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I got Trumpette’s Howdy Bouncy Rubber Cow as a gift after our daughter was born. Back then, I knew nothing about kids’ toys and did not get it. But I just needed to see things from the point of view of a toddler.
Little did I know that “Cow” would become her favorite toddler toy. It’s basically a yoga ball for the toddler/kid set. In addition to bouncing around the room, she’d “milk” it (one imaginary udder for chocolate and one for white). I like it because it’s super durable (it’s survived one toddler and is on its second) and deflates flat for easy storage.
It’s available at Amazon from $40.50–$68.00, depending on the color. It comes in black, cobalt blue, gray, pink, and white.
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?
AwayEmily says
Random trick that has been working well for us: my 3yo and 5yo used to argue over what book to read, so a few months ago we instituted a policy where one of them picks out three books, and then the other one gets to choose which one of those to read. Has cut down on arguing quite a bit.
Also, we have one of these cows and it is GREAT.
EB0220 says
We have something similar (Rody) and my kids still love that thing (6 and 9 now).
Pogo says
I feel like the Rody was super popular a few years ago. It is one toy we don’t have!
Cb says
We have a giraffe which is similar.
Anonymous says
This sounds like a book version of the “I cut, you choose” trick for dividing desserts!
Anon says
That’s a great tip!
HSAL says
Ha, that is also how my husband and I choose what takeout to get.
AIMS says
My daughter is now 5, very emotional, and I feel like I am just not prepared and have no idea how to deal. She switches between total freak out tears and being the most stoic kid ever and also just does not like to share anything and I have no idea what to do.
A lot of it is just petty jealousy with her brother, which I’m also not great about. But then last night for example, she was going to bed and burst into tears and then wouldn’t tell me why. I finally just left her alone and this morning she said she just didn’t like that I made her shower last night because she wanted a bath. I have no idea if that is true or not because sometimes she says she’s upset about X but it’s really Y. I feel like I’m losing my mind. What’s the script here? Anyone figure out this stage of child development? I feel like with every outburst I’m either scr*wing everything up or setting myself up for the worst teenage years. All advice appreciated.
AwayEmily says
My kid just turned 5 and is also in this phase. I have no idea what the “right” thing to do is but what I generally do is stay with her, empathize if possible and generally just be a calm, comforting presence. When it seems like she’s slowing down I try to low-key redirect to something else (“hey, when you’re ready, want to help me pick out some books to read before bed?” or “oh, I got some new crackers and I wanted to see if they’re any good — let’s go have a taste”)…she often welcomes the redirection; I think she gets into sort of a sadness loop and needs to be snapped out of it.
Pogo says
This is how I go about it too. One “hack” we use is having the other parent step in and we kinda good cop, bad cop it. Like this morning LO was mad that daddy wouldn’t let him have waffles AND cereal (but didn’t say so, just cried little silent tears). So I came in and listened calmly, and he told me “Daddy wouldn’t let me have the cereal!!!” then I responded “Oh no, you must be so sad! Well let’s get you your waffle and then I’ll work on your cereal.” By the time he actually got some food in him, he was much more reasoned, and forgot all about the cereal request, and then ended up eating two waffles and was happy as a clam. But we have this same thing happen about 6 times a day with regards to all kinds of random wants and needs – having the other parent come in for some reason helps him break out of his trance and say what’s wrong.
The bath vs shower thing is 100% something he would do. This sounds super normal but frustrating.
Pogo says
Also kiddo’s teacher told me something that really helped (if your kid is in school in person at least) – remember they have to “keep it together” all day, and when they are at home, that’s their opportunity to be let their emotions out. This helps me in both remembering that at least he isn’t like this all day about every little thing at school, and that it’s my job to be his “safe space” at home for his emotions to come out.
Boston Legal Eagle says
This is so true. My older kid (also almost 5) sounds a lot like all of yours, he’s more sensitive (like me, shocker) and tends to have big emotions. I think it is really hard for kids to keep it “together” at school all day and they need a safe space to let out the emotions at home. So it’s all normal, healthy and still difficult to deal with when it seems like you just have an angry, sad kid whenever they’re with you.
Anonymous says
I have been there, and it is SO frustrating. I just calmly tell kiddo that I can’t help make it better if I don’t know what is wrong. But, 90+% of the time, if she can’t tell me what is wrong, it is just that kiddo is tired or hungry, and so she doesn’t even know why she is mad. If it isn’t close to bedtime, I offer food. When it is close to bedtime, I just try to give extra hugs and love and not lose my s$it as we go through the bedtime routine. But it is really hard.
AIMS says
Thanks guys. Good ideas, all, and I appreciate the commiseration. I think I probably need to really work on the not losing my sh*t part of it. That never ever helps.
Spirograph says
Yes, this is basically it. Also the holding-it-together in school all day and letting emotions out at home is very real. I don’t have any advice beyond what others have said, but this is incredibly normal for this age and it gets better. Food is the answer for my kids probably 75% of the time, and I sympathize because they get their propensity for hanger from me.
I put myself in time out when my kid(s) is losing their $h1t and I can feel about to start screaming along with them. “OK, I am starting to feel very frustrated and upset that I can’t help you, so I’m going to go calm down in my room for a few minutes. Here’s a snack while you wait for me. After that, maybe a hug would help both of us feel better?”
Anonymous says
I have no advice but mind blown your baby is 5!!
AIMS says
I know! For me too!
To C-Section Mom says
After my c-section they put me in these leg brace contraptions that slowly pulsed for several hours – they are meant to prevent blood clots and are routine care at my hospital. It might not matter with a scheduled c-section (mine was unplanned and happened at night after a long labor), but I just wish I’d known more about what the immediate recovery would entail.
Unsolicited c-section advice – my husband rigged a rope that ran from the foot of our bed up through the sheets using thick nylon rope (from his rock-climbing days) and it was really helpful. I could get out of bed on my own by rolling to my side, but in the first few weeks the baby often fell asleep nursing and then I’d be stuck because I couldn’t sit straight up while holding her in my arms. It actually ended up staying under our bed for a few months, including when we finally hired a cleaning service. I wonder what they thought of it lol.
Walnut says
The leg contraptions are also there after a scheduled c-section. The worst part about them is you’re stuck in bed which makes picking up the baby challenging. I had an angry come to Jesus at 3am with my nurse about needing more assistance. My spouse was unable to be at the hospital overnight and the hospital was unable to staff the nursery due to weather. Either the leg restraints needed to come off or someone needed to hurry to my room when I called to give me my baby.
Anonymous says
They made you keep the baby in your room with no help less than 24 hours after a c-section? While you were presumably on pain meds? That is horrifying. How many babies get dropped that way?
TheElms says
Huh, I didn’t have these leg things and my legs swelled ridiculously huge. I wonder if they would have helped (accepting they were for blood clots). The nurses got me up and walking about 3 hours after my C-section was over, maybe that’s why I didn’t get them.
CPA Lady says
Oh man, I loved those things!!! It was like getting a leg massage! They also had this tube of warm air they piped in under my blanket when I was in recovery. It was awesome.
That said, it has always baffled me why “what to expect if you end up having a c-section” isn’t part of birth classes at hospitals. It’s absurd. I had a planned c-section and if I would not have googled other people’s planned c-section birth stories I would have been so clueless going in. Stuff like, they restrain your arms during the procedure so you don’t accidentally move and get an organ chopped off. Or if you get itchy afterwards that’s from the morphine and they can give you benadryl to make it go away. These are things I wish they would tell people up front. Also, I gave birth at a teaching hospital and I didn’t realize there would be so many people in the OR. There were like 15 people in there.
Anon Lawyer says
Definitely agree with this. I also think it contributes to the feeling a lot of women have that they ‘failed’ by having a C-section. It’s presented as this weird edge scenario despite being very common, quite safe, and often necessary. I had a C due to a breech baby but it was earlier than the scheduled one because my water broke 3 weeks early. As it happened, I had listened to a podcast interviewing a woman about her scheduled C section right beforehand and that gave me WAY more info than the birth class, including things like shaking from the anesthesia. I was surprised at how crowded it was too – and also how bright it was and how small. I realized I was misled by the huge, gleaming, empty ORs on Grey’s Anatomy.
Anon says
Yes! And I think it makes people think of it as the scary option when for high risk patients my doctor told me she actually prefers a c section! She says she has much more control. Less surprises, which is when things can get scary!
Anonanonanon says
Ok so I LOVED the leg squeezy things! They came in at like 3 AM and took those away and took out my catheter and made me walk which WHY?! My legs had been VERY swollen at the end of my pregnancy and it felt so nice. The nurse told me people either love them or hate them.
Also, the shaking right after someone mentioned yesterday was kind of disconcerting.
Cb says
Building on from the bouncy cow, what kid stuff has really stood the test of time for you?
Weirdly, all of mine are transport related. We loved our stroller (City Mini GT with bassinet). We also have a birth to 4 years carseat and it’s been so nice to only make one car seat decision. We upgraded our bike situation last year, with a Topeak bikeseat which is interchangeable between our bikes.
Toys wise, we’re all about Brio and Magnatiles and I suspect will remain that way for a few years.
avocado says
For us it’s a set of three gigantic floor cushions. They started off in a reading corner in kiddo’s bedroom, migrated to the playroom for fort-building, and then saw frequent use as extra seating for book club meetings, movie nights, and sleepovers.
TheElms says
Stokke Trip Trap high chair. Started using it at 6 months, still using it at nearly 2 years and anticipate we’ll be using it for a while yet. I got it used, but now I wish I’d bought it new because its starting to get a bit wiggly and I think its because some of the screw holes have stripped from intense rocking courtesy of said toddler (and likely prior toddlers from the prior family). I only paid $40ish for it, though so I can’t complain. Magnatiles and Duplo are big hits here, as is our play kitchen and play food. They are played with daily and have been for the last 6 months to a year. Also, our Nugget, ball pit, and tunnel. All have been played with daily for about a year and I can’t see that ending any time soon.
Cb says
Ah, we have a hand me down Tripp Trapp and it is so, so good. It works as adult seating in a pinch. It’s on its third kid and still going strong.
Anon says
We have a Joovy Nook high chair that we got at 6 months and is still going strong at 3. We eat family meals together at the dining room table, but put kiddo in her chair when it’s just her eating. It’s a pain to clean but we’ve certainly gotten our money’s worth out of it. It was only about $100.
Anon Lawyer says
I love our Joovy Nook. It is a pain to clean but having the tray swing out is so much easier than other high chairs!
Boston Legal Eagle says
I loved our UppaBaby Cruz stroller. Yes, it was expensive but so worth it in my opinion. We got it pre-kid 1 and it lasted through both kids, we were able to add a ride along board for the older one to use when the younger one was a baby and their customer service is great – they replaced lots of parts for free! We finally gave it away to a neighbor for their new baby and I’m sure it has many more years of use.
Toys wise, my kids like the Brio trains and all accessories, magnatiles and Duplos.
Anon says
Our umbrella stroller (Summer Infant 3D lite). We got it at 6 months, still going strong at 3+ and pre-Covid it took probably 50 flights. We never spent money on a fancy stroller (when kiddo was a newborn we used a snap-n-go with the carseat) and I have no regrets. I think investing in a stroller makes sense if you live some place like NYC and walk everywhere, but I know a lot of suburbanites with $1000 strollers and I have no idea why.
Anonymous says
Toy-wise, we have these little plastic fisher price cars with drivers attached in them that have been played with every day for five years- definitely aimed at like 1.5 year olds but 6 year old still plays with them daily.
Baby Bjorn plastic bibs with food catcher pouch thing – we have ONE, used it daily with older kid from 5 months to over age two and then again with second kid, still looks perfect!
Pogo says
Agree on the little people and little people cars. Also all of our Green Toys have been a hit since kiddo was under one year til 3.5. They’ve held up super well, too.
Anonymous says
IKEA high chair has now been used for a total of almost six years and still going strong. Best $20 ever (might’ve even been $15 at the time). The legs come off so I think we’re going keep it for guests once my youngest is done with it in the next few months (presuming a world where we can have guests again ).
Spirograph says
Our stroller was a City Elite, and was a workhorse through 7 years and 3 kids. We had an infant bucket carseat that I think was a Britax? We had an adapter to make it compatible with the stroller, too, and used it for all 3 kids.
Toys-wise: ALL the blocks (we have duplos and two sizes of their larger cousins), wooden train tracks, magnatiles, play kitchen, tunnel & tent from ikea, a castle my sister got at a craft store and painted & bedazzled, and stuffed animals. And most surprisingly, a play stroller. Honorable mention goes to red Solo cups, which are not sturdy, but easily replaceable. My kids love stacking them to make walls and then busting through Kool-aid Man-style.
AwayEmily says
A doctor’s kit my MIL got my daughter as a gift three years ago still gets played with several times a week. It’s the jankiest doctors kit ever — all cheap plastic, and several pieces, including the actual case, have broken (my MIL has a habit of just buying whatever comes up first when she searches for something on Amazon). But they love it.
No Face says
My Graco4ever car seat is great. Excellent condition and lasts forever. I’m going to buy another one for my youngest now.
Pogo says
On the stroller front, I LOVE my Thule urban glide. So much so that I bought the double. My husband complains because they’re both massive beasts but that’s why they last and handle all sorts of weather and terrain!
CPA Lady says
We have this set of bath toys (B brand fish and splish from target) that kiddo got for her first birthday. She’s 6.5 and still plays with them. Because they are hard plastic, they have not gotten moldy and gross.
Anonymous says
Guava Lotus travel crib for us. We put heavy use on it— my daughter slept in it every night for more than two years and we traveled domestically and internationally with it. It eventually got a hole in the mesh along a seam, so we couldn’t use it with new baby lest he get his head or another limb stuck. I emailed the company and they completely replaced all the mesh siding. It’s back to good as new and now my infant son is in it every night.
Piper Dreamer says
Would you skip ultrasounds/NST? I am 35 weeks pregnant. Two weeks ago at my third-trimester ultrasound, the baby was measured small (5 percentile). So the doctor booked me for weekly ultrasounds and NSTs. Today, the baby is shown to have grown to 30 percentile but the doctor still suggested that I keep my next two weekly appoints. I am, however, considering cancelling them.
I don’t have any other risk factors (young, healthy, no GD or pre-E and had a healthy delivery already). We only have one car so each appt takes a lot of juggling of schedules (daycare dropoff, husband goes to work etc.). It’s also been difficult to block time from work as I am trying to transition a few projects in preparation for my leave.
So I guess I am seeking validation that if I cancel the next two appts, I am making the right decision?
Anonymous says
Of course not! Your doctor is recommending this care. So do it. Rent a car or take an Uber.
Spirograph says
This. And best wishes for good news at all these appointments.
Don’t you have weekly appointments near the end of third tri anyway? I remember being annoyed at the frequency of appointments at the end. But it’s standard of care for a reason, and I would not go against medical advice in late pregnancy. Sure it’s fine 90% of the time, but it can go really, really wrong. And if it does, do you want to be in a position where you or your baby suffered an adverse outcome because it was inconvenient to get to the appointment or you prioritized your job?! That’s not something I’d want to live with.
Anon says
Not OP, but typically these are incremental to your frequent near end OB appointments. In my case, they were at a totally different facility with different specialists, not my OB.
I still agree she needs to do them though.
anon says
+2. I would never skip these if my doctor recommended them.
Anon says
No. If your doctor thinks you should have them, you should have them. Take an Uber or Lyft if necessary (drivers are required to wear masks, so I think it’s pretty safe especially if you roll the windows down) and tell work you’re having health problems and need time off. The risk of stillbirth goes up a lot near the end of pregnancy. Fwiw, I was induced after my daughter failed an ultrasound and NST at my 40 week appointment. She was healthy and the induction was probably unnecessary, but I don’t see a real downside to the additional testing other than the logistical stuff and I don’t think that’s a good reason to delay testing that could save your baby’s life. I had zero risk factors.
Anonymous says
I would NOT get in a rideshare at this stage of pregnancy, masks or not. That’s one of the riskiest things you can do.
Anon says
Do you mean risky because of Covid or car accidents? I don’t know much about the risks of the latter, but the risk of catching Covid if both people are masked and not within a few feet of each other is very low and even lower if you roll the windows down and let fresh air circulate. See e.g., schools operating with virtually no classroom transmission, studies of infected hair stylists not infecting any customers, studies that transmission within households is significantly reduced if “patient zero” wears a mask at all times, etc. The outbreaks all come from people letting their guard down and removing masks with friends and family, or from public situations where mask-wearing is not required, like bars/restaurants and gyms. In a ride share, your exposure is also limited to just one other person and the odds that person is infected are low, whereas if you dine at a restaurant there might be 20+ people in the same room – much more likely that one of those 20 is infected. We’ve been incredibly cautious about Covid and haven’t done even outdoor dining in over a year, but I have taken Lyfts a few times throughout the pandemic when it would have been inconvenient not to, like when I had to take my car to the shop for repairs. Also, in many states, pregnant women are already eligible for vaccines and even one dose is very protective (something like 85% efficacy after one dose vs. 90-95% for two).
AnonATL says
I’d rather know things were progressing well, especially in the home stretch. If they discover something they could induce early or take care of an issue. Not to get overdramatic and scare you, but my SIL had a stillbirth at 38 weeks (placental abruption), and I’ve known plenty of other people who have been induced early as a precaution for things that popped up at the end of their pregnancies.
Anon says
Piling on, but no, cancelling them is not the right decision.
I hope this doesn’t come across as condescending, but I see myself so much in your post. I had to do weekly ultrasounds for my second at the end, and I was so stressed for all the reasons you mention (feeling like that was leaving work too much, we also only had one car etc). I did them anyway, and with the benefit of hindsight and clarity you get from time separation I have thought to myself how silly I was being. It was such a short period in the grand scheme of everything. If something happened to the baby I would have never forgiven myself. If the people involved in the work appts you are worried about scheduling around knew your work together was keeping you from doing a doctor recommended pregnancy monitoring, they would be horrified. I find people/work are very understanding of pregnancy issues (even if and especially if you are vague on the details), they do not want to be the ones viewed as being responsible for something going wrong.
You got this.
Piper Dreamer says
Thank you all! You’ve convinced me to keep these. And yes, I have weekly OB appointments starting next week on top of the ultrasounds, which are at the hospital. I have been keeping quiet about these appointments at work to avoid being mommy-tracked (I know I know). So maybe I should start speaking up more and getting the time I need for these – after all, I’m so close to the finish line.
Anonymous says
I mean, you’re pregnant and you already have another child. There’s no hiding that you’re a mom haha. You wouldn’t fault someone for making appointments for chemo/radiation if they were working through cancer, would you? People have doctors appts, not a big deal.
Katala says
Being mommy tracked isn’t just about them knowing you’re a mom though, if certain people start feeling that you’re not around when they want you to be and it’s because of your kid, it can affect your career. It’s not right, but it happens.
Still, at the end of pregnancy I think you’re less likely to have lasting effects from this. “those people” will forget or it’ll blend in with your mat leave. OP, I’d transition that work NOW if you can. I was put on modified bedrest, meaning I had like 1 afternoon to get everything transitioned over, between 33 and 35 weeks, delivered both at 37. Obviously I thought I had over a month when I had to stop working, and I wish I’d planned for that possibility. Trying to keep that in mind for current baby.
Anon says
No one will remember this by the time you get back from mat leave, unless they already were going to mommy track you in which case it doesn’t matter. Can your husband work from home those days to reduce logistics? Or he takes rodeshare or bikes to work so you have car?
Anon says
One thing is you could talk to your doctor about the situation and see what they say. Sometimes doctors feel differently on their recommendation when they know the whole situation. Also, I saw an OB and an NP so I checked their advice at times. I had a great NP that was willing to tell me if she thought differently than the OB (the OB was great and actually encouraged it to come to the best solution for the patient).