Parents Navigate Chaos of Young Children

“To start, I'm a FTM and my 17-month-old daughter is an incredible kid. Super intelligent. Highly mobile. Talking in full sentences. That said... she is also very verbal about what she does not want. And most of the time, it's the presence of her Dad. I am struggling a bit because, as her Mom, she wants to be where I am 24/7. I work full-time, but our full evening routine (bedtime, bath time, play time, reading books before bed) is all me. Not because my husband doesn't want to help!”

“Hi all, I’ve got a toddler a bit over two years old and a baby that’s almost four months. We are going pretty good but there are many days I go through anxieties, frustration and just pure exhaustion whilst juggling the two. When I listen to parents of more evolved children (say 5+ years), I hear lots of chat about how they are tired and non-stop. I guess I thought things would become ‘easier’ at that point and that thought kind of keeps me going on the hard days. So to the parents of older (sch”

“Hello, only child checking in here. I have no idea how much intervention I'm supposed to be providing to my kids when they fight. Context: I have 2 girls, aged 8.5 and 2 (27 months to be specific). They generally get along really well. My oldest is usually really kind and patient, but the younger one is moody. When they fight, it's usually over a toy or they're not keeping their hands to themselves. I find myself stepping in maybe more than I should? The 2 year old still needs correc”

“I’m about to have my second baby and my 1st just turned 3. Any advice for what you did before your 2nd arrived that you recommend? Or things you wished you did? To prepare yourself or your first little one? Or just nice moments to not miss out on? I’m going to have a C-section so at least the timing is planned. submitted by /u/lilp27 [link] [comments]”

“I was thinking the same... It feels like they treat having kids kind of like the career... Just a number or statistic to hit. If two kids already has you stressed out, three isn't going to be any easier”

“So glad to hear this, we do want a big family, but for some reason there’s this weight I never felt with the first two, a more severe responsibility. but I just wonder, is it way easier at three? I’ve heard this a lot, and I love it. But is it true in your experiences, please pray for my growing family that we have a healthy and happy baby, and any advice for navigating a third is welcome submitted by /u/Robbo220693 [link] [comments]”

“Seeking mom's nursing infants while potty training a toddlerboy while jugglinga household/ spouse!!!!!!!! Any good funny or insightful stories / wisdom would be awesome! Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/Patience1372 [link] [comments]”

“ok i feel like my LO turned 8 months and a switch flipped, she’s climbing onto me to hold her but then climbing out of hands to play, if i put her down she cries, if i pick her up she whines. she wants to eat everything but nothing, she wants to bite everything, she is sleeping the worst she’s slept since birth, she’s screeching at the top of her lungs during wake times, she’s giving all her relatives the cold shoulder, and she’s not smiling / laughing at my jokes/games anymore!!! she is like a”

“For those of you with multiple children especially under 3 yrs old. How at you able to do it? Do you get alot of support from your partner or family? I just had one and cannot see having another soon while working but I don't want to give up work either. submitted by /u/Ok_Appointment75 [link] [comments]”

“I've been swimming 4-5 days/week most of the summer. I will continue until they swim and probably after because we both enjoy it. They are also extremely young to be able to swim so I understand most can not swim before age 3. Kid isn't 3 yet so I'm not expecting a miracle (nor do I need one since they are well supervised around water). However, 2 risk vectors exist - relative with home on a lake and relative living on an island where the beach is the only thing to do. My job as dad”

“I hear and read very, very often that having a third child is a lot easier than having 1 or 2. Like the third always have been there. Is that true? I can only picture it like pure chaos. I already have two girls 3 1/2 and 2. My wife really wants another one but man im so tired all the time already submitted by /u/Smart-Worldliness384 [link] [comments]”

“I hear and read very, very often that having a third child is a lot easier than having 1 or 2. Like the third always have been there. Is that true? I can only picture it like pure chaos. I already have two girls 3 1/2 and 2. My wife really wants another one but man im so tired all the time already submitted by /u/Smart-Worldliness384 [link] [comments]”

“So I am 6 months postpartum with my first and found out I'm pregnant with my second. About 4-ish weeks along. Everything is fine, finances are good, my job is trash but my marriage is good. And because my job is trash I am interviewing at new organizations and if I don't get something they weren't exactly great about my maternity leave last time. I would be out of our busy season this time instead of literally gone the entire time but still I think they are going to give me hell. I d”

“I'll try to make this short. Just looking for some advice. I have never been an emotional person, but now that we have our 15 month old son, I'm a whole new person. I have never loved someone/something as much as I do now. I was telling my wife the other day that it is almost a "scary/sad love". I am so afraid of him getting hurt or not having a good childhood. I can't even read or watch news stories that involve kids getting hurt or parents dying because it just hits me so”

“It’s 3:30am and I am in my usual pregnancy insomnia haze, getting riled up about how my in laws mentioned more children yesterday. They mean it in a nice way I’m sure, but I’m suffering through the last weeks of pregnancy and already getting comments about number two. Why do people find this okay to do? Even more infuriating is when I gently said “no I don’t think I’ll be doing this again” I was answered with “you’re just saying that now, you’ll forget all about the discomfort!” Ummmmm wtf. So d”

“Am I the only one who feels like this is harder than expected? We have three kids, all under eight, and we’re exhausted. My wife and I always wanted kids and tried to prepare. We took parenting classes and read the books, but we didn’t realize how much energy it would take. The biggest issues are sleep and cleaning. We’re not sleeping enough, and it’s hard to focus at work. Also, the house gets messy again right after we clean, crumbs on the floor, mess on the table, even marks on the walls. I l”

“Hii, my partner and I currently have an almost 18 month old daughter and parenting her has been amazing. I am currently around 15 weeks pregnant with our second baby. Our daughter will be a few weeks away from 2 when this baby arrives. So what I'm asking is any advice, common or random about what to expect on the transition to a family of 4 when the little baby arrives. Thanks in advance for any answers! submitted by /u/speckattack [link] [comments]”

“We are not sure if we really should have another child. We love ours and I think we are doing well, but its also challenging and we are still navigating. Anyway..I would love some perspectives of onlychilds. Did you miss having a sibling or did you love it? submitted by /u/UsedAd1761 [link] [comments]”

“I am a FTM to a beautiful little girl who is healthy and broadly happy. She is 4 months old and cooing, smiling, giggling, chatting, rolling, blowing raspberries, playing! She is the light of my day. But a few things have not been what I expected AT ALL. She seems to be low sleep needs, going to bed at 8.30pm most nights and sleeping like 2 or 2.5 hours a day across 4 lots of 30 minute naps. Meanwhile, the mums in my antenatal group are enjoying 4 hours of day sleep including a 2 hour nap. She c”

“I've got 2 under 2 and it feels like they only care about their mom. The youngest cries if my wife leaves the room, does all she can to get on the floor, then crawls to the baby gate and screams until my wife returns. My eldest went through that too, he grew out of it, but it hurt then, too. What makes it harder this time is that my eldest has become super clingy since the other was born, but only for mom. So i can play with younger and elder will ignore, but elder will leave the second mom”

“We have two girls aged 9 & 10. Both girls have ADHD and the eldest has PDA autism on top of that. To add even more complexity, these girls are both UK ex-LAC kids, we adopted them 8 years ago. The eldest will be prescribed and start medication (unsure what that will look like). Every single day, there's drama, fighting, trashing of the house. This evening, I brought their scooters in from outside, because they were fighting each other in the street and cussing me in front of all our neig”

“So I’m at the lake on family vacation and I really wanna swim but I wanna take my baby as well but obviously safety first she’s loves bath time so Ik she would have a great time submitted by /u/FeatureImportant88 [link] [comments]”

“I actually read Marcus Aurelius Meditations book when I was pregnant to deal with some issues before baby came, but stoicism is something that appeals to me, if you are more emotional then parenting for humans is a good book. Tara Brach on YouTube? Your local library will have a whole section for free, you can browse and find ones that appeal more to your nature and emotional needs.”

“Truly, how do people with more than one do it? We’re chill first time parents. We just do our best and try to survive and keep baby happy. But holy moley this is so difficult and we just trudge through every day until we can finally sleep and wearily wake up the next day to live it all again. The thought of doing this again seems impossible. But we want a big family (2/3 kids) but obviously to make that happen we’d have to do this again. Baby isn’t a newborn - just an infant and a pretty chill/m”

“We have 14 MO boy and expecting our second soon. What changes on the second child? Is it much harder? submitted by /u/tomerFire [link] [comments]”

“My 8 month old is on the more serious side. Belly laughing is not a daily occurrence (maybe not even weekly) and giggling isn’t super often either. She’s ambitious, loves to accomplish things. Very observant, slow to warm, NOT a people pleaser lol. But she’s 8 months! Idk if it’s just a stage or just her. I love her exactly how she is… just curious :) did your serious baby become a serious toddler, and kid, or did they become more silly and laid back as they got older? submitted by /”

“Hi all, I’m a FTM to a 22 month old very active & energetic child. I love her so much and I’m super happy to be a mom and her mom especially. I’m gonna sound manic as I tell this story because it’s so fresh but read if you want so I can get it off my chest at least and share my embarrassment anonymously. My husband is European & I’m from the US and after spending all 22 months of her life + the last months of my pregnancy in Europe I wanted to come back home and establish a residence for”

“Wondering what changes your baby went through from 4 months to 6 months? As in compare your 4 month old to your 6 month old. :) submitted by /u/acmr8057 [link] [comments]”

“Dear Daddit community, About a month ago, I posted the linked post. I was not of sound mind, and was feeling an existential crisis fueled by the exhaustion and frustration from dealing with 2 young children. This community has been amazing. My original post received hundreds replies from countless dads. Did they give me hope it would get better any time soon? Absolutely not. Was I provided with easy fixes and small tweaks to my predicament that would ease my day to day? Also no. Not at all. In f”

“Whoever said 1-2 is harder than 2-3 is a liar! How is being outnumbered by 3 kids who need you at once easier? My baby constantly needs me and my toddlers can’t be trusted alone for 3 seconds without the house on fire, falling out a window, denting the walls, putting sharpie markers on the walls, I could go on. How do you handle 3 on your own when your partner is not around? My baby and 20 month old are napping right when it’s time to pick up my oldest from school. Their nap gets cut extremely s”

“My 8 month old doesn’t like being held/carried around much more and is also getting heavy. I’ve been letting her have a lottt of independent play time and also just sitting on the floor with her while she crawls around and plays with toys but her wake windows are about 3.5 hours now and i have no clue what to do other than just let her be on the floor. What are yall doing with your babies at this age? submitted by /u/One-Plant-6274 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone, I have a 3 year old and 5 month old that we hope to raise bilingual, any advice would be really appreciated. My 3 year old was doing really well when she was around 2 and a half, learning the numbers, random flash cards like fruit, parts of the face and colours but she's really forgotten everything so quickly 😂 I'd like to encourage her to learn full sentences, she's a really chatty toddler in English but haven't had much success in another language. For context, I”

“My second son has just turned 2 months and I've completely forgotten what to do with him. My eldest goes to nursery for most of the week so it's just me snd the baby at home and im on maternity leave but not going back to work anyway. What do I do with him? He goes down on his mat for a little while whilst I go to the toilet or anything but he doesn't like it for long. Otherwise im just holding him whilst I do my jobs or we're sat watching tv, i can't remember what else im me”

“As in, when did you feel like you could breathe a bit and have some time to yourself (even if few and far between)? I know this has been asked a million times before but I need some hope. Currently in the thick of it with a 3 year old and 3 month old. submitted by /u/hipster____doofus [link] [comments]”

“I just feel the need to confess this somewhere. I have a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old. I do bath time MAX - 2 times a week. Literally twice a week. Most weeks it’s once a week and clean ups or sponge baths outside of that. They both hate bath time. I hate bath time. I hate washing their hair. They have sensitive skin, so why push it? You know? I don’t let them stink or get visibly dirty ever… but I do as few bath times as I can get away with submitted by /u/Adventurous_Fish7021 [l”

“I’ve been a parent for 8 years now and somewhere along the way I started keeping a random list of things I wish I’d known before I had my first baby. I am absolutely not claiming to be a parenting expert 😂 If anything, one of the main things I’ve learned is that none of us really know what we’re doing. But if I could go back and talk to first-time-mum me, these are some of the things I’d tell her: • Mum guilt is very real, but that doesn’t mean it’s justified. You’re probably doing much better”

“My partner and I have been together for 10 years, and we have two little kids who are a year apart. They're literally babies. So I went from pregnancy to pregnancy. I essentially probably did have postpartum depression, rage. I was rude. I didn't show any love. There was zero intimacy. We just conceived, and that was it. I haven't been very nice to him, and essentially it's pushed him away, which is fair enough. I just thought about myself and the kids, and that was my tunnel vis”

“Yall I am struggling. My baby is 3 weeks old. I have a toddler 2 yr and a stepdaughter 3yr. For context my stepdaughter lives with us and has no relationship with the bio mom so my first baby and her have grown up together basically all their lives. And I treat them the same as much as I can but ofC my feelings for my own child are stronger. However no one gets special treatment in my home. The rules are the same for everyone and everyone gets the same stuff, food, toys, reading time, special 1:”

“Hello! I’m genuinely so curious to hear from other parents about when they decided to stop having more kids. My wife, 28 and myself, 29, have two kids ages 3 and 1. We have another on the way and this thought has been on my mind. Wow, is this going to be our last kid? We have a great family, we love ours kids so much and my wife and I genuinely have a great marriage. We’d love another but honestly each pregnancy is harder on her body, plus she hasn’t had her body to herself in over 5 years. I kn”

“Yall I am struggling. My baby is 3 weeks old. I have a toddler 2 yr and a stepdaughter 3yr. For context my stepdaughter lives with us and has no relationship with the bio mom so my first baby and her have grown up together basically all their lives. And I treat them the same as much as I can but ofC my feelings for my own child are stronger. However no one gets special treatment in my home. The rules are the same for everyone and everyone gets the same stuff, food, toys, reading time, special 1:”

“I recently started my own business, had our second baby, and moved into a new house/neighborhood all around the same time. Honestly.. going from one kid to two feels like enough of a change on its own. Add in the move and trying to get a new business off the ground and I’m finding it really hard to feel like I’m doing any one thing particularly well. Right now I feel like I’m a B dad/husband at home and a C at work, at a time when I really need to be bringing my A game at work. Curious if any ot”

“Age 39M, wife 32. We have 2 kids age 6 and 4.5. Parenting young kids is tough, but as they grow up we have found it more and more rewarding. Thinking about having another. Those of you who had 3 kids but with an age gap, what’s it like? How’s the jump to 3 kids? 5-7 years gap is significant when they are young but as adults the gap is less noticeable. Any advice welcomed. submitted by /u/South-Armadilo3000 [link] [comments]”

“Frankly, it hurts to even type this, but our 4 and 2 year old are absolutely shattering us. Been parents for 4 years, it’s been hard, but the last 6 months have been borderline impossible. The last 6 months our 4 and 2 year old battle us on EVERYTHING. Dinner, shower, bath, bedtime, bathroom, brushing teeth, etc. Literally everything is a massive tantrum. They legitimately have 30+ meltdowns a day. And we are at our breaking point. We consider ourself good parents. We are loving, but are firm an”

“This is a bit of a rant. I apologize in advance. Trying to get some of this of my chest. I've got three kiddos. 8, 6, and 3 (all girlies). I love them all to death. But man, I just can't stand the pressure sometimes. Between my very demanding job, constant cleaning, and trying to deeply engage with everybody, I'm just so spent. All the time. How do you all cope with feeling like you'll never catch up? Or measure up? I used to be good at taking it in stride, but I can't anymor”

“I always hear negative stories about parents with difficult kids, would love to hear some actually postive stories! How easy were your kid? submitted by /u/Ok_Promise_2820 [link] [comments]”

“Not really so much in the "this little bean is a part of me now" way, because I feel like in at least a manner or two we all have that. That's like...an innate evolutionary thing that drives us to keep our children safe. I'm talking more in the vein of "I want to be able to help all the children in ways I'd never even considered before." For example, I remember growing up my mom always said that if she hit the lottery the first thing she'd do is get foster cer”

“I’m having a bit of a meltdown over the realisation that ever since my daughter (15months) was born, my son (4.5years) has had the irritable, tired version of me. He is a wonderful boy but can be defiant, as most kids his age can be. This morning he started yelling and I lost my temper, I grabbed his arm and sent him to his room. I can think of several similar instances. My heart is broken that it’s taken me this long to realise. From birth until 3 he only knew our full attention and love, and f”

“This shit is so... Difficult. Emotions are everywhere. Help! submitted by /u/JustAnIgnoramous [link] [comments]”

“Walked across our town square today with my little one (6), seeing a girl his age struggling with her little toddler sibling. Him: "Must be terrible with a little sibling like that." Me: "Hmm, why don't you ask your older brother, about that when we get home?" Him, completely oblivious: "Why would I do that?" submitted by /u/kerpui [link] [comments]”

“Pretty much the title. Our newborn phase was horrible but we managed to survive. We'd love to have more kids but I can not even imagine how we are supposed to go through the witching hours/lots of crying/up every 3 hours/etc with the toddler in the house? Parents with more than 1 child - how did you do it? How did your toddler handle the new baby crying at nights? How did they sleep through it? Also, our house is not super small, but all the bedrooms are right next to each other and the wall”

“Title says it all - welcoming our second child in early ‘27 and eager to hear advice, suggestions, even little hacks that helped the transition. Some context - eldest will be just over 4, we live in New England, and only have one set of grandparents within driving distance. So the “village” is on the smaller side. submitted by /u/ajafarzadeh [link] [comments]”

“This. I’m on year 25 and I know my tank is often empty for my kiddos who are 5 and 18 months old:(”

“Hey lads. I’m on the fence about having kids, part of me thinks I’ll regret not having them, especially when it comes to the younger years when I’m teaching them stuff and everything is interesting to them. But the idea of being a taxi service for the next 20 years sounds absolutely horrific. If you have kids and have ever regretted it, I’d love to know how and why. If you didn’t plan on being a dad and ended up loving it, I’d also love to hear your thoughts. submitted by /u/jorstent”

“I’m a FTM to a beautiful boy who’s just over 3 months. He’s great, sleeps well, feeds well, hitting the milestones. I spend my maternity going to swimming classes, baby sensory, playgroups, meeting other mums for coffee but I still have this dread that I’m not doing enough. Yesterday (Saturday) we went out to London for the afternoon, leaving at noon. He slept on the train there. We went for lunch, spoke with friends, went to another part of London (on the tube), met more friends. Went back home”

“Anyone feel like they are more snippy since having a baby? I'm never snippy with my baby, but with other adults. I get annoyed more easily and more likely to say something about it. I'm sure it can be attributed to less sleep and free time combined with a far greater amount of day to day tasks. I just didn't expect it. submitted by /u/Blueskies1621 [link] [comments]”

“For years, I have been asking when it will get better. Littles are incredibly difficult (and rewarding). We are all so in the trenches and struggling. But my youngest is in full-time preschool now and I feel like I can finally breathe a little bit during the day. Mornings/evenings are still stressful, boundaries are more tested, new challenges coming up. But it includes BREATHING room. I even cleaned my home office! This is the moment we have been asking moms of older kids about. One answer is:”

“Y’all are the first I’m telling: we are expecting and in very early days. If all goes well, our second child will be just over 4.5 years younger than our son. I’d love to hear from the dads and mom lurkers about the joys and difficulties of this age gap! All advice welcomed, preferably from folks who have similar circumstances. Thanks! submitted by /u/dwoooo [link] [comments]”

“A couple of days ago I read a post in this sub titled "The canoe has tipped" , and I've got to say that it struck a chord with me. It's something I've been thinking about a lot since becoming a father. I grew up in a small town in a small country, and my wife grew up in a village. When I think back to my childhood, what stands out is how many people were simply around. Children moved between parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbours and other children. Kids didn&#”

“Mine would either be duplication so I can get everything done at once, or the power to snap my fingers and clean any mess instantly! submitted by /u/HappyBerry4 [link] [comments]”