Struggling with motherhood

I have an 18 month old boy and I am really struggling with motherhood. I am with him 6 days a week as my partner works and don’t have a place for him at nursery until his 3. I feel the pressure to raise a child is massive, I worry all the time about him just babbling and not talking yet, making food for him, letting him watch tv, not talking to him enough. I feel it’s just so much pressure to get it right and I feel like I’m absolutely failing at it at the moment.it just all rests on me as we don’t have any outside help

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I’m in the same boat and also pregnant with our 2nd due in October i have no family support and my partner works away very often it is so hard to feel like you’re doing a good job when you’re burnt out/worrying about it on the daily the mind is such a vicious thing, my boy also isn’t talking but very verbal and often blame myself for this even though through my nursery job before becoming a mum I know they all develop at their own rate we’ve also recently moved 3.5 hours away from everyone I know so it can really be so lonely, I wish I had advice except we have to give ourselves grace as we’re humans too, just came to offer solidarity and if you ever want to message someone for a rant ect I’m sure you’re doing a fantastic job and your boy is thriving as much as it may not feel like you are 🩵

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Hey lovely, I completely understand how overwhelming it feels doing it all by yourself. Please know your not failing, my 18 month old isn’t saying many words yet either

One thing that’s helped me not feel like I’m drowning, is food prepping a few things when he naps or goes to bed and that’s one less thing to worry about (I get lots of inspiration from instagram)
A little bit of TV is needed some days just to be able to do the bare minimum of running a house so don’t feel guilty about that, it’s so difficult doing everything by yourself and keeping a little one entertained so please don’t put too much pressure on yourself
Being a mum is hard work, and sometimes you need a break to make yourself feel human again, maybe ask if your partner can give you a break for a few hours on his day off so you can go do something you enjoy xx

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It’s hard my daughter is still breastfeeding through the night it feels like alot
Also working part time and mum mode doesn’t switch off your mum all night and all morning before work then mum the second you finish work
I wouldn’t change it for the world but it’s definitely hard

Try not to put to much pressure on your self and do what works for you we have tv time quite often so I can get things done otherwise nothing gets done
She also doesn’t eat very well at all only meal she really eats is pasta and now just think as long as she’s eating something because something is better than nothing

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Would this annoy you?

So for context I have my mum who is 48 and my nan is 68 and I’m an only child. I am not as close with them as some families are however I still love them obviously and I know they’re obsessed with my baby.

My baby has said dada for a while and babbles.
Recently has started saying ‘nana’ and I believe when he says ‘nana’ he’s saying ‘banana’ as we call it ‘na na’ for short and he says it every time I’m feeding him, giving him banana or if he sees a banana.

My mum and my nan have both taken this and said ‘oh he’s saying nana for me’
I feel quite hurt as they keep saying that he’s saying it for them, and he’s never even said mama yet.

I know they mean well and they’re excited, they don’t want to come across that way but we literally see them every 4-6 weeks. Sometimes more sometimes less. I just feel like it’s rude of them to assume he’s saying this for either of them when they see him so little but I’m with the baby every hour of every day?

Maybe it’s hormones and I’m being selfish and sensitive..

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advice? long post warning!

i don’t know where to start with this or even what i’m hoping to achieve from writing this post, i suppose i need a bit of a rant and to know i’m not completely alone and crazy. i’m 35 weeks tomorrow and have been absolutely freaking out about having two children as a stay at home mum.
My partner works a hybrid job, 3 days in the office and 2 days remote at home but for the last two months he’s been remote working due to a chronic illness he suffers from. he is truly the most supportive and hands on dad, i couldn’t ask for better for my babies, even when he comes home from the office he’s on it with our toddler sorting bath and bedtime as soon as he walks through the door. He does so much for us both, even while he’s been remotely working he’s constantly making sure he’s helping where he can and i’ve completely gotten comfortable and used to having him around to help.
This pregnancy has been beyond hard, i’ve had so many problems with it and have been so ill the whole way through, but he’s been there and even come home early when i was too ill to look after our toddler properly.
I love our toddler to pieces he’s the light of my life but he’s nearly two (he’ll be 2 in august around same time baby’s due) and my god is he hard work! he has such a wonderful side to him but he’s also going through the terrible twos and is very impatient and i struggle when im on my own with him to keep my patience (which im hoping is just a pregnancy thing because i used to be able to deal with the unnecessary crying and screaming fine) but my partner is a very patient man and will step in if need be allowing me to take a moment.
my partner goes back to work after paternity leave but he only gets 2 weeks off (plus he’s saved 2 weeks of holiday) so a month total. this seems absolutely ridiculous and tbh terrifies me as im going to be home alone with a newborn and a toddler - with very little access to the outside world due to a lack of public transport, a lack of friends and a lack of money, so really my only options for getting out of the house is a walk or the park which is great for all of 10 minutes until my toddler decides he’s bored.
i have no idea how to navigate life with 2 children essentially on my own three times a week and i feel so stupid because i know there are mums doing exactly this on their own 24/7.
How do i cope with very little sleep and an eager toddler? (i’m also hoping to breastfeed which means my partner can’t help overnight with feeds etc) our first baby was such a good sleeper and even when he had bad nights i was able to sleep when he slept but i can’t do that this time when im home alone.
Nursery one day a week could be an option, but it’s one i’m very reluctant on due to my own personal anxieties surrounding it, that i don’t really want to get into a debate about.
i know i could probably do it, but i have people (my partners family) telling me nursery is the best option and they keep reiterating that it’s going to be really hard on me and they don’t know if i can do it on my own, which i think is making me second guess myself.
i suffered from postnatal depression and ocd with my first as-well which im terrified will happen again and im scared that means i wont be able to be a good mum for that first period of time.
i also feel really bad for my partner as this is our last baby and he is going to miss out on so many firsts and milestones like he did with our son and i know that it’s eating him up that he won’t be there for them and that he can’t be here to support us more.
I feel so lost, im scared i can’t do it without my partner and im scared to loose myself completely to motherhood. can anyone relate? has anyone been in similar situations and gotten through it?

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Potty training is easy who people who say it isn’t actually just cba with accidents or the effort

There have been reports that show the number of children starting school still in nappies has risen dramatically in recent years…

DISCLAIMER: obviously if your child is showing some signs or awareness!!!!

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Am I a bad mum?

Am I a bad mum ? I have a 7 month old and since he was bout 4 months old - he will go to my MIL (his grandma) for 2 days every week so I can get a break , catch up on housework and just be a 25 year old with my husband again. My mother says that I’m a bad mum because I do this but my son loves being at his grandmas (dads side) he comes back happy and healthy and she dosent mind. Infact my MIL constantly asks for him. But sometimes I feel I’m a bad mum because I’m “fobbing” off my child.
But I love my boy and he will be going less since he is getting older and want to start doing more outside activities with him.
Pls any advice or words

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Curious what the moms think: continuing to put adult jokes in kids movies/shows?

This may be a controversial topic so please be respectful in the comments.
I saw this tiktok talking about a paw patrol episode wherre 2 kids are sitting on cement that's still drying. They stand up and they leave butt prints, but the boy has wet cement fall off as he stands up and it lands in a weird position, making it look like a penis and balls in the cement. The guy was upset about it and I definitely understand his perspective. Someone had to go out of their way to animate that frame by frame. Was it an innocent joke or a weirdo? (Ill add the pic in the comments along with one from bluey as well I saw)
But adult humor in kids shows and movies is absolutely nothing new. Almost all of the 90s and 00' cartoons had adult humor. And we grew to love these movies through a whole new lens because we were finally old enough to understand the jokes and references.
So i don't know, what do you think?

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Advice - Mother In Law

Every week my child comes home from
Their grandparents with nappy rash, a bump, new bruise, loose stools and when confronting my other half about it he says they are doing us a favour and will not say anything from the one time I asked why my child was throwing up from being fed stuff they shouldn’t at a very young age. This has caused a huge row and lots of things said and I don’t know what to do? Worrying that he doesn’t want his own child to not have all these things happen to them and I only want the best for my child 😢

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