Mom Feels ‘Drained’ After It Becomes Clear Her Toddler Daughter Prefers Her Over Her Husband, Says She ‘Rejects Him’ Every Day

A mother is asking fellow parents for guidance on handling her toddler’s intense preference for one parent.

In a post shared on the toddlers subreddit, the mom explained that her 2-year-old has favored her over her husband since she was just two months old. According to the post, the child is “very vocal” about this preference and has frequent meltdowns whenever her dad tries to take over.

The mother emphasized that her husband is actively involved. He spends time with their daughter every day, handles bath time, and gives her an hour-long break daily to play with the toddler. Despite this, she wrote, their child continues to reject him. “She still rejects him day after day,” she said. “It’s awful.”

The situation has become even more challenging since the couple welcomed a second child, now seven weeks old. The mom shared that her toddler’s refusal to be comforted by her father has been especially exhausting at night.

“We’ve all been sick this week, and when they both wake up at the same time in the middle of the night, I’m having to pump while both children are screaming,” she wrote. “My husband feeds the baby, and I have to go comfort our two-year-old.”

Feeling overwhelmed, she asked the Reddit community for strategies that had worked for others in similar situations.

Many commenters responded with suggestions and reassurance. One parent recommended intentional one-on-one time between the father and daughter to help rebalance the relationship.

“They need a date day,” the commenter wrote. “Either mom and the 7-week-old leave the house, or dad and the two-year-old go on some adventures. Whenever we feel an imbalance, we do this, and it helps.”

Another user echoed the idea, sharing that their child’s strong preference eased when the favored parent was clearly unavailable.

“We noticed that this preference subsides significantly when Mommy isn’t physically around and is known to be ‘away,’” they explained. “We kept organizing Daddy–Daughter days so our child could normalize Dad doing all the things Mom usually does. There’s still some complaining, but it doesn’t turn into full-blown fits.”

Others offered solidarity rather than solutions. One parent shared that they are dealing with the same struggle.

“No advice, just solidarity,” the commenter wrote. “My 3-year-old is the same. Won’t let her dad do anything—bedtime, bath, meals, park, nothing. We keep saying it’s a phase, but it’s been a year and a half, and he tries so hard.”

For many parents in the discussion, the takeaway was reassurance: while exhausting and emotionally draining, strong parental preference in toddlers is common—and often temporary—even when it doesn’t feel that way in the moment.