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I remember making my own valentines as a kid — one design involved a construction paper bunny with a cotton ball for a tail.
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(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
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- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
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Anon says
Taking 3 year old DS on a 16- hour flight. What are some games that we can download on our devices? Welcome any other advice as well!
Anonymous says
IIRC, the PBS Kids games app works offline and is great.
anon says
They do have several offline games. The video app also lets you download certain shows for offline viewing
Anon says
You have to download specific games ahead of time, but yep, it’s great. The games are all super inane, but that never stopped my preschoolers from adoring them on long flights.
Anonymous says
At 3 my kids have liked games where you do things like “cook” a dish at a restaurant. There’s this Panda brand on Amazon Kids that makes a lot of them.
Anonymous says
Itsy Bitsy and Pock Pock.
CCLA says
Practice using headphones if DS doesn’t do so already. I like the puro quiet kids noise cancelling ones, but there are cheaper options too. They took some getting used to but by 3 my kids would use them and watch the ipad on flights (at that age iirc it was mostly daniel tiger episodes rather than whole movies).
anon says
My MIL is a compulsive shopper. She buys my kids a TON of unneeded and unwanted clothes. Despite several attempts to get her to stop, she still inundates us constantly. Mostly I just donate them immediately. The issue is that she keeps buying the special occasion clothes like Easter and Christmas dresses for my toddler. This bothers me more. Firstly, I want to buy the special clothes (I know this sounds silly!) but also, I can’t just hide them because MIL will notice daughter isn’t wearing what she bought. I’m not going to have daughter put on MIL’s dress just for a photo; she fights getting dressed so I’m not doing that battle more than necessary. Any ideas for this? I don’t like MIL but see her weekly and need to keep things cordial. My husband has told her repeatedly that we don’t want the clothes and her reply is always guilt laden and of course blames me.
Anonymous says
Husband’s mom, husband’s problem! I know that’s flip but it’s at least a little bit true. He needs to be interfacing with her more to let her know ya’ll are united on this issue and want the excessive gifting to stop.
Cb says
Agreed. But I wonder if you could nudge that impulsiveness towards good. Could she sponsor a family at Christmas, etc?
Cb says
I spent the AM sorting out the school uniform exchange and wish a grandma would come along and stock up hats, mittens, socks, etc.
test run says
+1 and with my own mom, I had to eventually just refuse to accept things she would buy, as in make her take them back with her when she left. I know it hurt her feelings, but it was also hurting my feelings that she wasn’t respecting my boundaries! After a couple times of doing that she stopped completely.
Anon says
+1 – this was my inlaws and after about a year of sending all the random junk home (unneeded food, trinkets, junky toys, cheap clothes that gave my kid a rash) they stopped. My SIL is jealous I don’t get the tidal wave of junk coming into my house but she also refuses to put her foot down, so you reap what you sow I guess.
Anon says
Say that you already had a special occasion outfit if she asks and absolve yourself of any guilt.
An.On. says
Just say things like “That’s lovely! She has something for Easter already but I’ll try to dress her in this next time we come visit so you can see her in it.” and “Sorry, she had it on earlier but spilled juice on it so we couldn’t get a picture.” and “I gave that to husband to wash and I have no idea where he put it.” and of course the time-honored: “It didn’t fit.” Try to keep an attitude of gentle surprise at any implication that you do not like these clothes.
Anonymous says
Can you/husband give her a list? If she’s gonna shop, maybe you can earmark “summer bathing suits” or whatever for her?
anon says
OP here. We’ve tried. When we had our new baby she asked us what we needed and we told her. She bought none of it. It’s not a price issue, she spent more on football jerseys for our daughter than any of the items we requested would have cost. That’s where the compulsion comes into play. Buying things we need, like a changing pad, doesn’t give her the thrill of seeing something and buying it impulsively.
Anon says
You are being too controlling and she’s resisting it. Receiving gifts graciously is an important part of a relationship you are unaware of.
test run says
Ehh, this is pretty harsh. There’s a difference between graciously receiving gifts occasionally, like during the holidays, on birthdays, etc. and being constantly given a bunch of junk you don’t want just because the person in question wants to shop. They’re being rude by putting the burden of dealing with all that stuff on you.
anon says
I agree with test run. OP is talking about hundreds of items a year, not a fruit cake she doesn’t like that MIL gives to everyone for Christmas.
Anon says
Can you let DD choose what to wear?
Anon says
I don’t know how old your daughter is, but I would just put the nicer stuff in her closet and let her choose if she wants to put it on. I wouldn’t save the nice stuff from MIL for holidays — just — put it on your kid to go to daycare or whatever and don’t worry about it. If she asks why your kid isn’t wearing it on the day of, just say she already wore it, and if she presses further, it’s a husband issue.
Anon says
Does she want to be the one to pick it out or would you be willing to have her send you three choices and you pick one? Or for you to send her three you like and let her choose? My MIL used to buy all my girls clothes but i got to help pick them out
Anon says
Let go. Being controlling will only needlessly damage relationships over something small. Let a grandmother buy fun outfits for their grandchild. This is something that clearly brings her joy. Aren’t you being a little heartless?
Anon says
Unpopular opinion but I agree. And I’m not a “stuff” person when it comes to my own spending.
anon says
How much would you consider appropriate? We see her weekly, sometimes twice weekly. At each visit she brings several shopping bags full of things. Yesterday was five pairs of shoes, 3 sweatshirts, 2 stuffed animals, and the aforementioned Easter dress. Also one box of diapers in an outgrown size. It’s literally dozens of clothing items per month, per child (we have 3).
Anon says
A parent should be able to pick the cute holiday clothing for their kids, especially since there are only a few years before the kid has opinions about it themselves. Grandma has that chance with her own kids
Anonymous says
Hard disagree. It’s an imposition and a burden to receive so many “gifts” that serve only the person buying them.
If they were rare occasions I’d say suck it up but receiving a barrage of stuff and expectation on how they should be used (holiday outfits) creates a lot of work for parents.
I find the sheer amount of kid stuff to store even without excess difficult. I had to tell my own mom to slow her buying tremendously or keep it at home. My in-laws have to be reeled in at least annually.
My son just got his tonsils out and my in-laws sent roughly 10 presents. They’re making up for the limits we set for Christmas. We’ee already overflowing on toys so finding room to store them (or purge old toys to store them) creates real work. Not just mental clutter.
Anon says
I have this MIL (but have a much better relationship with her). Ignore the people who are telling you you’re being heartless- they don’t understand the volume we’re talking about. An. on.’s suggestions are perfect. I’ve also found it helps to mention clothes my kids will need for the future that don’t matter much (ie- they’ll need swimsuits this summer so I casually mentioned it to my MIL last time I saw her). She’ll spontaneously buy one when she sees it along with a bunch of other stuff, I feel slightly better that we at least got one thing we’ll use and I try to positively reinforce with lots of photos and excitement.
Also, my SIL has older kids and she just sends them with Grandma on the shopping trip. They’re pretty vocal about what they will and will not wear so it helps.
Anonymous says
Donate them immediately. Dress your daughter yourself. If she asks just repeat “Katie I’ve asked you nicely many times to stop shopping so much for the kids.”
Anon says
Your husband needs to step in more with this difficult conversation or take over the work of donating them. Either they stay with your MIL and they don’t enter your home or you never have to touch them and they are 100% your husbands job to redistribute.
anon says
Question about “normal” pediatric care…Kiddo spiked a 103.1 degree fever at daycare, so I picked him up and took him to the pediatricians’. They told me there’s no reason to bring him in unless he has a febrile seizure, which is obviously an ER trip. They’ve told me this repeatedly, more and more clearly, and obviously think I’m overreacting. But everything I’ve seen online says that a fever that high with a RISK of febrile seizures should be seen by a doctor.
Am I overreacting based on out-dated info? Or are my pediatricians underreacting?
Lise says
We’ve been at two practices affiliated with major children’s hospitals, and both gave us the same recommendation to see a doctor only after temps of 101-103 for more than 5 days, but come in right away at 104.
NYCer says
Assuming you are out of the newborn stage, I personally do not take my kids to the pediatrician for one day of a 103 fever. If the fever lingers for several days or if the fever won’t respond to meds, then I do, but I usually let fevers ride for a bit before going to the doctor. YMMV.
Anonymous says
If your child isn’t a newborn, I would only take my kid to see a ped if the fever didn’t come down with medicine. If they have told you this repeatedly, why do you trust online sources more than your actual doctor?
anon says
I don’t have high trust in the pediatrician. Unfortunately they are the only show in town, so I work with them as best I can.
Anon says
If you are really concerned about the quality of care being provided, I’d look into Blueberry Pediatrics or one of the other telehealth options. You can get a doctor’s opinion real-time without an ER visit when one isn’t necessary.
anon @ 11:56am says
So, I think the pediatrician’s guidance on fevers is pretty normal and I would be bothered if they told me to come in for a routine problem that can be managed at home and about which the pediatrician can’t do much.
However, I think overall trust in a doctor is so, so necessary. I would examine with your partner what makes you not trust them and consider if anything can be done to repair the trust, which depends a lot on why you don’t trust them. If you can’t, I think it’s worth driving a distance to find a pediatrician you do trust.
As a parent, I need to be able to relax if a pediatrician tells me something is normal and I also need to be confident that a problem needs a particular treatment if the pediatrician tells me to pursue a treatment. I might at some point get a second opinion for something potentially significant, but there’s no way I’d be happy if I felt like I couldn’t rely on the pediatrician. Also, as a professional in another field, I really don’t want people coming to me if they don’t trust me–it’d be such a gift to the doctor to find another doctor.
anonn says
can you switch to a family doc? We’ve always used family docs despite there being many peds in town. But also would not take our kid in your situation. I’ve called my insurance company’s nurse line a few times and they were very helpful. I’ve only called our doc when the fever is over 101 and persists for over a day.
Clementine says
I was given the advice ‘look at the child first’. If the child looks generally okay/mildly sick but has a fever (anything under 100.4 is not a fever), give meds if they’re uncomfortable. If they’re fine and just hot, I let it ride. If they look ‘gray’, seem overly fatigued and don’t perk up with medicine, ‘floppy’ or generally look ‘really really sick’, I’m going to bring them for medical attention.
I bring them to the doctor when I suspect they have an ear infection or strep, they have a rash or other indication that it may be more than ‘just viral’ or if they met one of the criteria listed above.
AwayEmily says
Yup, this exactly. And I say this as a mother whose toddler was taken to the hospital for a febrile seizure.
AnonMD says
Pediatrician here jumping out of lurking: gently, you’re overreacting but I’m sorry you don’t have the relationship you’d like with your pediatrician!
Not quite sure what you mean by “risk of febrile seizure” but there’s no temperature that’s too high if your child’s body is making it in response to an illness (meanwhile if a child is in a locked car or something even small temperature changes can cause huge issues).
Presuming an otherwise healthy child who looks okay:
Any fever >100.4 in an infant 100.4 for >5 days needs to be evaluated. If a child has a fever >102.2 for >48 hours there’s a higher likelihood of a bacteria infection (ear infection, strep, pneumonia, UTI etc) but a lot of times it’s still a virus.
AnonMD says
Ugh, nesting and typing fail. Sorry!
Any fever > or = to 100.4 in an infant or = 100.4 for > 5 days.
Anon says
Thanks for this. We just went thru this with my child having pneumonia. She had a fever that would spike nightly to 103. She was able to hold it together for part of the day but would just crash and pass out in the afternoon. So unlike her. Took two trips to finally get the antibiotics. The dr did not hear it in her lungs on day 2 of this but did on day 4.
Wish we could have skipped the whole wait and see, personally, but I get it.
Anonymous says
My kid just had a 5-day fever, usually somewhere in 101-103. Once she had meds in her, she was happy, albeit with some cough and congestion. I did not take her to the pediatrician. Fever broke on day 5 and she was fine after that.
Chiming in with the chorus that you need to trust your ped.
Spirograph says
This. I am not overly concerned about the exact temp of a fever… my kids really like looking at numbers on the touch-free thermometers that we got for pandemic school drop-off, but I am more of a “does your forehead feel really hot?” “do you look sick?” kind of person. I might have been more cautious when my kids were babies, but now I only take them to the pediatrician for something that I’m reasonably confident needs antibiotics (suspected ear infection, pink eye, strep), or something really acute/extreme. I’ve called the ped practice about a fever that lasts a few days, and the advice has always been to just make sure they’re drinking water and let it run its course unless the kid seems disoriented, short of breath, or experiences seizures.
That said, I agree with others that they shouldn’t have made you feel like you were overreacting. (However, I also don’t blame them for saying it repeatedly if you kept pushing back on their medical opinion)
Anon says
My doctor has posters in the office that a fever under 104 is not a concern unless it’s been 4+ days or doesn’t respond to medication. I usually wait several days, unless there’s other concerning symptoms (bad sore throat, trouble breathing, area of rash or swelling, etc) that may point to something like strep or an infection that can be treated with an antibiotic. Most fevers are viruses and you just have to let them run their course
An.On. says
Yes, this was our ped’s recommendation too. Not sure how old OP’s kid is though, I know it took us a good long while to figure out what a “normal” illness looked like versus a serious problem that requires an ER visit. We’ll also call our ped and describe the symptoms to see if we need to do more.
AwayEmily says
SAME. We took my first kid to the pediatrician a LOT more than we take our third kid, and if anything our third kid has been sick more often than our first. Eventually you get a good sense of what requires medical attention and what doesn’t — but ideally your doctor is patient with you as you figure that out. One specific idea that always helped me: when you call the pediatrician’s, if they say “no need to bring them in” but you are still worried, then ask them “what should I look for as a sign that I *should* bring them in?” And then they will give you more specific guidance on what red flags require attention. It gave me some peace of mind knowing what to watch out for.
anon says
+1 why do you trust the internet more than your doctor? What do you want the doctor to do that you can’t do at home?
Would it help to ask their specific guidance on when to come in for fever so you know exactly when to come in? And how to manage at home?
In general, I expect my doctors to be way better than Dr. Google and would pick a new doctor if I thought Dr. Google gave better advice. You could try calling around, but it’s pretty normal that pediatricians don’t have any need to see a child (not newborn!) for a fever at this level that hasn’t persisted for a long time absent another concern.
Anon says
They’re right that a fever alone is not a reason to see the doctor. That said, I think 100% of the time my child spiked a fever at daycare and had to leave mid-day she had an ear infection, so we needed to visit the doctor for antibiotics. If you don’t suspect an infection I wouldn’t go to the ped though.
FVNC says
Does your child have febrile seizures? I’m confused about the reference there. The risk of febrile seizures increases with a sudden spike in temp, not necessarily a high fever (our younger child had them, and they were triggered by temps as low as 101). If your child experiences febrile seizures, or is high risk for some reason, our peds have always advised keeping child medicated (alternating Tylenol and Motrin) to keep the temp as stable as possible to eliminate spikes.
If it’s a “normal” 103 fever in a new born, and kiddo is not otherwise displaying concerning symptoms like sore throat or ear that could indicate infection, we tend not to bring in. THAT SAID, I’d be super annoyed at a ped that implied I was over-reacting. We’ve *definitely* been to the ER for non-emergencies (looking at you, gas that in my 9 year old causing pain in the exact spot as the appendix) and we’ve never been made to feel like we did the wrong thing. So I’m sorry you’re experiencing that from the doctor, and that you don’t feel like you can trust the ped. Hope kiddo feels better soon.
FVNC says
*in a non-new born!
Anonymous says
I second this comment – I am a mom of a four year old who has had 6 febrile seizures since the age of 2.5. It is incredibly scary and I don’t wish it on anyone to see their kid like that. However, as FVNC says, the seizure comes from how fast the temperature rises, not the temperature itself. We’ve had the seizures at 101/102 temps, and zero seizures at 103+ temps.
Also, while I am but one internet stranger data point, we have never been to the ER for any of these febrile seizures. While all of the seizures are scary, unless it is over 15 minutes or more than one within 24 hours, it’s considered a “febrile seizure.” You’re not supposed to move someone who is having a seizure, such as taking them to the ER. My son’s have all be 2 minutes or less. We have spoken with the triage nurse immediately after they happen, and then generally seen our doctor the next day. If there was a second one in 24 hours, then I’d go to the ER.
But generally, overall for kid sickness, my approach is that unless something is really wrong (infection, genuinely hurt himself and blood won’t clot, 104 fever for multiple days, broken bones, really isn’t acting like his normal self), it’s more comfortable to have a fever and be laying in your own bed or on the couch than sitting on a hard plastic chair in a doc’s waiting room.
Anonymous says
You’re overreacting.
Anon says
My youngest had Kawasaki disease recently, so I’ve become a little bit of a fever expert. Fever guidelines are to seek emergency care if the fever is 104 degrees or higher, or to seek medical care if fever is 100.4 or higher for 5+ days. Candidly, my child had a mild case of Kawasaki with fluctuating temps of 99-103 for over 5 days. I’d seek medical care for any elevated temperatures lasting for 5 or more days.
Anonymous says
I might call the ped with a fever over 103, but generally, not unless it doesn’t go down with Tylenol/Advil. Or if there are other symptoms
Anon says
Currently 9 weeks pregnant with my second and morning sickness is kicking my butt. I have saltines and jolly ranchers on deck! Really worried about a lunch meeting scheduled today, we are going to a popular steak place and meat is not my friend lately. Anyone else in a similar boat? So thankful to be pregnant again, but first trimester is so tough.
Anon says
I’m sure this is a browser issue, but the top of my screen has a big black “subscribe to Corporette Moms” bar, and the bottom is a huge advertisement bar, and there is always a floating ad that pops up as well. The subscribe bar is new…but the actual webpage I want to see is shrinking!
Kil(l)ian says
Kilian or Killian?
My husband and I are considering the name Killian/Killian for our son-to-be. We don’t like the other spellings (Cillian, Kylian, etc), but can’t quite decide on how many L’s.
Any preferences from this group?
Anon says
Two Ls.
Anonymous says
Two Ls unless you want it to be misspelled by everyone.
test run says
I would go Killian – two Ls. I think one L is more likely to be mispronounced and this is more in line with Gillian/Jillian?
anon says
Two Ls, for sure.
Cb says
Killian as it’s more consistent with the Irish name. I’ve met lots of Cillians but never a Killian.
AwayEmily says
Two L’s.
Anonymous says
Neither. The name is spelled with a C. This is bizarre and makes it sound like you are giving your kid a name of violence. Don’t.
Anon says
Yeah the name is Cillian. This is big r/tragedeigh energy.
Anonymous says
Except it is a known variant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian#Notable_people_named_Killian
Anonymous says
Cillian I pronounce like the actor. Killian I pronounce kill-ee-an.
Don’t do that to a kid.
Anon says
Cillian Murphy is pronounced Killian.
HSAL says
Yeah I laughed pretty hard at this, even though I only recently learned it was a K and not an S sound.
Anon says
Two Ls. No question.
Anon says
It’s not a name I’d use if you’re not in Ireland, honestly. Killian is a deliberate misspelling of a traditional name, but Cillian is likely to be frequently mispronounced as Sill-i-an unless you’re in Ireland.
Anon says
Two Ls like the beer
Anon says
Yeah my first thought was the beer
Anonymous says
Please done pick this name.
Anon says
It’s written Kilian in Germany for St. Kilian. It’s not common for babies born now, but I see it occasionally in our generation.
Anonymous says
I don’t get the disdain for the name. The version with a K and two Ls is a pretty normal Americanized version of the Irish name. About 20 years ago there was a big fad of Irish names for American boys. So many Liams. That would be my only worry about the name—if you aren’t of Irish descent it might seem kind of silly.
OP Kil(l)ian says
Thanks for the responses. Admittedly a bit surprised- we were looking at the American and German spellings (background is German, which is why we prefer the K spellings to the C spelling). Baby isn’t due for a few more months so we’ll have to think about it some more.