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.
I really love this maternity dress from H&M. It is a great combination of whimsical and professional. I like the modest length, full sleeves, and collar. The pattern is a fun twist on houndstooth. At first glance, I thought the smaller pattern showed birds in flight, but on closer inspection, it is the houndstooth getting smaller. I like how the smaller pattern is placed on the dress — it makes the houndstooth less busy and easier on the eye. I also like how they styled it with the black blazer to show how it could easily go professional. The dress is $49.99 and is available in sizes XS–XXL. MAMA Shirt Dress
For sizes 1X–3X, try this dress from Motherhood Maternity.
Building a maternity wardrobe for work? Check out our page with more suggestions along both classic and trendy/seasonal lines.
This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- 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?
Ifiknew says
I have an 8 month old baby who just got the flu. My 2.5 year old had it and now he has it. He had rsv a few months ago and it nearly broke me because he just will not sleep for a week straight and constsntly wants to be held and bounced all night long. I feel like it’s my job to soothe my sick baby and do not want to let him fuss or cry at all but I just cannot cope with a toddler and a job. My husband is so helpful and we take turns but the toddler is still recovering and we’re getting up with her too and it’s just been h*ll.
I don’t even know what I’m asking for. Any tips on helping the baby sleep? He does okay with colds but it’s these major illnesses which are probably awful for his tiny body where he won’t sleep at all. How do I get through this week?
Anon says
I’m sorry. Have you asked you pediatrician what meds you can give? Tylenol always helps my kids sleep better when they’re feverish. I think after 6 months you can do Ibuprofen too, which might help with body aches? A humidifier can help with nasal congestion if you’re not already using one. And, gently, some fussing is ok. It’s much better for your baby to fuss for 15 minutes and then sleep for 6 hours than to be up all night being held by a parent. Sleep is really important to illness recovery and you shouldn’t feel bad doing what you need to do to get him (and you) sleep.
AwayEmily says
+1 to setting a timer and letting him fuss for 15 minutes before going in — just like when you are sick, sometimes it’s just hard to find a comfortable position and get settled. You can also put his crib mattress at a slight incline, that sometimes helps. Definitely worth calling your pediatrician (actually in this cases the nurses are often even more helpful) and asking them to tell you Every Piece of Advice they can.
And FWIW my kid got RSV and then flu at exactly the same age and flu was actually much easier to deal with. We could treat it with meds, he was less congested, and he slept much more easily. So here’s hoping it ends up SLIGHTLY less bad than you think! Good luck. This sucks.
Anon says
Yes, in my experience there’s nothing worse for sleep than RSV (and ear infections, but those are easily treatable).
Boston Legal Eagle says
Agree that it’s ok to let him fuss and cry. We still employ the “le pause” technique of waiting a bit before going in to the crying baby/toddler. A lot of the time, even when he starts out with a terrifying scream, he puts himself back to sleep after a few minutes. Sleep does help with illness, including sleep for adults.
Anon says
Did he get tamiflu? They can have it that age. I realize I don’t know what he’s like right now but if this is still something that’s developing, when my three year old had the flu and gave it to our 5 month old we were watching for it and got him tamiflu immediately and he really didn’t get sick much that year. Three year old was super sick and it was scary though. I hope it goes okay for you guys!
Cb says
Oh no! Are you in a position where the four of you can just hunker down? Order in food, let the toddler watch tv, and just try and make yourselves as comfortable as possible? It’s hard with contagious stuff – for an ear infection you could call in reinforcements.
Anonymous says
You take PTO, or half days. You work with DH to maximize adult sleep, even if that means one of you “naps” from 5-10pm so that the other one can sleep 10pm-4am.
You hire help, call in family, buy all your meals. Add extra days/time to any childcare you already have for toddler. Allow screen time. Put toddler in hour long baths.
It’s awful but “powering through” will only land you and DH with the flu.
FWIW, if you haven’t already talked to your ped, do that- tamiflu and painkillers work here.
If your baby is still nursing just lean into that and take nursing naps. Mine all dropped nursing right at 8 months so who knows.
Anonymous says
+1, take sick days. Don’t try to power through caring for a sick baby and keeping up your normal work schedule. You need rest and sleep. This is part of what sick days are for.
anne-on says
+1 to all of this. I took SO.MANY.SICK.DAYS for my kiddo’s first 2.5 yrs. I was seriously worried about my job, constantly debated about just quitting and pulling him out of daycare, called in family help constantly, etc.
At the end of the day, he will get bigger, get sick less frequently, and you’ll all survive. It really is a short season of life even though it feels SO big at the time. My boss (also a mom) counseled me to just grit my teeth, get through it, and I am very glad I stuck it out. Also – it is so ok to just do ‘good enough’ work at the moment. Nobody will remember long term if you have a ‘meh’ few months!
Spring Water says
+1 to hiring help. Bring in a night nanny.
Anne says
I am so sorry. It is sometimes so hard. If you don’t already have it we find a humidifier is very helpful, and we proactively give motrin right before bedtime. We also find a chest rub (either vicks or the natural kind) to really help with baby sleep. We do also still let her cry when she’s sick, which is heartbreaking and horrible but seems to lead to more overall sleep. Overall, though it’s just rough.
rosie says
Just a heads up on the Vicks that menthol is not recommended for under 2. We used the Zarbee’s baby one that is eucalyptus and some other things before 2 (mostly on bottoms of feet), then switched to Vicks vapor rub after 2, although Vicks may have a non-menthol option too.
Anne says
Thanks! We actually use zarabee too for the baby but I knew that friends used vicks. Helpful to know.
rosie says
Zarbee’s may have a menthol one, too, not totally sure. Just wanted to make sure the OP is aware of the difference and checks ingredients before using!
Anon says
You are doing amazing!!! It is so hard to hold it together under these circumstances. I send you so much respect and encouragement. I’m also in camp CIO if necessary when you’ve given medication and fed and diapered and soothed and done all you can all day long to care for your child. Sometimes that is the only way anyone will sleep. It’s a terrible feeling but set that timer and hug your spouse and cry yourself if you have to.
Meg says
Heads up if you are in a billable hours job where sick leave is not really leave—if you or a family member gets really sick you can use either disability leave or FMLA if supported by a doctor’s note. I was out with flu for 2.5 weeks and was given that option. At my firm it just meant prorating hours for that time period (and ceiling for bonus too). That way you can focus on recovery and not overstretch with work. Good luck!
Jessamyn says
Just signed up for summer camp for my school age kid today. Seems a little ridiculous that it’s necessary to do this the first week of February to secure a spot for June (this is my first year doing the summer camp thing). What do moms do who look up in late May and go, oh dang, I have no childcare for my kid this summer! Or do all working moms just have to have their act together enough that they don’t end up in that position?
(And obviously, it never enters into the equation that dad would make the summer camp arrangements because… /gestures at society generally)
Anonymous says
They hire nannies but yes, working parents are all doing this. My husband is in charge of camp and I’m in charge of school year coverage. I encourage everyone to expect their partners to actually care about their kids
Jessamyn says
Right, but what happens when he “forgets” about the deadline and your family ends up in a suboptimal situation WRT camp?
Anonymous says
He figures it out. Also I’m just as likely to forget things as he is.
Spirograph says
I think you have to let your husband fail, just like you have to let your kids fail. If he fails, he fixes it. What is sub-optimal? Too expensive? Unsafe care? Something too far away? Something the kid doesn’t like? The last one could happen even with the best advanced planning, and the others are things your husband can figure out a way to avoid or address.
The point of this exercise is to lighten your mental load. If you are so particular about the outcome that anything below your version of perfect is going to be unacceptable and cause you additional stress, do it yourself. But I encourage you to let your husband come up with a “good enough” solution, even if it results in a scramble the first time. Don’t swoop in to save the day. Don’t nag when it’s not done “right.” Just be glad you didn’t have to do it yourself.
Anonymous says
The problem is that the stakes are just so high with child care. Unless your husband is responsible for all drop-offs and pickups, and is the one to whom the kids complain if they are miserable or bullied or whatever, you are going to have to deal with some or most of the fallout when he screws it up.
Jessamyn says
Exactly, anon at 10:59. I am doing daily pickup, so if younger kid and older kid end up in different places, or the location is 20 min out of my way going home, that 40 min of MY day all summer that is wasted. Likewise if we have to hire a nanny at 4x the cost, that’s the family’s money that’s being wasted and should be going to other things.
Anonymous says
I’m sorry your husband is useless Jessamyn
Spirograph says
Gently, you’re gate-keeping. If you are convinced that no one but you can do this correctly, you are creating a self-fulfilling prophesy, and you don’t get to complain that “society” is putting this all on you.
My husband doesn’t always do things exactly the way I would, but he does make sure to make it work in a way that works for both of us (sometime needs a little discussion or negotiation among alternatives). It was a leap for me to give up control on some things, but I’ve found that he’s more capable and I’m more adaptable than I thought. YMMV, of course.
LittleBigLaw says
I get that the stakes for “forgetting” to arrange summer childcare are much higher than, say, forgetting to pick up the groceries. But it’s just not true that dads in general can’t be trusted to handle the “big” tasks related to raising kids. Presumably, your husband understands the importance of and independently handles high-stakes projects at least sometimes at work. Why would he be any less capable of handling high-stakes childcare needs? If you’ve agreed to an arrangement where he gets to turn his brain off at home or you’d really just rather handle this stuff yourself, fine. But it’s absolutely a choice to allow your otherwise capable, intelligent partner to get essentially a free pass because of (real or imagined) incompetence at home. Again, if you want to be responsible for summer childcare, great. If not, then don’t be. Society doesn’t actually decide who the default parent is in your own home.
Anon says
Seriously, not to be all #notallmen but does nobody else have a husband who helps figure this ish out!? I can’t imagine just accepting that the summer camp juggle was my responsibility, unless I was a single mom.
FVNC says
+1. My husband was up at 6 am one day last week to register our daughter for her summer camp.
But then again, in our family, he’s definitely trending toward the default parent which reminds me I should probably start pulling my weight, ha.
Anonymous says
Summer child care plans are possibly the most important thing for parents in two-career households to be on top of. You can get by with dropping pretty much all of the other balls, but not this one. In our LCOL area, you could probably get a spot in one of the least desirable programs at the last minute, but your kid would be miserable and you’d have to drive far out of your way. All of the good and halfway decent programs fill up as soon as registration opens. In a HCOL area you’d probably be SOL in May.
anne-on says
+1. In fairness, this was hard for my husband to get the first year of ‘real’ school when my kid aged out of his day care program and wanted to do the school camp program. I literally sent my husband a calendar invite for a weekend day and laid it out for him – which weeks for which camp, registration deadlines, pick ups/drop offs, what was needed, etc. And told him he was responsible for registering for one camp and I’d handle the other. He ‘got’ it pretty darn quickly then. Also, both of our mothers were teachers so we simply didn’t understand the modern day camp insanity (but I, unlike him, was warned far far in advance by moms of older kids).
Jessamyn says
Not to nitpick, but it sounds like you researched and found the camp and marked the date on his calendar so all he had to do was log onto the camp website on a particular date and put in your family’s information, am I reading that right? That still has you doing the bulk of the emotional labor.
anne-on says
Which…is why we go to counseling, ha! But in fairness, there were 3 camp programs and I basically discounted one out of hand due to the insane 10-2 ‘full day’ option. I printed out the camp FAQ pages and then we sat down to do the calendaring/registering/buying of rando camp stuff together.
Marilla says
Same, I had my kid signed up before the end of January. I know my husband thought I was a crazy person for obsessing about camp decisions already (camp is a slightly shorter day than school, so I need to make sure between us and my MIL we can handle the adjusted schedule for drop off and pick up!) but that seems to be the schedule for these things. Some of the half day camps that are popular for families with nannies are already booked solid – I tried to get her into one for a week I plan on being on vacation and no dice.
At least I can cover most of the summer for my 4 year old with camp – my 18 month old in daycare gets a week at home in June and 2 weeks at home in August that my husband and I will have to split coverage for. (This is super common for daycares in our area, unfortunately.) I have vacation requests submitted to my work through the end of May and plan on submitting my June/July/August requests soon.
Pigpen's Mama says
My guess is forgetting about it only happens once? This is our first year needed this, and “we” have camp plans at the same place for the whole summer, but I’m worried they will fall through…even though the camp is reliable and we’ve already paid. I’m also thinking about a few other places to supplement, but not sure if that will be more trouble than it’s worth.
Jessamyn says
Why are you worried they’ll fall through?
Pigpen's Mama says
Because I worry about everything? :-)
I think I’m actually more worried that my kid won’t like it, and we’re stuck with it, but I also think she’d not to well going from one camp to another. Last summer our daycare closed a month before Kindergarten started, so there was a general panic/scramble among everyone trying to figure out what to do for that month in between.
Anonymous says
Maybe I’m a sexist, but I would never ever want my husband to be in charge of child care or educational stuff. Men are generally just not in tune with the many issues at play. My husband would just pick the first program he saw and be done with it. My friends with SAH husbands still have to do most of the educational and enrichment planning because their husbands just don’t get it.
Anon says
Yes, that is insanely sexist and damaging to men, women and kids. Are men also not allowed to be teachers or child psychologists? Please tell my husband the teacher that…
anon says
OK, but having insanely low expectations for dads isn’t going to help you (or anyone else). On one hand, I get it, but gatekeeping only contributes to the emotional labor issues that we’re all talking about.
Anonymous says
Re. gatekeeping, child care and floor mopping are not the same thing.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Yes, this is sexist and I’d encourage you to fight against this stereotype. We are still in the daycare years so no summers to worry about yet (one great thing about the $$$ daycares) but my husband has been heavily involved in arranging our childcare, including picking daycares and going on tours and just being involved in the act of raising our kids (sorry if that sounds smug).
FWIW, my mom did just this “would just pick the first program he saw and be done with it” so 1. women do it too and 2. I think I turned out ok regardless!
Anonymous says
Wow yes incredibly sexist
Anomynous says
Troll! Troll in the dungeon!
anne-on says
I think all you need is one year of not being able to get your kid into any camp and having to scramble before you set ALLL the calendar alerts. We also have a big paper fridge calendar which states which weeks our kid is at which camp and what that camp provides (snack, lunch, etc.). Our camps aren’t open for sign up yet (we alternate between two, because god forbid one camp stay open all summer long) and they totally know me as the mom who is calling in January to get a spot…
Also – be forewarned that inevitably there is one gap week when camps end and school doesn’t start yet. We just suck it up and take vacation day but seriously, it is SO annoying!
So Anon says
+1. It happens once and then you set reminders for next year.
Anonymous says
Last year, I did a bunch of research on local camps, made a detailed spreadsheet last year, tried to coordinate with some school friends, then realized that my cheapest and most convenient options were the ones (YMCA day camp, school aftercare’s day camp) that required very little advanced planning. We didn’t get one of the swim camp sessions we wanted, but otherwise it all worked out.
This year, I am not even trying for any fancy summer camps. My loose summer plans are a combination of vacation, sending kids to grandma’s house, and rotating tennis and swimming camps at the Y. And actually, DH is in weird work limbo right now and has a ton of free time, so I think I’ll task this to him.
Anonanonanon says
I have to do sign up at 9AM tomorrow (yes, a specific time). I will be heading to a meeting 2 hours away but will be pulling over and taking care of this.
My husband and I have an equal division of responsibility, but unfortunately, this area falls to me.
Anon says
In my area, most daycares have summer camps for school age kids. Those who can afford better and get their act together in time send their kids to the awesome zoo camps and science museum camps, but those who are busy or less affluent just default to the camp at the daycare their kids attended (and which younger siblings may still attend), which are fine.
Anon says
Yup, this is our first year and we too are already all signed up.
I mostly dislike how we had to already “choose” our vacation week so early even though we haven’t locked down what we want to do yet, so now we have no flexibility when booking as to modifying dates for best rates etc. I mean, for sure first world problem, but makes me wistful for completely flexible vacation planning that having a school age kid certainly changes in general!
anne-on says
The only ‘nice’ thing about camps in our area is that you sign up week by week. So we do a family vacation in the summer but any week ‘works’ with the camp schedule.
Anon says
We sign up week by week too, but you still have to artificially decide which week not to sign up for camps when doing the January registrations and then you are kind of locked into that. That’s all I mean.
anon says
All working families are in the same situation. Just this morning, mine got signed up for before/after school care for the next school year. We committed to our summer plans several weeks ago. Most camp signups aren’t even available until later this month or into March. The awesome, pricey summer camps in our city are realllly not set up for people with set work schedules (what even is this 9 a.m.-4 p.m. business? 4 p.m. is hardly “aftercare.”) So we do exactly ONE special camp and have a more set plan for the rest of the summer. I don’t think my kids would do great with a new plan every week. FWIW, my younger kid’s daycare does a summer program for school-age kids. We had to commit to that several weeks ago, with the assumption that they’ll have room for our older kid. If not, we’ll be back to square one.
Summer care is expensive and inflexible. I rarely wish to be a SAHM, except during the summer months. That’s really when the mom guilt creeps in. When we have two kids in full-time school, we might consider a summer nanny — but I can’t justify paying to hold a daycare spot for one kid just to have a summer nanny for two kids.
SJ says
I just this conversation with my husband this weekend. Last year, he offered to help in May, after I had already done 95% of the work. This year, I am giving him specific jobs to help with the workload. I prefer to lead on this project because I am the one who does all pick up and drop offs And yes, February is the optimal time to do all this. Ridiculous but true.
I’d love to hear from folks who have tweens. What do you do with them? Camps are fewer, yet my 12yo is not really ready to be by himself all day. I have a few youth leader things he can do, but not all summer.
Anon says
Sleep away camp? Counselor in training at camp for younger kids? Sports camp? Educational camp at a college?
I had a professor mom so I didn’t have to be in camps every minute of the summer but I also wasn’t allowed to just sit in the couch all summer. They always found things for me to do. And I didn’t have a job until I was 16.
ALC says
Has anyone signed up for backup care service from White House Nannies? Do you recommend it or another service? We have no family in the area (DC) and need to figure out what to do when kid is too sick for daycare but we can’t take the day off work. Thanks!
TheElms says
Yes, I have for my 8 month old. They will only care for mildly sick kids (low grade fever basically). So, if your kid is very sick (lots of vomiting, severe diarrhea you’ll still need to take a day off/work from home). That said, the nannies we have had have all been very good.
Knope says
I have not signed up directly with them but often get nannies through their agency via our backup care service (Bright Horizons). I have had great experiences with them.
ALC says
Thank you for reminding me that my work actually offers this!! Sounds like just what I need.
Anon says
Not sure about DC, but in my West Coast area, I’ve never been able to book a BH nanny for last-minute (ie, late the day before or morning of) backup care, which is what I need for sick care (it’s not like I’ll know my child will be sick in a week). They always have me spend a ton of time filling out paperwork and then don’t come through.
Watch recommendations? says
I’d like to get my daughter a watch for her fifth birthday – any recommendations? Don’t think it should be a fitness tracker – we don’t wear those and I don’t think she’d get it – I think she’d be most excited about the fashion statement of a watch truthfully!
Anonymous says
Swatch Flik Flak. Classic for a reason.
AwayEmily says
+1
OP says
Done! I got her Frozen 2. She’ll love it. Thanks for the suggestions!
Anonymous says
My 6 y/o has this tacky LOL watch from target ($10) and a swatch. I’ll let you guess which one she wears daily ;)
A says
What steps do you take before allowing a sitter to drive your kids around? My daughter’s former swim teacher had offered to babysit, and we thought she would be a good fit for picking up our kids from school/daycare a couple of times a week. She is in college, seems very responsible, and has a clean driving record. But…she is nineteen, and I woke up in the middle of the night worrying about this. The drive is maybe three miles on city streets. I’m trying to figure out if this anxiety is worth listening to or if I should relax and accept that this will be a huge help to our family.
Anonymous says
Get treatment for the anxiety before it runs your life
Spiprograph says
You’ve done reasonable due diligence, and at this point you just need to coach yourself to be OK with knowing that and relax.
Depending on the age of the kids, make sure she has appropriate booster seats or car seats, and that they are installed properly. Remind the kids that they always need to buckle up, no matter whose car they are riding in. I’d also casually ask the kids about the drive and listen for any warning signs for aggressive driving (eg, if she gets angry when driving, stops with a jerk, or goes really fast – kid perception of this is questionable, so take with a grain of salt).
Spring Water says
If you have checked the driving record and she seems responsible, that is the best you can do for background. Otherwise, make sure she has good seats installed correctly. Make sure she knows how to install them (go through it with her and check her install) because she will probably remove them to have friends in the car sometimes. Set ground rules, such as no other people in the car when she has your kids with her. Go through it with her step-by-step on what she should do if she has an accident while the kids are in the car. Don’t dwell on this for your anxiety, but she needs to know that (1) safety first, so doing whatever she needs to do to get the kids safe, like moving the vehicle out of traffic or calling an ambulance if needed, (2) how to contact you and to do it ASAP after all safety steps are taken, and (3) that you need to know about even a minor accident that could affect the carseats or the children, she needs to err on the side of overdisclosure.
If your anxiety is affecting your life like this often, you should look into treating it. It sounds wonderful to have a responsible college student that can do a short drive to pick up your kids. A burst of anxiety now and then happens to all of us, but don’t let it interfere with your life if it is keeping you up at night.
OP says
Thanks, all. I appreciate the gut check and the additional thoughts. Thankfully, my five year old is extremely chatty and is delighted to share every moment of her day with me, so I expect that I’ll hear if anything is amiss. And, to be clear, I am not normally one to wake up in the night and fret, so this caught me off guard. If it continues, I’ll be sure to address it.
Blueberries says
I worry about cars too. They’re more dangerous than so many other things that get more attention!
-I’d talk with my insurance agent. Do you need a non-owned vehicle liability policy? Workers’ comp? A good insurance agent should be able to help. Does the insurance agent have any tips for getting comfortable with the driving?
-I would provide a car if at all possible. It’s annoying to uninstall and re-install car seats and easy to get wrong. Can you pay her to go learn about car seat installation and proper buckling technique from a car seat tech in your area?
I’d also consider how much driving experience the babysitter has, and the alternatives to having this babysitter (you/spouse driving stressed out with overtired kids?). Can you teach the sitter how to handle various situations that might come up (kid screaming the whole way home, kid running in parking lot, kids jumping around in parking lot)?
The world is designed for families of 4 says
I just tried to book Amtrak tickets for our family of five. It literally gave me an error message that says in big bold letters, “Problem with Too Many Children.” Only one child per adult when using the children’s discount. Which is fine, but that’s a hilarious/ridiculous way to word the error message.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Haha, that’s pretty funny. I’m sorry you ran into this but what a way for Amtrak to unintentionally judge!
Jessamyn says
Haha. I feel like I get that error message at least once a day in my life with just two kids, whether they’re fighting in the back seat or both asking for different snacks at the same time or squabbling over which TV show to watch…
Anon says
It is one of the things we discuss (only half-jokingly) when we think about 2 to 3. I am from a family of 5, and it was also disproportionately expensive to add the third kid to the family four pack (or wait extra time for a large table at a restaurant, or need an extra roll-away bed, need a third row for comfortable road trips or rental cars, etc.). On the other hand, we usually got to bring a friend along to things, because the world is built for even numbers!
anon says
Hahaha!
Anon says
How long is too long to keep a kid in a crib? My 2.5 year old loves her crib. She’s never attempted to climb out. All my friends had transitioned their kids to real beds by this age, but they all had second kids by now so there was a reason to move kid #1 out of the crib, because they needed a crib for kid #2. I get the vibe that my friends think I’m babying her to an absurd degree, but I just don’t see any reason to make the switch when she’s happy and safe with the crib (and all my friends moaned about the transition, which isn’t exactly encouraging me to do it). I figured I’d get her a big kid bed when she either asks for one or attempts to climb out of the crib, and based on how things are going so far I can see that being age 3 or even older.
Anonymous says
Nope nope nope. Do not feel any pressure to move out of the crib! This is the only “milestone” I feel no need to get to. 3 year old is in her crib. She climbed out one time, freaked herself out, and that was it. I figure we’ll get a twin at like 3.5 or 4. Who cares what your friends do?
Anonymous says
My son slept in his converted crib (turned into a toddler bed) until he was, um, 6 and complained about how hard the crib mattress was when we came back from vacation. We were lazy and cheap, he still fit, it wasn’t broken, etc.
He also never tried to climb out and was in the regular crib until around 3. My husband finally pulled the trigger on converting it to a toddler bed–because he thought it was getting absurd–and kiddo still stayed in bed and hollered for us to come get him out in the morning for a good 6 months, even though he could get out himself. (Laziness runs in the family).
Clementine says
eh, do what works for you and your family.
Anecdotally, my BFF moved her older kid into a regular (low to the ground) full sized bed around 20 months to free up the crib for baby sibling who was born 5 months later. Baby sibling just moved out of the crib at nearly aged 3.5. It’s what worked and everybody is fine.
Notop says
Same age and question as OP but do we need to move out of crib for night potty training?
Anonymous says
Yes, unless you are planning to leave a little potty in the corner of the crib.
SBJ says
I disagree-we took the side off our 2.5 yo’s crib for night potty training and regretted it because initially we were the ones going in to wake kiddo up/do a dream pee and now kiddo (4) sleeps through the night w/out needing to get up and/or will get one of us. Based on my experience, they aren’t ready to go independently in the middle of the night until much later, so they’re still calling for you initially. Which means you can keep them in the crib. I really wish we’d kept ours in the crib longer and plan to keep our second in longer. We had a hellish year of bedtimes that likely would have been made easier by a crib.
anon says
yes. we tried to lift our dd out and put her on the potty to night train, and it was dumb, woke her up and made her really mad. do not be like us. we decided the benefit of keeping her in the crib outweighed benefits of night training so we put her in a diaper at night for like 5 months till we were ready to move out of the crib. Her diaper was dry every morning after the first few weeks, so we just dropped the crib and the diaper at the same time. 7 days in, so far so good. I realize this is very lucky though ;)
octagon says
We moved out at 3.5! Kiddo was so happy in his crib and never once tried to climb out, even though he easily could have. Honestly what prompted the switch was when he tried to climb IN one day when he was ready for a nap! Do what works for your family and your kid.
Anon says
We moved our kids out just before 3, purely because they were getting too tall for a pnp when traveling and we didn’t want their first time sleeping without walls to be in an unfamiliar unchildproofed room. Our friends all moved their kids between 2 and 3 when either a new baby needed the crib or kids were climbing out. If none of those reasons apply to you, no reason to mess with a good thing!
Also, because our kids were older, we had zero problem with the transition, likely because we could explain to them that they had to stay in bed.
Anon says
Oh, and by “moved out of crib” I mean “took off one side and kept using the crib as a daybed”.
SC says
Don’t move him! We moved ours to a toddler bed shortly before 2.5 because he started climbing out of the crib. It was the worst couple of months of my life. I would “baby” him as long as you possibly can.
Marilla says
Mine moved out of her crib to a big kid bed when she turned 4. We tried at 3.5 after coming back from a vacation where she happily slept in a twin bed with a rail, but she repeatedly asked to go back to her crib. I felt a little “behind” but the transition this time has gone so smoothly and she’s so happy in her new bed I don’t really understand retroactively why I wanted to rush it. My only problem was she was getting tall to lift in and out. She loved the cozy feeling of her crib and that’s replicated by her bed, which is a daybed style with walls on 3 sides.
(I had a second kid when she was 2.5, but he got a new crib so she didn’t feel rushed. Worth spending the money at Ikea. I don’t think he’ll last until 4 in it though since he’s way more of a monkey.)
Butter says
We kept our little in a crib until two months shy of his 4th birthday because he never had an issue with it. Only moved him because he seemed ready to have more space and a real blanket, which I didn’t want to do in the crib. The transition to a real bed was absolutely seamless, which I kind of attribute (perhaps erroneously) to him being developmentally ready to handle it. No issues with night wakings, falling out, going to to the bathroom, etc. I’d recommend keeping them in the crib as long as you can!
Cb says
I read something recently that reinforced this. There’s something developmentally at 3.5 to 4 that means they can handle it, whilst at 2 or so, it’s much much worse.
Cb says
My 2.5 year old is still in his crib and I have no intention of moving him until he climbs or complains about it. He wears a sleepsack so his climbing options are limited. I read something in a Lucie’s List email that suggested that 3.5 is actually a better time to make the transition, if you can hold out that long. My mom makes fun of me but I’m the one who puts my kid to bed at 6:45 pm and am in snug bed with my book/husband by 8.
anon says
My kids were definitely still in cribs at 2.5. I truly don’t get the rush to have kids in toddler beds.
Anonymous says
If you have a climber, it’s dangerous to leave them in a crib. The fall from the top of the crib rail is much farther than the fall from a toddler bed.
Anonymous says
Tons of kids never climb or try to climb out of their bed. We never did CIO so not sure if that makes a difference on kids trying or not trying to climb out.
Anonymous says
I don’t think CIO has much to do with it. We never did CIO, but our kid hated naps and was climbing out of the crib at nap time well before age 2. She is now a competitive gymnast.
Anon says
OP here. We haven’t done extensive CIO because we got lucky with a good sleeper, but we will occasionally let her cry in her crib for 10-15 minutes to settle herself. Sometimes when she’s in a new place or overtired, it’s the only way to get her to settle down and fall asleep (usually she’s so mad, she’s crying either way, and we figure better to cry briefly and then sleep soundly for 12 hours, versus just cry and cry and cry and all of us get very sleep deprived). It doesn’t lead to climbing.
Like someone else mentioned, she actually once attempted to climb INTO the crib at naptime. She wasn’t dressed in her sleepsack yet, and I think that definitely deters climbing. We told her not to do it and haven’t seen her attempt it again.
She’s tall (38″) but we haven’t had any issues with the PNP yet. It’s 40″ long I think, and I’m not sure she needs the full length because she sleeps kind of curled up. But that may be a problem before the crib.
Thanks for the reassurance everyone!
Anon says
Ugh, see this is the stuff that people shouldn’t say on these boards! CIO and trying to climb out of cribs are not related so far as I can tell or at least for most people. My kids tried to climb out of their cribs because they are climbers! They were so proud. They weren’t crying until they fell.
Anonymous says
My kid never climbed out but became difficult for me to lift in and out of the crib because of his weight. We switched to a twin bed (with a rail) around 2.5 with no issues.
LadyNFS says
I have a 2.5 year old who sleeps well in the crib. She climbed out 2x and scared herself so badly that she hasn’t done it again since. I also have another due shortly and I do not intend to take my daughter out of her crib and give it to the baby. I figure that since it’s working and we’re all sleeping well (at least until baby comes!), I can buy another crib. Small price to pay for a well-rested family. If needed, we will convert her crib into a toddler bed and then would need another crib anyway. I’m firmly in the camp of if it’s not broke, don’t fix it when it comes to sleep.
Anonymous says
All 3 of my kids got their ‘big kid’ twin size bed as their 4th birthday present. We took the side off their crib a month before their birthday so they could prove they could stay in bed like a big kid. A few reminders were all that was necessary to keep them in their beds consistently. Kept the cribs in the storage room in the basement for a couple months so the logical consequence of switching back to crib if they cannot stay in big kid bed was still there.
If a kid is sleeping well, don’t mess with it. Move them to the bed when you are ready.
Boston Legal Eagle says
2.5 is still so young. Keep her in there as long as possible! We moved our older one when he was a little over 2 but he was climbing out and yes, we were expecting our second. It was mostly the climbing out thing that forced us (he’s very active in general). Our second doesn’t appear to be as active so we’re hoping to keep him in the crib until at least 3 and maybe even closer to 4 (reading the above responses)!
Yup says
Sixteen. If they’re still in there at sixteen, I’d say that’s too long.
Anonymous says
Hahaha. I love this response.
Anon says
We plan to keep our 2 year old in her crib as long as possible, and I say this with a second baby on the way. She loves it (it’s literally her “safe place” and she asks to go in it at night) and has never once tried to climb out. We may look to transition her around 3, but I’m not in any rush. I read somewhere that kids truly don’t have the impulse control to stay in their beds until closer to 2.5-3, so that’s what we’re targeting. If she’s still in a crib at 4, I genuinely don’t care.
Flora says
I have to fly with my toddler for the first time solo this weekend. We’re going to a funeral, so buying a seat for her with the prices of these last-minute flights ($650+) was not feasible. Obviously it is going to be a huge struggle to keep a 23-month old happy on my lap, though thankfully, we have two short flights (2 hours, layover, then a 90 minute connection). Suggestions for good small toys/activities to bring? Already planning on all the snacks and loading up my phone with puppy videos. Also praying for the flight crew to find an extra seat for her and if not, to be seated by someone who likes kids…
Anon says
What airline?
So Anon says
Sticker packs (check out Melissa and Doug themed scenes) or magnetic scenes (Melissa and Doug) and at that age, my son loved a small (like the size of my hand) clear plastic bag that was filled with new bath toys. I have found that you can get a bit more mileage out of each one by wrapping each in whatever wrapping/tissue paper you have lying around.
Anonymous says
you should call up and ask to be seated in the bulkhead. Or call and explain the circumstance and see if they can put you in an otherwise kid friendly space (window over the wings, last aisle seat in the back, etc).
Anonymous says
LOL these are the worst spots on the plane.
Anonymous says
You truly shouldn’t. These seats are all sold at extra cost now. Buy one one line. Calling is just wasting your time.
Spring Water says
Get two empty cups from the stewards. Make videos with toddler with your smartphone and playback, over and over again.
Anonymous says
Sorry for your loss. Personally, I wouldn’t be afraid to let the reason for the trip slip out, especially if anyone gives the toddler the side-eye.
Anonymous says
The app “video touch”— a stranger handed us his phone with this app on a plane at that age and it’s amazing… 5-8 second videos of vehicles, instruments, animals, etc. there’s a free version and a paid version. Also – stickers, small cars or figurines, and lots of cups of ice.
Blueberries says
Best advice I received here is that one is eating/drinking or doing an activity. Doing one thing at a time keeps interest for each thing longer.
rosie says
Sorry for your loss. Not your question, but make sure to bring a copy of the birth certificate to prove under 2 so ok to be a lap baby, I’ve heard some airlines are pretty strict about checking but I think they could ask, which might be a bigger risk with a kid that is closer to 2. Just because that would be a headache you really don’t need.
As for things to do, maybe download PBS kids app and load a bunch of games beforehand (you need wifi/cell service to download each game, and then you don’t need it to play). And seconding the Melissa and Doug sticker sets — they have ones with puffy stickers, which were easier for my kiddo to use, that can be put on a scene and moved around.
Flora says
Thanks everyone! Thank you for the app suggestions – there are so many choices so it’s good to have specific recommendations. We will be on Delta. The birth certificate reminder prompted me to get it out right now (I had thought of it over the weekend but then forgot).
AnotherAnon says
Tips for encouraging my toddler to sleep during nap time? He will be 3 at the end of this month. For the poster above: he still sleeps/naps in his crib and seems happy (has never tried to climb out) so we’re leaving him there for the time being. When he skips nap he sleeps those extra 1.5-2 hours at night, so I don’t think he’s ready to give it up. During nap time lately he sings and talks. He naps at 12:30 at day care so I try to put him down then at home. He goes to bed between 8PM and 8:30, and wakes around 8AM, sometimes later. Is his bedtime too late? Advice would be appreciated.
Anonymous says
If the 8-8 schedule works for you, I don’t think bedtime is too late. I’d think about pushing naptime a little bit later. My kid is the same age and wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30 (weekday vs weekend) and we don’t do naptime until 1 or 1:30. He definitely still needs a nap most days, but sometimes both at daycare and on a the weekend he just lies on his bed for 2 hours instead of sleeping. We mostly just roll with it; we remind him that it’s time to be quiet and not talk, but don’t enforce that he needs to sleep.
Naps are more likely if we’ve been busy all morning (running around outside, especially) or if we push naptime to 2 or 2:30. For my model, he can wake up from nap at 4 and go back to sleep at 7, so we don’t worry about napping too close to bedtime, but I know that’s not true for all kids.
Cb says
My son sleeps until about 7:30 on weekends and we put him down around 12:15-1:15. But we make sure that we are out and running around in the morning. Saturday we do tumbling and Sunday we typically go to the park, adventure playground, etc. On days when we’re just hanging out at home, he doesn’t nap as well.
Katy says
+ 1 to this. If we get good active play in our 2.5 YO will sometimes nap for 2.5 hours + on the weekend but if we are not active it is a struggle. He definitely needs the sleep – probably to catch up from the week as it is asleep 8 – 8:30 pm and up at 6:30. That is not changing unless I get a different job.
Anonymous says
If he is making up the extra hours at night, I don’t think that means he’s not ready to give up the nap; I think it could mean the opposite. How does he behave on days when he doesn’t nap?
Anonymous says
I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but he sounds ready to drop the nap or at least start skipping it regularly. A longer night is normal when kids stop napping. And I’ve heard a lot of people say the opposite, but my kid dropped home naps a solid year before daycare naps. Daycare seemed to tire her out, plus I think the peer pressure of everyone else in the class napping was enough to encourage her to nap (she was on the young side, just before 3, when she dropped naps at home, so most of her class was still napping). Unless he is super cranky and melting down in the evenings when he doesn’t nap, I would roll with it. You can still have a weekend rest time.
Anonymous says
He can drop the nap, if you want. Otherwise, shorten the nap.
All 3 of my kids dropped their nap between 2 and 3, sadly. Daycare kept insisting on a nap, which really messed up one of my kid’s sleep so we pulled her from daycare over it. It was insane.
AwayEmily says
So jealous of all of you with children who sleep in until a civilized hour. Both of mine have never slept past 6:30 in their lives.
Anonymous says
Ha same! I tell myself at least we can have relatively leisurely mornings during the week (don’t need to be out the door till 8:15), and I do slightly better in the morning anyway, so at least we’re all kind of on the same clock. But god what I would give to sleep until 8am on a weekend.
AwayEmily says
Yes! I try to look at the positives — basically, in our house everyone wakes up at around 6. The adults get up, shower, get ready, and the kids hang out in their respective rooms until their clocks turn green at 6:30. Then we all read/play together for a half hour, have a leisurely breakfast, get the kids dressed, and finally leave the house at around 8. As long as I get enough sleep it’s actually kind of nice to have a full hour and a half with well-rested kids (let’s just say they are NOT always in such a great mood at 5pm).
Boston Legal Eagle says
I can count on one hand the number of times my older one has slept in past 7am. When he does, we panic that he’s sick or something’s wrong, haha. He still naps though. Younger one seems to be waking up by 6 but at this point we’re so used to being up that it doesn’t really matter if he sleeps in.
Anoner says
Omg yes. I can count the number of times on two hands my 3 year old has slept til 7am. No matter what, early bedtime, nap, no nap etc. Sigh.
Anonymous says
Counterpoint: My child is a night owl, and I have never once been able to put her to bed and enjoy some kid-free time before passing out myself. And she never napped at home after age 1.
GCA says
Solidarity. Kid 1 is a chronic early riser (like his mom – ahem. I have had many early morning weekend runs derailed by a little voice going ‘mama?’ at 5am). Kid 2, mercifully, not only puts herself to bed with some patting, she also mostly puts herself back to sleep after midnight wakeups and ‘sleeps in’ till – gasp – almost 7!
Anon says
Don’t worry, we’re all jealous of how you get to go to bed early or enjoy kid-free evening time. My night owl kiddo goes to bed with us somewhere between 10-midnight depending on how her nap ended up and then sleeps until 7-9. So she basically keeps our hours (plus a 1-3 hour nap depending on the day) and there is never a break. On the other hand, I frequently don’t get home from work until after 9PM so at least I see her regularly.
anon says
I’ve been feeling a lot of mom guilt lately, wondering if I’m doing enough for my kids. I feel like I’m surrounded by these super-families who are in tons of activities, take frequent vacations, and are always just *doing* something.
Us, on the other hand? The kids are doing activities, but nothing that’s terribly intensive or requires long weekend tournaments (which all of us would hate). We go on *one* family vacation per year. Most of our weekends are spent chilling at home, doing something active as a family (hiking/biking/swimming/shooting baskets), or hanging out with our extended family members. If there’s a cool activity that we all want to do, we do it, but it doesn’t happen more than a few times a month. We just aren’t that go-go-go family and all of us get burned out when there’s constant activity in our lives. DH and I both work full time; by the weekend, we are just DONE and want to recoup our energy. We skip church to sleep, on a pretty regular basis.
I don’t know; it’s sad that this feels countercultural. I worry that my kids are going to be left out and/or left behind because they don’t have parents who are pushing them to be awesome athletes or meeting other parents through the constant stream of activities. To be fair, our kids have never shown much interest in sports, even though they’re active kids and have had lots of opportunities to dabble.
We’ve deliberately chosen this slower lifestyle, but I do wonder if our kids will be at a disadvantage in middle school/high school because they’re not cultivating a specific talent. Really, it’s being out of the information loop that concerns me the most; it seems like so much knowledge about the school is passed around very informally among the parents.
Anonymous says
Honestly you feel guilty and behind, and I read this as a humblebrag about how great you are doing. We both need to it waste time comparing.
Sarabeth says
Same! I definitely *thought* we were going to be those parents, and somehow we’ve ended up with these super-scheduled weekends and I can’t quite figure out how to make it stop without breaking my kids’ hearts…but I really want it to!
anon says
Ha, yeah. This read to me as a humblebrag so not sure what that says about me?
lsw says
Same – zero activities for my toddler and we took zero vacations last year
Anonymous says
We travel a lot, for a variety of reasons (lots of far-away family, we like to travel, my husband has lots of work trips over weekends and often we go with him) but otherwise we sound pretty similar to you. I don’t think any of our kids will feel left out or behind! If anything, I think kids prefer a slower pace of life and to just chill with their friends. My kids are only preschoolers, but I already feel kind of guilty that our frequent travel has forced them to miss some friends’ birthday parties and other fun stuff here in our city. I know we’re not scarring them for life and when they’re older they’ll probably appreciate the travel experiences, but I don’t really think you can be too slow-paced for kids ;)
Boston Legal Eagle says
Repeat this over and over again: Comparison is the thief of joy. And that there are no rules for this parenting thing. It sounds like your kids are in a great situation where (most importantly) their parents are happy and they’re involved in a few things. That’s how we are too. Our kids are still young but our weekends are very low-key – we just started swim lessons for the older kid, but that’s it, everything else is more just hanging out or going to the park/indoor playspaces.
Most kids don’t become olympic-level competitors or world-famous musicians, or even above average students and that’s really truly fine. A lot of kids burn out after being in intense competitions too and if I can avoid that for my kids, I will try. If they truly become passionate about a sport or other activity, that will be a difficult conversation to have as to how much time and effort we’ll devote to it.
Do you live in a HCOL competitive area? I feel like certain towns breed this mentality more than others, and it’s not where we wanted to live, despite the “better” schools being there.
Anon says
It is counter cultural, because the culture has gone nuts! Every parenting book out there recommends a slower lifestyle, not specializing in sports until teen years, lots of family time and down time and time to be bored, etc. It’s harder to set and stick to this type of intentional lifestyle than to join in the go-go-win mentality, IMO, but so worth it.
Anonymous says
Yes, your children absolutely will be left out and left behind by some measures. But you are rejecting those values, so why do you care? You can’t have it both ways.
Anon says
No, they won’t. If they actually enjoy what they do, they are far better off than the kids who are pushed into it from a young age who DGAF.
SC says
I grew up in a super busy house with lots of activities. My dad was a minister and worked every evening. My mom was a doctor. I was in after care every day and had activities every night (different stuff, not one elite sport), and we were at church ALL day on Sundays. It was exhausting. My mom was pretty angry and resentful. My dad was just absent. I was burnt out mid-way through high school. My relationship with my parents was not good.
The vast majority of the activities did absolutely nothing for me later in life. For example, I spent YEARS in the church’s children’s choir and handbell group when I’m completely tone deaf and have no rhythm. The main advantage I see now from multiple activities was that I had multiple sets of friends. If there was drama with school friends, I’d gravitate toward my neighborhood friends or church friends or sports friends for a while. That was important for my self-confidence and ability to form healthy friendships during middle and high school. I’m sure this can be accomplished in other ways.
DH and I have chosen a slower lifestyle so far. We eat dinner together almost every night. We do one Saturday morning activity, and Kiddo can do after-school activities when he’d otherwise be in aftercare. On weekends, we typically split the days between fun family activities and work around the house. (We also don’t have a cleaning service or yard service, and cook most of our meals, so that takes a lot of work.) We take 2 family vacations per year, and one is the same, low-key trip to a family member’s beach condo a 4-hour drive away.
anon says
Tips for cutting a young baby’s hair? My 4 month old boy was born with a ton of hair and its getting pretty long but I’m nervous to cut it myself. He’s so wiggly! And too young to entertain with videos. Any advice?
Anon says
Do it while he’s sleeping.
Anonymous says
Or eating.
DLC says
I cut my son’s hair when he was almost a year, so I don’t know if this will help, but we sat outside and I did it over the course of a three or four short (like 3-5 minute) sessions. Maybe you can use a Bumbo or some such? Also, remind yourself that it’s just hair and that it will even itself out in a week or two (or you will just get used to looking at it.) Or you can just have him rock the pigtails for a while….
SF says
I’m going to DC for a week in April. Ideally I’d like to find some sort of care situation for my three year son. What’s the best way of going about this? Is there some sort of nanny service I can use? or drop in care that isn’t terrible? thank you!
Beth @ Parent Lightly says
Bright Horizons centers usually have drop in care and I have always been happy with them.
Anon says
Try White House Nannies or Monday Morning Moms. Or, if you have friends in DC, see if they know of a nannyshare you can join for your visit – I have connected friends who were traveling for work with my former nanny or other nannies in the neighborhood, if I knew the current families were okay with an extra kid.
anon says
Am trying to go for 4-5 days to Costa Rica with DH at end of March. Any suggestions for if we should fly into Liberia or San Jose? Hotels or fun things to do? TIA…I can’t wait to be somewhere warm!
Anon says
Young House Love just did a post all about their visit.
op says
oh whoops..and should have said this is sans kids.
Boston Legal Eagle says
If you’re going for total luxury, Nayara Springs was rated the #1 romantic hotel in the world when we went on our honeymoon. It was incredible. I believe they sponsor excursions outside of the resort if you wanted to do ziplining or hiking or other outdoor activities. I think we flew into San Jose, and then had a person from the hotel drive us to the resort (a decent, windy drive).
Anon says
I’ve flown into Liberia and then stayed on the coast. It was a lovely vacation and it was nice not to deal with driving from San Jose and San Jose traffic.
Anonymous says
One of my favorite vacations ever, and one of the last pre-kids, was to Costa Rica! We flew into San Jose and the surf school had transportation from there to Dominical where we surfed for a few days, then we rented a car and drove inland to a resort called Tabacon. This was in 2012, so caveat that lots might have changed, but we loved it. We did some hiking and bird watching, but mostly relaxed in the hot springs pools.