Before we start, I just have to ask…did you all know that "steroid rage" for toddlers is a thing??! Ask me how I know this now. 💀
This week's issue is for all the parents out there feeling like Rocky, just getting the absolute sh*t kicked out of them, then getting back to their feet. Again. And again. Just a little more bruised and wobbly each time.
Our combatant? All those fun "surprise" developments that come in like a wrecking ball and just absolutely rock the tenuous little routine we've just rebuilt like a holey Jenga tower. We're talking sleep regressions. Developmental 'leaps'. Illness. Travel. Teething. Daylight savings time (oh yea, that's coming up again soon). Plus a hundred others that are easy to forget about (and that's not even talking about things going sideways with your plumbing, or your cat, or your work team)…until they happen in your house.
I don't know if people talk enough about the absolute, gritted teeth RESILIENCE it takes as a parent. That feeling of starting from scratch, again and again, of feeling like you're failing, of watching your household and your kids implode, and still getting up, and SHOWING up.
I'm not saying it's all bad. Not even close, even if that's often what child-free friends hear us say. We all know our kiddos are like, the best thing to ever exist and those sweet moments in between the chaos are thee most precious.
But feeling like the rug is constantly being pulled out from under you and still trying to be the best parent you can be is an exercise in mental (and even physical) toughness that is hard to understand until you've been in it. And while we wish we had the perfect tip for every single parenting shake-up, we did round up a few of our favorite ways to survive the wobble.
In this issue:
✅ The cheat code to figuring out what's "normal"
✅ 3 turbo buttons for cramming in more sleep
✅ The one thing worth outsourcing when life goes to hell
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🧘♀️ Learn About Leaps (For Perspective, Not Solutions)
👉 Does an app change your child? No.
Will it magically make the leap easier? Also no.
But when your kid is suddenly - off - and you’re questioning everything, it helps to know: this is normal. Not a parenting failure. Not a changling that appeared in your child's bed. Just… a leap.
Do this:
Download Wonder Weeks app or buy their book (or whichever leap tracker you trust)
Look at you’re child’s leap window + what skills are developing
Use it as a framing tool: “Oh. This is why that's happening.”
The big win is to stop making the chaos personal- your kid is just following common, if exhausting, patterns.
💬 Sleep Turbo Buttons (For When You Finally Get Into Bed)
👉 That whole 'pouring from an empty cup' thing is true (even more so when chaos abounds at home), and no cup is emptier than one that isn't getting enough sleep. Now, we’ve all heard “no phone, sleep hygiene” blah blah.
This is for the nights when you didn’t do any of that and now you really need to fall asleep fast because you have - checks watch - 4 hours and 57 minutes left until your alarm goes off.
Here are three techniques worth trying:
A) 4-7-8 breathing (60 seconds) - view a guided video here
Inhale 4 seconds
Hold 7 seconds
Exhale 8 seconds
Repeat 4 times.
B) Cognitive shuffle (brain scrambler)
Pick a simple word (like “blanket”). For each letter, think of 2–3 random things that start with that letter.
B: banana, boat, backpack
L: lamp, lemon, ladder
You get this idea. Especially good for those with "spinning" brains.
C) The eye-movement trick
This one has less research behind it, but it's been trending on social (like this surgeon that swears by it) and people speculate it mimics REM sleep movements.
Close your eyes and slowly move them:
side to side
up and down
clockwise
counterclockwise
Repeat the sequence a couple times.
We interrupt this newsletter to bring you some free stuff. 😉
Grab our FREE resources below!
📲 The Parent Tech Stack
Smarter ways to use the tech you already have to make parenting easier.
📢 AM Routine Builder
Create a custom morning routine with Alexa or Google Home that saves your sanity.
💸 Outsource One Thing for Max Impact (Even a Cheap Version)
👉 When you’re sick, sleep-deprived, and/or drowning, a clean house isn’t an aesthetic choice. It’s research-backed, nervous-system support.
If you’re able to outsource one thing in a chaos week, make it cleaning.
Cheapest “do this now” options:
Check Groupon for local first-time cleaning deals. We also see the $19
Look for intro offers by googling "home cleaning deals near me" (read the fine print so you don't get locked into a subscription you don't want, but the savings can be steep like the Homeaglow $19 cleaning deal we see advertised a lot)
Or put up a post on Nextdoor or another community group with your budget outlined, and see who responds!
The “good enough” version if money is tight:
Pay for a time-capped clean, not a whole-house deep clean
Prioritize: bathrooms + kitchen surfaces + floors
What success looks like:
You get your weekend back. You stop staring at crumbs while trying to emotionally regulate a tiny gremlin with croup. You feel slightly more human.
K that’s all. You’re the best and we love you.
-CK “Still Standing, Barely” Fuller (Editor) & the JB Crew 🫡
P.S. Next week: Spring “needs” are relentless. We’ll share clever ways to get your kiddos what they need without hemorrhaging money.
*Quick note: Some links in here may be affiliate links. You know the drill- if you buy something, we might earn a small commission that helps offset the time we spend making JuiceBox. Thank you for supporting this project of ours.