https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:03:55 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-answer-how-babies-are-made#post-2928370 Thu, 09 Nov 2023 10:51:33 +0000 josina 2928370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 6 year old surprised me with this question this morning.<br /> My spur-of-the moment answer was a daddy and mommy and god make a baby.<br /> Her: "does god cut open the mom's belly to put the baby in there?".<br /> Me: No, (not wanting to get real in depth 5 minutes before she gets on the bus). It's magic, now lets go get ready.</p> <p>Lol. Help! How did you explain at this young age? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-the-tooth-fairy-end-for-your-kids#post-2927435 Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:13:12 +0000 HappyBaker 2927435@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Out of all the weird holiday things we lie to our kids about, the tooth fairy has always been my absolute least favorite. I think because they lose SO many teeth and my kids just aren’t deep sleepers so I’m always worried they will catch me. Thinking ahead though, how did your kids find out the tooth fairy wasn’t real? Or did you just tell them at some point? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/neighbors-with-covid#post-2927181 Thu, 30 Jun 2022 09:45:12 +0000 Jessiemuller88 2927181@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Feeling so frustrated right now. I live in a cove with 3 other families. Between us we have 12 kids and 10 acres, so our kids run free together and play most days. We are the newest family in the cove as we have only lived at our house 9 months. This morning one of the moms group texted the “cove moms” and said she and her daughter tested positive for COVID yesterday but her son is only congested and otherwise fine. She then asked if we minded if he still played outside with our kids. I responded and said I did mind and wanted to avoid exposure at this point, but the other said, “we have likely already been exposed, so no worries if he wants to play!” Now I have to keep my kids inside while they watch everyone else play. I just am blown away by the whole situation. I feel so frustrated and want to let her know, but I also don’t want to damage our relationship since we are neighbors. What would you do? Just deal and stay inside all weekend? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/picnic-foods#post-2926947 Fri, 29 Apr 2022 12:54:41 +0000 Jess1483 2926947@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have not, until this moment, generally felt more overwhelmed having three kids than two (I mean, I’m often overwhelmed, it’s just never been because of the number). </p> <p>But this week I’m parenting solo and my normal help (my parents) are out of town. On Wednesday, all three of my kids have different activities on different sides of town (some starting/ending at the exact same time) between 430 and 7. I will obviously have to feed the kids all at different times, so even picking up fast food would be tricky. So I’m looking for suggestions for make-ahead, picnic-style, non-messy (since at least some of them will be eating in the car) foods that aren’t just sandwiches (which they get in their lunches every day). We also have a similar situation Monday. </p> <p>First world problems, but I’m sure this will only happen more frequently as they get older, so I’d love to have options! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-behavioral-and-attention-issues#post-2926718 Wed, 13 Apr 2022 09:41:18 +0000 periwinklebee 2926718@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've been having some challenges with my 2 year old's behavior since last fall. We've sought various expertise but I feel like I'm missing practical insights from other parents that might help me to more effectively parent her. </p> <p>Our biggest concern with her is aggressive behavior, i.e. hair pulling and some hitting, constantly directed towards her older and younger brothers and towards peers at school. She's in EI for a speech delay, which likely contributes. Her speech is improving significantly but we are not seeing improvement in aggression. </p> <p>She also has a very difficult time sitting still to do an activity or focusing on a single activity. EI evaluated her for sensory processing and says she has high sensory input needs, which lead her to constantly run around and seek new stimuli. They said to do lots of heavy work and seek grounding places for her to sit for activities, which we've done, again with little success in addressing the attention and behavioral issues. </p> <p>At her 2 year appointment, the pediatrician recommended her to the developmental pediatrician for ADHD testing. We have the first appointment for that coming up, but are honestly pretty skeptical about diagnosing such a young child with ADHD. </p> <p>The broader context is that there have been some significant disruptions - her baby brother was born and a labor dispute has contributed to four teachers leaving her daycare class within a three month period (along with fluctuating hours and closures). Given this I've tried to be realistic, but am getting a bit discouraged around the lack of improvements in her behavior. Would love to hear insights from other parents who faced similar challenges about what worked for them... Thank you so much! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-parenting-instagram-accounts#post-2926640 Mon, 11 Apr 2022 15:55:01 +0000 SteelerGirl 2926640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What are your favorite instagram accounts for parenting advice? I love bigLittleFeelings, BusyToddler, and FeedlingLittles.</p> <p>I also love GoCleanCo (not parenting, but still relevent I'd say).</p> <p>What are some other ones I should check out? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-how-parenting-has-gotten-easier-and-harder-as-your-kids-get-older#post-2926514 Thu, 24 Mar 2022 12:32:03 +0000 periwinklebee 2926514@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have an infant, 2 year old and 4 year old (each 23 months apart), and not gonna lie, things have been pretty challenging since the baby arrived, with the 2 to 3 transition being significantly more challenging than 1 to 2. Our childcare situation has deteriorated significantly and is now on a substantially reduced schedule, but having three kids makes it difficult to find an alternative option, so juggling work is super tough. 2 year old is in EI for delays and has had some behavioral issues, exacerbated by having four teachers quit at her school in a couple of months. The older two definitely do not play well together while I need to deal with the baby. I was on the fence between two and three. Our third little one is just the sweetest and most joyful, wonderful little guy ever, but I worry that I've gotten myself into a life of feeling permanently super overwhelmed and exhausted. </p> <p>All to say, was there a point as kids got older where you felt managing it all got easier? Or perhaps it doesn't get easier but how it's hard just changes? If you found it super challenging to add another kid, how long did it take to hit your stride? Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-i-want-to-learn-more-about-executive-functioning#post-2926378 Tue, 22 Feb 2022 12:27:02 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2926378@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What resources might you recommend (books and articles/reading materials especially)? My daughter is coming up on 9 and I am wondering if she might be having some challenges developing in this regard, but I don't really know enough about the concept so I'd love to educate myself. </p> <p>For context, I've had some concerns about AD(H)D with her over the years, but have been told by her teachers since pre-K that they don't see any issues in school. She's academically advanced (in 3rd grade now and doing advanced math and reading at higher grade level) and does well with tasks in school, but tasks at home/outside of school can be really challenging to manage, especially things that are responsibilities rather than fun. Organization is a big challenge at home especially (and at school, but we've tried to manage this by having less stuff at school to organize). Remembering things, like to bring her computer charger home every day. Spacial awareness is a big one as well (being mindful of her surroundings and other people - she's very empathetic to people's emotions and thoughts but will physically walk straight into someone despite them being in front of her). Staying on task, like folding her laundry, or cleaning up at home, is nearly impossible without guidance/hovering. Handwriting is still pretty illegible chicken scratch (I've posted about this before) which I read recently could be an executive functioning issue. It's not majorly inhibiting but something I want to learn more about and pay attention to so that she doesn't end up getting older without proper support. Would love any tips/suggestions/resources. Many thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hows-the-surge-treating-you#post-2925983 Thu, 06 Jan 2022 00:34:58 +0000 Corduroy 2925983@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How are you holding up? </p> <p>My son tested positive on Sunday when he was doing his at home screening test for the return to school. One by one the rest of us have gotten it this week. Fortunately we're all vaccinated so it's just been cold/flu-like (knock on wood).</p> <p>The school situation has been hard to figure out. Since my son was + he was immediately enrolled in a one hour virtual class daily and given a packet from his teacher. My daughter fell into so weird grey area since she tested negative. The school district said she should be at school since she's vaccinated and tested negative with no symtpoms. School said she couldn't come in until the school district cleared her (which they had to us). We weren't eager to send her in anyway so we didn't fight it. Even though she wasn't allowed at school she couldn't get make up work or an online class because she wasn't sick. </p> <p>The part we were dreading was that if she didn't get sick she could actually end up with a longer quarantine because she would be classified as needing to quarantine for 10 days after she was in contact with her quarantined Covid + brother (10 days for him and then 10 more days for her). I don't want to say I'm glad she got sick but I'm glad we're facing a 13 day quarantine and not a 20 day quarantine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/smelly-feet#post-2925962 Wed, 05 Jan 2022 14:02:10 +0000 LadyDi 2925962@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh my lord my 6 yo's feet smell SO BAD. ALL OF THE TIME. He's really not a smelly kid but he is a sweaty kid, which I guess is contributing to the feet problem. He showers (and therefore washes his feet) every other day and he never wears socks or shoes in the house. He does typically only wear one pair of shoes until they wear out or he grows out of them.</p> <p>What can I do? Do I treat his feet or the shoes or both? Should he have more pairs of shoes or wash his feet every night? It's pretty stinky, I really don't want him to get a reputation as a smelly kid at school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/using-home-insurance-for-an-injury#post-2923872 Wed, 26 May 2021 08:28:53 +0000 josina 2923872@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wondering if anyone has turned an injury in to someone else's home insurance, or your thoughts on this situation?</p> <p>DS fractured his nose at my sister/BIL's house last weekend on their bouncy house. DS was coming down the slide (standing up and bouncing) and nephew had already gone down but then turned around to go back up. They hit HARD face first. </p> <p>We have good health insurance so "surgery" was covered minus our deductible/copay. But the Dr. said the damage was pretty bad, he's hoping the bones stay the way he placed it, and there could be breathing issues that we can't fix for 5-10 years because further nose surgery at his age (6) can stunt the nose growth. Post-op is next Tuesday to check how it's healing.</p> <p>DH is thinking this should go through BIL's home insurance. BIL got upset and said "I wouldn't do this to you" so is taking it personally. I don't want any future issues with son's nose OR any issues with our relationship with sister/BIL. </p> <p>I'm wondering what the right call is here? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/movie-night-ideas#post-2924252 Mon, 05 Jul 2021 18:55:26 +0000 Jess1483 2924252@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m solo-parenting my 3 kiddos next weekend while DH goes camping. I’m looking for a fun movie night idea to make things feel extra special (it’s so, so hot, so we are pretty much inside by 1 or 2 each day). For example, a few years ago, I bought some crazy candy from a local store and we watched Willy Wonka. I’ve also bought Harry Potter candy for a Harry Potter night (without little sister). It doesn’t need to be fancy (and it doesn’t need to be treat-centered either, though clearly that’s my forte), just a little different. Kids are 2, 6, and 8. </p> <p>Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/unvaxed-kids-visiting-with-babies-in-the-covid-era#post-2924129 Mon, 21 Jun 2021 12:58:18 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2924129@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 8 year old (obviously unvaxed) started camp today. This is her first exposure to bigger groups of kids since March 2020 (she was fully remote for school all year and only doing masked playdates outside with friends). The camp requires masking indoors and outdoors for the most part and we feel good about their precautions, however, I'm wondering about what to do about her interacting with her currently 6 week old cousin. Adults all are vaccinated (us parents and my BIL/SIL), but kids obviously aren't and my kid will be around others, even if mostly masked. She adores her cousin and I'd love for them to keep seeing each other but I also don't want to put anyone at risk. I told my BIL/SIL that we'll do whatever they're comfortable with, but wondering how others are handling this and interaction with unvaxed kids in general. Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/chores-and-kids#post-2923041 Thu, 25 Mar 2021 09:06:41 +0000 josina 2923041@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How old are your kids and what do they do for chores? Do you use a chore chart / do they get an allowance or rewards?</p> <p>I'd like to create a chore chart for my 6 and 4 year olds so just interested in what others do.<br /> DS's current chore is feeding our chickens and gathering eggs but he keeps skipping the feeding/watering them part and I'm struggling with getting him to see the importance in that!<br /> DD's job is to feed our bunny.<br /> I'd also like to get them cleaning their own rooms and helping inside more... TIA! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/yelling-neighbor#post-2923245 Wed, 07 Apr 2021 15:10:18 +0000 Portboston 2923245@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So I moved into a townhouse in December of 2020 and have one shared wall (much better than my old place where I could hear my upstairs neighbor peeing!!) anyhow, the family that lives nextdoor to us has a ~3 year old girl and an ~8 year old boy who is autistic and has ADHD. They also have half custody of a 7 year old boy. The woman home schools the boys in between maintaining her catering business (or what’s left of it) and the man is a first responder (paramedic). So they have definitely experienced a huge amount of stress this past year. We have become friendly but haven’t spent much time together as my son is super shy and hates being social. </p> <p>My question - she SCREAMS at her children at least once a day. I can hear it through our wall. I know how stressful parenting can be, add a neurodiverse child and a first responder husband - I’m sure she gets virtually zero self care time. I grew up in a house where people yelled a lot so it’s a huge trigger for me and I feel absolutely awful for those kids. (There are no visible signs of physical abuse). Do I say something to her? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-one-year-old-climbing-on-couch#post-2922482 Fri, 12 Feb 2021 10:17:57 +0000 Jessiemuller88 2922482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am a SAHM with one year old twins and a 4 year old. Our living room is large and has a gate that contains the kiddos. We spend most of the day in this room, so it’s full of toys and is completely safe... until now! </p> <p>One of my twins just figured out how to climb on the couch, and now I’m in constant fear of him falling. He’s a wild man on it and won’t just sit down. I can’t even leave the room now, it’s awful. I have no idea what to do. Any tips? Will he eventually just be cool on the couch? It’s so stressful and exhausting. It’s the only thing he wants to do now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mom-guilt-2#post-2921459 Sat, 12 Dec 2020 21:44:43 +0000 Jessiemuller88 2921459@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have a 4 year old DS and 1 year old B/G twins. The twins need so much all the time: diaper changes, bottle feedings, the list goes on and on. I’m finding myself feeling so guilty because my 4 year old is having to wait around a lot for me to finish with the babies. He’s super sweet and independent, but he also asks me to play with him nonstop, and sometimes I just can’t. I always give him one on one time during their naps, and I include him in everything I do with the twins, but I always feel like he’s not getting enough of me. I know there is nothing to change it, until they get a little older, but I’m just wondering if I’m being too hard on myself, or if I can do other things to make him feel more important and included. It’s just so hard, and I’m constantly feeling guilty. I think I just needed to see if anyone else feels the same way about their older children, when a new baby/ babies join the family. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/anyone-know-what-this-is#post-2919557 Wed, 14 Oct 2020 16:38:48 +0000 Cait1 2919557@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi, my son has this weird blotchy red spot next to his nose. Low grade fever of 100.5 and acting pretty lethargic. He’s also been complaining his nose feels blocked but he doesn’t seems to have any snot or congestion. Have any of your kids had similar symptoms? </p> [attach=4149/20/qi7o4p.450x600.1DE8434F-CC10-426F-889A-34DA9F53AF5D.jpeg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lots-of-transitions#post-2919063 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:01:59 +0000 LKsmom 2919063@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi, all! I don't post here often, mainly a reader, but I was hoping to get some advice for anyone who has gone through similar with their child.</p> <p>My daughter is 5 and just started kindergarten last week. Due to our county's COVID school schedule, she is in K on Monday and Tuesday and back at her normal daycare Wed-Fri (my husband and I both work during the day). She has been at this daycare since she was 4 months old.</p> <p>She is a worrier and often scared/not comfortable in new situations. Starting K made her nervous enough, but the inconsistent schedule is not helping. Not to mention, a lot of her best friends at daycare are no longer enrolled because they've either reported full time to school (different county) or are being homeschooled. So, what was once her "safe zone", is now also making her uncomfortable. </p> <p>I really feel like we do our best to talk things out with her, but it is so hard to see her struggling right now. She cried at daycare drop off today and I cried all the way into work. I hate it for her, and I guess I am just looking for some coping mechanisms we can offer her that we may not have thought about yet.</p> <p>I will also throw in that I am newly pregnant with baby #2, and although she is VERY excited, I worry it is another life change contributing to her overall anxiousness.</p> <p>I hope everyone reading is hanging in there! These are TOUGH times. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mrs-starfish-blog-post-four-year-update#post-2918547 Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:38:50 +0000 Mrs. Starfish 2918547@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've had this blog post out for review for nearly a month. It doesn't seem like posts are being released any longer by the Bees and so I'm posting here instead! :happy:<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> I am a couple of months behind in posting an update of Lilly and Audrey at four years old. Both girls celebrated their birthdays in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Lilly in early May and Audrey in early June. Their birthday season was so different and strange this year, and most days I just haven’t been up for any writing. Still, before the days turn into more months, and the months turn into another year, I figured I should try to document this most amazing age before it is gone. I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, age four is easily my favorite age so far.<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> Reading and Writing<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> At four years, both girls are increasingly interested in learning to read. They know a few sight words and we practice some basic phonics. While I am extremely excited about the idea of them learning to read, I’ve read on Hellobee boards and other parenting websites that there is little benefit to pushing them to read and so I’m trying to be patient and let them guide at this age while focusing most of my attention on the simple act of reading and enjoying books with them.</p> <p>Compared to my last update, these days they really enjoy rhyming games and they often will stop me when I’m reading to them so that they can spell out a word and then sound it out. They also now insist that I run my finger under all words when I’m reading them a book. This has completely put an end to me and Mr. Starfish’s periodic glossing over of some paragraphs in some of their longer or more inane story books. Sigh, you have to take the bad with the good, right?!</p> <p>Speaking of books, their tastes here have matured over the past six months. They are less and less interested in simple books and stories, and we have moved on to chapter books. Their favorite series at the moment is Mercy Watson, and I’m a big fan of these books at this age - they are chapter books but still have captivating illustrations on nearly every other page. We’ve dabbled a bit with some other chapter book series, including Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones and Sugar Plum Ballerinas. While I’ve been shocked at how the girls are able to maintain their focus as we read those series, I’ve observed somewhat more distracted body language when we are reading those and so I’m thinking they may be more of a hit in a few more months.</p> <p>Also showing their maturing language skills, the girls are really into jokes right now. This is absolutely delighting their father, who has been the king of dad-jokes since we first started dating in college. Audrey’s current favorite: Q: What happens if you give Elsa a balloon? A: She’ll let it go. (The girls are obviously really into Frozen as well!)</p> <p>Rounding out this section is writing. The girls have spent a lot of quarantine time with their crayons and colored pencils and markers and it shows in their fine motor development. They are definitely way more advanced with coloring and writing than a few months ago. They can write a few words, love drawing pictures of our family, and really enjoy color-by-number coloring books and perler fuse bead crafts.<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> Emotional and Social<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> Liar, liar, pants on fire... the girls’ noses have grown by at least a foot since my last update. They have been very busy testing limits with regard to lying and fibbing. We have observed plenty of small lies over the past few months - about going potty, about washing hands, if they really need a bandaid or ice-pack (are my kids the only ones who are strangely obsessed with bandaids and ice-packs?!).</p> <p>But the biggest lie was when we noticed a huge chunk of hair was missing from one of the girls’ heads. She had gotten a hold of scissors and gave herself a little chop. We’ve also observed lots of strange squirreling away of objects recently - like sunscreen they’ve hidden under their beds (and then lied about), or piles of shredded tissues stacked up under their nightstand (and then lied about).</p> <p>After the big hair chop incident, the culprit became so emotionally distraught by being caught that she had a complete melt-down. This wasn’t the first time we’ve observed her basically freeze up and exhibit some worrying signs of anxiety like having difficulty breathing. Because of this, we got her in to speak with a psychologist. We have seen the psychologist twice now and we are working on breathing exercises and just generally allowing my little one to talk through some of the things that are worrying her. I’ve also added a couple of books about emotions to our family library, The Don’t Worry Book by Todd Parr and Visiting Feelings by Lauren Rubenstein.</p> <p>Apart from these issues, I will say that this age is just so much easier in terms of tantrums and emotional regulation compared to ages two and three. With my oldest daughter, it truly was like a switch flipped the very week of her fourth birthday - the sudden emotional maturity was stunning. Now all this said, we definitely still face emotional outbursts from the girls. But for me the difference is that I can better relate to and understand them. It was such a challenge for me to muddle through tantrums when they revolved around things like their socks being too “slippery” or wanting a strawberry without seeds. These days, they get upset about things that I understand and that would also upset me. Things like being nervous about meeting new friends at school, or one girl getting a gift in the mail but not the other. Also, they are no longer screaming when they are upset and as a naturally more quiet person, this makes a huge difference to me.<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> Physical<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> On the physical front, the girls are getting much more daring. I notice them doing a lot of jumping from stairs and hanging on to random things around the house. They are pretty competitive with each other and often I hear shouts of “I win!” after hearing a series of loud thuds from a distant corner of the house. In these summer months, they set up a sprinkler mat under their treehouse slide and they created a water slide that honestly scares the pants off me. But they have no fear, and so far we’ve seen no broken bones.</p> <p>A year ago, we got them balance bikes and they love them and have gotten pretty good with them. I also credit quarantine for this development because their nanny has taken them on many a bike ride over the past few months. We’ve asked if they would like to move up to pedal bikes and they are resolutely opposed to the idea.<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> Sleep<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> After being in cribs since birth, we finally made the move to twin beds right at Audrey’s fourth birthday, and the transition has gone reasonably well. One of the girls fell out of the bed on the second night but it didn’t phase her and it hasn’t happened since. The biggest pain point with the transition was that they definitely found a new level of independence and we went through a week where they would come downstairs to find us as soon as they woke up in the morning. This resulted in an absolutely terrifying moment in the kitchen one day when I had my head in the fridge, heard a soft noise and spun around, and both girls were standing there holding hands quietly staring at me. I suppose I should have expected a “The Shining” moment with twin-ish girls and there it was! After that experience, an OK-to-Wake clock was installed in their room immediately and we have been very strict about its use. Ha!</p> <p>Other than that, the girls’ sleep schedule hasn’t shifted very much. We've toyed here and there with shifting their bedtime later (routine currently begins at 6:30PM and we leave the room around 7:15PM) or scrapping their nap/quiet time. Honestly, we seem to regret any changes to sleep almost immediately and we have reverted back every time. That said, we definitely are more liberal with letting the girls skip naps these days for big events or special days, and we don't get after them too much when we hear them chatting with each other and giggling after lights are out. Some of my happiest memories of my own childhood are after-bedtime conversations with my younger sister and so I am admittedly a bit of a pushover on this.<br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> So that’s it for an update! While the past four months have been some of the strangest and most challenging of my lifetime, I consider myself so very lucky that it coincided with the girls hitting this magical age. They are truly amazing and there are few people with whom I would rather spend this quarantine time. Thank you Lilly and Audrey - for the laughs, the snuggles, the kindness, and the graduation to much more interesting storybooks! </p> [attach=6881/20/qfmdsr.547x600.Porch.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-any-of-your-kids-brought-home-covid-from-daycare-or-school#post-2918343 Tue, 18 Aug 2020 11:23:42 +0000 Cait1 2918343@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just curious as we gear up to send our oldest back to daycare/private preK. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-kids-doing-lately#post-2917768 Tue, 28 Jul 2020 16:08:05 +0000 charlotte 2917768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi guys. Apologies in advance if this comes out as more of a complaint than a question. I am wondering WHAT are everyone’s 2-7 year old kids doing right now? We are home, in a hot, humid, corona-filled state. It’s rained for four days. No one naps anymore. Our ipad usage is out of control and I would really like to cut it back again. </p> <p>Besides I-pads: We snack many times per day, play in the backyard whenever it is dry for a bit, color / draw, build forts, play hide and seek, watch Disney+ together, do Legos...... the 2 and 4 year olds are not able to do puzzles or workbooks independently but my oldest will. </p> <p>What are you doing to pass the time lately? Maybe together we can come up with some good ideas. :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fall-schedule-wfh-plus-distance-learning#post-2917522 Tue, 21 Jul 2020 14:13:41 +0000 MrsSRS 2917522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our fall schedule is going to be very different than our shelter in place time since my work will be different and so will school for both my kids. So everything that worked then won't work for us this fall. Time to rebuild a routine from scratch. </p> <p>I'd love to have a space for people to share what their schedules look like. What is working for you? What little thing turned out to be brilliant. What age kids and what work situation are you managing? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917559 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:00:09 +0000 JennyPenny 2917559@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In the past we had an expectation that our kids (5 and 3) would leave the table after mealtime and wash their faces and hands in the bathroom nearby. But getting them the 10 feet to the bathroom without touching stuff with messy hands has turned out to be impossible - or at least it's bugging me more now that its EVERY meal EVERY day. Some advice that seemed to work well was to keep a wet cloth at the table and we just give them a quick wipe down before they leave, and it had the added bonus that we could clean up table spills quickly too. But those got so stinky so fast. They're just regular washcloths, nothing special. So my question is does anyone have either a different behavioral solution or a different type of cloth that they use for this that works well? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-else-had-an-exciting-weekend#post-2916693 Sun, 21 Jun 2020 19:04:10 +0000 Ms. RV 2916693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH went on his annual solo camping trip. I had all three LOs from Friday at 4 to Sunday at 1. In that time...</p> <p>1. The 7 mo figured out how to crawl over the baby gate threshold.<br /> 2. The 24 mo figured out how to climb the bar stools to get on the island.<br /> 3. The almost 5 yo figured out how to get inside the baby gate (which is double locked because the toddler can unlatch it) by jumping off the island into the living room.</p> <p>I am so proud of all their ingenuity but wow was that a lot of kids finding new limits while solo parenting 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/major-guilt-spiralidea-drain-only-kidworking-parent-covid-parenting#post-2916743 Tue, 23 Jun 2020 11:18:13 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2916743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In the words of Joey from Friends, "could I FIT any more words into that title?" :)</p> <p>Posting for commiseration/ideas/support of any kind. My husband and I are both working at home due to COVID restrictions, and will be for the summer and likely into fall since school is not reopening full time for us, and my only child 7 year old has been home since March and will be through summer since camp was cancelled. We don't have family nearby and are on the higher side of risk aversion with spending time with others right now so we've opted to just do the best we can without hiring childcare. </p> <p>I realize I have a lot to be grateful for - my kid is generally adaptable, we have very flexible employers who are dealing with similar issues, and a decent amount of flexibility in our schedules to get work done. Where I'm really struggling right now, with no school structure to back us up, is how to manage our days so that we can get work done and our kid doesn't feel left on her own all the time. She is pretty terrible at entertaining herself in general, and I feel awfully guilty every time I say I can't play. This is something we've been working on for a while and it is getting better, but it's still an issue, especially since she only has us for entertainment and the look of disappointment on her face kills me. I've tried to build some structure in so that we could do some "learning time" and intentional play time together but she full-on resists any school-type activities and any intentional time I set aside doesn't seem like enough. On days that I'm busier (I have a fair amount of calls and sometimes online teaching sessions to do), I see that she acts out more, is less patient, snappy, doesn't sleep as well. I try to balance my days to take time off periodically to spend with her and take trips out where possible but I just feel like I'm not doing enough and of course when she needs something, she always comes to me, even though her dad has similar if not fewer obligations day to day. This is our second week out of school and I've tried talking with her about how we can work together to do things that work for us all but it's working only in occasional spurts and I'm flailing on how to manage this. </p> <p>Thanks for listening to me whine :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tooth-fairy-amount#post-2916341 Thu, 11 Jun 2020 17:33:27 +0000 catgirl 2916341@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD is 5.5 and has her first lose tooth! DH and I were talking about how much money the tooth fairy will leave but couldn't come to an agreement. It's not that we really disagree, we just aren't sure how much is the "norm."</p> <p>So I'm curious, if you do the tooth fairy in your house how much money does she give LO? Is it more for the first tooth or the same for all? Or if you don't do money but do something else - what? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-raise-anti-racist-children#post-2916018 Fri, 29 May 2020 15:48:55 +0000 bees_knees 2916018@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We live in a small (6,000 people), rural, conservative, Christian, white (&gt;95% according to the last census) community, so while it is difficult to expose my children to other races/ethnicities, I still want to raise them to be anti-racist. I'm finding some resources online, but most books, etc seem to be for older children (mine are 6 and under--which I know is NOT too young to be learning about racism).</p> <p>Can anyone direct me or give me insight on actionable ways to teach my children about racism and how to combat it? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ways-to-help-an-easily-distract-able-kid-with-day-to-day-stuff#post-2915906 Wed, 27 May 2020 09:07:06 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2915906@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My almost 7 year old is very easily distract-able when doing day to day things like getting dressed, brushing teeth, showering, etc. Ironically she focuses pretty well on tasks like schoolwork and computer games, but otherwise she's perpetually in the clouds. Which results in a lot of me telling her to hurry up, which I hate, and her getting frustrated, understandably. Does anyone have tips, resources, etc, anything that's helped getting your kiddos to focus on things like this? I'm not asking for perfection by any means, but I'd like to empower her a little more in ways that aren't just me reminding her of things over and over. Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/over-touched-by-the-kids#post-2915844 Mon, 25 May 2020 20:21:50 +0000 codeitall 2915844@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Quarantine is driving me up a wall. I'm 34 weeks pregnant and my 3 and 5 year olds cannot stop touching me. I sit literally anywhere in the house and within minutes they're on either side of me to cuddle. Even sitting at my computer desk, they climb up into my nonexistent lap or pull up a chair next to me to lean on my arm. Obviously this doesn't count my poor husband, who inexplicably doesn't have kids on him all day, so he also wants to cuddle at night :meh: </p> <p>I know that when this baby comes, they're going to be even more needy and I'm going to be even more 'touched out' when they need reassurance, which apparently is through physical touch.</p> <p>Any ideas/thoughts on how to deal with this 'over touched' feeling? Or get my kids to glom on to DH? </p>