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I think if I had to choose a favorite color, this shade of purple would be it. With my skin tone, purples look better on me than pinks, and this is probably as vibrant a purple as you can get. As a kid, I remember loving the “bold”-colored markers from Crayola, and this is the blazer representation of that color scheme. This blazer can also be paired with the matching shorts or pants, and while I don’t think I am brave enough to do the whole suit, the blazer seems like a great way to add color to my neutrals-based wardrobe. It is machine washable and available at ASOS for $87 in sizes 0–14. Forever Suit Blazer This blazer at Macy’s comes in a very similar color and goes up to size XXL. 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 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
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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?
Mama Llama says
What a coincidence, I’m wearing this exact outfit in my office right now! :D
lsw says
me too except my crop top is white because I don’t look good in melon.
Mama Llama says
I find that skipping a shirt really makes pumping a lot more convenient.
Anonymous says
This top sort of looks like a pumping bra.
ElisaR says
lol thanks i needed that
Pogo says
Crop tops are business casual now?! Thank goodness, because my post partum tummy looks great in one.
RNSF says
I was worried about the short skirt but now that I clicked the link and see that it’s shorts, I feel much better.
GCA says
Oh good, it doesn’t have an exposed zipper.
AwayEmily says
actual lol
Carseats says
My 19 month has reached the max limit for height (35 inches) for our rear facing carseat. The AAP recommends rear facing until 2 or until height/weight limits have been reached – which is where we’re at. We were gifted forward facing carseats from my registry, so I have them ready to go. However, I got an earful from a neighbor that I should get another rear facing with higher maximums to get me to the 2 year mark at least. The internet is all over, so looking for other’s experiences who have tall children. I ultimately want to do the safest thing. Thanks!
Mama Llama says
Check in with your pediatrician if you are concerned, but your neighbor really needs shut it. What gall!
Spirograph says
The safest thing is to keep children rear-facing as long as possible. The safety reasons are really related to chronological development milestones, not actual size. It’s something about maturity of the spine not really being mature until closer to 4. My husband and I are both tall, so we looked for car seats that have high limits and ended up with Diono Radians, which I’ve been happy with, and let all the kids stay rear-facing through at least 2. 19 months seems really young for forward facing; I do think it’s worth getting another seat to bridge the gap.
HSAL says
Yes to all this. If you want to do the safest thing, get another car seat. 35 inches seems pretty low for rearfacing, although maybe I only looked at seats that had higher limits. You might also want to check your state’s laws – some require rearfacing until age 2 or a certain weight.
EP-er says
+1
I personally would get a new car seat with higher limits. Maybe your neighbor’s tone was off-putting, but since you asked here, rear-facing is really the safer option for as long as possible.
Check out the Car Seat Lady for recommendations on seats which may suit your needs: https://thecarseatlady.com/high-weight-height-rear-facing-seats/
Anonymous says
We got a Graco extend2fit so DD can stay rear facing longer. Also a tall child. I think I saw some research that kids in other countries that stay rear facing longer have a lower incidence of death during serious car crashes.
On the other hand, I’d tell your neighbor to mind his/her own beeswax.
Sarabeth says
Your neighbor sounds annoying, but if you want to do the safest thing, you should get a seat designed for extended rear facing. Diono and Clek have good options.
anon says
This. Neighbor is annoying but for safety, rear facing is the way to go (and, unfortunately, that means you need another seat). There are plenty of non-US people on this board and I am not one of them, but I think most kids in places like the UK stay rear facing much longer than age two.
lsw says
We’ve got a tall child and we’re doing extended rear-facing. I would consider buying a transitional carseat for extended rear-facing. Can you return or exchange the forward-facing ones? (I guess I don’t even know what those are? Because our rear-facing one can just be turned around to face forward.)
Anon says
What seat is this? That is a really, really low RF limit (unless it’s a bucket seat…in which case, kids should be moved out of those into a convertible seat by 12 months). A lot of states are now changing laws to RF until age 2. I would absolutely buy another RF seat for the next couple years. RF is SO much safer (much greater risk of neck injury FF) and worth the money. We just flipped my son around at age 3.75.
anon says
Actually it sounds like she has the Chicco Fit 2, it’s a longer bucket seat that can get you to 24 months (if your kid is short!) It has a 35 inch height and 35lbs limit. ( that’s the seat we have and my daughter is just about too tall at 22 months. We got a convertible car seat for my husband’s car around 9 months when she got too big to move the bucket back and forth, getting a second convertible for my car this week.
Anonymous says
I was led to believe that although 2 is a good guideline, based on my discussion with health professionals (Canada) and the small print on the convertible car seat it is a weight requirement and walking unassisted (which is a measure of muscular development). My kid is no where near 35 ” tall and already his legs just have no where to go!! (he is 21 months). This morning he had both legs flopped out above the knee. I am genuinely curious as to how you keep kids backward facing that long?
Our plan was to flip him around in the next couple of weeks before we go on vacation as we aren’t totally sure how big the European rental car will be and my VERY tall husband needs all the space he can get (6’8″). [NOTE: yes we thought about our genes when purchasing car seat and at home got a new SUV to accommodate car seat factor…. shout out to the new VW Atlas!! SO MUCH back seat room]
rosie says
My understanding is that it’s fine for their legs to be hanging over, folded up, etc. when RF. The issue is distance from the head to the top of the car seat.
HSAL says
I found this article really helpful when we were looking into the issue (also have a 6’8″ husband :)). Basically, the kids are still perfectly comfortable – I always prefer having my legs propped on something rather than dangling. My 3 1/2 year old recently turned facing forward and she usually ends up sitting cross-legged in her seat anyway.
https://thecarseatlady.com/when-should-your-child-turn-forward-facing/
Pogo says
I just checked for the NextFit Zip (which is what we have) and it can go up to 49″ and 50lbs RF. 35″ seems really short for a limit!
Minnie says
This is the one we bought for this very reason–it has a massive RF height limit. Our son is consistently in the 97-99th percentile for height, and I’m glad we have plenty of room to spare.
IHeartBacon says
Last time I was talking to the pediatrician about this issue, I asked whether I can turn my LO around now that he was two years old. The ped said that the new recommendation was to leave him rear facing until four years old. She mentioned that because he would be cramped, there is a greater risk for hip injuries in a car accident, but the lower risk of spinal injuries was still worth it.
Anonymous says
This. 4 years old for rearfacing is actually the law in Sweden so OP depending on where you are going in Europe, check the rules. We used rearfacing Cleks with my 90th percentile height kids until age 3 then forward faced. We picked Cleks because they take up a lot less room when rearfacing compared to Dionos.
Anonymous says
Agree that 35″ sounds like a very low limit, unless it’s a bucket seat. We have Scenera Nexts which are one of the lowest-limit convertibles, and even they max out at 40″.
As said above, it really is safer to keep kids rear-facing until at least 2 (or later) because it all has to do with skeletal development and head size vs. body size. Short version is that toddlers are much safer facing backwards, so if you have the budget for a new carseat I’d highly recommend getting one that will allow him to rear-face for at least another 6 months.
Anonymous says
It’s not just about total height. I have a tall but not abnormally tall kid, but her torso is disproportionately long. I think she was only 34 inches or so at 20 months, but her head was within one inch of the top of the seat and with her ped’s approval we switched to FF.
Anon says
Is it just me, or do you feel that the ranks of full time, working (outside the home) moms decrease as the kids get older? When my kids were young, I knew a lot more moms who were in my boat. But slowly, one by one, they are dropping out of the work force. I don’t think I appreciated that as the kids get older, the logistics of working motherhood actually get *harder*. Instead of throwing money at daycare and forgetting about it, I’m going through hoops to figure out before/after school care, summer camps, school holidays, etc. I’m the main breadwinner, so I can’t quit but I understand why a lot of my friends are deciding to stay home.
So Anon says
Before I even got to the end of your comment/question, what popped into my head was the challenge of orchestrating full-time care when kids are out of daycare, too young to stay home alone and starting to get into activities. It really is a logistical nightmare. My sanity saver has been a high school student who picks the kids up from school two days per week, takes them to the library or on little adventures and stays until 7:00. It gives me the chance to work late or run errands on those days or just get home and tackle a chore before 8pm.
Anonymous says
Every woman I know in BigLaw with kids whose husband works full-time has at least 2 nannies in order to handle all the logistics of pick-ups, sports, etc. And most men I know in BigLaw with kids have wives who stay home.
Anonymous says
This. I’m a partner in big law. Both of our kids are in elementary school. All of the men I work with who have kids, have a wife who stays home. We thankfully have three sets of grandparents (due to divorce) who all live 5-10 minutes away and who all are almost always jumping at the chance to help, but I still also have a housekeeper that comes twice a week and a college student who does the afternoon pickup and activities twice a week. I also work from home as much as I can and have two close friends/neighbors that pitch in in emergencies. Even with all of that (and we are very lucky to have it all), it is still just TOO MUCH quite often.
Anonymous says
I’m in biglaw and I am here to tell you that the answer is an au pair! (I mean, not for everyone, obviously, but it has been a game changer for me and my family.) I’m starting to wonder how old is too old to have an au pair — like, we’ll still need someone to help out with my littler ones when my older one is a young teen… but I will cross that bridge when I get there. For now, it is awesome. All that said, my husband has a job with much less demanding hours, and we also have a set of very helpful grandparents nearby, so, yeah, it’s not impossible, but it’s only possible with a lot of help, IMO.
anon says
I noticed a big, second wave of women becoming SAHMs when they had a kid going to kindergarten. The logistics juggle is real, and I don’t know what the solution is. I know a few people who have hired sitters just to take the kids to activities. We haven’t gone that route, but we also aren’t as intensely involved in extracurriculars as some families.
I’m incredibly grateful for my kid’s after-school program. It’s not perfect and I don’t love everything about it, but it’s a great solution schedule-wise. But, I know plenty of parents who wouldn’t dare send their kids to an after-school program, so … YMMV.
I really wish we could expand the working parent conversation BEYOND the maternity leave/return to work period. I don’t want to downplay that part of life, because it’s super important and critical to support women during that transition, but — the transitions never really stop. For example, I’m dreading the start of middle school in a few years because there isn’t much of a support structure for kids that age. The main reason I’m staying at a job I don’t particularly like anymore is because I’m finally senior enough to have the flexibility to handle the challenges of having a school-age kid.
OP says
Oh, I’m alllll about the after school program. Mine is cheap and well run. It’s been a lifesaver. Another thing that has helped is that I don’t care if my kids are gifted athletes. I’m happy if they play in rec leagues and live relatively active lifestyles. A lot of my friends are very, very committed to having their children play in competitive travel leagues. But my kids aren’t that into it, so it’s not a priority for me.
anon says
Same. We’re lucky that our kid is only moderately interested in sports. But, he’s super active and was literally drenched in sweat when I picked him up from the after-school program yesterday from playing some kickball-type game. He spends all weekend riding his bike, and being an active family is a priority for us. That’s good enough for me. I’m trying to let go of my self-imposed pressure to Do All the Things.
aelle says
My daughter is still small and it is already a shock to me how this getting harder, not easier, as she grows. It’s not just the logistics, but a toddler needs so much more parenting than a baby (and I can only imagine how involved the preteen and teen years will be).
lsw says
No idea if this helps, but I have a toddler and a teen (just turned 13 two weeks ago) and our teen is SO MUCH EASIER! She can do so much on her own, she’s super independent, and a lot of fun. Her main activities are the musical at school, and she can take the activities bus home most days so it doesn’t change our schedule much except for the final month before performances. And she has piano once a week. The only other scheduling hassle is getting her to and from her bio mom’s. I have been so worried about the teenage years but it’s honestly been so much easier than I expected. Just for a little light at the end of the tunnel for you!
lsw says
I mean, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. We do have our fair share of PARENTS JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND, but I prefer that to my son throwing toys or grabbing my glasses when he’s mad.
Anon says
“Bio mom” is kind of an offensive way to describe her mom, unless her mom is not in her life at all, which is presumably not the case if you’re transporting her to and fro. Her mom is her mom, you’re her (?) stepmom.
Anonymous says
It’s not just you. I know some amazing women who manage to juggle school age kids with activities and full time big jobs, but I will not be joining their ranks. I have to figure out my lean-out job, but it’s coming within the next year or two.
Our school district actually has an amazing affiliated childcare program with full before/after care and care during winter and spring breaks and many holidays, plus a summer camp (shout out to KAH for anyone in Montgomery County, MD), so childcare is almost as easy as the daycare days. For me, it’s more about everything else. I can certainly pay people to clean my house, mow my lawn, deliver food, and drive my kids to sports practices, and rely on others to be active in the school and broader community, but I don’t like my job enough to do it to the exclusion of being more present with my family and in my community. It didn’t feel like I was missing out on as much when they were babies.
Mama Llama says
Woot, KAH! We are starting this fall, and I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that they cover breaks, half-days, etc.
Anonymous says
I have nothing but good things to say about KAH. The staff and program are great, and it has been such a relief to have reliable coverage for the weird school calendar. They even did a special (and free!) all-day field trip on the K orientation day when the K kids didn’t have class but the rest of school was in session. My son doesn’t like kindergarten much, but he looooves KAH.
Mama Llama says
That’s good to know!
Anonymous says
They 100% do (and I’m one of the defectors). Maintaining a 2 FT out of the house traditionally “corporate” job is nearly impossible without nanny/aunpair/babysitter help. When they’re young, a full time nanny or FT daycare takes care of 8-6. But as the kids now need to get on the bus at 8:30, get home at 3:45, have after school activities, have 9573726 random days off, have random middle of the day events, etc. it’s just *hard.*. Yes, you can hire help but a lot of people look at alternatives. I have a less traditional role- I do consulting, work from my home office with more or less my own hours, and when I travel, we employ a complicated series of babysitters. My husband still has the corporate job w/commute, but we’ve already talked about how 2 jobs like that is not what we want for our family. I had the opportunity to dial things back so I took it and couldn’t be happier.
We sort of hit the point where managing the chaos of commute + dinner + prep for the next day was making us crazy. Sure, we could have hired a housekeeper- but our incomes are at a place where we could take a big cut and have no lifestyle change .
anon says
Take this with a grain of salt, my child is still in daycare, but is it that hard to tell your child he/she can’t do something because you can’t get him/her there? I’m genuinely curious.
avocado says
Yes, it really is that hard. We tell our kid no all the time and it is not fun.
But it is not only about saying no to activities. It is also about coming home exhausted at 6:30 p.m. after being up for nearly 14 hours already, knowing you now have to cook dinner and then help your kid edit her essay and then try to remember geometry when you haven’t used it in 30 years and all you really want to do is to collapse into bed. That is the part that is really difficult. (And, yes, she does her homework independently, but sometimes they do still need help even in middle school.)
Anonymous says
yup, all of this. Plus, there are certain activities that it’s important to me that my kids participate in.
A lot of this is about the luxury of being able to weigh options, too. Right now I’m saying no (or running myself ragged) for things my kids want to do and I fundamentally want to support, so that I can work at a job I don’t really enjoy for a big paycheck I don’t really need. It’s just not a great feeling.
Anonymous says
I am in the same spot. I have 3 kids and as they get older, I am really struggling to make it all work. Yeah, I could hire someone to take them to activities but I legitimately want to be involved. There are some days I don’t even have more of a conversation than “how was your day” with my 10 year old.
avocado says
My 12-year-old recently observed that on weekdays she spends more time with her coaches than she does with us, although to be fair this is as much a function of her choice of sport as it is of having two working parents.
Anon says
Yes! This is my biggest issue right now with being a working parent. The things I’m hiring people to do are, with the exception of cleaning my house, the things I *want* to be doing. Meanwhile, my job is just meh. I know all of the reasons for staying in the workforce, but some days it just doesn’t feel worth it.
OP says
It’s really not a matter of activities (although yes, it is hard), it’s the non-negotiables. For example, there are multiple random days throughout the school year where there is no school and (for us) the before/after care is cancelled as well. When the kid is in daycare, you have consistent, reliable care. When your child is school aged, the consistent care is just not there. Then there’s the week(s) off of school for holidays…two weeks for Christmas, a week for spring break, etc. And don’t even get me started on the sh!t show that is summer – where most of the camps run from 9-1 or some nonsense.
anon says
+1. The summer situation is just pure nonsense. We’re lucky that our daughter’s daycare has started a program for school-age kids during the summer, but those options are far and few between.
anne-on says
Seriously. The summer camps situation makes me rage-y. There simply is not a true full day option in our town (even the Y ends at 4 with ‘after care’). We went with an au pair from pre-K and will likely have one until 11-12 for the driving/summers/holidays alone.
mascot says
Oh, the summer specialty camps are the worst. And of course they are “strongly encouraged” if you are part of certain sports. So yeah, that’s hard to explain to your kid.
avocado says
Even worse is when the actual sports practice is from 8:30 to 12:30 three or four days a week, all summer.
So Anon says
Plus the random “half-days” where the kids must be picked up by 11:30, the snow days, the teacher conferences where the “evening slots” are from 3-4 pm, the concerts that are at 2pm, and the logistical nightmare of the summer. Oh, and if you have a kid with an IEP/504, there are also those meetings and likely the specialist appointments that lead to the IEPs (weekly OT, quarterly check-ins with the docs, etc.).
And to the original question, yes, it is hard and heart-breaking to tell your daughter that she cannot participate in soccer with all of her friends because Mommy cannot make it home in time to get her to weekly practice when all of her buddies’ parents can make it work.
Anon says
Same. My kids are still young but there’s only one female partner in my midlaw firm with school aged kids. We’re in an area with lots of SAHMs and not a lot of after school programs so I’m nervous about it for the future.
Anon says
Same here.
Anon says
I think about this all the time. I don’t know any mothers who have managed to “make it to the other side” in terms of having worked full time, demanding jobs throughout their kids’ entire childhood. I know there are people who have done it and who are doing it, but I don’t know any of them personally – and there are certainly none at my firm.
Anonymous says
I know one. She had a stay-home husband (in the ‘90s, no less!), AND a nanny.
Anon says
Sigh.
So Anon says
My mom. She is/was an absolute rock-star. She was a single mother in the 80s and 90s, who raised my sister and I, had an amazing career, retired at the top of her field, and then went back to work as a contractor for a few years. Now, she is President of her local Rotary, just got back from a two week vacation to Portugal, helps with my kids, is active and is currently helping me get my house ready to put on the market. She did it because she did not have a choice. Sure, there were things that didn’t get done around the house, activities that were dropped, but I had a pretty great childhood and my sister and I are both mostly well-adjusted adults with kids of our own and careers.
Spirograph says
I’m so glad there are women (people, really, but extra impressive for that generation of woman) out there like your mom! She sounds like a boss.
SC says
My mom did it. I was born while she was in medical school, and she finished her fellowship when I was in first grade. Admittedly, she chose a relatively less demanding specialty, in terms of schedule/call, because she had a family, but she worked throughout my childhood and retired around 62 yo because it was a good time to cash out of the partnership. She did some contract work for a while and still fills in for someone a few weeks a year. My dad worked full-time but was never paid much (sortof like nonprofit work), although he would cycle between very demanding and more 9-5 jobs every few years.
Anon says
I have two toddlers and I totally worry about this. I don’t know the answer. Hoping the Uber copy cats for kids become a more universal accepted safe thing to do over the coming years!
anne-on says
YES. We’re looking at picking our 4th au pair at the moment and oh my god I am SO exhausted. It is so much more work with school age kids (practices, school holidays, play dates, f’in summer camp) than it was when you just dropped off/picked up at daycare. I can totally understand why mom’s at this age quit and I feel like I’m white knuckling it through to the teenage years when at least I can leave him home alone after school for a few hours!
Ducky36 says
I totally relate to everything on this thread. We feel lucky to have an after-school program that keeps our 7 y.o. until 6 pm and a wonderful daycare program for our 3 y.o. It seems like most attorneys with children have a stay-at-home spouse. The other mothers that I spend time with socially are either teachers, nurses or stay-at-home parents. It’s so hard to maintain friendships with these other women because our lives are so different. I don’t have time to show up to the mid-day activities that they do together and when we are at an event together during the weekend I feel left out of the conversation. Is it just me, or is it impossible to be a female attorney with two children and still have friends?
Anon says
Yes! It seems like every working mom I meet is in nursing or another related medical field. Those jobs have additional challenges but in general they’re more likely to be able to have part time schedules, etc.
Pogo says
I feel this so hard. I’ve yet to meet a single working mom in my town who is not a teacher, counselor, social worker, physical therapist, nurse, etc. I mean of course except the ones who are “independent consultants for [insert MLM here]!!”
EB0220 says
It is not just you. Having a school aged kid is so different. I’m eternally grateful for our awesome YMCA before and after school care (onsite at school) because without that I would surely lose my mind. Even so, I find myself working really weird hours when the kids have an activity during the week. And the random days off! Don’t get me started. I also feel like they need more active parenting at this age. It’s not just keep them alive but truly help them learn things/navigate social issues/etc.
Batgirl says
Help! We were banking on nice weather for a backyard birthday party for my three year old son. Forecast is 40% chance of rain now. Any suggestions for indoor activities? Only 8 toddlers. Thanks!!
Annie says
Balloons? Play dough? A game of ring around the rosie? I don’t think you need much.
Pogo says
+1 to balloons.
Anonymous says
I attended a toddler birthday recently where a high school student did face painting, which was a hit.
anon says
Have them dance in the rain and stomp around in rainboots? ;)
Mama Llama says
Never underestimate the appeal of someone else’s toys. If you are reasonably well-stocked on toys and something like a tunnel or a tent, I don’t think you need to try to have organized activities except maybe put out crayons and coloring sheets.
K says
Agreed, just let them play with your kid’s toys in whatever play area you have.
octagon says
Finger painting is always a huge hit. Cover the table with newspaper and get freezer paper for them to paint on (paint on the matte side; the waxy side keeps the paint from bleeding through the paper).
Anonymouse says
Beach balls? Bubbles?
Molly says
These came out at the end of my three year old’s birthday party and were a HUGE hit and the start of a toddler rave dance party – perfect for a dreary, rainy day:
https://www.target.com/p/5ct-illooms-174-led-light-up-marble-balloon/-/A-15763997
Emily S. says
Late reply, but this landed in my inbox today and it feels timely: https://www.janetlansbury.com/2014/05/secrets-to-our-most-magical-kids-parties/
SC says
LOL, this happened to me last year, except we had invited 30+ kids to the park. We ended up moving the party to an indoor play space and spending way more than we intended.
This year, after learning our lesson, we had a small birthday party for our son at our house. 7 kids. We had some outdoor activities because this year it ended up being a nice day, but the kids also had a good time playing with my kid’s toys.
I’ve been to a lot of birthday parties for 3 and 4 year olds, and none of them have had organized activities/games. It’s too hard to corral that many kids. I’d set up “zones”–toy/play area, a coloring or play doh zone, snack area, etc. Also, some wisdom from the experienced–if your kid has any particular toys that make loud or annoying noises that you don’t want to hear for 2 hours, hide them before the party.
anon says
heading to new orleans. should we bring our double Thule stroller or our double Zoe?
Anonymous says
Zoe.
Anonymous says
Yep.
Anonymous says
100% Thule. Zoe will not begin to be able to handle the potholes in New Orleans (and I’m talking about the sidewalks, not just the roads). (I’m from Nola and also was just there two weeks ago with two toddlers.)
SC says
+1 to Thule. I live in Nola, and Anonymous is correct that the Zoe will not handle the New Orleans streets. We always used the Bob Revolution in New Orleans, even though it’s massive and heavy. (I know it has recall issues, I’m not advocating that particular stroller–but something rugged is a must.)
Post tomorrow if you want any tips for things to do with kids in New Orleans :-)
GCA says
Thanks for your tips last year! My then just-turned 3yo had a blast on the Algiers ferry and we nearly didn’t see any of the actual Audubon Zoo due to being sidetracked at the water park. Bravely (foolhardily?) we didn’t actually bring a stroller. We brought the carseat and rented a car and he was happy to trot short distances and ride streetcars downtown, but I’m not sure how it would work with two kids. If you’re bringing a stroller, definitely the jogger.
Pogo says
Pacis for toddlers?
My guy finally chewed through his wubbanub (I knew we were on borrowed time). I’m thinking my best move is to either cold-turkey him (which I’m fearful of for sleep reasons) OR add an “orthodontic”/toddler paci to the wubba via wubba plastic surgery (the Internet shows me this is possible). Does anyone have a toddler paci they recommend or that a ped/dentist has recommended?
He’s really good about leaving it in the crib and only uses it for bedtime sleep and weekend naps (does not bring to daycare). Which tells me I probably could cold turkey him but, ugh. I’m weak.
CPA Lady says
How old is he? I did a very clever (if I do say so myself) cold turkey method that worked with extremely minimal fuss:
I told my daughter than when she turned 3 (but you can pick whatever random reason you make up), the pacifier fairy was going to come to visit, take her pacifiers for new babies and leave her a present in exchange. So the night before she turned 3, we gathered up all her pacifiers, put them in her easter basket outside her bedroom door, and in the morning, the pacifier fairy had left her an umbrella!
She asked for her pacifier the next night, we reminded her the pacifier fairy had come, she accepted that, and she never asked for one again. This from a big time paci kid, though she had been weaned off them at daycare too.
CPA Lady says
Oh, and we talked about this a lot with great excitement in the weeks leading up to her 3rd b-day. It’s not like I mentioned it once and expected it to stick.
Pogo says
He’s 21 months, so he doesn’t quite get the concept of time yet, but I suppose I could try one random day that I pick as zero hour.
I don’t know if this is good or bad, but he only has the one- just his wubbanub. Good in that I don’t have a whole basket of them, but bad in that it’s his favorite lovey.
Anonymous says
I say get rid of it purely because I had one for far too long as a child and it truly messed up my teeth. The quitting process may not be fun, but it’s better than the potential consequences.
Emily S. says
We used Nuks for 18-36 mos with DD #1 until 2-ish, and use MAMs with DD#2 (20 months.) Our ped was okay with DD having a paci until age 3, when she said it becomes a dental health/orthodontia issue, but we cut it out at 2.5 because DD#2 was coming, she had transitioned out of her crib, would be going into a new classroom, and we didn’t want to add one more change after DD #2 came/add a crutch that would be harder to break after these big transitions. So, answer one is, the Nuk and MAM for 18-36 mos worked fine, answer 2 is, if you think he’s ready, try the transition. We had her use her paci only at night for a few weeks, then told her that sometime in the next week, she might discover her paci was too small for her because she was getting so big. Then, DH snipped a bit off the top one day; the plan was to cut it down bit by bit so that it lost appeal, but on night one, she wailed, “My paci is broken!” and didn’t want it. Done! (Note: you can buy a system of smaller pacis but we’re cheap.) Good luck!
Pogo says
Thanks for the intel! I’ve read about the snipping trick but I’ve also read it isn’t safe to do with Soothies/Wubbanubs.
Decisions…. I’m leaning towards cold turkeying it.
Minnie says
Urban moms, how do you navigate Ubers/Lyfts with a child who needs a carseat? We often find ourselves traveling to places where public transit is great, EXCEPT to and from the airport. It seems dumb to rent a car just to drive into town. It seems like if we flew with a carseat, we could then install the carseat at a waiting Uber, but I don’t really know if that’s how it works. (We live in the suburbs so I never take an Uber anywhere.) Our kiddo is 18 months and 25 pounds.
Pogo says
I’ve travelled with our Cosco Scenera and installed w/ the beltpath.
Anonymous says
Same. Yes, it’s a royal pain to have to install carseats when you get to the car and it’s stressful to feel like you’re keeping the driver waiting, but you get good at doing it fairly quickly (I can install both our Nexts in under 5 minutes).
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
+1 – we take the Scenera Next and install. TBH, DH is the “carseat installer”, so I should probably learn once and for all for the times I’ll inevitably have to do solo travel.
I believe there are typically services you can also hire in most major cities for airport transit with kids, but haven’t tried this myself.
Minnie says
Sounds like this is what all the in-the-know moms do. So glad that others have been there before me on this one!
Anonymous says
Yep we install the Scenera Next with the seatbelt in Uber/Lyft, and give a generous tip. This works very well in the US. In Europe the seatbelt may not lock so you need to travel with one of the seatbelt clips.
Anon says
In DC (and may other cities) there are Ubers with Car Seats as an option. I only used it once, and wasn’t super happy with the seat (would probably be happier with an older kid – mine was 9 months at the time and the seat was just too big for her), but it’s an option.
Redux says
We’ve done this, too. I believe it’s only available in a few cities (DC and NYC for sure) but we had a fine experience with it. We’ve also done this with Black Car service by calling ahead to see who offered a car seat.
rosie says
Yup, this is what you do. We fly with a Cosco Scenera as well. You get used to doing the install. Take your time, give a nice tip if you feel bad for having the driver wait…do not feel bad about doing what you need to feel comfortable with the install.
Minnie says
I’d never thought of it this way–leave a good tip! I think that would do a lot to alleviate my self-consciousness over taking ages to install a carseat in someone else’s vehicle.
Cb says
We can get taxis with carseats but this has been hit and miss for us. We had a taxi driver show up with a booster for my then one year old and seem confused why this wasn’t acceptable. In the UK, a carseat isn’t required in proper black cabs and you can just roll the buggy in but although I know this is no more dangerous than my daily bus journey, I just can’t do it.
Minnie says
Nor me. My in laws live in the UK and it’s really interesting the different standards there are for some elements of the cars/carseats thing. We traveled with our own bucket seat the first time we took our baby there, assuming we could just pop it in our family’s cars and go. As you can imagine, this was not the good solution I thought it was, so we ended up BUYING a UK carseat. It was very educational!
rosie says
I don’t know what a “proper black cab” is, but if it’s like a car, I’m guessing it is more dangerous than your bus journey. I’ve read that buses are engineered to protect unrestrained occupants in a crash (also, they’re much bigger than cars).
octagon says
That’s exactly how you do it! Uber and Lyft both have requirements for newer cars so they will all have LATCH anchors, you won’t have to worry about the belt path. Practice a couple times at home so you’re a little faster, but I promise the drivers have dealt with it before. I prefer traveling with our own instead of taking a chance on the driver-provided carseat.
Minnie says
That is a really fun fact about requiring LATCH anchors! I had no idea.
rosie says
At least in rental cars, I’ve been a little wary of using LATCH when I’m unfamiliar with the car model and don’t want to have to dig for the anchors and make sure we’ve found the right things. Cosco Scenera is a very easy belt path install (just make sure you lock the seatbelt). Occasionally we’ve felt that the length of the seatbelt buckle thing doesn’t allow a tight enough install — in that case it worked better to install in the middle seat.
Been there says
We ran into this problem recently. We took the Amtrak to New York and Philadelphia for vacation and needed a car for the Philly part but not NY. We did not lug our car seats. When we got to the rental car agency in Philly, we were told there were only infant car seats even though we triple checked beforehand that there were cars eats for older kids available. And then we tried to take Uber, but couldn’t find an option for an Uber with a carseat in Philly.
So….we ended up walking 8 blocks to our hotel with two little kids and luggage. Not fun.
Has anyone successfully rented a car with the appropriate type of car seats? After this experience I think we’ll just be taking our car seats with us (that’s what we always do) but since we took the train this time we needed the flexibility.
Anonymous says
Get the immi go! It’s the car seat that Uber uses. It is so small and easy to install!
It’s forward facing, which I’m not the biggest fan of (we didn’t turn my oldest until she was well over four), but it works when there will be limited car use during travel.
anon in brooklyn says
We have an almost 3 year old and have never hired a babysitter. We’ve had some date nights 5-6 times a year when grandparents are in town visiting, but otherwise don’t do date nights. Kid is in daycare, so she’s away from us all the time, but she’s slow to warm up to new people. We want to start getting a babysitter occasionally, but I don’t really understand how getting a babysitter works. Do we really just have a babysitter show up a few minutes before we leave and expect kid to be fine with the stranger, and also that the babysitter could manage kid’s routines? Or do we have a new babysitter come once while we’re around before leaving them alone with the kid?
Cb says
I need a babysitter for an event in a few weeks and I’m planning on paying them to show up about an hour before I leave to let my kiddo get comfortable. It’s a recommendation from a friend though so I’m hoping that they’ll be okay.
EB0220 says
I really think having a couple of reliable, known babysitter is key to your mental health as a working mom. A few ideas we’ve had good success with:
– Daycare teachers who are up for babysitting
– Neighbor teens
– Children of family friends
– Children of co-workers
I like having some sort of existing relationship to make it easier when you’re first starting to work with babysitters. To ramp them up, so to speak, I ask them to come over for about an hour while my husband or I will be there. Usually I’ve have the babysitter play with the kids for about 45 min while I do stuff around the house, then we’ll chat for 15 minutes or so to get an idea of the babysitter’s experience, availability, etc.
If we like the babysitter, then we’ll have her (usually her) back to watch the kids when my husband and I are gone. Usually I will hang out for the first 30 minutes to explain the routine, and answer any questions, and then peace out. If I’m not confident I’ll make it a short/close outing and slowly ramp up.
EB0220 says
Oh, I do pay them their going rate for the initial meeting.
Minnie says
Yep, I agree this is the way to do it. A (paid!) meet-and-greet of limited duration is the best way to test the waters.
I live in a very suburban/rural area, so YMMV with this one depending on your neighborhood, but I’m on Nextdoor and always see loads of college-aged girls posting “My name is [name], I’m getting my bachelor’s in early childhood education, and I’m looking for a weeknight/weekend/summer job babysitting kids!” If they’re that local, there’s a good chance someone you know/know-ish will be able to vouch for them.
Eek says
I don’t know but I’m following! Our LO is still a baby but I feel the same way – like I just don’t understand the logistics of a babysitter and the whole thing gives me major anxiety. As a result, my husband and I haven’t been out together in almost a year – which is a bummer (and slightly embarrassing to admit). I never thought we’d be “those” people, but we are.
HSAL says
I’d be shocked if none of the teachers at daycare babysat, so I’d start there. As long as my kid knows them a little, even if they’re not her teacher, I’m fine having them come 20 minutes early just to go over the routine. If it was someone brand new I’d probably do a trial period. We also have a pretty active neighborhood fb group with lots of teen/college-aged girls looking for babysitting jobs, so that’s my second level of searching.
Eek says
Our daycare has a policy against teachers babysitting for kids in the daycare outside of school hours. Makes things harder for sure.
anon in brooklyn says
Ours has that policy too.
ElisaR says
ours has it too, it’s such a bummer
Anonymous says
You can probably ask teachers for recommendations though as they likely have colleagues from previous workplaces who they could recommend. Not the same as a person your kid knows but a good way to get a recommendation from someone you trust.
Knope says
We have been using “random” (i.e., recommended through friends, but not personally known to us) babysitters since our son was like 8 months old. He’s used to it now at age 2 and we have the same 3 babysitters on rotation so he knows who they are. There are two different issues to consider here. First is YOU trusting the babysitter. Again, this is where recommendations come in handy, and interviewing the sitter beforehand (either via phone or in person). Second is your kid warming up to the sitter, which I think you’re probably overly worried about. Think of it like going to a new daycare or school – yeah, it’s a little bit of a scary/uncomfortable experience being in the care of a new teacher, but it’s good for the kid to work through those emotions. If you are really concerned about it you can pay the sitter to do a playdate with your kid when you’re home before you leave them alone together.
Anonymous says
Yes. That’s how it works. Kids routine doesn’t go perfectly. It’s fine.
Anon says
Just to put it out there, in our experience the longer we hang out at home after the baby sitter gets there, the more upset the kids get. We are always told they calm down and get busy playing almost the moment we leave. So…we get baby sitters in various ways but we usually try to leave fairly quickly after giving the quick run down. Like ripping off a band aid. Do what your comfortable with and all kids are different, but if we hung out with our kids for an hour with the babysitter it would be a nightmare for everyone.
Pogo says
It is weird the first time, but for me it was akin to using a cleaning person. I asked what she charged, but had a range in my head I was expecting based on asking other moms, and she was smack dab in the middle of the range so that was easy. I got references from another mom in my local moms’ group.
SC says
We usually have the babysitter come over about 15 minutes before we have to leave. I point out Kiddo’s dinner (and they can help themselves to what he’s having or anything else we have, but some always eat before or bring their own food) and run through the bedtime routine and any particulars of the phase Kiddo is in.
Travel Booster Seats? says
We are traveling to San Diego for a week this summer with my 6 yo and 4 yo. Looking for suggestions for travel booster seats as we will be renting a car. TIA!
mascot says
Bubble Bum works well and can deflate for packing.
Anonymous says
Are they used to no-back booster seats? If so the BubbleBum is probably your best bet, otherwise I’d look at the TurboBooster TakeAlong.
Anonymous says
Graco turbo booster, or in a pinch, the Bubble Bum (better for the 6 year old).
anne-on says
For around the city driving we used the mifold in New Orleans on my then 6-yo. I would be too nervous to use it on major highways, but worked well (and sooo small!) for taxis and short car trips.
Anonymous says
We are also going to San Diego for a week and also have a 4 yo and 6 yo! We are renting a car from Silvercar, and if you email ahead and ask for a booster seat or car seat, it’s a free add on with no fee. They are cheap car seats but fine from my perspective.
anon says
Thought you all might find this article interesting: “Just Buy the F**ing Latte” in Fast Company (like to follow).
It’s about the kind of lame financial advice that’s routinely given to women – like skipping a latte and making coffee at home. It’s about how girls are encouraged to be careful with money and save, while boys are taught to pursue opportunities and grow their income. The author brings in a bunch of other issues as well, as you might expect.
anon says
https://www.fastcompany.com/90343899/sallie-krawcheck-saving-money-latte-advice?_lrsc=34190d48-f6f7-402a-9b7f-26181ce17c38
ElisaR says
i heart sallie krawcheck
anon says
Wow, that is spot-on. And I will buy that f*cking latte, thank you very much!
Anon says
Hello! There have been some threads recently about entertaining kids on long car rides, with suggestions for listening to audio books. I really like this idea, and would like to do it with our 3 and 5 year olds for long trips.
Question: what format or service do you get kids audio books in? I downloaded Audible and for some reason found it really confusing. Is Audible itself free with my Prime membership, but I pay for books beyond my one credit a month I gather? My kids only have the attention span for shorter books, so they would need a bunch of them, doesn’t that add up? Or am I missing something here?
Are there other ways to do this? I check out books online from my library frequently but it didn’t seem like there was a big selection for kids audio there.
Thanks in advance!
anne-on says
We bought CDs for car trips as my husband and I often trade off working on our phones on longer car rides. They also work well when just one of us is driving and wants the phone free for navigation or what have you. The road dahl collection was a hit (they’re 20-40 minutes max) as was the magic tree house series (the merlin missions are better now for my older kiddo, the original ones should be good for younger ones). There are also loads of nursery rhyme audio cds if that’s better for their attention span. The ‘if you give a mouse a cookie’ collection also comes with a very cute CD that has the books and songs on it. Peter and the Wolf was good, if a bit too scary when mine was 2, but fine at 3 and up.
Anon says
Audible isn’t included with Prime, unfortunately. You pay separately for one credit a month (which you can accrue over time if you don’t use it). If you buy more books than you have credits, you have to pay for them.
AwayEmily says
You can often borrow kids audiobooks through your library’s website (ours uses Overdrive for this).
EP-er says
Check out your library. Ours has CDs, but they also have these ones called “Playaways” which connect via the AUX jack, if you have one of those in your car. We use a combination of those + audible.
For Audible, you pay the monthly subscription, but then get your included credits. I’ve used mine on things like Beverly Cleary’s Henry Huggins collection. 35 hours of NPH reading books, including voices! A much better value than using the credits for just one book.
We do lots of road trips & my kids love audio books now. We can stop & talk about what it happening or explain things they aren’t familiar with.
SC says
Another +1 to the library if yours has audibooks. Mine uses Overdrive and Hoopla. I’m not a huge fan of Hoopla, but I’m a huge fan of free. Except in a few circumstances (like a collection of books), I doubt Audible would be a good value for kids’ books, for exactly the reason you point out.
Anonymous says
I want plug my favorite story podcast/service: SparkleStories. You pay a monthly subscription to get access to unlimited original stories that are appropriate for kids of all ages (you can sort by age, topic, characters, etc..). These are all original stories. You can stream or download on their app – that’s what we do for long car trips, connected via car speakers.
They also have a free story per week via their podcast but the quality is so good that I pay for this and I am cheap at subscriptions!
I’m not affiliated in any way, just that my kids and I love them.
Car seats for sitters? says
We are in the process of getting a part-time nanny to help with day care pickups. Last week I asked for protocol on sitters and car seats (thanks for the replies!) Based on the thread above, and other similar comments on this blog, I am starting to accept that if I want to continue working at my current job, I am going to need an afternoon sitter/nanny to help with the kids. And I very much love the concept. But I just have so much trouble with the idea that a college-aged kid is going to drive my toddlers around. We are using a nanny placement service to find the nanny, so they will do a full driving record search. But I still have so much anxiety about it! The route from daycare to my house is less than 5 miles on city streets. Do you routinely allow sitters to drive your kids? If so, starting at what age, and did you have anxiety about it?
CHL says
I have nannies (not in college but grad school-ish age) that drive my kids (starting at age 2 and 4) about 2 miles to / from daycare a couple times a week. I have never had a problem with it and I mentally group it in the things that have some amount of risk associated with them but that are worth it. We have not had a problem.
Anonymous says
I drove kids I babysat to and from soccer practice when I was an afternoon nanny during my last year of high school. I wouldn’t have been comfortable taking small kids on the multilane highways but neighborhood driving was not an issue. I had done a driver training course before getting my licence.
Anonymous says
Uh. I had to put my dog to sleep this morning and it was the most awful adult thing I’ve had to do. It was not totally unexpected, but not how I imagined today would go when I woke up.
Ducky36 says
I am so sorry you had to go through that. Our dog is in the process of dying from liver failure and my husband is out of town at a conference this week. There is just so much sadness around saying goodbye to a wonderful dog. Hugs.
Anonymous says
Thanks – she had heart failure and has honestly been acting normal, but at the vet they said most of the time it’s sudden like this. I feel bad I couldn’t give her a last perfect day.
rosie says
I am so sorry.
lsw says
I am so, so sorry. Putting my dog to sleep was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Hugs.
Anon says
I’m so very sorry. Losing a dog is terrible.
Spirograph says
I’m so sorry, losing a pet is painful. I hope you can take the time you need to mourn her. Internet hugs from me, too.
ElisaR says
i’m sorry, that’s the worst.
Waiting to Lean WAY Out says
The middle school on logistics are one reason I’m thinking of “semi-retiring” early. I’ll be about 50 when my LO hits middle school, at which point the “easy” aftercare options dry up and I feel like more emotionally hands on parental involvement would be good. Even though my job is flexible, it’s not THAT flexible, so if I have enough leverage, I’d like to really lean out and try my hand at working about 10-15 hours a week consulting on things. Some of this depends on what my husband also decides to do, though.
The other option, should I decide to lean in in the next few years, is get an Au Pair, but that seems to be complicating, rather than simplifying life, and would require moving to a larger place so we had space (and getting over the idea of another person in our house).
But really, I’m getting burnt out now — I can’t imagine doing this for another 20 years until I hit real retirement age — and that is only partly due to parenthood.
Hmm says
This thread today is really interesting. For the last few years I’ve been feeling confident about our one-and-done decision, but lately things have gotten so much easier with my 3.5 year old that the idea of another has started to creep in. My job is stable, we have the space, and for the first time in my life I’m feeling okay financially. We both have short commutes (mine is really short), and LO goes to school between home and work, so generally logistical problems aren’t a thing – one of us is always able to handle pick-up/drop-offs/sick days/schedule changes due to the proximity and ease of our setup. With such a great set up, I’ve been thinking what’s one more? But I also love my job, as does my DH, and I don’t think either of us can really imagine leaning out in the next decade. Is there anyone that has had an easier time of it once the kiddos hit school-age, and if so, what are your secrets? And anyone with an only that is school-age that can chime in for comparison?
avocado says
My only child is in the seventh grade. Age 2.5 until the beginning of K were the absolute easiest years. Year-round day care, no homework, no pressure to do extracurriculars and the one we did choose was once a week. Plenty of fun downtime evenings and weekends. During that time, my husband really wanted another child and thought it would be manageable. After she started school, I never heard another word about having a second.
Anonymous says
I have an only child who is in second grade. So far school has not been the struggle for us described above. I would say every year of her life has gotten easier (and more fun!) so far. But DH and I both have very flexible jobs and largely set our own hours, so we have no problems covering school breaks and snow days. We opt out of the activity rat race, but we would even if one of us stayed home (neither of us believes there’s much value in doing 4 activities at once and we all need downtime, so kid does one activity of her choosing at a time). Summer is the hardest thing and it’s been ok – we pay (a lot) for awesome camps she loves, take some family vacations and DH and I work from home some while she entertains herself or plays with neighbor kids (she is independent enough now to give us a few hours of uninterrupted work time at once, even if she’s home). I have no desire for a second, but it has nothing to do with school age being hard. In fact, once we got to age 3, maybe 3.5, things got SO easy and fun and it felt like we had our old lives back – we could travel internationally and go out to nicer restaurants and childcare was mostly fun, not a chore – so I it was the fact that I didn’t want to go back through the comparatively tough baby/toddler years that stopped me from wanting a second. DH was more interested in a second but stopping at one wasn’t a dealbreaker for him.
Drive vs fly? says
Would you drive or fly in this situation: Drive usually takes 9 hours without kids in tow. Kid is 9 months old, does well in his car seat but we’ve never taken him more than an hour or so away. Flying would involve two relatively short flights (on smaller planes) plus a layover in each direction.
Anon says
Also – flight runs $1000 total for two adult tickets. Darn small airports.
Anonymous says
Drive. Leave right before his nap time so hopefully he naps. Stop for supper after 3 hours and an hour of active playtime outdoors – bring a blanket so he can crawl around. Finish drive in the evening so hopefully he sleeps again.
Anonymous says
This. We do a long drive for Thanksgiving every year and I’m always pleasantly surprised that it’s not terrible. We leave right before naptime, pull off in a small town for a sit-down supper and walk, and then drive the rest of the way.
What’s the total flight time, including layover? I don’t like long car trips, but I prefer to drive unless flying saves a ton of time. By the time you drive to the airport early, and get a rental car (if needed) on the other side, you may be approaching 9 hours.
Drive vs fly? says
Total flight + layover is 5 hours, but that assumes no delays or missed connection and doesn’t count getting to the airport (we live close and could leave our house 1.5 hour before the flight) or picking up a rental car. So realistically we’d save some time flying but I’m not sure it’s worth it to have to deal with rental cars, checked car seats, etc.
The cost is an annoyance but not an actual issue.
Anonymous says
Yeah, this wouldn’t meet my flying threshhold, since you don’t have a direct option. Direct flight would be a no-brainer, but it just seems stressful and annoying to deal with 2x airports, 2x boarding process, 4x pressure changes, and then a rental car on top of that to save 2.5 hours, max. Say nothing of the potential for lost luggage, or being trapped in a plane with a screaming baby. Not that a screaming baby in a car is any better, but at least in a car you have the option for a rest stop!
Pro tip: if you drive, still pack a carry-on type bag with everything you might want during a rest stop on the actual trip and leave it on top of the luggage in your trunk. Extra kid clothes are a must, you never know when someone might get carsick!
Anonymous says
Before I saw the cost I’d say fly for sure. At $1000 for tickets, it depends on how big of an issue that is for you.
Pogo says
What’s the situation like if you drive to a larger airport with direct flights? Is the door-to-door time is greater with the drive or the flight?
For me my break-even point is the 5-6 hour mark (1.5 hours to/at airport, 1 hour flight, 45 min deplane/luggage/get to destination vs 6 hours in the car). Below 5 hours, driving is faster door to door, but above that, flying is faster. However, I live close to a big airport with direct flights to most places.
Drive vs fly? says
We’d have to drive 5.5 hours to get to the nearest airport with a direct flight, unfortunately. If it was a direct flying would be a no-brainer for me.
Anonymous says
It’s a know-your-kid thing, but my kid hated being in her car seat for more than about an hour at a time at that age, and refused to nap in the car seat (she napped pretty easily in the bucket seat but outgrew that around 7 months). Flying – even with layovers and whatnot – was infinitely easier because she could be out and about. If you haven’t done a drive that long, I’d be kind of wary.
Redux says
Have you flown before? I much prefer flying with my two. If the cost is no issue, I would fly for sure. It’s so much easier (for me) to entertain my kids on a plane than in a car. We are all less cranky (and bodily crampy) after a flight of that length (which we do several times a year– thanks small airport and faraway families!) than after a long drive. For us, our max distance in the car is 6 hours.
AnotherAnon says
I’m team drive, but I’ve always disliked flying, and I disliked it even more with a 10-18 month old (it’s better with my now 2 y/o!) Second leaving at naptime or bedtime.
octagon says
I’d drive. Flying with an infant that young is tough. If it were a direct flight I might have a different opinion but two takeoffs and two landings will make the baby miserable.
Anon says
Counterpoint: we flew 20+ times with my DD before she turned 1 (lots of long distance family), including lots of trips with layovers, and it was much easier than driving for us. She never had ear pain on takeoff, only landing, and she outgrew that by about 6 months (and nursing always helped a lot before then). There is so much to entertain them on planes, so many friendly people eager to help out with an extra set of hands (most flight attendants really dote on babies) and you don’t have to stop for food, diaper changes, etc. We drove to a city 3 hours away when my daughter was 10 months old and it was honestly way more miserable than all our plane flights in her first year, including a redeye to Europe.
SC says
I’d fly if the money isn’t an issue. I think it’s easier to feed and entertain a 9-month-old at the airport and on a plane than in the car. If $1000 is a lot to you (it is to me!), then the drive isn’t that bad. But FYI–I just tallied our expenses from our 10-hour (each way) road trip, and between meals (including one sit-down meal each day), snacks, and gas, it was about $400.