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I bought these scented markers for my sons this summer, because my youngest really wanted them, and both my 6-year-old and my 9-year-old had a great time just smelling them all. They both walked away with very smudgy noses.
We bought them around Father’s Day, and they also both made sure to put little smelling swatches in the cards they made. If my little guy is refusing to do a workbook or writing practice, or something like that, I can usually ease him into it with the promise of getting to play with scented markers!
Crayola also makes a set they call “stinky” markers, and they really are stinky — I don’t exactly recommend them! My kids thought they were funny, though. Pictured: Scented Markers
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Sales of note for 3.28.24
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Kid/Family Sales
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
CPA Lady says
Responding to a late in the day question re the reading book I got for my kid– teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons.
Our background: she’s turning 6 in a few weeks. When we began the book, she already knew all her letters and had a decent grasp on sounds. She has been enthusiastic about this the whole time. I’m not forcing her into it.
I really like the book. The thing that is extra nice is that it has a section in the front about pedagogy of young kids and common pitfalls (like talking too much and over-explaining in a way that overwhelms kids). Stuff that I would not know, as someone who has never taken an early childhood education class. He also talks about how the way kids are taught to read now is not best because it involves a lot of memorizing sight words and looking at pictures and guessing what the words are rather than sounding things out phonetically. Once you get to the point in the book where the child is reading a “story”, they only get to see the picture once they have already read the words. There is a lot of repetition and building on previous concepts and none of the lessons have been overwhelming for kiddo.
Each lesson has a color coded script that tells you word for word what to say to the child as you teach them to read. You literally just read the dark pink words. It’s amazing. The book says it could take 20 minutes a day, but it has never taken longer than 10 for us. We’re on lesson 40 and kid has learned enough so that she can read the first box of the bob books. We haven’t been good about doing it every day and she’s still been able to retain everything.
anon says
We used this book for my older daughter and plan to again with my next. It worked really well for us.
For context, we live in an area where kids are expected to come into K reading and, with date cut offs, we knew our daughter was going to be the very very youngest in her class. We also know that she often struggles socially. We decided to try to get her started reading before K so she could focus on the social aspect of K and not feel completely out of place.
We started this book when she was 4.5, giving us 6 months before K started to see if we could make progress. We spent 10 minutes a night on it, stopping at that point if the lesson wasn’t done. Then we’d read to her for 45 min-1hr. She wasn’t a huge fan of the lessons, but we encouraged and kept trying. There are a few spots in the books where the lessons took a leap forward and she’d start objecting. We’d go back 10-15 lessons and work our way forward again. About half way through the book we started practicing with Bob books on the side. We got about 90% of the way through and she decided Dear Dragon books were more interesting, so we dropped the lesson book and moved on to other phonetic readers.
She’s now about to turn 7 and completely adores reading. It’s been her escape during the pandemic and she reads about a chapter book per day. She’s finished the first Harry Potter, the Whatever After series, Magic Tree House series, and all the Roald Dahl books. She is now reading the American Girl Doll historical fiction books. This has created an interest in history, so we’ve been pairing the AG books with the What is/Who is series. I love that reading is expanding her understanding of the world.
We plan to use this lesson book again with our next kid. It has been a big success for us.
Anon says
I didn’t ask the question, but wanted to say my 5 year old kindergartner is using a similar program, the 4 weeks to read program. He knew all his letters and was asking to learn to read like Big Sister, but we were concerned about pushing him too early, so we have him ask for each lesson. We’re about 14 lessons in (three weeks) and he’s picked up CVC words pretty well and is reading the first few books with super simple sentences. We use an app and it gives the script of what to say and do for each lesson. I do like the idea that your program has notes for the parents, it’s missing from the program we have (although it seems to be followed in the scripts).
(For context re: pushing too early, I’m the opposite of everyone yesterday, in that I’m not at all worried about academics in K (it’s a language immersion school so I just want him to learn the language) or even 1st. They have so many years to push themselves, I’d rather they spend the first few years learn how to love learning and find their inner independence and grit.)
Anon says
I said the same thing re: your second paragraph yesterday! Specifically about reading, but in general I’m in favor of delaying formal academic instruction and having the lower grades just be about play, a la Finland. My experience based on myself and people I know has been that the sooner and more intensely you start academics, the more likely you are to burn out. Fostering a love of learning and reading should be the #1 objective of elementary school, in my view.
Anon says
Eh you’re painting with a wide brush. I’m not particularly concerned about academics in kindergarten. But my daughters school is. There’s a difference. It’s also a fantastic school, and our other options were not fantastic.
Anonanonanon says
Thanks, this is great to know. I used hooked on phonics with my oldest because that’s what I learned from, and it seemed to work well, but with everything going on right now the thought of finding the right workbook/flashcards/story book/video for every lesson is a lot. I’ll keep this book in mind when my older one is old enough
Realist says
This is so wonderful to read such good reviews of the 100 easy lessons book. We only have 1 hour of remote learning a day, which focuses on immersion language. Originally, the plan was to learn to read in the immersion language first (which happens this year), then learn to read in English in 3rd grade. Since we have the time, I think we will learn English reading at the same time as the immersion language. I was overwhelmed by the program options and ended up with 100 easy lessons from Amazon reviews.
Cb says
Oh that’s a really good idea. My nana taught me how to read at 3.5 and while I don’t think he’ll be as precocious as me I’d like to teach him myself as I don’t love how reading is taught these days, This seems like a low stress way to do it.
Anon says
I was reading fluently by K myself (I vividly remember always having to read aloud to the class for storytime and the teacher telling me it was because I was the only one who could read – and also that nap time on our carpet square was silly because I wasn’t sleepy, funny what you remember). Kiddo (3) is already “reading” the letters off any words she can see – license plates are a favorite of hers – and I think has some sight words (she “read” them out of context with no prompting, I was a little taken aback), so I expect she will be reading early as well. I am so not ready for this.
Anonymous says
We have this book, and I like it. With the caveat that I haven’t read the intro yet, kiddo struggles with wanting to skip ahead and not do the “boring” stuff first. Which is odd becuase she definitely doesn’t know all her letter sounds yet, so I’m not sure how it can be that boring to her. But she’s not really mature enough to grasp putting in the work to “practice” stuff and learn the basics. Not just reading – other activities, too. It is something we’re trying to coach her on. We got this book in June, and I decided to put it away for a while since it seemed like a struggle. But it could be time to try it out again.
Also, she 100% gets it from me. So I feel the need to correct this ASAP. But I digress…
anon says
As someone who has used this book successfully, I do think a big part of success is choosing the right time to start. You need a kid who already knows most of their letters and letter sounds, but who hasn’t started putting together how to apply that to whole words. The book probably moves too fast for a kid who still needs to learn letters and sounds from scratch. It will move too slowly (and you can’t easily jump ahead) for a kid who is already sounding out CVC words. It also takes some consistency–you need to do lessons regularly without any big breaks or you will lose momentum.
AIMS says
Can you post a link? I found two with that title on amazon. Thanks!
CPA Lady says
https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2QYLT9TZZCHQ1&dchild=1&keywords=teach+your+child+to+read+in+100+easy+lessons&qid=1598643503&sprefix=teach+you%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-3
AIMS says
Thank you!
Dc anon says
Have you found any fun outdoor classes for your kiddos? I’m in DC and can’t get anyone to join a play pod, so I thought perhaps we could do an outdoor class for my 3 and 6 year olds. Maybe tennis for the older one while the little one runs around? Outdoor dance?
Anon says
Can you find outdoor soccer? I love it for those age groups because it really is just a lot of running and kicking (body coordination) for the younger ones, and learning how to play on a team for the older ones.
Also check your park district. In the summer, mine had socially distanced outdoor story times and nature walks.
Anon says
OMG outdoor dance sounds amazing, is that a thing!? We did soccer (SoccerShots) this summer while daycare was closed and it was not a good experience. I feel like it easily could have been really safe – each kid gets their own ball so there was no need for close contact – but they made it unnecessarily unsafe by using a tiny field (roughly the size of my living room) for 20+ kids and encouraging the kids to huddle up and high-five. And the coach didn’t wear a mask, even after our state imposed a mask mandate mid-summer. I know other people who had good experiences with outdoor soccer, so hopefully our experience was an anomaly. Tennis sounds fun too.
Anonymous says
Kicks are For Kids soccer (we did the Lincoln Park session in the spring) was really fun. Small group, everyone wore masks, my daughter had a great time and still asks if she can go back. They have a lot of age groups too. The fall version didn’t work with our schedules but we will definitely do it again.
anon says
I’m in Maryland, but there are outdoor dance classes around here and friends have had good experiences with them.
Anonymous says
My local zoo does outdoor classes and camps for those age groups.
Anonymous says
I’m in MoCo and this fall they have outdoor soccer, martial arts, Spanish class, and music class. There’s even more for the older kids. Frankly I love that stuff that was previously inside is being moved outside! We are doing swim classes for my 3yo, but they are 1:1 at a private school
not using usual name for this says
Some of the youth clubs in Northern Virginia are still doing Cross Country. maybe that’s the case in DC?
Anne says
Not DC but my friend is doing outdoor parkour for her kids which sounds awesome.
Outdoor play date ideas says
Help me oh wise and knowing moms! We are starting in person kindergarten and invited a girl in the class over for an outdoors play date this weekend. We’re planning to ride bikes. Any other suggestions to tack onto this play date (and other outside play dates) so I can help facilitate getting to know each other with new friends my DD hasn’t met? Added complication is this is Texas so it’s pretty hot, but we are still trying to keep play dates outside. Sadly don’t have access to a pool!
Anon says
Sprinkler/slip n slide in the yard?
Anonymous says
Balls to kick around. Bubbles. Sprinkler or small tub of water with toys.
TheElms says
Sprinkler in the backyard?
Op says
Sounds like sprinklers are popular here. Was hoping to avoid a clothing change but in this heat that might make sense.
Anon says
I think it’s because you mentioned the heat but said you had no pool so people are offering other water activities. I don’t think water is necessary, it just sounded like you were looking for a way to cool down.
OP says
Ah oops. Mostly just meant we won’t be running races probably. Bad guidance!
I like popsicles! I might bring all our arts and crafts stuff in our backyard which will make them need a sprinkler run too.
TheElms says
Ride bikes, come back hot, give them popsicles and turn on the sprinkler and they can play in their clothes. Mom/Dad can do the change into dry clothes at pickup.
DLC says
I second this plan – My kids often just run through sprinklers in their regular clothes or ride bike in their bathing suits; they never want to take time to change.
Anonymous says
Water balloons?
NYCer says
Side walk chalk? Board game in the shade outside?
I also think sprinklers are a good idea, but I understand the clothing change issue.
AwayEmily says
We have been having some outdoor playdates and our strategy is to get a big basket and have my kid fill it up with whatever toys she wants to share with her friend outside (playmobil, toy cash register, whatever). Then we spread out a big picnic blanket in the shade, place the grownup chairs near it 10 feet apart, and let the kids play with the toys. Usually mine is super excited to show off her toys, and the other kid is super excited to get to play with new toys.
Anonymous says
Love this!
OP says
Love this too – thanks!
Anonymous says
Drawing with chalk is good. Maybe hoola hoops or skipping rope. Usually I’d suggest blowing bubbles but not in the covid era.
Anonymous says
Bubble suggester from above. We have the narrow tubes of bubbles that are about an inch in diameter and a foot long. The wand is a very narrow oval that is 6-7 inches. We rarely, if ever, “blow” those. Rather someone (typically me) waves them around (spinning in a circle works well) while kids chase the bubbles. Or if the wind is just right, you can just hold it out.
Anon says
Outdoor painting is fun – if you have a fence you can clip a big piece of paper on, the kids can paint on that
Pigpen's Mama says
My almost six-year old is doing her best impression of a barncle and my husband keeps monologuing at me if I get near him (he’s standing by the coffee maker,so he’s hard to avoid). I miss my office (or my empty house). Stupid COVID-19.
Anon says
I feel this. My 3YO is currently sitting in the back half of my chair watching her tablet while I am working and DH is playing video games in the office too (at least with a headset on, so I don’t hear anything and my back is to him). 2400 square feet and somehow everyone has to be within 10 feet of (or in the 3YO’s case, touching) me today.
anon says
My 2.5 year old is getting frustrated and down on herself when she can’t do something. As an example, she used to love drawing but now asks for “help” aka “please draw a rainbow” or “draw a doggie”. When I tell her that she can draw them, she just says, but “I’m not a good drawer!” It is really heartbreaking to watch. Clearly no one has ever, ever told her this so I don’t know why she is being so hard on herself. It isn’t just drawing, but that is one clear example. I want her to just enjoy herself but she’s not responding to our “It doesn’t matter! Just have fun! You are still learning!” pleas. Is this just a phase? I’m worried that if we don’t help now she will have a fear of failure and won’t be open to doing new things.
Anon says
It’s a phase, in my experience.
oil in houston says
it is just a phase, went through the same with our DD, just let her do it. She needs to learn to handle frustration, and to know you won’t do it for her so she’ll persevere. good luck, parenting is hard!
Anon says
Eh I’m pretty sure that’s just a phase. My kids have both have moments like that. Honestly I think they were mostly learning how to be a bit lazy about stuff so we pushed through to build work ethic! I doubt her confidence is going to be a long term issue but it’s something I’m also always sensitive to as well. My just turned four year old has been saying stuff like that again, but he’s pretty cocky haha.
Anonymous says
We reinforce the message that kid is a great drawer for X years old. Grown ups are Y years old. Hilarious dramatic arm gestures used to show the difference in age (like 1 inch vs. full arm length). To be able to do grown up drawing when I am a grown up, I had to practice a lot of times as a kid.
I’ll also sometimes offer a compromise like I’ll draw the first three lines of the rainbow and she draws the rest. Or I’ll draw the shape of the dog’s head and she adds ears, mouth, nose, whiskers.
Redux says
we do this too. “i’m not a better drawer, I just have more practice– 30 years more! you will get better and better the more you practice.” I also taught my kid to draw a really simple duck (basically a blob with a beak and feet) and a really simple ladybug (blob with spots and antennae) so that she felt like she was making progress.
anon says
My kids definitely went through a phase at that age of always wanting us to draw for them. Have you tried simple coloring books? My two loved those because then it felt like they were making whatever picture they wanted but didn’t have the skills to draw themselves yet.
anon says
Solidarity, but with a two and a half year old who answers most questions “I don’t know”, even when he does know. (What’s this? I don’t know. -it’s a picture of a dog).
katy says
this seemed to be a COVID phase for us that we seem to be coming out of at just turned three. Still a lot more I don’t knows than I would like…. But has started scribbling again. (he is an objectively terrible drawer – at least compared to his cousin).
Anon says
My 2.5 year old had started saying things like “I love the police! They keep us so safe! Police officers are so nice, they are everyone’s friends.” This is definitely not something she’s ever heard at home (if anything it’s the opposite) so I can only assume it’s coming from one of her daycare teachers who I know is conservative and #bluelivesmatter. It’s not too soon to talk about how the police don’t always treat everyone the same, right? I’m not going to go into details of current events because I don’t want to scare her, but I feel like we could have a general conversation about how police treat people like us with white skin better than they treat other people, and that’s not fair.
Lily says
Wow. That is super inappropriate of the daycare teacher and I would talk to the daycare director ASAP about getting her to cut it out. Are there black children in your daughter’s class? Imagine how that would make them feel. The teacher is gas lighting any kid in the class who knows that police officers are not all nice or friendly or helpful.
It’s one thing to explain neutrally what a police officer’s job is. It’s fine even to say that their job is to protect the public. But what the teacher is saying is not ok.
Anon says
I hear you, but I don’t really know what the teacher said or which teacher said it (although I certainly have my suspicions based on what I see on their social media pages). 2 year olds do say bizarre things spontaneously. I don’t think my daughter’s statements came out of nowhere, but there’s a definite possibility that she isn’t quoting the teacher verbatim. I would rather reinforce our family values with our kid than make a big stink with the school. Unfortunately, we live in a very white and politically conservative area, so I’m sure this isn’t the last time we’ll encounter a teacher with different values.
Anon says
Could she be quoting a book or a TV show? I think even Mister Rogers and Sesame Street pushed the police are friends narative.
Anon says
She doesn’t see those shows at home and they have no screens at school, but I suppose another kid could be quoting those shows. I know they see police officers on their daily walks, so I think it’s possible she’s taking more neutral statements about how police are helpers and putting her own spin on them. If she said “Ms X said ___ “ and I didn’t like the blank, I would be more inclined to go to the director, but she isn’t attributing this to a teacher.
Anonymous says
In that case, I’d probably acknowledge the police officer’s role (yes, you can ask a police officer for help if you ever get lost), and refocus on other helpers to locate police as only one group in lots of different types of helpers vs idolization of police. Like ‘my favorite helpers are doctors because they make sick people better and firefighters because they get to climb big ladders’.
Anonymous says
My son just turned four and I have talked to him about it and have for the last six months or so (not current events but broadly that people are treated differently based on how they look and it is not okay). His best friend is black so it gives us someone concrete to talk about.
We have not gotten into police much because he’s pretty indifferent to police. But if he said that stuff, I would tell him that police do help people but not always. And police can be biased like anyone else. But they are more powerful so have a great obligation to do the right thing.
Realist says
+1. The teacher is taking actions that are harmful to any BIPOC children in the class. Anti Racist Baby is a board book that would be appropriate for age 2.5. Something Happened In Our Town is good for the pre-K and up set.
Anonymous says
I think it’s a huge overreaction to complain to a school director because a 2 year old said they love police. My two year old told me yesterday she was pregnant and her (female) teacher was the father. I didn’t call the director and accuse her teachers of sexually abusing her. Kids that age say so much crazy sh!t.
Anon says
Agree.
Plus, remember these are hardworking teachers in a difficult role that is often thankless. The teachers probably hear kids say wacko things about their families and home life too and roll their eyes and move on.
Don’t assume the worst right off the bat and act on incomplete information.
Anonymous says
I’d probably go with a dual approach of focusing the police issue on her specifically – like if she is ever lost, she can ask a police officier to help her find her mom and dad and also probably also talk to the director. That kind of stuff isn’t appropriate in the current environment. At age 2.5, the general idea of different jobs was a common subject at preschool – that police/firefighters/ambulance drivers etc are helpers in emergencies is not such a big deal. Like firefighters fight fires, police are for catching bank robbers, ambulance drivers take people to the hospital, and construction workers build buildings etc. It definitely shouldn’t be a ‘we love police’ and ‘they are everyone’s friends’ messaging at that age. It isn’t relevant to explaining their jobs and frankly isn’t accurate these days.
AwayEmily says
Definitely not too soon.
Anon says
She’s 2.5. At this age, you want her trusting the police as someone safe she can go to if she is lost or they have to come help you in a car accident. I wouldn’t start teaching her racial bias yet. It’s way too confusing at that age. I’m assuming your child is white from how you framed the question. Sadly, my answer might be different if you weren’t white. We probably aren’t going to fairs and concerts anytime soon but I grew up being told if we got separated, to go find one of the police officers working there.
Likewise, my family was in a car accident when I was 5 or 6. I vividly remember the police officer taking me away from my parents but saying “it’s okay, you and I are going to go get a soda while your parents fill out paperwork. We walked to a little diner across the way and sat at the counter and had a soda. I’m pretty sure I had an orange soda.
If my parents had been teaching me the “real” narrative of police in America I would have been terrified and crying as I was taken away from my parents. Instead, I was excited and had an adventure to tell my friends about. I was also in rural Maine with a white family so we didn’t have the concerns many people sadly have to deal with.
I’d wait until your child is old enough to really understand the issues and that it is still okay for him/her to go to the police for help.
Anonymous says
Yeah, I tend to agree with this. I so understand what OP is saying. But I also think kids need to learn who they can go to for help in an emergency. Obviously you know your daycare teachers and I don’t, but it is very possible that the conversation was framed in this way.
NYCer says
YMMV, but I would let this go. I know that my daughter’s preschool talked about community helpers – firefighters, police officers, ambulance drivers, doctors, etc – in an overall positive context. 2.5 year olds say all sorts of wacky things, she could have easily turned something like that into “I love the police!”
Anon says
I agree. Don’t over complicate things for your child now.
My daughter’s daycare is at a church and they teach her Bible stories, which isn’t my worldview or what I would emphasize to her now, but there’s also no harm in her learning that God created the world in 7 days at age 2. I think you have to keep their age in mind.
Anon says
This is a tough one, but I’m inclined to not have that conversation yet about police specifically, for the reason that if she’s lost/separated from you, you would want her to be comfortable approaching someone in a uniform for help. My husband used to be a police officer (we are not the #backtheblue/#bluelivesmatter type) and one thing he mentioned several years ago was that he hated it when parents would point to uniformed cops and use them as a threat if the kids didn’t behave, because they didn’t want little kids to be afraid of cops in case they did need police assistance.
So, while I don’t think it’s too soon to go into discussions about how people with certain skin tones are treated differently, it might be too soon to get into a discussion about systemic racism in policing.
Anon says
Thanks, I appreciate your husband’s perspective. I do think it’s important that kids can go to police when they’re lost or in trouble. That’s how I was raised (although of course there was much less awareness of white privilege and systemic racism back then).
Paging Former Officer Fam says
This is so late in the day, but my husband is also a police officer and we are also not the bluelivesmatter type. You mention that he used to be an officer. Can I ask what he is now doing and how he pivoted out?
Anon above says
He’s now federal law enforcement, so it’s a completely different ball of wax in someways, but still in the same wheelhouse. But he’s nearing forced retirement and is now looking around at other things to do. It’s been interesting being in a LEO family — I never thought I would be, and I certainly don’t fit the stereotypes associated with LEO spouses (especially politically). Happy to chat over email if you want to give me a throwaway email address to contact you at!
Anon says
My husband is also a former police officer. We are not a blue lives matters family. He is also now federal law enforcement but doing probation not as an agent anywhere. He gets law enforcement retirement but not the special additional law enforcement on-call pay. He does get on-call pay when he handles electronic monitoring.
The investigations side of probation is essentially lawyering/clerking without the law degree. They write pre-sentence reports for the judges.
Cj says
I love the hypocrisy in this post. How confusing for a child to hear that cops are “bad” but you should still reach out to them for help. What way is it? Also, you do realize there are black and other minorities (and good people) in that workforce but you’re painting them all as white male racists. I would love for each one of you to sit a day in a cruiser and get a grip.
Realist says
I’ve done a ride along in a cruiser and the cops I met were absolutely dominated by a white male racist, misogynistic culture. So I second the idea of a ride along, just only to find out it the cop culture is even worse than you might think.
Anonanonanon says
I think it’s OK to teach kids that the JOB of police is to help everyone who needs help and keep people safe. When they get a bit older is the time to start talking about how not all of them do that or that some only do that for certain people.
Honestly, if you grow up as a white child thinking police always have and always will be bad, you aren’t going to be outraged when it’s confirmed. I think there should at least be a foundation of how it is SUPPOSED to be before explaining that it isn’t that way for everyone.
Anon says
Good point.
AwayEmily says
I hear everyone’s points but I think kids SHOULD have a healthy amount of fear of the police, and a recognition that they are often the wrong ones to solve a problem. For example, when my kid is 14 and downtown with her friends, I want her to be the one who says “no, we shouldn’t call the police, let’s think of another option” if they see a homeless person on the street who looks like they are having mental issues.
We have talked frankly with both our 4yo and our 2.5yo about issues with the police (not in a “all police are bad” way but in a “many police officers make bad choices, and treat black people badly and sometimes even hurt them” way). They know that if they are ever lost, they should “look for another mama or dada” (ie, a parent who is with their kids) and tell them they are lost, and that parent will help them. Realistically, if they are lost, they are going to encounter another parent much sooner than they will encounter a police officer — it’s not as if there are police officers wandering around grocery stores.
AnotherAnon says
Respectfully, I disagree that you should teach your 2.5 y/o not to go to the police (fully agree on the 14 y/o, FWIW). I cannot think of a scenario where a police officer would be available but the “wrong” person to go to, AND where my 2.5 y/o was able to discern that. Lost at the theme park? Police. Car wreck? Police. Grocery store? Eh, in my neighborhood you could find a store employee or security guard before a police officer maybe, but I’d still pivot to that before I’d suggest a parent. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I’m 100x more concerned with my child being victimized or kidnapped that I am with him being hurt by the police. He is a POC, so we will be having these conversations, but not at 2.5 – he just doesn’t have the reasoning skills (but then, neither do many grown @ss adults – see Fb).
Redux says
Are you a POC? Not a challenge, just truly curious. I am a POC and have POC kids, but I have a friend who is white with POC kids and we come at this differently based on our experiences.
Anonymous says
I also think in the context of police it’s a mistake to refer to “POC” generally. Police brutality is disproportionately directed at Black people or people who appear to be Black, and using euphemisms like POC diminishes that. I have a lot of Asian friends and while they definitely face racism and discrimination in other contexts, they don’t fear police any more than white people do because the police treat them just fine too.
Anon says
No disrespect but I didn’t know Asian was considered people of color. I guess I thought it only applied to people of dark skin which could include South Asian but not Chinese, Japanese, Korean. I don’t think “people of color” is synonymous with minority.
Anonymous says
Asian includes South and Southeast Asian, it’s not limited to East Asian
(though I really should have said Asian-American because my friends were born here). I think the definition of POC is not set in stone but a common definition is “not white.” I know a number of people of Asian descent who consider themselves POC.
Anon says
At 2:09, sorry, I wasn’t trying to debate semantics. I’m a lawyer that does employment law and sometimes it matters whether something is “legally” a race, a color, or a protected class. I posted out of curiosity and it is not at all relevant to this discussion. I literally had a case (and won it I will add) on whether Cuban was a race. It is! The defense said it was just a nationality.
avocado says
As the mom of a teenager, I agree. I have a certain perspective on police and policing because of the work I do. When my daughter was tiny, however, I taught her that the job of the police was to help people. I taught her to recognize uniformed police officers and that they were one of the categories of people she could ask for help if she was lost. When she entered middle school, I started explaining the complexities. I explained the function of school resource officers and taught her to stay far away from them. She read “The Hate U Give” and started consuming more adult news content. I explained our county sheriff’s department’s policy on prosecuting constructive possession of alcohol. I told her about things I had seen and heard in court and in public defenders’ offices. At 13, she has a pretty nuanced understanding of how the police do and do not fulfill the basic function we taught her about when she was little.
Cb says
We talked about TV shows we hated (ie Blippi, and Peppa, which I seem to be an outlier in hating), what shows can you tolerate or even like?
My 3 year old likes Stinky and Dirty and Tittipo, and I find them both quite cute and not grating. I wished he liked Daniel Tiger more. Simon the Rabbit is a new one for us, and I like it because the mom has a job and then just reads in the garden the rest of the time, and my son likes to say ‘just like mama!’ We also like these ‘kid documentaries’, Here Comes a Digger/Tractor/Fire Engine etc. They are pretty old-school and I feel like I’ve gotten much better at identifying my farm vehicles as a result.
GCA says
Ha, Peppa in Mandarin is my kids’ Mandarin tutor. (Sometimes I think it’s awfully shrill, sometimes sort of cute?) As a 3-4yo, my kid enjoyed Tumbleleaf as well as Stinky & Dirty and Daniel Tiger; that’s the age he also started to get into clips of people dancing: ballet, Broadway musicals, Gene Kelly tapdancing in a barn in Summer Stock… we also discovered Wild Kratts, which he loves to this day. Oh, and various clips on The Kid Should See This that we watch together. For a more, uh, hands-off screen time he watches an episode of Wild Kratts or does a half hour of Khan Academy Kids.
Anon says
Wild Kratts! I’ve learned so much about animals from that show.
Anon says
I said yesterday that I love Peppa but I thought I was the outlier! The #1 thing I like about Peppa is NO SINGING. I can’t do kids shows with little songs that get stuck in your head.
Anon says
Esme and Roy is very popular at our house, as is Doc McStuffins.
AwayEmily says
Mine (2.5 and 4.5) love Esme and Roy too. Bonus: the 4.5yo sings the “take a deep breath, put your hands on your tummy” song to the 2.5yo whenever he starts throwing a fit. It only rarely works but it is super cute to watch.
Anonymous says
Likes: Daniel Tiger, Llama Llama, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, the various Spirit shows (took a while to grow on me, but now I like them), Puppy Dog Pals, most modern Mickey Mouse stuff (Clubhouse, etc.)
Biggest dislike ever: Pinkalicious. I will never understand how it is a PBS show. That voice. Those songs. Her horrible attitude. I can’t even.
Other dislikes: Barbie, Wishenpoof (why oh why does it have to have a giant rainbow on it that my kiddo loves when we scroll through Amazon (or Netflix, I don’t even know anymore)??)
Anon says
Daniel Tiger actually helped a lot with preparing my toddler for new situations (dentist, hair cut in our pre-Covid lives) and with things like potty training (pretty sure we sing “If you have to go potty, STOP and go right awayyyyy” a dozen times a day in our house). I think Doc McStuffins is cute and my 2.5 year old is now obsessed with giving everything in our house checkups, so I like that it’s encouraged some pretend play. I also don’t mind the Beat Bugs on Netflix, mostly because the music isn’t horrible if it gets stuck in your head all day and it’s really cute to hear your kid singing Yellow Submarine.
AnotherAnon says
My kid is 3.5 and still enjoys watching HD videos of trash trucks doing their thing. I tolerate Blippi because he’s annoying but harmless (I LOL’ed at the “Marxist tool of Trump” article yesterday) and my kid does actually seem to be learning about vehicles from him. He recently gave me a rundown of safety equipment on a garbage truck – I was impressed! I like DT despite its character incongruities (the pants are really a sticking point for me), but kiddo is cooling to it at this age. Paw Patrol only “works” at grandma’s house but that’s b/c DH won’t tolerate it. TBH he watches a lot of old Simpsons, Seinfeld and Spongebob, none of which are appropriate for him, nor am I proud of it. We’re starting to introduce Rick Steves and other documentary type shows that we can all enjoy. We eventually want to find Jacques Cousteau’s catalog and introduce that.
Banned in my house: Stinky & Dirty, Little Baby Bum, Cocomelon, Peppa, Caillou. Their crimes range from inane to bad attitude (don’t need help with that TYVM).
Anonanonanon says
Cocomelon is the “break glass in case of emergency” show in our home.
AnotherAnon says
Tell me more!
anon says
Oh man, Cocomelon. My 2.5 year old daughter loves them so much. I don’t HATE them all but I dislike the white, old-school gender norms of most of them. I chose the ones where JJ is at school with some BIPOC kids. A couple of those ones are fine. But the effing boo boo song is the worst. All the kids in the family get hurt and go the mom, and then the dad does the same thing when he gets hurt and it makes my blood boil. I can’t with that one. I’m angry just writing about it! But the potty song by cocomelon is a favorite in our house. Sigh.
Anonanonanon says
Haha my kid loves them, i HATE them, but they are saved for like “oh no there is a last minute conference call I must speak on and I need leverage to make her stay in the other room”
Jeffiner says
I like My Little Pony. It has character development, season long story arcs, and realistic (within the universe) plots.
In the Before Times, we would do family cosplays at cons (we’ve done Ghostbusters and LOTR), and now that she’s old enough to have a say, I would totally cosplay as Ponies. If, you know, we had cons these days.
Audrey III says
You are not the only one who hates Peppa – I think the kids speak rudely to each other and adults, and I don’t like the constant “fat shaming” of Daddy Pig, among other things.
We love the rebooted DuckTails (no redeeming educational value, but pure entertainment value…I will admit we sometimes watch them on our own after kids go to bed), rebooted Muppet Babies, Little Einsteins, Sophia the First, Lion Guard, Magic School Bus (original and reboot), Wild Kratts, and Odd Squad.
Anon says
I like Peppa in general but the fat shaming of Daddy Pig is the one thing I don’t like about it. It’s so weird and unnecessary.
Anonanonanon says
I forgot about Magic School Bus, that’s a good idea.
anon says
In addition to Stinky and Dirty, we were big fans of Wild Kratts, Octonauts, Masha and the Bear, and Creative Galaxy.
For slightly older kids, we love Operation Ouch. It’s a British show on YouTube and it’s amazing. So much information about your body, science and medicine. Really really good. My 4 yo likes it, but it’s probably best for 5+ yos, though even adults enjoy it.
Anon says
Oh I despise Masha and the Bear. She is so careless and takes no responsibility for all the disasters she causes. Plus kiddo is speech delayed, so the lack of more than say 20 words an episode is not something I find helpful in her TV viewing. Then there is the back story about how it’s secret Russian propaganda (which I think must be lost in the English version…I didn’t really pick up on much of it).
Anon says
Masha and the bear is definitely Putin propaganda (Masha = Putin). I have several Russian-American friends and they don’t let their kids near it!
Anon says
Wow, can you share any details? We haven’t really watched it but it sounds juicy.
Anon says
I haven’t really watched it either, but apparently Masha’s personality is based on Putin and the fact that you root for her despite her bad behavior is subtly encouraging people to accept Putin’s own wrongdoing. It’s never made explicit that Masha is Putin (and I don’t think she poisons anyone’s tea, lol) but a goal of this kind of propaganda is for a lot of people to not realize it’s propaganda. If people knew it was propaganda, they would stop watching. There are some articles about it online if you want to read more.
Anon says
And Masha’s bad behavior is the point! The propaganda element of it is that Masha aka Putin bends the rules and plays dirty but is still the hero of the story that you’re supposed to root for. It’s subtle, but good propaganda always is. Apparently it’s been banned in some former Soviet block countries.
Anon says
Must have failed for me, because her bad behavior makes me not root for her – I always root for the poor bear who is getting abused!
long time lurker says
We sometimes watch Masha, but it is currently not a favorite. If Masha is Putin, who is the Bear? I kindof like the Bear, he is like a put upon parent figure and I think his cozy house is cute.
I hate Daniel Tiger, myself, I find his dad’s voice to be super creepy. My kid doesn’t really love it either.
Don’t mind Peppa, think the British humor makes it almost watchable for me.
We have also been watching Paddington Bear and Curious George, I can tolerate both of these.
Anon says
The bear is Mother Russia.
anon says
I enjoy Masha because it seems like a throwback to the cartoons I watched as a kid–Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, etc. Those characters were always getting in trouble and bending the rules, but it never made me want to be a troublemaker. My kids just see her as a silly little kid.
I also have heard about the Putin propaganda theory, but really don’t see it. My kids aren’t close enough to Russia to ever associate the Bear with mother Russia and by the time they’re old enough to consider international politics, Putin will be long retired/dead. Maybe it might have a subtle impact if you’re in Russia or nearby, but it’s not enough of an influence to have me concerned at all.
Anon says
Kids shows that I and kiddo (3) enjoy: Esme and Roy, Sesame Street, Doc McStuffins, Elena of Avalor, Trolls (the Beat Goes On), Wild Kratts. I watched an extra episode of Elena last night after she went to bed because I wanted to know what was happening with the plot…
Kids shows my kiddo enjoys and I wish she didn’t because I find them annoying: Pinkalicious, Tangled the Series, Caillou, some Barbie show on Disney, Word Girl, Cyberchase, Sid the Science Kid, the Simpsons (sigh, so not appropriate and yet she loves it so much)
Anonymous says
The Tangled Series doesn’t bother me to watch (although kiddo doesn’t seem to love it), BUT can someone PLEASE explain to me why Rapunzel’s hair is blonde in the series? Did I miss a criticial piece in the first episdoe? It makes no sense to me.
Anon says
It’s blonde when it’s magic. The special flower with healing powers that saved her hair turned it blonde (and it glows gold when she sings her healing song). When it gets cut, it turns brown and loses all her powers. There was an episode where she lost and then regained the powers, but I don’t know if that was in the movie, the sequel, or the TV series (or frankly, the time universe in when those three fit together).
Anon says
*that saved her mom when mom was pregnant with Rapunzel
Anonymous says
Okay. I’m missing the show and/or sequel where she regains her powers. I went from the original Tangled to about episode 3 of the series. And it made no sense.
Anne says
If you’re not actually watching it with him, bubble guppies is extremely benign and my daughter loves it (I’m not sure anything ever actually happens in that show . . .). I do not think it is watchable for an adult but it’s a great turn it on and tune out without worrying show.
Anonanonanon says
Unpopular opinon: Daniel Tiger made my kid a brat. She now thinks it’s acceptable to growl and declare “I’m MAD!” and sulk if something doesn’t go her way. I think Daniel is a brat to his friends when things aren’t going how he wants. I’d be annoyed if I had to deal with him. I know it’s important to identify, express, and work through feelings, but you don’t have to make everyone have a one-on-one reassuring talk with you every time you’re the slightest bit displeased.
Anyway, after the discussion the other day, I actually tried Mister Rogers with my kid this morning. I thought she’d be bored, but she hung in there longer than I expected! It was an episode where they go to a doll factory and she liked it. She’s 2.5 and I didn’t think she’d get what was going on, but I clearly didn’t give her enough credit. She didn’t hang in for the whole episode, but she had a smile on her face for the parts she watched.
We like Dinosaur Train (PBS) because it’s semi-educational but really the “kids” (dinos) don’t really act rude or misbehave or anything. It’s just a fun cute show.
Elmo’s World is a hit in our house because my daughter likes babies so she loves that he asks a baby what they think. I’m trying to encourage more sesame street in general but so far only elmo does it for her.
I’ve been doing plain ol’ Disney movies, too. I’m not really a “Disney person” and pre-COVID it’s not something I would have done, but Disney knows how to hold a kid’s attention and she incorporates some of the plot lines into imaginative play with her toys.
Anon says
I can’t stand Daniel Tiger. I’ve never understood why people are so crazy about it.
long time lurker says
I posted above re: not liking Daniel Tiger. I also have a 2.5 year old and she said it was “boring” the other day. Aside from thinking the dad has a really creepy voice, I HATED the special snowflake episode and the message behind that one. My husband does the count to 4 thing as a joke, and kiddo gets SO ANGRY she hates it so much. LOL.
I like Sesame Street. Netflix has some Leap Frog things that are at least education, says the person who has the song to Number Land currently stuck in her head.
SC says
One day, DH texted his brother, “If you could punch one kid from Daniel Tiger in the face, who would it be?” Kiddo never really liked Daniel Tiger. I think he found it boring, and when we brought up any of the lessons or songs in real life, he found it really patronizing and got mad (or madder) at us.
Kiddo loved Elmo when he was 1-3 but never really got into full episodes of Sesame Street. He was about 3 before TV held his attention for longer than an episode of Elmo’s World.
layered bob says
we like old Mr. Rogers episodes and Nature (the PBS nature documentary show). We’re just getting into old Sesame Street episodes. For any of these, I’ll turn them on intending to use the time to get something done, and then end up watching the whole thing because I get interested!
Anonymous says
Yes!! We love Mr. Rogers and it was the only thing my kid would watch from 3-4. Now at 5 he is all about Sesame Street. I think maybe other kids aren’t watching it at this age? But he loves it and I’m often surprised about what he has learned.
layered bob says
yeah I feel like my five year old is juuuust old enough for Sesame Street. Before that it moved to fast/was too long/most of the jokes didn’t land. She can read already but she likes knowing the answers quickly on the early literacy stuff. We prefer the older Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street because the shots are longer and the camera angles fewer; my kids get too amped from the quick way contemporary television is cut. Occasionally at Grandma’s house or in a hotel they’ll turn on a TV and see contemporary TV and it gives me a headache.
Anonymous says
Yeeeeeeees same poster above and old Mr Rogers and Sesame Street work so well because they are CALMER and not quite so over-stimulating.
CCLA says
We are big fans of stinky and dirty! DT has fallen out of favor by the older kid (almost 4) but the little one (almost 2) still likes it. One addition has been Leo the Truck or Leo Junior on prime, mostly for the little one. It popped up as recommended because of stinky and dirty; I at first found it grating but now find it pretty adorable and benign, mostly talks through building vehicles and now my kids know what a chassis is. Bluey has also been a recent hit. Older kiddo has become glued to PJ masks, which seems mostly fine in the earlier seasons…later seasons the “villains”seem more annoying.
Older kid’s surprising other like is watching nature videos like planet earth clips…especially the ones of sharks and crocs catching and eating their prey. Actual sentence I used a lot when we were in lockdown: “If you sit still during your zoom call with your class, we can watch the crocodile eat the zebra afterwards.”
Anonymous says
Related question – do you introduce these shows to your kids on purpose or do you wait until they ask? Growing up my family never watched TV and I always felt like I was missing a huge amount of pop culture knowledge. Even in college people would still reference Sesame St and I would have no idea what they were talking about! And I realized I’m now doing the same thing to my kid. She’s almost 3 and has never watched TV. I have no moral objection, she just hasn’t asked and haven’t seen the need (although that might change if it’s ever safe to travel again). Should I pick some of this stuff and show it to her? Or does it not matter now because there are so many more options that it’s not like every kid is watching the same thing?
layered bob says
We introduced on purpose at the end of a long flight, and now watch about 2 hours of kid TV a week, one hour of which is together on the weekend. I also grew up not watching TV at home (although I got to watch PBS at a babysitter’s house). As a teenager/young adult, when I did feel like I was missing out on a cultural touchstone (the Simpsons, Friends, the Sopranos), it was easy to catch up. I don’t think your daughter is missing out, and if she is nothing will be stopping her from asking about it/catching up herself if she wants to.
Anon says
We introduced PBSkids and Sesame Street on TV and our phones around 12-18 months as it was the only way to get my super active child to just sit still for a freaking minute. Then she got a fire tablet with freetime around 2.5 (and we added Disney plus to it) so she now self-selects the shows she wants to watch (how she found blippi).
Anonymous says
We have only introduced tv as it has worked for us- first, just plane rides and haircuts, and now while little sibling naps and we need to work. Kindergarten kid has never requested a specific show so we have focused mainly on Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers. We do try to affirmatively have kid watch some movies, though, because they’re a tool recommended by his therapist for working through emotions. We are not very successful with that because when is it that people are finding time to watch movies?
CPA Lady says
I loooove my little pony. The plots are interesting. The characters are varied. I like how they explore emotional and friendship issues with levels of nuance.
I also love magic school bus (old and new versions) and find the new muppet babies tolerable and visually pleasing. Storybots is good too.
I find “the cat in the hat knows a lot about that” extremely annoying but my kid spouts off science facts from it all the time so it’s probably decent enough, educationally speaking.
octagon says
We do a lot of PBS in our house. Kiddo (4.5) loves Molly of Denali and keeps asking when we can go to Alaska (someday!). Ready, Jet, Go has been great for space knowledge. Wild Kratts on repeat. Just starting to watch Odd Squad and it seems a little old for him, but another year and he will love it. Same with Xavier Riddle, but it’s a little more accessible. Dinosaur Train too — I’ve learned so much about dinosaurs from it! He also likes Daniel Tiger (meh) and Super Why (boring) and Sid the Science Kid (annoying).
Anon. says
We have seen every single episode of all 18 seasons of Wild Kratts and my three year old has a bizarrely specific animal vocabulary as a result – last week in the car he started shouting “Harpy Eagle, 10 o’clock!” and he will routinely ask you to get out of his “territory.” Other favorites here are Dinosaur Train on PBS, Stinky and Dirty (I LOVE the messaging on it) and The Lion Guard on Disney. He also just finished the old school Gummy Bears series and is starting on old school DuckTales during his chill time before bed with dad.
Anon says
Cory Carson on Netflix is a huuuuuuuuuuuge hit in my house.
Anonymous says
I’m super late to this, but… My kids like DT and I don’t mind him. I prefer old school Mister Rogers, and the kids like it if I turn it on, but usually won’t choose it. I’m sad I couldn’t get them into old Sesame Street (and I don’t like the new episodes).
I do enjoy Bubble Guppies and so do my kids. One I haven’t seen mentioned is Team Umizoomi which has a horribly catchy theme song but is great early math and very cute. Storybots is a new favorite that I also like. More songs, but *I* often learn stuff from it, so that’s always cool.
One surprise hit that shouldn’t have been a surprise is Lego Masters. DH and I DVR’d it for ourselves, but the kids found it and have watched every episode at least 5 times by now. They also found The Floor Is Lava on Netflix, and it has zero educational value but is entertaining. Both these shows have the benefit that the kids will watch one episode and then be inspired to take off to build their own Lego/duplo or start their own obstacle course, so they’re self-limiting in a way that others aren’t.
I hate Paw Patrol. That is all.
Tv says
Bluey on Disney+ is great for parents and kids alike plus it has lovely Aussie accents
Otherwise fully agree on Wild Kratts and My Little Pony!
Preggo says
What kind of pads/disposable underwear do y’all recommend for postpartum? I am size XL.
Anon says
I just used hospital products, then switched to regular pads. Mesh underwear and the giant pads with the ice packs for the first day or two, then the longer pads they send you home with for a week or so, then regular pads. I bled for about 8 weeks (which I gather is unusual) but once I was home from the hospital it was no heavier than a period and soon it was very light.
Anonymous says
I used both Depends and the mesh underwear w/ pad and strongly prefer the depends. Way less bulky but with same amount of absorbency. The Depends also didn’t interfere with my csection scar while mesh underwear sort of irritated it.
anon says
After running out of hospital products, I used always Maxi Size 5 Extra Heavy Overnight Pads With Wings – very big! I used them until my flow went back to “normal period”. My friend who had twins swore by the Always Discreet Incontinence underwear, which comes in XL.
Anne says
You’ll want some depends on hand.
Anon says
I really hated depends. The last thing I wanted when I already felt so unlike myself was to wear a literal diaper. I quickly ditched them, and regular pads (the extra long overnight kind) were plenty.
Anon says
Always now makes pads in varying sizes (I am XL or XXL in clothes) in addition to absorbencies. I personally liked the flexfoam in a 4 or 5 for the early days, and then moved down to a 3 as things got lighter for daytime. They were not the pads of my middle school years, that is for sure!
Anonymous says
Huge hospital pad first 24hrs. Purple Always pads for the next 2-3 days, then orange for a few days, then moved to regular (flex foam) for the rest. I brought my own pads cause after the huge hospital pads the generic ones they provide aren’t great at wicking moisture away. Love the disposable underwear. Never went the depends route because I think it would take away the tiniest shred of dignity I held onto after giving birth and nursing in front of hospital staff
Anon says
Regular underwear and regular pads worked best for me, I used up what I took from the hospital and then switched. I had bought some giant super heavy Kotex pads and they were comically large – like they went up to my bellybutton and I ended up tossing them. I think I had sent away for samples of Depends etc and couldn’t bring myself to wear them. Also didn’t need to, it wasn’t the bloodbath I had been warned about.
anonamama says
Always discreete boutique! I loved these. Wish I had brought them to hospital because I did not love wrestling with pads.
CCLA says
Another vote for Depends! Though actually I liked the Always brand, but same concept. So much easier for the first few days, after which I preferred always infiniti. For second kid I brought a pack of the adult diapers to the hospital, so much easier.
CCLA says
threading fail…