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Updated: Sep 10, 2019 141 Comments · by

Nursing/Postpartum Tuesday: Baby Hairbows Set

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Baby Hairbows Set I am in a Facebook group of moms who all gave birth around the same time. One recommendation that has no relevance to me but I still found interesting was for these hairbows. They’re designed with a comb that promises to hold even the wispiest of baby hairs. This set of five bows is $12.99 at Amazon, and the colors will match any outfit in your baby’s wardrobe. I also think they’d make a cute gift. The bows are eligible for Prime and free returns (and are also sold at BabyWisp.com). Baby Hairbows Set  This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

About April

April is a working mom, a longtime reader of CorporetteMoms, and wrote our morning fashion advice for working moms from April 2018 to October 2020. She has one child (born 2/17!) and she’s a public interest lawyer in NYC.

Comments

  1. AwayEmily says

    I’ve never understood little hair clips for babies — aren’t they choking hazards?

    • Anonymous says

      I suppose they might be, but we found little hair clips super useful for that stage where our babies had hair that was long enough it kept falling in their face and getting covered with food, but not yet long enough to be put into a pigtail.

    • Anonanonanon says

      I wouldn’t put them on my baby and then put her in the crib or in a car seat where I can’t see her, sure, but they’re nice for photos or when a new-ish baby is dressed up cute to meet some of your friends for the first time, etc. I never sent her to daycare in them because I wasn’t sure they’d take them off of her before nap time and I was worried, but otherwise, I don’t think parents are hurting anyone if they want to put a bow in their baby’s hair

    • Lana Del Raygun says

      I’m not sure how big these are, but the ones my friends use are usually too big for choking. My sister used them a lot to keep her daughter’s hair out of her eyes before it was long enough for a ponytail.

    • Anon says

      Bows on newborns don’t make sense to me, even if it’s cute. But when my daughter was about 16 months she started getting sent home from daycare with her hair clipped back – they thought it was in her eyes – so I ordered bows like these. I think they are a choking hazard so I don’t leave them lying around, but my daughter has never successfully taken one out of her hair, so I don’t worry too much about sending her to school with bows in.

    • Irish Midori says

      I’ve always rolled my eyes at bows in baby girls’ hair, but now that I’m expecting a baby girl and getting a little mushy about it, I added these to my registry. :-)

    • Deema says

      I always did headbands when my babies were still at the “choke on a clip” size. Their little hair is too wispy to hold up a clip anyway, and it seems like it would be painful.

    • Anonymous says

      Life is a choking hazard for little babies. I only have a son, who needed a bang trim at 6 months in order to see, so I could see these coming in handy if you didn’t want to delve into baby hair cutting (scarier than clipping tiny fingernails!).

      • AwayEmily says

        OP here — “I’ve never heard of this bad thing happening, therefore it never happens” is is a legit terrible way to make decisions about safety. Want to hear a story? Fine, here — it took me five seconds of Googling: https://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/real-life/in-the-news/mum-speaks-out-after-her-toddler-nearly-choked-to-death-on-a-hair-clip/news-story/88f2fbbf1b467beb1d6b743412eec691

        That being said, I think like any other object if you use them with supervision (as it seems most people here do) then hair clips are likely no more risky than many other things we give our kids. Like Anon at 9:46 says, life is a choking hazard. We can’t avoid our kids interacting with potentially dangerous items, but it we should admit that there are real risks and then adjust our behavior accordingly rather than bury our heads in the sand and say “well, i’ve never heard of anything bad happening so therefore it never happens.”

        Again, I’m not saying “don’t give your kid hair clips,” I’m saying “think through the risks.” Way more babies choke on apples than hair clips.Does that mean you should never give your toddler apples? Of course not! It just means you should be aware and adjust your behavior.

        • Anonymous says

          I just find it absurd the first comment on an innocuous post on bows was basically omg y’all heathens give your baby this death trap?!?

          • AwayEmily says

            I’m sorry for making you feel attacked. I definitely should have phrased the comment better — it was a legitimate question; we tried putting clips in my daughter’s hair to keep it out of her face when she was a baby and she would always pull them right out and try to mouth them, so I wondered if I was missing something about how to use these safely. But you are absolutely right that the comment as written comes off pretty judgy and I should have said something like “my daughter always pulls her clips out, what do you guys do to make sure they’re used safely?”

          • Anon says

            There must be different kinds of clips. My 19 month old can’t get the clips out, at least not without yanking out a large section of hair (they’re alligator clips and you have to squeeze one end together from both top and bottom at the same time to release the clip and remove it without pulling out the hair – I can’t imagine most infant or young toddlers having the coordination to do that). I really don’t think they’re a choking hazard so long as we don’t treat them like toys for her to play with, which we don’t. These are the ones we have: https://www.amazon.com/Ruyaa-Fully-Lined-Infants-Toddlers/dp/B07525Y68T/

  2. anon says

    Ok random strangers of the internet, I need some commiseration… TTC and my period is normally like clockwork. Well today was supposed to be the first day of my period. Normally wake up with it and nothing this morning. Not cramps, back pain, or any of my normal symptoms. Took a pregnancy test, and it is negative. It’s even one of those extra early detection ones that are like 99% accurate the day of your missed period.
    So I guess all this to say the only thing I can do is keep waiting to either get my period or test again in a couple days right? FWIW, this is our first so I don’t have any prior experiences to fall back on..
    Ughhhh

    • Anonanonanon says

      fwiw it could be the stress of conceiving (and I would totally be frustrated reading that if I were you because I HATED when people blamed stuff on my stress).
      however, if it’s any consolation, the last cycle before I conceived my second, my periods were 65 days apart. I called my OBGYN to say clearly something is wrong and she did not think it was a big deal and just offered to give me a pill to make my period start if it didn’t start soon so I didn’t “have to deal with a big mess when it does”. Cool.
      Well, the next cycle I conceived, so who knows. I guess medical school taught her something after all.

      Also-unsolicited tip I learned from this board- reward yourself every month you have a negative pregnancy test. I put aside $100 every month it was negative with the intent of going on a big trip to visit my friend across the country if I wasn’t pregnant after a year. When I did get pregnant I had an extra $900 on hand for maternity clothes!

      • poiu says

        My periods were incredibly regular until we were TTC. Then they varied from 20 to 35 days, totally stress induced. (Son now 2, so it all worked out in the end.) It’s frustrating and it sucks but hang in there.

    • Anonymouse says

      FWIW, I am totally late on months we are actively TTC. It sucks. But the only thing you can do is wait a day or two and test again. And/or if your doctor will order the blood test – mine will but only 2 full weeks after ovulation.

    • Anonymous says

      I recommend having a glass of wine and some sushi. Best case: you’re pregnant (and neither of those things are issues this early) and you get some final wine and sushi. Worst case: you are not pregnant but still get wine and sushi.

      ~3rd time mom who had a lot of wine and sushi before getting pregnant. It took me 9 months, 1 month, and 8 months with each kid. Needless to say we were shocked when that second one happened so fast!

    • Anon says

      FWIW, the early detection tests didn’t work for me. They were less accurate than the cheap kind.

    • Anon says

      My usual comment: early detection is about implantation, not *really* your period. Your period is easy to see, so everything is given relative to menstruation, but it takes 7-12 days after implantation for your hcg levels to be high enough to trigger a positive result on a pregnancy test. If you know when you ovulated (which is very helpful if you’re TTC), then you can determine from that whether or not it’s a false negative or if you should have some wine and try again next month.

  3. Anonanonanon says

    I’ve purchased some clips from this company and they worked pretty well on my then-baby’s fine hair. She could still pull them out, but they didn’t FALL out, and it didn’t seem to cause her pain when she did pull them out.

  4. Camera for 4 yo? says

    Looking for recommendations for a camera for my 4 year old! Ideally, one without games or other bells and whistles. She’s starting to be interested in taking pictures but I really don’t want to be handing over my iPhone….

    • camera says

      Nikon Coolpix W100 is waterproof/durable and easy enough for kids. You can find on E Bay for under 100. I spent a great deal of time researching this a few wks ago and this was the best option I found

  5. Anon says

    How fast do antibiotics work on ear infection pain? My toddler started them last night and her fever is gone this morning but she still seems to be in a lot of pain, maybe even worse than yesterday. It’s worse when lying down, so last night was brutal, and just wondering if tonight might be any better.

      • Anon says

        We’ve only been doing Tylenol. My ped does not want us to give her Ibuprofen because I have a severe allergy :(

    • Irish Midori says

      It might take a day or two for her to feel better. +1 for the ibuprofen in the meantime. Lying down is also hard on the ears, so hopefully the pressure will lessen as she sits up.

    • Pogo says

      Warm compress? I don’t know how much it helps but my mom always would give me one to lay on when I had an ear infection as a kid. One of the old school red rubber hot water bags…. I can remember it so clearly! Probably it was placebo, but it always made me feel better when we got back from the doctor – she’d give me the first dose of antibiotics, then let me lay on the couch and watch tv. I’d lay on whichever ear hurt the most on the compress.

  6. Annie says

    Potty advice? We’ve been using the little sit down kind with our toddler, which has worked great, but she’d like to use the big toilet. Do you recommend the kind with steps attached? Buy a separate little step and a cover? Any specific brands. My am*z*n-fu is failing on this. We have a one bathroom apt. so the set up needs to work for all three of us. Thanks!

    • Anonymous says

      I highly recommend a toilet seat with an integrated flip-down child seat. Home Depot sells several brands.

        • AwayEmily says

          Look carefully at the step stool dimensions — a lot of them aren’t actually tall enough to let a small-ish toddler climb on to the toilet (I bought one at target that was laughably short).

        • CCLA says

          Yep, this. Our now 3-yo has been doing a backwards boost up maneuver using the squatting potty for a few months. The integrated steps looked nice if you have a dedicated kids bathroom never used by adults, but the flip is great for making it grown up friendly too. We do use the two-step stool for the sink, she is tall for her age but can’t reach the faucet handles with the single step ones.

      • Anonymous says

        This is what we use in our mainfloor bathroom (with an IKEA stepstool) and it’s great! For the upstairs bathroom and Grandma’s house we have the Munchkin Sturdy Potty Seat, which is cheap, easy to clean, and easy to hang up.

    • Emily S. says

      We used the baby Bjorne seat attachment with a dream baby step stool and a potty hook (I think that’s the brand name.) these were all recommended here and they worked well for us! I bought them all either at A-Zon or the Bullseye store.

  7. Delivery Experience says

    Piggybacking off of yesterday’s thread about “Baby Friendly” hospitals… We are TTC for #2 and I’m starting to reconsider the hospital where I delivered #1. While my L&D team was friggin’ outstanding the postpartum care still makes me very angry. I delivered at MGH in Boston for anyone that is familiar, but not a critical detail I suppose. For context, my ob & gyn are different people, but both at MGH. I also go to the Fertility Center at MGH where hopefully #2 comes to be.

    What does it take to move to a new-to-me hospital for delivery? What should I be looking for to make sure the experience is what I need? I’m guessing I’ll need to find a new OB. I’m more concerned about the hospital/delivery experience than the individual OB, which I’m not sure if that’s backwards or not so check me on that…

    I think my biggest issue was the rooming-in during her jaundice phototherapy treatment (similar to what someone described yesterday). I didn’t have to beg for formula for her thankfully but the way it all went down – very pushy lactation consultants, for one – left me feeling really not good. I was also admitted for only 40 hours from delivery to discharge. I know some of that might have been because of the timing of my delivery (4pm), but I could barely walk out of the hospital. Still, they could.not.get.me.out.fast.enough. I had a 3rd degree tear, five ours of pushing and then forecepts. I was in tears begging to not be kicked out because the pain was so extreme, but out the door I went. There are other issues, too, but I think those are the big, big ones.

    A family member is a seasoned L&D nurse at another prominent Boston hospital and after describing everything that we went through (including the above and then some) she was appalled and said I should reconsider my delivery hospital for #2. Every hospital I look at seems to be “Baby Friendly” which I thought was the designation that required rooming in. What should I be g o o g l i n g or asking for? Objective #1 is to get pregnant, clearly, and that I will continue with at MGH but I can go anywhere for my OB and delivery right?

    • AwayEmily says

      That sounds awful — I am so sorry. In case it’s useful, I really liked my experience at Beth Israel — I definitely was not rushed and everyone was super nice. It is a “baby-friendly” place but they have a nursery and the nurses did offer to take the baby if I wanted them to. I

    • Anonymous says

      40 hours is actually a long time. Many many people are in and out in 24. Honestly, I think your frustration is with the entire system not MGH.

      • Anon says

        Really? I thought 48 was standard in the US for an uncomplicated V delivery. I delivered at 4 am and they didn’t kick me out until two days later at a more reasonable time of day (maybe 10 am). A friend delivered at 3 pm and stayed a full 48 hours.

      • Anon says

        Unfortunately 3-4 days seems to be kind of a typical max. That’s all I got for similar circumstances, and I hear ya–it majorly sucked, and I too was in tears begging to stay. I actually was discharged sooner after my 2nd, which was a c-section (with baby still in NICU). I wish the system was better.

      • rosie says

        In the U.S., insurance typically cover 2 nights for a v-birth. So if you deliver early in the day, you are there longer than if you deliver late at night, typically, since they’re both considered delivering on the same day.

        • Anonymous says

          Yep. I delivered in the middle of the night, was put in a room in the wee hours of the morning, spent one night, and was discharged the next day. They start counting as soon as you are admitted, not after you deliver.

          • Anon says

            Insurance definitely is supposed to cover two nights after delivery, not after admittance. I was in the hospital for two nights pre-delivery (long induction) and two nights post-delivery (there were no complications other than minor tearing). My experience was unusually long, but many women are in the hospital overnight before delivering and it doesn’t mean they can only stay one night after the birth. Sounds like your insurance is terrible or you hospital had some really bad information.

          • anon says

            Most insurance contracts base it on how many “midnights” you stay after delivery, not how many hours total you’re there. Hospitals also tend to discharge in the morning. So, I gave birth at 2 pm on Thursday and was discharged Saturday morning. ALC delivered at 11:40 Thursday and was also discharged on Saturday morning. If ALC had delivered 21 minutes later, she likely would have been discharged on Sunday.

          • anon says

            Same – delivered at 11:15pm on Thursday and was out by 11am on Saturday, although my OB offered to see if we could stay longer. When I delivered at 3:30am on Friday, that didn’t count as a night so they would have let us stay until Monday (we left Sunday because I was sick and the dry hospital air was making my cough worse, ironically).

        • Anonymous says

          Wasn’t there a federal law passed in the 90s requiring hospitals to cover at least 48 hours post-delivery for v births and 72 hours for c sections?

          • Anon in OBGYN says

            Yes. Legally they cannot discharge you less than 48 hours after vaginal delivery or 72 hours after C-section. Hospitals typically discharge in the AM, though, so if you delivered at 11pm, you may be “encouraged” to leave at 11am (36 hours post-delivery) but legally you do not have to.

    • Anonymous says

      What hospital does your family member recommend? I would consider going to where she works, as she might at least be able to pull some strings for you.

      • Anonymous says

        Yes, I would totally go to the one where you have a family connection. At the very least, she can tell you how to phrase your requests so you are more likely to get what you need.

        • OP says

          She’s at Beth Israel which isn’t really convenient to my home (Melrose/Wakefield/Reading corridor) but a g o o g l e maps search is telling me that it’s somehow only an incremental 5 minutes further than MGH (midday, who knows about rush hour of course)… but maybe that’s the route to go after all.

    • Ashley says

      I would 100% deliver at the hospital where your family member works. Can you ask this person which OBs they like to work with? I figure the L&D nurses see it all. If she has a favorite doc or group of docs, try to get in with that practice. I wouldn’t go back to the same hospital after your experience. Even if it turned out ok the second time, I would be very anxious going in, which is not the feeling you need/want when you’re already in labor!

      • Lana Del Raygun says

        yeah my strategy for choosing a doctor is always “what do the nurses think?”

    • rosie says

      I wouldn’t go back to that hospital after your experience, and I would probably be changing OBs, since I think they OB would have been the one to push to keep you in the hospital longer. Not in the area, but I’ve heard good things about Newton Wellesley, although if your family member has recommendations, that would probably be a great place to start.

      Oh and I don’t think it matters at all that your RE is affiliated with MGH.

      • anon says

        +1 on changing OBs. At the teaching hospital where I delivered, I couldn’t be discharged without the on-call OB for my group discharging me (which meant a delay for me because she had to go into emergency surgery and I didn’t want to leave without being formally discharged).

    • anonnn says

      I commented yesterday about only having baby friendly hospitals in my city, and a friend who did not want to bf. Yes the hospital has limited support/options for that as far as bottles/formula selection, but she loved the nurses and staff and didn’t feel rushed or anything. They even walked brought her baby up to the nurses station to watch for a few hours so she could rest. I EBF there and loved them too, they just have really great nurses. What I’m saying is, I don’t think the baby friendly designation is the problem here, you should switch to where your family member works.
      Also, maybe write these wishes down on a birth plan and hand it to them at check-in when you go into labor (“Hi I’m Jane Doe, my DH is John Doe, my doc is Bill, my pediatrician is Ann, I want the lights dimmed, an epidural and I want to formula feed, so no LC assistance is needed”), so your expectations are clear. Maybe also look into getting a postpartum doula or night nurse for when you get home?

    • Sal says

      I would get a doula. Basically you need a professional patient advocate (unfortunately). I was very skeptical about hiring a doula but the difference in experience with my first (no doula) and second (doula) was gigantic. She was beyond worth the money.

      • Anonymous says

        +1 million for a doula, although they are only helpful while they are actually there and can’t do much about your postpartum care.

        • Anonymous says

          Lots of doulas also do postpartum work. This can make for a more pleasant hospital stay and an easier transition home. My doula did post-partum work up for babies and moms up to three months old.

          • Anonymous says

            +1,000,000 to a doula. Mine did an initial meeting to make sure we were a good fit and then did two formal prenatal visits to discuss birth preferences. She was at the birth and also came to the hospital 24 hours after delivery (and helped us load the car up), to our house 72 hours after delivery (PPD check and making sure that I was connected to all services that I need – lactation consultant, therapist, that I was eating and attempting to get sleep, and she made sure I had showered at least once since being home (if I hadn’t she’d watch the baby so I could shower)). She also came 6 weeks after to do a home visit and make sure everything was okay. All of the above is part of her standard package which costs $1000.

    • Pogo says

      I’ve heard good things about Mt Auburn. For MGH yes, I’ve heard very similar stories.

      Where your RE is definitely does not matter. Your OB should be affiliated with the hospital you deliver at, but obviously they don’t have to be – you could theoretically show up at any ER that takes your insurance and they’d deliver your baby. It is nice to have the continuity of care where the OB or midwives on call are the ones from your practice; my OB also rounded on me every day I was in the hospital, which was really nice.

      • Irish Midori says

        This is true, but if your OB is not credentialed at your hospital, someone else will be delivering your baby. Maybe not a big deal, and you’ll get whoever is on call anyway, but if it’s important to you that your OB or someone you know from their practice do the delivery, ask where all they are credentialed.

    • Butter says

      Just chiming in to say that I loved Mt. Auburn. Had an awesome view of the city while I was in labor at night, and generally had a very comfortable stay.

    • anon says

      Not a mom yet, but have heard among my friends/colleagues that Brigham is much better liked than MGH for delivery. Have also heard good things about Newton Wellesley.

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      Like AwayEmily, I delivered both times at Beth Israel in Boston and had a good experience. I’m not sure if this one was “baby friendly” but they definitely had a nursery and took DS2 there for a few hours (glorious!). I saw both a midwife and an OB and they were affiliated with different hospitals – OB was with Beth Israel. I had a random (perfectly nice and competent) OB who actually delivered the baby each time though so I don’t know that it matters too much that your particular doctor is there for delivery. My postpartum care was great.

    • GCA says

      I had two great L&D experiences at Mt Auburn, FWIW. For kid 2 I knew going in there was a risk of jaundice and we brought our own ready to feed formula. I was firm about it being medically necessary, and they supplied us with several more packages of ready-to-feed.

    • Anon says

      Definitely consider a switch. From my experience, MGH has loosened up a bit on the “baby friendliness” though. I’ve given birth twice at MGH (2016 and 2018) and the second time, the nurses offered to watch my daughter at the nurses station a couple times so I could rest.

  8. Lyssa says

    I realize that it’s perfectly dumb and useless, but my goodness, do I love bows on babies. I think it was 98% of the reason that I had hoped to have a girl. So cute.

    • AwayEmily says

      I am not someone who would ever put a bow on their kid but I make plenty of dumb/useless clothing choices because I think they are adorable (for example, overalls — so inconvenient, but so so cute!). So no judgment here!

      • EP-er says

        I thought overalls were awesome on the string bean kids! Never have to worry about the pants being too short or falling off. If only they were still fashionable for middle school boys….

  9. Anon. says

    Does anyone else’s daycare offer extra-curriculars for an additional fee? We got a flyer to sign up the two-year old for Tumblebus. It comes to daycare once a week during the school year and is a 30 minute gymnastics class for anyone who wants to participate for a monthly fee ($35). The teachers speak highly of it, but they have a vested interest right? The more kids who are at Tumblebus means a break for them? I’m not really that concerned about the money – we could certainly afford it, but its just one more thing on top of an already large daycare cost. And how much education in tumbling is really helping a two-year old who is running all day at daycare anyways? That said, dude is kind of clumsy like his mama so additional balance and agility training probably wouldn’t be the worst thing either. Just curious about how others might approach this.

    • Ashley says

      I’m always in the camp of just do it. It will be fun and the other kids will probably be participating. That said, I am always frustrated by the amount of “extras” at daycare (bake sales, silent auction, other fundraisers, pay for this activity, etc.). If the school really needs the money, or wants to provide this extra activity, please just include it in my tuition instead of asking me for something extra every time I turn around. I realize I may have a bad attitude but I am overwhelmed by this stuff.

    • ElisaR says

      this is just becoming an option for us this year and I’m not sure how to handle it. Before, my sons were both too young for the optional add-ons. I’m curious to see what others say. On the one hand, it sounds like another way to get more $ out of us. Which just bothers me. On the other, I don’t want my kid to feel left out.

    • anon says

      I don’t have a kid at daycare but my gut reaction is this is ridiculous. You are already paying for daycare activities and they are asking you for an extra activity fee on top of that? It isn’t much but I am so annoyed on your behalf. I would opt out and raise the issue with whoever you could that this is completely insane. Either they include the cost for all parents or don’t bring in the extra activity. How do they handle it when half of the class either disappears for this, or is clearly involved in an activity that only some can participate in?

      • Eh says

        Our daycare has a Tumblebus that comes, but it’s a separate small business run by independent people, not connected financially to the daycare. So they don’t include the cost with daycare because it is not part of the daycare. The bus goes to a different school/daycare every day.

        When part of the class leaves for Tumblebus, the rest of the class stays on schedule doing whatever activity is planned for that time. It’s not completely necessary, but it’s not insane. Ours is just a married couple with a business idea… they’re sweet to the kids and some of the kids like it. No harm no foul.

      • Anon says

        It’s optional. You’re paying for an extracurricular activity, not basic childcare. If you don’t want to pay, you still have childcare for however many hours/week that you thought you did when you enrolled in daycare. It would be insane if said “pay us more money or you have to pick your kid up at 4 pm on Tuesdays.” But it’s not insane to offer an extracurricular at an added cost. If you do an activity outside of daycare it will generally be a lot more expensive (weekly toddler tumbling classes in my LCOL area are $20/class).

    • DLC says

      My kids daycare had something like this, though it was included in tuition so all the kids got to go. The nice things was the incoming company brought equipment- low balance beam, bars, gym mats- so I did feel like the kids got to excercise different motor skills than they would during open gym time. And it was structured, so kids learned about taking turns and moving from station to station, etc. I would say go for it- at that age, if you were to sign your kid up for a weekend gymnastics class, you would have to go with and I love my kid, but sometimes the parent/ child classes are not how I want to spend my weekend mornings. This way your child gets the benefit of gymnastics class (at a fraction of the cost) and you don’t have to schlep them there.

      • DLC says

        Oh also to add: – my kid’s daycare also had extracurricular language classes you could sign up for, which was additional cost, but it was actually a parent organized activity (i.e. The parents were in charge of finding the language school to come in and then getting other parents to sign their kid up). It really wasn’t a big deal that some kids did it and others didn’t because it was usually scheduled during free play time.

        My biggest fund raising annoyance is actually picture day- my kid’s pictures are usually terrible, but there is so much pressure to buy them and they are so expensive.

    • FVNC says

      For that price, I’d definitely do it. Our older daughter’s pre-K/pre-school offered a number of extracurriculars, including sports but also cooking and math. She did the cooking class for a year and loved it (we hoped it would expand her palate; nope) and I think the cost was similar to your son’s school. My son’s new daycare offers six-week programs for $80 which seems like a lot, so I’m still on the fence about signing him up.

    • anon says

      we are considering a pre school for our kid and they have lots of extras – soccer, ballet, etc. idk how i feel about extra curricular activities at age 2

      • anonn says

        that was our thought too. The activities are during the free play time part of the day and I’d rather her have that than more structured activity in her already structured day. We decided no ECs until 4, with the exception of swim lessons.

    • RR says

      We did some of these, but not others. For example, we have a soccer program that goes to daycares around here, and we did that. My son did a karate option. Both were a nice test of whether they liked that activity to do it for real. We did not sign up for dance or for the tumble bus.

      That said, beware. Despite not signing up for dance or the tumble bus, all three of my kids ended up at them occasionally as a “free trial.” Basically, they send your kid to the tumble bus for free (without asking you), and then your kid comes home begging to sign up for the tumble bus or dance or whatever. I always felt silly being mad about a free trial of something, but it’s a clear sales tactic to involve your children in the sell. We still said no, but it definitely added pressure.

    • Irish Midori says

      For that price, if it’s not a hardship, I’d probably go for it. Like another poster said, a lot of the other kids will probably sign up, so I’d probably cave to the peer pressure on behalf of kid. And it sounds fun. But yeah, it’s kind of annoying. I paid an extra $100/mo. for extra phonics class in pre-school, and wasn’t really convinced it was that “extra” (it was just one of the teachers already at the school pulling aside the 4yos). I felt like… that’s what we’re already paying for in a preschool, no?

    • Anon says

      I would probably do it, but we are a no-activity-until-kiddo-asks family and I feel a bit guilty about that – if I could pay a pretty minimal fee and have my kid do a fun weekly activity with no effort or involvement from me, I would be thrilled.

    • SC says

      My son’s daycare has a soccer class that costs about $20/class. The price would be the same if we went to this company’s classes outside of daycare hours, but I like that Kiddo gets exposed to an extracurricular/team sport without it cutting into our evenings and weekends. I also like that it’s really, really low-key at this stage–no games, no pay-to-progress, no parents on the sidelines.

      FWIW, Kiddo’s camp had the tumble bus included in tuition one summer, and he loved it!

    • Cb says

      Our nursery offers an extra music class but it’s right at my son’s naptime so we haven’t done it. I would do the tumbling – my son is a bit clumsy and we go to a class on Saturday and I do think it’s made a difference for him.

    • Anonymous says

      In my experience, it’s very common for day cares to bring in enrichment classes. Depending on the quality of the class, it could either be a great way for you to give your child an extracurricular activity without actually having to spend your own time on it, or a big waste of money. If other kids are participating, your child will feel left out and complain bitterly if you don’t pony up.

      A cautionary tale about extracurriculars: The day care where my daughter attended private kindergarten brought in the tumble bus. It seemed like a total waste of money for a 4.5-year-old, as the activities seemed geared towards 2-year-olds and it cost just as much as a real gymnastics class at a real gym. I enrolled her in an actual gymnastics class instead, she fell in love with the sport the moment she walked into the gym, in less than a year she was on the preteam, and within a couple more years it had completely taken over our lives. It would have been very difficult to make her quit gymnastics once she’d gotten hooked, but it would have been very easy to be done with the tumble bus when she was finished with day care. Just some food for thought.

    • anon. says

      We just started dealing with this at our daycare. I was so naive and had no idea this existed, but as you can see from the comments so far, it definitely does. I started asking around and it seems very common. We went ahead and assigned our kid (3 yo) up for two different activities from an outside small business. We can afford it (though it’s definitely annoying) and it gets him doing more unique things without pushing into our family time or requiring much extra of us as parents. One is a mat-based tumbling type class and one is soccer.

    • Ms B says

      Eh, The Kid’s old preschool started yoga at 3, $5 per week for 30 minutes. Seemed like a deal to me; the cuteness factor of The Kid running around to show me tree pose was high, the breathing techniques definitely have helped with calming over the years, and I did not have to provide transportation or sit through it (and now that The Kid does sports and other extracurriculars, I appreciate the situation even more).

    • Anon says

      I agree that it is a bit obnoxious, but it’s also a good way to get your child involved with something without you having to drive to an additional place. That said, you don’t have to do anything now or never and you can wait until your child asks.

    • Quail says

      Both of our preschools have offered this and I’ve always signed kid up, despite the extra expense. At the first preschool, it was because their “after care” was pretty crummy and so organized soccer was better one day a week than the after care. At our current preschool, the after care is amazing, but he likes it, so we keep doing it (we have dropped activities that he’s meh about). I am all for any activity that has him learning from and following directions from another adult. They’ve just started offering instrument lessons as well. So, if he does soccer and piano at school once a week, then that’s two things I don’t have to schedule after school or on weekends yet he still gets the benefit (such as it is).

    • shortperson says

      our daycare offers five extracurriculars (yoga, gymnastics, ballet, japanese and violin) and my daughter did everything except japanese for about $200 a month (violin was the most expensive, and was twice per week). we figured, why not, it was a great deal for her to be exposed to these extra things without us having to bring her anywhere or (mor elikely) the expense of hiring someone to bring her somewhere. now that she’s at a regular school we really miss it and are trying to figure out the huge hassle it will be to get her to one extracurricular every week.

    • Anon says

      Now I feel bad that my daycare doesn’t offer extracurriculars. I honestly had no idea this was a thing!

      • Anon says

        Don’t feel bad!

        My kids’ daycare doesn’t offer extracurriculars for very thoughtful, philosophical reasons (though I think they’d also be opposed to charging families extra as a matter of courtesy). The idea is that young kids do best when teachers and kids have lots of time to follow the children’s interests.

        Having blocks of time reserved for various activities or a set curriculum to get through doesn’t support the model of having open-ended time to focus.

        I’d love for my kids to learn a foreign language without me carting them somewhere on the weekends, but lots of time with skilled teachers has been way more beneficial to them than an hour a week of French.

    • Deema says

      “The teachers speak highly of it, but they have a vested interest right? The more kids who are at Tumblebus means a break for them?”

      This really bothers me. Daycare teachers work really hard and allow us all to have our own careers. God forbid they should have their class size reduced a little bit for 45 minutes while the two year olds get a change of scenery and have a bunch of fun. And like, do you think the teachers are inside taking naps or posting on Instagram during bus time? They’re caring for the kids who couldn’t go, cleaning up the classroom, preparing the snack the kids are going to have when they return, going to the bathroom for the first time in three hours, etc. Just… total wtf at this comment, and I’m shocked I’m the first person to call it out.

      • Anon says

        I totally did not interpret the OP’s comment to be criticizing the teachers at all for feeling this way or implying that they are sitting around watching Netflix during this time. It’s seemed like she was asking for a more objective assessment of Tumblebus and simply noting that a teacher is not unbiased in their assessment of it because it reduces their class size and makes their job temporarily easier. My kid goes to daycare, I love her teachers and wish they were paid way more than they are (even if it came at increased cost to me) but I think OP was just stating the obvious, that fewer children are easier to deal with.

        • Anon says

          +1, I hear the call out, and the preschool teachers at my school are saints that I want to bend over backwards for all the time.

          But to give the OP the benefit of the doubt, the idea that the teachers have an incentive to push the extracurricular AND yet also totally deserve to are not mutually exclusive statements.

  10. avocado says

    I am working on my calendar and just realized that I am going to have an entire weekend all to myself. This has never happened before in the 12.5 years since my child entered the world, and may never happen again. That is all.

    • Anon. says

      I had 30 hours to myself this weekend and it was magical. Enjoy yourself! My closets are now very organized – I am lame and nesting is real.

      • avocado says

        There are so many things I want to do I don’t even know! But after the initial rush of excitement, I realized there is a very distinct possibility I will be asked to chaperone my daughter’s trip, which would mean a weekend of sleeping on the floor with a bunch of eighth-grade girls instead of a blissful weekend alone. Am I a terrible person if I say no?

    • Ms B says

      This is my favorite thing about Scouts – DH takes The Kid camping for at least 42 hours (yes, I counted) three times a year (absent massive rain storm or snow, both of which have, in fact, happened).

    • Buddy Holly says

      My kid and spouse went on a weekend away to a nearby vacation destination this summer. Can confirm, BEST EVER.

  11. CCLA says

    I realize this has been asked before but my search is failing me – what are some good books (or series, if that’s a thing at this age) for the 3-4 yo set? 3-yo DD loves having longer stories read to her, but also loves flipping through the pages and reciting what she remembers, so corresponding pictures are still a plus for her though I do think she’d sit through a no-picture story if just a few minutes. TIA

    • Anonymous says

      Curious George is great for this and the Knuffle Bunny series. Daniel Tiger books as well. They are classics but I also really like Katy the Snowplow, Blueberrie for Sal, Snowy Day, and Go Dog Go.

    • Anonymous says

      Berenstain Bears? Peppa Pig? Ladybug Girl series has some longer books

    • AwayEmily says

      My 3.5yo loves the Iris and Walter series (and bonus, the books are super cheap). Dodsworth is also great though the books are deceptively long.

    • SC says

      Curious George, Clifford, Pete the Cat, Duck and Goose, How Do Dinosaurs…?, Elephant and Pig, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

    • Anonymous says

      The If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series and Clifford are favorites for our kiddo to recite back to us.

    • Lana Del Raygun says

      Frog and Toad, Little Bear, Curious George, Blueberries For Sal and Clam Chowder for Lunch, Make Way For Ducklings, Bread and Jam for Frances etc, Katy and the Big Snow, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Miss Rumphius (all Barbara Cooney tbh), Oxcart Man. My nephew is 4 and he can sit through Fu Dog and The Story of Holly and Ivy with illustrations so I would recommend any of Rumer Godden’s doll short stories (Candy Floss, especially Impunity Jane, Fairy Doll) and The Little Chair.

        • Anon says

          Not Lana, but I know it too! I spent summers in Downeast Maine and met Barbara Cooney in person as a child.

        • shortperson says

          i remember my mother reading this to me when i was a kid and i got it for my daugher.

          we love so many books, but will just add the ladybug girl series, knuffle bunny series, and the “i am” biographies — our faves are MLK and helen keller, as well as “shark lady” and “the watcher.” we also love all ruth heller books. yes i am pushing science.

      • Lana Del Raygun says

        Oh, and Eric Carle! The Tiny Seed, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, etc, if she hasn’t already read them.

    • Irish Midori says

      Dragons Love Tacos is a newer one my kids LOVE and set to become a beloved classic.

  12. Special needs parent says

    We are prepping for halloween (I know, it’s so early to be thinking of this BAH)

    Kidlet needs something for school, daycare and trick o treating (realistically one costume will not survive without food stains so he needs two costumes or two of the same costume). Child has extreme sensory issues and is L3 ASD. Husband cannot actually dress child anymore and I do 100% of getting him dressed. The only costume I see working would be something like themed pjs (like doctor outfit or astronaut pjs) with a separate top and bottom. There are also some shirt costumes (like a pirate shirt or a police officer shirt) and my kid would wear those. He did something like that last year with zero problems.

    Most costumes for three year olds are a jumpsuit style and my kid will not wear anything with a big zipper or snaps. He also won’t wear hats, capes, large things attached to his body etc. Is it a jerk move for me to just let husband buy whatever he wants and have a backup x 2 ready to go? Husband has his heart set on a parrot costume and our kid won’t wear the feathers, the beak, the jumpsuit etc. I’ve told him this and he says he can make it happen (I dunno how since he can’t get our kid to wear any clothing).

    • Anonymous says

      I think option #1 is for you to help your husband understand reality here. But if he doesn’t get it, then I think having a backup is the opposite of a jerk mood, especially for kiddo. Hanna Andersson has good options, and they actually have a parrot costume, but it unfortunately involves stuff attached to the body.

      • Blueridge29 says

        Could you do a simple outfit with a prop? Possibly Linus from Peanuts with a blanket he can carry around or if he will wear a hat could you do Max from Where the Wild Things Are? If your Husband wants a crazy costume he could dress up like one of the Wild Things in the story. Good luck!

    • Anon says

      Having a big fight on Halloween Because your husband is trying to force an unrealistic costume since really unfair to the kid. I hope dad gives us a try out before the big day so that actual Halloween can go smoother .

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