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This is an interesting washable top by Alfani for Macy’s. The keyhole is a unique shape and gives interest to the neckline, and I like the longer length and the generous cut of this shirt. I think based on this shape, you could wear this as an early maternity shirt or even postpartum. The pictured “Cranberry Spice” color is very pretty — with my coloring I could not pull off the “Warm Ginger,” but if you can it looks like a wardrobe staple. The top is available at Macy’s for $59.50 full price in sizes XS–XXL, but keep an eye out for their frequent sales. Knot-Detail Keyhole Top Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear. This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
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- 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?
Cb says
Someone recommended Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel last week and my copy arrived this am. It is a gorgeous book and I’m so excited to add it to our transport book rotation. Dare I hope it usurps Thomas?
EB0220 says
I need to get this one and some other Virginia Lee Burton. Her book, The Little House, is one of our favorites. Between the art, layout of the words and her writing style it’s very soothing.
FVNC says
The Little House was one of my favorites growing up. My parents saved my copy, which I now read with my daughter. Not gonna lie, I choked up reading the first few times to her. Love Virginia Lee Burton books!
lsw says
It was one of my favorite childhood books and the first book I bought for my son! Sadly, it is merely in addition to Thomas, as opposed to replacing Thomas.
GCA says
Have you tried hiding Thomas and hoping kiddo forgets about it for a while? :)
Anonymous says
Ha! My husband remembers that book from his childhood and loves it. I’m not a big fan personally — I’m such a critic, lol. But seriously, can’t this be rewritten / updated to get rid of the strange emotional attachment it conveys to coal power technology, in light of what we know now about its environmental impact? (I know, I know… it’s a kids book…)
Christa says
Sorrry for the late reply, but she also wrote a book called Katie and the Big Snow that my daughter absolutely loves. It also has the truck/snow plow aspect for kids into machines.
octagon says
Seeking recommendations for games for a 3-year-old. Is this the right age for Connect Four? Candyland? Something that would fill the 30 minutes before dinner would be great, while also starting to instill a sense of not always winning (to piggyback off the discussion yesterday).
Anonymous says
We have Candyland with a three year old. She knows how to play correctly, but really has trouble accepting the rule that you take the top card and don’t search through for a special card. How much I protest depends on how much energy I have. I’m thinking about getting Chutes and Ladders. We have the Daniel Tiger game, and I do not recommend it. It is needlessly complicated. We basically just let kiddo run her piece around without following the rules.
EB0220 says
At 3, my kid really liked Sneaky Squirrels and Franky’s Food Truck.
Anonymous says
Candyland and Chutes and Ladders are good starter games. Connect Four would be the next step. Old Maid, Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Uno are also great at this age.
If you are looking for a non-competitive game, Snail’s Pace Race is cute. The pieces, not the players, are racing. The drawback is that it teaches the kid to move the snail whose color is rolled, which can cause confusion when the kid starts playing games like Candyland where she always has to move her own piece.
Anonymous says
If you can find smaller sized card games, opt for those. Regular playing cards are too big for little hands even with the fan holders and my kid got frustrated when he’d get a ton of cards to hold in games like Uno.
Boston Legal Eagle says
My almost 3 year old plays Candyland pretty well. We also like matching games – where you have to turn over cards to get a matching pair. It’s good at teaching memory and also patience, as we each have to take a turn turning over the cards.
HSAL says
Oh man, I got you covered. Two great cooperative games are Hoot Owl Hoot and Snug as a Bug in a Rug. I particularly like Snug as a Bug in a Rug as it helps kids work on shapes, numbers, and colors. It’s 3+ and my 3 1/2 year old nails it, so I think you could even go a little younger. Both games also give you three levels of difficulty as they get a little older. Everyone works together to achieve the goal, so no individual winner or loser.
We also like Go Away Monster and Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, but those are both games with a winner.
lsw says
Caveat that we are big board gamers so buying our kid his first board games was super, super exciting – we love the Haba brand. We have Hungry as a Bear, which he’s been “playing” since about a year old. We also have Animal Upon Animal and the Haba fishing game (magnetic fishing rod picking up wooden fish). His “playing” is limited to free style play where he just experiments with the different things – feeding the bear, stacking the animals, picking up the fish – but each game does have several different levels of rules as well. He’s 2.5 now.
Anonymous says
There are a lot of cooperative games for preschoolers. We have Count Your Chickens, and my 6 year old still enjoys it. One great bonus is that the game gets easier to win as you loose more pieces.
Redux says
We like Spot It. It’s not a cooperative game, but you can set it up where there is not really a winner. I like that it’s portable and doesn’t take up any space, so it’s easy to throw in your bag or coat pocket and play at a restaurant table while waiting for your order. Even my two year old who does not know yet how to play will shout out name of animals he sees and sometimes gets it right.
Anonymous says
We have “Hoot Owl Hoot” which is a bit hit. It’s a little like CandyLand, but it’s “cooperative” which makes it a bit easier.
AwayEmily says
These are amazing recommendations. I have an almost-3yo and I have to admit I never even CONSIDERED playing a game with her. Now I am inspired to try!
Anonymous says
I would recommend the “Press Here” game. Most of the games are labelled with the appropriate age. Connect 4 says ages 6+.
GCA says
Love these recommendations! We just hosted a kid-friendly (and grownup-friendly) game afternoon with a bunch of 3-5 year olds: one or two parents supervised Dinosaur Escape (you roll dice and help dinosaurs escape to an island from a volcano that’s about to erupt) or Kerplunk (a Jenga-type ‘don’t let the marbles fall’ game), while the other parents would play Dominion or Race for the Galaxy or something else with a higher cognitive load. We also just got kid 1 (3.5) a game called Rivers, Roads and Rails – it’s a matching game sort of like Carcassonne. He doesn’t follow the rules yet, but enjoys matching the tiles. The baby is currently crawling and putting everything in her mouth so games with tiny pieces are a no-go while she is awake.
Another friend of mine has just started playing a roleplaying-style game with her daughter in 30 minute increments before bedtime – they make up a storyline together and roll dice to decide what the characters do. Apparently Minnie Mouse is currently sailing the high seas and defending her ship from pirates…
octagon says
oh! I loved Kerplunk as a kid. That takes me back!
AnoninBigLaw says
You’ve gotten a lot of great recommendations here. I’d add Yeti in my Spaghetti (which I describe as Jenga for preschoolers). You take turns removing spaghetti noodles and hoping the Yeti doesn’t fall in the bowl. We also buy a lot of the Smart Games brand games – they are 1 player puzzles with varying levels of difficulty. For our 3-4 yo, she has the 3 Little Pigs game and the Little Red Riding Hood one. You can try the games online first to see how they work and if you think your kid would be into it.
westernisland says
Memory is another good one. You may even start by playing with cards face up or pulling out half of the pairs and playing with a smaller set of matches face down. We got another one for Christmas where you fit different shapes into the game board and it’s set to a timer. I can’t remember the name. My kids,3 and 6, play it together, sometimes with the timer, sometimes not. Operation is another hit.
octagon says
Thank you!
Is Perfection the one with the shapes? I have a memory of playing that too.
I wondered about Operation – is 3 too young? I don’t want something that is overly frustrating or hard.
westernisland says
Yes – perfection is the one! I would say operation played properly is probably to hard for a 3 year old, but my son often hits the sides in operation on purpose b/c making it buzz is fun…so…YMMV.
anon says
Double stroller recommendations? The topic comes up a lot but most of the comments seem to be for city dwellers. We live in the ‘burbs and don’t use our stroller much except for zoo trips, neighborhood walks, etc. in the spring and summer. Expecting our second this summer and debating what to get. Oldest will be 2.5 but is in the 1st percentile for her age. I’m leaning toward a vista with rumble seat because we loved our cruz but are side by sides better?
HSAL says
Also in the suburbs, and that’s exactly how I use my stroller and we love the City Mini GT Double, but we have twins and a 3 1/2 year old. Before we found out that #2 was actually going to be #2 and #3, I was looking at the Joovy Caboose sit and stand, but I’ve liked the side by side quite a bit.
anon says
Loved my City Mini. I had a Joovy before and hated it. Too hard to maneuver.
ElisaR says
i have mentioned me thoughts on this before, so apologies if i’m a broken record!
I decided the vista with rumble was not good for several reasons. The rumble seat is where the baby would be (the older child won’t fit in it, it’s only good up to 30 lbs and we tried it in the store and his head hit the top– my son was only 20 months at this point and he’s tall but not that tall). I didn’t want my little baby in the seat where I can’t see him and he’s close to the ground. I am also in the suburbs and went with the city mini GT side by side. I’m very happy with it with a few exceptions (i hate the tray set up). It is a smooth ride, i can steer it with one hand, the boys can interact w/ each other. It fits through the door to get into the mall. So I think it is as wide as a wheelchair.
ElisaR says
I alluded to it below, but the city mini GT is fairly easy to fold up and get in and out of the car. It’s bulky, but I think all strollers are. One other thing that stinks about the stroller is the under-area storage space is small and annoying to get to.
anon says
when i was expecting my twins I did EXTENSIVE research on double strollers. Based on your needs I would echo HSAL and say go with the City Mini GT Double, even though that is not actually what we have. We ended up with the Thule Double Jogger because we wanted it for walks around our neighborhood, which happens to have particularly uneven sidewalks and streets and a nice walking path that is dirt, so we wanted more robust wheels. The City Mini GT Double is a good price point and weight. Also – if you want more details read Lucie’s List. It is always my go to when trying to decide on products like this. I know some people with the Vista who end up not loving the rumble seat. The one thing with the City Mini GT Double is that once your new baby is out of their car seat, he/she will have to face forwards and will be unable to face you.
Anonymous says
With that age gap and not having to worry about using it in coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores etc. like a city person would, I would get a side-by-side. We have a Vista and I’m still torn as to whether we should have gotten a double Bob. We’re more city than suburbs, so I think we made the right choice, but if I were farther out, I definitely would have wished we went side by side.
Anonymous says
Thirding (fourthing?) recs for the City Mini GT double. We also live in the ‘burbs and basically use it only for neighborhood walks in nice weather and zoo trips, but have loved it since our now 2-year-old twins were tiny. We never have issues with it being too wide to fit places and for things like the zoo it’s nice that both kids can be “in front”.
The basket is a pain to get big bags out of and if you want snack cups, etc, you have to buy them separately (we haven’t bothered), but it’s super easy to push and collapse and fits in our small car when needed.
Boston Legal Eagle says
We decided against the Vista because of the height and weight restriction of the rumble seat for the toddler, even though we love our Cruz. Our almost 3 year old is average to tall and he’s already over the height limit. We haven’t gotten the double stroller yet but we’re leaning towards either the Citi Mini or double Bob. I like everything about the Citi Mini except the small storage, but might have to live with that. The double jogger would hopefully inspire us to run with the kids more.
Anonymous says
Bugaboo Donkey or Stroll-Air. Side by Side. Loved that the seats could both rearface, one rearface/one forward face or both forward face depending on what each kid wanted/needed at a particular time.
Anonymous says
City mini double all the way for a reason that others haven’t emphasized: it’s SO easy to fold and unfold, and throw in the trunk. Any other type of stroller requires multiple hands and that just becomes a pain if you are frequently driving somewhere (like in my suburbs) where you’ll use your stroller. If you’ll rarely take it in the car we have also loved a double jogging stroller (we have the single BOB for serious runner but a cheaper double jogger that has been fine for a very casual runner and mostly just around the neighborhood or on walking trails nearby). But jogging strollers are super bulky and painful to fold so those don’t ever go in the car.
Brir says
I have a 2 year old and 4 month old and I am getting the joovy caboose ultralight too sit and stand (just ordered from amazon). We won’t use it enough to justify one of the nicer brands and this seems lighter/nicer/more compact than the affordable (graco, babytrend) double brands. Also I like the bench seat with harness and stand option for the toddler. A side by side BOB etc would definitely be better for walks/jogs but we don’t want to deal with it indoors or in crowds.
ElisaR says
I also have a hand-me-down side by side BOB. You’re right Brir, it’s nice for walks/jogs but getting it into a car is annoying so it stays in the garage and gets used for local stuff only for my family.
Strategymom says
We have the same joovy and have loved it! Steering isn’t perfect, but we only use occasionally and it’s great for travel
HSAL says
We moved last fall and the new house has a small, tree-lined backyard. The former owner had a big chunk of it covered with flagstones and ground cover, but those flagstones are going to be real toddler-killers so we’re ripping all that out this summer and replacing it with grass or more ground cover. We’re going to have a couple of people out to give estimates on all that, but any recommendations on good grass/ground cover for a pretty shaded backyard? I want to have a little more usable space for the kids to run around.
Also, we’ve got a large deck that will be good for a kiddy pool and water table, but any suggestions for a small playset? We really don’t have room for a giant one but we’ll have three kids (an almost-four year old and one year old twins) playing on it. There’s a giant tree stump there we’ll be leaving in place, so I’m thinking of using that as a little table for them or something, but I’m open to options there as well.
Anonymous says
Grass is going to be dependent of your region/climate and exactly how much shade your yard gets. If you are in a warm area, St Augustine grass may work. We’re in the coastal south and have zoysia in our backyard. It holds up well to kids playing and looks gorgeous, but it is high maintenance to look its best.
anon says
As an urban dweller, I don’t have any recs but I would check out Emily Henderson’s blog. She did a whole series on backyard ideas for kids. Made me super jealous! Regarding grass, could you ask neighbors with nice yards what kind of grass they have or who their landscapers are? My dad is obsessed with his lawn and would be thrilled to have someone stop by and compliment it.
HSAL says
Thanks for this rec, that is an INTENSE backyard. She’s not entirely my style but this is a really fun read and is giving me some ideas.
Anonymous says
A local nursery – not a big box store – especially one that offers landscape design services, could probably give good advice about grass and ground cover options that work best in your area.
Anonymous says
I’ve also been looking for a small playset and not having much luck, so hopefully you get some good suggestions I can borrow!
Anonymous says
If you have a big tree without low branches in the way, a tree platform could take the place of a playset and would still get used by older kids.
If you want a nice lawn, you need in-ground sprinklers.
HSAL says
We have them, but weren’t sure we’d have the system turned back on this spring. Does it make that much of a difference? I don’t really care much about how it looks, just that there’s enough for kids to run around on.
anon says
It depends on what part of the country you are in. Regardless, most new sod requires daily watering at the beginning so the in-ground sprinklers will be very important for that phase.
HSAL says
That’s really helpful, thanks. I hadn’t thought about that. We’re in the Midwest.
anon says
I’m anon at 2:05. I think you should definitely visit a local garden center (not a big box) to chat about what grows easily/well in your area and in shady conditions. They can also tell you what you’ll need to do to care for the seed or sod in the first few months and then seasonally after that.
I’m in Texas and we water as often as drought conditions/rules allow (weekly at least and generally overnight) in the summer and little to none in the winter. I have no idea how that would compare in the midwest. Sorry :/ and good luck!
Redux says
Has anyone seen the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical on stage? Thoughts on age-appropriateness?
HSAL says
I saw it like 20 years ago in a children’s production. 3 or 4, depending on your kid? There’s nothing objectionable, so they just need to be able to sit still and quietly.
Travel Bug says
I have the itch to travel next fall with my kids. We haven’t done an international trip with them beyond the Caribbean. Kids will be 4.5 and just turned 3. Could also do a fun city trip (might take them to New York again?) but I’m tempted to go further afield. Any recommendations of trips that were highlights with young kids? (Or can someone point me towards an old thread – I couldn’t find this by searching!) We’ll likely have 7-9 days… traveling from Houston if that makes a difference!
Anonymous says
I’m not in Houston but i’m guessing you can fly non-stop to many major Euro cities? I’ve done London, Paris, Rome with kids under 5. All were a lot of fun and would be great in the early fall (Sept/Oct).
OP says
Any favorites between those? We’ve spent time in all three, but not with kids… I’m also trying to explain to my husband why we shouldn’t just do a long New York weekend (we used to live there). I think just knowing we are capable of larger travel would make me happy right now though!
Anonymous says
Not the same Anon, but both London and Paris are great with kids! I’ve only been to Rome as an adult, so no knowledge there.
Anonymous says
Rome was definitely the favorite of the kids, because of the food. And probably our favorite too, also largely because of the food (and wine) and just the general scenery and vibe of Italy, which is one of our favorite countries ever. London has so much stuff for slightly older kids (Harry Potter, children’s theater, high tea parties) that I might delay it for a few years. We were only there for a couple days (it was combined with a work trip to Cambridge) so I didn’t feel like our trip was “wasted” but if we’d spent a full week there I might, because we definitely want to go back once we have elementary schoolers. I definitely recommend going somewhere you’ve been before so you won’t be devastated if you miss some of the big sights.
OP says
I had the same thought with London! I keep seeing recommendations for kids that include Platform 9 3/4 – even in an article about toddler travel – and we are not there yet!
Agreed Rome would likely be a big hit and we’ve spent less time there than the others (in a good way). It’s actually the one under discussion here that doesn’t have a nonstop flight, but if we are traveling a distance maybe that shouldn’t matter?
Anonymous says
If you can, I’d recommend flying to the East Coast of the US (NYC, etc) and then non-stop to Rome, versus flying from Houston to London or another European city and then on to Rome. Better to stack the layovers, security checks, etc. at the beginning when the kids are less tired. My kids don’t sleep on redeyes and crash hard when we get to Europe. Trying to do a flight/train immediately after an early morning arrival in Europe is rough. We’ve done it, but it’s rough.
anon says
fellow Houstonite who also used to live in NYC! I’m impressed you have kids 1.5 years apart. I haven’t been with kids, but I’ve heard both Paris and Berlin are great with kids.
Anon says
We haven’t done this trip with kids, but my husband and I spent some time in the Loire Valley (2-3 hours outside of Paris) a few years ago and were pleasantly surprised at how many kids were there and how family-friendly it seemed. We definitely plan on taking our toddler once she gets a bit older.
Anonymous says
What about Vancouver/Calgary/Banff as an easy international trip?
For outside cities in Europe – check out Kinder Hotels – they have a lot of different kid friendly hotels
in Portgual, the Martinhal resorts are great for kids
OP says
Banff is totally on my list, but I want to avoid anywhere I’d be sad not to be able to do hiking and more outdoorsy stuff since I don’t think we are quiiite there yet! But putting it on my long list = and thanks for the hotel/resort recs!
Butter says
We went to Switzerland last summer and it was fabulous. Spent half the time at a lake, half the time in the mountains, all the time outside enjoying the fresh air, great views, and kid-friendly hikes. There are loads and loads of playgrounds all over Switzerland, and the transportation infrastructure makes getting around a breeze. Very fun for an entry-level trip for little ones.
Anonymous says
I’d love to hear more about this trip – any lodging recommendations?
Anon says
Did anyone make the move from Arlington/DC to further out suburbs like Vienna/Fairfax? I’d love to hear your experiences. We are still pre-kids but trying to get settled in a house before trying and it seems like that’s the best bet for us in terms of price, still metro accessible, etc. but I’m anxious about it! It just seems so suburban although I suppose that’s the point.
Anon says
No advice on the city to burbs (we went from Vienna to the western edge of Great Falls), but we bought a “forever” home right after we got married knowing we would want to try for kids in a year or two. I’m so, so, so glad we did it that way (caveat that it was not a financial stretch for us – we stuck to something we could afford on one income, which was an astonishing degree of foresight given my husband decided to stay home with our kids). Knowing that we will not outgrow this space (absent something miraculous like higher-order multiples) and being settled and not having to move with a baby or a toddler like so many of my friends is a huge de-stresser. We were pretty much priced out of Vienna when we were looking – you’re often competing with developers for tear-downs and new construction in Vienna is $1.2+; Fairfax has a much wider variety of price points. I’d also encourage you to look at Reston – the metro ride in from Wiehle-Reston isn’t terrible and the houses there can be a little more reasonable.
RDC says
If you’re willing to go off the metro, we love the Claremont neighborhood. It’s right next to Shirlington, has good transit via bus, and Claremont has single family homes (whereas Shirlington and Fairlington are mostly condos/townhouses). We love the area because it’s green, we have a backyard, but it’s still close-in (I work downtown). And is much more affordable than north Arlington.
OP says
Thank you!!! Very helpful.
So Anon - Great Sheets?? says
I picked up the civil summons today for my divorce, which is the last piece of paperwork that I needed. I am filing on Friday. In celebration, I would like to get a set of really nice sheets, preferably something warm as it was 2F this morning. Any recommendations?
Anon says
I love my Company Store sheets – I keep penguin printed flannel on the bed in the winter and it’s nice and toasty. I see lots of ads for brooklinen sheets as being amazing, but I have not tried them.
Anon says
I really love our Boll and Branch bedding. We have two of their signature sheets, but they also make a flannel set as well.
EB0220 says
Aw, I love this idea! We are meh on Brooklinen (the regular sheets). We like our Boll & Branch sheets much better (again, the regular sheets). We haven’t tried the B&B flannel but that’s probably what I would get in your place! We have some flannel sheets from Eddie Bauer which I would not recommend (not soft enough). Also, now I need penguin flannel sheets.
FVNC says
I like my LL Bean flannel sheets! They’re soft and cozy, and have held up well the past 3 or 4 winters.
Lana Del Raygun says
Anyone have thoughts on beach trips with babies? I love love love the ocean and haven’t been in a couple years. Our daughter will be 7-9 months this summer, depending on what month we went. My general approach to the beach is “run into the sea like a wild person and stay there until your lips are blue” but I do count jumping waves on the shore, which is my land-locked husband’s preference. Should we just leave LO with a babysitter? The beach is about 2.5 hours away so it wouldn’t be overnight.
Anonymous says
It might be easier if you stay overnight? A 7-9 month old will likely be sleeping 14-16 hours/day so you’ll have a lot of time while she’s napping and you and your husband can take turns going to the beach (or leaving her with a sitter if you really want to go together). We did the Caribbean when my daughter was 9 months and it was fantastic because we stayed right on the beach, so one of us was in the water whenever she was sleeping. I wouldn’t be psyched about having an infant out on the beach all day, even in the shade, but I’m more paranoid about the sun than most people I know. A lot of babies are pretty mobile at that age too, and will try to crawl around and eat sand, which won’t be fun for anyone.
Anonymous says
Adding to my comment because I think what I originally wrote is kind of confusing: If you want to take the baby, I think you should stay overnight so you have a crib for the baby to nap in. If you want to go alone with your husband, it makes sense to do a daytrip. I travel a lot with my little one but daytrips are really tough until they drop most naps, unless they’re good stroller/Ergo sleepers. And even if your baby sleeps well in an Ergo, I don’t see how that’s going to work out well at the beach, since you can’t very well swim with a baby strapped to your chest.
octagon says
Get one of those sunshield-tent things that you can put on the beach. That way everyone can get out of the sun/wind and have a rest without having to leave.
HSAL says
That’s a really tough age range for a beach trip. Mine are 8 1/2 months and a month ago it probably would have been fine, but now I would just spend the entire time keeping them from killing themselves. I’d just leave her home – a day trip will be harder than an overnight because you’ll have to have all your stuff with you, and there will be a lot of stuff. If you decide to try it, I think you’ll just need a big sunshade and to take turns with your husband. Sunscreen is okay at 6 months, but honestly I’d be a little reluctant to have a baby at the beach for an entire day.
aelle says
I agree, the beach is hard before they can walk. Mine hated the sunscreen application process, sand gets *everywhere*, they try to eat rocks and seaweed, and lick the sunscreen off their hands, and the water is too cold for them to enjoy at that age. If I had known I would have delayed the first beach vacation until toddlerhood.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Clothing suggestions please! My preferred uniform pre-baby was pencil skirt + top + blazer. Finally shedding some lbs, but even if I can get back into the pencil skirts at some point, want a better, more flattering option for a bottom. Any brand/item suggestions for slightly A-line skirts that move well and are above the knee?
Bedtime? says
What time do everyone’s kids’/babies go to bed? My LO is 6 months old and we’re working on a consistent bedtime, which has been around 8pm lately. I wonder if it should be earlier but we don’t get home until 6 or later most nights.
Anonymous says
My 12 month old has always been a night owl, but as her naps shorten/drop, her night lengthens and we’ve been able to move bedtime earlier. She was a 9-8:30/9 sleeper for ages and then gradually became an 8-8/8:30 sleeper and is now a 7:30-8/8:30 sleeper. For a 6 month old I would follow their natural rhythm and not to try to force them onto any particular schedule. I’ve never really understood the advice for an early (according to the clock) bedtime. Babies don’t read a clock, the only thing that matters is how their bedtime relates to their wake-up time and the interval between bed and their last nap.
HSAL says
8 months, down between 6:30 and 7 and usually up in the 6-6:30 range, but that’s still really variable. We get home at like 5:30 and couldn’t push it much earlier than that. We were similar with our older child. A lot of people are like “early bedtime or bust!” but I think it mainly matters what time your child gets up. I’d shoot for them going down at least 11 hours before your ideal wake-up time.
Anon says
I have a true night owl. My toddler goes to bed between 10-11 and has since she was an infant. She would sleep to 10 (now usually 8ish) once she started sleeping through the night. It will be a rude awakening once she starts preschool and we’ll have to adjust everything earlier, but for now we’re just rolling with it (and pediatrician is satisfied with the amount of sleep she’s getting).
AwayEmily says
The 1yo sleeps 6:30 – 6 and the 3yo sleeps 7:30 – 7 (note that they don’t always SLEEP until then but that’s when their clocks turn green so they know to be quiet until that happens). Both nap for between 1.5 and 2.5 hours total a day (baby takes two naps and toddler one).
But I will say that one thing I have learned from this board (and from my friends) is that kids can thrive with all sorts of different schedules as long as they are getting enough sleep, and you should do what works for your family! Our baby LOVES going to bed early — he starts yawning at around 6 no matter how late his last nap was. But other babies seem to be real night owls, so trust your instincts and your baby’s preferences.
solidarity says
Mine is 7 months and we do 7pm. I also don’t get home until ~6pm so that hour is very baby focused. One issue is that she’s not a great napper at daycare so she’s pretty zonked by the end of the day. We do try to get her to nap in the car (I have a pacifier there and keep the radio low) which helps.
Knope says
My 2 year old sleeps 8pm to 7/7:30am (also naps 1-3ish in the afternoon). I realize he goes down later than a lot of toddlers his age but my husband doesn’t get home till 7:30 most night, so the later time allows them some time together before bed.
Leatty says
We put our 20-month old to bed at 7 or 7:30 pm and have been doing since since she was 5 or 6 months old. We usually don’t get home until 6 or 6:30, so that doesn’t give us a lot of time with her. Lately she has been playing/talking to herself in her crib until 8ish, and she is usually awake by 6:30/7 (but we generally leave her in the crib until 7:30). We will probably push her bedtime back to 7:30-8 now that she needs less sleep, but we haven’t done that yet.
Boston Legal Eagle says
My 4 month old is put to bed at around 7:30pm and wakes up at around 5:30-6am (we still also do a dream feed around 9:30/10). We’ll try to push that bedtime earlier soon, but for now he still gets his last catnap at around 5:30pm. I think the earliest my DS1 went down was 6:30pm.
My almost 3 year goes to bed at around 8pm (takes him a while to fall asleep) and wakes up also at around 5:30/6am. He naps for 2 hours at daycare and 3 hours on the weekend. That’s probably on the lower end for toddler night sleep but he will not sleep before 8pm so we do what we can.
GCA says
oh – my now 3.5yo was a carbon copy of your older kid at the same age! so you’re not alone. Solidarity, those late bedtimes and early wakeups are hard at that age. He now goes to bed between 8 and 8.30 with a daycare nap, but I’m happy to get the extra alone time with him because the baby goes down at 7.
GCA says
What works for you, your baby, and your family? If 8pm (or 9pm, or 10pm) every day is fine and your baby is sleeping a reasonable amount, growing well, and happy – don’t fix it! If baby is way overtired at 8pm and naps badly/ wakes up a bunch at night/ wakes too early in the morning, consider an earlier bedtime.
My 6.5mo consistently takes 3 naps at daycare but they’re of variable quality, so we put her down as early as 6.30 if she really needs it. Otherwise bedtime is typically 7-7.30pm and she wakes up for the day between 6 and 7am. With some kids, it sometimes doesn’t even look like they’re tired, but they are – my second is very calm and so I’ve had to kind of relearn how to read baby’s tired signs and put her down promptly. My first would just dissolve into a crabby mess when he was tired.
Anonymous says
Current 6 month old goes to bed around 7– varies depend on how well he napped, so if he didn’t nap much at daycare might be 6:30, if he had a late 3rd nap until 5:30, might be mire like 7:20. Our 4 year old, as a 6 month old, went to bed between 7:45-8. We just had a later schedule as a family then — currently must wake up by 6:45/leave house by 7:20, whereas then we left around 8. Both kids were on 3 naps still.
Doodles says
My 9 month old is in bed between 7 and 7:30. Husband gets home at 5:30 and starts dinner. I get home around 6/6:30. We eat then we both read/play with baby. We also do a quick bath every other day and then I feed before bed. The routine is about 15-20 minutes. This has been the bedtime since around 4 weeks old even though I didn’t go back to work until baby was 5 months. Baby also naps twice a day for about an hour. He gets up between 6:30 and 7:30am (has been sleeping through the night since 8 weeks). We’ve tried pushing bedtime back but he reliably starts rubbing his eyes around 6:45pm. It doesn’t give me a lot of time with baby but I try to make up for it on the weekend and working from home once a week.
Anonymous says
My 8 month old goes to sleep at 7 and wakes at 7 (sometimes once at 4 for milk). She takes 2-3 crappy 20 minute naps during the day. She used to be way better about day sleep but now she’s teething.
My toddler goes to sleep at 7pm and sleeps to 6:30/7 when she doesn’t nap. 8if she naps (1:30-3) she goes to bed more like 8.
5 y/o sleeps ~7:30-~7.
Anonymous says
This is so variable by family/kid, so there’s no one right answer.
I have high sleep needs kids. At 6 months we got home at 5pm and baby went to sleep at 5:30, basically enough time for a bottle, diaper change, and pjs. At 2, kid goes to bed at 6:30 and sleeps until 6:45 on weekdays and 8ish on weekends.
CPA Lady says
My kid has been early to bed early to rise since forever, and I had a hard time keeping her awake past 6:00 pm when she was a baby. Which really really sucked. I would basically get home from work around 5:15, feed her, and start the bedtime process around 5:45. She was usually hysterically exhausted by that point. She normally woke up between 5:15 and 6:00 as a baby. She has slept later than 7:00 a.m. maybe 10 times ever in her entire life.
By the time she was about 2 I had managed to push bedtime back to 7:00 on the dot. Now (age 4) we start the bedtime process loosely around 7:00 and she’s typically in bed by 7:30-7:45, but has stayed up a lot later on occasion. She no longer naps.
Long time lurker says
1 year old, goes to bed 745 most nights aiming for sleep by 8. She wakes around 645 or 7 and is a good napper – takes 2 naps usually at least an hour each whether at daycare or at home. This could change when she drops one of her naps but it works for us. I don’t even pick her up at daycare until 545-6 so no idea how a super early bedtime could ever work for us.
anon says
I have had this dream of getting weekly blow outs and just using dry shampoo all week, but then I rationalize that it’s ridiculous to spend $200 a month on hair. I hate my hair (so frizzy!) and I am not so great styling it. Does anyone here get regular blow outs? Maybe I should try keratin instead, I bet that would be cheaper.
OP says
not to mention how painful it is to style hair with small children running around.
Anonymous says
I don’t think $200 is crazy. Maybe do 3/4 weeks? If you start bringing your lunch instead of buying, and other similar strategies, I’m sure you could find $150 in your budget pretty quickly.
Anonymous says
Have you talked with your stylist about getting a different cut/style that is easier to manage? For me, this means very regular haircuts and bang trims and means that my hair pretty much always keeps its shape. Also, could you get blow-out lessons from someone in your salon or even watch a lot of online tutorials?
Anon says
Are you me? I’ve been thinking about this very thing. My salon recommended a Brazilian blowout but I remember hearing they are bad for you or something – so I haven’t done it.
anne-on says
Agree with talking with your stylist about a cut/style that better suits your life. Also, I’d ask about their tips to blow it out/style it yourself. I have very thick wavy/frizzy hair and I need product and tools to make it look good. After kids I’ve learned that if I want a full ‘nice’ blowout I need to shower at night (or wake up early, or allow my kid an extra 10 minutes of TV time). I can then ‘fix’ it in the am in just a few minutes.
A good shine cream/hair oil is also key. And if you can try one out first to ensure you like it, I would highly recommend a Dyson. It sounds simple, but the combo of the heat never being too high and the ability to angle the nozzle (since it is magnetic and rotates) to be almost 90 degrees to the body of the dryer really allows me to get at the back/underneath sections of my hair better than any other dryer I’ve used.
EB0220 says
I’ve gotten keratin a few times and I really like it. My hair is wavy in the back and very thick. I only get it done once a year and it holds up well enough that my hair isn’t a pain in the butt. I usually wash it at night, put it in a bun overnight so it’s still wet when I wake up (but more dry than freshly washed). Then it only takes me 5-10 minutes to blowdry.
Anon says
With keratin, were you unable to pull it back at all for several days after the treatment? That is what is keeping me from pulling the trigger on keratin treatments. (Not OP but also having hair issues.)
ElisaR says
i’m getting my 2nd keratin treatment tomorrow and you are correct – you cannot pull it back for 4/5 days after you get it. You don’t want to get a bend in the hair. I was told not to put my hair behind my ear either (!!) which was hard. It’s annoying but ultimately worth it.
Manageress says
This was my treat to myself (weekly blowouts) when I became pregnant with #2. Never regretted it, loved it at the time and I often think back nostalgically to those days. Now, I usually get a blowout before a huge client presentation or a major date night/personal commitment, so much more rarely.
Some blowout salons have packages that made it a tiny bit cheaper. I shopped less when I was pregnant (rotated the same pants and shirts, etc.) so I “justified” it to myself. If it will save you time and effort, and you think it is worth it, you can find other things to trade off to offset this expense.
fallen says
Moms of 2 or more, talk to me about your evening routine. Still struggling to find a rhythm where evenings are meaningful and connecting with both kiddos. I have gotten to the point where they aren’t stressful, but still feels a bit go go go rather than connection with both kids.
It typically goes like this – get home at 530ish pm, breast-feed baby, 6 pm I do dinner (feed baby food and feed preschooler regular food, sadly I have not been able to eat with kids as I am feeding baby..), then do clean up little chores while narrating to baby and baths, then at 7 pm baby has to eat again, then its story time (but not as enjoyable as before baby because baby wants to eat all the books and that drives daughter crazy) and bed at 8-8:30. Wondering if I could change things around in anyway to make it more connecting and enjoyable for everyone?
Anonymous says
Dinner time is a good time to connect. Ask your preschooler what their favorite activity during the day was or who they played with in the afternoon.
I often did half my dinner when eating with my kids and half after they went to bed. You don’t say how old baby is, but it gets easier as baby gets older. Can preschooler hold the book during story time so baby can’t reach it and you can hold baby? Or put baby in the exersaucer and focus on preschooler for 10-15 mins?
Anonymous says
We stopped doing clean up before the kids go to bed, and only do baths/shower 2x a week (once during the work week). (Both kids have excema so doctor has recommended infrequent baths.). Get home around 5:30, immediately get dinner on the table – we each eat with a kid in our lap at this point (baby just starting food and preschooler who insists on lap sitting, which we humor). Make dinner usually the night before and heat up. Then we have 10-40 minutes of family play time, depending how long preschooler took to eat dinner (soooooo slow). That okay time is key for my own happiness and also helps bigger kid get enough parental attention to not act out at school. Baby is bottle fed so that does help in terms of switching off baby care. Typically one parent does each bedtime but can also feed and change baby while preschooler brushes teeth.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Do you do the evening routine solo? It sounds like you are connecting plenty! My mode for weeknights is survival and getting everyone bathed, fed and to bed, and my husband is always home. If I get a little playtime with the toddler, great, but some nights it doesn’t work out.
With my 4 month old and almost 3 year old: I typically get home between 5:30-6. Husband is currently on leave but once he starts back at work, I expect he’ll get home at around the same time, with both kids from daycare. Husband then cooks dinner while I feed the baby and try to entertain the toddler, or toddler watches TV. Then we adults have dinner with the toddler while baby hangs out. Then a bit more play time for toddler while we clean up and do dishes/bottles. Bath time at around 7 for baby (by me), then I feed him again and put him down. Husband starts toddler’s bath, then does stories and puts toddler down at around 8. When both kids are down, we watch Netflix!
Texas Attorney says
I get home at 5:30 pm with a 5 yo and 3 yo. Dad is usually already home and has (hopefully) dinner ready. Kids get to watch their preferred shows/videos for about 20 minutes while I cook or we eat leftovers. Family dinners are not a thing I can even contemplate right now. After videos we finish eating, talking, general playing until around 6:15 when we take a bath or go straight into the bedrooms depending. This is 30 minutes of wrestling 3 yo into PJs/brushing teeth while begging/cajoling/playing/threatening 5 yo to put on his PJs. 3 yo goes to his room around 6:45 to read his stories (we trade off nights) while 5 yo gets a few more minutes to play and read stories with the other parent. Once 3 yo is done with stories/songs, we brush 5 yo’s teeth and finish reading his stories. Then Dad tells 5 yo his own made-up stories. During this time I am cleaning up kitchen and switching laundry out. This goes until about 7:30. Then 5 yo goes to the potty before I read a final book and sing him some songs while he jumps around/tells me things that pop into his brain. I leave 5 yo around 8:00 and usually 3 yo is already asleep. I check in on 5 yo after 5 minutes and lay in his bed for another 4-5 minutes before leaving for good. I realize this is an insanely complicated routine, but it actually works well. I feel like each child gets some alone time with each parent and 5 yo is really good about staying in bed once it is TIME TO SLEEP. We’re off the clock by 8:15 pm.
#3 is coming at the end of April so this whole routine is probably going to go out the window soon until we can adjust….
AwayEmily says
A couple things that work for us (and I do evenings on my own 3x a week). First, we only bathe twice a week (and only when both parents are around. Second, and most importantly, we stagger bedtimes — the baby goes to bed almost a full hour before the toddler. I don’t expect we’ll keep this schedule forever, but for now I like it because it means we get some 1-on-1 time with the toddler, can read stories without a baby trying to eat the book, etc. And then in the morning we get some 1-on-1 time with the baby since he gets up an hour earlier. The down side, of course, is that doing this eats up an hour that would otherwise be solo/couple/sleep/etc time but I’m ok with the tradeoff, especially since I don’t usually need to work in the evenings.
Sarabeth says
I agree that you sound like you’re doing great for solo evenings. If you want more connection, the one thing I’d suggest is seeing if you can stagger bedtimes. It may mean that your older kid gets 20 minutes of screentime while baby goes down, but that might be worth it. If I’m doing bedtime with both kids, I read a few books to them together, then I put the younger one to sleep while my older kid plays by herself (which often means screens). Then I read a chapter of a longer book to her and tuck her in. I get one-on-one time with each kid, and the older kid gets to read books that aren’t constrained by her little sibling’s attention span.
Not quite twins says
I do a version of this. Kids play together for a little bit post dinner, then older kid goes to his room to play alone. I read 3 books to younger one and have short snuggle time. Then lights out for younger kid. I then go to older kids room and read 1 longer book and snuggle time. Each kid gets about 15 minutes of 1-on-1 time. The first few weeks of older kid going to room by himself was rough – he thought that was bedtime and he wouldn’t see me until morning! Once he constantly saw that I would come in later, he got better. We tried combo bed time (and room sharing), but they seem happier with the solo bedtimes.
I think you are doing great to do all that you are doing with a preschooler and a baby. We have really just figured out the one parent doing bedtime alone thing. I think it’s really hard!
HSAL says
I was thinking of asking a similar question. I was telling my husband I wish I had an hour more with the kids during the week, and about five hours less with them on the weekends.
8 month old twins and a 3.5 year old. We get home around 5:15-5:20, but realistically it’s 5:30 before everyone is inside and unpacked. My husband comes home between 5:30 and 6. I plop the babies in the living room, my oldest hangs out with me in the kitchen while I prepare their purees. They usually get around 15 minutes of crawling around. I feed them their puree and then give them sippies and puffs or Cheerios while I get our dinner ready. One of us usually eats with the oldest while the other starts getting the babies ready for bed. We start bedtime between 6:15 and 6:30 for the babies and I try to be done nursing by 6:45 or 7:00 while my husband hangs out with the oldest. The babies only get a bath once a week on the weekends, though I think that’ll change by summer. My oldest gets a bath/shower every other night. My husband used to do the shower while I cleaned up in the kitchen, but now we do her shower together and just focus on her until her bedtime at 7:30-7:45. All cleanup and bottle prep for the next day takes place after my oldest is in bed.
As AwayEmily says, staggering bedtime makes a big difference. And bedtime usually goes more smoothly for the oldest after she’s had some time of focused attention, as opposed to her playing on her own while we tried to get things cleaned up. Not knowing how old your baby is, is the 5:30 nursing necessary when s/he is going to eat again at 7? I only ask because that was my schedule for my oldest (nursing when we got home at 5 and again at 6:30 bedtime), and I tried to do the same with the babies but they didn’t really need to eat and it was just such a timesuck.