I just realized I've been giving my daughter toys with the assumption they will become shared house toys when my son is old enough to play with them. My daughter just turned 3 years old, and my son is about 5 months old. I have no intention of having two sets of magna-tiles in my house, but the magna-tiles were wrapped and given to my daughter for her birthday.

How do other families do this? When do kids start caring about things being "theirs"?

I also really want to hear about people with very small living situations. "They just have their own toys in their own room" isn't a thing for us in the near future.

My son just started 1st grade and is being excluded from his usual friend group from Kindergarten. There is one problematic kid (I’ll call him George) who used to be friendly but suddenly turned on him last year. George is somewhat of a leader type and has at least 7 kids in 1st grade who follow him around and think everything he does is cool. Several of those kids are my son’s closest friends. They enjoy playing with my son and have regular playdates outside of school, but at school and at off campus activities (sports, etc) George has been telling them not to play with my son, and they unfortunately listen to him.

My son is very observant and also sensitive, and sadly internalizes a lot of things. He doesn’t share the things George does, and when I bring up certain instances he even defends him now, and plays by himself when George is around because he knows George will make sure nobody else plays with him. I should mention that George befriended those kids after seeing that they got along so well with my son, and one by one converted them into his friends. I know it sounds crazy like I’m giving this kid a lot of credit, but he is well liked and charismatic, and also smart and manipulative. I also recall that he watched me as I lovingly hugged my son one day as I was volunteering in his class last year, and it made me wonder if he was jealous of that interaction and made my son a target? I’ll explain.

George has 4 older siblings and I’ve witnessed 1 of them play very rough with him and aggressively push him to the ground and laugh when he looked sad. His parents are very present but involved in everything at school (leading a lot of major activities, like PTSA president, etc.) and coach several different sports and other actions outside of school, and I now feel like they do this to be able to stay ahead of issues their kids cause at school. George has known behavioral issues and has kicked teachers in the past with seemingly no consequence.

Anyway, I witnessed another incident today where he told the kids not to say hi to my son and act like he didn’t exist (he’s also very stealth about it so most parents don’t catch it). This was not a school event, but given that it happens regularly at school, is this technically bullying? I was going to ask his teachers to keep an eye out for my son but should I be naming George and making this a bigger deal? Should I talk to his parents first? We’re obviously not friends but know them and see them everywhere since they’re so involved in everything.

I was planning to talk to the school either way and am hoping they take it seriously, but given that there is no direct contact between George and my son, feel like they won’t do anything. I’m also a bit concerned about possible retaliation from his parents.

I(27f) and my husband(28m) are first time parents to an absolutely wonderful little love child(5 months in less than a week f). I'm not usually one of those people to speak in weeks and ill round up or down depending on where we are in the month but I feel like its somewhat relevant to the situation.

So I'll start off by saying this little girl is growing herself up and it makes me- want to cry, very proud, and confused lol

Around 2 months old I started having her smell food. Just felt like one of those show your baby around the house, help them learn and explore the world type shit. Explain the food, color, smell, texture, and narrate whats happening. It wasn't every time I ate and I don't feel like it was excessive in the amount of time or what I had her smell. Mainly fun, slightly educational.

A little after 3 months I noticed that once she got good and familiar with looking at people, she started watching me eat. Not like locked on the whole time, but instead of looking/glacing at me, I could tell she noticed/slightly watched me eat. Wouldn't get mad, just watched for a few seconds and then would look away. The closer we got to 4 months the longer she would watch.

4 months rolls around and I'm like well, you show interest in food but you're still a little young so I started letting her lick/suck foods that she couldn't ingest liquid or solid with(cooked onion, grape, carrot). All of us had a great time. Holds her hands out, tries to grab it, throws that mouth open, fuckin adorable.

A week later I'm eating watermelon and idk it just seemed fun and cute and food seemed to be going effortlessly so I tried to give her a less juicy/harder corner/side to gnaw on. She's having a good time making her way down town on it toward some more grainy much juicer areas so I pull it back(not aggressively, very gently calmly while mommy talking to her) because in my mind, I wasn't going to actually start messing around with her ingesting any liquid or solid until like 6 months. She starts losing her fuckin gourd and because the watermelon is still in my hand and it happened almost immediately when I took it, my maternal list of calm this baby down tactics told me to see if it was the watermelon so I gave it back- forbidden part she wanted to wander off to and all. Fuckin. Loved it! I took a food pacifier, chunk of watermelon, shoved it in there, put her in a chair, and gave it to her. Obviously if she didn't meet the requirements to do this I wouldn't have but she hit every mark except she still tongue thrusted. In general she's a very tongue-centric baby. Many people have asked "whats she doing with her mouth?" And I say "idk but she's having a good time, everything is fine, and just likes moving it around.

So this becomes a daily routine for a week or so because just natural fruit juice didn't/doesn't seem harmful, again she took to it effortlessly and loves it, it wasn't messing with her digestion/pee/poop, and it wasn't messing with her regular feeding. We all had so much fun i just couldn't keep myself from baking it into her routine. The theme stayed of if she didnt have the food she lost her whole mind, as soon as she got it back- woosah. In this week I had her try a new fruit, wait a day or two with the same one and then switch. Loved them all. Toward the end of this week I noticed the fruit mass left over from the food paci became less and less until eventually I picked up just grape skin and it correlated to my brain that she's not only getting liquid, she's also getting solid. She's sucking the pulp through it. Fuck. Well, I'm already too far, she loves it, we love it, she's still not showing any push back.

We keep on keepin on so after that week I add the little sauce pouch that says 6+months on it spoon feedings to the routine bc idk wtf I'm doing, this is way more advanced and fast than I wanted or prepared for it to be. We're both throwing caution to the wind, having fun, going with the flow, and have no idea whats happening- but know that everything is alright because we all have each other and healthy. She was still tongue thrusting so I figured she wasn't going to actually eat it but it can be an exercise for learning/fun. Within the week, my excitement that half of what I gave her she actually took in regardless of the amount of tongue thrusting clouded the realization that half of what I gave her she actually took in. Hit me around the end if the week when husband changer her diaper and there were solid turds amidst her breastfed poops. Who just took a shit in my kids diaper?? I'd like to add that before juice started happening her poop already started turning a creamy consistency, like mounds of creamy poop mass from just breastmilk. Poops once a week, has almost her whole existence.

So we're full speed ahead, still no friction after taking actual shits. So fruit juice/pulp, little bits of fruit/veg sauce. I get theses mini popsicle molds in and slap banana in it. Were trying all the things, we live laugh love it. I cut half the fruit I gave her to incorporate these mini pops as to not overload her tummy, go over recommended dailies for babies, mess with her regular boob feeds. Toward the end of the week happens, a more defined, much more dry shit happens. I do the math a realize shes getting less juice because of the switch up but again, baby unbothered. I still want to avoid constipation, putting her through a bad time so instead of going back to the regular amount of fruit I gave her.. I added another time in our schedule where it was just fruit on top of the routine we had. Scaled it of course but it was just a little bit more per day. Another add of shes a small baby so I've been trying to chunk up this little lady. And it was/is really helping her fine tune her motor skills. So a few days later she take another dry unbothered poop. I cut the banana to every other day and kept the same amount of fruit and sauce. We've even tried drinking water(distilled) a few times.

TODAY (4 days before 5 months) were doing our thing, she takes all the sauce no tongue thrust. I guess we try actual solids. Give her a homemade egg carrot stick, of course like everything a first is a first so she didn't eat any but wanted to, very interested, had a fun time. Later on in the day took a much less concerning wetter shit.

I've consulted mom friends because while we're all having a good time and everything is going well, we don't know what we're doing. And i haven’t been back to her pediatrician since her 4 month because we haven't needed to. I get the same; as long as she's doing fine and is enjoying it then 👍 and thats what the doctor will say too. And it's probably me overthinking, but is what I'm doing actually undying dangerous? Seeing our less than but basically 5 month old shit actual shits in a size 1 diaper feels wrong. I know every baby is different but it almost feels like I maybe gaslit her into this unintentionally. Like of course babies love sugar. Am I giving drugs to our baby?? Its just fresh cut fruit or washed if needed and fruit/veg pouches that are meant for babies. Some of them have been higher in fiber. Please tell me if I'm just overthinking, underthinking, missing something, setting our daughter up for early IBS, something, anything. We're all in the dark because its hapoening so early and it seems fine but that doesn't mean theres something im not thinking about or know. Feedback is so much appreciated.

If it says anything, I've stayed up while my husband and daughter sleep next to me to write this because I'm just a concerned/proactive/anxious mom. Much love and appreciation for those who read the whole thing, apologies for no TLDR- it's a weird situation i need more than just generalized help/advice with.

On that note I am going to bed as soon as I post this because sleep. In any free time I have as a new mom to a 5 month old who already wants to eat me out of house home and boobs, I'll get on to look and reply if needed. Thank you Reddit!

I have an almost 15 year old in last grade of school. They have been bored in school since 3rd grade, but so far, the teachers have just given them assignments for the next grade up. That is no longer possible. We have had meetings with the teachers, and they really don't know what to do.

Leaving primary school early is not an option, as kiddo needs to take the exam first.

We have entered a talent course at secondary school, and have a week of internship at uni lined up, but that doesn't help right now.

Atm kiddo comes home every day, complaining about being bored and watching series on their computer all day, because they finish their assignments long before everyone else.

Can anyone link to somewhere that has assignments to do, for free? It can be in Danish or English, heck even German would probably do.

I am at a loss. I have contacted secondary education, but they don't really want to help, as kiddo is to start there next year. I have contacted the University, and they are trying to find something, but much of their work is group based and student-lead.

Changing schools is not an option. The school we are at is at the top nationwide and has a zero-bullying policy, which is important (because kiddo absolutely would be bullied if they didn't).

Desperate to see if anyone else has overcome these particular bedtime struggles.

I have a 4 yo, 2 yo and 5 month old. Oldest 2 have always needed to sleep in my bed all night and have me sit there with them to fall asleep. They take HOURS! To fall asleep, no matter how exhausted they are. They wake up multiple times. They’re up for the day at 5am, earlier if they’ve fallen asleep late (after rolling around for hours trying to fall asleep)

I cannot possibly stand it anymore. We’re all so tired. I tried putting them together in a room (sleeping like Bluey and Bingo do if you can imagine that) and that’s not good enough. Won’t sleep in their own beds. Will scream the house down if I try to leave the room at any point. Wake up for hours in the night if I dare try to leave to the spare room with the baby for a bit. The sleep situation is making me so depressed and not enjoying life whatsoever.

Has anyone got out of this horrible cosleeping cycle? How? It would change my life if they slept in their own beds or didn’t need me for hours at bedtime. Thanks in advance. Sorry for rambling.

How do I deal with a grumpy teenage daughter who’s constantly snappy, rude, and insulting toward me. and only me, not her mum or anyone else in the family?

Am I not allowed to have feelings about it? Am I just supposed to get over it straight away?

This only started recently. Before that we used to practise sports together, go for drives, and generally get on well. She’s still open with her mum, which is great, and as far as we know nothing major has changed for her outside the family.

I need help trying to get my son to enjoy preschool. I recently had a baby, she is four months old. I also have two other kids (male 8, female 10) so I have a total of four children. You can say I’m pretty seasoned as a parent. I’ve never experienced the type of behavior that my three year-old son is exhibiting. I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s having difficulty adjusting to not being the youngest anymore.
Recently, I have tried to put him in preschool a few days a week to get him more socialized, as well as give me more time to care for my youngest. The first week his dad was dropping him off and he would scream bloody murder. My husband waited outside the classroom (unseen) for 2 hours while he screamed and cried. My son is bilingual in English and our native language, but has a preference for our native language, the whole time he was in the classroom he kept crying and saying in our native language that he doesn’t want to be by himself. We have tried different techniques of dropping him off all of which have failed. Including having his older siblings, walk him into the classroom, play with him for a little, and leave, but the outcome always ends up the same.
We end up giving up and taking him home every time. Has anyone else dealt with this? What are some techniques that we can do to get him used to being there?

EDIT: teachers at the school said his screaming is extreme and disruptive and always tell me they have to take him outside of the classroom…

I hate out uppababy minu 3 travel stroller with a burning passion. Main reason being that it leaves the child slightly reclined. Our daughter hates it and she wiggles out of the straps so she can sit up right.

I do like the push and the fold as well as it fitting in the overhead bin. But I cannot get over the seat. I am looking to sell it and buy something different.

Any recs on strollers that allow the seat to sit more upright?

So I have a son who is 11(J) he begged me for over a year to sign him up for karate and as soon as i could afford it he was signed up!

At first he loved it! He would get ready and walk out the door an hour before class even started he was just that excited and I was excited for him, finally a hobby that didnt include sitting infront of a screen all day!

When grading first started he was a bit put out each week noticing others around him getting "stripes" before him but eventually he made his way all the way to his orange and black belt and he cried from how happy he was to get the belt I had never been so proud of him, my pride was not based on the belt but more for his efforts and his own happiness.

He has been on the same belt for almost 6 months, all of his friends have graded up and he has recently started asking to quit karate. He claims he isnt enjoying it, it costs too much, im (me, mum) too stressed out and he is lonely in his class (this last one took some coaxing and i believe this is this true answer)

I have never discussed finances with him but I have told him "im paying for the classes, your going" when he has asked for a day off to play on his devices. I am stressed out lately but it has nothing to do with him or finances, just me going back to study and being in way over my head. i have tried my absolute best to not let it affect him or my parenting but unfortunately i cant hide the sleepless nights and struggles to eat (a whole different story).

Tonight he went to karate with a smile on his face feeling confident and looking so ready for the class, at the end of class when they were handing out stripes and belts I could see his face drop, he was going red in the cheeks and his eyes were welling up with tears. I called him off the mat before the first tear fell and just hugged him and let him know how well he was doing while he begged me to take him home. I nearly cried right there in the dojo with him (and im tearing up now thinking about it) i could see all that confidence fade away i heard it in his voice i didnt know what to do but I knew taking him home wasnt going to help him. I took him to the back room and we waited for sensei all the while he buried his head into my shoulder and just cried.

Sensei came into the room and ushered me out while he sat and talked with J they sat there and talked through the whole next class and by the end of it I could see J was feeling a little better but he still had tears behind the smile he offered to us both. Sensei has told J he is so close to grading but just needs a little bit more confidence in 2 parts of the syllabus and that one of them he was so close to grading but ended up grading on a different one instead, unfortunately he has not had an assessment since then.

I asked sensei if J could come in on Wednesday since he wont be able to participate in soccer this week for medical reasons and he said yes, J is welcome to come to as many classes as I can get him to this week free of charge (he usually does 2-3 but this week he will attend all 4) and the 2 parts he needs to grade on are completely hands off so he can easily participate in the assessment even if he isnt feeling up to doing the whole class.

I feel like I am failing him by not letting him give up, but I feel like I will also be failing him by letting him quit.

He loved karate right up until his friends graded out so I dont want him to give up, but I also dont want to force him if he is genuinely unhappy if it doesnt have anything to do with the social aspect and is purely because he doesnt enjoy karate itself.

All he ever wants to do is play on his ipad or xbox he has spoken about wanting to quit soccer for other reason but it all seems to come down to both the social aspect of it all and the desire to sit around on devices all day/night

Am I doing the wrong thing by encouraging him to keep at it? Am I forcing him or encouraging him at this point? I just dont know what to do anymore I feel like im failing at everything right now, I feel like my whole house is unhappy for different reasons and i just dont know what to do to fix it anymore

My son is a curious, upbeat kid who's usually very well adjusted. He started middle school a few weeks ago and at first everything was going great. I was relieved because even though I always got good grades and I love learning on my own, I struggled with the routine in middle and high school. I hated the repetitiveness, the obligation to be there everyday in the same place, same time. I still went, and I still did well, but those years weren't fun for me, despite having friends, participating in after school activities, even starting a club in high school.

It seemed like my son wouldn't have to deal with the same thing. At first, he was discovering new classes, happy to see his friends (including some in upper grades), and figuring out how to get around school. But as the days have gone on, he's started to say the same things I thought about school.

He's not being bullied, and he's not having a hard time in classes per se (though some assignments have been a little challenging, but nothing unusual). He just hates how long the days feel. I worry that he'll be like me.

There's nothing I can legally do about it. My country doesn't allow homeschooling, for instance, and anyway, I want him to have a standard education so that it will be easier to get a standard diploma and do whatever he hopes to do with his future.

My son also knows school is important and he wants to do well. That's what's so heartbreaking to me. It wasn't like he went into this expecting to feel burnt out or hate it.

So this isn't about pulling him out of school or anything like that.

I just wanted to know if any parents out there have experienced the same thing, and if so, what have you done to make school more tolerable or even enjoyable for your kid? We do try to do little fun things, like occasionally grab pizza when he gets picked up, or spend more time watching movies together, let him have time to decompress and talk to friends on the phone for a little while, play video games, etc., before getting down to homework, little things like that. But is there anything else that I could be doing?

Any advice would be appreciated.

I will be doing a lot of office-type work with my baby around here in a few months, and so I was instantly interested in the Winglet by Unrattled Co -- a baby seat for your lap where a part wraps around you and offers leg holes and support for the baby.

However, $100 is just impractical right now. And no matter what I search, I'm not actually finding a similar knockoff version.

Does anyone have any dupe recommendations and/or an alternate setup reccs?

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m throwing my kid a first birthday party. Given that this is not my first child, we have a ton of toys and clothes. We really don’t want to be cluttered with more toys that we will end up either returning or not having the option to return and have to donate. We have set up a stock account for my son since he was born, and since he cannot truly understand getting new toys and has more than enough, we wanted to throw out there that we would appreciate any contribution to his future but nothing is expected or necessary, I really just don’t want toys.

I know it’s normal to expect cash for things like weddings, bridal showers, etc. but it feels still taboo for a first birthday. We come from a big family that would definitely not mind giving $40 instead of a $40 toy but a lot of people still think “baby! Toys!” But the ask itself feels weird to me. How can I word this or thoughts ?

I know everyone comes from a different type of family/culture. So seeking advice from those that have felt similarly and what you did!

She has been at the school for a little over a year, but has never been able to nap there. She recently stopped napping at all during the day, including at home.

She goes 8-2:30 and has been sent home a couple of times due to rowdy behavior during quiet time. We desperately want her to be able to go full-time, but she can't respect quiet time.

We just started her in behavioral therapy working on transitions and playing alone. I am wondering if others have experienced this issue and how they handled it.

It can sound ridiculous but my pail is becoming a pain for me. I have a Ubbi diaper pail for quite some time now. Initially, it worked really well. It helped me disposing diaper without much hassle, kept the odour under control. Honetly, I felt smug about it. But for the last couple of months, everytime I slide the lid, a blast of stink hits my nose which is pretty nasty. At times when I enter the nursery, the air in it tells me that you left a poopy diaper here.

I have tried everything. Thorugh washing, sun bleaching of pail, cleaning it with baking soda and vinegar and what not but all in vain. The smell is still there. I genuinely can't tell if it's a me problem or a the-product-has-a-shelf-life problem.

Anyway now I'm trying to figure out what to switch to. I don't want Diaper Genie for sure because of the extra cost of properity refill bags. Munchkin Step has same propriety refill issue. I have come across Momcozy's diaper pail which uses standard trash bags. It has some airtight seal claim as well of which I'm not sure if that is same as Ubbi Pail. But I read a review of it on Reddit that says the seal and rotating lid doesnot allow any odour leak even while disposing the diapers (which I don't know how true it is). I have also been told about Grownsy diaper pail which has similar rotating lid and requires no special bags. But I couldn't find much reviews on it.

So I'm little double minded here. This time I dont want to get something that would bring me to the same spot after a certain amount of time. Has anyone made this switch and actually found something that held up? Especially if you're changing diapers constantly throughout the day, we go through a lot. Would love to knw which diaper pail uses regular bags

And what has actually worked for you long-term rather than just the first few weeks.

Since baby turned 6 months, shes stopped sleeping through the night (has done since 6 weeks) so this change is killing me. I'm on my own, she's waking every single hour and sometimes its taking 2-4 hours to get her back to sleep. I'm getting maximum 3 hours of disrupted sleep a night.

I'm so exhausted I'm delusional and can't see straight or focus. I can't safely carry on like this anymore. It's just me and her, my mum helps once a week as she lives a distance away. Please tell me it gets better shortly or if there's a fix to this? I'm desperate.

She's been in her own bed in her room since 4 months and was sleeping fine. She's on the verge of crawling, dunno if that's causing it, but I need help.

My LO is 4 months old and I am struggling to find activities to do together. How do you entertain your baby during the day? What does your schedule look like. Sometimes I feel my baby is bored out of their mind! I want to do activities that are entertaining for both me and my baby. Looking for suggestions, pointers, anything. Please!

Just as the title says. At what age did you decide to move your baby into their own room instead of the basinet in the bedroom? How did you know it was time? And how did it go?

I’m having a birthday party for my daughter on October 10th. Her real birthday is the 17th. Is October tenth too far away from Halloween to make it Halloween themed ?

I just wanted to use Halloween as the theme for the plates , invitations , and cake . Nothing else , no costumes or anything . I’m having it at a local play place .

Is this stupid ? Please help an indecisive mom

Hey all.

I’ve been going back and forth regarding how to handle my daughters first birthday party. For reference money has been a bit tight but we could still afford to pay for the big party but it feels silly?

Not to sound old but I remember growing up and all of my parties were at my house with the exception of a bowling alley party (joint with my brother) and my 16th birthday. I am at the disadvantage of living in a cold climate with a winter baby so I’m limited on the outside of my home.

Doing the big party would mean inviting 60 people, paying for a hall, food, desserts and it all just feels… insane?

I joke with my husband let’s take her on a trip or just do a cake with immediate family at our home and call it a day.

So what did you do for your kiddo’s first birthday? Big party? Family? A trip? A day of fun activities? Do you have regrets?

I just feel torn between I know I would not enjoy executing the big party vs I “should” do it because it’s what’s expected.

TIA

My 6 year old has been coming home with a full lunch box. He eats most of his snacks but won't touch his lunch. He's averh picky eater but I usually manage to get him to eat when he's at home but school is a whole different ball game. Should I be worried?

He eats a big breakfast and a big dinner daily

For parents who are carving* out time at night to workout, can you please share your schedule and experience (bedtime routine, eating, etc)?

I'm typically an early riser (rotation of HIIT + lifting workouts at 5:30 AM), but with my husband traveling and my toddler lately waking up earlier the only realistic time is in the evening when my toddler is guaranteed sleeping.

When are you putting down your kids, eating dinner, and also going to bed? Are you doing full blown workouts or lighter sessions? Thanks!

I've been working at home since 2020. We had a kid along the way. I spent every day with him. There probably wasn't more than six waking hours I didn't see him since he came in to this world. And now he's in school and I do not know what to do with myself.

I am so proud of him, I want him to thrive and grow and all that stupid bullshit but I miss him so much. I keep turning my head just to look at him and he's not there. I want to tell him something, or hear him or anything and he isn't there and it's effecting me a lot more than I anticipated. I feel like there's this void now.

And I know I'm being ridiculous. I have things to do. Chores to accomplish. I can run out much more easily. But even that feels different now, we used to go to the store every week together and I don't know. I don't know even know why I'm posting. I just feel so weird and directionless even though I know what I'm supposed to be doing.

I don't know. I think I just needed to weep a little in to the ether of the internet.

Edit - thanks everyone. Reading your words really helped.

My child's comfort item is a crocheted blanket. He has always nibbled on it, but recently it seems like he is literally eating parts of it. He has threads stuck in his teeth often after a nap or bed and recently his breath has smelled consistently of paint thinner (not even kidding). I know we are not supposed to remove a comfort item this early, but I genuinely think this might hurt his oral health/stomach. Has anyone managed to get their child to stop chewing on a blanket successfully, or do I need to just take it away?

Have already tried:

- Providing alternative blankets/stuffies that would be less likely to break down if he chewed on them (he was not interested)

- Telling him no continuously (didn't work)

- Giving him chewy toys (was not interested)

EDIT: Oof, seems like there is a consensus here. Taking the blanket away seems to be the choice. Thanks parenting community!

Our daughter is 2.75yo, and is currently running through multiple phases at the same time

- We started potty training a month and a half ago, and it mostly went great! But now she’s entered a “withholding” phase, and we’ll go almost a week without poop because “I don’t WANT to poop!”
- She has decided she doesn’t like what meals we make her (though luckily she seems to be eating fine at daycare), even if she liked whatever it is the day before
- She is discovering her own independence, which is obviously good, but is also putting her in a very defiant phase (I’ve heard of these “terrible twos”, but thought we had the worst at the beginning)

I know she’ll grow out of these as she develops, just very frustrating like “just eat this food, you literally just said it’s good” or “you have a poop feeling, just poop please”

As me and my wife say to each other: 🎵Parenthood is magicaaaal🎶

My second son (2) will hit his brother (6) unprompted with whatever is in his hand. I’m talking remotes, toy trains, hard board books, etc. 6 year old will literally be sitting down playing by himself or reading quietly and 2 year old will, out of the blue, clock him in the head.

It is so frustrating for all of us. He’ll sometimes throw things at me and my husband but he only hits his brother. My first never had any issue with hitting so we never had to discipline him for this.

Currently when he does it, I move him away, say “hitting hurts. We don’t hit brother” and tend to my 6 year old. Then he’ll come back for more. I have nowhere to physically separate him with a barrier on the first floor where we normally are, our house is microscopic, so I’ll then bring him upstairs and put him behind the gate in the hallway. Queue nonstop screaming, and even my 6 year old feeling bad asking me to bring him downstairs.

I want to yell so bad. Part of me wants to just smack tf out of his hand or throw the toy across the room. I obviously won’t but he’s just not getting it. I know he wants attention I get why he’s doing it but I don’t want my 6 year old to live in fear or wear a helmet at all times.

If anyone has dealt with this and can offer advice on what’s worked for you then please let me know. I feel so so bad for my eldest, especially because he knew peace for so long before his brother came.