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I loved having one of these for my son’s closet in the newborn and baby days. Personally, I used mine for burp cloths, bibs, swaddle blankets and toiletries, but it can do a great job at organizing tiny baby clothes and onesies. It helped to organize all of the little things that come with a newborn — creams, clippers, washes, etc., etc., etc. I like this version that has a clear window, as I am not tall enough to see inside the top pocket of mine. This one is $14.87 at Amazon and is eligible for Prime and free returns. Door/Wall Pocket Organizer 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 3.28.24
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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?
Cb says
Ooh, I wonder if something like that would work for stacking outfits for the week? I like to prep nursery outfits when I’m folding laundry but they get jumbled up in the basket I’m currently using.
avocado says
I like the fact that this has structured boxes instead of flat pockets like most over-the-door organizers. I think you could store folded outfits in it very neatly.
HSAL says
I think it could work for newborns, but it doesn’t look quite big enough once they’re into 6 month clothes and beyond. I also make daycare outfit packets so we can just grab and go, and I store them in canvas totes on top of the dresser.
Anonymous says
I might actually buy this! Good pick!
anon says
Oh my gosh, I have been looking for something like this. Great pick!
anon in brooklyn says
I have one of these and use it on the back of our coat closet door to hold gloves, umbrellas, hats, etc.
Anonymous says
We hung one of these to hold all of our dogs stuff in the coat closet – leash, first aid stuff (dog nail clippers), and her sweaters/coats cause she needed them in the winter.
Cb says
What are your kids reading and enjoying at the moment? My toddler’s current favourites’ are Good Morning Digger, Last Stop on Market Street (which has a lovely message and illustrations), and Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe, Hairy McCLary, and You can’t take an elephant on the bus.
Anonanonanon says
My 15 mo old is into handing me books to enjoy while she plays. She clearly feels I need to be distracted and leave her alone. She is into handing me peter rabbit books particularly, at the moment. However, if I appear to be enjoying them, they are promptly taken away and my attention must be diverted back to her, so who knows. I have yet to get her to sit in my lap for longer than 1 page of a book, but she apparently will listen to stories at daycare, so I guess peer pressure for the win.
avocado says
So funny! Why are they always happiest when they are preventing you from doing anything at all?
Boston Legal Eagle says
We have a bunch of National Geographic Kids ones about all sorts of things like ants, trucks, sea creatures, etc. that is interesting for both our 3 year old and us, to learn some new facts!
Boston Legal Eagle says
I.e. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1426310471/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
anon says
We love these books! They are perfect for my son’s very … eclectic interests, shall we say.
avocado says
My 12-year-old just finished reading Educated and loved it, but rolls her eyes whenever I try to get her to discuss the themes. She is deeply entrenched in the typical 12-year-old “don’t make me actually think about what I read!” phase.
Anonymous says
Lol she’s thinking about if for sure she just isn’t interested in talking about it with mom! I just buy books and casually leave them around the house when I want my kids to read them. If I try to suggest a book they will never read it.
avocado says
Ha ha, yes. I did not suggest this one–she grabbed it from me when I was done reading it. I have learned never to suggest a book.
Anonymous says
Agree that she just doesn’t want to talk about it with mom!
Anonymous says
The Jon Klassen hat series!
Cb says
Oh I didn’t realize there were more, we only have ‘I want my hat back’ and I think it’s hilarious.
Anonymous says
That’s the best one, but my toddlers also love the “fish hat book” which I think is called This Is Not My Hat. There’s also We Found a Hat, but it’s less amusing.
RNMP says
YOU, YOU STOLE MY HAT!
Anonymous says
We are late comers to the Little Blue Truck book, but my daughter loves wheels, so that’s been a hit. She also loves Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (which we bought at a local large animal rescue) and the Little Engine That Could. She kind of loves any and all books, so I’ll update if I remember any more recent favorites.
Pogo says
+1 to Little Blue Truck. Last night he said “Uh, oh – help!” when the dump truck got stuck.
Anon at 9:19 says
We ask our daughter what sounds different animals make, but also “what sound does the little blue truck make?” and she says “beep beep beep” in the most adorable fashion!
rosie says
Busy Town. So much Busy Town.
Anonymous says
I’ve been picking library books that I remember liking as a kid. This week’s obsessions are The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash, and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.
We also have a High Five (the younger cousin of Highlights mag) subscription that’s a big hit. This month’s issue had a picture sequence of a yoga sun salutation, and my daughter loves it. She does one pose, then runs over and look at the pictures again to see what she should do next.
Anonymous says
+1 to High Five. My in-laws got our 3 year old a subscription for Christmas, and she truly loves it!
Pogo says
Aw, I LOVED Mike Mulligan as a kid!
Anonymous says
OP again. Me too! Hilariously, there is one illustration where Mike and Mary Anne are looking down from a cliff at all the abandoned, broken steam shovels, and Mike is kind of turning away and covering his face with his arm because he can’t bear to see such a sad sight…
My 5 year old’s question: “Mommy, why is he dabbing?”
lsw says
OMG!!!! Hahahaha
Anonymous says
P.D. Eastman is popular in our house – Go Dog Dog, Fred and Ted, Are you my mother etc.
Also pretty much anything by Mo Willems.
FVNC says
We’ve had some surprise hits from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. My 2 yr old really loves Sleep Train, which incidentally has a person of color as the main character (I only mention that because I know sometimes people ask for recs for books with more diverse characters). Other than that, anything trucks or dinos, taking after his older sis.
rosie says
My kid really likes Sleep Train as well. Although when we went on Amtrak and asked if she wanted to try to nap, she didn’t want to since there was no sleeping car.
FVNC says
HAHAHAHA. Can’t argue with that logic!
Anonymous says
Our Imagination Library books are hit or miss (they have no interest in the leaf counting one this month), but Sleep Train is a favorite.
Emily S. says
My almost-4 yo loves Highlights, Peppa Pig, and Daniel Tiger books, any book about Christmas, and the Berenstein Bears. My 21 month old loves Sit, Truman!, any other book about a dog, and the Llama Llama board books. Moo and Dog are favorites, too.
Love this discussion; gives me ideas for the library!
Pogo says
omg I had to laugh at “Berenstein” because of the whole Mandela effect conspiracy theory. If you did that unintentionally and don’t know what I’m talking about, look it up!
Emily S. says
No idea! Just looked that up and am laughing at myself.
Jeffiner says
A collection of Peanuts stories from Costco. My 4-year-old adorably calls Snoopy “Snoofy”
Redux says
My five-year-old is into Judy Moody and Junie B. Jones. She also asks for Captain Underpants and a series called Eerie Elementary but I don’t think she really “gets” them and the latter is a little too spooky for her. Mostly she just wants chapter books of any kind, so I try to find ones that are still on her level (she’s not yet in K). So many glittery princess chapter books out there that are so blah.
Anonymous says
try Nancy Clancy – it’s the chapter book version of the Fancy Nancy series
Anonymous says
Also try Ivy and Bean!
Redux says
Thank you for these recs!
KW says
Try Magic Treehouse. My now 7 yo loved them back before she started kindergarten (and still to this day!).
Blueridge29 says
My 5 year old loves Dory Fantmagory, the local librarian recommended it and the books really crack my kids up.
SC says
My 4-yo loves the Mercy Watson books. We have the whole series checked out from the library right now. (We checked them out in phases.) They’re the first chapter books we’ve read together–does anyone have suggestions for other chapter books around the same level?
Before bed, we’ve read Eric Carle’s Book of Many Things four nights in a row. We’ve also read a lot of Dr. Seuss lately. And I love There’s No Place Like Space (from the Cat in the Hat series but not written by Dr. Seuss), although I’d say Kiddo likes it but doesn’t really get it.
Anon says
My 17-month old’s current favorites: Time for Bed, Go Dog Go (she’s loved this one since she was itty bitty), The Pout Pout Fish and Hi-Five Animals. Dear Zoo is also a perennial favorite.
BlubBluuubBluuuuuub says
My 14mo daughter’s favorite is Pout Pout Fish, but my favorite to read is The Small Blue Whale.
Anon says
hehe my 14 month old likes “Blub Bluuub Bluuuuuub” too!
Anon says
21 months. Bedtime Blessings (one of our nightly books – makes a decent prayer to me). Llama Llama Nighty Night (typically in the morning – don’t ask), Llama Llama Wakey Wake (typically before bed), Little Dinos Don’t Bite, Teeth Are Not For Biting, Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You Hear, Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Pogo says
We’re obsessed with Karen Katz currently. Also an “I Spy” board book, especially now that he can recognize the things you’re supposed to be finding and triumphantly point to them.
Anonymous says
2 yr old (26 months) is VERY into Daniel Tiger and Clifford books. We check them out from the library every week because I can only read the same book so many times in a week. Our library also does book bundles on a particular topic (tigers, babies, monsters) etc…so I usually pick up one of those for variety. I’m glad to have a kid that loves reading but man we have to get about 15 new books every week to keep her satisfied.
Anon Mom says
My 3 YO’s current favorites: The Little Engine That Could, Yoko, Eloise and Corduroy
Anonanonanon says
I’m so sad I missed the discussion yesterday about fitting in the over-40 hours with small children! I’ve been struggling with this a bit lately myself, and I would love to hear more from people. What has helped me so far is:
-Our division of labor is that my husband does drop-offs and I do pick-ups. Even though I’m not naturally a morning person, I have been going in earlier. It’s just so much easier than trying to get back into work mode after the evening grind. I joined a gym that has early yoga classes (and a starbucks) that is right by my office for motivation. I can go to early yoga, shower and dress at the gym in peace, get my coffee, and be at the office at 7. Working 7-4:30 straight through puts me at a little over 40
-I am naturally a night owl (or was) but transitioning from “work mode” to “home mode” is TOUGH for me. Transitioning BACK to work mode is almost impossible. So that means I can’t transition out. If something important isn’t done, I work with my husband to make sure he can pick up the kids so I can stay late.
-Alternatively, my older kid has practice after school twice a week, I will drive him to practice and work in my car while my husband handles bedtime etc. with the little one. I find just grabbing my older kid and dropping him at practice isn’t so disruptive that it gets me out of the work headspace
-Protect your productive time. I’m most productive from about 10-2. I don’t schedule internal meetings during that time, I don’t let myself get sucked into conversations with my staff, I ignore most phone calls, etc. Those are the hours I have no qualms about saying “I really like that you have an idea about this, but I have to finish up what I’m working on, can I grab you to chat more later this afternoon?” and then I make sure to stay true to my word. This is what actually makes the biggest difference for me.
-Use your commute- my job requires a lot of strategy discussions with various people, so I use my 40 minute drive home for that!
So Anon says
Can you tell me more about how you protect your productive time? I am in house and I find it to be a huge challenge to protect any block of time on a consistent basis. Others in the company have access to our calendars (can see whether we have a meeting/appt but not the topic of the meeting/appt) and will schedule meetings whenever there is an open space. I am frequently asked whether I can move blocked time and am expected to attend meetings that are scheduled by others. Any suggestions? On a side note, I have found this to be one of the biggest differences between private practice and in-house. I attend so many meetings.
Anonanonanon says
I can’t always protect it, if external partners want a meeting then I, of course, can’t be like “sorry, those are the 4 hours a day I am guaranteed the ability to write coherent sentences, can we push it to later?” even if I want to.
Luckily I supervise everyone but my boss, so that does make it a bit easier to say no. For me, it’s more about protecting that time from personal conversations or non-essential work conversations. My team has a lot of ideas and always wants to discuss them RIGHT THAT SECOND, which I can sympathize with, but I have to say no if I’m in “the zone”. Sometimes, I’ll put a vague “on deadline” item on my calendar to hold a few hours one day. My job also involves a lot of “strategizing” with external partners, and I try to avoid phone calls from certain people during my productive hours. While those conversations are important, they can wait until I’ve used my most productive time for actually creating and producing products/concrete deliverables.
anon says
This is hard. Can you be more flexible on some days, and less so on others? For example, I’ve made Fridays my no-meeting days. Unless a very, very important person absolutely must meet on Friday, I sort of push those requests off until another day. Having some protected time is really important, I think.
FVNC says
I also take this approach. I schedule time blocks for work on my calendar, and accept or counter meeting requests depending on the requester and urgency of the meeting subject. Obviously this doesn’t work all the time, particularly if there are people who ignore your blocked time, but I think it helps a lot.
Anonymous says
No. This is your job! You have to be available. I get in at 8, because my company culture is no meetings until 10.
Emma says
+1. My only hope of quiet time is early morning (we also don’t do meetings until 10) or at home after dinner. Also in-house. I wish it wasn’t the case but I really can’t turn down midday meetings without a very good reason.
Anonymous says
I think this is very office specific. My husband will also have meetings scheduled without any input from him (or the other participants). At my office, it would be unheard of not to ask first. That said, I think it would get a little problematic if you could never be available at a particular time. But I could definitely pull it off a good portion of the time. He and I discuss this sometimes and really have no comprehension of the other’s system.
Anonanonanon says
We have fairly flexible schedules and a lot of my staff don’t arrive until 9:30 or 10:00, which is one reason I prefer to arrive around 7:00.
anon says
all of you people who work the second shift are beyond amazing. by the time i feed and put my 11 month twins to bed i feel like i’ve run a marathon. i barely have enough energy to brush my teeth and cannot imagine having to additional hours of work. you are all super moms!
Anonymous says
The term “second shift” was originally coined to refer to the housework and parenting moms do after they get home in the evening. So what these posters are doing should be called the “third shift”!
Anonymous says
Amen.
IHeartBacon says
Yep!
HSAL says
Yep, exact same. Get the twins down, turn around and get the 3.5 year old down, clean the kitchen and prep for the next day, and I MAYBE have an hour of tv-watching left in me and that’s it.
Anon says
I just have the one kid, and although I have energy to tidy up the house and even work out some days after her 8 pm bedtime, I can’t imagine doing real work. My concentration is shot by bedtime.
Pogo says
Ditto. Every once in awhile if I’m in a crunch I’ll do something, but I really relate to the OP’s point about getting “out of work mode”.
Lily says
I am also in the same boat. I don’t have flexibility to go to work early or leave work late. On mornings, husband has to get out of the door by 6:50, so I do drop off everyday. DH does pick up on T and TH, but we like to eat dinner together at around 6, which means even when I am not on pick up duty, I have to leave work by 5. On top of this, I am struggling with losing baby weight, and I don’t know how I can squeeze in some exercise time. I am thinking of getting up at 4:30 to go to an exercise class 5-6am, and get ready for work by 6:30, so we can all leave home by 6:50. Sigh!
Anonymous says
I know it sounds daunting, but the 5am classes really aren’t that bad. I’ve got it down to a science at this point and it’s one of my favorite things about my day. It’s my protected “me” time. And just a plug – if you have any interest in starting a 5am workout routine – start now! I’m in the central time zone, but right now, it is still dark when I leave, but it’s nearly full light when I get home at 6am. It doesn’t feel so overwhelming. The worst time to start is in the winter when you get home and it’s still pitch dark – it feels so much earlier.
Emily S. says
I used to work out a lunch time. I joined a Y a block from my office so I had fewer excuses to not exercise. I’ve since switched to HIIT at home 3-4 nights a week with DH. It’s not always easy to choose exercise over the couch bc I’m frequently wiped from bedtime, but once I starting seeing results, it got easier. Maybe you can squeeze in a walk at lunch or a quick class or workout at home after bedtime? Another key for me was having DH do it too, bc it keeps me accountable and for me (so much more for me than him) it counts as semi-quality couple time.
Lily says
Thank you for the encouragement. I am going to give the 5 am workout a try. I think it might with consistency too. I really wish I could do the lunch time walk/workout, but it is hard to stay consistent. I am PST, and routinely have calls scheduled around that time (because it is 3 pm in EST!) and also it rains a lot here.
I might also see if I can work out an arrangement with my husband to allow one night off (to stay late at work). My work is not crazy right now, but I can see the list of things that should be eventually done is growing longer and longer.
Anon says
Husband is a SAHD. I typically am in the office 10am-8pmish, leaving early (6ish) when I can and staying until 10pm (or rarely later) if necessary. On an average night, I get home, run the vacuum downstairs because my family manufactures crumbs like its their business, maybe tackle dishes (usually do that in the morning while breakfast toasts) and play with kiddo while my dinner cooks. Kiddo sometimes eats “second dinner” with me. Then a little TV (usually jeopardy or food network), bath a couple of nights a week and bedtime for the toddler around 10-11. Usually 1-3 nights a week I work for an hour or two on my laptop in bed from 11-1ish (finally convinced DH to lift the no laptops in the bedroom rule). I get up between 8 and 9; kiddo is about the same. I typically fit in another 3-4 work hours on weekends, either during naptime or after bedtime, or if it’s really terrible, I park my toddler with a favorite movie and some hand-held breakfast and work from my home office until lunchtime. I “exercise” by wrestling with my toddler, chasing her around the house, and taking her for walks outside on the weekends or early evening on the one day a week I work from home.
Anonymous says
While I was still in private practice, I stayed at the office late one night a week, until 10pm or midnight. I was able to bill an additional 6-8 hours and it was minimally disruptive to the family as it was only once a week. On the other 4 nights I was able to be completely engaged with the kids and my spouse so I felt like I really had quality time with them as well as downtime for myself rather than just being on an endless grind of work and chores. I found that (more or less) only working in my office helps me mentally unplug from work when I leave the office and I spend very little of my home time distracted with thoughts and feelings about work.
Legally Brunette says
My colleague did this as well in private practice and I thought it was very smart. She stayed once a week in the office until midnight.
When I am slammed, I always prefer to stay late in the office than come home, see the kids, and then work again The latter just doesn’t work out as well. I don’t mind missing the kids at bedtime since it doesn’t happen that often, and sometimes we will facetime in my office when I am having a late night.
Anonymous says
Flying by myself with 2 toddlers this weekend! Any last minutes tips for how to stay sane while getting us all through the airport?
Emily S. says
Try some window clings on the giant windows while you wait to board. Planes may be more interesting, but we flew with DD at 18 months, and she loved putting the window clings on windows at our gate. Target dollar spot always has seasonal ones.
Anonymous says
Ooh, good idea! We actually have some Easter ones lying around, so I’ll throw them in my carryon.
Pogo says
Similarly, and something you already will have with you – another mom turned me on to this: give your kid a wipe and have them go to town wiping the windows. My favorite part was that then they were (somewhat) disinfecting their hands while staying busy. Also watching three toddlers clean windows together was quite cute.
Also, it’s obvious, but snacks. Bring all the snacks.
Ducky36 says
OMG, this is genius.
wipes says
can confirm. this also works at restaurants when waiting for the check.
So Anon says
My house officially goes on the market today. The house is the last non-parenting thing that connects me to the ex, and his parenting is so rare that I feel like this is a huge cord that I can’t wait to be cut. Please send all the quick sale vibes my way!
While I’ve sold a house before, this is the first time trying to do this with two active kids. Any suggestions on how to manage this process and keep the house show ready with two active kids who don’t really understand the necessity of keeping the house more than clean?
Anonymous says
If the market in your area is such that it will likely sell in a month, I would pretend you are going on a trip and pack away anything that you wouldn’t need for the trip. Generally when we do a two week trip, I pack a few key toys for the kids. Maybe pick up a couple decorative baskets for when you need to quickly bundle the toys out of sight?
Anonymous says
+1 to packing up almost everything and putting it in storage if possible. Also keep the kids out of the house as much as possible, especially over the weekend.
EB0220 says
+1 Agree with packing up everything except a few essentials and getting some covered storage bins (if you don’t already have them) to quickly clutter into. That’s how I did it when we sold our 2 houses w a kid involved. Also I didn’t cook much (husband was traveling so it was just me and the kid mostly) and I had the cleaners come every week for the duration.
Anon in NYC says
Fingers crossed! Are your kids mature enough for you to sit down with them and explain that keeping the house show ready needs to be a family effort?
anon says
I would put away lots of your stuff. That way when they inevitably make messes, it won’t take as long to pick up toys and other detritus. Can you involve your kids in the cleanup at all? If I remember right, your kids are elementary-school age. They can help dust, wipe down counters (albeit imperfectly), and keep stuff picked up. My 9-year-old loves to vacuum, go figure. So that might be something to try. I definitely think it’s fine to emphasize that you’re a team that needs to work together during this process.
Anonymous says
Contain them. Mess in a kids room is the easiest to forgive. No toys anywhere else in the house. Do not leave the house, ever, without cleaning the kitchen. Anything you can remove to a basement, attic, or storage unit, do it. It’s a super unpleasant process.
Anon says
If you live in a hot market, it literally does not matter. Houses that are falling down are selling here. No on is going to care that there are toys out or crumbs in your kitchen. That is opposite all of the usual real estate advice but hot market with multiple offers, it won’t matter.
I’m in a hot market and my house isn’t even for sale. A realtor friend was approached by someone interested in our house (she was our realtor when we bought it and they looked it up). We decided to let them see it because for enough money, I’d consider a move. She told me to clean if it made me feel better but I would be doing it for myself, not for the potential buyers in this market.
TriangleMom says
Are you open to sharing your market? We may be prepping to sell in the NC Triangle and I think we’re still hot but I’m not sure.
Anonymous says
I live in the Triangle and we bought/sold last year. I would say it’s hot with caveats. We had about 10 people see our Cary townhouse the first weekend and we got two offers, but they were below what we asked. Ultimately we took one because we were renting in between. On our purchase (North Raleigh), we offered asking price and were accepted. We found out later there were four offers made and we think we were chosen because we did offer asking price.
We had offered on two other places, below asking, and were not accepted, although our townhouse wasn’t yet listed when we made the first offer.
I’ve seen homes in our new neighborhood wait awhile, which I have assumed is because they are hoping to get their asking price.
Anon says
Sure! Southern New Hampshire.
Anon says
I’m on the North Shore of Mass (93/95 interchange) and I have a 1 year old. We just listed on Tuesday and I’M SO NERVOUS. God willing, we will have this under contract come Monday so I don’t think I need to worry about an extended time keeping the house show-ready. But, we just decided to put the dog in overnight care through Sunday and we’ve booked a night in Portland on Saturday. We’re leaving at 9am Saturday and won’t be back until after OH. It’s the only way we can live and not destroy our beautifully staged house.
Good luck to you!!!
Anon says
I’m the Southern NH poster. Just want to be clear I am not the OP. I was responding to the person asking about the market. I’m not trying to sell my house but someone wanted to buy it anyway LOL! I think the North Shore of Mass is moving fast too. Good luck!!! Your plan sounds great and Portland is a blast.
Anon in NYC says
My daughter’s 4th birthday is coming up soon and I could use some gift suggestions! What are your favorite toys/kits/books for something in the 4-6 age range? We recently have been doing a lot of science experiments from a kit and she *loves* them. She also likes cars/trucks, legos, owls (like, clothing with owls), her baby doll, books of all kinds, going to the playground, etc.
Right now, I’m thinking some legos, books, new clothes for her doll, a stomp rocket for days at the park…. but I feel like I need some inspiration. Thanks!
Anonymous says
Someone suggested Snap Circuits a few days ago. Those are perfect for a 4-year-old with parental assistance.
Anonymous says
Since you are in NYC, how about a big container of water balloons for the playground? You’ll be so popular with those and the stomp rocket. At 4 my son shifted heavily from trains into Legos. All Legos, all the time. You might also consider Snap Circuits Jr (she might be a little young for this – foggy memories). MagnaTiles if you don’t have them already.
Emily S. says
My daughter is also turning 4 this month! We bought her this Hape dollhouse: https://www.hape.com/us/en/toy/all-season-house-furnished/E3401. She asked for a dollhouse, but I have to say, I was really torn between the dollhouse and fire station. Since your girl is into trucks and cars and baby dolls, maybe this one? https://www.hape.com/us/en/toy/toy/E3023
For smaller gifts, we’re giving her some dollhouse furniture (from ebay, btw) and a George and Martha book. What about bubbles/bubble tray? Our girl goes bananas over new bubbles. The legos and stomp rocket will probably be a hit with your birthday girl!
As for kits, my mom gave this emoji garden kit to DD, and it was a huge hit: https://www.kingarthurstoys.com/creativity-for-kids-6126-plant-an-emoji-garden.html. All the kits from this brand that my mom has given us have been lots of fun and good quality.
So Anon says
Magna tiles are amazing and continue to be a favorite for my kids who are 5 and 8. There are magna tiles that you can find that have wheels and all kinds of fun attachments. For the playground, do you have a kite, sidewalk chalk and all that fun little stuff?
Legally Brunette says
+100
We bought them when my oldest was 3 and my kids are now 4 and 6 and this is by and far the toy they play with pretty much every day.
AwayEmily says
I held off on getting them for a long time because I knew the kids had them at daycare, but we finally got some for the 3yo’s birthday a few months ago and they are SO GREAT. also fun for adults to play with!
Anonymous says
What is the kit you’re using for science experiments? My kiddo is 3 and hubby and I are science-y (but apparently not enough to find kits for our three year old…ha!). I’d love something age appropriate like that!
Anon in NYC says
We bought both of these on Amazon. The age range definitely skews older than 3, but it is what it is! Scientific Explorer My First Mind Blowing Science Kit (6+ so a lot of parental help) and Scientific Explorer My First Science Kit (4+)
Anonymous says
I’ve tried them all (3 kids!) and hands down recommend “Learning Resources Primary Science Lab Activity Set, 12 Pieces, Ages 4+” for the youngest set (my 2-year-old uses it!). The quality of the tools is superb – sturdy, big enough for little hands to handle without incident, and looks cool.
For slightly older kids, The Magic School Bus chemistry kit. it’s definitely not easy enough for independent play at 3 (at least not to actually do the science), but the instructions are terrific for parents and they are very generous with the supplies.
Emily S. says
I have a comment with links stuck in mod,but we like the Creativity for Kids kits.
anon says
I was going to suggest a big girl bike, but then I saw you were in NYC. Still a valid suggestion if you have a place to put it.
SC says
My son just turned 4. We bought him a couple of cooperative games, and Outfoxed, Sneaky Squirrel, and Stack Up have been big hits! Also, he LOVES scratch art and magic pens, which I bought for a recent trip.
My MIL bought Kiddo a box of old-school craft supplies–pipecleaners, popsicle sticks, pom poms, construction paper, etc. He also loves a stencil kit that he received from some friends.
If you’re looking for non-toy items, my kid loves his backpack, nightlight that fits his particular interest, character toothbrush, and the merka educational place mats.
Also, my kid loves to “play science.” We haven’t bought separate kits, but Kiddo’s favorite science experiment is food coloring + vinegar + baking soda–it never gets old (to him).
Anon in NYC says
Thanks, all! These are great suggestions. I think Snap Circuits, Jr. and Creativity for Kid kits might be a really good new toy. We do have magnatiles and a balance bike packed away somewhere, I’ll have to dig them out and see if she’s into them again.
LittleBigLaw says
Our just-turned-four year old girl is super into jigsaw puzzles right now. Oh, and flashlights. Go figure. ;)
Supporting Your Spouse's Career says
A few weeks ago, there was a post about how your spouse supports your career, and how you support theirs. Most of the comments centered on our spouses supporting us. I’d love a thread dedicated to how we support our spouse’s careers. My spouse just got a new position at work. Technically it is lateral, but it was part of a big reorganization, and he was definitely a winner in the reorg. His position is more demanding, and our dynamic is shifting at home. I’m not opposed to it, because TBH, early retirement on my end sounds like bliss. And I’m reminded of a comment someone made a while back that SAHMs don’t stay home because they have rich husbands, they have rich husbands because they stay home. From my observations, there seems to be a lot of truth to that. So, ladies, how have you supported your spouse’s career? What have you sacrificed for it? How has it affected your own career? Do you think it is worth it?
Cb says
I pushed my husband to apply for his current job – he thought it was a reach but I thought it’d be a great fit and it is. In terms of sacrifices, he moved jobs while I was pregnant which meant that the extended mat leave we imagined wasn’t possible. He’s also super happy (and has a civil service pension) so we’ve introduced a geographic restriction that we didn’t have before, which is challenging for me as an academic.
Anon says
I’ve made big sacrifices for my husband’s career, but he’s not what most people here think of as rich. He’s a tenured professor and academia means moving around a lot, often to smaller cities where there aren’t really career opportunities except for professors, teachers and people in healthcare (because there are schools and hospitals everywhere). I trained in one career, including graduate-level education, and ended up leaving that career when we moved to our current location, because there just wasn’t any opportunity for meaningful work in that field. I now have a job I like well enough, but am somewhat embarrassed about the fact that it doesn’t use my education and pays very little (it doesn’t cover the cost of daycare for two children). To be honest, I think every day about becoming a SAHM and really the only thing that keeps me from quitting is not wanting to be financially dependent on my husband. I’m not sure I’d feel that way if I were still in my original field. Fwiw, I think there’s a big distinction between early retirement (where you have financial independence, thanks to your own savings) and becoming a SAHM (where you rely on your husband’s earnings to pay your expenses). I think being a SAHM is very valuable and I don’t judge people who make that choice but the risk of being dependent on your husband and what happens if he leaves you or gets disabled is (so far) keeping me from making the same choice.
anon says
just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and i am in the same boat! my husband is not a professor, but we have moved a lot for his career. i have two ivy league degrees and DH never ever forced me to put his career first, but i chose to and i do have some regrets. though my regrets are not related to putting his career first. my regrets are more related to my own career. I wish I had pursued a career that is a bit more mobile and/or had developed some hard/technical skills and/or pursued something where it is easier to get part time work. the sentence “I now have a job I like well enough, but am somewhat embarrassed about the fact that it doesn’t use my education and pays very little” is my situation exactly. i have two ivy league degrees but am kind of trapped in my current job. i have two daughters and hope to encourage them to think about their career slightly differently than i thought about mine.
Anon says
Thanks for the solidarity! I feel the same way and don’t blame DH at all. He was always way more passionate about and successful at his career than I was (even at my first career) so it was a very mutual decision to prioritize his career, and my regrets are mainly with myself for not pursing something more portable or more amenable to part-time work, like you said. I think if I ever do leave the workforce to be a SAHM, I would basically simultaneously begin some additional education (maybe a coding certificate?) with the goal of returning to the workforce at least part time when my youngest is in kindergarten. It would be my third career, which is a little silly, but hey, I’ve moved around a lot for DH so I feel like I should get a pass on the changing careers thing.
Redux says
More solidarity from me. Early in our careers/ studies we traded off who was sacrificing for whom: He moved for me and I worked full time while he studied for his exams and worked part-time. Then we moved for him to where he did his PhD program. Then we moved for my (ivy) J.D. Most recently we moved for his tenure-track job. To a place-most-random, about as far away from our families as we could be in the continental U.S. and with a very small legal job market where I cannot get a job doing the thing I always thought I would do. It all seemed pretty even at first, but this last sacrifice has been huge for me. Like you I feel a little sheepish to be so underemployed after working so hard (and paying so much money!) for my JD.
Anon says
I’m involved in a local group for trailing spouses. It’s 95% women and almost all of us are un- or severely under-employed. I realize there’s some selection bias there – people who are killing it career-wise probably don’t seek out dual career support groups – but the whole thing is very depressing to me.
Anonymous says
I also had to relocate for my husband’s tenure track job. Thankfully just one move, and I am able to have a part time / flexible job that uses my professional (law) degree. So that’s not too bad but the part that I struggle with more is that we have had to raise our children without any family nearby. :-(
Redux says
Same. The upside is that most of DH’s academic colleagues are in the same boat: raising children without family nearby. We’ve learned to lean a lot on his colleagues for things that other people rely on Grandparents/Aunts/Uncles like last minute babysitting or hand-me-down kids things. We’re trying to think of them as aunts and uncles in a truer sense, too, since we will all be together forever (!!!)– things like birthdays and Thanksgiving and other holiday celebrations. It’s not a substitute for family (and we have to travel to see our families, which is rough on the budget and PTO balance!) but it is something.
Redux says
also, what is your part-time/ flexible law-related job?
Anonymous says
Hi Redux, it’s me from 11:48 above. We unfortunately don’t have that kind of social relationship with husband’s colleagues. For work, do corporate / transactional work at a small firm.
Anonymous says
I supported DH in his decision to participate in a management training course he was nominated for. It involved three weeks of travel in addition to his regular work. We’re set up for him to be super involved with the kids and not travel much at all so it was a challenge. In return, he took the kids solo for a couple weekends where I had to work like 18 hour days in April for a specific project.
I would never be okay with the stress associated with being a one income family, unless it was maybe a 7 figure income and we saved half every year in case of job loss. Luckily DH and I are on the same page about that. We both want to be employed at a comfortable income but in jobs that allow us enough time with the kids so I know that he won’t be looking to advance his career further until the kids are much older. His long time manager recently retired and he was asked to apply for her position but he declined because it would involve a move to a different city. If anything I’m worried he’d be looking to cut back to part time which affects the pension plan he can access. FWIW he’s a Phd who has won national awards and that early career success pre kids has bought him a certain amount of flexiblity now.
anonanon says
I moved across the country so my husband could go to graduate school and supported him for three years while he studied and went to class full-time. Now we are paying off his student loans together. His graduate school was hard for both of us on multiple levels, but his new career pays three times more than he was earning before and is something he loves and is proud of doing, so it was definitely worth it. Luckily, I was able to keep working in the same field throughout the transition.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
1. Location – We currently live in the D.C.-Area for DH’s general work; an area I never was interested to live in and continue to feel lukewarm at best about. We met/dated in a different city, and then he moved here and I “followed” after finding a job. The trade-off is, after ~7 years in the area, we hope/plan to move to my home city where we both have family nearby by year end.
2) Since arriving to D.C., DS has had 3 positions, all pretty intensive in hours with limited flexibility (partly the nature of the work/roles and also it’s just his work style) so I’ve been the more flexible one and taken on more around the home pre-and-post DS. One of the roles was a “dream” role of his since he was in law school, and there was a chance we’d have to live somewhere random for a year or two, and I was supportive of that because of his own career fulfillment and the opportunities it would afford us later down the line.
I’ve been lucky to grow my career thanks to working for an incredibly family-friendly company and being there long enough to build a lot of credibility and leadership the first few years (which were at times a slog hour-wise, but I learned so much!), and then after DS was born, that gave me a ton of space for increased autonomy for myself and my team.
Anonymous says
Same, I’m lukewarm on the DC area. I’ve come to love my little corner of it, but I’d prefer to be somewhere in flyover country. My husband’s a federal employee, though, and at this point, we are committed to him sticking around for his preferred retirement eligibility. Due to his area of expertise, metro DC is where 90% of the good jobs are.
DH turned down a great opportunity that would have moved us cross-country a few years ago because I had just started a new stretch position and wanted to see it through for a couple years. Thus, I’ve told him it’s his turn next. I’ll support any position he wants to take, including if it requires relocation. On a day to day basis, he travels a lot more than I do for work, and his home office is a lot further away. Absent other factors, we split pick ups, drop offs, and coverage for any school/daycare closures pretty evenly, but I am the default parent in a pinch.
Anonanonanon says
echoing being lukewarm on the DC area. On the one hand, I appreciate being near a “major” city and having plenty of restaurants etc. to go to on the weekends. I told myself I’d do a much better job of doing things in DC-proper in 2019 and so far I have stuck to it, which has made me hate it a bit less. On the other I hate how expensive it is in the burbs (I don’t feel like I get what I pay for AT ALL), it’s pretty in the spring (except for this week, yuck!) but I HATE HATE HATE winter, which means I’m miserable about 8-9 months a year. My husband has become accustomed to my annual breakdown that occurs in the February-March timeframe from being cramped into our tiny, expensive house in cold dark weather. Our jobs are technically available anywhere in the country, but would pay as low as 1/3 of what we make here and would not be as exciting
DC fan says
Sorry not to see more DC love! I love DC and I love how there are so many things to do with kids for free like the zoo, museums, monuments, etc.. I live in the city though, not the burbs, so my commute is reasonable and I can walk to parks, playground, library, etc. I would probably feel more lukewarm if I lived in the burbs because I can’t stand long commutes.
Also, it’s so relative. Having moved from Boston, I think the weather in DC is amazing. :) Winters are generally mild and I’m one of those crazy people that doesn’t mind the intense heat of summer. And cost of living here is way cheaper than Boston and California (where I also used to live).
Anonymous says
11:31 here and you articulated all the things I love and hate about the DC area in your first paragraph. I definitely enjoyed it more pre-kids when I lived in a small apartment close to a metro station and had only adult logistics to think about. There’s so much great stuff to do, but even from my close-in suburb it’s hard to get to it regularly. I hate that I have to consider traffic any time I want to leave my neighborhood. Overall, I find it kind of an exhausting place to live with kids, between the Type A culture, traffic, and cost of living… but with redeeming qualities.
As a born-and-raised Midwesterner, I also chuckled a little at 12:36’s complaint about the weather. DC’s spring and fall are gorgeous! Winter, if anything, is not wintery enough for me. Summer’s when I really hate DC, the heat and humidity are just gross for 3 months.
Pogo says
Mostly I support via allowing him to travel (but he does the same for me). And potentially relocating abroad (still tbd at this point…..). Neither of us has had to permanently relocate yet, but we would consider it if the promotion was big enough.
anon says
My DH has a job that’s intense during a certain season of the year — lots of evenings and weekends away from home to accommodate a sports team’s schedule. When we got married, I never thought he’d want to keep doing this type of work. But here we are, 15 years later. He’s not a coach, but just being affiliated with this team is considered prestigious in our community and so many people think his job is so very cool. {eye rolls} I support him by doing a lot of solo parenting on the weekends, in addition to having my own full-time job. TBH, there has been resentment on my part because it puts a lot of pressure on me to solo parent for long stretches of the weekend. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve struggled as a solo parent, particularly when the kids are tiny. Plus DH is exhausted well into the next day, which means … more solo parenting. He tries to make up for it during the week and fully shares the parenting duties the rest of the year, but it’s still rough. My other contribution is not b!tching too much about his job and laying on the guilt trip.
anon says
Hah, this is me too. DH travels for work, and some seasons (spring and fall), he is traveling back to back to back weeks. He mostly doesn’t travel on weekends, but it happens. It caused a lot of tension when the kids were younger. Now, they are older, we have a nanny, and I’ve totally let go of things like cooking, and it’s a lot easier. We actually had a big argument a few years ago about how I was not being supportive (true) and about how he wasn’t helpful in supporting me supporting him (also true). One thing I’ll say is that partly what’s helped is that I make more money now, so I have a lot more support/resources than I did a few years ago (I say I because my salary has gone up faster than his has, even though his career is just as tough).
TheElms says
I’m wondering how this will work out for me and DH in the coming years. We are both East Coast biglaw lawyers who graduated from the same law school at the same time. DH’s resume is better than mine (did better in law school, better clerkships). He made partner a year ago and I’m still in the hunt (although I think its looking like a longer slog for me to make it now, probably another 3-5 years) and we’re expecting our first kiddo this year. I financed some of our prior years while DH did multiple clerkships (I did one too but didn’t need help making the money work) but neither of us ever took a step back or compromised at all. We both chased hard for partnership, but his chances were always better than mine because of his stellar credentials, so I’m not surprised he made it before me.
I realize 2 biglaw careers will require an inordinate amount of childcare (no local family), but both our firms are on the somewhat more reasonable end in terms of hours. My husband’s practice is also more hours friendly than mine. In some ways it would be easier for him to step back / have more flexibility and in other ways I think it makes more sense for me to do it. He’s already a partner (but being a junior partner is not an easy job) and his practice is just more predictable than mine. Jobs other than private practice don’t currently appeal to DH but he doesn’t really love private practice either.
I’m still chasing partnership and working crazy hours at times and my practice is just worse hours wise. And I could do everything right and it might just not work out in terms of making partner. In that case I do think I’d end up as counsel rather than being pushed out because I have niche skills that at least as of now are in demand and no one else really does what I do. (Trying to organize coverage for my maternity leave has had a somewhat beneficial effect pointing this out). I like my current job for the most part – but I think I’d be very happy in a variety of in-house jobs or even a variety of federal government jobs, but given the big reduction in pay I’d want some corresponding reduction in hours.
In these circumstances who should step back? I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer I’m just curious what other folks might think. Or even how to think through the choice.
anon says
what practice areas are each of you in? how long are you planning on taking for maternity leave? does he plan on taking any paternity leave? how much do you want to make partner? i don’t think either one of you necessarily has to lean out that much depending on how you arrange your childcare/how much time you each want to spend with your child. you could do day care + au pair + housekeeper (not necessarily every day, but maybe 1-2x per week) and not really have either of you have to lean out. or do you have local family? basically you will need to outsource everything so your time with your LO is spent doing fun things and not housework. i also think you should wait to see how each of you feel once you have the baby bc what you each want/feel might change.
IHeartBacon says
“Basically you will need to outsource everything so your time with your LO is spent doing fun things and not housework.”
This. My husband and I are both partners a mid sized firms. We outsource everything (cooking, laundry, housecleaning, landscaping, pool maintenance, grocery shopping). The nanny takes LO to doctor’s appts and we have a neighbor’s high schooler take pets to vet appts after school. They Facetime us when they arrive so we can talk to the doctors. It is unquestionably a lot of money, but it allows us to spend all our free time with LO doing fun things or relaxing.
TheElms, I recommend reading I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam. Folks recently recommended the book to me, and I read it (twice in two weeks!) and it has helped me so much with how I feel about my time at work. The concept of looking at time in blocks of 168 hours (a week) versus 24 hours (a day) has made all the difference in the world to me.
Butter says
He should step back. You have faced and will face your own challenges – don’t volunteer for any more. My two cents, and also just my frustration with seeing this play out over and over again.
Sarabeth says
My spouse has sacrificed way more for me than vice versa. However, I pushed him into therapy when he was unhappy at work about 5 years ago (he’s not American, and from a country where no one goes to therapy unless they have serious mental illnesses), and it led to a career change that has hugely increased his job satisfaction. I also force him to negotiate whenever he gets a job offer, rather than just accepting whatever the org offers him. So I definitely take some credit!
CCLA says
DH is a physician who starts work at the crack of dawn and finishes…whenever the cases finish. Sometimes noon, sometimes 6pm, but most days around 3-4pm. This non-shift work nature is true of almost every job in his specialty, so it is what it is for this chosen career. I support him by doing 99.9999% of the mornings and am essentially on call to be available most evenings – about 75% of the time he can do the daycare pickup, but sometimes we don’t know until an hour before pickup if he’ll be out in time, so I have to consider the possibility I’ll need to get the kids. Also true of sick days, etc. Several years ago, I moved cities his medical residency (hallelujah he matched into the same state, no new bar!).
It is, in a word, unsustainable. It’s hard because it is not like he is off partying, he is working, and it’s just the nature of his career. Frankly we should probably throw more money at the evenings to have someone consistently around to pick up the kids, but (this will out me to anyone who knows us), he just switched jobs and we are moving to within a mile of his new hospital, which has a fantastic childcare center the kids will attend, so our hope is that with getting rid of his formerly substantial commute, he will be able to do closer to 90% of the evening pickups (which he actually enjoys doing). If that’s not the case after a month or so, we will re-evaluate hiring someone. I’m a partner in a small-midsize law firm, so I have a lot of flexibility but also work a lot. He certainly sacrificed for my career as well, by among other things seriously limiting his medical residency applications to places I could keep my career active. It is a constant juggle and we’re looking forward to this new move and hopefully getting some more predictable daily routines going.
shortperson says
i have a friend who is a dr with early mornings and they have a nanny come 7-9 to get kids ready for school and drop them off. could be theoretically possible with her husbands work that he does it but this makes their lives so much easier. they are very budget conscious otherwise with med school loans still existing but do this to save their sanity.
Get well gift says
My best friend is going through some health problems but she doesn’t want to divulge the details of what she is going through. It’s something she can recover from but from what I gather, it will take several months. I would like to send her something to cheer her up, any ideas? She’s a doctor, loves to read, has a 3.5 year old. Thanks!
Anon says
Worth sending her a new kindle if she doesn’t have a current version? I think the paperwhite just re-released an updated version. Or if she likes to read physical books and you know her favorite genre, I know my grandmother used to get monthly deliveries of books. Might be nice to have something new to read on a consistent basis, but not have to exert the effort to go out and pick it out.
Emily S. says
I just recuperated from surprise surgery and devoured books during my 6 weeks at home. My favorites were Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Lethal White. Also magazines because sometimes I didn’t have the energy for a full book. I would have loved some visitors, so if you could swing it, bring her a cup of coffee a few times? Also appreciated are snacks for kids! Muffins that she can freeze, dried fruit, etc.: things that she can kiddo can both snack on and don’t require much preparation. Would she also like some adult coloring books?
Spirograph says
I really enjoyed it, but note that Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine is about mental health (I hope that’s not too much of a spoiler). If you suspect your friend’s troubles may be in that vein, tread carefully.
I love the idea of a new kindle or stocking an existing one. Maybe audiobooks, too, if her recuperation isn’t conducive to holding a book. It’s not clear from your post whether your friend is local. If so, you could also offer to do regular library trips for her to keep her in good rotation of physical books.
Emma says
+1. I gifted Elinor Oliphant to my mother who had a challenging year, based on the understanding that it was cute and romantic (marketing failure on the part of my local bookstore). She was really upset by it and I felt bad.
Anon says
Yes, thank you!!! This is not a good book for someone going through a challenging time, especially if it’s at all mental health-related.
FVNC says
I recently devoured Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. For something fluffier, I also liked the Jasmine Guillory books recommended on the main s i t e. Hope your friend recovers soon.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Wisehive. Need some strategy thoughts.
Flying solo with DS (he’ll be 18 months) next week. We’ve done about 15 flights, so general logistics are good and expectations are always low – but would love some suggestions on what you all give your kiddos for take-off and landing for their ears that they actually imbibe for the duration.
When we flew in February, DS I packed milk in a bottle for takeoff/landing. Since he stopped taking the bottle at a year, it still held his interest then, but not sure if it would work now. Even with his 360 cup or his straw sippy (which I use when I give him a smoothie), it may not hold his attention well enough for the whole time.
I’m thinking a fruit or yogurt pouch but will take recommendations! Up for anything no restrictions on travel days!
Anon says
Do you find he has issues in his ears? Likewise my toddler doesn’t drink or chew things for long, so I just offered repeatedly a couple of times during takeoff and landing, but when she refused she was still fine, so unless she is stuffy or otherwise congested, I don’t sweat it.
Anon says
Do you know he has ear issues? My daughter outgrew the ear pain on landing somewhere around 6 months, I think. It’s pretty common for this issue to get better as they get bigger. That said, we always pack a sippy cup of water (she’s still nursing and doesn’t really drink milk from a cup) and lots of fruit/veggie pouches. Like you, we don’t worry too much about nutrition on travel days, but Happy Baby has a lot of organic pouches with no added sugar, and some of them even have a veggie as the first ingredient (the have a green bean, spinach and pear pouch with only 4g (?) of total sugar that my daughter loves).
Anon says
I’ll add that my daughter drains one of these pouches in about 10 seconds, but I agree with the commenter above that they just have to clear their ears periodically, they don’t have to be sucking continuously to relieve the pain.
OP says
Hmm, I do think he feels SOME pain/pressure and it’s always better when he has something to suck on, but to your point, not sure if he needs it the whole time.
I also love the Happy Baby brand generally – so looks like many, many pouches will def be packed.
Anonymous says
With the caveat that my child is 3…fruit snacks.
OP says
Hahahah – DH LOVES fruit snacks, so he will love to share these when DS is older. I may buy some bunny fruit snacks this weekend just for grins to see how it goes.
Anonymous says
Candy. Hard candies to suck.
Anon says
Pretty sure hard candies are a no-no for 18 month olds…choking hazard.
Anonymous says
We do dum dum pops often.
anon says
We also did dum dum pops or sugar-free lollipops (courtesy of the doctor’s office). We also just did snacks (toddler trail mix – oyster crackers, gold fish, teddy grahams, raisins, etc.), but my kids eat pretty much at the drop of a hat.
Anonymous says
We just never gave out kids anything to suck on and it’s never been a problem… Our first flight with a 3-month-old we intended to give a bottle at take-off but he demanded it earlier so wasn’t hungry when we actually took off and also had no interest in a pacifier, and since that went fine we haven’t stressed about it since. We only have two kids, but they had 20-25 flights each while still under 2, none of which they ever had ear issues.
We do pack a couple pouches per kid just because they’re an easy way to feed them (and my kids consider them a special travel treat, since I’m too cheap to buy them the rest of the time), but would any snack that he has to chew and swallow work?
Kart says
Does he use a pacifier? Pop that baby in.
Anonymous says
Chewing works as well as sucking for ear pressure, so maybe a chewy candy like a Starburst?
Anonymous says
What are your favorite “my spouse is gone and my child won’t eat elaborate meals so I’m not really going to cook” dinners? Mine include one or more of the following: avocado toast, smoothies, yogurt, frozen blueberry waffles.
Anon says
Fried eggs, pancakes, bread + cheese, chips + hummus/guac
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
I’m the main household cook so it doesn’t change too much when DH isn’t around. That being said, the egg is a thing of magic when I’m feeling lazy or haven’t hit the regular meal prep for the week. Scrambled eggs with lots of veggies and cheese, Indian-style egg bhurji,enchilada eggs/migas…
Fried rice also is in this category!
Spirograph says
Scrambled eggs. Black bean tacos and quesadillas. Vegetables and crackers with hummus and cheese. The entire frozen meals section of Trader Joes.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
+1 — Quesadillas should basically be the mascot of our household.
Anonymous says
+1000
Em says
Cheese plate with fruit, crackers, maybe sausage or other protein, and hummus.
Anonymous says
I always buy a couple fruit and veggie trays from costco so I can add fruit/veg super easily to ‘dial it in’ meals. Last night was frittata with a bunch of chopped up veggies from the tray, night before that pasta with grated cheese and veggies with dip. Strawberries from the fruit tray go great with frozen waffles or pancakes.
FVNC says
My husband does 90% of our cooking so we have to get creative when he’s gone. My go-to meal is weird, I’ve been told, but I love it: baked (really, mircowaved) sweet potato topped with steamed broccoli, butter and a little cheddar cheese and sour cream. My kids will not eat this.
Anonymous says
I take it as an opportunity to eat something that my husband isn’t usually enthusiastic about eating. In my case, that’s salmon. Pop it in the oven with whatever seasoning you favor and it’s ready in 15 minutes.
Anon says
Box mac & cheese, microwave steamed vegetables. Or frozen pizza, same vegetables. Toddler eats the vegetables, mama does not – do as I say not as I do? Currently she’s been loving lima beans, ew.
Pogo says
+1 to box mac n cheese! I know it’s for kids butttt. I love it too.
Kart says
My go to recipe is chicken tenders or chicken thighs cooked on a baking sheet for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, cut up and slathered with the kids’ preferred condiment, plus microwave veggies and some kind of cut up fruit. I make several days’ worth at a time, then just reheat the portion my kids are going to eat. A game changer has been cutting up the chicken once it’s cooked by holding it on a fork with one hand and snipping it with kitchen shears with the other — so much faster/cleaner than cutting on a cutting board.
anon says
quesadillas, frozen pizza, pesto pasta
IHeartBacon says
A whole chocolate cake.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Solidarity! Isn’t it funny how so many folks that live here are not big fans, but stay for the work? Maybe that’s part of why the vibe can be off here for some of us. There is a lot of great stuff about the area, but it’s still just not for me. To be fair, DH’s work is pretty centered here, but his firm has offered him the opportunity to transfer to their office in my home city given our personal ties there.
I’m from one of the top-5 largest cities in the country, so I really struggle with (what I find) is what D.C. offers – the worst parts of small towns and big cities combined. Would much rather be in a proper small/mid-sized city or ideally, one of the bigger U.S. cities. Hopefully the latter will be true shortly, giving us a whole new set of challenges to navigate ;)
Anon says
I stay for the work (unicorn biglaw job in the suburbs), but also because DH is an only child and his parents live 20 minutes from us and they’re very much older and won’t be around much longer we expect. I grew up in a smaller mid-atlantic city and would love to move back, but I really like my job and our (appallingly expensive) house with a little land (0.5 acre, which feels like much more because we back to a park) and frequent wildlife, and I feel like I’ve (finally) built up a decent support network here of friends, stores, services, colleagues, etc. that I feel like would be a lot of effort to rebuild even if we moved back to my hometown. But I do think about it.
Anonymous says
I know a lot of you read the article in the New York Times “What ‘Good” Dads Get Away With.” Laura Vanderkam, from the Best of Both Worlds podcast, responded to the article on her blog: https://lauravanderkam.com/2019/05/friday-miscellany-notes-from-the-time-logs-plus-complaining-about-your-spouse-in-national-publications/
I’m a little miffed by her response and wonder what others think.
Anon says
Yeah her response was super smug.
rakma says
I’ve read her time management books and was listening to the Best of Both Worlds podcast for a while, but I’ve been really turned off by her recently. I liked that she had some concrete ways of looking at how you spend your time, and would probably still recommend her books, but I think this response is probably the last of her I’ll be actively following.
Kart says
Haha, what did I just read. “Has it occurred to you to simply try asking your spouse to do household chores? For example, I asked my husband to do the laundry, and now he does it with no complaints in a timely fashion! Wow, that was easy!” /rolleyes/
Anon says
No, no, you don’t get it, he’s so helpful because she’s not a *nag* who needs clean clothes on a particular day. She’s an understanding wife who lets her husband do the laundry on his own timetable, so of course he wants to help! If we were all as laid back as her, then none of us would have any issues with our husbands.
anon says
Exactly! Ugh…
anon says
She is so freaking tone-deaf and privileged sometimes. I find value in some of her advice, but I think I’m done with her podcast for awhile. I hate how her advice puts the pressure on the individual to change without EVER acknowledging the greater social forces at work. Also, she lives in an outsource-everything fantasyland, so no wonder she doesn’t get the whole division of labor issue. At least in my circles, it is just not common to outsource to the level that she does.
anon says
I agree with you.
AwayEmily says
Agreed, especially on the not acknowledging greater social forces.
Anon says
Is it a known thing that she’s politically conservative? I didn’t realize that and the link to the Federalist was jarring.
shortperson says
i did not know but makes total since given that she aims her advice at high income women, does not talk about structural solutions for society, and is very involved in her church. i doubt sara hart unger is though ;-)
i loved her book but the podcast is only ok. i’m def not a fangirl in general.
AwayEmily says
I listen to BOBW and sometimes I feel like I can hear Sarah gritting her teeth when Laura says another totally off-key and thoughtless thing. Obviously they get along fine, etc, but Sarah seems so much more aware of the bigger picture, if that makes sense.
FVNC says
I agree this is a tone deaf response to the article. I really like the BOBW podcast as it fills the niche of practical advice for, and discussions about, two-working-parent households. I do think it’s odd that they each speak very infrequently about the role their husbands have in the family (maybe Sarah’s a little better at this?). A peak behind the curtain into what certainly must be at least a little chaos would make especially Laura a little more relatable. But, not my podcast, so eh.
anon says
Yeah, I agree that they mostly gloss over their husbands’ roles. What are we supposed to take away from that — they’re still responsible for managing it all? I also wish they’d talk about their relationships with their kids. Not just how they manage childcare, but how they adjust work/life priorities in response to their kids’ changing needs. I feel like that’s a BIG piece of work/life balance that parents have to figure out. Maybe that’s a deliberate choice they’ve made for privacy reasons, but it does make their advice more one-note. I feel like the other parenting podcasts I listen to are much more forthcoming about that aspect, without giving away too much information about their kids.
Anonymous says
She’s super annoying. She works hard, and I respect that, but she is so SMUG and condescending to people who don’t have the same experiences. With respect to her conservatism, she makes me think of that woman in The Handmaid’s Tale who had a professional career but advocated for women to be subservient and then got her wish…but also lost her career.
I don’t understand how SHU works so well with her. The podcast is awesome but I only listen because of SHU…even LV’s voice is grating.
Anon says
Question as to whether to step in or not step in with regard to kid interactions.
So, 3.5 year old DD is apparently beginning the stage when kids feel the need to articulate who is, and who is not, a friend on a daily basis. I thought I would have more time.
Most of DD’s interactions with other kids are at her full-time daycare/preschool (we don’t really do playdates). So I see very little. For a couple months she had one really close friend, A, now it seems her best buddy is another kid, B. Which is obviously totally normal. DD has recently informed me that A is not her friend and that A hits and kicks (who knows if she actually does more than other kids, and it sounds like she doesn’t hit and kick DD, maybe other kids once in a while).
I usually drop DD off earlier than most of her classmates, so don’t see tons of interactions. Yesterday I dropped her off later due to a morning appointment. A and B ran up to her as she came in, slightly overwhelming her it seems like (she is a but introverted).
B: Are you my friend today?
DD: Yes.
A: Are you my friend today?
DD: No. I only have one friend.
My question is, do I talk to DD about this next time it happens, and if so, what do I say? I’m usually inclined not to get involved in kid interactions if possible. Here, I’m inclined to say to DD something along the lines of, “I won’t let you say that. It can hurt feelings.” But at the same time, I don’t want to give her the impression that she is not entitled to choose her own friends or decide not to interact with someone if she doesn’t want to.
Realize I’m overthinking, but any advice is welcome.
Anon says
I would say something, but I wouldn’t tell her she has to be friends with A or tell her that she can’t say what she said. Instead I would probably just remind her that you can have more than one friend, and it’s great that she’s friends with B now, but it doesn’t have to be at the exclusion of everybody else. Different friends bring us joy in different ways and she can enjoy playing blocks with B and running around the playground with someone else, etc. People have told me I talk to my 3 year old like she’s 12 though, so ymmv.
anon says
Yes. There are a couple of rough kids in my son’s class and I don’t think he like them very much. I tell him he doesn’t have to be friends with everyone, but he needs to be polite and respectful of everyone.
Kart says
If you say anything, I’d frame it more in terms of the Golden Rule and what will be best for your daughter and make her happiest, to appeal to her self-interest, rather than being put in a position of encouraging her to squash her own feelings to please others. Instead of making a blanket statement of, you’re not allowed to say anything mean to anyone, but “I heard you tell A and B that you can only have one friend today, is that right? How do you think that made them feel? Do you think you would like it if someone said that to you?” And then rather than prescribing behavior, instead say something like, “It’s good to have more than one friend and to be friends with lots of different people. It makes me happy when I have lots of friends, what do you think?”
Anonymous says
I would not intervene. As you say, you don’t want to discourage her from standing up for herself. The kids are working through the concept of friendship here in a normal, age-appropriate way. It’s interesting that they are asking who is friends *today.* That could just mean, who are you going to play with right now?
Anonymous says
This. Sounds like they are using it to mean ‘are you going to play with me now?’. Can you suggest she say ‘ I don’t want to play with you right now’ instead?
rakma says
Have you talked to the teacher about this?
We had a thing at the beginning of the school year in DD’s Pre-K class, and the teachers really focused on giving the kids language to differentiate between behaviors (I don’t like when you yell at me) and like big relationship type things. Everyone is ‘friends’ with everyone, but you don’t have to play with someone who is being mean to you, or who is doing something you don’t like. It actually really helped that the whole class was involved, and made it less stressful for DD, because everyone was learning to stand up for themselves in the same way.
Anon in NYC says
My daughter, almost 4, has similar tendencies. She’s a bit slow to warm up, even with kids that she sees daily, and some of them she seems to just not like because they’re “mean” or “hit” and “kick” and “bite.” Who knows if they actually do. She can be a bit rude to kids that she likes if she doesn’t feel like interacting in that particular moment. I usually bend down to her level and say something like, “Hey, you don’t have to play with so-and-so, but you should not be rude or unkind.” I also try to do this quietly and say it just to her because she can get upset if I chastise her in front of other kids (which is understandable).
RR says
I would talk to her about how she can have more than one friend. I’d also talk to her about how she thinks A feels when she says things like that, in order to work on empathy.
Anonymous says
I need to vent for a second and I’m sure you ladies can relate. So I’m married to a very hard working man who works long hours, is a present and involved dad, and does a lot of maintenance inside/outside our home. He’s great! I know I’m lucky to have found a stand up man who cares for his family. Not the problem. I also work my butt off and do the laundry/cooking/cleaning plus the mom emotional/mental labor of switching out kids clothes and arranging all appointments. I work less hours for pay than he does but am busy until 8-9pm every night as well. We appreciate what each other does and see all the work that’s going on into making a living and raising kids and maintaining a home.
The problem is my family and his family constantly rave about how amazing he is and I’m so lucky and I need to thank him every day and tell him how much I appreciate him (which I do tell him this often). For some reason everything I do remains unseen by anyone outside our house. I guess I just shouldn’t care, and it seems to just be part of being a mother (in 2019!!!).
Does anyone else experience this?
Anonymous says
I mean, as to his family, yes. I think that’s pretty normal. My MIL and SIL gush about my DH and how wonderful he is, how smart, how successful, etc. I mean, yes, he is, but they truly don’t need to remind me all the time. But I think that’s just part of having family (esp. close family) is being supported by them. My mom similarly gushes about me, often to me. I think you can’t really change your in-laws, but I would probably push back on my own family more.
Anonymous says
Does he see how much this annoys you and sympathize? If so, get him to rave in front of his family and yours about how great *you* are and how much you do that no one realizes. My husband has done this a few times, to great effect.
Anon says
Oh yeah, totally! My husband does more around the house than your husband, it sounds like (we both work ~40ish hours/week and he does the cooking/kitchen clean-up almost every day), but my parents think he walks on water and are always gushing about how much he does, how he’s the most wonderful dad, how I should be thanking him all the time. It drives me crazy. He is a good husband and dad but this should be the norm, not the exception.
Anonymous says
OP here – yes this is the societal problem that is driving me crazy. This should be the norm, not the exception. Like the older I get and the longer I’ve been married the more I think that 60-70% of women are married to lazy jerks. And it’s shocking to me. Like did women of previous generations just work themselves to death inside and outside of the home while men worked 40hrs a week and then just relaxed?? I wonder if some of it is almost a sense of jealousy coming from my mom/MIL that their husbands were not as involved in hands on childcare. Like I think my FIL literally refused (and still refuses) to change a diaper
Anon says
Yup, my dad didn’t change diapers and is still super proud of that fact. Drives me absolutely crazy. My mom worked full-time in a demanding, prestigious career and yet she did 100% of the childcare and household chores. We got a cleaning service when I was in elementary school but until then they didn’t outsource everything because my dad was a tightwad. He was a 1950s dad who would read me a book before bed every night and that was the extent of his parenting. Somehow my parents think this distribution of labor was fine…
Redux says
You might be surprised at how “fine” your mothers actually think it was. My MIL, who similarly gushes about my DH for being able to scramble an egg or change a diaper, told me recently that should would have divorced my FIL when her kids were little, but she felt trapped with nowhere to go and no career to fall back on. A lot of her gushing is wistful, I think.
Anonymous says
My in-laws live too far away and visit too infrequently to comment, but my mom does give my husband kudos for being involved. Not in a gushing kind of way, just that she’s glad he’s pulling his weight. She DID divorce my dad with no career to fall back on, and a big part of the reason was that she was resentful that he did very, very little around the house or in terms of childcare. She literally doubled-over laughing when I told her my dad wanted to come visit after one of my kids was born “to help.”
Anon says
My FIL changed his first diaper on our kiddo. It may have gone on backwards, but I said not a single word.
Anonymous says
Agree. My MIL definitely has resentment that she stayed home and did all the childcare/cooking/housework, and FIL control the finances, and cheated on her and she couldn’t afford to leave.
HSAL says
I never realized with my first that my FIL didn’t change diapers. With my twins I implemented a rule that no one is allowed to hold a baby until they’ve changed a diaper. Goes for everyone, every trip. And then I usually make a point of handing him a kid and directly asking him to change their diaper at least once.
anon says
Oh yeah, I’m living that life, too. DH gets heaps of praise; my contributions are barely acknowledged. It sucks.
Anonymous says
I usually just respond with ‘Yes, it was important to me to marry someone who wanted to be an partner’. I don’t have time for trying to change other peoples views and I don’t engage in conversations on the topic. Same/similiar response every time. Helps that DH actually gets offended when people congratulate him for doing bare minimum parenting like grocery shopping with the kids in tow so he similiarly dislikes over the top comments about how he’s so great.
Pogo says
Yes. I get this from my MIL. “Oh you’re so lucky you have a man who cooks” (or whatever). I say, “Yep, we’re equal parents!”
Anon says
Yes, mostly because DH is an only child who can do no wrong. I typically combat it with something to the effect of “well yes, he’s a parent” or “he lives here too” or something to that effect, and then DH makes a point to talk about how awesome I am in doing all the things notwithstanding my 70+ hour a week job. And one week of staying home with our kiddo solo was enough to make the double-standard point with him (“people are so much nicer to me when I’m out with kiddo – hold doors, ask where on earth is my wife, help me to my car, etc. – you get treated like dirt when we go out together”). Yes, yes and yes.
IHeartBacon says
YES. ALL. THE. TIME.
anon says
I’ve come to realize lately that I am … brimming with resentment, to an extent that’s probably not healthy. I don’t know if this is a mid-life crisis (age 38, here) or what. Specifically, this is what’s bugging me:
– Feeling undersupported and unappreciated at work.
– The general social expectations that go along with being a parent, especially a mom. My DH is a great partner, but come on — we know the expectations are different for women. Anonymous at 12:21’s post is the perfect example of what I’m talking about.
– The absolute sh!tshow that our country is right now, and recognizing just how much women are undervalued in general.
– My in-laws, who depend on my DH (their only kid) a lot, in ways that affect me, too. They’re very appreciative of DH, but don’t acknowledge that my labor behind the scenes makes it possible for him to be super helpful to them.
– And let’s face it, young kids need us immensely and won’t appreciate us until they’re much older.
I’m kind of embarrassed by how martyr-like this makes me sound. I didn’t know I was such a need-machine when it comes to being appreciated, but I guess I am? How do I make peace with this? I’ve grown so tired of being the capable, responsible person who keeps it together but is basically invisible.
Anon says
#1 – look for a new job?
#2 – do less. I’ve opted out of the perfect mom race and it’s made my life so much better. My kid doesn’t do any activities besides daycare, we eat plenty of takeout/freezer food, my house is not very clean, I don’t do anything Pinterest-y or homemade…and I have found mom friends who have a similar attitude, so there’s no judgment.
#4 – stop doing whatever labor you’re doing behind the scenes. DH’s parents, DH’s problem.
I can’t help with #3 (I cry about the direction of this country at least weekly) and I think #5 is pretty universal and will get better with time.
Anonymous says
How old are your kids? Around 3-4 was tough for me because I was out of energy from white knuckling it through the baby/early toddler years but the kids were still high needs. Got easier around 5-6. Getting an evening babysitter for a weekend date night every second weekend has been helpful. Also echo the points on doing less and worrying less about taking care of others. Adequate is okay. My kids wore pyjamas to daycare today because I thought today was pyjama day when it’s tomorrow. I DNGAF.
On politics – I don’t listen to or watch 45. Ever. It’s gotten me through the last couple years. I read the news online but set time limits for myself or it’s not good for my mental health. I’ve upped donations to a few causes I care about but I otherwise don’t engage in terms of watching tv news and discussing/arguing with family. I just can’t right now.
Anonymous says
I never used to be one of the “Therapy?” people, but I’ve been talking with a therapist for a couple months about basically the topics you outlined above, and I feel like it’s helped a lot. First, the appointment automatically sets aside time for me to think about stuff regularly. Second, putting it into words to another person makes me think about things more clearly. Third, these all kind of boil down to you and I taking on more than we probably need to, and my therapist has been helping me work through some strategies to change that default and communicate and act on my own needs.
All that to say, it may be worth trying a couple sessions.
Brir says
I just stopped at a local garage sale in a very nice neighborhood close to my that advertised tons of girls clothes!! I stopped by to find 6+ year old very worn carters, walmart, kohls brands etc for .50-1.00. I know it is a garage sale, but people just go through stuff and donate early, that way clothes get used before they are completely out of style. And no one wants to buy your stained ancient carter for 1.00. That is garbage or a cleaning rag. Also a breast pump for sale! Like if you can afford your 6k house just donate it.
Anon says
lol, what. Baby clothes don’t really go out of style, and 50 cents is a pretty reasonable rate for well-worn Carter’s brand stuff in my area.
Anonymous says
So I wrote this hastily because I was annoyed and my main point it people should really donate clothes earlier rather than storing food encrusted stuff for years and it is more likely that someone would want/use them. Like if you want them put of your house just donate or sell as a huge lot for 5$. I guarantee no one if that area is going to buy .50 cent onesies and it’s not an area people just pass through. My point is, donate/purge often and your stuff is more likely to be used versus becoming trash.
Anonymous says
That kind of thing always makes me wonder if they are house poor or underwater on their mortgage. Like who has time to set up a garage sale for worn out/stained baby clothes unless they really really need the $$
Anonymous says
I think this is more common in the SAHM circle?
Anonymous says
Or this is the first time they’re trying it and they don’t yet realize it’s not worth it. We had a garage sale … once. I consigned a bunch of stuff … once. I took stuff to a resale store … once. Now I donate everything.
Anonymous says
My guess is that they hung on to all of the clothes until they were done having kids and were darn sure about it. So yeah, it makes sense that they are older.
IHeartBacon says
This was my guess, too.
The original post made me chuckle though because it had a feeling that the OP pecked it out on her phone as she climbed into her car after leaving the garage sale and she was annoyed that she made the trip. Sometimes a gal just needs to vent. ;)
New Mom says
First time mom sending kiddo to daycare shortly. What has worked for everyone to label what they send in? We’ve been told to label everything – bottles, sheets, socks, etc. Not sure what will stay on long-term. I’d rather use a sticker than a sharpie, though.
And at what age did you start putting shoes on your kid for daycare? TIA!
AwayEmily says
I got Olivers labels and they have never come off bottles, clothes, etc. I will say, though, that while I do label bottles/lunchboxes/coats/anything that is $$, I basically stopped labeling clothes entirely. I guess it marginally increases the chance that it will get lost but in three years/two kids, nothing has been lost yet and none of the teachers have ever said anything. Your mileage may vary by daycare.
shortperson says
+1 million. i label waterbottles, sweaters, jackets, lunchboxes. i am not labeling every piece of clothing no thank you. if things have been lost they havent been that important, i cant think of anything.
LaLaLondon says
We got the namebubble daycare pack and it’s worked out well for us so far, not sure if there’s an easier/better solution out there, but I’m a fan of “lazy and effective”!
Our daycare also requires a pair of ‘shoes’, jacket and a sunhat for all the kids in their cubby for outdoor time from what seemed comically early to me (on the shoes front), but that’s because they get outside at least once a day and want the kids to get used to shoes going on when we go outside and coming off inside even for the little ones.
Anonymous says
Regarding shoes, when my daughter moved from infants to toddlers, she wasn’t yet walking and I resisted shoes, but they made the good point that sometimes the ground can be quite hot in the summer and it’s good to have shoes on to protect their feet.
Anon says
Still doesn’t really make sense to me – if they’re crawling, their hands and knees are exposed to the hot ground as much as their feet. If it’s not too hot for their hands, I don’t know why they need shoes for this reason.
HSAL says
I labeled fabric with a marker, but also sent in stuff I didn’t care about getting back.
For bottles, I used self-laminating stickers from Target because they were so much cheaper than buying pre-printed stickers online. I used those for baby’s name, but since we had to do date/time of prep and quantity, it was so much easier to just use a sharpie for that every night. Wipes right off with a piece of paper towel after going through the dishwasher.
Anonymous says
Definitely label bottles and anything you want to get back (we used namebubbles too as mentioned above). I used sharpie in the jackets and sweaters. And I employed the IDNGAF strategy for sheets and most other clothing. We used crib sheets that were distinctive patterns so it was unlikely to be confused and I just decided that I truly did not care if certain items did not come home again.
Cb says
I use sticker labels but also keep a sharpie in my purse in case I forget to label something.
DLC says
I use a variety of labeling methods depending on what I’m labelling:
– painter’s tape and sharpie (for lunch containers or anything hard sides, though it sometimes comes off in the dishwasher)
– fabric medical tape and ball point pen (for clothes and shoes)- I work in theatre and this is often what we use on costumes and accessories because it is flexible, but also durable and not permanent
– a label maker (it was a Christmas gift and I don’t get to use it too much, but when I do use it it makes me really happy)
Anonymous says
Sharpie or painters tape with sharpie for bottles, wipes, etc. will stay on through the dishwasher. We don’t bother labeling clothes.
Brir says
I don’t label socks because I don’t care if they get lost. Same with clothes that I don’t care if they get lost. Namebubbles labels are great. I put their shoe labels on my two-year-olds boots and they stayed on through the winter and she plays in the snow ! I started putting Robeez on my baby As soon as she was pulling up to stand.
Anon says
– Namebubbles for bottles (had to do an extra label for the b*milk ones), coats, blankets, and food containers that I wanted back. I only put our last name on them, so hand-me-downs would work for future kids and already have the label. I did have to replace the Namebubbles on bottles for each kid, because they eventually got grody with that much washing and sanitizing.
– Shoes not until they were walking, and then I labeled (with Namebubbles shoes suns that help with putting on the right feet, because Sharpie rubbed off and those somehow stayed on).
Everything else, I didn’t care about. I suppose if I sent my kids in beautiful dresses and fancy clothes, maybe I would have tried to label those, but pants with reinforced knees were about as fancy as we got. No Hanna Anderson or Tea clothes for daycare (or weekends, for that matter) in our house!
anon says
Posting very late, but my tip is to label with last name only, so that when your younger children inevitably inherit handmedowns, you don’t have to relabel.
LittleBigLaw says
Any book suggestions for a 10 year old girl who is “graduating” to middle school? My preschool daughter was paired with a fourth grade buddy this school year who she adores. I’d like to get her a small gift for the end of the school year. Nothing overtly political or religious, but maybe something encouraging or in the vein of “growing up is great!” or “girls are awesome!” Suggestions appreciated!
anne-on says
The girl who circumnavigated fairyland (first in a series of 5 I think?) is a great book with a very strong (but relateable) female heroine. It definitely is a fairly high reading level though (lots of big old fashioned words!).
Anonymous says
What about a journal or blankbook? So many fun covers and patterns for your daughter to pick. No risk of it being inappropriate. And that was about the age I started to love keeping a diary.
LittleBigLaw says
Great idea! Thanks!!