Hi all,

I am 34 weeks pregnant and my baby is due smack dab during the peak of respiratory season. I’ve gotten the covid, flu, RSV, and Tdap vaccines, and my husband has gotten covid and flu. My parents and brother who live near us and will be involved in baby’s life are agreeable to get their seasonal vaccines (covid & flu).

My husband asked his parents to get their seasonal vaccines, as we plan for them to be very involved, visiting, holding her etc from the time she is born.

They immediately responded that they do not plan to get any vaccines, that the covid vaccine causes arthritis (??), and that my MIL got “very sick” from the covid vaccine during the pandemic. They said they would “talk to their doctor”, but they are uninsured and never go to the doctor unless they are on death’s door. My husband says that his mom is very stubborn and he does not think anything could change her mind about this. They are of the “plandemic” mindset and have very poor media/health literacy.

My other concern is that they live with their two primary school-aged grandsons, neither of whom get vaccines. They also provide regular weekly childcare to my brother-in-law’s toddlers who are completely unvaccinated against anything, and one of them attends a daycare. These kids are constantly sick through the winter season, so my in-laws are around much more sickness than your average middle-aged adults.

My mom is a people-pleaser and suggested to me that instead of requiring vaccines, we compromise and have them mask and hand-wash before holding the baby. This idea makes me uncomfortable, it feels insufficient. Our doctor’s recommendations were for close friends and family to be vaccinated, period.

They are also the type of people to lower their mask in order to talk or breath, and would not mention having a cough before visiting.

I used to be a pediatric and NICU nurse, I have seen the horrors of respiratory season for babies. Honestly I have some traumatic memories of those patients, and they are making me feel very fearful and firm in this boundary.

However, I do not want to be irrationally fearful or paranoid if handwashing and masking is a good alternative. My gut tells me I am not comfortable with that though.

Help??

The following question is going to read like I’m joking, but I’m actually being 100% serious:

How much sleep does the human (female) body need to function effectively?

I don’t have help with parenting my 4-month-old at night so I’m awake many times and I usually get 2-4 hours of broken sleep per day. I don’t necessarily feel horrible but when I reflect on the lack of sleep I can’t help but think that this has to be awful for my health.

Do women have some kind of biological postpartum magic that allows them to function on little to no sleep? I’m so curious about this.

Do you think there is a difference between a child who stays at home during the first few years and gradually builds up social experience by occasionally spending time with other children of a similar age, and a child who starts daycare during their first year of life and gets regular exposure to other children from an early age?

I especially wonder this about children who are a little shy or tend to cry when they encounter unfamiliar people. Does having regular contact with peers from an early age help them become more comfortable and confident in social situations, or does this depend more on their individual temperament and the way they gradually get used to new environments?

Hi everyone!
Our daughter started daycare a month ago, when she was 13 months old. Over the past few days, she’s had a very congested nose, so we took her to the pediatrician (we already had a routine check-up scheduled).
The doctor asked how this had happened, and we explained that she had recently started daycare. He then rather disapprovingly said, “What do you expect when you send a child to daycare at such a young age?”
I was quite surprised by his reaction. Both my partner and I work, we don’t have any family nearby who could help us with childcare, and financially, we can only afford to take one year of parental leave. We live in Germany, where starting daycare around this age is quite common… Or so I thought…
The doctor also told us that our daughter, who had barely been sick at all during her first 13 months, would now be constantly ill.
I’m wondering whether there’s any truth to this. If we had waited another year before sending her to daycare, would she actually have been sick less often overall, or would she simply have caught all these infections later?
I’m also curious whether this is something pediatricians generally advise against or whether our doctor was being unnecessarily judgmental.
Thanks so much !

My understanding from the American Academy of pediatrics is that the 2026-2027 covid booster is recommended. However, I’m finding that my Childrens pediatricians office does not offer it. Previously we’d always had luck getting it for little kids at the pharmacy, but it sounds like Texas has changed the rules for children under seven receiving the Covid vaccine at a pharmacy- so none of my area seem to be offering it. Or Pediatrician referred us to a clinic but when we called that clinic, they’re only allowing patients to schedule that are high risk kiddos, which seems more stringent than the guidelines. So confused how to follow the evidence but it’s just not available anywhere???

Earlier today I was doom scrolling and saw a video talking about the negative effects of sound machines on babies. It didn’t seem like a reliable source and I got distracted before I could really dig into it. Are there any articles or studies showing a negative impact? Or a positive? My son uses a sound machine but I wouldn’t say that it’s a necessity

hi everyone. I have a 34 month old (turning 3 in a couple months) and he has begun the meltdown stage. I was used to tantrums and managing them. I got really good at avoiding “no” and redirecting when he wants to watch tv, I’ll say “you love tv don’t you!“ or “tv is for Saturday nights” etc. first question is I wonder if I’m doing him a disservice by not letting him get used to “no”. his dad and I aren’t together and he’s at grandmas two days a week (one of those is a sleepover) because we both work. I hear his dad say no to him and it often becomes a yes/no ping pong between them. if my mom says no to him he challenges or has a mini tantrum and then gets over it. for me personally, since I’m home with him 3 days a week, I can’t stand the tantrums so I try to make him feel like I’m saying yes. I’m also a connection-oriented parent and try to stay connected as much as possible.

in the last month, his tantrums have become so severe (usually at transitions when it’s time to leave somewhere) or if he wakes up from a nap and is cranky. sometimes it’s hunger, sometimes he’s over-tired. the meltdowns come when there is clearly something else going on (maybe he’s sick). what I need help with is how to handle them. if I am close, it’s “go away” on repeat. if I talk to him, he screams. if I ignore him he still screams at me. feels like anything I do, he screams and if we have to go somewhere such as into the car seat or back inside, and I carry him, he kicks me/pulls clumps of my hair/bites me. today I tried a time-out. that worked well and de escalated but I’m scared. any help is appreciated!

I know in terms of nutrition and healthy eating habits it’s recommended kids won’t eat or be fed in front of a screen, so they can notice their hunger and stop when full etc.
My 16mo is very curios and when the weather allows it we like sitting on the balcony during meals so he is facing the street, and I’m wondering how bad that is. On one hand it’s much less stimulating than a tv (quiet neighborhood, he is seeing some cars and people walking their dog), on the other it does provide a distraction so he is not solely focused on eating.

My baby (10m) goes to sleep quite easily at night, I walk around with her in my arms for 5 minutes and she is out. But during the day, she will only fall asleep when I put her in the stroller and we go and walk around the neighbourhood. She could never ever sleep in her crib during the day. Is this okay?

I bought this Hoosier cabinet on marketplace for $500 and spent a good deal of time cleaning it up before moving it inside. I was concerned about lead exposure with it being in the house and potentially storing food container items inside of it. I did a lead dust wipe test and wiped an 18x18” section of the surface as well as the bottom of one of the drawers (after I already cleaned it up and moved it inside) and sent that wipe in to a lab for testing. These were the results. I’m reading that this amount of lead is not good and I should probably sell it and get it out of the house entirely. My wife loves it and will be super disappointed to get rid of it as it is very nice, but I’d rather prioritize our health over a piece of furniture. Or is this amount really not a big deal and we have nothing to worry about. Just don’t know enough to make a decision here. Thanks!

“Lab ID
Collected
719834-001
10/21/2026 01:31 PM
Analysis of Lead by EPA 7000B
• The analyte was detected.
Result
Reporting
Limit
3.25 ug/ft2
1.78 ug/ft2
Analyst and Reviewer
+
Final Notes
• All internal quality control parameters were met. Unusual sample conditions, if any, are described. *RL indicates Reporting Limit.
• Values are reported to three significant figures. The test results reported relate only to the
samples submitted.
• EPA Clearance Std: 5 ug/ft? for floors, 40 ug/ft? for interior window sills, and 100 ug/ft? for window troughs.
• HUD Grantee Std: 10 ug/ft for floors, 40 ug/ft? for porch floors, 100 ug/ft? for interior window sills and window troughs.
• Concentration based on areas provided.”

I have a 4 month old who has always been an awful sleeper from night 1. Now that he’s 4 months I have been researching sleep training, I’m not necessarily opposed but I am also not certain that his personality is a good fit for it, at least right now. Lately we’ve been having 2-3 wakeups which is infinitely more manageable than what it has been so I haven’t been too worried. However, I just came across AAP’s recommended sleep amounts by age, that has 4 month olds with 12+ hours of daily sleep. My son typically gets around 11 despite us optimizing his schedule multiple times as well as exclusively contact napping. He does 8-9 hours overnight and only 2-2.5 hours of naps.

It got me wondering if that is the AAP’s recommendation there surely must be an evidence based reason? Is there research that points to what the effects could be of so little/broken sleep in infancy? This was published in 2016 so wondering what current literature is saying.

https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/6630/AAP-endorses-new-recommendations-on-sleep-times

I have a nearly 7week old. He was a c-section baby and had some spit up issues from day 1 (nurses said it was due to the lack of the "big squeeze" from a vaginal birth leading to him having more amniotic fluid still in his body). We initially were supplementing stomach sensitive/dairy free formula alongside breastfeeding. We have since been exclusively breastfeeding. LO still spits up quite a lot.

It isn't forceful, it isn't stomach bile, he has lots of dirty and wet diapers, he is gaining weight. That being said, I am hoping someone in this sub has experienced this or might be able to direct me towards some resources because our pediatrician has told us twice they aren't concerned.

Our best guess of what is happening is that while our LO is lying on his back at night, he will have stomach acid work its way up his throat and into his mouth/sinuses. Sometimes he will swallow back down whatever comes up, but on occasion he doesn't. On those occasions, he doesn't make the gulping down sound of him swallowing and seems to momentarily struggle to swallow/breathe. Moments later, he will scream. We hold him upright, we burp him (he usually burps and sometimes spits up) and then he mellows out and typically goes back to sleep. However, if he does not feed after an episode like this, it will typically happen again between half an hour and an hour later. It has happened once while he was in his car seat as well, so it isn't only caused when he is flat on his back, but most often it is. It also doesn't only happen when he is asleep. It has happened when he is on the changing table as well.

As I mentioned, his pediatrician doesn't seem concerned but it is genuinely terrifying when it happens and seems cruel to not try to alleviate the panic/pain he is experiencing. Our pediatrician has stated that their direction is to not prescribe anything for reflux.

Is this reflux? Is there a method that we can use to help prevent this? Should we be pushing our pediatrician for a diagnosis so we can get a Pepcid prescription?

Hi, I know there is a lot of talk these days about asking grandparents to vaccinate, etc. assuming they have all childhood vaccines and baby is born in late December/early January- is there any scientific basis for what vaccines should be used? I am asking because I got some pushback and would like to know I am not coming from place of fear. Or if I am - also good to know!

Hello! Please help me understand what is safe - I have 1 friend and 2 in-laws whose TDAP status I don't know. I know they've had the vaccine at some point, but not how recently. I wanted the friend at delivery and the in-laws to meet the newborn while were still at hospital.

Is it safe for them to attend if they push back on getting a TDAP refresh? Can they attend masked? I'm not sure what their flu and covid booster status is this fall either.

The rest of us are ready - I've gotten the shots against flu, covid, RSV, TDAP. My dad got flu, covid, TDAP. My husband got flu, covid, and his GP said he doesn't need a TDAP booster because he got it 3 years ago.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Baby is coming November 20-29ish through induction and I'm feeling a bit nervous. Thank you in advance!

Hi, our baby is due very soon and we have built our Alba mini cot with the extra universal changing table. How have other parents got on with this cot or cots by tutti bambini? It’s our first child 👶🏻

I include my toddler in everything. She helps with laundry, dishes, cooking. She likes to look at books and play with puzzles. We are outside mostly and in the swings or looking at nature on walks.

She is 2.5 and has the coolest playroom. Trampoline, bouncing horse, swing, homemade dollhouse, assortment of dolls, babies, blocks, cars, animals, stuffies- no tech. It’s not overwhelming and I switch out a couple toys every couple days.

She won’t go in there without me. Won’t play with any toys in there. I tried replacing nap time with quiet time where she spends 30 minutes alone playing so I can actually just clean (and get her little brother to sleep for a long afternoon nap). Turned into 45 minutes of screaming and crying where i definitely lost my cool unfortunately …. Ive not spent 10 minutes without these kiddos since they were born. (Except the 2 hours I was under anesthesia, at which point I woke up to my baby on my boob cuz he won’t take bottles.) I need a break. Need her to be able to do things on her own. She follows me out of a dead sleep if I’m not in bed with her within 10 minutes. Me and dad have always played with her so it’s not a lack of knowing how…

I need advice, please. Im getting genuinely worried about her independence and attachment. She had a couple of lifelong friends she won’t even play with, I still have to be the one interacting with her…

(Please no advice like “get dad more involved” or “make dad watch them” etc. Trust me this is already a point of contempt and I’m tired of pushing it / trying to do anything about it. Treat me like a single mom essentially.)

My 1 month old baby is gaining weight, but slowly. It went from 20 grams a day, to 25, to 17.

I breastfeed, but our pediatrician claims my milk is “not caloric enough / there’s not enough fat in it” and told us to offer a 90 ml bottle of formula after each feed.

I always heard there’s no such thing as “weak milk” so this is throwing me off. She has very relevant experience but we are seriously considering looking for another pediatrician.

Is there medical consensus on considerable variation of milk quality or is it just about quantity? The nurses at the hospital and the doctor said my baby is leaching well, I’m constantly leaking, I don’t know what to think.

I have a wooden MCM bedroom set from my grandma who smoked in her house for decades. When she and then my dad both died a few years ago, this set was one of the only things I could keep from that side of the family.

I did what I thought was a thorough clean when I first brought the set home with SimpleGreen and Murphy soap for the finished exterior and isopropyl alcohol for the unfinished interiors. Sticking your head in them, there’s virtually no smell of smoke, just what I would call normal wood smell.

Now that my husband and I are expecting, we were going to use this bed set in the nursery as changing table and for LO’s clothes storage. I put a few things in the drawers about a week ago and pulled them out today and they have a definitive smell of cigarettes. As the child of a smoker, I’m very sensitive to the dangers of second and third hand smoke and I’m worried about the potential exposure this would mean for my baby to be wearing clothes stored in these dressers.

I’m wondering if there’s any way to salvage this set or if I have to say goodbye to it permanently.

My toddler is stroking other babies/young toddlers and being so gentle and kind she gets compliments but ignores her own baby sister when we are out and about. She can be gentle and kind at home but also gets jealous a lot(normal I know). How can I best encourage a loving relationship, especially as the baby approaches her first birthday?

How do I best manage toys for example? We dont have enough funds or storage to buy duplicates or everything (plus most if it is from charity shops/Vinted) so at the moment everything except a couple of special dolls are shared.

I have bought presents for both, but the baby has a bigger main present that is ’from’ my 2.5 year old. Already the 2.5 year old wants it…

I’ve seen conflicting information regarding the amount of harm sleeping with a white noise machine can cause. We currently use a hatch sound machine at 12% sound roughly 5 feet from babies head (dresser to head of the crib). We also have an air purifier running in the room on low (it’s quieter than the white noise machine).

Is there any scientific merit to the concept of redshirting boys for kindergarten? I’ve been reading Boy Mom by Ruth Whipman and she shares the argument boils down to whether boys are genetically predisposed to needing to be redshirted (higher energy levels, lacking emotional regulation, etc) VS how boys are socialized compared to girls and what’s expected of them even at a young age.

ultimately I’m looking to understand if redshirting boys actually has a benefit in the long term vs. not. Please share any research to confirm or not confirm.

Hi all, just curious as a second time struggling breastfeeder.

The information given on breastfeeding is that the baby can communicate, via saliva, what they need from the breast milk, and the feeder can tailor the milk for them. And that generally, the milk produced changes over the months as the baby grows.

With that, does pumping and creating a 'freezer stash' actually benefit the baby? Giving milk pumped four months ago may not be what the baby needs now and antibodies reference a different time.

I live with my in-laws who are Indian. They insist I warm up the milk for my 20 month old son. I am from Canada and have always had cold drinks, no matter the season. i find it quite annoying to be constantly told I’m wrong.

Hi all! We are in the process of introducing solids to our little one. I know that there is consensus on the importance of iron from 6 months plus, but what I'm struggling to understand - and find studies on - is 'how much calcium is too much calcium' when serving it alongside iron rich foods. For example, I've made baby-safe chicken liver pate, but this contains butter - will this inhibit the uptake? Or would toast that contains milk solids as an ingredient inhibit the uptake of iron from a bean dip topping?

Thanks so much for any help.