u/Crazy_Ad5110

Any parents who have gone through Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease with their babies, especially around 10 months old?
How long did it last for your little one from start to finish? What symptoms did you notice first, and what symptoms ended up being the worst?

I’m also curious:
• When did symptoms seem to peak (day 2, 3, etc.)?
• Did your baby have a fever, rash, mouth sores, decreased appetite, or excessive fussiness?
• How did it affect their sleep? Were they waking frequently, having trouble falling asleep, or sleeping more than usual?

My little one is about 10 months old, and I’d love to hear other parents’ experiences and any tips that helped make your baby more comfortable?

I still find myself amazed every day by how much I adore this little one. ❤️ She truly is an angel baby, and the joy, love, and sweetness she brings into my life is something I’m so grateful for.
Even after all this time, there are moments where I just look at her and it still amazes me that I get to be the one caring for her, loving her, and watching her grow. She is such a blessing, and I thank God for trusting me with her little life during this season.

God bless this precious baby girl. ❤️

I wanted to get some perspective from other foster parents.

I currently have an 8-month-old placement and recently had a situation involving respite care. There was a previously successful respite provider available who was familiar with the child, located near daycare, and willing to provide care again. Another respite option was selected that is significantly farther away and unfamiliar to the child.

My concern wasn’t about controlling the decision or getting my preferred outcome. It was whether continuity, familiarity, routine stability, and proximity to daycare were being considered as part of the placement decision. When I raised those questions, I felt like the response focused more on reminding me that I don’t make placement decisions rather than addressing the actual concern I was raising.

The more I’ve reflected on it, the more I’ve realized this isn’t really about one respite placement.

For me, this child is a human being, not a case number, 8 months old - has routines, familiar people, places they recognize, and experiences that are shaping their sense of safety and the way they understand the world. I try to consistently look at them through a lens of humanity first—what things feel like for them in the moment, not just how things look on paper or from an administrative standpoint.

At this age, they may not remember specific events later in life, but absolutely know experiences consistency, familiarity, comfort, stress, transitions, and responsiveness right now. Those experiences matter.

While I understand agencies have to balance many factors and there may be information I don’t have, I still find myself asking when there is reasonable flexibility available, why wouldn’t we choose the option that supports stability and reduces unnecessary disruption for the child?

I’m not suggesting foster parents should choose placements or override agency decisions. I understand there are limits to my role. But while a child is entrusted to my care, I feel a responsibility to advocate for what I believe supports their well-being.

At this point, I’ve documented my concerns and decided to wait and see how the respite actually goes. The provider may do a wonderful job, and I genuinely hope that’s the case.

I guess where I’ve landed is this I can’t control every decision that gets made, but I can continue to pay attention, and advocate respectfully.

Curious how others approach situations like this—do you document concerns about continuity and routine when they arise, or do you generally defer to whatever placement decision is made?

I have a placement now for almost two
Months, not a very long time. The baby is now 6 months old and thriving, she’s perfect, we absolutely adore her. However, The bio parent hadn’t shown to any visits initially, and it appears after court pressure attempted to attend one but was cancelled due to the parent being “under the influence” the next visit was another no show. The after a month one successful visit. I just wonder based off the pattern so far, does this behavior turn around? Will this be a long drawn out process and the placement be long term? I just wonder a lot of things and from experienced foster parents what does a case starting off this way turn into? or has anyone had experiences like this ?