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PaperclipPerfector  10mo ago (text post)   2933 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 9, 2023

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What is your top baby/kid advice? We are in the third trimester with our first. Revolutionary must have gadget, let them cry it out, co-sleep don't co-sleep, have a closet lined with mirrors to lock them in?

Jump into #2 quickly*! Seriously. Giving your kid a sibling they can play with is something that will pay off for them their whole life. It will also help you out tremendously when they're tots looking for attention you don't have. It might seem crazy to jump back in quickly, but it's probably easier than starting all over again several years later.

*By this I mean within 1.5-3 years, My first two are 16 months apart and even though it was a total unexpected surprise, it was the greatest thing we ever could have done. They are best friends and they keep each other occupied for hours a day that they would either be lonely or staring at screens

They are best friends and they keep each other occupied for hours a day that they would either be lonely or staring at screens

Alternatively they might fight constantly and cause more stress.

You have to teach them strategies for when they both want conflicting things. For example, if both of my oldest want the same toy, I restrain the kids from grabbing it out of the other's hands and ask them to use their words first.

"Can I have that?"

"No!"

Then I ask what they want to try next, find something to trade or to wait for their turn.

Because I have two kids close in age, I am able to teach them this in person, as conflicts happen. If I didn't have a brood, my single kid would have to learn these lessons in a different environment, most likely from a different person who might not be as good as I at teaching this lesson.

We are a little older so we're looking to move as quick as possible. The real question is probably more what's too soon rather than too long, as long as fertility stay high, which wasn't a problem with this one.

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