So.... what do YOU do with the kids?

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Rosh Hashana-Yom Kippur

1 2 3 4 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

What do you do with your kids on RH / YK?

They daaven with me

12%

[ 9 ]

They attend Children's service / daaven by themselves

[ 3 ]

They play nicely with their friends at shul

[ 5 ]

They run around wild at the shul

[ 0 ]

I'm getting a babysitter / Relatives are looking after them

21%

[ 15 ]

Other

54%

[ 38 ]

Total Votes : 70

Mrs Bissli

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 6:19 am

It's this time of the year again.
When I start worrying about what to do with the children throughout the long services.

RH: Kids come and stay with me/DH for Arbit (no way I'm gonna miss this one as it's soooo beutiful). They'll need to eat early on 2nd day as we won't start 2nd day dinner till 8:30 or 9pm-ish. Morning--I need to get as much tefilla done as possible before leaving home. They do have children's service but only for 1hr or so. The rest of the day, kids play with their friends unsupervised--I've tried to organise rota of other parents to keep an eye but not enough people committed to volunteer. Lunch is a BIG issue, we won't finish musaf till 2pm on the 2nd day, maybe a bit earlier but still 1pm on the 1st day so kids will be STARVING. I need to make sure to smuggle in some crackers/fruits before shabbat (no eruv here). Also it will be PACKED, no empty seats so I'll have to squeeze through ladies to bring in the kids to hear shofar and they'll need to stand on stairs.

YK: Need to get a babysitter so I can attend Kol Nidrei (shul is packed, kids do not get their own seats, no parallel children's activities). Morning--kids can stay at children's services and play with friends. Need to bring them home for lunch. Trying to organise playdates with other families who live VERY CLOSE to the shul. Need to get a babysitter again for Neila.

What do other imamothers do?

fiddle

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 6:22 am

I dont go to shul, so they stay home with me and play/eat/nap.....rosh hashana ill go for shofer and stand outside with them, or go to a later one while my dh watches them

btMOMtoFFBs

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 6:25 am

I go to the library and load up on books they day before. I also buy the children each a new toy. While they're busy with all that stuff I daven at home. I'll make sure they daven at home, too. I'll take them to the park and for walks. Make kiddush for them and give them a YT lunch. DH won't be home til 3:30 or so.

On Sunday we'll walk to shul to hear the shofar. My boys are old enough to go the the children's svc at our shul, but they really want to be with me, at home.

I haven't spent RH/YK in shul since before having children, so I have no expectation of attending, and I would never let my children be unsupervised at shul. Never know where they'll go (or be lead to) or if they're being safe while playing.

hila

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 6:40 am

Small kids dont belong in shul on RH !

I have said this in the past and will probably repeat myself..

A small kid cannot sit long enough for his mother to daven. ANd even if he is quiet, he is a distraction.

I am pst that age now, but I never had my kids in shul. Either I or my ex-h would daven in the early minyan, and the other in the later minyan.

Other friends qould take turns - one do shacharit and one musaf

THere is usually a tekia right after davening for women.

I used to bring my kids fro the end of mussaf to hear thelast few tkiot.

The reason I go to the Hanetz minyan even now the kids are big, is that I cant stand trying to daven when there are disturbances.

The early minyan is full of people who want to daven, not talk. Hardly any kids, and beautiful tfila.

Most shuls in EY have an early davening (this year ours is 5:50AM) - If your dh wont daven there - go til shofar and then go home - if that works timewise. Or let him bring the kids to you just for Shofar befoer he goes to shul

Please !

mummy-bh

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 6:40 am

I clicked 'other'.
R'h I go to shul for maybe a hour max. My older kids daven in shul and I daven as much as I can at home. I sing and daven with my younger ones, to their ability.

B'h I haven't been to shul on y'k in 13years!

ss321

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 6:42 am

my babysitter will be home with the kids and I am going to davening. Neither kid is old enough to do much in shul, and there arent any sort of childrens services at our shul!
This Shabbos (RH) IY"H is the first Shabbos in over six months that I will be going to Shul on Shabbos and I am quite looking forward. We dont hold by the Eiruv in our neighborhood which makes it...slightly difficult for those with young children to go to Shul.....

Seraph

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 6:42 am

Going to shul on rosh hashana for shofar ONLY and will bring toys/nosh to entertain my son for the duration. Baby hopefully will be asleep during that time.

Yom kippur I'll be staying in bed, and having my 10 year old sister come to watch my toddler so I have more of a chance of fasting successfully...

e1234

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 6:46 am

try other as I watch them play and stuff them with pekalach to try to at least daven a bit in the house with them.
Will try to take them shofar if I can or switch off with someone.
In my stage with little kids I don't think the place for me is in shul davening all day as I have noone to watch my kids

happyone

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 7:29 am

My daughter will be babysitting when I'm in shul. We'll be taking turns. for those that their children run around shul, on whose expense are you davening? It's probably better for you to stay home and daven than disturb 40 other ladies from davening. I think it's pretty selfish to bring young children to shul other than tekias shofar.

Pickle Lady

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 7:43 am

My husband will bring my 3 older kids to shul for awhile for the childrens program. When I come to shul with my younger child for shofar, I will bring then bring the older kids home to eat a little and play. They can't be in shul for that long. I might leave my oldest child, depending on him.

YK- I bought new toys for them for Yom kippur so that they play nicely that day. They will not be going to shul that day much. Only if my husband thinks he can handle them, but it will be my oldest or just the older 2.

NotInNJMommy

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 7:47 am

DH goes to shul, and the kids stay home with me. I daven at home and with the kids, then we try to get tehre in time for shofar/birkas kohanim. Then, we'll go home after birkas kohanim.

since dc2 was born, I can't get anything out of shul and control my kids, so this is what I do.

RachelEve14

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 7:55 am

Yup, I'm also home on RH. Usually the first day dh davans regular and I stay home with the kids except bringing them to shofar. On the second day he goes early and I go davan after, then he brings the kids to Shofar.

YK at night I get the kids into bed ASAP and go to sleep. In the day we usually do playdate rotations for company. Sometimes I take them to Ne'ela. Depends how I am doing and how they are doing.

achayl

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 8:08 am

My kdis are older now, so they all go to shul. However when they were younger, I never took them to shul on these days. So many parents bring their kids to shu and then they kids are constantly disturbing, or walking back and forth through the curtain mechitzah ( I hate that one!). I always felt that I should daven at home, the kids were happier, I didn't have to worry about them disturbing anyone. I worked best for me that way!

chaylizi

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 8:41 am

Seraph wrote:

Going to shul on rosh hashana for shofar ONLY and will bring toys/nosh to entertain my kids

for yk, I generally go for yizkor. also if my sister & I is feeling well enough by the end, I will go for mincha and/or neilah. the yk's when I'm pregnant or nursing are very hard on me & I lower my sights so I can actually fast.

zigi

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 9:00 am

fiddle wrote:

I dont go to shul, so they stay home with me and play/eat/nap.....rosh hashana ill go for shofer and stand outside with them, or go to a later one while my dh watches them

that is what I'm planning to do this year. last year I spent the whole time outside of shul watching them and going in again for shofar

I bought a new toy that should keep them occupied so that I can daven. I bought a seat last year this year I didn't get one.

gryp

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 9:08 am

I must be the only one who hasn't even thought about YK yet. Confused

Way too much happening between now and then.

hadasa

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 9:37 am

Deleted double post

Last edited by hadasa on Thu, Sep 17 2009, 12:58 pm; edited 1 time in total

hadasa

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 9:38 am

Shabbos I'm staying home - no eruv.
Second night, staying home.
Second day, taking the kids to Shul, which is a rented hall this year. I can't say how much time I'll spend with them outside or in, because I don't know the situation there, what room they'll have to play in, etc.

Yom Kippur, for the past few years we've split up. My husband's staying in town with the boys who can Daven, I'm going with the younger set to the campus run by Shluchim, which is something like a bungalow colony. Depending on the kids' moods, I can leave them to play outside while I pop into Shul for a while, and call someone in occasionally for a bit of age-appropriate Davening.

And my three oldest are away this year.

ShakleeMom

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 10:11 am

You left out "they run around wild on the street while mommy attempts to daven on the couch"

Mama Bear

Thu, Sep 17 2009, 10:17 am

Not going to shul at all. I belong at home, with my kids. My dh will watch them during 'poza' - recess - while I go to shofar on Sunday. iyh

Page 1 of 4

1 2 3 4 Next