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My daughter is outgrowing Candy Land so I’m looking for kids’ versions of my favorite board games. One I love and am looking forward to playing with her is Ticket to Ride First Journey.
Like the original Ticket to Ride, players try to claim routes and connect cities. This kid-friendly version (ages 6 and up) takes 30 minutes or less to play, features shorter routes, and has other simplified rules. It can be played with 2 to 4 players, so my daughter can eventually play with friends or her brother while I relax with a good book and a cup of coffee (yeah right).
The game is available at Amazon for $23 or Target for $27.99.
Sales of note for 3.28.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything plus extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off 2+ items; 40% off 1
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- Lands’ End – 10% off your order
- Loft – 50% off everything
- Nordstrom: Give $150 in gift cards, earn a $25 promo card (ends 3/31)
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item; 25% off everything else
- Zappos – 37,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – 50% off entire site
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all swim; up to 30% off HannaJams
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; 50% off select swim; 50% off kids’ styles
- Old Navy – 50% off Easter deals
- Target – 20% off Easter styles for all; up to 30% off kitchen & dining; BOGO 50% off shoes & slippers for the family;
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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?
Anonymous says
Last minute goodie bag ideas for an unknown amount of kiddos (somewhere 10-20). Were doing a last minute party for our 3 y/o this weekend and since it’s super last minute we have a lot of “maybes”. Looking for goodie bag ideas that won’t go to waste if 10 kids don’t show up. Food, and stuff we can use up over the summer or at our 5 y/o’s party in a few weeks are where my head is. Also, party will have kids ages 3-9, both genders.
So far: starbursts, bubbles, glow sticks.
GO!
Mrs. Jones says
Stickers? Colorful rubber bracelets?
Cb says
I think that sounds great. Temp tattoos or stickers?
Anonymous says
We went to a party recently that had a small gift per kid instead of a goody bag, and I loved the lack of a million little pieces of trash (maybe my kids are just uniquely bad at throwing away candy wrappers and tattoo backings?). They did small Lego kits and those Dino Treasure things where you dig a dinosaur out of a block of clay and put the pieces together. It was a hit with my kids ages 4-8
Anon says
Chalk?
Redux says
FWIW, I would not give my 3 yo starbursts (though I would happily pluck them out of the bag and eat them myself!). Instead, we have done little cups of applesauce or peaches, and all-fruit fruit snacks/ fruit leather/ twists, etc. which definitely check the box of being easy to re-use later.
I don’t think you need more than you have listed here! Just the bubbles would be enough of a “goody bag” for us! You could upgrade and give each kid a bubble wand– my kids would be pumped with just that. And I would be happy not to have a bunch of little plastic $#!+ as the poster above said. I too have seen the trend of a little gift for each guest, which definitely read more upscale to me (and also way pricier)– we got a pack of glitter pens and a coloring book.
FP says
If you are a Target shopper, I recently saw these $5 kits for painting – I’ll add a link as a response. The brand is Mondo Llama. I think that would be a cute favor that wouldn’t go to waste.
FP says
https://www.target.com/p/paint-your-own-ceramic-unicorn-kit-mondo-llama-8482/-/A-81303065#lnk=sametab
AIMS says
Bubbles?
anon says
The nice thing about small gifts is that you can return them. Michael’s has a lot of small inexpensive craft kits too.
FVNC says
I got lazy one year (okay, every year) and gave party attendees balloons. Not helium balloons, just balloons I’d blown up and taped around the party venue. The kids were thrilled.
Tea/Coffee says
Wikki stix
Small cheap books – we got a little golden book as a party favor and man, we read that books to death. Also good if there’s a alight spread in kid ages as some can have it read to them, older kids might be able to kind of read it themselves.
Small bath bombs. My kids adore bath bombs (well, so do i) so any leftovers would not have a hard time being used!
Have fun!
Anon says
Regular poster, anon for this one…I’m hoping some of you are around this Friday morning for some reassurance. So, I have a 5yo and a 3.5yo, and my husband and I had never quiiite closed the mental door on a third. In early spring, we sat down and decided we loved being parents, and we so we would try for a third over the summer, then close the door for good. Two months later, I’m pregnant. This is is so sudden. I had mentally prepared myself that I probably wouldn’t get pregnant (I’m 41) and so at the same time we’re both incredibly excited/thrilled and also overwhelmed and terrified that we let our hearts lead us into something we’ll regret. I’m nervous about being older when the baby is born. I’m nervous about re-living the baby stage we’d put behind us. I’m nervous that it will somehow mess up the incredible bond my older two have, and that we won’t have as much one-on-one time with them. And I’m feeling guilty for feeling those other feelings, when with my other two all I felt was unadulterated joy. Any happy stories about 3-kid families would be wonderful to hear at this point. Thank you.
Anonymous says
It takes the pressure off the sibling relationship when you introduce a third. I was iffy on a third kid but ended up with surprise twins on my second pregnancy so we have three. I actually like a slightly bigger family so much that I would have had a fourth but DH was worried we’d end up with twins again (chances increase with age and history of twins) and 5 would be too many. 3 is the new 2 – I knew hardly anyone with more than one sibling growing up and tons of families in my kids classes have 3 kids.
It’ll be a great age range. Older ones will be a bit more independent but still very much kids and enjoying similar family time type activities.
Third babies often just go along with the family activities vs have the family activities revolve around them like with first babies.
Anon says
Demographically, 3 definitely isn’t the new 2 in the US, even if your personal experience says otherwise! Families are getting smaller.
Anonymous says
I think 3 or even 4 is the new 2 for high-income families.
Anon at 4:06 says
Perhaps in your neck of the woods, but the trend is actually the opposite. The higher the income, the fewer children people have. And birth rates are falling overall (as we’ve all heard all over the news for the past month!). https://www.statista.com/statistics/241530/birth-rate-by-family-income-in-the-us/
Anon says
Anon at 4:06, birth rates are falling in the US because more adults and married couples are choosing to remain childless. Among couples that choose to have children, the mean number of children is increasing.
Anecdotally, I definitely feel like 3 is the new 2. We don’t hang out with a lot of families with 3+ kids because we’re in academia and so are most of the people we know and I feel like academics tend to have smaller families than normal (we have 1, which feels much less weird among our academic friends than in the “real world”, although most people still have 2). But most women I know from college and high school have 3+ and many of them are still working and have an advanced degree. Growing up, we knew a few large families where the mom didn’t work, but every kid with a working parent had at most one sibling. That’s definitely no longer the case today, the majority of doctors/lawyers/engineers I know who have kids have 3.
Anon at 4:06 says
“Among couples that choose to have children, the mean number of children is increasing”. Do you have a source for that? I’ve not been able to find that info anywhere. Thanks!
I found this, which shows the number of families with 3+ children dropping and families with 2 or fewer children slightly dropping as well: https://www.statista.com/statistics/183790/number-of-families-in-the-us-by-number-of-children/
Anonymous says
Late to reply. I’m not in the US. In my Canadian city – growing up there were two kids in my elementary school class of 25 who had more than one sibling. Different part of the city now and in my oldest’s class only 5 out of 25 kids have one sibling. 1 is an only child and the rest are from families of 3 or 4 kids (so 19 with more than one sibling vs. 2 with more than one sibling. Of the female lawyers at my firm, one is childless by choice, 3 have one child, 5 have two kids and 5 of us having 3 kids. I have one CEO client and one Director level client who each have 4 kids. Obviously this is just ancedata but it’s a definite trend where I am.
I’d say the increase really took off after maternity leave went to 18 months. I’ve noticed a few people having a third kid then with the mom still going back to work after 12 months and the Dad taking a couple months. Unfortunately we were done with kids by the time that was an option.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Congratulations! I don’t have 3 kids but you both sound like you were open to a third and have enough love and resources to give, so you will grow into your new family. I think your kids will be spaced far enough apart (basically 6 and 4 years apart from baby) that it won’t feel so overwhelming to have a bunch of little ones, and you may even enjoy the hard baby and toddler parts knowing that they will eventually pass! And your older kids might enjoy helping with the baby.
It’s very normal to be nervous and it doesn’t mean you’ll love the baby any less. And now you have no excuses not to get that minivan ;) (I kind of want one because it has every kid-friendly feature I would want, but I talk myself out of it b/c 2 kids, already have 2 cars, etc.)
Same! says
Our family was in a very similar situation around two years ago, kids are now 6, 5, and 1.5 It has been a breeze! The older two are fairly self-sufficient and enjoy entertaining the youngest. I also had a lot of trepidation about having to go through all the baby stuff again but I find just having one in diapers so much easier than when our older kids were both small at the same time. The biggest adjustment has been giving up a bit of the mobility and spontaneity that we had just gotten used to again, but I know it will return soon. Our oldest have definitely maintained their bond, and have had very little jealousy for the baby. Totally normal to feel nervous, but don’t waste time feeling guilty!
Spirograph says
Congratulations! I have 3 and the logistics get a little more tricky once activities start, but my little pack is really fun. It’s adorable when we go on family trips/outings and they’re just a group unto themselves. At least two of them (in various combinations) get along most of the time, and often all three. It’s so easy to let them do their own kid stuff while I vaguely supervise when they have live-in playmates.
Also, my youngest is delightful. He’s almost 5 and so easygoing and just happy to be in the mix, no matter what the activity is. The older two like having a willing partner in crime at the ready, so it works out for all.
Anonymous says
I can’t speak to the experience as a parent (I just have 1), but I am the middle child of 3 and it was good for us. My older brother and I are 1.5 years apart, and my younger brother is 6 years younger. Both of us olders are closer to the younger brother than each other, although we all get along fine. No one ever fought with him; we fought over him, and helped take care of him.
EDAnon says
I have two (thinking about 3!) and I am one of three (I am in the middle). My older sibling and I were so close growing up and are not as adults. I am grateful for my younger sibling. She and I are close. I never felt like she pulled attention from me. By the time she came along, I was ready for more independence.
govtattymom says
Congratulations! I can’t speak to having three kiddos, but I can speak to not being mentally prepared for that positive pregnancy test and having feelings other than unadulterated joy (baby #2 was not planned). I definitely experienced a lot of guilt for having some negative feelings about the surprise pregnancy, but now that the dust has settled and my second is 3 months old, I can say that I adore her and can’t imagine life without her. Just this morning I was singing “Your Song” to her and got emotional at the lyrics (I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words, How wonderful life is now you’re in the world). Congratulations and thinking of you!
Anon says
I just had my third (olders are almost 6 and 3.5). I love him so much!! I am really enjoying the newborn phase this time around, despite lack of sleep. I am more confident and settled than I was as a new mom to my others. Yes, logistically it is harder, but my boys looove the baby and I’m excited to see even more sibling bonds develop. (And yes, three boys for me :) Pregnancy was also easier than I expected – I was less sick than I was last time, though had a few more aches and pains.
OP says
I am actually tearing up reading these — THANK YOU for taking the time to write, acknowledging that it’s ok to have mixed feelings, and giving me some specifics to look forward to. as always, I am so grateful to the people on here for being such an amazing community.
anon says
Congrats OP! We haven’t closed the door on a third, either, and this makes me want to. Just think of how much you’ll appreciate the baby snuggles <3
EDAnon says
Same here! I had kind of thought it was not in the cards but maybe…
Anon says
My best friend is having her 3rd boy next month, my cousin had her 3rd and 41.5, only 6 months before covid hit and somehow survived the pandemic with two working parents, no childcare and 3 kids. Both kids, but particularly the oldest adored the baby and has been super helpful. DH has a sibling who is 12 years younger (has another one only 3 years younger) who his mom had when she was 40 (and this was over 20 years ago when it wasn’t quite as common). I think all your feelings sound completely normal! At some point I’m sure you’ll look back and say you can’t imagine your life without this third baby and how lucky you were to conceive so easily in your 40s. Congrats! Hope you have an easy pregnancy
Seafinch says
Our third was a breeze, she just made everything better. The fourth was the same and I would kill for one more. The dynamic of three (or four) is like a little team. My husband calls them his little half section of infantry. I was 41 when I had my fourth and it was my best pregnancy and despite three miscarriages this past year, I am still trying at 43. I don’t want to be in the baby trenches forever (at this point 12 years) and given my dwindling chances I will quit probably by next year but we have zero regrets. I don’t feel old. Nothing got messed up, everything was just enriched.
Seafinch says
I will also add that while we may be unusually old fashioned, our logistics aren’t challenging. We only do activities (and not many, at all) in walking distance, they walk to school and we always have a live-in Au Pair for childcare. We lean way out and they roam our neighbourhood with neighbours in their bikes instead of doing much formal activity. They have an idyllic childhood but we do buck the trend, although many of our neighbours have followed our lead. It’s like 1975 Parenting Camelot here.
Anon says
I love this. I’m the poster above who just had my third, and this baby is confirming I want more! He’s not even particularly easy, but I realize how much I love my babies and am not ready to be done with this phase. I aspire for a slow, simple, long childhood for our family, too
AwayEmily says
This is great to hear. One of the things that pushed us towards a third was that the pandemic year made us realize how deeply happy we are doing pretty much nothing. We don’t love to travel (except to see family), we’re indifferent about doing activities, our oldest is going to the mediocre neighborhood kindergarten next year, we spend most afternoons just sitting on our porch while the kids run around. And so all of the worries about how a third kid might “cramp our style” kind of went out the window once we realized we have absolutely no style. Just being happy and together at home is as good as it gets.
AwayEmily says
oops, guess I blew my Anon cover :-)
Seafinch says
We are Olympic level porch sitters. I a writing this from my porch, with a glass of wine, listening to kids smash around. We fully embrace the long, slow, simple approach. The irony is that while I know how devastating this pandemic has been for so many (and I am a crazy extrovert generalist posted into a specialist job so all other things being equal, I hate WFH,which I have been for a year and a half now) this pandemic has been the best year of our lives. We just found out school is out until September and I was appalled for others but privately delighted for us. I refuse to buy into the rat race and it works so well for us, like I said, even the doctors with two kids are following our lead and I count my lucky stars that we have this crazy retro throwback village. I am so, so glad we made it to four, it wasn’t straightforward and involved five late miscarriages. God willing, I can squeak out a fifth with a Hail Mary Pass but we would probably foster or adopt regardless.
SBJ says
In case you’re still reading-I posted here almost exactly 2 years ago about our surprise 3rd. We had just decided to sit with the idea of stopping at 2 for a few months and I was becoming convinced that was the right call. I spent most of my third pregnancy unsure if we’d made a mistake. Now, I love our big family and I couldn’t imagine anything else. I have two year age gaps between each kid and it’s a ton of work, since my two youngest aren’t super independent and my oldest is just getting there, but it’s all worth it. They are firmly a pack, even though the older to are so far closer (the little one tries so hard to keep up, though!). It’s constant chaos, and there are tough times, but I wouldn’t trade it for a second. I love it so much I briefly considered a fourth (I adore the baby phase), but 3 is definitely our stopping point. Good luck! Three is definitely a crowd, in a good way, and the fun times are really a lot of fun.
Anonymous says
I have three kids, and it is fantastic! The baby is so much easier the third time around, although my third was an amazing sleeper. He spent most of his time before the pandemic being toted around to his brothers’ activities. If anything it helped the bond of my older two, because they had to play together when I was busy with the baby. They could entertain each other. My 5 year old was really enthusiastic about the baby. I do have less one-on-one time with them, and I would prefer more of that, but they would prefer more time with me and at least one sibling than more one-on-one time. I did some one-on-one time with my youngest, because he is always being left out of things, and he kept asking about his brothers.
My youngest is 2, and I am nervous for when all three have activities, although I am trying to maximize activities at the same time/place for different ages. My third pregnancy was exhausting, with a job, two older kids, and being older.
Anonymous says
I have school-aged kids. They do not really use or even want presents. We switched older kid to a no-presents birthday (which is really hanging out outside, making smores, having personal pizzas) and it was totally fine. One parent wanted to bring something, and I suggested a hand-made card and maybe a chocolate bar and that was fine.
Younger kid’s birthday is upon us and we’re doing the same thing — outside party, no presents (so also not doing gift bags, just trying to keep it simple b/c IMO the kids need their friends now, not stuff). [I’d take the kids somewhere fun, but they are 4th graders, so not old enough to have gotten shots yet, so into the backyard they go. My older kid has now had shots and wants to go out to a fancy dinner with a couple of friends for her next birthday, which isn’t for a while.] One parent is finding this very, vocally strange. But is it? I feel like teens or adults might bring a token gift (or buy you a round of drinks), but that the whole present thing just falls away other than souvenirs or hostess gifts. But I feel like as a working mom with no working mom coworkers, I may be really out of the loop, especially after this year.
Cb says
I think that sounds great! Be a trendsetter and free the parents from the burden of gifts. We went to a three year old party last weekend and maybe half of the people bought presents? We didn’t bring anything as we brought too big bags of clothes for the birthday boy, so we didn’t feel like we were arriving empty handed.
GCA says
I don’t think it’s all that strange – as a tween/ teen, I always thought presents were fine but books and friend time were better. As a vaccinated adult I personally would love to go out to brunch with other vaccinated friends! If I were a vaccinated teen after the nightmare of this past school year, I would want a fancy dinner for my birthday too. Also, this is kid-dependent, but for 4th graders, to make it special you could take them and a friend or two on some sort of outdoor adventure: Local ropes course, mini golf, archery lessons (channeling Katniss…)
TheElms says
I think you should support your kid doing what they want within reasonable limits. I loved having fancy dinners. I started doing fancy birthday dinners when I was in 5th grade (so 11) and my parents got me presents but not the person(s) at the dinner. The early ones were my parents, me and a friend. Sometimes we did an activity. I recall going to an amusement park with two friends one year. For my 16th I remember taking a large (maybe 12) group of friends to a semi-private room in a local restaurant. That was probably excessive but I in my area elaborate (at a hotel, with a DJ, etc) sweet 16 parties were common, so I think my parents thought they were getting off easy!
Anonymous says
I’ve been putting “no gifts please” on my kid’s birthday party invitations forever. People still bring gifts but many people go smaller — a book or two or craft things. I do the same thing for other kids. You are entirely correct.
Anonymous says
It’s not strange at all and it’s weird and rude to make a big deal if it.
avocado says
Not strange at all. Starting around age 10, my daughter went to a lot of birthday celebrations that were a fancy dinner out, or lunch out and an activity. We hosted one and it was fun and so easy.
Mary Moo Cow says
I don’t think it is strange in a pejorative sense, but I do think it is unusual. I, personally, really like the idea, but no one I know has done a no-gifts party and my kids are small enough to still be wowed/expect presents (yes, I’m working on the expectation attitude) and love to pick out gifts for their parents. Gifts are also one of my love languages. So I’m projecting a bit on the parent who is vocal: this is out of her comfort zone and she’s trying to wrap her head around it. Shrug it off. Have fun at the party!
Leatty says
Birthday ideas for a 4 year old that can easily fit in a suitcase? DD turns 4 soon, and we will be visiting family (a flight away) on her birthday. We have a big gift for her at home (a bigger scooter), but need some ideas for small things that she can open on her actual birthday.
Anon says
For her last birthday/holiday season, we got my 3 year old some books, pajamas with her favorite animal on them, a more grown up doll (that she shows no interest in because she prefers her baby doll), art stuff and dress-up costumes. Friends sent a Melissa and Doug magnetic puzzle and plastic animals that were big hits. I feel like a lot of that would work for a 4 year old.
Realist says
At that age you can just go to the party store and buy some of those party favors that cost less than a dollar each and give her a bunch to unwrap.
anon says
Things that my 3 and 4yos play with daily and are easy to pack in a suitcase: M&D magnetic dress up sets, Crayola Scribble Scrubbies, dress-up clothes, Legos.
Mary Moo Cow says
A small Lego set? Look for Lego Juniors or City; they often are small and rated 4 plus. A book? Water wow or other Melissa and Doug travel activity books?
Daily toddler vitamin says
Daily vitamin recommendation for my 3 year old picky eater? Are vitamins still a thing for kids. I used to love taking my flintstone vitamin.
Anon. says
My three year old takes Flintstones gummies.
Anon says
+1
Anonymous says
I loved flintstone vitamins, too! The vaguely sweet tart like chalky ones? *Chefs kiss*
We have used various brands and shapes of gummy vitamins and my kids love them. I am not 100% convinced of their health value, but it’s a good incentive in the morning; they get a gummy after they’ve finished breakfast and gotten dressed.
Anon says
My 3 year old is super picky and her doctor said a vitamin wasn’t necessary. We did start a Vitamin D supplement last year after I read studies that it could help with Covid and immune system support in general. She did get sick WAY less this year and the few colds she caught were crazy mild -like sneezing and drippy nose for a day and that was it – but I assume that has more to do with masks and social distancing and a maturing immune system than the supplement.
Anon says
There’s a gummy bear shaped Vitamin D supplement, with some Vitamin C and Zinc, that my kids like. I agree that seems more “necessary” that a full multi vitamin (since so many people are D deficient)
NYCer says
We use Mary Ruth Organics kids multivitamin gummies.
HSAL says
Regular Flintstones – half a vitamin until 4. My kids love them and I still like them. We don’t do gummies on the advice of our dentist.
CCLA says
Same here. Half starting at 2, full starting at 4. Ped said it was a good idea with our picky eater but that it wasn’t a big deal if we didn’t do it every day. Our dentist didn’t have an opinion on gummies but I think those lack iron so I like that the kids get their iron dose in the reg flintstone one.
Anonymous says
Is iron an issue in picky eaters? Bread is iron-fortified and most picky eaters eat plenty of that. I assumed it was vitamins most kids are lacking.
CCLA says
I suppose it depends on their diet! My kid doesn’t eat bread every day.
Anonymous says
It’s not just bread, it’s most bread products – pasta, bagels, tortillas, cereal are all generally iron-fortified, at least in the US. I’m pretty sure my kid gets too much iron and it’s a source of constipation.
Toddler vitamin says
Daily vitamin rec for my 3 year old picky eater? Are kid vitamins still a thing? I used to love taking my Flintstone one.
Cb says
We do whatever gummy vitamin is on sale. I think vitamins are probably a scam, but maybe fills a nutritional gap or two.
SC says
We do gummy vitamins. My kid is super picky and will not eat the Flintstone vitamins!
Anonymous says
We use the flintstones ones! Look for one that is a vitamin/mineral not just vitamin as iron is one of the main things kids struggle to get enough of. Centrum junior is also good but each one has one of 4 animals printed on it and I got tired of my kids fighting over who got which animal.
Anonymous says
We do use them and we just the generic target or Kroger brand Flintstones type. My kids tend to be low on iron and so ped recomnehded it. It makes a big difference for them (goodbye, fatigue and under-eye circles for my low iron 5 year old).
Reine-Marie says
My 9mo DD has only tried a life jacket once, and she hated it, which I get. She’s 18 pounds, and the standard infant one seems to bounce around her face too much, even when she’s not in the water. That is our only option for now, so I was wondering if anyone has any tips to get her used to it. My current plan is to have it out to play with and throw around, and then put it on her right before we take off in the boat so she is distracted by the boat moving. TIA!
Anonymous says
Depending on how hot it is, I actually get the life jacket soaking wet, then towel it off so it’s not dripping then put in on over a long sleeve UV top. My kids always hated the scratchy material that the life jackets are made from and getting it wet helps them stay cooler vs. how warm the dry lifejacket can be. Also, it just got easier as they got to be toddlers.
Size wise – in Canada you can’t get one certified for kids under 20 lbs. Of the non-certified ones, I like the Level Six brand infant one. We switched to the 20lbs plus ones when the kids hit 18-19 lbs.
Feel good Friday says
Celebrating small victories at my house today – the almost 4 year old can put his shoes on by himself. I think he’s probably been doing this at daycare for weeks (months?) but at home has been very content for us to do it.
Anon says
My 3.5 year old just put her shoes on by herself for the first time today also! She’s behind the curve in a lot of stuff like this – not an official delay that warrants intervention, but she’s not doing a lot of stuff most kids her age can do – so we were all very excited.
Cb says
Same aged kiddo just figured out how to dress himself a few weeks ago, and it’s slower but less of a struggle. He picks out what he wants to wear for the day and gets himself dressed, which is so nice. He also replaced the toilet roll the other day when he was sitting on the potty and noticed it was empty “I saw it was empty, I looked for loo roll in the cupboard, and put it on!”, which TBF is something I struggle to remember to do.
anon says
My almost-one-year-old has turned into a tiny feral animal. Pulling up on everything, climbing everything, grabbing everything, trying to get into everything, speed crawling away from the scene of the crime laughing hysterically…it’s adorable and exhausting. Someone tell me it won’t last forever?
AnonATL says
Oh man commiseration. My feral baby has taken to smacking me in the face and trying to stick his fingers in my eyes when I’m carrying him.
He’s wild right now.
Anonymous says
Yep. Sticking fingers in my eyes and ears, grabbing my nose…
Boston Legal Eagle says
It won’t last forever!! My first was pretty active, and still is at 5, but I don’t have to watch over him like a hawk anymore. I find the toddler stage much more exhausting than the baby year (I had good sleepers!), but it does eventually end.
Friday says
It definitely won’t last forever but this is developmentally normal and may get worse once kiddo is walking. Feel free to tell me to buzz off but it sounds like it’s time to toddler proof your house. My house morphed into a weird aesthetic of “why is every decorative/heavy/breakable object four feet off the ground?” Cabinet and toilet locks were a necessity. We also moved all trash cans out of reach. My kiddo was curious, but not wild or destructive. YMMV. Good luck!
Anonymous says
My second is wild. I would say 12-18 months is hard because they can injure themselves really easily. Then they figure out special relations, how to get on/off stuff, and listen to SOME rules (took 3 weeks for DS to stop climbing on the kitchen table 100 times a day). Now he’s 22 months and just getting MAD, so that’s hard in different ways. Hits, bites, and still a wreck it Ralph. But he’s a delight outside and wildly coordinated so it’s fun to play with him.
Flying Mom says
Oh I could have written this about mine who turns one next week. This made me feel better that it is normal and will hopefully not last forever. Hang in there!
TheElms says
So much commiseration. I have a 2 year old and what I think is a fully toddler proof house and its still hard. Her latest “skill” is relocating the breakfast room chairs to other locations to get into the upper cabinets (we didn’t put locks on those but maybe we should?!?). She’s also very close to being able to unlock the baby gates. But, she is pretty good on the stairs now and she is also starting to understand that some things are dangerous and we don’t do them without an adult. I’m hoping the toddler death wish keeps subsiding faster than her physical abilities increase, but it is definitely an exhaustive period of constant vigilance from the near walking phase until 2.5 or 3 ish I think. Friends suggest it gets vastly better around 2.5 when the self-preservation instinct starts to kick in a bit. Fingers crossed.
Anonymous says
It does! The physical risk does get better! I think there are some exceptions if your child has adhd and struggles with impulsivity. But it gets better. Then come managing the emotions of a threenager…it’s all a phase though!
SC says
Our whole family loves this board game! And My First Carcassonne.
And whoever recommended Sleeping Queens a few weeks ago, Kiddo loves it!
CCLA says
Thanks! My almost 5 yo is in need of some new games. Sleeping queens was on our list but looks like first carcassonne may also be a good fit for her.
octagon says
Dinosaur Tea Party is great too — very much like an easy version of Clue, but with dinosaurs. And despite the name it would be great for kids of any gender.
Anonymous says
My four year old has really been enjoying Outfoxed (cooperative board game). It says it’s for 5 and up but she picked it up after a couple games. I’m not really a game person and I like it too.
SC says
We played a LOT of Outfoxed when my son was that age, through about 5.5. Also, Race for the Treasure, another Peaceable Kingdoms game.
Robot Turtles is also fun–Kiddo received it for his 5th birthday, but I think younger kids could play it. The parent is more the game master than a fellow game player.
Anonymous says
I am livid. My husband just announced that he is going out to lunch IN A RESTAURANT right now. He got the J&J vaccine, which means that if there is an unvaccinated infected person in the restaurant there is a good chance he will pick up the virus and bring it home to the family. See, e.g., the New York Yankees traveling party. Meanwhile, here I am turning down work travel because, in part, it would require me to eat in restaurants. Why can’t he and his buddies just eat outside? We have sacrificed so much for so long and he’s throwing it all away when we’re in the home stretch. And it doesn’t just affect him, it affects me and the kids.
anon says
The J&J vaccine doesn’t mean that there is a good chance he will pick the vaccine up from a restaurant and bring it home to his family.
Are you vaccinated?
Anonymous says
Yes, with J&J. 9 members of the Yankees’ ~50-person traveling party caught COVID even though they were vaccinated with J&J. Yes, most of them were asymptomatic. That is not likely to be the outcome if I catch it.
It’s just so stupid. Why is eating inside a restaurant important?
Anon says
They caught it from an unvaccinated person. There is NO evidence, like literally none, that people vaccinated with J&J frequently spread the virus to others.
anon says
This is with extended, very close contact between the traveling party. It’s not the same level of contact as in a restaurant, even an indoor restaurant. And all cases except one were asymptomatic, not just the majority.
Anonymous says
You are incorrect. Surely you’re vaccinated? This is a problem you are making up.
Anon says
You said yourself “if there is an unvaccinated infected person in the restaurant” so you must understand that vaccinated people don’t normally transmit infections. Why doesn’t that same logic apply to your husband? On the very, very small chance he gets exposed to the virus and becomes sick, he won’t spread it to you or your kids. Don’t go to a restaurant yourself if you don’t want to, that’s fine. But it’s wildly unreasonably to expect a fully vaccinated adult to avoid restaurants when there are ~10,000 cases of this virus per day in a country of 350 million people. The odds he would even be exposed to anyone with the virus in a restaurant with ~50 people in it are vanishingly low.
Anon says
You do realize that in the trials, the efficacy endpoint was *symptomatic* illness, right? So all the NY Yankees except the one who got sick count as vaccine successes, not vaccine failures, because they got the vaccine and didn’t become symptomatic. They only found out about the infections because they undergo lots of testing. I don’t know why the NY Yankee story is so scary to you – it’s incredibly reassuring to me, because this is the way the vaccines are supposed to work. If you get infected and don’t have any symptoms and don’t spread to anyone else, that is a vaccine success not a vaccine failure!
anon says
Wait, I’m confused about this whole J&J vaccine doesn’t prevent transmission claim.
Anonymous says
We’ve known all along that it is pretty effective, but not 100% effective. Some infections are expected with J&J. Some are even expected with Pfizer and Moderna, but many fewer.
Anon says
This person is incredibly anxious and has been spewing anti-vax nonsense about how J&J doesn’t work for months. There is no scientific evidence to back up the statement that people who were vaccinated with J&J are more likely to transmit Covid if they become infected than people who were vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna. There is some scientific evidence that J&J is modestly less effective than Pfizer and Moderna at reducing symptomatic illness and this person is jumping to completely wrong conclusions and spreading misinformation that is going to create distrust in the vaccines and prolong the pandemic, allegedly the thing she’s most terrified of. It’s extremely frustrating.
Anonymous says
Exactly. This is dangerous misinformation.
NYCer says
+1. I also assumed this is the same person who has been spreading misinformation about J&J for months.
Anon says
I think you’re being unreasonable expecting him to avoid indoor dining right now unless you have a high-risk person who can’t be vaccinated in your household. He will likely not be exposed to the virus (something like 1 in 5,000 people in the US is currently infected), he will likely not get sick even if he is exposed to the virus, and even if he does get sick there’s a good chance he won’t pass it on to anyone else – that’s the point of the vaccine. When you multiply all those probabilities together, the odds of him infecting you or anyone else in your house via his restaurant visit are staggeringly low. You probably have a greater chance of getting in a car accident every time you drive. I understand the caution if you have, say, a child under 12 in current chemotherapy treatment but otherwise I think you’re being really paranoid.
Fwiw, my family has been really cautious about Covid – we are still not doing indoor dining because we don’t see a need for it since the weather is great for outdoor dining, but I would not flip if my husband wanted to do it and would expect him to permit me to do it if it were important to me. Once our child is vaccinated, we’ll definitely be dining indoors even if virus numbers are much higher than they are now (which experts have said they likely will be this fall and winter). I’m not sure what you mean by “the home stretch” but most experts don’t think Covid is going to be eradicated, so I’m not really sure what benchmark you’re waiting for and there will likely be more cases in the fall when weather forces people to stop gathering outdoors. We will live with it like we do the flu and the vast majority of vaccinated people won’t get seriously ill thanks to vaccines.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Yes, I think statistically, he has a higher chance of getting in a car accident on the way to the restaurant than catching Covid while being vaccinated and then also spreading it to your unvaccinated kids.
No, indoor dining is not a necessity but it’s nice to do, especially if it’s hot out, and the vaccines are there to give us these freedoms! I’ve already dined in a restaurant twice since being fully vaccinated, and yes I have unvaccinated kids at home.
Anon4This says
It sounds like you’re worried about your Husband being asymptomatic and passing it to the kids? I think while it’s reasonable, the risk is still small. The whole point of getting vaxxed is to enjoy a bit of normalcy.
YMMV, but I’m fully onboard with indoor dining once vaccinated. We were very COVID cautious throughout things, didn’t even see anyone socially except outside/masked/distanced, and continue to mask and use common sense, but DH also just went on a work trip (first one since pre-pandemic) and took a flight MDW. We don’t really take the kids indoors, exception is our neighborhood diner where DH and DK #1 have breakfast on Sundays (it became homemade pancakes during pandemic, and TBQH this is much better for everyone’s mental health, including me getting some alone time).
And no, we don’t live in a Unicorn county where everyone is Vaxxed, our area is about 50% fully vaxxed.
Anonymous says
This is just not true. The J&J vaccine is great, there is not a good chance of bringing it home, it does not affect you and the kids. He is not throwing anything away.
Anon says
Please get help for your anxiety, seriously. Your posts are filled with factually inaccurate statements.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Replying again, but yes, gently, OP, it sounds like your anxiety is making you spiral and interfering with your quality of life. I too have anxiety and remember similar objectively irrational thoughts with my first pregnancy. I went to therapy, got medication, and feel so much better and no longer spiral.
Anonymous says
I’m not feeling gentle about it. It isn’t ok to inflict dangerous manifestations of anxiety on the rest of us.
Anon says
Yeah…there’s anxiety and then there’s this. This is probably the 10th post, clearly all from the same person, with very dangerous misinformation about J&J. I wish Kat would take down the posts with factually inaccurate statements about vaccines. I was skeptical when another poster said Russian b0ts were invading this s1te but now I’m starting to wonder because this is exactly what a good disinformation campaign looks like.
Anon says
Just go get another vaccine and stop talking about this already.
Anon says
+1 dude, just go get Pfizer and stop talking about this.
Anon says
Hey Mom, it’s your daughter. Time for you to go back on Parler or wherever else you get this vaccine “knowledge” that you share with me.
Anon says
The truth is it doesn’t matter the statistical chance – I am like you in that I am not comfortable with anyone in our household doing indoor dining. Yes, there are many things in life we do that are risky. But there are also certain risks we can choose not to take or do things to minimize the risks. I would feel the same way that you do
Anonymous says
Facts don’t matter huh
Anon says
Of course facts matter but OP isn’t saying she wants her husband to sit at home forever. Perhaps her choice of words wasn’t ideal, but I know many people who still are not comfortable with indoor dining. I do not agree that “there is a good chance he will pick up the virus” (though again that depends on current rates in their particular community), but there is a risk that OP is not comfortable with
Anon says
I know people (myself included) who still aren’t doing indoor dining because they see little to no value in it when outdoor dining is available. But I do’nt know anyone who has banned a spouse from doing indoor dining (or any other activity, for that matter). It’s fine for OP to avoid indoor dining herself if that’s her comfort level, but the risk is objectively so low it’s unreasonable to tell her spouse he can’t do it or to be livid that he is doing it. Frankly, now that we’re vaccinated I can’t imagine anything I would tell my husband he can’t do, even if it’s not something I’d do myself, because the risk of vaccinated people spreading the virus to others is so low. Even if her husband does get unlucky enough to get sick the odds are very high he won’t spread it to her or the kids, so it’s not nearly as risky as going to a restaurant herself.
Anon says
For a long time I was uncomfortable with the ethics of supporting my local restaurants when line cooks were one of the the most vulnerable professions to the pandemic this past year. Restaurants generally have just not provided safe, ventilated work spaces for the people preparing the food.
Ari says
Then that’s an anxiety issue. Which is fine if it only affects what you’re doing, but when it starts controlling others, including your own family, its a problem.
ElisaR says
You’re being unreasonable with your husband. The statement you made “there is a good chance he will pick up the virus….” tells me you’re not being reasonable about this. No. No. No, there is NOT a good chance of that happening.
Anon says
+1. You can make a fully rational decision that the benefits of indoor dining don’t outweigh the small risks (if you both put little very value on indoor dining, as my family does) but it has to be a joint decision and if either person decides they actually do value indoor dining then you have to reassess. Objectively the risk is low and a rational person recognizes that. From the statement “a good chance he’ll pick up the virus and bring it home to the family” it’s clear OP is clearly not behaving rationally because there is not a good chance of that at all.
Anonymous says
Any tips for westbound jetlag? Going to Hawaii tomorrow from eastern time with my 3.5 year old. The last time we went, she woke up every day at 3 am, which was her normal wake time at home. She was just a baby then, so I’m hopeful that she will be better able to understand “go to sleep!” or will at least stay in her room quietly now, but I would love tips if anyone has them. Our ped unfortunately does not support melatonin use in kids, although I’m not sure how much that would help anyway because when we travel west the problem is staying asleep, not falling asleep. I’d be fine with a 5 or 6 am wakeup – we want to get out and hit the beach early before the sun gets too intense- but those extra couple of hours of sleep make a big difference.
NYCer says
Big time changes going west is tough! How long will you be in Hawaii? It will likely take her several days to adjust…usually just in time to come back home. I would go in with low expectations, but try to push bedtime by 30-60 minutes each day and hope she makes it up on the other end and sleeps in a bit later.
Anonymous says
7 days. Last time we were there she didn’t adjust at all, but at least that made going home easy.
NYCer says
Since it is a relatively short trip, I would probably try to shoot for an hour later bedtime the first night and see how that works out. If she sleeps in a bit the next morning, you could try pushing 30-60 min later again the second night. Having some down time in your hotel room in the middle of the day might help with the later bedtime.
Good luck! We basically have resigned ourselves to super early mornings when traveling west for a relatively short trip….
anon says
I’m no help. After a horrific trip to California with 3 AM wake ups necessitating 3 PM bedtimes, we only travel north, south or east for vacation.
Anon says
Get as much sunlight as you can in the late afternoon. It signals to your body that it’s not time to sleep yet and delays melatonin production, which lets you sleep in later the following morning.
govtattymom says
Is anyone in the DC area looking for a nanny? My daughter’s amazing former daycare teacher is trying to find a nanny position. Please email [email protected].
Anon says
I could use some perspective on a situation with my sister. She recently had her second baby and I feel like she’s kind of freezing me out. Prior to her son’s birth we had some tension about different Covid risk thresholds and now it just feels awkward. I’ve tried to maintain a respectful distance since my nephew’s birth and just offered to take her older daughter for a while. She’s refused and that’s fine. I guess I’m just feeling awkward and having kids of my own, I totally get not wanting to have guests right away, etc. I’m thinking of just dropping off food and the gifts we picked up, but somehow after every interaction, I feel like I’m somehow imposing or breathing down her neck. We haven’t met the baby yet (who’s two weeks old) and I’m not going to push that. Thoughts? Advice? I feel like this situation is one of those times you want to live near family, but that’s not how it’s working out…
Anon says
It’s hard to say without know more about what happened between you and your sister during covid. Is it possible this isn’t about you at all and she is just overwhelmed? Or was the disagreement severe enough that this is something you’ll need to make an effort to repair?
OP says
Yeah it was related to us being more cautious out of concern for our young unvaccinated kids and her being less risk averse. So I guess I don’t feel like I did anything wrong – it’s more that my lower risk tolerance was seen as being over the top. Maybe that’s the issue, but I’m not sure it’s something to repair?
Anonymous says
Don’t apologize for being safe. We have a number of family members who have been taking far more risks than we have, like dining out in Florida during the winter surge before they were vaccinated, but they’ve been understanding and met us where we are and haven’t seemed to hold a grudge. If there are hard feelings over varying risk preferences, that tells you who she really is and doesn’t seem worth “repairing.”
OP says
Thank you!
Anonymous says
+1
Anonymous says
Maybe she just needs some space and some sleep. I couldn’t have handled visitors for longer than 10 minutes at 2 weeks postpartum with just one kid. With an older one running around plus covid risk to factor in, I imagine she’d be even more overwhelmed. I’d drop off the food and gifts and back off for a while.
anonymommy says
OP, not sure how young your LOs are, or how your birth experiences were, but the first few weeks home with a newborn and toddler were beautiful but hard for me! Maybe your sister is struggling. I’d do a true drop off: text ahead of time that you’re planning to drop off XYZ from XYZ restaurant tomorrow at 6, and that you’ll just leave it on the doorstep, let you know if there’s any issue with that meal or time. Then truly just drop it off. It would be a nice gesture, and if she is feeling overwhelmed, rather than something specific to you, you’ve helped her out in a way that’s tangible and didn’t require her to do any planning. If it specific to you, maybe it’ll soften her up :)
OP says
This is what I’ll do – thanks!
Anon says
+1 Were you close before the Covid issues? I’m a major introvert and don’t like guests even when I don’t have a newborn, but I don’t count my sister (or mother) as guests. I just had my third and my sister and niece came over for several hours when he was four days old. This does strike me as odd behavior on her part – especially refusing your offer to take the older one. I agree a true drop off, plus some other low-key acts of goodwill (having some useful things sent to her house? A heartfelt note?) might help get things back on track
OP says
We were close so this is part of why it’s really bothering me. But she has a tendency to be close when she needs me, but it’s not always reciprocal…
Anonymous says
This sounds like a situation for accepting what she’s able to give and moving on. And maybe don’t bend over backwards to help or please her, since it won’t get you the closeness you really want.
Anonymous says
If you had said two months I’d say you should be offended but it’s literally been two weeks. Drop off food and say you can’t wait to meet baby when she’s ready.
anon FTM says
My 5.5 month old just started at an in-home daycare. How do I know he’s having a good time? He cried the first day after he got settled into the room (did not cry when I handed him over to the teacher), but was fine when I picked him up. He smiles for the teacher at drop off and pick up, but then again he is pretty smiley for all strangers. I would not be second guessing all of this except for the fact that he is crying and looking very distraught in one of the pictures from Tues morning (his second day). Basically…am I worrying about nothing?
Anonymous says
Try dropping in at odd times if it doesn’t upset your son. For instance, once I dropped off my daughter, picked up Starbucks for her teachers, and then came back to drop it off. Another time I stopped in to say hello before or after a dentist appointment. It lets you get an idea of how the day is handled.
Anonymous says
Doesn’t he cry sometimes when he’s home with you? I’d assume it was normal crying, like I want my diaper changed or I’m hungry or I hate sleep or don’t you dare put me down.
Anon says
Second day is nothing! I would be worried if he were in his second month. It takes kids time to adjust.
Anonymous says
I have had these same concerns for my son who has the same temperament and started daycare at the same age. It’s been a month and he was sort of a mess the first week – clingy and exhausted most evenings but very quickly adapted. They still send me daily photos where he’s not smiling and that is odd to me because he always smiles for us. I’m not sure what to make of that but he clearly really likes the director and she gives him loads of individual attention so that’s calmed my fears. None of these suggestions listed work in covid times so it does feel like you’re boxed out of truly observing what is going on.