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Just a heads up for any parents needing normal infant formula. Amazon seems to have the Enfamil organic in stock. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09853PPGF/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_S26KA7A34ZMGGC66M732
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May 26, 2022 01:00
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Koivunen posted:Overall having kids is the best thing ever, it’s so amazing and wonderful and your kids are the best people you will ever know, it’s so much fun. My kid is three and I don't think I've ever felt this way.  Not that we haven't had some great days together, and I do love her. But mostly she feels like a lovely roommate. E/N: I really wanted to be a parent, it was always my life goal. But it's so much harder than I ever imagined it would be, and that's just playing on easy mode with one kid and two committed spouses. I read posts like yours, where you face the most heinous poo poo and eat it with a smile, and I feel like such an imposter and failure. edit: on the other hand, she just set out spots on the floor for us to sit on and sing the Hello Song to her stuffed toys, which was pretty dang adorable wizzardstaff fucked around with this message at 03:07 on May 26, 2022 |
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May 26, 2022 02:51
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I need help because I feel like I'm losing my loving mind. My 3 year old (they are on the spectrum) has refused to sleep in his bed anymore. He will only sleep on the couch. He won't even entertain sleeping in his bed at this point. It used to be that once he was asleep we could move him to his bed and everything will be fine, but now as soon as I pick him up he just starts going "NO COUCH I WANT IT COUCH I WANT IT" and if I lay him down in his bed, he just gets out and walks back to the couch. I know that my Wife and I are partially to blame for this because we have been fine letting him sleep on the couch but at this point I'm loving over it. I haven't had a proper nights sleep in weeks and I feel like I'm a loving rear end in a top hat all the time, getting frustrated with a 3 year old because they are not sleeping like they normally did. How do I transition my little one into sleeping in his own bed without it turning into a war? SalTheBard fucked around with this message at 05:18 on May 26, 2022 |
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May 26, 2022 05:13
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wizzardstaff posted:My kid is three and I don't think I've ever felt this way. With you here. We got to 15 months with my first and she was pretty easygoing, so hey, a second seems fine. It got so much exponentially harder once our second was mobile and it’s so hard to communicate with my husband outside of transactional kid-related minutiae. Our house is constantly a mess, I am constantly busy cooking and putting out spot fires that deep cleaning is laughable. The thing that I have to come to terms with is that we made the decision to bring these kids into existence, they didn’t ask to be here, and it’s not their fault that it can be so hard to be a decent parent. It’s on us to guide them and make their existence worth having. My kids are seriously great, but I am pretty sure if I could see what it would be like, I would have stayed childless. I am open with this opinion with people if they ask too, I think it’s doing people a disservice to make them think kids are the only/best way to bring meaning to the world.
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May 26, 2022 05:31
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SalTheBard posted:How do I transition my little one into sleeping in his own bed without it turning into a war? I don't know what you've done so far, but you gotta make that bed the coolest loving thing in the house. Get your kid to pick out sheets online with you, ones with their favorite animal or cartoon or whatever. Can you put decorations up? Are they ready for a bigger bed that offers then more independence? How much time do you spend in their room playing with them? If they only spend sleeping time in there it might be an uncomfortable place otherwise... Who knows, kids also do through weird phases you just have to ride out. Edgar Allen Ho posted:This thread makes me both more and less terrified about having a kid. How did you folks get through?? One day at a time. I've been mentally reciting the serenity prayer when being a parent gets overwhelming: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Most days my kids are a joy to be around. Yeah it takes a lot of work teaching them how to be humans, and sometimes that work sucks, but it's amazing to see that labor payoff when my kid is able to be more independent, or have a conversation with me, or regulate their own emotion. It's okay to complain about a job you love when it gets hard, and that's what most of this thread is, people blowing off steam about the work.
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May 26, 2022 05:46
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It’s actually really helpful to hear from someone in the same position, thank you. Solidarity. I’m holding out hope that things will be better when she’s a little older, like five or six. In my happy dreams of fatherhood (whoops, now motherhood) I never imagined myself as the parent of a toddler, but as the parent of a child. And she will be one eventually. But in the meantime, yeah, she didn’t ask to be born and it’s my responsibility to give her the best life possible.
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May 26, 2022 05:50
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Good article for those of us who kinda hate toddlers. https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/1/25/10793262/parenting-babies-toddlers Personally when I’m actively parenting my toddler I am rarely enjoying it. His attention span is so wild that any 2 minutes that feel special will probably get upended by some tantrum over wanting to use a sharpie or something. But I do think extremely fondly of him when he’s sleeping and that is kind of special that I could love someone that much that aggravates me constantly.
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May 26, 2022 06:15
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Our kid is coming up on 2 and like most milestones hitting them early, the terrible twos being one of them As soon as she gets home around 5:30 we strap her into the stroller and walk the ~six blocks to the main pedestrian area and then let her run loose and see the other kids. This does two things 1) she can destroy the outdoors to her hearts content, not destroying the inside of our home 2) she wears herself out, is ready for bed by 7:30-8, which is about when we get back Bonus: we both wfh so it's much needed outside time/exercise, getting a 2-mile walk in every evening has been amazing for my mood and energy levels Re: couch kid, mildly curious what would happen if you put the couch in their room
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May 26, 2022 07:52
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The toddler has a constant dry cough which is keeping both him and us awake all night. Has anyone had any experience with a humidifier? Google says it may help, but I don't want to drop cash on one if it's basically a 'it may help, it may not, who knows we're clutching at straws' situation.
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May 26, 2022 08:24
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It's like late spring what's your indoor humidity like, what's the humidity outside? This time of year humidity is going to be 45-60% so my guess is a humidifier isn't going to help much Humidifiers seem to be most effective, in my experience, when it's cold and dry outside, and indoor humidity is less than 40%
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May 26, 2022 08:32
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Hadlock posted:It's like late spring what's your indoor humidity like, what's the humidity outside? This time of year humidity is going to be 45-60% so my guess is a humidifier isn't going to help much No idea to be honest! The met office website reckons it's around 60% overnight at the moment so maybe not then
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May 26, 2022 09:52
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femcastra posted:With you here. We got to 15 months with my first and she was pretty easygoing, so hey, a second seems fine. This. All the way this. And now my one year old is an angel most of the time but he gets into everything so we’re constantly chasing him down. My 3.5 year old is an rear end in a top hat most of the time and it’s very tough. I wfh now and my wife is a stay at home mom. And we still barely keep up with the house. Our conversations don’t really start until both kids are asleep and that’s our hour to 2 hours to decompress but that’s it really. At times, I’m very envious of friends and coworkers who both work and have their kids in full time day care. Because they seem to enjoy the parenting that much more since their kids aren’t in their face 24/7. But then they’re also missing some milestones, etc, but they definitely seem better off mentally…then they’ll bitch to me about something insignificant and I’m like “oh, your one kid had to stay home sick today and you had to wrangle wfh while you and your wife shared parenting for a whole day? I do that with two kids every loving day and it’s tiring as gently caress. Please shut up.” It doesn’t help our jobs aren’t totally taxing so helping out with the kids a bit isn’t too much to handle. Im switching jobs this summer where I won’t wfh anymore.The toddler will be going to full time day care but the 1 year old will stay home since we can’t afford both of them in without my wife working. Im hoping my attitude will Get better around the toddler since he’ll be away from me more. Eggnogium posted:Good article for those of us who kinda hate toddlers. https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/1/25/10793262/parenting-babies-toddlers Article link just led to a paywall kinda on mobile? I couldn’t read it at all. But I feel the same way. My wife is amazing and she can look at all the good stuff while parenting…a lot of the time I’m just counting down to a nap or the end of the day. Then I’ll see something she posted on Facebook about what we did and my heart melts a little bit.
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May 26, 2022 10:27
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I feel like I’m going cross eyed reading about baby stuff like sleeping from sources that contain differing and sometimes contradictory information My wife is soon going to ban me from Googling things, I think
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May 26, 2022 12:27
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Professor Shark posted:I feel like I’m going cross eyed reading about baby stuff like sleeping from sources that contain differing and sometimes contradictory information Basically everything is like this, unfortunately, when it comes to babies and advice. You will get articles telling you to do something one way and another article saying "this will literally kill your baby" about practically every topic imaginable. At some point for me I hate to say it but it came down to instinct, and listening to my gut feelings on a lot of stuff. Also talking to other moms I trusted the opinions and liked the parenting style of. hallo spacedog fucked around with this message at 13:53 on May 26, 2022 |
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May 26, 2022 13:35
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Eggnogium posted:Good article for those of us who kinda hate toddlers. https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/1/25/10793262/parenting-babies-toddlers Here's a direct article link: https://www.vox.com/2016/1/25/10793262/parenting-babies-toddlers
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May 26, 2022 13:44
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When I look back on the first couple years our parenting happiness was highly correlated with the amount of predictable breaks we were able to get, regardless of how long they were. It’s like one long tennis match and you only get a handful of short breaks between games or sets so you learn quickly how to recharge regardless of whether you have 10 minutes or 10 hours to yourself. Sleep training and some form of competent help (daycare, nanny, grandparents, taking shifts with partner, etc) are so loving important to staying sane. Also taking lots of pictures and looking at them while your kid is asleep really kicks in those gratitude feels.
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May 26, 2022 14:33
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Well, the 6 year old figured out how to climb the tree/big shrub in the back yard and onto the roof. What an exciting new era.
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May 26, 2022 14:38
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Parenting is still really hard sometimes, but it’s gotten waaay easier now that she’s older and is able to communicate more. There are just so many joyful moments throughout the day. Whether it’s watching her play with the Rainbow Brite doll I had as a kid, hearing her little babbles of “ticka ticka ticka” or “bleegum bleegum bleegum”, or petting the cedar tree while meowing, there are things that make me smile every day. She recently learned “hat” and “coat”, but she pronounces them as “ha” and “co”. The other day she wanted to go back to the park and had her shoes on, then she walked up to me, handed me my sun hat and said “ha”. It was just the cutest thing and melted my heart. We also just met the toddler from across the street. We were at the park when the little girl and her dad came and they ended up playing with each other’s toys. The girl is Anastasia and her family is Ukrainian. They can understand English, but not speak it too well. I hope we keep seeing them at the park. It was so cute watching my kid follow the other girl around and pick dandelions to hand to her dad.
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May 26, 2022 14:39
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Shifty Pony posted:Here's a direct article link: Thanks, dunno why Google fed me that stub page but yeah I didn’t scroll down and check that is was right. Anyways, I’ve read it like 3 or 4 times after particularly rough days.
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May 26, 2022 14:42
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My daughter is five and has an incredibly descriptive vocabulary Which means, naturally, if she actually wants something she grunts and yells "mommy/daddy" while pointing
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May 26, 2022 14:45
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We got a book about feelings and mini pony picked up the word "cuddle" from it and uses it when he wants to get in our laps. That has gone a surprisingly long way towards making things more rewarding. He also learned "angy" but as far as I can tell just likes the sound of it and hasn't managed to connect it to actual emotions yet. Does anyone else get routinely wrecked by children's books, or am I the only one crying because the butterfly flew off and the little fox is sad because she wants to keep playing but doesn't have wings to follow it?
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May 26, 2022 15:09
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My son is 8 and he has been an absolute joy for the last several years. The baby and toddler years are rough.
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May 26, 2022 16:00
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How do you keep getting sick? How?!
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May 26, 2022 16:09
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King Hong Kong posted:How do you keep getting sick? How?! They overlap THEY OVERLAP 
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May 26, 2022 16:10
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I felt like the baby stage was so, so hard and I wouldn’t want to go through that again. But now my guy is 16 months and having a toddler is an absolute blast. Yeah he needs constant attention/supervision but it seems like every day he is trying something new and stretching the limitations of his tiny body and vocabulary. I know that once he starts talking things will change again, but right now I love spending every spare moment with my cuddly little guy. He goes to daycare full time and we really only get a few hours together every evening before bed and I hope that’s enough.
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May 26, 2022 16:17
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We have a 7 and a 3 year old. I'd be happy to adopt a 3+ year old child (though we don't actually plan to do so). I'm NOT doing the baby/early toddler stage ever again. Our kids didn't sleep through the night until they were 18 months old & my inlaws that lived nearby weren't much help. They're lovely people but they have their own busy lives and I think felt overwhelmed taking care of two little kids at once after we had our daughter. They'd been providing monthly date night babysitting when it was just our son which has pretty much dried up entirely. I think they'll be great once the kids are older, though. I wish my parents lived closer - they're about 3h away. We actually see them more often than the in-laws.
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May 26, 2022 16:19
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King Hong Kong posted:How do you keep getting sick? How?! Been homeschooling for 2 school years and only had the sick rocket through our house twice. One of them was the 'rona, the other just a normal URI. 
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May 26, 2022 17:02
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On the one hand: my 6 year old gave my wife a handful of smarties because "I feel bad you had to spend twelve dollars on a new chair for me" On the other hand: she also said "HEY MOMMY I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING", got on all fours and blasted a loud meaty fart right at my wife In conclusion children are a land of contrasts. Parenting Megathread: Awwww you little shithead
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May 26, 2022 17:37
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Having reliable help and the ability to take breaks makes SUCH a huge difference. Huge. HUGE. Also - people will experience stages differently depending on themselves and their kids. I found the baby years pretty easy, and the child years interesting but manageable, but MAN the toddler years were just the worst. Mine are 8 and 5 now and while sometimes I miss the cuddly baby stages I NEVER miss toddler-hood.
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May 26, 2022 20:09
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I have this theory that age 2.5 to 5 is childhood puberty - they're changing from a toddler into a kid so their hormones are rampaging just like when they're 12. Predictable breaks is the Most Important thing. I'll catch myself thinking if I can just make it to naptime I've got it all sewn up because I don't have to fill the yawning expanse of the day for them anymore - when they wake up its already playtime then it's already dinner time then it's already bathtime then it's already bedtime
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May 26, 2022 20:57
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Today was the oldest’s last day of school. She lost her poo poo getting off the bus because the year was over and she loves school so much.
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May 26, 2022 22:03
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gently caress Kids just got off their ten day quarantine for daycare with my daughter being positive. They were at daycare for ONE AND A HALF DAYS and I got a call that my son has a fever. Sure enough he just tested positive. I’m testing negative and I don’t know what the hell to do. He hasn’t been away from me for more than two nights and frankly I don’t trust his dad to take him for at least six days. I’m supposed to be working for 7/10 of the next days and I can’t afford to miss that much work. Can’t expose the grandparents, both kids need to out for another ten days…. Sort of freaking out.
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May 26, 2022 23:12
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We've started a journal that we want to write in semi-regularly to keep a record of our thoughts regarding our son that we hope to present to him as an adult so he can look back on it and meet us as people instead of just his parents. We both started it with short letters to future him and I spent half of it crying thinking of him being older. It was a really good way to get some thoughts out and to tell future him how he is now as a toddler and I think it'll be good to be able to look back and have a record written right then so we don't lose big things to the sands of time.
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May 27, 2022 00:03
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Had like an hour long conversation with my wife today about our abusive dads. And now I'm terrified of continuing the obvious cycle. Part of my brain is like "dude, the fact you talk about this sort if thing is really good and you're going to be a better dad for it, with the hottest most badass mom at your side to boot" and the other half is "you're going to be poo poo."
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May 27, 2022 00:23
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Man, hand foot mouth progresses really quickly. Baby got it on vacation, and on the 6 hour ride ride home, I’m watching the bumps become more pronounced on her feet. Not sure I’m ready for any fingernails to fall off my baby girl.
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May 27, 2022 00:39
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meanolmrcloud posted:Man, hand foot mouth progresses really quickly. Baby got it on vacation, and on the 6 hour ride ride home, I’m watching the bumps become more pronounced on her feet. Not sure I’m ready for any fingernails to fall off my baby girl. Our two have gotten it like, 5 times between the two of them and we never had the fingernails thing happen. It’s not too bad, they stop being sick or contagious pretty quick and then it takes a while for the bumps to go away.
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May 27, 2022 00:46
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Edgar Allen Ho posted:Had like an hour long conversation with my wife today about our abusive dads. And now I'm terrified of continuing the obvious cycle. Part of my brain is like "dude, the fact you talk about this sort if thing is really good and you're going to be a better dad for it, with the hottest most badass mom at your side to boot" and the other half is "you're going to be poo poo." I think the fact you're talking about it and thinking about it and want kids means you won't be poo poo. My husband and I both had insane fathers but he is a wonderful kind dad. I'm in constant awe of my daughter every day now. She just turned one but she is doing so much amazing stuff every day. Our favorite thing right now is trying new foods (we had chicken curry and falafel and tofu stir fry this week) and this music together class we do on Wednesday. I understand why the day in day out nature of toddler life is frustrating for many and am prepared for her to become even more ornery but personally I feel like I can see her personality shining through everything and it's very adorable and lovable to me. Every day she grows a little more and it's just mind blowing. Watching the little gears turning as she figures things out never gets old to me.
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May 27, 2022 01:51
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Ok crisis possibly averted. Kid’s dad actually stepped up and worked things out at his job so he can take some time off, and he will take both kids this weekend as he was supposed to anyway. I have a couple days off mid-week and then my mom is YET AGAIN saving my rear end by covering my last two work days, she will be babysitting in an n 95 on quarantine days 7 and 8. This will work out great if I stay negative. If I pop positive it’s whatever, I’d have to isolate anyway. Doing two kids quarantines back to back is tough AF.
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May 27, 2022 02:59
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Koivunen posted:Ok crisis possibly averted. Kid’s dad actually stepped up and worked things out at his job so he can take some time off, and he will take both kids this weekend as he was supposed to anyway. I have a couple days off mid-week and then my mom is YET AGAIN saving my rear end by covering my last two work days, she will be babysitting in an n 95 on quarantine days 7 and 8. This will work out great if I stay negative. If I pop positive it’s whatever, I’d have to isolate anyway. Doing two kids quarantines back to back is tough AF. I am really sorry that's happening! Really glad you were able to get it semi-covered.
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May 27, 2022 03:26
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I saw a tweet or post or something to the effect: “American society is structured to expect two parents to both work full time jobs with a third parent taking care of the household/children full time.” This rings very true to me, I don’t know which other countries it also applies to. So for us we are financially very very fortunate to have a 9-5 full time nanny watch the toddler and do basic stuff. I don’t understand how it would be possible for two people to work from home and watch a baby, or even for a single parent to work/parent. It’s still very difficult even with all this expensive help. One suggestion if you’re overwhelmed is to look for support. It can be a mom/dad group, a neighbor, a friend, a grandparent, a paid babysitter, short term daycare, whatever. Just give yourself a break. No one, even if you just moved to a foreign country and don’t speak the language, is truly alone in this world, even if it feels that way sometimes during quarantine. Anyway my kid (18mo) is currently entering a skinned knee phase where he won’t stop running with things and tripping. We really need to keep him in pants but it’s already >100 here. Just loaded up on bandaids and antibiotic, poor little dude. I feel like he’s gained just enough fast movement and motor skills and momentum that now he’s more of a danger to himself than when he was just learning to walk and tipping over.
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May 27, 2022 05:43
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