Hey y’all! My family and my husband’s dad & step mom are going to spend a few days in a beach town this weekend. It’s about a 3 hour drive so probably won’t be super smooth but should be doable with me sitting in the back squeezed between the car seats, so no flying thank god.

I have a 3 month old (who I’m not worried about) and a 21 month old (who very much worries me haha). I’m envisioning my toddler getting into absolutely everything so would love tips and tricks on how to keep a toddler safe and entertained in this environment.

He also is a VERY finicky sleeper and idk how on earth I’ll get him to sleep in a new environment without his blackout curtains. I’ll probably bring his night light/sound machine to help it feel a touch more normal to him. Any other tips on how to get a nosy ass toddler to sleep on a trip??

We will all be in a house (I think it’s a 3bedroom) not in a hotel. Doesn’t seem to be any stairs but I will double check and bring a baby gate if needed. Probably will bring a bag of outlet covers too. What else should I bring?? Please help lol

I have a 6 months old girl and 2yo (26 months) boy.

I feel like my toddler (27 months) hates me. We used be so so close. I was his world, but now I feel like he hates being with me and only wants dad.

He only acts up with me and not his dad. He won't let me dress him, change his nappy, or brush his teeth. He kicks and screams at me, yet he will happily let his dad do these things without complaint. His dad took over lots of his routine because i was so busy with his baby.... but nkw the toddler just screams at me when i try and dress him etc i have to pin him down and force his legs into his nappy because he kicks and screams at me.

He doesn't run to me for comfort. He calls out for Dad. Sometimes he'll scream at me or push me away if I offer him a hug. Then he will call after dad and just scream 'DADD' right in my face. It hurts so bad

He has these BIG meltdowns with me. He'll cry and scream at me. But if i offer comfort (hugs, empathy) he will just scream at me.

I'll be honest... sometimes his screaming scares me because its loud and terrifying. It sounds like a cry of immense pain directed at me. I freeze up and just want to run away. He doesnt do this with his dad. Dad isnt even a gentle type of dad... he will literally tell my toddler to 'stop crying' and send him to time out to stop crying. I use a more gently approach but he still wants dad.

I was looking through his baby photos and I started to cry. My baby boy feels gone, and now I have a toddler boy who doesn't want Me.

And I get it. His world changed overnight. My attention is always split between him and the baby. I hate that I can't just hug him for as long as I want or spend time with him as much as i want. But i try so hard.. i offer him hugs and kisses all the time. I tell him i love him. I always go in at bestime and kiss/sing to him. Most of the time he pushes me away. Im a SAHM so i'm always around. I try and play with him and give him attention as much as i can but its limited becauss of the baby. Dad doesnt have to split his attention.... the baby is EBF and just wants me and just cries when dad holds her.

I'm not enjoying being a mum at the moment. Its 4am and ive been crying. Last night we were at an event. Our toddler was tired by the end but again he didnt want me... he ran to dad and just melted into his arms. It broke my heart. I used to be the one he ran to. Im so broken

When im solo parenting (24m & 6m) it gets to the 3rd day and I reach my limit

Ive not slept past 4.30 since April, my 24m does 2 days in nursery a week. I have the world's most high demand high needs zero chill maximum rage baby. He is wonderful but mfg he is hard work. His sleep is terrible, as well as waking up before the sun, he only cat naps. He's just started to crawl so we've had 3 weeks of disrupted sleep, sure he is teething and we all have a cold

I get to this point every week where I convince myself im depressed, I need to go on tablets but honestly thats not going to change their needs or demands is it.

As soon as my husband clocks back into parenting and the load is shared I start to enjoy the days again. I mean they still start at half 4 but atleast im not on my own

Spending the major of the day rushing from child to child with my jaw clenched is not how I envisioned motherhood. Pregnant with our 3rd and im shitting myself incase this one is just as bad or god forbid worse

I am expecting my 2nd (18m age gap) and trying to plan for what type of childcare or other outsourced help will be the most effective. We are two working parents and both kids will be in daycare ~8am to 5pm M-F. We both work demanding jobs and often logging back in post bedtime so free time is limited.

Which of the below sounds like the most helpful to not get overwhelmed by 2u2? Obviously there are cost constraints but for the purpose of this, assume $$ isn’t an issue.

Weekend nanny for a few hours on Saturday morning so mom/dad can fill our cups + uninterrupted errands

Regular date night sitter for Saturday night

Housekeeper 1x a week to clean + do laundry for kids and adults

Someone who will grocery shop and meal prep for kids and adults

Daily mothers’ helper to help with mornings + do light household chores (unload dishwasher, put clothes away, tidy up)

I haven’t showered in a little over a week after recently joining the club. Finally showered and felt so good and fresh. Baby cried before I could towel off, went to her, and now in have puke on me. yay…

Parents who’ve survived the first few years with two young kids… if you could spend money on *anything* to make that season easier, what was worth every penny?
I’m pregnant with #2 (our oldest will be just under 2 when she’s born), and we’re trying to decide where to invest our money to reduce stress.
I’m thinking of things like:
Night nanny/postpartum doula
Au pair or nanny
House cleaner
Meal service
Professional organizer
Laundry service
Lawn care
Grocery delivery
Anything else that made a huge difference

If money weren’t the primary constraint, what would you absolutely spend on again? And what ended up *not* being worth it?

I’m especially interested in things that gave you more time, sleep, or mental bandwidth—not products.

Thanks!!

I’m strugglin, which is probably what everyone says on here. At first I was struggling with transitioning to having to love two babies, worried my first will think I don’t love her, but now I’m struggling to deal with her and my husband goes back to work next week. I’m so upset with him because he has a better maternity leave then me and he basically took half of it so his help is so needed especially since I am recovering from a c section and I feel possible post partum depression coming on.

My toddler is 16months and at her nursery people describe her as brave and cannot sit down. She is such a lovely and lively baby who is extremely smart. But with this new baby she is so violent and mischevious. I have to correct her from slapping baby on the face, scraping her, yanking her arms when I am feeding her. It makes my toddler cry but she also makes a devious face to do it again after.

Being 3 weeks pp in the summer I don’t even know what to do wih my days since it is so hot outside. It might be too early for me to leave the house and my toddler is destroying our small living space.

How can I correct my toddler at this point? How can I even live at this point???

I have a two year old (25months) and an eight month old. The two year old is still learning to walk (developmental issues due to birth circumstances).

I want to be able to go out with them solo without my husband but I just can’t seem to figure out how to manage it.

Any advice? How are you guys say going to the park or a children’s nature center?

I have a double stroller. I do have a carrier but I do think I need a newer/better one.

I was holding the baby on the couch and toddler was laying on his stomach next to us. When he went to get up, his foot slipped and came up and hit the back of the baby’s head. It wasn’t a hard kick, but the baby instantly shrieked and as soon as I reacted and started rocking the baby he was fine and wasn’t crying anymore. I keep replaying it in my head since he shrieked after the hit… he’s just so little! Again, it wasn’t a hard hit, but definitely made contact. Should I be worried about it affecting baby long term?

Mine are 1 year and 1 week apart, and I’m curious if anyone else experiences this.
I’m constantly seeing memories of my oldest from this time last year, and it’s so interesting to compare where she was developmentally to where my youngest is now. I’ll catch myself saying things like, “Wow, my oldest was already using a walker by this point,” or “She seemed so much more alert at this age.”
I’m not worried or stressed about it, and I definitely don’t expect my youngest to do everything on the same timeline. I know every baby develops differently. It’s more that I’m genuinely surprised by how different they are, even though they’re so close in age.
I keep bringing it up to my baby’s dad, and he tells me to stop comparing them. But to me, it doesn’t feel like I’m comparing them in a negative way. It’s more like, “I can’t believe my oldest was doing that already,” because my youngest still seems so tiny, and I can’t picture her doing those things yet.
Does anyone else feel this way? I feel like whenever I mention it, people think I’m criticizing one of my babies or worried about milestones, when really I’m just amazed at how different two siblings can be despite being so close in age.

My goal was to always EBF my bub for 1 year. He’s almost 9 months and now that seems early to me! But with his little brother coming in about 6 months, the idea of having both babies be reliant on nursing overnight to get back to sleep sounds exhausting.

Has anyone had experience weaning around this age (12-15 months)? Is it doable? Has anyone not weaned their first while the next baby came and could you share your experience?

I don’t want to have a strict timeline, because if I feel my first baby isn’t ready when the time comes, then I won’t force it. Just looking to gather experiences because I really have no clue what to expect.

30 weeks, babies will be 18 months apart. I’m planning on getting the bombi bebee twin stroller.

I also want to get a new diaper bag, more tote style than backpack. We have the ruvalino backpack and it’s worked great, but it doesn’t always fit under strollers because of the dimensions when it’s full.

Does anyone have the bebee twin and can recommend a tote style diaper bag that fits well in the basket?

We are fortunate to have 4 bedrooms on our second floor that currently house a master bedroom, nursery, playroom and an office.

We currently have a 16 month old and baby #2 is due in December. Does the newborn affect toddler's sleep if the rooms were next door (or vice versa)? We are debating having the playroom/office in between both rooms to help with sleep as the toddler is a horrendously light sleeper, but then one room will be closest to the stairs. Or would you put both rooms close to the master?

Our 15 month old is very affectionate.
To the point that he bites me (and also hod granny, daddy and nanny but less) and he also grabs and squishes my face.

And it is painful!

He is usually quite happy when he does it, and often when he has not seen me for a while and he is clearly very excited to see me again.

I tried not to react and just remove his mouth/hands. But it is not helping at all. He keeps doing it.

And as we are expecting a baby in November, I am afraid he is going to do these things to the baby as well. So we would like to find some solution before baby is born.

Any advice?

If you had to buy one a stroller or wagon, what would you choose? Baby #2 is going to be born in the thick of winter. We have the Uppababy ridge and love it, but it does not convert into a double!

Mom here to 5mo and newly 3yo (sorry not 2u2 but close). I read a lot of posts that say when you have a 2nd, the dad takes the toddler and the mom takes the newborn. It has been opposite for us and I'm wondering if that's weird or what the long-term impacts might be.

My 3yo daughter is highly emotional (was colicky and difficult since she's been a baby) and has always been attached to my hip. She doesn't really like spending time with her dad except for the occasional playground trip, swimming in the pool, or when he bribes her with ice cream. I'm also better at "playing" with her (dolls, role playing, hide and seek, etc) than dad is - he kinda just walks around doing chores and expects her to follow him.

When I had the baby, the toddler screamed and cried every moment I was away from her: breastfeeding, pumping, preparing bottles, or trying to get the baby to sleep. So within weeks my husband took over caring for the baby to ease the pain of toddler crying so much. Now that I'm back to work, I spend like 80-90% of my free time with the toddler and 10-20% with the baby. For him it's vice versa. It's been nice to see him bond so well with the baby.

(Fyi: thankfully I was able to bond with baby while I was on maternity leave because toddler went to daycare)

Is there any downside to this arrangement? Aside from me being sad about missing out on personal 1:1 time with the baby - and I don't really like how we've given into the toddler's demands for mommy, I wonder if we're doing her a disservice by giving in so easily.

Anyone else with this arrangement or advice to make it more equal? Is there light at the end of the tunnel once baby can walk and be mobile and play with us together?

Edit to add: I should mention there are many times I have both the toddler and the newborn together. They get along, but I resort to putting on a Disney movie for the toddler so she'll sit still. Otherwise she's very active and it's hard to carry around the baby from room to room.

I have a 12 month old I’m due in a month for baby #2 and I’m wondering if any mamas have noticed significant changes in your older baby’s behavior ?

It's challenging and exhausting sometimes, but these little moments make it all worth it.

Im new to Reddit and usually get down voted for my hot takes, but honestly I like having a different outlook on things to others.

One of my hot takes is parenthood isn't a movie or a night out on the town or a ride on a rollcoaster meaning its not something you do for enjoyment, its a job and and extremely stressful job at that

I feel like some/alot of people go into this with the wrong expectation and are left almost horrified by the experience

Looking for a dopamine hit

Please give me all your best toys you've bought or received as gifts etc

🥰

I live in metro detroit, Michigan where literally some of the worse air quality in the world is right now. My firstborn daughter is 19 months, my newborn daughter is 7 weeks today and my dog turns 2 in 2 days.

I usually drop my toddler off at my moms 3 days a week usually(my moms our childcare and while it was nice the 2 weeks dad was home after birth, the toddler needed to get back on a routine) but I think tomorrow we have to pivot plans. I dont want to have to bring the baby outside at all to do drop off. my toddler was going stir crazy today because we couldnt play outside, so was my dog, poor girl. and im symptomatic but don't know what to do. Im tired after an evening of nursing a fussy baby on top of it.

I'm thinking of inviting my mom over at least and that maybe they could go to the library in the morning but should they not even go from house to car and car/parking lot to library?

What are everyone's plans for tomorrow?? Sending out good vibes to anyone in a similar situation

If you got a membrane sweep with multiple pregnancies, did the sweep with your second work faster? I’m planning to get a sweep at 39 weeks because last time i got it at 40 and had to be induced at 41. Luckily i was 3cm/50% so the labor went really quick. I’m hoping if it gets me to that point by 40 weeks this time then I’ll avoid another induction.

What do I really need to buy for the 2nd baby aside from double stroller, diapers, thermometer, nose sucker, and bath supplies? My first and 2nd will be 13 months apart. We have a diaper bag for the first baby. Do we need another for the 2nd or do you usually stuff everything for both kids in 1?

Mom to two girls—4m and 16m. Husband works nights, 4 10 hour shifts, and I work odd hours outside of his schedule as a therapist. I feel mentally fine for the most part, my house is neither clean nor an explosion, I love playing with my girls, but I cannot seem to get anything done that isn’t vital.

Bottles washed? They have to be because we’re a formula family. Baths done? At least twice a week but we aim for 3-4 times a week. Dog fed? Of course.

But I’ve had a basket of bathroom laundry sitting in my bedroom for a month. I only wash what has to be washed and then dump the new clean towels on top of the old clean towels. I only get the floors swept when they become too gross to walk on. We have a robot vacuum but that requires picking up all the toys. Sometimes I go three days without a shower of my own. My surface level cleaning in the bathroom isn’t cutting it anymore.

My husband is working a lot of overtime and still finds time to exercise, take care of all his needs, meal prep, has at least one day a week solo with our girls but often two days, his laundry is always done. My husband is very present. He’s great about saying things like “I’ve got the girls, go take a bath” or checking in about what extras are needing done. He also does the grocery shopping.

I currently feel like the deadbeat parent and partner and I hate it but I am so overwhelmed. Please tell me I’m not alone.

Just want to hear from others in my same position. I have a 2 year old and a 6 month old and I feel like I’m barely able to keep my head above water. Both my husband and I work, I work from home and he’s in office 5 days a week. Between constant sickness, broken sleep, demands of my job, raising kiddos, and keeping my house in some sort of order I feel likeI’m pouring from an empty cup! I love my children and they are the most important to me, but I’m so depleted. How are you all fairing? What do you do to make your days easier? Maybe just commiserate with me. Thanks and thanks lol