164
votes
Accepted
I'm losing it, with a talkative toddler, a colicky baby, chores, work, and lack of sleep
Ok. I'm going to take a shot at this. I semi-agree with Erica's comment that this could be seen as primarily opinion based but at the same time, it's not and there are methods out there that we ...
- 13.4k
113
votes
Accepted
Kid throwing ice cream cone back to the vendor
You already have received a fine answer to which I want to add a bit.
Kids that age pretty much wear their feelings on their sleeves, and while fake crying as manipulation isn't rare, the whole thing ...
- 72.2k
106
votes
Kid throwing ice cream cone back to the vendor
Maybe unpopular opinion: Tricking children, especially ones who are too young to understand and appreciate it as a joke, is at best unkind, and can be outright mean, regardless of intentions. For ...
74
votes
Accepted
What is the evidence on the danger of feeding whole blueberries and grapes to infants and toddlers?
Summary
Grapes are round and larger than a child's airway and may lead to occlusion.
Food with a smooth, deformable surface can form a tight seal.
Grapes are "the third most common cause of food-...
70
votes
I'm losing it, with a talkative toddler, a colicky baby, chores, work, and lack of sleep
Find help.
If you're not getting enough sleep and you start crying over dirty clothes, you are exhausted and breaking down. I don't think this is normal behavior (just my opinion, but we had a baby ...
- 8,755
70
votes
What can I do to a 6-month-old child so she ends up smart and has a high IQ?
At six months old, the key is to talk a lot, and to give the baby lots of opportunities to explore their environment. One approach that worked well for us was to follow the Montessori approach to ...
- 63.5k
52
votes
I'm losing it, with a talkative toddler, a colicky baby, chores, work, and lack of sleep
I have a practical piece of advice: wear your baby in a sling/wrap.
My 10 month old has been worn by either me or dad ever since she was born, and we cannot begin to imagine how much harder our ...
- 1,752
48
votes
Can an infant choke on spit-up?
According to NICHD: No.
Myth: Babies who sleep on their backs will choke if they spit up or
vomit during sleep.
Fact: Babies automatically cough up or swallow fluid that they spit up
or ...
- 611
47
votes
How can I baby-proof my 75" TV?
I'd be more concerned with a 75" TV falling on my infant and hurting him! A 75" television can weigh up to 100 pounds - that's a lot of weight to be falling on a 24 pound infant.
There are ...
- 63.5k
46
votes
Is it ok to let my 3 month old drop her head a few inches during 'tummy time'?
This is the result of a normal developmental stage, perhaps made more noticeable in your case by having a baby who started rolling earlier than average, and your baby isn't likely to get severely hurt ...
- 7,894
45
votes
Accepted
Do I keep my daughter's Russian vocabulary small or not?
is this approach going to help her build connection with a basic vocabulary
Yes
should I try to broaden it as much as I can and as soon as I can?
Yes. Progress the Russian and English vocabulary at ...
- 7,502
44
votes
Accepted
What can we do about our 9-month-old putting fingers down his throat?
This weird stage is really common, and mostly developmental-- something that most babies will naturally outgrow. It's upsetting and gross, but not harmful. The baby won't actually choke or cause ...
- 7,894
41
votes
Accepted
Should I show my six month old educational videos?
Too many stimuli can be harmful to a baby. Here's a few articles 1, 2 - or just google overstimulation and check for yourself.
In general it is not recommended for children below 18 months to have any ...
- 10k
40
votes
What can I do to a 6-month-old child so she ends up smart and has a high IQ?
Turn off the TV and interact with your child
If your IQs are so high, use that intelligence. You can't make a child more clever. That's built in, by nature. What you want are skills they can develop ...
- 2,995
32
votes
Accepted
7 month old can sit, but doesn't want to
Is sitting a mandatory part of development?
Yes, it is. And your child has passed it. You put it quite well:
Sitting apparently does nothing for him.
It's not that he can't do it, it's that he ...
- 72.2k
28
votes
I'm losing it, with a talkative toddler, a colicky baby, chores, work, and lack of sleep
Sorry to be pragmatic, but:
Get your 3 year old daughter in full time daycare
If money isn't an issue, spend the $1k/month to get her in a place to socialize with others. She needs to talk, that's ...
- 488
28
votes
Can an infant choke on spit-up?
I think CF13's answer is spot on. I just want to add a little bit of information to support/expand on it.
I assume by "choke", you mean a significant event, like death or aspiration pneumonia, not ...
- 72.2k
28
votes
My 9-month old baby only sleeps in our arms
I don't really agree with Ferber, but I think there are parts of the approach that can be adapted without as much of the "make your baby cry, and usually the parent also" portion. It's ...
- 63.5k
27
votes
Accepted
when to start reading books to a child and attempt teaching reading?
In our experience, the main reading-promoting activities at this early age were limited to reading aloud to children. We used good quality books with lots of pictures, often board books. Having the ...
- 5,313
26
votes
Kid throwing ice cream cone back to the vendor
I don't think there is much that needs to change here, you can't judge the way a child is raised by some isolated incident that happens to be caught on tape.
Getting the icecream for the child at ...
- 1,095
24
votes
Accepted
My 2 month old baby keeps looking into light
My 5 month old does this. This is perfectly normal for a new-born. When he was around 2 months old this happened a lot but as he has got older it doesn't seem happen so much unless it's new. Remember ...
- 2,090
23
votes
Accepted
Baby proofing the space between fridge and wall
First off, to alleviate your fears - while the backside of a fridge is not usually meant to be touched, there should not be any serious danger from touching it. There are not hot elements to burn you, ...
- 2,932
22
votes
Accepted
Breastfeeding for 3-5 minutes and feeds every hour
The beauty of breastfeeding is that it’s a pretty self-regulating process and that mother and baby adapt to each other quickly.
Speaking from experience, I had two very different babies. One would ...
- 18.3k
21
votes
Should I show my six month old educational videos?
Do not show videos to infants. The current consensus in the scientific community is that for small children, the effects of screen time are overwhelmingly negative. There are few, if any, positive ...
- 5,313
20
votes
Crib bumper - yes or no?
The AAP says never use crib bumpers:
Crib bumpers (or bumper pads) may seem as though they can help protect
babies from drafts and bumps, but they should not be used in cribs.
There is no evidence ...
- 4,032
20
votes
Accepted
What to do about a crawling baby's scuffed knees?
Any body part that is used for gripping, leaned on, or weight-bearing will result in thicker skin. In normal adults, this is usually most prominent on (respectively) the palms of the hands, the elbows,...
- 72.2k
19
votes
My 8-month old baby stopped accepting solid food
Do not insist that your child eats a certain amount of solid food, or of anything else. The child will eat as much as they need. Keep offering your child solid food, but do not try to convince her to ...
- 5,313
17
votes
Why aren't pacifiers used to stop infants from crying in airplanes?
Pacifiers aren't magic. If something else is bothering a baby, a pacifier only calms them for a short while. This is useful, for example, if you need a baby to calm down for a few minutes while you ...
- 36.1k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible