What are some good games to play on a long train ride with a small child (age 4)? The ipad makes him motion-sick. He gets frustrated with drawing or dot-to-dot because of the bumpy movement of the train. We have audiobooks but they won't cover the whole ride.
posted by xo
on Jun 2, 2013 -
15 answers
A friend of mine refuses to address his anxiety issues. I don't want to lose him as a friend, but also don't know how much more I can take. Please help.
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posted by stedman15
on May 28, 2013 -
15 answers
My 1.5 year old niece starts crying whenever she sees me and it breaks my heart. This has been happening since she was 7 months old and I can't understand what I've done to cause it. It's upsetting me enough to make me ask about it here.
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posted by anonymous
on May 25, 2013 -
39 answers
What are some good resources to help explain the Big Bang, evolution and, the meaning of life to my delightful 5 year-old nephew? Fairly equal emphasis for each, but I am stumped most by "but why are all the things and people here, mayurasana?" than the rest.
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posted by mayurasana
on Apr 5, 2013 -
10 answers
Tell me about your daily schedules, parenting logistics, etc., with a newborn
plus a toddler or older child.
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posted by Bardolph
on Mar 7, 2013 -
15 answers
Kid BlahLaLa's pediatrician wants him to take a calcium supplement, because he's never been into milk and doesn't eat very many milk products. But Kid BlahLaLa, who is almost 10, refuses all children's calcium supplements as too gross-tasting. (He's not ready to swallow pills.) He will accept a particular adult supplement, but when I combine that with his usual daily multi-vitamin I'm worried that I'm overdosing him on Vitamin D. There's so much woo on teh internets that I can't seem to get a straight answer about how much is too much.
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posted by BlahLaLa
on Feb 21, 2013 -
32 answers
If you have experienced child sexual abuse and came to some sort of healing what do you wish you had known from the beginning? What words of advice do you have for someone just beginning to go down that path?
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 19, 2013 -
17 answers
Please help me keep our 4.5 year old insomniac daughter from crawling into her parents bed in the middle of the night before I lose what's left of my mind from sleep fatigue.
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posted by zarq
on Oct 22, 2012 -
52 answers
Are there grants or financial aid for my 8 year old daughter who has Tourettes Syndrome and ADD? I need money to put her in a tutoring center and to put her in physical activity programs.
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posted by lynnie-the-pooh
on Sep 15, 2012 -
4 answers
Looking for lists of memes, themes and repeated elements in children's stories that I can use in entirely new stories I'm making up for actual children.
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posted by booksherpa
on Sep 13, 2012 -
8 answers
What Lego-related gift should I get in the USA for a bright 5 year old Australian with Asperger spectrum issues? He likes Lego and has a particular interest in Legoland in San Diego. I want something that costs no more than $20 and I'd rather leave presents of actual Lego to his parents.
posted by Joe in Australia
on Jul 8, 2012 -
9 answers
My eleven year old daughter is showing interest in designing video games. What tools are out there for her to get her feet wet in placing elements on screen and creating interactions? Paid is fine as long as it's not exorbitant.
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posted by erebora
on Jun 2, 2012 -
17 answers
My 3 year old seems to have seasonal allergies now. (As of about 5 days ago, NYC-area.) I don't have them and his father's were adult-onset, so I don't really know how to minimize them at such a young age. Should we be keeping windows closed at all times? Get an indoor air filter? Avoid going outside at all on high pollen days? I'm not sure how much it should change our/his life going forward.
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posted by misoramen
on Apr 11, 2012 -
9 answers
Atheist families: how have you talked about death with your small children?
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posted by xo
on Apr 3, 2012 -
29 answers
My kid wants to play Minecraft. I am not a gamer. Please help me answer questions regarding system requirements, appropriateness and how to get him started when I really don't want to get involved at all!
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posted by BlahLaLa
on Mar 15, 2012 -
30 answers
Is it illegal to post photos of children on the Internet without both their parent's permission?
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posted by doomtop
on Feb 27, 2012 -
30 answers
I'm stumped for active games I can play with my 3 year-old that require no props, or only simple props, like a single ball. Parameters inside.
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posted by xo
on Feb 7, 2012 -
12 answers
Looking for computer/internet recommendations for my 10 year old friend. What are the coolest, most interesting, and least consumerist activities, websites, and other digital/virtual things that I can introduce this kid to? What did you like to do with computers / the internet when you were that age?
Bonus internet safety questions inside! [more inside]
posted by bubukaba
on Jan 3, 2012 -
14 answers
What can I say to a 5 year old, when his parent is mentally unwell?
How can I explain, what can I do with him, and what structures can we put in place, to make his mother's (temporary, but severe) illness easier on him?
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posted by Elysum
on Nov 20, 2011 -
19 answers
Is there any way to change the circadian rhythms of a toddler so that s/he sleeps later in the morning?
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posted by xo
on Oct 4, 2011 -
19 answers
My youngest son is going as a Ghostbuster for Halloween and I'd really like to get him some combat boots to complete the costume. Not surprisingly its hard to find boots for a 4 year old. Any suggestions? (thanks)
posted by senseofsurreal
on Sep 16, 2011 -
17 answers
We are moving to the out of the country soon, and I'd like advice on how to tell my kids. What I've found online at other sites has been....less than helpful, so any personal advice or good links appreciated. Possibly relevant details inside.
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posted by digitalprimate
on Jul 25, 2011 -
18 answers
Pacific Northwest parents of small children: how do you survive the long rainy winters with your sanity intact?
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posted by gottabefunky
on Mar 18, 2011 -
13 answers
Parent-filter: In our household we expect our toddler to eat the same food as we eat, or at least eat a certain number of bites before leaving the table. This is rewarded with dessert. For new or exotic things, we also expect them to 'try' the food before opting out. A close friend considers the above expectations to be 'forcing' a child to eat, and that it 'makes her sick to her stomach.' She instead suggests that the proper approach is to always have on hand foods that the child is known to like, and to provide these upon prompting.
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posted by leotrotsky
on Jan 19, 2011 -
130 answers
Why do babies/young children need help falling asleep? Why do most of them need to be taught or trained to sleep through the night?
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posted by xo
on Nov 28, 2010 -
17 answers
What resources have been helpful in teaching you parenting strategies for managing your child's behavior? Other parents, clinicians, internet, random inspiration?
What have you tried in the past that didn't work, and why? What's working now?
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posted by KITTYFLOWER
on Oct 15, 2010 -
9 answers
Got a transcontinental flight in a couple of hours with two adults, two kids and two iPhone 4s. What games or apps will delight, entertain, educate and otherwise keep a 5 and a 7 boy year old occupied?
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posted by digitalprimate
on Aug 14, 2010 -
16 answers
My partner and I are ontemplating separation and I am thinking of moving several towns over. I have read stories of parents separating and the benefits of the two homes being close as in a few blocks. But what should I know about making it work for myself and my kid when the homes are further apart?
I would like to hear positive advice from parents and kids who have negotiated two homes with a little distance between them . Were their plusses to this distance to balance out the minuses? How did you make it work?
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 7, 2010 -
14 answers
Parents, what bedtimes do you set for your kids, at what ages? Do you have strong routines, how strict are you, what are your special occasion exceptions?
posted by wilful
on Jul 28, 2010 -
39 answers
Thought I found the perfect preschool for my son. Then I learned the preschool has accepted a couple of not-fully-vaccinated kids. We will have a newborn in the house this fall. Is that a dealbreaker?
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posted by anonymous
on May 17, 2010 -
42 answers
Montessori vs. traditional kindergarten for an extremely social, spirited, yet sensitive child?
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posted by Ostara
on May 4, 2010 -
17 answers
Seeking advice and insights on how to deal with/react to my 8-year-old son's recent obsessive-compulsive-like behavior.
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posted by playmobil
on Apr 29, 2010 -
13 answers
BostonFilter: Where is the coolest place to take a 5-year-old in Boston, Massachusetts?
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posted by raddevon
on Mar 12, 2010 -
23 answers
