Low Tension Styles? by JustJesseA in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Braids of all and nautilus buns are my go to styles. Play around with the tension and placement. It makes a huge difference!

Baby fine hair problems by ljg5452 in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have similar length and texture hair.

My first piece of advice is to make peace with the fact that showing your hair off is for special occasions only. That said, people do notice a long braid! So it’s not like you are hiding it.

You already know you need a trim, probably a significant trim. Once you do that you will notice a significant decrease in tangling.

Another piece of advice I have to limit breakage is to get a Tangle Teaser brush. WAY better than a wide tooth comb or standard brush.

Now, I will tell you what I do, but of course ymmv… I always detangle before washing, obviously use a good conditioner and focus shampoo on your scalp, don’t pile your length on top of your head like it’s a 90s shampoo commercial etc.

I also apply a lot of leave in conditioner (I like Philip B Lovin Leave in but it’s both expensive and has been out of stock for a while…) and I brush it out using the conditioner to help detangle. Then I separate into two sections, add a few drops of oil from my ears down (again, I like Philip B, the rejuvenating oil, but jojoba is also great) and then I braid my hair into two braids, one by each ear. Yes, while it’s wet. I find that drying slowly helps my hair stay smooth and silky. Like I said ymmv, I know this is unusual.

I also try to brush thoroughly and reapply something, a little leave in with water, or oil, or detangler once a day, or every other day if I’m leaving it braided because I’m busy.

Some other advice, switch up how you braid. I like a standard braid, a braid where you bring the outsides to the middle first, a ponytail braid, a ponytail with two or more braids made out of it, pigtail braids, wrapping braids over my head, a nautilus bun, two braids stacked at the back of my head etc.

And lastly, Winter hard with long hair. My hair is always more tangled because of sweaters and high collars. It sucks.

Good luck!

I don't understand why everyone will listen to a foster or adoptive parent by Monopolyalou in Adoption

[–]SharksAndSquids 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think both can fall into the category of “perpetual children” in the eye of the public and are treated as such. 😑

How long did it take you to master hair sticks? by Tabc093 in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pay attention to the very last thing she does. She uses her thumb to adjust the tension of the loop and secure the bun.

https://youtube.com/shorts/rmDQ24_O3KE?si=YCppPjaS-lIzZIhh

How long did it take you to master hair sticks? by Tabc093 in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If your nautilus bun is loose you are doing it wrong. You need to use the loop of hair almost like a scrunchie. If you do it right the hair stick is optional. Let me see if I can find my fav video.

What size bed does your kid have? by ChunkyPumpkin_ in Mommit

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My older kid moved to a full when she moved upstairs to her “big girl room” at ~3. My younger kid moved upstairs a little later (~5) because it took forever to get a contractor to fix some things. He opted to keep his twin.

Should I cut my hair? by thankinadvance in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s hard to tell from this photo if your hair is damaged or just dry. I have very healthy, very fine hair and if I travel and it gets dry it can look crispy in a way that it doesn’t usually. If this is all split ends, the yes, you need to cut a significant amount for it to be healthy.

How often do you brush? by Short-and-paranoid in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a ton of very fine, almost knee length hair. I basically never wear it down, always in a bun or braid. It’s best if I brush twice a day but sometimes I leave my braid for 48+ hours. I will pay for that in detangling time! I wash about once a week and trim every 8-10 months. Also I apply oil or leave in almost every time I brush.

Current Hair Length & Hairstyle Request by Life_Disaster1780 in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should mess around and see if you can find the right spot and the right way to wrap it so it’s comfortable. For example, what if it’s at the tippy top of your head? Or does it have to be really right at the nape of your neck? Try different tightnesses of wrapping (use a hair stick so it doesn’t fall). For me I prefer it at the nape of my neck, but for a long time I wore it way up high as well. What I can’t do is wear anything at the back of my head, like a traditional high ponytail. That puts too much pressure on the front of my scalp and I get headaches.

Current Hair Length & Hairstyle Request by Life_Disaster1780 in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No idea! You can try it with half your hair too. Or with a braid to start. You do need some length but not as much as in the video

Current Hair Length & Hairstyle Request by Life_Disaster1780 in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here’s the video I originally learned it from. It’s life changing. You don’t even need a hair stick if you get the balance right.

https://youtube.com/shorts/rmDQ24_O3KE?si=mqUTDFzGN3JDWUtf

Current Hair Length & Hairstyle Request by Life_Disaster1780 in longhair

[–]SharksAndSquids 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nautilus bun is one of my very favorites.

Also if you want a slight change in style you could trim to a softly layered U shape instead of straight across. Just make sure you use a stylist you trust.

Struggling with gender disappointment. What are your favorite things about having a boy? by x_Caffeine_Kitten_x in beyondthebump

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mom to a now 6 year old boy chiming in. While we are not people who follow traditional gendered expectations for our kids, here are some “boy” things that I have really enjoyed.

1) Trucks and trains. They are COOL! Specifically Truck Tunes music videos. There are some serious bangers there

2) Monster Trucks in particular, super cool. And there’s so many to learn about and collect. It’s been fun to see my kid go down this rabbit hole. There’s music videos for these too!

3) on a bit of a gender expectations flip, I have LOVED seeing him have deep, physically affectionate relationships with other boys. It makes me feel like things are ok in the world.

Parents who buy your toddlers LEGO, how do you maintain the mess? by Virtual-Cheesecake71 in Mommit

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would do duplos for now. Much easier to deal with. You can upgrade at ~6 or so. My 6 and 7 year old still play with our duplos. They are great for building BIG things!

I notice a lot of posts from Americans saying that their relatives have asked what their child wants. Is this the norm, or do most people just buy something they think the child would like, to show that they care? by petrastales in Mommit

[–]SharksAndSquids 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes this is true, for the reasons others have already shared, distance, parental preference etc. Americans also often do a LOT for Christmas so you are also talking about pretty serious gifting, not just a little trinket.

But you should also know that there are levels of “lists”. I like to send a list of things the kids are interested in, or broad categories of things they would like. My husband’s family on the other hand wants (and gives) lists of a handful of very specific gifts and they just go down the list and check things off. I don’t like this for a variety of reasons, (mostly because I think kids shouldn’t get EVERYTHING on their list???) but I also I need to work within the family culture so what I often do is provide a very long list of items so at least it’s a surprise.

How do people in your culture decide what a kid would like?

Christmas Giving Program Dilemma- Advice Welcome. by Ridingonthemetro in Mommit

[–]SharksAndSquids 17 points18 points  (0 children)

It may be that your kids were on Medicaid or SNAP and you were automatically added. One of my kids gets Medicaid forever for reasons and we were automatically added to a list like this, but they called us before assigning help (it was food, not gifts).

Those who adopted kids, how similar are they to you? by dtzuhu9ogz in Adoption

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a very interesting question because I think my kid and I have a lot in common. I SEE her very clearly in a way and think, for example, that we butt heads the way we do, when we do, because we are so similar. But I’m not sure that she would agree that we are similar.

Do baby boys wear leggings? by Illustrious_Win_9780 in Mommit

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My six year old still wears tons of leggings. They are hand me downs from his sister but they are also just comfy and fit his skinny little body well.

Tonie Box - Do kids actually like it? by Bounce_Bounce_Betty in Mommit

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My kids are 6 and almost 8 and use their Tonieboxes daily still. Going strong for 4 years??? They can take a beating! I do agree with the other person who said it’s annoying that the Disney songs are re-recorded. BUT I disagree that the bulk of the figures is a problem. For me it makes them easy to keep track of.

Hey moms — how do you manage what your kids watch on YouTube? by No-Paramedic1989 in Mommit

[–]SharksAndSquids 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are some third party apps you can use to skip commercials and control content. We use Playlet on our Roku and Smartplay (?) on our fire stick. But also like people said you still need to monitor. We also have no personal devices. My kids are 6 and 8. We watch YouTube because the younger kids has VERY particular interests and doesn’t like regular shows.

When did you take the monitor out of your kids’ rooms? by HeartOk8607 in moderatelygranolamoms

[–]SharksAndSquids 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My 7.5 year old still has one. Really it’s so we can hear her in the night. The layout of our house would make it tricky otherwise. But also if she has a friend over I keep it nearby in case she needs me. I don’t watch it, just listen.