This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hat tip to blogger Putting Me Together, who loves the functionality of Lily Jade bags so much she apparently has three of them — I love the classic shape of the bags, as well as the professional look to them. There are a number of different sizes and colors, but this one is my favorite — it was $355, but is now marked to $309. Rosie in Black (L-0)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
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
Click here to see our top posts!
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?
Rakma says
Anyone have suggestions for a backpack diaper bag? It’s not my favorite look, but I’m thinking it’s going to be easier to deal with backpack +infant +toddler than any other combo.
Anonymous says
Some of the Lily Jade bags are convertible – you can wear them as backpacks or regular over-the-shoulder bags. That is my only suggestion!
CHJ says
I got a regular backpack from Herschel Supply Co. that we use as our diaper bag. As our son gets older, it’s turning into a books/toys/snacks bag for when we go out. The main compartment has a waterproof liner so you can throw anything in there. It’s great.
MDMom says
I can’t remember the one we have but it’s one if the brands targeted at dads and was somewhere between $60-100. Its fine. I like that it is very unisex. But I actually just bought myself a cole haan leather tote that I’m using as a diaper bag for short outings with just me and baby. The backpack is too much for those occasions. So you might want to have a sleeker alternate.
I covet those lily jade bags but they are so expensive!
Maddie Ross says
I know people don’t love the look necessarily, and it screams diaper bag, but I do love our Petunia Picklebottom one. The changing pad is easy to access and put away one handed. And it’s easy to carry, or hook on a stroller.
Jen says
We were gifted a Tomee Tipee one a few years ago and got WAY more mileage out of it than I’d ever thought. It was given to DH but we just used it as our travel bag for everything. It has all kinds of “holsters” for water and optional insulated storage for millk/formula bottles, plus tiny side zippers everywhere to make things easy to access.
I don’t see it online, butit looks a lot like this backpack, but black. http://static2.ensogo.com.my/assets/deals/bc2a8400511eeda971c558f4c0f8adfd/deal_box.jpg?ts=1453791658
with these are the insulated bottle things it came with:
https://www.diapers.com/p/tommee-tippee-closer-to-nature-insulated-bottle-bag-black-one-size-813499
H says
I don’t know what look you’re going for, but we got an REI backpack (just a normal one, not diaper specific) and it has worked great. But my husband and I are not fancy people and we don’t live in a city where people dress up for everything so it fits our lifestyle. I definitely recommend a backpack; so much easier to carry a baby and have the stuff on your back rather than off one shoulder while you’re carrying a LO.
hoola hoopa says
Any normal backpack with the side ‘cupholders’ will work fine. Technically you can use anything, but I do like have a separate and external pocket for bottles/cups. Ours has two main compartments, so we use one for diaper stuff and the other for snacks, jackets, etc. Ours is North Face, I believe, but again it doesn’t have to be anything specific.
And yes, it is really nice to have it on your back and not flipping down when you bend over! Although, since I still commonly wear my littlest on my back, I still use a shoulder bag when I’m out solo.
CLMom says
I’ve been happy with my Ju-ju-be backpack. I have the BFF version, but there are more traditional backpack styles, as well.
rakma says
Thanks all, we have a Diaper Dude messenger style and a Skip Hop traditional style from the first go round, so this would just be a supplement for when I’ve got the two of them out together (particular if I’m wearing the baby). I was leaning toward just picking a backpack I like, but I’ve got some great suggestions here that I’ll explore.
Anonymous says
I want to buy myself something to celebrate the end of breastfeeding and pumping. I made it 6 months, which I know isn’t that long, but it was tough and I am proud. What have you bought to commemorate or what would you get if you were looking yourself? Budget is up to $250.
CHJ says
I bought myself a leather Knomo bag to celebrate not having to bring pumping supplies back and forth anymore!
BabyThighs says
I bought myself a few dresses that were NOT pumping/nursing friendly. It felt great to get dressed without contemplating how I’d access my chest.
Congrats on making it six months! It IS hard!
AEK says
Congratulations! Don’t minimize your accomplishment; you did it!
Ideas: Nice work top / dress that isn’t BF/pumping compatible (I say for work because who can wear nice stuff at home with baby?). Fabulous handbag that doesn’t need to fit supplies and milk? A piece of jewelry? Or some new, fancy bras?
Or, screw it, how about a case of wine?
Anonymous says
One really lovely gift suggested on here was a watch, to commemorate all of the time you spent BFing/pumping, and so that you can spend as much time staring at it as you like — no one will question you for checking your watch frequently, but it would look odd if you were staring at other new jewelry at work or in a meeting :)
Carrie M says
Congrats! That’s great!! I got fitted for new bras and it was fabulous!
Maddie Ross says
+1. I waited a couple of weeks until things seemed consistent, and then got fitted for a couple of new fun bras. It was so amazing to wear real lacy bras again!
No name says
Congrats! I am at six months (today!) and it IS really hard! And getting harder haha. You deserve something great! I say something that would be difficult or impossible to enjoy while BF-ing – a really nice bottle of wine, or BF-ing unfriendly item of clothing?
hoola hoopa says
+1000 to not-nursing/pumping friendly dresses and new bras!!
Momata says
Congratulations! I bought airplane tickets to go visit a friend I haven’t seen in years.
AEK says
Congratulations! Don’t minimize your accomplishment; you did it!
Ideas: Nice work top / dress that isn’t BF/pumping compatible (I say for work because who can wear nice stuff at home with baby?). Fabulous handbag that doesn’t need to fit supplies and milk? A piece of jewelry? Or some new, fancy bras?
Or, screw it, how about a case of wine?
Labeling says
What all should I be labeling for daycare (infant)? I don’t want to lose stuff but I also don’t want to look crazy.
Maddie Ross says
Honestly, I only did bottles. If it was that dear to us, it didn’t/doesn’t go to daycare.
hoola hoopa says
Yep, bottles/food and jackets. Don’t send clothing, etc that you wouldn’t want to lose.
BabyThighs says
I labeled outer layers (like hoodies and stuff, things that would go on and off a lot) and shoes and her blanket. I probably could’ve done none of that — there are only 3 other kiddos in the room with her, and the teachers know whose stuff is what. But I had fun making the labels on NameBubbles, and even with the smallest pack I swear I will be using the stickers forever.
RDC says
I didn’t label shoes, but should have – my son actually has the same shoes as another infant in his room and they both take them off constantly. But I suppose if they get switched it’s nbd.
Jen says
sheets/blankets, lunchbox (if applicable), bottles, wipes, any meds (diaper rash ointment, sunscreen etc). I labeled outerwear, hats (if applicable, not sure if yours is going to go outside this summer?) and shoes.
As PP said, with clothes, I didn’t really bother since we sent the uglier stuff to daycare. We never really lost anything other than hair elastics.There were only 5 other babies in her room and 3 were boys. So if a boy thing or a not-ours girl thing ended up in DD’s bag, we washed it and brought it back the next day.
Another BigLaw Parent says
We labeled everything, especially in the infants room. Does your daycare have a policy? Ours provided labels for bottles/food and told us to initial everything, including clothing. We bring in diapers/wipes, and they label those. (The teachers literally put her initials on each diaper and then put it in a bin with her picture on it.) Every time my daughter got to a new size of clothing I just pulled out the new clothes and initialed all the tags with a sharpie. Now that my daughter is in the toddlers room, I’m a little less diligent about labeling clothing because I know she’s stubborn enough to know what’s hers and what’s not :)
Anonymous says
FTM. Sweetie pie is 11 days old and I’m breastfeedings. Going well at this point except for milk blisters / bleb. Any advise? Anybody ever used a sterile needle on them (rather than have a medical professional do that)? I’d kind of like to avoid leaving the house bc of this. Also I think our positioning and latch is otherwise good/comfortable so not sure we need an LC for this. Thoughts?
Like the look of this diaper bag! But think I’ll stick with the Kate Spade we got on sale for less than half for a professional look for me. Husband has a Diaper Dudes (Nordstrom) messenger d-bag that he likes (although used only once for a pediatrician visit at this point bc of DDs age). Best feature is a checklist of what to pack on the inside flap of the bag. I know I could print out a checklist for him to go inside any d-bag, but it’s nice to do as little baby-splaining as possible for him. The brand had a backpack/messenger bag combo that looks nice, but not sure if it had the checklist.
Also, why are the men’s diaper bags cheaper!?! (Insert age-old gripe about women’s clothing/items being marked up).
layered bob says
I got milk blebs all the time in the first 6 months of bfing and always treated them myself. Be scrupulous about disinfecting though. A few hours before I attacked it, I would rub olive oil/coconut oil/lanolin/etc. into the spot. Then use a sterilized needle to pop and often a tweezers to pull off the offending bit of skin. If baby wasn’t available/interested in nursing right after (or if it was bleeding too much) I would hop in the shower and hand-express in a hot shower. And then oil/lanolin again, combined with frequent nursing or hand-expressing on that side to keep it open.
Anon says
I had one around 3 weeks and also didn’t want to leave the house for it (I had been to the doctor a lot for other random stuff). I tried olive oil/heat compresses before nursing and tried scraping it off with a finger nail in the shower (this hurt, I wouldn’t recommend it). Sterilized needle was the only thing that worked. It cleared up within a day and didn’t come back.
Clothes help! says
I am a geriatric pregnant lady trying to wait for another three weeks, until I finish prenatal testing, to announce my pregnancy. The problem is that now that I’m in week 12, I’m getting a little belly. I’m having some trouble hiding it because, as an hourglass, I’ve always worn things that emphasize my waist. Any tricks or clothes recommendations for getting through these last few weeks? Or do I just have to hope that my coworkers have enough manners not to say anything? Or just think I’m getting fat? I have a couple dresses that are a little shortwaisted on me, but only a couple.
Maddie Ross says
Besides higher waisted dresses, layers can help a bit – esp. open front blazers (esp. if you don’t want to buy new clothes for such a short period of time).
mss says
Blazers?
MDMom says
Long loose fitting/flowy shirts (maternity specific or not) that you can wear with nice skirts or work pants will serve you well through 2nd trimester and postpartum. Congrats!
MDMom says
Also, know that it is probably much more noticeable to you than to anyone else.
Carrie M says
Drapey blouses, blazers, cardigans, and scarves (to distract and draw attention up) are all my go-tos. I also try to wear a big necklace or fun shoes….basically anything to avert people from focusing on the mid-section. I find pants + blouses + other layers is a better combo for hiding it for me than skirts or dresses.
Spirograph says
From personal experience, unfortunately, I would not count on your coworkers not to say anything, but you don’t really have any choice but to hope for manners. I usually wear clothes that emphasize my waist, too, and the switch to untucked tops – even with my normal blazers – I think is what tipped a couple people off. To people who didn’t know me, I’m sure the tiny bump, itself, wasn’t noticeable. But for people observant enough to catch the wardrobe shift…. nothing you can do about that.
TheElms says
I don’t understand why people don’t have manners. I’ve known all my friends / co-workers at work were pregnant long before they announced and you just keep your mouth shut. Its not that hard people! If they haven’t told you its none of your business! OK rant over. (And I suppose I relax rant for when you are 6+ months pregnant and haven’t seen someone in a while and they congratulate you even though technically you have not told them you are pregnant).
Samantha says
Distract from the waist by wearing accessories (scarves, jewelry, earrings) nearer your face and neck. Also try a different hairstyle or an updo, or wear your hair straight if it’s usually curly etc. Hair does distract a lot.
hoola hoopa says
Scarfs+ cardigan! Sheath dresses and drapey blouses. You can also try still tucking with a sized-up pencil skirt with some stretch and/or pants that are unbuttoned and covered with a wide belt.
Anonymous says
Goodness, I can’t imagine anyone asking at that stage! My MO was flowy tops with cardigans or blazers. Also, nobody will notice if you recycle the clothes that are working so far, right? If your regular pants don’t cut it any more, nobody will notice if you switch to maternity pants and skirts, so long as you wear un-tucked tops. In my experience at work, nobody said anything unprompted about my pregnancy until I was about 6 months along (and most were genuinely surprised when I told them at ~4 months along, to my amazement), so I hope your colleagues are similarly well behaved! Congratulations and good luck!
Clothes help! says
Thanks, everybody! I may be over thinking this because it’s been really hot the past few days, which has limited my layering abilities. It looks like today’s the last day of that, so I should be able to put all your tricks into effect tomorrow. (& I’ll buy some flowy shirts and maybe pants. I have literally none of either for work).
Anon in NYC says
I’m not a pants person and maternity pants from A Pea in the Pod were a godsend. But that said, I was able to buy a pair of non-maternity pants in a size up for that awkward period where you don’t quite have a bump but your waist is bigger than before.
TBK says
No other suggestions, but lots of commiseration. With twins I was showing by 6 weeks! I spent the next six asking my husband every morning “do I look pregnant”? The older ladies in the office knew anyway. They always do.
NewMomAnon says
I’m going to be a voice of dissent – I had tried to wait until week 16 to tell at work, but I gained weight really fast and really noticeably, to the point where several people (including middle age male colleagues) had asked my assistant if I was pregnant. She finally begged me to make the announcement and I was barely 12 weeks pregnant. It was such a relief to stop “hiding” something that was already so obvious.
Which is just to say – even though the practice is to wait as long as possible to tell, that doesn’t mean it’s the “right” thing or even necessary. I felt really dumb/sneaky when I realized that everyone knew before my official announcement.
CLMom says
I suspect it’s more noticeable to you than anyone else. And, I think I’m more likely to notice a change in clothing/style than a little belly bloat.
No name says
The last few nights, baby has BF CONSTANTLY from 11ish until morning (6AM). Nothing seems to calm her except comfort nursing. I love the cuddles but am getting worn out! We are not CIO people, but can I feed her at 11PM and put her back in her crib (instead of bringing her into the cosleeper). She is 6 months old, and there are no major changes in daycare or sleep schedule. Is this a phase? Teething? Will this subside when she starts solids (maybe she needs more calories?)? Do I need to let her CIO for a few nights (please g*d no)? Any and all suggestions welcome – mommy needs sleep!
Anonymous says
Maybe it’s a phase, but my 2 cents is that if it doesn’t get better within the next couple nights, go for crying it out. I ended up doing it with both of my kids at some point. There are somewhat gentler methods than “extinction” — two books that were helpful for me were Ferber and Kennedy. My main advice is to read up and don’t go in blindly. Read up and make sure you have a plan, because it sucks and you’ll need to fall back on it. In my experience, once the constant waking is consistently depriving mama and baby of sleep, it is better for everyone if you bite the bullet. Good luck!
Anonymous says
There’s lots of options other than CIO and CIO won’t help much if it’s pain or hunger keeping her awake. It’s definitely not too early for teething. You can try some advil tonight and see if that helps. She may also be coming down with a cold. My munchkins got about one cold/month for the first year of daycare. Nursing will help her get over it if it’s a cold.
Definitely try solids if you haven’t started yet. My fussy baby got way happier at 6 months – he loved solids.
How’s your supply? If it’s a growth spurt then the frequent nursing will increase your supply. Try a few foods to up your supply (e.g. oatmeal) and the nursing frequency should decrease again once she’s getting more milk per feed. Is she ready to move to a bigger bottle size at daycare? getting more milk in the daytime might help. If it’s comfort nursing try a pacifier at night or babywearing in the evening (extra physical contact in the daytime can help with the need for physical contact at night)
No name says
My supply seems to be decreasing, actually, or at least what I am pumping at work is decreasing, despite her almost constantly nursing from 5PM until 7AM. Which is frustrating because I pump as frequently as possible, generally every 2 hours, and drink mommy’s milk tea/eat oatmeal like it is my JOB. I have had NO supply issues until now so have a decent freezer stash, but I’m considering dipping into that just to add a few half ounces to her daycare bottles, as well as starting solids ASAP. She used to take the paci like a champ but has been rejecting it for the last few nights too.
Anonymous says
I would intro solids for sure. Turning down paci sounds like hunger and even a small meal a couple times a day will help with that.
Try plain greek yoghurt instead of baby rice cereal – or mix the baby rice cereal with yoghurt instead of just water. It’s easy for them to eat and makes them feel full because lots of protein.
Anonymous says
try fenugreek capsules as well – i had better luck with those increasing supply instead of all the teas which just had me peeing constantly.
CLMom says
Ms. Patel’s lactation bars > pills, imho.
MDMom says
The mrs patels bars are delicious. I almost ordered another batch after I gave up on supply just because they were tasty.
OP…you describe it a comfort nursing, inn that she doesn’t appear to you to be hungry just nursing to go back to sleep? In that case I doubt it’s hunger…baby might add an extra night feeding due to hungry but nursing “constantly” seems like something else. Is she eating same amount during day?
If you are cosleeping, I think good first step is to keep her in own crib/separate room and see if that helps.
Anonymous says
It’s also possible that because she’s nursing so much at night, your daytime supply is dropping to compensate. If she only needs X calories per day and is suddenly getting half of them at night, she wouldn’t need as many during the day.
Or maybe this is what I’m telling myself as my 5 month old has started waking up 2-3 times per night to eat after STTN for two months (my pumping amounts went down as well).
October says
Baby sleep is so baffling. My son is nearly 9 months and I swear that every three weeks the routine seems to change. We just went through a rough period of lots of comfort nursing and periods of waking lasting 2-3 hours, and now we’re back to 1-2 quick wake-ups per night (and a couple nights of 7-8 hour stretches!) I have been *thisclose* to trying CIO many times (though my guy gets really worked up, so I’m not sure that it would work) and then it will all change again. Some things that have helped in the moment is having dad take a shift of walking around holding him (about half the time he’ll fall asleep and if he doesn’t, it at least gives me a short rest) and also waking him up completely to break him out of the nursing/crying cycle, then putting him back down after about 10-15 min of quiet play. Also, I have seen no correlation between amount of solids consumed and his sleep that night (though my mom swears it’s a Real Thing…)
MDMom says
Second baby sleep just being weird. My 11 month old sleeps through most nights but after months of falling asleep on his own with minimal protest, he now immediately throws all his pacifiers out of the crib and stands up and cries. I come in, collect the pacis, pop one in his mouth, lay him down, give him a few pats on the butt until he calms down, leave again. He then goes to sleep with no or minimal crying. 3 nights in a row now. Who knows. Maybe he’s just adding on to the bedtime routine…
AIMS says
Could be a 6 month growth spurt. If it’s still continuing, I’d try some Tylenol for teething. If that doesn’t help, try giving a big bottle right at bedtime (I find it easier to measure output with bottle) and see if that helps.
Anon for this. says
If it is teething, seconding tylenol, also Hyland’s teething tablets have been a huge help.
This was right at the point where we made the family decision that mama needed to be sane and functional more than we needed to avoid CIO. We did it gently (our preferred method is Moms on Call), and suddenly we were getting 10+ hours of baby sleep a night. I decided that my kid would definitely have issues if I was off the deep end and we were fighting all the time, and only maybe because of a few nights of crying.
SC says
For those of you whose husbands travel frequently, how do you do it? I just spent 3 days being the primary caretaker for our 12-month-old son because husband was sick over the weekend, and I am beyond exhausted. Husband will be traveling for 2 weeks in June, and I’m already dreading it. So far my only idea is to take a few days of vacation in June too and take my son to go see a friend for a long weekend!
Anonymous says
Honestly? You just do it. I don’t have a better explanation than that. You lower your standards a little bit, prepare things the night before, and just do all the things that need to get done in a day. My husband has extended work travel, and it’s really the only thing I’ve ever known as a parent.
Sometimes you need to have grandma and grandpa or Auntie handle daycare pickup or a sick day because you can’t skip work, sometimes you end up serving avocado toast for dinner, but it really isn’t as hard as you’re making it out to be.
Have a kid=safe space where kid can be left unattended (we have a totally kidproof nursery with a baby gate in the door) and be okay with just letting the kid amuse herself if need be.
NewMomAnon says
It’s all about routines. You find your “single parent” routine, and as long as you can follow that, you’re fine. It all falls apart with an illness, big surge at work, schedule change, and then you have to re-establish the schedule. It would be very hard for me to have a 3-day deviation from my routine; I would need a massage and some good chocolate.
hoola hoopa says
It’s all about establishing your single parent routine.
Maddie Ross says
I think weekdays are easier than weekends, for what that’s worth. Your weekday routines are more set and the hands-on time for a working parent is just less. I feel like I can deal with nearly anything for 2 hours until we’re out the door, and another 2 hours until bedtime. On the weekends, it’s an all day affair. If his travel covers weekends, consider making plans with others or inviting a parent or in-law perhaps to give you an extra set of hands.
Pigpen's Mama says
My H doesn’t travel that much, but it always seems to coincide with work craziness for me.
I find working from home more frequently to be really helpful, since daycare is only a few minutes away from home — it saves me commute time and lets me work a bit later if necessary.
I don’t worry about anything remotely fancy for dinner (not that it’s really super fancy when he’s home, but it’s at least a real meal), and just go with stuff that is ready made or frozen.
Also, I assume you’ve got some childcare during the week — it’s actually easier during the week than over the weekend.
Anon in NYC says
Agreed that weekdays are easier. After kiddo goes to bed, I know that it’s going to be another 30-45 minutes before I get to sit down because I prep everything for the next day. My dinners are easy – prepared foods that I can microwave, canned soup, MAYBE I’ll go so far as to make avocado toast. In the mornings, I try to wake up 15-30 minutes earlier so that I can shower, pack myself up, and basically just be taking care of the baby as soon as she wakes up.
RDC says
Agree with everyone – you just get through it – but also, get help! Whatever you can, and don’t feel bad about it. I fly in my mom to stay whenever my husband travels. Do you have family who could visit? Could you get a sitter or mothers helper for a couple hours on the weekend, cleaners to keep the house under control, dog walker, carry-out dinners…?
Carrie M says
Agreed you just find a routine that works and lower your expectations, and take shortcuts to make things easier. My H travels frequently for work. This may sound bad…but I actually like it sometimes. If I need to work after kiddo is asleep, I don’t feel badly about having toast for dinner and not spending time with H. If I want to watch trashy TV, he’s not there to make fun of me:)
SC says
Thanks everyone. Husband is going on one personal trip and one work trip, and both include weekends. And part of my concern/dread is that I’m not going to have much of our normal support system around. We live in the same city as husband’s family (parents, step-parents, 5 siblings and their spouses), who help a lot, but most of them will be out of town at the same time. And my parents can’t come help during that time because they already have plans to travel internationally. I’ll gather as much help as I can, and prepare some frozen meals ahead of time.
CPA Lady says
The first 15 months of my daughter’s life (she’s now 19 months old) I was the solo parent 4-5 days a week because of my husband’s work schedule. This is why I started supplementing with formula at 2 months (nursed part time til 6 months, but 100% formula beyond that point, never pumped at work ever), have a 10 minute bedtime routine, did cry it out at 4.5 months old, picked a daycare that provides food, have a rotation of 5 dinners that take less than 10 minutes to prepare, I picked up toys and wiped down counters every night but never cleaned, etc. We also hired a ton of babysitters, including a night nanny for a few nights when I had to go out of town for a work trip. If it happens all the time, you make it work. My husband just got a promotion that’s going to come with 25% travel. I’m not looking forward to that, but I know I can do it because I had so much practice from the beginning.
anon says
What are these magical 5 dinners that take less than 10 minutes to prepare? Please share!!
Anon in NYC says
My daughter is turning 1 soon and I’m struggling to come up with gift ideas for other people to get her. Are there any items that you loved for that age range? I’m trying to not accumulate more large gear since we live in an apartment.
(FWIW, for first birthdays, I’ve given hooded towels in larger sizes, personalized books from Lost My Name (love!), books on dinosaurs with a toy dinosaur, a Fisher Price firetruck (a rec from here, and it was well received!))…. but my daughter doesn’t need those things!
Clementine says
Tuffo muddy buddy rainsuit
Rain boots
Shoes
Books
Sunsuits
Play kitchen/food/shopping cart
AIMS says
What about classes at one of those Gymboree type of places?
Carrie M says
I like that idea, or museum or zoo passes or something else that’s an “experience”?
TBK says
Board books with pictures of things. My sons absolutely loved books like “First 100 Words” or alphabet books that have a letter on each page and a bunch of photos of things that begin with that letter. They still love them (and fight over them). They also loved a set of letter tiles my mom gave them (link to follow).
TBK says
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJ67J58/ref=s9_dcacsd_bhz_bw_c_x_4
Anon in NYC says
Thanks, all! I had no idea that things like a rainsuit even existed!
NewMomAnon says
Oh man….I just got pictures back from a photo shoot with my daughter this weekend. I was sure they were going to be a total bust; she cried for 60% of the time, and the other 40% seemed to be the photographer coaxing her to face the camera and stop climbing the walls (literally, she was climbing the walls).
But instead they are so beautiful that I’m crying at my desk, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to spend $200 on pictures instead of the $30 sitting fee. Kids….
CLMom says
Hi, I’m a lurker coming out of the shadows. New mom of a 5.5 month baby girl. Just started a new job as a Legal Administrator in SoCal. Life is busy, but good. See y’all around in the comments.
AIMS says
Hi! Post again on the morning thread. (Wanted to just say welcome here in case you worried no one was responding).