What kind of activities can a 5-year-old do alone to entertain herself? My daughter goes to my mom's 2 days a week, from 9 am to 3 pm. She’s getting really, really bored. [more inside]
posted by yawper on Nov 17, 2009 - 33 answers

Help us quiet our suddenly screechy-at-bedtime 19mo daughter! Difficulty: shares room with brother. [more inside]
posted by larsks on Oct 29, 2009 - 6 answers

Trying to decide just how close to move to our kid's (very enthusiastic) grandparents. If you've experienced the childrearing-with-nearby-grands situation (as kid, grand OR parent), how did it work out? Any advice on encouraging involvement while still maintaining boundaries? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph on Jun 4, 2009 - 21 answers

We have a 3 1/2-year-old son. Our current babysitter, the daughter of one of my wife's coworkers, is leaving for university shortly, and we're trying to find a replacement for her. The same coworker has a son who's about 16 years old. [more inside]
posted by scrump on Aug 14, 2008 - 77 answers

Those with two or more kids: if you had to do it all over again, would you do so, or not? Not counting outside factors like the state of the world and so forth. [more inside]
posted by zek on Jan 17, 2007 - 46 answers

Polling all grandparents - would you be willing to move/spend part of the year in a different city in order to spend lots of time with, and provide daycare for, your grandkids? [more inside]
posted by n'muakolo on Oct 14, 2006 - 11 answers

How do we find a nanny? [more inside]
posted by escabeche on Jun 22, 2006 - 9 answers

Does anyone have any advice for calming squabbling infants? [more inside]
posted by davehat on Feb 17, 2005 - 15 answers

How much do you pay your nanny? I'm in the process of hiring a regular babysitter for my kids. I've found someone I like, a college student with tons of experience who's really great with my little ones. She'll just be here two mornings a week-- one morning with just my infant and the other morning with my toddler as well. How much should I offer her? What about tips? What else do I need to know? This is in Chicago, but I'm also curious if the going rate varies in different parts of the country/world.
posted by bonheur on Jan 12, 2005 - 8 answers