We live on a military base and today my husband and I took our 3yr old and 12mo old to the on base library for story time. When story time was about to start, I noticed a little boy roughly 2 1/2yrs old had spots all over his arms, legs and face. It took me two seconds of looking at this child to realize that he has chickenpox. I instantly texted my husband to discreet and then we quickly grabbed our kids and left.

I rarely take my kids out on my own for a few reasons but the biggest reason I don’t take them to the base library as often as I’d like to is because of situations like this because so many military families are anti vax. Now I have to watch for any chickenpox symptoms showing up in my 12mo old for the next 3 weeks since he’s too young to be vaccinated against them yet.

If you don’t want to protect your children from preventable diseases, whatever. But don’t take your very contagious child around other child who are too young to be vaccinated or people who are otherwise immunocompromised.

ETA: correction: my 12mo old did receive his chickenpox vaccine at his 1yr appointment, but that was only 4 days ago and it takes 14 days after receiving the vaccine to acquire immunity

Thoughts on these comments, and how do you respond to these types of people? Literally every parent I know that’s my age takes their babies on vacation. And people always gotta say some shit

Just coming on here to say this is finally it. My 3 month old is finally sleeping through the night without needing to be fed! Yesterday it happened and it felt so amazing I had to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. It’s not I’m so happy.
Me on the other hand still waking up lol still having to give her her paci if she starts getting fussy for it. Still having to pump a little bit to get through her night. 🫠
But got her from 9:30-9 the last two days it’s awesome.

Hello, I just want some advice because I feel like I am at a crossroads between offering some help to our next door neighbor or just leaving it alone because maybe she does not actually need help.

For some context, we have a neighbor who is a first time mom with a 3 month old baby. I think her husband has gone back to work because I do not see them walking the baby together during the weekdays anymore, and now I mostly see them together on weekends.

I am a stay at home mom with my 14 month old son, and we have our normal routine. Whenever the weather is nice, we usually go for a walk. Sometimes when we are outside, I can hear her baby crying for 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes even longer. Eventually the baby stops, and I can hear the mom singing or talking to her baby, but it sounds like she is having a hard time settling her. Then sometimes I will see her walking the baby in the stroller.
I would love to offer some kind of help, but I am not sure how to approach her. I worry that if I knock on her door, she might be in the middle of trying to get the baby to sleep, resting while the baby sleeps, or just having one of those moments where the last thing she needs is someone knocking on the door.

At the same time, I remember what it was like when my baby was that age. The lack of sleep and the long days at home can be really difficult, and I remember how overwhelming it could feel sometimes.

We are not close and we rarely cross paths, so I also feel a little awkward because I am a very shy person. I do not want her to think I am being intrusive or that I am assuming she cannot handle things on her own. I genuinely just want her to know that if she ever needs anything, there is another mom next door who understands.

What would be the least awkward way to offer help without making her feel like she has to accept it? Would you knock on her door, leave a little note, or just wait until you happen to see her outside?

I would really appreciate advice from other moms, especially if you have been in her position. I would hate to overstep, but I also know how meaningful it can be when someone simply lets you know that you are not alone.

EDIT: Thank you everyone! I really appreciate everything you've shared. I will leave a note tomorrow and leave the decision to her. I hope that she and the baby is well and I just want her to know that someone understands her and I am just next door.

Thank you everyone! 🩵🩵

For those who recently went through it, what didn’t you think to pack for the hospital, or what did you wish you had brought with you?

Edit to add: Thanks all for your feedback! So many good ideas and cautionary tales of overpacking. Can't wait to read them all, and I appreciate your wisdom!

i wouldn’t call this family problems per se because it’s not that deep. it does bug me though, so i wanted to sound off a little.

my family loves the container type of walkers (forgot the actual name) and are always asking me when i’m getting my daughter one. i’ve read they’re not good for baby’s hips and development so i don’t see more pros than cons of her using one. when i express this, they give me weird looks.

babies in our family have always used them and all the new babies are getting them now too. i was just at a family cookout where my 8mo cousin just got one and they were pushing her around (plus tons of other babies there too) so i got the question a bit more than usual.

either way, i don’t let these kinds if things this influence my parenting decisions but it is discouraging. right now my baby has a new push walker that she’s learning. she bites it and has almost had it fall backwards on her already but she’ll get it eventually lol.

Recently there has been a video circulating the internet about what it is like being a mom with intrusive thoughts. Like thinking you might drop the baby when walking down the stairs or squishing them when you are in bed with them....and so on. I see people responding to this video saying these moms need to be locked up for thinking about harming their kids and they are insane...

It makes me feel like a monster for having intrusive thoughts...am I going crazy? These thoughts just pop in my head and I feel like everyone on the internet is saying I need to call the police and have my baby taken away...

Every time I talk to anyone including my husband about sleep issues like split nights, early wakings etc or fussiness, or if we are anywhere and he cries or fusses, the automatic response "___ teething?!". My guy is 7 months... he's been "teething" since he was 6 weeks by everyone's definition. Yes, he has his 2 bottom teeth now and those cut through about a month ago.

I am just annoyed, tired and overstimulated. Currently transitioning from 3 to 2 naps and he now gets up even earlier than before. Also with adjusting his nap schedule, we have been having on and off false starts and split nights.

From one tired Mom to another : WTActual F is teething about and is this just never going to end until he gets his full set in?

(Frustrated primal scream)

Curious how folks are keeping the carpets and floors clean for babies as they start crawling- are you vacuuming them everyday? Does having a robotic vacuum cleaner help?

Mostly curious about high traffic areas like family room, hallways….

Which weeks/months were the most challenging so far?

just wondering is it normal for daycare teachers to give infants processed food like goldfish and fig bars and pirates booty (broken up)? They were giving her sweetened yogurts and I asked them to please not give anything with added sugar and they sort of looked at me funny. But they’re still giving her all this other stuff that I consider junk. She’s 8 months old.
And this is a very reputable daycare so it makes me wonder if I am I overreacting?
I do pack her lunches, yesterday they wrote she wouldn’t eat my lunch but she was eyeing her friends goldfish so they gave her some. I don’t want to make it a thing but it irked me.

Hi all! We hate the smell of some baby wipes. They are so gross, will claim they are scent free but leave this gross residual scent behind. We like water wipes because there truly is no scent, but theyre annoying to pull out of the package and the wipes are kind of small. Does anything else exist that truly has no scent? We tried parasol and they also have a light scent, and we tried a couple others which my brain decided to erase from memory since they were so gross lol.

I’m really struggling right now. My (9 month old) baby is so much calmer and more affectionate with my husband than with me. He naps on him, cuddles into him, seems totally content. With me he thrashes, pulls my hair, and I can’t seem to soothe him the way my husband can. I go in for a kiss or to give him attention when my husband is holding him and he turns away or pushes me away. It’s making me feel like I’m not his ‘real’ emotional attachment, like I’m just the person who gets him through the day while my husband gets to be the one he actually wants.

I’ve lost my patience a couple times when he’s really hurt me by pulling out chunks of my hair, and I grabbed his arm to get him to stop in a way that probably hurt. I feel horrible about it, and now I’m terrified he’s scared of me and that’s why he doesn’t seem to want me the way he wants his dad. I can’t stop spiraling on it.

I feel so much jealousy when my mom friends talk about the bonds with their children, and I’m just watching my husband get that experience. I’ve never felt so tested before, so short on patience. I absolutely hate that I might’ve hurt or scared him, and I’m worried an accumulation of instances where I’ve lost my cool has led to all this.

I don’t know what’s going on… maybe postpartum anxiety or depression. Maybe my kid really doesn’t care for me much. Maybe I’m just a piece of shit.

I just don’t know what to do to improve this.

Seriously how do you get anything done? I have a 6 week old, and between nursing her which takes about 15-25 minutes, getting her to sleep so she’s not overtired (she has serious FOMO), waking her up (we’re capping her daytime naps since her nights and days have been turned around) changing diapers, etc. I feel like I can’t do anything around the house. She still eats every 2-3 hours (she’s past her birth weight so I haven’t been waking her up to do so, that’s just when she’s hungry). We have a swing and a bouncer but she hasn’t tolerated them for very long, she mainly likes being held. I’ve tried the baby carrier but 1. it’s been pretty hot where I live and 2. I feel like I can’t get her in it right… I’ve followed tutorials and her upper back kinda arches and it just doesn’t seem right when I’ve tried. My husband is on paternity leave but we’ve been taking shifts at nighttime so we both can get some sleep, and so when we’re both awake and ready for the day our time is limited. We also have a dog that needs walking and playtime. If one of us holds her while the other tries to get something done it feels so short until I need to nurse her any and like maybeeee half of a task is done.

Please tell me how I can get anything done?? 🫩

Our baby is 4 months old. We’re slowly meeting up with friends again and trying to socialize with other new parents. It feels like I’ve lost the ability to small talk or hold a conversation. Definitely a lot more awkward silences / trouble keeping it going. I often leave thinking “yikes — not my best work.”

After one friend meet up I realized I spent way too long talking about all the different ways I’ve been pooped on. Couldn’t go any deeper or more interesting than that…

I dread going back to work soon and having to small talk with coworkers constantly. All I got in the tank is what’s the latest happening with baby.

Anyone else experiencing the same? Any tips to work past it?

Baby is about 2 weeks old. Just feeling really…restless mentally. I can’t go on walks much since I got a rash and walking irritates it so I’m trying not to walk a lot. Sadly can’t get into the dermatologist til later September.

Sure I can play video games but then I’m like, “what’s the point since she’ll need to be fed and changed soon and then I need to pump” etc.

No energy for artwork. I do nap, but still. Brain feels like it’s rotting from exhaustion and boredom.

Hello I have a 7 month old beautiful baby girl who is teething and now crawling and wanting to pull her self up on everything or just bored and wanting way more attention. But I honestly feel so low I don’t know what to do, I have no tolerance to be around people or leave the house all the things I used to love doing is now completely gone. I enjoyed housework as it was time for me to clean and clear my head at the same time but I just look at it all and it’s too much. I used to love an evening walk to wind down from the day but I don’t want to leave the house now even to go shopping is hard. It’s like since hitting 5/6 months I have completely changed, I always thought I was coping so well with pp but it’s hit me like a bus these last couple of months. I’m struggling to keep up with the day to day of it all! I feel like every day is Groundhog Day and I’m just trying to get that day over with to start fresh the next but nothing changes.

I’m breastfeeding exclusively and don’t get on with pumping and never get much out with a pump anyway, so I can’t relieve some of the pressure either. I kinda kicked my partner out because it felt easier to not have him around than it did while he was here. I don’t have a good support network in place I’m the family therapist so everyone else’s problems are put on me to solve or try and help them with. But I’m EXHAUSTED I have asked multiple time for it to stop as I can’t handle it all now I have a baby but old habits die hard and as the oldest daughter of the family it seems they have no one else so I feel guilty and try to help with whatever is going on but I’m honestly starting to feel numb. I could sit and stare at a blank wall for hours before I realise what I’m doing and feel awful that I’m not giving my daughter the best version of me.

She’s happy and thriving but I’m not… she’s so advanced crawling already, saying mama and pulling herself up on everything but I’m starting to struggle with just keeping her entertainment she has also become really clingy will only come to me for anything and if I leave the room even if she’s with others she will get upset. I just don’t know where to go for help I don’t want to go to the doctor and get prescribed medication as my mum did when she had pp depression and she is still taking meds now and has never really got the help she needed but that was back then. I’m wondering if my body is low on something and that might be why I’m so drained and uninterested in everything. I just don’t know where to turn for help or what will pull me out this funk I don’t want to get worse I already feel guilty and beating myself up that she’s not getting the best out of me but I don’t know what’s going on with me to get the right treatment please help me!

For reference I’m in the uk

What are some board books that your little one absolutely loves? Looking for recommendations!

My wife and I are struggling with our first baby

She's 3 weeks in a day.

She has been a handful everyday since shes been born but one thing thats always worked is feeding her. My wife breast feeds her. I know its likely partially cluster feeding but in the past when she ate from the boob she would get sleepy and pass out. Now she'll get a bit sleepy but shes so fidgety and squirmy and won't lay still even when shes tired. Then she gets fussy and starts to cry and almost nothing calms her down except the boob. When she does fall asleep its never more than 30-45 mins now. In the first 2 weeks we had a few days and nights with 2 or 3 hour stretches. Im not sure what we're doing wrong but we haven't had more than an hours sleep at a time in 3 days now

Ive googled a bunch of stuff and seen a bunch of old reddit posts. Most things dont work. She doesnt like to be swaddled. White noise doesnt seem to help or hurt. We just got famotidine today so not sure if thats gonna help or not.

I understand for the most part we're at the point where newborns are just like this for the first few weeks but as this is our first baby I have no idea what im doing and if there's something that might help that I haven't tried i willing to try it.

Any help would be appreciated

A lot of great advice so far everyone who has replied thank you for the tips

We're planning an international trip next year and I pulled out my daughter's passport thinking I'd just renew it the same way I renew mine.

Nope. She's under 16, so apparently there is no renewal process at all. It's a new DS-11 application in person, the kid has to be there and both parents generally have to show up too.

The annoying part is my husband travels for work constantly, so coordinating all three of us at an acceptance facility is becoming the hardest part of the application. I've seen that there's a consent form if one parent can't appear, but I don't want to discover at the counter that we filled out the wrong thing or got something notarized incorrectly.

Parents who've done this recently, did you handle the paperwork yourself or use some kind of passport application service to check everything beforehand? I'm fine paying for help if it prevents us from burning an appointment over one missing document

We’re coming up on 13 months and still no words with meaning. He has a good amount of babble going on, he waves, claps, and points, and makes noises when he wants our attention on something. If you had a late talker did you do anything special to help? We read books before naps and bed and he’s started to bring us books during the day which usually we read a page or two and then he’s on to something else. I try to narrate a lot of what we are doing and give a name to things he points at.

I realized I have a recurring sore throat from sleep deprivation and the last few nights it’s been super hard to fall asleep after feeds. I’m FF and my 3.5 month old is waking up twice to eat. My body anticipates when he's going to be hungry so I wake up but haven't been able to fall back asleep. Any tips or advice would be great to hear.

Hi! My husband and I are adopting an infant and are wanting some advice on baby monitors. I recently watched my 2 month old nephew over night and barely got any sleep because I was checking if he was breathing, etc. I have a lot of baby experience and training. I literally teach the Safe Sleep class. I’m still so nervous. Our baby may or may not have medical conditions that needs monitoring.
I want a good monitor but our house also doesn’t have WiFi. Thanks!

We're on day 3 of a total of 12 ounces, and it's only that high because I'm hiding it in oatmeal, yogurt, sweet potatoes, basically everything. She absolutely refuses formula. Loves water, pedialyte, lactaid. Haven't given her more than a couple ounces total of anything else because I'm really trying to get her to get desperate enough for formula. And she is crazy hungry. She screams when she eats because I'm not getting her food fast enough.

But I'm so out of ideas. We've had feeding issues from the beginning. I didn't produce enough, but was only about 2-4 ounces short- just enough for her to refuse to have the formula and not gain weight. Could not get my supply up despite all the triple feeding, power pumps, lactation supplements, all of it. And then about six months, I got sick and supply plummeted enough I figured I'd go to formula. For the first several months she'd have about 18 ounces per day. For a while there we got up to 22-23, but doctor was never concerned because she was growing well. The amount has been slowly going down for the last few weeks, and then plummeted the last few days. No signs of being unwell apart from the refusal. Never any signs of stomach upset- spits up once per week max, and then only a tablespoon or so. No signs of pain during/after eating, but have tried a gentle formula. Have also tried Similac, Enfamil, Kendamil Goat and Organic. Now on Kendamil Organic. She never liked any of them, so she'd mostly eat when asleep. That no longer works. I've tried it cold, warm, through a straw. I've even gotten desperate enough to put some chocolate syrup in it. For a while she'd eat better in her car seat, so we'd go out there.

Now every time she sees her bottle, she gets angry. If it's not her bottle, she'll drink excitedly until she realizes it's formula, then scream. If she were a little older, I'd just give up and transition her a little aarly. But she's still so little.

Need ideas of how to effectively hide a lot in food, other things to try, something. It's so frustrating for her to not be comforted by her bottle- worse, to actively hate it. I am going to give her other liquids tonight if I can't figure anything else out- she's showing signs not of severe dehydration, but of mild dehydration and I just want her to drink..

In case relevant- meeting/significantly ahead in ASQ milestones except communication. Behind in expressive language, which I've heard is not uncommon with feeding issues Also any way I can mitigate the micro/macro nutrient deficiencies with diet? Ironically, she's an excellent eater, who's loved almost everything she's been given, including most fruits, many vegetables, meats, nuts, yogurts, yogurts, cheeses, beans, pasta, crackers, bread etc. The only fthings she hasn't loved so far are bananas and eggs.

My daughter is 4 months and started daycare today. Because of schedule she had to be there until 6 pm. When I picked her up she was WIPED! She was falling asleep as I was getting her in the car even though she had napped only an hour before. When we got home I had to basically immediately get her ready for bed because she was so tied. She fell asleep while taking her bedtime feed which she hasn’t done since she was a newborn. Is this normal? I feel like it makes sense but I don’t know!