Big Fat Positive: Pregnancy and Parenting (BFP)

In this week’s “Internet Insanity” segment, Shanna breaks down the NeeDoh squishy toy craze that’s led to store fights, police involvement and a 243% spike in poison control calls, and Laura finally solves a months-long mystery about the bot-like comments appearing on the show's Spotify episodes. Also, fall activities ramp up for Shanna’s family, while Laura rides an unexpected wave of productivity around the house. They also share this week’s BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The NeeDoh squishy toy craze, explained

• Why fidget toys took off the way they did

• How to repair a split squishy toy

• Why podcast comment sections are full of strange messages

• Volunteering for your kid’s sports team

• Getting a dimmer switch and warmer bulbs for a calmer bedtime

• When to DIY and when to hire it out

• Earning a toy with a points system

• Buying secondhand instead of new

• Getting kids to clean up by turning it into a contest

• Mosquitoes in Los Angeles and Skeeter syndrome

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• NeeDoh by Schylling

• This American Life, episode 897: “Intergenerational Space Travel”

• TaskRabbit

• Mosquito Dunks

• Gorilla Glue clear silicone sealant

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shanna and Laura answer listener questions about lying down with kids at bedtime, how to handle a child’s sleep anxiety, and the systems they use to keep track of every story they want to tell on the show. Shanna describes her bedtime routine now that her kids are older, Laura makes peace with the kid who lands in her bed at 2 a.m. every night, and both share the apps and docs holding this podcast together.

Kids’ ages: Shanna’s kids are 7 and 10 years old, and Laura’s kids are 5 and 7 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Lying down with kids at bedtime, and when to stop

• Co-regulation at bedtime and why some kids need it

• When a kid leaves their room over and over

• Bedtime when siblings share a room

• Separation anxiety at bedtime

• Severe sleep anxiety in kids

• When your kid gets in your bed every night

• Whether middle-of-the-night waking is fear or habit

• Parenting decisions at 2 a.m.

• Teaching kids acceptance instead of fighting sleep

• Lucid dreaming and reality checks for kids with nightmares

• How a podcast keeps track of story ideas

• Using Todoist and Airtable to organize creative work

• Using your camera roll and calendar to remember your own week

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• Todoist

• Airtable

• The Nugget

• Radiolab

• Send us a question on SpeakPipe

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Homework season starts and goes about as badly as Laura feared, leaving her looking for a way to get it done somewhere other than the kitchen table. Shanna's brutal mornings turn around after an unexpected discovery at urgent care. In this week's "Loose Ends" segment, Shanna and Laura revisit the stories they left dangling: whether a months-long screen time ban is still holding up, where a nine-month-overdue front tooth finally landed, and whether a head wound is going to leave a scar. They also share this week's BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• When homework becomes a nightly fight

• Homework and ADHD: when easy work is still painful

• Why kids do homework for other adults but not their parents

• How a hidden ear infection can lower a kid's frustration threshold

• Choosing a pediatric urgent care over a general clinic

• Getting a medication-anxious kid to take ear drops

• When a permanent tooth takes nine months to come in

• Scar care and silicone scar gel for kids

• Starting over on an occupational therapy waitlist

• Talking about your child's struggles with your child in the room

• Life after a screen time ban: what the kids actually do instead

• Why movies work better than episodes for sensitive kids

• Rage cleaning as a household strategy

• Keeping a drip irrigation system alive while you travel

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• BIOCORNEUM scar gel

• How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis

• KC Davis's Struggle Care site

• Dog with a Blog

• The Comeback

• Hollywood Bowl

• The Buy Nothing Project

• Cat's Cradle toy

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shanna's drop-off struggles with her youngest escalate, so she lands on an unconventional solution to improve her family's morning routines. Laura scrambles to find last-minute babysitter coverage so she can attend an all-day music festival without the kids. In this week's "Throwback" segment, Shanna confesses to a split-second decision in fifth-grade band class that hurt a friendship, and shares what she hopes for her own fifth grader, who's navigating similar terrain. They also share this week's BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• When school drop-off meltdowns keep escalating

• Disclosing an ADHD diagnosis to your child's school

• What a 504 plan is and when to ask about one

• Why leaving 10 minutes earlier changes everything

• Sensory triggers that derail a morning

• Scrambling for childcare when plans fall through

• Talking to kids about friendship conflict and repair

• Fifth-grade identity shifts and changing friend groups

• Peer pressure and mean-girl dynamics

• Using games and novelty to replace nagging

• Podcasts kids and parents can both enjoy

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• Greeking Out from National Geographic Kids

• Wheel of Names

• Daisy Chain Fields Festival

• Doechii

• Pigeon in a Peanut

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Choosing between charter, magnet, public and private schools is overwhelming, and so is the trial-and-error process of finding the right ADHD medication for your kid. In this Ask-Us-Anything minisode, Shanna and Laura answer listener questions about how to narrow down school options when you don't know where to begin, and what their families' ADHD medication journeys have actually looked like, including what didn't work and why. Laura also shares an ADHD update of her own.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How to choose a school: charter, magnet, public and private

• How to evaluate schools in your area

• School waitlists and application deadlines: when to start

• The LAUSD eChoices system and why people hire consultants for it

• Finding the right ADHD medication through trial and error

• Stimulants vs. non-stimulants for kids

• Why immediate release and extended release can work completely differently

• How to monitor whether a medication is helping or hurting your child

• Adult ADHD diagnosis: what finally prompted it

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• The ADHD Parenting Podcast - co-hosted by Mike McLeod, referenced on adults staying in charge of medication decisions

• GrowNOW ADHD - Mike McLeod's organization

• SpeakPipe - send us your questions for a future episode!

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shanna navigates two school drop-off meltdowns in one week and finds an unexpected way to regulate herself afterward. Laura reports on her boys' first week of school and a surprisingly successful shopping trip, and in this week's "Throwback" segment, she takes us back to the summer of 1995, when she gave herself a disastrous 4th-of-July dye job that her mom has never let her forget. They also share this week's BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 years old and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• What to do when your kid melts down at school drop-off

• Regulating yourself after your child's big emotions

• Using singing and music to complete the stress cycle

• When a teacher goes on leave at the start of the school year

• Getting intel on your kid's new teacher

• Kindergarten buddy programs for siblings at the same school

• Helping kids who feel unsure about friendships in a new class

• Kids who love shopping in person

• Teaching kids to apply temporary tattoos themselves

• How to remove temporary tattoos

• Letting kids dye their hair bright colors

• Why "temporary" hair dye sometimes isn't

• Beating the heat with a backyard pool setup

• Solo theme park trips for parents

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• Toy Story 5

• Manic Panic hair dye

• Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

• Intex above-ground pools

• Thermacell mosquito repellent

• Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Hollywood

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's "What's in Your Bag?" segment, Shanna and Laura confess the items they've somehow ended up hauling around, including one thing that survived a 102-degree drive across town. Also, Shanna preps her daughters for the first day of school and finally delivers the puberty presentation she'd been procrastinating for months, and Laura reports on the tail end of her family's Portland trip and a tiny plane Sebastian refused to leave. They also share this week's BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 years old and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How to spend the last week of summer break

• Creating a buffer day between summer camp and the first day of school

• How schools announce teacher assignments and why they wait until the last minute

• Making a puberty and periods presentation for your kids

• What to put in a tween puberty readiness kit

• Destigmatizing period conversations as a family

• Including younger siblings in big-kid conversations

• Aviation museums with kids: what to expect

• The Spruce Goose and Howard Hughes

• Hanging on to gift cards for way too long

• Using gum or mints to redirect a dysregulated kid

• Changing your child's sensory experience to interrupt a meltdown

• Why your purse becomes a black hole (and what accumulates in there)

• When grandparents win prizes your kids don't care about

• Teaching kids to write thank you cards

• How a small act of kindness came back around

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, OR

• Ice Breakers Sparkling Mints

• Universal Studios Hollywood

• Chuck E. Cheese

• Funny Instagram reel: Bag of clothes for donation in your car

• Next Level Arcade and Pinball Museum

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's "They Said What?" segment, Shanna and Laura cover a bedtime conversation that took a shocking left turn, a sentence Laura never expected to say out loud, and an adult's comment about beauty standards that made a lasting impact. Also, Laura reports on a Portland trip derailed by wildfire smoke and saved by 300 pinball machines, and Shanna navigates her daughter's emotionally charged earring switch. They also share this week's BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 years old and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• What to do when wildfire smoke ruins your vacation plans

• Getting kids comfortable changing their earrings

• Body image conversations with young kids

• When your five-year-old is in a sweet, grateful phase

• When your kid says something completely out of left field at bedtime

• Using OpenTable and Resi's notify feature to snag last-minute reservations

• Taking your kids to their first concert

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• Next Level Arcade and Pinball Museum, Hillsboro OR

• Fox Theater Pomona

• Gado Gado Portland

• OpenTable / Resy

• Indiana Jones soundtrack on Spotify

• Schindler's List soundtrack by John Williams

• Beach Bunny

• Vertigo by Beach Bunny

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode's "What the Hack?" segment, Shanna and Laura share a laundry trick for linen and gauze, a tip for getting tiny hair bands out without tugging, and a game that teaches kids conversational skills, plus surprising uses for common household items. Also, Shanna struggles to recover from her family vacation (including an unfortunate suitcase incident) and reports on back-to-school shopping, while Laura kicks off Mommy-Daddy Camp with a sidewalk find that dominates the whole week. They also share this week's BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' Ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 years old and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Recovering from vacation as a parent: why it's harder than it sounds

• The "every mess is a choice" debate

• Taking your kids back-to-school shopping

• Planning activities for when your kids don't have summer camp

• The joy of your kids discovering old-school, low-tech electronics

• Trick for getting tiny hair bands out without tugging

• How to keep craft supplies from disappearing at a shared table

• The frozen pizza hack for families with different topping preferences

• A funny and useful method for decluttering

• An easy way to remove wrinkles from linen and gauze clothing

• A fun game for teaching kids conversational skills

• Hack for cutting pancakes and waffles

• Tip for dispensing bubble solution without the spills

• Theremin: what it is and why your local library might have one

• Universal Studios with kids: when is the right age to go?

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• Nature's Miracle - enzymatic cleaner for cat pee, highly recommended

• Look Dine-In Cinemas - $2 classic movie screenings

• Singin' in the Rain (1952) - what the family saw on Monday

• Kodak 4200 Carousel Slide Projector - the free sidewalk find

• r/CleaningTips on Reddit - where Shanna found the poop method

• Fine mist spray bottle - for de-wrinkling linen and gauze

• Universal Studios Hollywood

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more.

• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the special segment "Would You Rather?," Shanna and Laura pose hypothetical parenting scenarios involving airplane antics, an irresistible newborn kitten, and more! Also, Laura reports on her 5-year-old's new activity that took some convincing and her 7-year-old's week at Percy Jackson summer camp, and Shanna recaps her family's trip to a 100-year-old lake community in Canada. Finally, the moms share their BFPs and BFNs for the week. Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 years old and 5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Getting your kid into a new activity when they're resistant

• How to show your son that gymnastics isn't just for girls

• What is Percy Jackson camp like?

• Travelling to Canada with kids

• Rustic cabin life with sensory-sensitive kids

• Kids and airplane boredom: what happens when the iPad dies

• What's involved in fostering a newborn kitten

• Whether to confront a stranger or just endure the annoyance

• What is valley fever?

• Recording vs. being present at your kid's graduation

• When your kid graduates from preschool

• Occupational therapy

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:

• Mythic Camps / Camp Half-Blood - Augie's Percy Jackson camp

• Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Disney+ series)

• Valley Fever information - the fungal illness Laura mentions in connection with dust exposure

Connect with Us:

• Become a Patreon member to access ad-free episodes, bonus content, live hangouts and more!

• Follow us on social: Instagram, TikTok or Facebook at @bfppodcast

• Join our Facebook community group for support and camaraderie on your parenting journey.

• Visit our website: bigfatpositivepodcast.com

• Email us: [email protected]

• Send us a voice message: speakpipe.com/bfppodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, help spread the word by sharing the show or leaving a review. Thank you!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.