Parental Thread

[blkgsr]

Originally Posted by Gumby

Pollock is still the guy... With that said, don't rush into it. Your kid isn't even born yet! I'd wait until they are a bit older, make sure they are healthy, etc. before considering a vasectomy.

did your wifes go on birth control again? i'm not playing the pull out game and definitely not wearing condoms. not having two kids

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by Liquid_o2

Speaking of traveling. We are taking our kids on their first road trip to Kelowna next week. 6 months old. We have no idea how they will react to sleeping outside of their cribs and in a different environment. We have two pack-and-plays for them to sleep in that we will be hauling with us.

Any tips to make the transition go smoothly?

We did Silverstar at 3 months
We did Victoria at 6 months

We brought our pack and play, brought rattlers and musical things, brought pouches.
The drive up to Silverstar took quite a few stops. We lived around Metrotown, so we stopped at Hope, Merritt, Kelowna, Lake Country, then we arrived at Silverstar.
The boat ride over to the island was relatively uneventful as he fell asleep on the way to the boat and stayed asleep most of the ride.

Slept fine in the pack and play, we brought our Wyze cam with us so we could go to the bar in the hotel in Victoria. We also had an old Vista which worked well in Victoria.

[Eff-1]

A lot of pack and plays aren't certified for sleeping by Health Canada and are deemed to be unsafe. A lot of parents aren't aware of that and I am sure the risk is small, but it is something to keep in mind. That being said, if your kids can old enough to roll over on their own, then the risk goes down even more.

We ended up buying a Bugaboo Stardust and use it that our travel crib because it was the only one we found to be approved by Health Canada for overnight sleeping. It's great for sleeping (but too small for playtime).

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by blkgsr

did your wifes go on birth control again? i'm not playing the pull out game and definitely not wearing condoms. not having two kids

No, just went with condoms... but to be honest, for the first 6-9 months neither of us really had any energy/desire to get busy!

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by Mikoyan

At that age, it's not too bad as they're in the eat/sleep/poop phase still. They're not mobile at all. We flew with a 4 mth old to Florida for my wife's conference. I took the kid on my own to Legoland and the Kennedy Space Center. We did Disneyworld after.



Cruise ships aren't really equipped for severe medical issues with under 1s. We did Vancouver to Hawaii and had to leave the 8 month old with grandparents as we were going to be more than 500mi from land. It was in the fine print, likely to do with medical evacuation. I guess they aren't set up for With you going down the coast it won't be an issue. Kiddie meds, for pediatric emergencies. Formula and diapers. Kiddie gravol for nausea just in case.

The cruise lines don't allow kids under 1 year old if the ship is away from shore for more than 48hrs. It's 6 months old for a ship under 48. For that reason Hawaii is out of question, not that we want to experiment how we will fare with 2 kids stuck on a boat. Rather big boat mind you but still stuck on a boat.

Originally Posted by Eff-1

We talked about doing a cruise with our 1 year old but decided against it because his bedtime is around 7 or 8pm, meaning we'd be stuck in our cabin while he sleeps and would be missing out all the evening activities and shows.

So I guess my best advice is bring something to keep yourselves occupied in the evenings after the kids are in bed. The cabins are tiny (unless you booked a large suite) so just plan for that as well. There is a TV in the cabins but the signal sometimes when you're out at sea is choppy and the channels are limited, so plan on having your own downloaded entertainment.

Bring EVERYTHING. Don't assume you'll be able to buy missing items on board like diapers. They might have it, but maybe not the kind you like, or the size you need, etc.

When it comes to eating, cruise lines are pretty good if you tell them your needs in advance (i.e. high chair, booster seat, allergies, kids menu etc)

If you use a car rental agency, you can add a car seat to your rental. Save yourself from bringing your own.

If you use Turo, remember that ICBC won't cover you. You have to buy the Turo insurance and check with your credit card for any coverage.

If you are bringing the car seats, pack them well! Get a travel bag. The cargo handlers won't treat it kindly.

If the 9 month old still qualifies and isn't too big and can't sit up on his/her own, you can request the bulkhead seat and bassinet from the airline. If not, you'll have him/her on your lap the entire flight. If you choose to book an additional seat for the enfant to give yourself more space, Air Canada requires you bring the car seat into the cabin and strap him/her into it. Check with your airline.

We'll just go as the crow flies. Both kids will need to sleep, I guess question is how far we can go from the room.

I'm a little wary about renting a car seat, if we arrive and they tell us sorry we ran out we would be stumped. We are thinking of bringing car seat on to the plane. Still trying to figure that part out.

Originally Posted by inv4zn

Generally you should book, and then immediately call the airline. This is one of those things that isn't worth winging it.

All those stories you see about parents being separated from children, is 99% due to poor planning with a sprinkling of entitlement. Call and confirm, then call a few days later to confirm again.

Originally Posted by Eff-1

I personally wouldn't risk it and pay for the confirmed seats. That's just me.

The CTA policy is children under 5 must be seated next to their parent.

But if the flight is full and the airline isn't able to shuffle other people around, you'll be hooped.

I'd just pay for the peace of mind and then you can choose a row near the front for example, or a window, or whatever you want.

We are planning to pay the extra to get our seats booked in advance. Not worth the risk.

Thanks for the tips everyone!

[Eff-1]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

We are thinking of bringing car seat on to the plane. Still trying to figure that part out.

I personally haven't done it myself, but my understanding is if your infant is sitting on your lap, then you can either gate check the car seat, or you will have to check it as luggage. It doesn't however count against your checked baggage allowance (it's free to check it).

If you are purchasing a separate seat for your infant so you have more space, then your infant must be strapped into the car seat on the plane during takeoff, landing and whenever the seatbelt sign is on.

Those are the rules for Air Canada at least. Other airlines may have a different policy.

[EvoFire]

^ Air Canada is our only option from San Diego, and it's not even a narrowbody, they are flying regional jets so there's no bulk head bassinet. We plan to hold her on our lap. 3 hour flight may be challenging.

[Eff-1]

If she's on your lap and you have your car seat, then you'll have to check it.

One other option to get more space is you could buy an extra seat for her and then during taxi, takeoff and landing secure her with a CARES strap. They are $100 around. Way easier than a car seat and will give you a lot more space. Just make sure the one you buy matches the description on AC's website. I have heard mixed reviews whether kids like them or not, but it's definitely a space saver.

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by Gumby

Pollock is still the guy... With that said, don't rush into it. Your kid isn't even born yet! I'd wait until they are a bit older, make sure they are healthy, etc. before considering a vasectomy.

I would go to the Pollock clinic again, even if I had to pay for it. They make the procedure go smoothly.

With that said, yes, I would also agree that it's not a decision to take lightly. Becoming a parent changes you... and you may want to have more than one.

Having two kids is actually great once they get older.

[moody]

anyone have any kids that are in elementary gr1/gr2? what are you guys doing for summer camps? seems like everything is booked up in community centers ($150/week camp 9am-3pm). i see some private camps going at $250-$400/week. im on a budget so i 'm just wondering what did you guys enrolled your kids in this summer. thanks

[Traum]

Originally Posted by moody

anyone have any kids that are in elementary gr1/gr2? what are you guys doing for summer camps? seems like everything is booked up in community centers ($150/week camp 9am-3pm). i see some private camps going at $250-$400/week. im on a budget so i 'm just wondering what did you guys enrolled your kids in this summer. thanks

My wife and my kids' BFF just went through that hell (last week? or maybe 2 weeks ago?). With the publicly funded summer camps, if you hadn't previously planned out which ones (by weeks) you wanted to do before registration opens, and then get yourself registered within the first 5 min of registration opening, you're going on to waitlists.

The good thing is -- because the admin fee for cancelling is only $5, a lot of times people will cancel, and the early people in the waitlist will get in. Also, different centers open their registrations at different times, so some people might also cancel an earlier one if they get into some other place.

Between 2 different centers, my wife managed to get our kid into 4 weeks' worth of summer camp. Our kid's BFF is registered for 6 weeks out of 8 (again between 2 different centers), but they are still hooped for those remaining 2 weeks since they don't really have any good ways to look after their kids as both parents work.

[moody]

You're lucky you got into their system to register. It took me half n hour after registration opened to get in and nothing was available. Now I'm scrambling to see what else is available out there that won't break the bank. Any help much appreciated ��

[Traum]

Douglas College has some that are reasonably priced, and registration opens on the 13th (ie. next Thurs):

https://www.douglascollege.ca/progra...s/summer-camps

But I'm not sure if the age groups works for you or not.

[EvoFire]

We aren't there yet, but this just sounds like a massive headache. It's not something my parents had to contend with because my grandma took care of us.

[moody]

Like Traum said. Anything publicly funded lessons in community centers (swimming, dance, art, after-school programs, summer camps) are highly competitive when it comes to registering. You have to pre look at what are going to apply for. Log into their registration website 30-45 min before registration.
Have 3-4 windows open. Randomly click around their site so you don't get booted out and when it's time to register. Do it as fast as you can! If you decide to log in 15min before registration, you're not going to get in because the website can only handle so much traffic. By the time you get in, everything is full. I hear from other parents the grandparents lines up at 6am at the community center. Registration starts at 10am. They couldn't get anything. But if you're rich and money isn't an issue. Good job.

You're also lucky if you have grandparents that can help in any way . Be thankful! For those that don't. . Good luck.

[Tapioca]

For our kids, we have used a combination of vacation time, daycamps run through a private provider at their elementary school, Pedal Heads, and community centre camps to get them through the summer months.

With the high demand for publicly funded programs, sometimes you have to suck it up and put your kids in private programs.

[supafamous]

Anyone send their kids to French immersion? How has it worked out for them? How do you deal with helping them with homework if you don't also speak French? If you considered but chose not to do it why?

Our FI school is the same distance as our English school and we like the idea of adding a second/third language for our daughter but not sure how it'd affect her otherwise. We'd send her to Mandarin immersion but it's way too far for us - out by SFU.

[Hakkaboy]

Originally Posted by supafamous

Anyone send their kids to French immersion? How has it worked out for them? How do you deal with helping them with homework if you don't also speak French? If you considered but chose not to do it why?

Our FI school is the same distance as our English school and we like the idea of adding a second/third language for our daughter but not sure how it'd affect her otherwise. We'd send her to Mandarin immersion but it's way too far for us - out by SFU.

Google Translate> Camera.

I read the books in french, then use the app to tell my kindergarten kid what it means in English.

I've also used the app for mandarin homework too lol

The key is also make sure that they keep up with reading in English, otherwise they may fall behind. This is the one risk in French immersion

[EvoFire]

We were thinking about it, and we are on the fence.

We have a friend who did send her son to FI. Her son has missed so much school due to getting sick that she ends up teaching him herself. She's lucky in the sense that she's got her beginner French down pat and she can power through it together with him and catch up on any missed material. We don't have the same level of French knowledge and hence we are quite on the fence about it.

Note, due to covid, his class is always 25% absent because the kids just don't have immunity to the common variety sicknesses and everyone is sick all the time and not just her kid.

[blkgsr]

i did french immersion, worst thing you can do for your kid.

by make them learn math and sciences in french only to never use that language, ever.

put them in regular school and make them learn another language separately. spanish etc

[Traum]

Originally Posted by blkgsr

by make them learn math and sciences in french only to never use that language, ever.

Math and numbers in French has always been one of my biggest pet peeves. Why would anyone ever think 96 should be spelled out in words as "four times twenty plus sixteen"? It never fails to amaze me how there were all these famous French mathematicians like Pascal, Fermat, and Descartes math contests...

In that regard, I think Chinese is a vastly superior language for math, and that is what I have been trying to teach my kid to use for math. But nope... he still thinks in fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, instead of ten-five, ten-six, ten-seven...

[inv4zn]

I did FI grades 6 to 8, then back to English.
I'd say it was a net positive, I retained enough of it to hold a basic conversation.

For younger ages, probably not, at least not in BC.

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by blkgsr

i did french immersion, worst thing you can do for your kid.

by make them learn math and sciences in french only to never use that language, ever.

put them in regular school and make them learn another language separately. spanish etc

Maybe French Immersion didn't work for you? I know several people who did FI - most said it was great, whereas one dropped out of FI in high school and breezed through regular French classes.

Both of my kids have been in FI since Kindergarten. One is in grade 3 and the other is in grade 9. They do fine in math and sciences, even though they subjects are taught in French. My mom was scared my kids would suck at English, but their English is fine. Growing up, they read a lot of books in English (but reading a French book might be a bit more challenging). In general, I'd say that they are pretty good at school. However, their work habits need improvement or else university will kick their ass (if they even go)...

[TOS'd]

Suggestions for a birthday gift for a 1 year old girl?

[inv4zn]

Originally Posted by TOS'd

Suggestions for a birthday gift for a 1 year old girl?

If it's your own, don't bother lol.

If it's somebody else's, ask the parents.