u/Smashers086

We got our pet and animal loving 5 year old a hamster fully understanding that we’d be the ones who’d have to look after it. We clean out his cage weekly, fed him and ensure he’s generally happy but our daughter barely never plays with him / shows any interest in the hamster unless we encourage her to do so.

We put the hamster in her room initially but he was too noisy at nighttime on his wheel 🤣. We feel a bit bad for the hamster that he is basically hardly ever played with or stimulated and lives a very boring life in his cage. It’s also additional work to keep on top of his cage etc every few days.

We have said to her if she doesn’t play with him or show any interest we’ll rehome him. She always says she’ll play with him etc but never does.

What do we do now? Do we just go ahead and rehome the hamster knowing she’ll be upset? Or do we make up a white lie that the hamster ‘died in his sleep’ and is in hamster heaven and still rehome him?

She has a busy life with school / friends / extra murals etc and I don’t think she really had the capacity to think ‘I should play with the hamster’ - we have a dog and two cats and she plays with them but I suppose they’re a bit more exiting!

What is the fairest thing to do here? Rehome and explain why (knowing she’ll be upset that we gave away her pet) or makeup a scenario about him dying in his sleep and rehoming him anyway.

And yes. Let this be a lesson to all - 5 is too young for a hamster.

Sorry for the long post but I just want to do right by them both - a happy child and not a neglected hamster!

Pretty much just that! My 11 week old won’t take a dummy / pacifier and I have spent a small fortune on brands - I have tried MAM, avene, bibs, Dr Browns happy paci you name it! She just spits them out.

She has reflux and I know it would really help her when she’s unsettled. My first daughter loved her dummy and we found it really helped as a nap cue etc.

How to I encourage her to take one?

My 5-year-old has her chickenpox vaccination coming up on Thursday. She had her routine vaccines a few months ago and really struggled with them - she was very brave and got through it, but afterwards she was quite shaken, went very pale, and said she never wants to do that again.

Now I’m unsure how to handle telling her about this next one. I don’t want to build up anxiety by telling her too early, but I also don’t want to blindside her by just showing up at the doctor.

Her 10-week-old baby sister is also getting her vaccinations the same day, so I’m wondering if framing it as “showing your sister how it’s done” might help - but I don’t want to put pressure on her either.

Would you tell a child this age the day before? The morning of? Or earlier?

Any tips on how to handle it in a calm, low-anxiety way would be really appreciated.

(Please no anti-vax comments, just looking for advice on how to support her through it.)