@camichael84 , re-reading it now I can see what you mean. I perhaps interjected my own anxieties into it and read it as coming from a place of concern, when maybe it wasn't.
Hahaha. That was funny, @megan324. I didn't get surprised at all, but I did get to pick a place I want a pedicure. So I'm calling early Mother's Day a win!
Sounds so fun @Sbrown721 ! My hubby's birthday falls on Mother's Day so I'm not expecting much. I don't expect him to bring me breakfast in bed on his birthday haha although last year for Mother's Day he brought me mcdonalds breakfast and a Starbucks drink... So my expectations are extremely low!
@LakeR2014 yeah, it's a cringe-worthy level of awkward. I debated whether it might be a little much and just decided I'd have no problem changing it if others had an issue with it. I have no idea what was going through her mind; I told DH she must have dreamt of being a porn star since she was a little girl.
@AlwaysAuntNeverMomI agree with your assessment to your DH - she's rocking that porn look too well. Not too much but I did have to hid all the photo siggy's for this month as there are some risque ones and as I do most of the bumping at work....it's easier to pretend i'm working on the web by having them off then having someone come by and wonder why I have half naked people popping up on my screen, lol.
SGA provided desserts for lunch for Teacher Appreciation week. After this morning's "weighty" discussion, I feel no shame in saving the healthy meal I brought in for tomorrow!
a little background before I ask my question. Our master is downstairs and both girls room are upstairs. Deklyn my 3yo has been getting out of bed at night, breaking through her child lock on her door and now learned how to open the baby gate we have at the top of the stairs. This means tons of late night visits and she takes foooorrreevvveerrr to go back to sleep. Sometimes I am up with her from 1-4 every single night. I just can't do this anymore.
Sooo, DH came up with a plan to switch the handles on her door and put the lock on the outside. I was hesitate at first because I feel like I am making her a prisoner in her room but I am also desperate. Do you ladies think it's mean or one of those things where you do what you gotta do to get by?
Edit to add: I think I much rather her be safe in her room then be exploring through the dark and coming down the stairs at night.
@seitzy3 Alphamom.com has a lot of amazing advice on this exact situation. I don't know if it's just me being a worrier or what, but I always think about a fire happening in the house and the child not being able to get out...dramatic, I know. Other than that, I think it's very age-appropriate for her to be required to stay in her room all night.
@seitzy3 My friends did this for their toddlers. Expect a decent amount of crying and door banging for the first night or two, but otherwise it should be fine. They are at the point now that the boys no longer get up at all, since they are used to not being able to get out anyway. They haven't yet, but could easily change the knobs back, now that the nighttime disturbances aren't an issue. Bonus, it keeps them from getting accidentally locked inside!
E is rounding the 3.5 hour mark on his nap.. what a little champ ! My fabric arrived and I already made the 4 window valances for the nursery! Off to get rods and shades as soon as the goober wakes and eats some lunch!
@seitzy3 Alphamom.com has a lot of amazing advice on this exact situation. I don't know if it's just me being a worrier or what, but I always think about a fire happening in the house and the child not being able to get out...dramatic, I know. Other than that, I think it's very age-appropriate for her to be required to stay in her room all night.
Not dramatic at all. I brought that up to DH too. I always worry about if there was ever a robber how I would even get the girls and escape! I mean she does has a smoke detector right outside her door but still I get your point
@marikkita12 I almost cried when Cruz announced he was dropping out. Not that I was pro-Cruz, I just wanted anyone but Trump to be in this election. I hope enough Democratic support shows up this year because I can't even fathom Trump as president.
@Thscary If she was concerned, and I just didn't pick up on it then I'm happy for the support she got from us. It's just hard to always tell tone on the boards. I really don't want you or anyone else to think I brought that up because being concerned about under-gaining is what bothered me about the post.
RE: the fire thing, at the age that they are, what it comes down to for me is whether they would actually be able to respond and exit on their own even if the door wasn't locked. Not having a toddler, I can't speak to that, but my gut feeling is that they would not. Additionally, if you cant escape, having the door closed can actually save your live by minimizing smoke and heat transfer into the room and slowing the spread of the flames. Definitely a consideration, but at seitzy said, that risk is probably out-weighed by the hazards faced by an unattended toddler wandering around a dark house.
@camichael84 Better - cheezy honey bread muffins! (Also, I originally had that listed as "sweetbread" muffins, but that is a different thing altogether... )
@Jabreen I absolutely think that a 3-year-old is capable of escaping during a fire (as long as there was a route to the door leading outside, of course). Obviously, this would need to be practiced beforehand. But yeah, I could see come kids just freezing up and not moving even after practice. Tough call. Chances are low of a fire happening, but still need to consider it unfortunately.
RE: the fire thing, at the age that they are, what it comes down to for me is whether they would actually be able to respond and exit on their own even if the door wasn't locked. Not having a toddler, I can't speak to that, but my gut feeling is that they would not. Additionally, if you cant escape, having the door closed can actually save your live by minimizing smoke and heat transfer into the room and slowing the spread of the flames. Definitely a consideration, but at seitzy said, that risk is probably out-weighed by the hazards faced by an unattended toddler wandering around a dark house.
Oh my gosh thank you for reminding me @Jabreen I now remembering watching a news special a few months ago saying to close all the doors when you sleep because the smoke would take longer to enter the room. Or something along those lines. I'd like to think she would scream for help but ya never know the situation.
Also do another worry of mine is her walking out of the front or back doors. We have a pool in the backyard so it just freaks me out. We did however add an additional third lock at the very top of the doors she can't reach but you never know if one night you just forget to lock that top.
I don't think it is mean, and see it as a do what you have to do to get by. Ultimately, it's really up to what you are comfortable doing. I think the chance of a fire is very unlikely, but it would also concern me. I also agree with Jabreen that if you think she'd need your help exiting the house in the case of a fire, it becomes less of an issue.
@seitzy3 It's a tough call. Locking the door from the outside instinctively sounds awful and I definitely have thought about the fire hazard risk...but allowing a toddler to roam a dark house at night has its own dangers, too! And, if we're talking statistics here, her chances of hurting herself somehow is probably much higher than a fire starting in your house.
We currently have a baby gate in DD's doorway to prevent her from leaving her room at night. She can still open and shut her door but can't get out. In the case of a fire, is that situation really any better? Probably not...might even possibly be worse (from a fire safety perspective) if you think of @Jabreen 's thought that the closed door would keep the fire from spreading.
I think maybe trying a different gate at the top of your stairs (or even in your DD's doorway) might be a better next step...but if you've been there, done that and the lock is your absolute last resort, you gotta do what you gotta do. Good luck!
My brother reversed the handle on my nephews room during the toddler years since he would wonder around the house and even got out into the yard a few times. To them, it was the safest, easiest solution.
@Jabreen I absolutely think that a 3-year-old is capable of escaping during a fire (as long as there was a route to the door leading outside, of course). Obviously, this would need to be practiced beforehand. But yeah, I could see come kids just freezing up and not moving even after practice. Tough call. Chances are low of a fire happening, but still need to consider it unfortunately.
On of my good friends was in a house fire when she was young. Everyone got out safely but now she is a big advocate of fire safety and actually has her family do fire drills periodically.
@seitzy3 my three year old gets baby gated into her room every night. Bedtime is generally an hour long battle generally and it's easier to battle her when she can't escape her room and tantrum somewhere else in the house. You do what you have to do to get your child to sleep.
My brother reversed the handle on my nephews room during the toddler years since he would wonder around the house and even got out into the yard a few times. To them, it was the safest, easiest solution.
@Jabreen I absolutely think that a 3-year-old is capable of escaping during a fire (as long as there was a route to the door leading outside, of course). Obviously, this would need to be practiced beforehand. But yeah, I could see come kids just freezing up and not moving even after practice. Tough call. Chances are low of a fire happening, but still need to consider it unfortunately.
On of my good friends was in a house fire when she was young. Everyone got out safely but now she is a big advocate of fire safety and actually has her family do fire drills periodically.
This freaks the H out of me. I think about it every once in a while and cringe. What would we do if there was a fire in the house? DD is on the opposite end of the hall from the master - with the stairs and open space to the first floor between us. If fire were spreading from downstairs, we'd have no way to get to her from the inside. She's too little to go out a second story window on her own. I guess we'd probably get ourselves out, get the ladder from the garage and put it up to her window and break it. But, such a scary, scary, scary thought. Makes me nostalgic over the teeny-tiny ranch house I grew up in - at least our fire escape plan was solid, simple and relatively safe!
My brother reversed the handle on my nephews room during the toddler years since he would wonder around the house and even got out into the yard a few times. To them, it was the safest, easiest solution.
@Jabreen I absolutely think that a 3-year-old is capable of escaping during a fire (as long as there was a route to the door leading outside, of course). Obviously, this would need to be practiced beforehand. But yeah, I could see come kids just freezing up and not moving even after practice. Tough call. Chances are low of a fire happening, but still need to consider it unfortunately.
On of my good friends was in a house fire when she was young. Everyone got out safely but now she is a big advocate of fire safety and actually has her family do fire drills periodically.
This. My Aunt and Uncle had to do this to my cousin because he slept walk. They slept on different floors too. They once were woken up in the middle of the night but police officers bringing their son home after he sleep-walked down the street. Just a different example as to another reason why you'd have to do it.
@seitzy3My theory. Turn the knobs. Make sure all the fire alarms in the house are working and electronically connected (IE one goes off, they all go off). Then get some sleep. You and little 3-year-old deserve it.
Thanks for the responses! I think we will give it a try tonight and see how it goes. Plus, DH is heading off on another road trip tomorrow for four days and I am desperate for a sleep solution.
If you're feeling especially concerned about locking in because of fire safety, what about installing a sprinkler right outside her door as well? (I'm sure that's easier said than done, just in idea)
@seitzy3 - We did this for DS and DD when they were younger. Bedtime was a constant battle. They were always out of their rooms and were definitely not getting enough sleep. And when they finally did get to sleep, it was after a lot of crying (sometimes on both their end and mine!). We did turn the door knob around at one point. Prior to that though, we put one of those door handle guard thingys on the handle (you have to stick your fingers in the holes to twist the door handle) on the inside of their room and duct-taped it on. It worked for quite a while.
I worried about the fire hazard as well but actually felt safer having them in their room because I felt like the chances of a fire starting downstairs were greater than upstairs. Also, I did mention this to the kids' pediatrician at an appointment. Her thinking was that, as long as it wasn't hurting the kiddos, it was fine. She even told me that she felt that it was more dangerous for us all to not be getting enough sleep at night than to have them confined to their room at night.
Re: May Randoms Thread
My fiance surprised me with a trip to walmart last night so, I totally know how you feel.
@Sbrown721 welcome to my neighborhood!!! Bring a jacket because it's supposed to be cloudy and in the mid-high 60s.
July: Patriotic Fails
July: Patriotic Fails
Sooo, DH came up with a plan to switch the handles on her door and put the lock on the outside. I was hesitate at first because I feel like I am making her a prisoner in her room but I am also desperate. Do you ladies think it's mean or one of those things where you do what you gotta do to get by?
Edit to add: I think I much rather her be safe in her room then be exploring through the dark and coming down the stairs at night.
DD #1 3/26/13
Mo/Mo twins MMC 3/31/14
DD #2 3/31/15
DD #3 8/25/16
and @diagonalley a girl can dream!
DD #1 3/26/13
Mo/Mo twins MMC 3/31/14
DD #2 3/31/15
DD #3 8/25/16
@Thscary If she was concerned, and I just didn't pick up on it then I'm happy for the support she got from us. It's just hard to always tell tone on the boards. I really don't want you or anyone else to think I brought that up because being concerned about under-gaining is what bothered me about the post.
Also do another worry of mine is her walking out of the front or back doors. We have a pool in the backyard so it just freaks me out. We did however add an additional third lock at the very top of the doors she can't reach but you never know if one night you just forget to lock that top.
DD #1 3/26/13
Mo/Mo twins MMC 3/31/14
DD #2 3/31/15
DD #3 8/25/16
I don't think it is mean, and see it as a do what you have to do to get by. Ultimately, it's really up to what you are comfortable doing. I think the chance of a fire is very unlikely, but it would also concern me. I also agree with Jabreen that if you think she'd need your help exiting the house in the case of a fire, it becomes less of an issue.
We currently have a baby gate in DD's doorway to prevent her from leaving her room at night. She can still open and shut her door but can't get out. In the case of a fire, is that situation really any better? Probably not...might even possibly be worse (from a fire safety perspective) if you think of @Jabreen 's thought that the closed door would keep the fire from spreading.
I think maybe trying a different gate at the top of your stairs (or even in your DD's doorway) might be a better next step...but if you've been there, done that and the lock is your absolute last resort, you gotta do what you gotta do. Good luck!
On of my good friends was in a house fire when she was young. Everyone got out safely but now she is a big advocate of fire safety and actually has her family do fire drills periodically.
@seitzy3 My theory. Turn the knobs. Make sure all the fire alarms in the house are working and electronically connected (IE one goes off, they all go off). Then get some sleep. You and little 3-year-old deserve it.
DD #1 3/26/13
Mo/Mo twins MMC 3/31/14
DD #2 3/31/15
DD #3 8/25/16
I worried about the fire hazard as well but actually felt safer having them in their room because I felt like the chances of a fire starting downstairs were greater than upstairs. Also, I did mention this to the kids' pediatrician at an appointment. Her thinking was that, as long as it wasn't hurting the kiddos, it was fine. She even told me that she felt that it was more dangerous for us all to not be getting enough sleep at night than to have them confined to their room at night.
To this:
In 5 seconds flat.