CorporetteMoms

Updated: Aug 19, 2024 90 Comments · by

Maternity Monday: Maternity Day Out Jumpsuit

Maternity· Recent Recs

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Carters - Adult Women's Maternity Day Out Jumpsuit

Jumpsuits are the one-and-done outfit if you prefer pants. If you’re expecting, this breezy version will keep you cool and comfortable the rest of summer.

This jumpsuit is made from an airy, textured cotton gauze and includes a removable belt to accentuate your growing bump. Keep wearing it post-pregnancy too — the buttoned front makes it easy to nurse or pump.

This Maternity Day Out Jumpsuit is on sale for $30.39 at Carter’s (yes, the same place you buy your kids’ clothes!). 

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

About Ann

Ann is a working mom, a longtime reader of Corporette and CorporetteMoms, and has been writing our morning fashion advice for working moms since November 2020! She has a daughter (born winter 2014) and a son (born fall 2019) and is a public interest lawyer in Washington, D.C.

Comments

  1. Anon says

    Are there any nursery decals that can be peeled off later without paint damage? We’re in a rental but would like to decorate a little bit. Any recs welcome.

  2. Boston Legal Eagle says

    We got back from vacation over the weekend, which included flying and then driving to our final destination. We got at least 4 compliments on the plane from random people telling us how well behaved our kids (almost 6 and 8) were, including on a flight that was diverted then delayed. This is not at all to brag because I know this is just a combination of age + iPads, but it still felt sooo nice to have an easy travel time. I read half a book. For those of you with littler kids, seriously, just wait! Travel will get so much better. And if you want to skip the travel for a few years, do it. We didn’t travel on planes with these kids much at all, and they still were fine (despite hearing about “training” kids to be better travelers).

    I also just caught on part of last week’s threads – for the question on am I where I thought I would be at this age? For the most part, yes. I’m in a happy marriage, two kids who are also in the sweet spot of elementary years (though there are still challenges), house we own and good job with coworkers I like. I’m finally starting to feel like part of the community, after moving here in 2019. Covid was hell for many reasons. It feels better to be on the other side. We are in a HCOL city so we do feel pressure to maintain our high paid/sometimes high stress jobs. I think about moving to smaller cities every now and then. But my desire to stay in this community outweighs that.

    • Anon says

      Yes, the “being able to read a book on a flight with kids” is one of my favorite parenting milestones!

    • AwayEmily says

      Move to our small city!! Our best parent friends have a lawyer as one of the parents and he gets off work at 4:30 every day. :-)

      • GCA says

        Move to our midsized city!! That ‘work medium, play medium’ characterisation definitely resonates. Also in terms of community, our block has a decent number of elementary kids on it including my 2, and we’re starting to get to the point where they all wander in and out of each other’s houses to play on summer afternoons. :)

    • Anonymous says

      Hooray! Transatlantic flight (overnight) with barely 7 year old tonight. I am hoping for your vibes to continue.
      I still pack a full change of clothes for each of us, [We had our first 100% puke free travel day vacay in February – so here’s hoping that it continues.] but he is otherwise so easy.

      It gets better people, and we didn’t really travel far 2.5 – 5.

    • Anonymous says

      Yes! We had a 10+ hour drive and my husband and I basically arrived in shock at how….easy? uneventful? the trip was with our elem-age kids.

  3. Anonymous says

    Are kids not having friends a thing? I was really into friends growing up and still maintain a few of those friends now into my 40s. When I say friends, I mean, close friends, people you can share an up or down about your life with, people who get you. My kids (5, 7, 8) currently have no friends of the type I describe. They have lots of kids they play with at school, but no one they’re really that close to. The few friends they have expressed that type of interest in, when I try to set up play dates, it just doesn’t really end up happening. DH says this is normal. We live in the same small town he grew up in and he said, friends aren’t a thing, and play dates aren’t a thing. Everyone hangs out with their families, and that’s a thing. He says he had 1 friend of the type I describe and that didn’t happen until high school. His family all said the same thing, that it’s sort of the culture of the area for people to hang out with family, and not make close personal friends. I feel like I’m losing my mind. Or am I overblowing the need for friends?

    • Anon says

      Huh. This seems odd to me too! My kids are younger than yours but even now my 3 year old is very into her friends (mostly her daycare classmates but her “best friends” are one of my friend’s kids and a girl who changed daycares who we still see occasionally because the girls really like each other). I will say- friends were really important to me growing up but pre-Middle School my friends were basically just my Mom’s friends’ kids.

    • Anon says

      That is odd and not what I’ve heard from family/friends. I HAVE heard that teens have fewer close friends because they’re more isolated and less likely to go out in person (in favor of internet connections), but young kids should definitely have friends.

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      It’s probably based a lot on the town you’re in. In an area with a lot of transplants/people who moved their for work away from their hometowns, like my area, I think friends and playdates are still very much a thing. My kids, especially my older one, needs more than what he can get from our nuclear family and my parents and I want my kids to have the kinds of friendships you describe.

      I don’t have any siblings or close cousins, so without my small group of close friends, I would be pretty lonely. I guess if I had a bigger family that I got along with, there would be less need for this.

      • Cb says

        I’m an only, and extrovert, and moved abroad in adulthood. I don’t need deep bury the body friendships, but I do need a higher degree of social interaction than other people and I wonder if it’s because I don’t have family to fill that void.

    • Anon says

      I have close “help you burry a body” friends from all periods of my life, however, I don’t think kids your kids age have “ride or die” friends yet – those relationships are built over years and years if not decades and frankly, what is an 8 year old going to be ride or die about? My brother’s best friend’s, who is the son of my parents’ friends so they’ve know each other since birth, mom died when they we were your kids’ ages. Even having a major and awful life event happening didn’t impact this – neither kid had the life experience to do anything other than continue to be a playmate. Now we’re in our 30s and they’ve had some deep conversations about his mom, but that didn’t come til later.

      Some areas are definitely more family focused than others (especially when there are lots of cousins close in age and nearby to be playmates). But I think trying to do playdates is fine. I think not having friends is odd, and I get you wanting to nurture your kids’ friendships. But I don’t think it’s weird that young elementary schoolers don’t have ride or die friends.

    • Anon says

      It’s weird for kids to not have friends, but I also think kids don’t get that close with friends til maybe 10 or so. Until then friends are much more whoever is around and available.

      I had the same best friend from maybe 1st grade until 8th when we had a falling out. We didn’t get deep as friends til 4th or 5th grade. Until then it was just playing together. Even though I was closer to her than other friends, I think it was because we had shared interested and had fun playing together.

      • Anon says

        +1. OP, your kids still seem very young. Friendships are often still transient / situational at that age.

        • Anonymous says

          +1

          They are very young if they were 13,15,18 it would be different. Even my late elementary kids often want to do fun stuff together as a family unit vs with their friends.

        • GCA says

          Agreed – it’s not that unusual when they are so young. I didn’t get that close with friends till about 4th grade, and my closest friends are from really formative periods or moments of transition like middle school, college and new parenthood.

    • Anonymous says

      I’d say that your bar for friendship sounds really high to me: “close friends, people you can share and up or down about your life with, people who get you.” I mean, that’s nice if you have it, but by that definition, I’ve had few friends in my life. I certainly never had that kind of person in my life when I was your kids’ ages. Maybe in high school? Many more in college. I played with kids, hung out with neighbor kids, enjoyed being with kids in my school, played with kids at church, but the kind of friendship you’re thinking of? Nope.

      • Anonymous says

        +1 I’ve had the same BFFs for like 30 years but I didn’t meet them until 7th grader. I barely remember the kids I went to elementary school with.

    • Anon says

      My kids sound like this (9, 7, 3). We have individual play dates at our house maybe twice a year each? With school and sports they get a lot of peer interaction and they have kids they play with at school. They don’t really ask for play dates, and it’s honestly easier for me NOT to have friends over…my kids are all boys (well, I also have a newborn daughter but she doesn’t play yet, lol) and entertain each other with minimal supervision, but when one has a friend over it becomes a “three’s a crowd situation”. With friends they kind of bop around the house and go crazy and I have to pay close attention.

      I say if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. We do like having a lot of “family time” and our kids are doing well by any measure. I’m sure this is one of those things that will evolve as they grow.

    • avocado says

      In preschool and elementary school, my daughter always had a close friend or a small group of close friends in her class at school, at aftercare, and at each extracurricular. They spent so much time together and were otherwise so busy that they didn’t do a lot of play dates or sleepovers, though. The parents who tended to ask for the most play dates and sleepovers were those whose kids were struggling socially so the parents were trying to facilitate friendships. For example, my daughter and her sports bestie were inseparable during practice and meets for the five years they were on the same team, we sat with bestie’s parents at meets, our families went out to dinner and ice cream together after meets, we gave each other’s kids rides, etc. But the girls only got together outside of the sport maybe every other month, for a sleepover or an outing or a BBQ with both families. They saw each other 4+ days a week already and everyone needed some downtime. (When our daughter switched teams we maintained the family friendship, but scheduling meetups was challenging.) Same thing with school friends. Some of them were together all day up to six days a week. They didn’t need play dates to be close.

      Once the kids were in middle school the social groups started to solidify independent of class assignments and they started arranging to get together outside of school somewhat more often because they weren’t together as much in school, but they were all so busy that it certainly wasn’t a constant thing. In high school when some of them started driving they tended to hang out during the summer, during school breaks, driving to school functions together, or going out to eat after activities. There was also a lot of interaction via FaceTime, chat apps, and social media.

    • Cb says

      I can definitely see that in small towns, especially if there is a cultural / religious tendency towards bigger families. For kids and adults. We moved to a small town during the pandemic and have really struggled to meet people, despite intensive efforts. We are likeable people, we have city friends, but it’s harder here because people have family / a pile of kids/ their friend roster is full. We’ve had better luck with fellow newbies and parents of only children. The newbies trend older which helps (I’m 39 with a 7 year old and one of the oldest mums in the class).

      My son has two very close friends at school and we are friends with their families, moved out from city, educated, older, probably on the granola side of thing.

    • Anon says

      ok glad it’s not just us. i have 2 first graders and maybe it’s because they are twins, but they rarely ask for playdates or get invited to play dates. i went to one school for K-2 and then my family moved and I def had 2 “besties” (though i dont like that term) during those years as well as other friends whose names I still remember though am not in touch with. we were invited over as a family for super bowl parties, shabbat dinners, etc. on the other hand, my kids have always had kids in their classes they get along with better than others and who they talk about more. i guess i am going to tell myself if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. there also isn’t that much time for playdates and we aren’t even an activity heavy family!

    • Anonymous says

      IMO your kids are just a little young yet for those type of friends. My rising 5th grader has a BFF that she’s had since 2nd grade and a small circle of “best friends” like you describe. My rising 3rd grader has what she calls a BFF but it’s really an in-school best buddy- they have playdates but they are not all that deep.

    • Anon says

      I think at 8 most kids have the type of friendships you’re describing but at 5 it’s still pretty normal to just have playmates rather than friends so I’d probably just watch and wait at this point.. I don’t have lifelong friends from before high school and I think that’s pretty normal.

  4. Bike trailer or seat for 4 yo? says

    At what age do kids grow out of bike trailers? Spouse and I have gotten back into biking, and we’d like to take kiddo along (who has zero interest in learning to ride a bike – but maybe this will change things?). Recs for seats or trailers that will work for at least a couple years until she can reliably ride short distances on her own? A trailer would be helpful now for farmers market/CSA hauls, but we’re open to any ideas at this point.

    • anon says

      Most kids grow out of trailers between 4-6 yo, depending on their biking skills and where you are biking. Most kids are too heavy and grown up for a trailer by an old 6 yo or 7 yo IMO.

    • Spirograph says

      Burley trailers are good for hauling kids, and have decent “trunk space” but she’s going to be too big in a year or two. Maybe a trail along? My kids liked that starting around age 4/5. It won’t help you haul things, but may get her interested in biking.

      • Cb says

        I see lots of kids with a tagalong. I wish we had bought a long tail e-bike when my son was that age. It would have given me (as a non driver) a lot more flexibility.

        Now he’s 7 and faster than me …

    • anon says

      we have a Burley that works well/is comfortable for our very tall and chunky 3 year old. Our tall 6 year old rode in it in an emergency this weekend (crashed her bike 5 miles into a ride and it wasn’t rideable/she wasn’t in riding condition to get home) and she was a little squished but it was fine for the 5 miles home. She will definitely be too tall and heavy by the time she’s 7 though.

    • octagon says

      You need a trail-a-bike if you want them to be on wheels. Or look at a Bunch bike, if you are serious about wanting to do more errands on your bike. There’s one in my neighborhood and it’s so cool!

    • Former\ says

      A long-tail cargo bike will do the job and probably have a longer life. The Tern HSD or GSD are popular, solid options; Riese and Muller Multitinker is newer on the scene but also very solid. Those are all spendier, but Aventon Abound is a newer budget option with a good reputation; Radwagon is probably the most popular, lower-$$$ option.

  5. Small Gifts for FTM and Baby? says

    Any favorite token gifts for a new mom and baby? I’m sending a care package to SIL full of a bunch of practical things for the newborn/postpartum period, which I hope will seem thoughtful and be helpful. But it’s also a major downer, so I’d like to add in at least one fun or cute thing for mom and one for baby.

    I’m sure other friends and family will get all the typical baby shower gifts, plus they’re set with lots of cousin hand-me-downs. I’d rather keep price under $20 for each thing, because the care package has already cost several hundred all together.

    • AwayEmily says

      I sent a Target care package to a post-partum friend that just had a ton of fun snacks in it. Mix of highbrow and lowbrow — interesting trail mix, Pringles, etc. All from Target, so nothing super fancy. She said it was the best gift she received. Having a baby makes you VERY HUNGRY. I don’t think you need anything for the baby, just spend $30 on snacks!!

      • test run says

        Having just had a baby can confirm that snacks are important! One caveat would be that I had hyperemesis and could only eat a truly bizarre subset of foods while pregnant so once I had the baby all I wanted to eat was salad and fresh fruit, so may be a know-your-audience thing. I was also extremely thirsty though so if this is a local delivery maybe some seltzers or another favorite beverage? Also, pre-baby I would have thought this was so dumb, but someone gave me this: https://flightflap.com/collections/flight-flaps/products/original for watching shows on my phone while feeding the baby at night and it was actually extremely useful!

        • Anonymous says

          +1 for fresh fruit and veg after hyperemesis. I would have cried for joy if someone had sent me an Edible Arrangement.

      • Vicky Austin says

        My BFF and I did this for each other and I plan to do it for every new mom in my life. Fun snacks just hit different when you’re Breastfeeding Hungry. We also did each other’s favorite lip balms, but I think that was it – I didn’t really want to receive pretty new clothes at that time!

      • Anon says

        You obviously can’t solve for every scenario, but I personally try to avoid any gifts that make an assumption about how the baby is being fed. Due to unexpected complications during delivery I wasn’t able to nurse although I really wanted too, and getting gifts that assumed I was was really tough on me and highlighted the feeling that I was failing as a mom and depriving my baby right off the bat. Snacks/the assumption that I’d be just constantly hungry would have fallen in that category, though not nearly as much as things like nursing covers.

        • AwayEmily says

          Interesting! The friend who I gave this to and she loved it was a formula-only mom. For me (and her!) the snacks aren’t about nursing; they’re about acknowledging that you have very little time to cook and that sleep deprivation makes you STARVING (or at least it did for me). But definitely something to watch out for if your friend is someone who would be made sad by snacks.

        • Anon says

          Most people are hungry postpartum even if they’re not BFing. Your body is recovering from a major event.

          • Anon says

            Also, who the heck is turning down the ability to have a Snickers at 2 am????

          • Anon says

            Yeah I feel like I was pretty sensitive to “breastfeeding things” since I chose to combo feed to the judgment of some friends and acquaintances, but a snack basket does not strike me as a breastfeeding item.

    • anon says

      The book “I Like Myself” by Karen Beaumont! Of course it will be months (or years) before her new baby is ready for it, but it’s beautiful, fun to read, and had a really nice message that was especially helpful to me in those immediate postpartum weeks. It’s just overall really nice.

    • Anon says

      I loved the gift cards to local walkable coffee shops. It was so nice to have a destination on our stroller walks, see other people, and was money I wouldn’t have spent on myself. Agree to skip gift for baby.

      • AwayEmily says

        I really like this idea! And (like the snacks idea above) it’s nice that it could be used by either parent — my husband went on tons of walks to get coffee with our babies.

    • anonamama says

      Some things I’ve given and gotten in both care package/separate gifts
      – Liquid IV + large, brightly colored water cup (simply modern at target)
      – Gel eye patches (Patchology brand, they have at Marshall’s)
      – Coffee
      -face spray
      – hair ties
      – dry shampoo
      – face roller
      -snacks – bobos and Kind Bars
      – Little Hometown muslin blanket – gets so many compliments and very cozy
      – I also find good things on ‘things I bought & liked”s amazon page

    • DLC says

      Waterbottle/cup with a straw. I feel like it’s a little cliched these days, but being able to hydrate without spilling water on myself was nice.
      Also +1 for lip balm.
      My friend gave me the smart noggin red rings when my baby was born and it was the favorite baby toy for a long time.

      • GCA says

        Oh yes – I gave two colleagues a large waterbottle + straw each when they had their babies in late spring. Useful for labor and delivery, postpartum whether nursing or not, and when you’re out and about.

        For baby, in the same vein as smart noggin, something with that crinkly stuff – our kids loved Baby Paper and the Peek-a-Boo Forest baby book. (‘Who is hiding behind the spruce? Peek-a-boo, it’s the moose!’)

  6. Puerto Rico? says

    My parents are trying to come up with a fun family trip for us to go on with multiple generations, people aged 5 – 77. Hawaii is out due to cost, I was still hoping for a sunny, beach place but don’t Florida for Reasons. We’d be looking to work around kids’ school schedules so summertime would work best. We like outdoorsy stuff, beaches, kids are not too adventurous with food. Is Puerto Rico worth looking into? Flying from the midwest.

    • Anonymous says

      I would do Italy. Maybe like separate apartments at a larger winery/farm stay with a restaurant and pool and activities on site but within an hour of a city for day trips. But Italy is my answer for everything vacation related so YMMV. Pasta/pizza makes it easy to eat out with kids.

      • anon says

        I can’t imagine that Italy is affordable if Hawaii is too expensive.

        What about a cruise? I know they are maligned, but they really are good large group options that work for multiple ages and have fixed prices.

        • Clementine says

          I was also going to suggest a cruise!

          We went to PR with 3 kids last February and it was lovely. We rented an apartment that had a pool, rented a car for the week and had no issues getting around, went to El Yunque, did a mix of touristy stuff and just relaxing in nice weather. Would go again but don’t need to. I think bringing a large group would be a nightmare with restaurants so I would go for something all-inclusive where having 10 people at a table isn’t going to be a nightmare.

          • Anonymous says

            +2 for a cruise. We did a Disney cruise with ages ranging 2 – 85 and a good time was had by all, even my husband and me who were cruise-skeptical. I enjoyed the Disney island a lot more than the real ports, which were too Times Square for me.

          • Anon says

            Disney cruises are not even remotely affordable. I looked into it and for even a basic cabin it was going to be in the $12-15k range for a week for our family of 3, without flights. I consider myself more towards the luxury end of the travel spectrum and that’s at the very top end of what we spend for a vacation and more than I’ve paid for yacht charters and a trip where we stayed in overwater bungalows in Bora Bora. We’ve done both Hawaii and Italy for less than half that.

            That said, most cruises lines are a LOT cheaper in Disney (Royal Caribbean can be up to 10 times cheaper) and those can be a good option for a family on a budget.

        • Anonymous says

          If they are flying from the midwest, flights are probably not that much different. Italian schools let out later than American ones so we often go the last week of June and first of July because last week of June is still shoulder season for most accommodation and like 1/2 to 1/3 the price vs if you go in the first week of August or something.

          • Anon says

            Flights to Italy are way more than flights to PR in my experience. I would also assume that off season PR would be significantly cheaper than high season Italy.

          • Anon says

            June and even into July isn’t “high season” in Italy though. It’s very much shoulder season. Mid-July and August is their peak season.

        • Anon says

          Italy is cheaper than Hawaii imo. Flights are probably comparable (I fly out of Chicago) but accommodations will be *much* cheaper. Like you can get nice hotels in most parts of Italy for under $200 a night and would expect to pay at least three times that in Hawaii.

    • Anon says

      People love this Baha Mar place for multi generational trips. I’ve never been so just reporting hearsay but supposedly it’s great for grownups and kids alike.

    • Anon says

      We took a multigenerational trip last summer at Isle of Palms and it was fantastic. We rented a large house that had a pool and a theater room. It’s about 1 hour from the Charleston airport.

      • Anon says

        I was also going to suggest somewhere in the Charleston area (IOP, Kiawah, Folly Beach) or the Outer Banks. Charleston area is easier to get to, with the benefit of being able to go into Charleston for an afternoon or evening if desired.

    • Anon says

      Southern California! San Diego is great for kids – there’s beaches, hiking, zoos, theme parks and lots of nice hotels and good food.

      • Anonymous says

        My sister was there recently and they had a great time so I second this recommendation.

      • Anon says

        Balboa Island in Newport Beach is another idea if you want to do southern California.

    • Anonymous says

      I’ve loved PR with our family, but I don’t think I’d recommend it for a large family thing like this- there aren’t as many large beachfront properties that would work for a family- you’re either doing a hotel or an air BNB type place. What about a big rental house in the outer banks of NC? There are some gorgeous, large properties and you could even do something like hire a chef for the week so you don’t have to cook (or you can cook). Getting there can be a little tricky but the vibe once you are there is great.

      Alternatively, if you have people that want the resort-y vibe, I’d go for an all inclusive in Aruba or Mexico if that’s in budget.

      • Anon says

        I was also thinking Outer Banks. You can book a big house, or adjacent condos for your own space. If you book a place with a pool you can swim even on days when the ocean is too rough

        • Anonymous says

          Yes, get a place with a pool and an elevator. Rent a golf cart for the week if you don’t want to deal with a car. You can have the beach, the pool, and activities (parasailling, mini golf, horse tours, rent a boat for the day, etc).

  7. Anon says

    to the mother who just posted on our local facebook group that she doesn’t want her kindergartener to eat the same snack as the rest of the class because “I am very particular about what I feed my family.” how do you plan on monitoring what your kid eats for the next 18+ years?

    • Anon says

      I’m guessing she was a SAHM and school will be a rude awakening for her. But yeah this is objectively ridiculous, barring an allergy.

  8. Anon says

    Please share stories of the pickiest eater kids who grew up to be adventurous eaters.

    • Anonymous says

      maybe not “pickiest eater” and may not be “adventurous” now, but I had a kid who only ate like 3 things until kindergarten. she now prefers to buy school lunch and is nonplussed by restaurant meals.

    • Anon says

      one of my good friends in college when i first met her she was a vegetarian who didn’t like eggs, yogurt or most kinds of cheese…now she is a total foodie who likes to visit restaurants with set menus and a whole array of unusual ingredients when she travels. i have one kid who is very very picky and i always try to remind myself of this friend of mine when i worry.

    • anon says

      I was a very picky eater. I wouldn’t eat anything I classified as “sauce” (except maybe chocolate sauce). Now I eat everything, with great joy.

    • AwayEmily says

      Not quite what you asked for, but I will share a story of a picky eater who grew up to be…a picky eater. There is a LOT she will not eat. But! She is also one of happiest people I know. She has figure out how to eat healthily within her constraints, she’s in amazing shape (I’m super jealous of her commitment to weightlifting) and has a kid who is just the sweetest human being on earth. She says that if she could magically get rid of her pickiness and eat anything, she would, but that it also only has a miniscule impact on her day-to-day quality of life. Anyway, I think we often worry that if our kids aren’t adventurous eaters (now or in the future) it means we’ve done something wrong, but clearly my friend’s parents did something right — they raised her into a confident, generous, and all around awesome person.

      • SC says

        +1. My MIL is married to a picky eater. His daughter is also a picky eater. MIL’s husband is a former marine and is famous in his field. He’s doing pretty well for his age–he’s had some health issues, but he’s 78 and still works (from home) every day and has an important project going on now. His daughter is in her 40s, looks amazing, is successful in her career, and has an incredible daughter. I feel like they’re missing out on one of life’s joys, but they don’t feel that way, so it’s entirely my own issue.

        Of course, DH and I try to encourage our 9 year old to eat a variety of foods. He used to be very picky. There were underlying medical issues, but his lack of appetite and picky eating led him to be severely underweight, to the point that his GI doctor was close to recommending a feeding tube. We identified and started medication for the underlying medical issue, and he’s become less picky in terms of the number of foods he will eat. But he also would rather go hungry than eat anything he doesn’t like (which is triggering for DH and me and probably leads to problematic reactions on our part). And he can be very picky about certain foods or how they’re cooked, so it’s never a sure thing that he’ll eat something he likes at home when we’re out at a restaurant or somebody else’s house. I try to tell myself that he’ll probably grow out of some of it, and even PITA picky eaters have people who love them and successful, full lives.

    • Anonymous says

      This was my husband. My MIL tells me he was hopeless. His brother still eats picky and so does their dad. Lots of cereal was eaten. By the time I met my husband in his early 20s, he was a diverse eater, and then in his late 20s, he started trying more exotic things, pick the strangest thing on the menu and he would eat it. He likes offal for example. No type of sushi phases him. All types of Asian foods (fish stomach soup, or a fish eye ball), menudo, tripe. Nothing is strange to him and he really enjoys trying new exotic things.

    • Anon says

      My husband would only eat chicken nuggets as a child. Now he’s a normal adult with an adventurous palate.

    • Anon says

      I was never super picky, but I was a pretty standard picky American kid who preferred things like mac and cheese, chicken nuggets. etc. I’m a fairly adventurous eater as an adult? I don’t do anything super spicy but I really enjoy a lot of non-American foods (Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern, etc) and can find something to order in virtually any restaurant. I always try local foods when traveling internationally. I eat a much broader diet than my parents.

      My kid went through a phase where she was down to less than 10 foods and they had to be very specific preparations. She’s still picky, but now more like normal picky (eats most American “kid foods” and isn’t particular about preparation, so she can always find something on the kids menu). She’s only 6 and I have every expectation she’ll eat normally, if not particularly adventurously, as an adult.

    • Anonymous says

      I’ll share myself! There was apparently a time when I was 4 that I wanted to eat only bread. Even as a teen, I liked basically kid food. And then I went to college and learned how to cook and started trying different ethnic restaurants with my friends and it took a few years but by the time I graduated, I was a very happy adventurous eater.

    • anon says

      also not exactly what you asked for, but I had picky eater who started dropping foods from her “safe” list at 3 1/2 and by age 6 was down to fewer than 20 individual foods that she would eat at all (e.g. salt, whole milk, a specific type of bread, unsalted butter (not salted!), cold cara cara oranges (not ordinary oranges, and not at room temperature)… like a very specific, very limited list). She did feeding therapy with her occupational therapist when she was 8, and now, as a 9 year old, will try almost anything and actually likes a much longer list of foods.

      On a vacation recently we ate at a fancy restaurant in a culinary tradition she had never tried before. She gamely ate a bite of everything we ordered (without being asked/pressured to), ate more than one bite of a few things, was a good conversationalist over dinner, and when we got back to the hotel, ate a banana with peanut butter to “fill in the cracks” without complaining that there was nothing she liked at the restaurant. She’s still not the easiest person to pack a school lunch for (lots of texture/temperature preferences) but she’s adding foods to her list now instead of losing them so I think she’s on the right track, and even if she never learns to like another food, she has learned to be a pleasant and polite dinner guest.

      For the record, I nursed her and did baby-led weaning and bragged when she was ages 1-3 that “it’s not hard to raise a child who eats everything” because we just “gave her whatever we were eating” and
      “exposed her to lots of foods”. Yes I was a POOPCUP and I’m so sorry. Now I just congratulate parents when they tell me the same thing.

    • Anonymous says

      I was incredibly picky and didn’t even try salad until I was in college. Similar for exotic foodstuff like plums. At pushing 50 I’ll try almost anything although I did dry the line at sheep’s brain recently. I’m still a bit picky but the upside is I never learnt to like the taste of alcohol or coffee; I’m very sensitive to bitter tastes.

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