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Toys that play music — kids love them, parents not so much.
We received an older version of Munchkin’s Mozart Magic Cube as a hand-me-down after our son was born. It’s one of his favorite toys, and one I can tolerate (at least it’s Mozart). It includes five different instrument sounds (and an “orchestra” button that plays them all at once) that can be combined to make eight Mozart compositions.
The lights flash with the music, and the squarish shape is easy for babies to hold. I can personally attest to its durability since my son has dropped it countless times.
The Mozart Magic Cube is available at Target for $20.49 or Amazon for $20.08.
snarkclerk says
This past weekend we went on a trip with our soon-to-be two year old and it was… not great. He climbed all over the hotel room, cried a lot at night, woke up early and one room means everyone is up and instead of going out to dinner we ended up ordering take out every night, sitting in our hotel room.
Clearly this was our first trip since he was born with covid and all in between but is this really what travelling with a toddler is like? Any way to improve the experience?
Clementine says
Everyone has had that trip. The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ trip. I promise, it gets better.
Short version (I apparently wrote a book): Get a bigger hotel room, make sure you have food options on hand to feed kid before they get Hangry, and embrace just relaxing on a hotel balcony with a cocktail and your spouse.
For one, that’s probably the hardest age to travel with. I’ve found that once they hit 2.5 or 3, it’s a dream. (Note: we rarely do the tablet when we’re at home, but it’s totally a part of our vacation routine. It’s part of what they like about vacations! You want to watch the same episode of Paw Patrol 27 times in the airport, on the flight, and on the way to the hotel? FINE.)
We have actually found that nicer accommodations really improve our experiences. Either a hotel with a balcony or renting an apartment or even getting a suite. You know those Extended Stay hotels – Homewood Suites type ones? Fabulous when you have kids (and often very cheap on the weekends) because there’s a mini kitchen, there’s a separate bedroom, etc.
We also tend to structure our restaurant meals so that we have breakfast options in the room (yogurt, maybe muffins), then we go out and find exciting coffee and breakfast for the adults. Our meal out tends to be either a late lunch or early dinner. For one, the restaurants are emptier, but also – it works better for my kid. I bring toy cars and crayons and (although we don’t do this, I honestly have 0 judgement) some people use the tablet). We then go take a siesta and then go on a late afternoon adventure. For dinner, we often will eat a fun easy meal for the kid – think taco trucks, the area’s best grilled cheese, even the occasional room service chicken tenders, but the adults will make or get something nicer and have a happy hour (including cocktails) and just… lean in to the fact that you’re in the room at 7PM. We play cards or watch TV, but with a late siesta, our kids are honestly pretty good going to bed closer to 9 on vacation, so we’ll often do something after dinner.
EDAnon says
+1 this is basically our routine too (especially the larger accommodations – we always do a suite). With COVID, we switched to AirBnBs which are great too with the extra space. However, I also find them more stressful when me kids get into things because, as my husband says, they don’t have a risk manager making sure that everything is attached to the wall, unbreakable, etc.
anon says
Yep. We opted not to do hotels during the toddler or preschool years. An AirBnB is so so so much more comfortable. The kid can have their own room and actually sleep. You have a place to socialize during naps and after bedtime. There will be outdoor space nearby to stretch legs. You don’t have to do all restaurant meals and can feed the kid at your leisure using familiar foods. Bonus points if you can bring another family or grandparents. More hands and eyes are so much easier.
(IME, traveling with friends or siblings who don’t yet have kids is hit or miss depending on how much they like/tolerate/judge kids.)
Anon says
You can also get this with a hotel suite.
Signed, AirBNB hater (even with kids)
Anon says
+1 for team hotels (either extended stay type ones or fancy ones with a suite).
Anon says
+ 1. I do not go on vacation with my kids without having a door that closes (other than the bathroom one). It’s key that we can put them down and still have somewhere to hang out.
Pogo says
I had no idea AirBnB vs hotel was so polarizing until a few months ago on this board!
anon says
Does it make it better if you say “vacation rental”? Those have existed forever.
We don’t find a hotel suite to be nearly as comfortable, or as social if traveling with a group, as renting a house with large common areas and a full kitchen.
Anon says
I understand AirBNB is not a new concept and I don’t care what it’s called. I just don’t like cooking and cleaning on vacation and a house gets dirty fast (especially with kids) if you don’t spend a significant amount of time cleaning up every day. I don’t really enjoy traveling in large groups and if I were traveling with people outside my nuclear family (like my parents) we would all want our own space, so having separate hotel rooms and meeting up for meals and some activities would be perfect. To each their own.
I will say that in Covid times when hotels canceled housekeeping and we were avoiding restaurants and eating takeout at home, there wasn’t much difference to me between a hotel suite and a vacation rental. Also there are places where renting makes sense because it’s a better value or it has way more availability. We almost always rent condos in Hawaii, and on our last trip we had a 36th floor two bedroom condo with a stunning view of Waikiki Beach for about $500 a night. I think you’d be very hard pressed to find a hotel suite with that kind of view for that price in Hawaii. So it’s not like I never use AirBNB. But when I can find a satisfactory hotel in the same general price range, I definitely prefer to have the amenities of a hotel.
Anonymous says
+1 to 9:43. The only time I’ve ever thought a vacation rental sounded remotely attractive was during COVID, when a hotel would mean eating takeout in a tiny dirty room. The whole point of going on vacation is to get a break from cooking and cleaning.
Anon says
How old are your kids?
I’m not sure I get the cleaning point. In both spaces I pick up kid mess. In neither space do I do any deep cleaning like floors or bathrooms.
The choice between a restaurant and cooking yourself IMO depends on how well your kids do at a restaurant. Mine at toddlers and preschoolers tended to melt down around dinner time and have very short attention spans. I considered restaurants with them to be a form of torture, typically ending with one adult waiting with them outdoors while the other adult eats in a rush. Even as older kids now we do better if we don’t have to do every meal at a restaurant.
The 7 PM bedtimes in a hotel are what really get me. I enjoy adult time with our fellow travelers in the evening, which is hard to do if you’re stuck in the hotel room with sleeping kids.
With older kids, we’ll also send the gaggle of kids to play in the basement or family room of the rental while the adults nibble on hor d’oeuvres and socialize in the kitchen or living room.
Anon says
My kid is 3. I basically never clean when we stay in a hotel. I mean, yes, if my child knocked over a glass of milk in a hotel I would wipe it up rather than letting it soak into the carpet. But toddlers are always making everything crumb-y and sticky and just low key gross, and in a hotel it’s housekeeping that keeps things clean, not me. The last time we stayed in a rental house it felt like both DH and I were constantly cleaning and the house was still filthy. Hotels also usually have a separate public area for breakfast so you can eat (often, free) breakfast at your hotel without making a mess in the room, whereas with Airbnb unless you pay $$$ to go to a restaurant for every single meal you have to eat in your living space.
I do agree that there’s value in having a separate sleeping area for kids with early bedtimes, which is why we generally try to book a suite. We have had luck putting our kid in the bathroom when we couldn’t book a suite but our preference is definitely for a suite. We also always book a balcony with an ocean view whenever we’re anywhere tropical. If I’m going to be stuck in a hotel room or rental condo with a sleeping kid on a beach vacay, the thing I most want to be doing is reading on a balcony with an ocean breeze and a beautiful view. I’m introverted and never travel with adults who aren’t my husband or mom so having space for large numbers of adults to socialize while kids are asleep isn’t a priority for me.
Anonymous says
In a hotel, if the kids track sand in I can call housekeeping and ask them to vacuum. In a rental I get to do the vacuuming.
Anon says
Yep, and many Airbnbs are SUPER strict about sand, like you’ll get assessed a huge fine if they find any sand in their bathrooms (because it messes with their drain). I totally understand why these homeowners don’t want sand all over their house, but I would also much rather stay in a hotel that takes responsibility for cleaning up the floor every day. In Airbnbs we’re also always wiping down kitchen tables and countertops after meals, taking out the trash every couple of days, picking crumbs up off the floor (unless you want your kids to get it on their feet and then on the coach where you sit), and I’ve plunged toilets and done laundry at the request of the owner (no hotel has ever asked me to launder the beach towels before leaving, that’s for sure). You’re hopefully not on your knees scrubbing toilets, but all the “light housekeeping” really adds up and takes me out of vacation mode mentally. To me, Airbnb is living in a different place, hotel is vacation.
anon says
My kids are fairly well trained that food is only consumed at the kitchen table, so nothing gets sticky or crumby except their seat at the table. We do wipe that down, but it’s not a big deal. We do that in a hotel anyways, as housekeeping isn’t always good at finding sticky spots.
My kids wake up hangry so a hotel breakfast is annoying. Either we’re getting dress to go downstairs immediately upon waking (if the food is even open at 6:30 AM) or feeding the kids in the room and incurring a mess anyways. I’d rather give them something easy in the AirBnB kitchen while I enjoy my coffee on the deck with a view and then head to a brunch at a well reviewed spot mid-morning after everyone is showered and dressed, rather than defaulting to hotel food. If the hotel breakfast isn’t a buffet, usually my kids are near tears and melting by the time the food gets there anyways. It’s never fast enough.
We haven’t done a vacation with sand in a few years, but always rinsed off outside anyways. I’m not a big fan of sand, so I’m naturally keen to keep it out of our living space.
anon says
I have three kids, and a vacation rental is way more comfortable than any kind of hotel room unless it’s a residence inn or a 2BR suite. And I find many of them don’t clean every day anyway. I love the vacation house with another family; the kids are entertained and we have space to chill after they go to sleep (not anymore, since they go to bed when we do, but whatever).
Anon says
I freaking hate AirBnBs/rentals. Kids or no kids. The only time I’ve enjoyed it was on ski trips when you’re out of the rental for hours on end and it really only serves as a place to sleep. Give me all the freshly made bed and towels.
Anonymous says
If the rental had a washer/dryer I could see that being useful on a ski trip. Otherwise yes give me the freshly made bed and fresh towels.
Anon says
Our worst trip was also at soon to be 2. It was an “easy” trip at an all-inclusive resort one time zone over. but our kid wouldn’t sit still for meals, was terrified of the water and sand, was super cranky and just generally the only fun part of the whole trip was when I got to go out by myself during her naps.
We didn’t travel for a year+ because of the pandemic but I just took my 3.5 year old to Hawaii, which is not a short trip and involves crossing 6 time zones, and it was sooo much easier and actually a lot of fun. I mentioned this the other day but we checked her car seat and a big suitcase and just walked to the plane together with our back packs and for the first time ever I felt like I had a big kid. She definitely had her moments in the trip but generally she could sit still for meals, play in the sand and shallow water and even do short hikes and it meant we could actually sightsee with her instead of trying to squeeze it into naps.
2 is a very hard age for travel, I promise! It will get easier.
Anonymous says
Yeah, it gets better! I found we had some good ones and some bad ones (we traveled a fair amount to visit family, not necessarily “vacation”), and the unpredictability of it was rough. My son is 9 now and still usually has trouble falling asleep the first night in a new place. We definitely prefer trying to find a suite with a separate bedroom. I still have vivid memories of a trip to my parents beach house when he was 15 months old and suddenly no longer needed sleep. I think it coincided with a language explosion and dropping a nap. He would wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning, stand up in the pack and play, and start saying “Up! Bye bye! Up! Bye bye!” And my family thought we were torturing him trying to get him to nap. Then there was another trip where he got terrible diarrhea that left open sores on his bum that were incredibly painful if his diaper wasn’t immediately changed. And we were on a plane, and he kept going…. You have to try these things, but sometimes they just suck!
Boston Legal Eagle says
“Vacationing” with toddlers is just parenting in a new place without all of your stuff and with overtired and confused children. Not to say there aren’t great moments, but I think you have to level set your expectations. Travelling with a toddler is not going to be the vacation you had before. Agree that hotels are not great for this age – I prefer something with a kitchen and separate rooms. We also like to bring my parents along on trips like this – they get a mostly fun trip with their grandkids and we get some breaks when they babysit.
But also it will get so much better in a few years! We took a really difficult trip across the country with our then 2 year old. Now, he’s 5, and would be completely fine I think (not that we’re flying anytime soon – we have another 2.5 year old now!)
Pogo says
thank you for this: “Vacationing” with toddlers is just parenting in a new place without all of your stuff and with overtired and confused children.
signed, just got back from one of these with my inlaws and i’m still not over it.
Walnut says
+100
Taking my children on vacation has zero appeal right now. Hard pass until my youngest is at least 3 or 4.
Waffles says
I recently accepted that the more child-centric activities that there are at our vacation destination, the happier we all will be. If the kid is miserable, we are all miserable, and being stuck staring at each other in unfamiliar environments tends to magnify issues that matter less at home.
Kid’s clubs at family-friendly resorts are a godsend. The kind of restaurants that give out crayons and coloring books. Age- appropriate amusement parks and children’s museums. I don’t really want to do these things, but if we are all generally happy, I can usually absorb some vacation culture peripherally.
The worst thing I can do is take my kid to serious museums… I’ve ended up in tears because the things I want to enjoy are right in front of me, but I can’t focus on anything but my kid’s needs. I can see how planning ahead to leave your kid with your spouse for a while to go to these places could be lovely, and I might do that in the future. Hope this helps.
anon says
Yes to all of this. And traveling with tiny kids is just really, really hard. I don’t know how some families pull off more grown-up type vacations with kids in tow; that has never been my reality. That scenario is a unicorn, IMO.
Anon says
When they’re really tiny it’s pretty easy. Babies and very young toddlers don’t have opinions about what they’re doing so you can take them to a museum just as easily as a playground. But I agree once they’re somewhere between 18-24 months you really have to start shaping the itinerary around them.
Pogo says
When we had one toddler it was fine even, because he still napped – which left an afternoon of chill time for both of use – and we had a 2:1 ratio (so I could do a spa day while he took LO biking, and vice versa). But now with 2, including the non-napping preschooler, it is constant on the go for everybody.
I am lobbying for an adults only vacation for our 10 year wedding anniversary because I do want to actually have a vacation again before the kids are like, 12.
Anon says
Resorts with kids clubs could potentially buy you some adults only time before the kids all turn 12 :) But I know not all kids are willing to go.
Anonymous says
You don’t have to wait until they are 12! It gets much, much better as soon as they are done with naps and old enough not to be trying to kill themselves in the hotel room every moment. Age 2 was definitely peak vacation stress for us because of the constant vigilance required.
Anon says
I think Pogo is saying it got harder when her son dropped the nap though, and I get where she’s coming from. Yes, travel with toddlers is exhausting, but having that time to yourself (every other day at least) while they nap can make the vacation feel a lot more relaxing than being constantly on the go with an older kid who doesn’t nap. I’m really dreading the day my preschooler drops vacation naps. She hasn’t napped at home in a year, but still takes really long ones on vacation – I guess the sun and extra activity tires her out.
Anonymous says
Oh, I thought she was saying that one napped and the other didn’t.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Travelling with a baby/toddler and a preschooler is just brutal – you’ve got the exhausting younger one, but still don’t get the benefit of that one’s naps as the other one still wants to go go go. We’ve never actually travelled with our two yet (thanks Covid! but also, it didn’t sound appealing to me) – I think we’ll start once the youngest is closer to 3.5.
But yes, Pogo, take that couples trip!! We did last month and it was lovely to reconnect and feel like our younger selves for a bit.
Pogo says
Yep, exactly. So like, DH or myself would stay home with the napping baby (or, I’d wear the baby walking up and down the beach to get him to nap) and then the other person would be taking the preschooler on an adventure – to a children’s museum, on a hike, to the beach, to get ice cream, etc.
AwayEmily says
I’m with you — traveling with little kids is just rough. Some memory snapshots: a trip to NYC with a 5mo and a potty-training 2yo, staying in a house full of breakable items and SO MANY STAIRS. A trip to see family where the 11mo woke up at 4am every morning and one of us had to keep him quiet for four hours so as not to wake up everyone else in the house. A trip with the in-laws to a fancy VRBO with an 18mo and 2.5 yo…a fancy VRBO that was *perched on the edge of a cliff, with no fence and glass doors everywhere.* None of these trips were remotely relaxing.
anon says
So pick better rentals? I always pick ones with minimal stuff and not on cliffs so I don’t have to police my kids so closely.
Anon says
The anon above’s comment was kind of rude, but this does seem like an easily fixable problem. The fancy VRBO with the cliff and the glass everywhere was pretty clearly a disaster waiting to happen. This is also another reason I prefer hotels over vacation rentals. Hotels don’t usually have much in the way of knicknacks or breakable things that kids could get into. The worst case scenario is just a glass coffeetable but they’ll usually take it out of the room if you ask. (The flipside of this is that sometimes the random stuff in houses is super fun for kids! During Covid we took my 2.5 year old to an Airbnb with a piano and she was completely delighted and “played” piano for us all week.)
AwayEmily says
My MIL specifically picked it for her 70th birthday celebration “dream getaway.” Trust me, I would not have opted for a vacation rental perched on a cliff with two toddlers (I’m no genius, but I’m not quite THAT dumb).
Anonymous says
Ok but then it’s a little disingenuous to act like you were expecting a vacation and were left disappointed. You presumably only went on this trip because it was really important to your MIL, and should have gone into it with the mindset that it was a family obligation, not a relaxing trip.
shortperson says
my kids loved museums as toddlers. or they thought they did. we did 10-20 minutes in the real museum and then went to the always fantastic kids section where they painted or whatever. sounds ridiculous but they have grown up identifying as liking museums which means they like to go even as they get older.
Anonymous says
You are a genius
Anonymous says
We only rent houses with our kids (2 and 4). As in, we rent a 3 bedroom house for our family of 4 at the beach haha. We take toys and food. The only flying vacations are to visit my parents in FL where they have a house and 2 bedrooms for our family. We can’t all stay in one room or we’re miserable.
Anonymous says
I can one up that – we rented a 3 bedroom house for our family of 3 (+dog) on our trip to Florida this past winter. Not gonna lie, it was kind of glorious to each have our own bedroom.
Anon says
We rented a beach condo that was bigger than our house in FL once. The kids thought it was amazing.
Anonymous says
we traveled to Italy when kiddo was 22 months. it was actually great BUT we rented a house for most of it and were staying with another family (who had a 3 mo old). Day trips are great at that age because kiddo sleeps in car. You really only have say 4-5 hours of activity. He was still pretty happy to be in the stroller if there was stuff to look at. we had a pool at house we rented. BEST thing we did = hire a chef to cook us dinner. we would sit down at 8:15 once kids were asleep.
I had ALL the snacks all the time.
Our “out” meals were lunch. Workhorse was a boogie board (you erase the scribbles) + some small farm animals. Mostly we ate on a patio type setting so that once we ordered one parent could walk kiddo around in the square.
we did not do museums (except one day mainly for air conditioning (e.g. a place to walk kiddo for stroller nap). Not a lot of poking in shops. Lots of people watching with gelato. walking up and down pews in cathedrals. managed some wine tasting (there was a forklift to watch). Also Italian are SO tolerant of kids.
Just to say…. it is possible. But one hotel room = no go for us unless it we plan to be in said hotel for less than 3 hours (arrive after dinner / leave in AM for a flight or whatever).
Pogo says
Yes, the on the go sleeping is key too. Until this vacation we could bring our older son with us on adventures and he’d sleep in the car or in the stroller or carrier. Now, not so much. At one point this trip he fell asleep in the stroller (on a brutally hot day) and I was so close to stealthily going in to an airconditioned library where I could sit and read by myself (which, if that isn’t vacation… I don’t know what is) when another well-meaning family held the door and the mom was like Aw, how cute!! and he woke up.
I remember his first Florida vacation with us he napped in his stroller in the shade by the pool for like 2 hours one day while DH and I took turns working out (gym was co-located at the big pool complex), showering, using the hot tub, swimming, grabbing a drink from the bar. Now its like, sure, the baby will do that, but the preschooler is probably splashing another kid in the face or trying to get to the deep end. One of you has to be physically within arm’s reach for safety.
SC says
Super late to this post, but I remember my “NEVER AGAIN” post after a beach “vacation” with my 2 year old. We were in a family member’s condo, so it wasn’t even an issue of hotel room vs. vacation rental. I think 2 is just a hard, hard age to be out of the normal routine.
People here told me then, and I’ll tell you now, it gets better! I won’t say that my child, now 6, is a pure and utter delight to travel with all of the time. But it is so much easier now! And we can have some amazingly fun experiences! And on our last family vacation (to Chattanooga), as we were driving away, Kiddo said from the back seat, “When are we going to that fun place again?” And that makes it so, so worthwhile. FWIW, I am in camp “vacation rental,” but we have also stayed in hotels, usually for 1 night at a time, and even that gets so much better. However, at our last hotel room, Kiddo climbed on everything, jumped on the bed, spilled sticky medicine on the floor, and smeared banana nut muffin (which looked like poop). (I cleaned up the medicine, we tipped housekeeping generously, and we let the housekeeper know that it was a muffin, not a biohazard, on the sheets.)
Anon says
It’s really fun when you start seeing their joy! My daughter got super excited about going on “ventures” as young as 2, which was one of the things that motivated us to keep traveling as a family even when it was hard (but you can definitely scale it down and keep it more local, because a 2 year old gets just as excited about a Lake Michigan beach as a Caribbean beach). Now at 3 she really gets it and talks all the time about our past and future vacations. There’s one trip in particular that she goes on and on about. She mentions it almost every day! It wasn’t my favorite trip for a variety of reasons but knowing how much fun it was for her makes me want to do that exact trip again.
SC says
Yes! Most of our travel is day trips, long werkend trips, and places in 5-8 hours’ driving distance due to limited time and money. My son is old enough to be aware of places like NYC and SF and London and Paris, but he will have a great rime camping and going to the beach and visiting relatives and exploring smaller cities in drivimg distance. I’m OK with saving some stuff for when he’s older. (And we’re planning to go to Disney next spring too.)
ABA Article says
ABA women presidents certainly get it. What a PR mess: https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/womens-success-in-legal-careers-lack-of-advancement-is-not-a-woman-problem-its-a-profession-problem
Realist says
This is great, but I still don’t understand how the first article was published.
anon says
Right? Lots of internalized misogyny in that one …
Anon says
We’re going to visit friends next week with an 18 month old. I was planning to hit a local bookstore in our city and pick out a nice assortment of books for their kid. Is that a sufficient hostess gift or do we need to bring something else? I don’t know anything about their food or drink preferences and I’m not sure how well flowers would survive the trip (we’re driving but it’s a long drive). I’d personally much rather have books for my kid than some random item for our house that might just end up getting thrown out or re-gifted, but I just want to make sure I’m not way offbase here.
Anonymous says
I think that’s lovely
AwayEmily says
That’s a super nice idea!
Anonymous says
I’d buy a bottle of wine too.
AnotherAnon says
I love this and will steal the idea next time we visit friends with kids.
Mary Moo Cow says
I think it is great, too! And while you are visiting, if you feel it is necessary, you can pop out to a store and pick up a bottle of wine you know they will like, or a special desert, etc. That gives you a chance to scope out their kitchen and tastes and an excuse to leave them in their house alone and get some air yourself.
Anon says
Thanks all, any favorite books for that age? Their kid is apparently very bright and likes long picture books. My own kid was still in board books at that age and now at 3 only wants to read about TV characters like Daniel and Peppa (sigh) so I would appreciate some recs that are a little more highbrow.
Anonymous says
I’m not sure this fits your description, but a family favorite at our house is Footloose. Kenny Loggins rewrote and sang the song about animals having an all-night party at a zoo. It is a book and comes with a CD. My kiddo discovered it at daycare and asked us to buy it. DH and I think it is adorable.
Anon says
The Gruffalo or ( I think) the Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson. Longer books, illustrated, and a delight to read.
HSAL says
What is my new go-to clothing store for the fall? I’m cutting way way back at work, sending my two youngest to a part-time preschool, and will never need to dress business casual, but I’d also like to step it up from the Old Navy joggers and tshirts I’ve been living in the last year and a half. I’ve always been fine at business casual and ultra casual, but I need some nice casual-casual, if that makes sense. I’m 40, size 14. Will take very specific recs!
Anon says
I’m 37, tall size 12 who is permanent WFH and I just bought a new post-pandemic wardrobe at Talbot’s. I definitely used to think of it as a middle aged lady store, but hey I’m a middle aged lady now. Watch for sales, the clothes are overpriced at full price.
AwayEmily says
This is not a particularly creative idea, but I am a big fan of Target. I feel like both their Universal Thread line and A New Day line (slightly less casual) have good, accessible items that are better-made than Old Navy and not too “young.” I also like that there are a million reviews of each item so you get a sense of how it fits different body types. And of course the price is pretty great. I have some denim cutoffs from Universal Thread that I feel super cute in, and they are very comfy/stretchy. I would consider ordering a big batch of stuff from there, and then you can return anything you don’t like to the store. That’s often what I do when I need a clothing refresh.
Anonymous says
I’d splurge on a pair or two of high quality leggins (Lululemon or Athleta) and a pair or two of well-fitting girlfriend jeans. Tops from JCrew Factory, JCrew, and Banana republic. I’d keep the joggers in the mix, too. T-shirt dresses from Amazon brands.
anon says
I’m buying most of my casual clothes at J Crew Factory and BR, with some athleisure sprinkled in.
AnotherAnon says
I’ll mention my hack since no one has suggested it yet. Several years ago I figured out what size I am in a few designer jeans brands, and I just order black denim from those brands on Thredup. If they’re weird, flawed or don’t fit, I return for store credit and try again. That got me through about six years of “business very casual” office work. I don’t have any specific recommendations on shirts; I tend to buy a lot secondhand but no specific brands. For a while my “uniform” was oxfords and black denim with a Pleione top from Nord Rack.
Anonymous says
Pre-pandemic, I also wore black, gray, or white designer jeans to my business casual office. My dress pants didn’t spark joy and my jeans did, so I thanked the dress pants for their service and sent them on their way.
Allie says
This. I also really enjoy scrolling thread up so there’s that.
Anonymous says
My favorite casual outfits are 1) really great jeans (I like Mother brand) and a plain t-shirt or sweater, 2) linen shorts and a plain t-shirt, and 3) knit dress. If you are looking for more interesting tops and dresses and/or stylist help, I’d try Evereve.
Anonymous says
Check out Jo-Lynne Shane’s blog for casual outfit ideas.
anon says
My almost 4 year old has turned to hitting himself when he knows he has done something he shouldn’t do. For example, he will punch himself (lightly) in the head if he throws something across the room and we remind him that we do not throw things. He will also say, “I’m going to hurt myself,” “I am so bad,” and “my parents don’t love me because I am bad.” Since this started we have really tried to reframe things so that they are not “good” or “bad.” I can tell that this happens mostly when he is tired, especially because he has been skipping naps. It is really disturbing behavior and I am not sure where to start. Asking him not to hurt himself in the moment just escalates things. I have tried to pull him aside when he is calm and say that hitting is never ok, even hitting yourself and remind him of how much we love him.
Boston Legal Eagle says
My 5 year old has been doing this exact behavior too, so I don’t think it’s too unusual, but something we want to stop as well. We try not to overreact too much – I think he’s trying to get our attention more than anything because he knows he just did something wrong. I think just responding calmly, saying “no one said that you’re bad,” “we don’t want you to hit yourself,” practice taking deep breaths – similar to what we tried to do when he was hitting us or throwing things at ages 2-3.
Cb says
Oh poor little guy, he sounds like he’s struggling. No direct experience but maybe something a few sessions with a play therapist might be able to help with? I wouldn’t be as worried if it weren’t for the dialogue that goes along with it?
AwayEmily says
My 3.5 yo doesn’t explicitly say those words but his actions do something similar. If he, say, grabs something out of his sister’s hand (and knows he did something wrong), he then he first runs away and then starts doing MORE “bad” things like throwing books, saying “poopy,” or pushing me. It’s like he wants to lean into the “bad kid” role to see if he’ll be rejected. I’ve found the most effective approach is to stay super calm lead with a ton of affection/empathy. A lot of times I will pick him up and actually move him to another place (like, sit on the porch) until he calms down. If he starts getting really dysregulated I will hold him and physically prevent him from hitting/pushing/doing anything, and I just keep repeating “I’m going to keep you safe, when you’re ready to be safe I’ll let you go.” That usually only lasts for about 30 seconds and then he just kind of deflates and goes back to normal. My take is that he is testing whether no matter what he does, we’ll stay calm and present and keep him safe.
Pogo says
That’s an interesting point – ours does this too, though he will act shy/embarrassed, go to a corner and say “don’t talk to me” or he will get a weird grin and say “that’s funny” and do something else “bad” like you say. “That’s funny!” ::throws a toy at the window::
I’ve been trying to ask more, “Why did you do ___? Were you sad because Mommy was with brother?” and it has actually helped. He has started to agree and say, “Yeah! I was really sad! I wanted to show you my truck but you weren’t listening!” and then start to cry. It seems like when I let him name the emotion he taps into it in a more “normal” way (vs the “odd” behavior we’re describing in this thread). It also allows me to comfort him more traditionally as opposed to the “odd behavior” where he’s not acting sad per se and doesn’t want to be hugged/etc. And then of course reinforce, it’s OK to be sad, not ok to hit/kick/throw/bite.
Another travel Q says
Has anyone taken kids to an all-inclusive resort before? We’re taking ours, ages 6 and 8, to one in a few weeks. They’re wildly excited about it, particularly about concepts like the swim-up bar (resort is advertised as for families, so I’m confident they’ll have good kid -friendly options) and other treats. They’re good travelers who aren’t actually too bad about going overboard (and we’re pretty relaxed about treats and such), and my husband and I have visited the resort before, but I’m definitely wondering what it will be like with kids. Any experiences to share?
Anon says
I’m the one who went with a 2 year old and it was not super fun but that was solely because of the age of my kid. I’m sure it will be a lot of fun with a 6 and 8 year old who can take advantage of the pool and beach and the swim up bar (they will definitely have virgin drinks for kids). Resorts generally have nice (free) kids clubs too, if you think they might be into that. Which resort are you going to?
Another travel Q says
They’re really excited about the idea of a kids club, too. (And I guess we are, too!). We’re staying at Generations in Cancun. Husband and I have been to the sister, adults only, resort and liked it a lot, and we visited Generations while we were there (guests are allowed access to both resorts). There’s a balcony pool outside our room!
(Sorry you didn’t have so nice a trip. I’ve always thought that sort of 15-25 months age (give or take) is the hardest. In a few months, when language really improves, it will be much easier!)
Anon says
Thanks, yeah my kid is 3.5 now and travel is much easier. Language wasn’t the issue, more just not being interested in any of the normal resort activities and having no willingness to temporarily deal with boredom in exchange for a treat later the way an older child can. She was also sick while we were there and DH and I really didn’t like the food at the resort, so her age wasn’t the only factor in the trip being blah but it was a big one.
Anonymous says
We stayed at that exact resort, including the balcony pool, and absolutely loved it. My kids were younger- baby and 2 years old. This was pre-covid, but I loved that they have toys on the beach already for the kids to play with, and the kids pool is really fun too. We did not use the kids club, so can’t speak to that. We ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch, which has good kid friendly food- my kids particularly liked all the fruit, and smoothies. The restaurants at night are not particularly kid friendly, I guess they expect you to use the nanny service? We either ate early, when they were all basically empty and our kids could be annoying, or ordered room service and ate in shifts with the grandparents. Although your kids are older so they’ll probably be fine. I was also surprised that it didn’t seem like there were actually a ton of kids there, or at least younger kids, I guess the resort mostly appeals to adults. But truly it was one of our best trips and we’re actually booked this year to go to the Jamaica one, and I can’t wait!
Anonymous says
I really want to do my next beach vacation in Jamaica, so I would love to hear your report on specific kid friendly resort!! Including any report on food. (Mexico is good for that I guess…. kiddo could eat chips and avocado all week at worst….) THANKS. have a blast.
Anon says
Different poster, but we have the Jewel Grande Montego Bay booked for January. I wasn’t actually especially interested in Jamaica, but we can fly there non-stop, which is a plus, and it was one of the highest rated resorts in the Caribbean I could find that allows kids and doesn’t cost $1,500 a night. I can report back, if we go (we’ll probably cancel if preschoolers can’t get vaxxed by early December, which is looking increasingly unlikely :/). The reviews on the food seem a little iffy so I’m nervous about that, but it ticks a lot of other boxes (kids club starts at age 3, zero entry pool + splash pad, very protected beach area) and the reviews are overall really good. We looked at the Hyatt Ziva MB too. I can’t remember now why we ruled that one out. I’ve heard amazing things about the food at Grand Velas resorts, but they’re only in Mexico.
Pogo says
ooo is the El Dorado Royale the adults only one? I have been looking at Cancun for our aforementioned anniversary getaway.
Anon says
We went to Live Aqua Cancun for a pre-kid trip 5 years ago now (actually five years ago this week, which my phone just reminded med), and really loved it. The pools and beach are gorgeous, the food there was way better than I expected it to be and way better than the food at the one other all-inclusive resort I’ve visited (also in the Cancun area). I’ve also heard good things about the Excellence Resorts and LeBlanc Cancun. Not sure what time of year you’re going, but in summer you can take an excursion to swim with whale sharks, which is so fun.
Anonymous says
Yes I think so (I’m the poster above that is going to Jamaica, I will be happy to report on it! My husband adores mexican food and that was his favorite part about vacationing at the Cancun resorts, so will be interesting to see how Jamaica compares). We really loved the Royale one. I did think the food was much better than typical all inclusive, and honestly we’re pretty snobby about food and hate buffets- that was my favorite thing about eating there, was the sit down options. The reservations thing was kind of a pain, if I remember correctly, like you do have to plan ahead, but the resort was gorgeous and it was really fun.
Anonymous says
Resorts all over the Caribbean heavily lean into “Mexican” food (i.e., Americanized Mexican like chips and guac, quesadillas, tacos) regardless of whether or not they’re in Mexico, so I wouldn’t worry about that. That’s actually one of the things that frustrates me the most about AIs and cruises because there’s very little opportunity to sample local cuisine other than the one classic dish that they all decide is the signature dish of the country (in Jamaica it’s jerk chicken).
Anonymous says
We had an excellent time at one with a 2.5 year old. At that age, we still prioritized naps, which was actually nice because it kept our fair skineed kiddo out of the sun at peak hours. We also ate dinner early, which was nice because none of the restaurants were crowded. We loved the ease of it and are planning to do another one over spring break next year.
Anonymous says
Where are you going?? We want to do something like this with our kids next year and I’m overwhelmed.
Another travel Q says
Generations in Cancun. We stayed at the adults-only sister resort a few years ago, and really liked it, and were able to visit this one while there. It looks great; I’ll give a report when I get back.
Anonymous says
Sounds like the ideal ages and they’ll have a blast!! I can’t wait to do this with mine (2 and 4yo)
anon says
We stayed at the Hard Rock in Cancun pre Covid with a 4, 6 and 8 year old. Things we liked:
– the kids loved the all you can eat concept, especially the virgin strawberry daiquiris that magically appeared at their tables. The only issue we had with dining was a Japanese teppanyaki table because the food took awhile, but they brought some rice over and that was fine. Also, ours made pizzas to order at lunch and they were wild about that. They made fun pancakes at breakfast that my daughter loved (butterflies, Minnie Mouse). .
– they did not want to go to the kids club, ever. I probably could have forced the older two, but my youngest wouldn’t stay (she was attached to me at that age)
What we didn’t like:
– the beach was terrible, compared to the FL panhandle or Hawaii. Not much sand, rough waves, etc. Plus, the beach chairs were all really far back, so we couldn’t lounge and watch the kids.
– We didn’t love the food, but that might be particular to this resort
– the Hard Rock is LOUD. Not sure how other resorts would be
Travel High Back Booster with Harness says
So I know this was just discussed a few days ago, but it didn’t seem like there were a lot of replies. Any suggestions for a travel high back booster? It needs to have the 5 point harness option because kiddo is on the lighter side for her age. I’ve looked at the Cosco Finale, but some of the Evenflos look a little nicer for close to the same price (the Chase Plus and Maestro). I’d like to keep it below about $100. But I anticipate (hope?) this will get a lot of use over the next 2-3 years so don’t necessarily care about buying the cheapest option. I just want it to be safe and portable. Thank you!
Leatty says
I bought the Evenflo Maestro Sport for this purpose, and it seemed to work well on our recent trip. It seemed to have more cushioning than the Cosco ones, and it was only 8 lbs. Two things I didn’t love: (1) the straps are continuous, so if it is too tight on one side it will be too loose on the other; and (2) my daughter hated the buckle, which is bulkier than our normal Graco 4ever.
anon says
We have the Cosco Finale and the Graco Tranzitions, which we chose over the Evenflo Maestro because they’re narrower and especially when traveling we end up trying to fit 3-across in a car. My kids are only 4.5 so still in the harness mode, but I believe the Finale doesn’t make a great booster. The Tranzitions definitely has more padding and makes a better hbb (and turns into a lbb which the Finale doesn’t), but it’s heavier to lug through airports, which is why we also got the Finales.
anon says
Clothing question for bigger kids: Where are you doing your shopping for elementary school kids? My almost 7-year-old girl is starting to turn up her nose at Carter’s/Oshkosh/Primary. Old Navy is okay for some things, but the quality can be hit or miss. So that leaves Target, I guess? Her tastes are fickle, at best. Let me just say that I don’t love that she’s already being influenced by her peers re: clothing choices; this is a big adjustment from my older boy.
Anonymous says
Target quality tends to be lower than Old Navy and the fit is iffy, but there are a few good things to be found. At that age mine was into Peek Kids and Tea Collection. In general I like Nordstrom for older kids. Avoid Justice if you possibly can.
AwayEmily says
Huh, my experience is that Target quality is much better than Old Navy. Old Navy t-shirts are basically made out of tissue paper as far as I can tell, but my Target stuff has lasted through multiple kids. You could also have her check out H&M or Zara kids.
Another travel Q says
Old Navy is basically our go-to, with Target (they’re next door to each other) second. But we’ve also had good luck with what I think of as the boomer-mom department stores, like Belk and Penny’s. Belk often has great deals on very nice boys clothing. For shoes, we go to DSW.
Anonymous says
H&M
Their age categories include 1 1/2 – 10 which I find to be kid appropriate but not babyish. My kids are 6 and 9 and a lot of their stuff comes from that section. My 9 year old is just starting to move up into their 8-14 section.
Anonymous says
Also, active wear from Nike, Puma, Adidas.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Hanna’s? Their clothing quality is great, better than Target and Old Navy, IMO (I still shop at those stores too), and their clothes seem cute without being too over the top with sparkles and whatnot. Their prices are higher, but try to catch them on sales – they do those pretty often.
Anon says
My 6 and 8 year old are really into athletic clothing – we have a Nike store near us that always has a ton of clearance. But also the athletic lines at Kohls, Target, and department stores.
Re your last sentence, I feel you. Crop tops are huge for kids in our area right now. We talk about how you have to dress appropriately for an activity, and when you’re going to be active like at school or camp, you need to be covered shoulders to mid-thighs. (if you’re doing a cartwheel, you don’t want your shirt falling into your face. If you’re reaching for something on a high shelf, you don’t want to force others to see your butt. Etc.) So tank tops or body suits under crop tops for those kinds of places.
Anonymous says
In addition to the others, GapKids and H&M. I think GapKids has great quality especially for the price if you catch it at 40% off (which happens a lot, I’d wait for one of those sales). JCrew (just for a few things – they have great thick winter leggings) and JCrew Factory. We’re starting to get a lot of graphic tees from JCrew Factory. We have a few pieces from Hanna, too, but they don’t get as much wear.
anonamommy says
We get a lot from Gap and Children’s Place. A few things from Boden. Some from Lands End. We’ve also had good luck with things from Columbia (fleece jackets and hiking pants in particular) and LL Bean.
Anonymous says
We have a lot of Land’s End Kids clothes because my daughter LOVES catalogs and those come in the mail. Handful of Boden and Hanna, but I don’t like to pay full price for them. I find H&M hit or miss on quality, but there’s a store nearby and their basics are usually solid.
anon says
We do a lot of Old Navy and Target. Old Navy ballerina jeans and active wear are hits. Target dresses tend to be good.
Historically I’ve found that OshKosh has the best graphic t-shirts IMO (not sexist or inappropriate), so we still go there for jeans, fleeces and t shirts.
I like H&M for some items, but the sizing is weird so I need to buy in person and that’s been hard with the pandemic.
Amazon essentials and other Amazon searches tend to fill in gaps in her wardrobe like shorts to wear under dresses or undershirts.
Gap used to be good, but has been too drab for a few years now. Hannah fits oddly and is babyish.
Anon says
Mostly gap kids and Hanna here, with my size 8 wearing full of opinions 3YO. I’m able to find things that are still small child appropriate but not covered in logos or look like they belong on a teenager (I miss the toddler section so much!).
Anonymous says
Your 3 year old wears a size 8? In shoes or clothes? I have a 3 y/o and an 8 y/o and I have a hard time picturing anything my 8 year old wearing fitting even the tallest 3 y/o I have ever met. how tall is she??
Anon says
Not the person you’re replying to, but my 3 year old wears a size 7 in shirts and dresses. The next clothes I buy for her – probably this fall – will be mostly 8s and she’s not even 3.5 yet. She’s only 44″ish but has an extremely long torso (she still wears some 4T pants, to give you a sense of how disproportionately long her torso is) and still has a bit of a toddler belly. I think that’s a big factor – kids clothes are cut skinnier than toddler clothes so toddlers often have to size way up in kids clothes to accommodate their belly. It’s not all about height.
Anonymous says
Wow. My kid didn’t wear a size 8 until she was 9 years old. At age 3 she was in 2T pants, which was a problem because the “T” sizes are cut for diapers and she wasn’t wearing them.
Anon says
Yep, people come in all shapes and sizes.
Anon says
Anon OP here, and yes my, giant-sized 3 YO wears a size 8 (she’s an 11.5 in shoes). She is 44″ tall and 54 pounds per her ped visit yesterday. She has short legs and we usually have to cuff her pants, but everything else fits properly. She has a long torso, still a bit of toddler belly and a very broad chest and shoulders which probably contribute to the sizing up. But she’s also the same size as the early elementary kids in our neighborhood, so yeah.
Anonymous says
My girls are 5 and almost 8. My older one is pretty sporty, medium tall, very muscular build and doesn’t care much about fashion. She’s a size M or a 7/8 in most things now. Her basics come from Target and Gap, and we’ll often look at stuff together online for Gap and she’ll pick some stuff out in person at Target. She wears a lot of sporty clothes that we get at Sierra Trading Post, Under Armour, etc. She has some nicer pieces from Athleta. Her bathing suits are from lands end, gap, old navy and target.
My 5 year old is a little fashionista. She gets really into outfits and doesn’t love the big pile of hand-me-downs. She gets her basics as hand-me-downs but does a lot of shopping at Nordstrom/ Nordies Rack, TJ Maxx, Old Navy, and occasionally target. She is “over” Primary, Tea, and Hanna which is where her clothes used to come from.
It is funny how different their tastes are– my older one has to beg/bargain for nicer sneakers and the higher end running shorts from Athleta, while my younger one has to lobby hard for the “spinny dresses” from Nordies. And interestingly, my older one’s BFFs are super into fashion and (play) makeup. Mine gets into the makeup but not the clothes.
anon says
OP here, and this made me chuckle. I am like your older daughter, and my kiddo is like your younger one. She wants all the twirly things and outfits, and I just want to call it a day and buy a bunch of athleisure. ;)
shortperson says
my almost 7 year old wears tea, mini boden, crewcuts, with some H&M, primary pants/shorts and some adorable target shirts mixed in. and the occasional splurge pieces from rylee & cru, mini mioche, and maisonette’s house brand.
CCLA says
Anyone have the wayb pico car seat (or another one that sort of folds) and can speak to ease of use? I’ve sung the praises of the immi go here before and just went to buy another, only to find out that they’re discontinued! I know there are a ton of recs on travel seats and this isn’t a request on that general category, but specifically for something somewhat foldable like the pico. Kid would be three so not old enough for the mifold.
Clementine says
Late to the game, but: I have a number of friends who live on boats and they all use the Way Pico and are fans.
Boston Legal Eagle says
CDC just issued guidance that all schools should reopen in the fall, with some notes about looking at local data for rules about masking, distancing, ventilation, etc. I don’t know what the fall will bring in terms of variants, but I really hope that there won’t be repeated closures or hybrid schedules. I really want my K-er to have as “normal” a year as possible.
Anonymous says
The CDC should be advising all schools to upgrade their ventilation no matter what local transmission looks like. Not just for COVID but also for colds and flu. Those classrooms are cesspools and it’s time someone did something about it.
Aunt Jamesina says
It would be nice, but schools don’t have budgets for this. They could recommend this all they want, but it wouldn’t be possible for the vast majority of districts.
Anonymous says
It would be the first step towards pushing for federal funding.
Anon says
But if the CDC says schools need better ventilation, schools will say “Welp, we can’t afford to upgrade the ventilation, virtual learning again!” I think the CDC is being pretty reasonable to avoid pushing interventions that schools can’t afford, because they won’t want to give schools an “out” for in-person learning. Masks are different because they’re so low cost.
Anonymous says
If that’s what’s going on, the CDC needs to stay in its own lane and focus on the science and not the politics of people’s reaction to the science. If the science says schools need ventilation, the CDC needs to come out and recommend ventilation without trying to guess at whether this will encourage schools to close instead of upgrading their ventilation. We’ve repeatedly seen what happens when the CDC tries to game its message to influence people’s behavior (masks are harmful to the public because we don’t want the public buying scarce supplies! oh, wait, no, they’re good for everyone now that we have adequate supply! now they’re unnecessary because people don’t want to wear them!).
Anonymous says
I don’t know, I feel like if NYC schools can improve ventilation enough to reopen, any district can. (I say this as parent of an NYC student and wife of an NYC teacher). Basic things like opening windows and using portable HEPA filters can be done without major cost increases. It’s not ideal but there are things we can do.
I appreciate that the CDC guidance says things like, try to have 3 feet separating students, but if that is not possible, you should still reopen and rely on vaccination, masks, increased testing, etc. to keep people safe.
Anon says
I’m really disappointed that the CDC didn’t come out more strongly in favor of masks in K-6 schools with all children under 12 unvaccinated at least for several months into the school year. That’s such an easy, low cost intervention and doesn’t need to be forever, just until little kids have the opportunity to get vaccinated. Delta has caused huge school outbreaks in Israel and I’m sure the same thing will happen in the US if we return to school with no masks and many unvaccinated staff members, which I believe the vast majority of school districts in red states are planning to do.
I definitely agree it’s time to open fully in-person and ease up on the quarantining and cohorting, with all adults who want to be now vaccinated.
TheElms says
This. I’m pretty confident school will open fulltime in-person in the fall, but I think if its maskless for K-6 by late October there will be sufficient outbreaks of the delta variant that we’ll be back in hybrid or virtual. It would be so much better if they just kept the mask requirement through the end of 2021. That would probably be enough to keep everyone going in-person through the time period when kids can get vaccinated and then in 2022 we could lift the mask requirement. So irritated with the CDC right now.
Anonymous says
Yup. What is the big deal about wearing masks? Simple, easy, low-cost, and effective. The consequence of not requiring masks is going to be tons of quarantines or school closures. Although I bet schools will get around these the way ours did, by defining “exposure” in a ridiculously narrow way so that teachers never got quarantined.
Anon says
As long as I live I will never understand why so many people (including some on the left!) resisted masks so much. Not seeing your family is a sacrifice. Not traveling is a sacrifice. Virtual school is a sacrifice. Wearing a cloth on your face is no big deal!!! The kids don’t even complain about it.
anon says
+1 million
Anonymous says
The guidance does recommend masks for anyone who is not vaccinated.
Anon says
That’s nice, but I wish they would have emphasized masks as absolutely essential in environments in which there are people who didn’t decline the vaccine by choice (aka K-6 schools). My red state is mostly leaving masks optional and of course the vast majority of unvaccinated people won’t wear them. At least adults and kids 12+ have the option to protect themselves with a very effective vaccine, but little kids don’t have that choice and we don’t know what the long term impacts of even a mild Covid infection are.
AwayEmily says
Same for my K-er….I’m optimistic, though. My best-case scenario is normal schedule, but with masks, and both of those seem possible. My area (like, I assume, yours) has high vaccination rates and is not at all anti-mask. But given that the school opened up in person for the last few weeks of spring/summer, they are clearly willing to tolerate some amount of risk. Hoping that’s the sweet spot for a “normal” fall.
Anonymous says
Same! I have an incoming Ker and my oldest is going into 2nd. My oldest had half a year of K and a full year of partial 1st grade, with actual (modified) full time in late April. She managed okay but my younger one is a different personality and I dread anything but a “nearly normal” K for her.
FWIW we are in MA and our schools did an amazing job even when they returned to full time. The biggest thing for us was pooled testing. Our elem had 92% participation (7% of non participants were SPED and in their own area of the school with totally separate protocols) and it really helped knowing the kids were tested 2x/week. When they caught cases (and they did!) everyone cooperated. For the last 3 months of school we had no pool test postivies.
Anon says
Did anyone use cabbage leaves for weaning? Did it work and did the lack of supply encourage your LO to be less interested? Also, what a weird thing. I’m sure it has ancient roots, but how did women figure this out?
Anonymous says
Cabbage is a peasant food so I suspect it was just what they had around that could be made cold and put under a shirt.
Anonymous says
I thought the cabbage leaves were just to relieve pain, not to dry up supply?
Anonymous says
People say they dry you up, but I have no idea if there’s any scientific evidence behind that.
anon says
I have not because they contain some chemical that is the same as sulfur and I’m allergic! So just FYI if you are allergic to sulfa drugs!
Anonymous says
What, really? I’m allergic to sulfa drugs and I eat plenty of cabbage–that seems bizarre to me
Anon says
This is very late but absolutely did not work for me! I hope you have better luck with it.