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Banana Republic seems to be making an effort to offer machine-washable clothing, and I am here for it. This is a washable silk shirt, which I don’t see too often. I like the drape of it, and the site describes the shirt as “skims your shape.” My favorite part, however, is that upon first glance, the pattern looks like a black-and-white houndstooth, but when you zoom in closer, you see that the pattern is actually little elephants joining together with their trunks. I think whoever looks close enough at the shirt to notice will definitely offer up a compliment — I know I would if I saw someone wearing it! The shirt is $98 and comes in sizes XXS–XXL. Dillon Classic-Fit Elephant Print Washable Silk Shirt Talbots has a plus-size option that’s also available in misses and petites. Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear. 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!Sales of note for 5.5.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase (ends 5/12); $50 off your $200+ purchase (ends 5/5)
- Banana Republic Factory – Spend your StyleCash with 40-60% off everything, or take an extra 20% off purchase (ends 5/6)
- Eloquii – $19 & up 300+ styles and up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Shirts & tees starting at $24.50; extra 30% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – 40% off full-price styles & extra 15% off; extra 55% off sale styles
- Nordstrom: Nordy Club members earn 3X the points on beauty; 30% off selected shoes
- Talbots – 40% off one item & and 30% off everything else; $50 off $200 (all end 5/5)
- Zappos – 27,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – 40% off everything & extra 20% off select styles with code
- Hanna Andersson – Friends & Family Sale: 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Crewcuts – tk; extra 30% off sale styles; kids’ styles starting at $14.50
- Old Navy – Up to 75% off clearance
- Target – 20% off women’s clothing & shoes; up to 50% off kitchen & dining; 20% off jewelry & hair accessories; up to $100 off select Apple products; up to 40% off home & patio; BOGO 50% off adult & YA books
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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?
Anonanonanon says
I like this objectively, but I’m originally from the SE US and it immediately screams “Alabama football fan” (since they have an elephant mascot and often wear houndstooth as a tribute to coach bryant from the 60s) to me, so I’m out on those grounds.
anon says
Same. Especially since I am married to an Auburn man. I have other elephant shirts, but this one would be immediately banished from the house.
CPA Lady says
As an Alabama fan, I pretty much need this. ROLL TIDE, y’all!!!
Mrs. Jones says
Clearly a designer is an Alabama fan. I could NEVER wear or buy this shirt. Go Dawgs!
Anonymous says
+ a million. Go Dawgs!
Anonymous says
As a born and bred new England with no interest in College aports…I have no idea what all this means ;)
AKB says
My 5 year old started kindergarten, and he actively whines and cries if I make any attempt at homework or teaching. For example, we read to him every evening, and if I ask, “Can you see a sight word on this page?” he will freak out. I don’t know what to do. We went through a move and 2 daycares in 2 months (he was on a waitlist when we got here), and so I see a little regression in him. I’m frustrated and worried that he is not picking up reading/sight words. Plus, he is in kindergarten and daycare – both excellent, so I’m not sure if my attempts at the end of the day are wise. Any advice or commiseration is appreciated.
lsw says
Can you just let it ride for a while? Leave school at school and make home a safe and steady place for a while. Try a week or a month and see how it goes. Sounds like a lot of transition and he might just want fun and safe time with you at home.
OP says
Yeah, I think that sounds right.
Sometimes, it’s hard to tell the line between safe and fun and then just letting him avoid any type of work at home.
Anonymous says
He. Is. In. Kindergarten! He shouldn’t be doing any school work at home! If he needs to do work have him put his toys away or load the dishwasher.
OP says
They assign nightly reading and worksheets for language and math. Honestly, I didn’t even know you could say no. But I will.
Anonymous says
You can!!! You absolutely can. I so feel for you. The pressure is insane. But you are the parent and you are in charge and you can say no.
Cb says
I think the What Fresh Hell podcast talked about this – they just decided that in their family, they didn’t do homework in elementary school. They encouraged their kids to read and to engage with things but not to do homework.
anon says
OP, I can sympathize. The idea of not doing homework literally never occurred to me until I heard a podcaster talking about it. I haven’t taken that step, but it did take my expectations down a notch or two.
DS is in third grade and the homework has ramped up this year. After a long day of before/after care and school, it’s too much, even for my academically motivated kid. There is time at his after-school program to complete homework, but he refuses, saying he just wants to play with his friends or draw — and I can’t say I blame him. Reading for pleasure has been the biggest casualty of our evenings, which makes me sad. Evenings in our home have not been pleasant lately, and I’m trying to figure out a better approach.
I’ve been feeling the mom pressure lately and hate it so much. We’re opting out of a lot, for the sake of our family time and having the time to teach our kids actual life & character lessons. My mom confirms that it was NOT like this when I was a kid.
Anon says
I have a kindergartener too who is getting homework already. I’m such a rule follower that I feel super uncomfortable saying no, but last week I sent a note back to the teacher asking for a call. When we talked, I asked how Kid is doing. Apparently she’s doing great in school and seems bright. So I said she’s struggling with the transition at home, really resisting homework and starting to say she doesn’t like schoool. I said I’m going to not push homework for the next few weeks (and I explained we don’t have any activities after school or I’d drop those too) to help her manage through this and ensure she continues to love school. I said I’d revisit it with the teacher in a month or two, but to let me know if Teacher sees any signs of Kid struggling at school so we could strategize together.
Teacher was fine with this. She asked if we could try to read to Kid 10-20 minutes each night instead. We do that anyway so I agreed to that plan. Yesterday Kid came home with a book that she checked out from the school library and asked me to read it to her multiple times through the evening, so I am already happy with how things are going.
OP says
I’m such a rule follower too! You’re very intuitive … I didn’t even know you *could* call the teacher and work through an alternative. This is good advice.
Anonymous says
What even? He just started K. Is the teacher assigning homework? Say no. Are you just being way too intense? Stop. Read to him. So he learns to love reading. You must chill. He is fine. He’s crying because he’s overwhelmed and frustrated. Just love him.
OP says
Can you not? I’m trying to figure out the right balance here.
Anonymous says
And I’m trying to help! You don’t have to let Home become a place for tears and battles over homework for a 5 year old.
Anon2 says
Good advice, but empathy please!!!!!
Anon says
He is only a couple of weeks into the school year and it sounds like he has had a lot of transitions lately. Unless he has homework that he actually has to do to bring to school, let reading just be fun for him. He is probably exhausted after a long day. Whether he learns his sight words now or in three months, he will be totally fine. And he likely is learning them at school but just wants to chill at the end of the day
avocado says
This. He is probably extra tired. School + day care can be a long day for a 5-year-old, especially during the initial adjustment to kindergarten. If the homework is required, I’d ask day care to make sure he gets it done there. If he’s in an after-school classroom at day care, they should allow homework time. Then just read to him at home for fun, with no pressure for him to read or identify sight words. He will actually learn more if you keep it low-key so he stays engaged.
Cb says
I love this! My husband has a shirt with tiny foxes on it and I’m very jealous of it.
Anonymous says
My son is six and now in first grade. He learned to read in K (at least at the level he’s expected to) but generally refuses to read to us at home. The only exception was when he brought home special books from school, which were suuuuper simple. We don’t push it. Thankfully his school doesn’t assign much homework, but I can empathize with how hard it could be to push back on that. My husband is a teacher, so he would probably have a problem with telling our son he could ignore the teacher’s assignments.
EB0220 says
My daughter is 6. The school had a firm “no homework” policy for K, which we agreed with. Occasionally they asked us to practice sight words but we never did it. We did get some BOB books for her to work on reading in the latter half of K but didn’t push it. K is really overwhelming even for kids who have been in daycare. Although daycare kids are used to the structure they’re learning much more. In my experience, my kid could handle schoolwork at school, but had nothing left at home. She’s now in 1st grade and they’ve been given 10 minutes of homework a night. I could go either way but she’s actually asking to do it so we do. 10 minutes is sustainable and we both enjoy it.
anon says
I love reading with my kindergartener, who can ready pretty well, but she is also often very reluctant and fusses at me if I push. I’m sure I could let it go and leave it to the school, but I really do love cuddling and reading with her. It’s one of my favorite things.
I wouldn’t feel the need to push it this week (or month), but things that have helped us as we got to this point:
–She is more rested in the morning, so I try to suggest that she read to me then. She has a tendency to wake up early, so I will often ask her to read me a book while I wake up a bit. Then I end up reading her a pile of books. I’d try mornings.
–We often make a deal that if she reads me a book before bed, I’ll read her an extra chapter in whatever book I’m reading to her. If the chapter book that I’m reading to her ends a chapter on a cliff hanger, she’ll often beg to read me a book so I’ll read her the next chapter.
–My daughter loves reading the punchlines of jokes. She absolutely cracks up. She’ll read “bonk” or “boing” or “pthhhh” before she’ll read anything serious. I usually save any punchlines for her and help her sound them out. She currently loves reading me the talking bubbles where the kids say silly things in Magic School Bus books, but any silly punchline will do. (The Elephant and Piggy books are great for this–lots of one word punchlines.)
Anonymous says
We love Elephant and Piggy at our house. Everything about them encourages reading, but they are really cute.
Anonymous says
My kindergartener likes homework. BUT. She uses it as a way to show us what she’s learned/show her siblings what she’s learned. Like “oh cool, wow, you can *do* this now?” Idk if she’s just easily duped or what but it works for us. She’d rather us do homework with her then straight up tell us about her day.
Spirograph says
My kindergartener can’t read (as far as I know), although he can recognize letters and their sounds. I am not pushing it at all. We read bedtime stories every night, but we talk about the story, not the words. I’m sure my kids will eventually want to show me that they recognize words, but I want it to be their initiative, not mine. My goal is to keep story time pure fun and relaxing.
I do reading and phonics practice in the car, instead: What letters are on that sign? Who can find a G on a sign we can see? Can you guess what the words might say? What letters do you think are in the word “cat”? We also have alphabet blocks and foam bath letters and I’ll play the same games with those.
OP says
Thank you for saying this. My kindergartner cannot read either. I feel like every other 5 yo can. (This is not rationale, and comparing is wrong/bad.)
Spirograph says
It’s hard, esp in areas where there’s an achievement rat race. I feel that way too, and I learned to read before kindergarten… but my mom, who is a 20+year elementary school teacher, assured me it was my own idea. She says smart kids will learn to read when they want to, and there’s no benefit to working with them at home until they show their own interest. I’m taking her advice to read aloud every day, model reading for pleasure, and point out that words are all around us, then let it go.
Thankfully, my son’s teacher is the same generation & philosophy as my mom. I was braced for pushing back on homework, but her only “homework” is for parents to read at least one story to the kid every night.
MomAnon4This says
I do not think you are the only one! Check with the teacher if you’d like, and check with the counselor to see if our kid is eligible for any screenings (assuming you are in USA public school). Most 5 yearolds, most K can NOT read and don’t forget… there are probably some kids who have been 6 in the K class, since June or July! That makes a big difference if your kid is a “late” birthday.
Katarina says
My kindergartner can’t read at all, and is not 100% on letter recognition.
SC says
My kid is only 3, but I’ve noticed that he goes through periods when he’s really interested in one thing (puzzles, letters/pre-reading stuff, numbers, etc), then seems to hit a plateau and resists when I bring up that thing. I’ve tried to go with the flow and let him ask about what interests him at any given time. I know kindergarten is more intense/serious, but I’m not sure that’s age appropriate. I’d keep following your kid’s lead.
Also, if your kid is in after care, it’s a long day. Evenings should be for family time, dinner, winding down, and going to bed. No worksheet is worth disrupting those activities.
lsw says
I like this shirt, super cut. Good pick.
lsw says
*cute ugh
Cb says
My parents arrive today and my little guy just started walking and I’m so excited for my parents to witness it! Also we told him that grandma and grandpa were coming today and he spent breakfast craning his neck so he could see the window. My dad looked after him between 6-10 months and arrived every morning during breakfast – apparently he remembers!
avocado says
That is so sweet! Enjoy the reunion.
BPS says
Love this! Enjoy.
Anon says
This is a really sweet story. Thanks. :-)
GCA says
Aww, that is too cute! Have a wonderful time.
anon says
Nice pick! I am a fan of BR’s Dillon shirts. I own a few and they get compliments every time.
Signed,
The woman wearing a white silk shirt dotted with tiny black bumblebees
Anonymous says
Remember back in the ’90s when Banana Republic t-shirts with the map of the republic were all the rage? (At least at my smallish school.) The elephants just gave me a bit of nostalgia for that.
Anonymous says
Yes, I remember the “safari chic” vibe they had going on
H13 says
Oh, I had forgotten about those. I remember going on a school trip and getting one in St. Louis because my town didn’t yet have a BR.
AwayEmily says
Any recommendations for good Trader Joes ready-made (or nearly ready made) lunches? I’ve come to the realization that for the next two months (big projects at work for both me and my husband) we just are not going to be able to reliably pack good lunches for ourselves, nor do we have time to eat out. Yesterday I ate a cheese stick for lunch. Not ideal.
Anon says
I know people swear by their frozen Indian food. I’m Indian, with a myriad of South Asian friends who have shared this with me, so it must be true ;)
HSAL says
The chicken tikka masala is delicious.
EB0220 says
+1 The frozen Indian food at TJ’s is amazing.
Mrs. Jones says
+1
avocado says
The bagged salads in the produce section are pretty good, yield two lunches, and can be topped with TJ’s precooked chicken strips for extra protein. In the prepared foods section, I like the southwest salad, the pasta salad with lemon and basil, and the quinoa salad with corn (not sure of the exact name for that one). The frozen mac and cheese is also good.
Visit the sample counter whenever you are in the store for quick meal ideas. One I really liked was garlic naan topped with mediterranean hummus, the mediterranean bagged salad, and chicken strips.
Ms B says
+1 on the various grain and bean salads at TJ’s. Add a small package of pre-cut salami and cheese, plus a piece of fruit or some baby peppers and call it good.
NYCer says
The southwest chopped salad (bagged in the produce section) is delish! I buy it almost every week.
Anon says
I’ve been known to eat lunches of hummus with their pre-cut veggie sticks and a bit of naan or pita bread. Simple, no prep, and filling. Plus easy to eat at your desk.
Hi there says
I do this too–a wrap made of broccoli slaw mix with some hummus, grated carrot and sunflower seeds for crunch.
Anonymous says
We’ve only had the mac and cheese frozen meals. They’re okay – they work a little better for my husband than me because the portion control isn’t as good as most frozen meals. My go to in this situation would be a single serve Fage 5% plain yogurt cup that I mix with diced fruit (apple or banana usually) and chopped nuts quick in the break room and take back to my desk.
Anonymous says
Are you open to microwave meals? If so, I like their frozen Indian dishes like paneer tikka masala.
Turtle says
For microwaved meals. their chicken burrito bowl, asparagus risotto and seafood paella are great. The have a spicy shrimp bowl as well that’s growing on me. I also like the bagged salad plus the pre-cooked seasoned chicken (toss ’em together). Some of their soups are great.
Anonymous says
Caveat to the TJ recommendations: I think their chicken tikka masala takes like 10 minutes to microwave, and not just set it and forget it: you have to do four minutes on one setting, then stir, then three minutes of something, then three minutes of cool. I like their food, but it takes 1/3 of my lunch just to prepare it!
Anon. says
The riced cauliflower bowl with tahini/chickpeas and sweet potatoes is great. In the frozen section.
Anonymous says
I like the noodle boxes. They are chock full of sodium but they are delish.
Anonymous says
We love TJ’s burritos in our house (and actually often eat them for dinner with a TJ’s bagged salad on the side to make it a meal). The pork carnitas and vegetarian super burrito are our favorites.
For super busy times, I’m also a big fan of just bringing groceries to the office. As in, bring a loaf of sliced bread, PB, hummus, bag of baby carrots. And then just eat that.
Anonymous says
Not TJs, but I eat Amy’s Kitchen frozen lunches most days.
AwayEmily says
This is super useful — thanks all!
Sarabeth says
If you’re still reading – the west African peanut/chickpea thing is amazing.
Showered says
I have two baby showers coming up (one thrown by friends and one by family), and I’ve started receiving gifts from a couple of people who can’t attend. Should I send thank you cards now or wait and send when I send the cards from the shower in a few weeks? On that note– any recommendations for where to buy thank you cards?
BPS says
I love stationery and notes! If you want to spend some money, I’d say Paper Source, Papyrus, Rifle Paper Co., or various artists on Etsy. If you want something nice and fair price point, I’d say good ol Tarjay – they have lovely paper goods. I’d also say just send out the thank yous to folks who can’t attend as you get the gifts – less on your plate for later. Or you can wait and do them all together post-shower. Just depends on how you like to handle the thankless thank-you note writing. Have lovely showers. :)
AwayEmily says
+1 to Target. Great selection of cards that look much more expensive than they really are.
Turtle says
Send now. Doing it when the gifts arrived helped me (1) reduce number that had to be written all at the same time right after the shower; (2) helped me not forget to write them and (3) gave me a little something more to write than just the ‘thank you’ – ‘I’ll miss seeing you at the shower!’ or something like that.
Pogo says
+1 send it while you are thinking of it!
HSAL says
Dinner help please – I went back to work this week, with my 3 month old twins and (almost) 3 year old at daycare. I pick the kids up around 5, home around 5:15. Husband gets home close to 6. We try to eat between 6 and 6:30, and my older daughter goes to bed around 7:30-8. Still figuring out the babies’ new schedule, but the last two nights we had success getting them to go down around 7:30.
Between unloading bottles and bags, nursing the babies shortly after I get home, and keeping everyone alive, I have zero time to actually cook (my husband takes over kid duty when he gets home), so I’m in need of good microwave or otherwise very fast meals. So far I’ve got tikka masala from Costco or chicken curry from TJ’s with frozen rice bags and frozen veggies, and a handful of slow cooker meals. We normally try to eat dinner with our daughter, but I don’t mind giving that up a couple nights a week. I know I need to implement some weekend food prep, just trying to figure out what. We’re pretty boring eaters and light on the vegetables – generally just corn, peas, green beans, occasionally carrots. All tips welcome!
Anonymous says
I get home at 6:30 or 8, so half of the week we reheat leftovers that I cook after our son goes to bed or on the weekend + frozen veggies; other days my husband, who gets home earlier, cooks. Think casseroles and soups. I like Skinnytaste.com for recipes. Favorites are her stuffed cabbage casserole, various eggy/quiche like things, mini turkey meatball soup, broccoli cheese soup, lasagna or ravioli lasagna, chili, spaghetti squash taco boats, meatloaf…
GCA says
First of all, hats off to you with all that juggling – you’re a hero!
For fast meals:
– Make a bunch of baked chicken/ turkey mini patties (like slider-size) or meatballs on the weekend: ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, stealth veggies chopped fine, a little onion or garlic powder. These can then be frozen and reheated for a few minutes in the microwave.
– Likewise, pre-make pasta sauce of your choice, then all you have to do is cook the pasta, if you have time for that.
– If you’re willing to embrace the pre-packaged food, TJ’s chicken nuggets can be microwaved and ready in a couple of minutes. TJs frozen gyoza go from freezer to pan and are ready in less than 10 minutes.
– I am also willing to pretend that scrambled eggs, the aforementioned gyoza, some sugar snap peas and toast count as a real meal :) Or you could in fact batch-cook hard-boiled eggs and then all you have to do is peel them.
At times like these, I also turn to the reassurance of Dinner: A Love Story, which always keeps it real re: juggling small children and family meals. Their kids are like 14 now! And adventurous eaters!
Anon says
That is my schedule, plus I solo parent during the week. When I was dealing with bottles, I had a few no-prep meals that I rotated through during the workweek. For most of them, I could get it started, wash all the bottles/ put away crap/ pack up for next day while it cooked, and then serve it.
Warnings – these are NOT gourmet. But they’re protein + carb + veggie + fruit so they’re balanced. And my kids will eat at least one item at each meal, so there’s less whining. Which I count as a win.
– Pre-breaded chicken breasts (go in the oven for ~30 min), microwave steambag veggies, banana
– Shake n Bake pork (go in the oven for ~30 min), applesauce, different microwave steambag veggies
– Hamburger helper (brown the meat, then just let it cook while you stir occasionally), tomatoes, grapes
– Popcorn shrimp (oven for ~20 min), microwave rice, and those mixed fruit cups.
– Ham Asparagus Casserole (I usually make pasta on the weekend, so I just make a batch of rotini at the same time, mix with cream of asparagus soup, and then keep in the fridge. Also, used canned asparagus or steambag asparagus to make that part faster.) With crescent rolls and pears or peaches.
https://www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/ham-asparagus-gratin/
– Spaghetti and meatballs – cook the meatballs in the sauce. Stir everything occasionally. Serve with whatever leftover fruit is in the fridge.
– Bagel pizzas. Spread pizza sauce and cheese on a mini bagel and pop in the oven. With berries and microwave steambag veggies.
– Breakfast for dinner. Usually egg in the hole or french toast with berries.
AwayEmily says
We are in a similar boat/schedule (but with only one baby and one toddler — it must be way way more nuts with two!).
We all sit down together at the table every night but half the time we wait to actually eat til after the toddler is in bed. On the nights we do eat together, here are some things that we can all eat together that come together in less than five minutes:
Microwave burritos, plus pre-packaged guacamole and some greek yogurt.
Pizza, picked up on the way home, with a premade bagged salad (and maybe some carrot sticks/fruit).
Hot dogs, baked beans, broccoli.
Cheese/crackers/veggie plate
ANP says
If you’re not opposed to pre-made, there are a TON of Costco options! Their rotisserie chickens are only $5 and you can eat them as chicken or use the chicken in other recipes (tacos, nachos, etc.). I also like their premade pasta dishes that you bake-and-go — that section is full of options including salmon, ribs, even sandwich platteres. We’ve enjoyed the orange chicken in the freezer section, veggie/protein burrito bowls (also freezer section), and many of the Mexican and Indian dishes they have on offer. I also like their ravioli — that’s an easy dinner with jarred sauce. Hats off to you for keeping all of these tiny humans alive!
Anonymous says
You’re doing amazing! I have twins + older daughter. When I went back to work, DH and I sat down and wrote out two weeks of meals including weekends. I don’t much food prep because I found it took more time that it saved. We planned for take out on Fridays each week. That meant he cooked two weeknights and one weekend day and I cooked two weeknights and one weekend day. My DH also gets home later but we still split cooking duties. That means sometimes he walks through the door, straight into the kitchen and starts cooking but I couldn’t own cooking 100% of the time. Sometimes after surviving pick up I just needed to flake out on the couch and snuggle babies while older kid watched Daniel Tiger. Meals that worked for us that also involved minimal dishes:
Chicken Fingers, Fries ( both go in oven, preheat oven as soon as I walk in the door), and salad (lettuce mix + cherry tomatoes)
Tomato pasta sauce (Jar from costco), tossed in some frozen meatballs (heat in microwave first), boil pasta- made rotini, farfalle, or penne because Toddler hates long noodles.
Pad Thai (DH usually chops ingredients the night before after kids in bed)
Risotto (DH usually chops ingredients the night before after kids in bed)
Hamburgers (we buy the Costco fresh ones and freeze them in one meal size packs) plus Carrots/corn as side.
Monday slow cooker meal (this varies depending on what I’m in the mood to prep on Sunday evening)
BBQ chicken bre a sts and potatoes (potatoes started in microwave and finished foil wrapped on BBQ) plus grilled red peppers.
You can up the veggie content of the meals by using avocado or guacamole as a condiment (burgers, chicken fingers, tacos).
We do fruit for dessert – alternating between fresh and canned/jarred depending on what’s in season.
Fruit and/or veggies trays from the grocery store are a great way to have chopped fruit and veg on hand for snacking or for tossing into receipes. More expensive than if you chop yourself but still cheaper than take out.
Anonymous says
Adding that we tried to eat together every night even if it meant DH and I were eating with a baby each in a baby bjorn. Toddler always ate much better when we ate together.
Pogo says
chopping the ingredients the night before is so obvious… why didn’t I think of that!
lsw says
I just made 12 crockpot meals from Costco from a list I googled. It really didn’t take me too long (maybe 2 hours?) on a weekend and they are simple, so even if you/your husband aren’t big into cooking, you can do it.
https://newleafwellness.biz/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/12-CROCKPOT-FREEZER-MEALS-FROM-COSTCO-GROCERY-LIST-RECIPES.pdf
I like that they didn’t include any cooking in prep (just cutting some veggies, a lot of which I did in my food processor) and they can go straight into the slow cooker with no fuss (other than overnight thaw).
another go-to – making a giant vat of chili over the weekend (I’m talking like 30 servings) and freezing a bunch of it. we also keep pasta/sauce from costco, chicken nuggets (also from costco), tater tots (trader joes), frozen gyoza (trader joes), and frozen veggies (peas, corn, green beans from Costco) on hand. I also like frozen mango from costco because it’s a simple “dessert” to pull out a bowl when you’re serving dinner and it’s thawed enough to eat by the time you’re ready for dessert.
also, you sound like a rock star. kudos to you for not ordering out pizza every night which is probably how i’d be tempted to handle that load!
KateMiddletown says
I really like this website – I just did a little pre-cooking for post-partum this weekend and she has great recipe bunches combined with shopping lists.
Seafinch says
I bulk cook the following things on the weekend and have them at the ready to essentially reheat:
– Beans
– Rice
– Meatballs
– marinated raw chicken (to be quickly grilled or baked)
I supplement with:
– froze peas
– crudités (peppers, carrots, cucumber, tomato)
– tortellini
– a really good salad dressing to dress the beans and rice or bagged salad
– fresh veg to steam while getting everything else ready, I.e. broccoli, green beans, asparagus.
It is also reasonably easy to throw chicken or pork into the slowcooker with jarred sauce (salsa or BBQ) and have some kind pulled meat on tortillas with bagged chopped salad. (I use an Instant Pot after I get home for this, but with twin babies, I think the slowcooker the night before/morning of, is a better fit probably). I also don’t hesitate to make a German style cold supper of raw veggies, cheese, bread, boiled eggs etc.
octagon says
Costco sells frozen (maybe refrigerated?) chicken meatballs that are pretty good. I think Aidells brand. We keep them in our freezer for quick meals – they microwave fine. Add some mashed potatoes and a spinach salad and you have a microwave meal in less than 5 minutes. Bonus, our toddler loves this dinner too.
Also, recently at TJs they had a sample of bbq pork wrap — their premade bbq pork, plus shredded cabbage, with some creamy dressing, wrapped in a tortilla. We bought the ingredients and it came together in a flash, for something different.
Boston Legal Eagle says
We like the Costco meatballs as well – they do microwave really fast and are one of the few meats our toddler will eat. Love this thread btw, I’m following all of the suggestions. We’re about to have two soon (2.5 year old + baby) so I’m trying to figure out how we can make our evenings as simple as possible. Husband does all the cooking but I imagine won’t be able to spend 30+ min cooking with a toddler and baby to take care of if I get home later.
KateMiddletown says
I love when they sample meals! Last year I was reminded about cornbread on top of chili for a weeknight easy dinner (w/ premade or homemade leftover chili)
Ella says
Same boat — crock pot beans with rice we make on the weekends and salsa and cheese is a staple in our home.
KateMiddletown says
Don’t forget soup + sandwiches. Either grilled cheese and tomato soup or a turkey sandwich + carrots + chips (which helps us finish lunchmeat before it expires.) I love the quart soups from Imagine Organics, Progresso Light, or good old fashioned Campbells for tomato. Not sure how your toddler eats, but mine could definitely do a deconstructed turkey sandwich and loved grilled cheese/quesadilla at that age.
Anon says
Just chiming in to say that you are super mom! and i am definitely not. I have 4 month old twins, no additional child and we got a nanny because the price was basically the same as daycare and we could not fathom getting two babies plus ourselves out of the house in the morning, and DH often goes in early/comes home after bed time, so how you do it with three kids is beyond me.
I’ve been all about the microwavable meals that do not require dirtying a dish on the stove or chopping because with twins there is no time for that. I truly cannot imagine twins + another kid
-we’ve been buying a rotisserie chicken each week to help with meal times. That plus frozen rice plus frozen veggies. Some days you could use the chicken to make burrito bowls or quesadillas
-TJs frozen/prepped food section is my best friend. TJs meatless meatballs can be heated in microwave, you could make pasta on the weekend to just heat up with it. They also have pre cooked chicken that can go in the microwave. We also like their canned chili and soups.
-this does require a few minutes of cooking, but breakfast for dinner is also quick
Your toddler will be fine and this is not the time to worry or feel badly about not prepping gourmet meals for her. Maybe do a pizza night on Fridays. I would just sit down with DH and plan out 1-2 weeks worth of meals and then repeat.
Kids Closets Question says
Remodeling our house and have to design two kids closets – both reach-ins (one for two toddlers and one for a nursery). Anything you wish you’d done kids’ storage-wise or anything you found particularly helpful?
Mrs. Jones says
I have a box for outgrown things to donate, and a box for things to grow into.
AwayEmily says
+1 million to this
octagon says
Install the Elfa top track, and then you can change the configuration as the kids grow without having to drill into the walls. Shelves can get adjusted, hanger rails can get added or taken away.
Spirograph says
Speaking of Kindergarten, wise moms who have been there, please help. My kid is having a tough time with the transition to K. His preschool program was fairly structured, it’s just a new routines, new place, new people thing. Depending on the minute, he’s clingy, obstinate, angry, or just plain out-of-control. I’ve tried everything from extra snuggles and talking about how change is hard to consequences for unacceptable behavior. We have some playdates lined up with preK friends that he misses, and we’re waiting to resume any after school activities because I knew this was going to happen and I wanted to leave extra downtime for running around with the neighborhood kids.
I know this is pretty typical reaction, are there any strategies to help him get his behavior back on track? Battles of wills in the morning, crying at drop-off, and tantrums at bedtime are getting really old.
Mrs. Jones says
My kid HATED kindergarten. Play therapy helped him a LOT.
Anon says
Prep as much as you can the morning before to make mornings easier. He can pick out his clothes, pack his backpack, and pick his breakfast cereal.
Drop off is really hard. The “Kissing Hand” book gave us the idea to keep a kiss in our palms. You can also send in a picture of the family that he can keep in his backpack so you’re always close to him.
Bedtime is going to be hard, especially as he transitions to new routines each school year. Try to find 30-60 minutes that you can devote to playtime with the kids. No chores, no mealprep, no phones, no TV. Just get down on the floor and play with them, or go outside and push them on a swing or draw a hopscotch. For my kids, the combination of undivided attention and physical activity make bedtimes go much more smoothly.
Spirograph says
Thanks for this, in thinking about our weekday routines, there is not much parent-kid playtime. A few minutes here and there, but usually the kids play with each other while grown ups are doing something else, and then we’re all together for less-fun things like dinner and bedtime routines. I’ll have to talk to DH about how we can split up or shift work schedules a bit to get a solid block of quality fun time with the kids.
anon says
Can I commiserate? I thought my DD was doing well after 4 days of K, but then she was a total mess all weekend. Just beside herself emotional. We did have a playdate with a good friend from pre-K on Sunday, but it was a disaster. Both kids were over the top emotional so it did more harm than good. I think we’re going to take some time from friends until we’re more settled. I think she will eventually settle in, but it’s going to take a while.
EB0220 says
How long has it been? My daughter’s K teacher (20+ years of teaching experience) told us that it takes them about a month to settle in, and we found that to be pretty accurate. For the first month – no extra activities, no parent volunteers, no coming to school for lunch and no playdates. Just hunker down and ride it out. We did find that it was rough for the first month and then much better.
Another thought – you may assess the day and see if there’s anything you could tweak. For example, my daughter does YMCA aftercare, which is very busy and active. I originally thought she might need a more quiet after-school environment and was considering finding a babysitter for after school. In the end, aftercare has been great and she loves it – but I was willing to make a change if the situation hadn’t worked for her/us. Just something to think about depending on the type of kid your son is.
Good luck! It is definitely a big transition!
H13 says
I was just about to ask for help and commiseration on this very topic. My oldest just started K and it is off to a terrible start. I got a call about his behavior on day two! When I asked what he was doing, the teacher told me he wasn’t listening or sitting still. I mean, he is five! Expectations seem really high.
It is stressing us all out. My husband and I are upset with how the teacher is handling it and our son is saying he doesn’t want to go to school. I had no idea it would be this hard after five years of full time daycare.
anon says
IMHO, kindergarteners are asked to do a LOT that is outside of what’s developmentally appropriate. Boys especially. I’m sorry things are stressful and hope it gets better.
H13 says
Thank you for the kind words. I have felt like I am failing him the past week. I have never done this before and I don’t seem to be getting much help from the teacher.
Spirograph says
I appreciate the commiseration and food for thought from everyone. It has only been a couple weeks, so I know (or at least hope) it will get better, but I was unprepared for this level of angst from a 5 year old!
H13 says
I had no idea it would be this hard. Hang in there. You are most definitely not alone.
mascot says
My kid had a hard time with PreK/1st year of kindergarten behaviorally and socially. He’d also been in fully-time daycare his whole life so it wasn’t just a matter of long days and school settings. He had a late birthday so we did a second year and that helped although we still had some struggles. Something clicked in 1st grade and things got so much easier. Some seasons in a child’s life are just harder than others.
OP, you didn’t mention it, but is this the first year he doesn’t get a nap or rest period? We did early bedtimes and catch up sleep on the weekends and that took the edge off some.
Spirograph says
Yes! This is a good point. His preschool had a 1.5 hour rest period in the afternoon, and he would often sleep. On the plus side, he’s going to sleep faster at bedtime, but I think the solid 8-9 hour block of before care, school, and after care is a long time for him to be “on” socially with new people. He definitely got his introversion from me, so I empathize. I’m protecting his quiet/nap time on weekends for a few weeks, for sure.
Nursing strike - 11 months says
My 11-month old has refused to nurse before bed the past two nights. I figured it was because she was tired due to not-so-great daycare naps. Usually, she has a bottle in the morning due to timing, but I figured I would nurse this morning. She again refused and happily took the bottle.
Reading up, it seems that teething could be an issue, but she’s showing no other signs of more teeth coming in. I figured we had about 3.5 weeks left (her first birthday) before we start the weaning process, so I’m sad, but know I could be jumping to conclusions since it’s only been 2-3 days. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Anonymous says
Let her wean?
Anonymous says
I would take advantage of the opportunity to wean. Mine went on a nursing strike at 10.5 months when she was sick, and I just let her be done. It was very easy.
Anonymous says
Why are you sad? If you want to wean, then this would be a good opportunity. If not, try a dose of advil about an hour before bedtime to take the edge off the teething pain.
At around a year my babies would only nurse in the morning and before bed as right after daycare they were too excited to be home. They initiated weaning on their own around 14-16 months.
Wow says
My son did the same at 11 months. Went from wanting to nurse all the time to literally turning his face away. Go ahead and wean. I was sad too, but you’ve nursed her a long time and should feel proud of that.
Anonymous says
I’d let her wean but I’ve never been dedicated to EBF through 1 year. My first two started to be difficult around 8/9 months so I weaned.
Pogo says
Mine did something similar. I was sad, but it was clear he was done. I was able to get him to nurse one last time in the morning, and I gave him a little talk about how there wouldn’t be any more mama milk, and I definitely cried. He was totally unfazed, just smiled at me and wiggled away.
If you can get her to nurse one more time, I say do it and give yourself the closure. I’m still sad sometimes, but I remind myself it’s the hormones talking.
Anonymous says
My son did this around that age and after a couple days was happy to nurse again – I think drinking from the bottle was physically more comfortable for some reason. I am not sure if it was teething or a virus or something causing mouth pain, but it stopped as soon as it started. If you don’t want to wean now, you can try pumping for a few days and keep offering to nurse and see what happens. I went on to nurse a little until he was 2. To each their own of course! Nursing at wake-up and bedtime was fine with me; stopping pumping during the day was GLORIOUS.
Anonymous says
Yeah, if you want to ride it out you definitely can. And pump a little if you are uncomfortably full since babe isn’t nursing; that will help your supply stay up if baby returns to the breast after a couple days.
Otherwise, wean if you want. It’s normal to feel sad about that. We’re wired to feel like we must.feed.baby so things feel off if we aren’t – that’s biology for you. But that will happen now or whenever you do wean, it isn’t a sign that you aren’t ready.
BPS says
Sending you some love! I just posted a question about combo feeding yesterday that’s slightly relevant. My DS is almost 10 months, I have seen a slight supply drop when pumping (especially my before-bed pumping session!), and have some upcoming travels without him. I am mentally preparing that he may not be interested in nursing when I return, and if that’s the case, I’ll just wean as a natural end to BF. Mixed feelings, but will be happy not to pump at work and before bed…and hopefully enjoy an earlier bedtime. Hopefully.
anon says
2.5 year sleep regression – help? My daughter all of a sudden is refusing to go to sleep. She goes to her crib fine, but then just talks and talks and talks to herself until very late, usually close to 11! She’s also refusing to nap at daycare. She is completely exhausted when she comes home, but we are on day 4 of not enough sleep and I don’t know what to do.
Anonymous says
Ugh, my oldest dropped her nap at 2.5.
My middle started to protest around 2.25 and I found a shorter nap + more outside time before bed helped her get sleepy on time.
Good luck!!
Anonymous says
This happened to us. Memories are foggy, but it passed and he didn’t drop the nap for real until he was 3.5.
Anonymous says
I’d just do whatever you can to get her caught up on sleep and then see what happens – rock her, rub her back, etc., etc. At this age, in my experience, if she is already accustomed to falling asleep on her own, a few days of extra help to get caught up and back on track isn’t going to ruin her ability to fall asleep on her own once you get past this. Lots of these things are just phases.
anon says
No advice but we are going through the same thing. Daughter goes in her crib happy and seemingly sleepy but then we hear her talking/singing/playing until around 10. No option to sleep in during the week so she is CRANKY in the mornings. Hugs mama.
AwayEmily says
Also — it’s worth asking her about it in the morning. “It seemed like you were having some trouble going to sleep last night — I heard you talking. Can you think of any ideas that might help you get to sleep faster tonight?”
A long shot but it might work. Our 2.5-year-old was having a similar sleep issue and came up with “put my owl and hedgehog next to my crib where I can see them.” We complied, and it worked. Toddlers are strange.
Anon in NYC says
My daughter went through something like this for a few months (going to sleep was fine, but middle of the night wakeups every single night). I was ready to tear my hair out. We found that a weighted blanket really helped keep her asleep.
Anonymous says
Hi ladies. My 4 year old broke his collarbone. He is in a sling (no cast). Any tips for going back to school? Getting him dressed? He is, understandably, nervous about taking his shirts on an off. Any tips or hacks are welcome…
Anonymous says
I would pick him up a couple of button down shirts to use instead of t-shirts. Easier to get on and off.
Anonymous says
Poor thing! My dad recently broke his shoulder, and has been wearing short-sleeve button-up shirts instead of his usual t-shirts. Would that help?
Anonanonanon says
Have you talked to the school about it? I only ask because I know someone whose child broke her collarbone, and the preschool said she had to stay home until it was healed enough for her to wipe herself after using the bathroom. That wasn’t something that had occurred to me, and I remember thinking it was an awful nasty surprise for them, so I wanted to put that out there
Anonymous says
OP here – thanks for the advice! Just ordered some button down shirts. And I emailed the school this morning. I framed it as an accommodation request. I can’t believe the school replied in that manner to your friend. That is unreasonable!
Anonymous says
Different Anon here. No kidding? At that age I feel like lots of kids still need some help in the bathroom without a broken bone. Maybe it makes a difference if it is a daycare with preschool or just a few hours a day preschool. Seems like a daycare would be able to be more accommodating with having a restroom in the classroom and all.
EP-er says
My daughter broke hers when she was three. (Goofing around, fell off the couch just so!) Definitely do some button downs — she wore her brother’s old button shirts for a few days. I was amazed at how quickly they heal at that age. I swear it wasn’t a week later and she was better! We had to cancel a birthday party at a bounce house but I don’t think she missed school, other than the two days of doctor appointments.
GCA says
Any nursing moms (current or past) out there who have dealt with milk/ soy protein intolerance in their babies? We seem to be dealing with this. Baby is 5 weeks today and we noticed some mucus-y poop around 2 weeks; I’ve been off dairy and soy, the most common triggers, for the past 2 weeks since a test for occult blood in her poop came back positive. Last night she was super gassy and fussy, and I noticed some specks of blood in her diaper. Ped said it can take a few weeks for dairy and soy protein to get out of my system and then hers. I’ll be talking to the ped about our options at baby’s well visit tomorrow, but would love to hear about others’ experiences.
– At what point did you start trying to rule out other allergens besides dairy and soy, and how?
– At what point, if any, did you throw up your hands and switch to hypoallergenic formula? What factored into your choice?
– At what age did your child outgrow the intolerance?
TIA!
Anonymous says
GCA – I’m so sorry. We also had a milk protein intolerance. TBH, I just gave up the BF and switched to formula. I have another kid with a nut allergy and as a vegetarian to have no soy/dairy/nuts just seemed insane to me. That rules out almost all processed food and with 2 kids I just couldn’t deal with cooking solely whole foods. Almost everything has soy and dairy in it. Even jarred pasta sauce. We are at 15 months and are slowly weaning off the nutramigen. Nutramigen and Alimentum are the most popular commercial formulas. Would you be open to giving your baby that in the meantime? Whatever you decide will be the right choice for your family – so no judgement. I just personally couldn’t deal and am so happy with the road we took. I got to just enjoy my baby and not stress…
GCA says
Oh man, vegetarian plus no soy/ dairy/ nuts would have been really difficult. Glad you found something that worked for you! I’m definitely open to hypoallergenic formula – seeing baby miserable is really stressful! She seemed to be getting better, up until yesterday…so I’m trying to figure out how other people came to their choices/ further tests etc.
Thankfully I’m not vegetarian, and in fact friends have given me two really good suggestions: look for packaged foods labeled parve (so meat but definitely no dairy), and look up Whole30 recipes!
Wow says
Been there, sorry you have to deal with this. My son has a milk protein intolerance which was diagnosed around a month or so (so so so much spit up, gas, etc.). I’m vegetarian so the idea of going dairy-free was daunting because I get a lot of my protein from cheese and yogurt. But I did it and it wasn’t bad at all. I drank almond milk in my chai, skipped yogurt (could not get into soy or rice yogurt) and had cheese-less pizza (which I actually really loved). I also found some delicious vegan desserts to die for — Hail Merry tarts from Whole Foods. :)
I BF’ed for 11 months, at which point he self-weaned. I’m glad I did it. I also could not get over the smell of Alimentum — way way worse than regular formula. I introduced cow’s milk at around a year with no adverse effects and my son eats all sorts of dairy now. Good luck.
Yes says
While I agree that Alimentum and Nutramigen smell vile, I used them when I was supplementing my youngest and he happily drank it. I don’t think babies mind the smell.
To the OP, if BF is important to you then I think you should try dairy-free and see how long you can make it work. It definitely made eating out harder but it is definitely doable, and as a plus, I lost my baby weight quickly.
GCA says
Thanks for the perspectives! I agree, even regular formula tastes pretty icky to me, but babies don’t know or care and it contains the nutrients they need. But boy, is Alimentum expensive – like double the price of regular. Mostly, I value the immune benefits of some breastfeeding, and selfishly I also enjoy the snuggles.
Cb says
Late to this but my kiddo seems to have a dairy/soy intolerance and I’ve found it decently easy to cut the dairy. Occasionally I slip up or fail to read a label but his intolerance doesn’t seem so severe that it causes major problems.
Amelia Bedelia says
Hugs to you. This is so very hard. And even the decision of what to do comes laden with guilt.
Both my babies were allergic to dairy and soy and citrus. Also, my youngest was allergic to eggs and peanuts. I breastfed my oldest for nine months and my youngest for a year. I would have stopped nursing my youngest at six months, but she would NOT take the allergy formulas. deep sigh.
I will tell you that it is SUPER hard to diagnose these things. I kept a food diary and after a month was able to identify the triggers. my youngest was fine by two months (because i knew what to do becuase of the first one), but my oldest wasn’t really adjusted and happy and gas free utnil about 4 months old. I will say, though, that it sounds like your kid might have more than just soy and dairy. Not a doc (though my spouse is), but we saw a marked improvement in about four days. So, maybe look at the top eight allergens and see what you are eating a lot of and try eliminating?
Also, my oldest was allergic to even soybean OIL. Spoiler alert: FDA doesn’t require companies to list an allergen of soy if only use soybean oil or soy lecithin. So, you really have to read ingredients. also, there are a lot of “hidden” soy ingredients used in stuff. i had to give up my gummy vitamins becuase the vitamin E was derived from soy. So a lot of resarch.
As for growing out of them, my oldest is still very allergic to soy, but has outgronw everything else (she’s four). my youngest (3) is still allergic to sesame and peanuts, but not anaphylactic. We are trying to strengthen her immunity to those through feeding them to her.
on last thing: there is some research that supports feeding this to kids through breast milk even if they are allergic with the aim to allow their system to develop and fight it and “outgrow” it. it’s a hard decision, because your child will struggle. but maybe it is worth it in the long run?
no matter what you do, you are ok! you will raise this tiny human well. don’t beat yourself up over whatever choice you made. and do NOT listen to other people’s stories of sacrifice and miracles if they just did this one thing and guilt spiral. everyone is different and no one gets to dictate your story.
GCA says
LOVE this. Thank you for taking the time to write this essay – I really appreciate it. Yeah, hidden soy is in everything somehow – grr!
And baby might be reacting to something besides dairy and/ or soy. If anything, I suspect peanuts – we have a family history of peanut allergy (though I’m not allergic) and my older kid was allergic but outgrew it and passed a food challenge this summer. What baffles me is that she seemed to be getting better (less fussy, no spit-up, less mucus in poop) until yesterday. I think a food diary is the next step…
That’s a really interesting point from the immunology perspective – that exposure helps kids outgrow the sensitivity. Now I want to read that research.
ER says
My first had a milk intolerance. When I eliminated dairy from my diet, I thought the fussiness really resolved and the green poops stopped, but pretty quickly afterwards. Baby outgrew the intolerance at about six months, which I think is pretty common. She’s a big milk drinker now! (She does have a nut allergy, but I think that’s unrelated.)
I enjoyed breastfeeding and didn’t seriously consider switching to formula. It helped that I only avoided dairy, not soy. The hardest part was getting enough calories for myself. Check out So Delicious bars (ice cream bars made with coconut milk)!
Anon4this says
Same anon from yesterday with a positive pregnancy test. I tried searching for this question on this site but no luck. I’ll ask my OB, but what happens at the first appointment and should my husband come? Thanks so much!
Anonymous says
Assuming your first appointment is 7-8 weeks or later, you’ll get to hear the heartbeat – definitely bring your husband, it’s really amazing. The doctor will also ask you about both your families’ medical histories, explain the prenatal testing schedule, etc.
Anonymous says
I think it depends a little on how soon your OB schedules the first appointment. Mine was at 12 weeks, but I’ve heard of sooner. We had an ultrasound and then basically got a lot of information about what I should and shouldn’t do and what the pregnancy/delivery would look like as far as appointments, etc. Hubby should go. The ultrasound is awesome, and there’s a lot of information to absorb.
Anonymous says
Yes, husband should go. I had an ultrasound at my first appointment and then didn’t have another until 20 weeks so now may be your chance to see the little bean. You also get a ton of information at the first appointment and generally get to know the doctor/practice, so it’s nice for DH to be involved in that. After that, I found that it wasn’t worth DH to come to follow-up appointments unless it was a big one like one with an ultrasound.
Anonymous says
By the way (same anon as 2:06), my first appt was at 7 weeks and we still did the ultrasound even though it was super early. Make sure to bring a list of any questions you have, like about medications you are taking, etc.
Anon says
They will take ALL of your blood. It was 12 vials for me. So bring a post appointment snack. And your husband — they will ask about family history, etc.
Also, now is the time to check if your OB does D&Cs. Mine didn’t, so if I’d had a late miscarriage I’d have had to go to someone else. Pretty obnoxious to hear that AFTER a small scare.
anon says
FWIW, this first ultrasound will be an internal ultrasound (transvag) so be prepared for that.
AIMS says
I would bring the husband for the medical history, even if no u/s. I think every practice is different but mine was around 8 weeks, you got an u/s where you see this tiny little bean, listen to the heartbeat and then get a big overview of what to expect, what you can’t eat, what you can’t do, etc. I think it’s good for your partner to be involved in that as a lot of men really have no idea you can’t have advil or swordfish or whatever. Plus, at least in my office, the “big” ultra sounds at 12 and 20 weeks are at a special center so if he attends no other appointments this will be the only time to meet your doctor before spending all of labor together.
My recommendation is to bring a list of questions with you because I always forgot something I wanted to ask.
Congrats!!!
HSAL says
As far as ultrasound/heartbeat, that’s really doctor/practice-specific. My doctor doesn’t do early ultrasounds unless you’re not sure about your dates or you have problems. With my first, I had the appointment at 8 weeks and they only took my blood. Didn’t listen for the heartbeat until 12 weeks, and didn’t have an ultrasound until the anatomy scan at 21 weeks. With my second, I had the first appointment at 10 weeks and asked them to go ahead and listen for the heartbeat, which they found. And then at the anatomy scan at 19 weeks, we found out our second was actually going to be our second and third. So basically my advice is to pretend you don’t know the date of your last period if your doctor is like mine. :)
But no matter how your doctor operates, I always think having your partner there at the first appointment is nice.
Pogo says
My husband came to as many appointments as he could for our first, because he was so excited. He also had to miss quite a few, including the big 20w ultrasound where we found out the gender. I pretty much left it up to him when he wanted to come and when he didn’t.
The most important thing for him to attend with you is the class offered by the hospital where you plan to deliver. You get to do the tour, meet the nurses, learn about how the hospital works, etc. And that’s where he learned about forceps, vacuum, episiotomy, that kind of thing. The OB appointments themselves were super uneventful.
Anonymous says
Thanks everyone. So helpful. (My day exploded and I am just now checking everyone’s responses). It seems like the consensus is husband comes. He wants to – its just hard to coordinate 2 BigLaw schedules!
Have had a transvaginal ultrasound (many, in fact — history of ovarian cysts). Not looking forward to that again! Oh well! And I know there is lots more invasive stuff to come and labor. Also not excited about all the blood. I have no veins. Its typically several sticks before a vein is found.
I think I now my dates, but I have super long and somewhat irregular dates so I can probably use that to my advantage to make sure I get to see the little bean!
aelle in aerospace says
Depending on how late they set up your first appointment, they may already talk to you about non invasive prenatal testing. It’s a screening test, not diagnostic, meaning the result is purely a risk factor (1 chance in xxx that your fetus has Down syndrome, for instance). I would familiarize myself with how the results are presented, what your next step would be for what result, and decide if you want to opt out altogether.
NYCer says
Just as a counterpoint, my husband didn’t come to the first appointment (7 weeks) or the second appointment (10 weeks for NIPT) test because of work obligations and it was all fine. I had transvag ultrasounds at each of those appointments and got print outs of the pictures. Also, lots and lots of blood drawn at the first appointment. So if for some reason he can’t make the appointments, don’t fret.
Like AIMS, the “bigger” ultrasounds for my office (12 and 20 weeks) are done at the hospital not the OB, and he came to those. Maybe I am just super independent, but I would have also been fine going to those alone. We knew the sex of the baby already via the NIPT.
Anonymous says
My dB was diagnosed with milk protein intolerance around 8 weeks and after two weeks of diet changes hadn’t gotten better. I tried alimentum and he totally rejected it to the degree that he developed a bottle phobia altogether – yikes. I then went on a full elimination diet (no milk, soy, wheat, fish, eggs or nuts) for two weeks, and it got better. I then started reintroducing and learned he also had a problem with wheat. So I was dairy and wheat free until around 10 months when I tried a little yogurt and he had no issues – had fully grown out of it. It sucked, but it’s doable!
GCA says
Thanks! It really helps me to see exactly how you went about doing it. What did you eat for those two weeks, and how did you deal with the hunger?!
Anonymous says
Lots of rice, beans and chicken! and veganaise chicken salad (soy free). And lotttts of candy. I reintroduced eggs first and once those were back in it got a lot easier. As for dealing with hunger, see above-mentioned candy, also frankly I lost a lot of weight. Which wasn’t the worst thing.
PP questions says
Did anyone use Motherlove sitz bath spray postpartum? Or something similar and was it helpful? And any thoughts on postpartum leggings like Blanqi or Belly Bandit’s Mother Tucker leggings? I’m trying to be a little more prepared and proactive this time around for post v-delivery.
Anonymous says
I got that spray but don’t think it did much for me. I did like the witch hazel pre-soaked pads they gave me at the hospital though!
Anonymous says
I used a Motherlove sitz bath soak, and it didn’t do anything for me. I loved the pre-soaked witch hazel pads!
GCA says
I didn’t use postpartum leggings (and in fact am still hanging out in my maternity leggings, which are just on the right side of comfy/ too big). Those witch hazel pads were great, though.
Pogo says
I put plain witch hazel into the sitz bath, and I thought it helped.
I didn’t buy special leggings. I bought the Zella high-waist leggings in a size up from my pre-preg size and I still love them because they contain my mommy pooch and are extra comfy. Honestly they look just look the Blanqi ones in the ad, maybe not quite as high rise. But I remember wearing them with just a nursing bra and an open cardigan and having maybe 2-3″ between bra and waistband.
CCLA says
Dermaplast and peri bottles (keep one in each bathroom!) ftw for the first few days, and later I liked the earth mama spray…I think it had witch hazel and cucumber.