I couldn’t come up with a good topic for the Covid, so I’m going with children. I have a 2 year old (and 2 months) and a 7 month old. The 7 month has been fine recently but the 2 year old is a monster. I have no tips, more just surviving. Just wondering who else with kids are existing here and how do you keep them entertained. 

5yo/f and 19 month old/m. They were both in Kindergarten or daycare prior to this because my wife and my work schedule. We decided today they'll be returning back full time May 4th. My wife is starting a new job last week of April and will be working more so we dont have much of a choice. As far as quarantine, my 19 month old doesn't really know the difference. My 5yo knows things are different and we've struggled to keep her stimulated during all this. The school has been sending home stuff for her to do and she has her own workbooks but it's not the same. I have no idea how this affects next school year because we were in the process of getting her ready for 1st grade. 

They do a good job of playing together and entertaining each other so that's good. My youngest looks up to her and does exactly what she does, and she's careful with him and looks out for him, so we're lucky in that regard. Although she told him earlier tonight she was going to kick his ass. So that was a timeout. 

A lot of caffeine during the days. We both work night shift so our nights off is basically do the best you can sleeping at night - which is tough to readjust to for us. 

Ummm...we have a 6 day old. First time parents.

I guess it’s crying, eating, sleeping, crying, repeat. Fun times. Oh, as I assume you parents already know.... sleep schedule is totally whacked up now.  

Never been happier that we don't have kids yet. Good luck to all of you!

My daughter just turn 6 months today. No horror stories or anything yet... Just had a little scare maybe like 2 months ago. She was sleeping on her boppy next to me while I was just watching tv on the couch and rolled over in her sleep right off face first onto the floor. Thankfully she wasn't hurt bad or anything but was definitely a lesson learned. Also Im loving getting to be with her everyday at home during quarantine. Just seeing her smile when she wakes up from a nap while work is difficult just makes everything feel not as important. 

Son turns 1 on May, 6. The quarantine has been great for my wife, as she is loving "family time". And, while I am too for the most part...Ive never looked forward to yard work so much in my life lol. Not getting adult time with friends and family on the weekends/random weeknights is killing me. As you all (for the most part know) I am furloughed until sports are back, so while my wife is WFH, she is still working in the basement 4-5 hours a day right now. So, Im on dad duty 9-12 and 1-4ish. I just miss adults...lol

Oh and I made a "gym" in my garage, but finding the time during the day to workout is impossible. Its either super early in the AM or late at night. Used to just go right when my wife got home from work, but now Im typically 2 drinks in hahahahaha.

Both our kids have been at daycare since 8 weeks old or so, so it is def screwing with the 2 year old. One of her teachers has been babysitting the last few weeks bc both of us still have work to do. Daycare also didn’t completely refund our money for 2 of the 4 weeks it has been closed, which is complete bullshit. Fingers crossed they open on Monday. Somehow the 2 year old still hasn’t said a swear word after all this, I’m really bad at not saying them. 

posted by Fab4Runner

Never been happier that we don't have kids yet. Good luck to all of you!

Reps and 1000000% agree. 

3 kids here (6, 5, 2). Family time has been great. My wife is a teacher, so she has her NTI still. Oldest is in kindergarten, so she has her school stuff too. The other two do a decent job of occupying time, but there's still 3 kids cooped up in a house.

The best is when they go in our back yard and play. As long as they stay out there and quit coming in/out, they do a great job. This week our middle finally had a breakdown. She sobbed. Misses her teachers (pre-school). Misses her friends at school.

We've tried to just go for a drive to get them out of the house. But, that's not enough. When the weather gets better, we found out some local parks that are still open. It's just grass and/or parking lots. We will take them there so they can run around and do whatever. They'll be empty, they were empty before the pandemic. Kids will need that.

Have 3 boys, 18, 16, and 13. The 18 year old graduated HS last year and is working as an electrician. Good head on his shoulders, very few problems growing up.

The 16 year old, good Lord where do I begin. Wrap the problems of a teenage girl in with the testosterone of a teenage boy, and its fireworks.

The 13 year old is on the autism spectrum so it's always interesting.

posted by OSH

3 kids here (6, 5, 2). Family time has been great. My wife is a teacher, so she has her NTI still. Oldest is in kindergarten, so she has her school stuff too. The other two do a decent job of occupying time, but there's still 3 kids cooped up in a house.

The best is when they go in our back yard and play. As long as they stay out there and quit coming in/out, they do a great job. This week our middle finally had a breakdown. She sobbed. Misses her teachers (pre-school). Misses her friends at school.

We've tried to just go for a drive to get them out of the house. But, that's not enough. When the weather gets better, we found out some local parks that are still open. It's just grass and/or parking lots. We will take them there so they can run around and do whatever. They'll be empty, they were empty before the pandemic. Kids will need that.

Getting outside has been a lifesaver and I'm hoping the playgrounds at parks will be one of the first things to open, but I doubt it. These 40 degree days of rain and wind can fuck off. 

posted by friendfromlowry

Getting outside has been a lifesaver and I'm hoping the playgrounds at parks will be one of the first things to open, but I doubt it. These 40 degree days of rain and wind can fuck off. 

No truer words can be said. A good friend got moved from a SRO to a park officer during this pandemic. I asked him what's available. Thankfully, the county has kept these "green spaces" open, while the state parks and such are closed (as are the play areas). We'll definitely need to use that space once the weather is MUCH better.

Weather is a big deal for handling this quarantine, especially for children. I feel for all of you with youngsters living in the northern climates. My grandkids are 7, 5, and 3, and live at Fort Bragg, NC, and they are fortunate to be able to play in their fenced in backyard almost every day.

posted by BRF

Weather is a big deal for handling this quarantine, especially for children. I feel for all of you with youngsters living in the northern climates. My grandkids are 7, 5, and 3, and live at Fort Bragg, NC, and they are fortunate to be able to play in their fenced in backyard almost every day.

Please make sure you neg ptown for agreeing with me. 😂

These last few weeks I've thought about what it would have been like to have our sons  home all day during the shutdown instead of at school.  Younger would be better.  My wife was a stay-at-home mom back then, so not too much different, except they couldn't go outside to visit their friends.  But they were so doggone cute when they were little.  I miss that.

My little one will be two and a half on May 22.  She's mostly been cool.

She snacks all day (mostly fruit and string cheese, though she may have a Dum-Dum or two here and there).  Probably three movies a day.  She doesn't sit and watch, though, so it doesn't worry me too much.  She acts them out in our family room.

We go on 1-2 walks per day with her when the weather's nice.

It's all my wife, though.  She's a child whisperer and has been ever since I've known her.

posted by Fab4Runner

Please make sure you neg ptown for agreeing with me. 😂

LoL

done

posted by O-Trap

She snacks all day (mostly fruit and string cheese, though she may have a Dum-Dum or two here and there).  Probably three movies a day.  She doesn't sit and watch, though, so it doesn't worry me too much.  

Kid will ask for fruit snacks, cookies, and bananas all day long. And I've seen the first 20 minutes of frozen about 60 times now. Would like to find out how it ends. 

posted by iclfan2

Kid will ask for fruit snacks, cookies, and bananas all day long. And I've seen the first 20 minutes of frozen about 60 times now. Would like to find out how it ends. 

Haha!

Right now, she's obsessed with bananas and clementines, so she can pretty much have one whenever.  I can't see "too much raw fruit" being a thing for a toddler.

Fortunately, ours tends to allow us to rotate between the Shrek movies, the Despicable Me movies (including Minions), a few old Disney ones, Secret Life of Pets, and a few others.  Every now and then, she'll obsess over one, which gets annoying, but otherwise, I kind of like a lot of those movies, too.

Side note: The racial stereotypes in Lady & the Tramp are really cringy.  More than I remembered they'd be.  Yikes.

As for Frozen, I think they finally go build a snowman or something.  ;)

Daycare is opening on Monday. Might be the happiest I’ve been in 2020. 

I have 14.5 and 10 year old daughters.  Not too bad.

I spent 3 days with my 4 yo and 14 mo nephews.  No thanks.