Postpartum Tuesday: Bedford Avenue Backpack Diaper Bag
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If you’re on the hunt for a diaper bag/backpack combo (great for babywearing), this simple black one from Petunia Pickle Bottom looks great. I like the black floral design, the boxy shape. Amazon only has a few left in stock, but they are on a nice sale — meanwhile Nordstrom has them listed full price at $215 (and a smaller bag at $189).
As a side note, ladies: do you prefer bags with TONS of pockets or hardly any? I wore my Le Sportsac Everyday bag a few months ago on a family trip to Texas instead of my usual hobo and decided I hate all the zippered compartments and pockets because it meant I never knew where anything was — I would literally be zipping and unzipping everything until I found where I’d stuck it.
Psst: looking for other backpacks for work? Check out our recent post over at Corporette. Also, here’s what was in my diaper bag when I still carried one for both boys.
(L-all)
Sales of note for 12.10
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals on skincare (ends 12/14) including La Mer, Kate Somerville, Dior, Sunday Riley, Dyson, and gift sets — the deals include reader favorite lip balms Dior Addict, NARS Afterglow, and Clinique’s Black Honey, as well as Too Faced mascara and Sunday Riley’s Good Genes.
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase, up to 50% off outerwear
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off all sale + extra 25% off 2+ items
- J.Crew – Up to 60% off everything, with 40% off their newest styles
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off everything + extra 25% off when you buy 3+ styles
- Macy’s – 15% off beauty, including Tarte, Clinique, Dior and gift sets
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
- Talbots – 50% off everything + extra 25% off when you buy 3+ styles
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
Since no one else has commented on it, I’d add that in general I’m with Kat – bags with tons of pockets just lead me to constantly trying to figure out which pocket I thought it would make sense to put my wallet/keys/phone/etc in, and I wind up having to unzip each one to figure it out. On the other hand, bags that are a big structureless sack aren’t great either because then everything winds up filtering all the way to the bottom of the bag.
I’m a big fan of using pouches to corral my stuff -one for makeup-type items, another for pens and office supply type items, another for the millions of meds I’m currently carrying around, etc, and having a couple of *internal* pockets in the bag that are just right sized for my phone, wallet, etc are helpful, as is a clip for my keys. But lots of pockets on the outside that aren’t necessarily obviously designed to hold a specific thing = black hole into which I put things and then forget which pocket held which thing. The other reason I like pouches is that when something inevitably does wind up all the way at the bottom of my purse, it looks way less like a crazy bag lady to pull out 4 pouches to get to the bottom of the purse than it does to pull out handfuls of pens, chapsticks, phone chargers, etc.
1. Thank you to everyone on here who recommended the Spectra pump. I have the S1 and it has been way better than the garbage Medelas.
2. Anyone have experience with hip dysplasia? Our daughter had an ultrasound for it this morning and I’m fretting myself silly.
Dependent Care FSA question…really hoping we didn’t miss the deadline. My husband is a federal employee and I am an independent contractor. We welcomed our first baby 7 weeks ago. We did not sign up for a dependent FSA during open enrollment season ending December 12th. The birth of the baby qualifies as a life event, which means we should have 60 days afterwards to make any changes. Right? And we can claim up to $5000 if we file jointly and I make at least 5K during 2017.
Thanks for any advice. His HR department has been out most of the holidays and we only have a few more days to set it up.
Just finding out that we are likely going to need IVF for baby number 2. For those of you that have been through this, how challenging was it juggling with work? Did you find any of the meds/hormones had an adverse effect on your ability to work? I’m an attorney and defend a lot of depositions and travel a bit so I’m starting to get freaked out by the logistics of it all. Finally, I know this will vary for everyone, but how many IVF cycles did it take you to conceive?
My eldest is 3years 3 months and we just spent 11 days at home for winter break. We tried some potty training, which he took to really well on the first day with little effort on our part (basically, you don’t have a diaper on, so go in the potty now, and he did). He has been 95% successful at #1 since then (8 days), going by himself, wiping, etc. with his only accidents being when he is involved in play/movie and forgets (which I think is normal). #2 was only successful on the first day when he was loaded with apple juice and therefore going more freely. He’s only going #2 every 2-3 days now and every time it is in his pants.
So, what would you do? Switch back to diapers until he can make it #2 in the potty? I should note that he has no issue peeing in his diaper, and when it is on, he will pee in it even though he can make it to the potty (we are using boxers instead of briefs for the same issue). Or keep dealing with #2 until he gets it?
Help . . .
Posted on yesterday’s thread (apparently I don’t know what day of the week it is): My husband had a vasectomy yesterday. Not having another child is the right decision for our family, and I know that and supported the decision. But, I have to admit that I am a bit heartbroken. Since before our first, I always thought I wanted three children. My husband and son have had massive health issues in the last year that will majorly impact our lives going forward. Intellectually I know this was the right decision, but part of me feels sad and teary. Ugh. Happy New Year?
How can I make a 2-year-old birthday a little special? We’re not having a kids’ birthday party for him, or even a family party beyond our nuclear one. He sees his classmates all week long at daycare and I don’t think he would “get” a party really, although he’s had fun at others. It’ll be me, my husband, and his much-older brother. No extended family are close enough to come, but his many grandparents (hello, divorce & remarriage!) have sent gifts. We’ll have cake & presents.
What else can I do to make it seem a bit more special than an average weekday night? Balloons / decorations? Is there something a 2-year-old would find special (at least in the moment) even if not able to remember?
I just spent a full week with kiddo, which was great but…I also realized that she gets overwhelmed easily and responds with this overly intense aggressiveness (pinching, hitting, pounding on people and furniture, throwing toys, shouting really loudly, etc). I suspect this is developmentally normal, but wondered if anyone has suggestions for how to help her wind down when she gets into beast mode. I’ve tried a “breathing ball” concept that we learned at yoga, but she won’t participate when she’s over the edge. A couple times I was able to head it off by asking family members to sit down and read to her before she lost it, but I’m under no delusion that I will always be able to head this off.
She’s almost 3, very active, verbal, and incredibly strong. I have welts from some of the episodes this weekend, so it’s somewhat urgent?
The hive was awesome when I took my first (short, domestic, work-related) airline trip post-partum. Now my husband and I have planned a vacation for March, which seemed awesome at the time, but now of course I’m worried about leaving the baby, losing my bmilk supply, etc….eek. Any experience with a longer trip and pumping/traveling with bmilk? Right now he’s nursing 8x a day on weekends and I’m pumping 3x a day at work. He’ll be 8 months when we’re gone so I was hoping he will be eating some solids and maybe less bmilk? (No solids right now at almost 6m). I was thinking of taking my electric pump and pumping once before bed and once in the morning, adding one electric pump in the middle of the day, and trying to do the manual pump a few times throughout the day. I’m not too worried about engorgement or anything like that (don’t experience it much now) but worried my supply will totally tank while I’m gone. And can I fly back with all that milk or would it be better to freeze and FedEx? We’ll be in Mexico. (Can’t find any info online about how their security is with bmilk.)
I am working on having enough of a frozen supply for him to eat while we’re gone since he hasn’t had formula yet. Should I test some formula before I leave just in case? I’m not sure I’d want his first time with formula to be while we’re away, just in case something happens. I’m planning on taking two days off of work when we get back to nurse all day and enjoy baby snuggles. I hope that will help my supply. I’m not totally against formula if needed but I’m aiming for a year of bmilk at least in part so I don’t want to dry up while I’m gone.
What is your TV/screen policy for your toddler? My son just turned 2. I’m pretty lax on the TV, and I typically turn on PBS kids if I’m alone with him and I need to make dinner or wash up. He can watch for 15-30 mins in his high chair in the kitchen. We don’t have an ipad, but give him the phone to watch videos if he sits on his potty. If my husband is around, he is really anti-TV, which surprises me. We got into an argument over the weekend, but we’re not sure what the compromise is. My husband is really into structure and rules, though I’m more go with the flow type. The appeal of TV for me is that it’s there if I need 15-20 mins to just gather myself, go to the bathroom, clean up or whatever. The idea of planning around a specific TV schedule or rules just makes childcare more stressful. Thoughts?
Are there other runners on here who’ve run through pregnancy?
I love running and can’t imagine not doing it for as long as physically possible. But both nurses at my RE and my OB have told me I can do “moderate exercise” and then always say something like “So no strenuous running of course”. What to Expect (which I know is a little dated) even says not to run more than 2-3 miles at a time, ever, while pregnant?!
Is this all an abundance of caution? I’ve been limiting myself to slow 3-milers but certainly ran much more than that before pregnancy. Does anyone have advice on how to approach with your nurse/OB – like, do I need to prove to them somehow that I was a ‘real’ runner and thus not starting some strenuous exercise I’ve never done before?
Question – how do you babywear and carry a bag? Backpack? Tote?
Encouragement, please. 38 weeks pregnant with my second and just. so. tired. Last day of work is this Friday, so I’m hoping to have a little time to rest up before the baby comes, but I’m worried I’m too physically exhausted to actually get through labor. (Was unmediated last time and hoping to do the same this time.) With baby #1 there was lots of walking and mental preparation for childbirth; with baby #2 it’s a feat if I make it through the shower or load the dishwasher. Someone please tell me that labor with the second will be a breeze? Please?