A 6-year-old informed me our bite block needed puppy ears and then negotiated two dinosaur stickers per impression like a tiny union rep. Switched to the soft silicone size XS prop and vanilla-scented PVS at 10 a.m., and the saliva ejector instantly became a kazoo orchestra. What’s your funniest kid-driven design revision to keep things gentle and child-friendly?
Try a short CLE on automating docket pulls with CourtListener RECAP alerts (Advanced RECAP Archive Search for PACER – CourtListener.com): set saved queries per case and feed updates into a one‑page intake checklist for judge standing orders and exhibit caps — saved me more time than swapping a slow handpiece for a high‑speed. Caveat: coverage is strongest in federal, so keep PACER/Bloomberg in the mix for gaps. @MayaK, have you found Westlaw Edge’s judge analytics faster than Bloomberg’s Docket Key for rule lookups?
And kid once demanded the ‘kazoo straw’ have a face, so I slide a disposable sleeve over the saliva ejector, draw two eyes and a blowhole, and tuck a tiny folded gauze under the sleeve to muffle the buzz — works, but keep an eye on flow and swap the sleeve each impression; got a marker that doesn’t smear after a quick wipe?
That “kazoo orchestra” dies fast if you wrap a 2x2 gauze around the saliva ejector tip under the sleeve — cheap little muffler. I also swap vanilla for bubblegum PVS after 10 a.m.; fewer ice-cream expectations and less fidget. For the puppy-ears request, pinch a small notch in the XS soft prop so it reads as ears without changing the fit.
I cut two tiny “puppy ears” from barrier foam tape and stick them onto the sleeve over the size XS prop — instant mascot and it cushions the corners, costs pennies, and gets trashed with the sleeve. Keep the tabs out of the occlusal path so you don’t foul the vanilla PVS at 10 a.m.; do they notice the ears or just negotiate more stickers?
Quick example: I slide a soft silicone pencil grip over the size XS prop’s side like a ‘rocket fin’ — adds a cushy edge and gives them a target to bite without chewing cheeks, costs under a buck. Since you’re going vanilla at 10 a.m., I let them ‘fuel the rocket’ with one squeeze before we start and they stop haggling for more stickers. @OP, that tweak’s been a quiet win on my side.