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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
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
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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?
Anon says
does anyone else have a kid who doesn’t really like to run around the playground with the other kids? yesterday we had a class playdate at a playground for my twin 3.5 year olds (who are in the same class this year due to covid) and one of them has no interest in playing chase/tag or whatever game these kiddos made up, which is of course totally fine. she likes to play on the playground and climb, and slide. and she would ask me to come play with her. my heart broke for her as she seemed kind of lonely amidst a sea of kids. the teacher said at school she also plays by herself a bit more rather than with the other kids and she likes to talk with adults. i feel like there is a fine balance between letting her be who she is and encouraging her a bit. any tips?
anon says
IDK, I think crowds are really intimidating for some kids. My DD was a lot like this at this age. She’s now a first grader and is quite the social butterfly. The difference is she thrives in very small groups (like 3, tops) and in one-on-one relationships. All that to say, encourage her to form deeper relationships and don’t worry as much about her joining the crowd.
ElisaR says
my 3.5 year old made me chuckle a few weeks ago when he cheerfully said to me “i don’t have any friends at school!” I pressed him on it and he clarified. “There are friends at school but none of them are MINE.”
I was worried, but his teacher assured me that they are all kind of still doing parallel play at this age. He enjoys school….. by himself. that’ll probably change in the future!
Anonymous says
Yes, but she’s 5 and in K now and she’s outgrown it. My kiddo was not only more of a lone wolf type in PK but she was also very young for her class. She found her place/people/stride and is flourishing. 1:1 playdates worked well for us to help her learn how to engage in play in an age-appropriate way, but those were limited since she spent years 3-5 of her life in semi-lockdown due to COVID.
Cb says
Totally normal, the playground can be intimidating. My son is a old soul – really verbal and LOVES adults, but the teachers did some scaffolding with him after I had expressed concern, and now he has a group of little besties, in addition to his favourite teachers who will snuggle on the couch and read him chapter books and take him to run errands. We went to a birthday party and there were 3 rowdy big boys in addition to his bestie and he just played with us the whole time. Some kids just need a bit of additional support with that and may not like the ruckus.
Anon says
Yes, my 3.5 year old is the same way, down to liking to play alone and really enjoying talking to adults. I will say she plays way better with other kids in a non-playground environment. I do’nt know if it’s because she went to playgrounds when she was an infant who needed close supervision, but in her mind a playground is a time to ignore other kids and play with her mommy and daddy. Her teachers say she plays fine with others at school (we do get pictures of her playing alone quite often, but the teachers don’t seem concerned at all), and we just had our first indoor playdate in the Covid era (masked, with a family where we know the adults are vaccinated and the whole family has had Covid already) and the kids played together really well. I think there’s something about playgrounds that’s challenging for some kids – for my daughter I think it has to do with the fact that she isn’t super interested in playground equipment and that she lacks the physical skills to keep up with most peers. I think the pandemic may also be a factor – she’s internalized the “keep your distance from unmasked people” thing and literally no one wears masks on the playground here. It’s also possible she’s just not great with strangers and prefers to play with people she already knows, which I think is fine too.
Anonymous says
My oldest was this way until 4. At 3.5 he would wander around the park kind of forlorn and sort of watch other kids. At day care he would wait for a certain teacher, then sit with her and talk (another teacher observed that they were like an old married couple). You are the mom, so you obviously know best. But if situational shyness is the only symptom you’re seeing, I would encourage you to observe and wait. I think your little will come out of his/her shell eventually.
Anon says
Yes and now she’s a little social butterfly in first grade. Even last year she’d sometimes play off by herself at birthday parties – the nice thing is young kids don’t notice/judge/care so it really doesn’t matter. It’s not like being a loner at age 16 if that makes sense. But she’s really blossomed this year and is rarely like that any more.
FWIW I was this way too and I turned out great, if I do say so myself!
Also says
Oh and I’d say as parents the best advice I could give you is get used to letting her just do her thing her way. If she’s happy. A lot of my concern was all rooted in my own feelings (and even some embarrassment around other parents) and in hindsight that was silly. Pressuring her to play more with other kids didn’t help. And one on one play dates will give a chance to play but won’t necessarily make them more social on the playground or at school.
OP says
appreciate all of the feedback! as i mentioned, she is a twin and has a fraternal twin sisters, which makes this a bit more complex, especially in the time of covid. she notices that her sister is playing with the other kids at the playground and she isn’t. but at 3.5 it is probably much more like an observation on her part than a way of expressing that she feels lonely/left out and i should stop projecting my own past experiences onto her, at least at this stage
Anonymous says
PSA:
I thought I was doing a wonderful, loving thing by waking my kids (5,8) up myself each morning. They crabbed at me, fought me getting up, complained about not wanting to go to school, poked at getting dressed, etc.
I’ve since put amazon dots in their room and set their alarms. They are up, dressed, and downstairs with smiles on their faces ten minutes or less after their alarms go off, and DH and I don’t have to spend 20 minutes cajoling them out of bed.
lesson learned.
Anonymous says
PSA that the Amazon app allows you to choose a different alarm tone, and there are 2 Sharknado-themed ones available.
We also love Alexa alarms – they got us through remote school (set alarms for the start of every synchronous lesson), and we use one to remind my son it is time to get dressed and pack his backpack in the morning. He wakes up early on his own but doesn’t get ready until he absolutely has to.
EDAnon says
My kids are still waking up too early from the time change. But they are in way better moods when I don’t wake them up!
Anon says
Yep – I do the same thing! It’s amazing.
Covid baby says
Has anyone else dealt with a baby or young toddler testing positive for covid?
We tried to be so careful and I’m just so frustrated and worried. Ugh.
anon says
My coworker’s 12 month old and 3 year old both had it recently. They were completely fine. Older one had no symptoms; younger one was fussy for about two days.
Anon says
This was earlier on in the pandemic, but my 1-year-old niece caught it. She was sleepy and slightly fussy for a day. (Her parents both caught it from her, too – but before vaccines were available)
Anon says
Yes, I commented on the main board that my 16 month old got it recently. He did get very sick and had to be hospitalized briefly due to dehydration. He never got serious respiratory symptoms. Stay on top of fluids and keep fever down. The ER told us to use ibuprofen rather than Tylenol for fever. I kept a notebook tracking his fever and fluid intake, which was helpful when he was hospitalized. Two weeks later he’s basically fine except still very tired. FYI – I got it too, despite being fully vaccinated and boosted, but my husband didn’t.
OP says
Thank you! How sick did you end up getting? I’ve known people with breakthrough cases but not with a booster (yet).
anon says
I literally got an extremely mild runny nose and nothing else. So mild that if I didn’t have a child with COVID I would not have even thought to get tested. It’s honestly kind of miraculous that a couple of shots can turn a disease that has killed millions into a health nonissue. I did not mask around my kid because he was so little and got so upset that he couldn’t see my face (trying to pull my mask off, crying), and so I accepted the risk that I would get sick. If your child is more okay with seeing you masked then you could do that to try to limit your own risk.
Also, word to the wise: I had some weird displaced mental health impacts of this (like dreams where my kid got horribly sick or was in ICU, random crying fits etc.) even though I felt fine day to day. It’s like – you worry about the monster for 2 years, and then suddenly the monster is inside your house. Be attentive to your mental health as you guys go through this.
Anonymous says
my neighbor has 4 kids: newly 2, 5, 7, and 9. 9 year old contracted COVID (had no symptoms intitally but it was picked up in pool testing at school) and the entire family quarantined.
Parents were vaxxed and did not contract it. 9 year old was sick “like a nasty virus” (eg. flu, rough GI thing, etc. General lousy feeling/fever for a couple days, rested, got better). 7 year old tested positive and had a runny nose/head cold for a few days. 2 year old tested positive and was totally asymptomatic. 5 year old never got it but had to quarantine for 22 days due to how the sickness rolled through the siblings.
anon says
Ugh see this is why we need to treat covid like any other cold/virus. Absolutely no need for those kids to miss three weeks of school!
Anonymous says
It’s math. The older kids would have gone back much sooner. But the one who never ended up catching it was exposed repeatedly by the other siblings and did need to quarantine for each exposure.
Anon says
I mean, OP is anxious about her baby so it’s not surprising she’s getting reassuring anecdotes. Statistically, Covid is not like any other cold/virus. Even in kids. And certainly not in the adults the kids live with.
anon says
Anecdata, but for me, the vaccinated adult who caught it from my unvaxxed toddler, COVID was less severe than my mild seasonal allergies. A slight runny nose was all I got. My kid was much sicker, although the real issue is that he just wouldn’t take in fluids and got dehydrated.
Anon says
Yeah but your booster probably helped a lot,and you’re also presumably not a high risk age group if you have a toddler. Plenty of kids live with elderly relatives and many teens have parents who are 50+ which isn’t super high risk but a lot higher risk than 35. I’m glad your kiddo is ok, that must have been scary being in the hospital.
Anonymous says
Hugs. Are they symptomatic? Treat symptoms — ibuprofen or tylenol (can alternate, ask your peds), humidifier, sitting in a steamy bathroom, and hydrate. Make sure you’re seeing wet diapers and offer all the drinks — juice, milk, water, popsicles, yoo hoo, etc.
anon says
Yes, me, my DH, my then-two year old and five month old all tested positive back in January. My kids had nothing more than a minor sniffle (the preschool colds my older one brings home now are far far worse) and I had a sore throat/cough, DH a bit sicker. We were very very fortunate since the worst thing about all of it was the strict quarantine we had to do. Hang in there, odds are your baby will be just fine, as you know.
Lise says
I will need a new car this summer, and I don’t really understand what the current process would be to get one. Has anyone bought a car lately who can maybe help with a bit of guidance? I last bought a car seven years ago, the same day that I test drove it. I would love to get a CR-V or RAV4 hybrid or something similar, and I understand that I may have to pay above MSRP or be on a waitlist for a bit. Do I still start the process by test-driving at a few places to narrow down a favorite, possibly soon, or wait until closer to? I’d like to avoid taking physical possession of the car early because a) we’re moving states and I don’t want to register it twice and b) I don’t have a place to park it right now, but I understand that it’s really a sellers’ market right now!
Anonymous says
My ideal process is to test-drive and select the model and options before I plan to purchase. Then when it’s time to purchase, I call around to several dealerships and negotiate the purchase entirely by phone.
Walnut says
I do this except I negotiate via email.
Car Mom says
I’m not great at this stuff, but when we bought a car recently (prior to the 2021 craziness) I found The Car Mom on Instagram really helpful.
govtattymom says
We were looking at exactly the cars you mentioned (hybrid CR-V or RAV4). We kept trying to test drive but the cars would be gone by the time we got there. We were invited to join some sort of list but I didn’t really understand the details. It became obvious that we were going to have to pay above MSRP. Because we have two cars (albeit two extremely old cars- we’re talking 2006), we gave up for now.
Lise says
Oh man, I appreciate the heads up, though I was hoping it wouldn’t be the case! We’re moving from a place where we only need one car to one where we’ll need two, so we’re going to have to suck up the cost, but I’d at least like to test drive before committing.
Pogo says
I know a few people locally who paid above MSRP or who paid new-car market value for used (coming off lease) because of the competition.
Anonymous says
I bought a new car in July and had to pay MSRP, the selection was limited and they said they had what they had and we could not choose promise colors/features. But they did have 2 hybrid CR-Vs on the lot (I got a hybrid Accord, which I love BTW). I just checked and they have multiple CR-Vs in stock (but no hybrids).
I think this is really location dependent and I would call around to your local dealerships and see what they say.
rakma says
DH recently bought a new car, spent 3 or 4 months regularly visiting dealers, basically it turned into a hobby. ( I stayed largely out of it, he enjoyed it somewhat, I would not) He ended up getting something that he hadn’t previously considered because it was on the lot and he could test drive it. It was also a manual transmission, so there was not quite so much demand.
If you’re looking for something specific, I’d probably consider getting on a list now.
Anon4this says
We bought a new car in the last month (but a three row SUV). I would work out what you want (so do test drives now for 2022 cars that are available to test drive) and talk to the dealers about timelines/availability. For some of the cars we initially looked at inventory was sparse and to get what we wanted we would need to pre-order and that could take 4 weeks – 12 weeks. But it varied car to car. Also new 2022’s cars are starting to ship without certain features (touch screens, heated seats) for some models/makes because of the chip shortage and that seems like it will get worse before it gets better. Basically two dealerships we spoke too (Jeep, BMW) said they would order what we built, but that might not be what arrived on the ship. If that happened we wouldn’t be obligated to purchase the car and would get our deposit back but we also then wouldn’t have the car we needed. Ideally, we wanted a car in late winter / very early spring, but ended up getting one now because we found one with all the options we wanted and the price was below MSRP. Several cars we looked at (Kia Telluride was the worst offender) were being quoted at 10-15% above MSRP. But this too will vary by region.
Lise says
Thanks so much for this info!
Anon says
We just bought a car (car accident). It was…not fun. We are definitely waiting at least another year (maybe 2) to replace my 10 year old car (of course it was the 3 year old car that got totaled). See what you can find to test drive that is actually on lots so that you know what you want and what features are must have or nice to have because unless you preorder and wait months, you are going to have to take the configuration presented to you. We initially pre-ordered a car but the delivery timeline get expanding and we were nervous about what features would be eliminated due to lack of chips. Talk to dealers about what you are looking for so that they can call you if something you would like comes in. Be prepared to buy on the spot if it is a car you like, dealers are not holding cars at all in this market. Inventory on lots is super scarce (one dealership had 2 new SUVs that were not already sold and 2 pre-owned cars (in not great shape) and that was it in the SUV category, pre-COVID they would have had 30+ SUVs on the lot). In our area, the car we bought was going for 15-20% above MSRP, but we were able to get a dealer in my home town (2 hour drive) who had a car coming in from the factory the next week that we put a (very reasonable, $1K) deposit on and were able to get him slightly under MSRP out the door with taxes, tags and fees. In our immediate area, Mercedes is not even taking reservations, and the BMW dealership wanted a $20K deposit for a car that may or may not come in correctly in 4+ months. The wait for a factory suburu is 2-3 months we were told. We also tried to buy an on the lot suburu as a temporary option and had 6 different ones in the area sell before we even got a call back from the dealer (we were traveling at the time and not able to swing by in person). A lot of the cars that show as “available” are actually already pre-purchased. Given the chip shortage, if you do order a car, make sure you understand the policy if it doesn’t come in right (e.g., they took out a touchscreen, or a particular option package, etc.); our experience is that you take it as-is with a de minimis credit or you start all over again at the back of the order line. A lot of the cars rolling off the line may have already had certain features taken off.
Lise says
Thank you, this is super helpful. I was hoping our longish timeline might work in our favor, but it sounds like that is not necessarily the case.
octagon says
I know Snap Circuits are recommended a lot here and I’m going to get some for my 6 year old. Looks like the best choices are 30 pieces (the SC-100 set) or 60 pieces (the SC-300 set). Better to just start with the bigger one, or is there a reason to start smaller (other than cost)?
Anonymous says
The main reason to start smaller would be to make sure your kid likes them before investing a ton.
Spirograph says
We were gifted the smaller set a couple years ago and I would start there. Sure you can make the chains longer with a bigger set, but at the end of the day it’s still just battery – switch – action. To me, there’s no more = better aspect for circuits the way there is with, say, train tracks or blocks. For a 6 year old, imho, it’s good to start with getting that concept (and seeing whether they like it!) before adding complexity.
Anonymous says
The bigger sets have more actions. But yes I’d start small.
Anonymous says
For a 6 year old I would start with the smaller set or even try the Snap Circuits Junior (SCB-20). Regular Snap Circuits is designed for kids 8 and up. The larger sets give you more options, but my son was never interested in most of the builds.
Anonymous says
Anecdotally, we own both sets and the only thing my 6-turned-7 year old wants to build is a circuit with the fan so he can launch it.
Anonymous says
Agreed. If you buy a more powerful battery pack the fan goes much higher, FYI!
anon says
Any good strategies for dealing with two kids who have different bedtimes? My 2 year old goes to bed an hour before my 6 year old. Every night there’s a meltdown when it’s time to take him upstairs to get ready for bed and she gets to stay downstairs reading or playing. The 6 year old is super hyper and she needs the quiet time with one parent before her bedtime so I don’t want to involved in the 2 yo’s bedtime. But the 2 yo loses it and it’s super unpleasant to drag him screaming and crying upstairs every night? Any tips?
Anonymous says
Can she also go upstairs to her room and close the door and play with other parents there?
Anon says
Are you sure this is about the sibling? My only child lost it at bedtime pretty much every night for the year around 2.5-3.5. I think toddlers just hate going to bed.
Spirograph says
This. IME, toddlers just hate bedtime. I do think it might be easier if the bedtime prep is done together, from both an optics and a logistics standpoint, though.
I’ve never really different bedtimes, I just let the older kids have some quiet time in their bed with night lights. Or, everyone gets ready for bed at the same time and we read one book all together, but I read for a little longer with one kid while the others have lights out.
Anon says
Have you tried having both kids prep at the same time (teeth, PJs) and then walking both kids to their bedrooms (and then letting your 6 YO go back downstairs when the 2 YO’s door is closed)? It’s an imperfect system, but that’s what we do with 7/3 YOs – they both have the same “start” of bedtime prep, but our older kiddo stays up for an extra hour reading/doing quiet activities.
Anonymous says
Can 6 year old help put 2 year old to bed? Can both kids go upstairs together and get ready, then 6 year old can go back downstairs for a bit?
I have 3 and they each go to bed at different times but they all get ready for bed at the same time.
AwayEmily says
I would try to incentivize the early bedtime with something fun. We have the opposite problem (our 5yo often needs to go to bed earlier than her still-napping little brother) and to make it more palatable to her we leave plenty of time to make the routine extra-special (we read a chapter book, talk for a long time in bed, etc). So maybe sell it that way? That you guys get some “special” time (whether that’s playing tickle monster, reading stories, extra snuggles, etc). If your 6yo is amenable, she could help by pretending she was disappointed she didn’t get to take part in the special bedtime routine.
Allie says
Imperfect but can you have a part of the 6 year old’s bedtime routine start at the time the two year old goes upstairs? i.e. Bonnie has to brush her teeth and Alfie has to go upstairs now. Then each kid is being forced to do something?
Anonymous says
I am SO EXCITED to go to my kiddo’s upcoming dance recital. It’s the first (real) one she’s had in nearly 3 years due to COVID. My parents and inlaws are coming in for it.
Question on tickets for stuff like this- recitals are $20 a pop. I invited the grandparents, and have bought the tickets. My inlaws and parents have both tried to pay me back for them. Is that typical? It’s my kid, I invited them, we are so thankful that they can come- it’s our treat, right?
Anon says
I think it’s typical for the parents to buy the tickets and for the grandparents to offer to reimburse, yes. Just say what you said here, that you appreciate them coming in for it and you want to treat them.
Anonymous says
Yes, this is how we handle it. The grandparents usually reciprocate by treating us for a meal. It all evens out, more-or-less, among family (at least in my family).
anon says
This. And also I would like to say that I absolutely detest being asked to pay $20 or $30 a person to sit for 4 hours (this is a sport, not dance) to spend a minute and a half watching my child perform in an activity that I already paid thousands of dollars for her to do, in an event that I paid upwards of $100 to enter her in. Especially when I don’t even want to watch because it is nerve-wracking torture.
Anonymous says
Meant as a reply to Anon 11:33 on the recital thread.
Anonymous says
sounds like gymnastics? or figure skating?
anon says
Ha – I was a competitive gymnast, and my mom told me many, many years after I stopped competing that she stopped watching me compete live in my later years. Every time I competed, she and my dad left the room and had my best friend’s mom watch me, and then they’d swap. Essentially, neither my best friend nor I ever had a parent actually watch us, even though our parents attended the events.
As a parent, I now totally get it, and would probably do the same if any of my kids decided to become gymnasts.
Anonymous says
I maintain that if Madison Kocian’s mom didn’t have to watch her daughter compete in the Olympics, I should not be required to watch my daughter compete in kiddie meets. She does not agree with this reasoning and checks the stands before her turn to make sure I haven’t escaped.
Anon says
Yeah sounds like it. My dad couldn’t watch me ice skate. My mom had to cover his eyes at competitions and shows. He would watch it on video later, lol.
Anonymous says
My local F@cebook moms group has this new thing where they did “Business Mom Mondays” and basically all the MLM moms or moms who make crafty stuff for Etsy advertise. I am half tempted to advertise my actual F500 company…. where I do, in fact, run a business worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
I am salty, yes. It just rubs me the wrong way that MLM moms consider themselves “business owners”. Venting anonymously to this safe space, so I can keep up the smile and nod when they ask me to host parties.
Anonymous says
I appreciate your saltiness! And also my imagination of the reaction you would get from touting your f500
Anon says
I hear you. I do think people who make actual crafts, when they are buying the supplies, assembling/ creating the product, pricing it according to the market, etc can count themselves as business owners. Sure, you’re applying vinyl to a Starbucks cup, but you’re setting all the parameters of how and when you’ll do that.
An MLM, where you don’t control product selection or features, you don’t set the price, you don’t control how much your “downline” is paid, etc, is not the same. At best, you’re a franchise owner and at worst you’re a retail employee working from home.
I hate that so many (usually religious, stay at home or lower-paid working moms) feel like MLMs are their only option to bring extra income into a home. I wish we valued childcare and housework the way we value selling poor quality skincare items.
EDAnon says
More car buying questions:
My family wants a new (to us) vehicle – preferably all electric, but hybrid is fine. We have two kids (3 and 5), we drove a lot for vacations, we ski (all 4 of us), and we want a dog in the next few years (before we’d get rid of this car). We keep cars for ages. Any recommended vehicles?
We are considering lots of price points but we have and love two Hondas now. Reliability is our #1 interest. Our Civic is old and awesome but too small for us.
anon says
Look at the Rivian trucks – designed for outdoorsy people and all electric.
ElisaR says
i believe there are currently 156 rivian trucks on the road today. in total. in the whole country. good luck getting one.
AwayEmily says
I too am a big Honda fan — we have a Fit and a used CRV and both have just been so easy to maintain and generally pleasant to own. Resale value is good, too. And I assume you have a decent relationship with a dealer if you have Hondas already, so why rock the boat? But then, I am not a car person — I just want something that will consistently work and not cost too much money to fix if/when it does break (in other words, NOT A SUBARU).
Anon says
We’re a Toyota family (and also a family of 3 so we don’t need a big vehicle) but literally half the families at our daycare have the Honda CRV.
Anonymous says
What kind of dog do you plan to get? We have a Golden Retriever and don’t feel safe putting her in the back seat of our hatchback with our kid because the car harness doesn’t block motion enough to really protect her or the kid in the event of a sudden stop or a collision. We have a hammock-style seat cover that creates a barrier between dog and kid but it doesn’t seem sturdy enough to hold up in an accident. For our next car I’d like a small SUV so we can put her in a crate or behind a barrier in the back. That will take up all the cargo space so we’ll need a cartop carrier for luggage. All in all, it would probably be best to get a minivan that could accommodate a crate and luggage, but I don’t like driving big vehicles so I’d rather deal with a cartop carrier.
EDAnon says
We were thinking we’d get a mini goldendoodle which would end up like 25-45lbs.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
DH has a 4Runner, and comes from a family of 4Runner owners. We have a big ~100 lb dog, both kids in carseats.The re-sale value of this car (I am not a car person, because “depreciating asset”, currently drive a 201X Subaru) always shocks me – those things hold on to value like crazy, and even more so with the pandemic. Not sure if it’s available in hybrid.
Anon4this says
We have 2 kids in car seats and a medium dog and decided we needed a 3 row SUV to have space for kids and dog on longer trips where we take the dog and need space for luggage/stuff. If you don’t take the dog when you have luggage you could probably do a regular 2 row SUV. If you love Honda’s I’d look at the Honda CRV and Honda Pilot.
Anonymous says
My husband wants our next car to be electric and is really excited about the Hyundai Kona, which apparently has a lot of great reviews.
EDAnon says
Oh thanks! I will look into it.
Anon says
We looked at a Kona but decided it wasn’t well designed enough that it gave us substantially more room than our Fit, despite being a much larger car. Hondas are really well configured inside, in my experience.
Anonymous says
We got a RAV4 prime (plug in hybrid) and loooooooooove it. But it’s a stupidly challenging waiting list system right now and it’s not cheap – worked for us only with federal/state incentives and because we had kept our old subcompact for a long time even with two kids.
EDAnon says
Ooh! We will have to look into it. Thanks!
anon says
The Toyota Sienna hybrid AWD is a dream. Also $$, especially now when none are available. We had a 2014 Toyota hybrid Highlander AWD that was great (we put on snow tires and a roof rack), but we have three kids and 2 dogs so it was a little small, especially since the kids are older. That might be a good one for you to try.
Anon says
We just got a Volkswagen ID 4. It’s fantastic so far! You can fit 2 carseats + a booster in the backseat and it’s lovely for a family of 4.
anon says
My experience with Teslas is that they’re very reliable and there’s less maintenance needed (no oil changes! and no x miles service for new vehicles). Superchargers are really fast to charge if you’re driving very long distances, and they’re everywhere I’ve wanted go (Bay Area, YMMV).
With all the ski stuff for vacations, you’ll probably want something larger–an S or X. Great for kids in hot/cold areas since you can turn on climate control from the app.
Daycare Woes says
Does anyone remember how long it took their baby to adjust to daycare? My 4 month old has been there for 3 weeks now and naps are still really rough/some days nonexistent. And today she started refusing the bottle again (she had a rough start with it but has been taking 4 bottles a day for the past couple of weeks without issue). At home she does well with naps and breastfeeds without issue. I knew it would be a transition, I guess I was just hoping it’d be getting a little easier by now.
Anon says
4 months is just a rugged time in Babyhood. Sending love!
octagon says
My child did not nap at daycare until he was in the 2 year old room. It made for some pretty cranky dinnertimes but bedtime was always easy at home, and he was sleeping through the night quickly. He just had serious FOMO and never wanted to close his eyes there.
Anon says
Oh wow. My daughter dropped naps in daycare right after turning 2 (well actually in pandemic lockdown, but then she never resumed napping at school), which made for some cranky evenings and ridiculously early bedtimes but I can’t imagine having an infant who didn’t nap all day.
Anonymous says
Same. My kid was always “woken up by a friend.”
anon says
It’s so hard, and so child-dependent. My first had a really hard time adjusting (and is still more likely to be upset at dropoff). I just remember him nursing for long stretches right when we got home from pickup. (I also credit this period for my DH learning to cook really well because he basically did all dinners.) I also remember it getting much better around 6 months as he started eating more solids, sleeping better at night, etc. I’d also ask the teacher for some input — maybe they can play her favorite song or you can send something familiar for her (even if she can’t actually sleep with it). Also, I do wonder in retrospect how much it matters the age they start at daycare, how they connect with the teacher, etc etc — a lot of factors you only have so much control over. In short, I wish every baby, including my first, could have had the baby-whisperer/sweetest teacher ever that my LO#2 got to have. You’re not alone, some babies really have a harder time adjusting, and it’s hard for you as the parent!
Anonymous says
Re: refusing the bottle – is it possible you are dealing with lipase issues (did you start using frozen/older milk?), or that she is sick (e.g., does she have a sore throat or something that makes it painful)? For a sudden change after weeks of successful bottle feeding I would look for something that has changed.
Anon says
We put our LO in daycare at about 5 months. He didn’t start sleeping well (more than his prior max of 32 minutes at a time) until 11 months. We had to put him to bed no later than 6:30 because he was so tired and cranky when he got home. After two months, we stopped fighting it and started accommodating it. I guess some babies are catnappers or get bad FOMO. Have you asked daycare to follow a specific routine? or be in a room with other similar-aged babies so they’re all napping around similar times? Our LO who still needed three naps a day had a hard time being in a room with once-a-day nappers because of the FOMO.
As for the bottle, is she ready to move up a nipple size?
anon says
OMG the nipple size/faster flow thing is real! Good idea. My first didn’t seem to care, but DD sure did! How quickly you forget the little baby details, wow.
Curious says
Hello, my baby also has an exactly 32 minute sleep cycle. That is all.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Another nap question. DS #2 will be 1 in Mid-December. School wants him in the room with other 1-under 2 year olds starting next month. I’m all for it (no more packing food!), except he has to be on a one-nap schedule in this room. He still takes 2 naps at home, but his school naps are all over the place.
Anyone ever have their kid on one nap schedule at home vs. a different one at school? No issues with night sleep at this time. I think <14 months is way too early to drop to one nap but I do think otherwise moving up a room is the right choice for him.
AnonATL says
We do. At daycare my son is on 1 nap. Weekends he takes 2 which I think is what he really needs.
He’s asleep by 6:30 every night and usually up by 6:30/7. He’s grouchy in evenings and we just white knuckle it to bedtime.
He’s 15mo and has always been higher sleep need
anon says
Hm…it seems like they wouldn’t want a kid not ready to drop a nap to do so with them. Our current school did some transition days to kind of test out who is ready for the next room. I think my youngest started dropping her morning nap then because if she was stimulated more (like she was in the bigger kids room) she easily could wait to nap. I wish I could remember when she really switched, but for a long while we couldn’t keep her up past 10:30am when we tried, so maybe they just need to do a trial day and see where she lands on that spectrum? I just doubt they’d want to force it if LO is cranky and screaming and falling asleep at the age they really need two naps. Good luck and prayers to the toddler nap gods for you.
Anonymous says
I don’t know if any of this helps, but: We did this because we didn’t feel like we had a choice – our DD was more than ready to move up at 12 months because she was the only walker in the infant room. We still offered two naps/day for a month at home, and now we are down to one at home (14 months) unless there is a lot of car time. The teacher said (and she was right) that it will be easy for them to drop the morning nap at school because they are busy playing. Her naps at home start an hour or so earlier because we are less activity-intensive and we are paying attention to her sleep cues (i.e., meltdowns and whiny-ness).
CCLA says
Our oldest moved up to the toddler room when she was about 10 months. This was years ago now but I remember being happy about it. She went from 2-3 junk naps in the baby room to one longer one and I think she actually got more sleep after the transition, she was better suited to the more scheduled rhythm of the toddler room vs the free for all of the baby room. On the weekends we did offer two naps because we were often on the go in the morning so she would get a morning nap in the stroller or car, but we tried to keep that short to keep the longer afternoon nap she had become accustomed to. Sure, daycare is likely pushing the move because they want to make room for an infant but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a good move!
Anon says
This. My kids went from horrible naps at daycare from 2-11.5 months and then once daycare decided to just switch them to 1 nap they started sleeping 2-3 hours and it was great.
Anon says
I think it’s highly kid-dependent but I don’t think it’s always too early to drop to one nap. My daughter, who has never been much of a napper, dropped to one nap at 13 months completely on her own. But yes I think generally a different schedule at home and school is fine and weekend sleep can allow them to catch up a little bit. My daughter is now almost 4 and hasn’t napped at school in two years but still takes a long nap on most Saturdays. She almost never naps on Sundays and never naps on weekdays even if she’s home from school. Obviously she has very different sleep needs than a baby, but her weekly nap seems to recharge her enough that she doesn’t need to nap other days.
Anonymous says
My LO dropped to one nap at 13 mos. she’s in the 1-1.5 y.o. room at daycare, and they all started fighting afternoon naps. She was also a baby who napped terribly in the infant room (and at home) because she had major baby FOMO. Literally did 20-30 min naps from birth until she got to 2 naps. It was awful. The two nap stage was very short. Then she was between 1-2 naps for maybe 3 weeks, usually 2 naps on a Saturday and 1 nap the rest of the week. She is solidly at one nap now at 14.5 mo and usually does a solid 2.5 – 2.75 hrs.
OP says
Thanks all. This is super helpful. We don’t have much of a choice in the room moving, but I’m actually all for it apart from the naps…looks like he’ll have 2 naps on the weekend to “catch up”, and the one nap on school days.
Big boy bed says
When should I transition by son from a toddler bed to a big kid bed (thinking a full or queen)? He’s still not fully potty trained – sleeps in a night diaper – but he’s very tall (about 3ft 9in). He looks like he barely fits in the toddler bed but he sleeps fine. Am I hurting his back/growth by not putting him in a normal bed with a good mattress? Or is this something I can wait on until furniture delivery becomes easier? The toddler bed is his crib with one side removed and replaced by a rail. Same crib mattress. What age did others transition to big beds? Thanks.
Anon says
My daughter is almost 4 and I think a similar height (around 44″ or 45″). She is not longer than her crib mattress (which I believe is the standard 51″) and doesn’t look or seem uncomfortable. We don’t plan to transition to a big bed anytime soon. Her room is small and ultimately we’ll need a space for homework, so I’d like to install a loft bed with space for a desk underneath. I’m hoping we can keep her in the crib until she’s old enough for the loft bed but we’ll re-evaluate if she starts complaining.
Anonymous says
We did not transition our son until he was 5 and returned from a vacation and complained that his infant mattress was hard as a rock. A week on an air bnb bed made him realize what he’d been missing. Kids sleep on the ground all over the world; I don’t think you are harming your child.
Spirograph says
No, they can keep sleeping in a toddler bed as long as they fit comfortably in it, which is a long time if the kid likes to sleep curled up in a ball. My neighbor just got rid of his toddler bed a couple months ago, and he’s 6!
We transitioned ours anywhere between 3 and 5 depending on various factors, but none of them were “outgrowing” the bed.
anon says
I’m guessing he’s around/under 3yo then? I read a very persuasive NYT parenting article that basically said about 3 is ideal to transition out of crib, if no other big transitions at the time, so if he’s already in a toddler bed I wouldn’t worry about it. If he really feels constrained I think he’d be climbing out and sleeping on the floor. We transitioned DS to a twin bed at about 3.5 I think? But he could climb in and out himself to go to the bathroom.
Cb says
I wouldn’t do it until he was dry over night / not having accidents because changing a queen sized bed in the night sounds like an absolute nightmare?
But kiddo is in a single because we don’t want to sacrifice the play space.
Anonymous says
Or just washing an entire queen bedding set every other night. My bed wetting kid is in a twin and it’s still just A Lot