Makeup & Beauty Monday: Between Washes Curl Revive Styling Foam

How would you handle pump breaks for a day long interview (and potential evening/dinner event)? I just heard I made it to the second round for a job I really want and the interview will most likely be a half-day event and potentially a dinner. The position would be in government but law enforcement. My thoughts are to learn how to use a handheld pump and just pump for comfort during bathroom breaks, dump it, and to not mention it.

Any tips for getting a baby to nap in a noisy environment, or dealing with dropping a nap early?

Mini Lana started at an in-home daycare* and she hasn’t been able to sleep for her morning nap. They can’t put her in a separate room with the door shut because of the licensing rules. She’s 10 months and hadn’t shown any signs of wanting to go to one nap, and I’d rather not move her bedtime up this much (6pm) if we don’t have to. She wakes up early, has some milk, and then sleeps again until it’s time to leave for dropoff. Then she eats and goes to sleep as soon as she gets home in the evening, wakes up in the late evening for more food, and goes to sleep for the night. If this is just how it goes I can make peace with it, but if there’s something we can do to get more awake time at home, I’d like to give it a shot first.

(*Thank you to everyone who offered advice! It’s the one with no dog, although actually because the kid whose slot we were offered didn’t leave after all. Other parents gave great reviews and she really seems to like it.)

I noticed on Sunday afternoon that my 18 month old has a chipped upper front tooth. No idea how it happened, although she faceplants pretty regularly so I can imagine. I called the dentist and they said they don’t need to see her unless the tooth is loose or changes color. I realize there’s probably nothing they can do and it’s a baby tooth, but it’s still kind of odd to me that they don’t even want to see her. She’s been fussier than normal and wasn’t eating very well today until we gave her some Tylenol so I’m a little worried she’s in pain (on the other hand, she currently has a cold and I think is also teething, so maybe it’s just due to those things). Has anyone been through this and can reassure me that the tooth will likely be fine? I’m (probably irrationally) worried that now that the tooth is chipped it will break completely the next time she bites down on something hard or trips.

How ethical are you about daycare fever rules? My DD started in daycare in June and has had about one cold per month since then, which our ped said is typical (she actually said DD probably has a stronger than average immune system, because none of the colds have turned into anything more serious like an ear infection). The problem is that my DD runs a low grade fever (100.5-101.0 rectally) for three to four days every time she gets a cold, which is apparently not uncommon in toddlers. So with the 24 hour fever-free rule, she’s been missing almost a full week of school every month and DH and I have been missing a lot of work for an illness that doesn’t require a doctor’s visit or make her very sick. Her daycare seems to not take temperatures themselves unless a child is hot to the touch or has sickness symptoms beyond a runny nose, so I think it would be pretty easy for us to send her when she has a cold, even if she’s running a low fever. I don’t want to make other kids sick unnecessarily, but she’s infectious before she gets ill, the kids in her class all seem to have constant runny noses, and it doesn’t seem fair to me that you can send kids to daycare with a cold as long as the fever is 100.3 but if it’s 100.5 you have to keep them home. I wouldn’t knowingly send her in with a fever, but I’m thinking of just not taking her temperature the next time she gets sick unless she has symptoms beyond a runny nose. Thoughts?

Sort of a spin off on the above thread about sides – does anyone know a child in real life who would have an allergic reaction to someone ELSE eating a product in their proximity that was made in a factory with nut products? Because I’m wondering why so many schools are banning nuts to that degree. My son actually HAS a nut allergy, but our allergist has advised that nut allergies can actually worsen in severity if children who can tolerate exposure to trace amounts are never exposed ever to any amount. My child’s allergy is quite serious – he can’t tolerate enough to qualify for official exposure therapy – but he can tolerate trace amounts/food “made in a factory with” nut products. He’s only a toddler now, but I would hate to see him develop a contact allergy or have his reaction become more severe in the future. So, just wondering schools’ rationale behind this.

Thanks everyone for the long car journey recs. We survived, 800 miles round trip. We timed our journeys for a bit after naptime, so had about 1.5 hours play, around 2 for naps, a stop after the nap, and then Netflix on the ipad. He fussed for maybe 20 minutes each way. It was a really tough journey, physically and emotionally, and we are all feeling a bit ragged but also very glad we did it. I figured out guided access on the ipad and that was crucial.

Anyone have experience taking medication for PPD/PPA while nursing? I’m about 14 weeks pp and I’ve been seeing a therapist (who doesn’t have a lot of experience with PPD unfortunately) who has suggested medication could be very helpful. Just wondering where to even start. I’m also concerned about side effects – particularly weight gain since body image stuff is a big part of my anxiety. I’d be so grateful for any insight anyone might be able to share.