Parents Are Revealing The Toddler Trends That Make Them Want To Scream, And I’m Honestly Right There With Them

Parenting in the age of social media is a unique beast.

Between information overload and influencer overwhelm, there’s a fervor for particular trends or products that can be A Lot. Recently, Reddit user ActualEmu1251 shared the toddler parenting trends they’ve HAD it with, and they made some points. Here’s what they had to say:

“Sensory bins: too much planning and work for five minutes of entertainment and a huge mess.

Overly curated play/activities: Just let kids be bored sometimes and figure out what entertains them.

Gift bags for kids attending birthday parties: I refuse to pay for a birthday party and also provide gifts to guests. Also, I don’t want a bunch of Dollar Store garbage myself.

Toddler food art and fancy plates: Are parents seriously cutting up sandwiches into cute little shapes or making Bluey pancakes? Most of my son’s food is half-assed, cut up, and just piled on his high chair tray.

Parents talking it out with their young toddler when they can hardly understand logic: keep it short and effective — ‘that’s dangerous!’ or ‘stop it’.

Performative parenting: acting like the best parent in the world, but also ignoring your kids for hours while developing the perfect social media post.

Constantly referencing leaps (Wonder Weeks app) and regressions: most of it is loosely based on real science and studies. All kids go through phases, so don’t get hung up on trying to connect it all.”

ActualEmu1251 also asked other parents what trends they’re so done with, and even more points were made:

1.“The ‘holiday baskets’ for every single holiday like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, July 4…Like, your child does not need a new book and holiday t-shirt and toy every time there is a special day!”

—scrunchie_one

2.“Over-the-top, elaborate birthday parties. No, I am not going to make a balloon arch or rent a bouncy castle or have a snack table with an array of different colored matching desserts and an original cocktail named after my child.”

—not_the_name_wanted

3.“The gift opening at parties drives me nuts! It just makes all the other kids jealous that they can’t play with all the stuff at the party.”

—Npete90

4.“Sad beige/grey/’pastel’ toys and clothes for babies and toddlers because parents want their homes to look cute on social media instead of letting their kids enjoy color.”

—madicienne

5.“Not saying ‘good job/well done’ to kids and instead saying stuff like ‘you really worked hard at that’.”

—Objective_Sam

6.“I used to think wooden toys were cute and fancy, and now I just think of how dangerous they can be when turned into projectiles.”

—09percent

7.“I hate the whole Montessori toddler thing, like please don’t show me a video about how my 3-year-old should have a whole functional miniature kitchen so she can cook eggs by herself. I can just cook her eggs for her. She’s 3.”

—happyflowermom

8.“Why do I need to create fake mud with cereal when we have real mud, grass, stones, etc., outside for free?”

—Difficult_Carry_4918

9.“Someone telling you, ‘you only get 18 summers with them’ when every day feels like 12 days and every year feels like a century.”

—DueEntertainer0

10.“I hate being called ‘mama’ by anyone but my child. Hate.”

—MGFT3000

11.“I kept trying to get into a toy rotation habit and then realized that I don’t care to spend my energy making sure my kid is excited about his toys. Some get naturally kind of hidden or put away for a while, and then he’s happy to see them again, but I truly don’t care if he’s bored with them — he can go find something else to do in that case. I don’t need to curate a selection of toys every week.”

—Imaginary-Market-214

12.“The mommy wine culture and promoting the idea that there is no other way to relax and that you need to drink excessively to parent your children.”

—fireflygirl1013

13.“I hate how boy clothes have essentially two vibes as they get older, sad beige baby or sport mode (black and other primary colors). It takes so much effort to dress a boy in bright colors.”

—gennygemgemgem

14.“The gendered everything! I’m not super hippy dippy or anything, but mine was never into astronauts, monster trucks, dinosaurs, etc., at all, but somehow it seemed like we had no choice but to buy items with these printed on them. And the fact that everything still has to be either bright blue or pink in this day and age. Just annoying.”

—SayonaraSiren

15.“Feeling like I have to research everything to death to find ‘the best’. Last summer I spent WEEKS trying to find a sunscreen that was ‘clean’, reef-safe, etc. and not horrifically expensive. This summer I bought the Banana Boat 360 because I’m not wrestling my toddler every time we want to go in the sun to spread mineral goo all over his body and then ultimately have to scrub the excess off in the bath that night. I spray him, use a makeup brush to put some Up&Up brand mineral lotion on his face, and we go out. End of story.”

—ArtemisGirl242020

16.“Consultants. On any possible topic. Sleep consultant, potty training consultant, weaning consultant, lactation consultant, first bath consultant, you name it! This whole industry feels predatory. They make moms/dads feel incapable of parenting mostly through social media, just to monetize all these services.”

—farasfere

17.“I’ve seen moms on Instagram put makeup on their toddlers (I’m not talking makeup for pageants) like blush, eyelash extensions and tinted gloss.”

—SignificantIce7914

18.“Exploiting children on social media for likes, attention and/or $$$.”

—fireflygirl1013

Do you agree with being done with these trends? What parenting trends have you absolutely had it with? Share in the comments or anonymous form below!