Weekly Randoms, Week of Sept. 7

hannahbananas11

hannahbananas11

Question for y'all: Is there any interest in a monthly symptoms thread? I can go start the September one if so.

WildMagelet

@hannahbananas11 - I would be interested. I think the last time I had symptoms I wanted to complain commiserate about they weren't cramping or spotting related so I ended up just throwing them in with one of my updates instead. That would at least give them a place to be relevant and more easily searchable based on the timeframe;

Speaking of complaining commiserating, my seasonal allergies have been awful since we moved right before Memorial Day. (Bonus to moving closer to nature?). This weekend has been particularly bad, to the point I've been playing the game of "Is it allergies, the common cold, or COVID-19?" Hooray for Midwest summers?

hannahbananas11

@WildMagelet I'm there too, with the allergies. We're getting our yard hydroseeded, and this past week they came and excavated out all of the weeds. I think that sent a lot of pollen or whatever into the air, because midweek I started sneezing and having a runny nose nonstop. So I had a good few days of "Is it COVID or allergies???" LOL

mdfarmchick

I’m down for a symptoms thread @hannahbananas11

@WildMagelet it’s almost corn harvest season and that always kills my allergies 😣 So much dust. 

tamalahoops

I have become obsessed with beautiful, felted baby mobiles on etsy. Someone talk me down from spending $150+ on something so frivolous! 

szwill86

@tamalahoops (talking you down even though I went to Etsy to search for what they looked like and will not be saying how cute they are) While they are so beautiful and painstakingly hand-crafted, it’s more just for the design aesthetic of your nursery. Baby’s eyes can’t really focus on those shapes and colors early on and eventually when they start to, they prefer black and white things. Maybe wait until baby is a little older and sleeping/napping in the crib more to see if you still want to get one to complete the nursery? 

birdiejo

I’ll make you guys one for fun. Which ones are you looking at @tamalahoops? 

tamalahoops

Oh my gosh @birdiejo that is so sweet. I think I found a good solution, there are some shops that sell the pieces separately and I think I'm going to do that. I think I want to do a sound of music themed one.

This is the other one I was drooling over last night though! https://www.etsy.com/listing/480322093/needle-felted-dogs-baby-mobile-baby-crib?ref=user_profile&frs=1

kkfishy9

@tamalahoops I'm sorry that I can't be more helpful in convincing you not to buy, but they are REALLY cute 

manditchka24

@tamalahoops I am not much help, bc that is super adorable. I think @szwill86 made some very rational points...what is the purpose of a mobile anyway?

tamalahoops

@manditchka24


My poor husband, every time he tries to add something he likes to the nursery he gets shut down. I'm so particular and am really trying not to be. I know most baby stuff will not, for the most part, match my very specific home decor tastes. 

hannahbananas11

So I’m growing out a pixie cut (because what better time for awkward hair than during a pandemic when you can’t go anywhere anyways) and it’s gotten out of control (see HDBD picture LOL). I usually get it cut every six weeks to keep the neckline clean, and it’s not been cut since May. Yeah, it’s bad. I don’t want to go to the salon because around here they don’t require stylists or customers to wear masks. So I think I’m going to have my H take a go at it tonight with some scissors and clippers that I recently bought. He has never cut a single hair on anyone’s head before. I will post results tomorrow. 😬

kkfishy9

@hannahbananas11 Sending ALL the good vibes for that adventure, haha. Who know, maybe you'll find out your H has a special talent?

moguippy

@hannahbananas11 oh goodness, good luck!  Please take before and after pictures! 

moguippy

@tamalahoops we had a musical mobile, we put it on the crib and then took it off approx 3 seconds later because it was just in the way and the music was soooo loud. We will not be digging it out for this baby lol. But if you really want it, then go for it. They are super cute!

my H ate the last of the cheese we use to make queso. May he RIP 🤣

WildMagelet

@tamalahoops I wouldn't have been any help in stopping you, because I also want a custom one "for the aesthetic.  In fact, this post may or may not have just prompted me to order the mobile music box with the SD card in it I've had in my favorites for ages now just so I can pick my own songs. 

tamalahoops

@WildMagelet the what now?! Link please!

mdfarmchick

I mean for the record I think the felted mobiles are absolutely adorable but I cannot rationalize the price and therefore my kids won’t have one. But if you have the spare cash, buy one and make me drool 😂

birdiejo

I’m all for a pretty item that has no function! 

moguippy

I cannot seem to go to bed at a reasonable time the past few days and I’m really tired. I need to lead a 3 hr virtual training in 30 minutes and I just wanna go back to bed. Tonight I will go to bed early. (I’ve said that the last 4 nights but maybe it will actually happen today). 

PinkKathryn12

This is so random. But I need advice.
I have a toddler 18 months old. he is biting. CONSTANTLY. 
He started biting kids at daycare like around 10 months old, it would be super random and sporadic. Now, months and months later, he is still biting. When he would bite me, I would immediately put him down and tell him no biting. He would usually cry for a minute and then I would pick him back up. he no longer bites me (hasn't for a very long time) but he is still biting children in his class. Sometimes it will be completely out of the blue, he will just be playing fine and lean over and do it and other times he will be mad about a toy or something. I have noticed it is usually around when his teeth are bothering him, but not isolated to that. Last week he tried to bite 3 times, but was not successful. The week before, he bit a child every single day and one day he bit two different children. This week, he has bit the same child yesterday and today, and a different child on Tuesday. Right now I definitely think he is getting his molars and teething. BUT is there any advice to stopping this behavior. I 100% understand it is a typical toddler behavior, but this is like a daily occurrence, sometimes more than once a day. He doesn't talk a lot either. I work at the childcare center he attends, but not with him so I don't have like a direct ability to stop it in action. Some people have suggested biting him back, but since he isn't doing it to me, i don't know if that would even register. He has been bit one time by another child, but it was not around a time he did it so I'm not sure he even makes the connection.
Any mommas have advice, please share. I am starting to be stressed about this daily.  His 18 month check up is monday so I will be bringing it up with his doctor as well. Oh, I also have been giving him tylenol for his teeth to help deter the biting from being from them bothering him. 

PinkKathryn12

@moguippy I always "go to bed" early but then lay in bed on my phone way too long. I need to work on it too, because I have been drained the past week at work. 

birdiejo

I definitely wouldn’t bite him back. Like if he kicked you in the stomach would you kick him back? That logic doesn’t work for me. 

I know you said you know it’s a phase but I really think it’s just something you need to get through. There’s nothing you can do if you aren’t there for it happening so it’s up to his teachers to separate the kids and let him know that what he did was wrong. It’s not like talking to an 18 month old hours later will do anything. 

Sorry , I know it must be tough. Hopefully the other kids parent understands that it’s something that happens for some kids and isn’t too bothered by it. 

PinkKathryn12

@birdiejo I agree about the biting back. a ton of old school people have mentioned that.. i just brush it off cuz I don't think that will help anyway. Plus an ADULT BITE on a tiny kid. nope nope nope.

I work in the office, and sometimes when parents are upset about it I'm the one who gets yelled at. RIght now, parents are pretty calm and understandable but if it continues to happen, they eventually get upset. they always do!

birdiejo

It’s 9:30 and I’m ready for lunch. 

jumpy57

@PinkKathryn12 sorry you are struggling. As the parent of a kid that got bit a lot I appreciate your concern. I've never really heard of any "fixes" for biting besides time or other kids getting big enough to stick up for themselves. I would ask the teachers about what they are doing to manage it and see if there could be improvements on that end. Hopefully your doctor has some advice

moguippy

@PinkKathryn12 my DS is about 8 months older than yours. He used to bite his own wrist/arm, but sees to have grown out of that. Occasionally he would bite us but it was infrequent and seemed to stop with correction. I’m sorry your struggling. Our daycare director explained it to us that some kids are just biters. She herself had 4 kids and 1 was a biter so she understood. Our DS got bitten once and we weren’t mad. It happens. But to be honest we would probably be annoyed if it happened repeatedly.  Definitely ask your pediatrician, hopefully they have some advice. Otherwise, it won’t last forever. Just sucks now. We’re in a hitting phase right now. It’s not fun either. 

PinkKathryn12

@jumpy57 @moguippy
i think this is probably true
some kids just bite
oyye my momma heart feels bad! Especially cuz he isn’t an aggressive or rough kid
he loves playing with other kids and hugging etc
i think it would be easier if i didn’t work here for me to be less stressed about jt

also to add i did  bring him his fav chew toys from home as well to try to deter 

szwill86

@PinkKathryn12 speech pathologist over here. Sometimes around that age, the biting is due to communication- usually over not being able to say exactly what it is they want/need/how they are feeling at that moment to a friend. My son was the “chew toy” at daycare from multiple kids around that age, so I appreciate you looking for support! It’s hard when you’re not right there in the moment to help facilitate the situation between the two kids. Hang in there- it does fade with age/increased word usage!

hannahbananas11

@PinkKathryn12 my son is 19 months old, and he bites occasionally. I find that it almost always happens when he wants attention (usually he gets an immediate reaction from biting) or is overstimulated (biting stops whatever activity is going on). I would hope that the teachers in the room with your son would keep an eye out for overstimulation and other situations that may lead to biting. It’s definitely not maliciously done at this age, so it’s usually a response to something, like what @szwill86 said. As my son has learned more words and signs over the last few weeks (he’s delayed in expressive language and actually in speech therapy right now), he’s bitten me and my H less often.

WildMagelet

@tamalahoops - This is the one I got, which I only ordered because of the remote. There are other cheaper options on etsy. I think I've seen 3-4 sellers with them.  I believe I looked under "mobile music box sd card" or something like that.  https://www.etsy.com/listing/771201187/music-box-with-128-mb-sd-card-and-remote?ref=hp_rv-1&frs=1

@PinkKathryn12 - I wouldn't bite him back. Like you said, he won't correlate the two. It's not like he's a puppy learning boundaries with other dogs. I'm sorry you're having a rough time with him. The advice that @szwill86 and @hannahbananas11 mentioned is exactly along the lines of what my OT friend would say about communication and sensory issues, so I think that's a good start! Hopefully your pediatrician has more insight for you.

@birdiejo - I feel like I've been eating all day.

babymamadimo

@PinkKathryn12 my son was never a biter, so I don’t have any good advice, but I wanted to add that it is nice that your daycare isn’t super strict about it. Our daycare sends the kid home if they bite and if they bite 2 times in the same week they can’t come back all week. It seems too strict.

hannahbananas11

@babymamadimo that seems way too strict to me, too. It seems like some daycares expect toddlers to have the maturity of adults. 🤦‍♀️

PinkKathryn12

@szwill86 @hannahbananas11  thanks ladies! Communication makes sense for sure! Maybe I’ll mention the overstimulation thing and see if they can target if there is a trend in when it’s happening!


@babymamadimo wow that is a super strict policy for this age! My director at our center is super like understanding of things that are normal developmentally such as toddlers biting. We have a much more strict policy if the child is doing it maliciously and is older (such as a 4-5 year old biting) but even then she tries very hard to find a resolution between the family and center before asking someone to leave or stay home for a while!

mdfarmchick

@PinkKathryn12 the best solution I’ve seen for biting in toddlers is to have a teacher prevent it. Perhaps not all the time but if you know his teeth are bothering him, mention it so they can pay extra attention and then they also need to watch for other triggers—like snatching toys or something—and stop it before it happens. And if it’s it’s teething related some of the time maybe Tylenol during the day would help along with extra teething toys from home. It is just a phase. ♥️ 

In other news, for all of us with difficult toddlers, let me just tell you that 12 days into 5 and I want the 2 year old kid back instead. 🤦🏻‍♀️😭 So. Many. Emotions. All. The. Time. 

hannahbananas11

@mdfarmchick don’t tell me that. 😱 I’m personally counting down the days until my kids are all out of the house and I’m an empty-nester with hopefully interesting kids that’ll visit me. I think that’ll be my favorite age. 🤣

babymamadimo

@PinkKathryn12 @hannahbananas11 yeah it seems crazy and strict for sure. They created the policy when my son was 9 months I was like okay so you expect teething babies to understand that 🙄

mdfarmchick

@hannahbananas11 it was a particularly rough night but the good news is he’s a pretty great kid when he’s not melting. 😆🤦🏻‍♀️

roadspeckle

anybody have preschoolers doing distant learning? my 3 (4 next week) year old speech delayed. her SPL switched to a different job and I don’t really have any desire to start over. my son saw her starting 4 years ago and now my daughter. I figured it’d be a good time to get her in preschool.... I thought I had heard some of it was in person but I was wrong. How do you distant learn 3-4 year olds?!?

birdiejo

@roadspeckle I think it depends on your area if it’s in person. In my area they have a special education prek for your daughters age and it’s in person because it’s at the public school and those kids need the resources. Have you seen if anything like that exists ? They do a mix of typical peers and special ed for that class and it’s for 3 and 4 year olds. 

Otherwise for my 3yo I just printed out a curriculum I found online and we do that. Most of prek learning is play/social based so we don’t spend a ton of time on it.