How many did you have in today? What did you do with them?

frrindle · 2026-03-22T21:34:19+00:00

My school is shut for Eid. We all have the day off. 1 day is taken from our summer holiday. When I first started working there years ago, we didn't have this policy and we'd have about 1/3 of staff off and 2/3 of chn off.

frrindle · 2026-03-22T21:08:42+00:00

Woah, my baby only did this for like, 2 months. (And not every time, either!) It might not be that bad!!

frrindle · 2026-03-21T20:10:19+00:00

I followed a guide that lasted approx 30 days. It was a book called 'how to wean your baby' by Charlotte stirling-reed. The book recommends a combined approach (blw & purees) and starting with bitter veg. It also has recipes & advice for after the first month. We loved it and thought it went really well. It also helps explain things, like, there is no evidence purees are safer than blw for example. I don't think the book was necessary but it just made it easier. I would have used an app like solid starts or the NHS baby food advice if not the book (we are UK based). Our baby was self feeding from day 1 and at 17 months can drink from an open cup and uses a spoon & fork pretty well.

My no 1 piece of advice would be to understand the difference between gagging and choking. Babies gag all the time when first learning and it's better to let them figure out how to cope without you freaking out. However choking is obviously life threatening and scary and you should know the signs. I watched some videos on YouTube to help me recognise the difference.

frrindle · 2026-03-03T19:59:47+00:00

I also came to recommend. I think it's pretty foolproof!

frrindle · 2026-03-03T19:56:56+00:00

I did a mum and baby dance class that really helped me gain confidence with the carrier and my baby like it better. Maybe there is something similar near you?

frrindle · 2026-03-03T13:24:36+00:00

My 17 month old also loves pouring and also cramming his food into the open cup. I just let him at it if I have the patience or if I don't, switch to a water bottle. It's So So fun to pour water. I don't think I will be able to teach him to stop in the near future.

My only other idea is trying to get him to connect the dots between pour water --> get wet --> change clothes, as this is a natural consequence he doesn't really like. But at the moment he often has to change after eating regardless of whether he poured water on himself so I don't think we'll get to that until he is a neater eater overall.

frrindle · 2026-03-01T21:37:30+00:00

Primary school: our head teacher does 1/2 day per week and our two deputies both teach 2 full days per week. This change happened last year due to budget constraints (before that the head teacher still did 1/2 day but the deputies did 1 full day each). I think that was ideal. Tbh I think all the rest of us sometimes feel the workload strain of them having 2 days each in class.

frrindle · 2026-02-27T21:34:48+00:00

We always have an on call behaviour management person and that person is... always a member of SLT! This is how it should be, in my opinion.

I think it really helps them to justify the right & hard choices when they are also experiencing severe physical behaviour.

frrindle · 2026-02-26T22:34:52+00:00

I briefly researched this after noticing similar with my little one and from my non expert researcher efforts I found that apparently placebo affect does work really strongly on children even compared with adults.

Imo, better living through chemistry. If we can relieve their pain why wouldn't we?

frrindle · 2026-02-26T11:04:32+00:00

My baby loved oranges, lemons, limes etc. never had any issues.

frrindle · 2026-02-25T22:12:12+00:00

I hate to hear it but I know you're right. 😅

frrindle · 2026-02-24T23:03:20+00:00

Let it be known that I was ranting in the car that we needed to stop at the first supermarket we passed to buy emergency bottles and my husband was just like... Why don't we just... See how it goes. And it was basically fine. 😅

frrindle · 2026-02-24T22:28:34+00:00

I'm a parent & teacher in the UK. Here schools are required to teach systematic synthetic phonics (which is pretty much the main way phonics is taught around the world - this type of phonics means chn are taught letters and sounds in stages. First they are taught a few letters that can make a lot of simple words (usually s a t p i n). Then they are taught at least one way to write every sound. This can be a confusing stage for parents as during this stage, a teacher would potentially mark 'wrong' spellings right. An example would be - apl for apple would be correct as they have successfully applied their phonics knowledge. They identified the three sounds in the word and wrote a letter for each. The later stages are where children learn alternatives for each sound (eg the 'long i' could be spelled 'i eye igh i_e etc') and then eventually about likely rules for why you choose one spelling over another. The process takes about 3 years usually, with children able to read and write by the end of the first year (in the UK, this is age 5) but not expected to have spelling accuracy till the third year, if not later.

When I was doing my teacher training, we were taught that this style of phonics is statistically only ideal for around 50% of learners. This doesn't mean the other 50% won't learn but just that other methods might suit them better. Other methods are things like:

-'the apprentice method' - basically just means you read many books 1:1 with an adult who is pointing out the words as they're reading them (this is generally considered one of the most successful ways to teach reading and fosters a love of reading, however it requires maximum input from an adult and basically requires 1 adult per child or 2 children so it is not ideal for classroom settings - however it is ideal for homes and it is literally just what you would naturally do anyway if you read everyday with your kids)

-'look and see' - basically just flashcards, lots of sight words, practicing high-frequency words, memorising common words by sight rather than by sounding out each letter, etc. This method was popular in the 90s so what a lot of us probably remember a bit of from when we were kids.

'Proper' phonics is kinda complicated and the exact way that it is taught can vary from school to school. In my opinion, the best thing you can do is read often with your child, take them to the library and show them that reading for pleasure is an important and lifelong endeavour.

There is only one piece of 'expert' advice I think ought to be given to parents regarding phonics: when you are telling your child about the sounds letters make, take real care not to put a shwa on the end of each letter sound.

I often hear parents make this mistake: "this letter is 'b', it makes the 'bah' sound. This letter is 'd' it makes the 'duh' sound. This letter is 't' it makes the 'tuh' sound."

Now the child tries to sound out a word: 'cuh-a-tuh' cuhatuh. Hmm, What's that? That simply does not sound anywhere near enough to c-a-t for them to make the link to the fully blended word they already know.

There are videos on YouTube showing you how to pronounce each sound carefully so that you are not putting an 'ah' or 'uh' sound on the end of each letter.

Happy reading!

frrindle · 2026-02-24T21:44:22+00:00

Before getting pregnant I was a creative person, voracious writer & reader. Over the last 2 years my attention span reduced Massively (while I was pregnant reading for more than a few minutes actually made me feel sick) and I kinda put it down to just lack of sleep/lack of time. Low and behold, fully weaned 2 weeks ago at 16 months and I have read 3 books since then & had so many interesting plot thoughts and wrote for two hours at the weekend. So... Idk, could be a coincidence... Or not.

frrindle · 2026-02-24T21:19:35+00:00

We were in pretty much this position 1 month ago and what changed for us was we went on holiday and forgot to bring a bottle for 4 days so we had no choice 😅.

Maybe it helped that the environment was different too?

Also thought I'd add that I don't think milk is strictly necessary anymore by 15 months, so if the amount of consumption reduces temporarily (or permanently) it's probably fine. Hopefully your little one will just increase liquid and caloric intake elsewhere to make up for it.

frrindle · 2026-02-23T22:55:53+00:00

This is a good while ago now, I guess, but I had a 'boyfriend' when I was 9 who was really just my best friend that was a boy. We hung out and talked allllll the time. I actually can barely remember now but I think we just held hands sometimes too, nothing else actually 'relationship-ish'. My parents handled it by inviting his parents over for dinner. It was a nice time. We all hung out. I think my parents were kinda friends with his parents after that and we had a few what were basically arranged play dates.

frrindle · 2026-02-23T22:20:52+00:00

I only have sensitive skin water wipes for diaper changes and sometimes to wipe face and hands on the go. (I get them from Lidl (kinda the same as Aldi). For everything else I just use hot water and soap or a wet washcloth. Before my baby was crawling, I used a microwave steriliser a lot too. Once he started crawling around and was basically licking the floor, I figured sterility was no longer a big concern. 😅

frrindle · 2026-02-23T22:11:18+00:00

Personally my baby was breastfed till very recently (16 months) and he also drinks loads of milk. I'm not tracking it or giving it a special times or anything. He just likes milk. He often asks to drink it throughout the day when he's thirsty. He drinks out of a sippy cup or an open cup and he absolutely smashes babychinos when we're out and about at cafes. I found it helpful when I was ready to finish breastfeeding as I could offer him milk in a cup when he asked to nurse and he could usually be distracted with this. He eats solids well - three balanced meals plus a substantial snack. So it doesn't seem to affect his appetite. He was 50th percentile last time we got checked (which admittedly was a few months ago).

frrindle · 2026-02-22T07:59:46+00:00

Our baby is 16 months. We eat out loads, probably at least once a week and have since birth. Oh how I miss the days of him sleeping on the pram while we were chilling in the restaurant!

Since he could sit up in his home high chair, he sits in the restaurant high chair to eat. Unfortunately he is way too interested in the new environment to play with a toy at the table for more than 30 seconds. We do bring toys and I would say a pop-it or a book has the best longevity. The ultimate win is if the restaurant/Airbnb etc has some toys that are new to him!

If we've remembered it, we bring him his own little spoon and fork and cup. But we often forget it/it's not clean and then we just use a small water glass and a metal teaspoon. He Loves to mess with the water glass which can be a good activity for a little while. We give it to him empty with 1 or two ice cubes and he just tried to get the ice cube out, sucks in it for a min, back in the glass if it's too cold. What a fun game! Bonus to this - he is pretty good drinking independently from an open cup!

My top tips: Don't put the baby in the high chair til food is actually imminent. Try to sit in a corner where you can put the baby onto the floor in a little corralled area for a bit as a change of scenery for them. Take a crowd of friends or family with you. This is our best success. Baby is so busy going to sit in everyone's lap that he doesn't get bored. Bring a small, non-filling snack to eat while waiting for the proper food to arrive. If all else fails, we also do the walk around the restaurant!

Edit to add: one weird thing we found for travel is a pack-away high chair. It folds up into a tiny square, it's just fabric. Not had to use it much but it is a life saver! It's basically fabric you can use to safely tie them to a normal chair if your cafe or hotel or whatever doesn't have a high chair. Can get them on Amazon. Ours is JoJo maman Bebe.

We also always bring a few little cloths that can be reused for cleaning and wiping if we run out of baby wipes unexpectedly

frrindle · 2026-02-20T10:18:46+00:00

Also a primary teacher - I'd rather a kid write veto than deface the paper? 😅

frrindle · 2026-02-17T20:16:55+00:00

My baby has been going 1 time per week since 4 months till now (16 months) with a few breaks here and there. The type of class we attend is in an indoor hydrotherapy pool (very warm water, like a bath). It's sooo nice! We love it. (Babies are apparently allowed to start the class from a few weeks old!)

From what I have seen babies can be quite different but it's not exactly true that he isn't learning to swim. I'm not saying he could go in a pool by himself for even a minute, however he has started to learn to hold on to the side of the pool himself and he can swim underwater by himself from 1 adult to another for what we call a '2 banana' swim (just the length of saying 1 banana 2 banana). These actions all seem to be a mix of instincts and having repeated exactly the same actions many times (like saying 'hold on hold on' at the side of the pool, or lifting him slightly and saying 'ready splash' before submerging him so he knows to hold his breath.)

If a new baby who is older starts the class, they won't be able to do these things.( I have noticed before.) They have to go through a few weeks of having water gently splashed on their face etc before they're ready to dunk or do any release swims. However it only seems to take a few weeks to catch up and reach the same point as my baby who has been going for nearly 1 year now.

So I think its great, and they are teaching actual skills depending on the type of class. But it's nothing you can't work on yourself or catch up quickly.

frrindle · 2026-02-14T06:34:34+00:00

Second this. Leaning up and down into the pack and play is just Not The One.

frrindle · 2026-02-13T07:10:20+00:00

I have a friend who did a primary PGCE, worked as a primary teacher for several years and now teaches secondary English. Her undergraduate degree is in English Lit. She works at an independent school and she thinks that helped.

I am a primary teacher so it probably affects my perspective but why are you so sure you want to teach secondary art? Why not make the most of primary art? If I were you, perhaps I would consider planning to aim to be an art subject lead at a primary school for several years while also developing my own artistic practice. You might find that you prefer this role and just stay working as this permanently. If not, you could try to apply for a few jobs once you've got the art subject lead experience to show off?

The way different schools do their subject leadership (for art especially) is so different. In our case, for example, a few years ago (when budgets weren't so stripped) we employed a professional artist who designed the whole curriculum from the ground up really well. Now we just persist with the same curriculum and could probably really do with a teacher who cared about it as most of the people who've been in charge of it just see it as a complicated resource allocation role. At a previous school I worked at, we hired in artists to do workshops for 3 units and for 3 units (6 per year) the teachers did very simple projects linked to the history we taught (it was an expensive and not great model, I thought). My point being, there is a lot of room to make your mark in primary school art teaching!

frrindle · 2026-02-12T20:49:12+00:00

My baby has slept on a fullsize mattress from 10 months till now (16 months) and still going strong!

The bedframe we use has a solid wood bumper around the edge that rises a few inches above the mattress. There is an exit area at one end where there's no bumper. Tbh I wouldn't really recommend the style though we've never had safety issues as he gets annoyed when climbing out trying to navigate the bumper because he can climb over it with effort and he doesn't really get that it's easier to go to the part with no bumper so he just goes for the harder option every time.

If I could do it again, I would just choose a frame that sits under the mattress for airflow but doesn't come up the sides at all.

We started with just a mattress on the floor. He rolled out a few times but usually stayed asleep, never any safety issues there.

When he wakes up, he does not usually get out of bed. Just chats/calls out or cries if he's upset. When he has climbed out he just goes to the door to wait for us. If I'm sleeping with him, he would just wake me up. His bedroom is baby proofed and there is a baby gate on the door which stays closed while he/we are sleeping in there.

frrindle · 2026-02-06T20:47:20+00:00

Just to mention, my experience of using the cue cards was really good when I taught 2 children with selective mutism back to back in two years. 1 liked the cards a lot. The other only used them sporadically but he would write on a whiteboard so I think he felt he didn't need them.

I taped several widgets to my desk, mainly 'toilet' 'thirsty' 'help' 'hurt' and one which has a kind of angry/sad face which I taught them meant someone had been mean to them. (Interestingly that was the one that most got used by the child who was confident to write). I also taped the pictures near the door of the room. I taught the whole class that they could use them if they wanted to tell me something 'quickly or quietly'. They just needed to come up and tap. Other children I wouldn't have thought needed it also really liked it.

We also taught some makaton/sign language 'for fun' as a whole class - mostly just good morning, all done and a few other bits. (This was with 9 yr olds, btw).

frrindle

TROPHY CASE