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Ladies, let’s launch a discussion today: If you’ve recently been pregnant, which were your favorite pants to wear to work? Ankle-length, bootcut, or straight? What kind of panel was your favorite? Tell all! These ultra skinny ones at Gap are affordable and very popular, although they may be a bit too casual for a lot of workplaces. I like that they come in sizes 00-20 in regular, long, and ankle lengths, and in six colors — plus they’re machine washable. They’re only $45-$69 at Gap. Bi-Sretch Full-Panel Ultra-Skinny Twill Pant
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Building a maternity wardrobe for work? Check out our page with more suggestions along both classic and trendy/seasonal lines.
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
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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?
Anonymous says
OK, here’s another job-change-during-the-pregnancy-corridor question:
I am a biglaw associate. I am TTC (or, maybe, possibly, already C — going to check today or tomorrow). A position was just posted that I am interested in applying for.
The pros are: it’s a job at an organization of the sort I’ve been interested in for a long time, I hear good things about working there, the job would be interesting and challenging, it would be a pay cut but still completely manageable for my family, and it would mean an end to biglaw hours.
The cons are: (1) I’d be starting a new job while pregnant (or nearly pregnant if one can say that — and I know it’s not something you can really say, but I am still on the young end and had no trouble conceiving before in relatively short order) and then take maternity leave. I know this is something I’m within my rights to do, but I wouldn’t want to start a career at this place off on the wrong foot. (2) Maternity leave would not be as generous as at the law firm (but still not bad in comparison to other places). (3) They also happen to be my client, which I suppose is a pro and a con. I don’t have a long relationship with anyone there, and it seems inappropriate to ask anyone I’m working with about the job opening or if I’d be a good fit. Is it awkward if I apply? If they hear about my application and think I’m not qualified? Objectively, I think I’m on the low end of being qualified, for what it’s worth. If I don’t switch jobs, I’d hope to keep working with them as a client.
On the other hand, if I do stay at the law firm through maternity leave, I’d probably be looking for a new job soon after coming back, and I don’t want to be the jerk that stayed just for the generous maternity leave and then left. It’s important that I maintain a good relationship with people at my firm regardless.
Yeesh. Thoughts? Thanks for reading through this novel of a post…
anne-on says
Is this your ‘unicorn’ job – one that you absolutely must take and would kick yourself otherwise? If not (and really, only if you ARE pregnant, not just TTC) I’d stay put. You don’t know what your pregnancy will be like, how your recovery will go, and how you’ll adjust being back at work. Having a job where you know the ropes, know the contacts, and have already ‘proven’ yourself is much much easier to manage during pregnancy if you need to lean out a bit, and definitely easier when you are newly back to work, sleep deprived, and with a child who will probably get all sorts of random baby sicknesses their first year.
BUT – if you’re just TTC and this is your amazing ideal job – go for it!
Anonymous says
Not necessarily a unicorn, but like, a really, really nice pony… There are probably a few jobs like this that come up per year, all of which are (I’m guessing) pretty competitive. I’ve gone through pregnancy twice before, and while I don’t want to jinx myself, the pregnancies were pretty straightforward. I mean, definitely 1st trimester nausea and tiredness when you’d expect, but no complications. I’d be more concerned about the maternity leave part, and leaving a new team in a lurch.
Anonymous says
I started a new job while pregnant (4 months) and I stressed about the same things – but ultimately it wasn’t a big deal. I felt good enough until the very end to really work hard, and I did everything I could to prove myself while I was there. The beautiful thing is that you can work longer hours when you don’t have the baby – I made it work by working from home after hours. I took 4 months maternity leave and have been back for a few months – it’s definitely harder to “work hard” with the baby (who has also been sick for going on 4 months straight), but I’m making it work. So I guess I’m saying that you can definitely do it – it will involve you really grinding before baby comes, and reassuring everyone that you’re planning to come back from LOA, but don’t not take an ideal job just because you’re pregnant (or about to be).
Kim says
This. Take the job. Never base a career move around a hypothetical child, since TTC can take a long time, and so many many things could happen. I took a job 2 months pregnant and my boss was so great; I ended up with a better maternity leave schedule than my current job would’ve given me. You ever know, there are so many variable. Go for it! This job might not come up again. There is always a reason not to apply (the baby is a newborn, daycare hours are too tight, I want to volunteer at her school, etc. etc. etc.).
Meg Murry says
Actually, technically, your new employer wouldn’t have to offer you FMLA if you had been working for them for less than a year. In practice, most reasonable companies do allow new-ish employees to take off some time for maternity leave, because otherwise they just wasted a year training a new employee and have to start over, and because they are run by reasonable human beings that understand life happens. So it’s possible that the maternity leave would not only be not as generous but in fact nonexistent (or only unpaid leave) if you are actually currently pregnant.
That said, if this is a job you want, I’d go for it. However, I’d suggest not letting anyone in your professional life know about the pregnancy (if you are in fact pregnant now) unless it becomes 100% obvious, and I’d disclose after you get an offer but before you accept it.
If you weren’t pregnant/TTC, would you still want this job, and can you speak to what makes you want it other than “it’s not my current job with too many hours”? If you can say yes, go for it and figure the rest out later. If you are only applying to this job because you think it would be easier once you have another kid and you would stay at your current gig if more kids were completely off the table for some reason, I’d think harder before applying. After all, you could have trouble conceiving or for one reason or another not wind up having another kid. Would you resent leaving your current job in that case? To quote Sheryl Sandberg – “Don’t leave before you leave”. On the other hand, don’t turn down a good opportunity if you want it just because the timing isn’t 100% perfect, because the timing is never going to be 100% perfect.
Anonymous says
I 100% would be interested in the job regardless of the TTC situation. Part of the reason to change jobs is certainly the hours, but that is the case with 2 kids and would be the case with 3 kids too. In the “don’t leave before you leave” vein, part of my concern is screwing up a good thing I have with these guys as clients if I don’t get the job. I’m probably overthinking it, but it seems awkward?
Cb says
Baby Cb has entered the dance party phase of gestation – doing a little jig in my belly at regular intervals. He/she either really hates bridge pose or loves it. I’m sure it’ll get old eventually but after 22 weeks of feeling miserable, I’m embracing the excitement of feeling the little bear move and respond and seeing the start of a bump.
Anonymous says
Enjoy — what a fun and exciting time!
lsw says
Agreed! This is magic!
Pogo says
It is seriously so cool. I’m right there with you :)
Can you see/feel from the outside yet? I can, and I keep trying to get DH to focus and feel it but he’s so impatient! If the baby doesn’t kick in the 20 seconds he has his hand on my belly he’s like, “ugh, he’s not doing it anymore”.
Fun pregnancy achievement: after tomorrow I will have presented/met with all but 1 of the senior leadership of my company, including CEO, while pregnant!
Cb says
My husband would feel the occasional tap but we’d often just miss it. However, we were lying in bed on Saturday am and baby started kicking away. I put my husband’s hand there to see if he could feel it and I thought he tapped me with his thumb but it was the baby. He could feel the movement and we could see it moving around (first time, pretty cool but also a bit disconcerting). I think it must have been the baby’s head or bum, it seemed too big to be hands or feet.
My 2am loo trip must have woken the baby up because it was wriggling around this am.
NewMomAnon says
Try drinking something sugary – orange juice got my kiddo all bouncy when I was pregnant.
SC says
Bragging for a minute… DH is out of town all week, including both weekends. Yesterday, I did all our normal weekend chores while MIL watched the baby, then prepped tonight’s dinner and took a bath. This morning, I got up early and got myself ready, then got Toddler ready, got him to school, and made it in to work early (so I can leave early for pickup). I’m feeling like Super Woman, assuming Super Woman would ever have sore muscles from carrying and chasing a toddler around all weekend. And only 7 days to go before DH comes home! And less than 2 weeks until family vacation!
Lilliet says
You ARE super woman! Way to go!
Anon says
WTG! You got this! Plus you get a vacation at the end – make sure you schedule a nice long massage during nap time so DH can be the one stuck in the room.
GCA says
Go Super Woman!! You got this :)
avocado says
Go you!
Not Legal Counsel says
I have these pants and I HATE them. I am down to three pairs of pants for work – one pair are cords and already getting too hot for the South. I refuse to wear these, however, because they ride so low that I feel like I have to pull them up every fifth step. If I could return them at this point, I would.
Pogo says
I have the same problem with the J Crew maternity pixie. I mean, they work but… but I feel like they just fall down constantly. Those are side panel, though, and generally full panel stay up a lot better on me.
Saxy says
I also had these pants and did not like them. They kept sliding down near the crotch area. They did look nice though. I liked the weight of the material and the panel was comfortable. I agree that Loft had the best work maternity pants. They are a little pricey. Size up in Loft pants!
lsw says
My best pants were from Loft. I had a pair of full panel trousers and a pair of cropped red pants that were side panels. They both worked really well.
Old Navy pants, which many women on here seemed to love, were terrible for me. I also must have tried every single brand of maternity jeans and hated all of them. I kept one pair that I hated the least so I at least had something – but maternity jeans were horrible for me!
I really had trouble finding good pants. Forget finding maternity tall pants. I just figured I would wear pants that were slightly too short and figure the world would be forgiving.
My favorite pants were a pair of elastic waist pants from Isabella Oliver. They were a flowing knit so not too dressy but worked for my office on non-client-facing days. I was able to wear them my whole pregnancy even though it was just an elastic waisted pant.
AwayEmily says
My best maternity pants were also from Loft. Full-panel seamed ponte leggings (thick knit and with pocket-looking things so they looked like real pants). I still think wistfully about those pants.
JEB says
Two years post partum, and I still miss my Loft maternity jeans…most flattering jeans I ever had.
Anonymous says
I had good luck at Macy’s. Weirdly enough, the Jessica Simpson jeans were amazing. And they had great full-panel pants in basic colors that weren’t too expensive.
rosie says
I like the Old Navy pixies–I have one pair that is black with white small dots that are side panel, and one plain black that is full panel. Purchased for about $20 each. I find alternating side & full panel each day makes things slightly more comfortable. The ON rockstar cords did not work for me at all, though.
I have a pair of black ponte bootcut pants from Macy’s (MM brand, I think), and they got pill-y fast. I’m 5’8” and they also are a bit short now, although I do not put them in the dryer.
Anonymous says
I was pregnant 5 years ago, so this is very out of date, but my favorites were Motherhood Maternity skinny cords/cargo pants with a full panel. I had some Gap jeans that didn’t stay up very well.
Anonymous says
Oh and I did like the Old Navy maternity yoga pants. Perhaps more postpartum though.
Anonymous says
Not for the office, but I love my Joes Jeans. They were stupidly expensive for casua maternity wear, but I wore the heck out of them two years ago, and now I’m still rocking them for pregnancy number two. They stay up and honestly just look like regular jeans–except for the basketball sized stomach of course!
Anonymous says
Also LOVED my full-panel maternity trousers from the LOFT. I had some hand-me-down maternity pants with full panels from a friend that were awful – I think full panel pants are amazing only with the right fabric on the panel. And the loft ones are kind of like a soft spandex/nylon that smoothes and shapes really nicely while also being quite comfortable against the skin. The stretch in the fabric of the pants was also nice and felt like it was flattering. And they washed extremely well. Can’t say enough about them – they were the clear winner on comfort and they way they made me feel (not lumpy) compared to any other maternity pant I owned.
lsw says
Seriously, I wore these post-partum for an embarrassingly long time too. They were just so comfy and looked like actual, real work pants.
AIMS says
I had the Loft Maternity skinny pants and loved them. Full panel. Got two colors. Basically worked for my whole pregnancy. This was in 2015. For non-work, I had a pair of Old Navy maternity jeans that I liked. Also full panel.
The belly band stuff never worked for me; my Gap perfect trousers though (non mat) worked until I was about 5.5 mos. along though just because they stretch so much.
UPromise? says
Do you guys do the credit cards link with UPromise? What do you do with the cash you get — add to a 529? Take in the form of a check? I was trying to figure out the downside to doing it (like, am I not getting other bargains or cashback rewards? Am I just giving up a lot of personal information?) and couldn’t find anything.
Anon in NYC says
I do the credit card link (where you provide your CC info and it will credit you if you make certain purchases. Not the branded CC). TBH, I get very little from it. I think I got $2 back from a restaurant once – that’s it. But when I do online purchases I try to remember to compare UPromise and Ebates (usually UPromise is better) and shop through that portal. I have all earnings auto-transferred to my 529.
LegalMomma says
This sounds silly, but I’ve tried to figure out how to do the linking/what to do three separate times. And all three times I’ve been interrupted and have yet to figure it out.
This just to say, I am no help, but you aren’t the only one who was stumped on whether it made sense to go ahead and do it, and I have just defaulted to not doing it.
Lean Out says
Some days I just want to lean out and be a worker bee and forget climbing the ladder. I just want a simple job that I can do well, and do it. No learning curve, no uncomfortable unknowns, less stress.
Next week I’ll probably want to climb the career Mt. Everest, but not today.
Anonymous says
Sometimes leaning in is just about not quitting and staying in the game. I’m currently at the phase of life where just remaining employed is about as ‘lean in’ as I can get with 3 under 5 but the reality is that I will be significantly better positioned to move up later on because I haven’t left.
Lean Out says
Thank you. Your words are more valuable to me than you will know.
Cate says
This is me. I’m a biglaw midlevel with zero interest in my practice (or perhaps even practicing law) but I’m just hanging in here. And praying other opportunities materialize sooner rather than later. Perhaps I should be actively pursuing them, but I’m a pretty terrible employee these days with young kids, and I’m just trying to hang in there. Glad I am not the only one pursuing this strategy!
Anon says
Thanks for posting this. I would be the WORST sahm, but this week is Spring Break and I’m watching all my coworkers take it off (because their wives either stay home or are teachers). My kids are still in daycare so I didn’t even realize this was Spring Break week, but man I could use a break. I wish sabbaticals were a thing in the corporate world. Or at least a couple actual breaks, where your company actually shuts down and you don’t come back to 1M emails.
Anonymous says
If you could use a break, take a break! Especially if all your male coworkers are taking it off. At a lot of companies, you’ll only get as much of a life as you insist on.
mascot says
+1 to taking the spring break. Our school spring break doesn’t line up with the other schools in the area so finding backup camps isn’t always possible. We un-apologetically scheduled a family vacation for that week rather than trying to cobble together childcare. This is one of the rare times that kids are a good excuse to do something.
Kim says
I call them Mental Health days. Most bosses actively encourage them. Taking 8 or 16 hours to be more productive is a win for everyone.
anon for this says
I actively tried to lean out (not because of children, but because of a traumatic experience at a previous job) when I first started at my current position. I remember dumbing down my resume and applying to jobs that were entry level on purpose because I did not want to be tasked with responsibility.
It worked for like, two months. When it’s in your nature to work hard and excel, it’s tough to turn that off. Management noticed and gave me responsibility even though the original job description did not call for it.
That said, you can lean out as much as you want if you give yourself permission. Give yourself permission not to check emails or be on your phone 24/7. Give yourself permission to leave at 5pm. Give yourself permission to say, This is not something I’m going to stress about.
Anon says
There is nothing wrong with leaning out if that’s where you are in life and that’s what works for you! I am about to have my second (my first is not quite 2), I am a senior associate in big law and my husband is also a senior associate in super big law, and I am definitely leaning out right now b/c that’s just what works for me! Don’t feel bad, girl!
Kim says
Lean Out!!! If we all leaned in all the time, the phrase would be meaningless and we’d all be exhausted.
Also, leaning in again is not an all-or nothing proposition. I’ve become better at appearing to lean in through the mode of advice giving – I do it in-person or on the phone, not a long, heavily edited memo or email. So, I seem to put out more work but only because the product actually takes less time. I attend meetings and opine there, rather than taking a “to do” back to my desk (if I can avoid it).
HSAL says
I only had a few pairs of pants – I am a dedicated pants-wearer in regular life, but while pregnant I favored dresses. I had a charcoal pair (full panel) from Loft, a black pair and navy pinstriped pair (both full panel) from Motherhood Maternity, and then two pairs of linen pants from Old Navy that I loved – navy and tan (weird foldover panel thing). I had maternity jeans from ON too, but they were horrific.
Margaret says
I don’t wear pants a lot generally. For pregnancy I had a pair of black ankle ponte pants from Asos. Side panel. They were slim but NOT skinny at all. I wore those pants all. the. time. Loved them. Just checked the website and it looks like they don’t care them anymore.
Cb says
I never wear pants in normal life (don’t own a single pair of jeans or trousers) but have got a pile of handmedown maternity clothes which includes a few pairs. I’ll give them a try but suspect dresses and leggings will win out.
Walnut says
Maternity dresses and leggings, ftw.
Anon. says
Bra help… I’ve just been through pregnancy, weaning, and getting my body back. How long should I wait to buy new bras? FWIW, I needed new ones before I was even pregnant and the situation is pretty desperate.
Also – Does anyone have experience with the online bra sites like Third Love or True & Co. that you can share? Thanks!
rakma says
Don’t wait. Buy new bras. If you need new bras in a few months, buy new bras then too. Yes, it will cost money, money that might rather spend on something else. But after pregnancy, nursing, weaning, and everything else, the least you can do is put on a bra that fits in the morning.
Anonymous says
Agree with this! I would head to Nordstrom and get properly fitted. Buy two bras so that you can rotate them and not totally wear them out. Then if you stay that size for a while, you can fully commit to it and get more bras in that size.
Anonymous says
+1
Anonymous says
Life is too short to wear ill-fitting bras. Go someplace that will fit you in the store and get two bras that fit you right now.
anne-on says
This. I HATE spending money on new bras. New clothes are so much more fun! But I finally sucked it up and acknowledged that my band size changed. Having new bras that fit (every day!) is amazing.
Kim says
Agreed all around; it felt amazing. You will be shocked. If you waited until your body was finished changing, you’d wait forever.
Meg Murry says
If going to a store to try on all the bras just isn’t going to happen anytime soon, or you suspect you are a very uncommon size that they won’t carry in the store anyway, you can also try measuring yourself using the recommendations from Reddit/abrathatfits (link to follow) and then order a crap ton of different styles and slight variations on sizes. Then you can try them on at home (and test out under different necklines, etc) and return the majority of them and just keep a couple that you really actually like. It’s a pain in the neck, but I’ve finally acknowledged that going to the store to try things on just isn’t going to happen, so I’ve gotten used to ordering $800 worth of stuff knowing I will probably only wind up keeping 1-2 items and returning the rest. It’s not ideal, but since most of the time my size isn’t stocked in store anyhow I don’t feel so bad about the ordering and returning anymore.
Meg Murry says
Here’s the link to the measuring guidelines. Even following these to the letter, you still may have to adjust slightly to find the that works for you – but it at least gives you a place to start. I agree with everyone else that it’s worth it to have 1-2 bras that fit properly. When I was on a super tight budget I only had 2 bras I actually liked to wear to work, and I’d change into comfortable clothes including cheap but functional sports bras/sleep bras for around the house to make my good bras last longer.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/wiki/beginners_guide
shortperson says
2 months post weaning i intended to do true and co but the survey asked me for the size of my best fitting bra and at that point i didnt have any bras that fit. so i went to nordstroms and spent an hour in the dressing room while someone brought me a ton of different bras to try on, then got the right colors, etc. i didnt take anything off the rack. $400 later i had a new bra wardrobe. i’m still the same size almost a year later. and the bras are all great.
SC says
Don’t wait! If you think your body may still change, but 2 bras that fit now.
Pogo says
JUST BUY THEM! I posted about my growing pregnancy b**bs the other day and was urged to just suck it up and spend the money. I feel so much better now with the correct size!
My strategy was to buy from Macy’s (I really like Calvin Klein) and use my credit card + Star Rewards pass. Instead of spending nearly $100, I only spent $72 (got one nude, one black in my current size).
ThirdLove seemed confusing… they sent me a “try a bra for free!” thing but when I clicked through and read the fine print it’s like… basically you can return it within a month. How is that different than any other bra. Why wouldn’t I just go to a store, get measured, and try on as many as I want?
October says
ThirdLove claims to let you wear, wash and then return if you don’t “love” it. I imagine that with brick-and-mortar stores, you can’t return once you’ve taken the tags off. Also, I think they tout some kind of special material? I was going to try one but then I found out I am pregnant with #2…while still nursing #1, so I haven’t had a nice bra that fits in a really long time!
NewMomAnon says
I’ve done True & Co., and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you kind of know your size or have a bra that sorta fits. If you have none, then plan an hour in the fitting room trying on all the bras after a good fitting. You can try an online service after that.
Another thing I’ve found with True & Co. is that they are very aggressive about non-underwire, non-padded bras. Maybe that’s just for my size, but it was a little disappointing to have to dig through a bunch of non-padded bras when I needed a replacement for my two ratty underwires. There are some meetings in which headlights are emphatically not an option.
Anon says
I just bought three new bras from Soma. Best decision ever! I love Nordstrom for bras, too. I tried Third Love, they sent the wrong color, and their customer service was terrrrrrible. I will not be trying them again.
MSJ says
Just did my first third love order and pleased with tshirts bra. I’m a difficult to find small size so my other bras are natori feathers. I measured using abrathatfits Reddit and it was true to size. If you don’t want to spend too much, after finding a style you like, you might be able to find new with tags on eBay for half the price if you’re less picky on color and know you don’t need to return
Dollhouse Recs? says
I would like to give my daughter a dollhouse. I’m picturing something really pretty, good quality so that she could – in theory – pass this down to her own daughter one day. Any suggestions? Is there a traditional go-to brand out there that I don’t know about? Google brings up a wide variety in terms of both quality and design.
avocado says
Once Upon a Treehouse, if you are into the Waldorf style as opposed to the old-fashioned style with lots of detail. I am lucky that someone had already given my daughter a Melissa and Doug dollhouse when I discovered this company, or I would have spent $$$ on all the adorable things.
October says
The Pottery Barn Kids dollhouses look cute — however, they are pricey. Just throwing this out there, but as a kid, dollhouse was my favorite toy, and my sisters and I liked the plastic playskool one MUCH better than any of the fancy ones. (Part of the reason, I think, was that you could access rooms from both sides of the dollhouse, so it was more functional to play together. The furniture and people were also more realistic than the wooden ones, which I still prefer). It’s like all kids’ toys, really… you buy them something super nice and then they prefer the box. You go for form, kids go for function.
FP says
My grandfather made me a beautiful, fancy, heirloom dollhouse when I was a little girl. Then I was practicing cartwheels in my room, and kicked in/down the roof of that fancy, beautiful, heirloom dollhouse. Even if your daughter isn’t destructive (I wasn’t at all) – just remember that kids are kids, and there’s a distinct possibility that it may not make it to your grandchildren. Playskool may be the way to go.
NewMomAnon says
I got a very fancy, heirloom dollhouse from my grandparents when I was 5. My brother was 18 months old and smashed everything. By the time my parents put it in the basement, it was held together with hot glue.
EP-er says
Have you thought about Playmobil? I don’t know that it is “traditional” but they are very durable, have tons of play sets to go with it. My two nieces played with theirs for a good 8-10 years. And it was nice to be able to add on more accessories for a future present.
http://www.playmobil.us/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Search-Show?q=dollhouse
We have the Playmobil Castle and it gets a ton of use in our house. My daughter also loves Calico Critters — we have a small house and lake tree fort thing that she loves to play with.
Kindergarten boy says
How old is your daughter? If she’s at least a mature 3.5ish and likes dolls I would get a big Plan Toys one. They are beautiful but sturdy and likely to grow w child. Other dollhouses that are heirloom quality seem a bit fragile for little kids and are more for collectors. The Plan Toys houses can be accessed from sides and/or front and back so kids can really play.
I can’t wait till my daughter is old enough- I am going to get her the Plan Toys Victorian house.
Strategy Mom says
Pushing – my 22 month old has started pushing other kids, and not just in obvious “push-worthy” situations. Any tips for dealing with it? Whatever lame parenting moves I’m trying are not working…
Anonymous says
I have an almost-2 yr old who is very physical. His teachers at school re-direct to “gentle touching” and that seems to work reasonably well for him. Sounds like you LO wants to interact with classmates but doesn’t know how. If he / she is fairly verbal you may also want to try “use your words.”
farrleybear says
Sleep question: About a week ago, my two-year-old son went from dream sleeper to terrified kid who doesn’t want to be alone in his room. No obvious triggers that we can think of, in terms of changes in the room or household routine.
My husband’s approach was to stay in the room until he fell asleep and then leave, but I think that has made things worse over the week as kiddo has woken up alone and afraid in the night. My approach has been to talk to kiddo about needing to sleep in his crib while mommy/daddy sleep in their bed, but leave his room door open, which results in him calling out for mommy/daddy a bit before settling back to sleep but also a bit less panic when he wakes up. It also means we have to be more quiet in the evening when watching TV, hanging out, etc.
I’m reading up on other things to try…he already has noise machine and night light, but last night I also played relaxing music on the iPad while he was settling down. Any other ideas? I’m pregnant with second (11 weeks) and really missing my reliable sleep.
anne-on says
Does he maybe have night terrors? Or perhaps he’s just getting old enough that he remembers his dreams and that is scaring him?
We had the light up turtle for my son at that age (sleep sheep is also a good one) that he could turn on himself if he woke up. A 2-way video monitor helped – he could talk to us in bed and we could talk back to him.
And honestly, if everyone gets more sleep, can you make him a nest or a floor bed on your bed? He’s not allowed to be in bed with you, but he can sleep in your room. This is also a much easier thing to transition back from as opposed to him being in your actual bed.
Anonymous says
Lulla doll? They are supposed to help with sleep.
Or have DH continue to deal with it? You’re pregnant so totally fair for him to handle it.
Anonymous says
To be honest, I think it’s a phase kids go through at this age. Both of my kids did this (well, one is currently doing this) at the two-year mark. I can totally tell he’s not actually scared, but he’s learned that saying he’s scared gets him attention, not that it really makes a difference (I’m not just being cruel and insensitive — he says thing, like, I’m scared of the dog or I’m scared of the man, when we have no dog, and the only man in the house is my husband!) I don’t really have an answer. I think it sort of just petered out in my oldest’s case, and I’m hoping it will with my youngest. The short-term answer is that it’s your husband’s job to wake up while you work on getting your sleep at this stage…
AIMS says
You’re so much more rational about this than a friend of mine. Her daughter said the same stuff at the same age and she decided it was either past life regression or some other clairvoyant power.
Anonymous says
Hahah! I must say though, I was a little creeped out when my husband was out of town and he kept saying, I’m scared of the man in my room!
CHJ says
I posted a longer comment that got lost, but a flashlight really helps my son with being scared of the dark (in addition to a nightlight). I think being able to control it himself makes him feel more secure. This is the one he has – you have to hold down the trigger to turn it on, so it doesn’t stay on all night once he falls asleep.
https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-61511-Yoda-Flashlight/dp/B00EDY034M
lucy stone says
Plus size here – my best pregnancy pants were from JC Penney. Their maternity stuff was a godsend since there were no other good plus size work appropriate maternity pants.
Anon in NYC says
For the person with the UPromise question above – I’ve tried to respond to you twice, but my answer is not posting so I’m sorry if this posts a 3rd time. I have linked my credit cards and have had limited return (maybe like $2?), but have had better success with using the upromise portal for online shopping. I don’t see a downside to linking your credit cards (unless you have a particular concern about privacy – I don’t in this area) because it’s free money. But I have it set up so all of that money goes directly into a 529.
VA lawyer says
Currently 19 weeks, 1st pregnancy (and still sick, which is MISERABLE, given that none of my friends or relatives had morning sickness either at all or past the first trimester). Only 5’8″, but with a freakishly short torso means I need tall maternity pants (at least 33″ inseam for flats). It has been too cold/too early for ankle pants in my office, which I normally wear for the summer when not pregnant (more casual satellite office of BigLaw firm). I have been rotating a grey and a black pair of the Old Navy full panel everyday bootcut khakis in a 14 tall for the past few weeks and it is soo much better than the belly band with my old express pants (the only ones I could find that were full length/long-enough). I refuse to buy pants – maternity or otherwise – that are not machine washable at this stage in my life. I figure when the weather warms up, I can just cuff them a little higher to make them crops. I thought I would be straight dresses in maternity, but given the insane hair growth, I just can’t bear to shave my legs that often and I was “blessed” with dark leg hair and pasty white Irish/Norwegian skin.
Old Navy has been my go-to for bottoms/tops. I have been having some luck with Motherhood Maternity via Macys for dresses, but mostly am struggling to find clothes that are “cute” on my unexpectedly large baby bump.
rosie says
Are you taking anything for your nausea? Talk to your OB/midwife about getting some relief.
Signed,
taking diclegis at 34w
And totally with you on the machine washable-ness of pants.