Toddlers

Had to move my 2.5 year old into the toddler bed setting of his crib because he was hurting himself by climbing and falling out. Now he’s stoked on the new freedom and waltzes out of his room a million times. Last night we tried to get him down at 7:30pm but didn’t go to sleep (and we had to go back in each time) until 10pm when he finally let us rock him to sleep. The past year he’s gone down on his own in his crib, no fight. Any tips on what we can do to keep him in his bed and in his room so we can all get sleep? We’ve tried bargaining with him (he’s way too smart), we do the regular calming routine and everything.

What is the best tablet option these days? I know a lot of people have Amazon fire tablets (I don't find them user friendly), but open to them. Would love more info on certain models etc. .

I know tongue and lip tie releases are performed on babies quite often. Does any one have any experience/feedback on this with a younger child having this done? My 5 yo needs both.

My 2 year old isn’t babbling and the pediatrician seems to think it’s okay, but my mom instinct is worried. Should I meet with a speech therapist or am I over reacting?!

Hi. We have three girls, 6, 3 and 9mo. The 3 year old is a high feeling, very intelligent little girl who is in OT to help us handle this but, I need some encouragement and advice. The flying off the handle, screaming bloody murder when she doesn’t get her way…it is killing us. It has seeped into every moment of our lives. We do timers do help with transitions, which doesn’t help. Bedtime is an absolute nightmare, she stays up late and wakes up early. She shares a room with her 6 year old sister, who actually enjoys sleep. She lies, she twists out words on us (“no YOU screamed at ME and hurt ME”). We are hoping OT will help, we’re about three weeks in. We haven’t done OT before and plan to ask at what point do they start addressing these types of behaviors but, can anyone shed some light or encouragement here? We are contemplating having her be in her own room and have the 9 month old and 6 year old share. It’s affecting our 6 year old and we are just at a loss. She responds to nothing. She has cherry picked potty training, she will poop in the potty when she wants but refuses to pee - not because she can’t but because she “doesn’t want to.” SOS. We are exhausted.

We have a horrible 5-7 day bug over here but it’s all stomach / vomiting. It’s like they start to feel better in the morning, but then by 4 pm we are complaining about our stomach and then vomiting by 7. Is this type of flu going around too?!

Snacks cause so much drama in our house. We make our kids whole food meals 3x/day obviously but snacks are demanded all throughout the day. We attempt to put limits like morning and afternoon snack only and I feel like all I do is say no. I don’t want to cause weird food issues or scarcity mindset but I’m exhausted. I also want my kids to get the bulk of their calories and nutrients from mealtime. My kids are healthy and active and have no medical issues. What’s the best way for me to approach this? I’m so tired of working my ass off to enforce this snack boundary when maybe it’s ok to let them graze?

I am desperate for advice. My almost 3yo toddler has suddenly started screaming bloody murder every night when my husband or I try to leave the room. She never was happy for us to leave, but this screaming is next level. When she was newly 2, she had some bedtime tantrums but nothing like this. She has a 3 month old sibling, so I’m guessing part of this is sleep regression related to that. We have a very solid bedtime routine that hasn’t changed (bath, books, songs, bed). We spend so much of each day playing with her and connecting, so the rhetoric of needing connection does not apply here. Have any of you successfully navigated something like this? Or do I just accept that bedtime is going to take hours with screaming until my children are in elementary school? (Plz no!!!)

We have one child and they are not big on solo/independent play. Any way we can encourage this more? Mostly just that we need a break sometimes or have chores to do (and yes she can help with these but sometimes it’s so much easier/faster without the help lol).

My son turns 4 in March, looking for new ideas for his bday party in Austin. We did MyGym for age 2 and Play Street Museum for his 3rd. Considering Pikopye's but it's so similar to Play Street. Weather can be so hit or miss in March, I prefer indoors to play it safe. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hi! My dr recommended tamiflu for my toddler who has the flu. I’ve heard mixed things and experiences, would love to hear from an expert or anyone’s advice!

Any tips on how to help 5 year old leave somewhere fun peacefully? Whether it’s summer camps, the park, fun outings, etc. it is always a fight to put shoes on and go, sometimes ending in tantrums. I have tried giving minute countdowns, using sticker charts, practicing at home. I am at my wits end!

My almost three year old still asks for milk before bed, and 2 out of 5 nights he'll wake up asking for milk. I'm afraid he'll be full of cavities any day now. Has anyone been through something similar?

Is it normal that the first kid influences, shape and maybe even overshadows your second kids? Am I in my head that my oldest has robbed my second of his own baby years and own individuality because he entered a world of chaos with such a dominating brother? Does separating them help to give them their own space to grow and develop?

Hi! My son loves to read the dog man books (light chapter books) and we are looking for a few similar books for him to start reading that are a fit for his age (6.5 years old). Would love any and all recs!!

At what age should you stop showering with your kids? Or bathing them together? Have a 4 and 6 year old opposite genders and curious how others handle this.

We were quoted $2500 for my 4 year old to get some cavities filled with conscious sedation. (Don’t judge we literally are great brushers). Any way I took his radiographs to two other dentists just to confirm the diagnosis and they both agreed with the proposed plan from the pediatric dentist. So we are 100% going to treat, but I’m now motivated to price shop if that’s even a thing. Willing to drive across the state (we are in ATX). We have FSA funds to cover the $2500 but don’t want to drain that as we have other health expenses too. Any ideas??

At what age were you able to put your toddler to bed, put them in, and leave the room and they go to sleep themselves? We’re currently laying next to them on the floor while they fall asleep and I am hoping one day we can stop this. We tried the leaving and putting to bed around 4 months ago and it was a massive emotional fail.

My son is about to be 20 months old and is still not saying any real words. A lot of “momma” and “dada” and a ton of babbling and noises but no words. Is this something I should be concerned about? Is it too early to get speech therapy intervention? Any tips/experiences/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi!! My toddler gets toted around with two big brothers that play baseball. I’d LOVE your favorite toddler (boy) toys that keep them occupied!! Something I can pack and take along?! Thanks!!