Articles & Expert Guides on Parenting

Medically-reviewed expert guides, tips, real-life stories, and articles on Parenting

How moms are thinking about sharing their kids online

Jessica Payne

Blended Family Life: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why

Tassia O'Callaghan

109 Grandma Names That’ll Stick for Life

Tassia O'Callaghan

16 Books for Mums That Will Make You Laugh, Cry, and Feel Seen

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Capricorn Baby: What It’s Like Parenting a Tiny Grown-Up

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Pisces Baby: What to Expect From the Dreamiest Sign

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Virgo Baby: What to Expect from Your Little Earth Sign

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Libra Baby: How to Support Your Little Peacemaker

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Taurus Baby: How to Parent the Most Chill (and Most Stubborn) Sign

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Gemini Baby: Get Ready for a Whole Lot of Talking

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Cancer Baby: Big Feelings in a Tiny Package

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Leo Baby: What to Expect From Your Fiery Lion

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising an Aquarius Baby: Parenting the Future-Minded Free Spirit

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Scorpio Baby: The Good, The Intense, and The Nap Refusals

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising an Aries Baby: The Boldest Sign in the Nursery

Tassia O'Callaghan

Raising a Sagittarius Baby: Traits, Tips, and What No One Tells You

Tassia O'Callaghan

Parallel Parenting Made Simple: Apps, Schedules & Survival Tips

Tassia O'Callaghan

One and Done Family: Why Having a Single Child Is on the Rise

Tassia O'Callaghan

What Is an Almond Mom? Why It’s a Problem & How to Break the Cycle

Tassia O'Callaghan

150 Quotes About Family That Hit Different

Tassia O'Callaghan

From the community

Moms with two or more

I have an almost 3 year old and 1 week old I am not handling it well. I wake up dreading everything. I wish I didn’t have a second I don’t think I can handle it. Does it get better? He’s such a good baby but I just hate that I don’t want anything to do with motherhood. I am so scared when my husband goes back to work in a couple days. Im debating on starting on some medication but I just worry this is just me.

Parks. Germs.

Did you all avoid parks until a certain age due to germs etc.
So for example my 1 YO puts her hands in her mouth all the time but LOVES going to the park.
I do know someone whos children got hands foot and mouth disease.

So with all that in mind should I just wait to take her to public parks until shes old enough to understand not to put her hands in her mouth??.
First time mom. So please share some helpful advice.
Im also ordering her a playset swing and slide for our personal backyard.

My son‘s broken two TVs

My husband bought a 70 inch TV after my son has broken two TVs😩 we have been so strict about don’t touch the damn TV but now I’m low-key freaking out because that TV is expensive. How do I make sure he doesn’t mess with it?

Relationship Struggle

This is a rant so bear with me; I feel like I take care of LO totally alone. Husband has started doing more around the house but purely out of necessity as I have baby or work (while caring for baby) 24/7. And also, whenever he complains about how much it is I just am like hello…who used to do all of this? Me! And more honestly. We barely see each other and when we do I am frustrated with him truthfully, which isn’t fair to him but he just is making me so upset. If he does any caretaking for baby it is along side me, not on his own, and is often disregarding whatever I am already doing.

A huge source of contention is sleep. I have done all over nights always - even hospitalized with pp preeclampsia, I denied pain meds to be able to wake for baby. Took them the next day when my sister came. I had begged him during the first month to let me take a short nap daily and take baby - we were both on family leave. Never happened, during second month I begged him to wake up with us in the morning and take baby after feeding so I could nap. Maybe happened twice after huge sleep deprivation driven blow ups on my end. He also TAKES NAPS and without even saying anything to me and it honestly pisses me right off which is maybe crazy but it does. I get so mad when people ask him “how are you sleeping? Good?” And he’s like “oh we are trying” meanwhile he is getting completely uninterrupted sleep. And every time it happens I get super mad and talk to him and he doesn’t understand and says he is just including my perspective and being nice I’m like nice would be recognizing that I have completely removed the burden of waking at night from you actually not insinuating that night feeds have you tired for some reason. Baby is sleeping much longer now as we approach 3 months so I am not so tired anymore but it is not due to ANY sleep support from him.

Maybe I’m crazy. I don’t even know anymore. RIP my mental stability atp.

Would you be mad?

Not sure if I’m overreacting but I can’t help but be mad. Here’s the backstory my partner has a semi no-contact relationship with his mum and by that I mean he doesn’t respond or even talk to her and the majority of their interactions go through me (which I never asked for or agreed too). We have a 5 month old son who she’s only ever met 3 times and barely asks about him but expects us to keep her updated. Like most new parents we’re living month to month and finances are quite tight at the moment with me being out of work and on MAT leave. Well my MIL has asked me today if I can ask my partner, her son if he can send her money/contribute towards a vet bill for one of her cats. The reason I’m mad is because she only ever reaches out when it’s to ask for money and today she asked to call to FaceTime with my son but didnt hesitate once I’d accepted to put me in the awkward position of asking for money not to actually interact with her grandson. She came across quite passive aggressive about it stating that he should help her because “it’s technically his cat” - this was a cat she adopted when he was A CHILD. This vet bill is supposedly over £700 so I don’t know where she thinks we’re going to pull money from? I appreciate we’re all struggling but I really don’t think this is our problem…. Not only this but she messaged him about this and he ghosted her (which she also complained to me about) but I feel like if he didnt respond to your message at the time clearly that’s your answer… so why am I now being put in the awkward position to ask him again? When it has nothing to do with me.. and my priority is my son?. Idk would you be mad? The other thing is I know that the more she keeps begging and pestering him the more he’s willing to give her what she wants just to shut her up because he just wants an easy life and never stands up to her which also makes me mad because if we had the means to help her I’d be happy to but I know we don’t and this means it’ll be affecting how we care for our son which just has me riled up.

Jealous passive aggressive grandparents?

Does anyone else deal with this?
I’m returning to work soon and my mom is going to take care of our baby while I’m at work full time.
When my in-laws found out, there was an awkward moment and I can tell they were concerned about it. They later asked my husband why we’re not considering working from home to care for baby instead (we can’t in our fields and also how can we work and take care of a baby at the same time) and if we considered daycare (we would be saving so much childcare costs with my mom). My MIL also made weird comments like “oh so she will get used to being at your mom’s house..” and “will she have the TV on at your moms house”
It seems like very passive aggressive comments to me and my parents have no idea (they’re just being helpful)
My in-laws are a lot older and granted can’t do a lot of babysitting besides waving to our baby and holding her for a few minutes at a time. They also never drive to see us we have to go to them.
I want them to feel included but I admit we visit my parents more because they live a little closer and it is an actual break for me as my parents can help me with baby. I trust my mom alone with my baby, not so much with my in-laws and my husband also agrees. My husband suggested we spend weekends with his parents so they don’t feel left out but it’s annoying to have to worry about that too when we’re still trying to balance new parent life.
Has anyone else been through something similar and how did you navigate it?

Is this very immature or was he fed up with me not answering the phone?

My dad calls but I find it draining speaking to him and sometimes I’m busy. I answer more when he just texts me and I didn’t tell him that but I would think he would notice . Yesterday was my birthday and he called at 8:46 pm. I didn’t answer. He left a voicemail in a rushed way saying happy birthday wish you good health. Then he sent me a nasty text saying he’s fed up with calling and for me to just say I want to be left alone & it’s no point calling when someone doesn’t want to talk to you. Then he said if he dies before me that he’s going to make sure to tell my sister to not let me into his funeral🥴. I ended up writing back oh no poor you it’s my birthday and people answer when they can you think I’m sitting down doing nothing and I told him fuck him for talking to me like that on my bday and I don’t care what he tells my sister. This was in Spanish by the way.

Bare minimum

As a stay at home mom what’s expected of you??
What’s expected of your partner who works as a police officer sometimes working 18 hour shifts.
I’m having so many issues not seeing eye to eye with my partner because he doesn’t really do anything at home like at all. And little things like walking the dogs and playing with the babies he feels as though are big accomplishments but to me they’re bare minimum ???
Need advice on how to move on with this or have a talk to see eye to eye

Am I being unreasonable?

Ok so I’m not feeling too good at the moment so this could be me being petty…
I have what is either the stomach flu or the general flu. My body aches, I have zero energy & I’ve been sick.
Luckily my mum had my 2 kids yesterday after school & today too on an inset day because, she could see how bad I was. She’s given them dinner, brought them home before bed time so I’m not struggling on my own.
My husband has seen me crying in pain, on the bathroom floor throwing up. I was up twice in the night with the kids and up at 5am with one of them, he slept right through even when I nudged him for help. When asked he made them some packed lunches for today, and when I asked him to help them get ready this morning he said “I’m exhausted”. The audacity to ask what I had made for dinner last night when I couldn’t get off the sofa so I bought him dinner. He left work at about 7:30 this morning & despite leaving me in bed crying in pain he hasn’t text to see how the kids are at my mums or how I am & won’t make any effort to help out with the kids knowing full well how ill I am. It would take less than a minute to send a text.
Am I right to be annoyed and upset? Am I just being silly?

Husband is frustrated with me

I'm in the third trimester and my husband is asking me questions about buying new furniture and rearranging the room, and my mind just isn't computing everything, simple oversight. It's hard to explain and make him understand that my brain is trying but honestly I'm just living day to day doing the basics to live and take care of our kids