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When my first son was born I got obsessed with a terrycloth cardigan from Old Navy. (How obsessed? I am sorry to tell you that, in what I hope was a bout of postpartum hormones, I wore it to my 35th birthday party). Anyhoo: I’m on the hunt for a new one, and I like this highly-rated drape neck zip cardigan from Caslon, available in both regular and petite sizes XS-XL. It comes in four colors (gray, black, a beige “morel,” and a light green “olive grove”) and I kind of want them all. It looks nice zipped up or not, and would be nice whether you’re pregnant, nursing, in the sticky-fingers phase of momhood, or beyond. It’s $68 at Nordstrom. Caslon Drape Neck Zip Cardigan
Psst: Here are two plus-size options: one with a shawl collar (terry) and one with a drape neck (not terry).
P.S.: Happy Rosh Hashanah!
P.P.S. If you’re thinking, “Gosh, I wish Kat posted more expensive items,” here’s a $258 version of a terrycloth cardigan.
Sales of note for 11.28.23…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Black Friday deals have started! 1,800+ sale items! Shop designer, get bonus notes up to $1200. Markdowns include big deals on UGG, Natori, Barefoot Dreams, Marc Fisher LTD, Vionic and more!
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your purchase
- Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase, including cashmere; up to 60% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 60% off everything & extra 20% off purchase
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off almost everything; up to 50% off suiting & chinos; up to 40% off cashmere; extra 50% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – 50% off sitewide (readers love the cashmere)
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off (this reader favorite sweater blazer is down to $75)
- Stuart Weitzman – Extra 25% off full-price and sale styles with code
- Talbots – 50% off all markdowns and 30% off entire site — readers love this cashmere boatneck and this cashmere cardigan, as well as their sweater blazers in general
- Zappos – 29,000+ sale items (for women)! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- BabyJogger – 25% off 3 items
- Crate & Kids – Up to 50% off everything plus free shipping sitewide; save 10% off full price items
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 50% off everything + free shipping
- ErgoBaby – 40% off Omni Breeze Carrier, 25% off Evolve 3-in-1 bouncer, $100 off Metro+Stroller
- Graco – Up to 30% off car seats
- Nordstrom – Big deals on CRANE BABY, Petunia Pickle Bottom, TWELVElittle and Posh Peanut
- Strolleria – 25% off Wonderfold wagons, and additional deals on dadada, Cybex, and Peg Perego
- Walmart – Savings on Maxi-Cosi car seats, adventure wagons, rocker recliners, security cameras and more!
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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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?
Anonymous says
Have a 40% off one item at brooks brothers coupon. I am in third trimester though and not sure what to buy. Can someone suggest some items please? Normally I would get a suit or a coat but my sizing is so weird right now.
FVNC says
How about a sweater one size up from your pre-pregnancy size to wear as a transitional piece after your baby arrives? I agree that buying anything fitted right now would be tricky. Or what about a purse or jewelry, to save as a treat once you return to work (i.e., something to look forward to)? Or shoes if your size hasn’t changed? I love my BB shoes — high quality and comfortable.
Spirograph says
I kind of love this, especially since it is exactly the sort of thing I want to wear on a dreary, drizzly day like today. Of course, I love the expensive version even more, but the Caslon one is actually in a price range that tempts me to buy it…
New Mom says
Wondering if anyone has experienced trouble breastfeeding and how you decided to switch to formula or how you made b*eastfeeding work. My daughter (3 weeks old) has trouble expressing milk from me directly (according to the lactation consultant) so my supply is not high and we are supplementing every feeding plus I’m pumping 8 times a day. This is exhausting, and I am starting to be ready to give up but feeling lots of guilt and would love to hear some stories from anyone who dealt with something similar.
(former) preg 3L says
First: there is a 3-week growth spurt. It’s huge. Try to push through and keep doing whatever you’re doing now until she turns 1 month old.
Then: Don’t feel guilty. The most important thing is (1) feed your daughter and (2) be a happy mom. If bf-ing doesn’t fit in that equation, or only fits once/day, don’t worry. Reevaluate periodically, but not every feeding or every day. Since she’s so young, maybe reevaluate every 2 weeks. You can do anything for 2 weeks. If bf-ing is important to you, keep trying for 2 more weeks (after she turns 1 month). If it’s too much, no worries! Any amount of b-milk is good — whether that’s one feeding, one month of feedings, or one feeding/day. Formula is a g-dsend and will nourish your daughter so she can grow up to be spectacular. You do you.
Anonymous says
I’ll argue for both sides:
1. Your daughter will not be irrevocably damaged for life if you decide you want to supplement or not BF altogether. She will be just fine. Your job is to be a mother, not a martyr.
2. What has worked for a lot of my friends is to set a date – so say, her 6 week birthday, and say ‘we will try this until then’. Having a clear ‘end of the tunnel’, so to speak, can make you feel less overwhelmed, like knowing that I’m going on a 6 mile run rather than running until I drop. Also, a lot (but not all!) of these issues can clear up after the first month when baby sort of gets their act together.
ParalegalNC says
Ha, I love “when baby sort of gets their act together.” There are two of you involved and sometimes baby is being lazy/distracted and there isn’t anything you can change to improve things.
JJ says
This could turn out to be a novel, so here goes.
I had problems nursing my first from day one. He had a small chin and just couldn’t latch. So, based on the advice from the LC, I started pumping around the clock to keep up my supply. I would try a few times a day to get the baby to latch, but he would have none of it. So for the first few weeks, he was primarily bottle fed. I then met with another LC, who recommended a n*pple shield. I bought one of those and started using it with the baby and he latched like a dream. It took a few more weeks, but by the end of 6 weeks, I was primarily nursing and not pumping (although now I had oversupply and that was a different issue altogether). I know most people try to wean off the shield, but I just used it for the entire time I nursed – until baby was almost 7 months. I bought a bunch: one for my diaper bag, one for the nursery, a backup, etc. and it really wasn’t a problem.
During those first 3 or 4 weeks that the baby primarily fed from bottles, I was dealing with post-partum hormones and so much guilt and frustration that I would cry about it every day. I wanted to nurse so badly, but it seemed like it wasn’t for me. So I completely understand how you’re feeling right now. But in hindsight, I realize that I was feeding my baby, he was happy and healthy, and I should have been proud of that and not let it color how happy I was to be a mom.
I’ll also add that with my second, we used the shield again. He was supplemented from the first, though, with formula simply because he ate SO MUCH that I could not keep up, either with supply or just being awake for every feeding. I have no shame in supplementing because you have to do what you have to do. So, I promise that it will get better. And it’s possible to stick with it (with a n*pple shield, if necessary) and to have a happy nursing relationship. And if it doesn’t work out, just remember that the most important thing is that your baby is fed.
FVNC says
+1 to using the nipple shield. My daughter refused to latch on one side. As a result, the first couple weeks I was nursing on one side, then pumping on the other side, then bottle feeding the output from pumping. Feeding her took more than an hour. It was exhausting. The LC at my pediatrician’s office seemed reluctant to recommend the nipple shield (I’m not sure why — maybe there are concerns about baby being confused? Or refusing to latch without the shield?). But once I started using it, all of the latching issues disappeared. I used the shield until baby was about 6 months, which is way longer than recommended — but hey, who cares as long as it makes nursing easy and baby is getting enough milk? Once my daughter’s nursing issues were resolved, I enjoyed my time with her so much more. I regret not getting the shield sooner; the first month of my maternity leave was much more stressful than it had to be.
I’m sorry that feeding your little one is stressful right now. Please know that it will get better. And absolutely give yourself permission to switch to formula if that’s what you decide is right for your family — there is nothing wrong with making that decision and you should not feel any guilt at all. Good luck!
eh230 says
The primary thing is just to make sure she eats. In the end, how you feed her is on the low scale of the decisions you will have to make in her life. I have two kids. First was breastfed for over a year, but we had a lot of difficulty in the beginning, and he was extremely colicky. I also recommend trying the shield, but if she just has a weak suck instead of latch problems, that may not improve things.
Second baby was combo fed until 9 months, and fed formula from 9 months. He was a preemie, tongue-tied, and has an oddly shaped frownie face mouth. He was never able to nurse directly. Once I understood that, I made the commitment to exclusively pump. He was born in fall, and I really wanted him to get the immune benefits through the winter. Exclusively pumping is certainly not for everyone, but if you feel strongly about breastfeeding, it is something you could explore. I would also ask your pedi to check your baby for tongue/lip tie. If that is her suck problem, it can be fixed very easily with a minimum amount of pain.
Msj says
Second checking for a tongue tie. My son had a minor one (hospital ped didn’t catch it) and LC and regular ped were on the fence. We ended up getting it clipped at the ent and he can now bfeed effectively. I was nervous about making him go through an additional medical procedure but at 2 wks he simply slept through it without anaesthetic.
My daughter had a really painful, strong latch but now at six weeks it is so much better. It took her head and mouth getting bigger. Nursing went from something painful and extremely unpleasant to something that is now occasionally uncomfortable. My biggest problem these days is getting covered in spit up, especially when tandem feeding.
OP says
Thanks for all the messages! We are having her tongue and lips checked out at her next ped visit! Can I ask how many times a day you had to pump to keep your supply up? I have considered that as an option. Latching doesn’t really seem to be the issue as much as an inefficient suck but I will ask about the shield too.
(former) preg 3L says
Kelly mom dot com might have some tips on this, but at 3 weeks old, I would say you probably need to pump 8-10x per day. You shouldn’t pump more than 30 oz in a single day though. (Wish someone had told me that… you don’t want undersupply OR oversupply.)
Meg Murry says
I also had a baby that was a “lazy sucker” (lactation consultant’s term) and after 3 weeks I gave up and went to exclusive bottle feeding with my LCs encouragement. I was also going back to work at 7 weeks, so I didn’t have a lot of time (and no medical resources) to figure out how to make baby nurse. I pumped 6x a day (tampered down to 4x a day after a few months – before work, lunchtime, after work and before bed), and exclusively bottle fed. Baby got formula all day at daycare (where it was provided free), and we saved the breastmilk for at home – what I was able to provide was enough for nights and at least part of the weekend most weeks. We would warm the breastmilk in 2 ounce or 3 oz increments (which was usually 1 pumping session for me) and if baby was still hungry we then gave formula so we weren’t wasting breastmilk if he didn’t finish the bottle.
Honestly, while pumping was a pain in the ass, combo feeding was kind of freeing. It was nice to be able to say “oh, no more breastmilk in the fridge, thats ok, just use formula”, and I didn’t have to worry about warming breastmilk while were out, etc. Baby got at least some of the benefits of breastmilk by having it part time, but we got the convenience of formula as well. It wasn’t my preferred route and I was really happy when baby #2 was able to just nurse directly, but it is an option between just quitting nursing all together and killing yourself to try to nurse a baby that just won’t.
One last thing to throw out there – ask your LC about craniosacral therapy. I’ve heard it works with babies with latch and suck issues, and was recommended to us with our first, but we couldn’t afford to pursue it at the time.
OP says
This combo seems like a good compromise, I’m back to work at 7 weeks as well and it sounds like your system would work for us.
mascot says
According to my LC, even a small amount of breast milk has immune boosting properties. It’s not like baby has to get 20 ozs a day to get this benefit. This really helped me ease the pressure on myself and see that it wasn’t all or nothing. If your supply means you can only provide a few ounces, celebrate those ounces and don’t worry that you need to supplement. Your baby will be fine.
Also, growth spurts are pretty brutal. Hang in there.
Carrie M says
My heart melted a little when I read this. I was you 7 months ago. Exactly. Hang in there!!! The first 6 weeks were the hardest for me BFing. I also had to pump and supplement after most feedings because LO did not transfer well (perhaps due to the nipple shield, but also my low supply). It is totally exhausting and endless. Just know that it won’t be like that forever. I promise.
This is also going to be long….but a few thoughts:
– I agree with others to try to keep BFing a week at a time. It is such an emotional rollercoaster. I would have a great feeding and then 2 hours later be in tears when she wouldn’t latch. My advice: Don’t quit on a bad day. If you end up deciding to formula feed, that is totally fine and your LO will be happy and healthy and it’s all going to be fine. But make that decision on a good day, after careful thought.
– BFing is not an all or nothing proposition. Some people exclusively BF. Some do a combination of nursing and using expressed milk or formula. Some exclusively pump (which is what I do now, plus use formula when I don’t pump enough). Any amount of bmilk that you give baby will benefit baby (and you). You are not a failure if you don’t exclusively BF. Do what’s best for you and baby.
– Can you have a good LC do a home visit? It’s actually proven that just by having a calming, supportive person next to you, can help you relax and achieve a good latch.
– It takes about 6 weeks for your milk to regulate and to begin to get into a good groove with baby. If you can hold out that long (you’re half way there!!), I would suggest not deciding whether to stop BFing until then. In the meantime, 2 “rules” to follow: 1. feed the baby, 2. protect your supply. Feeding the baby can mean nursing or bottles of expressed milk or bottles of formula. Do what you need to do.
– If you have a partner who can give the baby milk or formula at even one feeding a day (whether by bottle, or supplementing system or a syringe if you’re nervous about giving a bottle), it would give you a chance to “relax” (or shower or nap or eat or whatever) so that you get a break from the endless nursing/pumping/supplementing cycle.
– Glad you’re checking out the lip/tongue tie. Definitely go to a specialist who has released lip and tongue ties if you think there’s a problem here. A lot of peds miss this issue.
– Other medical/physical issues can affect BFing. Does baby have torticollis? That can make latching difficult. Some neck exercises to help loosen the muscles can do wonders. Does baby have reflux? That can also make BFing difficult in some scenarios. Are your n-pples on the shorter side? A shield might help.
– Set up your pump where you nurse and where you don’t mind hanging out for hours a day. (I had mine set up in our family room, so I could read/watch TV/nap on couch while BFing or baby dozed, all without moving an inch.) Don’t wash your flanges and bottles in between pump sessions. Stick them in coffee mugs and put in the fridge. Wash once at the end of the day.
– At that age, my girl just wanted to be held or stay close to me. It made pumping hard! Get a hands free bra for pumping. I like simple wishes (it’s on amazon). That way, you can kind of hold LO in your lap or next to you while pumping.
– Set your pump up on the floor so you can do tummy time with LO while pumping. Or lay your legs out flat and have LO lie on your legs.
– Can you rent a hospital grade pump? That will help keep your supply up. I’m still renting my Medela Symphony and baby is now 7 months. I love it that much.
– other supply boosters: oatmeal, almonds, almond milk, fenugreek, gaia lactation support, etc. Check out kellymom for more suggestions.
I know it feels endless and your emotions and hormones are going crazy right now. You’re not alone – so many of us have been there. Take a deep breath. You will get through this! You’re only three weeks in, and it really will get better. Keep us updated!!
eh230 says
All of this! To answer OP’s question above, I pumped 7-8 times a day when exclusively pumping (you should pump every 2-3 hours to keep up supply), including at least one middle of the night session. When I went back to work, I dropped to 5 pumps a day, since it was not realistic to keep up with the old schedule. Good luck!
OP says
Thank you to everyone for all the comments. A great feeding followed two hours later by tears because she won’t even latch is pretty much exactly what happens everyday! These suggestions are fantastic and you all have inspired me to keep trying.
rakma says
I had a really rough time bfing around the same point, and while I continued pumping and supplementing, I actually stopped directly nursing the baby for about 2 weeks there. We’d try about once a day, but she screamed and thrashed around because she was hungry and the boob was too hard/slow for her. Then, one day, we tried, and she happily popped right on. I think that was at about 5 weeks. We still supplemented for a while there, but by the time I went back to work (about 2 months later) she was about 95% breastfed, without pumping. She’s 10 months now, and enjoys mommy/boob time, no more banshee impersonations.
One thing that’s hard to keep in mind is nothing needs to be permanent. Bfing, formula feeding, pumping, you can do any combination of them for as long as it work for you and the baby gets fed.
Brushing baby's teeth? says
How do you get your toddler to let you brush his or her teeth? LO is 15 months, and we use a Nuk toothbrush and baby toothpaste. I usually try to brush while he is in the bath, but he often closes his mouth and makes it very difficult to get the brush in there. Any tips? Does it just get better as they get older?
Spirograph says
Let him do it himself? My son (18 months) doesn’t do a great job, but he LOVES to stand on the step next to the sink and move his toothbrush around in his mouth while I brush my teeth. I put a tiny bit of toothpaste on the brush and hand it over to him, then sit on the toilet so he can see me and demonstrate the “right” way to brush. I figure even if his teeth aren’t getting super clean with his method, establishing the habit is a step in the right direction, and he’ll get better when he gets more coordinated. Sometimes he lets me help him at the end, but I don’t stress about it if he’s not cooperative.
Anonymous says
This is what we do, and we got a toothbrush my kid is excited about (Thomas the Train, and it plays the theme song). I let him brush while I brush my teeth and then I take over. He’s 2.5, so a little older and better able to follow directions (like, open your mouth). He’s had 3 dental cleanings an the dentist says his teeth are very clean.
RC says
This may sound silly, but do you know Raffi, the kiddie singer? (If not, I highly recommend buying an album; he’s great!) He has a song about brushing your teeth that we have listened to about a million times. We sing it when it’s teeth brushing time, which seems to make it more fun for my son. Also, in my experience, if you just keep at it, it will become part of the routine. My son knows that after reading and drinking milk, we go brush teeth before bed. Sometimes he’s still kind of silly about it, but it’s not usually a big fight. He’s 22 months, and we’ve probably been doing this regularly since he was about your son’s age, and it’s definitely gotten easier. Remembering and prioritizing getting a real brush in in the morning is a different story. I sort of give him his toothbrush as I’m brushing my teeth, and he doesn’t do all that much with it….
Nonny says
When you wake up in the morning and it’s a quarter to one
And you just can’t wait to have some fun
You brush your teeth, ch-ch-ch-ch, ch-ch-ch-ch-ch
You brush your teeth, ch-ch-ch-ch-, ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-
My favourite verse is the fifth one:
When you wake up in the morning, it’s a quarter to five
And you just so glad to be alive,
You brush your teeth…..
:-) I love Raffi.
Spirograph says
I love Raffi too. :) I’ve always sung this song to myself when I brush my teeth! It did not dawn on me until I actually had a kid that Raffi might literally mean “when you wake up in the morning and it’s quarter to one…”
Nonny says
Or when you are up in the middle of the night putting your baby back to sleep and suddenly realize you have been up long enough to sing two verses in a row…
hoola hoopa says
Love that song.
“Down by the Bay” is huge at our house, too.
mascot says
just keep offering the toothbrush and making it a game. It does get easier when they get older.
hoola hoopa says
+1 Just keep doing the best you can. It gets easier as they get older. I’ve pinned down a child many a night, but at a certain point they realize that it’s going to happen whether they cooperate or not and start to be more engaged with personal care and hygiene in general.
More tricks (agree with all mentioned already): talk as the teeth in silly voices, refer to it as ‘tickling’ the teeth, have them look in the mirror to see all the bubbles (bubbles!), position a favorite stuffed animal in front of them and have them show it what a good brusher they are (talk for the animal), count teeth as you brush them (they have so many teeth! what a big boy!), pretend to brush their ear, nose, feet etc and have them ‘teach’ you how to do it.
They do their own in the morning (anything counts until they are 4/5). An adult does it at night. That’s what one of our ped dentists suggested and it’s worked well for us. The morning buy-in helps at nights (‘you do it yourself in the morning – it’s our turn at night’) and develops the habit of twice a day without much of a fight.
(former) preg 3L says
Thanks everyone for your comments yesterday on how frequently to bathe my babe!
KJ says
I’m wearing a necklace for the first time since my baby was born today – the Jane necklace in emerald from Chewbeads. I don’t think it looks too ridiculous, and my all-black outfit really needed a pop of color, so I’m pretty pleased. And I don’t have to worry about damaging the necklace when I’m taking my shirt on and off for pumping or when I go pick up the little one from daycare. Yay!
http://store.chewbeads.com/product_p/jane%20necklace%20-%20emerald%20green.htm
ANP says
Love this! Very chic.
Nonny says
Very cool. I hadn’t looked at Chewbeads before. I might just have to get one!
(former) preg 3L says
I ordered the bitey beads featured earlier this week in grey. The necklace is quite a bit longer than I expected (LO can pull it into her mouth while she’s nursing which kind of defeats the purpose of keeping her entertained *while* nursing, because she stops nursing to chew on the necklace) but once I held it so that she couldn’t get it all the way to her mouth while nursing, it was very effective at keeping her latched and focused for our morning feeding. (LO is 7 months old)
Nonny says
I’ve also been looking at the Mama & Little beads this morning….Trying to figure out which company to go with! I like the idea that the Mama & Little necklaces are designed to not catch on your hair.
Anon says
Just wanted to add that I love how this site is developing – I feel like this week in particular there have been tons of comments along the lines of “here are lots of details on what works for me but it’s okay if that doesn’t work for you and you’re still a good mom”.
When the site first started I was worried that it would result in mom stuff being totally diminished on the regular site – that hasn’t happened too much. Mostly I enjoy not having to scroll through tons of comments on stuff I’m not as interested in (dating/weddings) to get to the topics that I’m interested in. I think it allows for fuller, more nuanced and detailed discussions.
JJ says
I agree. I really enjoy all the comments on this site now and I think it’s turning into a site that is sorely lacking on the internet: message board about parenting without flame wars and/or judgment. It’s so nice to know that we’re not alone when we’re going through all these parenting issues.
(former) preg 3L says
Yes. This.
mascot says
Oh I am sure there could be some argument about co-sleeping or vax. I kid, I am beginning to like it here too.
KJ says
+1 :)
CHJ says
+2!
sfg says
Thanks for the replied yesterday about “I thought it was going to be about me this time.” The Alphamom columns are especially helpful – lots to think about.
(former) preg 3L says
So glad you liked Alphamom — I always love reading her columns.