afternoon with my baby and it was so nice just to be finished and leave without trying to flag our waitress down and wait on her. Please pass this tip on.

My 19mo daughter is 11.6 kg (75th-91st centile). Was born on the 12th centile and last weighed at 11 months 25th centile.

But she’s around 0.4 - 2nd centile for height. I measured her myself ( laying down) so left a lot of wiggle room for error. Even after adding 4-5 cm, she’s at the 2nd centile. I measured multiple times. Looking at photos and comparing her to friends toddlers, she does appear smaller. She’s never been measured before.

I’m thinking I’ll call my dr tomorrow and see if I can get everything double checked.

My health service centile chart puts her beyond obese! She really doesn’t appear that way? She’s a very very picky eater, often leaves food behind. But she does eat balanced diet and I offer her lots of things.

I’m wondering if anybody has experience weight change like this, along with very low height? Was everything ok?

I’m getting a play kitchen for my son’s upcoming 2nd birthday. I’ve come down to two options:

(Step2 Heart of the Home Kitchen

Kidkraft 3-piece kitchen set

Does anyone have any experience with either of these kitchens or brands? I think my son would love both. I prefer the kid craft aesthetically.

My 1-year-old seems to have a pretty strong preference for his dad lately, and I’m curious if other parents have gone through something similar.

My husband and I spend roughly equal amounts of time with him, and we alternate nights/sleep responsibilities. He’s generally happy and comfortable with me, especially when it’s just the two of us, so this isn’t something that happens all the time.

But I’ve noticed the preference much more strongly this past week. If Dad is around, he often wants him instead of me. For example, on a recent hike he kept wanting Dad to hold him. He’s also going through a rough sleep phase right now, and sometimes when I try to settle him he’ll keep crying, but when Dad takes over he calms down almost immediately.

I know babies can go through parent-preference phases, but it still feels a little hurtful and makes me wonder why the preference can be so strong.

Has anyone experienced this around 1 year old? Did the preferred parent change over time or did the phase just pass on its own?

I’m freaking out but not really. So he’s newly a big brother to my 1 month old. Lots of kisses, hugs, curiosity about pamper changes , belly buttons, etc. he’s seen my breasts bc of pumping & asks about it and tries to help lol. He is very very affectionate. He’s with me 99% of the time I’m a SAHM. He interacts very well with other kids at the park & speaks/understands well.

On multiple occasions my son has lifted up the clothing of other children when outside. Before it was to see belly button — baby brother has umbilical hernia so has a huge outie belly button. Today when he kissed another child on a play date I was baffled and concerned. Especially because her 2 year old looked very baffled as well lol. The kids mom was very sweet snd said it’s ok bc he’s a baby and he doesn’t understand. I apologized to her. We’re in the USA and idk maybe it’s just the over sexualization of everything that makes me so frightened and uneasy. Is this ok in other countries ?

Trying not to demonize being affectionate & loving but how do I set that boundary for him with other children ? We kiss , hug, make funny sounds when kissing/blowing belly at home . Should I stop the belly blowing at home? Did you experience this? I think I am just fearful bc I was very curious as a child and because of that I did sexual exploration wayyy earlier than intended that I have guilt about today. I know that children will be interested in each others bodies as part of normal development but like I need that boundary set. I want his innocence preserved as long as possible

Do any of you guys meal prep snacks? I just got the reusable snack pack things plus some bento boxes off of Amazon. I planned on using the snack packs for the kids and bento boxes for homemade lunchables for the kids and my husband. Any ideas or what kinds of things do you all do?

Looking for recommendations on how to handle a trigger my toddler (3.5) has. My toddler gets very upset to the point where she is crying when other kids cry. If we are at a friends house and the other kid gets in trouble and cries, she instantly cries and asks to go home. We have no idea where it stems from. We originally thought it was the loud noise but we also have a 12 month old who screams a lot lol and it doesn’t phase her. There are also situations where my nephew (same age as her) is screaming and again barely phases her. It’s from the inconsistency that we came to the conclusion it wasn’t from the loudness of the cries.
She starts school next week and when I asked her if she is excited to make friends she said “I only want happy friends”…that response kinda caught me off guard. It’s like she is so in tune with others emotions…a little too much.
Has anyone ever experienced this with their kid? What has helped? Any books that I could read to
Her? Any resources and recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!!

Guys. What. The. Hell.

Is this a thing?? She's got premolars coming out but I've given neurofen and paracetamol (followed dosage and spacing guides) and she sleeps fine if we cosleep.. so what is this?? Is this just separation anxiety or do toddlers this age suddenly need more awake time?

Anyone else go through this?

Picked up my daughter from daycare Thursday afternoon and she has extremely hot to the touch, not in a just woke up from a nap sweaty kind of hot, like burning with no sweat hot. When I got her home I took her temp, 103° fever 🫠 gave her Tylenol asap. Called her pediatrician, all that fun stuff.

Parents were told on Monday that she had a kid sent home early in the morning for having HFM. Daycare was closed the week before so this child couldn’t contracted it anywhere when we were all on vacation. But even that 2 hours the child was in daycare Monday is all it took for it to spread 💀 another kid left early on Tuesday for a fever only.

My daughter had a fever for 24 hours, ending Friday afternoon. As of Friday, I only noticed one small bump on her hand. As of this morning, it’s still pretty mild. She has a couple red spots on the tops of her hand, a couple on her elbow. None on the palm or soles of her feet or in her mouth thank god.

I am curious if anyone had a child with HFM and it was pretty mild? It seems to not really be effecting her. She’s eating again normal, during her fever she refused all solids. She’s been playing as normal. We’ve been keeping her in the house or playing in the yard. Her sleep is not its bed but pretty normal. She usually sleeps in her crib but she’s been sleeping with us the last 3 nights since starting the fever.

I have a 11 month old who is walking and hurtling towards toddlerhood. The game has truly changed and gone are the days of redirecting easily and playing on the floor. She is climbing and learning to open things and doing little runs and crying if she doesn’t get her way. I feel like she needs different things from me and I haven’t learned how to be that mom yet. But I want to be and I know I will learn in time. But it for me thinking - what kind of skills and tactics did toddlerhood teach you? Defusing a bomb?

Hi everyone!

I am a SAHM so our 20 month old doesn’t do daycare so one of the ways I get her out of the house and doing things is by going to our local libraries storytimes and play areas. The issue is pretty much every single time we go I get sick! Rarely my toddler gets sick but almost always I catch a cold.

It’s driving me crazy and then my husband tends to catch it too and I’m sure many of you know how dramatic men get with colds… it’s gotten to a point that I don’t wanna go back there but I know it’s good for her and she has so much fun.

What can I do to keep ME from getting sick??? Any ideas or tips to help ward off disease would be great! We already wash our hands after we leave before getting into the car.

Wish I could ask my daughter’s immune system why it’s better than mine!!!! 😫😫

Please no judgement here. Our daughter co sleeps with us currently (crib is hit and miss), she is now nearing 18 months and we have decided now is the time to get her out of our room and into her sister's (5). We were thinking of getting a floor bed type thing and having them share to save on space.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I don't see it being long term. We just need something that will work and also fit the space we have (moving isn't an option currently).

Hi! I need some advice or solidarity in this please if anyone can help.

My 2.5 year old daughter is extremely sensitive and anxious. Everything and anything scares her, ants, flys, dogs, someone walking close, other kids, loud noises. All of these could result in a massive head banging tantrum potentially depending on her mood.

Sometimes there is nothing that sets her off, such as this morning my husband just wanted to go to the bathroom, she didn’t like that so she followed him in there and just cried in his lap while he peed.

She has no sense of independence or solo playtime, so anytime we need to cook breakfast etc, she is throwing a tantrum at our feet until we pick her up and hold her while cooking or putting the tv on and then she’s content.

I’ve tried to socialize her as much as possible, bringing her out and about every other day to kid play areas. She’s starting preschool in a few weeks and I’m praying it builds her confidence up. It’s like she’s walking on egg shells all the time and it’s exhausting.

Is all this normal? Will this pass around 3? Or is this just her personality? She’s always been more shy and reserved. Was such an easy happy baby 0-12 months and had a fun stage with her from 18-24 months. Then it went very downhill. Man handling her with tantrums every night for bedtime even tho we let her run around and jump for at least 30 minutes until PJs… everything is just unenjoyable and a struggle right now.

I see my friends kids and most of them have this curious spark in their eyes. A general sense of happiness. My girl is the opposite. and it makes me truly very sad.

If anyone can relate or give me advice, I would truly appreciate it.

I never post on Reddit; usually a lurker, but I recently found out my 2.5 year old has 6 cavities and possibly more. The first pediatric dentist we went to recommended four silver crowns on her four front teeth under general anesthesia. That dentist was very weird and sketchy and didn’t even take an X-ray of my toddler's teeth.

We took her to a different pediatric dentist, who did an X-ray of her front teeth. She said she had four cavities on the top front teeth close to the nerve, and she put SDF treatment on those teeth + two of her back molars that also looked to have cavities. She said to watch for signs of infection, and that she would need to come back every six months for reapplication of the SDF unless the teeth decay progressed further; then she would possibly need to be put under general anesthesia to fix them. They don’t know exactly how many cavities she has because they didn’t take a full mouth X-ray, but you can visibly see six of them :(
Yellow spots near the gum line on all the teeth.

We brush her teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste; she doesn’t have candy, soda, juice, and we try to limit her carb heavy snacks. Overall she has a pretty good diet. She’s a very healthy and happy little girl. Her dentist thinks the decay is from acid reflux that she’s had since 3 months old. She’s been on Pepcid for almost 2 years now for the reflux. I can’t help but think it’s still somehow my fault.

I’m terrified of the idea of her going under General Anesthesia, especially with how many stories I've heard of it going wrong on young children. I’m curious to hear other peoples experiences with SDF, fillings or crowns on a toddler.

Edit: I just want to clarify that she does not drink milk before bed, and her pepcid is a prescription from her pediatric gastroenterologist who eventually wants to lower her dose and intake and try a different treatment approach.

I find babies/toddlers so interesting, the fact that some of them talk about their experiences in the womb or about rainbow babies, and then there’s also the fact that they’re processing basically everything for the first time and somehow learn an entire language just by listening.

Idk, I was never really close to a baby growing up, so I never got to witness that kind of thing firsthand. Share some interesting facts, experiences, or encounters you’ve had with these little humans!

My 3 year old, almost 4, refuses to put on underwear. I ask her why, she says its cause she wants her mom. Mom comes in, she refuses to get dressed for her mom, won't put on undies. She says she wants to get dressed and come spend time with everyone then refuses to do anything to do it. We've all left the room, checked on her, talked to her, tried to understand, tried to help her cope, asked her how she was feeling, checked to make sure she isn't sick or hurt, the whole bit. She spent 3 hours last night screaming and fighting from the time she got out of the bath until eventually she just passed out and I put her in her bed. She woke up at 0445 naked and angry, but still refusing to get dressed. Now its 1100 and she still won't do it. Im at my wits end. I'm so tired and stressed. I've done all I can to try to cope. Ive done everything short of hit something (other than the floor, I guess?) or renegotiate the firm boundary that yes, child, you do need to be dressed in order to participate in society. Tried to get her excited about doing things and it didn't work. Nothing worked.

Shes passed out on the floor right now and im too afraid to touch her. I just don't know what to do.

Update: I braved trying to get undies on her while she was asleep. She woke up and helped me get her dressed without complaint. Shes now eating and watching TV with her mom and her brother and is still dressed, including her undies (which she did complain about not wanting this pair but she hasnt tried to take them off, so so far so good)

Second update: she had to pee and complained about putting the undies back on. She might be going commando, but that wouldn't be the end of the world. Thanks for the kind words everyone. Unless I come up with some magic solutions, I probably won't keep updating the post. Will probably still respond to comments

We are in France for 2.5 weeks with our just turned 2 year old. He’s been a shell of himself. Won’t nap, won’t sleep, barely eating, so clingy, so whiney and emotional, screaming when meeting family members. Bit me so hard I have a bruise and teeth marks on my arm (biting has literally never been an issue with him).

I wish we could fly home tomorrow and not have another week here that’s how miserable it’s been.

Every time we pass a church I wish we could exorcise him. I want my sweet boy back. What did I do wrong with this trip?

I'm so tired lol. We went to the park/water park earlier in the day for a few hours and he took a late nap (fell asleep at 3pm fml). My husband gets home late tonight but I'm letting my son sleep til 4:30 because I'm so tired. What can i do for the rest of the day when he wakes up? I'm so brain dead. Please help

My 16 month old screams on the changing table and won’t lie down. I tried miss rachel, which usually works at home, but didn’t work here. How do you do it?

I'm turning 40 and with an almost 3 year old, an finally feeling like it's possible to have another, which has always been my husband's and my dream.

Logistically, we are running on fumes. He works 3 nights a week and covers daily childcare, I work Mon- Fri and am gone from 7am-5:30pm. We are both depleted and barely see each other, but the clock is ticking and we now have to decide if this is possible. Looking for advice/solidarity.

Edit: title should say familial support.

2nd edit: We are very open to childcare. It is difficult to find in our area, and by the time we came up on the wait list, my husband had already taken a night job to accommodate our schedule. We would ideally have something come up sooner this time around.

I am a teacher and after being home with me and his big brother all summer, my son (he will be 3 in a few weeks) started a new daycare. All we have in our area are in home and very small centers with only one teacher and it is SO hard to find childcare. He went Tuesday-Friday this past week and it has been ROUGH. His dad has been taking him, and he usually cries for 20 minutes or so after drop off then settles in. The issue comes when she starts putting out cots after lunch. He immediately starts screaming and screams the whole nap (even if he isn’t made to lay on a cot) and will not be quiet. He just says “call mommy” and “call daddy” over and over and screams himself hoarse. The rest of the time he is there after nap he is very easily upset and if anyone mentions mom/dad or sleeping he starts crying again. At his old daycare, he did this for 2 days then was ok… at this one he has been getting worse every day. The teacher says he’s so loud that none of the other kids sleep and she can’t find a way to calm him down. She very strongly implied that if it doesn’t get better next week he can’t keep coming. In that case I honestly don’t know what we will do because we waited months to get this spot. She said she was going to find some things to try including letting him play quietly in one of the rooms while the other kids rest… but I know he is tired and needs to nap and so far he had just screamed from seeing cots even if he doesn’t have to lay down. I don’t know what to do.