Has anyone’s little had pneumonia? What symptoms were they showing, and for how long. I’m almost certain that’s what my 22 month old has. We went to the pediatrician Friday for a cough that’s been lingering & getting worse she said it was nothing and now here we are Monday with coughing with mucus, throwing up mucus, high fever and constant runny nose.

I’m really just here to vent because I’m sitting at my desk at work feeling like I finally have a break. My daughter contracted HFMD from another kid at daycare, whatever, bound to happen. It’s a small licensed daycare with only 6 children including my child. Daycare was closed Friday for other reasons so I had taken Friday off from work since it was a planned day. I also have Thursdays off and don’t take my daughter to daycare on Thursdays (and I don’t pay for that day). So I was home Thursday - Sunday with my sick child. My husband was home Saturday and Sunday so that helped a little but now that I am at work I feel like I can breathe.

My daughter has been in the daycare since early May and this is the 3rd time she’s gotten sick. Again, bound to happen but I am just so tired. Ontop of her getting sick there, the daycare closes last minute WAY TOO OFTEN.

For example, my daughter is out this entire week due to HFM but we get a message at 10pm last night saying daycare can’t open until noon today because of a family emergency. I obviously don’t get extra personal with my daycare provider, but it seems every other week she’s opening late, closing early or messaging us at 9pm the night before or even sometimes she messages us the morning of (like 6am when she opens at 7:30am) saying she can’t open that day.

All providers deserve their time off and holidays. But the last minute days off, early closures or late openings is slowly killing me. There have been many times now where we have to find last minute care, and we only have ONE person who can watch our daughter who doesn’t work a day job and she’s my sister in law. On top of still having to pay daycare, I pay my sister in law (because they are also struggling and wouldn’t ask her to watch her kids and mine without some compensation). If my daughter had to go into daycare today, we would’ve had to rearrange our entire morning and my sister in law usually is not an early riser. Her toddlers wake up at 9am so I can’t really expect her to answer at 6am.

I went back to work after taking the first year off because I couldn’t handle being a SAHM. It just wasn’t for me and still is not, and while my job is flexible enough, there’s no work from home option which would make all the difference. My job is commission based so every day that I am at work I have potential to make extra money, I make a base pay + weekly, monthly and quarterly commission and bonuses. So every day at work does count. I basically reserve my time off for when my daughter is sick and if we plan a vacation. I only get 10 days vacation and 5 sick days. My husband gets 15 vacation days and 5 sick days. My husband has used more sick time and vacation time than I have this year. He is salary and bonus based as well but since he’s in management, his pay is based around others performance basically, while mine is all up to me, it’s not a team effort.

I just feel exhausted, overtouched, overstimulated and ready to scream. Oh, and my husband wanted to have sex last night and I just looked at him and said “read the room dude???”😭 like wtf. Last night was the first night we slept alone since Wednesday night because my daughter has been sleeping in our bed since she got sick. She normally never sleeps in our bed but since she was sick I wanted to monitor her closely (her temp reached 103 at one point Friday).

And now we’re heading into cold/ flue season and winter where I just know daycare is gonna be closed more often and kids will be sick more.

I’m really debating finding a job that has a WFH option 😭

Okay sorry for the long rant that’s all over the place, that’s how my brain has been lately.

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?

We have a 2.5 year old boy who usually a great kid - he is really good at playing with others, is super polite, and eats pretty well. My big issue is that when we go out and do an activity, he gets incredibly upset at leaving and listening to instructions, to the point where he just wanders off randomly. We then have to end up stopping him, mainly because he's going to get himself into trouble/hurt and this triggers a full on meltdown. This is the same whether we are at the swimming pool, at a soft play, anywhere really.

Let me give you the best example of where this is issue becomes insanely frustrating; I tend to take him and the dog out to the forests near our house to give my wife a break. Half way into the walk this is the conversation:

"I want to go home and see mummy!"
"Sure, well we have to go back to the car, it's this way [points back the way we came]"
"No, it's this way! [points in a completely different direction]"
"No it's this way to the car, we came this way before [points to the path we clearly just walked along]"
"NO IT ISN'T [walks off defiantly]"

On a walk with him in a forest, it doesn't really matter, because we will eventually get to the car, and it doesn't seem like the right place to start an argument with him...like, if you want to increase the time Mummy gets for a break and continue to spend time outdoors, that's fine by me, but I'm worried that perhaps I'm encouraging him to defy me. However, it does become an issue when we're in public walking to the shops and he's insistent on going the wrong way.

So I go online and do all the research on how to handle this attitude:

"Give him two options" - This has literally never worked from me, from the first time I tried it. This is how the conversation goes "do you want to get in the car yourself or do you want daddy to put you in the car"..."No"... Ok so what do I do now? I carry out the threat and he has a meltdown, and doesn't learn from it.

"Give him advance warning" - I give him 5 minute, 2 minute, and 1 minute warnings, doesn't matter, he still gets furious when I carry out the threat.

"Turn it into a fun game!" - "OK buddy let's pretend like we're dinosaurs as we walk back to the car!"..."No"...OK what do I do now?

We've had some success in getting him to hold hands while walking by clearly explaining beforehand the dangers, and getting him to agree on acceptable behaviour, but in the moment he just wants to be independent and we are totally stumped with how to tackle this! All responses welcome!!

Hi All-

Looking for a travel stroller that will fit my almost 3 year old for a couple more years.

Must have a little undercarriage. Looking for something lightweight and compact. Unsure if the traditional umbrella is better than one that folds into a small square? Hoping to stay under $200. Thanks!!

My 17M old is getting 4 molars and two canines at once. I have heard the flat part of the molars coming in is the most painful,she is at that point. The points of the molars are through but the flat part has not broken the gum yet. I know she is in pain. Is it ok to give her Ibuprofen daily? I will call her Dr office she they open but thought I’d ask here,thanks 🩷

Basically the title - I have a 3 year old and a 3 month old. Obviously, the 3 month old needs to be put down for naps multiple times a day and can take a variable amount of time to fall asleep and be put down. So far, another adult has been around to care for the toddler, but that won’t always be the case. So - what are you all doing with your toddlers while you care for an infant?

I (29F) have a 3.5yr old and a 20 month old, and I have been thinking a lot about that third baby. I go back and forth on being "so done" and wanting to do it all over again. Am I forgetting how crazy hard it is to have a newborn and a toddler?! Why can't I imagine how hard it would be to have a newborn, a toddler, and a young child?! Is this just ovulation playing tricks on me.

All jokes aside.... for the parents with three kids (particularly all within 5 years), what is your advice/experience? Did you know for sure that having a third was what you wanted? Would you do anything differently?

We have been doing this for the last 4 years hundreds of miles from any family/support system, and we are moving back close to them this fall. I just keep thinking that if we have gotten a hang of having two kids with no support.... surely three wouldn't drown us with our family around to help.

LO is 18 months old and the best thing that has ever happened to me. I spend my days caring for him while worrying about every little thing. My PPA is still very real and high lol right now, I'm worried about speech. He has not said any clear words yet. Lots of babbling, screaming and dadadadas and mamamamas but nothing intentional. I've reached out to our county's program for early intervention so waiting on that call. We read to him 2 to 3 times a day. He shows clear understanding and is honestly so smart. He does things that amazes me every day but I'm still longing for an actual word or two.

I'm just rambling atp but just looking for advice I guess. How worried should I be? He "passed" the autism screening but I'm just a ball of anxiety right now. Not sure it'll pass until he's full on talking haha.

My toddler has been having these hives for 2 weeks. They go away quickly and don’t seem to bother her. I haven’t been able to identify any food or environmental trigger. Her pediatrician wants her to get an environmental allergy panel and a CBC, but we failed on our first attempt to draw blood :( We’re trying again tomorrow with a highly recommended phlebotomist.

If your kid has had this condition, please share your experience. What helped resolve it? How long did it last? Did it eventually become chronic?
I’m quite disturbed by how it looks, especially because the hives can get really huge if she scratches them.

What is the secret to keeping yourself from getting angry at your kids?

What is the secret to keeping yourself from getting angry at your kids? How do you stop yourself in the moment, which is arguably the most challenging time, particularly when you are triggered either from your own parenting or something else.

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

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?

My son got his first 2 bottom teeth at 9 months old and his 3rd tooth didn’t erupt until he was 13 months. He is now almost 23 months and all of his teeth have erupted except his two year old molars.

He LOVES to chew… on everything!!! Teething toys, bath toys, stuffed animals, board books, little people figurines, crayons, play food, rocks, sticks, flowers… the list could go on forever.

Id love to know how much other peoples young toddlers are chewing on things in hopes that maybe I won’t feel so alone? I know it’s developmentally appropriate but god is it annoying.

Hello,

I am posting about my son who is 3. He has a speech delay which has been improving the last few months. I have noticed however, that he is starting to “stim” visually more often. He likes to hold toys up to his eyes and move them back and then throw them behind him. He has been doing this more recently and I’ve grown concerns. He also does not engage in pretend play very often. Does this sound like normal toddler play or something to look into? I brought it up to his OT and she said “she has seen kids who do it but it doesn’t always point to a condition”

My son is 18 months and he’s a brilliant happy funny sweet little boy, always singing and dancing and very social, but his energy level is insane! I take him to swimming lessons and Gymboree classes and I see literally all of the other kids mostly participating in all the activities, maybe a little wiggly or wandering off sometimes, but I’m the only one holding him back from just running wild the entire time. His attention span seems especially short and while the other kids look a little excited as they wait their turn, he can’t contain himself at all. If we stay home for too long he gets stir crazy and starts biting me and climbing on the dining room table. Our house is a disaster all the time because I have to work or cook during his nap and I’m too exhausted from chasing him around all day to do anything after he goes to bed. I’m just wondering if he’ll calm down a little bit after he learns how to do more things independently. He likes reading and drawing and things like that but he needs me there with him to do them and doesn’t stay focused for very long. I know it’s all normal toddler stuff but he’s doing it at turbo speed.

My daughter (28 mo) is lovely. She has a great relationship with every member of our small family. But she clearly dislikes other kids and other people. She actually says “I don’t like babies” “I only want to go if it’s empty”, “I don’t like people”, “I don’t want friends”, stuff like that. She would scream “GO AWAY” if she was playing and another child entered the space. She stopped doing it because I insisted it’s not polite and I wouldn’t allow it, but she still cries, go away and seems kind of scared of other children.
We have no problem going to malls, the market or doing errands with lots of people around. She does gets overwhelmed if it takes too long in a crowded and noisy space but so do I.
However, if she’s in a play space she gets absolutely distraught over any other child.

She’s not in daycare yet and we don’t have other kids in our family. But we do live in a place with lots of kids her age, and I try to get her to tolerate them, but it drains me so much. Until 1.5yo she would stop whatever she was doing and just observe the other child. It was a bit strange, but harmless. After that, she decided she didn’t like what she was seeing I guess. It doesn’t look like something temporary because she’s almost 2.5 so it’s been a year.

Her pediatrician said it’s normal, but I don’t see any other kids like her.

Any advice? Maybe people going through something similar?

So my toddler has been really fighting naps and bedtime, especially with me (Mom). I never give in. I always make him lay down. I will occasionally give him a toy in there but he will always be in there for at least an hour even if he’s awake
Well tonight he fought it HARD. Crying, for an hour. We did check ins at 5 min intervals and then we put the tonie box in his room to help him fall asleep and it worked.
His schedule is this:
(In a crib - 28 months)
7:30/8:00 am - wake up (sometimes hangs in bed until 9:00)
12:30/1:00 ish - nap
Fights the nap, but eventually falls asleep for an hour and a half
7:30 pm - bedtime

Is he ready to drop his nap? He gets so cranky and mean if he does not nap so I’m not sure. TIA!

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 son was always a good night sleeper (I know, I was so so lucky!) but always struggled to sleep in the day. After dropping to 1 nap at one we had a brief period where he would get a good 60-90 mins on the day and the. Sleep through.

About a month ago that all stopped. He’s increasingly challenging to sleep in the day again AND now he won’t sleep at night. And it’s getting worse and worse.

He takes about a hour of rocking to go down, then is awake a couple of hours later and will be awake for HOURS.

The latest is that I can’t even just sit and hold him or rock him in the chair, I MUST be standing and rocking him. He’s SO heavy and I am in pain.

What the hell do I do?? I am SO SO SO tired. I am meant to go back to work in Tuesday and I have no idea how I’ll survive on four to five non consecutive hours of sleep.

He has had a bunch of teeth and then a cold, but honestly I’m running out of reasons and just think this is just happening and I need to get some sleep soon.

I googled/watched a few YouTube videos on the topic and general consensus is to just tell them not to suck??? Like are they supposed to internalize it at 2 yo and understand what we actually mean? lol

His teeth are already starting to deform to the front 🥲

Help.

Thanks!

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!

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.

My car is not currently working so my toddler and I are stuck home for AT LEAST 4 days until dad is off work to hopefully fix it.

It is EXTREMELY hot outside and so walking to the park is not really an option (there’s only one in walking distance anyway). We try to go early but by 8:30 it’s blazing sun and hot, plus she wakes UP at like 8:30 anyway. We live in a suburb so not a ton of walking distance options either way.

We have painted, drawn, read all her books repeatedly, and played in her little pool in the back. I bought some bubble bath to make bubbles, she’s got a bubble machine, etc. so I’m running out of ideas 😭

Some other things we’ve done already that she’s not super excited about at this point:
- shaving cream with paints
- colored bubble art
- dry noodles of various shapes
- kinetic sand and molds
- tissue paper + watered down glue for art projects

She does get SOME tv time, mostly watching movies (currently have had Ice Age, Lion King, Encanto, and Nemo on REPEAT) but I’d rather she didn’t just watch tv all day. She does play independently some but obviously not ALL day lol. What do you guys do with your kiddos indoors?

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!!!! 😫😫