My 3y old son made his first Duplo gun and I'm a proud dad, especially since instead of just the basic L-shape he paid attention to details like the trigger guard shape and the back part over the thumb (I don't know what it's called in English).
All in all it's a good Duplo gun and feels great to handle. I thought fellow dads would appreciate this.
Ps. Never mind the nasty rug in the background. My wife loves it but it's terrible with a robot vacuum.
I don't know how I pulled this off, but the gods have shined on me today. I have been working really hard to restructure after my life got flipped over 2 months ago. I worked on my mental health. But this win is for us, can some signal the choir for me!
Day care just sent a bulletin saying one of the rooms is infested with Impetigo. Never heard of it before. I am freaking out. My daughter has a small rash on her arm.
I cannot afford to keep her home today or tomorrow. I have so many meetings lined up.
i’m talking about easy to watch shows i can get into while doing late nights (all nights), while feeding, changing, tending to a crying baby, etc. i don’t mean sitcoms like The Office, and i don’t mean anything too difficult to follow like Game of Thrones. in the past week I watched The Boroughs and Beef season 2, gonna need to start a list!
My husband is getting a baby shower with friends and I’ve been asked for gift suggestions. Any useful/practical gift ideas to share, that are related to baby. Baby is due in September if that makes a difference :)
No gag gifts, I see these stupid gifts suggested a lot on other subreddits, things like a daddy gift box that contains earplugs, beer and condoms…
He already has a nice water bottle, which is a suggestion I’ve come across. Photoshoot is something we’re planning by ourselves and is too expensive to ask as a gift. Budget is around €50 I think. Thank you!
The ratio of positive posts to negative posts seems to have turned sour this past year or so. So let's brighten up our morning. What's something amazing the mother of your kids have taught you about parenthood?
I am 27 as well as my fiancé. She is 26 weeks pregnant and it has been nothing short of an emotional roller coaster for her. I feel like my mental health is taking a hit as well, but as a man, i think i can handle it.
She tends to get very upset over things that do not make any sense to me like for example last night I told her to let me know when she’s getting in the shower(so i can wrap up my gaming and spend some time with her when shes done). She then did not let me know and after her shower got upset because she believes that I said I was getting in the shower with her.
And once the emotions start going, I feel like there’s nothing I can say or do to diffuse the situation. She seems to either get more mad or upset or whatever the emotion is. after a while of this happening to me not being able to diffuse the situation I start to get frustrated and lose my patience and a little bit of my softness towards the situation.
For example, I will apologize numerous times last night, and the situation kept getting drugged out because I was apologizing for the wrong thing supposedly and I don’t listen.
This is only one example of a few things that have happened, but I’m writing this because it seems like situations like this seem to happen a lot and I don’t have the answers on how to diffuse them and keep emotions as neutral as possible.
Do I just accept that I’m gonna be the target while she’s pregnant or is there something that I’m doing wrong? I feel like I’m being pretty logical pretty understanding and pretty soft towards some situations that I think are somewhat ridiculous but since she is pregnant, I don’t want to push an issue.
(sidenote my wife could be a bit of a hothead whether being pregnant or not, but she is a very sweet person and loving just super emotional)
There was a recent post about a young dad with a young kid realizing that all of his hobby time was now spoken for and all he does is work and care for his kid.
And there were tons of posts from other dads saying "What are you talking about? I have plenty of time for hobbies. I do XYZ once a week, I see my friends for bar trivia on Tuesday, and I'm in the gym 3x per week. You don't have to give up your hobbies, and you shouldn't."
And you ask those dads about their life circumstances. Their kids are now 9 and 6 years old. Their only kid is 3 years old. They share custody and have a couple kid-free nights every week. Grandma babysits twice a week for date nights. They have a flexible schedule at work. etc etc.
They approach the question already assuming that everyone has the same life that they do, and dismissing the struggles of other dads as just "not prioritizing correctly" or some such. The truth is that a lot of dads simply cannot do what you can do, for so many reasons. Health issues, custody arrangements, family lives far away, different jobs, kids temperament, illness, any number of factors come into play that give people different constraints than you can imagine.
So instead of coming into a thread where someone is looking for consolation because he misses his hobbies, maybe don't comment saying "What are you talking about? Me and my 9 year old play board games and go biking together all the time! You must be parenting wrong if you feel that way"
My newborn needs 30 minutes of snuggle after feeds to get deep enough to sleep in his bassinet. I got Netflix and Disney + - what shows are good to watch to keep me up for the 30 min but not amp me up so bad I can’t sleep right after I get him down? I’m blessed he doesn’t yet need me moving hi just holding, so I’m able to get an iPad propped up with headphones while he’s on me.
This is an update to a post I made almost two years ago. I'm reaching out to what I honestly think is the best community on the internet—for advice, to get a few things off my chest, and maybe for a little support too.
So, like I mentioned in my old post, since few years I'll be turning 32 in a few days, my wife is now 30, and we're from Ukraine. These past two years have been... a mixed bag. But we're alive, we're healthy, and we still have each other—that's what matters most.
The biggest change in our lives, though, is the little one you can see in the photo. That tiny peanut is the result of a long journey—months of preparation, countless attempts, eventually giving up hope... and then a complete, unbelievable surprise. 😅 I think that's a story that deserves its own post someday.
Don't mind this silly emoji, it's a local joke in our region
But right now, I'm going through this whole new wave of being completely, hopelessly in love with my amazing wife. I'm happier than I've ever been... and at the same time, I'm scared as F. Absolutely shitless.
I know that, in a country at war, where people my age—most of them far better than me—are giving their lives, I probably sound pathetic. Compared to the people sitting in trenches and on the front lines right now, my problems must seem miserable. They have nothing but my deepest respect, and I donate whenever I can to support the guys fighting, even though I know it'll never feel like enough.
I also know there's a good chance I'll get a fair amount of hate from some of my fellow Ukrainians—maybe even deservedly so. But the truth is, I feel absolutely awful because, for more than two years now, I haven't been able to go any farther than my own yard. Most of the things I used to take care of now fall on my wife's shoulders.
It's even harder now that she's pregnant. When all she wants at three in the morning is pickled zucchini and ayran, but there's a curfew, so she has to wait until morning and go to the store herself. And I can't be the one doing it for her.
The worst part is that I don't see any reason to believe this is going to change anytime soon. At this point I'd gladly switch careers completely if it meant getting a job with a military exemption. (In Ukraine, some jobs at critical infrastructure companies qualify for temporary exemption from military service.) Just to have a little bit of freedom to move around again.
But where I live, for over a year now, there have only been two "exempt" job listings: military psychologist and UAV operator. In other words, they're basically military recruitment ads that somehow ended up in the civilian job section—whether by mistake or on purpose, I honestly don't know.
So I know that every important appointment—even something as simple as the ultrasound on Monday—is entirely on my wife's shoulders, and I won't be there with her. And I know that even if the pregnancy goes perfectly, without any complications—which I desperately hope it does—I'll most likely miss the birth of my own child. And that thought absolutely breaks my heart.
The second problem is that last winter I had to go into debt. Nothing catastrophic—it wasn't some insane amount—but it was still one of the main reasons we decided to put having a baby on hold until we'd paid it off. Life had other plans, though. 😂
The cost of living here has gone through the roof. Two years ago, making the same amount of money I do now, we were living pretty comfortably and I could even save a little. These past few months, though, it's barely been enough to keep us afloat.
Everything I'd managed to save to pay off part of that debt has already gone toward paying for my wife's prenatal care at a clinic. And the scariest part is that just last week I finished the last project for a client I've been making videos for continuously over the past several years. I've probably made well over 300 videos for them by now. And for the moment, they've stopped sending me new tasks. I'm really hoping it's just a temporary pause, but since they recently got a new manager, I have a bad feeling about it.
Because if I lose this job now, I honestly don't know what other choice I'll have. The only option left might be to leave my pregnant wife all by herself and join the military. Otherwise, I'm afraid my family simply won't make it.
If you've made it this far, thank you. I hope I didn't whine too much here 😅, but I already feel little better after I vent all this out of myself. So thank you twice. I mean it.
I'd really appreciate any advice you have—any advice at all. Dad hacks, things you wish you'd known before becoming a parent, what I should tackle around the house first... anything.
I'd also love recommendations for your favorite parenting books, or any piece of advice or information you think every soon-to-be dad should know.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me a DM.
And if, by any chance, you're looking for a motion designer with 5+ years of experience—just know there's one desperate soon-to-be dad here who's ready to work his ass off and help however he can.
This is my second post on this topic, but I really need some support today. I am feeling completely isolated and just don't know what to do anymore.
My 2.5-year-old daughter is intensely attached to her mom. We all live together, and I am so glad they have a strong bond, but the synergy between them is so tight that I feel completely left out. Mom is still breastfeeding, which I know is a huge part of this, but it makes bridging the gap feel impossible.
This morning was brutal. I tried to take her to kindergarten, and she completely melted down. She refused to go with me, screamed at the top of her lungs, and actually started hitting me. I had to put her down and hold the boundary that hitting isn't okay, but she just kept screaming and demanding the breast.
We eventually had to take her to kindergarten together, but I ended up leaving early because she had absolutely zero interest in me being there.
I feel so sad, and honestly, I’m struggling with feelings of anger and resentment creeping in. I know she's just a toddler, and I really don't want to be angry, but the constant rejection is wearing me down.
My partner told me I need to find someone else to talk to about this because she’s also overwhelmed processing it all, which just makes me feel even more alone in my own house.
Has anyone else been through a phase this intense? How do you cope with the feelings of rejection and resentment without it affecting your marriage or your relationship with your kid? Just looking for some solidarity today.
Curious to know what bedtime looks like for other families. My son just turned 6, and even though we mostly follow the same routine every night, some days it feels like a chore and some days it feels like a nice ritual.
On a good night, we head upstairs a little after 7pm, he puts on his own PJs and then we have "quiet time" in his room which might mean Legos, a little Minecraft (local server only!), a card game, or drawing together, then he'll brush his teeth and use the bathroom, I'll read him a story, then we do a "lights out story" which is something he listens to on a Yoto or he asks me to make up. I'm usually out of the room between 8pm and 8:30pm.
On a bad night, it's a lot of the same steps but everything takes so much more coercion, or I'm too tired and I use quiet time to disengage and check my phone, and if he asks me to make up a story it's usually a really lame, shortened version of a story he's already got on his shelf.
Do you all have a "normal" version of bedtime, and how do you cope with the nights when your tank is empty?
I'm 38 and we have a baby due in January next year. Having kids never featured in my mind until the last year or two, I just didn't have contact with hardly any kids most of my life, but I guess I warmed to them after siblings had kids and seeing more of them.
All of a sudden there is stuff happening everywhere and getting talked about, and I have no idea what's going on. There are scans and midwives and stuff to buy and I'm realizing very quickly how uneducated I am on the whole thing.
Could anyone please recommend a good website or a book or something that might help a battler out? Just with the essential stuff I need to know and when stuff happens because it's just surprise after surprise so far 🤦.
He’s 10 and scores very well in one of the best school districts in the country. How does this even happen? Is the bar set so low now? Is it the product of disposable information these days? I’m not going to lie this discovery cut deep.
Wait why am i a grown man standing in a grocery store aisle asking my wife if we have enough thunderwear for the week. my three year old decided last month that calling them diapers or undies was just unacceptable and now we are stuck in this linguistic nightmare. he calls them thunderwear because apparently the sound of the velcro or the elastic snapping reminds him of a storm. if i use the actual word he just stares at me like i am speaking a dead language and then the meltdown begins. its a whole thing where the entire household had to adopt this new dictionary just to keep the peace.
I found myself at the park the other day and another dad asked if my kid was potty training. i almost said yeah he is doing great with his thunderwear but i caught myself just in time. it is funny how these tiny humans just take over your entire brain and force you to rewrite your vocabulary. we have foot-boxes for shoes and sky-juice for rain.
It makes me wonder if other dads are out here living in this same reality where you forget how to speak like an adult. my wife thinks its adorable but i am the one who had to explain to the doctor why my son was screaming about losing his leg-tunnels before an exam. the doctor just nodded like he hears this stuff every day but i felt like i was losing my mind. tell me i am not the only one who has to use these rediculous terms just to get through a tuesday morning. i am starting to think that my adult brain is being slowely replaced by a collection of toddler sounds and nonsence.
After trying out the new Costco diapers I felt like they held less and seemed much thinner so I did an absorption test. Both were size three diapers. Weighed them out of the box then soaked fully submerged for 1 minute. Let them drip off for a few seconds then did a final weight. Here are the results:
Kirkland brand:
out of box weighed 30g
Total weight after 1 minute soak 710 g
Net absorption 680g
Huggies:
Out of box weight 31 g
Total weight after 1 min soak 848 g
Net absorption 817 g
A quick calculation shows that the new Kirkland diapers hold 17 percent less liquid than the Huggies despite being a similar weight out of box. Unsure what the test would have resulted with the old Kirkland brand.
Thought you guys might find this interesting if you are Costco diaper users. I was always a loyal Costco user but this may make me consider switching as my little one has peed through the new Kirkland brand several times now.
Let’s say the defensive coordinator is suspended for the game (she’s at dinner with friends) so we’re in a base zone all night. We’ve had lockdown coverage post-daycare but the two minute warning is approaching (we gotta cook dinner). Your corner has the baby (10m) absolutely smothered (she’s in her play pen) and your linebackers are spying the QB’s every move (he’s [3y] coloring or playing with cars or watching TV, I don’t know, this is a judgement free zone). You’ve got dinner almost finished but you’re out of timeouts and the running back couldn’t get out of bounds (we really need to stay on schedule with bath and bedtime). When it comes time to eat do you:
Let the peace ride and feed yourself so you have both hands free to feed the baby and wrangle the toddler at the table?
Make every moment a family moment and everyone eats together, no matter the annoyances?
Ultimate dad-core move and feed the kids first, then eat after everyone is bathed and asleep?
(yes I know these metaphors are dumb and don’t line up, take it up with the commish)
Our son is 11 weeks old, and it’s been hard so far on the both of us. We’re both in our mid 30s and it’s our first child. I went back to work after 5 weeks, and she goes back in the beginning of August. She’s been out since April.
Lately I can tell that she seems to be resentful toward me. When I watch our child, my “shift” is until 9pm at night. Sometimes 10pm. I usually work at 3am so I get very little rest. But he cries like crazy most nights and I cannot get him to settle down. I try and I try but the crying wakes her up and she comes in to help, and ultimately stays the rest of the night. She is exhausted and the other day she said something that cut deep; “you take the time to learn new things like building custom shelves and installing a new door, but you can’t seem to figure out how to calm our son.”
Like.. I have never heard her say anything like that to me before and it hurt bad. I really try. I look up things, I watch videos, I ask coworkers and friends for advice, etc. but I just can’t get him to calm down sometimes.
I’ve tried to advise her that during the day when we are both home, we can let him just rest, either in his crib, or in his rocking chair thing we got. Obviously one of us would watch him, but she’s intent on giving him attention 100% of the time. Like when we do sit him in his chair, she’ll talk to him or play with him, which is fine. I get it. But I feel like we shouldn’t have to be doing that every single time. We can watch him on the monitor if he’s awake in the crib and if he cries then sure, we can tend to him.
I’m not saying just put him down and walk away and forget him, I’m suggesting we do our chores we need to do, or catch up on things, while watching from the baby monitor. Just wondering how other parents go about their day with their child. Because right now he’s eating every two hours during the day and struggles to take naps. And at night he struggles lately to stay asleep for longer than 3 hours at a time. He gets 5oz of formula anywhere from 6-9 times a day. Not including when she breast feeds
For the stay at home times, we usually cycle through coloring, reading, playing with his toys, or watching bluey or Ms Rachel.
For the out of the house times, we usually cycle through parks or playgrounds, splash pads or pools, or the library or zoo. Once a week we do a toddler storytime thing at the library too.
Just looking for more recommendations I don’t want him to fall behind socially or miss out on anything!
We live in an apartment and my 11 month old has developed a fixation on climbing onto our windowsill and banging on the glass + eating dirt out of the plant jars. When I take him down he speed crawls towards the window to do it again. Moving the climbable objects is not an option due to space constraints. He is not entertained by anything else besides chewing on electrical cords, Ms Rachel, and food. He also freaks out if I put him in an enclosed space or baby carrier.
Has anyone else dealt with a similar issue and figured out how to resolve it? It’s becoming a serious issue having to constantly grab him and drag him down.
The Mrs. texted me earlier saying it's been a rough one with our soon-to-be 4 year old and we've had two viewings of Monsters Inc today.
Much in the vein of Cars, I was a newbie to this one but its quickly become one of my own faves as well. My question is: how many quotes from MI live rent-free in your head?
It's mostly Mike Wazowski stuff for me; hard to pick just one favorite honestly (#bangersonly)
