Here’s a nice list: Best Dinosaur Books for Kids, as Chosen by Educators
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Little kids first big book of dinosaurs was the one I was thinking about!
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A 6yo friend from the little boy’s class showed up, alone, and claims that his parents know where he is and he can stay until 3:30.
A fine time is being had.
Is it just me, or is this awfully free range? I don’t know either of his parents’ names, btw.
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For 6 years old that does seem awfully free range, given the parents aren’t people you know. I’m basing this off the one time my parents let me stay home alone at 5yo and i decided to visit my best friend who lived next door and my parents panicked because they couldn’t find me - that was a situation where the parents knew each other! If he knows his parents phone number maybe a quick call to check in could help?
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This seems awfully free range, and I do raise free range kids.
I’d suggest a phone call home, or a walk over to the other child’s house ‘to exchange phone numbers, just in case!’ to make sure the parents do know where he is (at that age I’d send mine over to invite the other child to our house to play, I wouldn’t impose my child on another family)
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Very free range.
If it were my kid he probably said something when we couldn’t hear him (he always assumes we are listening to him at all times) before venturing out.
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Well, after an hour, M’s Apple Watch buzzed and he collected his coat and shoes and scooter and headed home. What a time we live in! LOL
And it turned out that dh has M’s dad’s card, because…
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Oh wow, i would not have expected an apple watch on a 6 year old! Nifty. I did get Duckling walkie talkies for Christmas.
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So interesting! That’s more like the level of freedom that my ten-year-old has, except that he lost his cell phone. It used to be “just text,” now it’s “you can stay on the playground if you want but be home by 4.” He is not allowed to go to people’s houses since he doesn’t have a phone.
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Two-kid parents… what am I in for? Mine will be 2.5 years apart. How did you manage newborn days with the second? What about the rest of the first 6 months & year? 
I have happy delusions about sibling love once they’re a little older, so bursting that bubble can wait.
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It is fiiiiiine
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Mine are just over 3 years apart. It’s chaos but now that they are 4.5 and 1 they are starting to play together and entertain each other. For the older kid make sure they still have some special time with parents so they don’t feel like I one cares. It’s a bit crazy but now it’s getting a lot better.
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Mine are 15 months apart but the older one has some developmental delays and now that they are 3 and almost 2 it sometimes feels more like they are twins. Pretty equal on potty training, fine motor skills, etc. The first year was definitely the hardest year of my life. The hardest times were trying to nurse the baby without another adult around to entertain the older one. She had absolutely no interest in tv or screen time yet so it was really difficult to keep her off me. That coupled with the baby refusing to eat if there was the slightest noise at all made things even more difficult. We eventually had a basket of toys that she could only play with during times when mama was nursing the baby. But, I just kept telling myself that every day would get easier, and somehow it actually did.
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We watched a lot of TV. We weren’t big on screen time before kid 2 came but we leaned hard on it that first year and I have no regrets. If your partner gets parental leave definitely have them take it. If they don’t, try to get someone to come stay with you to help out for the first couple of weeks. For example, my mom came to stay and help.
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Okay, so I stand by my emojis… but I do have kids with a similar age gap- 34 months and 6 months right now. The big brother love was immediate and violent. He was at the start of a very physical stage where hurtinng things and jumping equal love. He went feral and got a lot of tv and ipad while I breastfed. I would sit him at the table starting a meal and then he would have to eat alone while I breastfed. I barely get to do bedtime once a week right now.
It is getting better. I have learned how to explain gentle and they are learning to play together. The baby can go in the chariot so they can both be in a stroller for some outings. Screen time is coming back down to less horrible levels
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Um. My kids are 4 years apart and my second is the physical kid, elder is gentle and sensitive. We bought him headphones and set up an old ipod with music to give him sensory breaks. I also wasn’t able to physically walk across my house/ kinda disabled in and after pregnancy so i had Ponder home for the first 6 weeks, and we had lots of grandparent support. Not sure I can help with a smaller age gap. Oh, one thing I saw is to “don’t blame the baby”, so try to say things like “I can come play in a moment” instead of “i can come play after i finish feeding baby” or something (i cant remember the exact wording change suggested), to make it less about “baby comes before everything” and more just “parent isnt available right now”
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I don’t have two kids (and don’t plan to) but one thing I learned from our old nanny was to say “my hands are busy right now, but I can help you when I’m finished”. It works really well! A couple days ago Pipsqueak was playing and said “my hands are busy! I’m busy doing things!” 
I imagine you could start using that phrasing long before the second child arrives so it’s a known phrase/outcome.
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I have two intense little people, neither is particularly flexible, and relate to this.
I think it’s very much a ymmv thing.
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Yeah. I am fairly sure Duckling would have been fairly fine even if we’d had Pumpkin closer in age. It had diddly squat to do with our parenting and everything to do with his personality…
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It’s been a while, but I did have 3. The first 2 were 4 years apart, in part because it took a while to call #2 into existence, but also because #1 was a lot as a baby.
In my memory, at least, both times the first 6 weeks were hard - tiny floppy baby, not a lot of extra hands, my dh worked very long hours.
But once the baby settled a bit, it was easier to have more kids in some ways? Baby care is very intense and hands on, but kind of boring. Tiny babies are cute but don’t have anything interesting to say. It was better for me to have more going on and more places to go and mor activities.
It helped that Baby2 was exceptionally easy going and her big sister adored her.
Also with Baby 3 there was just so much going on that she really just had to get on the bus and sit down!
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