https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:41:41 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nintendo-switch#post-2925018 Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:21:14 +0000 erinbaderin 2925018@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@codeitall: Oooh, how is Luigi’s Mansion? I’ve been eying this one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nintendo-switch#post-2925017 Thu, 23 Sep 2021 17:57:06 +0000 codeitall 2925017@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Highly recommend Mario Odyssey, it has a guided player mode just for kids and my 6.5 yo loves it. He also plays Stardew Valley, Minecraft and Luigi's Mansion. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nintendo-switch#post-2924967 Mon, 20 Sep 2021 13:25:00 +0000 LadyDi 2924967@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catgirl: Thank you! DS unfortunately already knows that switches can be handheld so the ship has sailed on that but this was very helpful.</p> <p>@erinbaderin: Thank you! Sounds like I will need to get some Mario games as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nintendo-switch#post-2924965 Mon, 20 Sep 2021 10:12:54 +0000 erinbaderin 2924965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We got a Switch two Christmases ago, mostly for my (then) almost-6 year old. It comes into and out of fashion with my kids - my older son tends to get really into it, my younger son not so much. We have Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, and a few others that don't get played too much. No monthly subscription, I think you'd be fine with the old one (but I didn't know there was a new one so maybe don't take my advice!). Definitely get Mario Kart, it's by far the most popular with my kids. I also recommend the Untitled Goose Game for the adults, my husband and I spent a lot of fun evenings last winter creating chaos with geese. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nintendo-switch#post-2924962 Mon, 20 Sep 2021 08:32:10 +0000 catgirl 2924962@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DD was given a switch when she turned five, she'll be 7 in December. It was kind of to her but kind of a family gift. We all love it! We don't have a ton of games - just Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Party, Animal Crossing, and Carnival games. DD enjoys all of those games. We have ours set up as a console, DD has no idea it can be used as a handheld game. That was just our preference on keeping it a family activity. </p> <p>We don't pay any monthly or yearly subscriptions. My DH is a gamer so we have multiple platforms in our house. The switch remotes are so easy for DD to hold and use compared to a traditional controller. </p> <p>DH recommended this article for helping to pick which to buy. Basically I don't think you can go wrong either way, but this points out a few reasons for one or the other. The "old" one is expected to drop in price with the release of the new one.<br /> <a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/news/nintendo-switch-oled-should-you-wait-or-buy-a-switch-now" rel="nofollow">https://www.tomsguide.com/news/nintendo-switch-oled-should-you-wait-or-buy-a-switch-now</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nintendo-switch#post-2924950 Fri, 17 Sep 2021 21:48:30 +0000 LadyDi 2924950@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Can someone tell me everything about Nintendo Switches? I know nothing about gaming systems but am toying with the idea of a switch for my 6.5 year old for Christmas. I know a new Switch is coming out in October but I have missed the boat on pre-sales. Should I try to buy the OLED in October or just buy the "old" switch? Does this require a monthly subscription of some kind? Any game recommendations for a 6 year old? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924267 Wed, 07 Jul 2021 14:15:33 +0000 lindseykaye 2924267@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LadyDi: There is a search function if you want to look for something specific vs. browsing categories. And like @mrslibrarian: mentioned You can change the appearance for older kids (but I didn’t know this either - ours changed when we migrated to the Fire Kids Pro). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924263 Tue, 06 Jul 2021 23:35:15 +0000 mrslibrarian 2924263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LadyDi: under your kids account you can change how the apps look (they have it based by age). The younger the age the apps look like pictures. I just recently had the same frustration when looking at my son's kindle. Then found the setting to change it and felt so much better about it! I'm like you can read, why are all these pictures?! Hope that helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924259 Tue, 06 Jul 2021 14:26:27 +0000 codeitall 2924259@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Something I found helpful when I decided to not renew our subscription: checking the apps they used over and over again.<br /> We went with PBS Kids Games and Video, Khan Academy Kids, ABC Mouse (although our year is up and we're not renewing it), Teach a Monster to Read, and a handful of NumberBlocks and Sesame Street apps.<br /> 90% of their time is on the PBS apps. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924234 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:45:19 +0000 LadyDi 2924234@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: Ha, glad I posted this question then! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924233 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:44:59 +0000 LadyDi 2924233@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lindseykaye: So, this might be a dumb question, but how do they (or you) find stuff on Kids+? Nothing has titles, it's just pictures, which makes sense for little kids if they can't read...I guess they just click around? I don't know for some reason this makes me feel really old and grumpy. I'm used to an ipad where it's a blank slate and have to choose what I want to be added.</p> <p>I do think it's only 2.99/kid. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924230 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 09:29:12 +0000 lindseykaye 2924230@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have had a Fire Kids for several years and I find the Kids+ subscription to be worth it. Ours is only $2.99 - but maybe I should check!! Both my daughters tend to favor the game apps that, when I looked, had individual prices of $1.99-$3.99 or so which has always made the subscription less expensive than one new app a month.</p> <p>We just upgraded my older daughter to a Fire Kids Pro and I’m not sure I’ll renew the Kids+ for her after the free year only because she may age-out of a lot of the free content she used to use, but I’m definitely open to keeping it so that it’s one less thing for me to think about. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924229 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 09:22:18 +0000 JennyPenny 2924229@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, just checked and I will literally start paying $7/mo tomorrow if I don't cancel today. The timing is surreal. DH are discussing it and currently leaning towards canceling, primarily because of the overwhelming amount of content that there is in Kids+. We think it'd be a better experience to just curate their top favorites. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924227 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 09:11:30 +0000 JennyPenny 2924227@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is excellent timing for me to think about since we bought our kindle a year ago and it's now time to decide if we want to continue the subscription. For us the kids+ has really only been useful for books. The apps that are my kids favorites are free or cheap - PBS kids apps and Hoopa City. But they do use it for books pretty regularly and I don't know how we'd easily get that content without kids+. I know we could check out books through our library but then I'd have to have the foresight to make sure I'm checking stuff out digitally, whereas with kids+ there's just always stuff there. But I guess I might get higher quality books too. They do read an awful lot of LEGO books </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924225 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 08:17:42 +0000 MrsSCB 2924225@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don’t think we’ve really used the kids+ stuff! We can have them watch videos using our prime video account. We have the PBS kids and PBS games apps. We do pay for ABC Mouse for my four-year-old. And then we have a few games we bought that were just one-time purchase, not subscription. Some from Highlights and then my son loves a Jurassic lego game, haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/more-kids-kindle-fire-questions#post-2924224 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 08:09:24 +0000 LadyDi 2924224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bought my boys kindle fires (ages 2, 3, and 6) and I am overwhelmed by all of the Kids+ content on it. I really don't want to get sucked into ANOTHER monthly charge in a year when the free subscription runs out. SO what are your kids favorite kindle apps and games? I feel overwhelmed and I think I should just turn the Kids+ stuff off. OR tell me if Kids+ is worth it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fire-vs-ipad#post-2924062 Sat, 12 Jun 2021 09:19:27 +0000 jhd 2924062@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My boys have the Fires and they have been great. The kids warranty is worth it in my experience! We love our iPad and iPhones but I don’t feel ready to spend that much for little kids! ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fire-vs-ipad#post-2924060 Fri, 11 Jun 2021 21:16:43 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2924060@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We like the fire! My kids have some form of kids YouTube on them! Lots of games and stuff, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fire-vs-ipad#post-2924059 Fri, 11 Jun 2021 19:55:20 +0000 LadyDi 2924059@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thinking about getting my kids (6, 3, 2) kindle fires during the prime day sale. The two older ones have iPads that are VERY old and can no longer be updated but they do watch YouTube kids on them and that doesn’t look like it’s an option on the fire. But I think spending a ton of money on iPads (even refurbished ones) for YouTube kids is a ridiculous idea. Anyway. Do your kids have fires or iPads and how do you feel about them? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922177 Wed, 20 Jan 2021 13:46:03 +0000 hellobeeboston 2922177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@foodiebee: ugh, that is frustrating.... it really helped me to see how much time I was spending, YIKES, how eye opening... that plus the time limits helped. There was a game I used to play all. the. time on my phone. I very recently deleted it, and it was a game that if you delete, you lose all of the progress, so starting over wouldn't really be an option. I was actually sad about it for a day, but now I'm really glad I'm rid of it..... I mean, like I mentioned above I'm actively trying to cut my phone out of my day and stop looking at it so much. Your husband will need to want to put it down on his own. I admit the game I played was a nice escape, and if I could've kept it to 20 minutes a day I think that would be fine, but I couldn't. I was really starting to feel like my life was passing me by too quickly and my stupid phone was taking up way too much of that precious time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922176 Wed, 20 Jan 2021 09:23:24 +0000 Jessiemuller88 2922176@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: the book sounds so practical and helpful. I’m glad it’s working for you! I definitely need to move my email off my first screen. </p> <p>@foodiebee: I’m sorry. I know it’s such a helpless feeling. I hate that phones have stolen so much of our time with people we love. I hate how distracted people are. Thankfully my DH has gotten better. </p> <p>He broke his heel two months ago, and it made a huge difference in his screen time. I had a heart to heart with him when it first happened. I avoided pointing fingers and blaming. I basically just shared how his phone use made me feel like we were not as important to him. I asked if he could use it when he was alone, and please try to be present with me and the kids. For some reason. It worked! I’m just crossing everything it lasts. He even bragged to me the other day, that his screen time was down 40%. </p> <p>I hope you can talk to your husband and get him onboard with limiting his use around your son. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922164 Tue, 19 Jan 2021 10:10:20 +0000 foodiebee 2922164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jessiemuller88: My husband plays games on his, and he's 1000% addicted to them. He won't even turn on the screentime options on his iPhone (the one that tell you how much time you've used, etc.) because he doesn't want to know. It inflames me to no end that he will not set a better example for DS, who at 19mo is already very prone to screens. I hate it with a passion and don't know what to do about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922163 Tue, 19 Jan 2021 09:43:39 +0000 JennyPenny 2922163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I implemented another tip from the book over the weekend and it's been really helpful I think. I moved all the tools I use regularly that *don't* suck me in (weather, my kids' daycare app, podcasts) to the first screen and moved everything that I end up checking out of compulsion (email, chat/messages, news) off the home screen. It's great! Now nothing on my home screen distracts me and I can just check the weather or start a podcast without seeing 5 unread messages or anything like that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922160 Mon, 18 Jan 2021 21:33:09 +0000 Jessiemuller88 2922160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MoonMoon: Agreed! It really is all ads, and everything is so glossed over and perfect. I don’t miss either platform at all. </p> <p>@foodiebee: Thanks for sharing what you do! This is such a great idea! I always leave my phone on the kitchen counter, but I really like the idea of the charging hub!</p> <p> I have talked to a few friends about this, and we all feel our husbands are way more addicted to their phones. It’s so hard for me to not say something when DH is on his, so I usually do, and it sometimes does cause arguments. I refuse to let my children think his phone is more important than their attention though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922148 Mon, 18 Jan 2021 13:22:35 +0000 foodiebee 2922148@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MoonMoon: Agreed re FB.</p> <p>I just wanted to pop back over here to share the thing I've done that has helped me with social media in case it's helpful to anyone else. Not a big thing and didn't take a lot of investment. I bought a "charging hub" where I dock my phone when I'm downstairs. I told myself that this is where my phone goes and it stays there. I'm not constantly running around wondering where I left it and losing it, I'm not grabbing for it during any brief break to load social media and dumb scroll, and I can get to a phone call or urgent text easily. It has helped to break me from needing the phone physically on me all the time. It also means that I have to make an effort to get it, which clues me in to how many times I'm reaching for it each day. </p> <p>For me, it's been helpful. If only I could get my husband to do it. He's seriously addicted to his phone, knows it, and doesn't seem to care. :(</p> <p>This is similar to what I bought: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Charging-Multiple-Organizer-Cellphone-Included/dp/B07Q2TSDH1/ref=sr_1_5" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Charging-Multiple-Organizer-Cellphone-Included/dp/B07Q2TSDH1/ref=sr_1_5</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922119 Sat, 16 Jan 2021 16:34:11 +0000 MoonMoon 2922119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hellobeeboston: @JennyPenny: thank you for the book recommendation! I just checked it out from the library, ironically it's checked out to my phone, haha. But I look forward to reading it.</p> <p>I haven't been on FB in years, but I'm realizing that Instagram has slowly become such a garbage fire. It's all ads and almost never makes me feel better after using it.</p> <p>Also with Parler getting all the attention, I don't think FB has gotten enough criticism in its role enabling far right conspiracies, hate, and misinformation. Remember they refused to ban Bannon after he said Dr Fauci should be beheaded... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922099 Thu, 14 Jan 2021 16:23:03 +0000 Jessiemuller88 2922099@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hellobeeboston: same here! I got my first Nokia my senior year in high school, and my first Smartphone sometime in College. I really wish there was something we could do, to give our kids the same experience too 😞 DH works from home now, and I think he is running into the same issues as you. It’s so hard. </p> <p>@JennyPenny: The same thing happens to me with texts. They make me feel so distracted, anticipating the next one. I don’t want to keep doing it! It does rob us of precious moments with family. </p> <p>I’m starting to feel a similar anxious feeling with my Apple Watch. Sometimes I “think” I feel it vibrate, so I’m constantly checking it. I haven’t worn it the past few days, and I do feel better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922097 Thu, 14 Jan 2021 15:11:07 +0000 hellobeeboston 2922097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: oh no, i haven't gotten to that yet :shocked: </p> <p>I already have my social media buried on my phone, and I have time limits set. I haven't read the book yet but all social media is blocked on my computer due to work, so my phone is the only place I can view them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922094 Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:56:15 +0000 JennyPenny 2922094@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hellobeeboston: Cool! Have you gotten to the plan yet? I'm on the day when I'm supposed to delete social media from my phone but I struggled to pull the trigger. Instead I buried them inside a group so they're more out of sight :P </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-social-dilemma#post-2922093 Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:54:47 +0000 JennyPenny 2922093@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jessiemuller88: Exactly! I don't think I ever would have noticed before reading the book, but anxiety is exactly the feeling I now associate with my phone. Like the other night I was playing with my kids and noticed a text message from a friend that a daycare teacher was leaving. Suddenly that was all I could think about and I couldn't just focus on playing with my kids anymore. I wanted to keep checking my phone too for a response to my questions. It completely took the fun out of the moment :( </p>