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I was looking through some of Zappos’ best seller shoes recently, and I’ll be honest: there weren’t that many surprises. Birkenstock Gizeh… Converse… the Sam Edelman Petty boot… a bunch of other sandals and sneakers. No big. But I was surprised to see this nice looking, $80 flat, which I’d never even heard of before. It has 321 mostly positive reviews, comes in five colors, four widths, sizes 5-12. Nice. Softspots Posie
(L-all)
Sales of note for 12.5.23…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Holiday sale up to 50% off; 5x the points on beauty for a limited time
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase & extra 15% off sweaters
- Banana Republic – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything & extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – Extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase with code
- Lands’ End – Up to 70% off everything; free shipping (readers love the cashmere)
- Loft – 50% off your purchase with code (ends 12/5)
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off select styles & free scarf with orders $125+ (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is down to $75)
- Talbots – 40% off your regular-price purchase; extra 50% off all markdowns
- Zappos – 34,000+ women’s sale items! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- Crate&kids – Free shipping sitewide; up to 50% off toy + gift event; free monogramming for a limited time only (order by 12/15)
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off your purchase with code
- Pottery Barn Kids – Up to 50% off toys, furniture & gifts
- Graco – Holiday savings up to 35% off; sign up for texts for 20% off full-price item
- Walmart – Up to 25% off top baby gifts; big savings on Delta, Graco, VTech, Fisher-Price & more
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Two Cents says
My son was diagnosed with a dairy protein allergy/intolerance when he was 4 months old. Since then, I have been on a dairy elimination diet and he has improved by leaps and bounds. For those who have been in the same boat, when did you start re-introducing dairy into your diet, and how did you go about it? My son is 8 months now. My pediatrician said that most babies outgrow the allergy by 9 months. Any tips?
Philanthropy Girl says
My nephew has struggled with a dairy protein allergy most of his life (diagnosed around 4 months as well). My sister struggled to keep her milk supply up without dairy products, and he was on homemade formula (with coconut milk because he doesn’t do soy) by 10 months. She tried reintroducing at 12 months, 18 months and 20 months. At 20 months the first day or two he looked like he wasn’t going to react, and by day three he had a pretty severe rash reaction. At 22 months she tried goat’s milk, also with negative effect (including vomiting). His other food sensitivities (he had five or six), like blueberries, cleared up between 9 and 18 months.
She was told some food allergies take 5-7 years to resolve, so she tries again every 4-6 months – under the guidance of her pediatrician.
Good luck – the milk protein allergy is a hard one.
RR says
My youngest had a milk protein allergy that she was diagnosed with at about 9 days old. I wasn’t breastfeeding, so we did hypoallergenic formula. The pediatrician had us start her on milk at a year and see how it went. We had no issues at all, so she did grow out of it. She had little bits of dairy a month or two in advance of that as she started eating solid food, but we did largely try to avoid it until a year. At a year, we just jumped into it–we totally stopped avoiding it, gave her milk, cheese, yogurt, and anything else with dairy in it. Never had an issue. We asked the pediatrician about easing in, and she said it wasn’t necessary because we’d know pretty quickly if she wasn’t over it.
Jen says
My kiddo was dx’d around 3-4 weeks. I did elimination with limited success– i literally ate NOTHING that could possibly contain milk or soy protein (or any of the derivatives) for 3 weeks and she still had exploding green and bloody poop. We switched to DF/SF forumla (nutremigen) and I pumped and saved the milk for 2 weeks while still staying away from dairy and soy. it was an overnight success. I then slowly reintroduced breastmilk, mixing it up with the formula, for a week or 2. Then she went back on breast milk.
She was never 100% until we started introducing solids, but she was 85% better. Around 5 months, I got really ill and despite staring at the shelves for 20 minutes trying to pick the one thing that didnt’ have soy, i ended up chugging (accidentally in an illness driven stupor) a carton of basically 100% milk protein. Baby was fine! Then I slowly and carefully added milk/soy back in, and we had no issues.
We started solids early (~4.5 months) because of all the issues we had with feeding/nursing, and I stayed away from milk or soy. She started putting on weight very easily (before she was gaining, but it seemed to be a struggle) and ever since then she’s been doing great. We got the OK to do cheese etc around 8 months and she was on whole milk by a year.
Jen says
FWIW our ped said that the milk protein isn’t actually an allergy. It’s an inability to process that is due to the gut being slightly underdeveloped. Thus, when the GI tract finishes up developing, the problem is gone. How long it will take your kiddo to be able to process the protein is a little person-specific.
VS a standard allergy, or lactose intolerance, which is outgrown for different reasons. They just call it an “allergy” for simplicity.
Two Cents says
This is very encouraging. Thanks! I’m usually vegetarian but because of the dairy issue I’m now basically vegan, which is hard! I’ll be glad when I can eat yoghurt and cheese again!
Anonymous says
I tried to be dairy-free til my daughter was 12 months, but I read that most babies outgrow their dairy sensitivities by 6 months old. I was also SHOCKED at how quickly my daughter improved once I cut dairy out of my diet, so I was hesitant to put it back in, but she didn’t have any trouble when I did.
Philanthropy Girl says
These shoes are so pretty – they would be ideal work shoes for me.
NewMomAnon says
I bought these shoes while pregnant based on a recommendation from the Barking Dogs website and I still wear them a lot. They had good support for flats, and didn’t rub my little toes raw (which was a big deal given how much my feet swelled). They have held up well despite lots of walking. I definitely recommend them (and looked around a meeting a few days ago and noticed that three other women in the meeting were wearing them too!).
Philanthropy Girl says
I meant to ask. Does anyone have either the Bilibo or the Rody Horse? Thoughts?
I’m looking for a toy in the $40-$50 range for my 1 year old (as a gift from a great-aunt) – and I want something open ended he can grow into and use for a number of years. I’ve also considered rocker boards, but can’t find one in my price range. Is the Rody Horse a bad idea if his grandparents are getting him a rocking horse for Christmas?
Any suggestions or insights appreciated!
ANP says
My sib bought a Bilibo for our eldest as a gift when it was just her (our other two weren’t born yet). We have tons of friends with kids and in 2 years, I think it got played with once! Our daughter didn’t like it and no one else seemed to catch on either. That said, I seem to remember it getting good reviews on Amazon?
Something else to consider would be a Howdy — inflatable bouncy horse. Deflates if you need the storage. Not sure of price bc ours was a gift.
At that price point, what about a wagon? My almost six year old plays with ours nonstop and I’m guessing you could scoop one up for $50. At that age my kiddos also loved water tables and bubble mowers. I realize these are all outdoor suggestions but I think you’re in IN — so at least a little more good weather to come before it gets too cold!
POSITA says
Both our Rody and rocking horse got very little use. What about a set of MegaBlocks? Those are well loved in our house. Other favorites are a baby stroller, a shopping cart, her baby doll, a toy kitchen and Duplos.
Jen says
our daycare has a few Rody Horses. Kids love them. They bounce on them though, not rock. And they seem to be a novelty but not necessarily a toy that is utilized daily.
My daughter got this train for her 1st birthday and has loved it nonstop for the past 13 months. As she got older she played with different parts. Warning: it annoys the heck out of me! But she digs it.
Other big hits: grocery cart, duplos (may depend on your kid’s skill set at 1, but by 18 months my kid was very into them), a kid sized chair, toy kitchen (ours is very gender neutral and has an outdoor grill (which is used to cook stuffed animals…whoops.)
Maddie Ross says
I’ll give a different answer – we have Rody and my daughter loves it. Uses it almost daily to bounce and dresses it up, too. I love that it’s durable and can be easily moved from room to room, whereas her rocking horse really can’t without risk of dinging walls.
I don’t completely disagree with POSITA though, as the other favs in our house are her shopping cart and her baby stroller. She also loves her lawn mower. Things that can be pushed are big hits.
ANP says
Potty training question! How old were your kids (sons specifically) when they were toilet trained during nap/nighttime (vs. just day trained)? Our son is 2 years and 7 months and is now mostly day trained — occasionally he’ll have an accident if his caregiver can’t get him to the potty in time, but it’s been a week and he’s doing great! However, I’m antsy to enroll him in a preschool program at my workplace and he has to be three AND toilet trained (during nap as well) to qualify. Wondering if it’s possible or a total pipe dream to get to that point by the end of this year?
mascot says
Nap trained should be doable, night training can be a little longer. The key for us for sleep trained was discipline. (ours, not his). Potty immediately before getting in bed, potty immediately on waking. You may have to actually wake him up and put him on the potty. Our night training went something like this- potty before bed at 7:30, dream-pee at 10pm where we took him half-asleep, then potty on waking. At first, we woke him up and helped in the morning, then he got to where he woke on his own and came straight into our bathroom first thing.
We also encouraged him to get out of bed and go on his own whenever he needed to. Being in a room with an attached bath, nightlights, and big boy bed helped.
Potty trained doesn’t mean fully autonomous though. He needed help wiping until 4+, as did most of his friends.
RR says
Honestly, mine weren’t napping by that point, so it’s possible your guy won’t be either. Regardless, I think being potty trained during nap happens fairly early. Nighttime is another story. It’s very common for kids to wet the bed until they are 7+. It’s a different issue from toilet training.
JJ says
This is reassuring. Our guy is 3.5 and has been potty trained for day time and nap time since right before he turned 3. But we put him on the potty right before bed and when he wakes up, his diaper is soaked. It doesn’t even occur to him not to pee while he’s sleeping at night. I figured (hoped) that would come with time.
RR says
My 7 year old son is still in Goodnights overnight. It’s something to do with their body being developed enough to wake them up (not explaining that right). My pediatrician continues to tell us that it’s totally normal, there is no “training” to fix it. My daughter was fine overnight by 4.
Anonymous says
The difference with nighttime training is that the body has to connect the brain and the bladder. That is not something that can be taught. That is just something that happens as they grow. Until your child develops that ability, the onus is on you as the parent to limit liquids 2 hours before bedtime, take your child to the potty immediately before bed and immediately upon waking.
RR says
Yes, but even doing that doesn’t prevent accidents overnight.
Meg Murry says
I think it also depends on their definition of “trained” and how often they have bathroom breaks. My son is technically nap trained in that he almost never has an accident at nap time, but that is mainly because he is always taken to the bathroom immediately before nap.
Can you ask if they have frequently scheduled bathroom breaks or if it is up to the kid to tell them when they need to go? At 2.5 my son was at the “fine as long as there was a bathroom break every 1.5-2 hours” point, but even now at almost 4 he will hold it too long if you don’t force bathroom breaks and then not get to the bathroom fast enough.
He is almost 4 and could stay dry some but not all nights, so we take him to the bathroom once a night before we go to bed (between 10 pm and midnight) because that is preferable to a 2 am bed changing and bath a few times a week.
Cleaning supplies says
We’re hiring a housecleaner who asks that we buy the cleaning supplies. Any recommendations on non-toxic cleaning supplies that work very well? I’m thinking non-toxic is better given that we have little kiddos running around, but we also want to make sure we buy stuff that does the job. Thanks!
mascot says
Mrs Meyers or 7th generation for hard surfaces, Bona for wood floors is what our house is stocked with. Vinegar solutions do a good job too.
RR says
I love the method products, but I’ve had similar results with Mrs. Meyers or other competitors.
KJ says
I have found that there are very few things that can’t be cleaned with a spray bottle half full of water, half full of vinegar and a squirt of dish soap. If anything requires real scrubbing, I throw some baking soda on it. That said, I also like Mrs. Meyers and Method products.
MSJ says
How concerned do I have to be about clogged ducts after gradually weaning. I haven’t nursed for about 12 days and was down to just once a day for a week before stopping (but twins so more milk than for a single kid). I never got engorged but I’m certainly lumpy. Tender but no sharp pain or redness. I hand expressed in the shower Monday and there’s still a good amount of milk and I’ve been trying to work out any large lumps (again in shower, I really don’t want to drag the pump out again). But I want to be sure not to stimulate extra production. I’ve had mastitis once and would really like to never deal with it again. I am taking soy lecithin but haven’t yet tried Sudafed or anything else to dry up supply (besides standard peppermint tea).
Onlyworkingmomintulsa says
Not too concerned, it took almost two weeks for the large lumps to go away for me. I did the same as you and hand expressed in the shower a little each morning.
anon says
I found Sudafed to be VERY effective.
TTC says
Hi everyone, my husband and I have been TTC for about eight months now, charting and OPKs for the last two. For those who saw fertility doctors, at what point did you go? I know conventional wisdom is a year, but considering I know we’ve been hitting the window and still coming up negative, it seems like maybe the sooner the better. However, I’ve been off the pill only since December, and I do have some friends who took 8-10 months to get pregnant, so maybe I’m just being too impatient? I know this is such an individual thing, but it’s hard not to go a little crazy while I’m waiting and feeling like things are so out of my control. Thanks for your wisdom!
TTC says
Sorry, just saw this was somewhat addressed yesterday, but further comments welcome!
LC says
I asked my OB for a referral at about 10 months, and got in with the RE at around 11 months. But I had a slightly different situation — my charting etc. showed that I likely wasn’t ovulating, certainly without any regularity. If I had just been trying without any success, but no obvious problem, I’m not sure my OB would have given me the referral — at my practice, standard is referral to RE after 1 year if 35.
I know how hard it is to hear this, but you may want to give it a little more time, if you just went off the pill in December and you’re under 35. Especially if you’ve only been charting and temping for 2 months — it took me longer than that on medicated/TI cycles. Odds are it will work for you. And frankly, while the whole infertility treatment process gave me some sense of taking control over something that was obviously not working, it was also very stressful and unpleasant in its own way. I would much rather have been able to let it happen without interventions.
SC says
I agree with this advice. Give the charting/OPKs a little more time. But if you haven’t already, let your OB know that you’re trying and charting so that it’s in your medical chart. And if your charting and OPKs reveal a problem, like you’re not ovulating regularly, talk to your OB immediately, even if you don’t want to intervene yet. Basically, make sure what you’re doing and what is happening is being documented in your OB’s records. Then, when you do want or need intervention, your doctors have their own record they can use to base treatment on.
I was off the pill but not trying for several years. From that I knew I wasn’t ovulating regularly and talked to my OB about it at each annual visit. So as soon as I wanted to get pregnant, my OB prescribed Clomid to me. Her rationale was that we already knew there was a problem, and if I waited a year, I might only have 4-5 cycles, and I wouldn’t be able to time s*x easily for each random ovulation.
A friend of mine (who is 40) waited a year to see a fertility specialist and didn’t discuss it with her OB in the meantime. The specialist then had her wait another 6 mos before considering intervention.
NYCyster says
Whoa, that RE did your friend at 40 a huge disservice. That is not appropriate care, there’s no reason the doctor should need to have an official record of you TTC – your word should be enough. If anyone ever finds themself in this position, push back hard or go to another doctor ASAP.
As for the original question, I’m not a great comparison because I’d long suspected I had PCOS and started seeing my RE (love her! Great decision!) about three months before we were actually TTC. Both she and my insurance had no problem starting treatment without any period of trying on our own in this case. I’m SO glad I ignored the advice from friends to give it a year anyway and see what happens, with several insisting I wouldn’t get a penny covered until I’d been trying a year (I’m 30). I wasn’t ovulating at all though, and since you say you know you’ve been hitting the window, I assume you are ovulating regularly. Unless you suspect some other problem on your end or his, I think you’re in fact supposed to wait. That said, maybe get an appointment on the calendar for a couple months out after your next cycle if you’re still concerned. Sometimes these doctors’ schedules for new consults fill up pretty far in advance (though once you’re cycling with them, you’ll be able to go in on a moment’s notice, for the most part).
SC says
FWIW I completely agree that the specialist did my friend a huge disservice. I strongly encouraged her to push back or go somewhere else. Since then, I have had a baby, and (as far as I know) she has not gotten pregnant, and neither of us has broached the subject. I know through our husbands that they’re still trying though.
Anonymous says
I agree that you should give it some more time assuming you’re ovulating per your charts. This may be obvious to you, but wasn’t to me: when are you having s*x – is it when your temps go up? Because when we were trying for about a year I would always try to make sure we did it on the day I was ovulating and after but then my doctor said to aim for the days right before because sperm can live up to 72 hrs. but your ovulation window is generally just 24-48 hrs. It worked for us shortly after that – I think on the second month after that advice, and we had tried without success for a year before then. I should add that I know just how frustrating it can be, especially as you watch other people have actual babies in the time you’ve been trying and others seemingly get pregnant overnight, but just be patient, keep to your own pace and try to relax as much as you can.
octagon says
you don’t mention your age, but I’m in favor of going to the RE as soon as you are wondering about it (e.g., now). It can take a few months to complete all the diagnostics (and mine had a month wait just for the first consult). So, realistically, by the time you might start a protocol, you’d be close to a year.
Anonymous says
Try using pre-seed. Small price, but may make a difference for you.
used car seat says
A friend has offered to give us their old car seat (not expiring until late next year). I’m pretty confident that this has not been subjected to any crazy abuse, but she did mention one story where the seat fell down some stairs. Would you still take/use the seat? I know you’re supposed to replace the seat if you’ve been in an actual car accident, but this just seems to me like normal wear and tear. Like, would most people replace their car seat after they dropped it a couple times or checked it as baggage?
Jen says
I would take it. But I am generally more relaxed about such things. I would have a much harder time taking a carseat that had been sitting in say, a car that was parked in texas in teh sun for the past 5 years. The biggest issue with carseats is foam degradation. Re: would dropping it down the stairs impact its efficacy? Sure hope not since I dropped my carrier a bunch of times, have thrown it in airplanes, in the back of the car, etc.
RR says
I would take it. What kind of carseat is it? A few of them (Britax is the example I know) don’t even have to be replaced after minor car accidents.
used car seat says
Thanks for the replies/reassurance! It’s a Chicco Keyfit, which is likely the one we would have bought anyway.
Beep says
Looking for advice/perspective. I’m struggling over whether should I continue pumping. I’m at home for a year with twin babies. For various reasons, I mostly pump to provide breastmilk for them (one went on nursing strike months ago and never returned). I’ve only ever been able to provide about 25% of their intake; the rest has been formula. They are 8 months now and are increasingly mobile. My pump sessions are currently 4x a day, 30 min each. I have parttime help but would be alone for 2 out of 4 sessions. Is it possible to do this with two mobile infants? Is it worth it? Pediatrician is fine with me stopping.
Jen says
I would (and did) stop. My kid was doing really, really well at 8-9 months and it was getting harder and harder to nurse her. she was already 50/50 formula at the time and ate solids like a piggy. I had planned to just drop feedings and leave only night etc…but she had other plans adn we were done in 2 days.
Maddie Ross says
Oh man, props to you for doing so well so long! I stopped pumping at 8 months, though my (singleton, not twins) still nursed morning and night at that point. I definitely am not sure I would have made it that long pumping if nursing weren’t a big part of it. Pumping is so demanding. You’re awesome for doing so well and if you want to stop, I think you definitely should give yourself permission to do so without second thought. Esp. with twins.
Anon says
I have 6 month old twins and I’m doing the pumping thing a bit too. I pump twice per day (7 am and 9 pm) and it amounts to about 25% of their intake. One nurses a bit through the day but my other guys never got the latching thing down so he’s never nursed (makes me feel bad that one is a champion nurser and one doesn’t get it but not much I can do there). I’ve been wondering about how long I should plan on pumping for so I’m definitely following this! This twins thing is a whole different ball game.
Are you noticing them interacting with each other more at 8 months?? I just can’t wait until they notice each other more and smile at each other. My guys just seem to coexist at this point and don’t seem to care that the other is around.
Beep says
They do interact more now–smiling at each other, “talking” (squawking) in turn. Not all the time, but it’s very cute when they do.
Carrie M says
Is it possible to do? Yes. Will it always be easy or fun? No. I used to set my pump up in our small living area and would sit on the floor to pump, with a Simple Wishes bra on so that I had full use of both hands in case i needed to grab her. She would crawl around, play with toys, read books, etc. but couldn’t go very far or get into much trouble. Often she would stay fairly close though because she liked me being on her level. But I only had one! Two may be a different story!
Is it worth it? Totally your call. Eventually, I decided it wasn’t worth my 3-hour/day investment in exclusive pumping to get less than what she needed. You’ve done a great job pumping. It sounds like your kids are doing great. Do whatever you think is best for both you and them. I had some guilt and regret, but only momentary. (Having so much more “free” time after I stopped made me kind of wish I had weaned from the pump earlier!) You should feel proud of every ounce you’ve given them.