Arguments in front of baby - how bad is this?

[Starry4321]

So DH and I have been under the normal pressure you would expect with juggling life with a 10 month old. In general we are a very happy family and our marriage is good. Some days tensions can run high however and we might have an argument about something. Most of the time it will be something minor (no screaming or swearing) but maybe slightly stronger voices than just normal talking. We don’t tend to actually shout. We always settle it fairly quickly straight away or within the hour. For instance today we couldn’t agree about what to do with our garden as DH likes a clean slate and I like to grow things. The discussion got into a bit of a heated disagreement.

I guess I’m just wondering how much of an impact this type of argument will have on our 1 year old if he sees it ? I would never want to do anything to jeopardise his development. I know that arguments are part of a normal relationship so I’m trying to figure out how much to shield him and whether some exposure to an argument is ok? This is not a daily occurrence btw - me and DH do get on most of the time and we actually really love each other!

This is completely normal to have arguments. It's going to happen.

I would suggest to have your argument in a different room instead of directly in front of your baby. They can sense issues and tension in their parents which can rattle them a bit. If you feel like there's an argument or heated discussion about to happen in front of baby, maybe suggest to go into another room or wait until baby is in bed and asleep to have your discussion. By that point both of you might have calmed down to talk properly instead of screaming/shouting/swearing at each other.

Just a suggestion 😊

post kids arguing is pretty standard sadly 😂

We try to go somewhere else or “save” the argument for later.

And don’t forget to let them see you apologise to each other !

It impacts them in the womb doesn't it and it's suggested that arguing in front of a baby who can't understand the words is harmful and disrupts their brain development/patterns.