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Ooh: Loft has a number of cute maternity blouses if you’re on the hunt. The seaming on this one looks particularly great, and I like the high neckline and three-quarter length sleeves. The blouse (online only) is $64.50, and it’s available in sizes XXS-XXL. Loft Maternity Seamed Blouse
(L-2)
Psst: we’re talking about planning your career for babies over at Corporette today. What advice would you give younger women just starting (or choosing) their careers with regard to trying to plan their work/life juggle?
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ 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 – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
RDC says
Happy Monday, ladies.
Someone posted last week about being freaked out by the Zika thing. (I’m in the freaked out camp — about to start TTC for #2 and my job involves frequent travel to Latin America.)
In that vein, any suggestions for vacation spots outside the Zika zone? I had been thinking of a Caribbean trip but that might not be the best idea now. Timeframe is late April/early May. Seattle or Montreal came to mind, but would the weather be terrible then? Maybe Europe – Portugal? Traveling from DC and have about a week or 9 days.
NewMomAnon says
How about Napa/Sonoma? I went in March a few years ago and it wasn’t t-shirt weather, but I was fine with light cardigans and jeans, so April/May would probably be pretty nice.
E says
Weather in the PNW is hit and miss in the late Spring. It could be beautiful, it could pour all week. It really depends how much time you want to allocate to outdoor activities and/or tolerance for drizzle. I think it is beautiful but I grew up there.
RDC says
Good to know, thanks. I think we’d want to do a mix of indoor / outdoor – day trips, not major hiking or anything. So maybe we could work around the rain? Will continue to ponder.
hoola hoopa says
I love the PNW and go out and about year round, but honestly I wouldn’t come here on vacation in April/May.
Colorado?
Fun says
With or without your first? If you are going with, I’d look at Maine. There are some beautiful places in and around Kennebunkport or in Acadia. If you are going without, Portugal is a great, easy flight.
RDC says
With, but we’re not adverse to flying with him. Thanks for the tips! Never been to either so I’ll look into them. They both sound great.
Lobstah says
Portland from DC is a quick 2 hour flight – so it was great for us. When I traveled with my one year old, we stayed at the Grand Hotel just in Kennebunkport. I advise getting a room with a balcony to enjoy a drink during naptime. It was perfect for how we travel. My husband and I like to eat and sleep our way through vacations – we want some physical activity (but a lot of good food and drink after) and are not big into touring places. So, we wanted to walk to food and fun, and drive minimally for day trips. We ate at all the great places in Kennebunkport with our one year old in tow – we just ate outdoors on the patio at like 4:30 or 5. We went to Mother’s Beach, and did a day trip to Goose Rock’s Beach and also ate amazing lobster (lobstah!) at the Ramp in Cape Porpoise.
It remains one of my favorite vacations we’ve ever done with kids. It was just easy. Lots of beautiful destinations that are easy to drive to, and fun to visit (beaches, beach towns, etc).
If you want more of a resort feel, the Inn by the Sea would be great. I would probably elect to stay here now that my kids are older, and can do things like s’mores nights and campfire singalongs, but we were able to enjoy a vacation that felt relatively “adult-like” with only a few accommodations with our one year old in tow.
Lobstah says
Betty makes an excellent point below. I’ve only ever been to Maine in the summer, so HUGE caveat there!
RDC says
This sounded perfect until I read down to the part about winter and mud. Bummer.
DC Mom says
Listening closely. I am in the same situation: TTC for #2 soon, freaked out about zika, in DC, and interested in taking a vacation soon (with our 1.5 year old). Also, how are you ladies prepping to prevent/deter mosquito bites? I am thinking of getting some bug zappers and long pants…
RDC says
Lots of DEET. Also (hopefully not outing myself here) our neighborhood moms group is going to ask our condo association to spray.
Anonymous says
We spray our (Massachusetts) yard for the season. Also, get lightweight long sleeve tops and wear them. Don’t spend evenings outside if you don’t have to, and if you do be dressed for it. Get a bug spray that works.
Betty says
Late April/early May in Maine is total hit or miss. Could be lovely spring-type weather (sunny and 60s), or it could be closer to winter/mud season (30s-40s with snow). Also tourist season doesn’t really get going until July so many things will not be open by that time of year. Consider Boston if you are traveling with your first: If the weather is great, you can play on the commons. If the weather is colder, the children’s museum is wonderful. Plus, in Boston, you also haven’t hit tourist/graduation season yet, so there should be good deals to be had.
RDC says
Boston! I’ve always wanted to go. Great idea, thanks.
NewMomAnon says
Question and toothbrushing tip:
For moms of girls, when/why do you get their hair cut? My daughter had a haircut just before Thanksgiving (she is 2), and her hair has grown quite a bit since then….but it’s still just wispy toddler hair that only comes down to the bottoms of her ears. Her dad wants to take her in for haircuts at a kids’ salon every 3 months, but I’m comfortable trimming her bangs myself when they get too long and letting the rest grow out. It’s just such a pain to set aside 45 minutes on a weekend to drag her in for a hair cut….
Also, I discovered this weekend that I can “take turns” brushing teeth with my kiddo. She gets to brush her own teeth for a count of 5 or 10, and then I get a count of 5 or 10, and so on. This may only work for another few weeks for my kiddo, so any other tips would be appreciated!
Meg Murry says
No girls here, but my opinion is that if he wants to spend his time and money taking her to the kids salon for a trim, be my guest, but I’m not prioritizing it unless getting it trimmed short makes your daily morning routine or hair washing routine go smoother.
Am I remembering correctly that you are divorced or separated and you are primarily solo parenting her? Do you care one way or another if her hair is long or short? I’m generally of the “whichever parent cares more about it and it doesn’t cause more work or pain for the other parent can deal with it” school – if that means you trim bangs and he takes her for semi-regular cuts that sounds like a reasonable compromise.
NewMomAnon says
Yeah, that seems like a reasonable deal – I’ll propose that. He does most of the bath times, so he probably deals with the tangles more than I do. Her hair is just so dang cute that I don’t want to cut it….but it’s not a big deal.
Lorelei Gilmore says
I was worried about cutting my toddler’s wispy hair but the haircut actually made it look cuter. I think toddler haircuts are great. And in my view, you can just let her dad be in charge of her haircuts. If he wants to do it, let him! She’ll look adorable with a little trim. I promise.
MSJ says
For haircuts, I have trimmed my nearly 18 month old daughters bangs a few times. It’s near impossible to get her to sit still so it’s never entirely even, but it comes out “good enough.” Happily, I’m not into perfectionism. I like the look of bangs on her and the rest of her hair is pretty curly so we are letting it grow out for now. I’ve only had to trim my son’s bangs once since they are quite a bit shorter. I feel less confident cutting his curls so might break down for a salon visit when the time comes, but I probably have another 6 mos or so before that is an issue. I typically only get to the salon 2-3 times a year for myself, so hoping my kids’ hair can be similarly low key.
And will be watching the tooth brushing tips. It’s always a struggle.
kes says
So the looking for bunnies/robots/whatever doesn’t work any longer?? I tried that with my 2yo on your suggestion (right?) a while ago and it was seriously a MAGICAL difference. We do the taking turns thing, and when she’s really resistant I give her another (dry) toothbrush and her stuffed Mickey Mouse so she can brush his teeth, then I brush her teeth. Good luck!
kes says
Gah sorry, reading fail. I thought you were asking for tips. You’re still my toddler toothbrushing guru for that bunnies thing.
NewMomAnon says
Lately she won’t even give me the toothbrush to start the hunt. I suspect she is teething and I probably hit the sensitive spots with the toothbrush, so she doesn’t want to give it up. I’ve also been letting her “help” with tooth brushing by holding the brush with me. She likes that.
I will have to try the “brushing baby’s teeth” idea, thanks!
EB0220 says
I’m lazy on the hair. I’ve only cut my 4 year old’s hair once, and my 18 month old’s never (although I’m about to trim up the younger one’s mullet). If dad wants to take her, though, I’d let him have at it.
Anonymous says
One more thought about little girls and haircuts – strongly consider letting the bangs grow out when she’s young. We’re trying to let my five year old’s bangs grow out and it is DRIVING ME CRAZY because her hair is just constantly in her eyes, despite the constant clips and barrettes and bands and etc. If you’re really good at cutting bangs, YMMV – but I don’t cut my kids’ hair and as a result, the bang upkeep is super annoying. Let them grow out!
Signed, Every Picture This Year Features Mostly Hair and No Eyes
hoola hoopa says
Yeah, I’d also bounce this to “the parent who cares” to-do list.
But to answer your question: First hair cut and timing of maintenance cuts really varied because their hair growth was so different, but once I had cut the younger girls’ hair when it was still wispy toddler hair, I regretted waiting so long with the older girl. It looked a lot better and was much easier to care for.
Anonymous says
Hello from the pumping room! First day back from leave, Yey! Not.
RDC says
Welcome back! Good luck with everything – it does slowly get easier. Enjoy some quiet time by yourself today (hopefully work isn’t too crazy yet!).
OCAssociate says
Welcome back! Good luck, hopefully it goes smoothly.
frustrated academic says
The first day/ week is the hardest as you get a routine down–then it gets easier and faster! Sitting at my desk pumping right now. Hang in there!!
quail says
Welcome back! You can do it!
Also, there’s a great Adele parody in this somewhere…
Pogo says
For those who had an HSG – did you go back to work after?
Half of the internet says “it wasn’t bad at all, nbd”; the other half says “omg it was so crampy and I was leaking that dye stuff all over the place for hours”. If it’s the latter I’d rather just wfh in the afternoon in yoga pants, but if it’s really not that bad I guess there’s no reason why I couldn’t just go back to work?
anon says
I took the whole day, but that was partly because we had to drive an hour each way to the appointment. Personally, it really was not that painful or gross after (bring your own pad, theirs will probably be cheap/inadequate) but it was nice to relax after.
Anonymous says
I went in the late afternoon so I wouldn’t have to go back to work, but it was nbd for me. Just a startling cramp when they inserted the dye, and then I was fine. FWIW, I became pregnant the cycle following the HSG. A friend of mine did, too. Good luck!
LC says
Same for me as to all of this! My doctor told me that it’s not uncommon for women to get pregnant that cycle after many previous unsuccessful tries. Good luck to you!
Pogo says
Yes! I’ve heard this as well. I’m mildly hopeful :)
octagon says
Yep, I had no after effects whatsoever. I think it depends on whether you have any sort of blockage or are prone to cramps? A friend had a blockage cleared by the HSG and she was completely debilitated for a day afterwards. So I guess my recommendation would be to not plan for any particular outcome.
Pogo says
Ah, good point – that makes sense. I could see if the dye busts through something you might not feel so hot afterwards!!
Edna Mazur says
I had mine super early in the day. Had time to grab a quick breakfast with my hubs before going to work. I remember some cramping maybe, but not even as bad as a normal period.
Butter says
Hi all – just had a baby! He is a peanut at around 7 pounds and we’re struggling with what to put him to sleep in. The plan was a onesie (without feets) and a swaddle, but he is Houdini – ing out of the A+A swaddles, SwaddleMes, and NuRoos, and I’m worried about both him being cold and finding a swaddle that won’t pose a danger (ie he can’t get out of or can’t come loose) for the two seconds he is sleeping outside of my arms each night between feedings. Thinking of trying a Halo swaddle sack tonight, but am wondering if anyone has recs for the tiny ones? Should I get a few onesies with the feets (totally blanking on what these are called) as backup in case we can’t find a swaddle solution? Thanks in advance!
AEK says
Congratulations!
I absolutely recommend the Velcro-around swaddle sacks. Halo’s are great, and we got some hand-me-down Summer Infant ones that also worked fine. (My preference was the vest-style with the wrap around Velcro because it seemed snugglier and a little more secure because of the armholes.) They really should not be able to burst through the swaddle sack.
Footie pajamas are fine warmth-wise, but I think a swadde or swaddle sack is more comforting for the tiny ones.
AEK says
Oh, also, swaddling might be better for YOU— longer naps! Young babies have that startle reflex where their limbs go flying and they wake themselves up. A tightly swaddled baby is less likely to freak out and wake up when this happens.
RDC says
We did onesie + footie pajamas (I think they’re called sleep and play) when tiny. DS was anti-swaddle in the first weeks but then loved it from about 4 wks – 4 months-ish. So you might skip it for a while and try again in a couple weeks. We liked the Velcro swaddles.
Lkl says
Congratulations! We used a fleece Halo sleepsack swaddle as soon as our baby would fit in it (we had a hand-me-down one that wasn’t quite newborn sized). It was hands-down better than Swaddle Me’s, which only worked for us during the day. The fleece Halo one was also much, much better and more breakout-resistant than the cotton ones.
BKDC says
We started off swaddling with just a blanket, but found that the swaddle blankets with velcro worked so much better. I can’t remember what we used — Halo? Summer Infant?
I would read up on the benefits of swaddling in the Happiest Baby in the Block book. I think there may also be a video of their technique online. You have to get the swaddle really tight (my husband was better at it than I was), but it helped us get a tad bit more sleep in those early days.
ELL says
My husband always had to do the swaddling as I couldn’t/didn’t get it tight enough. Only non-stretchy blankets worked–not the a&a blankets, which we used only for a second top swaddle.
Congrats on the baby, OP!
Anon in NYC says
Congrats! We put our daughter in cotton footie pjs (perhaps also called sleep and play, or one pieces), and in the early months used the Miracle Blanket (which was also cotton-y). It was the only thing she couldn’t break out of. We keep our apartment at around 73 degrees year round, so YMMV if you keep your house colder. Now that she’s older and it’s colder outside, we still do cotton footie pjs (or socks if the pjs are footless) and a fleece Halo sleepsack.
MDMom says
Congrats! My baby hated the swaddle but I think I foolishly gave up too soon. Went back to it at 10 weeks and he was more accepting but stronger. He scraped his arms on the velcro of the halo swaddle a few times while trying to wiggle out but otherwise I like it. I loved the woombie, which zips and is foolproof. It does give them more arm movement but still limits flailing and keeps arms out of face. Unfortunately I didn’t get to use it long because I didn’t find it until he was almost rolling and too big for swaddle. Woombie plus rock n play was a great combo though.
MDMom says
Also re the velcro ones, second that it needs to be very tight. If they can bend their elbow, they can wiggle out.
grey falcon says
Woombie all the way for the swaddle. So very much easier than the velcro ones, super cute, and our peanut– who was about the same size– fit great. My only regret was that we didn’t figure it out a week or two earlier. Ours was a summer baby, so we just did a cotton onesie underneath, but you could also do a sleeper suit if you wanted to.
OCAssociate says
+1 on the Woombie.
HSAL says
Yep, absolutely the woombie. She runs warm so we just do a diaper underneath – anything else and she’s sweating.
mss says
Plus one on the woombie! It allows the baby to move, but they can’t bop themselves on the face.
Spirograph says
Congratulations!
Am I the only one who did not swaddle my kids? We used the velcro ones sometimes with my son, but he was a thumb-sucker from birth and threw an absolute fit if his right hand wasn’t free, so we fastened the velcro under his arms. My daughter was a winter baby, and we just put her in fleece footie pjs – or the pjs that have arms, but both legs just go together in a zipped-up gown (both with a onesie underneath). We might have put the little velcro sacks over her a couple times too, but I just remember that I could not be bothered with those things most of the time. FWIW, we keep our house around 65 degrees at night in the winter, and I was never worried about her being cold. I also coslept with her a lot for the first few months, though, so YMMV.
PregLawyer says
Double swaddle! My guy busted out of everything, but he never busted out of the double swaddle. We used a Miracle Blanket and then an Aden+Anais muslin swaddle blanket over the top (tied in Down-Up-Down-Up style). Worked like a charm. As he got bigger we transitioned to a Halo SleepSack.
CHL says
Agree – double swaddle with any of the above products
EB0220 says
I used the Halo sleep sacks with Velcro when mine were that size. No luck with any of the others, until they get big enough for the Miracle Blanket (around 10 lb).
Anon says
My girl likes to sleep with her arms over her head (has since the first time we let her out of a swaddle). We tried all the velcros and the zip ups and she either escaped or screamed herself to sleep. So we went with just a nightgown (elastic at the bottom) when she slept in our room. If it was cold I tucked a blanket under her cosleepers mattress and slid her into it (my MIL said it was like putting a baby in an envelope).
Now that she’s in her own room we use the Halo sleep sack with her arms out. If it’s cold she wears a nightgown or footie pajama, if it’s warm she wears a long sleeve shirt under it. We still use the blanket tucked under the mattress.
Don’t be scared of blankets — it’s “loose” blankets and blankets near babies faces that are the problems. The blanket around the mattress at about stomach height was what the nurses at the hospital did.
quail says
Congrats!! I liked swaddlemes and halo velcro sleep things, but my kid wasn’t super-Houdini and loved to be swaddled. I think we just did the sleep-n-play footie pjs underneath (he basically lived in those until 5 months). We kept the house at 65 at night.
Jdubs says
32 weeks preg and starting to prepare for maternity leave. I’m currently a team leader that manages a team of 4 people. Last week my boss announced that while I’m on leave, my team would report to another team leader. This person is slightly senior to me at the company overall, but I don’t report to them, we both report to the same person. Since the announcement, the other team leader has been going to my team members individually to find out about what they are working on and start reporting to him. Of course I’m annoyed by this – but should I be? Should I be backing off and letting him run my team even though I am planning to have 7+ more weeks in the office? I have a written transition plan that I have reviewed with my team that outlines everyone’s responsibilities that I have been trying to sit down with him to review but we haven’t yet. I also find him to be scatterbrained and all over the place in general… not just on this issue.
Spirograph says
So, I was in a similar position before one of my maternity leaves, and I think a lot of this has to do with the other lead’s management style and his personality. If you get the sense that this is a power play and he is trying to take over while you’re still in the office, you have every reason to be annoyed and that’s something to call him out on. However, I think it’s prudent for him to talk to your team members individually and have an idea of their work before you disappear, because it could be sooner than 7 weeks. You just never know. He should have talked to you first, but if you’re busy and he’s scatterbrained, maybe he thought talking to your team was the next-best way to get the info as quickly as he can, not as a power-play, but just to be sure he has it.
What I did was – in addition to my formal transition plan – start keeping a weekly journal of what had happened that week and what was projected for next week, etc. Every Friday, I e-mailed this to my boss and to the person who would be covering for me while I was out. That way, if I’d had the baby before my planned leave start date, the most recent update would only be a maximum of 4 work days old. I felt like it kept the interim person from worrying or meddling too much before necessary, and it also covered ME in case a ball was dropped after I left. Definitely schedule time with this guy ASAP to go over your transition plan, and ask whether he needs anything else to feel comfortable he’ll be able to pick up where you left off. How he answers that question might tell you a lot about his intentions.
hoola hoopa says
I am in a similar position and my coverage would look roughly the same.
It’s standard to have overlapping coverage for anticipated extended times off, such as maternity leave, so having the covering manager ask to be included an all emails at this point would be a smidge early but generally typical. It would be in addition to a written plan.
I would find it odd if he wanted them to 100% report to him and 0% to you. If that’s the impression that’s been given to your reports, I would figure out if it was a mis-communication from your mutual manager (ie, he was told to initiate coverage without a clear begin date – “32 weeks along” isn’t informative for most people) or to your reports (he spoke poorly in the introduction email) before assuming it was a power grab.
Jdubs says
Thanks. I’m pretty sure its totally fine… Just a combination of me feeling pushed out and a combination of him being all over the place. There is also a chance this restructuring may be permanent and I will lateral to lead a new team when I come back. Just not sure what I’m supposed to do for 7 weeks if my work has already been taken over.