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Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ 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 – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
Emma says
We have had two different relatives knit sweaters for the baby. I really appreciate the time and effort that went into them. That being said, the baby is now more or less the right size for them, and I kind of don’t love them. I tried them on and sent a picture to each person with words of appreciation. But one of them is sort of scratchy and the other is cotton but super stiff with a collar that turns up into her face. The fit is also a bit off – body is too large, sleeves are too short. They were both removed immediately and replaced but our fave store-bought sweatshirts. I guess I’m asking for permission to donate? I feel guilty because of the time people put in. Or is there some trick to homemade sweater appreciation I’m missing?
anon says
Are they small enough that you could put the sweaters on a teddy bear (also, are they cute enough that you want to keep)?
Trip trapp fugitive says
Has anyone else’s toddler managed to fully stand up in the Tripp Trapp chair? My fourteen-month-old manages to get up on her feet and wave a pancake in the air triumphantly. Do I need to make an adjustment to the chair? Get rid of the tray? Make peace with buckling her in, which she hates? Neither of the other two kids did this, or at least not as successfully.
Anon says
Yes, you’ll definitely need to start buckling. I turned it into a junior chair (seat and buckles removed) for my youngest at 20 months because he wanted more freedom of movement. I also removed the tray and pulled him up to the table fairly early, so he could feel more a part of the family. (He’s also my third and wants to be big!)
Anon says
My toddler can stand up in their Stokke Steps high chair. We never used the buckles because he was too tall for the straps by the point he was able to stand up and I was nervous with choking (unable to remove him fast enough). We just watched him closely (parent always nearby) and when he was old enough to understand, if he stood up meal time was over. Around 20 months we removed the baby seat (tall kid). Once he was able to climb up and down into the chair he stopped standing in it.
TheElms says
Yes, my first could fully stand up around that age and climb down. We had already ditched the tray and pulled her up to the table. Unless you buckle them in I think most kids can do it, its just a question of motivation. Luckily it was a phase though. During that time if she did it we would end the meal. She was usually hungry and didn’t like that consequence. It took about 2 weeks for the behavior to stop entirely, but it was a lot better after a couple days of ending the meal consistently. It started again shortly after 2 and at that point we just converted the Tripp Trap to chair mode.
Anonymous says
One of my twins started standing in it around 18 months. We strapped him in. He also hated it. Fortunately it was a phase and after a few weeks of strapping him in he quit standing and we stopped using the straps.
Mamanon says
Oh man, now I have mom anxiety that I’m using this chair wrong.
My 28 month old is still using the harness/buckles and seat attachment. Zero resistance so never thought to switch her and take it off. She is very tall (100th percentile, height of an average 5 year old) but she fits fine bc i kept lowering the footrest panel.
Is there a particular age that they should switch by? We are potty training right now so i’m reluctant to make another big change.
TheElms says
Nope! If its not broken don’t fix it! That said I’d be shocked if she still fits by 3, so the problem will resolve itself. I would change when it becomes a problem or at 3. The upside to taking off the seat attachment is they can climb up/down and you can stop lifting them.
Isabella says
Yep, mine started standing up and climbing out onto the tray of this Tripp Trapp around 8 months. Since then, we buckle him in even though he hates it, and all is well. He’s nowhere near ready to give up the baby seat yet.
Anon says
My 11 year old daughter is experiencing a lot of friend group drama at school and feeling very insecure. Any tips or tricks for surviving this phase? I’d also love some age appropriate book, tv show, or movie recommendations that have characters going through similar struggles. We loved reading and watching Wonder.
Anonymous says
There is an old American Girl book called “Stand Up for Yourself and Your Friends” that may be helpful. For you, “Little Girls Can Be Mean” and “Untangled.” The most helpful thing is to make sure she has friendships outside of school through sports, religious groups, scouts, etc.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Dr. Lisa Damour has two books (Untangled is one) out on preteen/teen girls that I’ve heard great things about. I also love her podcast, Ask Dr. Lisa, even if I don’t have teens yet. It’s a nice preview of what’s to come!
Anon says
Following because my 10 year old is having similar drama. I bought a few books that I’ll list below, and spend about 20 min after school pickup letting her talk it out with my undivided attention, but would love other suggestions.
American Girl Friendship Troubles
American Girl Drama Rumors and Secrets
BFF or NRF
Tea/Coffee says
No book suggestions (although I definitely need to check out the recs from others) but my DD responded really well to stories from my own tweenhood. Although I never ever wanted to relive the mean girl behavior of Julie and Marjorie, hearing about it (incl what i think i handled well / badly) helped DD to relate and ask questions under the guise of it not being about her.
Hugs.
Fallen says
I feel for you. My daughter has gone through waves of this in the past. I have noticed that the drama phases come and go and I tell myself that they usually don’t last long. Having her talk it out with me has helped her a lot, and having me share similar experiences from my own friends.
One thing that worked well for my daughter is finding friends who don’t have a ton of drama to balance out her drama-filled friendships, and thinking through what she is willing to put up with in a friendship. Also agree on having friends outside of school.
Anonymous says
My SO’s daughter is elementary school age. We get kiddo every third week for a week, the other two weeks she spends with her other mom. Lately when she’s at our place, she’s waking up in the middle of the night multiple times per night. Every time, she yells or comes in for my SO (“MOOOOOMMMM”). I know this happens with kids, but I’m at wits end for sleep loss. Is it rude to sleep with some kind of ear bud, or even in another room? Or do those tricks even work? I know SO struggles with it too, but she is also able to fall asleep when kid does while I am usually still working for another few hours.
Anon says
It’s not rude to wear earplugs or sleep in another room to preserve your sleep, especially since you can’t really help here/kid doesn’t want you. (I guess you should ask your partner her feelings – but objectively, it’s not rude.) Kudos for having compassion for a kid going through a tough transition; my elementary kids still wake up occasionally and it’s ANNOYING.
Anon says
If your arrangement with your SO is that she is the primary responsible parent for the kiddo (ie, she handles all night wakings) then I don’t think it’s rude or at all unreasonable to sleep with ear buds or in another room with a sound machine to help you stay asleep. Since kiddo is only with you 1/3 weeks, this would only be a part time arrangement (and also temporary until kiddo grows out of this phase!).
Anon says
It’s not rude to sleep in another room.
Anonymous says
How long has this arrangement been going on? It could be temporary adjustment/stress. My kid did this a lot for a while after my separation/divorce and again after a move. I have a new partner and if he was a light sleeper (he is not) and wanted to sleep elsewhere I would be sad but understand (sleep is important!) — but talk to your SO and ask how she would feel.
Anonymous says
I’ve always slept with earplugs as my husband snores and we live in a noisy neighborhood, but our son also always still wakes me up. It’s worth a try though.
anon says
The question about how long this has been going on is the key one. How long have you and SO been together, and is the home you share the home your SO’s daughter was coming to for parenting time before you were together? If any aspect of this is new-ish (your relationship, the home, the parenting time schedule), that may be producing middle of the night wakeups. For now, I would suggest your or your SO sleeping in another room vs. earbuds – adjusting to a new home is hard for kids, and dealing with someone who is not your parent in mom’s bed is also hard and uncomfortable for them. All of that can introduce a cycle of insecurity: kiddo wakes up, is in a place that doesn’t yet feel comfortable, that prompts feelings of sadness/loss about parental breakup, kiddo wants mom because kiddo’s fear of losing mom comes to the fore, but getting mom means going into the room where mom is sleeping with you, kiddo is not yet 100% comfortable with you, therefore you get yelling, or running in and quickly trying to wake mom up, etc. A period of time where kiddo finds that, if she wakes up, mom is consistently available and she does not have the stress of interacting with you may help settle this. I am a stepmom and I actually did not share a bed with my husband during his parenting time until we were married, by which point the kids knew me super well and were accustomed to our home.
If you/the home/the parenting arrangement isn’t new, then something else may be going on, and I’d want to know if this is happening when she is with her other mom as well.
Anon318 says
Has anyone used the raspberry pi computing curriculum to teach your kid programming? I think my son would enjoy it, but looking for actual experiences. Thank you!
Anon says
I haven’t but I work in IT and a lot of my coworkers have done raspberry pi projects with their kids (or themselves). Personally I don’t really see the advantage over a normal computer. They were invented for use in developing countries where people didn’t have access to real computers, but we do. It’s definitely kind of a nerdy status symbol though.
Anon318 says
Agreed on the nerdy status symbol! :D It seems like the curriculum put out by raspberry pi (the organization) actually doesn’t require the device. I was thinking to set up an old computer of mine for him to get started and see how far his interest goes. I’m a part time software dev (weird situation that it’s ~20% of my position) and he loves it when I spin up a super basic game for him. I think he’d enjoy being able to do the same, but don’t really know where to start teaching him.
Anon says
Pis are nice becuase you can add new hardware easily. I think they’re a great learning tool in a world where everyone has a laptop and doesn’t get to tinker around like in ye olden days. I admittedly don’t know what the raspberry pi curriculum involves but it might be more fun for younger kids to program something that controls things like flashing lights or does something physical. It’s more of a segue into robotics.
Anon says
I have not used their curriculum. But you might like Sparkfun kits/tutorials for this type of thing. They have plenty of add-on sensors for raspberry pi. I think I’ll be using their e-textiles (lily pad) when my kid gets older.
Anon says
anyone have a rec for a Disney planner? or has anyone used someone that they would not recommend?
Boston Legal Eagle says
Look up magicandsaffron on instagram and reach out to her. We used her for our Disneyland trip and she was great. Very responsive too.
Anon says
We used Megan this year for a multi-generational disney trip and she was fabulous (it was our first trip with my kid and first time back for the adults in 20 plus years):
https://www.livingwiththemagic.com/megan-keebaugh-bio/
Anon says
it looks like she charges a fee? i had thought most disney planners don’t charge as they get commissions from disney itself?
Anon says
Yeah you shouldn’t pay a fee.
Anon says
She does, but it was nominal in the context of a Disney trip – maybe $150.
Anon says
I would also add that the fee surprised me, but she was very upfront about it and came highly recommended from several friends and neighbors. I would pay it again in a heartbeat.
Clementine says
Late to the party but I used Alissa at Small World Vacations and would 10/10 recommend. The very kind patient woman saved me hours on the phone AND she switched everything when COVID hit us 3 days before we were supposed to fly out.
MtnGal says
Has anyone gone to a psilocybin retreat outside the US to assist in treatment-resistant depression? It seems scary to be that vulnerable in a new place. My therapist doesn’t know of any place but I would do this with the full knowledge of my therapist and psychiatrist who practice harm reduction and would help me long term.
Anonymous says
DH and I have a veteran friend who’s kind of a mess and he did a psilocybin retreat in Austin. It didn’t exactly change the guy’s life but he does seem to be owning up to his part in all of his problems. I think that program is exclusively for veterans though. I think it would be worth at least trying if you’ve tried everything else. Hopefully this is common knowledge but if you’re under the age of 25 or have a family history of mental illness/psychosis you should definitely not take psilocybin.
Anon says
No personal experience but I know someone for whom it was life changing. But did you know it’s legal in Oregon now under the supervision of a licensed person? The licensed person doesn’t have to be a mental health professional but mental health professionals were the ones doing many of the initial trainings. So that might be a good place to start vs. going out of the country.
Melanie Halvorson says
Unfortunately it will take 4-6 months for organizations to be certified in Oregon. So yes technically legal but no way to legally access it.
Anonymous says
Why would you leave the country?
Anonymous says
I know someone who did a similar program (for PTSD) in Utah but not 100% sure if it was psilocybin or ayahuasca. So would def look in the US first.
Anon says
when do kids become better at managing their emotions. i feel like we had fewer meltdowns at age 2, than we did at age 3 and now age 4
Anon says
For us, 3 was the worst by far (2 was fine, I didn’t really understand the phrase “terrible twos”). 4 was significantly better than 3 and 5 is better still, although it’s all relative. My kid still has semi-regular meltdowns at 5 and occasionally even gets physical. Last night she threw stuffed animals at us. 😵💫
Anon says
I think it’s very kid dependent. My eleven year old melts down more than my 3 and 6 year olds. Like crying, screaming, inconsolable door slamming. My six year old is the chillest of the bunch… he takes disappointment in stride and is very adaptable. The 11 year old is seeing a therapist and I can actively see her using techniques that she learns, but she has just always had huuuge emotions. Plus now hormones.
Anon says
At 5.5 the meltdowns are fewer, but when they do happen they are more intense (and a weird mix of teenage behavior (stomping, yelling, locking herself in her bedroom) and toddler behavior (sobbing laying in the middle of the floor). My kid is spirited in every sense of the word. I will say in the last year she is getting better about recognizing the emotions in herself (if she is starting to get worked up I can ask if she needs alone time and she says yes and goes off to calm down, she will sometimes say “I’m so angry about X” or “it makes me sad when you Y” and we can engage in a productive discussion before a full-blown meltdown). They are also more predictable, in that if she hasn’t slept well or hasn’t eaten recently, I dig into that well of extra patience because I know the silliest thing can set her off (last night it was that DH was talking to her and she didn’t want to talk to anyone).
GCA says
This has been our experience too at 4.5yo, and my older kid also went through this stage. The meltdowns are fewer and farther between but more intense, more predictable, and there is more self-awareness.
Anon says
Ha my 5 year old was having a big slamming doors meltdown recently and we told her not to act like a toddler and she responded “this is not toddler behavior, it’s teenager behavior!!!” She’s … not wrong, ha. But I have no idea where she got that from because she’s never met a teenager (unless you count the college students who work at her preschool and I assume they’re not throwing tantrums at work…)
Anonymous says
I mean I think we know a lot of adults who can’t manage their emotions. So…But I characterize a meltdown as when they’re completely short circuiting and nothing appeases them. Like 30 mins of crying, they just have to get it out. If your 4yo is having these type of insane meltdowns daily, or a few times a day, I’d ask for an evaluation from child find. If it’s a few times a week I’d say it sucks but is normal.
Like red in the face, all you can do is try to keep them safe. If it’s a tantrum? Um..my oldest is almost 6 and still has big feelings. Still gets physical sometimes. And I’d characterize her as having good emotional intelligence and being able to talk through her feelings. My 3.5 year old is finally turning the corner with reasoning, taking deep breaths, naming feelings.
busybee says
My 16 month old is pretty picky. The foods she likes are relatively healthy but they’re limited. She eats a variety of textures and food groups; it’s not a sensory issue. What are some ideas for expanding her palate? I introduce new foods along with safe foods, and she either ignores the unwanted food or throws it. I have read tips like involving them in meal prep or making it a game like “who can crunch this pepper the loudest” but she’s still a bit young to really get that. I don’t want to force the issue but I also don’t want her to be picky forever! Just keep introducing foods and hope that eventually she’ll try them? She’s a small kid with a small appetite, if that matters.
Anon says
This is normal. There’s really not much you can do except keep offering new foods and not turn mealtime into a battle. Most kids eventually outgrow pickiness. Whether that happens at 3 or 23 varies.
NYCer says
+1. I wouldn’t worry about this at 16 months.
FWIW, my younger kid ate most everything at 16 months and now is a picky almost 4yo. :)
Anon says
+1 my kid was very adventurous until about 18 months, then the switch turned, and now at 5 she eats ~25 foods and has a “the world is ending” level meltdown if a new food goes on her plate that she did not agree to try. I’m still picky (for taste and texture reasons) at 36 (but made significant strides in my 20s), so the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. It makes me all the more anxious for her (because I know how hard it is to exist in society as a picky eater) but also sympathetic at the same time. We just keep offering and I repeat ad nauseum that food is not a battle.
Anon says
It will get better (most likely?). Keep offering previously rejected foods… every month felt like a new phase and you never know when they’ll try a particular food. They may surprise you. And the crunching tip just worked for us at 20 months!! It really did work. It was pretty cool.
Anonymous says
I was extremely picky until I was well into my 20s. My brothers were not and we were all raised pretty similarly. There is only so much you can do, but eventually, your kid will grow out of this or make it work for them. I never did learn to like the taste of alcohol or coffee – I’m extremely sensitive to bitter tastes.
Anon says
I know you’re not supposed to, but we always did the one bite rule. We always gave them a tiny portion of new and safe foods, and said “You’re growing and changing every day. You don’t know if you you like these or not today, so take a bite of each to see what you think.” Then whatever they liked, they’d get a regular serving of.
That’s how my oldest realized she likes pad thai (noodles only) and my youngest realized he likes smoked salmon on avocado toast. We don’t judge if they don’t like something, so it’d fairly low pressure, but it seemed to work for my kids.
anonM says
Keep at it! I followed Feeding Littles more with my 2nd kid, and it helped a lot, which I’d seen them sooner. Trying things in different prep/formats helps too – like, try frozen peas, fresh peas, and steamed. Dips are fun when they get old enough to do that. Encourage them to serve themselves as they get older. Involve them in “cooking” – if she can hold a little plastic knife, give her something to “chop” and then at dinner you can bring up how she helped make that part of the dish! Serving new foods or veggies as appetizers while you’re making dinner and they are hungry is a great way too. You’re playing a really long game here, so don’t be discouraged at 16 mo! One thing that got us out of a food rut was having the kids help me shop for a fun meal. We did a purple theme- purple cauliflower, “purple” blue corn taco shells, etc. Again, 16 mo might be too young for appreciating that but just giving some ideas. Also, I wouldn’t push back on ignoring unwanted food. Our rule is you have some on your plate, you can ignore it or put it in a napkin, but can’t throw it. Just leaving it alone is acceptable, and what we do as adults. Sounds like you’re on the right track. Oh, and Daniel Tiger has a great jingle about “try new things because it might taste gooddddd” and my kids still sing it!
Boston Legal Eagle says
How she is at 16 months is not how she’ll be at 25. Or 10. Or 4. Our oldest tends to try a bit more when he helps prepare it, but he is almost 7. I wouldn’t worry about that at age 1. Just keep offering small bits and don’t make a big deal of it (easier said than done!!)
busybee says
Thanks for the replies everyone! I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and hope she branches out sooner or later. The food throwing has lessened as we’ve guided her to put her unwanted food on a corner of her tray, so there’s a small win.
I love the color idea! That will have to wait a bit but I’m going to file that idea away for later.
AwayEmily says
Also wanted to put out there that it’s okay to just NOT do any of the Things (involving them in cooking, letting them pick out new produce at the grocery store, having special dinners, cutting food into interesting shapes). I think those things are great and they likely work but at some point I decided that creating adventurous preschool/elementary eaters is not a priority for my family. Unless my kids have an actual issue (e.g. not getting enough calories), I’m just going to do whatever is easiest and gets them reasonably nutritious foods, even if it means a lot of pasta and green beans. I’m confident that because my husband and I model eating a wide range of nutritious foods, they will get there eventually. After spending a few years really stressed about exactly what they were eating, at some point I just….let it go. And it has been AMAZING.
Anon says
Same. I ate basically nothing growing up and became an adventurous eater in college (much mirro than my parents). I see no reason to fight that battle now when it will likely come naturally.
Anon says
*much moreso
Anonymous says
One thing that has helped with new foods for us is to have my (currently) 2-yo in the learning tower at the counter while we’re making dinner. She’s often more willing to try small tastes of ingredients or food that’s ready to go on plates than when the food is actually on her plate and we’re at the table. Obviously ymmv, and this didn’t really start working until 18-20 mos.
Anonymous says
I should add that as of right now, she has no desire to get involved in any of the food prep except for watching and tasting. We only started using the learning tower as a way to keep her somewhat contained while making food.
Bathing Suits says
Looking for new bathing suits. I typically get some from Lands End but looking for something different. Any suggestions?
Anonymous says
Boden and J Crew.
Anonymous says
I am super busty (34G/32H) and love bra-sized swimwear with an underwire. I usually order from BareNecessities or Herroom. I particularly like Panache suits. I love the look of Boden and J. Crew though; they just don’t fit me well.
anonM says
I recently got one from target because I wanted to see it in person and that’s apparently the only place I go shop in person these days. I was pleased that they had a few suits to pick from that met my goal – still sexy and not too frumpy, but also enough coverage that I felt comfortable in it.
Celia says
Athleta – I got two swimsuits there last year and get compliments every time I wear them. I think they look great and because they are more sporty (the ones I have are racer back with high necklines) I don’t have to worry about flashing the pool when one of my little kids invariably grabs on to me! And they also have lots of options for matching skirts and shorts if you want more coverage (I love those for walking to and from the neighborhood pool).