Anyone's little one addicted to the outdoors? (Not a complaint it was a goal)

Literally everyday for weeks now, even during the heat waves (obviously we went to shaded/wooded areas) we have been outside and he loves it. Our son's daily routine is getting up at 7am, breakfast at 7:30 then we are out the door by 8:30am and don't come home until 11:30am as we go hiking, parks, playgrounds and trails. When we get home he has his lunch, naps at 12:30, gets up at 2pm and we get ready and go out to the back garden for an hour. If it's a hot day, we stay in the shade in the paddling pool, if it's nice we play football ⚽. Therefore, we usually spend 4-5 hours outside per day. But he absolutely loves going out, sometimes by 7:30am he is pulling my hand and going to the front door 😂 loves examining different flowers, plants and trees... Every time he sees a tree he's like "oh wow trees" ❤️ I'm dreading UK's rainy season but plan on getting everyone a rain suit and boots to still go out, just will need to work it around his little brother when he arrives 😊 Wondering if anyone else's little one is the same?

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Newly Single Mother

I officially became a newly single mom before my daughter has even arrived.

What started as me simply asking, “What’s wrong?” turned into being called selfish and ungrateful because I didn’t offer to pay for one meal, even though I had paid for my own food. I kept telling him that if he had just said, “I was hurt that you didn’t offer,” I would’ve received that completely differently. Instead, it became an attack on my character.

The hardest part wasn’t even the argument. It was realizing that throughout my pregnancy, I felt like my efforts were erased. I’ve still been working full time at 38 weeks, dealing with my own financial struggles, trying to prepare for our daughter, checking in on him, paying for things when I could, letting him use my car for work, and trying to show appreciation in the ways I knew how. Yet one moment became proof, in his eyes, that I was selfish.

I also realized we communicate very differently. I believe in saying, “This hurt my feelings,” instead of labeling someone’s character. I believe if you need something, ask. He felt I should’ve just known. We spent hours trying to prove our own perspectives instead of asking, “How do we fix this?” or even, “Do we still want to?”

The biggest heartbreak is that this isn’t how I imagined my pregnancy ending. I wanted this season to be full of excitement as we prepared to welcome our baby girl. Instead, it ended with the relationship ending.

At the end of it all, I realized what matters most to me is the kind of environment I want my daughter to grow up in. I want her to have a loving, supportive, emotionally safe home. Whether that’s with two parents together or two parents co-parenting separately, I don’t want her growing up watching resentment, scorekeeping, or feeling like love has to be earned.

I’m sad this is how things turned out, but I’m also at peace knowing I don’t want to stay in a relationship where we keep having the same painful conversations. Now my focus is on meeting my little girl and giving her the love and stability she deserves.

To any other moms who’ve become single during pregnancy or right before giving birth—how did you navigate those first few weeks emotionally while also adjusting to motherhood?

How do you tell your partner that telling you sudden changes as they happen is important??

So , My partner works right ? , yet with said schedule i try and make sure if I have anything that I need to do or if something comes up I let him know but when I think he'll do the same , he'll only do it when he gets sex or I buy something for him and even then this man hasn't had no motivation to even keep me in the loop til the end
ex. " hey im working with 2 other corworks" 10am
" well I shouldn't have to tell you these things happen I didnt know" 1 am next day .

So this man didnt know hes working a 12 hour shift while working said 12 hour shift having me think its the same 2 ppl from 10 am , am I crazy?

Would you take your husband with you if;

We were planning to go on a beach trip with my colleagues by coach this weekend. At first my husband didn’t want to come, but now he’s considering it - although he said he’d stay separate from everyone ( he has mental health issues)

My mum thinks it would be better if he came so he could help with the kids, but realistically I don’t think that’s how it would play out. I feel like it would actually stress me out more, because I’d be worrying about him as well — whether he’s okay, how he’s feeling, etc. and also he’s not very helpful with the kids anyway and gets stressed and spirals.

Also, I don’t think he’d come on the coach, so we would probably have to drive separately. That’s fine, but I’ve already paid for the coach for myself and the kids 😅

I think I’d also feel a bit awkward having him there with my colleagues, especially as some of them already know a bit about what’s going on since I had to adjust shifts and mention that he’s not well.

But I just feel so guilty like he’s missing out on his kids? As we don’t usually do beach days

Have I damaged my child with refusing nursery?

So my mum was a stay at home mum for 16 years with me...she only had me and was a single mum. She told me its better for children to have their mother there so I gave up work which is really hard for me as work was everything to me....
I thought maybe i would try child care two days a week when I was pregnsnt and so I could compromise. My baby is super super sensitive like me however.
He is now nearly 2 and will not even look at new people he just wants them to go away. He cries at playgroup and asks to leave. I have no idea how I will integrate him into a preschool setting...
My friend effectively said I've made the wrong choice not starting nursery early because he doesn't have other siblings or cousins and now he's scared of everyone. He said young kids should be in nursery as a social setting.
Meanwhile im listening to psychology experts saying kids should be with primary care givers until they are 3...
I am in tears I do not know what to do...ive heard so much conflicting advice ....

Losing the will to live

20 month old and all he does is moan, whine, throw stuff everywhere, knock everything off the table.

He’ll whine because he wants something that is right in front of him. He’s perfectly capable of getting it himself so I try not to get it for him and tell him to get up and get it and he has a huge fit.

It’s not even 8am, been up 45 mins and I can tell it’s going to be a really long day. This behaviour is exhausting and I know it’s probably just typical toddler behaviour but he’s being so destructive and I am literally struggling over here. I try to keep calm because I know they struggle with regulating emotions at this age but it’s so so hard and is wearing on me.

Anyone else’s almost 2yr old been like this? How do you manage it? He’s t young to have consequences ike time out apparently so I literally don’t know what to do as a ftm.

Purees and other foods

When did everyone start giving their baby purees and bananas and stuff like that? My HV said 6 months but im seeing loads of people start at 4 months. My baby is 3 months so I wont start yet. How did you all known when to start too?