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Which bibs are your favorite, guys? These organic, soft, stay in place bibs have all five-star reviews and certainly look like they would solve the problems we’ve run into with the boys — where they eat the bib rather than the food (Jack and the BabyBjörn bib), rip the bib off (Harry and the plastic bibs Jack preferred), or manage to drip milk or water all over yet somehow miss the bib itself (Harry and the other terrycloth bibs we have). The pictured bibs are $18.98 for a 3 pack, available at Amazon. Brooklyn Bamboo Stay in Place Bibs (L-3)Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
EB0220 says
We love the Baby Bjorn bibs. I wedge it between kid and high chair tray so she can’t mess with it too much. Reduces my high chair cleanup time by 75%.
meme says
Same here. The Baby Bjorn are my favorite. They catch almost everything the kiddos drop.
Speaking of high chairs, I need to replace my old, hammered, no-longer-cleanable one. Any recommendations? My old one is an old hand-me-down Chicco Mamma from like 12 years ago that I loved. I liked the removable tray to rinse in the sink and the adjustable height.
just Karen says
I have the Graco Blossom and am very happy with it.
quailison says
Just got the OXO seedling in preparation for starting solids next week. So far it’s great (easy to adjust the height and remove the tray and tray top) and it seems like it would be fairly easy to clean (cover/pad extends over the edge of the chair and the cover is wipeable and washable) but can’t vouch for that yet as all that’s gotten on it is drool. I got the grey color and wish I had gone with something brighter – the grey looks more institutional than modern.
EB0220 says
We have used the Fisher Price Space Saver with both of our kiddos. It’s great as long as you don’t mind sacrificing a regular chair to the cause temporarily. Just put a towel or pillowcase between chair and high chair to protect it. I removed all of the padding, so it’s very easy to clean.
Meg Murry says
We preferred this kind of high chair as well – its a lot easier to just take off the booster seat part when/if you need the chair back rather than trying to find a place to store a big bulky high chair (our kitchen and dining room are not large) – if you take the tray off, you can get it close to the table, if not all the way under it, and then you can use it as a booster as well once kid has outgrown the tray part. We had a “fancy” wooden high chair that my mother-in-law bought us from Amish country because my husband hated all the plastic-y high chairs (before we discovered the space saver) and I hated it with a passion because it was impossible to get even sort-of clean, difficult to get the kid in and out of and took up so much space.
Another bonus for the Space Saver type is that they are incredibly easy to unstrap, haul outside and squirt down with the hose – our house had steps going down from the kitchen to the yard, so the big high chair was a hassle to get outside to clean – but the little space saver was a piece of cake. Also fit in the bathtub for washing down in the winter.
anonyc says
Space Saver was our favorite. We have a cheaper one right now but it’s not nearly as sturdy or good. (We lent our Space Saver to a cousin who didn’t do a great job cleaning it and it was so gunked up that even I blanched…ugh.) The tray is so easy to slide on and off, wiping it down is a breeze, and it’s pretty economical, space-wise and dollar-wise. I highly recommend.
Philanthropy Girl says
We also enjoy our Space Saver. Our dining room is very small, and a traditional highchair was not a good fit. It’s been an ideal highchair solution for us.
mascot says
We have a Keekaroo. It’s adaptable for babies (we used a regular space saver at that age), but I am big fan of it for ages 18 months+. It comes with a tray/plastic cover. As the child grows, you can use it as an adjustable booster and pull it right up to the table.
kc esq says
In addition to the Space Saver that we use every day, we also have an Inglesina Fast twist-on seat. We use it in some restaurants or in relatives’ houses where we can hitch it on the kitchen counter. If we still lived in our apartment, I would use it exclusively on the kitchen counter.
CHJ says
I like the $20 Ikea high chair. We bought a fancier high chair (Stokke) too, but end up using the Ikea high chair 99% of the time. It’s a work horse. Solid plastic and very easy to clean, and the tray pops off and can be washed in the sink.
POSITA says
+1
JEB says
We also have the Ikea chair, and we love it. It’s so easy to clean, and I love how lightweight it is so we can easily move it into different rooms when needed. I think OP wanted an adjustable chair, and it doesn’t have that option. It’s right around table height, which I really like, and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on the ability to adjust the height.
EB0220 says
I also put a regular cloth bib underneath the baby bjorn for full coverage. If I skip this step, my baby ends up with a very very wet shirt.
TBK says
We have them but don’t use them because the boys just chew on the tops (and if they have food in their mouths when they do this, the food gets all mashed into the top of the bibs). For those who have Harris Teeter stores near you, we found our favorite bibs there. They have either zebras or giraffes on them and they’re plastic-coated terrycloth with a food catcher pouch on the bottom that unfolds for cleaning.
Philanthropy Girl says
I haven’t found a bib that I love. The closest are some that were homemade by a friend – they are really big, so they cover the whole front of the child instead of just under its chin. The drawback being they gap around the neck.
I like the ones shown – maybe it’s time for a switch. Thanks, Kat!
KJ says
Bibs with sleeves! They were the answer to all our problems. We like the Bumkins ones.
EB0220 says
Funny! We got some of these but my baby hated them so much that we never used them. She would claw at it and cry until we removed it.
KJ says
Right now my baby hates when we are putting them on her and fights us, but once it’s on she’s fine. I hope she doesn’t get to the point where she hates wearing them because then we will have to feed her naked!
anonyc says
Especially when it gets warm, there’s a lot of topless dining in our house. I gave up on the bib wars a long time ago, but my favs were the vinyl ones from Ikea and the bumpkins one that sort of velcros around the back of the neck. Cloth ones are good for babies who primarily consume milk, but once you’re into solids I vote vinyl all the way.
NewMomAnon says
Yup, my preferred form of clothes protection right now is a Shout stain stick. I wish I could have found the bibs daycare has – they are cloth but with a turtleneck so food doesn’t slip behind the bib.
BKDC says
If it’s finger food for dinner, I usually strip my 9.5 month-old down to his diaper first, especially if it’s bath night. Also, a second vote for the ikea vinyl bibs — one stays at day care and the other is thrown in the dishwasher or washing machine after each use. Doesn’t catch food, but it does provide a lot of coverage.
HM says
To NewMomAnon – I just say your post on yesterday’s thread about your willful 17 month old… I’m right there with you. I think its the age. And your child isn’t a brat – this is the stage they go through, and by no means reflects the type of person he or she will grow up to be.
What is working for us, right now, is for me to take my husband’s lead. I asked him to assume primary child duty and let me watch a few weekends ago. He is far more laid back and less concerned about meeting our kid’s immediate (and mostly unreasonable) requests. But he’s also attentive and makes sure she is safe. So, this means the playroom might be barred because she’s climbing on and stomping around upon the benches, but she has lots of accessible toys to play with. Melt down because she can’t bath in the dogs’ water bowl? There was no redirection or engagement, and the meltdown lasted about 3x less. Child hits her father while being removed from dangerous situation? Papa calmly but firmly holds her hands for about 5 seconds while she hollers about the grave injustice and then gets over it. It ain’t perfect, but it seems to be working..
NewMomAnon says
Thank you! That is helpful – I’m having a hard time transitioning from “doting mother of completely dependent infant” to “attentive mother of buddng independent toddler.” This morning we did the whole morning routine in her bedroom fort, and life was much better. Whatever it takes, I guess.
FVNC says
I was just saying the other day that the transition from “keeping baby alive” mode to “raising an actual child” mode has been hard for me, too! My toddler is 21 months now and I’m trying to remember that I can actually teach her things, gently discipline bad behavior, and generally treat her more like a little person rather than infant. Oh, and also that she is soaking up the behavior I model around her. No pressure.
EB0220 says
This is so true! I have a 10 month old and 3 year old and I keep telling people that “keeping baby alive” is the easy part. Sure, there’s not much sleep but there’s no mental or moral heavy-lifting.
JEB says
This is probably a weird question, but somewhat related: when did you all start telling your babies “no.” I have an almost 7-month-old, and I think we should start gently saying “no” in certain situations. My husband thinks I’m nuts. Is there any point this early?
Lorelai Gilmore says
Yes. It’s important for babies to hear “no.” Example: 7-month-old reaches up and tries to remove your glasses. You say: “No, we don’t play with glasses,” and then if the baby continues to play with the glasses, you put the baby down so that she cannot continue to do so. Just calmly, confidently, gently enforce the limit.
JEB says
Haha…grabbing my glasses is the exact situation I had in mind when typing my original question :)
NewMomAnon says
I asked the pediatrician about this at the 15 month checkup because I had read Happiest Toddler, which advocated starting regular time outs at one year old which seemed strange to me. My pediatrician said that that “no” is appropriate for situations of harming others and human safety – hitting, biting, walking into traffic, fingers in sockets, etc. And that it should always be followed by a diversion – no, you can’t hit momma; use gentle hands on momma. No, you can’t run into the street; let’s try galloping on the sidewalk instead. And then lots of praise for doing the diversion.
My pediatrician said that they don’t really have the capacity to understand “discipline” until closer to 18 months.
She also politiely said not to take Happiest Toddler too seriously….which was nice.
Philanthropy Girl says
My mum tried to convince me that my 7 mo old was too young to hear “no” because he didn’t understand it. Which is silly – he won’t understand any words if I don’t use them and demonstrate meaning. I’m glad I started when I did – now that he’s nearing 10 months he is into everything. It’s nice that he’ll actually pause and look at me before attempting to stick his finger in a (covered) outlet. It gives me a chance to get to him to correct and distract.
TBK says
Oh whoops. SHould have looked up the thread before posting my question below!
Lorelai Gilmore says
I just went back and looked at your post because as the parent of a 23-month-old, I feel like we just survived a round of this. A few thoughts:
1) Part of this is developmental. I firmly believe that the 18-month period is the hardest with toddlers. My good-natured, happy, easy baby boy started screaming like a banshee the minute he turned 18 months and didn’t stop until two months later. But now he’s back to mostly being his lovely self. It was totally mystifying and now it’s over (for a while, until the next developmental spurt.) For us, it seemed like the screaming was immediately followed by a language explosion, so I theorize that he was just desperate to communicate. On some level, all you can do is ride it out.
2) However, I also think that even at this age, you should establish some boundaries. Here’s an example: my son has been throwing things. About two weeks ago, he threw a Matchbox car across the room. (Clearly intentional.) I said “No.” He did it again. I said “No,” but more strongly, and told him I’d take the car away. He did it a third time and I took the car away. He screamed. Oh, did he scream. I think he screamed for an hour. It was wretched. A day later, the same exact sequence occurred – and this time I just took the item away immediately. Screaming ensued. BUT – and there is a happy ending! – he hasn’t thrown anything since then, and it’s been two straight weeks.
With my very strong-willed daughter, who is now older, it never worked to take the toy away because she was never very into toys. But it did work to pick her up, carry her to her room, and put her in her room. We called it an “automatic” and she got an automatic for kicking, throwing, hitting – that kind of stuff. It really only took a few rounds of this to establish the boundary and it has never been a problem since then.
For things that are clearly wrong – hitting, kicking, throwing, climbing on the stove or the oven, pulling the cat’s tail – I think it’s absolutely appropriate to draw a firm boundary and enforce it without hesitation. I actually think this is a lot easier than dealing with things like whining, which are more malleable. But for the big things, find what will make an impression on your kid, draw a line, and enforce.
I also do a lot of talking during and after this, along the lines of “You just threw the car at me. That’s not OK. I’m taking the car away because you threw it. I know you are angry/hungry/tired/frustrated, but I will not let you throw cars at me. It’s hard to be angry/hungry/tired/frustrated/18 months old, but I will not let you throw cars.” The goal is to validate the feeling, but enforce the boundary. Trust me: your child WANTS you to enforce boundaries.
Good luck – hope some of this helps. And if anyone has tips for cutting off whining, let me know.
TBK says
I love “it’s hard to be 18 months old”. I think we say at least weekly “it’s hard to be a baby.” It really is! Curious — when did you start enforcing boundaries? Mine are 15 months and I haven’t quite felt they were ready to understand consequences, but lately I’ve been unsure if maybe they do by now. We’ve really just done the sort of taking away the problem thing, redirection, removing them that you do with babies. But, for example, my one son loves feeding the dog to the point that if I don’t shut the dog out of the kitchen, the dog will get almost all the food. My other son throws food when he’s done eating it. I’ve been wondering lately if we should be starting to tell them “no” and having some sort of consequences for in appropriate behavior. But then I wonder if they’re still too young.
Lorelai Gilmore says
I think this is the right time to start, particularly for those things that are clear, hard-and-fast limits. For example, with food throwing: you feed the baby, and say, “We don’t throw food.” When baby starts throwing food, you immediately take the food away, and say, “No throwing food.” Baby will scream, but you will stay calm and collected and firm. I wouldn’t try to redirect – if baby keeps screaming, I’d do the validation thing I described above (“You wanted to throw your food and I took it away. That’s so frustrating. But in this house, we don’t throw food. I understand you’re frustrated, but I won’t let you throw food.” Etc.)
I think a 15-month-old is big enough to understand throwing food and is doing so intentionally. For me, that’s the point where you can set a limit.
Lorelai Gilmore says
Having said that, I suspect that feeding the dog is the kind of thing where it’s easier just to shut the dog out of the kitchen. One thing I really believe with discipline is that you have to pick your battles – and maybe best to pick one at a time.
R says
Re: the dog thing. We had a similar problem with my now 28 month old. In our house, everyone has chores as soon as they can walk, so we let her add feeding the dog to her chores. We gave her a scoop, showed her how to access the food, and explained when to do it. Obviously, we supervise and remind and help, but she takes great pride in feeding the dog 2x/day. Sometimes she’ll ask if she can do it more often, but knowing that it’s her job and she gets to be the one to do it seems to help curb the impulse to dump all the food all over the floor.
(At her age, we don’t do a chore chart or anything. When it’s time to empty the dishwasher, we just call her in to help. Or when she gets up, we remind her to pull the covers over her sheets. It’s more about completing the activity than doing it on a schedule or getting it exactly right.)
Keekaroo peanut moms? says
Does anyone use the Keekaroo peanut changer? We’ve got a crib/changing table combo that comes with a small changing pad for the space, but I’m hoping to use the Keekaroo instead. The opening on the changer is 16.5 inches and the Keekaroo dimensions say it’s 17 inches wide. Is is squishy enough that I could wedge it in there? The video looks like it should be, but I’d like to hear some real world experience.
JMDS says
Yes, and it is the most amazing baby invention. Expensive but totally worth it. Especially if you have a boy like mine who would literally pee every time you opened the diaper at the beginning.
I don’t think it it squishy enough to fit into that space, but you could also buy and return if it doesn’t fit.
BKDC says
It’s not squishy, but it may be sturdy enough if it hangs off a tad. We love ours — so easy to clean up if there is an accident.
It’s expensive, but absolutely worth it. We often talk about how essential this one item has been for us. The only other thing I would say that about is the k’tan. Try to make it work if you can!
DCPreg says
Thoughts on registering for big ticket items like strollers, carseats, etc.? On the one hand, I feel guilty “asking” people to buy those things for us (we’re looking at a price range of $200-$250 per item), and I’m perfectly fine buying them myself. But on the other hand, I worry about not registering for enough things, since people have already given us a lot of hand-me-downs for other, smaller items. And I could see groups of people going in together to purchase a bigger item like a car seat. But is it bad form?
Lorelai Gilmore says
I think it makes sense to put them on the registry, within some limits. I wouldn’t put a $1000 Bugaboo stroller on a registry, because it seems tone deaf. But I think it’s absolutely appropriate to put $200-250 items on the registry, if for no other reason than if no one buys it for you, you can get a registry completion discount when you purchase it yourself. I’ve seen many carseats and strollers on registries.
I would not include things like furniture on the registry, though – so no cribs, changing tables, gliders, etc.
TBK says
I think the question of whether to put a $1,000 item on the registry honestly depends on how wealthy your friends/family are. If they’re likely to balk at the idea of anyone paying that much for something, then leave it off. But if they’d think “yup, that’s what that costs,” I’d put it on. It’s more that you don’t want to flaunt your own wealth by saying “we’re the kind of people who buy $1,000 strollers” if all the people reading your registry spent $150 on theirs. If someone wants to spend $50 on a gift for you (or $25) they’ll find something on the list that costs that much. I don’t think people feel like you’re asking them in particular to spend $1,000 if you have items in a range of prices (I always assume those are on there for rich aunts or doting grandparents). And you never know — your co-workers or college friends or bowling league could all decide to chip in on one big item instead of buying you a dozen things for $50 each.
Anon says
Agreed.
JEB says
I would definitely register for them. I was honestly surprised by the number of “big” items we received as gifts. I found that family friends/my parents’ friends (ie: the church ladies who watched me grow up) were very generous with their shower gifts. Of course there’s always the option of a few people going in together to get you a bigger gift, as you mentioned. And if you don’t receive them as gifts, you can use the registry discount to purchase them yourself.
ANP says
Yep, agree — I wouldn’t bat an eye at carseat/s (and/or an extra carseat base if you go the infant carrier route), strollers, high chairs, etc. on a registry. A four-figure item would be pushing it IMHO but otherwise I think you’re good to go.
Philanthropy Girl says
I registered for them knowing I probably wouldn’t get them. Most places offer a registry completion discount and in my book it was worth 1) avoiding a gift that wasn’t what I wanted and 2) getting the 10% discount on my big ticket items.
LC says
I think you’re fine. I just registered recently, and the first thing someone bought us was our car seat — one of the most expensive things on there. As JEB said, some people are really generous when it comes to babies. I’ve also chipped in with friends to buy big-ticket items for others. And even worst case, the registry discount is really nice to have.
Anna says
Hi everyone, this question might be TMI, if so, apologies. I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility, and really liked it, but I’m thinking our delay in conceiving (6+ months since I came off birth control) might be related to my lack of EWCM. Has anyone had problems with this? I’m considering trying Fertile CM or PreSeed- thoughts? Opinions? Recommendations?
anon says
I thought that at the time and took Mucinex once or twice around ovulation as recommended in the book. Twins! So, clearly, YMMV.
anonforthis says
We used PreSeed (even though the name squicks me out) and ovulation tests in addition to temping and other tracking when we conceived. I’m not sure if it was the PreSeed or the test that changed it for us, but that combo was what seemed to work after 6+ cycles of trying.
annonn says
I used preseed because it made s-x more comfortable, and we were having it so often that comfort was obviously huge. So I’d endorse it for that reason alone.
It’s been a while since I read TCOYF, but I thought the presence of EWCM was just one possible signal that you’re ovulating – not a prerequisite. So I wouldn’t stress too much about not having it. Honestly, I found it hard to tell which type of CM was or wasn’t present when we were in the trying phase. Now that I’ve gone through some really “dry” times, it’s much easier for me to tell. (Sorry, TMI) This is all to say that you may very well have it and just not know it.
Good luck!!
anon says
I never had much either, but I found lots of water to be particularly helpful. And kegels.
NYC says
I’m having trouble ttc (I have PCOS) and I’m currently on my third medicated cycle. I definitely recommend PreSeed even though it hasn’t worked for me yet. I actually have an Amazon subscribe and save subscription! The packaging is not alluring and it would be nice if they’d include a few more applicators, but it’s a good product. The lube itself is clear and nice to use. :)
EWCM or close is pretty impotent for keeping sperm alive (it can live up to 5 days in fertile quality CM).
Are you going to chart? Seem to be ovulating?
Anon says
I was off bc for 2 years before getting pregnant. Got pregnant while hubby and I were doing 21 day sugar detox and subsequently found out about 3 couples (including 1 close friend) who had similar experiences. This was after doc told us it would be possible but difficult to conceive naturally.
Good luck!
anon for this says
We also just figured out last week that both times we conceived – only 13 months apart, it was in the middle of doing a complete no-sugar detox, 3-4 weeks in. Somebody explain THAT.
Anonymous says
Is there a nice way to tell people you don’t want them to visit? We are having issues with family visiting daily. They are not people we can leave alone with our child, they don’t really help with anything other than play with the baby and they don’t understand hints to leave. I can deal with it on the weekend- I’m honestly too tired after work. We have things to do after work like laundry and cook dinner and relaxing in our underwear and don’t want company for days in a row.
FWIW says
Would it work if you said, ‘We’re working hard to get our family on a better schedule, so going forward, we’re not available for weeknight visits. We would love to have dinner with you on Sunday; however.’
Other options include, but are not limited to, ‘Sorry, we’re starting a nighttime routine with baby that starts very early,’; ‘We’re trying to get baby to sleep better,’ and of course, ‘That doesn’t work for me. How about this weekend.’
FWIW says
Alternately, you could do what I did working at a restaurant when customers wouldn’t leave:
Put everything interesting away (the baby), turn the lights all on or all off, start sweeping up and put up all the chairs.
Lorelai Gilmore says
Do they call in advance or just drop in? If they call in advance, I think a nice, sturdy, “We’re really busy tonight. How about Sunday afternoon?” works fine. Rinse, repeat. If they just drop in, I agree that you need to tell them that weeknights don’t work for you.
NewMomAnon says
Sigh, maybe this is just the single mom speaking…but I would love it if family would drop by on weeknights. Weeknights can be so lonely after baby is in bed and you can’t go out.
But I agree that if it was happening regularly and I didn’t have any control over it, I would be annoyed. I don’t have any recommendations, except to stop accommodating them; just go about your usual life, and if they don’t want to be part of it, then they will stop coming over. Clean while they are there, wear your grubby sweats, make only enough dinenr for your family and suggest that they bring food to stretch the meal if they plan to join…
Meg Murry says
Is it the same people days in a row, or is it MIL one night, Aunt Sue the next, Cousin Joe the next, etc etc? Is it both sides of the family or just one? Have you directly said “you know, we’re really tired on weeknights, can we make plans on weekends instead?”
If it’s all different people, could you just pick one night and plan to order pizza and invite them all? Or even better, invite them all to MILs house or similar, where you can drop by for an hour or two and then go home? It would be annoying, but better one annoying night than 5? We go to my parents house one night a week for dinner, and then they invite people over to come see and play with the kids (and bonus, they cook dinner not me).
If it’s all the same people, can you suggest a standing weekend date or one day per week? And as far as getting things done – can you at least trust them alone in the next room with baby? When my MIL visits for the multiple-ith time in a week, I just go ahead and go about my business doing laundry or whatever – she’s not there to see me anyway beyond a few minutes of pleasantries. Is it rude of me? Yes, somewhat. Is it rude of her to just pop by? Yes, so we just deal. Having plans on the calendar with her helps slow down the pop-ins.
If it’s 95% husband’s family, can you send him off with the baby to visit them sometimes? Or have him invite them over and you do a Target run? Or like FWIW said, could baby “need a diaper change and feeding” and you disappear into baby’s room for an extended period?
Can the guests be trusted to take baby for a walk around the block in a stroller?
If they are calling ahead, saying “sorry, can’t, we’ve got plans” – they don’t need to know the plans are to sit around in you underwear. Heck, one of my friends tells obnoxious nosy busy-bodies she “has plans with Bob and Sue”. No mention that ” Bob and Sue” are her names for the washer and dryer and code for “no husband, don’t tell them we’re free!”