Maternity Monday: Brookfield Dress

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A woman wearing a Brookfield DressHappy Monday! Did you guys know that Of Mercer has a maternity collection that’s all office-appropriate? A lot of the pregnant models are featured on the site wearing (and looking good in) dresses in straight sizes, but this one is only in maternity sizes. It comes in black and navy, and I like that there’s a snap closure at the waist that’s adjustable. There are also hidden zippers to allow you to nurse after the baby arrives. It’s a nice, loose dress for that postpartum transition period, and it’s machine washable, too (lay flat to dry). The dress is $195 at Of Mercer in sizes XS-XL. Brookfield Dress 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! 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!)

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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I have 2 kids already but we are moving everything around. I just bought *two* sets of everything because I’m moving one from a crib and one from a full both to twin beds.

We got a headboard ($100), Metal bedrails ($40), mattress & box spring (~$200), waterproof mattress pad ($18), And sheets ($20). Going to deal with a duvet later.

I looked at a regular bed (vs rails + headboard) and decided against spending $600 for mediocrity especially when it’s for a 2 and 4 year old. When they get bigger, they’ll get their own rooms and bigger beds.

I need a sanity check re: kids stuff and budgeting.

This weekend I ordered my daughter’s twin size bed, mattress, and box spring, and bought sheets, a blanket, a throw pillow, a mattress protector, and a comforter. I want to also get a duvet cover to put on the comforter and a second set of sheets.

During this entire process I kept understanding exactly why retail is failing. But then I wonder if I just have unrealistic expectations? I did a ton of shopping around and researching, both at stores and online, and it seemed like everything, both furniture and bedding, fell under one of the following categories:

1. Good quality but astonishingly expensive
2. Mediocre quality and almost as astonishingly expensive (this appalled me the most)
3. Mediocre quality but pretty cheap
4. Actual garbage

I pretty much went with option 3. I don’t want to spend $2,000 on a twin size bed and bedding for a 3 year old. I just don’t. And my only other option is crap? What is going on with the world???? Are my expectations unreasonable? I live in a LCOL and we have a decent HHI, and I’m just… like… how do people afford anything that’s not crap?

I know this is pretty basic parenting but I trust this s!te more than the internet. How do you calm/redirect a crying, clingy 11 month old? Mine has been sick off and on since Thanksgiving, but he’s on the mend now. But now he will NOT let me put him down! When I put him down, he cries/screams, and now he’s started throwing his head down or hitting his head on the floor. Then he follows me around crying until I stop (to fold laundry or wash dishes), then he clings to my leg. I left for a couple of hours yesterday and my husband commented that he played quietly by himself the whole time, so I know part of it is me. He goes to day care (missed all last week due to illness) and his caretaker even commented that he gets very upset when she cannot hold him too though. I feel like when I pick him up I’m reinforcing that throwing a fit is how he gets his way. Do I just gently remove him and say “I can’t pick you up right now”? Do I ignore the tantrums? Help!

Thank you to all those who posted last week on this site with positive comments about having kids, after the somewhat negative discussion on the main site. I’m currently pregnant and have been freaking out a bit about how much our life is going to change (which I hope is normal). Our pregnancy was very much planned. We had some trouble conceiving so during that time I tried to remind myself about all the great things about not having kids (sleeping late on weekends, travel, etc., but I think I did too good of a job! We had delayed trying due to some life circumstances and during that time every time I heard another friend was pregnant, my heart would ache and I would end up in tears, so deep down I know I am thrilled to be pregnant, but it can still feel scary sometimes!

+1 on nursing eating your butt!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why?!

All – My youngest is about 14 months and while she’s always been a decent sleeper, it’s really time to sleep train her completely. I’d ready to stop the nighttime nursing and rocking routine. Mostly selfishly (I’m ready to have my body back and this is the only time we still nurse), but also because it’s just harder and harder to get her to settle this way. We sleep trained our oldest at around 18 months when these same problems started happening (fought being rocked mainly) and we used a modified cry it out. It worked well (in like 2-3 nights with less than 30 minutes of crying even the first night) and she’s a rockstar sleeper at 5. But how do I do it with a second? Did you send your oldest away for a few nights? Or just “out” even if it’s past their bedtime? Or do you just suck it up and realize the oldest is likely to be bothered by the crying? Help!

I’m almost 6 weeks postpartum and I’ve lost all but 7 of the almost 30 pounds I gained while pregnant within the first 2-3 weeks after giving birth. While I admittedly haven’t been eating great (holidays, new baby) and I’m not yet cleared to workout beyond walking, these last 7 pounds seem to be pretty stubborn. I’m breastfeeding, so I was hoping that would help, but it doesn’t seem to be making a difference. Has this happened to anyone else? Did the weight eventually go away after you stopped breastfeeding or did you need to work at it?

Also, did anyone’s body change after baby and permanently stay that way? I worry that my hips (and maybe rib cage?) are now permanently wider, which doesn’t bother me too much but makes me want to cry when I think about having to give up my expensive pre-baby denim collection. Is it possible that they could still shrink back?

Okay, birthday party etiquette for twins. My sons have been invited to a friend’s birthday party. Do they each bring a separate gift, or can they bring a joint gift? I know I’m always overwhelmed by the number of gifts my kids get at their party, so I would LOVE for people to bring joint gifts. But I don’t know this family very well (our au pairs are friends, and the boys became friends because the au pairs get them together for play dates during the week — I’ve never met the parents) so I don’t want to make a bad impression. Two gifts or one? And what’s the typical price point for 4th birthday presents? $25?

Did anyone go to a woman’s march this weekend! I proudly went to the one in my state capital, with husband and child because no drama was expected in our state. I was happy I went last year and this year and will continue what activism I can until some of the disasters I keep seeing subside.

In things I thought didn’t still happen today…. My husband decided to stay home with our baby and give up his law practice while I stay full time at my BigLaw firm where I think I’m in a good position to make partner, definitely counsel. My MIL was babysitting because he still has a few cases to wrap up and I am back at work full time. I was complaining (half-way jokingly) that he was lacking in the house husband department because he forgot to put the towels in the dryer (the one thing I’d asked him to do – admittedly the baby went on a 4+ hour crying jag so I can see how it happened). She says I can’t expect much because otherwise he’ll run off with a waitress who appreciates him more. I informed her that we don’t believe in divorce in this family, if that happens she won’t have a son anymore. She later informs me I have to remember that “He’s a lawyer”. I said, “what am I, chopped liver? I’m a lawyer too and I can do this stuff.” To which she says, “It’s women’s work, you’re trained to do it”. I told her not in this century and stormed off. 5 days later this is still blowing my mind, even more so when my husband confirmed that is in fact the way she thinks. Fortunately it is not the way he thinks, although he is asking for patience because he’s new to this whole baby-care and house husband thing (but he cleaned up dinner last night, without asking, and the baby took 5 bottles on Friday rather than hunger strike, so progress!)

NYC’s school cutoff date is the calendar year. So any kid born in 2013 must start kindergarten in 2018, even if they are 4 years old.

I have a late December-born boy who is developmentally on track, very verbal, very sweet and loving. I hate the idea of making him start school at age 4. I’m not concerned so much about academics at that age, but I don’t want my boy to feel behind on things he’s not developmentally ready for (sitting still for long stretches, for example). And I’m wondering about the ramifications for him in higher grades when puberty hits.

My brother and I were both the youngest in our grades growing up, and while I didn’t care that much, he really hated it.

It’s very, very hard to hold your kid back in NYC bc DOE cracked down on redshirting a few years ago. I have heard of parents successfully holding kids back by sending them to private school for a few years, but these kids usually also have developmental delays. This is an expensive solution (and a successful outcome is not guaranteed).

I guess I’m looking for stories about boys who have done well despite being the youngest in the class. Does it all even out in the end? Am I dooming my boy to a lifetime of feeling inadequate if I don’t try holding him back?

Has anyone had experience with correcting a night waking habit? Baby Pogo is 5.5 months. He goes down for naps and for bedtime with no problem, pretty consistently now for a couple weeks. I’ve watched him on the monitor and he babbles for a few, sucks on his hand, and passes out. So we’re not dealing with a strong sleep association to FALL asleep (paci, nursing, rocking, etc).

So that’s what makes it tough – EVERYTHING out there basically assumes your kid can’t self-soothe to sleep and that’s why they wake up at night frequently. Not so!

I’m happy to keep 1-2 night feedings, since everything I’ve read says babies may still need those feeds up to 9mos. Before his 4mo regression and me returning to work, he did 1-2 predictable night feeds so I know he can do it.

Has anyone successfully broken this kind of habit? Whenever I look for resources, the story is always that the person did CIO for like, two nights, kid cried going to sleep and then STTN. Since mine doesn’t cry going down at all I can’t really relate to this. I also don’t understand how you do CIO with night feedings – Baby Pogo doesn’t know if it’s time for his feeding or not when he cries?

Sorry for the novel. I’m beyond exhausted and can’t find any resources on this type of situation.

I’m struggling with whether to confront my mom about something. Last night on the phone I was talking about my recent return to work after my second maternity leave and the struggle of getting baby adjusted to daycare and all of us adjusted to the new routine. I think I had a tone of “it’s hectic now but we’ll get the hang of it eventually,” and I was generally upbeat in this conversation. She then said, with a serious tone, that she “doesn’t envy me.” I skipped right past that at the time but as soon as we hung up it really started to bother me. I am not looking for her pity, nor do I actually think my life is pitiful (yes it’s totally chaotic at times because we have demanding jobs and young kids, but I have a fantastic husband, two wonderful kids, a good job, and ultimately, we’re rich white people – what do I really have to complain about?). She was a SAHM when my siblings and I young, so it feels like judgment. But if anyone is a poster child for not giving up your career when you have kids, it’s my mom (she was up a creek when my dad left her for another woman, and shortly thereafter lost his job and struggled to pay child support).

Should I say something to her? Or am I making too big a deal out of this? Maybe I’m feeling insecure because things really are hectic right now and I don’t love it (though as I said, I know it will get better eventually). My mom and I have a reasonable relationship. We’re not best friends, but we’re certainly not estranged. We’re just mother and daughter. Should I say something?

A spot opened up at a home daycare we were on the wait list for, which is exciting because they have much better hours than the one we had secured a spot with.
She gave me phone numbers for some of the current parents, what questions would you ask? Obviously they have some confidence in her, as their children are there every day, but all I can think of is:
-What was your experience with the recent snow days, did she delay or close? (I’m asking because she was vague about snow closures when I initially asked)
-Have you ever had to discuss something uncomfortable with her, or ask her to do something differently, and how did she respond to that request/conversation?
-Is there anything you wish you’d known or realized before starting with this daycare?
-How is communication with her, is she generally easy to reach during the work day or do you feel like you struggle to get in touch with her?

Thanks all

My husband and I are starting to think about TTC. We are trying to get “prepared” in other life areas and our current topic is whether to replace the dishwasher or the washer (laundry) first. They’re both old – the dishwasher is cleaning the dishes 80-90% right now (so I usually leave at least a few items in for another wash), and the washer is functional but sometimes has an issue that results in it banging and we have to stop and restart it. WWYD? (The second appliance would be replaced about a year later, so maybe in early life of baby?)

PS – My husband has heard me say “Well I read on [this site]” enough that he suggested I post our question and he’ll abide by the consensus!