11
votes
4answers
3k views

My son Is 5 years Old and sexually active

I am a 20 years old female student and I have a 5 years old son who is really sexually active. For instance, he kisses girls by force, he forces them to lick his penis, he "fingers" them, he speaks ...
11
votes
11answers
3k views

Do parents of teens need a locked liquor cabinet?

I had this debate with some friends who have older children. We keep our liquor in the cupboard above the fridge. When they get a bit older (still just 8 and 10) and could potentially be tempted ...
11
votes
11answers
2k views

What to buy to prepare for the arrival of a new baby?

Our baby is going to be born in a few months, what should we make sure we have before she gets here?
11
votes
10answers
1k views

How can I get my 4 year old to clean up toys without a battle?

Multiple times during the day, we have our 4 year old take a break from playing to clean up her toys. It's a huge battle every time. Usually, she ends up on the ground saying that there are too many ...
11
votes
6answers
782 views

Can we afford to have a baby?

I'm not a parent (yet!), but the wife and I are seriously thinking about starting a family. We both really want kids, but I'm just worried about the financial strain a baby could have on us. Am I ...
11
votes
7answers
14k views

How can I safely keep a pacifier in an infant's mouth?

Sometimes the only thing that will keep a 2 month old baby happy is a pacifier, but at that age, baby is too young to retrieve the pacifier after it falls out. It helps to tuck the pacifier under ...
11
votes
6answers
346 views

How should I respond to a child asking to have as much spending money as her friends do?

When a child has some close friends at school, but some of them come from relatively richer families, so they get maybe twice my child's pocket money, how should I answer when he complains and asks to ...
11
votes
9answers
242 views

How can I find time to relax during my maternity leave?

I'll be home on pregnancy leave for 4 months. We can't plan outdoor trips. I'll be staying at home with only two people around (during day time) - me and the baby. How can I find time during this ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views

What do we do if our children don't like the nanny?

So I just came back to work after a long discussion with our 4 year old. He complains (more to the effect, he had a meltdown) that he doesn't like our nanny, and would prefer to have our neighbour ...
11
votes
6answers
2k views

How to better engage myself with my 15 month old

My 15 month old toddler is very active and I often find it challenging to match his pace. He seems to get bored with his toys very quickly. Earlier he used to be very much interested in my laptop and ...
11
votes
7answers
10k views

Are there any dangers or downsides to white noise as a calming tool

We find white nose to be extremely effective for soothing our 5-week old son. Loud white noise (60 decibels or so) will help soothe him when he is overtired and crying, and if we play soft white noise ...
11
votes
9answers
1k views

When should I transition a 2 year old toddler from the cot to a bed?

My son turned 2 today, and we have been considering for a long time to transition him to a bed. Specially since he already sleeps in a bed at the daycare. I am afraid that he will not want to stay in ...
11
votes
4answers
367 views

How to get a child to stop pretending to choke on foods he doesn't want to eat?

I have a 4 1/2 yr old. We're at the stage where he's definitely finicky over foods. The issue is not so much that he's finicky, but that he expresses it by taking a bite and then mock choking. I am ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views

At what age should a child be able to dress herself?

At what age are children typically able (and willing) to dress themselves? Our daughter is two and a half and can take her pants on and off and take her shirt off, but cannot put a shirt on herself. ...
11
votes
3answers
1k views

Why does my baby grind her face into my shoulder?

During episodes of fussiness, my 6-week-old daughter has started grinding her face into my chest or shoulder. She shakes vigorously from side to side like she's trying to burrow out the other side. ...
11
votes
7answers
6k views

How can I get my toddler to sleep later in the mornings?

My son, now 15 months old, was sleeping through the night, and waking up consistently at 6am. However, over the past few months he had been gradually waking up earlier. Now he wakes up consistently ...
11
votes
5answers
162 views

How do you say “not now”?

Sometimes children (say 3-5 years of age) want you to play with them, but for whatever reason, you cannot participate. How do you say "not now" without hurting their feelings or making them feel ...
11
votes
1answer
470 views

What should I consider when deciding whether to homeschool my child?

This is an often-controversial topic, one where it's easy to find conflicting or misleading information. What are the important points to consider when making the decision to enroll in a mortar and ...
11
votes
6answers
17k views

Do I really need to wake my newborn to feed him?

We have a two week old child. He's eating well during the day, eating at least 8 times a day, and is breast feeding. His weight gain has been 'normal' so far, and he regained his original birth weight ...
11
votes
4answers
653 views

What should I consider when flying with an infant?

My wife and I will be traveling to the US next month and we're going to take two flights, probably one of 2 hrs and the other 4. Although my 7-months-old son already sits by himself, I'm not sure I ...
11
votes
8answers
4k views

How can I get my child to stop biting others?

How do I get my 5-year-old to stop biting his brother and classmates?
11
votes
4answers
336 views

How accurate are the “Suggested Age Ranges” of toys?

Most toys manufactured today include a suggested age range, supposedly identifying the ages of children who will (safely) appreciate the toy. How accurate are these ranges? How do the manufacturers ...
11
votes
2answers
960 views

When should a child transition through the different car seats, to none, and to the front seat?

What parameters (age/height/weight) should be considered when determining which type of car seat a child should use, or whether to use one at all? When should they be allowed to sit in the front ...
11
votes
7answers
10k views

How can my toddler learn to stay under the blanket at night?

My 2yo son slept in a sleeping bag (see image below) until around 1½ years old, then he didn't like that anymore so we switched to using a blanket. He moves around so much while sleeping that the ...
11
votes
3answers
7k views

Can I give my baby a bottle of breastmilk straight from the fridge?

I'm exclusively breastfeeding my baby, and occasionally give him pumped bottles. I generally try to warm them up before giving them to him, at least to room temperature. (I was once told as a tip to ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views

Why do babies like to be bounced?

For a large amount of the time if our baby is crying I can stick her on my shoulder or my knee and bounce or rock her (gently), and she will calm down. Why does this work? She gets bounced a lot ...
11
votes
5answers
919 views

When changing diapers, how soon should we put the new diaper on?

Are we supposed to put the new diaper on immediately or give our newborn some diaper-free time? His skin under the diaper is slightly moist when changing it, should we give him some time to air out? ...
11
votes
6answers
419 views

Is it harmful to a child's social development to tell them “don't talk to strangers”?

Conventional parenting wisdom tells us to drive the fear of talking to strangers into our kids. Is this at all harmful though? Is there any adverse impact to a child's social development by doing ...
11
votes
6answers
532 views

How do I get my overachiever to accept her mistakes and live up to her abilities?

My seven year old child is a perfectionist and I believe it holds her back. She is so afraid of making a mistake or "failing" that she is afraid to put herself out there. She is similarly afraid to be ...
11
votes
4answers
707 views

How do you reduce feelings of guilt for leaving children for a date night ?

We have two children, 3.5 and 1 years old. My wife and I rarely go out on our own, I can count on one hand since the oldest was born. We have never left them alone all night, they have always woken ...
11
votes
4answers
3k views

At what age do kids start sleeping through the night?

My son is now almost 12 months old and he still doesn't sleep through the night regularly. Maybe one night a month he will sleep from 7pm->6.30am without waking, and that's only if he's utterly ...
11
votes
5answers
2k views

How do you explain World War II to young children?

My 7-year old son asks many questions about World War II. I have the habit not to hide anything, but concepts such as Nazism or the Holocaust are so inherently dreadful that he sometimes seems to ...
11
votes
2answers
207 views

How can we help my pre-schooler get over his initial shyness when we have guests?

My four year old is always extremely unsettled whenever they first interact with a guest. It doesn't matter if it is another child who has played with many times before or an adult. It also doesn't ...
11
votes
4answers
345 views

What are the biggest expenses for a new baby?

My wife is expecting, and as we plan, I want to know if there is anything that people were surprised by how expensive it is, or didn't realize they would need to pay for?
11
votes
7answers
220 views

How do we teach our 1 yr. old that “no” isn't a game?

We have a little girl that's almost 13 months old. She's found that when she touches a power cord or near an electrical outlet and we say "no" that it's a bit of a game. She gets a funny smirk on her ...
11
votes
6answers
9k views

How to handle a toddler does not want to fall asleep?

My 2½ year old son does not want to sleep, regardless how tired he is. He will do anything and everything he can think of, just to avoid falling asleep. It usually takes 1-1½ hours (sometimes even ...
11
votes
4answers
853 views

How not to lose patience with toddler

I am wondering how not to be harsh with a toddler. With all the love I have for my boy, I do lose patience and get angry with him once in a while! Any ideas on how to deal with such a situation.
11
votes
2answers
589 views

Toddler has a strong preference for one parent

Our almost 2 year old toddler has developed a strong preference for me. In mild doses, this was acceptable but it is getting pretty out of hand. She cries when my husband, her father, tries to hug ...
11
votes
7answers
2k views

Nearly 2 and doesn't comprehend speech

I see a lot on this site and all over the Internet about toddlers that are late to talk. The general consensus seems to be as long as they can understand when you talk to them then don't worry, they ...
11
votes
7answers
801 views

Can you guide a toddler to learn specific words?

My 14 month old has a pretty good vocabulary for his age. However, it is a source of frustration for my wife that "mommy" (or some variation thereof) is not part of his vocabulary. He says "daddy" ...
11
votes
3answers
362 views

What are some ways to get an older sibling to give a younger sibling a little space?

We have 2 daughters - a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Our 4 year old daughter will not leave our 1 year old daughter alone. It is nothing malicious or intentionally mean, but it feels like we should ...
11
votes
3answers
415 views

At what age or developmental milestones is a child capable of critical thinking?

I am interested in pursuing a non-authoritarian approach to educating my son and I do not know at what age (or prerequisite milestones) the focus of education should switch from telling him facts to ...
11
votes
2answers
185 views

How can we prepare our child for the arrival of adopted siblings?

We are going through the process preparing to become adoptive parents. We have an 8-year-old biological child already. What are some things things we can do to help him be prepared, A) for no longer ...
11
votes
3answers
494 views

How do I stop my daughter from hitting another child?

Recently my daughter started to hit another girl with whom she is currently sharing her nanny. My daughter is 2 years and 2 months now, the other child is 1 year 3 months. The nanny was our daughters ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views

Is it normal for a husband to sleep significantly more while his wife is pregnant?

Since my wife is pregnant, I've been sleeping a lot more. I feel tired much much earlier (around 9~10 instead of midnight). Is this a documented known reaction? I've heard of/seen men gain weight, ...
11
votes
8answers
229 views

What are some resources to help in learning sign language?

Any recommended books, DVDs, websites, etc for parents wanting to use sign language with their (hearing) baby?
11
votes
2answers
755 views

Is teeth grinding bad for my child?

My one year old daughter will occasionally grind her teeth together for a few seconds. She has four teeth on top and four teeth on bottom, and she will grind them back and forth when she is walking ...
11
votes
1answer
295 views

What stories for children have strong female role models?

I notice that just about all young children's stories (fairy tales, etc) depict women in a subordinate role. This hit me while reading Cinderella: her ultimate goal in life is to be the prettiest so ...
11
votes
5answers
501 views

How do I prepare my home for the arrival of my premature baby?

My son was born prematurely a few weeks ago and is still in the hospital. If all goes well, he will leave the hospital when he reaches the equivalent of 36 gestational weeks, weighs at least 4 lbs, ...
11
votes
5answers
359 views

What studies exist regarding computer usage and computer game playing that support limiting access?

There is no shortage of questions here that relate to stopping or limiting computer time and game playing. What studies are motivating these concerns? I ask this as someone biased because I spent a ...

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