Every parent should be able and willing to take care of their own child. Though top-tier parenting skills won’t appear overnight (it’s a process!), what matters is doing your best. However, you’ll never build those skills if you only ever have others look after your kid.

Redditor u/Buffy0943 amused the r/pettyrevenge online community with a hilarious tale about how she finally got her brother to babysit his own baby when his wife was away. It involved different (safe to eat) foods and a literal “baby poop war.” Read on for a bizarre but creative way to get someone to “step up to being a better parent.”

Bored Panda got in touch with redditor u/Buffy0943, the author of the story. She was happy to share a few thoughts on parenting well. You’ll find our interview with her below.

Some new parents don’t feel confident about taking care of their own baby, so they ask others for help

Image credits: yAOinLoVE / Adobe Stock (not the actual photo)

One woman revealed how she used a bit of creativity to inspire her brother to step up and be a better dad

Image credits: Drobot Dean / Adobe Stock (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Buffy0943

“For new parents, I’ll tell them to take it one day at a time, to enjoy the stage they’re in because babies grow up so fast, and to expect some gross messes”

“When I wrote my story, I thought it would get a few laughs, nothing like the attention it received,” the author told Bored Panda that she was taken by surprise by how her post took off on Reddit.

“From what I can tell, people liked it because I chose a near-perfect way to teach my brother a lesson,” u/Buffy0943 said.

Parenting is something that nearly everyone has an opinion on. There are so many different interpretations and family situations out there that it can be tough to tell what good parenting actually is.

We were curious about the OP’s position on what lies at the core of truly great parenting.

“From my perspective, being a great parent is always being available to your children for anything,” the redditor opened up to Bored Panda.

“My boys are grown, and my nephew in the story is 17 now, and they know that they can always come to me for any reason, and I will help them.”

Meanwhile, the OP had some fabulous advice for new parents who might find themselves a bit overwhelmed with everything.

“For new parents, I’ll tell them to take it one day at a time, to enjoy the stage they’re in because babies grow up so fast, and to expect some gross messes,” she said.

“The most important is to follow your instincts; it’s your child, [and] if something doesn’t feel right, do something about it. Don’t ignore it, and don’t listen to other people.”

Food items like jello and vegetable juice are best avoided until the baby is a bit more mature

Just to be clear, the author of the story knew exactly what foods to give the baby so that it wouldn’t upset their stomach. The only change was in the color of the poop itself.

You shouldn’t be giving your baby jello or vegetable juice until they are at least 1 year old. Jello doesn’t contain any nutritional value. It has lots of added sugars, so it’s not recommended for kids until they’re at least 2 years old.

On top of that, jello shouldn’t be a large part of your child’s diet because of its high sugar content. Too much of it over a long period of time can lead to health risks, like developing diabetes. Like with all things in life, moderation is key.

An alternative is to make jello at home with fruit. That way, you can manage the sugar levels and avoid putting in artificial flavors.

Similarly, experts suggest not giving kids any vegetable juice as a drink before the age of 1. Some even point out that it’s best to only introduce juice in their diets when they’re at least 2 years old.

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Some vegetable juices can have a lot of sodium or nitrates, too much of which can impact the child’s diet in a negative way. Again, moderation is important.

When you do buy juice, try to pick products that have fewer added sugars and are pasteurized, not ‘raw.’ It’s also recommended that you dilute the juice with water for younger children.

Parents need to divide the childcare in a way that makes the most sense in their family context

There is no one-size-fits-all advice for new parents to inspire them to do their very best. It takes lots of hands-on practice, sleepless nights, and some frustration to get to grips with how childcare works.

Naturally, asking for a helping hand isn’t out of the question! If you have a social circle you can rely on for a spot of support or some babysitting, you should definitely use it to catch your breath every now and then.

However, you shouldn’t use your family and friends to get out of being a parent entirely.

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that even in egalitarian marriages, women still take on the lion’s share of the housework and childcare.

Meanwhile, men tend to have more time for leisure, on average. “Even as financial contributions have become more equal in marriages, the way couples divide their time between paid work and home life remains unbalanced,” the Center said.

“Husbands in egalitarian marriages spend about 3.5 hours more per week on leisure activities than wives do. Wives in these marriages spend roughly 2 hours more per week on caregiving than husbands do and about 2.5 hours more on housework.”

If you feel like you’re pulling more than your fair share of the weight at home, you need to talk to your partner about them stepping up more. It’s not fair if one person is chronically exhausted and the other dodges their parental responsibilities.

However, a 50/50 split in time probably won’t work for everyone. Couples need to find a fair system that works for them, based on who’s working how many hours, whether anyone’s working from home, and other details.

The author of the story had a lot more to share in the comments

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Here’s how some other readers reacted. Some of them even had similar parenting stories to share

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