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I am a little obsessed with the idea of rocking a straw sun visor at the beach and pool this summer. I think I discussed here before how I am a shade worshipper, but I also do love being outside in the summer while fully covered up and protected. I own one or two straw beach hats, but I find that having my head fully covered in the sun makes me uncomfortably hot. Enter the sun visor. The top of your head isn’t covered up, you can wear a higher ponytail, and this one looks to provide the same face coverage as a hat. I like the color combos, and it doesn’t look completely uncool. This sun visor is $80 and is available at Shopbop. Summer Stripe Visor This Vince Camuto option is only $22 on sale at Zappos. This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
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Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Fallen says
Anyone had luck dealing with early AM wake ups? My 11 month who used to sleep in til 7:30ish is now waking up at 5:45-6. He goes to sleep at 8, and takes two good naps. The good news is he sleeps through the night but these early AM wake ups are killing me.
AwayEmily says
I will probably not be the only person to recommend the OK to Wake clock. It is really amazing. And it can work on a younger kid (we started both our kids on it at ~6 months). The implementation strategy: first, set it for a little after he wakes up (so, maybe 6am). As soon as it turns green, go in to get him and make a big deal of YAY YOUR CLOCK IS GREEN! Keep it at that time for a few days, then slowly start moving it later, ~5 minutes at a time. the idea is that they learn “parents come when clock turns green” and so it’s not worth causing a fuss before then.
My 16mo goes to bed at 6:30 and his clock is set for 6:20. He often wakes up closer to 5:45, but hangs out quietly in his crib until the clock turns green. Sometimes he goes back to sleep, sometimes he rests, sometimes he chats. My 3yo goes to bed at 7:30 and her clock is set for 6:45, and it’s the same deal (she chills until it turns green). The key (I think!) is being really, really consistent and never going to get them before it turns green.
We’ve seen two big advantages to the clock. The first is that when the kids wake up early, they see the clock isn’t green and often go back to sleep (or at least try), instead of crying and calling for us. The second is that we can plan our mornings knowing that the “get the kids” time is always the same. So I can work backwards from that if I know I need more time to catch up on work, get dressed, etc. It makes mornings much more predictable (and therefore less stressful).
Anonymous says
I think general advice is try the OK to wake clock, but you have to be willing to leave him in there until it turns green. Could he be close to dropping the morning nap? I know a lot of advice says 15-18 months transition to one nap, but DD did at 12 months.
Anonymous says
This. 11-16 months was a tough time on all my kids. Two naps was too much some days and other days one nap wasn’t enough. Generally a nap at noon for 2-2.5 hours worked with sometimes a quick nap on the car ride home from daycare as well.
Anonymous says
Oh my other advice…do you have black out curtains? We do thick wooden blinds plus blackout curtains. I actually wake up earlier every May/June/July just because of the increased daylight.
Ms B says
+1 on considering dropping the morning nap, starting the pm nap earlier and moving up bedtime. Daycare had us do that with The Kid at 13 months and two of his contemporaries already had given up the morning nap in the 11 to 12 month range.
Anonymous says
How long are his naps and when is he waking up from the last one? I think it’s worth it to try shortening his naps or moving to a slightly later bedtime. Later bedtime has always translated to later wake up for my DD (although she’s higher sleep needs than most babies).
anne-on says
We transitioned to one nap around this age (13 months for us) and found it was much easier once you got through the crabby week or so of transition. Key was moving bed time a bit earlier and then being very vigilant about avoiding car naps.
Anonymous says
Hello! I also have an 11 month old that gets up at 5:30/5:45. She’s my third. Thankfully, she wakes up happy (my second did this but woke up screaming bloody murder).
My only advise is that it’s a phase. Mine isn’t ready at all to drop a nap. We have really good blackout curtains and I’ve adjusted the heat/ac so they don’t kick on anywhere near this time.
Pogo says
Solidarity. Mine is an early riser most days. We use a Hatch Rest for our OK to Wake, and it has absolutely worked in that he will entertain himself quietly until it turns green (and we are the type who actually turn it green depending on when we want him to get up – so it’s not even the same time every day!)
The best advice I try to remember about sleep – and I think I read it in Weissbluth – is that babies/toddlers are people too, and just like you have trouble winding down from your day, or wake up tossing and turning occasionally, or just have a bad night’s sleep sometimes – babies do too! I’ve noticed that mine wakes early when he’s had a particularly rock-solid, great night’s sleep (no tossing or turning, no wake-ups in the middle of the night). On the other hand, if he has a MOTN wake up (which I only know because I check the monitor footage) he tends to sleep later – just like you would if you woke up at 2am stressing about work and couldn’t fall back asleep til 3.
So I try to give kiddo some kindness and think – he doesn’t have a great night sleeps every night, he’s going to wake up early sometimes, or in the middle of the night, and that’s OK! It’s our job as parents to help them learn to self-sooth so that when they do wake up or have trouble falling back to sleep, they can do it on their own.
I also think that our generation of parents probably stresses about sleep WAY more than our parents did, and the video monitor is a big part of that. I’m 99% sure my parents put me in the crib, walked downstairs, turned on the TV, and ignored me til morning. Now I’m watching the monitor like, Oh no, he didn’t fall asleep til 8:15 – I am letting him nap too long?? He woke up at 2am and sat up!! What does it mean!!
Nothing. I’m pretty sure it means nothing, and that in the case of sleep, a little ignorance is bliss. If using OK to Wake gets you to a point where he isn’t crying for you at 5:30 when he wakes up – roll with it. Let him wake up at 5:30 and chew on his hand (or whatever he does to calm himself – now that mine is older, he has a bunch of stuffy’s with him that he snuggles, plays with, etc).
Pogo says
haha wow sorry for the novel. Guess I had a lot to say on this topic!
AwayEmily says
Very smart takes! I especially agree on the ignorance is bliss point.
Ms B says
+1. This is why we intentionally got an audio only monitor.
Anonymous says
As a counterpoint, our kiddo makes so much noise in her sleep that we’ve found that the video monitor definitely prevents us from going in more than we should.
anon. says
This is anecdotal – but if you go the Ok to Wake route, GET THE HATCH, not the random versions from the big internet store! Seriously, we bought the regular version that was like $20 or whatever and it started changing colors at random times so our kid would wake up at 2 am and it would be green and he’d wake up! And we had no idea why for about two weeks… Poor kid couldn’t figure out why we weren’t coming to get him. Anyway, the Hatch is more expensive but we like it and like being able to open the app and change it to green if he’s been up awhile already.
Help w grad gift says
Suggestions for a college graduation gift for my nanny’s daughter? She’s really excited – willing to be generous here too. She’s moving home and teaching next year.
anne-on says
I’d go with a gift card and maybe a small physical object – the Madewell transport tote seems to be a popular ‘professional enough but still fits all my stuff’ option and there are organizers you can get. Otherwise maybe a nice watch or simple piece of jewelry along with a gift card to something like Ann Taylor or JCrew as she is starting to build up her work wardrobe?
rosie says
Gift card (Amazon?) & physical item. This may vary but I really like having my diploma framed in my school frame, purchased from the bookstore. I don’t actually have it displayed right now, but when I had a larger office I did, and maybe will revisit making space for it at home.
Anonymous says
I like the gift card ideas. She will probably be excited to buy stuff for her classroom and a gift card she could put toward those materials would be welcome I’m sure.
Anonymous says
Uncommon Goods has a shattered glass ceiling necklace that I recently received as a gift and now I want to buy it for all the women in my life!
rosie says
Check out singingwhale on Etsy. She does these kind of pieces & is an independent artist & seven sisters alum.
EB0220 says
Has anyone done a rental of a month or so? Longer than the typical Air Bnb but shorter than a lease? I see some VRBO and Airbnb offer a discount for a booking of a week +. Are there any other sites I should check? We are thinking of going to Vermont for a month over Christmas/NY/first part of Jan.
Cb says
Yes, I’ve done it but in Europe. I’d ask the AirBnB hosts of places you’re interested in. It saves them a lot of hassle in terms of turnover so they might be willing.
Anonymous says
My in-laws use Home Away to book 4-8 week rentals in Hawaii most winters. They’ve had great experiences.
Anonymous says
My parents do this in Hawaii every year and use VRBO.
Annie says
The people I know who have done this have found a listing on Airbnb or VRBO but then negotiated directly with the owners for the price instead of booking through the site.
FVNC says
Yes — I’m using AirBNB to rent a house in my current city to cover the ~2 weeks between when the movers pack our home and deliver it to our new city. And we’re actually getting a decent discount from the owner for booking longer than a week!
EB0220 says
Awesome, thanks everyone! I had not thought of Home Away!
Kart says
You could also consider messaging the person on AirBNB and seeing if they’d consider cutting you a special deal even if there isn’t one listed on the website.
In House Lobbyist says
Please don’t use VRBO or HomeAway (same company). Use them for searches and then find the owner directly and book directly with them and you will both save hundreds of dollars in fees. We have a vacation home and give a discount for longer rentals. #Bookdirect
Anon says
Suggestions for how to mentally reframe feeling left out when the other moms hang out during the week? My sons preschool class is dominated by moms with freelance type jobs and they email to the whole group to make plans for various fun outings with the kids during the week which I obviously can never attend. They are nice about including my nanny but still a crummy feeling. I worry I’m hindering my kids ability to make friends by not being able to really integrate into the mom group. Anyone else dealt with this?
anon says
I have kids in elementary and preschool, and TBH, I still feel like this is an issue. It’s hard. I do think my oldest, at least, gets left out because I’m not part of the mom crowd. To mentally reframe, I think you have to remind yourself of all the ways your job actively *helps* your kid. Are there 1-2 moms that you feel closer to than others? If so, I’d occasionally try to organize something with that person during the weekend/evening hours.
During a particularly vulnerable moment, I confided in one of my SAHM friends about how I felt left out of the regular mom happenings. Her response was sort of illuminating — it’s not always a bad thing to be outside of that inner circle. At that moment, she was feeling a different type of pressure to keep up and trying to handle some kid-related drama that was affecting the moms’ friendships. It was sort of a lightbulb moment that everything wasn’t as idyllic as it seemed.
Anonymous says
I’m one of the freelancing moms you describe :-). Get involved with a weekend activity like soccer or host a weekend play date sort of thing (around here a popular thing is Family Movie Night).
Or just blast a text to the group about a playground meetup to the class (“we’re grabbing donuts and heading to xyz playground around 11”) and someone will show up.
During the week, ask your nanny to host play dates with the other kiddos.
Anonymous says
Preschool is plenty socialization without additional playdates. He will probably have totally different friends in elementary school anyway. Suggest something on the weekend if you want to hang out with the moms, but otherwise either have the nanny go or don’t worry about it.
anon says
Take the initiative and plan something on the weekend or later in the evening. Is there a family you want to get to know better? Invite them over for dinner. Take your child to the park after school and chat with other parents.
Anon says
+1
anne-on says
Can you start to plan things on your own time – weekends? Or offer to host weekend playdates? I also find that text helps – I can’t be at every after school playdate but I can reach out via group text (or text with specific moms).
Anonanonanon says
Need some solidarity. DH and I are going through a down-time and a bit of a dry spell. It’s been about 2 weeks since we’ve gardened, and because of travel/life it may be another week until we sync up. How do you manage your self esteem, mood, etc. in a dry spell?
Anonymous says
To me, three weeks when part of it is due to travel does not sound bad at all!
Anonymous says
Self-care in, ahem, all manners (not just going to the gum and getting sleep).
Trying to find little points of physical connection when we are together. Hugs, holding hands, compliments, etc. Sending text messages that aren’t fully utilitarian about picking up the milk or the kids. “hey, I miss you, can’t wait to reconnect this wknd”
Anonymous says
+1 on the flirty texts and self care.
Anonymous says
In terms of self-esteem…I try (sometimes fail!) to not have much of my self-esteem depend on gardening frequency. Life and dry spells happen. If I ever bring it up my husband replies “it’s a short period of life” which is so so true. DH never wants to garden during my third trimester because the baby weirds him out (yes – he should just get over it but I also need to be understanding of his feelings), so I just take care of my needs with self-gardening and know that our gardening pattern will get back to normal (1x/week) which it always does.
Anonymous says
I know the answer, but I want to hear the resounding chorus of “hell yes.”
My preschooler has a group of 4-5 girls that she’s done dance, soccer, and gymnastics with for the last 3 years (they are all fall birthdays that missed the cutoff and so did 3 years of preschool together). They’ve all decided to drop dance next year. My kid plays and loves tennis and doesn’t want to continue with gymnastics.
Next year, our town starts football and cheer. kindergarten boys (and a few girls) can do flag football and kindergarten girls (and the occasional boy) can do cheer.
My daughter’s group of friends is all doing cheer- two have older sisters that do it, and three have older brothers that play football so they’re already in the throes of this.
General feelings about cheerleading aside (I am anti), there are TWO PRACTICES A WEEK from 5:30-6:30, plus a game on Saturday. They cheer at home AND away games. I was originally a hard no simply on anti cheerleading feelings. But I started to feel soft about it, and looked into the schedule and one of the moms that lives near me was like “oh, I’m going to help coach, we could totally carpool, just sign her up!”
This is nuts, right? 2x/week cheer practice, plus tennis 1x/week (which she LOVES and I love that she loves), plus a cheer game AND soccer (in season) on the weekend? For a kindergartener? And I have 2 other younger kids who presumably will want to do things on the weekend. And nobody in our family likes football.
anon says
Yeah, that’s nuts. I would opt out, too!
Cb says
Don’t do this, this will make your life miserable!
Anonymous says
If the time commitment doesn’t work for you, then don’t do it. But I wouldn’t let your anti-cheer attitude play any role in the decision.
Anonymous says
But the child has expressed no interest in cheer and loves tennis. And even if she wants to, it is a legitimate parental decision not to let a girl become a cheerleader, for reasons of family values and/or safety concerns.
9:38 Anon says
Hmm. I guess I assumed this was only a question because kiddo wanted to do cheer with her friends. If she doesn’t want to do it, then I don’t think it would even be a question??? I didn’t do cheer and I know some folks are opposed to it. But I know my friends who were in cheer had great experiences on a lot of levels. But maybe this is school/region dependent.
Anonymous says
I got the impression that it was only a question because OP felt guilty for not offering her daughter the chance to be with her friends.
Anon says
yeah, OP feels guilty about taking her away from her friends (and I agree with everyone else that that’s no big deal, especially at this age). The kids mutually opted out dance and the daughter opted out of gymnastics, so cheer would be the only way to continue an activity with these friends. It didn’t sound to me like the kid was asking to do cheer at all.
Anonymous says
Nuts. There’s no reason to switch to sideline cheering instead of dance and gymnastics. If she isn’t into dance and gymnastics awesome cheer doesn’t need to be her thing.
Anonymous says
Totally nuts. I wouldn’t do anything that involved three events each week.
I don’t have an issue with competitive cheerleading as a separate sport. I really really dislike the idea of young girls cheering on the sidelines for boys sports teams.
I’d just stick with tennis and soccer.
Anonymous says
Same same. Kindergarten girls need to spend zero time cheering on kindergarten boys wearing cute outfits. It’s wrong.
Redux says
Yeah, I wouldn’t discount your anti-cheer feelings. This misogynist bs starts early.
Anon says
+1
shortperson says
i would not let my daughter cheer, especailly at an age where i could possibly stop it. i had a good friend in high school who was on cheer because she liked the athletic side of it but she could not “keep up”socially nor did she really want to (which is why we were friends) and she had a very hard time in high school, which affected her in college as well.
RR says
I tend to agree with this. Competitive cheer with appropriate equipment and coaching is intense and impressive, but adding the dynamic of cheering on the boys makes it feel icky to me.
Anonymous says
Competitive cheer is one of the most dangerous sports out there.
Anonymous says
Totally nuts! If she loves tennis and your family doesn’t like football, definitely do not get sucked into cheer. Especially if you are philosophically opposed to cheer.
As they get older, it gets more and more difficult to balance the social aspects of extracurriculars, especially sports. Eventually you get to the point where it is logistically impossible to keep your kid in an activity for purely social reasons and/or where the child’s athletic development or happiness requires putting her in a different program from her friends. Focus on the sport she loves, and let time with friends be a side benefit if it happens to work out that way. Also, it will be easier never to get involved in cheer in the first place than it would be to have to force her to choose between staying in cheer with her friends and getting more serious about tennis and/or soccer in a year or two.
mascot says
“Also, it will be easier never to get involved in cheer in the first place than it would be to have to force her to choose between staying in cheer with her friends and getting more serious about tennis and/or soccer in a year or two”
This is a really important point. It’s also how I justified never enrolling my kid in baseball (so.boring) and football (too dangerous, IMO). I only wanted to encourage activities that I can tolerate if they go on to fall in love with that activity.
Anonymous says
+1 to the second paragraph. This has always been my rule—no activities that I cannot or will not support if the kid wants to get super serious.
Signed, mom of a competitive gymnast who was recruited for team after one hour of rec class
Spirograph says
+1 on your assessments of baseball and football. Unfortunately, we signed him up for baseball anyway and now I spend most days with a scheduled practice or game praying for a thunderstorm.
In addition to the comments everyone else has made, I’ll add that overloading your kid right when K starts might be a particularly bad idea. We had a rough transition and adding structured activities most nights of the week would not have improved it! See how K is going first before you decide how much she (and you) can handle.
Ms B says
+1 on considering the kindy transition. The Kid was exhausted the entire first month of kindy and our only activities then were an hour of ninja class on Saturday mornings. Once he adjusted, we added basketball into the mix around Thanksgiving, but that was only one hour of practice a week (on Fridays, even better!) and then one game a week (on Saturday or Sunday).
I also want to plug the joys of not overscheduling while you can. The Kid goes into second grade in the fall and next spring we will be balancing baseball practice (1-2 times a week starting as soon as it gets over 40 degrees, plus one or two games a week for three months), ninja class, Scouts and religious school. We only will be able to make it work because we have just The Kid, our baseball coach really commits to scheduling practices at civilized times (not 4 p.m. on weekdays), and we will be able to carpool for the practices with a neighbor next year.
Anon says
I would let your daughter do cheer if SHE wants to and you can make it work for your family. I wouldn’t let other moms pressure you into it. It sounds like tennis and soccer are what your daughter wants to do, so that’s what I would sign her up for.
Anonymous says
I would figure out if it works for your family first before you ask if she wants to do it. Even if she wants to do it, three events per week for one activity when you have two other young kids is a lot. Once she says she wants to do it, you may feel pressured to make it work even if the schedule adds a lot of stress.
My preschoolers would not be able to handle activities in the 5:30-6:30 time slot – they just want dinner and free play time not structured activities after daycare multiple days.
Anon says
Fair point. My 4 year old can’t do weeknight activities at all (introvert like her mama) but I just assume most families are less hermit-like than us.
RR says
Yeah, that’s a lot, particularly for that age. My son and daughter (11) both dance 3x a week, and at times have had other activities, but they are older and able to help balance the decision for themselves. My youngest (in K, still 5) just has one dance a week. Honestly, even adding in swim has been insurmountable for us.
Anonymous says
For some reason we have found a single activity with multiple practices much easier than multiple activities. Gymnastics 4x/week has been much easier to manage than gymnastics 3x plus another activity 1x was. OP is talking about multiple activities with multiple practices, which would drive me absolutely bonkers.
Anon says
It makes sense to me. Kids thrive on routine and when you’re doing the same activity over and over again, you get into a really good routine with that activity. Doing something very different even one night/week can really throw you off. It happens to me, even as an adult.
EB0220 says
That would definitely be too much for us! My absolute max is 2 evenings a week and one weekend activity, but I prefer 1 evening a week and 1 weekend activity (kids are 7 and 4).
Anonymous says
OP here- thank you. Only 1 of these friends will be going to her elementary school next year, and they’re all getting excited for cheer as a way to still see each other (mostly the moms, who are friendly with me but a few are BFFs with each other). I was keeping it off the table as an option and I thought I got away with it until my kiddo asked if she could play football next year. After I picked my jaw up off the floor (she has never seen a football game in her life, I had serious doubts she could even point out the correct ball…), and we talked more, it turns out she wants to do what her friends have been talking about, which is cheer ;).
And I’m not anti competitive cheer (probably not the right fit for our family’s athletic skill set but who knows!), but I was totally squicked by how “cheer for the boys” this program is and really don’t want any part of it. I was starting to feel bad and then I saw this nutty practice schedule. I am not ready for “away cheer games” across the state at kindergarten.
Anonymous says
I think you should sign her up for football. ;)
Anonymous says
I almost want to. It’s flag at this age. But I’m almost positive she’d hate it.
Anonymous says
She’ll make more friends in kindergarten. My oldest is in class with three kids she went to daycare with who were her besties at age 4 and they barely hang out at age 8.
avocado says
Co-sign. My seventh-grader still goes to school and does Girl Scouts with a group of girls that have been together since kindergarten, and most of them are no longer actually friends even though they were all supposedly best buds in the early grades. The friendships they have now started to emerge in third and fourth grade as they began to sort themselves by interests and personality.
IHeartBacon says
Don’t do it. I did a double-take when I saw that it was for a kindergartner.
Kart says
Honestly, I would try it and see how you like it. It’s a great bonding opportunity for your daughter with her friends, and you may find that you’re able to lean on the other parents or cement those friendships. Having a strong community is a huge part of life happiness, and it sounds like the culture/community around cheer/football is big in your town. You can of course opt out but you may experience some FOMO and loneliness. And maybe you try it and like it. If you try it and hate it, you can quit.
Anonymous says
… but she doesn’t really want to try it and see how she likes it, she just wants us to reassure her that it’s OK to opt out of the rat race. OP, follow your gut and do what you’ve already decided is best for your family.
anon says
I need bedtime help. Now that it’s light out until 8:30-9:00, both of my kids (9 and 5) are having SUCH a hard time settling down in the evening for bedtime. They are brimming with energy, despite following our usual bedtime routine, and are leaving their rooms multiple times. Which drives me crazy, because that’s literally the only time DH and I get together, and we end up managing the kids and putting them back to bed. Blackout curtains aren’t helping at all. They’re just … not tired, and then they’re total bears in the morning because they’re not getting enough sleep. The 9-year-old was still awake at 10 p.m. last night. I ended up giving him melatonin, which I don’t love, but I was pretty desperate.
Any ideas? School is out soon, but they’ll still have to get up early! This is yet another reason why summer kind of blows for working parents, BTW. If I were home with them, I’d just let them go to bed later and sleep in!
Anonymous says
We’ve added in a 20-30 minute family walk/park play after dinner that seems to help and no screens after dinner to reduce the blue light exposure.
Wow says
– Take them to the playground after dinner or have them ride their bikes
– No sweets/anything with sugar 1 hour before bed
– No screens after dinner
– Hot shower/bath before bed
– Set a rule that they don’t have to fall asleep right away but they cannot leave the room or turn the light on.
Anonymous says
Build in 15-30 minutes of quiet reading time in their beds with the lights low before lights-out time.
AwayEmily says
Yesterday’s book thread was great. Here’s a more specific question: any recommendations for books about feelings, especially negative feelings and how to deal with them? Someone on here recommended The Most Magnificent Thing awhile back (about getting frustrated) and my 3yo loves it. She’s also been into one about a mouse who accidentally destroys the cake his mom made, then feels guilty and figures out how to remedy the situation. I guess i’m looking for ones about sibling jealousy, making mistakes and then apologizing, being mad/frustrated, feeling guilty, etc. Preferably ones with a storyline, not just “feelings exist and that’s okay!”
Thanks!
EB0220 says
Yes! We love The Most Magnificient Thing!
Cb says
Someone recommended What’s Wrong, Little Pookie and it’s a hit, despite my son’s hatred of farm animals. When he’s sad, we ask the question and go through the ridiculous options.
rosie says
Hah, that was me, glad he likes it. Just beware, now my kid will sometimes ask for a cookie, a drink, and/or more pookie books (the back cover of ours shows others in the series). So it makes her not sad…but sometimes she gets mad she cannot have a purple cold drink with a straw in it.
Cb says
Oh No, George is great for this. He chases the cat, eats the cake, dig up the flower pots and then apologizes…it’s beautifully illustrated and very good fun.
AwayEmily says
Great rec — we liked this a lot when she was a toddler — she’s a bit old for it now unfortunately.
So Anon says
Moody Cow Meditates is an amazing book. Its all about a young boy who has a bad dream, sister draws on his skateboard, wrecks his bike, and gets so frustrated that he throws a ball through a window. The rest of the book is how he manages his feelings after this very bad day and the aftermath of him throwing the ball, which centers on meditation, sitting with and letting the feelings settle and being validated by an adult.
Spirograph says
Not so on-the-nose, and maybe not the best example of dealing constructively with negative emotions, but my kids really like There’s a Bear in my Chair. It’s about a mouse who’s mad because a bear is sitting in his chair. He eventually gives up trying to get him to move and goes to sleep in the bear’s house. We talk about how the mouse is feeling and whether he should have just asked the bear nicely to get up, and have adopted the lines from the mouse’s tantrum when we’re frustrated, which usually helps defuse the situation.
That’s it! I’m done! I do declare!
This [bear] has led me to despair!
It is not fair! It is not fair!
I’m going now, I don’t know where”
Anon says
Not exactly what you’re looking for, but The Color Monster is a beautiful pop-up book that discusses different kinds of emotions and how they feel, which I imagine would be helpful in kids learning to articulate and identify how they’re currently feeling. It covers calm, happy, love, fear, etc. My daughter is still a little young for the concept, but she loves the images. My child psychologist PhD sister gave it to me, so I’m hoping there’s some mental and emotional health benefits associated with it. :)
shortperson says
the ladybug girl series is great for this. some of the older (preright wing) berenstain bears books are as well.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Planning to travel solo with DS (18 months) via Amtrak from DC to NY next month. Will meet DH in NY, as he will be there for work.
Thoughts on Amtrak travel with a little one? Trying to figure out best time to book, what to expect, etc. Would love to hear experiences and tips. Definitely plan to take advantage of red hat service.
Anonymous says
Amtrak is my absolute favorite way to get from DC to NY. The food for sale on the train is awful, so bring your own lunch and snacks. Walking up and down the aisles is fun for kids. If you or DS is prone to motion sickness, don’t rely on being able to read for entertainment. I’d book a midday train and try to get him to nap on the train at his usual time(s).
Legally Brunette says
I just did the Amtrak from DC to NY and back with my boys (4 and 6) and they kept saying it was the best part of their trip! I agree to bring food and also book for a time when she is going to take a nap. If you can snag the end table of four where you’re facing one another, that’s the best place (we were able to get that going but not on the way back). I brought a bunch of books/puzzles but honestly their favorite part was just looking out the window. :)
rosie says
We did Amtrak a bit further when mine was about 22 months. Slightly different advice from above, she did not nap, so our trip up that was not at nap time was better. (The Sleep Train book taught her about sleeping cars, and she was thus unwilling to nap on a train without one.) Definitely bring food, but I’d count on walks to the dining car as an activity — can buy pretzels/chex mix (I also like the veggie & dip plate for myself, and kiddo surprisingly ate a huge piece of raw broccoli from it), can wipe off all the stools with a napkin, etc.
I did not love the 4 seats together w/table on the Acela, we had a lot of near misses with kiddo hitting herself on the table. But on the regional train, there is no table with the 4-seater area and I much preferred that to the Acela set up.
Anonymous says
Look into help from Amtrak at the station. I believe it is called Red Cap. I believe they may allow you to board early.. The last trip we we took from DC to NYC, we had difficulty finding seats together. If you are juggling bags and a kid, being able to to board earlier would be helpful. For two people, I’d prioritizing seats facing forward and not have the 4 seats so I did not have to manage my child’s questions about the other passengers.
CPA Lady says
Is there some way I can prepare my extremely sensitive, rules-follower child for elementary school?
On one hand I appreciate her sensitivity and how it helps her be kind to others. But she’s completely devastated and holds onto grudges for weeeeeeeks if anyone says or does something to her she doesn’t like. Or if a kid doesn’t respond the “right” way when she stands up for herself. I’ve talked to her teacher, and there’s not bullying or anything going on like that, just the normal scuffles and hurt feelings of young children who can sometimes act like… young children.
I try to empathize with her feelings, but she wants to talk about it endlessly and it always makes her even more upset. I grew up in a house where I was not allowed to express negative emotions, so I’m extra at a loss here. I don’t want to crush her spirit, but I think she would be a lot happier if she could move on from these hurts more quickly than she does. And I’m dreading her starting elementary school, where sh*t gets really real.
Anonymous says
You know your child best, but is some of this just typical preschool big feelings stuff that she is likely to grow out of anyway? I think that three and four are prime ages for that. I think the biggest difference between preK and K in terms of potential kid conflict is just that there will be less supervision – more kids per teacher. But there may also be less unstructured time, so it isn’t necessarily going to be worse for her. Sorry if this is completely unhelpful – this rule follower can’t stand to see no responses on your comment!
Anon says
+1, it’s really normal for smart, sensitive kids to have Big Feelings in preschool and grow out of it. I think you’re borrowing trouble to worry about it.
Spirograph says
This is not coming from experience, just an idea:
My kids tend to respond pretty well to timers when I need them to switch gears. Do you think it would help to set a timer for a couple minutes and say that is her time to be upset, but when the timer goes off, it will be time to do [fun thing to take her mind off it] to help her feel a little better?
travel question says
We’re tentatively planning a trip to Ireland this summer, but our youngest will only be ~ 10 months at the time. He hasn’t had his MMR shot yet, so I’m concerned about measles exposure traveling in enclosed spaces with lots of people and to a foreign country. I left a message with the ped. to see if baby can get the vaccine early or what her thoughts are. What are your thoughts?
Anonymous says
Ireland’s way safer than the US! You probably won’t get the shot early. It isnt recommended unless you’re going to an area with an outbreak.
Anon says
Officially, the CDC does recommend early vaccination for all international travel (https://www.cdc.gov/measles/travelers.html) but my sense is that is outdated, given the outbreaks in the US. My ped would not give my 11 month the MMR early for a trip to France, which I believe has more significantly more measles cases than either the US or Ireland. I think it’s worth asking, but I would not be optimistic about getting it.
rosie says
I mean, see what your peds says, but it seems like the only downside is that it would mean your child needs 3 doses instead of 2. To me, that would be worth it (unless there is some other issue I don’t know about).
lawsuited says
There’s a version of the immunization babies can get at 9 mo. Our kid started daycare at 9 mo rather than 1 year (unusual here) so we opted for the earlier vaccine.
Anonymous says
I’m guessing you’re in Canada based on the daycare comment? In the US there’s no standard “9 month version” of the vaccine. Pediatricians will vaccinate early if you live in or are traveling to a place (usually defined pretty narrowly – neighborhood or zip code, not city or state) with an outbreak. But they get the regular 12 month shot (and have to get it again after turning 1).
Margaret says
I just took my 9 month old to the pediatrician today, and we live in NYC, so this is tippy tippy top of mind to me. We are just watching the outbreak really carefully and we may vaccinate early. Agreed with Rosie — only downside is needing 3 doses instead of 2.
My pediatrician pointed out that since I am still breastfeeding, my immunity does transfer (somewhat) to him.
Keep in mind, insurance may not cover it if you decide on an extra/early dose.
Anonymous says
Is the Keekaroo really slip-resistant? I.e. can I just put it on top of a dresser and use it, or do I need to put grips on it or a non-slip mat? My MIL is very doubtful about us using the Keekaroo on top of the dresser with no dedicated changing table.
Pogo says
I use it this way and yes, it is slip resistant. It’s very heavy. I have never had an issue with it slipping around or being unsafe in any way.
Em says
+1 to all this and we found it totally worth the money.
Anon. says
I have no feedback on the Keekaroo but wholly recommend the changing pad on top of the dresser. It is just as functional as a dedicated changing table and means one less piece of baby-specific furniture. We apparently live dangerously – ours is not slip resistant and just sits on top of the dresser not connected to anything. It slides back and forth a bit, but I don’t feel as though it is particularly risky for my nearly 2-year old; and definitely was never worried about it with a non-mobile infant.
Anonymous says
Yeah, we’ve just had a normal changing pad on top of a dresser for 6 years and 3 kids, now. I have to adjust it regularly to make sure the changing caddy that is also on top of the dresser doesn’t get knocked off, but I’ve never had the changing pad fall while a kid was on it. (Kids have both accidentally and maliciously knocked off the caddy of diapers and other accoutrements, though.)
Anonymous says
Oh my gosh I would never pay this much for a changing pad!! Just buy the regular change pad and use the strap on the one side and drill it into the dresser. Also never walk away from a baby being changed and don’t expect the buckle to do much.
Anon says
Yeah, to each their own, but the price for this is staggering to me. We had a $15 changing pad and it worked fine even for a breastfed baby who was very prone to blowouts. We used the Munchkin waterproof changing pad liners so we didn’t have to wash the changing pad cover every time there was a blowout. The peanut one also looks very uncomfortable to me — a newborn probably won’t care about that, but by 6 months or so, my daughter didn’t like lying on something cold and hard.
Anon says
I find the Keekaroo (and other cheaper coated foam changing pads – I have a bumbo, untethered on a dresser with no problems a year in) can be really price competitive vs the traditional changing pads, once you realize you don’t need to buy fabric covers and extra pads. Also they wipe clean, which is magic. I am VERY thankful that I don’t need to do changing pad laundry. I recommend a coated foam changing pad to all my pregnant friends.
Io says
Keekaroo is both totally worth a hundred bucks and virtually indestructible, so you can pick them up used pretty cheap. We paid $30 for ours from a family with a three year old and we’re about to pass it on to a friend from our three year old and it’s basically good as new (and probably 7 years old now). If you’re planning on having more than one I would get it new. Heck, I loved it enough that if we have another I might buy it new.
anon. says
We are cheap and didn’t spend money on a lot of things for our now toddler. But the Keekaroo was the best $ we spent. BY FAR. I never thought I could love a changing pad. It’s great.
Anon says
We have been using the Keekaroo for 5 years through 3 kids and it is great. Also highly recommend over traditional changing pad why we had for the first 6 months with my oldest.
Anon says
I have been using the Keekaroo for 8 months and have never had an issue with it.