Maternity Monday: Split Sleeve Maternity/Nursing Top
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Color me crazy, but I think this is exactly the kind of thing that’s great to buy while pregnant. First, if the sleeves are too much for you at work, you can just throw a regular cardigan or blazer over it, and it becomes another black top. Second, because the sleeves are kind of fun, you can dress it up for date night or even a holiday party (picture it with a fun sequined skirt or the like). After the baby comes, the easy nursing access will be helpful, and you can totally be the cool new mom who looks super put together. The top is $98 at Nordstrom and comes in four colors, sizes XS-L. Maternal America Split Sleeve Maternity/Nursing Top
(L-2)
Sales of note for 1/16:
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Cashmere on sale; AllSaints, Free People, Nike, Tory Burch, and Vince up to 60%; beauty deals up to 25% off
- AllSaints – now up to 60% off (some of the best leather jackets!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles with code — readers love this blazer, these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
- DeMellier – Sale now on, free shipping and returns — includes select options like Montreal, Vancouver, and Venice
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; extra 50% off all clearance, plus ELOQUII X kate spade new york collab just dropped
- Everlane – Sale of the year, up to 70% off — reader favorites include their scoop tee, Dream Pant, ReNew Transit backpack, silk blouses and oversized blazers! New markdowns just added
- Hannah Andersson – Up to 30% off all pajamas;
- J.Crew – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 50% off cashmere
- J.Crew Factory – 40-70% off everything
- L.K. Bennett – Archive sale, almost everything 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Tag sale for a limited time — jardigans and dresses $200, pants $150, tops $95, T-shirts $50
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Semi-Annual Red Door Sale – 50% off + extra 20% off, sale on sale, plus free shipping on $150+
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
We are just North and slightly west of Boston if that makes any sense. Yes, I have a suspicion that there are few daycares in our burb and we both work downtown so I am currently trying to figure out what makes the most sense. It feels crazy to be researching all of this before I am even telling most people that I am pregnant!
I am early on in my pregnancy with my first and I am wondering when we need to get aggressive about putting our names on waitlists in the Boston area. I am hearing horror stories of waitlists of years! TIA!
Advise needed! Just found out I’m pregnant with #2 (yay!), due in July. #1 is currently in full time daycare, but I have a very flexible schedule and she probably spents abotu 30 hours/week in the center. She’s been in a center since she was 3 months old, but has been at THIS center since she was 21 months. She’s 2 now.
Former daycare (FDC) had a fabulous infant program/room. Current daycare is just not as great all around, but it’s close, cheaper, and gets the job done for my happy go lucky toddler. I do not want to put a 3 month old baby in that daycare.
Options I’m weighing- would love to hear your thoughts and maybe options I’ve forgotten:
1. Au pair + preschool at current daycare 3x/week for #1
Pros: no daycare for baby, cheaper than daycare for 2. Could send #1 to some dance classes etc. to liven up her week and still have it be cheaper than both FT in daycare.
Cons: not sure how I feel about a young au pair with a 3 month old and a 3 year old. Also, space- we have room for an au pair, but it would mean giving up our guest room, which has been fantastic to have when our out of town relatives are here. We have long term plans to finish our basement which would EITHER be an au pair suite or a fab guest space, but that won’t happen by July. Also, I feel nervous about a young lady from a foregin country driving my tinies around. This could be paranoia, but we are in the ‘burbs and it would be a lot of driving.
2. FT daycare for both- send to new daycare
Pros: one place for both kids, nice infant program
Cons: ANOTHER transition for #1 (this would be her 3rd daycare), more expensive, have to get 2 out of the house in the morning…ugh
3. Nanny for baby, preschool 2-3x/week for #1 at current program
Pros: more experience with tiny babies and/or two kids than an au pair (?), no cultural gap (am thinking more like au pairs not knowing the stories/games my toddler knows)
Cons: most expensive option. Probably 150% the aupair and for less hours (au pair you get up to 45; I would probably only use 35-40. With a nanny, we’d probably move schedules to get more like 30-35 hours since we’er also paying for preschool).
4. nanny or au pair, no preschool for #1– she’s a fall birthday and so technically will get 3 years of preschool (or 2 years of preschool and 1 year of preK– whatever.)
Thoughts? Current front runner is nanny and part time preschool until the baby is ~6 months or so, then start to consider an au pair. could be flexible if we found the nanny we loved.
Someone asked this recently, but I didn’t see any responses. Is there an expected amount to give a nanny for Christmas/end of year?
I am so excited about Christmas but simultaneously already “over” the whole presents/materialism/stuff aspect of it. My MIL emailed us all today and asked if we could skip doing gifts for the adults and just focus on the kids. What a breath of fresh air. We all have everything we need.
I am by no means a minimalist, but sometimes I just get so overwhelmed by how we’re supposed to have an ever escalating amount of stuff and do more and more for every occasion (destination bachelorette parties, elaborate 2nd b-day parties, etc). I wonder if the pendulum is going to swing back towards moderation anytime soon? A girl can dream, right?
I need Christmas present suggestions for my 2 yo. I have several smaller things that I’m planning to get her, but her grandparents just asked for a big splashy item that they can get her. If we suggest smaller things, they’ll go overboard . Last year we suggested they get her something from the Little People line and they gave her the 5 largest sets they could find. I’d really like to suggest one substantial gift so that we aren’t inundated with big pieces of plastic again. For her birthday this year they got her a scooter–that was perfect. However, I’m not coming up with anything that she’d want along those lines. She already loves her play kitchen, scooter, tricycle, balance bike, and easel. She has a bunch of MegaBlocks, Duplos, a wooden train set, a baby stroller and a shopping cart. What am I missing? I know there has to be at least one substantial 2 yo present that she hasn’t gotten yet.
So, DH and I are researching cloth diaper options. We’ve narrowed it down to the BumGenius Freetime or the 4.0. We are leaning toward the 4.0. I’d love to hear about any experiences with either!
Snowsuit (LLBean with the grown cuffs was great – we’re still using his 2T at 3.5 now) and base layers underneath so they don’t get too hot/sweaty. Patagonia makes mittens that were fantastic for babies, they open up nearly down to the knuckle so they’re super easy to get on/off.
For all the time use (not playing in the snow) we like the patagonia down jackets, they are nice and warm but compress down easily so I could shove them into a diaper bag.
Suggestions for gearing up for baby’s first winter? With specific brands? I have a ten month old – we are in a fairly warm city but it occasionally gets cold and we are also traveling to ski several times for several days. Sooo help me out moms! mittens? do you do one big puffy outfit or tops and bottoms? layers? what are those things you cover them with in strollers? Feeling overwhelmed by the choices and in my city there isn’t much to observe.
Overnight diaper recs for a toddler boy? And while we’re at it favorites for daytime? We’re adopting a 2 year old and diapers his foster family uses are not working well. They change him while he’s asleep but there has to be a better way!
So I have not yet entered the postpartum period, but I can’t see how something like this would be flattering while nursing, soon after giving birth (when I assume I’ll have quite a tummy). There are all these maternity/nursing clothes available, but I haven’t bought many because I’m trying to stay away from empire waists, which I assume will make me look pregnant long after the baby has arrived.
Am I overthinking?
*Posting on main site as welll* Can anyone recommend a camisole that is mostly cotton and works for someone with a long torso? I prefer a built-in bra of some sort but not 100% required. I am still wearing my nursing camis, despite having weaned a month ago, because they became such an integral part of my wardrobe.