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It doesn’t snow much where I live, but when it does I want to be ready!
These snow pants from cold weather expert L.L.Bean will keep your kids warm and snug for hours of winter play. They’re cut with plenty of room for layering, feature an adjustable waist, and are packed with Thinsulate. These pants are reinforced at the knees, seat, and cuffs so they’ll be ready to pass down to the next kid.
L.L.Bean’s Kids’ Cold Buster Snow Pants are $69 and come in Kids’ sizes 8–18 and Little Kids’ sizes 4–6X/7. They come in pink berry, deepest blue, and classic black.
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(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
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Kid/Family Sales
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Anon says
I want to get my husband a fun birthday subscription, I was thinking beer? he loved a snacks of thr world subscription many years ago and I want something fun like that. any ideas or recs?
Anonymous says
Where do you live? I’ve found the best subscriptions boxes are local- if you’re in the DC area, La Jambe at Union Market has an amazing cheese club membership that I got my husband for Christmas and we’ve now been doing on and off for years. But if you can find a local cheese club, I think those are really fun.
AwayEmily says
Zingermans has a lot of good ones.
Anon says
I have a quarterly subscription from a local-ish (2.5 hour drive) cidery (Potter’s Craft Cider in Charlottesville) (I pay for the shipping, but local pick up is cheaper if there is an option) where they send me a selection of seasonal ciders or small batches, etc.; if he has a favorite small brewery they might do something similar. We often do weekend trips there a few times a year, so it is a nice reminder of fond memories when it comes.
Snow Pants says
For mid-Atlantic weather and little fast-growing kids, I have been really happy with the Cat and Jack snow pants and they are much cheaper (can find on sale for $25). It doesn’t snow more than a handful of times a year here, kid has stayed warm at ski resorts (not a full day of skiing at this age of course), and much more cost effective given the growth spurts. Also team overalls rather than pants for the littles; less snow in the back and rear. Kiddo is 5 and until she is skiing a full day, I haven’t brought myself to spring for the LL Bean ones.
Lil says
i agree on this mid Atlantic assessment and my kid is on his 3rd year with the cat and jack overalls. Just checked and they still fit!
GCA says
All of this! Also team snow bibs. And, with the right layers, the All in Motion snow bibs have worked for us in New England so far. $25 at Target.
Anon says
I’m in the Midwest but we’ve never had anything other than Cat & Jack. We’re not a super outdoorsy family so we mainly need them for daycare and maybe sledding in the backyard a couple of times.
anon says
+1 to Cat&Jack overall snow pants from another mid-Atlantic family. We’ve been able to use the same ones for 2-3 winters by letting down the hems.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Agree with Cat & Jack overalls being good for us, and we’re even in New England. Kids wear them to play in the snow at school/weekends and no issues so far.
Spirograph says
We split the difference and do Land’s End bib overalls. They seem sturdier and slightly warmer/more waterproof for downhill sports and visiting family in the midwest and northeast. Plus I want them to last 6 winters as they get passed down through all three kids. They often go on sale for around $35-40ish
AwayEmily says
PSA for those of you looking to renew your passport: you can do it online, with a phone photo, and it is SO EASY. Took me all of 15 minutes. You have to meet certain criteria (window of expiration, no name change, etc) but man what a great experience.
Anon says
It’s a nice idea but it’s still really glitchy. I tried a couple weeks ago to do it for my husband but it wasn’t letting me create an account. I spent about 30 minutes on different/browsers computers. I finally gave up and just renewed by mail which is also very quick for adults. The only downside is you have to pay to mail the envelope but it didn’t take me more than 15 minutes to fill out the form and drop it in the mail with his old passport and a check. It’s kids passports that are a real pain since you need to go in person to the post office. We spent an hour and a half at the post office this week renewing my kid’s.
Cb says
Ugh, I’ve let my kid’s American passport lapse because it’s a new application and requires a trip to the US embassy, sitting in a cramped room with all the new American babies.
Anon says
At least in the US, my understanding is that kid passports always require an in person visit with both parents to prevent people from stealing kids.
CCLA says
Yes, though you can also get a notarized form from one parent if they’re unable to attend. We haven’t tried that but almost went that route and seemed fairly straightforward, just more paperwork and admin hassle. Our post office appt last week for two kids took about 45 minutes.
Anon says
Yeah, the notorized form is an option if only one parent can go. DH and I decided that was harder than just both going in person but we have flexible jobs and the post office has appointments on Saturdays.
Anonymous says
I successfully used the notarized form yesterday!
Anon says
I’m sure it’s much harder for you! But even living here it’s a real pain having to do a new application. We had to wait in a long line despite having an appointment. And they’re so persnickety at the post office, way more so than the state department in my experience. They made me re-do the entire form because I had one tiny mistake crossed out. I had something crossed out on my husband’s renew-by-mail form and it was not an issue at all. Then it took them 25 minutes (!) to get a photo of my kid they deemed appropriate, and I’m not even sure it technically is appropriate because her hair is on her face. They rejected a lot of other photos because her eyes weren’t looking straight at the camera or she was smiling with a hint of teeth. The state department really isn’t that strict with the photo requirements, especially with kids, but I guess the post office didn’t want to take any chances. (And I know it doesn’t matter but the photo they ended up using is soooo awful and I hate it. They did print out some really cute smiling photos for me though, which was nice.) And of course both parents have to go or you have to get a notarized form from the absent parent. I’m glad we don’t have to do it again for 5 years.
Anon says
When we renewed our kids’ passports the office didn’t want to use the photos we had because they thought they would be rejected. Turns out the state dept really doesn’t actually care if your 4yo has a small headband on in her photo.
Anon says
Can you not make an appointment? I’ve only done passport things at US embassies twice, but both times it was pretty quick and not any worse than doing it in the States.
AwayEmily says
You probably realized this already but there’s a two-step process…first you have to apply for an account and get it “approved,” which takes like 24 hours, and only after the approval can does the passport application link appear.
For me the big bonus was the ability to use a digital photo and not have to go to a Walgreens or whatever.
Anon says
Yeah, it wasn’t letting me get to the final step of creating the account, so I never got to the waiting for approval stage.
Anon says
Anyone have anything that helped with morning sickness? Already on the meds.
Newly pregnant with #2. It was AWFUL with #1 and is starting to appear already. This is probably wishful thinking but I’m hoping I can try some different things this time and maybe it won’t be so bad?
Anon says
Meds, hot McDonald’s french fries (worked for Mom’s chemo too to instantly kill nausea), Mexican food (weird but worked) and milk. Always keeping something in my stomach, and all the pepcid with my diclegis. Some days all I could keep down was milk and french fries. Take comfort that baby will take what they need, so eat what stays down even if it’s not ideal, and try really hard to keep your prenatals down (I took them at night). Focus on fluids (ideally with some calories) too, because dehydration will get you into trouble way faster than eating light.
Other days were better, but I also found my triggers. Anything with yeast was a no go (I think it was basically brewing in my stomach), and yeast shows up in all sorts of seasonings so once I got religious about cutting that out it helped a lot, and any dark leafy vegetables (fun story, both continued to cause issues in kiddo when I was BFing, so it was over two years of no salads and all tortilla wraps and basically no dressings or flavored chips, a lot of sauces or seasoning packets).
And, you survived this once, you know it is only temporary (it will end when kiddo is born, hopefully sooner if lucky). And I expect the new baby will be worth the months of it in the end, so focus on the light at the end of the trouble and be OK with not pretending to have that pregnancy glow (other than green).
Anon says
I found eating constantly to help.
Anon says
+1. At one point I was eating 5 lbs of baby carrots per day. I thought the baby was going to come out orange.
Vicky Austin says
That was me with kiwi fruit – baby isn’t due till spring so I guess we’ll see if it’s green (or hardboiled – eggs have been my other mainstay!).
Bette says
+1
The best thing in my first trimester was to have a full stomach at all times.
Third trimester the nausea and vomiting came back and I needed zofran and a lot of ginger ale and Gatorade.
I also has a countdown going until my due date. The minute I gave birth i felt so much better.
Good luck.
anonM says
The only thing that seemed to help concretely was not taking my prenatal first thing in the am/empty stomach. I also had to give up coffee totally for the first trimester. Good luck!
anon says
Which meds are you on? Zofran was the only thing that moderately helped me. It allowed me to keep some meals down in the first half of the day. Diclegis did nothing for me except make me drowsy. I got another prescription med too that did nothing and I forgot the name of it. I also got regular IVs. I had HG though, so a pretty extreme example.
I’m still iffy about grapefruits 18 months out from having the baby, because it was all I could eat during my pregnancy and the taste gives me PTSD.
CCLA says
I subsisted on bread, fruit, cheese for the 12 weeks it was intense. Lots of snacks. Gummy prenatals. Lots of ginger tea. Also for the meds, diclegis was a million times better than the roll your own variety of unisom and B6. Good luck!
anon says
After having it rough with #1, I was not too proud to start medication when I was pregnant with #2. Zofran specifically.
Anon says
I was fortunate enough to not have morning sickness but I was terribly nauseous for weeks when I had Covid. Only thing I could stomach in the mornings was lays salt and vinegar chips and either yellow Gatorade or ginger ale.
Anon says
Pink Stork makes a probiotic that I took every night with my third pregnancy and I think it helped.
My first preg I was moderately sick, second I was much more sick – vomiting every day – and my third was my easiest, I only vomited twice and both times were after nights I forgot to take the probiotic (possibly in my head, but I would try anything). I was still queasy, but much more functional than I was with my second pregnancy.
I also think having a toddler/lack of sleep just makes pregnancies harder.
Anon says
I took the meds from my doc and carried around a gallon sized ziplock bag of cheerios and constantly grazed. Sometimes i pinched myself to focus on something else.
Anon says
I had bad morning sickness with both pregnancies. Nothing made a major improvement (in hindsight, I should have asked for meds) but I did find that the Pink Stork morning sickness tea and sucking on Jolly Ranchers would help. I also kept baggies of dry Cheerios everywhere (in my office, next to my bed, in my car, etc.). Eating tiny amounts of bland foods constantly helped me with the seemingly never-ending dry heaving.
I’ve been a little sad that we’re not having a third but thanks for the reminder of how much I despised this part of having kids. :)
Bette says
Also, I switched to gummy prenatals, taken with food.
Cb says
Any Greek or Roman mythology recs for elementary schoolers? Maybe something my son can listen to on audio?
Also any story podcasts warmly welcome. He does Audible at night, but often wants a podcast for play / art time.
He came home talking about Janus and was fascinated, sometimes the kids stories podcasts do myths but they are hard to dig up.
Anonymous says
“Greeking Out” is a wondeful podcast! Its put out by National Geographic Kids. It’s my daughter’s favorite podcast, and the one of hers *I* most enjoy listening to with her.
Anonymous says
Stories Podcast does a lot of Greek (and other) mythology. Just take a look through the story titles, but you’ll find a lot of stuff that fits the bill.
Anon says
How soon would you bike with your baby in a bike seat for commuting to daycare on a smooth, paved path? I’ve heard the recommendation is to avoid biking for a year in the U.S., but I haven’t looked into the underlying evidence at all. We are looking at an option for daycare that would be about 2 miles away on a smooth path (a rail-to-trail path) and it seems like it would actually be a lot safer and more pleasant to make it a bike commute. The car commute to the same location is very trafficky during rush hour and prone to accidents because of a high-speed off-ramp. Plus, cars are so dangerous more broadly. Has anyone biked with a baby starting around six months? Anyone know the guidelines in European countries where it’s much more common to not own cars?
Anonymous says
I can’t imagine bundling up baby and all of baby’s stuff and getting on a bike daily.
Anon says
Yeah I’m not qualified to comment on the safety of this but it sounds exhausting to me. Getting to daycare in a car was hard enough.
Spirograph says
As long as you get a bike seat designed for a <1 year old, you should be fine. We had a burley trailer and it recommended an infant insert for kids younger than 1 to help support the head. I'm not sure of any official recommendations, but I know I saw many carseats inside cargo bikes in Europe, and there's a family in my neighborhood that shuttles 2 kids in a cargo bike. They're both toddler/prek now, but when I first started seeing them there was one kid on a rear mounted seat and a car seat in the cargo space.
Pogo says
oh true, the burley might be a good call if you are commuting w/ baby anyway (vs using panniers etc) and yes they def have infant inserts.
Anonymous says
Not sure on the rules but European in laws biked with their kids for short distances around that age (eg 5 min trip to store). Only on bike specific paths or shared use pedestrian-bike paths, not on roads or bike lanes next to roads.
Pogo says
I don’t know the official recommendation but we did plenty of biking with our second in the seat when he was around 7mos old. They do need to be able to kinda sit up, hold head up etc. It depends on the kid too – my oldest was definitely sitting up independently earlier and so I would have felt comfortable at 6mos. I remember we rolled up some towels to kinda help prop the younger one up too, since even at 7mos he was slightly wobbly. We have the Topeak seat.
2miles is so short too, my bigger concern came on longer rides when they fell asleep and slumped over, you don’t want their airway crushed etc.
Anon says
I would try it with a bike trailer and the Burley baby snuggler insert at 6 months, but overall it’s hard for under-1s to wear a helmet. I was fine biking 1 year olds in the trailer with no insert. I would absolutely wait until after 1 to put them in a on-bike bike seat, but that’s personal preference. People also can strap full infant car seats in cargo bikes if that’s something you’re interested in (I think euro babies are generally in cargo bikes).
Anon says
I found bike trailers that were suitable for small babies to be very expensive. Definitely read the fine print to see if you need to buy additional inserts. We looked into buying them but eventually passed because we were just doing it for fun. Some of the trailers turn into running strollers which may be nice if you like to run.
You can look into seats but that might be tricky in the rain.
Cb says
I’d do a cargo bike, either a bucket or long tail with a car seat for a little baby. I did the bike commute with a back seat but only from 3 years (just logistics, I would have done it sooner if it would have been logistically feasible/safe). I had a big basket on the front and a topeak seat, which switched easily between bikes.
It’s great exercise and I think the fresh air really helped my son. He’s 5 now and we cycle the 1.5 miles in every day and home again.
Anonymous says
I mean, cars are more dangerous but crashing as a car driver/passenger is just so much more safe. If your baby can’t sit up and is in a trailer, you really can’t see them and IDK that I’d trust that over 2 miles. And even if on a path, are you sure you won’t cross paths with a car? Bikes and especially trailers sit too low on the road to be easily visible. As much as I love my bike, I love not having closed head trauma more.
Spirograph says
*sigh* and this is why America’s car culture is so slow to change. 2 miles is 15-20 minutes travel time cycling comfortably with stops for cross streets, and you can turn around and look when you’re stopped. You can’t see a baby in a rear-facing car seat while you’re driving, so I don’t understand this concern at all.
FWIW, all bike trailers I’ve ever seen come with tall flags, and there are tons of products for improved bike visibility. I look like a huge dork, but I wear a day-glo yellow reflective vest for my bike commute, which is a combination of neighborhood streets, paved bike path, and unprotected bike lane in a busier downtown area. At night, I have a ridiculously bright headlight as well as a blinking tail light and wheel lights for side visibility. There’s no way people don’t see me if they’re looking at the road. When it comes to inattentive drivers or a drunks, absolutely I’d rather be in a car than on a bike in an encounter with one, but that’s not a reason (for me) to drive instead of a more-pleasant bike commute.
Marshmallow says
With the big caveat that you must find a well-fitting helmet and seat/trailer– from a practical standpoint, I would totally do this. You just don’t need so much stuff to go back and forth on a daily basis that you can’t fit it in a tote bag that can be carried on a bike. And as I understand what you’re talking about, this is a smooth off-road trail? That’s a big deal for safety. I am often uncomfortable biking on city streets but an off-road rail to trail, with no cars present, is much safer.
Cb says
Yeah, I never had more than a tote bag at that stage and we used cloth diapers so more stuff back and forth.
AwayEmily says
I agree! I think it sounds lovely.
Atlien says
Told myself I would wait til 9 mos to put her in the Yepp seat; it was arbitrary but she’s doing well at it now. She’s a bit behind the curve on muscle strength/tone though so you might feel comfortable earlier! I asked doc around 5 mos and he had no concerns.
Anon says
Thanks everyone – will check out the Burley trailer! In response to questions, the rail-to-trail is located totally off the road, although there is one crosswalk that would require special attention. I ride it all the time solo and that crosswalk is the only sketchy place. I’d get TONS of lights, flags, etc. before even considering taking a trailer there, but otherwise, the whole idea sounds so much better than driving.
Anonymous says
Do you get snow and ice? We used to do a bike commute to daycare sometimes (otherwise walking) but when our son was older. Biking on icy roads is not for the faint-hearted.
Anonymous says
You can get studded bike tire though and it sound like OP is on a bike trail not the road.
Anonymous says
Check your local laws. For example, it is illegal to transport a child under age one by bicycle in New York City.
Screaming into the void says
Just venting. In-laws were helping out with childcare during daycare’s winter break and they gave us covid. They didn’t think their “mild cold symptoms” were a big deal because they “never get sick” and so didn’t think to mention it…until last night when they finally admitted they were sick and tested positive. I finally tested positive last night after a couple days of negative tests and am hopefully over the worst of it. Kiddo is just over two but can’t keep a mask on and has mild symptoms (that wouldn’t exclude her from daycare if it were any other illness). Husband will probably test positive tonight if his symptom progression is like mine. I have not recovered professionally from last winter’s quarantines, and this is a super busy month for me.
Anon says
Ughhh that sucks, I’m so sorry. My FIL showed up at Thanksgiving with a “cold” and refused to take a Covid test until he got sick enough to go to urgent care and tested positive there. Fortunately no one else got it but I was still livid at him for exposing us. I don’t know why people think it’s ok to 1) go to someone else’s house while clearly in the early, contagious stage of an illness and 2) refuse to Covid test when asked, especially when they have symptoms. Blerghh. I’m glad you’re over the worst of it and hopefully it doesn’t mess with work too much!
anon says
Oooh, I would be livid. I’m sorry.
Anon says
UGH. That is so annoying, and also puts you in a tough position on many fronts.
One of DH’s parents lives with us. He returned from holiday travel to see his new girlfriend (this is A Thing – want him to be happy but please do not ask my 5 year old what they should think about the fact that you have a girlfriend, ask my kid how he feels about a “new grandma”, etc.), sick with flu-like symptoms. He tested negative for COVID, but in the evenings is just…sitting on the couch hacking stuff up while watching TV. DH went through the downstairs with Lysol and sanitizing wipes last night, and asked the parent to “please just rest today” as a way to try to keep distance.
Pogo says
I am livid on your behalf as well. People truly do not understand the emotional, physical and mental toll of no childcare, not to mention no childcare + being sick w/ COVID.
OP says
Thanks, I knew I’d find some sympathetic ears here. Most of my friends have low-key jobs and/or much more money to throw at this, so their advice has been along the lines of “Use this opportunity to bond with kiddo and take time for self-care!” Facepalm.
In my ILs defense, they did test negative beforehand because apparently they’ve been doing that before seeing us for awhile. They just ignored their coughs and runny noses.
Anon says
I have a low key flexible job and plenty of money, but I think it’s wild to suggest that being down with Covid is a fun opportunity for self care! Who are these people!?
Isabella says
Any advice for helping LB with reflux? I was suspicious it might be contributing to his very poor sleep, but now it seems to be progressing to actualy vomiting around bedtime. And last night chorizo caused fountains of puke. So fun!
I have a call in to the pediatrician. But I would love to get advice based on other moms’ experience to.
Anonymous says
How old is LB? If he’s older than 6 months, try not to feed two hours before bedtime (including milk/breast milk). You can also prop him up a bit with a book under his crib mattress. Also, gently, chorizo can be rough on me as an adult. It might just have been too spicy/too much grease for his little tummy. I’m really not trying to mom shame you – just maybe try something milder for dinner and this may improve. My ped said feeding earlier is key.
Isabella says
I definitely identified the greasy spicy food as a factor, won’t be doing that again! He’s 9 months old and nursing is the only way he will lay down, but trying to space out eating from sleeping is a helpful idea to start working on.
Anon says
What’s the best time for a pre-K birthday party? I know not Sunday mornings because of church, but do people have strong feelings between Saturday morning vs Saturday afternoon vs Sunday afternoon?
Anonymous says
Everyone is different, but I always skipped the afternoon parties as it interfered with nap. And late afternoon parties just destroyed dinner and the evening. I realize I’m a party pooper.
NYCer says
I am personally not a fan of late Sunday afternoon parties, but beyond that, I don’t really care.
HSAL says
I like Sunday afternoon, then Saturday afternoon, then Saturday morning. But those are not strong feelings and I’ll go to any of them as long as there’s no conflict.
Anon says
+1 to HSAL’s ranking. In our area most weekend activities are Saturday mornings at that age, so that’s another thing to keep in mind.
Spirograph says
I always preferred morning or lunchtime (done by 2) parties because my kids still needed rest time in the afternoon in preK. They were a wreck if we went to an afternoon party. Saturday morning, of course, conflicts with a bunch of other kid activities. You really can’t win, so do whatever works best for your family logistics!
AwayEmily says
Oops, I just sent out an invitation for a Sunday morning birthday party. The church thing didn’t even occur to me. But yes, in general I think AM birthdays are better. Easier to shop for, too — bagels and cake.
Anon says
+1 – I’ve hosted Sun AM parties and I live in a major Texas city (where the stereotype is that everyone is churching it up) – it’s never been an issue. I always do coffee, breakfast snacks, and then end with a pizza delivery/cake so everyone’s fed.
Whiskeypalian says
It wouldn’t ever occur to me either, and we even occasionally go to church! But, we’re very casual church-goers who go less than once a month and only when it’s convenient, so we would definitely skip for a birthday party. Most people I know don’t go at all, I know a few who go like we go, and the only devout every Sunday people I know are Catholic and can go Saturday evening if they have a Sunday conflict!
Everyone I know is Catholic or mainline Protestant so we go to churches with multiple Sunday services, church only lasts an hour, and we don’t really mingle or partake in activities after church. I could see how in some other denominations, like Baptists, Sundays are a no-go.
OP says
Oh it’s probably fine! I live in a very church-y area and it just seems like nothing ever gets scheduled for Sunday mornings, even though most people we know personally aren’t religious. Also it doesn’t work for us even though we’re Jewish because that’s when our Sunday school is. I’m not sure why it’s scheduled then since Sunday has no religious significance for Jews… I guess it was just convenient to have it when everyone else is at church?
Anonymous says
It’s because for observant Jews you don’t write on Shabbat, and Sunday is a day kids are available because they’re not in school.
Anon says
Oh i thought you said prek and where we live Jewish Sunday school doesn’t start til K
Anon says
Yes, Pre-K (turning 5). Sunday school at our local Reform temple starts at age 3 although we didn’t do it until this year because of the pandemic. In preschool it’s very informal, just like singing, coloring, playing games…basically same as secular preschool but with Jewish themes.
Anon says
We’re doing 11-1 on Saturday for my daughter’s 5th birthday next month. My preference would have been late afternoon (like 3-5ish) but my kid felt very strongly about serving pizza and I didn’t think people would appreciate me messing with their dinner plans. Also it’s at a public place (trampoline park) and I figured earlier is less likely to be crowded. Preschool activities are normally done by 11 am I think, and her closest friends don’t have Saturday morning activities so hopefully that won’t be a big issue.
Anon says
Ha I do not like to do things in mornings because we are late risers/lazy. But maybe 11am would be okay? I’d do 11-1 with a lunch (and then people can go home and do naps as they please, being very thankful they don’t have to deal with lunch) or else 2-4 (after nap and before dinner).
Anonymous says
This just shows me how crazy my kids were/are. They have always gotten up about 6am. (Now mid elementary, but this has been true throughout.). Our days start early. Everyone is so different!
Anon says
All kids are different. I read “2-4 (after nap and before dinner)” and that wouldn’t work for us because our 2 year old naps 230/3-5pm!
Boston Legal Eagle says
My kids also both wake up by 6am and always have. They are 4 and 6. When they napped, naps were around 1-3pm.
Bonus is that we get about 2 hours to ourselves at nighttime!
Anon says
My kid was a night owl and late riser (so thankful elementary starts at 9:15, so she can still sleep until 8), so any activity before 11 is an anathema for us (see also why my kid has never been to the zoo, because we can’t arrive soon enough to get parking). She also dropped her nap at 2, so we were all about the afternoon parties in the preschool years.
Anon says
Same, we often sleep in until 8:30 or 9 am on weekends and I like getting a slow start. My kid gave up naps very early, so afternoon would work great for us. 2-4 (well 2-3 anyway) seems like prime nap time for preschoolers though.
GCA says
You won’t please everyone (to wit: my kids are the early risers who are grouchy by 4:30pm), but I would avoid Sat mornings as many kid activities are scheduled then. I think weekend lunchtimes are a pretty safe bet.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Yes, most of our pre-K parties have started at 11/12/1/2pm on Saturdays. 1.5-2 hours. Sundays less frequently, but we’ve got a few of those coming up in February too. Nap times haven’t been too big of a concern with this age group, but I imagine if your kid still naps then, then you’d skip.
Anonymous says
You’ve already been invited to parties for February!? This makes me feel behind. I haven’t even started planning my kid’s late February birthday. I thought you typically sent out invitations a couple weeks before.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Yes, we’ve gotten 3 invites in the last few days! It is pretty early, but maybe they were influenced by each other? You are fine!
GCA says
Gotta get the invites in before everyone makes February school vacation plans!
Anon says
Does anyone really make vacation plans around preschool birthday parties though? I actually enjoy attending kids’ birthday parties, but I wouldn’t plan around it, nor would I expect anyone else to.
Anon says
I like morning the best. My favorite is when there is some activity, then lunch/cake.
Anon says
Ha in my crowd Sunday morning is popular but we’re mostly Jewish.
OP says
I just commented above – we’re actually Jewish too but we have Sunday school then. I thought that was pretty common, but maybe not?
GCA says
Off-tangent, but I feel like this thread is revealing a lot of fascinating variation in family weekend routines! We like to get commitments out of the way early in the day because my kids are early risers (like, 5:30am is normal for the 2nd grader. Little sis desperately needs her own room so she can stop sleeping-in till 6:30 in our bed). All our regular structured activities are early on weekend mornings (9-11 tops) and then the rest of the day is open for hanging out with friends, outings, etc. What do other families’ weekends look like?
Anon says
I have one child, almost 5. Currently she goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 and sleeps until 8, some days 8:30 if it’s really cloudy out. Her biological clock is very tied to the sun (this makes crossing timezones easy!) and she sleeps a lot less in the summer when the day is longer (as little as 9 to 6:30 or 7). We don’t really have any scheduled stuff on weekends. She hasn’t shown a lot of interest in activities and we haven’t really pushed it. She currently does dance at the Y once a week on a weeknight. We try to arrange a play date most weekend, but only succeed about half the time. We rarely have birthday parties, they just don’t seem to be a big thing in our area at this age. My parents are local and she spends a lot of time with them and often sleeps over there on Saturday night. DH does a lot of pretend play with her at home. I do more of the outings like going to the library, children’s museum, ice skating, trampoline park, pool in summer, etc. We travel a lot and are out of town probably an average of one weekend per month, if not more.
Anon says
I have three young kids, they go to bed 8:30-9 (or sometimes later) and sleep til 7-7:30 (or sometimes later). They’ve only ever needed 10 hours of night sleep regardless of age…low sleep needs kids!
On the weekends, the older ones watch tv until my husband comes down with a toddler, and I come down a good deal later (I am a very high sleep needs mom :)
Redux says
Fun sleepover activity ideas for a gaggle of 9-year old girls?
EP-er says
We’re having a sleepover next weekend for my daughter…we don’t have a lot planned yet, but I know there will be a lot of Just Dance happening! I also bought an assorted box of little toys and we are going to play the saran wrap game. (Like hot potato with music — bigger prize in the middle, surrounded by many layers of saran wrap, with smaller prizes in between some of the layers.) She is also planning an elaborate scavenger hunt. Mostly they just want to be together. :)
Anon says
Mad libs, you can buy a light up disco ball kind of thing for $10 and have a dance party, glow sticks, a craft, cookie decorating or ice ice cream Sundaes, watching a movie, painting nails, make your own pizza
Anonymous says
Talk to me about the logistics of returning to work. I have a few jobs in the works: one in the suburbs (10 minute commute) and one downtown (one hour commute). I’ve been home 23 months; looking for remote work that whole time but no bites. DH has a somewhat flexible job. I have a kindergartener and two year old twins. I just toured a 6-6 day care that offers summer camp and after school programs. It seems like too much activity (two year olds switch classes every 30 minutes) and too much computers too early. But, they’re open most days. Maybe I’m bribing too picky. My other option is a Montessori, similar to where they are now. The biggest difference is, the place I’m switching to would have before and after care, for a reasonable fee. I have no family near and no backup care (our normal babysitters have 8-5 jobs). How do I look for backup care? Or do I ask DH to cover while I work on that?
anon for this says
Help. Anyone else go through this? My generally school loving kinder kid who has gone to full day daycare or preschool since infancy with very little drama, suddenly right before winter break started getting clingy and crying at dropoff. And saying things like “I’m too shy to go to school”. She also mentioned that no one wants to play with her, and my heart of course is breaking. We will schedule a call with the teacher. However, when I asked her wraparound care teacher today in passing (because we were having a tear-filled, hanging onto my leg kind of dropoff), wraparound care teacher says that she isn’t excluded, often plays with the other kids, but sometimes does choose to do her own thing because she for instance prefers a different activity from what the others are doing.
I’m torn between wanting to foster her independence but also wanted to demonstrate to her that if you want to be included, sometimes that means picking a different activity that’s not your first choice. From what I can glean, she likes the learning part of school but feels unincluded in free play like recess, which seems to be leading to big feelings and I’m guessing may be why we’re now having difficult separation times. I may post again on Monday but this is fresh from this morning and I’m feeling so defeated.
Preschool teacher turnover says
How much turnover is normal at a daycare/preschool? I feel like we have had such terrible luck with this across multiple centers. I don’t work so much about assistants, but when less teachers and even directors leave, it’s so stressful.
I don’t blame them for leaving, I know it’s a tough job with low pay. It’s just demoralizing.
Preschool teacher turnover says
I meant “I don’t worry so much about assistants, but when lead teachers and even directors leave, it is so stressful.”
Sorry for the confusing typos, my brain is full right now.
Anon says
I think our university daycare has low turnover, but a data point if it helps: in four years we had one aide leave during the school year (family relocation) and one schoolyear that started with a substitute head teacher who was replaced by a permanent head teacher (the substitute is still employed at the center, just in a different role). We also have two former assistant teachers who left the center after our kid left their classroom. One was relocation and one was career change. The rest of our current and former teachers and fulltime aides (probably 8 or so people?) are still there. This isn’t counting all the students who work on a temporary basis. But some of that is just luck. Even with a school, it varies by classroom. The director has been the same since we joined the waitlist.
Anon says
Our daycare has had tons of turnover at all levels. They are very good at finding great new teachers and staff, so I worry less about it now. Working at a daycare is often a stepping stone for teachers, who usually have kids themselves and full lives with lots to juggle. If they stay for years, that’s fantastic, but that’s not going to be the case for many people.