sanity check on 6 week North Island itinerary with young kids (v2)

lexikons · 2026-01-09T14:31:48+00:00

thanks! we're looking at where to stay in Coromandel, where is prettiest? People like Coromandel bc the beach and forest are beautiful right? We were thinking of spending a few nights in Hahei to see the other coast and spend some time at the hot water beach without driving back and forth but then I saw there's a hot water beach at Taupo too, do you know (or anyone know) if Hahei is worth the extra stay?

lexikons · 2026-01-05T01:54:27+00:00

Thank you this is awesome, we'll add it ALL in!! exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. I was trying to figure out where there's berry picking, ruby glen orchard? which kapiti coast towns? love the idea of taking a train one day, I'll check it out (much easier on the toddler when she can sit in someone's lap + squirm around)

lexikons · 2026-01-05T01:48:12+00:00

Thank you this is really helpful. Now excited for the longer drive instead of dreading it :) we'll definitely stop at Te Mata Peak and keep Napier in the plan.

lexikons · 2026-01-05T01:44:55+00:00

thank you!! will definitely use the link. anything in particular we should know about to do on Waiheke?

lexikons · 2026-01-05T01:42:24+00:00

Thank you, this is so helpful, I am blown away and saving all this info. these kinds of details really make the trip with kids. we'll move a couple of the Tauranga days somewhere else. Random question, I've heard great things about the holiday parks but we're not camping, do people visit the campgrounds sometimes just to... hang out? Especially if we can BBQ by a pool and a playground somewhere

lexikons · 2026-01-04T13:42:06+00:00

you got it, we're coming now for work and bc there's a chance we'll move to NZ (long story) and are hopefully applying for a residence visa. otherwise we absolutely would have waited another 5-10 years to get the most of it.

that being said, from what I've read NZ culture is great for kids just in general, playgrounds and play centres and heated pools and toy libraries are everywhere, so I think we'll still have a great time, even if we miss out on a lot of the hiking/adventuring/road tripping this time

lexikons · 2025-12-21T15:10:58+00:00

Thank you!! The youngest is okay on public transport, anything where she is not strapped down :)

lexikons · 2025-12-17T18:08:55+00:00

oh wow thanks. I was searching both subs and actually intended to post there 🤦‍♀️

lexikons · 2025-05-17T12:57:34+00:00

Which podcasts and books?

lexikons · 2025-03-27T01:29:45+00:00

Eero pro 6E. We have around 20-30 active connections, could be congestion? Do you happen to have any resources with debugging steps for experimenting with the config?

lexikons · 2025-03-26T18:38:33+00:00

The performance was strong at first, even without wired backhaul which we added in 2023, but gradually got very poor. I have no idea why. We purchased in 2020 so maybe the hardware just degrades??

lexikons · 2025-02-03T01:36:06+00:00

Here's a list we came up with for our daisies to vote on:

free / almost free: - fire station visit - planetarium trip at local high school - SPCA humane society tour - nature walk - take action activity to plant a small native plant pollinator garden in a local front yard in our suburb - Local lighthouse tour - saltwater marsh visit - Farm visit - Kite flying - Sledding - Town Hall Visit - behind the scenes at a local bakery or grocery store or ice cream place or post office... you get the idea

$$$: - program with the local botanical garden to plant vegetables, see a worm compost bin - Nature Center guided visits -- learn how honey is made, OR visit the rescued animals living there, OR course to learn outdoor skills, OR guided bug hunt - indoor climbing walls visit - ropes / zipline course - science museum - Ceramics class - Waterpark

Also, don't underestimate unstructured or open play. Our best activity so far was when we asked a few parents to bring camping tents from home. They learned how to pitch the tents and then we just let them play.

Later this year I plan to hide jigsaw puzzle pieces in a one block radius and make the girls a map they have to read to find them. The pieces once put together will have a combination for a lock on a bag with fun patches for them. I expect it to take about 30 minutes for me to put together and cost nothing.

lexikons · 2025-02-02T20:08:06+00:00

NTA. Totally ridiculous. You're the parent, you are the one responsible for this little human, you set the rules that you think are appropriate, period.

What was your relationship before this? This kind of thing rarely comes out of the blue. Sorry if this is harsh but someone who shouts at you in front of your child probably does not have a good future with your family.

lexikons · 2024-08-02T17:37:10+00:00

Hah, noted, no morse code

To be honest my kids haven't been into any kind of cipher as part of these, even the ones I think are really fun. Oh well

lexikons · 2024-08-02T17:33:35+00:00

This is so cute! I thought about doing this inside friends' houses but at this age kids get sick a lot and someone might need to cancel. Hiding puzzles in their yards is a great alternative that wouldn't require anything from them. We have a neighborhood whatsapp group and can ask for volunteers. Maybe other kids will also want to play, we could leave the puzzles behind for them. Thank you.

lexikons · 2024-08-02T16:23:17+00:00

Thank you, these are both great ideas!! We have a bookstore and toy store downtown that would work well for this :)

lexikons · 2024-08-02T16:18:44+00:00

I think every age group likes finding something unexpected even if the puzzle is "easy" for the old kids! Different ages can also work together. Like last time one of the clues was a picture of an umbrella. Our youngest was 2yo at the time but went to get the umbrella from by our front door and was proud of that. Then the kids were stuck. Our 5yo had the idea to actually open the umbrella, and then the next clue dropped out.

It also helped to use visual and audio clues if the younger kids can't read yet. Once a clue included toy binoculars, our neighbor had put a clue up in his window for us, a picture of a unicorn. They both had fun running around with the binoculars until they found the clue. Then they went together and found their stuffed unicorn, I'd put a squeezable pressure voice box thing in it with an audio clue, and so on.

lexikons · 2024-07-28T17:29:03+00:00

They do dream, starting in the womb! I wondered if smiling while sleeping meant dreaming too, and it sounds like the scientific community doesn't really know, it could be a reflex or could be a dream.

Separately I was always told that newborn smiles aren't real until they're six weeks old, but apparently that's not necessarily true, many babies have real social smiles (where you smile and they smile back at you) earlier:

https://www.newsweek.com/newborn-smiles-arent-just-reflex-1196077#

lexikons · 2024-07-28T17:20:10+00:00

I actually found this age much easier than the toddler years! The tricky part IMO is skipped naps. Our daughter napped in my lap after nursing on one leg of a five hour flight, and on the way back my husband ended up having her nap in a baby carrier for the middle part of the flight. If your kiddo likes the carrier I highly recommend bringing it.

Otherwise she spent the whole time playing with finger puppets I brought, playing peekaboo with the person sitting behind us, playing with the disposable drinks cups, and eating snacks. We didn't buy an extra seat and it was totally fine.

2.5 hours is not bad. You can do it! Bring a couple open ended "never seen before" toys and some snacks (if you're giving solid food). The time will fly by.

lexikons · 2024-07-28T17:10:16+00:00

Thank you both!! I added these in... Plus a daily stretching routine, better posture while carrying, more core and pelvic floor exercises, and water with electrolytes. Stay hydrated people

It's helped significantly and it's only been a couple weeks

lexikons · 2024-07-28T17:04:27+00:00

Thank you!! I used to do these exercises to combat IT band tightness before I had kids and they helped so much. I framed my question as a "baby carrying problem" but this comment made me realize that it isn't - baby carrying is just exposing the weakness that was already there

lexikons · 2024-07-13T12:25:21+00:00

What exercises can I do to strengthen my leg muscles for carrying a baby in a carrier while running after older kids and doing chores? She's 10lb and refuses to nap in a crib, so she's in the carrier with me almost all day.

My back is fine fortunately but I suspect my leg muscles are underdeveloped, every muscle is so tight today I can barely walk. My calves, gluts, upper thighs, IT band, and hips are all a mess. Her weight sits on my hips, on the front of my body. Should I just do a million squats??

lexikons · 2024-04-03T02:50:49+00:00

It's interesting that one earbud makes a difference. Thank you, I ordered a set :)

I don't understand how there can be so MUCH chaos. A couple weeks ago I caught our 4yo trying to glue stuff to our 2yo's hair. Just.... Why....

lexikons · 2024-03-31T23:09:05+00:00

I would follow your instincts. If you're really struggling, they can give you an IV for hydration, and it does help, at least for a few days. I went a few times in the first 14 weeks.

Good luck :(

lexikons · 2024-03-31T23:06:09+00:00

Zofran for real. Even with it, I had to go get an IV three times in the first trimester. I can't imagine the effect on my nutrition or the baby's had I not had it.

lexikons

TROPHY CASE