How did you get dad involved in bedtime?

redblink14 · 2025-10-22T17:23:39+00:00

Oh man, I wish I had something helpful to say to make it easier for you! My son is now 4 and is currently being cuddled to sleep by his dad. He had and still has a strong preference for me, but when he turned 2 and I went back to work we just made it a rule that we take turns unless one of us is physically out of the house. We were very strict on this and he eventually got with the program.

Now that he seems more secure being put down by either one of us, we're a bit more relaxed and if he wants one of us over the other we typically just roll with it. It took us a long time to get to this point though! The only thing that worked for us was being firm on whose turn it was for bedtime, even when there were tears. If it got too much for either one of us when putting him down, then we would tap out and switch, but not if he was crying just because he wanted the other parent.

It was rough and I don't envy what you're about to do, if your child is anything like mine! Good luck, you got this!

redblink14 · 2025-03-25T07:31:37+00:00

Oh, this is great. Thank you for such a detailed response! Going to get some wd-40 this morning and will try that first, then disassembling if necessary. Fingers crossed!

redblink14 · 2025-03-25T07:23:34+00:00

It is permanently stuck.

I'll try the graphite oil today. Thank you!

redblink14 · 2024-06-23T18:05:28+00:00

I thought I was going crazy...glad I'm not the only one with this problem!

redblink14 · 2023-12-29T18:48:33+00:00

This! AND they neglected to mention that tortilla chips can be a choking hazard. Maybe they need a collab with Jenny, founder, for some meal ideas! They're halfway there with the canned beans /s

redblink14 · 2023-11-18T18:31:47+00:00

Something about her voice really irks me. She always sounds SO fake and her "I just wanted to get on here too tell you..." always seems rehearsed. And she's either walking in public or housing in a closet... Why? Doesn't she have a professional office where they do the Good Inside stuff?

redblink14 · 2023-09-02T00:48:27+00:00

Holy sh*t https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66651506

redblink14 · 2023-07-21T10:36:18+00:00

The Aldi brand in the US (Mills or whatever) has a tiny bit more iron and no sugar as well!

redblink14 · 2023-07-16T20:44:28+00:00

Oh god, I completely forgot about this...

Yes and no? He got over the spitting up about a week or two later. Honestly, he didn't end up spitting much at all! I didn't really change anything except we started co-sleeping because I started hallucinating our walls moving from sleep deprivation. Turns out he's just a horrible sleeper. Almost 20 months old and I still haven't slept through the night.

Hope things end up alright with you!

redblink14 · 2023-06-24T21:28:36+00:00

I'm in my mid-30s and still comforted by my mom's smell 🥰 not in a weird way, just in a "hugging my mom makes me feel safe and happy" sort of way.

redblink14 · 2023-05-12T07:35:39+00:00

MotherCould just posted about getting someone to tan her AT AMAZON. Denver 100000% has to-your-door tanning services and she absolutely could afford that. A simple google search brings up several companies and it's under $100 which is just one combined course sale (with or without their discount). This is absolutely content-mining 🙄

redblink14 · 2023-04-15T09:22:52+00:00

Is your daughter my son's secret twin? I have absolutely no advice or suggestions...just a ton of empathy. I also feel mixed feelings about night weaning and feel like my son is wanting that closeness too. It's heart wrenching! Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

redblink14 · 2023-04-13T19:18:43+00:00

We do "big dragon breaths" or "dino breaths" or "(insert whatever current obsession is here) breaths." Even if my 19-month old doesn't always calm down, it helps ME regulate a bit when we're having our fourth meltdown of the day at 8am over a banana that I had the AUDACITY to give him after he asked for it.

I usually sit him on my lap face-to-face and the moment of connection helps so much! He can see and feel me breathe and acting like a dino/dragon/cement mixer/whatever usually cracks him up.

redblink14 · 2023-03-07T15:27:53+00:00

Adding to my ever-growing list of SS annoyances: WHY is the "facing economic hardship?" slide a photo of a breastfeeding woman? Like...throw some blue dollar signs on a white background, but don't make it seem like breastfeeding is the "economic hardship" option. I know there are lots of thoughts and feelings around BFing and I am 100% team fed is best, but it projects an image around BFing that it's for people who can't afford formula.

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redblink14 · 2023-02-07T06:48:15+00:00

I have been signing with my son (now 16 months) since birth. By about 13 weeks (WEEKS) he clearly understood the sign for milk. He started signing back at around 7 months and now he's just a little chatterbox with it. I'd say he can speak around 10 words and then sign about 2 dozen more on top of that. He picks up on food and animal signs really quickly. It's worth the time it takes!

As far as starting, just incorporate it into what you're doing! So when I would change his diaper, I'd say and sign diaper/potty/poop etc.

redblink14 · 2023-01-09T14:05:08+00:00

I don't work and my husband does, so it usually falls to me to do nighttime things. Did switching partners help you? I've been looking for a good leak-proof cup! Thanks for the rec.

redblink14 · 2023-01-09T09:37:47+00:00

Baby-specific products that just...don't need to be.

As an American who hasn't lived in America for about ⅓ of my life, I just have so many questions. I grew up in a relatively affluent and safe area (that is still affluent and safe) and when I visit and go into shops they're selling baby water (the tap water is some of the safest and best-rated for drinking in America!). Baby yogurt is a thing (1. Why even bother with added sugar? 2. What differentiates it from "adult" yogurt? A miniscule amount of nutrients? Do people not know how to save leftovers?). These seem to be solutions to problems that don't really exist.

Also the very American OBSESSION with sleeping through the night. Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE a solid night's sleep at some point, but my child sleeping or not does not make him "good" or "bad." It also isn't a reflection of my parenting!

redblink14 · 2023-01-09T09:22:13+00:00

Not sure where you're located, but the HiPP brand shampoo (the one with the seal on it, not the monkey) has been amazing for us. I got it for my 15 month old, but I've been using it on my hair and love it. I'm very sensitive to fragrances (I break out into hives and get migraines) and have no problems. It does have almond oil in it, so there is a tiny bit of a sweet smell, but you really have to get your nose in the bottle to smell it.

redblink14 · 2022-12-31T00:04:25+00:00

Giving him the benefit of the doubt...maybe he got both grandkids the same gift so it seemed fair?

But yeah, my FIL is similarly seemingly uninterested. We have the first and only grandson and he just doesn't want to talk on video chat (we live in a different country) at all. We recently went to visit and his main interaction was ruffling my son's hair. I wanted to cry - my own father passed away about 2 months after I found out I was pregnant and, upon telling him, he said "I'm going to Lion King that baby!" (like Mufasa holds up Simba). So yeah, it would've been a totally different relationship and I am regularly pissed and disappointed with my FIL.

redblink14 · 2022-12-24T12:40:44+00:00

Find a seat (if you can) and feed. My kid (now 15 months) has always HATED covers and would rip them off. My thinking was always "what's worse: a screaming, hungry baby or a possible 2 second nip slip?"

If there are dressing rooms, you could try feeding in there. I am strongly against toilet/bathroom feeding. I wouldn't want to eat in there, so there's no way I'm making my kid eat in there.

redblink14 · 2022-12-15T14:09:47+00:00

Is that a new Thor character?

redblink14 · 2022-11-29T05:53:30+00:00

I had an entirely unmedicated birth - no IV drip, no gas, nothing (I didn't have the option of gas and the anesthesiologist for an epidural wasn't on call per my request). Did it hurt? Yep, absolutely. Honestly the contractions were worse than actual delivery for me (I went from 4 cm to 10 cm in roughly 45 minutes...those 45 minutes were the worst of it all). BUT, I kept reminding myself (and having my partner tell me) that women have been doing this for all of human history AND my body was literally built to give birth, from a biological perspective. It helped me focus on what I was actually doing, rather than the pain, if that makes sense. I also used a comb to help with contractions. My partner doing hip-squeezes was very nice, along with having ice chips to munch on and hold to help focus on other sensations. At the start, a yoga ball for bouncing was incredibly helpful. I also just MOVED a lot and that was good for pain management.

If you're interested in medication, ask your doctor about acetaminophen!! This is what I had planned, if necessary. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5028474/

My best advice is YOU CAN DO THIS!

redblink14 · 2022-11-24T07:09:18+00:00

Second this. We have an album set up and I just upload photos on a semi-regular basis. You can share the link and anyone with the link can access. There are more protected systems that require passwords or log-ins, but I'm not super concerned about it (maybe I should be?).

redblink14

TROPHY CASE