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[modernlifeisANDY]

Baby number two is expected in a month or so - and I'm looking for video monitor recommendations. We have an audio monitor that we like but want to get a video one this time around. The one feature I'm hoping to find is the ability to change the sensitivity on the microphone part of the monitor. Our current monitor has sensitive settings so that you don't have a constant hiss of static. The audio only kicks in when it reaches a certain level. I'd also prefer a separate video monitor, not one that relies on an app.

Any recommendations?

 

[slider]

I know it's probably a case of just waiting it out, but our 8 month old is off his food, runny nappies, snotty nose and generally grizzly. He's usually such a happy boy too. If he's on the floor he's not crawling and he usually loves to explore. Has pulled himself up on furniture occasionally though. Doesn't seem to have a temperature but is sleeping lots.

Unfortunately I can't afford to catch any evil child germs this week - important work stuff - and, to cap it all, we're on holiday next week which I know means I'll come down with something!

 

[Skellig Gra]

Can't believe I haven't seen this thread before either.

I have a six month old daughter who we *think* is teething a little bit. Any recommendations outside of children's pain relievers or things to chew on?

Let her suck on an ice cube in one of those food pouch things.

 

[Soulfire]

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[Septimus Prime]

Can't believe I haven't seen this thread before either.

I have a six month old daughter who we *think* is teething a little bit. Any recommendations outside of children's pain relievers or things to chew on?

You can try a teether. Refrigerate it so that it's cold.

 

[KoruptData]

Just wanted to share my little guy Luke. 7 weeks old. He has brought many new challenges to our life but also great joy. I will sleep again.....one day.....I think.

 

[JoeNut]

Baby number two is expected in a month or so - and I'm looking for video monitor recommendations. We have an audio monitor that we like but want to get a video one this time around. The one feature I'm hoping to find is the ability to change the sensitivity on the microphone part of the monitor. Our current monitor has sensitive settings so that you don't have a constant hiss of static. The audio only kicks in when it reaches a certain level. I'd also prefer a separate video monitor, not one that relies on an app.

Any recommendations?

about 2-3 pages back people were recommending them actually. i never contributed, but this is the one i have
Motorola

It's everything we could need really, you can turn volume up or down, adjust the camera remotely, zoom in, night vision and has features like talk back and jingles and stuff that we never use

 

[Vengal]

Baby number two is expected in a month or so - and I'm looking for video monitor recommendations. We have an audio monitor that we like but want to get a video one this time around. The one feature I'm hoping to find is the ability to change the sensitivity on the microphone part of the monitor. Our current monitor has sensitive settings so that you don't have a constant hiss of static. The audio only kicks in when it reaches a certain level. I'd also prefer a separate video monitor, not one that relies on an app.

Any recommendations?

We have a infant optic dx-5 for our daughters room and a fairly basic security camera for her play area. Both were gifts from the baby shower and have their own perks. The infant optic doesn't require an app or working internet and has its own video base. Has infared and settings that will mute audio when it's been quiet for awhile, and other setting I don't really use. This feels like just a video version of an old school baby monitor. Not many bells or whistles but works for our needs. We've also dropped the monitor ALOT and it hasn't broken yet. Model we have doesn't do anything fancy like play music or two way talk.

The vimtag security camera we have can be accessed by an app remotely and you can adjust the angle of the camera. It also has two way audio which we don't use since it scares the crap out of my daughter. There's something about remotely operated cameras that really freak me out however and I never trust the thing. While it's nice to see my family if I'm away it's also intensely creepy lol.

 

[nekkid]

So has anybody got any bright ideas for potty training?

Our 2 (coming up on 3) year old son still isn't giving us any hints that he might be ready to start trying, so we might have to force the issue somewhat.

He stopped peeing in the bath some time ago when we started asking him not to, and seems to actively dislike the idea of having a poo when we're out of he house - even in his nappy.

But he also likes to say "no poo" whenever we ask, regardless of whether he needs to, or has done one, or neither.

We've been suggested that when we're at home to try leaving him with no bottoms/pants/nappy and getting him to sit on the potty if he asks, or as he's going, or immediately after he has an accident. The idea being that if we just switch straight to underwear he'll probably not notice much difference.

To put it bluntly, we've got no fucking clue!

 

[Red]

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[nekkid]

I'm lost on potty training as well. Logan likes to sit on the potty but squeezes his cheeks as soon as he has to go. He stands up to pee and goes all over the floor. He's able to tell us when he's about to go, and always lets us know when he needs a diaper change. But he won't go on the potty. We've been trying since 18 months.

We don't even have that. Apart from the smell or seeing its size you'd never know. He just doesn't stop!

 

[Soulfire]

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[NewFresh]

I'm lost on potty training as well. Logan likes to sit on the potty but squeezes his cheeks as soon as he has to go. He stands up to pee and goes all over the floor. He's able to tell us when he's about to go, and always lets us know when he needs a diaper change. But he won't go on the potty. We've been trying since 18 months.

We started at 18mos also with our daughter. She is 2 and a month now, and besides once before bathtime, she will not sit or go on her potty. She will pee, but never anything more.

We are trying to do positive reinforcement with an M&M or a sticker, but it's not working.

 

[nekkid]

My daughter will be four in October and I think it's safe to say she is currently potty trained, though we do still have a diaper on her at night. It took a while, but she's been doing good the last two months and only has an accident about once a week, if that. She also has no fear of using public restrooms and in fact every freaking place we go to she has to use the bathroom, it's annoying, we literally went to the Target bathroom three times once. I'm not sure how she can hold it for hours, but when we're in a store she has to go multiple times.

Anyway, what ended up working for us was letting her go completely bare bottom for about a week. We actually tried that a couple times before and it resulted in either lots of puddles or absolutely nothing for hours until we put a diaper on her which she then promptly filled to capacity. She's stubborn, she does not like to do things unless she wants too, I'm honestly not sure what finally made her decide she wanted to use the potty, but I had decided no more, she was going back to preschool and they really wanted her trained so it was a must before school starts back. Actually, it might have been a Daniel the Tiger episode, she loves the show and wants to do everything that Daniel does.

During that week with no bottoms we would ask her incessantly, sing the Daniel the Tiger potty song, and we only had to rush her to the potty a couple of times. We had an insert to put over the toilet so she wouldn't fall in and a step stool. Then we introduced panties, we tried pullups but they feel like diapers so they didn't work. There were a few accidents with the panties, but she didn't like how that felt so she returned to going to the potty.

For about two weeks she did really good, we praised her, we gave her a cookie for the first pee of the day and pooping, and things were going good. There was a bit of a regression period after that though, when she started getting bored with it, and we also had to take the insert off the toilet because she would lean back and pee on the floor. Things seem to be going good now though and we don't even have to remind her anymore. Occasionally, when she gets really caught up in something she'll wait to long and not make it in time, but accidents happen. I try to remind her, or force her to stop whatever she's doing, if I think it's been too long.

We'll be tackling night time soon, once the night time diapers run out. She's taken naps a couple times while wearing panties and not had an accident so we'll see what happens.

This is good advice, and reinforces advice we were given elsewhere.

I know things are different for boys and girls, but how old was she when she got the hang of it?

Like most things with kids we know we shouldn't compare them to what's considered "normal", but it does make us anxious that he's nearly 3 and nowhere near.

 

[Soulfire]

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[nekkid]

She was just over 3 and a half. We started trying right before she turned 3, she showed some signs she was ready, but she really had no interest at all in it and I think we made things worse by pushing it which is why it took so long.

Thank you. Despite the confusion this now causes!

 

[Soulfire]

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[Captain Tuttle]

We started at 18mos also with our daughter. She is 2 and a month now, and besides once before bathtime, she will not sit or go on her potty. She will pee, but never anything more.

We are trying to do positive reinforcement with an M&M or a sticker, but it's not working.

That's on the youngish side in my experience. One of the things I did was to have my son wear underwear with a diaper over top (just went to WalMart and got cheap underwear). If he went he would feel uncomfortable from the wet undies but there wasn't a mess to clean up. It helped connect the dots for him, today's diapers are so good at keeping the kid dry there's no "consequences" for kids if they go in the diaper. That, combined with lots of positive reinforcement, worked

 

[nekkid]

I'm sorry I wasn't trying to be confusing, she was potty trained at three years six months. We started working with her at two years ten months. We weren't hardcore about it, we just talked with her, read to her, showed her videos, and did the bare bottom thing twice. It wasn't until three years and six months when we did the bare bottom thing for the third time that she decided she was ready. I hope that wasn't more confusing.

Oh no, please don't misunderstand. Your advice is great, it's the situation that's confusing.

I'm off work next week so we're going to give the bare-bottom thing a go and just see how we get on. Get books and a reward chart ready.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Any tips for biting?

My mom says that, when I was a baby, she bit me back, and that got me to stop, but that doesn't seem like the strategy I want to employ.

 

[H.Protagonist]

Welcome and congrats to all the new and soon to be parents popping in!

Yeah all 4 there are very nice, all the women on the tour we had were almost swooning lol. The hospital are gradually trying to make the normal rooms look similar to get rid of the white sterile feeling. My last shift at work starts in about 17 hours (I'm doing my penultimate one right now!) and then no work till about Sept 25th or possibly Oct 10th, haven't entirely decided. Will have about 5 weeks off if she comes on time at a minimum though. Most dads I know only got 2 weeks and I'm glad I'm in a position to be home for longer.

Getting a little tired of "knowing" looks I'm getting from 40+ dads who are all like "yeah, you'll be back before that". Fuck you, no I won't, if you think I will then you don't know me at all. Grr.

Good on you! It's a really important time for you and your family, so take full advantage and don't feel guilty about it. It's really a boon to have your partner's help, especially at the beginning, and those are special moments you won't want to miss.

Infants always seem to have some sort of gastro or digestive problem. Every parent I've talked to has dealt with colic or reflux or some other kind of frustrating issue. We had Logan on Pepcid for 6 months, and even had to get him tested for Hirschsprung's. Most problems seem to gradually improve around 6 months. I wonder how much fussing is due to babies being unfamiliar with the sensations in their own bodies, the feeling of gas and food moving around in their bellies. I wonder if they are sensitive to these things because they have not lived long enough for inner body sensations to become background.

Logan is nearing 25 months. We're still struggling to keep him social with other kids, though he loves playing with preteen children and adults. The pediatrician says this is normal. It is a little frustrating because while he does well and seems advanced in some areas, he is not proficient at some physical actions that seem normal for other kids his age. For example, he can't jump, or walk on his tip toes, or even put on his shoes by himself. On the other hand, he's got nearly every nation on the globe memorized and he continues to pick up on more sight words every week. It's a tough balance to try to encourage his growth in the areas where he's strong while at the same time trying to push him to interact with and emulate the actions of other kids his age. Some days all he wants to do is sit around and read books. I love books myself but goddamn is it exhausting reading story after story after story to this kid. We put up a really nice swing set in our backyard and he has almost no interest in it. I try to get him to climb up, I even climb up to the top of the balcony and call him to join me, but nearly every time he'd rather stand near the garden and smell the leaves on the herbs or try to figure out what bugs are crawling on the stalks. I am happy he is interested in these things, but it feels like there is no moderation. I am conflicted about his concern with things that invite so little social interaction. I always dreamed of raising a child that appreciated those kinds of small things in life, and took the time to look at what he could find in the dirt, but I never hoped that would be all he took time to do.

He's also getting more and more bossy. We went to a playground by Lake Erie a couple of weeks ago, and tried to get him to play with another small child who was climbing up a slide. He kept yelling at her, "get down, get down, that's the wrong way." When my wife tried to remove him he yelled, "get on an airplane and fly away!" Which I assume is toddler for "go fuck yourself."

I am getting around to editing some pictures I took about a year ago. That's how far behind I am with my hobbies. Often feels like I'm that far behind on responsibilities like housework, too.

Boss Baby 2? Sounds like you have upper management material on your hands. Great pics are usual. Despite Logan's internal force, he sure does look serene in your shots, though. Don't have anything better than an iphone for mine, but I got one semi-good one a bit ago:

Well the OP is banned, so....

I'll read through this thread too, but it looks like mostly for new parents.

Not at all! There are plenty in here with much older (pre-teen and teens), and a bunch of us are knee deep in the toddler phase atm. Post any time you like. You'll get lots of advice and commiserations.

 

[Violence Jack]

How long did you guys do skin-to-skin bonding after the baby was born? My wife and I went to a breastfeeding class where they said it needed to be at least 24 hours, but my mother wants to come into town and be there on the day my wife has her c-section. Should I just make her wait 3-4 days instead?

 

[Septimus Prime]

How long did you guys do skin-to-skin bonding after the baby was born? My wife and I went to a breastfeeding class where they said it needed to be at least 24 hours, but my mother wants to come into town and be there on the day my wife has her c-section. Should I just make her wait 3-4 days instead?

Like an hour? 24 seems excessive.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

How long did you guys do skin-to-skin bonding after the baby was born? My wife and I went to a breastfeeding class where they said it needed to be at least 24 hours

Not that much, though she was touching one of us a lot of that time, but we had her grandparents and aunts visit briefly 8 hours after she was born. I think she slept on me a bunch in that time. Memory so foggy.

 

[Peagles]

Any tips for biting?

My mom says that, when I was a baby, she bit me back, and that got me to stop, but that doesn't seem like the strategy I want to employ.

I always feel like bursting into tears anytime people say that... biting a baby... I can't even...

How old are we talking? Do you know why they're biting? A teething baby looking for relief is very different to say, a frustrated and aggressive toddler. Fortunately both ends of the spectrum are manageable without biting back.

 

[Violence Jack]

Thanks. I think we've decided that my mother will just come out a few days after our son is born so that she can spend time with him while we catch up on sleep. 24 hours didn't sound right to me either.

 

[H.Protagonist]

How long did you guys do skin-to-skin bonding after the baby was born? My wife and I went to a breastfeeding class where they said it needed to be at least 24 hours, but my mother wants to come into town and be there on the day my wife has her c-section. Should I just make her wait 3-4 days instead?

Don't know about your wife, but I was grateful that my mom didn't end up coming until a couple of days after Mia was born because I wanted private time for skinship (I think they just mean 24 hours of exclusive parental bonding and not being passed around to family/friends yet) and for myself. Since your wife is having a c-section, I would imagine that she'd be feeling pretty poor, so some time to gather her wits and get cleaned up (which might be quite challenging and not a bit uncomfortable for her) would probably be welcome before she had to meet with anyone. 3-4 days would give her plenty of bonding/getting used to baby by herself as well. Also, breastfeeding might not go as well as planned, so giving her some time to figure things out is pretty beneficial mentally. If it was me, I would want the time, anyway. Talk to your lady and see how she feels about exclusive time, clean-up, comfort, breastfeeding, figuring shit out time without worrying about other people, etc. Then make a decision based on that.

EDIT: Spent so long cleaning up aforementioned Mia's wall yogurt while trying to post this that it seems you've already decided.

 

[Soulfire]

With my first my mom and sister were both at the hospital when I gave birth and I appreciated them being there. They stayed for a little bit, then came back the next day for a little while as well. For my second it was just my husband while my mom took care of our daughter and my sister was too pregnant to travel. My mom brought our daughter to the hospital a couple hours after my son was born, my dad and brother also came to the hospital that day. Neither birth was a C-section though.
My sister had an emergency C-section, my mother and her husband were with her. I went the next day and then the following day a few more family members visited.
Honestly, it's going to depend on personal preference, I really don't think 24 hours of skin to skin with just the parents is necessary, but that's just my opinion based on my personal experience.
This is just going to be another one of those questions that you'll have to research and come to a decision on your own then worry if you chose the wrong answer then accept that it's over and you can't do anything about it this time.

 

[Peotical Injection]

This is my little boy Vincent. He will be nine months this month. He's already standing up, and holding his stance for over 30 seconds. I think he will be walking by 10 months. I love him so much. Never thought I'd have a kid. My wife and I, agreed early on that no kids.

That all changed when my wife saw my cousin and his wife with their two babies. We've been married for 8 years, so we thought it was a good time to have a kid now.

Vincent is a mixed baby. I'm Hispanic, and my wife is white. My skin is mostly light brown, my wife is straight up casper. Vincent looks mostly like his mama, so he got her good looks.

I love coming home from work, and him lighting up when he sees me walk thought the door. I cannot begin to explain the kind of love I feel in that moment. It's such a beautiful feeling.

 

[Soulfire]

He's adorable

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Five weeks tomorrow!

Should pull the good photos off my SLR.

 

[Soulfire]

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[H.Protagonist]

Had a bit of unfortunate family news the other day. My youngest cousin recently got married and the word was that it was because his girlfriend was pregnant. Their relationship has not been the most, er, popular among the family(because of her behavior/personality I was told)(I barely know her), so it wasn't exactly celebrated, but it's nobody's business but theirs really, so they did it and the last bit of news I'd heard was that the baby was a boy. That news itself was cause for some cheer among the more traditional folks as it's been a girl fest for everyone (and my cousin is the son of the only boy of the older generation) and people finally started acting like adults and making more inclusive efforts despite all the past stuff. However, was chatting with my mom yesterday and it seems at their last scan (she's ~27 weeks?) they found out they're not having a boy. What they thought were boy parts were the baby's intestines...growing outside the body. Apparently it's not exactly an uncommon birth defect, and it can easily be fixed with surgery after, but jeez. The whole situation is so weird and sad/scary. Wish I could say something to them, but the social situation is beyond awkward/complicated with that side and I barely know her besides. I just can't even imagine. :/

This is my little boy Vincent. He will be nine months this month. He's already standing up, and holding his stance for over 30 seconds. I think he will be walking by 10 months. I love him so much. Never thought I'd have a kid. My wife and I, agreed early on that no kids.

That all changed when my wife saw my cousin and his wife with their two babies. We've been married for 8 years, so we thought it was a good time to have a kid now.

Vincent is a mixed baby. I'm Hispanic, and my wife is white. My skin is mostly light brown, my wife is straight up casper. Vincent looks mostly like his mama, so he got her good looks.

I love coming home from work, and him lighting up when he sees me walk thought the door. I cannot begin to explain the kind of love I feel in that moment. It's such a beautiful feeling.

Such a cutie, PI. It's funny how your mind can just change one day, huh? Up until my later 20s I had zero interest in children and was staunchly against having kids, but the idea just sort of crept up on me and became part of what I wanted for the future. No regrets in life is best if you can help it, I say~

Five weeks tomorrow!

Should pull the good photos off my SLR.

This one's prime wall material.

 

[GuessWho]

Hey everyone, first time posting here. We're expecting our first baby in late October. Can someone please tell which stroller to get. Right now I'm looking at the Vista, mixx2 and city select. Keep in mind I live in Canada and we will want a second child soon. Do you guys have any other recommendations or opinions/experiences? Thanks!

 

[nel e nel]

For folks asking about potty training, I highly recommend the "Oh Crap" method.

It seems extreme at first blush but it's a really great bonding moment with your kid. She also has lots of great general tips as well.

You can get it on Amazon.

 

[emag]

Hey everyone, first time posting here. We're expecting our first baby in late October. Can someone please tell which stroller to get. Right now I'm looking at the Vista, mixx2 and city select. Keep in mind I live in Canada and we will want a second child soon. Do you guys have any other recommendations or opinions/experiences? Thanks!

My recommendation is to buy the lightest/most portable stroller/frame that works with your infant car seat/carrier. Get a larger/multi-child stroller later, when you actually need it.

 

[Peagles]

Hey everyone, first time posting here. We're expecting our first baby in late October. Can someone please tell which stroller to get. Right now I'm looking at the Vista, mixx2 and city select. Keep in mind I live in Canada and we will want a second child soon. Do you guys have any other recommendations or opinions/experiences? Thanks!

We really like our Phil & Teds Dot. Most of their range are second seat compatible, but the Dot comes with the double kit. We got the capsule and capsule adapters to click it into the stroller frame and a carry cot that clicked in too. We were living in an apartment in the city at the time and it was nice and light and slimline for getting around in small spaces.

 

[theaface]

Sullivan turned 7 months on the weekend. He's such a cool little dude. Really talkative as well; it's basically all babble but he gets really in to what he's saying and there's definitely plenty of "dadada" in there.

Though he's far from bad, hoping the next month or two will see him become a slightly better eater/sleeper. It's just a touch too inconsistent/unpredictable at the moment. Still, we know we're very lucky have such a easy-going, happy baby.

 

[JoeNut]

Sullivan turned 7 months on the weekend. He's such a cool little dude. Really talkative as well; it's basically all babble but he gets really in to what he's saying and there's definitely plenty of "dadada" in there.



Though he's far from bad, hoping the next month or two will see him become a slightly better eater/sleeper. It's just a touch too inconsistent/unpredictable at the moment. Still, we know we're very lucky have such a easy-going, happy baby.

ahh he's looking well mate! my boy just makes really high pitch squeaks and squeals at the moment, he's hilarious.
We've been lucky with our eating and sleeping, have you got him into a routine? we're really strict with ensuring we're doing the same times for things every day, and it seems to be helping.
Leo is starting to teeth a bit now, so he gets a bit grumpy from time to time, but still sleeping through.

 

[Consequence]

Hey all, what do you guys use for toy storage? My son is only 5 months so the sprawl isn't too bad yet but we like to have him out to roll around in the living room and the crinkly things, teethers, books, etc are starting to add up. I was thinking of using an IKEA brimnes cabinet and some bins inside to keep the stuff we want on the main floor tucked away when it isn't being used. We don't currently have space in his room for additional storage and want something that's not too kiddo looking. I'm in Canada but can search out similar stuff to any suggestions.

 

[JoeNut]

Hey all, what do you guys use for toy storage? My son is only 5 months so the sprawl isn't too bad yet but we like to have him out to roll around in the living room and the crinkly things, teethers, books, etc are starting to add up. I was thinking of using an IKEA brimnes cabinet and some bins inside to keep the stuff we want on the main floor tucked away when it isn't being used. We don't currently have space in his room for additional storage and want something that's not too kiddo looking. I'm in Canada but can search out similar stuff to any suggestions.

we have an ikea shelf thing in his bedroom, and in the living room we pile all his toys into his ball pool, which i would totally recommend getting, it's actually a paddling pool with a bit of shade thing on the back, and its a fun game for him to go climbing in and out of to find a toy, it looks like this but slightly different.

 

[Gravy Boat]

My partner keeps sending me photos of our daughters turds while I'm at work and it frightens me how massive they are.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

My partner keeps sending me photos of our daughters turds while I'm at work and it frightens me how massive they are.

💩💩💩💩💩

 

[Downhome]

Our little Cora turns two months old just two days from now. She is greater than I ever imagined. I already can't imagine life without her. She is already sleeping completely through the night. I didn't even know that was possible at this age.

 

[malfcn]

We're 2 weeks away and excited.
still going back and forth between middle names.

 

[waxer]

I'm going to miss baby cuddles. Got 3 kids and making sure to make the most of baby cuddles with 3 month old. This is our last child.

 

[Soulfire]

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[JeTmAn81]

Potty training seems to vary a good bit depending on the kid. My daughter just turned 3 and I consider her potty trained now, but technically it took 18 months from when we first started putting her on the toilet. She wears panties all day now and accidents are pretty infrequent. Still diapers at night but every couple days she's dry in theorning.

Her mom was gung ho about toilet training since she remembered being trained quite early as a kid.

 

[Media]

Fellow parents:

My 9 year old daughter has a weird pain thing where she doesn't feel it like normal kids. She still feels it, but it's delayed and muted to hell. This has led to third degree burns on fingers and walking around on a broken knee for several days.

Today she fell over in a chair, and the chair landed on her wrist. She's very calm, says it hurts, can move it, and her fingers etc. Took her pulse with a blood pressure cuff and it was 141 which is concerning me, but blood pressure was normal.

Am I a bad mom for waiting to see if it swells before taking her to the er?

American of course so a needless er visit could be thousands of dollars

 

[Grug]

My 22 month old son got a massive shiner under his eye after having a bad fall at his grandmother's.

I feel absolutely paranoid taking him anywhere now - scared what people will think.