I always forget about this, but Jones New York has an entire line of machine washable suit separates. I like this pinstriped fit and flare dress, available at Macy’s in sizes 2-16 — it looks comfortable, flattering, and professional. It was $139, but is now marked to $118; Jones New York has it for $109. Jones New York Fit and Flare Dress
Psst: Here is a plus-size option. (It’s labeled “hand wash” and not “machine wash,” but the hand-wash cycle on your washer may be close enough — YMMV.)
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Sales of Note…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – 2,100+ new markdowns!
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off all sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything; extra 30% off orders $100+
- Eloquii – $39 select styles; 50% off select styles
- J.Crew – 25-50% off wear-now styles; extra 50% off select sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything; 50% off women’s dresses; extra 60% off clearance
- Loft – 60% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – Up to 40% off your order
- Talbots – Semi-Annual Red Door Sale: Extra 50% off markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ sale items (for women)! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- J.Crew – 25-40% off kids’ styles; extra 50% off select sale
- Lands’ End – Up to 40% off your order
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all kids’ & baby clothing; PJs on sale from $25; up to 75% off clearance
- Carter’s – Rule the School Sale: Up to 50% off; up to 40% off baby essentials
- Old Navy – 50% off back-to-school styles; 30% off your order, even clearance
- Target – Backpacks from $7.99; toddler & kids’ uniforms on sale from $5
- Pottery Barn Baby – Summer sale: up to 50% off
- Nordstrom – Limited time sales on brands like Maxi-Cosi and Bugaboo.
- Strolleria – Free infant seat car adapter with any Thule stroller; 30% off all Peg-Perego gear in our exclusive Incanto Collection
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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?
RemindsMe says
Pinafore is what comes to mind… Maybe it looks much better in real life with accessories, nice shoes etc.
hoola hoopa says
Interesting. I’m trying to see that, but I can’t.
I think it’s really cute and agree that it seems like it would be flattering. I live in these types of dresses because it’s so easy to look pulled together in a rushed morning.
(former) preg 3L says
How often do you all bathe your babies? My mother insists that daily baths are necessary, but I thought that would dry out my LO’s skin? (LO is 7 months, FWIW.)
JJ says
At 7 months, I was bathing every other day to every two days in the summer. That was mostly to get all the accumulated food off the baby and not because he was actually smelly. Once it cooled off, it was definitely every third day. If the baby is particularly sticky from dinner, I’ll bathe him earlier because I’d want to avoid any potential side-eye from his daycare teachers.
Around 15 months is when we transition to nightly baths because the boys just get so grimy playing outside at school. And it was a great routine to have to get the toddler ready to go to bed.
Carrie M says
This is actually a point of disagreement in my house right now, so I’m interested in the responses. We currently bathe 3 times a week. LO is also 7 months. Sometimes it’s more if she gets especially dirty at daycare from painting or being outside. My husband thinks we should do baths nightly. LO actually loves the bath, so I don’t think she’d mind doing it nightly. I just don’t want to start a routine that may be hard to maintain….sometimes I’m scrambling to get home from work in time to feed her and put her to bed, let alone adding in a bath in there.
mascot says
Once we got past the newborn stage, we bathed every day. He really loves the bath and it is part of the bedtime routine. We used either cali. baby products or aveeno and didn’t have problems with dry skin. I really like coconut oil as a moisturizer too. It’s rare that we skip baths (he’s 4 now and gets filthy). At the very least, he gets wiped down with baby wipes if it is super late. Once he got old enough to take a shower with us, we found that sped things along.
JJ says
Oh, good point. We use the Baby Aveeno Lavender scented wash/shampoo and I absolutely love the way it makes them smell. Whether it actually helps with bedtime, who knows? But my oldest has some eczema and the Aveeno seems to help.
Nonny says
Same here. We bathe my LO every night as part of her bedtime routine. She loves bath time.
Spirograph says
My husband has always given LO (1.5) a bath every night because it’s their fun daddy-son time (now that LO is bigger, this is often husband’s shower with son splashing around on the other end of the tub). On weeks he’s out of town, my son gets a bath when he’s dirty. Every other day or every 3rd day, depending on what he had for dinner, how much dirt he threw on himself, and whether I have patience to spare for a bath vs wiping him off really well with a washcloth. Luckily the stories and songs seem to be the “important” part of the bedtime routine, so he doesn’t get thrown off by missing his bath. We haven’t had a problem with dry skin, but will have to keep an eye on it now that winter’s coming.
Katarina says
Every few days for my 13 month old. When he was really little it was infrequently to avoid dry skin. Now it is partly out of laziness. He gets wiped off after meals. I don’t think daily baths are necessary until puberty, although we might start once my son can mostly bathe himself. I have a solid bedtime routine without bathing, and any baths are during the day. I do baths on weekends, and my husband does them during the week (he stays home).
KJ says
Mine is 5.5 months with eczema and we do every other night. She loves the bath so it’s not too difficult, but I don’t want to dry out her skin any more than necessary. We have been introducing solids lately, and we only do it on bath nights because she makes such a mess!
Anonyc says
I’m a stickler for cleanliness so pretty much from week one my kids got baths every night. We always found it helped the kids settle down for bedtime, plus they are just dirty (diapers, spitup, daycare grime, city dirt, etc.). I also wanted them to like the water. Their skin is semi-sensitive but that hasn’t proved an issue–we used California Baby stuff at first and then regular old J&J baby wash. Lotion post-bath to solve any other dryness.
Anon says
Hi Ladies – I’m due with my first at the end of November, and looking for a good book about breastfeeding that has good advice for working moms. I received the 2002 edition of the Everything Breastfeeding book as a gift, and while it has some helpful information, I find it pretty judgy about going back to work (focuses more on whether you should really go back than on providing good advice for those of us who are definitely going back). Did anyone have any really helpful go-to books that gave good, practical advice for things like how and when to introduce bottles, whether you should stockpile some milk before you go back and, if so, how to do it, and other tips pertinent to working moms? There are so many other books out there; it’s hard to figure out which one would be a better resource. Thanks!
anonmama says
I didn’t find a good book out there specifically for working moms, (maybe someone else has a recommendation) but I found kellymom (dot) com to be invaluable! Everything from tips on pumping, increasing supply, how to give baby bottles to keep it from developing bottle preference, how long milk can last at room temp or in your cooler, etc. Incredibly helpful.
Also you should check out newborns (dot) stanford (dot) edu and look for their breastfeeding videos. There is one on “Max Production” (avoiding posting links to avoid moderation) that is phenomenal for moms pumping at work and trying to keep up with how much their babies are eating.
Not specific to working moms, but I found Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding book to be hugely helpful and she does have a chapter on going back to work, preparing your stash, etc. Her tips were very helpful to me (such as nursing topless to increase skin-to-skin contact when I was home with baby in the evenings to help trigger greater milk production).
NewMomAnon says
Second KellyMom. Also, Dr. Sears’ website has some good information on nursing. I personally found that books were less helpful than taking a survey of a range of websites and picking the information that made sense to me. I also joined a new mom’s group that included a lot of working moms, and they had great information on pumping, how to freeze milk, managing supply (both under and over supply), introducing bottles, etc.
Nonny says
Third KellyMom, and second Ina May.
JJ says
It’s not specifically on breastfeeding, but I loved Balance is a Crock and Sleep is for the Weak. It’s relatively tongue-in-cheek, but it was very helpful to give tips and perspective on being a working mom.
Katarina says
I read the The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, and found it very judgmental about going back to work. The hospital I delivered at offered a pumping class, and I found that very helpful. I also took the breastfeeding class, which was only okay. I also talked to the lactation consultant in the hospital, who was helpful.
I heard a recommendation to introduce a bottle between 4-6 weeks, at least every few days. For the first time to introduce the bottle, have your husband offer freshly pumped milk. I introduced a bottle at 4 weeks to go back to work at six weeks. If I could go back in time, though, I would not worry so much about introducing the bottle, and probably wait until I was back at work. For my first six weeks back at once, I nursed my son at lunch to try to continue establishing my supply. My son never had any problem taking a bottle, but always had a slight nursing preference.
Start pumping at the earliest at two weeks pospartum, which is what I did. To build up a stash of breast milk before going back to work, pump immediately after breastfeeding. At first you will not get much, but the amount will increase if you keep at it, especially if you pump at approximately the same time each day. The earlier in the day you pump, the better, because supply is greatest early in the day. I could never get to it until late afternoon, because I valued breakfast and a shower highly. I never pumped much until I actually was missing nursing sessions going back to work. My stash was pretty small when I went back to work, but it increased significantly in my early days back at work, when I was pumping much more than my son was eating. It turned out to be very helpful, because later my son was eating more than I pumped (the amount he was eating didn’t change much, but the amount I pumped decreased over time).
RDC says
I’m also expecting for late November so these tips are great – thanks ladies! Out of curiosity, why do you wait until 2 weeks postpartum to start pumping? Someone had told me that it was fine to start from the very beginning, and could help increase supply. (This is my first, so I am totally clueless.) thanks!
Spirograph says
I’m not sure about the reason, but my doctor also advised me to wait and I can only imagine it is a personal comfort thing. If your baby is eating well, you don’t want to pump extra because you’ll end up even MORE engorged and miserable as your body tries to keep up. I was lucky to have a good eater and never have supply problems, though. I think the advice might change based on your individual situation.
FWIW, I started pumping around one month, and pumped once a day (usually right before bed, in hopes that I would be slightly less likely to wake up in a puddle). This generated enough bottles for baby when I was at class 2 nights a week, and still built up a decent freezer stash before I went to work at 3 months. I usually got 10oz per session pumping twice a day at work, and baby did not drink that much during the day when he was younger, so the freezer stash mostly kept growing. Every baby is different, but it’s my understanding that it’s not uncommon for baby to only eat a little bit while away from you, especially at first, and then be ravenous in the evening when you get home. So even if it’s smallish, you may get more mileage out of your stockpile than you think. You will also come to dread power outages with a paranoia you didn’t think possible.
Anonyc says
FYI–some of this might depend on how your body does milk coming in. With my first it wasn’t so terrible (some engorgement) and I was able to pump with a manual to relieve discomfort. With my second and third, it was h.o.r.r.i.b.l.e. I was beyond uncomfortable into straight-up pain and desperately needed to pump to get the milk out and give some relief (before, during, and after bf sessions, cuz it was crummy to the nth degree). I had a great time nursing with kid one so I didn’t worry about establishing supply or even getting to the right output–that happens, IME, over time (and again, having some extra milk to freeze isn’t the worst thing). I’d never heard about not pumping for the initial few weeks and would have totally ignored it even if I did.
Back to the original query–this forum and C*pette’s main site has perhaps some of the most helpful advice I’ve seen for working and bfing. I’m currently in my 31st month of nursing (over three kids, gah!) and the only thing I’d say is what others have said here: you do you. Nurse if you can but don’t kill yourself pumping or anything like that. I’m very pro-supplementing with formula so I don’t have to pump so much at work (I aim to pump once at work) because I hate pumping. At this point I don’t really have space in my life for things that are too difficult, and this outlook has saved my sanity. And I know it’s an old tale but I most assuredly have a beer every night :-)
Katarina says
Pumping too early can lead to an oversupply, which may sound good in theory, but can cause problems. The milk can come out too fast, causing the baby too choke or have trouble latching. Also, the baby might not be well emptying the breast, and is not getting enough of the fatty hindmilk.
NewMomAnon says
Yes! From experience – oversupply can also cause baby to latch shallow and clamp down while nursing to try to slow the flow, which will shred your n*pples. My understanding is that your body takes cues from those first 4-6 weeks about how much milk to produce, and essentially locks that in as the default which can only be changed with significant effort and patience. The advice I got regarding building up a freezer stash was to pump for a few minutes after baby finished eating, so you don’t trick your body into thinking it needs to generate extra feedings. I tended to do that at night after I’d gotten baby back down to sleep.
mascot says
We introduced a bottle from the beginning (formula supplement) and he seemed fine with going between the two. We did have to experiment with a few brands to find one that he liked. It was also nice get a break and have someone else feed him.
Purely an anecdote, but a friend found that her baby didn’t like the previously frozen milk. She would only take it freshly pumped or fresh from the tap. So maybe try a few feedings of frozen milk before breaking your neck to build a huge freezer stash.
(former) preg 3L says
This last part is SO IMPORTANT — I had 250 oz of pumped milk in the freezer that my daughter refused to take. Pump a few oz, freeze it, try giving it to baby a couple of days later. If baby won’t take it, you’ll want to scald the milk before freezing it. It’s easy enough to scald milk (check Kelly mom for tips, but basically just use a double boiler and once you see tiny bubbles around the edges of the milk, it’s hot enough), then cool it, then freeze it.
hoola hoopa says
Thanks for that tip. Mine wouldn’t take frozen, either. Luckily my weeks are pretty routine, so I could always have fresh on hand but it would have been nice to have at least a little freezer stash.
A book like OP describes would be fabulous. Breastfeeding came easily to me, but I never felt like a smart pumper. We all lived, but I could have used a reference manual.
I found my doctors helpful since many of them were working mothers.
KJ says
I’ve gotten a lot of good information from Kelly Mom, but I wouldn’t call it especially working mom friendly. Some of the advice is unrealistic/martyr-y for any mom, but especially for a working mom, so take it with a grain of salt and don’t feel like you have to do everything they suggest.
Anon says
Hi all – OP here. Thank you all so much for these great suggestions! This is one of the many reasons why I love the CorporetteMoms.
Meg Murry says
http://www.workandpump.com is also a good resource. Regarding when to start pumping – it all depends on your supply. I had supply issues and had to start pumping almost right away to give my body additional “demand” signal. But overall, the best advice I got was to start pumping after the first feed of the morning daily about 1 month before you need to go back to work to build up a freezer stash, and 1-2 weeks before you go back start pumping for 5-10 minutes after each feed that happens during work hours, to encourage your body to produce more during those times.
Anon says
http://kellymom.com/category/bf/pumpingmoms/ – this was one of my go-to websites.
My daughter didn’t have a bottle until she was 4 months old and took one just fine from anyone except me. Try to hold off introducing bottles until your supply is well established.
You may also need to experiment with what works for you and your baby. I needed to use a hand pump as I could never get decent let-down with electric pumps. I didn’t have much luck with pumping (despite lots of supply) until baby was around 3 months old.
ANP says
Also loved Kellymom, but if you’re on Facebook their (private/closed) group is even better than the website. The general mantra is “b-feed as long as possible” which may be a bit jarring if you’re not into BF’ing your four year old (NO judgment from me! I just wasn’t that way — got to 14 months with my second kid and 9 with my first, and that was all good). However, that group saved my butt more than once when I had a BFing question and I tell friends to take what you want and leave the rest.
sfg says
I have to say, I was really hoping that being pregnant and becoming a parent would be different from getting married in that being pregnant is not supposed to be about other peoples’ hopes/expectations (other people defined as outside of my spouse, the baby-to-be, and myself). Now that our families know (and they are not local to us at all), however, that is clearly not the case, at least for them. I know I need to set firm boundaries and maintain them. I guess I’m just venting and maybe looking for advice on how to do this – because I can tell that my mother especially (we don’t have a good relationship) is going to be problematic.
NewMomAnon says
Unfortunately, I think those battles become worse once the baby is born. Everyone has ideas about how much your baby should be sleeping, what kinds of diapers they should wear, whether girls can wear pink, when babies should start solid foods, what kind of foods they should be eating (smug baby led weaning mom at daycare – I’m glaring at you). I found that those battles become even more emotional because so often the viewpoint is expressed as “the right” way to do things and you feel like you must be failing your child when you’re actually doing a pretty good job.
The fights with family are even worse. I’ve had to battle my mother in law about whether she can pick up my infant from daycare whenever she wants, whether she can demand that we produce said kiddo whenever she chooses for whatever activity she chooses (including solo overnights at 3 months old), and whether we have to “keep score” on which grandmother is getting more time with the baby. I’ve had to fight my mother on whether my baby is chunky or not (god, I can’t believe that starts so young).
I struggle with feeling like I need to live up to other people’s expectations, and was making up all these excuses for why I should get to do things the way my spouse and I have decided to do them. Finally, a friend gave me permission to just say, “I’m a new mom and I’m not comfortable with that yet. Thanks though, I’ll remember it for later.” I found that family respected that a lot more than making up a bunch of excuses.
It’s hard. Vent here as needed, we get it. Hugs.
(former) preg 3L says
Check out Alphamom dot com for amazing tips about setting boundaries. She has an “Advice Smackdown” column that she writes 1-2x/wk and they are occasionally about pregnancy issues. My MO has been to just be as supportive as I can toward other moms, because this sh!t is hard, no matter how you do it.
mascot says
I found that one of the biggest triggers with family is that they are usually speaking from their own experience (or mistaken memory) of how it was when they were parenting you/your spouse. So it’s not a far emotional leap for them to say that by disagreeing with them, you are actually critiquing how they parented. And you turned out just fine, thank you very much, so what is the big deal, etc. I didn’t really get this until I got into a tiff with my mom over breast feeding. She couldn’t do it for medical reasons, so when I was being rather militant about my feeding methods, her feelings got really hurt. Now I try to remember that there are 1000 right ways to parent and very few wrong ways. So sometimes you just have to agree to disagree, take the matter under advisement and move on.