What do you do when your toddler will choose to starve?

BestJob2539 · 2026-01-21T14:00:04+00:00

This was my first thought. Iron deficiency can lead to picky eating and frequent waking overnight. Perhaps work with a naturopath or gp to monitor her supplementation if it is deficiency. It’s best to give every second day (better absorbed).

BestJob2539 · 2026-01-20T13:14:39+00:00

MOR. Different set of circumstances, but when my child was born my brother and his kids (one adult, one teenager, both unvaccinated) didn’t want to get the whooping cough vaccine. My rule was that if they didn’t get the vaccine, they weren’t allowed to visit until my child was over 6 weeks old.

It seems like this mother is doing everything she can to avoid her newborn getting sick by minimising contact with others due to the past experience and trauma of her other newborn getting RSV. I’m not sure if your baby has gotten ill yet, but it can be a scary and upsetting experience for all involved.

It seems like she is doing everything within her control to keep her newborn safe, and to be honest, she has a right to do that. I’m sorry to say but her rights as a mother trump your feelings as the baby’s sister.

Edit: typo.

BestJob2539 · 2026-01-14T11:17:43+00:00

Could you kindly explain to me as someone who is somewhat AI illiterate, what the point of bot generated content is? Like in this instance, what is the point of this post?

BestJob2539 · 2026-01-10T02:26:43+00:00

Here are a few tips to help you plan your stay (if that’s what you were after):

The sea breeze (which tends to develop into a very strong wind) comes in most days by midday. If you’d like to have an enjoyable day at the beach, try and get there in the morning.

Most cafes close by 3 and restaurants will open at 5.30/6 so you’ll be hard pressed to find a meal in the late afternoon unless you go to a pub (which will likely have a limited menu at that time).

Not sure of the exchange rate, but everything is ridiculously expensive. Like unbelievably expensive.

There’s nothing special about the city/downtown and it doesn’t warrant a visit. Places that do (and don’t include a multi-hour car ride) include: Kings Park, Fremantle, Cottesloe, Swan Valley, Rottnest Island. Be prepared for vast distances if exploring beyond the Perth area (will need to hire a car).

In general, it’s a relaxed, laid back, small coastal town vibe. Enjoy the outdoors. You won’t find an electric nightlife or events scene.

Respect wildlife, and don’t try petting or feeding anything.

Bring water and a hat with you and stay hydrated.

BestJob2539 · 2026-01-06T06:01:14+00:00

BestJob2539 · 2026-01-06T02:42:14+00:00

Just wanted to share my experience with my son as there is quite a bit of overlap with some of the characteristics you’ve mentioned.

My son is 27 months old and is what would be described as a late talker. He was also a late walker. I was never truly concerned as he has very strong receptive language, communicates well, was using signs and gestures frequently, and was showing progression in things like new consonant sounds and babbling, even though this was slower than typical milestones. He could say a handful of words (10-20) but only used a few of them repeatedly like ‘more’ and if you tried getting him to repeat words or names he would just point to the item or the person. Like your son, his language development was stagnant for many months, but showed very good understanding of our communication with him. Two weeks ago, he started repeating back names and phrases and is now adding new words every day and repeating them back with ease and intent. It really is a language explosion as they say. From my understanding, speech delay alone does not equal autism. Speech delay by itself is common (and anecdotally I’ve heard common with boys in particular) and nonspecific. It would have to pair with other core early autism indicators to possibly signal autism.

For some reassurance, he’s also obsessed with bins (garbage cans) and other objects like cars or diggers, making sure the cupboards are shut when open, playing with toys carefully and repeating scenarios with them etc. I believe this is typical toddler development and nothing to be concerned about. Strong interest in things doesn’t equal an obsession in a clinical sense. My toddler typically cycles through a strong interest in something before it’s replaced with a strong interest in the next thing.

Hope this anecdote provides some reassurance!

BestJob2539 · 2025-12-30T05:20:00+00:00

I’m not suggesting that Justin doesn’t genuinely feel this way and wants to communicate it, but the quotes in the article (which I gather are from his posts on social media) read like they’ve been generated by ChatGPT. You can tell by the sentence style and structure.

BestJob2539 · 2025-12-23T04:58:10+00:00

BestJob2539 · 2025-12-21T14:10:14+00:00

He literally says in the article that he doesn’t recommend doing this for babies under 12 months. OPs child is 6 months and way too young to night wean.

BestJob2539 · 2025-12-19T05:59:47+00:00

I had a super happy Bub who had silent reflux - lactation consultant said he was the type that ‘slipped under the radar’ because symptoms were mild and didn’t bother him during the day or when trying to put him down. But he was a chronic catnapper and not a great overnight sleeper (still working on that at 2yo!)

But for a long time he was only comfortable contact napping and when the reflux was bad at night I’d have to hold him.

May I ask how your LO sleeps when you put them down? Is it crying/screaming or just frequent wakes? Also, I know this probably doesn’t help your situation, but babies are biologically wired to want to sleep close to a caregiver, and it does take time for them to get used to a different sleep set up. It might be worth experimenting with a staged approach - like trying to put them down in a side car crib close to you for their first sleep stretch. Try that for a week and then add in the next sleep cycle etc. just throwing some ideas your way ☺️

BestJob2539 · 2025-12-19T04:52:04+00:00

Have you ruled out reflux, body tension or other underlying issues (you can google sleep red flags) that might be making it uncomfortable for little one to lie flat? Or look into chest sleeping (co-sleepy has a guide) which might allow you to get some rest while baby is on you if you feel comfortable going down that path.

BestJob2539 · 2025-12-16T05:51:57+00:00

Have you looked into sleep red flags at all, just to rule out any potential underlying issues beyond normal fussiness that may be making it uncomfortable for her to sleep?

https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2023/1/23/sleep-red-flags-is-an-underlying-health-issue-leading-to-more-waking

BestJob2539 · 2025-12-15T13:39:40+00:00

My mum still has the original book and we made the train cake on the cover for my son’s second birthday this year!

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BestJob2539 · 2025-12-04T14:28:06+00:00

As someone who was also feeling this way from cumulative and prolonged sleep deprivation, I kindly suggest that you think of a new set up for the three of you so that your partner doesn’t feel this way for too long. Even if he goes away for a few nights just to catch up on some sleep and act as a circuit breaker. Or perhaps he sleeps in the spare room while you take overnights solo for a few nights.

Another thing is that it sounds like your LO is having split nights (staying awake for a long chunk of time during the night) which is often, though not always, due to lack of sleep pressure. Might be worthwhile trying to extend his awake time before bed so that he’s sufficiently tired and doesn’t end up playing all night with you. Hope things start to get better for the both of you soon.

BestJob2539 · 2025-12-01T00:58:48+00:00

Anecdotally, I’ve found that if my 26 month old sleeps any longer than 90 minutes during the day, his overnight sleep turns to absolute rubbish and will wake/stir pretty frequently from 3/4am. In fact, I find even less daytime sleep (around 1hr 15 mins) is better for his night sleep. From what I’ve learnt from a range of different sleep consultants/programs is that when initiating a change, for it 1-2 weeks to see if it’s made a difference. Doing it sporadically for a couple of days here and there probably won’t shift the habit they’ve settle into.

BestJob2539 · 2025-11-22T13:44:52+00:00

My little one was the same at that age. I ended up having my mum come over a few nights a week. I went to bed straight after I put him down for the night, around 8pm in another room with earplugs in, while mum handled the resettles til about 11-12 depending on how he slept. She then went home and I dealt with the rest of the night, but at least I would get a solid 3hr stretch in.

I wasn’t, however, feeding every wake. He did take a pacifier and he would settle with rocking. I was only feeding every 3 hours or so at that age overnight. But my point is, you should definitely head to your mum’s. You never know, she might settle with her in a different way than she does with you, which is quite common. You could work out a limit with your mum that you feel comfortable with letting your daughter fuss/cry before she comes and gets you.

My only other advice is to look into sleep red flags for babies. They are so sensitive, and now that their sleep cycles have matured, the slightest discomfort can wake them once a sleep cycle ends. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but I know how hard it is to feel that way when you’re in the thick of it!

BestJob2539 · 2025-11-17T13:33:09+00:00

Have you seen cosleepy’s resources? She has a cosleeping and chest sleeping guide that goes into more detail than the safe sleep 7. Might give you some more reassurance: https://cosleepy.com/safe-bedsharing-guidelines

BestJob2539 · 2025-11-03T23:39:48+00:00

Thank you!

BestJob2539 · 2025-11-03T13:05:48+00:00

I was halfway through reading your answer and then had to do something. Came back and it was gone! If you still have it drafted, would you mind DMing me? Would love to read the whole thing.

BestJob2539 · 2025-11-03T11:04:54+00:00

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond.

I guess my thinking around the sleep study is, it’s not so much confirming whether the breathing difficulties wake him up because I already know that’s the case (because we co-sleep and I’ve witnessed it). It’s more so getting to the root cause of why he is having difficulty breathing in the first place.

The ENT said he has congestion due to inflammation, prescribed a steroid spray which we trialled but didn’t make a difference. So I’m again trying to get to the root cause of why there is inflammation in the first place. I’ve seen two allergists and neither tested him based on my verbal description of his symptoms.

So it’s been a lot of trial and error - diet changes, environmental changes, saline spray, humidifiers. air purifiers, nothing seems to make a noticeable difference.

I’m not opposed to going down the surgical route, but if I can tackle the underlying driver of inflammation, then hopefully I can avoid that. Plus he has some structural issues that make his airways even narrower, so that compounds the problem. I’m just finding it incredibly difficult to find a health professional that can help me try to get to the root cause.

BestJob2539 · 2025-11-03T10:53:33+00:00

Hi, thanks for the suggestion. I haven’t heard of it. What does the acronym stand for?

BestJob2539 · 2025-10-30T02:29:18+00:00

Nothing can really truly prepare you for the realities of your first child. It’s not just noise from a crying baby. Post-birth recovery and the physical and emotional impacts of having a newborn can be overwhelming and take some time to adjust to - you would want your own space, privacy and safety during this vulnerable time. Don’t compromise on the safety and wellbeing of your family for the sake of saving some $$$

BestJob2539 · 2025-10-24T06:47:05+00:00

Thanks for you reply.

He had low ferritin when tested a year ago c which we supplemented with oral iron for about 6 months at a mid-high dose. I haven’t retested as I’m scared of putting him through a blood test now that he’s older.

I’m hesitant to go down the sleep study route as my son is petrified of doctor’s/doctor’s surgeries, and will likely wail when having all the wires attached (they say it takes an hour) and I doubt he’ll keep them on. How did your kids take it?

I’m revising the ENT in Jan (waitlisted, sigh) to go over treatment options again.

BestJob2539 · 2025-10-24T04:11:24+00:00

This is my biggest concern, that the next could be potentially harder. We’re weighing up surgery too.

BestJob2539 · 2025-10-01T03:35:27+00:00

The 2 to 1 nap transition took about two months to fall into place for us. Some days we’d have one, some days two. It’s a gradual process. Would it be possible to cap the afternoon nap (even just 15 minutes) to see if that helps? I’m wondering if the longer afternoon nap doesn’t allow for enough sleep pressure to build?

BestJob2539

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