u/CraftyBullfrog2601

My 6yo son has taken to sensory seeking at bedtime by pulling all the stuffing out of stuffed animals, poking holes in the drywall with whatever he can find, or tearing up his Pokémon magazines. He’s usually sad after, and I can tell that in the moment he’s doing it he isn’t thinking about it, just scratching that itch. We’ve tried silicone pop-its and various 3D printed fidgets, but they’re usually broken pretty quickly. His favorite thing is picking at stuff (he likes picky pads during the day, but I know the beads would end up scattered through the room). I’m looking for fidget recs that might hold up for a little bit longer than pop-its or conventional plastic ones. Or if you have any ideas to help him entertain himself until he falls asleep, I would appreciate it! This is a recent issue, he used to fall asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Rant/vent post I guess?

I have two kids, a 6 year old son with a combined presentation of ADHD, and a 3 month old son. I feel like I’m constantly hyper vigilant about my older son’s behavior. He’s very impulsive, and every day there’s something new that’s been broken because he either didn’t think about what would happen, or got so frustrated he broke it on purpose. Or he’s getting into something he knows he isn’t supposed to and just hoping I won’t notice (last week he snuck my acrylic paint up to his room and painted on his wall and door). I feel like I am always nagging, and even with me actively looking for good choices to praise, it seems like all I do is stop him from doing something naughty or reacting after the fact. It’s literally all day every day. It’s like he jumps from one bad choice to another, usually without realizing the effect of the bad choice. Times I actively enjoy being around my son are rare, and I feel awful about it. I know he’s not acting out of malice, he just has incredibly poor impulse control and he is seeking independence. He’s a really sweet little boy with big feelings and a big heart. I can feel how much love he has for everyone he knows, and how much he beats himself up when he’s done something wrong. I’m so tired of this though. I feel like a mean mom and I want to enjoy more time together. I don’t want him to grow up feeling like I didn’t like him, or like he can’t do anything right :(

My second baby is 10 weeks old, and right now he is going through what you might call a sleep regression. He will only sleep snuggled up on me, which I don’t mind during the day as I can baby wear or just simply sit or lay down with him on me. We EBF and typically nurse to sleep.

Here’s the issue, I’m not comfortable cosleeping at night. My husband is the heaviest sleeper I’ve ever met. He will not wake up to anything short of me violently shaking him or his phone alarm blaring full volume directly in his ear.

Tonight I got the baby really settled in a deep sleep, rushed into the bathroom across the house, baby monitor in hand, to take a fast body only shower, then had to settle with just washing my face and brushing my teeth because my son woke up and was so upset within five minutes that I couldn’t bear to listen to it. I come back, thinking surely my husband must have woken up to the baby crying like he was, but no. I come back and my husband is still dead asleep.

I’m hoping this is just a phase as there have been many nights that I’ll get a few hours between wakings, and he’s done well in his own bed. But until then, how can I help him settle better, or how do I cope with only the two hours of sleep I get between when my husband leaves for work and my older son wakes up? I can safely cosleep then.

We use a sleep sack, make sure our son’s bed is warm before we transfer him into it. I’ve tried all of the tricks, including the ones I learned working in a daycare infant room for four years. I think he just feels best with his mama, which breaks my heart at night. :(

TLDR: 10 week old baby won’t sleep away from me, but my husband is too heavy of a sleeper to safely cosleep

Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated! Thanks :)

The title is self explanatory. My husband (27) and I (26) have had times where we can’t keep our hands off each other, and times when we go weeks without having sex. The dry spells are never driven by ill feelings, but sometimes one or both of us just don’t initiate for longer stretches. I feel like I’m always reading about couples who just can’t get enough for years.

I’m 8 weeks postpartum with our second baby (our first is 6yo), and we had sex earlier this week for the first time since I gave birth. It was wonderful, as always, but I’m wondering what the average couple’s sex life looks like when they have young kids. After our first baby was born, I had no interest for about six months, and he was incredibly respectful of that. This time I want it, and he seems more disinterested. Do any of you relate? What did your sex life look like when you got back to it postpartum? Thanks in advance!

I’m looking for recs as to what to watch after this show! I started ER on May 12th the night after my second baby was born, and I’ve been watching whenever I’m nursing or trying to get my baby back to sleep. I’m watching the final episode right now and I don’t know what to watch to fill the ER sized hole in my heart. Any ideas? I’m not interested in Grey’s Anatomy but I do love a good drama

UPDATE: I decided to start West Wing! We watched the first season in my AP Gov class senior year and I remember loving it. Thanks for all the recommendations :)