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When my son started facing forward in his convertible car seat and we adjusted his straps, all of a sudden I was hearing a little voice saying “Neck hurt!” from the back seat. Also, when tightening the straps, they would rub against his neck on either side as the straps were moving, and he would cringe. I loved the brand Aden + Anais for newborn swaddle blankets, sheets, etc., and Kat recommended these strap covers to me. I ended up fishing out the ones that came with the car seat itself, and I was lucky that they ended up being where I looked in the back of my closet. If you want a soft and cute option for the car seat, these look adorable and are machine washable. I also like that these have snaps, as the ones that came with my seat have velcro, and I don’t love washing velcro along with the rest of his clothes. They are $8.99–$13.26 at Amazon; select colors and patterns are eligible for Prime. Car Seat Strap CoversThis 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!
Regular poster, anon for this since I am (probably unreasonably) concerned about outing myself.
My ideal career path has me taking my next role managing P&L for one of our businesses, and until recently it didn’t look like any of the guys in charge of those businesses was going to leave. Well one of the spots just opened up unexpectedly. I have in the past made it clear that I want this role next. It’s only been a few days, but no one has approached me yet.
Normally, I’d be proactive and speak to my VP about it. However – we are just about to start TTC w/ #2. I know the standard wisdom is don’t do anything differently until you are actually pregnant, but we’re going to do an FET so I have a very high likelihood of getting pregnant within the next 3-6 months.
The other piece of this is my current role is rather cushy – it’s a new role, I’m able to set my own priorities, and I have a solid plan for who will cover for me on leave. In the new role, that’s all out the window – it’s managing the most challenging business and most high profile projects.
Would you
1) Take the job if they approach you, but not be proactive. They know it’s possible I’ll have another baby, and if they want me anyway, that’s on them
2) Be proactive, ask for the job, and who cares about maternity leave/new baby
3) Turn it down regardless, it’s a bad idea to take on a new bigger role during pregnancy and first year w/ a baby
Anon
Jul 16, 2019 8:56 am
Has anyone felt like pregnancy and the infancy years were a toll they had to pay to get to the point of being the parent they want to be? I’m dreading the whole process up to the point where my kid is around age 4/5, at which age I truly do want to be a parent. DH is against adoption/fostering unless we have health problems having a biological child and is very committed to being the primary caregiver, including looking forward to the early years that I’m not. I’m on board with having one kid as the right compromise of all things and my hesitancy to have children at all (as discussed on this board many times) but I’m curious if anyone felt like they were just counting down the days for the next stage and if that’s a fair feeling going into pregnancy.
Lana Del Raygun
Jul 16, 2019 9:08 am
These are actually not safe! If the straps are rubbing against your kid’s neck, you can tug their shirt up, but you should not add any products that don’t come with the car seat or aren’t explicitly approved by the manufacturer. https://csftl.org/non-regulated-products/
Working Mom guilt
Jul 16, 2019 9:09 am
How much time do you spend with your children? How much do you consider “quality time”, i.e. time that your attention is focused on your kids and you are engaged? Do you think this is enough (not judged on the basis of a social norm, just your personal preferences and potential future regrets)?
I see my LO an hour each mornings (except when traveling) and an hour most (5 out of 7) nights plus most weekends around the clock. I am generally content with working that much and love my career. I even felt better after reading (in Laura Vanderkam’s I know how she does it) that no one spending 35-40 hours a week on a job would complain they “never see their job.” However, I went to the pediatrician this morning and when I couldn’t answer some of the questions (e.g. how does LO interact with other kids? – well, I don’t know as I don’t have any playdates because I am working during the week when other Moms here meet) he responded that maybe I shouldn’t be working so much and will later regret missing these years. Now I feel bad (even though I know I shouldn’t). Any words of wisdom?
ASD1 therapy for elementary-school kid
Jul 16, 2019 9:31 am
Kiddo was just diagnosed with ASD1 (fka Asperbers).
Has anyone done any therapies for their kids (and did they work? were they helpful?).
One option involves taking a kid in for an hour (maybe more?) weekly and then an hour of parent training. IDK if I can get a sitter to take kiddo after school (which may defeat it — maybe a parent should be there to talk to the clinicians) or if I will have to take kiddo out of school and treat it like a medical appointment. [This place says it is high-intensity for the first semester after diagnosis so maybe it drops off once you know what you should be doing for ASD1.]
Or should I ask the school to provide a similar service via an IEP? [Will the school even provide good services? They seem so . . . not great. I know that they have two OTs who I know personally and love, but don’t know if OT is what works best with ASD1 kids. Anything else is . . . like hoping planes run on time. Sometimes you get what you want but frequently you don’t and then there is nothing you can really do to change that.]
K
Jul 16, 2019 9:34 am
Hi all, excited to be visiting here from the main site. I am barely pregnant with #1, and feel like a WHALE. Just super bloated and uncomfortable. I fortunately work at a casual workplace, but I’m definitely going to need to buy some loose clothes in bigger sizes to get me through the next few months. I wear dresses every day, so not interested in tops/pants/skirts/etc. Does anyone have suggestions of loose dresses with enough structure to fall away from my weirdly flabby lower abdomen? Thanks!
Anonforthis
Jul 16, 2019 9:58 am
Help me out with your best excuses for not drinking on a work trip. Having a few drinks with colleagues over dinner is standard at my office, and I usually enthusiastically participate. However, I just got a positive pregnancy test last night, for what will be my second (Yay! But also yikes!). I leave tomorrow morning for a 2 night trip with a male partner. With my first, I successfully used the “on antibiotics” line while on a trip with a different partner before I was ready to disclose… but that partner is kind of clueless about this stuff? Ordering something fake would be complicated since we’ll be at dinners, and just saying I don’t feel like it or pretending to nurse one drink would so out of the norm that I’m confident it will draw questions. Also, we’ll have at least one dinner with a female co-counsel who we’ve never met in person (but as this board shows, might be more attuned to the real reason behind excuses).
It would also not be the end of the world to just disclose to this partner on this trip – he is my mentor and we have a great relationship. He was incredibly supportive when I had my first; he went to bat for me to have a six month maternity leave, unheard of at my small firm. I have excellent credibility in general and based on how my first pregnancy and leave went. But it’s so so early – not even 5 weeks. We are planning to tell friends earlier this time, but I am just not sure I’d want to break news of a miscarriage to my boss, even knowing he’d be great about it. So I’m thinking an excuse, even if he sees through it, is my best bet. E.g., non-serious health thing that results in no drinking?
Ear Piercing
Jul 16, 2019 9:59 am
My young elementary age daughter wants to get her ears pierced and am interested to hear your experiences with this issue. I am open to it but want to make sure I know what to expect. Also looking for suggestions on where to get this done and what type of earring to get.
lsw
Jul 16, 2019 10:10 am
I’ve posted before about my son’s speech delays. The ped kept telling us not to worry, but suggested I reach out to early intervention. I did when he was about 18 months and they said he was behind but within the range of normal. At literally every well visit after that, I’ve asked again, and each time the ped said it’s fine. Then, at his 3 year well visit yesterday, she asked if we had considered speech therapy (um, YES, like every day of his life??) and said that we should do it, but now that he’s three he’s aged out of EI. So now I have to call either the IU or some local children’s nonprofit, neither of which I feel like I understand – do I pay for these things? Does insurance cover it? I feel frustrated, because the free, easy thing I had access to before is gone, and now suddenly I have to make all of these other calls and figure it out. I don’t even know the difference between the two. There’s nothing on the webs!tes for non-school-aged kids.
I just feel frustrated, and a little defensive and sad, like there’s something wrong with my kid. Not even sure what I’m asking for … I just felt bummed about it.
Anonymous
Jul 16, 2019 10:31 am
I hear you. I had a kid who seemed to need a helmet for her head and the ped was all “no just keep her off of that side” (hard to do when she and I were sleeping through the night) and “it’s just a racket”. I hated myself for listening to her (yes! women doctors can be as bad as bad male doctors!) as the asymmetry worsened substantially and got the helmet. Not in enough time though so kiddo’s head is still uneven but b/c kiddo is a girl her hair hides most of it now (if she had been a boy this would likely be noticeable with very short hair or upon balding). But her ears were uneven and her eyes were going out of plane (or some other term).
How that doctor just dismissed me burns me to this day — next time I listen to me.
Leatty
Jul 16, 2019 10:45 am
Is Amsterdam toddler friendly? We are considering taking our toddler (who will be almost 3) to Amsterdam and the surrounding countryside in April when the tulips are in full bloom. It would be a direct (but long) flight for us, and I have no idea how she would do on the plane. Putting that concern aside, would there be sufficient toddler-friendly activities that we could do to make it worth our while? We could always delay the trip to the summer when we could do an adults-only trip, but I’d like to include her on our travels every now and then.
RNMP
Jul 16, 2019 12:05 pm
Parenting lightbulb moment. I was looking for more sturdy outdoor pants for my 3yo daughter when we go hiking. REI was a disappointment and then I thought: “Well, why don’t I get some cargo pants from the boy section at a regular store”. And just like that, I have hiking pants that turned out cheaper than the ones at REI
Anon
Jul 16, 2019 12:15 pm
What does everyone use for TV shows for their kids? I’ve decided to cancel my amazon prime account. We also use the free Nick Jr app and the PBS kids app and own a few shows and movies through Amazon. I do not have any other subscription services and am open to getting one or paying for an app, I just don’t know which one is good for kids. Kid is 4 and loves paw patrol and similar stuff.
Regular poster, anon for this since I am (probably unreasonably) concerned about outing myself.
My ideal career path has me taking my next role managing P&L for one of our businesses, and until recently it didn’t look like any of the guys in charge of those businesses was going to leave. Well one of the spots just opened up unexpectedly. I have in the past made it clear that I want this role next. It’s only been a few days, but no one has approached me yet.
Normally, I’d be proactive and speak to my VP about it. However – we are just about to start TTC w/ #2. I know the standard wisdom is don’t do anything differently until you are actually pregnant, but we’re going to do an FET so I have a very high likelihood of getting pregnant within the next 3-6 months.
The other piece of this is my current role is rather cushy – it’s a new role, I’m able to set my own priorities, and I have a solid plan for who will cover for me on leave. In the new role, that’s all out the window – it’s managing the most challenging business and most high profile projects.
Would you
1) Take the job if they approach you, but not be proactive. They know it’s possible I’ll have another baby, and if they want me anyway, that’s on them
2) Be proactive, ask for the job, and who cares about maternity leave/new baby
3) Turn it down regardless, it’s a bad idea to take on a new bigger role during pregnancy and first year w/ a baby
Has anyone felt like pregnancy and the infancy years were a toll they had to pay to get to the point of being the parent they want to be? I’m dreading the whole process up to the point where my kid is around age 4/5, at which age I truly do want to be a parent. DH is against adoption/fostering unless we have health problems having a biological child and is very committed to being the primary caregiver, including looking forward to the early years that I’m not. I’m on board with having one kid as the right compromise of all things and my hesitancy to have children at all (as discussed on this board many times) but I’m curious if anyone felt like they were just counting down the days for the next stage and if that’s a fair feeling going into pregnancy.
These are actually not safe! If the straps are rubbing against your kid’s neck, you can tug their shirt up, but you should not add any products that don’t come with the car seat or aren’t explicitly approved by the manufacturer. https://csftl.org/non-regulated-products/
How much time do you spend with your children? How much do you consider “quality time”, i.e. time that your attention is focused on your kids and you are engaged? Do you think this is enough (not judged on the basis of a social norm, just your personal preferences and potential future regrets)?
I see my LO an hour each mornings (except when traveling) and an hour most (5 out of 7) nights plus most weekends around the clock. I am generally content with working that much and love my career. I even felt better after reading (in Laura Vanderkam’s I know how she does it) that no one spending 35-40 hours a week on a job would complain they “never see their job.” However, I went to the pediatrician this morning and when I couldn’t answer some of the questions (e.g. how does LO interact with other kids? – well, I don’t know as I don’t have any playdates because I am working during the week when other Moms here meet) he responded that maybe I shouldn’t be working so much and will later regret missing these years. Now I feel bad (even though I know I shouldn’t). Any words of wisdom?
Kiddo was just diagnosed with ASD1 (fka Asperbers).
Has anyone done any therapies for their kids (and did they work? were they helpful?).
One option involves taking a kid in for an hour (maybe more?) weekly and then an hour of parent training. IDK if I can get a sitter to take kiddo after school (which may defeat it — maybe a parent should be there to talk to the clinicians) or if I will have to take kiddo out of school and treat it like a medical appointment. [This place says it is high-intensity for the first semester after diagnosis so maybe it drops off once you know what you should be doing for ASD1.]
Or should I ask the school to provide a similar service via an IEP? [Will the school even provide good services? They seem so . . . not great. I know that they have two OTs who I know personally and love, but don’t know if OT is what works best with ASD1 kids. Anything else is . . . like hoping planes run on time. Sometimes you get what you want but frequently you don’t and then there is nothing you can really do to change that.]
Hi all, excited to be visiting here from the main site. I am barely pregnant with #1, and feel like a WHALE. Just super bloated and uncomfortable. I fortunately work at a casual workplace, but I’m definitely going to need to buy some loose clothes in bigger sizes to get me through the next few months. I wear dresses every day, so not interested in tops/pants/skirts/etc. Does anyone have suggestions of loose dresses with enough structure to fall away from my weirdly flabby lower abdomen? Thanks!
Help me out with your best excuses for not drinking on a work trip. Having a few drinks with colleagues over dinner is standard at my office, and I usually enthusiastically participate. However, I just got a positive pregnancy test last night, for what will be my second (Yay! But also yikes!). I leave tomorrow morning for a 2 night trip with a male partner. With my first, I successfully used the “on antibiotics” line while on a trip with a different partner before I was ready to disclose… but that partner is kind of clueless about this stuff? Ordering something fake would be complicated since we’ll be at dinners, and just saying I don’t feel like it or pretending to nurse one drink would so out of the norm that I’m confident it will draw questions. Also, we’ll have at least one dinner with a female co-counsel who we’ve never met in person (but as this board shows, might be more attuned to the real reason behind excuses).
It would also not be the end of the world to just disclose to this partner on this trip – he is my mentor and we have a great relationship. He was incredibly supportive when I had my first; he went to bat for me to have a six month maternity leave, unheard of at my small firm. I have excellent credibility in general and based on how my first pregnancy and leave went. But it’s so so early – not even 5 weeks. We are planning to tell friends earlier this time, but I am just not sure I’d want to break news of a miscarriage to my boss, even knowing he’d be great about it. So I’m thinking an excuse, even if he sees through it, is my best bet. E.g., non-serious health thing that results in no drinking?
My young elementary age daughter wants to get her ears pierced and am interested to hear your experiences with this issue. I am open to it but want to make sure I know what to expect. Also looking for suggestions on where to get this done and what type of earring to get.
I’ve posted before about my son’s speech delays. The ped kept telling us not to worry, but suggested I reach out to early intervention. I did when he was about 18 months and they said he was behind but within the range of normal. At literally every well visit after that, I’ve asked again, and each time the ped said it’s fine. Then, at his 3 year well visit yesterday, she asked if we had considered speech therapy (um, YES, like every day of his life??) and said that we should do it, but now that he’s three he’s aged out of EI. So now I have to call either the IU or some local children’s nonprofit, neither of which I feel like I understand – do I pay for these things? Does insurance cover it? I feel frustrated, because the free, easy thing I had access to before is gone, and now suddenly I have to make all of these other calls and figure it out. I don’t even know the difference between the two. There’s nothing on the webs!tes for non-school-aged kids.
I just feel frustrated, and a little defensive and sad, like there’s something wrong with my kid. Not even sure what I’m asking for … I just felt bummed about it.
I hear you. I had a kid who seemed to need a helmet for her head and the ped was all “no just keep her off of that side” (hard to do when she and I were sleeping through the night) and “it’s just a racket”. I hated myself for listening to her (yes! women doctors can be as bad as bad male doctors!) as the asymmetry worsened substantially and got the helmet. Not in enough time though so kiddo’s head is still uneven but b/c kiddo is a girl her hair hides most of it now (if she had been a boy this would likely be noticeable with very short hair or upon balding). But her ears were uneven and her eyes were going out of plane (or some other term).
How that doctor just dismissed me burns me to this day — next time I listen to me.
Is Amsterdam toddler friendly? We are considering taking our toddler (who will be almost 3) to Amsterdam and the surrounding countryside in April when the tulips are in full bloom. It would be a direct (but long) flight for us, and I have no idea how she would do on the plane. Putting that concern aside, would there be sufficient toddler-friendly activities that we could do to make it worth our while? We could always delay the trip to the summer when we could do an adults-only trip, but I’d like to include her on our travels every now and then.
Parenting lightbulb moment. I was looking for more sturdy outdoor pants for my 3yo daughter when we go hiking. REI was a disappointment and then I thought: “Well, why don’t I get some cargo pants from the boy section at a regular store”. And just like that, I have hiking pants that turned out cheaper than the ones at REI
What does everyone use for TV shows for their kids? I’ve decided to cancel my amazon prime account. We also use the free Nick Jr app and the PBS kids app and own a few shows and movies through Amazon. I do not have any other subscription services and am open to getting one or paying for an app, I just don’t know which one is good for kids. Kid is 4 and loves paw patrol and similar stuff.