This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
We just gave away the last of the kids’ stroller toys (sniff), including a little whale just like this one.
This charming stroller toy makes chime and crinkle sounds when squeezed — perfect for encouraging little ones to use their hands. There’s also a textured teether for relieving achy new teeth. It says spot clean, but I’ve definitely tossed it into the wash when it got grubby. This would make a great stocking stuffer for a baby’s first holiday.
Infantino’s Go Gaga! Big Softy Sea Chime Toy is $7.49 at Target.
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ 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
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
anon says
What is your take on drop off playdates where you don’t know the family? My kid has a new group of friends from an activity outside of school, so we see the other parents and are friendly, but don’t really know them. My kid (8 year old) was invited to a sleepover at this friend’s house along with everyone else from the activity. None of the parents are particularly close. I told my kid that they can go over, but not stay the night. I was just totally surprised by this kind of invite, we have a very close-knit family community at school, so I dont know if this is the norm. Growing up, my parents only allowed cousin sleepovers. I am allowing the drop off playdate, but dont feel great about it, either because I dont know the family and have never been to their house. Am i just paranoid?
Anon says
It seems completely normal to me. We started offering drop off play dates for school friends at age 4.5 (most friends were 5) and almost everyone takes us up on it. We don’t know any of the parents at all. I know a sleepover is different than a play date, but by age 8 a sleepover seems totally reasonable even if you don’t know the family. I think your parents were very unusual in only allowing cousin sleepovers. I slept over at good friends and neighbors houses beginning around age 5-6, and at classmates houses where our parents weren’t friends by age 7 or 8.
To me, this is the best part of having an older kid! My extroverted kid can have a social life and my introverted self can be alone 🤣
Anon says
Maybe you can chit-chat with the family at drop off and ask for a house tour to feel it out and reassure yourself. Ask about guns/pets/occupants etc.
Anonymous says
I don’t mind at all
Anonymous says
At age 8 drop-off playdates and sleepovers where you don’t know the parents well, or possibly at all, are commonplace. I always ask the gun question if the parents don’t volunteer that information. When I host, I volunteer that we have no guns and ask about food allergies/restrictions.
This is the age where you have to make a choice–will you maintain strict control over everything your child does, eats, and is exposed to, or will you let them begin to make their own friends and find their own way and participate in the wider world?
Anon says
+1 to the second paragraph
Anon says
In our area drop-off playdates are the norm once kids start elementary school even if the families aren’t friends. Is there a specific thing you’re worried about? IMO guns are the only serious risk to a child at a stranger’s home, and I think it’s reasonable to ask the parents if they own a gun and if so what safety precautions they have in place. You should also be teaching your child about gun safety. Age 8 is plenty old enough to know you don’t pick up anything that looks like a gun and you go and get an adult if you see a gun. Risks like molestation etc seem way too remote for me to worry about, and an 8 years old is plenty old enough to communicate if something weird or inappropriate happens, and if it does you don’t have to send your kid back there.
Anon says
A) I think drop off play dates where you don’t know the family are totally fine and common, unless something about your spidey sense is telling you otherwise. B) I will say I’ve been surprised how many moms of older kids I know who would not allow a sleepover at a family they don’t know, and it’s not about guns it’s because of your last point. I have no idea how remote of a chance it, but I do think you are overestimating an 8 year olds communication about it. People that do that stuff are extra manipulative and I would guess the more common response would be for the 8 year old to feel like they did something wrong and stay mum about it.
I think I would maybe ask about who all will be in the house. Frame it as, hey, I know I’m being weird, I ask this of all sleepovers: who all will be there? Siblings, siblings friends, family friends? etc.
Anon says
Yeah I agree if a child is actually being groomed and abused, they likely won’t have the ability to communicate about it. I meant more like if a child sees something strange that’s a red flag they can tell their parents and that allows parents to not send their child back to a potentially bad situation. I was thinking of an example from my own childhood. When I was 8 or so I went to a playdate at a classmate’s house and saw her mom’s boyfriend walking around in his underwear. I told my parents and they (rightly, imo) did not allow me to go back to that house, although we continued having the girl to playdates at our house. I think the guy was just a slob and there was like a 99% chance he was not doing anything sketchy, but in the unlikely event that he was doing something abusive, his weird behavior and my communication to my parents about it kept me out of that situation.
anon says
The risk of molestation of children is incredibly high. And, it often is among family, so cousin-only sleepovers are not necessarily safer. Another risk is sexually inappropriate behavior between children, especially if another child is being groomed/abused. It is not too remote to just not worry about. And, these things are incredibly difficult, sensitive, and divisive, so prevention is truly so much better than trying to figure out what to do after the fact.
Anon says
The vast majority of child sexual abuse is committed by a family member or adult that’s trusted by the parents. I’m saying it’s the risk of molestation by a relative stranger that’s remote, not the risk of abuse period. Given that knowing and trusting the adults doesn’t make things any safer, I’m not sure what you’re saying is the answer here – never let your child of any age go on unsupervised playdates or sleepovers? That doesn’t seem like a healthy childhood.
Anonymous says
The question is what are you trading off if you refuse to let your child spend time with friends in order to protect them against abuse? I think sleepovers are terrible for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that my child is a sleep-deprived monster for several days afterwards, but I permit some because they are so very important to her. At some point you have to ask the right questions, teach your child about the “gift of fear,” and then let them take a few carefully calculated risks.
I do agree that family and other trusted adults and peers are the most likely abusers, so it’s not as if only allowing your child to have sleepovers with cousins or the children of your close friends is going to protect them much.
anon says
I don’t refuse to let my kids spend time with friends or family, but I also think appropriate boundaries that I’m comfortable with are ok and in fact healthy. Sleepovers (whether with cousins, close friends, or relative strangers) are unlikely for us because of CSA in my family and SA while sleeping that happened to a friend of mine. Maybe that’s not the right answer, and I’ll admit I am paranoid, but it is how I currently feel. I say this not to debate, but as a suggestion to treat people with different family rules with some grace because you may not know the full story on why they have that rule. I’m not a mean mom who wants to deprive my kids of fun experiences, but I also am determined to do all I can to provide an abuse-free childhood for my kids. It’s very personal, like most parenting choices, and I understand I’m in the minority, but I hope my friends and other parents will continue to understand this about our family rules.
Anonymous says
Wow. I posted below and I would say the opposite. I have a 9 year old and the likelihood that she will be in a home with a gun and ammo that she has access to AND ALSO GOES TO PLAY WITH is extremely limited relative to the likelihood that she will get bitten in the face by a dog or drown in a pool.
Anonymous says
Where we live, unsecured firearms and aggressive dogs far outnumber pools. It is not uncommon to see a loaded shotgun kept by the back door to defend the chickens.
Anon says
Yeah very few people in our area have pools. I don’t think my kid has yet had a play date at a house with a pool. Apparently half of American homes have guns. I remember being shocked when I read that but it is apparently really common and I can’t imagine that all these gun owners are taking all the right precautions. I think guns are also so risky because a gunshot wound is so much more likely to be fatal. Plenty of people survive a dog bite (my dad was bitten by a dog a few months ago – he had to get stitches and it was not great, but his life was never in danger) but it’s so easy to kill a person with a gun.
Guns are the leading cause of death for children in the US. They surpassed car accidents recently. Some of those deaths are sadly intentional but a lot of them are accidental.
Anon says
Yeah, I think it’s normal. My seven year old went to one this weekend! Kids start making friends on their own. I think asking for a house tour for a drop off for an eight year old would be super weird. Brief your kid about safety before drop off.
Anon says
Yeah, you can do what you want, but I also think asking for a house tour would be incredibly weird. They’re 8, not 4. Most kids this age have been doing drop off play dates for years.
Anon says
I agree that a play date of this sort seems fine and normal, but I am not keen on sleepovers so I would also pick up my child before bedtime. Children are at their most vulnerable when sleeping (and their decision-making ability isn’t the best in a group when they are overtired!) so it’s just not necessary or worth it to me.
I disagree that this is keeping too tight a hold on your child or preventing them from experiencing “the wider world” – 8 is still VERY young! Kids need scaffolding and a slow on ramp to independence.
anon says
Ditto.
Anonymous says
I wanted to chime in to remind people that guns are NOT the biggest risk at a sleepover. Please make sure you talk to parents about any pools/ponds/water, pets/animals, older siblings, and if the kids will be allowed on social media.
At 8 the likelihood that your kid will find and play with a loaded gun at a sleepover <<< that s/he will drown or post or see inappropriate things on the internet, get touched by an older sibling, or get bitten or scratched by a dog that is “so friendly.”
Yes, of course, ask about guns. But please don’t think that’s enough.
And fwiw my kids sleep over people’s homes but I need to feel comfortable. My daughter has one friend that has a seriously poorly trained dog (the biting kind) and a mom who is way too relaxed about it. Another friend has two older brothers that are home alone all the time and often left to supervise the 9 year old girls. I don’t love that so we do playdates / sleepovers at our home with those two friends.
Anon says
Can’t most 8 year olds swim? I wouldn’t worry about drowning in a pond or pool at that age, unless your child hasn’t learned how to swim yet. An ocean or something with a strong current and waves is obviously different, since even a decently strong swimmer can drown in that situation.
Anon says
Yeah, this is very kid dependent. Pools are no longer a concern of mine for my 6 or 8 year olds. But they are strong swimmers and we live in a swimming heavy community.
Anonymous says
That was my post. Yes, 8 year old kids can swim. My 9 year old is on a swim team. But it’s actually attitudes like that that really freak me out. My daughter’s best friend has a pool and the kids are not allowed in it without supervision. There are other kids we know with pools that are allowed in by themselves [not supervised] because “8 year olds can swim.”
Unlocked liquor cabinets are another thing. I know they are only 8, but it’s a very slippery slope esp if there are older siblings.
Anon says
That’s fair. I was thinking more the risk of like falling in in the middle of the night like you would a toddler, but true, if they were actively swimming as an activity I would expect an adult to be around and watching.
Anonymous says
To me one of the biggest risk factors is the attitude of the other kids. My daughter had a friend whose parents were safety-conscious but was a devious and manipulative kid. I could absolutely envision this kid hatching a plan to swim unsupervised in the middle of the night, sneak out to meet up with the boy who lived next door, break into the liquor cabinet, etc. I didn’t think my daughter had the self-confidence to stand up to her, so I discouraged sleepovers and was happy when my daughter stopped hanging out with her altogether.
Anon says
Yeah I also thought you were worried about the risk of an unsupervised kid wandering into the pool and drowning. I agree it would be a little weird to have 8 year olds swimming alone as a planned activity. I don’t know that it would stop me from sending my kid, but I would definitely think it’s odd.
NYCer says
Adding to the chorus that this seems normal for 8 year olds. Especially when it is going to be a group of kids. It’s fine to pick your kid up before bedtime, but if kid wants to spend the night, I would allow it.
Anonymous says
In our school / circle we are just getting back to drop off play dates after years of covid caution so it’s fascinating to me to read these replies. I would allow it but my kid is high anxiety and probably not interested for a few more years. I would first ask who is going to be in the home and whether there are guns (pools are not a thing around here). I also realized recently— after 7 year old was over at our new neighbor’s house that I hadn’t even met and started making tik toks with an older sibling — we needed to come up with social media rules for him and go over them before play dates. I’d focus more on talking with my own kid about what our family rules and limits are (for internet, for touching , etc) and make sure he knew I will pick him up without being mad if anything is happening that is scary/against our rules. Apart from actual dangers I think it’s good for kids to be in some situations where they are trying to navigate these things by themselves.
Anonymous says
I would not be comfortable with my kid spending the night either. My oldest is 5.5, and admittedly we don’t have a super close friend group here. I just wouldn’t be comfortable letting him spend the night unless I knew the parents pretty well. I think your decision to let your kid go but not spend the night was within your boundaries and fair to kiddo.
anon says
Need new lunch containers for the kids. Are planet boxes worth it? I am looking at the ones with two sections, for sandwiches and some veggies. Any other recs for lunchboxes?
Anonymous says
I just got these, as I want multiples so don’t need to worry about washing every single night (we generally do but it is nice to have spares). https://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Container-Divided-Rectangle-Count/dp/B01JLPJWQ2
Anonymous says
I like Easy Lunch Boxes for anything that isn’t super leaky.
DLC says
I like Sistema lunch boxes. Inexpensive, durable, and dishwasher safe. They don’t work for liquid things, but my kids do sandwich, veggies, fruit and cookie and it’a perfect for that.
Anonymous says
This is also what I have: two of them are four years old and still going strong. I have 3 kids who take lunch, so I now own 6 of them. I stuff the used ones in the dishwasher each night. That’s probably extra but nobody got time to be hand washing lunch kits over here.
Anonymous says
Nah, hand-washing lunch kits is what would be extra.
AwayEmily says
We like our Munchkin bento boxes. It says “toddler” but it is definitely big enough for elementary and both parts are dishwasher-safe.
our turn i guess says
DH and I just tested positive for COVID yesterday, first time for both of us. We’ve both gotten the bivalent booster, our 22 month old is also positive, 5 year old is negative so far. Trying to get an idea of how long we should expect to feel like crap? 5 year old is masking when outside of her room and we are too when around her. We were supposed to start potty training Friday, is that silly ?
Anon says
Depends on your energy level. I’m not sure I’d have the emotional capacity let alone physical stamina to deal with potty training at that point but everyone has a different experience.
Anon says
Yes it’s silly to start potty training Friday. I don’t understand what “supposed” to start potty training means. it’s not something that needs to be done on a specific day or even in a specific month, and I see no reason why you wouldn’t delay it in this situation.
How long you feel bad really varies – my husband had cold like symptoms for maybe three days although it took him 13 days to get a negative rapid antigen test. My BFF was testing negative within a a week but couldn’t get out of bed for at least 10 days. Both triple vaxxed (my friend much more recently), although this was before the bivalent booster.
Anon says
I should clarify that I mean it’s silly to feel like you HAVE to potty train on Friday. If you feel fine, go for it, but I think you’re unlikely to feel great by then. Even mild cases normally last three or four days, and you might be taking care of a sick 5 year old also.
Anonymous says
22 months is super early for potty training. I would not want to try it while dealing with COVID. There will be other long weekends.
NYCer says
+1. Skip the potty training.
Anonymous says
I would not try to potty train a sick kid. I would not try to potty train a kid while I was sick. I definitely would not try to potty train a sick kid while I was sick.
OP says
haha thank you for the sanity check. we know it’s pretty early, his cognition just shot way up a few weeks ago and with the long weekend and me being over diapers, it felt like a good time to try. but covid poops have been nasty.
Anon says
Hope you feel better soon. I’d wait on the potty training. If you have a long Christmas break that may be even better anyway. We did it over 3 days but it would have been nice to have more time.
ElisaR says
ugh i just got it for the first time and it hit me like a ton of bricks. i think it was worse because i had my booster the day prior so my immune system was distracted. I went back to work after 10 days and then had to stay home an additional 2 days because i still felt like garbage. if you’re posting on here you’re already in better shape than i was, i couldn’t even focus on television or anything! wishing you and your family a speedy recovery.
Anonymous says
I had it recently…I’m pretty sure for the first time. Overall Illness was 2 weeks, 3 days of fever/chills. But I could function and take care of my kids solo with fever meds. My husband was not home the entire time. Just felt crappy/congested. In between a bad cold and the flu for me (I’d feel much worse with the flu, or even a raging case of Strep). My kids are not vaxxed (ages 3 and 5) and were completely fine, like a runny nose.
anon says
there’s truly no way to know. In my family I’ve had people down for 3+ weeks (lucky me) and people who thought it was mild allergies for a couple days (my lucky sister). Equivalent vaccine schedules and general health. It’s a total crapshoot. Take vitamins (d, zinc have been proven to be helpful) and I did a thorough long covid prevention vit schedule (turmeric, iron, B100) for months after but YMMV. hope it’s mild!
Anonymous says
Hopefully a fun question. DH and I want to take a trip the second weekend in December. Flying out of IAH. Leave Friday, return Sunday. My only stipulation is: not New Orleans (our usual go to) and sort of cheap. Walkable would be nice. The cheapest flights are: LA, NYC and Vegas. I’d maybe check out Oakland but I’m not interested in NYC or Vegas. What city would you visit?
Anon says
I’m confused – Oakland is not LA. It’s in the bay area. Did you just word this strangely, or were you mixing that up?
It seems like you have cheap flights to three cities and you don’t want to go to two of them, so I think you have your answer.
I would vote for Charleston or Savannah personally, but they’re not on your list of places you can go for cheap.
Pogo says
I think out of just those 3 I would pick NYC as a getaway with DH, since we could do adult museums and restaurants but that would not be cheap at all.
And LA or SF, whichever one you meant, is probably also not cheap. Sure, Oakland is ‘cheaper’ than SF but in the sense that you can buy a house for $2M and not $5M….
Anon says
Eh, the Bay Area is the least recovered urban area post pandemic so in the sense that she could maybe get a nice hotel for cheaper than usual it could be. (But with only a couple of weeks lead time and around the holidays, maybe not).
Anon says
Cheap to visit doesn’t necessarily correlate that closely with cheap to live. In a trip this short, flight prices are going to be the biggest factor in cost and big cities usually have cheaper flights than small cities in the middle of nowhere. Like where I live you can buy a nice house for $300k but it costs $700 to get on a plane because our airport is small and doesn’t have a lot of competition.
Anonymous says
I read it as: she would look into flights to Oakland/ Bay Area as an alternative to LA. Both are nice but neither is cheap or terribly walkable. What about Denver? It’ll be chilly but sunny (no colder than NYC, really) & you might want to rent a car to do day trips, but I’d go to Meow Wolf, the Air & Space Museum, and the RiNo art district.
Anonymous says
LA is not a great weekend destination. It is so huge and requires driving to get anywhere. For a weekend in SoCal I’d choose San Diego over LA. I would also look at other places like Sedona.
Anonymous says
Cancun
Anon says
This would also be my vote.
Anon says
If you really do mean Oakland (in which case you would fly into Oakland or SF), there is plenty of cool things to do (you would want to involve Berkeley too), but IMHO you would really need a plan in place for the time you are there, so it kind of depends on how much planning you want to do ahead of time. You don’t really just want to wander around Oakland and find stuff to do.
NYCer says
Of those options, I would pick NYC for a couples trip, but I know you said you aren’t interested in NYC. I don’t think that LA is a great weekend destination, because everything is quite spread out and involves a lot of driving. You mentioned Oakland (which I would skip personally), but you can fly into Oakland and then go stay in Napa or Sonoma. Would that interest you?
Otherwise, what about Charleston? Miami? Savannah? Sedona?
SC says
Out of the three you mention, I’d choose NYC, but you say you’re not interested. I’m looking at direct flights out of IAH… I’d probably choose Phoenix, San Diego, Montreal, or, if I was not in the mood for a city, a resort in Mexico.
OP says
I obviously worded this quite poorly. And yes, I was definitely confusing LAX with the Oakland airport. I haven’t slept in 21 months: cut me some slack :) I do not want to go to LA, Vegas or NYC. Charleston, Savannah and Cancun all seem like good ideas. I’ll price those. Thanks everyone!
Anon says
Mexico City!!! Did this in 2019 and it was so fun.
Anon says
Palm Springs?
Anon says
We have a huge yard that’s basically empty and I’m ready to make it more fun. Currently we have a very little slide, climbing dome, and a sandbox. The yard is mainly on a hill so not ideal for adding a swing set or similar. We have a baby and a 5 year old, so very different stages. 5 year old loves climbing – I wish we could do some kind of ninja thing but we don’t have any trees to hang it from. What are your kids enjoying?
Anonymous says
I want a mud kitchen.
ElisaR says
my kids like their climbing dome but i’m not sure how steep your hill is… if it’s super steep it might not work.
TheElms says
How big of a project are you looking to undertake? If you’re ok going big, theoretically you could terrace a section at the top of the hill and put a playhouse and mud kitchen up on the terraced section and then have steps up the hill with a slide built into the slope of the hill. When the kids are older you would take the playhouse and mud kitchen out (and the slide) and maybe just have a fire pit and chairs up there on the terraced part or maybe put in some garden beds for vegetables.
Anon says
Oh i love this vision!
Anon says
Downhill bike track with some little jumps!
Wear your brain bucket says
Omg can we be friends. Also ski track in the winter.
Pogo says
Wwyd – my sensitive young 5yo told me he was scared of the movie that extended day went to the last time they had a half-day. It turns out I was supposed to be getting some newsletter that would inform me of the movies ahead of time, so I’ve corrected that now and looked at the movie they’re proposing for the next half day. It is also PG and also looks fairly “adventurous” (Strange World). This is a kid who couldn’t handle the new Minions movie – he was covering his eyes and finally asked me if we could leave (to be fair, the plot point that spooked him was child Gru getting kidnapped by a windowless van…).
Should I figure out something else to do on half-days, or work on trying to come up with a plan for him if he gets scared at the movie? (Like asking him to sit next to a buddy or one of the aides, closing his eyes, etc). Obviously the movie is also only 90min of the 4+ hours of the half day care, so I’m inclined to try and figure out a way to power through it, but I also don’t want to ignore his concerns.
Anon says
I would probably try to find something else for him to do if it’s an option. I skew pretty free range on a lot of things (e.g., drop off playdate/sleepover discussion above) but I read some article about how even movies that are allegedly made for children can have really scary imagery that damages their brains so I’m kind of paranoid about this stuff and wouldn’t want to make a sensitive kid watch something that was scaring them.
Anonymous says
I am not sure whether movies are inherently bad, but movies are definitely bad for little Pogo so I wouldn’t subject him to them.
Anon says
Oh I’m not saying all movies are bad! We do a weekly family movie night but we can stop the movie/kiddo can leave if it’s scary or if we deem it inappropriate, so a different situation than daycare.
Anonymous says
I would keep him out of day care on movie days. When I was a kid some movies that parents would not consider scary gave me nightmares for months. Even as an adult I find that violent or scary movies make me feel off for days afterwards. Add to that the fact that movie theaters are loud, crowded, and often overheated and smelly, and it sounds like a terrible experience for him.
Emma says
Agreed. I’m 33 and had to leave the room yesterday when watching a thriller that involved a really violent scene. We didn’t have a tv at home growing up so I was easily scared of movies and pretty traumatized by a few things I saw as a kid. Context matters- my dad took me to see grown-up movies and I was fine, but sitting in aftercare without a parent, I would get scared very easily. I would try to respect your kid’s limit on this.
AwayEmily says
“Respect your kid’s limit” is a really nice way of thinking about it. We had a similar conversation in our house this week…for movie night on Sunday I turned on Penguins of Madagascar for the 4.5 and 6.5yo (their choice). About ten minutes in I went to check on them and they both looked really tense. So I asked if they wanted to keep going, or switch to some Octonauts episodes, and they both voted for Octonauts. I also took the opportunity to talk to them about the fact that if they didn’t like the way watching something made them feel, they should ALWAYS speak up, whether it was at our house, they were watching it at a friend’s house, or they were watching it at school.
And yeah, I was also super scared of several things I saw as a kid — my parents basically had no limits and while I’m sure that works for some kids, it was a DISASTER for me and it took me a long time to get over some of it.
Anonymous says
+1 for respecting your kid’s limits and teaching them to respect their own limits! This skill will serve them well when they get older and are subject to peer pressure.
Pogo says
thanks for the gut check guys – now that I know that I’m getting the newsletter I will pre-screen and only send him if he is OK with it. He was fine with Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, so it’s not every single movie, but it is… a lot of them. My husband wanted to show him Coco on Halloween and I’m like, are you insane?
Anon says
Lyle was SO cute. My 4 year old and I both loved it.
a says
FWIW my kid’s aftercare lets kids quietly play in another room if they’re too scared of the movie and this is for first and second graders — does your kid’s school do that?
Anon says
It sounds like they take the kids to an actual movie theater, which is even worse imo. Theaters can be LOUD and the giant screen makes scary things even scarier.
Anon says
Ugh my 5 year old has strep and is really sick. We took her to the doctor yesterday after five days of low grade fever and general malaise (tired, complaining that her stomach hurt) and her rapid strep came back “flaming positive.” We started antibiotics but before they had a chance to kick in she spiked a 103 fever. I feel terrible, we obviously should have taken her to the doctor sooner, we just had no idea it was strep and figure it was some virus she would kick on her own. I guess this is a PSA that your kid can have strep with no complaints about their throat hurting!
Anonymous says
Aw, don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes strep doesn’t present the classic signs. My kid always has a sick tummy and almost never complains of a sore throat with strep. Also, if you’d gone in earlier the rapid test might not have been positive anyway.
Anon says
Thanks <3 It's just weird to see her so sick! I'm used to illness being something that makes her snotty for a couple of days (even if it knocks me and DH out) so seeing her really sick and unable to get off the couch is sad and jarring.
Anonymous says
The good news about strep is that the antibiotics tend to work pretty quickly. For my kid the fever and other symptoms are usually gone within 48 hours.
Pogo says
I don’t think anything can prepare you for seeing your child lethargic and truly ill. It’s very upsetting, even when they have no complications and get better on their own.
Anon says
My parents report she is much better this afternoon! Thanks for the commiseration guys :)
Anonymous says
Don’t feel bad. My 5 year old has had strep 3 times since the end of September. The second time he had it he would say he felt fine in the morning but then go downhill in the afternoon and have no energy. It took me 3 days to figure out what was wrong. I kept sending him to school and felt so guilty. He’s fine. Kids are troopers.
Anonymous says
Help me socialize with other daycare parents! Specifically, we ran into another daycare family at a restaurant this past weekend and exchanged phone numbers. Now what? Should I suggest a playground meetup on a weekend? Invite them over to our house? I’d love to get to know some daycare families but am not great at this. I don’t know where they live but assume it’s generally near us since the daycare and the restaurant were both in our suburb.
Anon says
How old are the kids? If 3+ and they can actually play together with minimal adult intervention, then you could suggest a playdate at your house. But if the kids are babies/toddlers I think a playground meet up is probably more appropriate.
Anon says
If you think you have a sense you will jive well with the parents and are trying to pursue a friendship, I would invite the whole family over for a late afternoon/early evening drinks (YMMV) and pizza on a weekend. Maybe give a couple of specific date options so if they are really not feeling it they have an “out” to say they are busy, but in my experience most are usually enthused.
You can certainly do a playground meet up if you want to tip toe into it, or if you get the sense that might be more their speed, but in my experience play ground meet ups don’t create near the connection as hanging out at our home does.
AwayEmily says
+1 on this. Hanging out at home is a much better way of connecting (one of the many reasons covid was so tough on parents of young kids…I feel like I lost out on two years of friendship-forming opportunities).
NYCer says
I don’t have direct daycare experience, but if you want to be friends with these parents, I find playground meet ups with little kids to be tough for socializing with other adults. Inevitably, the kids want to play on different parts of the playground so you barely get a chance to chat with the other adult. I guess it could be fine to kind of gauge interest though before inviting them over to your house.
Anon says
I’ve had great experiences with playground meetups and we’ve developed friendships that way during COVID. I like that the atmosphere takes the pressure off of having constant conversations and you don’t have to worry about cleaning your house or making things presentable. Easy!
Anonymous says
Counterpoint, I usually end up spending the entire time talking to the other parent. (This weekend my 4 year old’s new friend’s dad brought him when I was expecting the mom, so I chatted with him for 90 min.) For recommendation, I text and offer to host in our home or meet at the playground and let them choose.
Anonymous says
Adding as a comment, my kid just turned 4 and I have not stayed near him at a playground in over a year. He is a younger sibling though who are often a little more adventurous/often his brother is there to play with him.
NYCer says
I stay near my 3yo (who is also a younger sibling fwiw) because she is too adventurous. Plus she always wants to show me ALL the things. Guess it’s kid dependent.
NYCer says
Genuinely curious, how old are your kids Anon and Anonymous above? I could see playgrounds being a great spot to socialize with other parents if both have older kids (or with adults you are already friends with), but with kids under age 3 or so, don’t you end up staying close to your kid and not really talking to the other adults? My youngest is 3.5, and I still feel like I need to stay close to her at a playground. I have definitely not developed any true friendships with moms I socialize or chit-chat with at the playground. This could be a me-problem though! :)
Anon says
My kid is 5 and still weirdly clingy to us at playgrounds. I never expect to talk to another adult at a playground unless my husband is there to wrangle the kid, and honestly my kid rarely interacts well with other kids at playgrounds either. In people’s houses, she does great and will immediately play with other kids with minimal adult guidance. I think it’s a combination of 1) new toys are way more interesting to her than new playground equipment (though she’s definitely not being antisocial and ignoring the other kids to play with the toys) and 2) she’s always been at the lagging end physically and is kind of cautious and scared of heights (won’t do big slides or go on high pieces of climbing equipment), so she needs reassurance from us in a way that she doesn’t when she’s playing dress up or coloring or whatever at someone’s home. We avoid playground meetups unless it’s an organized group event, and I’m so glad kids are vaxxed and our circle is comfortable with indoor playdates again.
Anon says
My daughter was three when we started doing playground play dates – I would either invite one of her besties from daycare or a family I knew through MOPS that I wanted to befriend. The playgrounds were in quiet neighborhoods and usually didn’t have any other people while we were there, so that made it easier to chat and connect with the other parent even if we were interrupted occasionally. I wouldn’t do play dates at parks exclusively, but it’s a nice way to ease into friendships because the kids are occupied and happy and you don’t have to plan much.
Anon says
My 23 month old has been telling me he’s “scared” of things for the past few weeks. Stuffed animals he’s liked before, pictures of animals or cartoons he used to like, the dark, etc. He is genuinely scared and asks me to “put away” those books or toys. How have you dealt with these new developments? I was scared of the dark for a very long time so I can empathize with him, but wondering if it’s a little early to be exhibiting such intense fears and at a loss for how to help him.
Maybe this is separate…but he used to fall asleep fairly well on his own but now asks us to leave the door open because he is afraid, which means he comes out and refuses to sleep.
Anon. says
This happened for us around the same age. It was just a phase for us. Usually we’d talk about how the benign object could not hurt her, but also put it out of sight for a while.
EDAnon says
My kids are a bit older and my strategy is to wait it out. So far, it has worked. The bedtime stuff is no fun at all but I wait that out too. Though, I have been tired for 6 years so maybe someone else has better ideas on that point!
Anon says
My 5 year old used to be pretty good at culling old books and toys but in the last year or so, it’s gotten impossible for her to part with any toy. And I’m using “toy” very loosely here. She’ll decide some scrap of paper or tiny piece of plastic junk she got at school or is using in some pretend game is the most important thing ever. She refuses to part with any of the baby toys she no longer plays with. She’s still ok at giving away books, I think because she doesn’t have as much interest in books for whatever reason. With the holidays coming up, I know we’re going to be inundated with new toys (we buy very little, but friends and family give a lot) and I just can’t believe how much stuff we already have in our house. It’s more than I imagined we could ever have for one small child and she doesn’t use most of it. I’m at the point where I want to start sneaking stuff away and donating it if she hasn’t asked for it in a few months, but my husband says this is cruel. Any ideas for getting kids to part with stuff? I am actively dreading the holiday season because of how much new stuff I know she’s going to get. Some family members do ask us for suggestions, and we can try to steer them towards consumables but even then it’s like she will decide the box or something is super important and refuse to let us throw it out. She’s a little mini-hoarder!
AwayEmily says
Would it placate your husband if you (without telling her) slowly started putting toys, a few at a time, in a “waiting area” (i.e. big bin in the basement). If she asks for one, she can have it back. And then if she hasn’t asked for them in six months, you get rid of them.
That’s basically what we do, though it’s largely motivated by laziness — I basically squirrel them away until I find a family with younger kids who wants them.
Anonymous says
We use containers to set physical limits. We have one box a little larger than a shoebox for party favors and random plastic junk. When it’s full, she has to go through it and discard some items if she wants to keep new stuff. Same with a large basket of stuffed animals. When the game shelf is full, some games have to go. When the art boxes are full, it’s time for a clean-out. Etc.
SC says
For actual toys, we use space limitations–the bin for plastic stuff, the bookshelf, the puzzle cabinet, the game cabinet, etc. I talk about the holidays coming up and how we’re giving somebody else a turn to play with the item (even if it’s really going in the trash). I choose one area per weekend day so Kiddo doesn’t get too overwhelmed by decisions. I start by pulling out items I think he’s outgrown or lost interest in, and then he gets to choose–it cuts down on the time and number of decisions he has to make, and he doesn’t have to defend or choose his obvious favorites.
It’s a little different for the random junk, I mean treasures, that accumulate around the house. For those, I’ll take the things he’s still playing with and put them in his room. The rest, I’ll put in a box in the garage. If he doesn’t ask about it, I’ll toss it.
Isabella says
Help me choose our giving-tree gifts this year, please:
Coloring supplies for a 12 year old girl–pens, pencils, or a smaller pack of each?
Books for a 9 year old girl–I was thinking one fantasy novel, one contemporary novel, and a non-fiction, does that sound good? Any recommendations for the non-fiction?
Anonymous says
For the 12-year-old, if she likes adult coloring books with small spaces get a large pack of Staedtler Triplus fine point markers or a large package of Prismacolor pencils. You can More colors in either pens or pencils is better than fewer colors in both pens and pencils. Check prices at Target, A*zon, Blick, and with a coupon at Michaels.
Anonymous says
Second the Prismacolor recommendation for the 12 year old. also recommend Caran d’ache watercolor pastels.
Contemporary novel for 9 year old- my kid just read and enjoyed New From Here by Kelly Yang, about a kid moving from Hong Kong to America in the early days of covid.
Anonymous says
My 9.5 y/o loves extreme dot to dots :)
Anonymous says
Boss took me aside a few weeks ago and told me I’d be asked to do a Big Thing. I’ve heard nothing about it since then. Boss just sent a group e-mail out about preparing for the event where Big Thing will happen. I replied to Boss asking “you still want me to handle Big Thing, right?” Waiting for a reply and I don’t know why I am so nervous. Maybe I misheard? Maybe I am nuts? I realllly want to do Big Thing and I am the best person to do it. Please reassure me that I’m not being pushy and grabby by speaking up?
Pogo says
ugh, that’s annoying. Is your boss normally flaky? I would feel the same way, if that helps at all.
OP says
Boss is not flaky but has some tendency towards capriciousness and there are some competing egos involved here.
While I was typing the reply came through that yes I am doing it. Phew! This will be so much fun and is also what we like to call a Good Opportunity to get exposure.
Anon says
both kids are sick – hooray. my in-laws are currently on a plane and other family arriving tomorrow and thursday. is thanksgiving over yet…
Bette says
At what age do you start giving your child freedom to come and go from their bedroom at night? My 26 month old has been in a Montessori-style floor bed since 5 months, meaning he always has free access to get out of his bed and wander around his room. Early on we put a plastic doorknob cover (the kind kids can’t turn) inside his bedroom door, because when he first learned to walk he went through a brief phase of trying to leave his room at nap time/bedtime instead of sleeping. That’s no longer an issue, he stays in bed once we put him down, but we’ve kept the doorknob cover on there out of habit. Is it time to take it off?? The only thing giving me pause about removing is that he often will spend 30-45 minutes playing independently in his room on Saturday/Sunday mornings before calling for us, and we can relax in bed and just watch him on the monitor (usually this means we don’t get out of bed until 8 am most weekends which feels so luxurious). If he has free reign over the house then we’d lose that.
If it matters we’re going to have baby #2 in a few months so I’m sure all will be chaos and any leisurely weekend moments will evaporate anyway…
Anon says
I’m probably not the right person to answer this question because my 25 month old is still in a crib and sleepsack (and we intend to keep her there as long as we can!), but I wouldn’t give him free reign of the house for the reasons you stated. No more peace of knowing that he’s contained within his babyproofed space.
Anon. says
Um, my 34 month old is still in a crib. I wouldn’t give free reign until you have to, which for me is when we remove nighttime pull-ups.
Anonymous says
I would not change things up that are working well enough, especially with a younger sibling on the way.
As for the actual question, potty at night could be a driver. But honestly if you were potty training and child could go independently, I’d put a small potty in their room at night (this is what we did for my child who was scared to go to the bathroom herself in the middle of the night for awhile but was capable of doing so).
I also would evaluate how childproofed the rest of your home is. I wouldn’t want a 26-month old to have unsupervised access to stairs, unsecured furniture, glitter, scissors. Do you have an alarm on your external doors? Deadbolt that he cannot reach?
NYCer says
My youngest daughter has always slept with her door open. So she had free range once she moved to a regular bed shortly after she turned 2. She stays in her bedroom all night, but will definitely come out when she wakes up. If your son isn’t protesting, I would just leave it as is for now.
Anon says
when it comes to kid sleep, the phrase ‘if it aint broke dont fix it’ definitely applies
Anon says
I have an only child so we didn’t have the sibling component, but we never had any kind of doorknob cover so she had free reign of the house as soon as we took the fourth wall of her crib down when she was 2.25. She never once left the room on her own though. Even now at 5 she just yells for us to come get her in the morning, lol.
I agree with not messing with the way things are unless there’s a problem.
CCLA says
For oldest, we took the child lock off her door right before age 3, which corresponded to right after she potty trained. She had had floor bed since about 20 months so wasn’t like moving from a crib. We used a hatch light and she was good about not coming out until the light turned. Our younger one got freedom earlier, around 18 months, because they shared a room then and we didn’t want to limit the older one’s freedom.
Con is that depending on how you’ve set up the rest of your house, this may require more childproofing since they will have freedom to roam without supervision. Our home was pretty small and the kitchen could be gated off, so we just let her have free reign of any part of the house that wasn’t gated or closed off and she basically didn’t change her routines, just expanded her duplo and stuffy party morning activities to the living room sometimes.
Pro tip for child proofing that we started using more at that time was to get those sliding child locks that sit on top of the door and use them for any rooms or closets we didn’t want the kid(s) getting into. So they could roam the living room, their room, use the bathroom, sometimes the playroom, but not my office or the laundry room, and when we had a new baby, we also used a child lock on the top of her door so that older sis couldn’t go in and for instance toss a stuffy into the crib with the newborn.
Bette says
Thank you all for the input! My main takeaway is “if it’s working don’t mess with it.” Sometimes I need that reminder. If/when we decide to give a little more freedom, I appreciate the suggestions about strategically childproofing/blocking off certain areas.
Anon says
I will be closing and moving into a new house with a toddler and 5 week old. Any recommendations?? For past moves, we did it totally DIY. We will likely use professional movers this time. We’re on a tight budget, but is it worth paying for the movers to pack our stuff as well? Any suggestions about how to prioritize kids’ stuff to ease the transition?
Anon says
i personally think paying for movers to pack is priceless if you can make room in the budget, especially with kids htat age (congrats on your new arrival! you are supermom to move with such a young baby). pack kid sheets, stuffies, and whatever they use in their rooms to sleep in a suitcase your move yourself and prioritize setting their rooms up asap. ask the movers to pack the truck in such a way that their beds/cribs and other kid furniture is the first to go into the new home. im not sure how old toddler is, but if you have access to the new place before you might take toddler to visit a few times and read some books about moving. we had a 5 day overlap with the apartment we were moving out of, so i started setting up the new playroom before moving day to help ease the transition.
Anon. says
Agreed with the prior poster. Do everything you can to set up toddler room as similarly as possible to how it exists in the old house. Maintain as much consistency as you can with routine etc.
And I’m spoiled by corporate reimbursed moves, but packing service is absolutely worth it. Contrarily, unpacking service is not useful at all.
SC says
If you can afford to have movers pack your stuff, I think it is worth it. During my last move, I couldn’t afford to pay other people to pack, but we did have professional movers for the day of. I paid for good, sturdy boxes and a good tape roller. I started packing well in advance with stuff we didn’t use often or could do without–80% of our kitchen items, books, at least half our clothes, etc. As I packed, I labeled boxes by number and kept a spreadsheet with a description of what was in them (“pots and pans,” “dishes,” “books,” not an itemized list).
My biggest tip is to use color-coded tape on the outside of each box and on furniture (if it won’t be ruined) to let the movers know which room to put the box in. All the kid’s stuff had yellow tape on it and was dropped off in his room. We unpacked it first, and his room was set up by the time he got home from daycare. Agree on consistency for toddler–keep bed, bedding, etc the same for now.