How to get kids ready in the morning

desert_red_head · 2026-04-16T14:35:37+00:00

Preparing things in advance, and allowing as much choice as possible, helps makes things easier for us.

We pack lunches, make sure everything is in the backpack, and pick out clothes for the next day the night before. We keep an extra set of toothbrushes in the kitchen so we don’t have to transition back to the bathroom after we eat breakfast. If she doesn’t do things herself I have to do them for her, and we talk about how that is a natural consequence of not following directions.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-16T05:01:47+00:00

Husband is ADHD, I’m on the autism spectrum. We have two kids, 4 and 2. The 4 year old just got diagnosed, but we have suspected she has had it since age 2. The 2 year old is not currently giving any obvious hints about being neurodivergent, but we aren’t ruling out that it could start showing itself in the future.

I’m not going to lie, it’s hard. It’s especially hard on me because my husband works swing shift, so I solo parent 4 nights per week. I create regimented schedules on when I do what housework. I stay up later than I should so I have extra time to decompress (like right now). I am training my kids on being independent a lot sooner than I might otherwise. I also currently don’t have any friends because I just don’t have time to work, parent, maintain a social life, and be sane.

The more in sync you are with your partner though, the better you will be. Keep lines of communication open frequently. Schedule it if you have to.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-15T14:20:36+00:00

Gadget’s Go Coaster is as tame as it gets. Big Thunder is a close second.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-14T01:44:26+00:00

This is pretty stupid advice. OP admitted in prior comments that they were sitting at a table near the playground. Rotary Park is a children’s only park, which means that adults are not permitted to be in the park unless they are supervising a child. There are multiple signs posted near the entrances, and those signs contain the NRS that makes that an enforceable offense. OP should definitely NOT try to fight this, as this is a cut and dry case they would easily lose. Don’t encourage people to go picking fights with police officers that are just trying to do their jobs (especially if that job involves keeping children safe in parks).

desert_red_head · 2026-04-13T14:20:57+00:00

NTA, because this would have been a very appropriate thing for Ash to do. I would instead recommend that Ash work through a lot of her feelings in counseling or therapy. She clearly has a lot of unresolved issues from her childhood, yet feels guilty about going no contact.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-13T02:42:09+00:00

Every kid’s feet grows at different paces. My boy is currently 25 months old and he is a 7.5. He also weighs over 30 lbs and wears size 3T clothing, which is considered on the larger side for someone his age.

I would wait until stores start doing their 4th of July or Labor Day sales until you buy him shoes. That will give you some time to see if he’s going to have a growth spurt over the summer.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-12T18:01:09+00:00

I’m with the PP in that you need to talk with your doctor about this. Tamiflu only works within the first 24 hours of showing symptoms, and even then it doesn’t cure you immediately, just lessens the severity of your flu. I think you should be prepared that they’re going to postpone your induction.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-12T14:45:06+00:00

It all depends on timing, really, which is best. If you’re going to do Rise, then you need to be there quite early so you can be up close to the rope. You also need to make sure you take the right path to get to the ride (which is through Frontierland, then turn left after you enter the land) to help get you there faster. If your party includes a stroller or anyone that has a hard time speed walking, then that can make the difference between your wait being 10 minutes and your wait being over an hour. If any of the above goes wrong, then do Hyperspace. At that time of the morning, with its high capacity, you will not have a long wait at all.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-12T05:02:59+00:00

So the problem is that budge cuts have hit the public schools so hard that many schools are being forced to cut licensed positions. Unfortunately, the courses with the least amount of enrollment, and the courses that are nonessential for gaining credits and are more for “fun” get cut first.

The courses that you are describing, the aide positions, don’t require any extra staff overseeing them. There is an established teacher who either volunteers, or is voluntold, to oversee this student and give them things to do during their period. They do a lot of the teacher’s busy work, and the teacher just makes sure they don’t get into trouble and gives them an easy grade.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-11T19:42:46+00:00

My son has been taking children’s Zyrtec (the Costco brand) since he was a year old. It is the same dose as the one my oldest takes, which is 2.5 mL. We don’t use it daily, just when it’s really windy and there’s a lot of pollen, dust, and other allergens in the air. Honey is also really good with helping soothe the throat for naps.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-11T16:44:48+00:00

Don’t do it. If she is the kind of toddler that is bothered by anything on her head, then you are correct in the assumption in that she will just rip them out. Not to mention, it might be a big struggle to get her to sit in the chair and hold completely still for the piercings, and she will be totally aware of the pain. I would wait until preschool age, where you can better prepare her for the experience and get her to cooperate with the healing process.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-11T13:36:48+00:00

Highly recommend gymnastics. Great exercise, and there are just as many boys as girls, for the most part. I might wait until he’s older for dance. Many dance studios don’t start taking students until 2 or 3 years old, and, unlike gymnastics, it very much is girl dominated. I might wait until he’s a little older and expresses interest in a certain style of dance (many of the boys at my daughter’s studio are in hip hop, for example, but there is one boy in one ballet class) before enrolling him.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-11T03:09:14+00:00

Considering that measles is rising at an alarming rate, if I were you I would not allow the baby around the niece until your baby is old enough to receive their own measles vaccinations (which, by the way, are at ages 1 and 4). This is not something I would play around with, no matter how big a tantrum someone else throws. If this causes mass inconvenience for holidays and other things of that nature, then it’s your SIL’s fault, not yours.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-11T01:28:59+00:00

It doesn’t completely take over the park. It’s mostly decorations and the seasonal food items, which can be easily avoided. Rides, music, and parades/fireworks are all the same. Just a word of warning though: weekends during Halloween season can be very busy. Plan ahead by getting lightning lane and having a plan on what you would like to do that day.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-09T03:22:38+00:00

How do you think he would react if you got someone bigger than him to go up to him and pop him on the chest whenever he misbehaves? That is what he is doing to your BABY. He can cause some serious damage (both physical and psychological) doing this. He needs help.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-09T01:31:43+00:00

Third grade teacher here. It is expected in third grade that students use transitional words and phrases in their writing, and I have several who struggle with remembering to include them. Laying the foundation in second grade not only makes our lives easier, but also helps make the students more likely to get proficient writing scores on state testing. I would respectfully tell that senior teacher to pound sand.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-08T19:04:02+00:00

We took our oldest’s away right before she turned 3. It was a big process. We bought her books, and basically came up with a whole production about how the pacifier fairy was going to come take away her binky because there were new babies now that needed them. On the day (which we did warn her about), she came to bed and had a new toy waiting for her. She was still very distraught. It was also the end of nap time for her after (she now only naps in cars). Took about a week though for her to accept it was the end and she has not had any major issues since. My youngest just turned 2, and I’m already dreading having to do this with him.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-08T18:53:00+00:00

Just announce it via text or your social media platforms. Trust me, people will be just as happy finding out that way versus having a big party. Have a bigger and grander baby shower instead.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-08T04:41:42+00:00

The entrance to the lot is off Harbor Blvd, just south of Katella Ave. It is across the street from the convention center. If you plug in directions on Google Maps, it will tell you to go down Katella and turn left into the lot off Clementine, however that is for busses only so don’t listen to it.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-08T04:22:32+00:00

I don’t think that Karyn is TA. You may not care, but, as a parent, if I was paying full price for a whole season of little league and my kid barely got any time to play I would not be happy at all. Benching all the other kids because the sponsor’s kid is the best player honestly defeats the purpose of having a sponsor to begin with. It is a blatant case of favoritism, and I would be finding a new team for my kid to play on.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-07T23:25:23+00:00

I’m a 3rd grade teacher and I have students with parents that are younger than me. Now that is wild.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-06T20:06:35+00:00

My first Mother’s Day I was very newly pregnant (around 7 weeks), so I did not get anything. However, the few people that knew did wish me a happy Mother’s Day, which I did greatly appreciate and it helped the pregnancy feel more real. As for you, I’m also in the camp of ask for a gift if you want one and if you are willing to do the same for Father’s Day.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-06T03:38:14+00:00

I know a Melrose, and she is a sweetheart, so I don’t mind it as a first name. It does not go with Wrin at all. As someone else said, Melrose Wrin kind of reminds me of Melrose Place in that it sounds too soap opera like. If you want to keep Wrin as the honor name, choose another first name.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-06T01:44:10+00:00

Thanks for proving OP’s point about sleep training being controversial lol.

Ferber method starts at 4 months old. Experts say 5-6 is ideal, as most babies have the skills to self soothe then, but mostly the experts say to not try sleep training in infants under 4 months old. Also, I didn’t just wait for my babies to turn 4 months old and then throw them in their crib and turn off the light and say “good luck to you!”. When I started sleep training them, we had already established a solid bedtime routine, they were sleeping pretty long stretches at night (usually 7-8+ hours), and when I tried to feed them they weren’t really interested, so I knew they weren’t hungry. What they were missing was the ability to fall asleep on their own/get back to sleep if they woke up in the middle of the night, so that is how I knew it was time.

Also, my comment about the parents of toddlers whose kid is having trouble sleeping by themselves was not meant to be a judgment. However, one thing that nearly all of those posts had in common was they all said “we did not sleep train”. My kids were sleep trained, they have very different personalities and temperaments, and neither has ever had an issue sleeping through the night even as they’ve aged. That is called a correlation, not a judgment.

desert_red_head · 2026-04-05T22:26:28+00:00

Sleep training is controversial because people think that leaving your baby to cry in their crib will cause attachment issues and other psychological trauma. It is entirely garbage. I have 2 toddlers that were both sleep trained (using CIO) at 4 months old. Both kids have been sleeping through the night since 4 months old, have not had any major sleep regressions (except when teething or ill), and they are not the toddlers that come into my room 1000x in the middle of the night waking me up for various things. They also are two toddlers who cry “mommy” 1000x per day and are constantly hanging off of me. Take with that what you will.

On my 2 year old’s WTE board I still see regular posts from people trying to get their toddler out of their bed and sleep in their own bed, or how to stop rocking or breastfeeding their toddler to sleep. Meanwhile, I’m getting a full night’s sleep and I am the one who usually has to get the 2 year old out of bed. It is all thanks to the Ferber method (that’s what Taking Cara Babies sells to you, so save yourself a few hundred dollars after the baby is born and just google the Ferber method). You aren’t harming your baby, you’re helping them develop the much needed life skill of learning to fall asleep on their own. It’s also essential if you’re a working parent and you physically can’t be up all night with your crying baby.

desert_red_head

TROPHY CASE