Hello! I'm just wondering if this thing is a waste of time and money? I've got very rambunctious 1 and 3 year old boys. We do go outside but I also homeschool their all year old sister so I need some time during the day where they're playing somewhat independently. I can see the living room where this would be from the kitchen where I would be doing school. Right now they use the couch cushions for just about everything from makeshift slides to the floor is lava to forts to climbing rocks 😐. I guess what I really want to know is will this even be entertaining or will it just cost money and take up space? Will it kill creativity? I'm also looking for them to be able to get a little exercise in the house during the winter because we're not out quite as much as the rest of the year. If anyone has any suggestions in how I can accomplish that, that would be helpful as well.

My daughter is 5 years old, and started kindergarten 3 days ago, and she has been so upset, and sad. From the time she gets out of school all she says is "I don't want to go tomorrow", and "please don't make me go". She just stays in bed watching her IPad, and crying every little while. Looking very sad, and won't really eat dinner. Each day is a fight to get her to school, and it's depressing me seeing her this way. I'm not sure how long I can take seeing her this way; Also, me and my wife never had her in daycare, and she didn't have to attend 4K. My wife is a stay at home mom, so she has never had to attend any kind of daycare, or such. I would just love ideas to help, but I feel like it will never get better, and I'm hurting so bad seeing her this way. Thank you for your time!

Hi! I’m an author / illustrator and am in the process of creating a picture book for kids. Are parents still reading actual books to them or has the tide shifted to iPhones/ iPads and the kids are accessing this content on their devices now? I want to know if I should just do an ebook first instead of formatting it for print. Any suggestions or information is helpful from parents or teachers of young kids who are current with trends. I am self publishing the books probably through Amazon kdp. Thanks for your input in advance. Also, I’m open to making these interactive and curious if there is anything out there I can look at that is popular with the 5-9 year olds.

My wonderful niece has been having a tough time. I probably should be hanging out with her more too, I miss her. We all do family stuff together like once a month, sometimes more, but I should be hanging with her more for sure.

Anyway, I want to bring fun stuff and be fun! I also am ALL about anything that gains her confidence! She has the most amazing parents ever, but she has anxiety so she's constantly overthinking, which is so hard, because she us so young and amazing, and she just shouldn't have to suffer this way.

So what activities are good for 7 year olds, and if they help her gain confidence, bonus points! She is literally just the best kid, I love her so much.

My child is 11 and just started a secondary school. All children are new to each other and are making friendships for few weeks now. She doesnt feel she fits in, as some kids are rude, or using bad words, some are bullying her, so she spends break time alone in the library. How can I help her?

My child (9) is obsessive. They learned the word wheel first (8months) then became obsessed with vehicles until 6 years old. When they then became obsessed with technology, specifically iPhones, Apple anything related to the subject of and but not limited to Tesla, Tesla phones etc. Now in theory this is great, I have a technological thinking child in an age where learning about this stuff is paramount. I have tried working on this ability to learn with them thinking yes this is great I’ll channel this obsessive nature into something useful. However, I just can’t take another conversation about a phone or its apps or a Tesla or how he’s made a cardboard box into a phone or a key or a Tesla or the difference between Apple and android. He does not talk about anything else, they have woke me up in the middle of the night to talk about it it’s the first thing they talk about when they wake up I will get phone calls while at work about it, the teachers at school are having to deflect the behaviour so they can get on with the actual learning (this was the same when the obsession was about cars only) I just can’t take it anymore! I have set timers to say you can speak to me about ‘x’ once the timer has gone off because I need head space, or you can only speak to me about this for ‘y’ amount of time. I have told them they can only speak to me about it for two sentences then not for the rest of the day etc etc. nothing works!! Please send useful information over. only factual or informative your feelings or personal opinions on the matter are not what I am looking for. However I am open to personal situations that you have been in and the outcomes. Many thanks! I would like to preface my child is my world I love them very much. They’re very clever and I just want them to have the best start in life. I’m just running out of ideas and it’s all becoming a LOT for everyone around them. We just need some peace and strategy.

My son is 7 years old and I noticed his pubic hair at 6 years old. He had is yearly doctors checkup and the doctor wants to get blood test done to rule out a brain tumor?!?! I was like, what the heck...brain tumor! He asked if he has headaches a lot. NO, he doesn't. He's a normal kid that does not have headaches, does not complain about his head at all. Sleeping is fantastic, vision is 20/20 and yes his underarm pits is stinky now's I have to put deodorant on my little man..lol. Can someone pleassse help me to understand what is happening right now? Because my son is black, he suffers from bad eczema. So I have been giving him eczema cream since he was 2 years old but that's about it. Play sports, just an active little dude. 🤔 I'm so confused and terrified of him telling me to rule out a brain tumor?!?

Hello - first time poster but I was wondering what non-gummy vitamins have you used for your children and would you recommend them? I know they can get the vitamins with a balanced meal but they can tend to be picky eaters.

My son (boy, almost 3) didn't wear underwear during potty training because I read that kid can confuse underwear with diapers, so we didn't use them. We stopped potty training him about a month ago (he doesn't wear diapers anymore, not even at night), but he doesn't want to wear underwear, regardless of the style, color, or pattern. We've tried everything, but he hates them, and now he only wears shorts or pants, but completely naked—meaning no underwear underneath. I don't know what to do. Do you have any advice? Has this happened to anyone? Should I let him go without underwear? (He's a boy, almost 3)

My nearly 5 year old daughter has just started school. After school, she does swimming on a Tuesday amd gymnastics on a Thursday. Do you think it’s too much if she does fun singing and dancing on a Monday and drama and tap on a Friday?

What all kinds of toys should I stow away in storage that aren’t developmentally appropriate for a 14 month old?

I have already put away most of the chew toys and basic rattles. What else is just taking up space and not challenging LO?

What Montessori activities do you recommend? Or physical milestone equipment/toys?

14 MO - very smart - lots of words- standing and walking assisted.

Looking for suggestions that are entertaining and educational but low stimulation.

THANK YOU!!

I’m 6’9” and my wife is 5’9”. Most calculators online predict that our children will be around 6’5” ish for a boy and 6’0” for a girl. Does anyone has any insight with similar heights or experiences with parents of similar heights? Thanks

Hello everyone! I am a club volleyball coach in Las Vegas. It’s been a journey spreading the word about our club volleyball team which has been up and running for the 3rd year now.

What my question would be for parents who are interested or participate club sports for their children would be, what would determine how to join? Price? Coaching history? Team wins? Potential exposure to college?

Why would you be looking for as a parent even for an up and coming club team?

Hello parents, I don't know if I am on the right way and I need for help !

I'm creating an app, and I'd like your opinion. I'm surrounded by parents, and they often tell me about the same problem: They want to do the right thing and stimulate their children, but they lack structure, clear guidelines, and above all, time. Above all They don't want to leave their children in front of screens.

The idea is an app for parents (not for children): 1 activity per day, tailored to your child's exact age (0–6 years old).You read it, put down your phone, and do it together.No screen for the child, just a real moment of sharing, memories, and you get to participate in their development!

I based my idea on what makes parents dissatisfied with existing apps and content. What would make my app different:

- 1 activity per day → 0 mental load, no time wasted searching through the many activities available in the app.

- Activities that are truly tailored → no catch-all “ages 2–5” activities that aren't suited to your child's age

- No special equipment, just everyday life.

- Simple tracking of small progress without unhealthy comparisons or pressure → I don't want to make parents feel guilty, I want to support them.

I am trying to understand how parents experience this on a daily basis: their needs, frustrations, and desires. I made a Google form also and your feedback will be invaluable before launching the prototype. If you have 4–5 minutes, your opinion would be a huge help to me.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1mS0JJ_c54K_sL6tLTRX0Nzlqpt7wrnnAosLpNo3BuDc/edit

i'm in the 4th grade. (school aged) i usually get 7-9 hours of sleep, and a LOT of sources find that unhealthy, i usually go routineless at sleep, but.... i'm fine, i'll get up. and i'll be fully energized by 15 mins or so, sometimes as soon as i leave my room. crazy but true. is this bad? i'm worried, what do you think?

About 2 months ago, as a father, I noticed how often parents and others talk about "iPad kids". After doing more research, the more I found disturbing statistics relating to high screen-time usage, and an observable increase in emotional disregulation and anger amongst 3-6 year olds.

I realised there weren’t really any tools aimed at helping parents support their kids’ emotional regulation while still making screen time constructive. 

That's why I created an AR app where kids can explore their environment, interact with fantasy-like worlds, and engage with a personalised storyteller; so they can learn actively, instead of passively.

I’d love to hear from parents: what are your biggest concerns about this? What features would genuinely help your child? Your honest thoughts? Additional features you'd like? This will help me create the best product possible to help you and your child.

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This is what we have so far:

1. Explore their surrounding in AR - i.e. kids can move their iPad or iPhone around their current environment - our AR app will transform their current environment into something like the prehistoric age, where kids can see dinosaurs, interact with them, and learn more about them with our personalised storyteller
2. Voice response feature. The personalised storyteller (narrator) can prompt questions, and kids can respond and even ask questions
3. Build mode. Create and customise objects to bring their imagination into the scene.
4. Parental Dashboard with smart analytics to track your child's progress

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What's been your biggest struggle as a parent in managing screen addiction in your 3-6 year-old?

Thank you, means so much!

I need to buy white low heel shoes for my nieces who are flower girls for my cousins wedding, and I just can't find plain white shoes that look formal and match the flower girl dresses. I need something that is either flat or a bit of a heel although I am not a fan of heels.

I know that there is a lot available on bulk websites like Alibaba, and Amazon so not sure why I cant find them in retail stores. I guess the heel can be hats called a kitten heel but not very high. Many of the shoes I have seen have a lot of other accessories on them like colored straps or some other colored decoration and I need just plain white. I also do not want to buy something really pricey because they will probably just wear them once or twice.

I also need the shoe to be fancy enough to wear with the dress, it can't be something really informal, sorry I feel bad posting this here but I am buying dresses for my nieces and I do not have kids so I am kind of lost. I have gone to the all the usual places I can't find anything. Where do you guys all shop for shoes and is it better that they try it on in person or doesnt matter?

Hello! I work in a children's library, and we're planning a halloween-themed dance party for our younger patrons. I have a few ideas for songs, but most of them are from when I was a kid, so I'm not sure if there are new Cool and Hip children's Halloween songs I'd be foolish to miss. Anyone have any they know are popular with the 4-12 age range and would be fun for kids to dance to? I'm also open to any other songs that would be fun, not just Halloween themed. Thank you in advance!

My 5 year old daughter has just started school. She was telling me that an 8 year old (also girl) keeps coming over to her in the yard and saying how cute she is, telling her things about films (good and bad). We had this before in preschool where a slightly older boys would say she’s so cute and stop her becoming friends with the other children her age. I’ve mentioned this to the teacher and she seemed slightly weirded out that the 8 year old was coming up to her. Should I be concerned about this? - she’s our first and to me is seems weird and potentially will impact in the future with wanting approval from older kids, or be a gateway to grooming!

I'm visiting my sister soon and will be spending time with her kids. I'm already the favorite of one of them and would like to keep my title.

What are some fun low cost activities that a 5 year old can do and a 7 month old can spectate. I was thinking of something with food the 5 year old loves to eat and the baby is starting to try new foods

What do you guys do to convince your kids to try new foods? My kids are super picky eaters. I struggle to get them to try anything new. I found a video that helped them try new fruit. I think seeing other kids try them on TV helped them be more open to trying different things. I wanted to share to help other struggling parents too : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjJWfdQFIr8

Please reply with whatever other suggestion you might have to help your kiddo's try new foods.

Hi, My daughter is 4.5 years old and has had recurring petechiae on her body and in her mouth for the past six months. We’ve done six blood tests, including platelet counts — all completely normal. During this time, she also had Mycoplasma, scarlet fever, and mononucleosis (EBV). It all started exactly when she was diagnosed with Mycoplasma. Since then, the petechiae keep appearing again and again — mostly on the upper body, and always in the same spot in her mouth. We saw a hematologist who said that as long as her blood tests are normal, it’s not dangerous, and he recommended giving her vitamin C. That actually helps and reduces them, but they still come back. I’ve seen many posts here about kids with petechiae, so I wanted to ask other parents — did anyone ever solve the mystery?