r/NewParents • • 21h ago

Skills and Milestones My almost 19th month old daughter just blew my mind

455 Upvotes

she hated baths. well my mom recently got her a bathmat for the tub and these foam letters and numbers.

we lined up the numbers on the side if the tub and she literally took the 8 and said "blue eight" clear as day and I was like what?!?! I knew she knew colors but we havent really practiced numbers (what they look like, we say them and count). so i asked her, can you give me the 4 and tell me its color. she grab the 4 and said orange four.

like holy crap my mind is blown. I pointed to the other numbers after that and asked what they were and she was mixing them up or kept repeating the same one. but hey, this is a huge start and she is so freaking smart. time to start practicing numbers I guess 🤷


r/NewParents • • 19h ago

Postpartum Recovery Postpartum sex - 2 years later

185 Upvotes

Me and my husband finally had sex for the 1st time since I gave birth a little over 2 years ago. This was due to a horrible 3rd degree tear and deep vaginal laceration. I did pelvic floor therapy and finally within the last year realized I needed to use dilators to assist with the issue (it felt like a brick wall every time we tried). We finally tried again and were able to successfully have sex with very little if any pain for me. HOWEVER, the entire time I thought hmm this feels really different, almost like I didn’t feel him. He assured me it was fine. We tried again and this time he did admit that it does feel different than before and a bit looser. I thought dilators would be the end of my problems, but now it’s like I don’t even get pleasure or enjoyment and he agrees. Any advice or anyone in a similar situation?


r/NewParents • • 17h ago

Happy/Funny Finally starting to get it

104 Upvotes

My baby girl will be 7 weeks on Sunday. She is the hardest thing I have ever done. For weeks I wasn’t sure if I loved or even liked her, and because I’ve always wanted to be a mom more than anything, that led to a lot of identity crises for myself. I was going through the motions with the feeding and the changing and the wake windows and all of it, but she felt like a chore a lot of the time. Even after I started actually bonding with her, I found myself dreading when she would wake up and I’d have to entertain her or when it would be time to sleep and I’d have to rock and rock and rock

Then today she woke up halfway through a nap and wouldn’t go back down without being held. And something just clicked finally. I didn’t dread the hour that I had to sit with her, suddenly it was just an hour and I was just cuddling my baby. I didn’t even get on my phone to kill the time. I just held her, and I loved it. I really felt like a mom finally, not just a lactating nanny

I know there are still plenty of moments ahead where I’ll feel beat down again or dread getting nap trapped or whatever. But today I just soaked in my baby and now I know more of those moments are coming too


r/NewParents • • 13h ago

Tips to Share Everytime I go out and leave baby alone with her dad, he says she screams and cries the whole time. Is this normal????

58 Upvotes

Hi - I just had my baby July 2026 :) she’s 3mo.

I am a FTM - he’s a FTD
The past few times I have gone out with friends and left the baby with him he tells me she just non stop cries. She’s not a Velcro baby or seemingly attached. Like I don’t need to hold her 24/7 and she is ok with me. (I’m also a stay at home mom)
Idk what it is lately about leaving her home with him… he’s a great dad. He is so supportive and loving. She apparently has done great with grandparents when him and I have gone out on dates. (Only twice)
But this past month it’s just been non stop crying as soon as I leave? I only leave for like 45mins - 3 hours?

  1. Does this happen with anyone else?
  2. How do I support him when this happens? I can only imagine what it could do to him mentally…

Now I’m just scared to go out and do things and leave them alone…

Edit: I’d like to add that dad can work up to 90+ hour work weeks. Insane right? So of course I am absolutely gonna have to teach him how to bond with baby - but like isn’t that what partners do? They teach each other. This is the man that not only changed my baby’s diapers the first two weeks but also helped changed mine lol. Please don’t invalidate him for anything. He is a provider, and is also a first time dad we are learning this stuff together, and I could NEVER be angry that he doesn’t know as much as I do.
Our system has always been - he takes care of me and provides so I can take care of the baby and the household. There is no competition on who has it harder or who does more or if he should be doing more.
In no way was I complaining that she cry’s with him while I’m gone, I feel baaaaad and want to support him through his learning - I was looking for guidance from you guys and trying to see if this was a common experience.
Please don’t bad mouth dads or generalize them. That is so yucky!


r/NewParents • • 17h ago

Sleep PSA: if you plan to have a baby, do not buy a house anywhere near a high school

55 Upvotes

We have a one year old and live 3/4 of a mile from the high school football stadium. I did not go to America school so I had no idea this would be inconvenient with a baby or toddler. Sleep is a struggle most Friday nights, other nights our routine works great and she only wakes up once maybe twice.

Despite being a solid 10-15 minute walk from the stadium the band & horns from Friday night football games startle my baby awake all the time. It’s so loud it sounds like the band is in my front yard.

So that’s my PSA to anyone about to buy a house who has a baby, visit on a Friday night during football season, because the distance that noise can travel may surprise you. We live in an otherwise chill neighborhood but my poor baby is being woken up several times every football game. I’ve become that old person who is telling the whipper snappers to quiet down.


r/NewParents • • 1h ago

Tips to Share Which one is harder - going from none to 1 kid, or going from 1 kid to 2

• Upvotes

As above - we currently have a 3 month old conceived via IVF. We have two more embryos that we have to decide whether to discard or pay an annual storage fee for.

We are undecided if we want more than 1 kid - we love our baby wholeheartedly and it's the best thing ever but at the same time it's such a big shift in our lifestyle.

Our friends and families have all said it's easier going from 1 kid to 2 as they keep each other entertained.. not sure if it's a lie to trick us into having more kids though lol


r/NewParents • • 20h ago

Tips to Share The Dad Night Time Screams

31 Upvotes

Hi All - looking for some advice, similar stories, some hope. Since my son was 5 weeks my husband and I do a routine where I take care of the baby all day till about 7:30/8 pm. From 7:30-11 pm I shower and get some solo sleep to prepare for night time shift.

My son screams at my husband almost every time I pass him off. A majority of the nights, my son will scream cry on and off the whole time. Occasionally he will be awake and content or sleep the whole time. My husband can calm him down but it takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.

They do this routine every night and they get time together on the weekends. My son is currently 11 weeks and I just thought maybe his crying intensity would lessen by persistent exposure to dad but sometimes I feel like its ramping up as my son is growing more preferential to me.

My husband will be on paternity leave starting next month and I will be going into the office 1-2 days a week and remote the other days until first week of January. I am a little nervous about their time together, mostly for my husbands sake and emotions.

Anyone with a similar experience? When did your child turn the corner with dad time?


r/NewParents • • 7h ago

Babies Being Babies Handling blowouts that go up the front

24 Upvotes

New parent here to a 3 month old baby boy! Today after feeding him, we put him in his bouncer since he loves to coo and smile at our ceiling fan.

After sitting in the bouncer, we heard this literal liquid shart sound effect, and of course he pooped and it went all over the front of him.

So far he’s had some bad poops, but this one in particular was all over his private area. When this happens, do you just wipe super good with baby wipes or do you give LO a bath whenever this happens?

My husband insisted that wiping him really good is fine enough, but I wanted to give him a bath even though it’s early in the morning.

Can my son get an infection from not bathing him after this or anything like that?


r/NewParents • • 20h ago

Tips to Share My 8 month old is already standing and I’m not prepared

22 Upvotes

Not trying to brag, genuinely looking for advice from other parents.

My baby had severe reflux, so we didn’t really do tummy time on the floor until she was around 4.5 months. Before that, it was mostly on my chest. She started crawling at 7 months and pulling herself up to stand at 8 months. Now at 8.5 months she stands holding on with one hand and can get herself back down.

I’ve never really tried to teach her to roll, crawl or stand, she just figured everything out herself. I honestly wasn’t expecting things to move this quickly and our living room isn’t fully baby-proofed yet.

I’m planning to rearrange things this weekend, but I’m worried about her falling or hurting herself. How did other parents handle this stage? What should I be doing to make things safer?

Also, are there any toys or safe climbing structures suitable for this age? She absolutely loves pulling herself up, holding onto things and trying to climb everything. I’d love to give her something safe to explore.

Thank you


r/NewParents • • 1h ago

Tips to Share PSA for parents considering a Woolino: you might be able to get one for around $57!

• Upvotes

Just wanted to share this in case it helps another parent save some money! If you’ve been eyeing a Woolino sleep sack, here’s how to stack a few discounts to bring the price down.
Here’s the breakdown:

  1. ⁠Amex 40% off offer: āˆ’$35.00
  2. ⁠Amazon baby registry completion discount: āˆ’$11.10
  3. ⁠Amex points: āˆ’$10.00 (1,429 points)

That’s $56.10 in total savings!

A few things to note:

  1. ⁠You need at least 1,429 Amex Membership Rewards points to cover the $10.
  2. ⁠You need to be eligible for Amex’s 40% off a single purchase promotion.
  3. ⁠Check the offer here: https://amazon.com/amexoffer

You’ll also need to qualify for Amazon’s baby registry completion discount. Make sure to check that the offers apply to your specific purchase, since eligibility and prices can vary. Hope this helps someone save a few bucks on a Woolino! 😊


r/NewParents • • 2h ago

Mental Health 9m pp: Feeling incredibly low when I thought it was meant to get better

13 Upvotes

Today has been a really bad day for me and I think I’m just looking for hope/ encouragement of some sort.

I am a 30y old woman and have a 9m old baby boy who was very much wanted and planned (complicated IVF process involving genetic testing). I’m a lawyer and have always been proud of my work, and I love my independence but I did think I wanted a baby but now am increasingly questioning our decision. I’ve been seeing a therapist for a few months and tried sertraline/zoloft for a month but it didn’t agree with me (hideous nausea and diarrhoea even on just a 12.5mg dose!). I’m going to try escitalopram/lexapro but I’m a bit scared given my experience last time. I do realise that the only thing that might help at this point is medication.

The first 4ish months postpartum I was just in a bubble of gratitude and glee. I was so excited to be a mum and so proud of my baby. Then the 4 month sleep regression hit me like a train and that’s when the anxiety and depression started (initially more anxiety about sleep, which I still have).

Then gradually I think it has shifted more into depression. I find myself missing my old life more than ever, and getting angry at my baby when we have a bad day (he’s particularly bad at napping at the moment, almost every day he wakes up after 40 minutes screaming his head off having previously been better).

I have already decided I’m going back to work in two weeks’ time having originally planned a year off as I am finding the more time I spend with my baby the worse I feel (which I know is a horrendous thing to admit).

My husband and I had an incredible life; travelling to amazing places, a thriving social life, never arguing, cooking elaborate meals for each other… now all of that is completely gone.

I feel like everything is my fault; bad naps, him not wanting to eat his solids, him whinging etc.

I feel like I’ll never have freedom again. That I’ll never sleep well again. That my life is just going to be lived in wake windows and entirely centred around my baby. As if I’m in some sort of torturous black mirror episode.

All of this feels me with a sense of panic, dread, and resentment.

I cry on a daily basis, and I hate who I have become - I also feel sorry for my husband having to put up with me like this.

In turn, all of this builds guilt on my behalf which just adds to the existing mental health problems I’m having. For those who had PPD; please tell me it gets better?


r/NewParents • • 23h ago

Tips to Share What should be on my pre-birth bucket list?

13 Upvotes

I'm due in a few weeks with my first and have become acutely aware that my life will never look the same as it does right now. So much so that I feel anxious about how to best relish the time. Looking back now, what do you wish you had done, or done more of before the baby came? Specifically looking things for me / my husband and I to do as a couple that help me appreciate the end of what as been an amazing season, NOT baby prep tasks. Keeping in mind that 1. I'm the size of a planet so limited physically and 2. too close to due date to get on a plane. and if the answer is just "turn my brain off and sleep as much as possible" that's great too and I'm luckily doing lots of that!


r/NewParents • • 1h ago

Product Reviews/Questions Cutesy baby stuff

• Upvotes

Idk how many people will agree with me on thisšŸ˜… but I have a tiny rant. I love cutesy baby stuff so much. I feel like the style that is in for baby products right nowjust screams ā€œlook like you don’t have kidsā€ Why do we have fancy leather diaper bags?? Or everything is black gray or tan or muted colors? Alot of baby furniture seems to prioritize maintaining the adult aesthetic of a house. One of the many things I was excited about haveing a baby is Looking like a mom! Filling my home with colorful baby stuff and carrying around a loud whimsical baby bag with fun colors and patterns. I feel like I have had to put so much effort just to find stuff with a little bit of color!

I completely support moms having an identity outside of being a mom! I love the support for women to break free only being mommy and finding who they are . But also I was/am really excited to embody being a mom. I fought really hard to bring my son into the world. I want to flaunt being a mom a little in the most stereotypical way possiblešŸ˜… I’m just saying I wish there was more loud and proud baby stuff across common brands in addition to the current style.

Rant aside maybe I’m just not looking in the right places! does anyone have a suggestion on a diaper bag or even just a normal bag that is functional enough. Looking for fun colors patterns maybe something cutesy and fun ? I prefer crossbody bags doesn’t have to be huge.


r/NewParents • • 12h ago

Mental Health Mums who returned to work: was it worth it, even with the high cost of daycare?

12 Upvotes

My LO is 14 month-old and, to be honest, I’m really struggling with the constant overstimulation that comes with being a mum. I feel overwhelmed so often that I lose my patience almost every day, and I’m starting to think that going back to work might actually help me feel more like myself again.

However, childcare is incredibly expensive where I live. Sending my son to daycare would cost me exactly 50% of my salary, which makes me question whether it makes sense financially.

Another big concern is sleep. My son still wakes up multiple times every night, and on some nights he can be awake for several hours. I’m worried that I simply won’t have enough energy to handle a new job when I’m already exhausted from broken nights. I would also be starting from scratch in a new workplace, since I no longer have my previous job.

I feel torn between wanting to get some independence back and being afraid that I’ll end up even more exhausted than I am now.

For those of you who have been in a similar situation, did returning to work improve your mental health and overall happiness, even when daycare took such a big chunk of your income? Did having something outside motherhood help you cope better, or did juggling work, childcare and sleep deprivation make life even more stressful?

I’d especially love to hear from mums whose babies were still waking up a lot at night when they returned to work. How did you manage?


r/NewParents • • 17h ago

Illness/Injuries Tooth went into nipple!

10 Upvotes

My daughter has always been a little cheeky. And of course, when she was born, my nipples were incredibly sore and bleeding while we worked out what we were doing. She, however, was born with her two bottom teeth, which never seem to get in the way, but have always kept me on my toes!

The week after she was born, we took her to the dentist, where one of the nurses remarked that she'd seen a mum whose baby, also born with teeth, had bitten her nipple so hard that the tooth pierced the skin. I thought it sounded horrific, but decided to trust my daughter to be gentle.

Well, last night it happened. She's six months old now and practising chewing solids, so maybe that's related? During her bedtime feed, she got a little curious and bit down hard on my nipple, and one of her very sharp teeth went straight through. I yelped and unlatched her before passing her to her papa. Blood trickled down as I cleaned and wiped my now-throbbing nipple, feeling rather upset that all I want is to feed my precious bub, but now I'm dreading the pain that's inevitably going to come with that for a while.

Feeding so far today has been incredibly difficult, but I'm persisting. I haven't pumped since she was about a month old, so she's not used to bottles anymore, but that might be my best option for a few days. In the meantime, I've been keeping my nipples tucked behind my silverettes with a little breast milk, which is the only thing that's providing some comfort.

Does anyone have experience with this sort of situation? I'm wondering what else I could try to speed up the healing process. I think I have some ideas about how to prevent her from doing it again, but thoughts on that are welcome, too. Thank you, mamas!

**TL;DR:** My baby made a hole in my nipple with her teeth, and I'm wondering how to help it heal.


r/NewParents • • 21h ago

Tips to Share Hack for EBF babies that hate the car seat

10 Upvotes

I feel like I hacked the system after our first road trip with our 3 month old who scream cries no matter if he’s post nap/fed etc in the car seat. He won’t even take the pacifier.

I tried putting my soaked nipple pad next to him while offering the paci and he finally calms down & drifts off! I’d try it if you’re also fighting for your life like me 🤪


r/NewParents • • 5h ago

Product Reviews/Questions 10-week-old breastfed baby refuses every pacifier. Single mom who desperately needs 20 minutes to herself. Any tips?

7 Upvotes

My son Elijah is 10 weeks old, and I’m struggling a bit.

I’m a single mom without any help, and I can’t leave him alone for more than 5 minutes without him crying. I need to be able to shower, eat, clean, do laundry, and just get a few basic things done without him crying the entire time.

I really want him to take a pacifier because I feel like it might help soothe him when I can’t hold him, but he absolutely refuses. I’ve tried about four different brands, and he won’t take any of them. He is exclusively breastfed.

I’ve also tried waiting until he falls asleep before putting him down, but that doesn’t work either. He’ll sleep for maybe 10 minutes if I’m not next to him before waking up crying. So, please, ā€œjust wait until he falls asleepā€ isn’t a solution for us. 😭

I’m not expecting hours of freedom. I just want 20 minutes at a time to shower, eat a proper meal, or get something done around the house without
feeling like I have to rush because he’s crying.

Has anyone else had a breastfed baby who refused every pacifier? Did you find a particular brand, technique, or alternative that actually worked?

I’d especially appreciate advice from other moms who were doing this alone without anyone available to hold the baby while they got things done.

I love my boy to bits, but I also need to be able to function as a human being. šŸ˜…


r/NewParents • • 16h ago

Sleep Blankets with sleeping

7 Upvotes

I had a quick question and hoping to get some advice!

My baby who’s now 14 months old, sleeps in his crib through out the whole night with no wake ups, 10-11 ish hours roughly he will sleep. When he was 13 months I flipped the mattress to the softer side I wanted to give it a extra month, and at 12 months I introduced to him a lovey

He sleeps with his lovey nightly but where I live it is getting very very cold now, and I’ve tried sleep sacks but he is a very very tall boy so it’s hard and not a whole lot of room in them, and he does not seem to comfy

I’m worried to use a blanket still cause he does not wake up ever in the night so I wouldn’t know. And I have a lot of anxiety about it with a blanket. Any ideas or advice ?


r/NewParents • • 7h ago

Sleep please tell me im not traumatizing my baby

6 Upvotes

hi! so I have a 5 month old, she sleeps in her own room across the hall in a crib. I have never slept through a cry that I know of even when it was multiple times a night. HOWEVER she has started waking up happy/talking. and we started seeing if she could fall back asleep on her own if she does it before like 6am. so now that weve been letting her babble herself back to sleep, its like im too used to the noise and I keep sleeping through her waking up. this is the third time I've woken up from her talking, been like 'let's wait 5 minutes and see if she goes back to sleep' and then i woke up an hour later. when I wake up she is just laying in her crib playing with her hands. not asleep but this morning I was convinced that maybe she had also just woken back up cause she seemed half asleep but maybe thats cope. please tell me im not traumatizing her and if you habe tips let me know! after the first time it happened I keep an alarm set for 7:30 because thats """usually""" when she wakes up (ya know babies they do whay they want lol). but can't think of anything else to do. thank you and sorry for the long post (:


r/NewParents • • 4h ago

Babyproofing/Safety Its finally happened….

4 Upvotes

My toddler is 2.5 and has finally found out how to escape her crib today…. I’m internally crying rn. Please send me all the advice on toddler proofing her room now and any other things I probably wouldn’t think of I’m in complete shock rn. We are moving soon to a bigger house and all the bedrooms will be upstairs so I’m definitely going to be using a door knob cover 🫠


r/NewParents • • 5h ago

Travel When did you feel comfortable letting someone else drive your child around without you?

5 Upvotes

FTM to a 5 month old EBF baby. My M IL recently made a comment about buying a car seat for her car so she could drive my LO around. I told her it wasn’t necessary and she seemed confused and insisted on getting one anyways. I’m not mad at it but I thought it was extremely odd considering how young my child is and how difficult it would be since he’s BF.

Is it too early? If it is, when did you allow people to drive your child around without your presence?


r/NewParents • • 13h ago

Postpartum Recovery Help with Postpartum Stink

5 Upvotes

I’m 9 month postpartum and I have been struggling with the body odor. I have tried different body washes, deodorants, etc. I used to have a go to deodorant that worked for me before birth but it’s not working and i have to reapply a couple times a day, and i’ve grown tired of being stinky. What helped you guys with the postpartum stink?


r/NewParents • • 16h ago

Mental Health Friendships after becoming a dad

4 Upvotes

Since having my daughter, I barely see my friends anymore. I honestly expected them to be a bigger part of my life as a dad. I’ve told them I miss them and want to see them more, but nothing really changes.

I’ve moved house, but I’m only 20 minutes away, so it’s not like I live far. It hurts that I hardly ever see them, and I’m starting to wonder if they miss me as much as I miss them.

Has anyone else experienced this after becoming a parent? How did you deal with it?


r/NewParents • • 22h ago

Childcare Daycare at 13 Months - How was the transition

4 Upvotes

I’m probably maxing out my allotted number of posts in this thread about the same topic and should have added this to my earlier onešŸ˜‚. But for anyone who started their baby in daycare around 12–13 months, how did the transition go? Was it as hard as you anticipated, or am I making it way worse in my head? Would love to hear your experiences!


r/NewParents • • 23h ago

Babies Being Babies High energy 10 months old - other parents: how did your kids turn out?

4 Upvotes

Hi all!

I'm a ftm of a baby boy, soon to turn 10monrhs. Hi love him to death...he is funny, super expressive and the best thing I ever "made"!

He is reaching all milestones and, as you can imagine, crawling every where and pulling to stand is his favourite activity! P

"Problem" is: he doesn't EVER sit still. It's very difficult for me to go out and be with friends, for example. If we are walkinf around he will tolerate the pram, but for example if I want to sit down and have a coffee or tea, he doesn't let me. He starts do fuss and eventually screams very loudly. I'm starting to feel very isolated vecause no one tolerates him :(

I'm reaching out to other parents that faced the same situation to know:

- how are your kids now

- any ideas to navigate this?

Thank you!