Family Friday: Boat and Tote Open-Top
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It’s become a tradition in my family that when someone has a baby, another person buys them this bag and has it monogrammed with the new baby’s name. It’s such a great gift that has come in handy so many times. I like that it’s durable canvas, comes in two different strap lengths, and has a lot of colors and fonts to choose from. For weekend trips, I pack everything my son could possibly need in it. I recommend getting the large size without the zip top. While logically you’d think the zip top would be best because you can close it, it just limits the amount of stuff you can cram inside. I like that this is my go-to bag and that it will likely last until my son is an adult. It’s $29.95 at L.L. Bean (plus $8 for monogramming). Boat and Tote Open-Top
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If you’ve been through IVF (with or without ICSI), please share your experience! We’ve been through our fertility workups and meet with our doctor next week to discuss results and options – however, given the extremely poor results of my husbands s*men analysis (normal bloodwork though), i am guessing this is the next stop on our journey.
A friend gave our baby a personalized large tote just like this, and we still use it all the time.
I started a new job this summer which was a huge promotion for me. I have always put my kids (5 & 3) in day care because I like the structure and socialization and have continued to do so, but getting them dressed, fed and ready to go by 7 a.m. is always an epic struggle. (My husband is in charge of pick up for various reasons.) So, I hired a college grad to come in 10 hours a week, pack their lunches, and get them to school. For whatever reason, they are much more compliant for her than me. We just realized a savings at daycare because our 3 yo became potty trained, so that money went straight to this. It has 100% changed my life. I get to work early, so I can leave at 5 p.m. on the dot. I don’t spend the morning fighting with my kids (I used to walk into work sweating with adrenaline and cortisol coursing through my veins). If you can afford, and particularly if you live in a college town where students are looking for a little extra cash that accommodates their schedules, I highly recommend.
I love totes likes this. My only “issue” is they are super indestructible and I always want to buy more.
I tried posting about this earlier in the week but I think my comment ended up in comment purgatory & never emerged. A sleep question: my almost 6 month old goes to sleep at night without any issues but wakes up like clockwork around 45 min. later. He will usually go back to sleep if I nurse him. If I don’t he will keep waking up every few minutes for another 30-40 min and either fall asleep after 6 or 7 more wakings, get super upset, or I will give in and just nurse him back to sleep. He doesn’t nurse to go to sleep initially but I do feed him right before bed. How can I stop this? Why is he doing this? I try to nurse more at bedtime but he often stops eating on his own. Just wondering if maybe someone else has/had a similarly inclined child and can share some insights.
PS: Thank you all for the formula advice. We ended up not needing it but it was a mental relief to know it was there!
This is a good pick! I love these totes, and I never thought of using it as a baby gift. My brother and his wife are about to have their first and they don’t want any traditional baby stuff, but this might be handy.
The visit with my mom went better than I could have expected. Of course, just the morning of her arrival my SD got a letter from Donald Trump responding to her letter on gun violence. I asked my husband if we could just hide it until the next day – didn’t want to open the politics can at this time, either.
I used the pre-emptive complimenting and thanking, skated over anything that seemed like she was baiting me more for a response (case in point, bringing up several times how much SD’s friend sweated at the amusement park – SD’s friend is on the heavy side, and my mom has an obsession with weight – I just changed the subject or said yes, it was so hot, I’m so glad you bought them water), and otherwise used a lot of all of your suggestions. Thank you so much; I about cried reading your sympathetic responses and I so appreciate this community.
My 5 month old has gone from sleeping 10-11 hours straight to only sleeping 7-8. I know even 7 hours straight is still pretty good for her age, but I know she can sleep for longer and I don’t think she’s waking up from hunger. She wakes at roughly the same time every day (around 7 am) and I think it’s due to sunlight (sun rises in our area around 6:40) because she will sometimes sleep in when it’s very cloudy. She used to go down between 8-9 pm but is now fighting bedtime and often won’t go down until 11 pm or midnight. Her last nap of the day usually ends around 6 pm, so a midnight bedtime seems pretty crazy. I don’t think she’s overtired, because we have tried putting her down even earlier and it doesn’t work. I’ve also seen her obviously overtired on days when she didn’t nap well for some reason, and when she’s really tired and we put her in the crib, she’ll SCREAM for a minute or two but then immediately fall asleep. Lately when we try to put her down around 9 pm, she just acts really awake and not ready to go to down. She’ll lie in her crib without crying for 15 or 20 minutes but then she gets bored (?) and starts fussing, which progresses to crying if we don’t get her. As soon as we pick her up, she’s happy. Repeat every 30 minutes for several hours until she finally decides to go to sleep sometime between 11 and midnight. We’ve always put her down awake and never rocked her to sleep or anything like that. This has been going on for several weeks now so I don’t think it’s just a growth spurt. Anyone have any advice?
This posts reminds me of a question I have. How do folks pack for themselves and their child? Currently I’ve been sharing a suitcase with child, but it often results in me then having a separate bag for toiletries, a separate bag for shoes, etc. I’m wondering if it would be easier to give in and get our 2.5 year old her own little suitcase. I think she’d really enjoy having her own anyway. Thoughts? Suggestions? I know I could just use a bigger suitcase for both of us, but the difference between a regular carry-on size and a big suitcase is just so huge and those are our options at the moment. It makes it tough to handle.
(Copying first response here since same questions apply)
Thanks, all, for the responses!
If insurance did not cover, what were your costs? My insurance doesnt, but my husband’s does, so i plan to switch at the next open enrollment period.
Anyone self-inject? My husband would have a hard time with this, and i also travel for work fairly often. Fortunately, i have a good amount of control over when my trips will be so i can schedule around bloodwork, scans, etc, but will need to inject myself on travel.
Did you give your boss a general heads up? I’m fortunate to work from home so scheduling will be easier, but i want to be sure i’m not unavailable frequently with no explanation.
I have a question about twin beds. Our 2.5 year old has started asking about a “big boy bed,” and I think it’s time. I think I want to put two matching twin beds in his room, mostly because I think they are cute, and maybe if a cousin sleeps over, if brother wants to sleep in his room, etc. We would get two adult sized twin beds that I expect would stay in his room until… junior high? I don’t know. I’d rather skip a toddler bed and go straight to something he can keep longer. Is there any reason to do, or not to do, two twin beds?
Why wont many men agree to get a vasectomy? This is the dumbest question of all time probably. FWIW, DH and I totally agree that it’s the way to go for us, but I don’t get why men insist on women getting tubes tied, when women already endure so much related to birth control, pregnancy, childbirth, child rearing etc. It seems a small way for them to contribute.
ok, thank you. i’m glad to hear that my husband isn’t the only one. one of my best friends husband said no but hes a grade a Jerk in every other way, so doesnt surprise me.
I like the monogrammed version for daycare because then it’s clear which bag is ours. We have still ended up with someone else’s paci and bottle on separate occasions but I think that’s just bound to happen when you’ve got multiple babies to deal with and all their stuff looks the same.
After we return from a trip to visit all the Grandparents for a week in August, I think I’m going to get real about potty training with my 2.5 year old daughter (will be 3 in October). Her school takes them to the potty and we have her sit on the potty occasionally at home, but haven’t tried hard. I’m considering cloth training pants. Any comments or recommendations on a brand? Thanks!
Any advice on diaper changes for super wiggly 13 month old? She HATES having her diaper changed and rolls every which way and tries to escape and it is just horrible a huge ordeal. She’s walking and very active and has been for several months.