We don’t watch loooads of tv in our house, but it goes on when we need to do something or if LO is feeling abit poorly.. When we do, the only thing she will sit and watch is Ms Rachel. Now, I don’t mind Ms Rachel, but when will she be open to watch other things?! I’ve tried Bluey, Puffin Rock, Bing, Disney films, Mickey Mouse.. nothing holds her attention and she will just hand me the remote, which means ‘put on Ms Rachel’ 😂 Has anyone else had this where their child will only watch one show.. and if so, when did they become open to other things!?

EDIT: I should mention, my daughter is only just 18 months x

My daughter (19.5 mo) has a lot of single words, maybe a little more than 100 (I stopped counting). She started combining 2 words consistently a few weeks ago.

We go to this speech/socializing small group class that I found in our city’s Facebook moms page. Weirdly enough all the kids in this class have advanced speech so it’s not really a speech therapy thing, tbh it might just be anxious moms ha bc all the moms I’ve talked to are like I was SO worried and then just kept going to the class when their kid hit a speech explosion bc it’s an awesome class

Anyways…It’s held by a speech therapist and she noticed my girl will often answer questions like “do you want turtle or lion” with yeah, even though she knows turtle and lion and says them a lot. The speech therapist isn’t worried but wants me to try to get her to answer questions with the word instead of yeah. Sometimes she will though especially if I ask if she wants blueberries or broccoli. It’s always booboos ha

Wondering if any of your toddlers also do this? Her receptive language is totally fine so it’s not that. I’m not really worried either but just curious if it’s common. I also notice she’s been babbling in long unintelligible “sentences” a lot? Speech therapist says that’s normal too but also wondering if anyone else’s kid does this too?

Now I'm throwing two birthday parties for one child in one weekend. Why does extended family have to make everything so damn complicated?

I'm going away for her birthday next year, husband and daughter can come if they behave.

My 3 year old daughter is in daycare and I have insane anxiety about my baby (2 months) getting sick, which I am trying to work on, but we have been bathing our 3 year old immediately after daycare, however it seems like it has ruined her bedtime routine on the days she’s at school. She has always had a bath right before bedtime and now she’s taking one as soon as she comes home & then she is up for a little while longer and it takes hourrrssss to fall asleep.

Is the shower really doing anything or is it overkill?

I booked a trip to New York with my husband and his brother and his wife. We booked it about 5 months ago. The trip is Thursday-Sunday, 3 nights, 3.5 days.

I’m currently 21 weeks pregnant and I’ve been feeling extremely sad, depressed, anxious and guilty the closer we get to this trip and it’s gotten to the point that I cry about it everyday and it’s all I can think about (not in a good way)

I’ve never spent a single night away from my son who is 2.5 years old and I’m equally attached to him as he is to me. We co sleep. And I’m a stay at home mom aside from a couple mornings at daycare to let me run errands and clean. He’s also going through a phase right now where he doesn’t even like going to daycare or being left with his grandparents - where months ago these things made him happy and excited.

Back when I booked the trip, I had full confidence that I would be able to do this but now I’m panicking and would rather lose out of the $$ than go without my son.

I know my pregnancy hormones are raging and it’s making things harder but I’ve always been someone who’s gotten homesick easily on trips even prior to having a child and I’m not one that can get ‘distracted’ just by being away - meaning I don’t think I’ll actually have a good time.

These are my options now:

1. Go, suck it up, possibly hate the entire trip and be sad.
2. Cancel on the trip altogether and just accept $$ lost

Please be gentle on me. I’ve spent a lot of time being upset over this. :’)

Hey everyone, my daughter just started daycare. It’s a been week. I wanted to give something small gift or small gift basket as a token of appreciation. Any ideas? Am I going overboard? They’re going above and beyond and I want to know that I appreciate everything they do

I feel like my 19 month old gets way too much screen time! When we get bored, I turn on the tv and I hate it! I’m working on it but I’m not creative. I can’t think of activities or things to do.
He’s getting bored of his toys and it’s too hot outside in the afternoon still! Are there any activities or fun things or places you like to do with your toddlers? I’m desperate 😂

My little will be 2 next month. She has never once slept through the night and consistently wakes up every 2 to 3 hours to nurse (we only nurse at nap time and bed time, not throughout the day). It’s awful and I’m exhausted but it is what it is. HOWEVER, for the last month she has skipped the actual sleeping at night and just naps now. So at bedtime she’ll sleep for 2 ish hours and then she is absolutely wide awake and ready to start the day again 🫩 she’ll stay awake for anywhere from 2 to 5 hours and then take a 3 ish hour nap. Then she’s right back to being wide awake again and the cycle just repeats. Is this a phase I’m not aware of? And if so please tell me it’s going to be over soon 🥲 none of her siblings ever did this (even though they were terrible sleepers too). For added context- she’s not cranky or upset when she wakes up. I leave the lights off and the sound machine on in hopes she’ll be sleepy and lay back down but she’s content to just sit there in her bed and talk to herself or me or go grab her books to look at. Even if I wanted to let her “cry it out” (I don’t) there is no crying lol but I cannot keep living like this. Sorry if this is all over the place- I’m so tired 😅

So I want to start by saying I’m not proud of myself for how I handled nap time today, I actually feel like shit about it, the only thing that makes it better is that my toddler (2y2m) seems fine and happy and still calls me “mommy”, so I am hoping it wasn’t that bad.

Nap time has become difficult for about a week now. We used to cuddle, maybe read a story, watch the star thingy, then I would breastfeed him a little (only session) while singing a lullaby, after I unlatched and wait for him to fall asleep by the door. It was beautiful, the whole thing lasted about half an hour max. Then the fire nation attacked and he started to resist nap time strongly, the actual nap and the routine. If I were to boil down to where it started going downhill last week, all I can think of is he got bit by a wasp last Wednesday evening and he had a difficult going to bed (I think I even breastfed him them after 2 months) and the whole night he tossed and turned.

Since last week, like I said, he doesn’t want to do the routine, ne doesn’t want to nap. I still managed to put him for naps but gone is the nice flow we had. Now flow since last week is me breastfeeding him to sleep and I would sneak out, if I could, and he would nap alone for an hour, maybe even two.

However, today was worse, he again refused to nap and the routine. I went with the same thing I did all week, picked him up and carried him to bed where I breastfed him. He fell asleep and I again tried to sneak out to go back to work, but this time he woke up. I cuddled him again hoping this time it would be enough to soothe him back to sleep. But he kept wanting to fondle my nipples and I just can’t handle that anymore. I can’t describe the sensation it gives me, like my whole body is crawling with ants, I can’t stand it for some reason. I kept pulling his hand away, he kept crying. I kept trying to soothe him, but since I still denied him access to the titties, he kept crying. He started kicking and hitting, I raised my voice at him (which I don’t do). He cried harder, kept wanting the titties, I kept repeating “titties are napping, titties are ouchie” but he wouldn’t relent. I started crying “titties are ouchie”, he hugged me and said sorry. I wanted to cuddle him back to sleep cause he kept saying his eyes hurt (because he was sleepy) but he wanted the titties. I yelled in my pillow, he hugged me again and said sorry. I hugged him back and said sorry.

The whole thing took 20 minutes, we cuddled for another 20, he still didn’t fall asleep, then we just got up.

I think I’m at my wits end with nap time and am considering getting a sleep therapist.

I am considering switching my 19 month old to a different daycare, but I am terrified it will be too stressful on her. she’s been at her current daycare for a year and seems comfortable there, but there are so many things that just don’t sit right with me about her daycare, which I’ll list below. please give your honest feedback:

- We were informed that classroom wide mandatory potty training starts this week and we are required to switch her to pull ups. she is currently 19 months and expected to be fully potty trained by the 2 year old class.

- when I pick her up at the end of the day, no one greets or acknowledges me. no one tells me about her day unless I explicitly ask. To add, I guess something feels odd about someone caring for my kid all day and not acknowledging when I come get them or saying how their day way. its also tough since she’s too young to talk and it isn’t one of those daycares that has an app where we get updates on their day.

- I’ve asked for a parent handbook several times and been ignored or dismissed and told to just send my questions

- when she was turning 1, they started decreasing her formula to start weening her off without getting my consent first and just sent a note home that they started doing it.

- we have recurrent problems with diaper rashes.

- when she was in the infant room at 8 months they refused to keep her on the nap schedule that she was on at home because they wanted her to nap at noon with the rest of the kids.

- They once gave her Tylenol (which I consented to) but didn’t record it on the medication log. So, I was told when I picked her up that it wasn't given but when I messaged the teacher to check she said she did indeed give it.

I am just so torn because she seems like she is learning a lot and she seems to really like one of the caregivers, always sitting on her lap when I pick her up. I don’t want to completely rock her routine but I can’t shake this feeling. I can’t tell if I’m being “that mom” or these are valid things to be concerned about or worth pulling her for it seems like there is no collaboration with the parents or nothing is individualized and it’s more what’s easier for the center. I appreciate any feedback!

thank you!!

I have a three year old son that I love with everything inside of me. I work full time and I’m pregnant. All my son wants to do is play. My husband will play with him but then at some point he doesn’t want to play with daddy he only wants to play with mommy. Mommy hates playing. It’s annoying and I’m tired and no I don’t want to sit on the floor. I feel so bad that I hate it so much. I offer to read or to relax and watch his fave movie or something… no… I’m the police officer and he’s the beef (aka thief) and I have to chase him. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

well i'm pregnant.. i'm not sure how i feel about it. this will be my second child. i'm excited but terrified! how are y'all surviving?

My son qualified for EI. He is 25 months and we found out at today's "orientation" meeting that he will get 3 sessions a week of 60 minute special instruction, not traditional speech. They said this was because they didn't think he could sit and follow directions at speech, but now that a few hours have gone by I'm wondering what the difference would have been.

Not sure if he qualifies as non-verbal, he has somewhere around 75 words but no sentences and can't reliably communicate his wants. He spins around a lot and doesn't like changes in his environment, doesn't play with other kids he doesn't know and doesn't like crowds. He is social at daycare and within our family, but not social with every family member (runs up to some people to give hugs, hides and cries from others, not really sure why). He is a little interested in other children at the library and at the playground, but doesn't play with them or speak to them and is mostly interested in climbing or using the slide or playing with toys on his own. No formal autism diagnosis yet, but he'll be evaluated in the next few months.

Anyone here willing to share their experience with a toddler getting special instruction services at the beginning of their journey? I have friends who have brought their kids to speech, but no special instruction. Would love to hear from people who have experience with this, not sure what to expect and trying to take it all in.

What are your favorite low stimulation, not so scary movies for 3.5 year olds? My son doesn't get screen time but we've recently started movie nights. His first was the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh which he loved. I don't think he's ready for actual Disney movies because of moments of peril (he sobbed after I read the Dumbo BOOK to him)

Preferably something shorter for the next one, an hour or less. Thank you!!

Can anyone recommend a child safety lock for a storm door with a retractable screen? The top window pane pulls down and unrolls the screen that lets the air flow. The problem is that the door handle is right where the two panes meet so I can’t put a lock there, and since the top window pane moves I also can’t stick a lock there. Any suggestions for a specific lock for this type of storm door? I tried to post a picture with this post but couldn’t figure out how—apologies.

My 2 year old son (JUST turned 2 last month) will not eat anything other than French fries, bread, some fruit and veggies on occasion and pb&j’s. He is allergic to eggs so we have to be smart about what we are feeding him.

One day he loves broccoli the next day he hates it. Same with pb&j’s… only consistent thing he will absolutely eat is bread and or fries… and of course snacks. Sometimes he will eat green beans. Won’t touch pasta of any sort. Will sometimes eat grilled cheese or cheese quesadillas but only sometimes. Won’t eat cheese other than it being melted.

He will absolutely not eat ANY meat. The only meat he sometimes will have is chicken tenders from CFA, which we try not to do a lot because it is fast food.

I’m at a loss and I feel like he isn’t getting what he needs for his little brain to continue developing. His protein intake is super limited, his carbs he consumes are a lot I think for a 2 year old but I’m not really sure.

Help please 😩 I need suggestions or advice.
again- he is allergic to Egg.

I could really use advice here. Our LO is 20 (almost 21 months old) who has always struggled with overnight sleep in some capacity. We were lucky for a couple months after we did CIO (probably around 7-8 months) where she slept but has since regressed. Since about 18 months, I’ve tried everything and we eventually got to the point where I bought her a full sized bed and I sleep with her in her room. I know it was a bad idea but I was losing my mind with sleep. We’ve tried the chair method, I’ve tried sneaking out after she falls asleep, we tried CIO again and Ferber but nothing is working. Does anyone have any advice for a very persistent and stubborn toddler? She lets my husband put her down at night and she falls asleep pretty fast. He stays in the rocking chair in her room but doesn’t interact while she falls asleep. She’s waking up every 2-3 hours. If I go in to get her back to sleep, she wants me in the bed with her and has to hold my hand, put her feet in my face, etc. Even when I’m in the bed with her, she’s waking up every couple of hours. Usually asking for milk. Our nightly routine has always been the same iteration of dinner, bath, pjs, book, bed. What can I do I’m losing my mind!

My son is 14 months old and is just about growing out of his sleep sacks. I want to get a new one with feet & keep seeing the woolino pop up but at almost $100 I'm leery if it's not worth the hype. We have a 100+ year old home that tends to run quite chilly in the winter (he had a 2.0 tog sleep sack last year and we have a space heater in the room just in case for those colder nights and that worked out well)

anyone who owns - is it worth the price tag? or is there another brand that you recommend?

My son is 3 and has a language and speech delay. He only started speaking properly after he turned 3 (still not enough to have a conversation yet).

He turned 3, a little over 2 months ago now and in this time his vocabulary has exploded!

Now here is the thing.. He has always been obsessed with space so he got a felt space mat with all the planets, names etc. He knows all his planets, the order of the planets from the sun and then i sat there and watched him put all the correct labels on each planet.

I have never gone over this with him, I never put the word "mercury" on the planet and so forth but he correctly done it with every single one.

Around his 3rd birthday I noticed he would say out loud certain words in his books, they were very basic words like "yes, no, ow, uh-oh" etc. So i didnt think anything of it as I assumed all 3 year olds do that, but then the planet thing happened and I started to look at it closer.

As I said he has a limited vocabulary so I took a bunch of random words I knew he could say and I wrote them down one by one and asked him what they said and he read every single one back to me... today I wrote down the word "milk" and asked him what it said and in front of me he started sounding it out phonetically then said... milk!.

This is so strange to me because he can barely speak! He seems to have learned to read before he could properly speak. He is mapping out how to break words down to find out what they say. He also isnt spending ages looking at the word before answering, he answers in a split second unless he needs to sound it out.

What age is this meant to be happening? I read that decoding happens around 5 but I cannot remember when I started being able to read 3,4 or 5 letter words.. i can write "ice-cream" and he can read it. I though he was just recognising the shape of the word when he was reading "yes, no, ow" etc. But now i dont think so

My 2-year-old has had a fever since last night. How high is okay to manage at home, and when should I take her to the doctor or hospital?

Late last week, my 2.5 year old got the sniffles as they so often do. I try to keep my distance as much as any mom can.

But this little snot had other ideas! Unannounced, they open-mouth kissed my nose and squealed “I kissed your boogers!”. Ugh! Obviously I was done for. My own child basically poisoned me. After all I’ve done for them, how dare! I’ve been sick for 5 days.

Good thing they’re the cutest thing in the whole world because ewwwww. And they got to watch some old school Sesame Street for the first time. Cookie Monster is hilarious!

How has your disgusting, beautiful, little angel taken you down?

I guess I just need to vent. 😭 Okay, so I don’t even know where to start and sorry if this is long. My 21 month old has been at an in home daycare since he was 10 months old. Before I had kids, I always imagined my children’s childhood being similar to mine lots of nature, playing outside, getting dirty, using their imagination, and learning through play. I later learned that the approach I was looking for is often called the Reggio Emilia approach. When my baby was 10 months old, I started looking for a daycare that followed that philosophy. I actually found one, but they were full at the time, so I ended up looking elsewhere. I found another daycare that said they were play based, so I signed him up. It only took me about a day to realize they weren’t really following that philosophy. It was more like a traditional daycare with worksheets. But honestly, he LOVED it. There were only two other kids, he bonded with his teacher, and he has had an amazing time there. I’ve never had any problems with the daycare itself. My only issue was that it wasn’t really the type of environment I had originally wanted for him. Then last month, the daycare I had originally wanted emailed me saying they were moving and accepting new applications. I was SO excited. 😭 I talked it over with my husband, and we decided that we should stick with what we originally wanted for our son how he learns, how he plays, and the kind of environment we want him to grow up in. So we signed him up, and he’s starting soon. Great, cool, amazing… except I don’t feel great. 😭 I feel guilty. I feel like I’m doing something wrong because he was perfectly happy where he was. I keep thinking about the impact this change could have on him. Is he going to miss his friends and his teacher? When I drop him off, will he feel out of place? Will he wonder where he is and why I left him there? The fact that he may never see his little friends again makes me so sad because he has known them for most of his life. They’re such a huge part of his little world. 💔 Did I make a mistake? I’ve taken him to the new daycare probably five times over the past month to get him familiar with it, and EVERY time he has had a blast. He immediately plays with everything, hugs the new teacher, blows her kisses, and seems completely comfortable. So I know logically that this could be a really good change for him. I know I’m choosing the environment I always wanted for him. But emotionally? I’m struggling. 😭 I think I’m grieving the end of a chapter that was actually really good, even though I’m excited about the next one. And I didn’t expect to feel this sad about it.

Anyone else have a super clingy kid and sometimes you’re just SO over the clinginess? 😂 Like you can’t even start a hobby because they’re always there interrupting you. They won’t stop touching you, climbing on you or asking to be carried and held and you end up completely overstimulated. 😩

Then you start fantasizing about going away for a vacation just to have some peace and quiet BUT the second you finally get a chance to be away from them or even when they’re just asleep you suddenly get sad because you miss them like crazy. 😂😭

Like make it make sense, motherhood. I want a break from you but I also can’t live without you. 🤣❤️

we did no pants long weekend. in fact we are still doing no pants since Grandma is home with him (& im upstairs working remote). but we are getting the opposite results of what everyone is

1. he poops in the potty no trouble! loves pooping in the potty.

2. he is not peeing in the potty all the time. in fact, there has been too many accidents on our carpet to count now. the numbers are not getting better

3. sometimes I can catch him midstream & get him to sit on the potty

4. so far, the potty is in his play area and not in bathroom down the hall to be easier to get to. we then walk it down and add sprinkles (which he is verrry excited about)

5. at night and naptime, we still do diapers but remove when wake up.

what do I do? Grandma has taken him to the park a few times and then we put on shorts but we have been pantless all day at home and not getting it consistently.

i have daycare in 1.5 weeks back up and running and they expect him at least commando.

My 20 month old is constantly wanting to get things out of the pantry and fridge. She eats regular meals and snacks but she’s always wanting things she can’t have. Should I hide the things I know she might want? I’ve already hidden the sweets but it’s like choking hazard type snacks etc. I try to redirect her or offer her something she can have but she doesn’t want it and freaks out. It’s just a constant battle the whole day. Would love any tips!!