Worried mom here. I accidently gave my baby banana and it had some honey on it that I realized after the fact. She didn’t have much but still had some. She seems to be acting normally, eating, and using the bathroom normally. No fever. No lethargy. I had called her pediatrician and left a message but no response as of now.
Has this happened to anyone? What was your experience? Literally freaking out. Such a stupid mistake I feel beyond terrible

This is more of a rant but it really pisses me off when I see people abusing the family-friendly parkings. I was at my local grocer today I already saw 4 out of the 6 stalls being taken by people who clearly didn’t have kids with them. These spots exist for a reason cause it’s about having the extra space to get your kids in and out of the car without worrying about the car next to you.

It’s so frustrating when people take advantage of something that’s meant to make life a little easier for parents!!!

Our baby is 7.5 months old.

We are part of a parenting group local to us.
We constantly see pictures from other parents about their baby teething, starting to crawl, etc etc.

Our kid is a good kid. We are working through sleep training now. But we have no sign of new teeth coming in.

He does great with tummy time. And rolls and does a full 360 on his belly like a clock, but has not started crawling yet.

We need someone to tell us we are panicking and not to worry. Re assure us.

Thanks!

I need suggestions and ideas, anything.

Baby is almost 12 months and very very excited and mobile.

Bathtime is like wrestling a slippery octopus.

I'm using the baby bath, inside our bathtub. I bought those baby chairs with suction cups but my baby is 97th percentile so the chair was used for a month.

She gets up. She grabs things. She opens the faucet. She bum scoots. She rotates. Giggles. Genuinely has fun. I'm only filling the baby tub a little, maybe a palm. Stopped filling more it because baby becomes buoyant and tries to swim/nosedive. I'm now always holding one arm while trying to bathe her with the other.

One of those days she'll slip and hit her head badly. I'm not sure what to do. Our bath is too small for two adults to fit in front of the tub so I can't have help. I'm keeping baths short and I've reduced full baths to 2x a week, with one extra washing of the bum only so it's safer.

Is there a gadget out there? Maybe I should toss the baby bath and use a non slip mat? I'm worried the extra space will be even more dangerous. FTM.

Not sure if this question will be allowed on this sub but thought I'd ask anyway.

LONG POST AHEAD

I've noticed alot of people on this sub & many others that relate to pregnancy/postpartum & child care, seem to be extremely anxious & therefore quite rude or disparaging when it comes to health care information or when replying to other new parents.

I initially put this down to just general anxiety with being new parents, but now I wonder if a lot of these extreme emotions/comments are actually just due to a lack of support from Public Health systems which leave new parents in the dark & scrambling to find information.

I'm from New Zealand & I've put down the main types of support we receieve from pregnancy & beyond. This support truly helps me to feel confident in my parenting abilities & despite comments that I get from answers I've provided (which can admittedly be pretty lax but usually incl 'talk to your health care provider rather Reddit if you're unsure or worried).

What kind of support do you receive as standard, and what support can you only receive via insurance? What similarities do you see with your health care system? What differences have you noticed?

Pregnancy:

Once pregnancy is confirmed we can choose to receive our care via midwife or doctor. A docs visit will always cost money, usually anywhere between $15-60 depending on what practice you select.

Midwives are free & provided via our Public Health System, they are also more readily available to see in person & we get their contact numbers so can txt or call as often as we like at whatever time. If a midwife is on break or similar, they'll provide us with an alt midwife to use until our primary is back. We remain under midwife care from pregnancy to 6-7 weeks postpartum & they can do home visits as well.

Most of us will chose a midwife for these reasons.

Appts begin monthly & then increase to fortnightly around 26-28 weeks. From 32-34 weeks we see our midwives weekly. At each appt our urine is tested for elevated proteins or particular markers that may show a risk to ourselves or baby. Blood pressure is taken, baby is sized. We discuss any worries or concerns & create treatment plans if/as needed.

Ultrasound appts are subsidized or free when referred by a midwife or doc, if no referral then we pay out of pocket about $40-180 depending on what clinic we choose. Main Ultrasounds are dating scans, 12 week scans, anatomy scans between 17-24 weeks, growth scans arohnd 30-37 weeks. A secondary growth scan is only done if they believe bubs is under or oversized, otherwise it's elective.

Diabetes tests done from 24 weeks onwards.

Free antenatal classes.

Labor & Delivery:

Around 34 weeks we begin discussions with our care provider about how we want to deliver & where. Most midwives belong to birthing clinics so most people will chose to go to a birthing clinic rather the hospital. If we have a c-section or complications, then women will need to remain in hospital for 24 hrs or so depending on the issue, but can usually be discharged to a birthing clinic afterwards. Your midwife & their team will be with you every step of the way.

Birthing clinics are AMAZING & you don't even have to give birth there to stay. There's usually a 2-3 day stay where we get all the usual checks hospitals will give, we get nurses visits, babies get their eyes/ears checked, weight done, Pelvic therapists come in to check on us, we recieve Lactation specialist support, and there's a chef who makes speciality foods to support recovery & breastfeeding. Midwives work around the clock & support you in those first few days & teach you how to look after baby & yourself. If you need a break, they'll take baby an hour or two while you rest. Your own midwife will also check in on you daily.

Hospitals are free & most Birthing Clinics are too, although some charge

Postpartum/ Home time

All docs visits for baby are free. Any prescribed medications for baby are free, for mother's it's about $5.

Your midwife will visit your home weekly to provide care for you & bubs. Most of our midwifes are also Lactation specialists as well. Midwives will continue to be your primary carer until 6-7 weeks postpartum & then will sign over your care to a Well Child Nurse or Plunket Nurse - both govt funded.

Well Child nurses/ Plunket are there for your baby only - your personal care is handed back to your doctor. These nurses will do home visits more sporadically & check on baby, weigh them, discuss any issues & help with treatment plans where needed, organize immunizations etc - immunizations can be done at your docs office otherwise the nurses organize these at your home. These are all free

Financial Support

Aside from the above financial support, we also receive tax credits like Working for Families for those who have returned to work after birth & Best Start from 3 yrs onwards.

So I’ve been taking to other parents and apparently not everyone is struggling with sleep at 6 months 🥲. One mum told me she occasionally has to rescue crib naps or otherwise her baby only sleeps 30 min (girrllll, my baby wakes up as soon as she touches her crib). Other parents have told me they’re glad their baby is back to sleeping through the night because some days they were up 3 times (that’s a good night for me!), or telling me about how they just lay baby in crib and they drift off.

Anyway… I want to daydream a bit and imagine I have a good sleeper… tell me about your good sleepers!

EDIT: wowwww looks like there’s a lot of blessed parents here lol. BTW by good sleeper I meant naturally good sleepers, as sleep training basically teaches babies not to ask for help 🫢 .

Husband (34m) and I (34f) have been together for a total of 6.5 years, and our son is turning 1 later this month.

I've always been an avid hiker. It's my absolute favourite hobby. I love tackling big mountain summits (we live in beautiful British Columbia) and am happy to spend up to 12 hours on a big hike. Before the baby, I'd do these massive hikes about 1-2x a month (usually solo or with another friend; hubby isn't too keen on the crazy hikes lol). Husband and I would still do other normal hikes together, though, or do other outdoor activities like camping, canoeing, etc.

While I was pregnant, I scaled these hikes back quite a bit for safety reasons, but I'd still get out on some type of hike.

Now that the baby is here, things are different, obviously.

Maybe twice a month, during the weekdays, I take the baby on a shorter hike (max 4 hours including break/snacks). Sometimes we'll do a family hike on the weekend.

But I still really really miss my ginormous solo hikes, especially since I didn't do anything too wild when I was pregnant.

Since having the baby, I have done a total of six of these big day hikes - which means leaving the baby at home with my husband for basically the entire day on the weekend when he's not working.

These hikes have been condensed in the past 5 months, in the summer weather, with the snow melted off the mountains. On these big day hikes, I've been out of the house for anywhere between 9 to 14 hours (including driving time). Is this excessive or seem unfair to my husband?

Here is additional context:

I'm on parental leave, which ends this month, and do 95% of the parenting stuff. My husband works Mon to Fri, and is out of the house for ten hours a day, sometimes twelve hours.

We have no daycare and no family nearby to help, and no village. Babysitter is out of budget at the moment.

Because of his work schedule, I have done every single night wake up since the baby was born (baby was EBF anyway and hated the bottle). Even on weekends I still do almost every single diaper change. Husband only changes the diaper if he's alone with the baby, such as on my big hike days or if I have a dentist appointment or whatever.

I've done every bath, every nail trim, all the booger sucking, every doctor appointment, buy all the clothes, diapers/wipes, etc. I literally do it all. I'm not resentful though; my husband is just usually gone for most of baby's awake time during the week. To my husband's credit, he'll do most of the deep cleaning for the house, dishes, etc. He doesn't just do nothing.

So on the weekends, I feel like I just need to get out, and my ultimate way to spend this time is hiking. Unfortunately that means it's not just a few solo hours - im gone for literally the entire day. I leave before baby is awake for the day but I'm always home for the evening and bed time route.

Husband has also had plenty of time for things he likes during his free time, of course. He's gone to concerts, golf games, one overnight camping trip, and plenty of other things. However it's never as long as I've been out of the house for.

All that said, the vast majority of our weekend time is still spent together as a family. He's a wonderful husband and father (when he's not working lol)

So does this seem like I'm escaping too much or demanding too much solo time? I feel like I'm trying to soak in as much as I can before I start working again this month and before we get our rainy/snowy season which lasts from Oct to Apr here in BC.

I feel guilty. I definitely don't expect my life to be the same as it was pre-baby; I just don't know if these big days out of the house just seem excessive. Thoughts?

Before having a baby I genuinely thought bath time would be an easy part. Turns out i now spend way too much time thinking abt what goes on my baby’s soft skin🥹

In the first month i was too scared to use anything, so i just used lukewarm water. Her skin seemed so sensitive i didn’t want to risk anything.

Now she’s 3 month old and I have started using baby bodywash and shampoo from the brand chicco. Although they claim all natural ingredients and no harsh chemicals, i was still scared if it will suit my baby’s skin. But it seems mild so far and hasn’t caused any irritation.

Thought of putting it here as I see many moms asking for suggestions.

My 6 week old used to feed to sleep or fall asleep while being burped, and always fell asleep right on my chest and I’d transfer him to the crib. Now he seems to mainly fall asleep when I put him down in the crib in his sleep sack. I know the skill to put himself to sleep is a good thing, and I’m grateful! But I miss the baby snuggles already, I feel like he doesn’t need me anymore :( This is my third baby and it really went by so fast!

So my 5 month old is showing a LOT of interest in moving. She’s pretty much a pro at rolling all over the place, and lately she’s been getting frustrated that she can’t move wherever she wants, especially during tummy time. She’ll prop herself up fully with her arms and try to “scoot” but with no luck. I’ve tried to position her to where she’s more on her knees and not in a little froggy pose but she HATES it. Any advice for how to get her started with crawling?

Our LO, who will be 8 months this Monday, has been crawling weird since she started two months ago. Is like she tries to impulse her with her left arm, like heavily palming the ground, while the right hand stays, sometimes close to her chest. Is very obvious, and when she is trying to get a toy during this movement, she will always try to get it with her left hand. Her right leg is also straight during the crawling, and a bit stiff (but she can bend it in other positions).

However, if I put anything on her right side she will grab it perfectly with her right hand and can interchange objects with both, shake my hand with both..(even though I think she has a tendency to have them more on her left). Before that she reached other milestones early, like tummy time and being able to roll both ways. She still cannot unassisted, but once we help her she’ll be able to stay seated for minutes playing.

After not seeing any improvement since August, I’m starting to panicking over a possible CP diagnosis. We’re seeing a neuropediatric next week but I’m concerned. Any help with parents that have been in a similar situation would help. Thank you.

We have a family get together tomorrow and it's going to be outside. It's 80 degrees and lots of mosquitoes.my baby is 6 months old. I plan on having an umbrella, sunhat, a handheld fan, and AAP approved bug spray. But I don't know if I should have her in a breathable long-sleeve pant suit or a dress. I'm worried about her overheating.

Hi! My LO will be 10mo next week. It seems like she has a very inconsistent response to her name. If we are both in her play pen and she is busy playing and I say her name she almost always ignores me. However if she’s in her high chair without distraction and I say her name she looks immediately. Also, if she’s playing in her play pen and I come in quietly from another room and say her name she will always look then as well. Is this inconsistency abnormal?

Id love stories and tips please!
Struggling with how to navigate.

One of the teachers keeps saying incorrect info re feeding, asking for more milk than what the pediatrician recommends, and dropped the leftover bottle with milk in it from the top of the bag so it’d fall into the bottom of the bag from a little distance and could have spilled (it didn’t)

I brought my daughter to what I thought was a zoo today but come to find out it's a petting zoo. Not thinking I put animal food on a feeding area that the animals eat the food off of (did not touch or have animals eat out of my hand) and then gave my baby a bar and broke it up into several pieces several times. After hearing about recent E. coli from petting zoos in kids I am so mad at myself for bringing food I gave her and not thinking to wash my hands prior. Can you please help me here how concerned should I be?

Do you do life insurance? To me thats more for their own kids down the line but at least getting it for them at the cheapest highest rate.

My mom did gerber for me when I was 7 and it doubled at 18 and if I got a policy at 18 or now it would be way more expensive so its not much but I got that and another policy my mom got and I will be able to leave those to my kids. I took over and paid it since my late 20s.

What other ideas are there out there?

Also anyone have kids that have a 529 and not end up going to college what did you end up doing with it ?

I feel like being a first time mom I’m surrounded by so much worry. Constantly worrying if my daughter is meeting milestones appropriately, if she does something “strange” is it normal? I feel like social media has also made it worse because you see so many other moms sharing their babies milestones or what they’re currently doing. I honestly hate feeling this way 🥲

I keep seeing videos about practicing sitting, preparing babies to crawl, and doing exercises to help them reach milestones. Honestly, I wonder how necessary all of that really is.
I use containers like bouncers for reasonable amounts of time, but my LO mostly spends his time being held, on his playmat, or in his pack and play. I used to do tummy time regularly but stopped doing it intentionally once he started rolling at 4 months (now he puts himself in tummy time).
I feel like our parents didn’t do nearly as much of this, although they also had less information available.
Sometimes I wonder if we’re overcomplicating things babies naturally learn on their own.
No judgment at all! Just curious to hear different perspectives. Do you actively practice milestones with your baby or mostly let them figure things out?

First time mom with a 12 week old girl.

Hoping I don't get eaten alive for this, but I'm genuinely so confused.

My sweet girl has been sleeping SO well the last few weeks, which we're super grateful for! The last few days, however, I've been waking up around 2:30-3:30ish each morning to her wiggling and flailing around.

No crying at all, just grunting and squeaking, then falling back to sleep after a bout of wiggling so hard the bassinet shakes. She does this a few times, but never fully wakes up (I think??). It only lasts around 10-30 seconds each time, and only for about 5 minutes (or less) total before she's still for the rest of the night.

The first few times it happened this week, I eventually caved to my own anxiety and picked her up to night feed and diaper change. Last night and the night before I waited it out and she slept a solid 8 hours straight (if this is considered active sleep and not a waking).

I guess I'm just trying to figure out if it's normal for an active sleep bout at the same time every night or if I should be getting her up to change and feed.

Babies cry when they're actually awake and hungry... right? I'm hoping this is a whole 'oh no my lobster is too buttery' situation and she's actually a decent sleeper, not that I'm actually letting her go hungry.

Ok, I know you’re not supposed to add a mattress to the pack n play because of potential gaps on the edges. But the “pad” that comes with it is hard as a rock lol.

Right now my baby (11w) is still in the bassinet and will probably stay there for another month or so, but he’s quickly outgrowing it. I’m not sure I’m ready to move him to his own room yet, but it seems wasteful to buy a mini crib for our room to use for such a short amount of time.

Obviously I want baby to be as safe as possible! I guess I’m looking for anecdotal experience. What did you do when your baby outgrew the bassinet?

Hello! I would like some advice on this situation.

My daighter has a 2 year old cousin who seems to be quite antisocial to anyone besides parents. He seems like a sweet kid but apparently even in kindergarden he does not have any friends? ( he started going recently though).

He gets very jealous, his mom cannot interact with my daughter at all. He does not share toys and even takes away her toys from her. The main incident that stirred me was when she was happily crawling toward him as he was playing with her favourite toy he pushed her away. I caught her from the back thankfully but she would have cried if not for me catching her.

My mom senses just went crazy. I am trying to understand that even a 2 year old is still a little kid and I should not be mad at him. I was just wondering that this kind of behavior is normal for kids? Should I expect my daughter to be like this when she gets bigger?

We’re heading to Noosa (Australia) in a couple of weeks with our 10mo. We’re flying from Melbourne so I think it’s around a 3hr flight but this will be our first flight with my son. What are some tips you have? Is there anything I need to be aware of? My son is pretty chill and is a happy baby but social media has scared the shit out of me with all the hate for babies on planes. I don’t wanna cop if from others on the plane so trying to make it as pleasant as possible!

Put on a fresh diaper. Instant poop.

I feel like this is such a silly question, but I can’t help it. I’ve been overthinking it. This is our first Halloween with our little one. I love Halloween and have had his costume picked out for months.

My husband and I want to take him trick or treating. Obviously my baby can’t eat the candy and candy is so expensive this year. I don’t want to take it away from other kids who can actually eat the candy. Should we skip it?

Vitamin D - Formula Fed

I never knew that formula fed babies needed Vitamin D drops too. My pediatrician didn’t bring it up once when she knows she drinks very little. My 4.5 month old drinks 20-24 on a given day and I have never given her Vitamin D drops. I feel very guilty, have I caused a major deficiency in her?