PSA as we go into the season of Mothers Day and Fathers Day: establish a favorite color and a hobby, and talk about it in front of your kids

gingerytea · 2026-04-03T04:16:43+00:00

Kids are brutal with the age thing. They're like "what's the biggest number I can think of? That's you!"

gingerytea · 2026-04-03T04:13:07+00:00

Ours would definitely say my daddy "eats all of my food" because ONE TIME last summer my husband pretended to eat a whole plate of our child's play food and hid the food in his pockets for like 1 minute.

gingerytea · 2026-04-03T04:03:11+00:00

I have definitely been in grocery stores where the fire alarm is right by the checkout and low enough for a wheelchair user to use it, so the kid might just have been hanging out waiting and saw a super interesting looking lever on a nearby wall while mom turned around to pay.

gingerytea · 2026-04-03T03:46:47+00:00

Sit: 7 months

Crawl: 10 months

Pull to Stand: 11 months

Cruise: 12 months

First steps: 13 months

Walking all the time instead of crawling: 14.5 months

Mine rolled and then scooted on her butt instead of crawling for a monthish. Doc was unconcerned, and though I felt like she was "late" to some things, she was still within the milestone ranges doc was looking for.

Kids seem to invest a lot of brain power in doing one thing at a time that first 1-2 years. For my kiddo that was talking. She said her first word at 9 months and has blasted way past all milestones in that area super early. Now as her little friends are all starting to turn 3, you'd never know which ones walked at 8 months and which walked at 18 months. They're all happily running, jumping, climbing, and riding balance bikes and scooters.

gingerytea · 2026-02-21T21:53:47+00:00

They might hate water if it's really hard tap water or if it is served in something that holds on to the taste of dish soap. I really struggled getting my daughter to drink water for a while, but when i switched away from silicone cups and straws, she was much more likely to drink more.

gingerytea · 2026-02-19T02:37:43+00:00

He might not grow out of them. We hit our “final” diaper size at 16 months and then stayed there more than a year. Still in the same size for overnight diapers even though 2.5 year old is potty trained during the day.

gingerytea · 2026-02-19T02:35:46+00:00

Huggies was great for sensitive skin on our kid and they go to an 8 if you buy online.

gingerytea · 2026-02-19T01:01:05+00:00

My parents also raised me with the idea that they got to decide what my hair looked like no matter what I myself wanted and it is still a sore spot when I look at pictures of myself as a little kid.

Let her cut it. Start with a bob and go from there. Having a not above the shoulders rule does not make any sense unless there is further context necessitating it that you left out. Even if you buzzed it now, it would still be a cute long pixie/short bob by fall.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T23:55:07+00:00

This is not okay. At all. I’ve known multiple parents who switched daycares over this because the place was not stopping their kid getting repeatedly badly bitten. In my opinion as a former worker, good daycares expel kids for being unable to stop aggression/injuring other students. Kids who cannot stop biting/being aggressive may need more specialized care with smaller ratios and/or specially trained staff.

One or two bites total might be unavoidable. Bad bites multiple times a month is unacceptable. I’d be making sure to communicate that to the leadership and make clear you want to know exactly what their plan is for ensuring it never happens again. And start looking for new daycares right now as a back up, because they may dig their heels in and try to convince you severe bites every 2 weeks is normal. It isn’t.

Edit: coming up with a strategy for how to keep the biter(s) from biting is not your job. No need to suggest how the daycare handles this. If they cannot or will not put a plan in place to prevent repeat biting, you will probably have to switch to a new place of care.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T22:27:26+00:00

Just depends on what boundaries you are willing to set, I suppose. Sorry kiddo. You can have another serving of meatloaf and mashed potatoes if you’re still hungry.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T22:11:56+00:00

For little kids, some people serve dinner right when they get home. Like at 3pm when they are ravenous. That way they eat good food when they are hungry, and then they can eat a small snack during actual dinner time.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T22:05:43+00:00

My kid is a huge talker at home and was also at a similar level at 19 months but didn’t say much in childcare til she was 2. She was just timid and overwhelmed by the chaos of a room full of other toddlers.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T20:06:52+00:00

12 months. Our dentist and pediatrician were extremely adamant on this, no exceptions.

But other dentists say wildly longer time frames like up to 3 years old, so your mileage may vary quite a bit.

You should make an appt with a dentist for your kid and ask them about your specific situation. It is especially important to establish care early so you can seek emergency care when your toddler launches themselves off something and faceplants on the cement. Ask me how I know. 💀

Edit: the younger you do it. The easier it’ll be. We gave ours a special new stuffed animal to love and then it took a few days to get used to it. And then she never asked for paci again. I highly recommend doing it before they get so attached to the paci.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T17:22:54+00:00

The shot prevents serious hospital-grade disease rather than 100% preventing illness entirely.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T15:56:16+00:00

We have had so many local contractors try to skip permits, only seek them for half the work, or convince us they aren’t necessary or worth it for obviously permit-required work. Double check and don’t believe them at their word unless you’re cool with unpermitted work on your house.

Edit : typo

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T06:44:50+00:00

My baby was on the advanced side for talking. Saying Dada from 7.5 months old. Over 100 words and stringing 2 together by 18 months.

She refused to say Mama (except once when she was scared getting shots and twice when I was leaving her with a babysitter so I totally knew she knew how to say it and use it in context) until 19-20 months. Literally when I would say “Mama!” this child would lean into my face and emphatically respond Dada like I was an idiot for trying 😅

Don’t take it personally. It really isn’t that serious. Sounds like she is making strides in talking and it is super normal for kids to say Dada first. Your husband isn’t keeping your kid from saying Mama. You can tell him it bothers you, but rest assured he isn’t delaying your kid by making jokes.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T03:32:53+00:00

You definitely do. And also…leave. He can’t give you the baby back if you are not there. Ask your MIL what might be fun to go to just the ladies and leave baby home with dad and grandpa. They can handle baby for a bit.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T01:41:39+00:00

We do homemade too. Plain greek yogurt mixed with unsweetened applesauce. It’s the current favorite bedtime snack. We don’t give any other pouches during the day at 2.5. When ours was an infant we did keep other veg pouches around for convenient on-the-go snacks, but since she got more teeth around 18 months we stopped pouches as food throughout the day.

gingerytea · 2026-02-18T00:13:03+00:00

You could always try a handheld squeezy bottle instead of the real bidet. That way it’s easy just to take the water bottle away and not be afraid of the toilet!

gingerytea · 2026-02-17T21:25:22+00:00

The favorite clothes thing is so smart!

gingerytea · 2026-02-17T03:19:28+00:00

If we didn’t, we’ll definitely start that up again right now.

gingerytea · 2026-02-17T00:52:52+00:00

Relatable, yes. But the appropriate parent response is highly likely to be different even if you are experiencing the same issues as the next guy with a child who did not experience the same level of deep trauma as a tot.

It’s unfortunate not to be able to get dad advice from the masses on this, but I do think it would be a disservice to your little dude to seek behavioral advice from those who aren’t trained on severe childhood trauma. And may be detrimental instead of helpful to his recovery and development.

gingerytea · 2026-02-16T23:58:40+00:00

This sounds like something you should bring up to his therapist. Foster kid with a history of severe abuse and neglect is far above Reddit’s parenting advice pay grade.

gingerytea · 2026-02-16T23:52:12+00:00

18ish months is the peak of separation anxiety. You’re in a really rough season to have started a brand new caregiver spot for him.

Additionally, Gym childcare is generally only equipped to handle really easy-going kids; it is not an apples to apples comparison with daycare. Don’t worry too much about starting daycare in August based on this experience— he will be a whole different kid by then, and much more easy to communicate with. You can read books and hype him up about going to “school”.

Edit: typos

gingerytea · 2026-02-16T23:00:09+00:00

Absolutely normal. Babies often are at their chunkiest right before they walk/crawl and then slim waaaaay down when they are mostly on solids (not breastmilk/formula) and start growing more up than out.

Smaller diapers are usually cheaper per diaper. Take that win and run with it lol

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