Childcare

When is the best time to start your baby in childcare (daycare)?

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3 years plus.

Never!

Mines 16 months and still home with me. I don't see the point in going back to work full-time to afford to pay someone else to look after my baby 🤷‍♀️ Totally get why people do, so no disrespect to people that do, but just didnt make sense for me. Only thing I do worry about is the socialisation aspect, but you can get that elsewhere!

We live in Germany and lots of people here start between 1-3y. There are no daycares where I live that take on children under one year. Our son started at 13m and with some up and downs it took us 5w to leave him there the full six hours. In general we feel like it has worked out really well and he’s enjoying himself, has a great bond to the people working there and the other children and he’s learning so much every day that it’s mind blowing. Then again childcare here is affordable and we work close so can be there quickly and it’s a great place with great staff :)

I don't have much choice but to send him at 9months when my maternity pay stops. I work so i'm entitled to 30 hours of free daycare a week across 38 weeks a year. It's the only way i can survive financially 😩

In the United states Alot of moms have no choice but usually at 3m
If you have the option to stay home an watch I say watch your child.
It's only when an if you are ready I couldn't do I quit my job an became a sahm thankfully bcuz of my husband

in our community

Am I in the wrong?

We only let my parents watch our 1 year old. Today, while my husband was at work, I went to my mom's house and took a shower while my parents took my baby to the grocery shop. For the last few weeks, I've been struggling with my mental health, and my hygiene hasn't been great because of that. My husband kicked off and said that I'm disrespecting our relationship and boundaries and that he'll be staying in a hotel until I leave the apartment.

We've had issues like this before, but im tired of him not understanding that I just need a minute sometimes

Am I being inconsiderate?

Feeling sad

Hi everyone, just wondered if I’m being sensitive here.

I absolutely love my 10 week old and every minute spent with him, I absolutely love motherhood and even the crying and screaming doesn’t stress me. For that reason I do 24/7 baby care and the times my partner has him - I want him back!

My partner has started getting angry at me when he gets home from work if I’ve not done his dinner, or done the recycling or other household chores. Tonight for example, I’d messaged him saying I’ve got a freezer meal out for him - when he got back he said he wasn’t hungry. Fine. Then proceeds to get angry because his dinner wasn’t on the table…confused. Apparently all I’ve done today was hug the baby and go to a cafe (true…but I also walked the dog, emptied the dishwasher, did washing, sterilised 10 bottles and fed and changed our baby 20 times!). He thinks I’m just lazing around the house. He says I should just let the baby cry while I do the chores. No.

He’s got angry at me several times now and I’m struggling to get dinner ready and do everything else with the baby. He said “our mums did it why can’t you”. Both our mums were stay at home parents so I guess he’s right.

How do you do it?! I just can’t seem to get everything done, I’m failing massively. I go back to work in June next year so have some time to work it out. I feel under such pressure to be a perfect housewife for my maternity leave, but I do think he’s being a bit unfair saying I do nothing. He wants me to do everything around the house so any tips welcome on how the hell I do that with a 10 week old and a massive dog.

Help with solids

How can I transition my 8 month old from purés to more solids foods I’m struggling and I feel that is not much information out there and I feel like I’m a terrible mum 😭

One day

One day my husband came to me and said he doesn't like that I'm constantly asking for help with the kids on days he was originally supposed to work but ended up staying home.
He would always ask what would I do if he wasnt home and eventually asked me to treat it like a normal day as if he weren't here.
I went through a series of emotions naturally but I obliged.
Today just so happen to be one of those days. Once I'm up i like to jump into my morning routine before the boys wake up but he begged me to get back in bed with him.
Not the way he wanted apparently.
Honestly I think he may have wanted to get spicy and because we didn't I think thats where's the animosity was coming from.
I think I'm more so annoyed that I do what he asks and hes still upset.
I try to treat it like a normal day but now he wants me to stay in bed and "cuddle"
I stay in bed anyway and he starts an argument.
I'm tired 😫

Rant

Letting my grandmother move in with us was the worst decision ever. My husband works nights and is supposed to take our daughter when he wakes up in the morning so I can have a break for a couple hours but now every time he wakes up she finds something she needs him to do so I'm left taking care of a screaming child 24/7 all alone cause by the time he finishes what she needs it's time for him to go to work. I never get a break and it's making it impossible for me to enjoy being a mom cause I'm basically being a single parent while still being married. I'm exhausted and tired of being all alone

Do I have a right to be angry or am i over reacting?

Evening park trip with the kids and partner (4 kids 10 and under). The 3 year old is non verbal and a fear of dogs. My partner is about 10ft away in the van dorectly facing where we are and watching. A dog off a lead runs full speed towards us she is hysterical before the dog gets close. My son starts screaming i grab them all behind me at the sane time im pushing this dog away who keepc comimg back. At one point i had to swing my daughter by her arm quickly away to stop the dog touching her as he went for her. The man who owns the dog just slowky walked over n slowly got his dog, didnt seem to care and said absolutely nothing and then I look at my partner n say what the actual fuck? Why are you just sitting there? He said what do you want me to do. Both children who were crying and screaming are autistic too and one non verbal and no understanding. My non verbal child already struggles in social situations and jumpy this is now going to make her even more scared to be outside. The man could also see his dog running towards us a mile off n did nothing to try call his dog back or stop it.