Terms starting with B

Every Buhata Life Terms entry that starts with B, with its short definition.

B

Baby bondsPublicly funded trust accounts a government opens for children, often those born on Medicaid, that they can claim as young adults for set uses like school or a home.

Baby showerA party held before a baby arrives where friends and family bring gifts for the baby and celebrate the parent or parents-to-be.

Baby-led weaningA way to start solids where a baby feeds themselves soft pieces of food from about 6 months instead of being spoon-fed purees.

Babysitter ratesWhat families pay a babysitter, usually by the hour. Care.com's 2026 Cost of Care Report puts the average posted rate at $19.81 an hour nationally.

Back-to-school nightAn evening event early in the school year where parents visit the school, meet teachers and hear the class routines and expectations for the year.

Back-to-school prepThe jobs a family does in the weeks before school starts, from checkups and forms to supplies, a budget and shifting bedtime earlier.

Backlog refinementThe ongoing Scrum activity of splitting Product Backlog items into smaller, clearer ones and adding details such as a description, order and size.

Backpack stationA set spot near the door, usually hooks plus a shelf or bin, where school bags and the things that go with them live between school days.

Baking powder vs baking sodaBaking soda is a base that needs an acid in the recipe to make it rise; baking powder is baking soda already mixed with its own acid.

Baking soda cleaningUsing baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) as a mild, alkaline scrub and deodorizer on sinks, tubs, grout, trash cans and carpets.

Balance transferMoving what you owe on one credit card to another card, usually to use a low promotional interest rate for a set time.

Balanced literacyA classroom reading approach that mixes read-alouds, shared, guided and independent reading and word study; phonics is included but usually isn't the focus.

Bank reconciliationChecking your own record of a bank account against the bank's statement, line by line, and explaining every difference until the two balances agree.

BankruptcyA federal court process for people and businesses that can't pay their debts, ending in a discharge of many debts after an asset sale or a repayment plan.

Barista FIREA FIRE style where you leave full-time work once savings cover part of your costs, and part-time work or a side business pays for the rest.

Baseboard cleaningDusting and wiping the trim where walls meet the floor. The American Cleaning Institute puts a wipe-down in fall cleaning and a vacuum before the holidays.

BassinetA small bed made for a young baby, often kept beside the parents' bed. CPSC says it's for babies up to about 5 months or until they can push up on hands and knees.

Bath toy cleaningKeeping bath toys free of mold by squeezing and drying them after every bath and cleaning or tossing any that show mold inside.

Bathroom deep cleanA top-to-bottom bathroom cleaning that reaches grout, tub, toilet, floor and fixtures. The ACI's routine puts it every two weeks.

Beach day checklistA list of what to pack and do for a safe day at the beach with kids: sun protection, water, life jackets, a lifeguarded spot and an adult watching at all times.

Bedtime battlesThe nightly struggle when a child stalls, protests or keeps getting out of bed instead of settling down to sleep at bedtime.

Bedtime routineThe same short series of calm steps a child goes through each night before sleep, such as brushing teeth, reading a book and lights out at a set time.

BedwettingPassing urine without meaning to while asleep, also called nighttime wetting or nocturnal enuresis. It's common in children and usually outgrown.

Benefits of boredomThe idea that unstructured, unfilled time can help children build creativity, problem solving and the ability to entertain themselves.

Benefits packageEverything an employer offers on top of wages, such as health insurance, paid leave and a retirement plan, which can be worth thousands of dollars a year.

Bereavement leaveTime off work after the death of a family member or someone close, paid or unpaid depending on the employer's policy and state law.

Bids for connectionA small attempt to get a partner's attention, interest or affection, such as a comment, a question or a touch, in the Gottman Institute's terms.

Bill calendarA calendar that shows each bill on the day it's due, often next to your paydays, so you can see which paycheck has to cover which bill.

Birth certificateThe official record of a birth, kept by the vital records office of the state or territory where the birth took place.

Birth orderA child's position among siblings (firstborn, middle, youngest or only), and the popular theory that this position shapes personality.

Birthday party budgetA spending plan for a birthday celebration that sets the total first, then splits it between fixed costs like the venue and costs that grow with each guest.

Biweekly mortgage paymentPaying half your monthly mortgage payment every two weeks, which adds up to 26 half payments, or one extra full payment, each year.

BlanchingBriefly cooking vegetables in boiling water or steam, then cooling them fast in ice water, usually before freezing them.

Blind cleaningRemoving dust and marks from window blinds and shades, usually with a monthly dusting and a deeper clean about once a year.

Body autonomyThe idea that a person, including a child, has the right to decide what happens to their own body, such as who hugs, kisses or touches them.

Body doublingDoing a task while another person is present, in the room or on a video call, so their company makes it easier to start and keep going.

Body positivity for kidsHelping a child feel comfortable in and respectful of their own body, with family talk centered on health and what bodies can do rather than on weight.

Bookkeeper salaryThe pay of someone who keeps a business's financial records; BLS put the median for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks at $50,670 a year in May 2025.

Boundaries at workLimits a person sets and tells others about at work, covering their time, workload, availability and how they're treated.

Boundaries with kidsThe clear limits a parent holds and the sense a child builds of what they are responsible for; also the title of a parenting book by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.

Box breathingA slow breathing pattern of four equal counts: breathe in for four, hold for four, breathe out for four and hold for four, then repeat.

Braces costWhat orthodontic treatment with braces costs a family, set by each orthodontist and often paid as a down payment plus monthly payments over 12 to 24 months.

Brain breakA short burst of movement or a quick change of activity in the middle of focused work, used in classrooms and at home to help children reset and refocus.

Brain dumpWriting down everything on your mind, tasks, worries and ideas, in one sitting so you can sort it afterward instead of holding it in your head.

BreastfeedingFeeding a baby milk directly from the breast. The AAP recommends breast milk alone for about the first 6 months, then alongside solid foods.

BriningSoaking meat or poultry in salt water before cooking; USDA says to keep it in the refrigerator at 40°F or below while it soaks.

Brokerage accountAn account at a brokerage firm that holds your cash and the stocks, bonds, funds and ETFs you buy and sell through that firm.

Brown noiseA steady background sound with most of its energy in the low frequencies, so it sounds deeper than white noise; some people play it to focus or sleep.

Bucket budgetingA budgeting method that splits your money into separate labeled buckets, such as bills, spending and savings goals, and uses each one only for its job.

BudgetA plan for a set period, usually a month, that lists the money you expect to receive and how you'll spend or save it.

Budget categoryA group of similar costs, such as housing, groceries or transportation, that a budget plans and tracks together with its own amount.

Budget mealsMeals planned and cooked to keep food spending low, usually by working out the cost of each dinner and each serving before shopping.

Budget reviewA regular check of what you actually earned and spent against your budget, followed by changes to the plan where it no longer fits real life.

Budget varianceThe gap between what a budget planned and what actually happened, in dollars and as a percent of the plan, marked favorable or unfavorable.

Building permitWritten approval from your city or county to build, repair or tear down part of a building, followed by inspections to check the work meets local codes.

Bullet journalRyder Carroll's notebook method for tracking tasks, events and notes with short entries and symbols, organized into an index and daily, monthly and future logs.

Burndown chartA chart of the work left in a sprint or project against time, showing whether a team is on pace to finish by the end date.

Burnout at workExhaustion, cynicism about your job and a drop in how effective you feel, which WHO links to chronic workplace stress that hasn't been managed.

Buttermilk substituteA stand-in for buttermilk: 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus milk to make 1 cup, left to stand 5 minutes before you use it.

Buy now pay laterA short-term loan at checkout that splits a purchase into a few payments, most often four interest-free installments with the first due when you buy.