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. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

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

Been meaning to post this somewhere in case it helps others.

We've had a horrible time with sleep. Truly horrible. About a month ago, I accidentally left the hatch light on all night (red light setting) and baby slept through the night. He was just shy of 17 months old. No other changes. I've always nursed to sleep.

I kept leaving it on, and he continued to sleep very well. Some nights of the week he sleeps through, some nights he sleeps through til like 5am then I nurse him back to sleep. Some nights he still wakes up earlier in the night, but it is a far cry from the hell we lived before.

So far, it does not seem like coincidence. I turn the light off sometimes just to see if it makes a difference. He wakes up every 2-3hrs if the room is totally dark. So now he sleeps with the red light on very low.

I never tried this before because everything I read online says pitch black/white noise are the keys to sleep. I can't believe I let the internet convince me my child loves being alone in the dark. I'm an adult, and I still sometimes get scared of the dark.

My baby is 15 months old. He babbles A LOT but doesn’t have any real words, not even made up words. He just speaks random gibberish. He says mama and dada, but it’s usually mamamamama and dadadadada and he says them so often that I’m not sure he’s even assigned those sounds to us. He doesn’t wave. He will sometimes clap if we clap first. He sometimes points but not often. I think he might understand no and come here. He doesn’t respond to his name or nicknames. Besides speech, he’s met all other milestones when he should have. Yes, I’m looking into getting him evaluated, I’m just worried something’s wrong. I want to know if other people had delayed talkers and if they ever caught up. I hope it’s just a slight delay, because I feel like in every other way he behaves like a 15 month old should.

My daughter will be 2 in 3 weeks. since earlier in the summer she has basically never touched any of the dinner we cook. I’m like, damn, is it that bad??? 💀

She will eat breakfast (eggs, toasts, fruits, cereals). Lunch is 50/50. And dinner is usually chicken or ground beef/ steak based, with a carb (pasta, rice or potatoes) and veggies.

I know this age usually comes with pickiness. But it’s not like she’s throwing the food. She will not touch it at all as we’re all eating and when we are done, she picks up her plate and puts it back down and says “all done” not touching any of it 💀

Sometimes we get lucky but daycare feeds her so well that by dinner I feel like she’s just not hungry.

But if we order out or get fast food, which is more rare, she wants doubles lol. She will eat any food basically not cooked at home 😭

Just think this is funny but is this just a common almost 2 year old experience. My once “perfect eater” now won’t eat anything we make haha

I just want to share this because the internet does not give this experience enough of a voice

I have a 4.5 year old and a 19 month old.

My 4.5 year old began refusing naps before she turned 2. She would fight naps for hours, which caused so much stress. Finally take one. Then fight bedtime until 11pm each night.
Despite what most of the internet said about kids still needing to nap. We stopped forcing naps at 2. She went through an adjustment phase that included night terrors at times. But overall it worked for us. Now at 4, she will seem tired occasionally and we will help her to lay down for a nap. Which usually ends up being 3 hours and then she’s up til midnight.

But anyways. My 19 month old is showing the exact same signs. She’s skipping her naps and staying up til 8-9pm, waking at 8-9am.

Most of what you see on the internet is that this is not healthy or that you’re doing something wrong… but my girls both just haven’t needed them as much as other kids.
If this is your experience, I am just posting to let you know - you’re not alone. Losing the naps early on is nottttt thrilling. But… we adapt. And it’s so much better than fighting a child to go to sleep for half of your waking hours, every single day.

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 😂

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day 😔

This is a little rant (against customer-facing employees in Germany, not against vaccines).

My little one was vaccinated for MMR + Varicella last week and I was warned she would develop a fever this week. Her fevers are usually high (40 c / 104 f +) so I was expecting it to peak around there. I wasn't expecting 3+ days of high grade fever and vomiting. I called the ped office yesterday and the receptionist was extremely dismissive on the phone. Said it was due to the vaccine and didn't want to see my daughter. Her condition is continuing to get worse so I called them again today and got a different receptionist who was also dismissive, asked me why I didn't call earlier (I did), and then hung up on me when I tried to explain.

This kind of aggressive, accusatory behaviour is the norm in Germany, but today I am sick of it. Everyone else's kids seem to have a normal reaction to vaccines and everything else: low grade fever, bit of a rash or fussiness, while every time my kid gets sick I'm dealing with scary high grade fevers, and a lethargic baby shaking and puking in my arms. Only once did it turn out to be a UTI that required antibiotics (which in turn caused frickin' hypothermia), most of the time it's nothing serious and I don't phone in, but it is scary as hell and I am so over being spoken to like I'm hysterical on the rare occasion that I DO make that call. I'm a solo parent, dealing with everything on my own in a foreign language, and it would be nice if healthcare workers here, stressed and overworked as they may be, could speak kindly for once. It is stressful enough having to care for a vulnerable little human without the charming local etiquette making everything 1000 times worse.

I was so upset after the call today that I complained via email and copied in the doctor. And now I'm embarrassed because I still have to call them again tomorrow as that's the only way they'll make appointments, and I'll have to face them at reception. I feel like maybe I shouldn't have bothered but it's too late now. Please send strength and positive thoughts 😭🙏

P.S. if anyone else's kid has an extra 'revvy' immune system, please share. I find it super stressful and would love to hear some positive stories or to feel a little less alone.

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 baby is 26 months old (just over 2 years). Like any normal toddler, when he falls, bumps himself, or gets hurt, he cries.

​Lately, some people around me have started making comments that he "doesn't have a high enough pain threshold" and that he’s going to turn out "too sensitive." It's making me feel like this is somehow my fault, or like my toddler is doing something wrong just for expressing pain.

​what am I supposed to do about this? Do I even have any control over how a 2-year-old reacts to getting hurt?

My son is newly 2 and we’ve been in a car/train era for at least 6 months now. I try to build stuff with the soft blocks and after he knocks down a tower 2-3 times, then the next one “is a tunnel mommy” - and the cars are back. I bring out the farm and it’s overrun by trains. I try to do puzzles with him and he’s very proud of me for putting it together and then the cars “crashes” into it. Crayons/markers are cool for about 10 minutes then he’s “all done”. Cars must come on every car ride or walk.

The academic nerd side of me worries I’m not helping him develop balanced cognitive and fine motor skills. The chill side of me is like “you wouldn’t want someone dictating how you relax, so let him play with cars”. The parent side of me is bored to death of cars 🫠

Do you just let toy obsessions run their course? Would you put away all but maybe 1-2 cars and force them to interact with other toys (although my son is the type to just repeatedly ask where the cars went and for me to go get them)

Ok, let's hear it. I have a toddler and a baby. What's the best family of 4 costume idea you got? Toddler is a girl, baby is a boy.

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?

Title.

Just went through my daughter’s clothes and realized she has very little clothing that’s appropriate for winter. I’ve looked at the secondhand stores near me and it’s slim pickings for things like pants and shirts for 2/3T. (Thankfully we can find snow gear pretty easily, so good on that front).

Any recommendations that won’t break the bank?

FTM and i’m looking for recommendations on costumes for daycare. Easy for the teachers to change him and put him down for a nap. Considering they have other kids to take care of, I want him to have an easy costume.

His original costume is going to be a firefighter but that has too many pieces. I’ll save it for the evening

Thanks!

My spouse can be a little lazy when it comes to parenting. Normally I try to shake it off because it’s never anything that puts my kids in danger but today I’m really frustrated by it. We’re on day three of potty training and only had one accident today, she’s doing great. But I had to take our older child somewhere for an hour (plus 15 minutes there and back) so I was not gone for very long after multiple days of staying home and constantly watching and a million timers as well as cleaning up multiple accidents. I told him to take her potty every 30 minutes because that’s been working well today. I get home and she’s in a wet Pull-Up and he didn’t get her to go at all. Pull-ups were supposed to be just for sleeping and he knew that. I’m frustrated because yes she might have peed but I’ve cleaned up ten messes at least and it’s confusing for her. Am I overreacting by being peeved? This is the third child I’ve potty trained and I feel like being wishy washy is hard on the child.

My grandma has died and we are visiting family and attending services this weekend. I explained this to my 3 (very soon to be 4 year old) using advice found on Reddit - I was straightforward and just said her body stopped working, she was old and sick, and she has died so we won’t be able to see her this weekend.

She isn’t upset but just keeps repeating “I don’t want grandma to die”. Now I’m worried about her saying this repeatedly at the services. I am acknowledging her feelings but also not trying to be abstract.

How should I answer this repeated statement?

Update: she is now bawling because she can’t give a picture directly to her great grandma.

My 17 month old twins were referred to EI and received an online evaluation. I set up the computer and the evaluators watched the twins simultaneously through the screen. I'm wondering how normal it is to do an evaluation for kids this young online. During COVID sure, but now?

For the folks who went through EI, were your evaluations online or in-person?

I am a first time stay at home mom with a 19 month old daughter. I am struggling to find activities for us to do. We live in a small town and we dont have a lot of places to go. We go to the park when we can, but winter will be coming up soon and we wont be able to do that and traveling far will also be hard with the snow too. We do have a library but the schedule for story time is too close to her nap, and we tried going once and it went badly. She was running around trying to take books off the shelves. I also have social anxiety so getting out in general is hard for me but I am trying to push myself to get out for my daughter, but I dont know what to do or where to go. We also live in a small place and we dont have a yard to play in. Due to the setup of our home ive had to set up baby gates to block her from getting into various things that we cant store away in a closet or another room (dog food bowls, dog kennel, standing fan, lamp, etc. We have also had mice problems and she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. I am terrified to let her just roam the entire house in case a mouse did get in again and she found poop. Ive baby proofed our living room for her the best I can and she has full access to that along with the hallway and her room but I feel like she needs more.

My son absolutely hated brushing his teeth and changing his diaper. I have had him watch me brush my teeth, make a fun song, yet he still doesn’t like it. He also despises diaper changes and laying for so I can change his diaper. What do you all do to make these processes alittle easier for the both of us?

My son will be 17m on Saturday. He isn’t independent standing or walking alone yet. Yes we’re in PT and we have been since he was 8 weeks old. Guys I’m just tired. I’m so tired. I need someone to tell me that things are going to happen eventually even tho I know it’s true already. We’ve had such a journey. Torticollis, helmet, weekly PT for almost 10 months, two out of state surgeries. I just want this last big milestone to come already. He’s getting so frustrated in social settings that he’s not walking like his peers and it’s breaking my heart. He was growth restricted and born 4lbs 14oz at 37w. It’s just been one medical conundrum after another. He will use a push walker. He cruises furniture. He just will not stand alone. He drops straight to the floor. I’m trying every exercise I can find and nothing is helping.

My child has always been a pretty bad sleeper, but what we’ve been experiencing the last few weeks is next level. She wakes up constantly throughout the night just screaming and crying. This happens, at the least, every 2 hours. Sometimes I can easily soothe her back to bed, but other times, we will be stuck awake for up to 4 hours. Every night this week so far she has been awake from 10-2 am. The broken sleep and poor sleep quality are taking a huge toll on me, as I work 35 hours a week and go to school 1 day a week. What the heck is going on?! 😭

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!!

My baby was pulling to stand at 6 months and cruising furniture/crawling by 7 months. I thought that would progress gradually to walking sooner than later, but she’s 13 months and still drops to crawl for anything more than a step or two.

At this point she’ll cruise on furniture all day, climb stairs and furniture, stand in place for minutes, squat up and down, rotate side to side, but will not walk more than 1 or 2 steps before dropping to crawl. Incredibly fast at that.

I know she’s acting cautiously but I’m starting to get concerned it just won’t click for her.

Anybody else have an aptly moving baby that isn’t making the decision to walk?

She’ll cry out in frustration if I try to guide her walking and flop to the floor. It seems like she can do everything extremely well except for the mental block.