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I love, love, love this skirt. I saw it on the Anthropologie website and my scrolling fingers stopped in their tracks. I love the combination of the pink, creme, blush, and pistachio colors. The embroidery is gorgeous, and the tulle overlay adds a unique and delicate touch. It’s graphic and feminine all at once. The skirt is available at Anthropologie for $160 in sizes 00–16. Arabella Embroidered Tulle Midi Skirt This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchasesmade through links in this post. For more details see here.Thank you so much for your support!Sales of note for 4.18.24
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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?
Pre-conception vitamins says
My wife and I are going to try to conceive (via IUI, we’re lesbians) starting in September. Wondering how many people took prenatal multivitamins prior to conception and how many stuck to just folic acid? The recommendations for supplementation pre/during/post pregnancy seem to vary widely. In Europe (where I’m from originally), women are only encouraged to take folic acid and vitamin D during pregnancy. Even iron isn’t recommended unless a woman’s blood tests show she’s low and then it’s started past 12 weeks. In North America the messaging seems to be take everything all the time (a full prenatal multi during preconception and pregnancy and postpartum). My doctor said just folic acid is fine and I can start with full prenatal vitamins once we start the IUI. Just curious what others have done. As a scientist the various pieces of advice from different places discourage me and make me wonder which recs are evidence-based and which aren’t.
Anonymous says
I didn’t take anything before I became pregnant. I started taking a pre-natal multi-vitamin as well as extra folic acid once the second line turned blue.
Mrs. Jones says
+1
Anonymous says
Most prenatal multivitamins contain both folic acid and vitamin d so it’s easy to just take one pill. There’s probably not great evidence one way or the other for higher income women with well balanced diets/eating habits but personally, it was stress relieving for days when I was busy and didn’t eat as well as I would like. Also, it will depend on the pregnancy, if there is severe morning sickness/nausea it may be challenging to consume a nutritionally balanced diet.
Not sure where you’re from in Europe, but my DH is European and we visit frequently (southern Germany/Austria/Northern Italy). Most friends/family members with pregnancies in the last ten years seem to have taken a multivitamin. Didn’t ask everyone so just an observation from staying in their homes and eating together a lot.
Minnie says
+1. Ultimately, if you are confident you need folic acid and Vitamin D, for ease of use it’s simpler to just take a prenatal multi.
Pogo says
I took a prenatal that contained DHA, and I think I started a little bit before we were doing fertility treatments. I did not take a separate folic acid ever, but I ended up taking supplemental iron around 20w when I tested as anemic. The prenatal multi of course had both folic acid and iron in it.
Good luck! Fertility treatments are so tough, but it is worth it.
Anonymous says
I took a prenatal and DHA, starting about a month prior to conception. Unless you have high iron stores, I don’t see a problem with taking iron – it’s not like you’re bulking up on iron long term. Maybe it would be good to start taking the prenatal now to see if it’s agreeable to your digestive system, vs trying to figure that out while also experiencing pregnancy symptoms and not being sure which one is causing what?
Anon says
From what I understand, it’s important to take folic acid in the months before becoming pregnant, but the other vitamins aren’t important until after you’re pregnant. I just took the prenatal while TTC because it was easier than trying to get a separate folic acid and then remembering to switch and take the prenatal once I got pregnant. https://www.webmd.com/baby/folic-acid-and-pregnancy#1
CCLA says
This was my understanding as well re: folic acid, though for ease I just took the prenatal multi starting a couple of months before TTC. I always took the gummies which don’t have iron, and only added iron when I was mildly anemic later in pregnancy. Didn’t continue regularly postpartum, since the doc said it was for purposes of BFing and we did formula after the first couple weeks.
AwayEmily says
I am still taking my prenatal gummies even though I’ve almost entirely weaned, solely because it’s an excuse to eat candy every day…
Anonymous says
On the advice of my doctor, I started taking a prenatal multivitamin 3 months prior to TTC. I was glad I started so early because I got pregnant immediately. As an aside, there was something in the multivitamin that my body badly needed. I used to get sick all the time and constantly feel tired. I thought this was just sort of normal for busy women with demanding jobs, but as soon as I started the vitamin I felt like a new person. I never experienced the first trimester exhaustion that so many women talk about and I think it’s because my default state was exhausted and the vitamin helped me so much. My pregnancy was almost 3 years ago and I haven’t had so much as a cold since (I now take a regular multivitamin, not a prenatal).
Boston Legal Eagle says
I also started taking a prenatal after I discussed starting to TTC with my doctor, took it throughout pregnancy and then postpartum while nursing with my first. With my second, I just started taking it again when I got pregnant and then still taking it postpartum. It didn’t make me feel sick or anything (which is a concern for some when taking it while pregnant), so if your body reacts ok to it then I don’t see the harm.
Anonymous says
I started prenatals about 3 months before TTC. It just seemed easier.
AnotherAnon says
Honestly I struggled to make a habit of taking a prenatal until this year (been TTC 6 years). I added it to my 2019 goals and just buckled down and made it happen. In addition to a prenatal, I take extra vitamin D, per the recommendation of my RE. I also take a bunch of other supplements now since I’ve been diagnosed with PCOS and endo. Since you said you’re a scientist, I found Rhonda Patrick’s recommendations for supplements during pregnancy helpful. You might also enjoy Emily Oster. Good luck!
anon says
I started out taking prenatals but switched to folic acid until I conceived. I had infertility, and it was just such a slap in the face to keep taking (and purchasing!) prenatal vitamins for literally years while trying to conceive. I can’t remember what research I looked at–maybe Emily Oster’s Expecting Better?–before deciding that taking just folic acid was perfectly fine.
Anon says
My doctor advised me to take at least folic acid three months prior to/during TTC. I was really thankful I took that advice since I ended up with hyperemesis gravidarum and was unable to consistently take folic acid until we got that under control many months in. I have no idea if it is true you have a “store” built up but it was the only thing that kinda helped the guilt.
Lyssa says
I have no idea whether there’s science behind this or not, but my doctor mentioned that she’s noticed a connection between starting prenatals pre-conception and having fewer first trimester symptoms (morning sickness and exhaustion). She speculated that it might be the B vitamins that help. Who knows, but that’s enough for me to say just take the prenatal.
Anonymous says
I took prenatals as soon as we decided we wanted to have kids, on the advice of doctor. Was a good idea because I had to try a few different kinds to find one that didn’t make me super nauseous (even so I ended up just taking them at night). I was glad to take them…my hair and nails were beautiful, even if I can’t say that they made my babies healthy (but the vitamins didn’t hurt that is for sure). Even with the iron vitamin, I was still anemic for #1 and borderline for #2 (vegetarian here).
Folic acid is a must – this is necessary for neural tube development that happens before you can even know you’re pregnant, and that’s why public health recommendations call for folic acid supplementation in the food supply. So ask your doctor about whether to just do folic acid or the whole thing but definitely do folic acid (relying on food is not enough unless you only eat lots of fortified processed foods). This might not be super relevant for your specific situation, since you will know exactly when you try to conceive and thus could probably start folic acid that day, but I wanted to put it out there in case someone else is reading this thread.
Katy says
I started taking a prenatal as soon as TTC. Similar to other poster – it just seemed easier. I was under the impression that the folic acid was valuable to ‘build up’ in advance. Ultimately, I incrementally took iron during pregnancy, as a result of blood work.
I purchased another bottle post weaning because the components were identical to a normal multi-vitamin with three exceptions – higher vitamin D, higher iron and higher folic acid. I basically take vitamins for Vitamin D and iron!
BabyBoom says
Have you selected and met with a reproductive endocrinologist? I did 3 rounds of IUI about 4 years ago and when I met with the Dr for my first consult, she went through her recommendations on what to take (and not to take). Our first consult was scheduled for an hour because the Dr expects there to be a lot of questions. If you haven’t selected a Dr you may want to do so. For us there was about 3 months between the first consult and our first IUI. Part of that was the incredibly long time we took to select sperm (also a lesbian), but also part of that was testing, getting on cycle, etc. If you are already in the process, you may be well aware! However, I was surprised at the lag between consult and our first attempt.
Anonymous says
Seconding this. It took us a long time to get a spot for an initial appt (in Canada) and then a couple months of testing, etc before we did the first IUI cycle.
anon says
Late post but I thought it might be worth the recommendation. I am mildly anemic (not related to pregnancy just heavy periods) and have taken Folivane F for years (Rx but my insurance doesn’t cover it–it’s about $43 for a three-month supply). I knew it had iron in it but recently discovered it also has folic acid, which is handy for you. The reason I bother recommending it is because I have never had any side effects (naseau or otherwise). My originally-prescribing doctor (an oncologist who watches my blood work like a hawk) told me there was something about this formulation that is generally well tolerated by most people. At my standard physical this year my iron was actually a touch high so my PCP switched me to Folivane OB which has a lower iron dose (85 mg vs 125 mg in Folivane F). The Folivane OB script was only for 30 pills and was $23 out-of-pocket (still Rx, though).
EB says
Any recommendations for a gift I can bring to visit my friend’s new baby tomorrow morning? This is her second girl, so I don’t think she has need for anything in particular. I do a little collection of books for new moms, but not sure I could avoid duplicates. Anyone have a “go-to” gift for second time parents?
anon. says
UberEats or Post Mates gift cards have been huge hits for me in this situation.
Minnie says
YES. Food-related gifts all the way.
AwayEmily says
Food is always great. If you wanted to stick with books you could go with ones that have come out since the last baby was born. One recent amazing innovation that I think is new in the last year or so: lift-the-flap books where the flap is FELT instead of paper so the kid can’t tear it off. Look for “Where’s the Zebra” on amazon (there are a bunch of them, that’s the one we have — and honestly I was thrilled to be gifted new books with my second; I was pretty sick of all the ones we had).
AnotherAnon says
Foods you can eat with one hand for mom (bananas, granola bars, small bags of almonds, etc) and maybe a paci if you know what kind baby likes. You’re a sweet friend.
Emily S. says
Mufins that freeze well and a pizza cutter (makes cutting toddler sibling’s food faster and easier. Weird gift, but I got the idea of my sister, and learned myself that anything you can do to make a second-time parent’s life easier is appreciated.) I also bring something for the new sibling, a toy or a book that is just for him or her.
anon says
Definitely food plus a little something for the mom (scarf, fancy hand cream, etc.). I still remember receiving a small bottle of fancy face mist after my twins were born and crying because I was so touched someone brought a gift for me instead of the babies.
blueberries says
If you have time to cook, my favorite gift in the newborn period is home-cooked food.
Wow says
+ 1
Home made food has always gone over very well. If you don’t have time for that, Uber eats gift card.
Anonymous says
If you’re looking for baby gifts for a second time parent, I suggest towels or washcloths. Those get grubby with use and new is just lovely.
EB0220 says
I have 2 girls. I really liked: new version of stuff that gets gross (bibs, burp cloths), washcloths, personalized things, hooded towels. Food is always good too. :)
Anonymous says
I’d do: a book (with gift receipt) for baby, a sticker book for older sibling, and one-hand snacks for mom.
anon says
I got an outfit for the baby and for the older sibling, and maybe a book for sibling, too? I was surprised how much the mom appreciated the toddler outfit… I guess toddler clothing generally isn’t gifted!
Minnie says
When did long-distance air travel with your kid get easier? My in-laws live in Europe and I’m trying to decide on a target date to visit them. We traveled there when my son was 6 months old and the flights were…okay…but now he is a VERY ACTIVE 18 month-old and getting him to sit still for 8+ hours on a plane seems unlikely. My in-laws would like us to come next summer when he’s 2.5, but I don’t know what a 2.5 year-old would be like on a transatlantic flight. Should I push to wait until he’s 3+ or will it not make any difference?
Anonymous says
I haven’t down transatlantic flights with my kids, but I’ve done 5-ish hour flights and 2.5 is not a great age for those. That said, 3 isn’t necessarily better. For us, the real difference wasn’t until about 5 or 6, at which point it became pretty easy. Unless you’re willing to wait until then, I might just bite the bullet.
AwayEmily says
It probably depends on the kid, and especially you/the kid’s attitude towards music/screens. We took a 2.5 year old on a cross-country flight a few months ago and it was fine — she spent a lot of time listening to music on her headphones, and then switched to Daniel Tiger on the phone for the last half hour or so. But obviously cross-country is not the same as transatlantic so YMMV.
Anonymous says
Same. My kids were all surprisingly great on a 5-hour flight at 2.5, 4, and 6, but we loaded a bunch of shows on a tablet for each of them, and basically let them watch as much as they wanted to. They also looked out the window, napped, and had books and stuffed animals, but the tablets were the key.
Minnie says
My attitude toward music/screens is “whatever you need to get through this flight, my tiny friend.” Part of my motivation in not letting him have a ton of screen time (not that he’ll sit still for it now, anyway) is to make it EXTRA SUPER CAPTIVATING for those times when we really need it!
Anonymous says
Yep, this. Unlimited screen time allowed on long flights.
Anonymous says
I will say, you need to give your kid a *little* screen time and practice with headphones prior to a flight. Our 18 month old had never had any screen time so we thought an iPad with videos and a few games would keep him busy during a flight but he was pretty confused about what the iPad was, didn’t know how to tap or drag things to play the games, and was extremely irritated by his headphones.
Minnie says
I hadn’t thought of this…good insight!
Anonymous says
We’ve done transatlantic flights with our twins twice and found 13 months to be exhausting (both trying to get them to sleep on the way over and entertaining them on the way back) and 22 months to be amazing (slept the whole way there, had a good enough attention span that it was easy for one parent to occupy them for long chunks of time while the other parent got a break for the daytime flight).
There’s probably some element of knowing your kid (mine are not the kind that sit and play independently for an hour at a time, butthey also aren’t extremely high-energy), but I would imagine that 2.5 would be fine as long as you pack some carefully chosen activities.
Anonymous says
When screen time became really useful – probably age 2 or so? Caveat that we didn’t have occasion to do really long flights.
GCA says
We did long-haul international to Asia at 9 months and 2.5, and 2.5 was definitely easier: he slept a lot of the way, was super excited about (but did not eat) the bento box kids’ meal on the plane, read a bunch of books, and watched Finding Dory three times with the sound off despite having the cutest pair of cat-ear kid headphones. At 9 months all he wanted to do was crawl up and down the aisle and throw things out of the seat.
Minnie says
Oh my gosh. Long-haul to Asia. God bless you. I have a hard time handling those myself as an adult!
Anon says
My daughter was glued to the screen for the entire length of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on a transatlantic flight at 15 months. I was surprised by how much it captivated her, even without headphones. I definitely think it’s worth trying screens with a younger kid! We had never really done screentime at home, so I just assumed it wouldn’t interest her that much, but she was absolutely fascinated.
anon says
My twins are 2.5 and we’ve flown cross-country with them twice in the last few months. These flights were SO MUCH EASIER than when they were 12-18 months. As others have said, we basically let them have unlimited screen time for the flights–some Daniel Tiger and Doc McStuffins I preloaded on my phone, some watching kids movies/shows on the back of the seat in front of them without sound–and plenty of snacks. I was actually able to work on my laptop for much of the flight (!), which was unthinkable even 6 months ago.
Minnie says
This gives me so much hope! The consensus seems to be that unlimited screen time and plenty of food are ingredients for success. To be fair, I also require these things on long plane voyages, so I’m not sure why I’m surprised…
Pogo says
yes, all the snacks!
EB0220 says
Around 3 my kids developed a longer attention span for screens and flights have been a breeze since then. We’ve done cross country but no international yet.
Anonymous says
We do a lot of transatlantic, and 2.5 was significantly easier than 1.5. Most kids are much more able to sit still for a movie by 2.5. I recommend delaying potty training until after the trip. I find diapers easier to deal with than toddlers + airplane bathrooms.
Anonymous says
Go now, you never know how long your in-laws will be around. Not to be morbid, but if one of them dies and your kid didn’t get to spend this time with them because you thought plane flights would be easier with an older child, you’ll regret it hugely. Just go. The flights will be some degree of tiring, but you’ll deal. Signed, someone who would give anything to get my dad back.
Anonymous says
Aw, I’m sorry about your dad. Thank you for this reminder, though. We’re not guaranteed another visit at a convenient time with anyone. My grandmother passed away about a week after my first child was born. I hadn’t seen her in a year or two, and we were to visit later that year when the baby was around 6 months. Obviously we weren’t going to fly cross-country with a days-old infant, but it’s still sad she never got to meet him.
Minnie says
This is so true and something I think about a lot. And it’s not morbid at all–it’s the way life is. Thanks for the reminder.
anon says
I’m sorry about your dad. As another point of view, I’m perfectly happy that I never took my young kids to visit my dad across the country until he was in hospice care and absolutely couldn’t travel to us.
My dad always visited us, though traveling wasn’t easy for him. My kids enjoyed time with my dad so much more because they were in their own space and not jet lagged.
They handled the one trip to my dad fine, but I think it was because they already knew and loved him.
Anonymous says
18 months is like the worst possible time to travel, IMO. They are super squirmy, are (usually) past the stage of nursing to calm down and fall asleep, and their attention cannot be captured by screens. By 2.5, you can probably get them to watch a movie or cartoons for a few hours on a transatlantic flight.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
+1. Just did a round of flights with 18-month-old DS as lap child and they were TOUGH. It was constant alternating between a few minutes on tablet, book, letting him stand, offering him snacks, etc. The return leg was a little after his regular nap time. I was hoping he’d nap. NOPE.
We’ve taken about 16 flight legs since he was born, but I think until he can really watch the tablet without getting distracted, it will just be a challenge.
Anonymous says
We started doing cross-country flights and long road trips at 2 years 4 months and it was totally fine. Using the car seat on the plane was helpful–it was a familiar space where she was already comfortable spending long periods of time, and it facilitated napping.
Minnie says
Definitely will do a carseat!
Anonymous says
You should be able to avoid flights under 8 hours unless you’re trying to do one direct flight only. I almost always have to call the airlines directly to book because there are many more routings that you get from online search engines. I find each segment separately and then patch together based on the hub airport for each airline. E.g. most people will take AliItalia for Rome – Toronto but it’s like a 9.5 hr flight so I prefer two short flights. LHR has the best kid gyms in Terminal 1 and water bottle refill stations so I prefer to fly via LHR when possible.
I have three under 7 and we go every year. 18 months -2.5. years is the hardest time. It gets way way easier after age 3. I’d still go at 18 months and again at 2.5 years if you can. You never know how long you’ll have your inlaws for. We did 10 month old twins and a 3.5 year old on a 7.5 hr flight and it was fine.
Don’t plan to sitting the whole time. Go for walks up and down the aisle every couple hours. Videos of themselves playing or their cousins/friends playing or our dog will entertain them much longer than cartoons.
Anon says
As a counterpoint, one long flight has always been much easier for us, and we choose vacation destinations around where we can fly non-stop (would obviously make an exception if we had family that couldn’t be reached by a non-stop flight). When my kid gets off the airplane in Europe, she is DONE and there are meltdowns if we have to get back on a plane. If we have to do it a layover, we try to do it in North America instead of Heathrow. (I also really really hate Heathrow airport and always have, even pre-kid.)
Anonymous says
Surprised that you hate LHR! Now that Star Alliance is all in the one Terminal it’s great and so quick between flights! My 7 year old complained that we’re flying through Munich this year instead of LHR.
Vacation destinations are different than visiting family. You don’t have a choice on location so you have to work with the airports nearby. Sometimes two flights avoids a long flight followed by a long drive. Depends on direction as well. I’ll often do a direct flight over because those are shorter for the same route and then do two flights back – but again depends on departure/arrival times as well. A direct flight that leaves at 7am or gets back at midnight is a nightmare with kids.
Minnie says
I am shocked that there is anyone who likes LHR, but I’m always disembarking or departing there and I think the getting in/out is the main contributor to my hatred. And I hadn’t thought about departure/arrival times…ugh, there is so much to think about!
Anonymous says
Yeah, I’m also shocked that anyone likes LHR. It’s universally regarded as one of the world’s worst airports. http://www.traveller.com.au/and-the-worst-airport-in-the-world-is–hanq
Emma says
+1 on the LHR hate. I go to London a lot for work and always go to Gatwick.
Anonymous says
I’d take that survey with a large grain of salt. It also says “Ironically, Heathrow also rated highly among the favourite airports, coming in at number five”
Changing terminals at LHR is a PITA but if you’re just in the Star Alliance terminal, I’ve never had an issue and the big jungle gym play area has definitely helped my kids fall asleep on the second flight.
Pogo says
My husband refuses to fly through LHR. If we absolutely have to go United we just go direct from Newark to wherever we need to go in Europe.
Anon says
I refuse to fly through LHR. If London is our destination, we fly into Gatwick. If we’re flying to Europe and need to connect we fly through Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris or one of the other major gateway cities. A few reasons I hate Heathrow: the immigration/security lines are awful, they always lose my luggage (even gate-checked luggage, including a stroller), the employees are rude and I’ve never thought it has particularly good food/entertainment options for a major airport. My experience is mostly on AA/BA, perhaps the Star Alliance areas are better. I really like the airport in Rome, but I despise Alitalia. If we can fly there on an AA-operated flight we consider it a good option, but I won’t fly Alitalia.
Minnie says
I am so interested that you do a layover vs a longer direct flight. To be, the idea of navigating the airport with a small person unless it’s totally unavoidable seems nuts, but maybe I should rethink this. Although FWIW, our final destination is LHR, so our ability to divide up flights is limited.
Anonymous says
As an FWIW on LHR, it’s super touch and go with getting gate checked strollers back at the gate vs. with the luggage. We switch to Mountain Buggy Nanos which are within the carry on limits.
layovers depend on the airport. Rome is a hot mess. LHR I like because the facilities are good plus there are a million flights so on the off chance that the connection is tight due to a late place, they can usually accommodate on another flight. Zurich is also great because the Swiss are so tidy and efficient at every thing.
Pogo says
To LHR I would definitely just go direct from the US assuming you are near a major hub. That’s a (fairly) short flight anyway as international flights go.
RR says
My youngest did okay on a flight to the UK at age 4. Honestly though, it probably depends on the kid. My older two were champion road trippers–they could do a day in the car with normal meal stops as long as they had the DVD player and some toys–even when they were 2/3. My youngest never was. We have these painful memories of driving 2 hours through upstate NY on back roads looking for a restaurant while she screamed on a trip when she was 2. But even she would have probably been okay on a flight by age 3 (and definitely did okay at age 4). I definitely think a year can make a huge difference at this age.
RR says
Should have been in response to Minnie’s flight question.
Minnie says
My thinking, too, is that every month I can delay the trip is one month closer to traveling maturity. They change so fast at this age that his tolerance for traveling might be totally different between 2.5 years old and 3.5.
Lilyput says
Where do you buy furniture for kids room? I am looking for a book shelf. I found one here that looks good https://sprout-kids.com/products/book-display-shelf. Basically looking for a good quality solid wood furniture that is going to last through the kid years. Thanks!
Anon says
I bet wayfair has a cheaper dupe. It may have particle board on the back, but if you aren’t moving it a ton, it will probably last a few years.
Pogo says
I was going to say IKEA (because that is where we got our kid bookcase) but you said you wanted long lasting/”real” furniture. For that we go to a local furniture store; the brand we bought was “smartstuff”, they have a good selection of kid and baby furniture. It’s held up well so far! You could check for a distributor in your area on their website.
FVNC says
I really like the shelf you linked to! For my 2 cents, I bought a book caddy from an etsy shop called Inked Woodworking. The caddy was a dupe of one at pottery barn or crate & barrel kids, I can’t remember which. It’s solid wood (pine, not hardwood) and seems to be good quality. There are a number of other kids bookshelves on the site, and I bet the owner would build a custom piece (he was very easy to work with when I ordered the caddy).
Anonymous says
I would look at a school furniture supply website. Note that the the shelf you linked is actually plywood, which should be just as durable as solid wood. Particle board and MDF is much less durable.
Anonymous says
PS – not trying to be pedantic about terminology; I just thought it might be helpful to your search. (I want my years of art school wood shop to be useful).
Anonymous says
We bought my daughters dresser at an antique/consignment store because older wood furniture seems better made. FWIW we like furniture shopping though. Then for baby number 2 we went with all IKEA….
Anonymous says
We like local non-chain furniture stores for nearly everything.
IHeartBacon says
I have the weaning table and chair from Sprout for my 2 y.o. I love them. They’re great quality and no tools are required for assembly.
blueberries says
I’ve had good luck with pricier items at Ikea. Typically, the furniture that looks and feels better-made (like the Hemnes line) lasts for quite awhile.
Anonymous says
I love everything I’ve ever bought from Room & Board, including most of our kids’ solid wood furniture.
I would shop locally but small town store here only sells foreign-made furniture that doesn’t seem as high quality as R&B (particle and veneer instead of solid wood). So I can’t win on the local support side.
AnoninBigLaw says
FWIW, we have a whale rocking chair from sprout and it really is high quality, last for a long time furniture that they make there. So if you like that one a lot and want solid furniture, just wanted you to know Sprout is a great company.
Lilyput says
Thanks for the feedback! Really helpful.
So Anon says
On the hunt for wall decals for my kids’ new rooms in our new house! Specifically, my daughter wants a castle on one wall and a cat and dog on a different wall. (This is a huge step from her declaration that her walls needed to be magenta and gold.) Any suggestions on where to look for these? The brand that I used a few years ago is now out of business.
Minnie says
I bought Decowall brand ones from Amazon and have been very pleased with them!
Em says
+1 we got a huge map for like $25 from Decowall on Amazon andI was concerned it was going to be garbage but it is actually amazing. Putting it up was an effort but the result is very nice.
Pogo says
I’m laughing a magenta and gold walls. Reminds me of something they would do on Trading Spaces – remember that show??
Anonymous says
It’s back and just as awful. Doug and Hildy are public menaces.
LittleBigLaw says
I still remember the episode where Hildy SPRAY-PAINTED an upholstered chair that was the one piece of furniture the owners asked the show not to touch because it was a sentimental reminder of a recently deceased family member. Ugh.
buffybot says
Minted does some pretty cool stickers/decal type wallpaper for kids’ rooms, I believe.
Anonymous says
We ordered off of Etsy and there are so many choices and it came out great! Just look at the supplier reviews first
Weekends says
Does anyone else not look forward to the weekends now that you have kids? My son is 9 months old and I miss him so much during the week – but then the weekends just leave me so exhausted. Am I doing something wrong here? I feel like this wasn’t as bad when he was younger and less mobile.
Minnie says
This is totally me. It kills me when I’m driving into work and all I hear on the radio is “Thank God It’s Friday!” My weekends are exhausting! Give me desk work any day! But it’s better to be a Thank God It’s Monday person than the other way around–I spend five days a week feeling relaxed and two feeling harried, rather than what most people experience (living for the weekend).
Anon says
What do you weekends look like? Is your spouse working or otherwise unavailable a lot? I live for the weekend and always get the Sunday night sads. But I also have a super involved husband, so weekends are a nice mix of family time, one-on-one time with the kid, solo time, and couple time. I would certainly feel differently if I spent the vast majority of the weekend as the only present parent.
Weekends says
He’s around and very present/involved, so I’m not sure why I find it so exhausting.
I think part of it is that I’m just not sure what to *do* with my son at this age. I know that sounds horrible – but spending time with him feels like nothing but chasing him around trying to save him from himself.
Minnie says
Yes! This! Me too! We should start a support group.
I will say, this feeling actually improved dramatically for me once he got to about 13-14 months old. From that point forward, it became easier to take him out to places I would otherwise want to go–park, mall, visit friends (especially old people who desperately wish they were grandparents and have an appetite for tiny humans)–so I could get out of the house and feel more normal. But I still CANNOT STAND to be stuck in the house with my 18 month old. Playing kills me. It is so boring. I’d much rather run errands!
AwayEmily says
You are in what I think is the toughest time — when they are mobile but (probably) not yet walking. Once he’s walking, then you can go to playgrounds, let him exhaust himself running around the zoo/grocery store/etc. Our weekends changed DRAMATICALLY for the better once each kid learned to walk. The world is not set up for crawling babies. Have you explored all your local libraries? Sometimes the library can be a good place for that age — it’s usually carpeted and doesn’t have many choking hazards.
Anonymous says
Not OP but thank you for validating my feelings that the mobile, non-walking stage is the hardest. I had a super late walker (20 months) and friends couldn’t believe that I found the ‘terrible twos’ easier than age 1-1.5. But it was SO exhausting and boring taking care of a baby who was a crawling speed demon but wouldn’t walk!
Weekends says
Thank you! I feel like all I hear these days is “just wait until he’s walking, your life will be so much harder.” This gives me some hope!
rosie says
I completely agree. The crawling & the nap schedule can make it a difficult age to get out and do anything. I second the library suggestion. Some museums may have big carpeted areas (we went a lot to the Building Museum in DC at this age — we might walk through one exhibit w/LO in the carrier and then let her crawl around on carpet and watch the big kids). You can find a shady spot outside to set up a blanket, bring a few toys, have a picnic.
Anonymous says
I wouldn’t beat yourself up. 9 months is a tough age – they’re very mobile and have to be watched constantly, but they’re too young to really do anything fun. In 3-6 months, he’ll likely be walking and understanding a lot more and you can get out and do fun stuff on weekends that he will actually enjoy and you will enjoy seeing his enjoyment. This just a phase, I wouldn’t sweat it too much.
Maybe consider signing up for one crawler-friendly weekend activity? We started my daughter in a music class around 11 months, and she really enjoyed it. It was relaxing to me because it was a safe, baby-proofed space and there were lots of other adults and babies around keeping an eye on things. And she loved banging on the drums.
rosie says
Music class is another great idea. You can check Y/JCC-type places, also look at Music Together to see if there are any providers in your area.
GCA says
+1. I don’t see my kids awake a whole lot during the week, so I do like spending time with them on the weekends, but when one of us parents is traveling, that whole solo day is exhausting besides being fun.
Also, I find 9 months can be a really hard age. They’re mobile but not walking, so you have to follow them around and stop them eating woodchips, and do lots of physical tasks (wrestling diapers and clothes on, carrying a baby, etc). When they’re older, the ratio of fun to physically exhausting to mentally exhausting is different. (Age 4 appears to be a real pleasure. I have conversations with my child! Meltdowns are way rarer!)
AwayEmily says
ha, jinx on the mobile but not walking thing — and I actually almost wrote some advice to the OP about trying to find non-woodchip playgrounds. apparently we were all traumatized by that stage…
GCA says
ha, yes – I’m looking forward to the spray parks opening again in our area. Different hazards, but no woodchips… With my 9mo now at least I can prop her at a park bench and she’ll cruise along it instead of immediately sitting down and picking up a woodchip snack.
Pogo says
oh man, how fast the woodchip eating days go by! I had totally forgotten. This was me last summer (9-12mo).
Boston Legal Eagle says
I think this depends a lot on the number of kids and the ages of the kids. I have a 3 year old and a 7 month old and my weekends are full of highs and lows and I always feel so so exhausted. It’s a little better now that the weather is warmer so we can go outside to playgounds but it’s tough because the 3 year CANNOT stay at home for too long without going stir crazy and driving us crazy, but the baby still naps so we need to either schedule our outings around him, break his nap routine or divide and conquer. I’m still nursing so I usually end up with the baby.
Memorial Day Weekend was tough and I was not looking forward to it, even though objectively we had good times, it was still more exhausting than sitting at my office all day.
My husband is very involved and my parents come over every weekend, but it’s still tiring! I would give yourself a break and acknowledge that this is a season and it’s totally fine to look forward to the relative peace and quiet of the office.
octagon says
I found 9m-2y just completely exhausting. It’s before we really introduced screens and kiddo’s attention span never topped 10 minutes. When he napped, I would often nap even though there were a million things I’d rather be doing.
A few coping techniques — trade off solo time with your spouse. A few hours here and there makes a world of difference. Make sure your kid is physically tired enough for long naps (if you have a model that naps well). Now that the weather’s nice, pool time is good and so exhausting for littles. Swinging at a playground is good. Even being pushed in a stroller or a shopping cart is good – we forget how stimulating it is for them to just see lots of new things.
Hang in there! This stage passes quickly. (Though my kid is 3.5 and I still savor 15 quiet minutes with hot coffee every Monday morning when I get to my desk!)
Pogo says
+1 I feel like I give this advice all the time, but a long stroller walk while listening to a podcast can be such a lifesaver – it’s relaxing for you, plus mental stimulation (or humor or culture or whatever) from the podcast, and interesting for kiddo to look around at things.
Anonymous says
Similarly, babywearing will give you a break from constantly chasing after a crawler.
Anonymous says
Yeah, we did long afternoon walks almost every weekend day at that age. We’d either get some spouse togetherness time or meet up with friends with similar-age kids and get to chat while we walked.
anon says
Don’t feel bad about this. I think some of it is the age of kiddo. Once DD hit 18 months I started to enjoy weekends more. Now at 2.5, I’m so excited for every weekend (not that I don’t get tired during it but much more excited for it).
Emily S. says
I just read an Emily Oster piece about the why behind these feelings: to paraphrase, kids drain our energy a lot more quickly than working. So we can feel tired after about 5 hours of work but 15 minutes of playing. Knowing that there’s some reason behind my (what I perceived as irrational) feelings made me feel better. Also, time. This is a tough age. I had these same feelings when my kids were babies, and now that they are 4 and 2, and I’ve learned lessons about scheduling enough vs. over-scheduling or under-scheduling, weekends are better.
HSAL says
I always say I wish I had an hour more with my kids each day during the week, but five hours less on the weekends. It’s tough – I’ve found planning one event each day (just one) helps.
Swimming says
Has anyone taking ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) swim classes? Would love to hear about your experience with them.
Thanks!
anon says
Has anyone else been in this situation? My 6 month old daughter seems to be quite behind on her gross motor skills. She has made no real attempts to roll over in either direction and she still only pushes up to her elbows during tummy time. She actually tolerates tummy time pretty well and will lay there and play or look around for up to 15 minutes, but she hasn’t really made any effort to put weight on her hand/wrists or roll over. I’ve tried everything I can think of from putting toys just out, dangling toys above her head, giving her little nudges to try to get the rolling started, but nothing has made a difference. The doctor already seemed surprised she wasn’t rolling in either direction at her 4 month appointment, so now I am dreading her 6 month appointment.
At her 4 month appointment there was actually talk about baby physical therapy because she wasn’t putting any weight on her legs when held in a supported standing position. She honestly still isn’t great at this, but now she does a jumping/bouncing motion, so I’m hoping this won’t be an issue.
On the plus side, she has started sitting the tripod stance, so she isn’t missing gross motor skills completely! She also has good hand-eye coordination and is very smiley and social.
Not sure if I want advice or for you all to just tell me everything will be fine.
Anon says
She’s probably just lazy, and I meant that in the kindest possible way. Honestly, I think physical therapy is pushed way too often these days. I think 4 months is very early to be concerned about a baby not wanting to stand. My daughter did not stand supported until around her first birthday (which is definitely abnormal) and has always been very late on all milestones related to standing. She didn’t start pulling up consistently until 14-15 months, didn’t cruise regularly until 17 months and didn’t walk until 20 months (she rolled and crawled at normal-ish ages, although definitely not super early). She never really walked with assistance, because she was a very independent kid and wanted to be crawling, not having us walk her across the floor. The doctors were pretty blaise about it until 18 months and then when she still wasn’t walking, they suggested doing some follow-up, which we declined. We were always seeing progress, albeit slowly, and I was a very late walker too. She also had great fine motor skills (she had a good pincer grasp at 6 months) and was super social, and was completely normal (though not particularly advanced) verbally. Regression/complete lack of progress would worry me much more than just being slow to do physical stuff. Anecdotally, my daughter was also really big (chunky and tall) which the doctor said tends to delay some of the gross motor stuff – they have more weight to support.
Anon says
And I would recommend switching to a doctor who has a more relaxed attitude about this stuff. Not that you want a doctor who will ignore serious problems, but some doctors are much more aggressive than others at pushing early intervention. Our first ped was very concerned that our daughter was not rolling at 4 months (she rolled around 5 months I think) and then also got very concerned that she wasn’t a completely stable sitter at 9 months (she could sit independently for long periods but would occasionally topple over when something distracted her). She was also concerned my daughter didn’t have words at 9 months, which I now know is completely insane. We switched peds and our new doctor was a lot more relaxed about everything and made us stop dreading doctors appointments. Like I said, he did tell us at the 18 month appointment that they would normally recommend follow up testing for kids who are not walking then, but when I told him about the family history of late walking and that our daughter had only just recently started cruising, he agreed that it made sense to give her another couple more months before putting her through a battery of unpleasant tests. He emphasized that seeing them make progress, however gradual, is the most important thing. And indeed she walked fairly soon after.
IHeartBacon says
“He emphasized that seeing them make progress, however gradual, is the most important thing.” This.
Also, to the OP, I’m not sure how much time your LO spends just hanging out on the floor (versus being in a swing, seated walkers, etc) but you could try just leaving her on the floor more often without actively entertaining her. This may encourage her to use her body more to get to where she wants to go since you aren’t nearby to offer her toys. At 6 months, I would put my LO on the floor and sit on the other side of the room and read a book, or sometimes even leave him in the room by himself and sit in another room while monitoring him on camera. He would worm his way over from one side of the room to another. I think it helped his build up his core muscles for sitting, rolling, etc.
Lawyermom says
For rolling my daughter was a bit behind and my sister is a pediatric physical therapist. She showed me how to encourage the rolling. Essentially she told me to put her on a carpet and take away all toys and distractions. Sit to her left or to her right while in front of her and hold the toy. When the baby goes to grab the toy, their body will naturally shift and they will roll. Keep doing this multiple times a day and once it connects you won’t be able to stop baby from rolling. You can probably YouTube it if I don’t make sense. But try not to worry and don’t compare your baby to others. They all develop differently. As long as baby is getting plenty of tummy time they will get there.
anon says
Been there. In our case, DD also had severe torticollis so we were referred to PT at 4 months. In the end, DD had a significant gross motor delay but now that we’ve been in PT (private and early invention) for 2 years she’s much closer to her age level. I’m sure that isn’t what you want to hear but most families we’ve known with similar issues have only had short bursts of PT and it’s so much better to get plugged in while they’re little and can catch up faster.
On the other hand during that time we heard from a lot of parents that their kids skipped rolling over (or crawling, or whatever physical milestone) so it can always be that too.
Emily S. says
We were in a similar boat: daycare sent home the ASQ with “well below” scores in gross motor. I was really upset and started to dismiss it/adopted a mom knows best attitude, but then watched her and realized they had valid concerns. Our ped was also concerned, but in a gentle and laid-back way, which I appreciated. So that’s all these concerns were — concerns, not emergency problems, at least for the time being. Predictably, DD started rolling over and later, walking, just a few days shy of the timeline for “this is when we’ll start talking about PT.” That’s when it hit home for me that so much of parenting is stats and trying to apply data to your unique kid and figuring out how much uncertainty or how close to the margins you can live with before you treat perceived aberrations from data as big problems to handle.
AwayEmily says
We also got a note of concern from daycare about our son when he was around 13 months and not walking — they weren’t concerned about his not walking, but about how stiff his legs seemed to be. I appreciated it because it meant I took a lot more notice of it, and told myself that I would consider PT if he didn’t seem to be getting better. But once I started paying attention I saw that he was indeed making progress, and he started walking a couple of months later. so, I guess what I’m saying is I agree that it can be good to have the issue raised so you can pay attention and gather more data to inform your decision. And also: as someone said earlier, progress is key.
Sarah says
I don’t think this is reason for alarm, but I am no expert. My daughter was similar and my doctor just said to make sure she’s getting lots of floor time at daycare. Good luck, but I think you’ll find she’ll come around. At six months, my daughter would roll one way but not completely the other way. Once my daughter started rolling well a few weeks later something clicked and she did it a lot eagerly. I think 4 months is when some babies start to roll but not all babies do at that point.