I had to laugh at your comment. Yeah, temperament definitely plays a big role in what works with each kid. My kid is very logical so this appeals to that part of his nature. The other day his logical nature caused one strategy to backfire on me. He started being loud at a restaurant and I said if he didn’t quiet down…

I would add the tip that you can use old costumes to make new ones. My son wants to be Shine from “Shimmer and Shine,” but he also wanted me to make his costume. I found an old Elsa costume for $4.50 and reworked it into a genie costume. I cut off the cape and used the cape fabric to make a vest and sash. I shortened…

Those places look awesome! I’m definitely bookmarking them. Thanks!

Have you tried eshakti? It’s been life changing for me! They actually have cotton! The 20w fits me perfect, but they also do custom measurements for only $10 more. I was nervous ordering online with them at first, but now I have 5 dresses from them and love them all.

Sometimes buying the cheap thing is the way to go and realizing this was an important lesson. I experience thigh rub and it ruins pants. Buying more expensive pants does not solve the problem, instead I end up feeling horrible for wasting money on something that doesn’t last.

Thanks for writing this! Somehow I missed it when it was first published. I also had cholestasis. I thought I was going crazy. The internet kept telling me itching is normal in pregnancy and I knew that from some mild, typical belly itching early on that I had reported to my doctor. But I did start itching, upon…

My baby was delivered by a mid-wife staffed at the hospital I delivered at and I was a high-risk pregnancy. My mid-wife was awesome. This happened in the US. We have the means to train and certify nurse-midwives. We need to get them organized in a way such as you suggested for rural areas. We need some good…

This is a cool idea for the wider community, but I think it is even better when we get to know one another and make sure there’s something for all the neighborhood kids. One of the kids on my block has allergies and several neighbors make him big goody bags to make up for any treats he gets elsewhere that he can’t…

It actually works with kids as young as one. Kids are way smarter than most people give them credit for. If you work in early childhood education, you learn how to use positive guidance and talk like that and it is incredibly effective.

Yes to all of this.

I’ve worked in childcare. A ritual is great. The key is to be consistent and never extend the ritual on a whim. We do this, this, and this and then mommy/daddy/whomever says goodbye and leaves. If your child is crying when you leave, rest assured they are settled quickly after you go. It is always harder on the…

Look into the cheaper unlocked moto phones. They are basically stock android so are easy to navigate (no extra phone company branding on top) and they work incredibly well, have awesome features, and did I mention they are cheap! Also, don’t get locked into the big 3 cell companies with contracts and crap. I’ve…

Cats really are funny. Our ten year old cat was never picky about food and then a few months ago I tried this new Wegman’s Grainfree Whitefish dry food...when it ran out we grabbed some Trader Joe’s dry food which is one of the regular brands we’ve fed her over the years (we’d vary it up between that, wet food, and…

The issue with saying bedtime doesn’t matter is that you’re not taking into account what the child’s wake-up time is. If the child has a stay-at-home parent and can wake up naturally, then sure, bed time doesn’t matter. That is, if your kid will sleep long enough in the morning to compensate for a later bedtime…

It’s true that parents can’t really stop their kids from going, but these parents actually facilitated the meetings and did nothing to keep them from continuing until it was too late. As far as not knowing who R. Kelly is, all of the parents involved stated that they knew and that they knew of the allegations against…

That is exactly what cold brew is. Although I brew mine in the fridge bc I worry about bacterial growth. The irony of cold brew is that it has nothing to do with serving iced. I mean, it is freaking awesome iced, but it is also meant to be served hot. The cold in cold brew is in reference to using cold water to…

I’ve found Mrs. + husbands name to be very regional. Here on the mainline (rich Philadelphia) it is incredibly common, even in my younger generation. So very different from my rural burbs of Seattle where I grew up.

I’m guessing you are on the west coast or in New York or something because I, too, once thought thought Ms. was the norm. Then I moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia and worked as a substitute teacher. I ended up giving a lesson on titles every single day because most of the kids had never seen Ms. and would always…

Gah! I wish people would stop calling this free-range parenting. I’m sure these idiots do too. That’s not what free-range parenting is! It doesn’t mean stop being a parent. It means teaching your children how to be responsible and then allowing them to do developmentally appropriate things like play outside or…

Yeah, we have a rule that you must wear clothing at the table. Yes, we have to have that rule. My 3 year old son would be naked 24/7 if I let him... He does understand privacy. We talk about it a lot. He knows that he has to wear clothes in public.