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Organizing Thursday: Golden Coil Planner

Recent Recs

I have mentioned here before that I will never give up my paper planner. Both for work and personal life, I keep paper planners; I also do have Google Calendar, and at work we have an internal calendar system, but it doesn’t sit in my brain until I write it by hand. I came across these planners on Instagram, and they look right up my alley. You can customize everything about your planner, from the cover, to the month it begins, layouts, and events.

The website walks you through the full customization process. I can’t tell you exactly how much it costs if you customize, but it looks like the base price is $65. They also have an option to customize a notebook, and that also looks fun to play around with the layouts of the pages, etc. Planners and notebooks are available at goldencoil.com. Golden Coil Planner

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!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Sales of Note…

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

Kid/Family Sales

  • J.Crew – Up to 50% off kids’ camp styles; extra 50% off select sale
  • Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
  • Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off summer pajamas; up to 50% off all baby styles (semi-annual baby event!)
  • Carter’s – Summer deals from $5; up to 60% off swim
  • Old Navy – 30% off your order; kid/toddler/baby tees $4
  • Target – Kids’ swim from $8; summer accessories from $10

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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!

About April

April is a working mom, a longtime reader of CorporetteMoms, and wrote our morning fashion advice for working moms from April 2018 to October 2020. She has one child (born 2/17!) and she’s a public interest lawyer in NYC.

Comments

  1. Jessamyn says

    Uh, I clicked over to the website because I just like looking at different planners for curiosity, and it was super difficult to navigate and just see what the inside and possible layouts look like. Why do I have to fill in my full name and information before I can even see the options for date and layout pages? Feels super scammy to me. I’ll stick with the Rain Forest site, where I can freely view previews of inside pages on dozens of different cute planners.

        • Anonanonanon says

          That seems harsh. My understanding was people used alternative words to avoid getting stuck in moderation for mentioning a company name.

          • Anon says

            But you don’t get put in m0d for saying Amazon… and even if you did, just use an asterisk or alternate letter or something where it’s obvious what you mean. People will think “Rain Forest” is a different brand, as the person above me understandably did.

          • Anon says

            No, not new here. “The river s!te” is the usual term for people who use a euphemism. Never seen anyone call it Rain Forest here before. And again, just say Amazon. It isn’t blocked.

      • rosie says

        Just to sympathize, it took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out what people were talking about when they said the river site to mean the same thing. I was excited to explore another alternative to Amazon…

  2. anon says

    The timing of the Disney post a few days ago was fortuitous. We literally booked our plane tickets and Disney resort on Monday night. I have to admit that I am having buyers’ remorse. We don’t drop this kind of money on vacations, ever. My husband is fantastic at vacation planning — much better than I am, honestly — but I still have this sense of dread about how much money we’ve spent, how much time we’re taking off work, and what if it completely s*cks? What’s done is done, but I expected to feel a lot more excited. :(

    • Anon says

      i am always this way after i spend a lot of $ on something. DH jokes that it is like a step in our vacation planning process. i think give it a week or so and you will probably start to feel better about it. that being said, like anything with kids, i try to keep expectations low bc unlike adult vacations, it feels like there is even more outside of my control. hopefully you will have a great time!

      • Clementine says

        +1 to lowered expectations being key to a great time.

        FWIW, I am on team ‘had a fabulous family vacation at Disney’. We didn’t expect our kid to like all the rides that he did. We didn’t expect that he would be happily able to ‘hang’ and deal with the different schedule.

        I also have that buyer’s remorse. FWIW, I find that the up front cost is most of what we spend. Also, if it makes you feel better, you can cancel all your reservations up to like 24 hours ahead with only a small cancel fee.

      • anon says

        Haha, yes, it is a step in the process. :) I’m trying to walk that fine line between being prepared/informed vs. being so overwhelmed with information that it becomes a huge, stressful headache. This is likely a once-in-a-childhood event for us — and I probably need to stop thinking of it like that.

    • Govtattymom says

      We went to Disney last April with our then 2 yo and had an amazing time! The mesmerized look on my daughter’s face as she rode through It’s a Small World is something I will never forget. My daughter felt the magic, and I did too. I liked the advice from one of the posters yesterday: try to enjoy and savor rather than conquer! I’m excited for you. :)

    • Andrea says

      It won’t completely “s*ck”, but manage your expectations. We took our 3 year old and 5 year old girls a few years ago and they were not big fans. After we were there for an hour, they asked if we could go back to the hotel. :)

    • Mrs. Jones says

      I missed the Disney post because we were at DisneyWorld until Tuesday evening.
      I second a lot of recs: stay on the property, bring water and snacks, use FastPasses and food ordering, try to ride Rise of the Resistance.
      FYI, the Minnie Vans seat only up to 6 people.
      Personally, I’d rather not go than take a small child in a stroller, but clearly I’m in the minority, because we could barely walk for all the strollers.
      It is VERY CROWDED these days so good luck.

      • Anonymous says

        I’ve heard that President’s Day week/weekend are really rough and busy. Our travel agent advised us to go a different week. Especially this year because of the combination of Valentine’s Day and President’s Day making a 4 day weekend.

        • Anonymous says

          If you care about fancy/popular dining reservations, make them now. We have a couple reservations but are mostly “we don’t care if we eat a hot dog from a stand so we won’t be tied down” people. Find out when you can start reserving your FastPasses (depends if you’re staying on or off property), and do that when you can. Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Space Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Jungle Cruise seem to be the keys. But also read some blog posts about how the FastPass system works and when to schedule them. There is a science to it. It might even be covered on the post earlier this week. If you want reservations at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique do that now. Download the app. Order your magic bands. Schedule Magic Express if you plan to use it. And remember that your kids will be excited to just be on vacation and take their cues from you. If you smile and act like it is the most magical thing in the world no matter what happens, that’s what they’ll think.

    • Anonanonanon says

      If it’s any help, my parents took me when I was 5. For them, it was a vacation from h3ll. It was back when travel agents were a thing and someone talked them into doing a cruise first. My mom was pregnant and is prone to motion sickness and we got stuck out at sea due to a hurricane. Just that kind of thing throughout the whole trip.
      That is not how I remember it at all. It was the most wonderful thing ever (and I was pretty spoiled). They still laugh about how, during the it’s a small world ride of all things, I exclaimed “I just can’t stop smiling!”. I’m sure I did my share of complaining that my legs hurt or it was hot or whatever, but all I remember is a magical experience. Even if it’s horrible for you, it might still be magical for them!

      • anon says

        Oh man, I feel bad for your mom! And I love your “I can’t stop smiling!” anecdote. Here’s hoping for a magical experience!

      • anne-on says

        +1. We did Disney with our 3-yr old. It was amazingly magical for him. It was tiring, stressful, and not something either myself or my husband would do of our own volition (or go back to again). It helped if I re-framed it as ‘for him’ vs. for us. Also accept that there will likely be (at least!) one major meltdown. I clearly remember him just losing it on day 3 because he was so tired. He rallied at the park when we arrived and had an amazing day but it is VERY stimulating and hard for kids at points too.
        This view also means I have NO GUILT in refusing to go again – we did it, we’re done!

        • Anonymous says

          We’re going next week (I’ve posted a couple times about it). And I keep reading about how to wait in line the least. But honestly, I feel like a couple strategically planned waits to have quiet time in the stroller won’t be a bad thing. But maybe I’m naive.

          • SC says

            Most of the lines don’t allow strollers, at least past a certain point. Also, the lines can still be very stimulating. There are lots of people around, and most of them have stuff to look at to “set the scene.” I would follow all the advice on waiting in line the least.

      • SC says

        +1. I will never, ever forget the time when Kiddo and I were taking a mid-morning break, sitting at a table near the Dumbo ride, and he said, “Mommy, this is a great day.”

      • CPA Lady says

        We were at Disney a few weeks ago and my 5 year old daughter tripped and fell down and I asked her if she was okay, and she looked up at me with a huge smile and said “I’m better than okay! I’m great! I’m at Disney world!”

    • Jessamyn says

      Honestly, even if it’s a disaster, sometimes the things that go wrong make the best memories. My husband and I still laugh at ourselves for taking our 2.5 and 4 year old to Disney, terrifying them on one ride, and then watching them spend the whole time playing on the playground in ToonTown that was basically the same as the playground we could have taken them to back home for free and NOT blown $500. It’s life.

      • Anonymous says

        My 4YO said his favorite part of disney was the monorail.
        So yeah, basically we could have ridden the metro (DC) and been home for lunch. LOL
        Key to enjoying it, for me, is to have WAY LOW EXPECTATIONS. So the little things, like the gray stuff cupcake at BOG and watching said 4YO nearly pee himself with excitement when storm troopers marched down the street, far outweighed the big stuff (Haunted Mansion was closed boooooooo).
        Also, we don’t like roller coasters, so we got to skip some intense lines there).

    • Anonymous says

      I felt this way about booking our trip (we went in October) and I have to admit, we absolutely loved it and had the most fabulous time. My girls got really into it (mostly because I don’t think they ever expected we’d do something like this and we surprised them with it right before we went to the airport). I am not sure we’ll ever go again, but it really was a great trip.

    • Anon says

      If it helps, I’m the one on the last thread who had a bad experience with tons of bad luck. Ten months later my kids now talk about how amazing it was at Disney and all of the things they loved. It’s certainly revisionist history, but there were good moments and that seems to be all they remember. My husband on the other hand…

    • Artemis says

      You know what is great, and I’m pretty sure less stressful and expensive? DisneyLAND and California Adventure. I live in the mid-Atlantic but grew up in SoCal going to Disneyland and I still love it. Ok the flights to CA might be more expensive and longer than the flights to FL, but I have been to Disneyland in January multiple times with my kids and it is a delight. Reading these FL posts practically gives me hives. You can do Disney/CA in 2-3 days and then do about a million other things in California. I may never go to FL, but I will keep going back to Disneyland forever.

      • Anonymous says

        I totally agree! I grew up going to Disneyland and was so disappointed by the crowds, the inefficiency of the layout, and the total lack of landscaping at Disney World. Disneyland is so much better.

      • Boston Legal Eagle says

        If we ever go to Disney with the kids, we’ll most likely be going to Disneyland as my husband has family in SoCal still so we’d make a long trip of it. I’m not a Disney fanatic and don’t like crowds or humidity, so hopefully Disneyland is a little more manageable (though I’m sure still crowded and $$$).

      • Anon says

        Stupid question, why do people like Disneyworld more? I’m from the Midwest and have never been to either (and hopefully never will – crowds, lines and humidity are basically my idea of h3ll), but I feel like 99% of the people I know who do Disney go to the Florida one, even though we’re not geographically much closer to it.

  3. Anonymom says

    I’m done having babies and done bfing. Considering an IUD. Anyone been there and if so, pros and cons to the Mirena/hormonal version v. non hormonal? I like the idea theoretically of no hormones but was told there can be bad side effects, plus I’ve been on the pill for a million years and apparently Mirena has significantly less hormones so it would still be an improvement.

    • Knope says

      I had the Mirena for 3 years (between kids) and loved it. The only downside was that I had a light period for like a month straight after insertion, which was annoying. Otherwise, zero side effects for me.

      • Knope says

        Sorry, forgot to mention – the POSITIVE side effect (for me) was that I stopped getting real periods. Just light spotting for 2-3 days every couple months.

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      I had the Mirena put in 12 weeks after my second was born and I haven’t had a period for over two years now – i.e. not since before getting pregnant with him, and I stopped nursing a while ago. Only positives from me. I never had any adverse effects related to hormones in the pill so YMMV depending on your past side effects. But if you’re generally fine with the hormones, I think the Mirena is great!

    • Anonymous says

      Mirena made me gain 10 pounds, as opposed to the 25 pounds that I gained on the Pill.

    • cbackson says

      Caveat that I have not had kids yet (pg with my first), but I’ve had both hormonal and non-hormonal IUDs. With Mirena, I was one of the minority of people who don’t get the period cessation side effects – instead I spotted heavily enough to need at least a liner every day for 6 months. My hair also fell out and I started breaking out. Ultimately, I had it removed.

      I also had Paragard, the non-hormonal IUD. My periods were much heavier and longer than previously, but that meant (for me) 5 days of real bleeding instead of 3 days (I’ve always had light periods), and I did have some significant cramping the first few periods. Unfortunately, I expelled that IUD (likely due to poor placement according to the OB who did the removal) about 3 months after getting it. I believe there are more options than Paragard for non-hormonal IUDs now, including ones that may be smaller and have a lower expulsion risk (note: the risk is already low).

      I would get an IUD again, but for me, it would be a non-hormonal one rather than a hormonal one just given how bad my experience with Mirena was.

      • Strategy Mom says

        Me too! Bleeding for 6 months and lost a patch of hair (totally possible it was correlation, not causation).

    • lsw says

      I personally love Paragard. Mirena was not good for me (but I’m super sensitive to hormones). I have had no bad side effects at all from Paragard (and had a ton from Mirena). My best recommendation is try whatever you want first, but don’t be afraid to try another one if it doesn’t work for you. My insurance covered changing from Mirena to Paragard for me.

      • Anonymous says

        And don’t listen to your OB if she insists that you can’t possibly be experiencing side effects and it’s all in your head. Trust your own perceptions.

      • rosie says

        Can I ask if it was a hassle to get it out so quickly after having it inserted, as it sounds like you did? Or is it really no big deal? Do you have to wait after having one removed to try another, or can they basically just be switched in the same visit?

        • AnotherAnon says

          Not the person you asked but getting it out was basically nothing. I asked my OB to warn me when she removed it and she responded “Oh I already did it. You can get dressed now!”

        • Anonymous says

          Mine came out without me noticing it. Yes this is rare, but it happened – possibly due to getting my period right after insertion and using a menstrual cup. Anyway, definitely not painful. But this is why I am over IUDs. I had a lot of spotting/bleeding with the copper T – 2 weeks/month. It didn’t fall out though. My mirena didn’t stay in long enough for me to determine if I had side effects.

    • Anonanonanon says

      I went non-hormonal after the arm implant made me spot for a year and be generally insane.
      I did non-hormonal for 7 years before my second child, and chose to get it in again. I’ve never had any side effects or issues.

    • Cb says

      I have a non-hormonal 10 year copper coil. I have a clotting history so couldn’t do hormonal. My periods were a bit wonky for a year but are now normal, with very little cramping. I like not having to think about birth control until I’m 43.

    • Emily S. says

      I had a Mirena put in after baby 2, so I’ve had it for 2.5 years now. My ob-gyn convinced me after we ran through all BC options and she said she would be pushing me toward a pill alternative when I turned 40 anyway and that the Mirena could always be removed if we decided for baby 3. I was in the unlucky minority who had bleeding every day for 9 months after it was inserted, but since then, no periods, no cramps, no PMS. (Side note: this uncomfortable side effect was something my wonderful doctor took seriously and physically examined me twice to see what was going on. She agreed that this is a documented side effect that is mentioned in the literature but probably isn’t advertised as much as it should be.) At 3 and 6 months of bleeding, I debated taking it out, but I’m glad I stuck it out. I too, really like not having to think about BC for 5 whole years! And I plan on having a new one put in when this one expires. The actual procedure wasn’t fun but it wasn’t terribly painful.

    • So Anon says

      I had the non-hormonal copper IUD after my second. After my first, my periods became heavier, but nothing dramatic. On the copper IUD, my periods were literal bloodbaths. I would soak through a super in an hour. It also kicked off a period of chronic yeast infections for me. After a year, I finally had the IUD taken out. My experience is not typical, but if your periods are at all heavy, know that the non-hormonal can amplify that effect.

    • Katarina says

      I have a Mirena inserted after baby #3. I have had a ton of spotting, but it seems to be finally tapering off after about 7 months. It is not as bad as the spotting I had on the minipill after baby #2.
      I actually really like a combination BCP, though, and I have never had issues with it. I went with the Mirena because I am nursing, and also due to my age.
      I had it inserted 8 weeks postpartum, and insertion was really nothing.

    • AwayEmily says

      Not the OP but these stories are so, so useful. I’m on the mini-pill and it’s been giving me some weird skin things lately, so considering switching to something non-hormonal. so thank you to everyone for sharing their experience!

    • Anon says

      I’m on my third Paragard and love it (pre-kids, between kids, post-kid 2). I had considerable cramping and heavy bleeding when I got it prekids, but nothing after having a kid. My uterus is probably just huge now. I also had it inserted at 12 W post partum both times. Removal is super easy and just takes a moment. Insertion is unpleasant, but only last a moment.

    • Marilla says

      I’ve been on Mirena for about 3-4 months now. The almost-constant spotting and light bleeding is super irritating. I never know what’s a “real” period and what’s one day of light bleeding. I’m hopeful it will resolve itself in a few more months, because all the pills I’ve been on have been tough on my mood and this feels much less crazy-making. I definitely have gained weight, but I assumed it was my fault (back to a desk job, love carbs) more than the Mirena. It certainly could be contributing though because the weight seems unusually sticky. So.. we’ll wait and see.

      • Anonymous says

        I think the Pill and Mirena both did something weird to my blood sugar. On both, I was basically nonfunctional unless I consumed refined carbs every couple of hours and had a sugary beverage with lunch. I would literally feel stuck in my chair unable to move or think without a regular hit of sugar. That must have had a lot to do with the weight gain. Since I had the Mirena removed, I can function on a much more reasonable diet of 3 regular meals plus one or two small protein-rich snacks, and I am fine with an unsweetened iced tea or coffee at lunch.

    • shortperson says

      my friend got pregnant on paraguard. it migrated out of her uterus. but i think she was just the 1 in 10,000 or whatever. personally i’m happy with my mirena and no periods.

    • Anon says

      I’m on the copper IUD (paragard I guess?). My periods are much, much heavier than they were when I was on the pill. Usually 1 day a cycle is kind of crazy, the rest manageable but still more than before. I’m weird, but I know if I didn’t get periods on the hormonal one I would convince myself constantly that I was pregnant & my pregnancy test budget would be through the roof :) Which is the main reason I went with it over hormonal. Even with the heavier period, I definitely love having an IUD vs. a pill or other methods.

  4. Minnie says

    Who has a diaper pail they don’t hate? We had the Bubula for two years; the lid broke in the first year, and now a different part has broken, so much to my chagrin I am going to have to buy a new one. I don’t think I’d re-buy the Bubula due to my poor experience with this one.

    We have very curious two year-old, so it will have to be secure. I’d prefer to use standard garbage bags but I guess I can do special liners if they’re not insanely expensive. Ideally it would have a pretty large capacity because I know myself, and I am TERRIBLE at emptying the diaper pail. I just hate it.

    Any recs?

    • Emily S. says

      We have the Diaper Decor classic and use the biodegradable liners. The opening locks (bc we, too, have a curious toddler, and having to fish out toys she dropped in there was …pee-yew!) We can go a few days without changing it, especially if you dispose of solid waste in the toilet before dropping the diaper in. Caveat that the biodegradable liners don’t control smell as well as the regular ones, but I keep a fridge baking soda cube in there (fridge-freezer so it won’t turn over and spill) and that helps.

      • Minnie says

        My main misgiving about the Diaper Dekor is that you have to tie off the bottom of the bag? This seems like a potential nightmare if I’m not good at tying a secure knot.

        • cryptictove says

          I had the mini Dekor, a basic one pass knot was sufficient, but didn’t have the bigger one, which I assume would have a heavier load.

          Only badtime we had with that was when the roll of liners ran out, and so the top of the bag was loose.

      • shortperson says

        we have the dekor too. i love it. i love that you can change it whenever you want. (meaning, when our housekeepers come.) no smell issues. we have one upstairs and one downstairs.

    • Anon says

      How strong is your 2 yo? My 3yo can’t operate our peddle kitchen trash can, so something like that might work.

      • Minnie says

        My mom has a trashcan with a pedal and he is superb at popping the lid up on that. He’s also really tall, so perfectly positioned to get things out/put things in if it’s at all accessible to him.

    • Jessamyn says

      We’ve used Diaper Genies for nearly 6 years, and I’ve never considered anything else. We go an ABSURDLY long time without emptying them (like, several weeks, until we literally can’t cram in anymore diapers), and there’s no issue with smell. Yes, you have to buy special liners, but, I mean… it’s baby gear, sometimes you have to buy specific products to meet specific needs.

      • Minnie says

        This is my style–it’s almost like I’m setting myself a personal challenge for “most diapers ever crammed in one device.” I considered a Diaper Genie but the reviews on Amazon are not glowing for the redesign.

      • Anonymous says

        Yes. We’ve been using the cheapest one for nearly 4.5 years now and no complaints.

    • FVNC says

      Does your 2 yr old get into the main trash in your kitchen? We gave away our diaper pail after kid 1 (when we were on the fence about having a second kid) and never replaced it when kid 2 came along. We just use the kitchen trash with a lid and peddle, it’s been fine as long as we emptied it after a particularly stinky poo.

      • FVNC says

        Forgot to add — I’d be hesitant to buy something new for a 2 yr old who will probably potty train in the foreseeable future. I wouldn’t ordinarily advocate being gross like us with a newborn when you’ve got years of diapers ahead of you.

        • Minnie says

          Lol totally not gross! And I agree that I hate to spend money on something I’ll use for a short time, but on the other hand…I have more money than energy at this point!

      • Minnie says

        This would be an appealing idea if our kitchen weren’t so far from our changing table! It would be a leave the nursery, open the baby gate, close the baby gate, go down the stairs, walk to the other side of the house, deposit the diaper situation.

      • rosie says

        Can you dump the poop in the toilet and toss the empty diaper in the garbage? Definitely helps with odor.

    • Cb says

      Ubbi. We have an Ubbi and love it. We only use it for cloth liners and the occasional disposable so it never fills up and we’ve gone an embarrassing amount of time without emptying it. Despite this, no stink!

      • Minnie says

        Do you find it easy to use one-handed? I can’t quite tell how smooth the sliding mechanism is.

      • Anon says

        I don’t know if our kid just has unusually bad smelling turds, but our Ubbi has a very noticeable stink. It’s better now that she’s at daycare and does most of her pooping there, but when she was home with a nanny it was really bad and people who visited our house would comment on it :(
        We’re one and done but if we had a second I would get a new diaper pail because I don’t think the Ubbi does a good job containing the smell at all.

      • Anon says

        We also have the Ubbi, and I like it, even if it isn’t smell free.

        We generally empty it once a week and let it air out outside overnight that night. I also added a charcoal odor absorber in December (like a beanbag that absorbs stink), and I think that helped cut down on lingering smells as well.

    • AwayEmily says

      I really like our Ubbi. It’s stainless steel so less smelly — we have it in our room and it has never bothered us at all, and we only change it once a week (of course, it smells when it’s open but all of them do). It has a little “lock” on the top that keeps kids from opening it. You can use regular trash bags (though, bizarrely, when we moved to our new house the previous owners left behind a whole bunch of Ubbi liners so we are still going through those…).

      • AwayEmily says

        And I will note that the Ubbi is also Wirecutter’s pick (which is why we got it in the first place).

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      We’ve had the same Ubbi for almost 4 years now, through two kids. The inside of it is gross now (despite multiple hot water and soap washings) so when you open it, it has a smell but when the lid is closed, there’s no smell. You can use regular trash bags. I’m not sure how often we empty it – maybe once a week or every other week, depending on level of diapers. There’s a lock on the top that you can set to prevent it from being opened. Ours is dented from multiple kicks by our oldest but is still standing!

    • anon says

      Three kids and oldest just turned five. Looove the Ubbi. We’ve had the one in baby’s room for five years. Pros are that you don’t have to use special liners – can just use kitchen trash bags. And it has a lock thingy on the top. Couldn’t recommend it more. Also it still looks good as new.

      • Minnie says

        You guys are really tempting me with the Ubbi. Why do I always like the most expensive things??

        • AwayEmily says

          Long-term it’s not so much more expensive since you don’t need the special bags!

        • anon says

          The Ubbi is expensive for a reason! Just like the keekaroo peanut changer. Something you use daily!

        • Anon says

          So, we tried an Ubbi after our 1st Diaper Genie broke & my husband hated it so much we got rid of it and got another Diaper Genie. Reasons: the Diaper Genie has an open/close mechanism that keeps the raw smell from totally escaping every time you open it to throw away a diaper, the Ubbi does not, it all just hits you. (When it is closed I’m not sure about the smell difference). Also, the Diaper Genie’s top closes automatically, the Ubbi’s does not. Two separate times (I guess in my sleep deprived state?) I forgot to close the Ubbi top in the middle of the night & in the morning the kids room smelled terrible & I felt AWFUL. (They didn’t seem to be distraught or anything though). Obviously that’s user error, your need for safeguards to protect you from yourself may vary :)

          This was a few years ago, so it’s possible there have been design changes. Really liked our Diaper Genies though. I didn’t think buying the special bags was that big of a deal, just stock a few on hand at all times, try to buy the cheapo private label ones, & you are good to go.

    • Anonymous says

      We had a simple human trash can perfectly sized to use a plastic grocery bag as a liner. My son is 7 and it is still our bathroom trashcan. It is fairly small, so you have to take trash out often, before it gets really stinky. We live in an apartment building with a trash chute in the hall, so that didn’t bother us.

    • Anon says

      We are also super lazy on the taking out. We have used three – the diaper genie, diaper dekor plus and munchikin. The diaper dekor plus is upstairs and works great – we change every 7-10 days typically, but for the most part it only gets wet diapers. We have a baking soda box and a charcoal bag in the bottom. The diaper genie we pitched after 6 months because the small was horrible, even changing it every few days. DH bought the munchkin one, which is in our family room, and it’s been great. He changes it out every few days (it gets all the stinky diapers plus wet ones), and we also keep charcoal bags and baking soda boxes there too to help with smell.

    • Dlc says

      We also have a diaper dekor, and bought a second one for our third kid. The first one is eight years old and still going strong. We use the dekor liners, but you can also use it with regular trash bags – for our cloth diapers we just use a large elastic top wet bag. The knot in the bottom has never given out on us. It feels pretty secure- the top panel on ours oldest one broke so we just have the interior panel, which has a locking mechanism. Toddler knows how to unlock it, but doesn’t do it too often.

      • Anon says

        My toddler likes to lock it, which means when I toss one in from across the room it just bounces! She also knows how to unlock it because for a while we had her throwing away her own diapers. Fortunately she saws “ewww” every time she goes near it so the lock part hasn’t been necessary – if only she felt that way about the regular trash.

  5. So Anon says

    My kids are on February break this week. Apparently, I only signed one kid up for camp today. I learned this at drop off when I was told that I only signed my son up for today. UGH. So I have my daughter at home and my son is going to be so ticked off that his sister was home all day.

    • Anonymous says

      Since you paid for one spot, can you alternate at lunchtime? Drop off daughter and pick up son? Or if you have a spot for tomorrow, keep son home tomorrow and send daughter?

      • So Anon says

        Unfortunately, the camp is 30 minutes away, so going back twice is not practical. They are with their grandmother tomorrow. I’m thinking bribery or letting my son choose dinner is the way to go.

        • Anonymous says

          I would not try to “make it up” to him. He GOT to go to camp today while his sister had to stay home! Don’t fall into the guilt trap. If your daughter is not disappointed that she didn’t get to go to camp, then the only one who has really been harmed here is you, because you have no child care for one kid.

  6. night training says

    any recommendations for night training? My son is potty trained for daytime but is not night trained. I understand that it is different, but the advice is inconsistent (and somewhat contradictory). We still rely on pull-ups because he would have accidents most night otherwise. He sleeps hard. If there is something that I can do to help him lead towards night training, I would appreciate the thoughts

    • GCA says

      How old is he? My understanding was always that night training happens when their bodies are ready – you can’t rush it. My son was day trained fairly early (2+) but it wasn’t till 3+ that we ditched the night diapers because he was waking up dry. Until a child wakes up dry more often than not, and/or can get out of bed to use an easily accessible potty, I probably wouldn’t push it. After that, some people have success with a late-night ‘dream pee’.

      • Anonymous says

        yup. Not to be a downer, but my 5 year old still wears pull ups at night, and they are not dry 90% of mornings

      • SC says

        +1. My son was waking up dry before he was potty-trained during the day. That’s unusual, but it’s evidence that night “training” has more to do with their bodies than their minds.

    • Anon says

      Thirding the question of how old. My 3yos have been day trained (and nap trained) for almost a year, but no where close to being ready for overnight, so we just do diapers. I’m also not at all interested in waking up for dream pees or to help a kid pee, so am waiting until they’re consistently dry in the morning.

      Friends that did push overnight training have had success with:
      Sleeping without pants so that it’s easy to go when they wake up
      Limiting liquids after a certain time
      Keeping a potty in the kid’s room that they can use (caveat is that kid then calls for you to empty it..)

    • Anonymous says

      We did nothing, using pull-ups at night, and one day my son started waking up dry. He was probably at least 4.5 since he wasn’t day trained until 3.5. (we’re lazy).

    • Anonymous says

      for my two older kids, neither was “night trained” at first. They were daytime trained and then went to bed in underwear and had a few accidents. It was never that many–maybe a week or two of every other day (my oldest had two accidents ever in bed). But they were in the habit of peeing in the diaper so we had to take that out of the equation for anything to work.

        • Anonymous says

          Honestly I’m not sure it’s worth pressing it . Our own experience and that of my siblings growing up is that when their bladders are ready, they’re ready, and that might be at 3 or it might be much later.

    • anon says

      My 5-year-old just recently (as in the last week) gave up Pull-ups. 5 nights accident free and counting. Based on my sample size of 2 kids, I really don’t think you can rush nighttime training. It’s just not the same thing as during the daytime, when they have a little bit more control.

  7. Night-time help question says

    We are splurging and springing for a night nurse/doula to help with sleep and light tasks the first few weeks after #2 comes. Only a handful of nights per week, but I’m still hoping it gives us some respite and takes some of the pressure off (no family in the area, friends will be limited in how much they can help). For those of you who have hired night-time help, when did you use it, for how long, and how was it most effective? This is definitely a big expense so I don’t want to go overboard, but also want to maximize the benefit.

    • Anon says

      where do you live geographically and does your DH have paternity leave? and what are your childcare plans with your older one? do you have any family that is planning on coming to visit? i have a friend who ended up flying in a baby nurse to stay with them 24/7 for 3 weeks bc it was much less expensive than hiring someone local. i don’t know if you have a set budget for this and how your experience was with #1 and what you mean by “first few weeks,” but if your DH has no paternity leave then I would recommend maybe 5 nights a week, then taper to 4, then 3. we had a baby nurse at night for longer than i’d like to admit, but we had twins, no local family, dh only had a week off, and one twin started out with a nicu stay and i ended up having terrible ppd/ppa, and am only slightly exaggerating when i say i honestly don’t think i could’ve done it without her, so it was honestly more than worth the cost. i am very grateful that we were able to make room for this expense.

      • Night-time help question says

        Good questions – in the midwest near a large city; spouse will be home for the first two weeks, with a flexible schedule after that; #1 will be in full-time daycare (woot!); no family coming to visit. Experience with #1 was hard but I think fairly normal – rough first few months with sleep and breastfeeding issues, which slowly sorted themselves out. This time I’m more concerned that things stay steady for #1, and with some other changes coming up on the horizon (moving apartments etc) that we’re not so completely in the weeds that we lose all executive functioning skills – or at least not both of us at the same time ;)

    • Strategy Mom says

      We used ours (only a night nurse, not daytime) 8-10 nights total spread out across the first 2.5 weeks. We alternated nights so we could get a little more sleep and sanity (prob 4-5 the first week and the rest spread out on weeknights since I knew my husband had to get up for work the next morning). She helped me figure out breastfeeding (i got comfortable with nudity quickly), helped get the baby used to sleeping at night and in a crib (also a huge win! i have so many friends who cosleep not bc they want to but bc they cant figure out how to get baby to sleep in the crib), got us on a decent schedule, etc. So worth the money if you are able.

    • NYCer says

      We had a night “nurse” for 3 months (yes, I know they are not actually nurses, this is just the common terminology in NYC). She did 7p-7a, six nights a week. It was amazing and worth every penny.

      Our baby was sleeping through the night by the time she left, so that is what was most effective for us. Obviously that won’t be the result if you only have someone for a few weeks, but I still think a third set of hands and getting several nights of longer sleep will be extremely helpful.

      • anon says

        We had one for our twins. Schedule was — one night I stay up, 2nd night husband stays up, 3rd night night nurse comes. Repeat. Sometimes we had my mom in and then we would go a week or so without them because my mom did a night shift. They are…addictive. After a pretty intense birth and being new parents to just…unload everything on someone from 10pm-7am was fantastic. A few tips:

        We did NOT schedule this in advance and so it was chaotic to create and maintain a schedule and the service we used tried to give us the same person but couldn’t always plan for it. So there were some switching costs (introducing the new person to our system of feeding etc) that we could have avoided.

        We used a service which of course did background checks and guaranteed that someone could be there (i.e. if someone was sick then we got a replacement) but there’s a significant cost markup on that. If we had gone private market I think we could have saved a ton of money but we would have had to plan in advance and then deal with cancellations or sickness on our own.

        I would estimate we spent about 10K on this until we sleep trained at 4.5 months, which was a pretty big investment for us given that we don’t own a home (that could have gone towards a down payment!) and husband switched to part time work during this period as well.

        BUT I still…remember the first year of their lives? A lot of twin parents tell me they literally cannot remember the first six months. I have some really good memories. And I think my mental health has been better for it as well. We consciously saved up for this and I don’t regret it. I also negotiated for 5.5 months of maternity leave instead of the standard 3 and had to go unpaid for a month. My attitude was, support myself as much as possible. I think I escaped some significant mental health challenges because of this and so if it takes us a few more years to buy a house so be it.

    • CCLA says

      We used one for our first, about 3 nights a week from weeks ~5-12 (we didn’t start until 5 weeks because I was convinced I could do it all, and when I had a breakdown a month in we remembered hearing about this thing called a night nurse and my sanity was saved). In retrospect, I would have hired from whenever my husband went back to work, which was a few days in with first kiddo. We have no family in town and only had family fly in to help for a week post-baby. Having a few nights a week of guaranteed sleep was worth every penny and helped power through the other couple of nights in between. I didn’t even care that by the last couple of weeks we were basically paying someone to sleep in the same room as baby while baby slept for 11 hours.

      I found a combination of night nurse plus daytime help during mat leave to be the best for my needs. We hired the night nurse a few nights a week plus a daytime nanny for several hours a day who was also down to run to the store for me if I felt like hanging with baby, or watch baby while I napped or went to gym. We found that day nanny on care dot com but otherwise haven’t had luck on that site and prefer the ease of a local nanny agency, which we used for the night nurse and still use 3.5 years later for babysitting needs, since they background check and had a ton of nannies with newborn care specialist designations that were on offer for the night services.

      I was not b-feeding by the time we got the night care, and I’ve heard that it is less helpful if you’re not giving bottles at night, but can still be a boon because they do all the burping, changing, etc. Also, one of the biggest things to maximize the night nurse benefit is to go to bed when they get there, or shortly thereafter and sleep. Turn on white noise so you don’t hear the kiddo, and get those zzzzzs!

    • Anon says

      We didn’t hire one for our first but have one in place for our second, who is due in a few weeks. My husband only gets 1.5 weeks paternity leave and he travels frequently, so overnight help seemed key with a newborn + toddler + no local family support. Our plan is 5 nights/week for the first 2 weeks, 4 nights for the next 2, and 3 nights for the last 2. We can then always add more time, if needed, but my daughter was sleeping in decent chunks by 6 weeks and I hope this kiddo takes after her. It’s expensive but I also feel like this huge stress is lifted off of my shoulders in knowing that I’ll actually be able to get some rest and not experience extreme sleep deprivation postpartum.

  8. FVNC says

    Has anyone used a morning nanny? If so, how did you find someone and what was the job description like?
    My family is relocating to the west coast in a few months for my husband’s job, which will be high-travel. I work remotely from an east-coast based company, and starting my work day at 12 pm ET won’t be practical. I’m thinking a morning nanny is the solution so I can start work at 6:30 or 7 am PT, and have the nanny handle breakfast and school drop offs. Just curious if others have done something similar, and how it worked for you.

    • Strategy Mom says

      Consider posting at a local college if that’s an option. If you only need them to do drop off, that would likely work with certain college schedules. Or potentially a teacher or teachers assistant at their school. I do feel like you might have to pay a premium if you want them to come that early, and if you arent willing to guarantee a lot of hours.

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      Not sure what your living situation will be like, but an au pair may be another good option for this, as they can do an early morning shift when they wake up, then help out as needed the rest of the week and weekend. Or a mother’s helper type person, as I think it would be tricky to find a nanny to do just early morning hours during the week (unless you expect and pay them to stay for the full 40).

      • anne-on says

        I’d say a particularly motivated high school or college kid would be a great bet for this. Our two local universities have job posting boards – if you call and ask they should be able to give you the information for posting. I found our favorite baby sitter that way and was SO sad when she graduated.
        We do au pairs, and like the flexibility, but it is a MAJOR lifestyle adjustment.

    • GCA says

      We recently did the inverse when I was traveling for work – a sitter to do daycare pickup and the dinner/bedtime routine. That was just for the week, but it sounds like you will need someone every day; it’ll probably be easier to find a regular morning sitter than an ad-hoc one. I would just put it all in a job description on care.com and find someone that way. To consider:
      – What are the hours? What is traffic like & what are the chances the sitter might be late?
      – Will you work from home or leave the house very early after the sitter arrives?
      – Will the sitter need to drive your car (because car seats), and what distance?
      – Will you have breakfast ready for the kids, and are you offering to feed sitter within reason as well? Is there cooking involved? (We just had our evening sitter heat up stuff that was already prepped in the fridge. Breakfast will probably be even easier.)

      When I found a good candidate (she’s a rockstar), I had her meet me at daycare one afternoon and shadow me (paid) for the pickup and dinner routine so she knew roughly what to do, and then just trusted her to execute; you could probably have potential sitters shadow you one morning.

    • IHeartBacon says

      How old is your child? There are a lot of assumptions in what I am about to suggest, but you may also want to look into finding a neighbor whose kid attends the same school as your kid and split the pickup/dropoff with that person. For example, you could drop off your kid at the neighbor’s house so your kid could eat breakfast there and be taken school with the neighbor. You could then pick up both kids from school, feed them afternoon snacks and then drop off the other kid at home. Again, I know there are a LOT of assumptions in my recommendation, but it’s food for thought.

  9. Anonymous says

    Hitting at preschool – what helped you actually change the behavior? Just turned 5 year old is really struggling this, mostly hitting when feels wronged. We have met a few times with a therapist and strategies were previously working (lots of attention for other unrelated good behavior, reward system for keeping safe hands, etc) and I will say at this point last year was hitting us daily at home and it’s improved to monthly or less. Does not hit little sibling. But is hitting 3-4 days a week at school and nothing seems to be improving it. Last year it got to the point where he was getting sent home – would prefer to avoid that even if it works due to disruption to work. What other ideas may have worked in your real life???

    • Anonymous says

      Your job is to deal with the hitting at home, which you’ve done. It’s the school’s job to address it at school, and sending him home is not a good response. It will just reward him for poor behavior. If they have safety concerns they need to remove him from the situation or ask him to leave the school entirely if they can’t deal with the behavior.

      • Anonymous says

        They’ve changed to a different approach this year and not sending home – they’re being really collaborative. but we are looking for other ideas, strategies, ways of talking with him or modeling that we can keep uniform from school/home. I used to believe it was just the school’s responsibility to manage his behavior at school but have been influenced by my teacher to view it as more of a partnership.

    • Anon says

      For us it was related to a pragmatic language delay. She just couldn’t find words in the moment, ever, and that led to tons of frustration. Other kids in preschool even figured out that she couldn’t tell on them if they harassed her, so she became a target of bullying which made the hitting worse. (A group of mean girls would take her toys away and then play the victim when she got mad so that she’d be punished.) I’d make sure you know what is triggering it at school. My daughter’s idiot teacher told us that she just didn’t know why DD wouldn’t just tell her what was happening–duh, she couldn’t! It went on way longer than it should have and I blame myself for not intervening sooner. (The issue immediately got tons better when she moved to a new school without those bullies.)

      We tried speech therapy, but it wasn’t effective (per the therapist) so we stopped. It’s gotten better as she’s gotten older, but is still sometimes an issue at 6.5 yo. On her recent 1st grade report card we just got the report that she’s having trouble working in groups. I suspect it’s this same issue–she has trouble articulating her thoughts, esp in group settings.

      • Anonymous says

        Op again. Thanks. Kid has really advanced language but behind a little in emotional development so he does struggle to talk about how he is feeling. We do a lot of sportscasting how we are feeling and what we are doing about it. It’s a lot of “I hit so and so because she told me something wrong/lied about who had the toy first,” etc.

        • Anon says

          Yeah, my kid still can’t tell me what happened after a scuffle. The best I get is a growl or sullen silence. No words. Sometimes if I can articulate the incident, she’ll confirm, but even now she can’t explain why she’s upset in the first instance. Definitely different.

      • AnotherAnon says

        My heart breaks for your daughter. My niece is two and she is non-verbal. It is shattering to watch her struggle, get frustrated and then give up.

    • Anonymous says

      My son is 3 so YMMV. When we get reports of hitting/pushing/yelling, we have to read the Little Dino books. He doesn’t like them because they are very simple/boring and he usually really enjoys picking out his books, but we explain that he doesn’t seem to be understanding that no hitting/pushing/yelling is allowed so we need to read the books to help him remember. We have a no hitting discussion in the car on the way to school, and talk about things he could do instead if he gets mad.

    • Anonymous says

      For hitting at home, it was a time out in their room immediately. Every single time. At age 5, there could be additional consequences – e.g. hitting when putting on coat to leave for an means not going on the outing.

      Basically, hitting need to be off the plate in terms of acceptable behavior. Consistency is super important. We also talked about hitting as not allowed for anyone in the family – “Mommy doesn’t hit you and you are not allowed to hit Mommy.”

      Daniel Tiger has a good episode about dealing with emotions. He learns to stomp three times when he feels mad. Replacing hitting with an acceptable physical outlet like stomping might help.

      • Anonymous says

        Thanks. Time outs did work to stop hitting at home, but school does not do time outs, and from therapist advice it doesn’t sound like time out at home many hours after the hitting event at school occurred is a good method. Stomping worked for a while but struggling to get kiddo interested in any replacement …

  10. So Anon says

    Any single moms who travel occasionally for work? To move forward in my career, I need to travel probably once a month to my company’s home office for a few days, with longer trips 2x per year for a year or two. Then, I will need to move into visiting clients more regularly. My mom is nearby, but it is becoming apparent to me (painfully so), that I cannot ask her to watch the kids overnight on a regular basis. My kids are 6 and 9. Any thoughts or suggestions?

    • Anon says

      to start i just have to say i’ve followed your story on this site and you are truly supermom and i am impressed with how you are trying to accelerate your career. will you have a lot of advance notice with these trips? i know in the area where i live there are some sitters who do overnights, so i would encourage you to try to find 1-2 of those. alternatively, and i am not sure what the issue is with your mom watching the kids – could you have a sitter who is basically at your house until the kids go to sleep and then again in the morning? i also think at one point you might have had an au pair. would you consider doing that again?

    • Anon says

      An au pair isn’t a great option because they’re not allowed to do overnights. Are you near a college or university? Maybe there’s a student who would trade housing for babysitting? Do you have an extra room? Given the number of overnights, a live in situation may make sense if you can make it work.

    • Anonymous says

      I have a good friend who is a single mom of 2 with a travel heavy job (she travels for 2-3 nights, 3 weeks a month). She has 2 overnight nannies that she uses while she travels. The nanny picks the kids up from after-school care, takes them home, stays overnight, then takes the kids to school in the morning – basically what a mom would do if home. She gets her travel schedules a few months in advance and coordinates with her nannies to see who has the best availability.
      When she started this job, she was also nervous about finding folks who would want to do this. However, she has found it is easier to find someone to do this once or twice a month, versus trying to find 1 person that is available all the time. Since the kids are in school or care during normal business hours, the nannies can have a full time job and do this on the side. All but 1 of her nannies have been teachers!
      Her original goal was transition out of the travel heavy job after a year. It’s currently year 3 and she is still doing it because she enjoys it, the kids are doing great, and the pay is enough to make it worth it. Overnight care is not cheap, but it is doable. She found her first 2 nannies through friends, but started using a nanny placement agency when one of her first nannies got pregnant and needed to stop the overnights.

    • Strategy Mom says

      What if you built a relationship with 1-2 college students in the area who would be babysitters and then also overnight sitters? They have flexible hours and if you worked with the same ~2 your kids would establish a relationship which would make it easier on them. Our local nanny placement agency also has older retired nannies who dont want to be full time nannies but like doing it occasionally, and would be perfect for this. We pay $25 placement fee each time we use someone (we are using them as a daytime fill in), and we request the same person over and over.

  11. Anonymous says

    I wanted to put this as a separate thread, but related to the Disney post above. I think there are so many ways to “Do Disney” and they are all at different ages. We have brought the kids to Disney twice so far.
    Trip 1: Rented a house with family in West Palm. Got a hotel one night in Orlando and took my then 3.5 y/o and not quite 1 y/o to Magic Kingdom. Oldest refused to go on all the rides except Dumbo, loved to look at any and all characters, and thought the airport was Disney when we left. Baby happily stroller napped the entire time, smiled for photos with characters, and liked any ride with lots of flashing lights. We spent maybe $600 on the whole adventure and most of that was one-day park passes to MK.
    Trip 2: Week long family vacation to Florida, with half of the time spent on Amelia Island, followed by a midweek trip to Orlando where we stayed off site. We did 2 days of Magic Kingdom and one day of Animal Kingdom, driving and parking and being there by ~9am each day. Kids were 5.5, almost 3 (still free!) and not quite 1. The two younger ones stroller napped at random times but overall we had a solid 9-4/5 at the parks each day. We did fastpass a couple rides but they were equally happy to ride the Carousel which had no wait approximately 10 times. FWIW my middle one LOVED Small World and somehow the first time she went it was with only DH. So I took her the next time on my Fastpass, and we hit it first thing in the AM as a family on day 2. My 5.5 y/o did the Belle Storytime thing and was chosen to be Beast which was super magical. it was like Disney was built for her at this age. We also did the brunch with Rapunzel and Flynn which were my kids’ faves. It was near the Boardwalk, which would make it annoying, except we did it on a non-park day and just enjoyed the heck out of it. Our hotel was $180/night for a suite, included breakfast. We rented a car but easily could have done without. Tickets again were the most expensive part of the trip. We got in and out including airfare for well under $2500 for 3 days at the parks.

    When they are a bit older, we will go full on Disney, staying on site and hitting up parks from 9-8pm. But by the time they–and I–can handle that, my oldest will be out of her prime Disney Magic years, so we wanted to do a “lite” Disney while they were on the young side.

  12. Strategy Mom says

    My best friend moved to Vancouver and has a new born with colic and a husband who is on the road 24/7 and knows no one. I want to get her a few hours of help a day next week while her husband is out of town so she can try to keep her head above water. BUT I know no one in Vancouver to get babysitter recommendations or babysitting agency recommendations – do any of you have any ideas?

    • rosie says

      Can you look for a post-partum doula or newborn care specialist? Folks with those trainings/specialties may be more equipped to step in and proactively help, which could be ideal especially if she is a first-time mom. I don’t have recommendations in that area, sorry, but looking for ppdoula/NCS may help you limit your searches.

    • Anonymous says

      I feel like maybe there’s a poster in here who lives in BC, maybe SeaFinch? Try posting tomorrow.

      Maybe try Melissa Rodrigues – she’s a postpartum doula who teaches mom and baby yoga through the City Recreation dept (so presumably has records checks etc in place) – https://melissarodriguesdoula.wordpress.com/doula-2/

      For mom and baby free drop in groups to get her out of the house and meet some people for social support – this is a list – http://www.vch.ca/locations-services?search_term=parent,infant,drop,in,

    • Anonymous says

      Replied but stuck in moderation. Try Melissa Rodrigues – she teaches mom and baby yoga through the city and does postpartum doula work.

    • Anon says

      No recommendations on baby sitting services, but as the mom of a very colicky gremlin, consider also the following (which I would have found supportive):
      – acknowledging that her baby is doing an absurd amount of crying and for colic that’s normal and it’s just a time thing – and keep reassuring her that the baby will outgrow it. Typically at 4 months (but for DD it was 5.5, and I think I cried every single day after we passed what was supposed to be the magic 4 month mark). I wanted to hit someone every time they suggested a new magic trick – I assure you we had already tried them all – or told me that their baby cried a lot too. Nonstop, unsoothable screaming for hours upon hours is something you really only can appreciate after having been through it.
      – gifting a pair of noise-cancelling headphones (you still hold and rock and attempt to soothe the baby, but it at least takes the edge off for your hearing – and if you pair the ones with the television, you might still be able to hear a show or music while dealing with the screaming)
      – if she is open to smart home devices, maybe a gift of those – her arms are likely filled with sobbing infant all day long and so being able to use those to get things done is really helpful – ours set the alarm, turn on and off the tv, play music, video chat, control the HVAC, etc.
      – encouraging her to put the baby in a carrier, bundle up (lightly though – they get warm with so much crying) and go outside. The screaming is less loud when there aren’t walls for it to echo off of, but your neighbors might look at you funny.

      • Anonymous says

        Agree with all these. Our colicky baby really liked the original baby bjorn. I know some people don’t recommend it for long wear because of the hip positioning but it worked to settle our baby who hated the ergo.

      • Strategy Mom says

        This is such good advice! Her mom died last year and it makes all of this even harder.

  13. Anon says

    Any set Spotify playlist recommendations for the 5ish year old set? We listen to “Kids Bathtub Jams” during bathtime but I think I’ve hit my limit with that particular list & my daughter knows all the words to even the obscure (to her) songs….

    • Anonymous says

      My 4 and 6 y/o just rock out to kidz bop, which is a slight improvement compared to single movie soundtracks on repeat (frozen, Moana, trolls).

  14. S says

    Thanks again to everyone who responded to my post yesterday about low progesterone levels in early pregnancy. My doctor’s office just called to tell me that my HCG has more than doubled (from 586 to 1234) and my progesterone is up from 7.6 to 12.2. Because of my history of loss both early and late in the first trimester, they’re going to schedule an early ultrasound for me next Thursday.

    Obviously we have a way to go but I’m relieved and cautiously optimistic.

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