CorporetteMoms

Updated: Nov 1, 2018 103 Comments · by

Washable Workwear Wednesday: Machine-Washable Merino Vee

Machine-Washable Work Clothes· Recent Recs

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.

A woman wearing a Machine-Washable Merino VeeDid you know that Banana Republic has machine washable merino sweaters? They come in petite and regular sizes in colors like cobalt, burgundy, and gray heather — and they have a lot of great reviews. The pictured sweater was originally $68 and is marked down to $53.99. Machine-Washable Merino Vee For a plus-size option, try this Lord & Taylor merino wool cardigan, which comes in eight colors in 0X–3X. (It’s labeled hand wash rather than machine wash, however.) It’s marked down from $94 to $34.99, and right now you can get an extra 20% off with code LTLOVE. That brings you down to $27.99! 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 9.10.24

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

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

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!

Comments

    • Anonanonanon says

      Oooo I like the charcoal and the burgundy (to wear with gray pants) or the camel could be nice too! I don’t usually wear camel but always like it when I see it. What color pants would you wear camel with? I’m thinking like wine-colored?

        • Anonanonanon says

          Ooooo good call. That would be nice, especially transitioning from late summer into fall. I always think of camel as a solidly “fall” color but Navy would lighten it up a bit. Thanks!

      • Anon says

        I have on a camel sweater with wine-colored corduroys today. I also wear it with black, navy, and before I turned into a mom who can’t keep clothes stain-free, cream.

    • anne-on says

      They are pretty sweaters but definitely thin, and I did find they shrank about 1/2 a size after washing and laying flat. Not a huge deal after the first wash, but you may want to buy up a size.

    • Anonanonanon says

      So excited for when this baby comes out and I can refresh my work wardrobe!

  2. AIMS says

    Does anyone have suggestions for easy, low-mess projects to do with a 2 year old? Cooking is temporarily out and we’re in an apartment so would like to contain mess as much as possible.

    • Clementine says

      For messy projects, we do them in the bathtub in the winter. You wanna finger paint? Sounds AWESOME! Let’s have momma tape some paper to the bathtub wall, strip you down to your diaper and then go WILD.

      We’re big fans of scooping things from one container to another – think scooping macaroni or oats from one mixing bowl to another with a variety of implements. Mild to moderate mess. I also will tape paper over the whole table and let him color a ‘BIIIIIG’ picture. We also love to make cards and then send them to people. Bonus: my inlaws think I’m amazing because they get random cards from their grandkid.

      • Anon in NYC says

        We have used the kitchen sink for some messy projects too (muffin tin, baking soda, food coloring + distilled vinegar). I never thought to use the bathtub!

      • EP-er says

        My kids also loved shaving cream in the bath tub. Spray some cheap Barbasol on walls in fun patterns. Or cover the wall and “draw” in the shaving cream.

    • Anon says

      Are you anywhere with snow? We bring the snow inside, sit on a bunch of towels on the kitchen floor, and “cook” with the snow. Use bowls, spoons, butter knives, cups, etc. Trust me, they think it’s super fun to scoop snow from a big bowl to a little bowl, or make a “snow castle” with measuring cups. The snow will melt onto the towels, which you just throw into the dryer.

      Ikea has huge rolls of paper for like $5. I’m pretty sure Michaels or Joanns has them too, but I bet you could even use the back of wrapping paper. Have your kid lay down and trace their entire body, then let them color themselves.

      Cut head and arm holes out of a brown paper grocery bag, and let them create their own robot/ monster/ muscles/ dress/ etc.

      Order something big from Amazon (diapers/pullups/toilet paper/paper towels) and sit them inside the box with a stuffed toy and a bunch of crayons. They can make a rocketship or castle or just scribble, and then use their imagination to fly/ rescue/ play with their toy.

    • Anon says

      Also, do you have any painters tape? The blue kind – it comes up off wood and carpet and even furniture really easily without leaving marks or ruining the surface.

      Tape a track on the floor and let them run their cars around the track. You can get really elaborate with the shape, or just do a simple square. You can even tape down extras – like a bunch of tiny ripped pieces is a forest. A square with a triangle on top is a house. A rectangle with a couple lines in it is a parking lot. Maybe a blanket is a river and you tape a bridge over top.

      Or make shapes with the tape on the floor, like a big square and a big triangle. Play a “game” where you say a shape name, and they need to run and touch the correct shape. You can also tape down construction paper sheets and you call out color names, or you can tape down notecards with letters and call those out. If they’re bored with that, start calling out two items that they have to touch in order.

      • Anonanonanon says

        this painter’s tape thing is genius. I’m always preaching its versatility at work (we often set up off-site operations and use it to mark floors etc.) and never once thought of using it at home for things like this!

        • POSITA says

          I ripped a ton of the finish off of my wood floors doing this. I’d get the easy release painters tape if you can.

          • Anonanonanon says

            oooo thanks for the tip. We just got wood floors put in and I’m very much in the “PROTECT THE FLOORS AT ALL COST!!” stage still

          • Anon says

            Hmmm we just refinished our floors with a kid and dog friendly finish, and haven’t had a problem with the regular blue painters tape. One time we left a track on the floor for over a week, and while it was hard to peel up, it still didn’t ruin the finish. But good to know. Always test in a corner!!

      • Sabba says

        Yes! The DK Ultimate Sticker Collection Books seem to be a hit in my house. They have so many stickers that they last for several months. We also like the kits where you stick on eyes and noses and things to make animal or human faces.

      • Anonanonanon says

        I got a bunch of sticker sheets when my son was that age or a bit older, they come with a “scene” and the stickers associated with said scene. I got them in a crazy bulk amount from oriental trading or amazon, I think they were actually marketing as something to have at child-friendly weddings if I remember correctly. They were great for both at home and on-the-go at restaurants etc.

    • Anonanonanon says

      Mine’s almost 8 now so my memory may be off on his age when we did these things, but:
      -tracing the first letter of their name in glue and letting them put cheerios on it
      -using dot painters (like you use in bingo) to trace the first letter of their name or other easy shapes that you draw (or to make their own creation)
      -Using toy dinosaurs etc. to make “tracks” in play-doh
      -using cookie cutters to cut shapes in play doh (maybe he was older for that one now that I think about it?)
      -We were in an apartment where I could see the tub from the kitchen (yay city life) so sometimes he’d be in a shallow bath and use “tub crayons” (I think they were just colored soaps?) to draw on the inside of the tub while I unloaded the dishwasher etc.
      -scooping dried beans from one container to another
      Again, he may have been 3 or so for some of this, can’t really remember.

    • POSITA says

      My almost 2 yo loves lining up old diaper and wipe boxes to make a train. The kids use markers to color on the boxes.

      My DD also loves to “clean” with a baby wipe. She’ll easily spend 20 minutes at a time walking around the house wiping random things. She’s also big on “washing” dishes at the sink. Soapy water and tupperware keep her busy for a long time.

    • GCA says

      We’re big on science experiments:
      – Put a couple inches of water in a shallow storage bin (also works in the bathtub!), collect a few items from around the house, observe what floats and what sinks. (Beware: playdoh DISSOLVES. We learned the hard way…)
      – If you have a Magna Doodle, what objects make marks? (Magnatiles, shape magnets, fridge magnets…test a variety of household objects.)
      – If you’re feeling crafty, get a sturdy cardboard tube like the center of a gift-wrap roll, make some slits, stick a couple of pocket mirrors in (this requires teacher-supply contacts or craft store), and make a periscope.
      – Fold paper into quarters or smaller, make some cuts – ta-da, snowflakes.
      – For Christmas my son got a toy magnifying glass and will walk around looking at various surfaces through it. (Also – surface/ texture rubbings with paper and an unwrapped crayon.)

  3. ADHD, aging and more says

    This is a repost from late yesterday, but I could use some words of wisdom about dealing with ADHD as a working parent, if that’s the diagnosis my son receives.

    After several years of our school-age son being on behavioral plans and still struggling with issues related to impulse control and attention, we’re pursuing an evaluation for ADHD. So many of the signs seem to fit what he’s going through, and the social interactions are getting harder for him all the time. He’s a bundle of energy who doesn’t know when to quit, and many of his peers have just had it with him. Breaks my heart. His principal has told us that he doesn’t believe DS is a mean kid at all, but he often says/does mean things for attention. Even though he knows it’s wrong, it’s like he can’t control himself in the moment. And that’s just one example. If I look back on various things over the years, my son’s quirks now seem like indicators of a bigger problem.

    Emotionally, I’m all over the place. I’ve been trying to get my DH on board for testing for awhile now and he just didn’t see it until very recently. So I’m a little angry at him, and myself, for not pushing harder. We point-blank have asked teachers if they see ADHD signs and they’ve always said no, he just needs “extra support” to be successful. Well, he’s been getting extra support for several years and the same issues persist. I feel relief that my DS might finally get the help he needs. But I feel so ill-equipped for dealing with this. If ADHD is the verdict, he’s going to need more behavioral counseling, and possibly a different setup for before/aftercare. I’m not sure how we’re going to manage the extra help he may need.

    Any tips for navigating the evaluating process, and working with the school? DS is already meeting weekly with the school social worker so there’s a paper trail started, I guess. I know very little about IEPs and 504 plans, but I need to learn quickly.

    On top of dealing with kid stuff, I’ve spent half my workday calling around to assisted living places for my grandpa, who is recovering from a car accident and is going to need more hands-on care when he’s finished rehab from the accident. It is a strange juxtaposition to be touring assisted living facilities while trying to get my head around my DS’s situation.

    I feel pulled in a million directions and like I’m failing everyone. Let’s just say that I’m grieving what used to be and work is not my highest priority right now.

    • Anon says

      Hi! I’m an adult (duh) with adult diagnosis ADHD. I likely had it as a kid too but I’m just old enough that it wasn’t as common to screen/treat then as it is now. First, don’t freak out. Getting a diagnosis is a good thing. Your son is having those behaviors diagnosis or not. With a diagnosis, you can start treatments which will hopefully help the behaviors. Not every kid with a diagnosis needs high level of intervention. Also, they don’t all need meds for life either. I went on meds for a few years which helped me recognize what behaviors were ADHD and what were normal. I didn’t need counseling or coaching though I considered it. I did a lot of my own reading and introspection though. You can probably do some of that with your son yourself without a counselor.

      It will probably help your son a lot to just know that his brain works differently than other peoples. It doesn’t mean he is dumb or bad. He may even have some advantageous his peers don’t have. There are things I love about my ADHD. (1) I can hyperfocus like nobodies business when I’m interested in something. (2) I am amazing under pressure. That adrenaline I get from ADHD and a deadline is like someone doing cocaine. If there is an emergency at work, I can bang out a memo of law in an hour and my colleagues are just amazed at how it happens. The downside of course is the hours I waste when we don’t have an emergency but again, we all have strengths and weaknesses. (3) I’m confident and don’t mind speaking up when others are afraid to. I speak too much sometimes. One might have called me a gunner in law school. I can interrupt others. Some of this I need to watch and curtail. But, I keep myself engaged in meetings by speaking and that makes me look smart and confident.

      The social part can be hard. I need to tone down the hyper, the all about me show, the interrupting. The meds helped with that and gentle cues from people who know are also helpful. A good friend can whisper “yo, take a breath” and I realize I’ve been going for too long.

      Your son might not even need an IEP or 504. It depends on what helps and what hurts. Maybe he needs to be allowed to doodle during class or fidget with a cube or use a standing desk. Teachers may give him those accommodations without a plan. If he needs more time on tests or flexibility with homework then you are going to want a plan. Teachers also are now taught that they are supposed to react differently to different kids based on what works for them. He should be getting disciplined less and instead re-directed back into an activity in a way that works for him.

      • Anonanonanon says

        hahaha your “(duh)” almost made me laugh out loud. I enjoyed the mental image of a middle-schooler providing thoughtful commentary to a blog comment section full of working mothers hahahahaha

      • Anon for this says

        +1

        My brother in law has ADHD. I don’t know if he was diagnosed officially as a child, but they knew that he was not doing well in traditional public school. Instead he went to a very small private school for middle school with innovative teaching strategies (kids of different ages together, less structured class time, etc). He did well in high school, went to college and has succeeded in his career much like this poster mentions – cranking out work for deadlines, staying up late, hyperfocused when he’s into something. He never stops moving. He does still take medication.

        Some things that helped him were LOTS of physical activity – he started running track and cross country as a kid and continued through college. He also has hobbies that require a lot of time and focus. I think it helps him burn off steam and be productive, deal with his energy.

      • Anonymous says

        Umm… based on your post, I think I might have ADHD. The hyperfocus and last minute adrenaline is totally me. I skipped class all the time in law school or barely did the readings, studied for 12 hours straight before the exam and had no issues. I never passed in a single paper at university without pulling an allnighter to get it finished.

    • Anonanonanon says

      No advice but I’m sorry you’re dealing with all of this at once. I’m glad your son will finally get the support he needs. Don’t beat yourself up, as women/mothers we’re always made to feel like we’re being overly pushy when we’re trying to advocate for ourselves or our children, and then when it turns out we’re right we’re suddenly made to feel like we should have done more sooner. There’s no winning, and you’re here now getting help, that’s what matters.

      Definitely research your child’s rights under 504/IEP issues. Some school districts are better about protecting these rights than others

    • NewMomAnon says

      Oh, can I reframe the ADHD situation? Your son has always had these issues; a diagnosis doesn’t change him. The only thing that might be changing is your understanding of this situation and the help you can access for him. You might be on the verge of unlocking a huge parenting treasure trove of resources!!! That might be way more helpful than what you’ve been doing to date! YAY!

      And hugs about your grandpa. Lean on your support network right now; you’re supporting a lot of weight, try to find someone who will support a bit of yours.

      • ADHD, aging and more says

        I’ve been thinking about this a lot. The issues have been there, and I’m trying to view this as one piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture of who he is as a person. I don’t fear a label … okay, maybe I do, a little bit. But I am relieved to be getting an answer rather than beating myself up for not being an effective enough parent.

    • Anon says

      I used to be a teacher. An IEP could be a great option for your son – it holds the school legally responsible for giving him the services he needs to be most successful. It’s not permanent and will not hold him back in any way. If you’re worried about the school or the staff taking advantage through the process or not taking you seriously, get a lawyer to help serve as your advocate and to translate for you.

  4. Anonanonanon says

    Has anyone tried the Rent the Runway plan where you can rent a few different pieces a month? I’ve rented gowns from them before and always had a positive experience, but wasn’t sure about a membership. I thought it might be a fun way to keep my work wardrobe fresh when I return to work post-baby, without committing to purchasing pieces that may not fit my changing body for long.
    Any thoughts on RTR update vs RTR unlimited? With the time it would take to receive, try on, return, and receive a new shipment I’m not sure I could squeeze more than one shipment a month in anyway

    • Anon says

      I haven’t done the monthly rental, but some friends at work did. They ended up only using it for a few months because inevitably the pieces they wanted to rent were already rented and they were not overly impressed with the selection. However, that was several months ago, so the selection may have improved.

    • Lana says

      I feel like a broken record on the main site about this, but look into Ann Taylor Infinite Style if you like their clothes. I’ve been really impressed and it fits my work style a little better than RTR. I definitely manage more than one box a month (closer to three usually). Plus they seem to add new things every week so the selection stays pretty current and then the clothes are in good shape.

      • Anonanonanon says

        I actually had not heard of this so I will look in to it, this sounds like a great option! thank you!

      • Anonanonanon says

        OMG geeking out over all the different jackets/blazers I could try….

  5. Reply to ADHD says

    I’m not sure if this is posting in the right place, but I just wanted to encourage you to request a special education evaluation for your son. Like others said above, maybe he doesn’t even need services, but you are better off just knowing. The evaluation is at no cost to you. Be active in discussing what the scope of the evaluation should look like with your school staff. I believe your state department of education is required to have a list of parent attorneys and advocates if you think you need one. Having a formal IEP (or 504 if special education is not needed) helps protect him and you and helps ensure his accommodations are consistent as he moves from teacher to teacher and then even into college. Don’t be afraid of the stigma, you are your son’s best advocate even though it is so so hard. Big hugs, you can do this.

  6. anon says

    Pregnant (with multiples) and in a one week period i went from feeling cute and pregnant to feeling huge and uncomfortable. Trying to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer last night was so hard! I (hopefully) still have quite a bit of time left to go in my pregnancy- I have a desk job – any tips for making sitting all day more comfortable?

    • EB0220 says

      I found that sitting on a big exercise ball was much more comfortable in the final months! Any chance you can work from home? I also did a lot of pacing on conference calls, just to keep myself moving.

    • rakma says

      I had a variety of lumbar support and weird pillows that I’d switch out through out the day, so even though I was sitting I was sort of changing positions. The wedge pillow was the most useful, but I also used an inflatable donut pillow for a while. Also, something under your desk to put your feet up on, I got a folding stepstool which I still use.

  7. Redux says

    Am I doing night sleep training right? My kiddo is 13 months and has never been a great sleeper. He still wakes up 1-2 times a night just needing to be settled, then again super early a.m. for a bottle, then back to sleep until a normal wake-up time. I am ready to pull the plug on the night wakings. Last night I just left him in his crib when he woke up at 3am. He cried on an off for one terrible hour, then slept til normal wake up time. Is that all there is to it? Just ignore him until he learns to settle himself?

    • FTMinFL says

      That’s what we did, you just made it longer with the night wakings than I could! I felt like a horrible person for a few nights then he started sleeping through the night consistently. What a dream! You’ve got this. Just be consistent. Good luck!

      • Redux says

        Thanks. My first was sleeping through the night waaaay before this point, so I am really willing to try anything. We live in a small apartment and the baby sleeps in our walk-in closet, so it’s really hard to ignore (to say nothing of what our neighbors are surely thinking). But I am so tired and something’s got to give and I’ve decided it’s 1 of 3 night time wake ups. I do feel bad for him when he’s crying, but I also feel bad for me, so…

  8. NewMomAnon says

    Help! I’m having a medication issue that is temporarily making it very hard to function (highly distractable, with tummy troubles and paranoia to boot!), and it’s affecting my ability to turn out work product at my job. I am working with two doctors to resolve it, but I fear the problem is with me for a few more weeks while the new dose kicks in.

    It’s all compounded by the fact that I can’t get anything done on existing projects because my phone is constantly ringing with new “this will only take a minute” questions, and people dropping new work on me without asking me or giving me a good heads up on time commitment, often via e-mail which is….out of control, to put it nicely.

    I contemplated asking for a couple weeks of intermittent FMLA or other accommodations, but I am concerned that if I’m even partly at work, it won’t help – our firm doesn’t have a centralized workflow system, so it’s on each attorney to brief every possible work provider about time limitations, and I have dozens of potential work providers on any given day. Short of sending a firm-wide e-mail saying, “please don’t call me for a few weeks!,” I don’t know how to get myself any respite.

    Any suggestions?

    • Anonymous says

      Can you stop answering your phone an checking email for chunks of time, like an hour or two, so you can focus on a task? Can you turn off your ringer doing those times? When I am getting easily distracted I sometime move away from my computer to another chair in my office so I can focus on proofreading or reading. But shutting down your email client and muting your ringer might be enough if you need to work on your computer.

      • NewMomAnon says

        The bigger problem is that people send me an e-mail or voicemail, and then wash their hands of the issue, so it’s all on me to make sure I address everything – wading through the backlog is overwhelming on a good day, and right now it’s a disaster. Because inevitably, the “this will just take a minute” question is actually an mini-research project that takes an hour or two…if three or four of those walk in each day, I’m sunk.

        I think I just need help figuring out how to step away from most of my work for a week or so without burning bridges or advertising to the entire firm that I’m *struggling.*

        • EB0220 says

          Is there any chance that your manager can run interference for you? If that’s not an option, could you put up an automatic response – something like: “I am currently focused on generating a deliverable for x. I will respond to your email by 12 tomorrow.” or something like that? At least then there’s a paper trail that you won’t respond immediately. That might just kick the can down the road, but at least it sets the precedent of not responding right away. I would supplement this by creating big time blocks on your calendar like : “Finish x deliverable” or “Write y document”, which will support your automatic response message. In my experience (YMMV, KYO) people are surprised when I set limits like this – but they deal, and it has never negatively affected me. I had to do something similar when I was struggling after my first was born. If all that fails – I would consider taking FMLA.
          PS. Hope you start feeling like yourself again soon!

    • Anonanonanon says

      How long do you feel like you would need off to feel better? If it’s a week or two I say go for the FMLA. You don’t owe anyone (besides whoever you have to do the paperwork with) an explanation beyond “I’m having an unexpected medical issue and will be out for two weeks and will be unable to address _____ during that time”

      • NewMomAnon says

        The med stays in your system for a week, so I probably need about a week….I might just guts it through this week and see how Monday is.

  9. Travel Stroller? says

    Hi All. Hoping for some great recommendations, because you ladies are awesome. We’re embarking on our first vacation including air travel with our 2 year old later this month. We’ll be at a large all inclusive resort for our destination. Direct flights with no connections. We have a BabyJogger CityMini and love it. I decided I wanted an umbrella stroller for travel and ordered the Summer 3D Lite Convenience stroller. It arrived and is barely smaller or lighter than our CityMini! If we’re going to use something that big, I’d rather just return it and use our CityMini. However, I’d still rather have something small and light. I think I’ve settled on a cheap Cosco umbrella stroller from Target or Walmart for this trip. However, I’d love some recommendations of higher quality umbrella strollers that are truly light and small. Would love a canopy and maybe an adjustable/recline seat. And opinions generally – what would you do? Honestly, I really don’t see our daughter using it much. She usually wants to walk around. Hence, my inclination to just go cheap. We’re also taking her car seat, and I bought the little cart for that so it could be a stroller in the airport, too. But I don’t want to do that at the hotel ;-) Thanks!!

    • Anon in NYC says

      Higher quality, very light strollers: Babyzen Yoyo, Uppababy Gluxe or Glite. None are particularly inexpensive, however.

      We have the GB pockit for our travel stroller which collapses really small, but it does not have a good canopy and does not recline. Also, we needed to attach a strap to it so we could sling it over our shoulder (we made one with a duffle bag strap), and it would not be very comfortable for someone over, say, 5’9″ to use because they would be hunched over. I realize I’m really underselling the stroller but it’s perfect for our needs – we can collapse it to basically the size of a purse and stick it under a table in a restaurant. It takes up no space in our apartment. It can easily fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane, and it’s so lightweight that, with the added strap, we can tote it around when our kid wants to walk.

    • Sabba says

      I bought the Maclaren Volo for a similar reason and was fairly happy with it while my child was age 2 to 3. However, I admit that I wasn’t much of a stroller person. I more often wore my baby up to age 2, then let her walk after that. If you really don’t think you will use it much, getting a very cheap umbrella stroller from Target may be the way to go.

    • bluefield says

      Maclaren Mark II – I think it weighs like 7 lbs, and it folds teeny tiny.

    • ANon says

      I also got the Summer 3D Lite and really love it, but if it’s pretty much the same as your current stroller, then it doesn’t really serve its purpose. I ended up getting the Summer one because when I tested the Cosco ones at Target, the wheels were so small that it was too hard to push. They were also too low for me so I was hunched over. Definitely test one out at the store before buying to save yourself the hassle of returning it in the event that it doesn’t work out for you.

  10. shortperson says

    my 3 year old’s hair is getting to the point where i have to brush it every morning or it’s a mess. it hurts her but she’ll put up with it. i use some honest detangling spray and gobs of conditioner in the tub so i’m not sure how to make it less painful. however i worry that this is step 1 in teaching her that girls have to suck it up and accept pain, along with pain comes beauty, etc. maybe i’m just reacting to that jezebel article i just read on painful s*x and many years of painful hairbrushing inflicted on me. anyway, any thoughts?

    • J says

      We switched to Fairy Tales from the Honest stuff, and it is much better. I spray a ton of it. I use a wide comb. It helps if you hold the hair you’re combing near the scalp (almost like holding it in a ponytail or pigtail), so it pulls where you’re holding it rather than from her head. You can prevent it from pulling on the scalp while you brush the ends if you squeeze/hold it hard enough. I hope that makes sense. Brush before bed, too. It’ll make a world of difference when she wakes up. If you can sneak in another brushing, that will help too.

      • shortperson says

        i do hold her hair but i’ll try the fairy tales and brushing before bed. thanks.

      • Carine says

        +1 Fairy Tales works well. We use the shampoo and conditioner, detangling spray then comb and put her wet hair in a braid before bed. In the morning, even though she prefers her hair unstyled and takes out the braid, at least pinning or tying up the pieces around her face helps, too. I also had to cut a few inches off just this week – there is a length at which it’s just not manageable anymore. Really needs to stay around the bottoms of her shoulder blades at its longest otherwise it tangles so badly.

    • Anony says

      What kind of hair does she have? If it is curly, you may be better off spraying the hair with a spray bottle of water/lavender every morning and reshaping the curls every morning. I have strong memories of my mother layering in detangling spray and brushing with a coarse brush and it just caused more tangles. My hair was always a disaster. It took me 30 years to figure out how to work with my curls . That is one idea.

      • shortperson says

        it looks straight but has a few curls at the bottom if that makes sense. i have super curly hair and yup have just figured it out too! (devacurl) her hair does not present as curly but i think it has a similar texture

    • Anon says

      I took my DD to one of those fancy kid haircut places (Pigtails and Crewcuts) and they said I really needed to use separate shampoo and conditioner for her hair, and stop washing it every night. It was too dry with the 2-in-1 stuff and that’s what caused all the tangles and painful brushing. Regular trims will help prevent split ends, and avoiding those tiny little rubber bands will prevent breakage. So now we only bathe 3x/week. We use Johnson No More Tangles Shampoo, Johnson No More Tangles Conditioner (left on for a few minutes before rinsing out), plus use a leave-in conditioner spray on non-bath days. It seems to be helping tremendously – she no longer wakes up with a mess.

      My only problem is avoiding those little rubber bands. She loves her long hair, but I want to keep it out of her eyes and away from her face. Headbands are fairly useless on a kindergartner, and clips fall out. We keep using the rubber bands for braids and ponytails and just hope that regular trims will help with most of the damage.

    • EB0220 says

      My oldest (kindergartner) has super fine hair, and it tangles if you look at it wrong. I only wash it once a week, but I put in conditioner and detangling spray every few days at bedtime. I comb with the Wet Comb (wide teeth with waves in the teeth.) I put her hair in a loose braid overnight, which at least means she wakes up without tangles. Beyond that – to be really honest, I don’t worry too much about it. Even if it starts out looking beautiful in the morning, it’s always tangled by afternoon. I’d rather let her go to school with messy hair than hurt her and spend 30 min every day combing it. That’s just my personal feeling, though, and if it bothered her I would definitely step it up.

    • anon says

      I have a 3-year-old with fine hair, but a lot of it. What has worked for us is using separate shampoo and conditioner, plus a detangler on top of that. I use Honest shampoo/conditioner and the Paul Mitchell kids’ detangler that I can buy at Cost Cutters. (I’ve used the Honest detangler and it doesn’t work nearly as well.) The Wet brush is good. Brush the ends first, then slowly move your way to the scalp. Her hair is neat when she leaves the house and usually a disaster by the time I pick her up from daycare, but I think that’s inevitable with young kids and long hair!

    • mascot says

      Have you tried a satin or silk pillowcase? That might reduce some of the overnight tangles I don’t know what kids do in their sleep that wrecks their hair so much. My son has fine straight hair with a couple of cowlicks. Unless he goes to bed with it dirty and dry, it stands up like crazy in the morning and we practically have to dunk his head in the sink to get it to some version of flat.

    • Sabba says

      My daughter and I have hair that tangles very easy. I use John Masters Organics Green Tea and Calendula Leave-in Conditioning Spray on both of us, and I only wash her hair three times a week. One bottle of the spray is expensive, but it lasts awhile. After washing her hair, I spray in the John Masters stuff and use a Wet Brush or wide toothed comb to comb her hair. In the morning, I spritz her hair to make it damp, comb it with a regular comb (or the Wet Brush again if it got really tangled), and then twirl it around my finger to bring out her natural curls. It sounds complicated but only takes 1 minute.

      I remember my mother just ripping through my hair with a brush and it hurt so bad. I still jerk back if someone tries to touch my hair unexpectedly. I would rather shave my daughter’s head than subject her to that, but luckily she does not seem as tender headed as I was plus the leave-in conditioning spray really works and makes her hair fairly easy to comb.

      • Sabba says

        Ack. I’m seeing that they may have stopped making this product. I will have to try one of their other detanglers. I’m legit upset that this product is missing from the John Masters website. Don’t order from Amazon, I think they ship expired or knock off product.

    • Redux says

      On the topic of normalizing women’s pain/beauty: DITTO. I try to reframe this (for myself but also for my daughter) as a thing about long hair, not about being a girl. We know a couple of friends, both children and adults, who are men with long hair, and they get tangles, too. If my kiddo wants fewer tangles, she could cut her hair shorter (and still be beautiful! I have short hair!). But if she wants long hair, then she has to take care of the tangles. It doesn’t do anything for the fact that long hair is idolized in children’s programming (ahem, looking at you, Disney), but it helps a little.

      On the practical side, we always brush before bed and often she wears braids at night. I always ask if I can give her a pony tail in the morning and she always declines, resulting in tangly hair filled with paint and food, but so it is. We shampoo and condition twice a week.

    • NewMomAnon says

      3 is a little young, but I always let kiddo take the first crack at brushing her own hair with a very soft-bristled brush. If it’s tangled, I hold her hair and work through the tangle with a wide comb.

      Ditto on the good quality shampoo and conditioner (separate). Lots of the kid’s shampoos are really drying, so consider using a moisturizing shampoo (devacurl!). Otherwise….a hair cut may be in order.

    • rakma says

      I stopped using kid shampoo and switched to using my shampoo and conditioner for DD, and talked her into a haircut. Just a trim helped a bit with the tangles, but a chin length bob made a bigger difference. It was her idea, she wanted ‘hair like mommy’.

      More frequent brushing helps us, but sometimes is not worth the fight. We’ve had luck recently with allowing DD to play with my phone while I brush, it prevents the tears and wailing.

  11. Anonymous says

    I’m 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant with my first and there’s no sign of any progress, so my doctor wants to schedule an induction for 41 weeks on the dot. I know I could still go into labor before then and I’ve done my own research and convinced myself that induction at 41 weeks makes sense to avoid the worst case outcomes, but I’m still really nervous about the process and the increased chance of ending up with a c-section. If anyone has positive induction stories, I would love to hear them (even if it ended in a c-section but recovery wasn’t bad, I consider that positive too!).

    • J says

      I don’t have an induction story. However, I had a c-section, and I had a great, easy recovery. Get moving as much as you can right away after. My recovery was so easy that I honestly don’t understand what all the fuss is about. But I understand it is a major surgery, and that is scary. I grew up in a medical family, so between that and my easy recovery, I do have trouble understanding why some women are so opposed to c-sections. The goal is to get the baby out in the safest way for mama and baby. We’re lucky to live in a time and society where c-section is an option when needed. (Highlight the “when needed”; I’m not saying that everyone should be having them…) I also had zero progress at 39 weeks 4 days and went into labor like 2 hours after the last zero progress appointment. You have time!

      • FP says

        I have a similar c-section story! Mine was scheduled and recovery was incredibly easy for me, and I plan on doing it again for baby #2 in a few months. The first night was a little rough but I can’t imagine it was all that different than a v birth. Just get up and get moving as soon as you can, and follow the pain meds schedule. I was not in shape or athletic at all during my pregnancy, and within about a week or so I was out on (slow!) walks with the stroller around the neighborhood.

    • Anon in NYC says

      When I was at that stage, I had no progress at all (maybe 1 cm dilated), and my doctor scraped my membranes twice. I was scheduled for an induction at 41 weeks + 2 days, and the day before I was scheduled to go in, my water broke (without contractions). I went to the hospital and still didn’t have contractions, so wound up needing pitocin anyway. I had a textbook vaginal delivery (slow-ish progress, and in total labor took about 24 hours from water breaking to delivery), and I thought recovery was on par with what you hear.

      Friends who have been induced and who have wound up having had a c-section usually had some other extenuating circumstance: the baby was really large (>11 lbs!!) and a vaginal delivery was not in baby/mom’s best interest, or baby’s heart rate kept dropping with the pitocin + contractions, or there was a simply no progress on the dilation/effacing side of things. I don’t think any of them had recovery experiences that were out of the norm for someone who went through both labor and then a c-section. My friend who had her second via a planned c-section said that recovery was easier than labor + c-section.

      Good luck!

    • anon in brooklyn says

      I had exactly the same situation as you. No progress at 40 weeks, induced at 41 weeks. It was great. I checked into the hospital at about 9 p.m., well rested, with everything settled at home. Got cytotec and a foley balloon. By 3 a.m., I was having contractions and dilated to 7—my body took over at that point and I never needed pitocin. Got an epidural around then, started pushing at 9 a.m., had the baby at 10 a.m.
      My induction at 41 weeks was much smoother than friends who had to induce early. Even though I wasn’t showing signs of progress, my body really was ready.

      • RDC says

        Same for me – Foley catheter ballon + one dose of cytotec and then labor kicked in and I didn’t need any pitocin. I didn’t want an epidural and didn’t end up with one.

    • NewMomAnon says

      A lot can happen between 39 and 41 weeks. I had a doctor’s appointment on a Tuesday at 39 weeks showing no progress, scheduled a Friday morning follow up, and missed the Friday morning appointment because I was in active labor; kiddo was born 8 hours later. Maybe just be ready to not be ready? Delivery is unpredictable no matter how it happens.

    • lsw says

      My water broke at 39 weeks (at a Mexican restaurant! we had walked there!), and labor didn’t start for 12 hours, so I went in and was naturally inducted under the eyes of the midwives. We did castor oil (totally fine, I actually had no stomach reaction to this) and a cervix sweep (this was super uncomfortable and painful and I did not love it), as well as pumping once an hour for 10 (?, I forget) minutes, then walking for 45, then coming back and doing it again. My son was sunny side up, which made for some painful back labor, but I was very happy to avoid a c-section. Delivered almost exactly 24 hours after my water broke.

    • bluefield says

      I was induced at 39 weeks and it was great. The only thing was that it look a long time – 24 hrs total from the cervadil to baby out (I know this may not seem long but my first was 6 hrs from start of labor to baby out, so my expectations were different). People are queasy about inducing early but I don’t know why.

    • lala says

      I had two positive inductions. One at 42 weeks, and my second at 39 weeks. My first was a very long labor and pushing phase, but did not end in a C. I had a foley on Thursday night, started Pitocin on Friday morning, they broke my water at 2pm and active labor finally started. he was a big boy at 9lbs, 4ox baby, so took a while. My second was a breeze, and I had no other meds besides the Pitocin. They broke my water at noon, Pitocin at 1pm, active labor at 5pm, he was here by 8:30pm.

      My one piece of induction advice is that if things are not progressing with Pitocin, instead of allowing them to aggressively up the Pitocin, consider having your water broken (if this is an available option for you). With my first they just kept uping the Pitocin, but my body didn’t get the message until my water was broken. then the Pitocin was so high that it was causing crazy contractions that were stressing out the baby, which made it more stressful.

    • AwayEmily says

      First, anecdata: I was semi-induced twice (misoprostol and Pitocin) — both times because my water broke early and labor took super long to get going. The first time it was wonderful, albeit time-consuming (I labored at home for 12 hours, then in the hospital for another 24. thank god for epidurals). The second time was fine but at the end it sped up SO much that they didn’t have time for the epidural (!!). Both were straightforward vaginal births, no talk of c-sections.

      Second, actual data: I was convinced I would go over again with my second and so did a LOT of reading about the pros and cons of induction. The evidence that induction leads to increased C-section rates is actually very weak, and a number of recent (and high-quality) studies have found zero relationship between induction and C-sections. And given the risks of going over term for baby, it seemed clear to me that induction was the way to go.

      After reading this, I was convinced about the merits of induction and decided I would definitely get induced with my second if I passed 41 weeks without going into labor on my own. The only reason I didn’t opt for it earlier was because it is more time-consuming, and I had a two-year-old at home and so wanted to minimize my time in the hospital.

    • Momata says

      I had a great induction. It was at 41w (which I still contend was 40 w due to a long cycle – as soon as my daughter was born the nurse even said “this looks like a 40w baby.” but I digress). Husband and I went to the hospital at 6pm the night before. WE were put in a private delivery room and they put in the cervadil and we settled in for the night. I slept in the hospital bed and Husband slept on a twin air mattress on the floor. It was an uneventful night except for occasional dilation checks. They started pitocin at 7am and kept turning it up. At around noon and 4 cm they broke my water. At that point they told me I probably had about 6 hours to go, so I opted for an epidural. My contactions got much more regular and productive after I got the epidural. At around 5:30 pm and 8 cm I fell asleep. They woke me up at 6:30 to tell me I was at 10 cm and to start pushing. I did four pushes and my daughter was born. I needed two small stitches.

    • shortperson says

      i was induced (40w6d due to fetal distress) and ended up with a csection. but! i got fully dilated, baby just would not move. so it really wasnt the induction’s fault, it would have happened eventually anyway.

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      I was induced at 41 weeks, 5 days and my son was born at exactly 42 weeks. When I came in for the induction, I was barely 1cm, so who knows how long he would have stayed in there naturally!

      The induction was a long process, but once contractions finally started the night of the induction, I got an epidural right away and the pain was minimal after that. I had pitocin going the whole next day to progress labor and my son was eventually born vaginally right after midnight on day 3. They monitored his heart rate throughout the induction, which was kinda cool to see, but it kept dropping with more pitocin so they ended up lowering the dosage, which stalled labor, then upping it again, which caused heart rate problems, and the cycle continued like this – hence the long labor. When I was ready to push, I only pushed for about 20 min and he was out. Still had the epidural in so no major pain. I almost had to get a C section because of the heart rate issue, but in the end didn’t.

      My son was born in the high 90s percentile for both height and weight and has been an amazing sleeper from early on so I am all for going later in pregnancy and getting big babies!

    • Anon says

      With my first, I went until 41+6. My induction (which I was terrified about) was scheduled for 8am. My water broke at 4:30am that morning. I had hard, “fast and furious” labor and was exhausted but had a baby in-arms by 11am.

      With my second, I was induced at 41+6 and terrified. It was a an f-ing WALK IN THE PARK compared to #1. I waltzed in there at 7am, got some drugs, got breakfast (apparently this was fine until contractions picked up), contractions started around 9:30/10, got intense around 11:30, doc broke my water at 11:45 and I got an epi 15 minutes later. Baby came fast and furious and was in-arms before 1pm. I gave birth on a full night’s sleep vs being up all night. It was amazing. I had childcare pre-arranged for my older one.

      i plan to get induced ASAP if I go a day past 40 weeks this final pregnancy. I’ve hard it’s not as easy if it’s your first (I got to skip a whole round of meds since my cervix was already primed), but I was so late both times that I was >4.5cm dilated before any of this stuff started. Babies wanted OUT.

    • Anon. says

      I was induced at 41+2. Started cervidil at 9:00 AM, and ended up with a C section around 10:00 AM because baby’s heart rate kept dropping after contractions. I don’t know any different, but my recovery after c-section wasn’t bad at all. I was out taking short, slow walks with within 2 weeks and walking several miles a day by 6 weeks. Really only needed the pain meds for about 3 days after discharge.

      I have a friend who was induced early, labored for 72 hours and then still ended up with a c-section. Please don’t let that be you – that sounds awful. My doctor and I would not still be friends.

    • Anonymous says

      I was induced at 39+5 and gave birth at 39+6. I had a “dream” induction, according to my doctor and the L&D nurses, and while I have nothing to compare it to, I have to agree. It was 21 hours from start to finish, and involved minimal interventions (just a Foley bulb to get things started, and a tiny dose of Pitocin that they turned off after 2 hours because the baby wasn’t tolerating it well). Once I hit 5-6 centimeters, I labored the rest of the way on my own and DD was born after 2 hours of pushing. I was 1 CM dilated and 70% effaced when I started the induction process, which probably helped. The worst part was honestly getting the IV inserted (it took a few tries) and I had pretty severe cramping after they inserted the Foley bulb (but then I asked for some Fentanyl and all was right in the world).

  12. For anonymous re: induction says

    I was induced at 39 weeks 4 days after my water broke with no labor. Normal V delivery. From starting pitocin to birth was 19 or 20 hours. Progressed much faster after I got an epidural. Large baby with extremely large head, but with other minor interventions still avoided C-section.

  13. Inductions says

    Re inductions (can’t reply to the thread on my phone)

    Just to offer a slightly different perspective, I had a “bad” induction, and honestly it’s still fine because baby and I were both okay in the end. I was induced at 41 weeks, cervadil Sunday night, Pitocin Monday morning, my water broke on it’s own by noon Monday, but by Tuesday midday I was only 5 cm and making no progress. So I ended up with a c section. Induction + long labor + c section is many people’s big fear, but I’m here to tell you it really wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t what I wished for going in to the process, to be sure. But you get through it like you get through everything else. And two seconds after that baby was out, I stopped caring about the birth story and started focusing on the baby.

    So no matter what happens, you’ll be fine. Good luck and congraulations!!

ABOUT

WORK WITH US

SERIOUS STUFF