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I really like this sleeveless top from Anthropologie — I think it’s a good combination of whimsical and professional. The pattern looks geometric from far away, but upon closer inspection, it has rain clouds, umbrellas, and suns. The print in combination with the tied neck gives it the whimsical aspect, but the asymmetrical neckline with the full coverage straps and back keep it adult. I like how it’s styled with navy blue pants (though not these particular ones) and gold jewelry. This top also comes in a cat print — and just a note, I think one of the reviewers of this top got confused with the star rating and raved about the top while only giving it one star. Both prints are $68 and are available in XXS–XL. Nimbus Top This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
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Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
anon says
Hoping to buy all my Christmas present this week. Looking for ideas. What are you getting your husband and kids?
I will start. So far I am thinking magnatiles for my 4 year old. Lost on what to get husband, as I am every year.
Cb says
Husband – slippers, bamboo socks, pop socket for his phone, and some fancy snacks.
15 month old – trying to keep it minimalist so this list includes grandparents’ contributions – green toys recycling truck, wooden london bus, some wooden animals, a few books, and fisher price cash register
anon says
My 2.5 yo has requested that Santa bring her a “mermaid baby because I don’t already has one of those.” Since she already has a mermaid barbie, I’m assuming that she means a baby doll and not something smaller. Has anyone seen any options? I found a slightly scary looking Cabbage Patch Kids option on Amazon, but it’s not very cute.
Anonymous says
For the record, if you search “mermaid baby” on Amazon, you get pregnant mermaids…
AnonAtty says
LOL. That is great. And horrifying.
Anon says
Just Play Wee Water Baby Doll
Manhattan Toys has a stuffed Mermaid Fashion Doll
Anonymous says
My LO has a doll that can go in the tub with her that she loves – I’ll try to find a link.
RR says
My daughter has a couple mermaid La La Loopsy dolls that can go in the tub with her. They have giant heads, and I find them very cute. Not sure what the current availability is though.
Emily S. says
Cuddle and Kind makes 2 sizes of mermaid plushes — maybe the mini one would seem like a baby to her?
Anonymous says
Thinking of getting hubby a Rocketbook Notebook. I asked for one from my parents for myself and think it would be right up his alley (more than mine actually ;) ).
Kiddo is asking Santa for Magnatiles. Also on her list are dress up outfits and doll accessories for pretend play (high chair and maybe a car seat carrier). She is 3 and really getting much more into pretend play.
Anon says
Husband – a puzzle keeper, board game and a new watch
6yo – American Girl doll, legos, new socks
3yo – American Girl (boy) doll, duplos, new socks
Joint family – new pajamas and a board game
Stockings – Captain America and Hulk action figures for kids, Spiderman/Wonder Woman hoodie for adults (DH fills in with 1-2 smaller items like nail polish or spinning tops or lego figures, and the pomegranate)
Cate says
My three year old has requested a microphone. A “kids microphone” – I don’t think she’s thinking karaoke set. Any suggestions???
Otherwise, getting her: dress up clothes, dress up clothes storage, a bathrobe, magnatiles…
Getting my two year old son more train accessories, the melissa and doug broom and cleaning kit, and maybe a tool bench? He loves tools and cleaning!
Spriograph says
One of mine asked for a kids microphone recently, too.
I remember having a “microphone” as a kid that had a big spring in side that made your voice sound echo-y, although not necessarily louder. Maybe something like that?
Anonymous says
We have one of these from either the dollar spot or the bins of cheap toys at Target.
Anonymous says
We have this microphone and like it well enough… https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Laugh-Learn-Record-Microphone/dp/B01IN4XI5I/ref=asc_df_B01IN4XI5I/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309804208987&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8010825079448297382&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9018682&hvtargid=pla-406303027105&psc=1
Anon says
+1. We have the Fisher Price Rappin Recording Microphone (it’s yellow and blue) and it’s been much loved for several years now.
Anonymous says
Husband – slippers, and a coat he’s been lusting after
5yo – hockey stick, puzzle
4yo – microscope + lab coat, and a princess dress
2yo – duplos, ball
Stockings will have crayons, paint, socks, character band-aids, tooth brush, and stickers
Santa might bring a sleeping bag for each of them… still debating about that.
SC says
Kid–books, a train table and train set, and (his request) a toy lawnmower “with a tall handle that makes noise like a real lawnmower.”
Joint me and husband–hopefully playoff tickets for our favorite sportsball team, and a Roomba.
Anon says
I’m getting my 1 year old a few toys (baby doll, wooden puzzles, etc.) and then a lot of stuff she needs (bigger clothes and shoes, more eating utensils/gear, an umbrella stroller) so she has the fun of opening stuff but I get to cross some practical items off of my “to buy” list.
Haven’t thought too much about my husband yet, but we’ve been wanting to upgrade to a king bed, so maybe I’ll suggest that we do that as a mutual gift to each other this year.
lawsuited says
I got my husband – smart-looking winter boots, a new pair of cords, Jamie Oliver’s most recent cook book, and a Rocketbook Wave notebook (he is a lover of paper and pen notes)
I got my 18 month old – astronaut pajamas, a Paddington book, a Green Toys truck, and a play tent
Cate says
Tell me more about htese “smart-looking winter boots” please!
lawsuited says
Ah, now I fear I may have oversold. I live in Canada, so “smart-looking winter boots” means “not giant Columbia duck boots so could be worn to a restaurant”. They are essentially Chelsea boots with more tread.
https://www.softmoc.com/ca/i/blundstone-unisex-thewinter-rustic-black-lined-boot/1478
ElisaR says
those are smart looking!
Anonymous says
Hmmm… my husband actually has the exact same need. Great choice. [Also can walk from daycare to office with suit without looking TOO ridiculous)
His previous boot to fit the bill is a lace up UGG that have lasted YEARS. Would highly recommend those too.
Cate says
I like them and I kind of want some myself now!
EB0220 says
My husband has these and loves them! They’ve held up really well over at least 4 years of winter wear.
Seafinch says
Husband gets random stocking stuff he needs anyway, same as me, I do my own. This year he is getting a funny apron about bacon that I couldn’t resist and a new water bottle. I am getting an alarm clock & spatula. No other gifts, we will donate to a charity in Panama City to support my cousin’s savaged community.
8 y/o girl: inline skates and anatomy puzzle (stocking of LUSH, stationary, and a candle)
5 y/o boy: transformer type thing TBC, shuffle board hockey type game (stocking of bath stuff, fancy toothbrush and a hulk figurine)
2.5 y/o girl: dolly stroller, wooden snakes and ladder game (stocking of bath stuff, fancy toothbrush and some bobbles and stealing the Band-Aid idea from here)
sleeptraining says
For those that did CIO, how long did it take before the crying stopped??? Started Ferber CIO with five month old four days ago. Bedtime crying ranges was 20 minutes night 1, then 2-5 minutes, then an extinction burst and 40 minutes on night 4, naptime <5 minutes. He is still waking up once a night to eat, but otherwise not waking at night or only fussing for 5-10 minutes, and sleeping 8-7, which is great, especially after so many transitions (dropping paci and swaddle, dropping snoo, moving to his own room in the course of 3 weeks leading up to sleep training).
I was hoping the crying would end by now , as for my older daughter this worked in 1 night. Also I hear all these stories of people for whom this worked in a couple days. But it is not working as well as I hoped (why is he crying at night 4?). Naps are crappy (45 minutes), LO is overtired and cranky all day long (fell asleep when playing the other day). He just looks depressed honestly, which makes my heart melt.
Also I keep worrying that I am setting up my child for years of therapy with CIO, every time I google advice I get all these articles saying CIO is damaging and mean ugh.
Cb says
I did Ferber when my son was 13 months old and it took about a week to ten days. Even now, he’ll sometimes complain for a few minutes before rolling over and going to sleep. I bet after a few more days, he’ll be fine. But I think nap training is much much harder. I’ve never really bothered trying, nursery is happy to jiggle the buggy until he falls asleep and let him sleep in there and when he’s home, we just take him on a walk and he falls asleep.
anon says
I really think it works better for some kids than others. We had a kid in our nanny share and they spent months trying to sleep train him. They were miserable. He was miserable. I don’t think it ever worked, but he eventually grew bigger and slept more. (No judgment; they were clearly trying to do their best.)
I would do what feels right to you and not worry about internet sites. You know your baby. Give CIO a solid try, but don’t be afraid to pull the plug if this isn’t the right time or method for your baby. It’s not the only way to teach a baby to sleep.
Anon says
+1. My first kid, we tried CIO around 5 months. She cried for two whole weeks! Two weeks of hour-long crying that wasn’t improving! We gave up, started co-sleeping, and we all slept beautifully until around 11 months when she crawled over to the crib. We put her in and she slept through the night. Not ideal, but we all were WAY happier and sleeping more, which was my only goal.
My second kid did CIO around 5 months over a long weekend. In 3-4 days he was sleeping well, but with one wakeup around 1am to eat, which he kept up until he was 12 months or so. No dream feed or extra food or schedule was enough to get him to break that damn 1am snack. But again, he outgrew it at a year and we all slept fairly happily in the meantime.
CIO just doesn’t work for some kids (like my first one) and that’s okay. Trust your gut and if it’s not working, do whatever it takes to keep the family happy and well-rested.
Anon says
+1. CIO did not work for my kid. Even at 15 months we still struggle sometimes because she can cry (hysterically) for well over an hour until she pukes and then everyone is wide awake after clothes and bedding changes. We usually let her fall asleep snuggled in bed with Daddy and then move her to the crib. There are exceptions like last night, where she was still wide awake 3 hours past her bedtime and Mama was done and had to get up in 6 hours so we let her CIO hysterically for 45 minutes, then Mama laid on the floor next to the crib until she calmed down enough to stop crying, and then CIO (again hysterically) for another 30 minutes when Mama got caught army crawling out of the nursery after she (erroneously) thought the gremlin had finally fallen asleep). Thankfully, ever since 14 months or so, once she’s asleep, barring something like teething or illness, she will generally stay asleep.
Annie says
We did ferber at 4 1/2 months. It took a solid five nights of crying and off and on some crying over the next few weeks. YMMV but it was so worth it for us! We have a champ sleeper of a 2 1/2 year old and I really attribute it to CIO, it has saved our sanity over the last couple of years b/c no matter what else is going on, unless sick, we generally all get enough sleep.
Anonymous says
If you don’t want to do CIO try the No Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley.
Sleep training doesn’t have to mean extinction CIO. It may work some kids but that doesn’t mean it will work for all. Every kid is different, even siblings, even twins.
AwayEmily says
It sounds like it’s working pretty well! Some kids also just cry before sleep sometimes — I think of it as them getting out the stress/anxiety of the day (partly because once my older was old enough to talk she literally told me that when I went into check on her: “Do you need something?” “No, I just need to cry a little.”). My pediatrician also told me that the younger they are, the faster they train — you didn’t mention how old your baby is, but if he’s older then maybe that’s part of it?
In terms of the time it takes, it definitely does vary by kids. My first it took 2 days, but with my second it took more like a week (full extinction with both). I had some neighbors for whom it took more like ten days. My first figured out naps on her own about a week after night training but with my second we had to specifically nap train.
So, one thing to keep in mind that helped me navigate things emotionally/mentally is that night sleep is REALLY different (chemically, psychologically) than day sleep. So even if your kid is doing really well at night it’s normal for him to have trouble with naps. And similarly, if you help him with naps (with a paci or soothing or car naps or whatever) then it likely won’t have a negative impact on his night sleep — so if you want to take a break from nap training for a bit and let him catch up during the day, then do it!
All I can speak to is my own experience and like Annie, I really think sleep training has been amazing for our family. I have a 9 month old and a 2.5 year old and I can count on one hand the times we have had any trouble with sleep since we sleep trained.
Good luck! It sounds like your little one is in good hands no matter what you decide to do.
Sarabeth says
I agree with this. My younger kid cries at bedtime every single night. Doesn’t matter that I’m in there, rubbing his back and singing to him – as soon as the lights go off, he cries, for at least 5-10 minutes. Sometimes he won’t even let me cuddle him. When that happens, I leave the room for two minutes, then come back to finish up his bedtime routine. Once he’s gotten it out of his system, he’s ready to snuggle and listen to his lullaby. He calms down, and doesn’t cry at all when I actually leave the room for good.
blueridge29 says
I agree with Sarabeth, some kids need to cry at night. My youngest cried at bedtime every, single, night until she a little over 2. She needed those 5-10 minutes to ramp down and having an adult in the room only delayed her crying spell, which made her more tired. She was and is a great sleeper, but she is an active kid and ramping down takes her a while. Good luck!
lawsuited says
We did CIO with our son at 5.5 mo and crying for 10 minutes or so was pretty common (not every night but as likely as not to happen on any given night) when we put him to bed and when he woke up during the night for several weeks after. Only 20 minutes of crying the first night and a few minutes of crying the second night sounds amazing (we had well over an hour of crying the first night, probably around 30 minutes the second night, then down to 10 minutes most nights for a while) so I’d actually say it’s going really well and maybe you just got really lucky with the first one.
Anonymous says
@ 6 months: 4 days of material crying. A couple of weeks to transition to a schedule that still included “dream feeds”. Another 2 MONTHS before he would do his afternoon nap with me there without being nursed to sleep – like would literally scream for 1 hour + in the middle of the afternoon.
Thanksgiving says
What are everyone’s favorite thanksgiving recipes (for both the turkey and sideshow? i just realized thanksgiving is on Thursday and I still haven’t figured out what I am making.
GCA says
I’m partial to Smitten Kitchen’s green bean casserole (I admit to subbing in canned fried onions, because I don’t have time for that) and also Smitten Kitchen slow roasted sweet potatoes (so easy!)…
Anonymous says
Yeah, I’ve made the SK fried onions from scratch before, but it’s totally not worth it, just go with canned.
Betty says
I’m on cooking this year. I had everyone in my family tell me their favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. I omitted anything from the menu that someone didn’t mention. Then, I googled “easy” + (fill in the part of the meal).
Anon says
My Turkey (my MIL is bringing it preseasoned and in a bag the day before so all it has to do is go in the oven) recipe is as follows: Put frozen bird in fridge 1 week in advance. Realize 1 day before still frozen solid. Swear vigorously.
Give bird cold water bath the night before in kitchen sink, put back in fridge overnight, cold water bath again in the morning if needed. Day of – remove bird from wrapper and place on prep tray. Remove neck and giblets and discard. Cover liberally with sage, thyme, poultry seasoning and light coating of salt and pepper and a smidge of garlic and onion powder. Drizzle olive oil on top and rub in. Flip bird and do the same to the other side. Make sure to get seasoning in the cavity. Place a few pieces of sliced onion, carrot, celery and lemon in cavity. Put flour in oven bag, shake, wrestle turkey into bag, add a few more pieces of sliced onion, carrot, celery and lemon into bag, tie, cut slits, place on roaster. Cook according to bag directions, take temperature, when done, empty bag contents into roasting pan, and strain into fat separator. Make roux based gravy with fat from bird + flour, drippings and extra turkey broth.
Rest of menu for 5 this year:
Cheese board appetizer + Gin & Tonics for MIL and FIL
Stuffing (my sister’s recipe – bread, sausage, walnuts, dried cranberries, bunch of seasoning and lots of broth)
Mashed Potatoes (if I can, I peel and put in cold water in the pan the night before and keep in fridge until ready to boil)
Broccoli Cheese Casserole (2lb steamed frozen broccoli, covered in a velveeta and milk sauce, topped with ritz crackers mixed with butter and baked)
Salad
Rolls (Sister Shubert’s frozen dinner rolls keep my MIL happy)
Smitten Kitchen’s Crispy Sweet Potato Roast (trying new this year)
Canned cranberry sauce (jellied and whole berry)
Homemade cranberry sauce (recipe TBD, but looks like berries, orange juice and orange zest should do it).
Apple Pie – an old southern living recipe with Smitten Kitchen all butter pie crust
Pumpkin Pie – recipe off the back of the Libby’s can except may try making the pie crust rather than using a frozen shell (TBD since I don’t actually like pumpkin pie and no one else cares about crust like I do).
AnonToday says
Just wanted to thank everyone who commented on my “whether to have baby #2 despite health issue and other concerns” post. I truly appreciate your kind and honest thoughts.
AIMS says
When did your kids drop naps altogether? My oldest has been refusing to nap and taking forever to fall asleep at night on days that she does nap so I am thinking it may be time but the internet suggests she’s to young (not quite 3). Is it possible to drop naps sometimes? Like nap some days, but not others?
Anonymous says
It’s definitely possible (common, even?) to drop naps occasionally before doing it all the time. I dropped naps around age 2 and so did my DH and DD.
GCA says
Yeah, my son was occasionally dropping a weekend nap here and there starting around 22 months. Between 22 months and age 3, I’d say we gradually went from ~90% chance of a nap to 10% chance of a nap! At that point we ditched the nap completely and rolled with it. He is very high-energy, so unless he’s actually ill, at-home quiet time is a total fail. Now at 3.5 he will just keep going and going, Energizer-bunny-style, totally chipper, until 7.30pm or so. It’s nice not having to schedule around two kids’ worth of naps.
I think he still naps about a third to 50% of the time at daycare though, along with half his class. When he does, weekday bedtime is closer to 8.30 or 9.
HSAL says
Mine daughter just turned 3 last month and we had the same issue. She had stopped napping at daycare most of the time and we noticed those nights she was easier to go down at night. We still do occasional naps at home if she needs them, but we try to keep them short.
Anon says
When did she drop her other naps? My kids were always the first in their daycare classes to drop their naps and always have been on the lower side of the recommend sleep guidlines. My 3.5 year old hasn’t napped since at least a month or two before his third birthday, and gets 9-10 hours at night. He’s relatively well behaved, and his teachers don’t report any issues, so it seems to be just what his body needs.
Redux says
My 5-year old still naps about 2 hours a day, though she will skip some days in favor of reading quietly in her room. I also have a 2 year old who naps, so the enforced quiet in the house and social pressure (or release of social pressure since no one is up and playing) helps, I think. I learned from someone on this site that their family does a mid-afternoon family rest-time, so even if you don’t nap you still have to “rest” by reading or doing some other quiet activity. I know we are not long for the napping world with the 5-year old, so that is what we hope to transition to.
EB0220 says
My 4 year old skips naps on the weekends, which means she’s asleep by 8:15 but grumpy about 5-8. During the week, she naps for an hour at school which means she is cheerful all day but not asleep until 9:00.
Emily S. says
Yes! My 3 year old still naps at daycare but hasn’t napped at home since she was about 2 and a half. It was a pretty gradual drop-off; for a few weeks, she would nap Saturday but not Sunday, or nap both days but only for an hour, etc., until it was clear she was done. It’s bittersweet. I sometimes enjoy the extra time with her (working parent guilt) but sometimes I really want an hour and a half to myself.
Anonymous says
First dropped at 2.5. Second is 2.5 and dog fighting them but totally not ready to drop because she won’t conpensate at night. Most but not all of the kids in my daughter’s 3 year old preschool class no longer napped. However, that’s part time preschool. Kids in my other kid’s all day daycare napped well into age3.
FWIW my non napping toddler slept 7-8:30.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Silly, silly, silly questions. DS turned 1 today, and after nursing him, I put him in the highchair with some cow’s milk in sippy. This raised some questions for me:
1. What is the routine for others who have kids this age? As in, once I’m done nursing (goal is 12/1), do I just throw DS in the highchair with sippy cup once he’s up?
2. How long did it take your kiddos to start enjoying cow’s milk? I’m not too worried, because worst case if he doesn’t there’s yogurt, cheese, etc. but just curious. He seemed more confused than anything this AM since it was the first time.
3. How do you manage your sippy cups to/from daycare? I’m thinking he’ll have a set of 2 for daycare for water and milk, respectively, and a set for home, but ideas welcome.
4. Can you put the sippy cup back in the fridge with milk that’s unfinished?
Like I said…silly questions. :)
Cb says
No real advice, since I forgot to switch my kid over from bottles to sippy cups. We leave a bottle of oat milk at nursery every Monday and they use the bottles we’ve left there. Is that an option?
OP says
Hahah I can def understand that! They actually provide cow’s milk there (granted, it’s probably not fancy by any means, but I’m happy to pack and track one less thing), so just figuring out what this new packing will be.
Anonymous says
1. Basically. We transitioned from a sippy cup of milk upon first waking up to now getting changed/dressed and going downstairs for breakfast, which includes real food plus milk. But in the beginning my kids basically just drank some milk and called it a day. (They get fed second breakfast at daycare.)
2. No advice here–ours loved it from the beginning.
3. Does your daycare require you bring milk back and forth or can you leave a cup there and just bring in a half gallon of milk every so often? Ours provides milk/food, so we just leave one set of cups there.
4. Not so silly–all my other toddler parents and I also had this debate, after being used to the strict formula rules! We figure that once they’re out of the infant stage we can use the same rules we’d use for ourselves, so will put milk back in the fridge. I try not to add fresh milk until they finish the old stuff, though.
OP says
Regarding question 3, our daycare provides food, milk, etc. too (will try to NEVER go another route ever because I love it so much) – so now I’m excited at the thought of LEAVING CUPS THERE as you mentioned. I just don’t know if they wash for all the kids – will have to ask. They do have a restaurant-grade kitchen, though so maybe they run stuff in the dishwasher. TY!
Cb says
I bet you they will. Or they’ll teach him how to use an open cup. At our nursery, all but the littlest kids use these little metal camping cups for their milk.
Anonymous says
Does your daycare require that you bring sippy cups? If they provide food/milk, I’m surprised they ask you to bring in your own cups. Our kiddo progressed much faster to an adult cup because we just let daycare do their thing. They did Take and Toss with lid at first and took the lid off as soon as kiddo was ready. Their cups complemented our own Tupperware tumblers and lids well. And she hasn’t used a lid at the table/meals since before 2.
OP says
You know, they didn’t ask. I offered, and they probably assumed I wanted to bring my own. I should ask them questions :) Thank you!
Anon from above says
Yeah, I should have specified that we brought in a sippy cup for water (every kid has their own water bottle) but they use daycare-provided cups for milk.
Ours has always been willing to wash kid dishes. When we were still on bottles, we just left a set of 3 bottles there and daycare would mix up formula, feed the baby, and then wash bottles so they were clean for the next day.
Anonymous says
Fwiw, the formula rules say you can put formula back in the fridge. If it’s been at room temp for more than 1 hour it’s supposed to be tossed. But it can keep much longer in the fridge. I think most doctors say 24 hours, and that was what we did. We follow the same rule for milk and solid food that’s touched her mouth.
Katarina says
1. I replaced a nursing session with a meal accompanied by a straw cup of milk
2. It took a few weeks to ramp up the interest. I went cold turkey from breast milk in a bottle to cow’s milk in a straw cup. They should consume significantly less cow’s milk than breast milk or formula, because food is becoming more important.
3. They provided
4. We put it back in the fridge. I think we are on the lax side on this, we try to get a new cup every day or so.
AIMS says
1. Didn’t switch to milk in a sippy cup really. Kid ate other food well so we weren’t using milk for calories really & did yogurt for the calcium so it was just a bottle before nap(s) and nighttime. At some point after 1, we did bottle before nighttime only and then quit that altogether around 18 months. We didn’t do much milk after that until after two when new baby came along and she wanted milk, too. Now she does a sippy cup of milk sometime before bedtime most nights. None of this is the official recommendation but it worked for us and was easy.
2. I don’t think mine noticed a difference but I started adding cow’s milk to her breast milk bottles around 10.5-11 months.
3. No advice other than to make sure you check them every so often because sippy cups get gross a lot faster than bottle ime. Maybe because they’re not cleaned the same way?
4. Yes.
Anon says
1. We are still trying to wean at 15 months (and started trying at 12 months). I’ve finally cut out the morning feed as long as I don’t bring her near the bed with me (even if I’m dressed). So, we get up, change diaper, go downstairs (studiously avoiding my bedroom) and I either prep her breakfast holding her or let her wander the kitchen with a straw cup of whole milk depending on how clingy she is while I prep breakfast. If I’m doing breakfast, it’s usually a sliced banana and peanut butter toast cut into small pieces. Sometimes she needs to wander a bit before being “reconfined”in the high chair – she definitely views her crib as confinement and she’s a slow waker-upper like her Daddy.
2. Took about a week. Cold and in a straw cup worked best. She gets milk in a straw cup with every meal and when she tries to nurse; water in a 360 cup the rest of the time.
3. Nothing to share as I have a SAHH.
4. We totally do. Probably on the lax side. I try not to let it sit out long enough to get warm and then I stick it back in the fridge between meals. We usually do a new one once a day, sometimes dinner’s makes it over to breakfast the next morning.
lawsuited says
1. Our LO was drinking formula in bottles by the time he turned 1 (4 oz when he woke up, 4 oz before nap, and 4 oz before bed) so after his birthday we replaced the formula with cow’s milk. For the most part, he only has cow’s milk those 3 times each day and drinks it from a bottle, but if he has cow’s milk as his drink with a meal or snack then I put it in a sippy cup.
2. We transitioned from formula to cow’s milk the same way we transitioned from bmilk to formula, so it took about 2 weeks of mixing formula and cow’s milk before LO was drinking 100% cow’s milk and by that time he was cool with it.
3. Our daycare uses sippy cups for water and bottles for milk (whether bmilk, formula or cow’s milk). Once kids move up to the toddler room they stop using bottles and just drink water from sippy cups.
4. We definitely keep unfinished cow’s milk in the fridge to use later in the day or the next day. I’d do that with a glass of milk for myself (and it’s not even covered) so I figure it’s okay for LO too.
Cb says
My 15 month old nurses first and last thing and has started saying ‘All gone?’ after a few minutes so I think our nursing sessions are coming to an end. A recent illness seems to have accelerated the process. This will be my only baby and I’ve been so lucky that feeding him has been such an easy and positive experience. I know it is time but I’m quite sad. Commiserations?
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Well, per my post on the new sippy cup life, I’m right there with you. Today is my first day at work with no pumping, and I cannot say I’m sad about that, but it does feel weird not having to run off, and not hauling another large bag.
As for nursing, I’m going for a few more weeks to make the transition “easier” on both me and DS, and I definitely am bittersweet about it. At the time, BF was one of the hardest things I ever had to do because DS had a tongue tie + first time parent anxiety + postpartum anxiety/recovery. There was a spell in these early, hazy, scary days where I had to pump after every feeding to supplement DS with it, to make sure he was getting enough. I now know (thanks to this community) that all of this is pretty commonplace, but I felt so alone and scared at the time. I think because it was so hard getting up and running, I just appreciated it more once it eased up at the 2-3 month mark, and have really enjoyed it since then. I do think it’s helped DS build immunity (at least for this first year) while in daycare, and I do enjoy the snuggles and bonding time it gets me, especially with such an active baby that is also an early riser ;)
On the flip side, I’m excited to be able to better share the load with DH, to not have to calculate life in 4-5 hour blocks and not worry about pumping, and finish things without being “interrupted” (I know these overlap a touch, but…). Also I think I’ve held on to some baby weight with the nursing/pumping so hoping that starts to come off as well with the more regular workouts I’ve been able to do lately.
Betty says
My youngest is nearly five, and I remember that feeling with both kids very clearly. For me, it was a huge accomplishment to push through the tough early days of pain (with both kids), questions of whether she was getting enough and I also had to deal with oversupply the entire time. It became easier, and I felt so close and connected during those moments. It felt like a chapter was ending, and I wasn’t sure whether our relationship would change. It was liberating at the same time. I also felt like I could take on the world, perhaps while crying silent tears and saying that everything was fine. Years later, I am close with both kids. They both love to snuggle.
Also, know that the hormone swing after stopping is no joke. It took a week or maybe more for things to level out for me. It also took several months for the b**bs to adjust to their non-BFing size.
Cb says
Hormonal changes have definitely hit – I day weaned about 6 weeks ago and this happened to coincide with coming off the mini pill and having an IUD inserted. I was a weepy lump for 2 or 3 weeks.
Anonymous says
CB – Can we be friends? I feel EXACTLY the same way. So no advice, just a hug.
(Though recent illness as resulted in the little one regressing a bit – he was desperate for a little nurse yesterday.)
+ my Christmas shopping list is almost identical to yours.
Cate says
We carpool with a really tall four year old kid who doesn’t fit in our convertible clek carseat – but only once a week. Recommendations for a booster seat (convertible booster? whatever’s the next step) that’s easy to install and remove for that once a week trip?
Anonymous says
$20 Graco backless booster – SO EASY.
Spirograph says
This (or any other backless booster). Our clips in with the LATCH system and can be in or out in less than a minute.
Anonymous says
Depending on how long the trip is a backless booster might not be the best option for a kid who’s used to being harnessed.
Anonymous says
Booster with a back.
Anonymous says
Is he definitely over the Clek limits? Only surprised because my tall 4 year old is still in a Clek – I probably check his height at least weekly because he’s close but he’s definitely not over the limit.
Anonymous says
Are the other parents okay with you using a booster? I would not have been comfortable with that for a 4 year old. Graco Tranzitions and the Frontier are good options for tall kids that can be used in 5 point harness mode for a long time.
Anonymous says
So now we have to buy particular brands of car seat for once a week travel?
Coach Laura says
I think the poster would be wise to buy something that her family can use when their own kids get old/big enough.
Anonymous says
Not so much particular brands, as that kids under 5 aren’t old enough to use boosters, let alone backless boosters, so Anon at 12:28 was suggesting a couple of harnessed seats that work for tall kids. The Tranzitions is pretty cheap, too.
Anonymous says
Counterpoint: in my state, booster seats are fine once a child is 4 years old OR 48 lbs, whichever happens first.
Anonymous says
Legal and safe are too different things.
It’s legal here at age 4 as well but I only know one person that switched their kid to a booster at age 4. I switched to a booster when oldest kid was 7.
lawsuited says
What your kid in a traditional car seat until age 7, or something else with a booster with a back?
Anonymous says
I disagree with your implying that a booster is unsafe for a 4 year old. NHTSA says to keep using the harness as long as possible “to maximize safety…” not that it’s unsafe to switch earlier. For a once weekly carpool situation, I think an easy backless booster is entirely appropriate.
Full disclosure: my oldest was too tall at the shoulder for our car seat’s harness by 4.5 and has been in a backless booster ever since.
Anonymous says
+1000
Edna Mazur says
This is my oldest. Tall in general, super long torso. Pediatrician approved switching him to a booster around 4.5 since his shoulders were too tall for the five or so seats we tried that we designed for tall kids.
OP says
Drives about six neighborhood blocks so I don’t think the other parents will feel strongly but could check them.
He’s just super uncomfortable. Mom is over 6’ and dad is 6’6” so he’s VERY tall!
Anonymous says
Favorite convertible carseats? I’m leaning towards the Britax Clicktight because of safety reasons and excellent reviews. Any recommendations for Marathon vs Boulevard vs Advocate? Price isn’t a huge concern. We’re going to buy a Scenera Next for air travel, so I don’t anticipate taking the Britax in and out of the car much. We do roadtrip occasionally, so comfort and how easy it is for kids to sleep in it is important. Kiddo is big (both chunky and tall) if that’s another factor. I’m assuming when she outgrows the Britax, we’ll be able to transition to a booster seat but maybe I’m wrong about that?
RR says
We’ve had Boulevards and Advocates. (A couple of the Boulevards were in a minor accident, and even though Britax would have said they didn’t need replaced, insurance paid to replace them, and we bought Advocates.) Both have survived two children and (for the Boulevards) over 8 years of constant, daily use. The kiddos have always been comfortable, and they are fairly easy to use. I don’t think any of ours are Clicktight though because I think we bought them earlier.
We bought the Advocates rather than another set of Boulevards because they had the side impact protection. We didn’t have space issues in our cars, so more protection seemed good, all else being equal (the Advocates didn’t exist when we bought our Boulevards). Mine used the Boulevards/Advocates until they were 5 1/2 comfortably and then switched to boosters. My youngest is 5 now and still in an Advocate comfortably, and she’s on the high end of height curves.
I just can’t say enough good about the Britax seats. Literally my only complaint ever is that when they inevitably vomit all over the seat, it’s hard to take them apart to wash–the straps don’t come all the way out (again, this is for our pre-Clicktight versions), so the straps themselves are hard to clean. But, you are just supposed to surface clean them anyway, so it’s probably for the best.
RR says
Realized this is kind of confusing–we have 10 year old twins and a 5 year old. So we bought 4 Boulevards (2 for each car), then replaced 2 of them with 2 Advocates. Then the 5 year old grew into the Advocates (1 for each car at that point. The twins were average in height/weight, but my 5 year old is high end of the curve in all things–she’s tall and average build.
Redux says
We have 4 carseats (2 kids and 2 cars) and I haaate our Britaxes. We have both the Marathon and the Pioneer. I find them really difficult to tighten when my kid is in them, and the harness never seems secure enough to me. I often have the feeling of giving up and *hoping* she’s in there securely enough, which is a terrible feeling. By contrast our Chiccos (which are even more expensive, if you can believe it) are way better for me. We used their Keyfit30 and now have the MyFit and they are so much easier to loosen and tighten. It makes such a difference for me, especially since my kids are sometimes in tshirts and sometimes in bulkier fleece-lined hoodies, so I need to adjust from one day to the next. If you have a Bed Bath and Beyond near you, I recommend going in and trying them out (and using a 20% off coupon when you buy!)
Anonymous says
Hmm, I have and love the KeyFit 30 currently. But I really want a convertible carseat with an anti-rebound bar and it looks like the only options for that are Britax or Clek and it seemed like the Clek seats had less enthusiastic reviews than the Britax.
Anonymous says
We have both an Advocate (in my car) and a Marathon (in hubby’s car). I very much agree about the Marathon straps. The Advocate doesn’t have this issue for us, and it seems like every time I hear about this issue, it is a Marathon. Hubby can tighten it just fine. I wanted to send it back (and would have if it was the car seat in my car), but hubby can work it better than me and isn’t bothered. So he just puts kiddo in whenever we take his car as a family, and I take her out.
Kelly says
Same here! We have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Have two britax boulevard clicktights and a marathon clicktight that was in Grampas car before the baby came. When I had to get a new seat I switched to the Chicco nextfit and love it so much. It’s just so much easier to get her tight in! I have to climb up into the back of my minivan to get the right leverage to pull the britax tight and it still is really hard to do.
Sarabeth says
For a big kid, I’d go with a Diono. Our kid is not tall, but she outgrew her Britax before I was comfortable transitioning to a booster, and we ended up buying the Diono at that point. It has a more complicated install, but it sounds like that doesn’t matter a lot for you. I think it also takes up a bit more room front-to-back, which may or may not matter depending on your car. But ours is plenty comfy (it’s the Radian RXT) and I’m glad to have her be in the 5-point harness for as long as possible. It would probably also buy you more time rear-facing, if you care about that. My kid was small enough that she could rear-face in the Britax through 3.5, which was enough for us. But if you want to rear-face much past two and you have a taller kid, the Britax might not work.
Anonymous says
Why weren’t you comfortable transitioning to a booster seat when she outgrew the Britax? I thought booster seats were all about size, so if they’re too big for a convertible carseat doesn’t that mean they’re big enough for a booster? Or is there some awkward in-between stage I don’t know about?
blueberries says
I’m not the OP, but my understanding is that carseats offer more protection in the event of a crash than boosters.
Anonymous says
Also not the OP, but it has to do with maturity to sit still, too. Harnessed seats provide crash protection no matter what; boosters only work if the seatbelt is in the correct position so a 3-year-old who is well within the height/weight minimums for a booster probably still isn’t able to sit properly.
Sarabeth says
Yeah, even in a high-back booster the kid needs to be able to sit reasonably still so that the seatbelt stays in the correct position. If the kid falls asleep and slumps over, the belt will no longer be in the right place, and won’t be safe in a crash. Ditto if the kid is just fidgety and absentmindedly plays with the seatbelt all the time (this is my kid). We kept her in the five-point harness until she was nearly 7. A taller/heavier kid would probably have to transition sooner, even in the Diono, but I wouldn’t want to do it any earlier than necessary, especially for a situation involving long road trips, when even older kids are likely to fall asleep.
It *may* also be the case that a five-point harness is safer than a well-positioned seatbelt in a crash, but my internet research shows that there’s not good data on that.
AwayEmily says
We also have a Diono Radian and our almost-3-year-old is still comfortably rear-facing in it. We have a Britax in our other car and I have the same issue as some of the other commenters about feeling iffy about the straps. The Diono just seems more substantial and the traps are snugger, somehow.
Anonymous says
We have both Britax and Diono. Multiple Dionos, actually, because they are narrower and there was a time when we needed to fit 3 across. My kids are really tall and we turned them forward-facing before 3, but Diono has higher height and weight limits than many others.
Diono takes up more room front to back than Britax, but they do sell an angle adjuster (which is basically just a square piece of foam) that gives you an extra couple of inches.
Edna Mazur says
Same. I’ve had two Britaxes and two Dionos (suprise third baby needed to fit three across) and prefer the Diono for the reasons you mentioned. Also, my kiddos are tall and I’m able to keep my 3.5 year old rear facing and my super tall first was able to stay in his until about 4.5. We gave his to the baby when we transitioned him out of the baby seat and he always seemed comfortable in it.
HSAL says
We have an Advocate for my older daughter and I really love it. It’s so cushy and secure (but bulky) on the sides. She sits behind the passenger seat so I wanted something with the best side-impact protection. I’ve always found it easy to tighten. We’re about to pass hers down to her little sister (and buy the same for her little brother) and we’re getting her the Frontier.
Katarina says
I like my Chicco Nextfit. According to Consumer Reports, it has a higher safety rating than any of the Britaxes, which is the only source of safety ratings I have been able to find. The Chicco Nextfit has a “Best” rating, Marathon has a “Better” rating, and Advocate and Boulevard “Basic,” which is the lowest satisfactory rating. I also got it partly because of the high height limit for rear facing, but that ended up not being much of an issue for us.
just Karen says
We’ve got two Britax seats for our giant four year old and she still fits, but I feel like our time is limited on them – she just turned four in September and is 54 pounds and 44 inches tall for reference. I’ve been very happy with them and would recommend (Marathon and Boulevard I think).
Boston Legal Eagle says
Thoughts on trying the Ok to Wake clock with a 2.5 year old who is already sleeping in a toddler bed? My understanding is that part of the training for younger kids is that you tell them you’ll only get them out of the crib once the clock is green. What should we say to our son to get him to stay in his own bed (or at least room) until the time we want? Aiming to go from 5am wake-ups to at least 5:30, ideally 6am.
Sarabeth says
We did this. Assuming your kid is sleeping in his own room, you just don’t go in the room until the clock wakes up. Obviously room needs to be robustly childproofed, and it helped us to have a video monitor so we could judge if he actually needed us for something.
mascot says
The clock is perfect for this. You have to stay in your room until the clock turns green. We kept our kid’s bedroom monitored, childproofed and something boring (books and stuffed animals- no toys). So I didn’t care too much if he was actually in bed so long as he was in his room and being quiet/calm.
Anonymous says
Sorry for another baby sleep question. My 9 month old has been down to 2 naps per day for a while and most days it works really well. But occasionally, she crashes about 2 hours before her normal bedtime. If I let her take so much as a 15 minute catnap in my arms, it can push it back by 2 hours or more. But if we just go ahead and do the bedtime routine and put her down early, she takes a nice ~45 minute – 1.5 hour nap in the crib and then wakes up ready to play for another 4+ hours. From a practical standpoint, catnap seems like our best solution, but I’m wondering if anyone had been here and had any advice?
AwayEmily says
What does her schedule look like? When is she normally taking her afternoon nap, how long is it, and what time is her bedtime?
OP says
She normally sleeps 8 pm-8:30 or 9 am, with naps from 10:30 to 11:30/12ish and 2/2:30-3/3:30ish. Usually about 15 hours total between night time and naps.
AwayEmily says
It seems like a pretty long stretch between her last nap and her bedtime. Could you try putting her down closer to 7/7:30?
OP says
Normally she needs a 5 hour stretch of awake time to build up enough sleep pressure for bed, and won’t go down any earlier. Even 8 pm can be a struggle if she naps much past 3 pm. And normally this schedule works great. But some days she just conks out at like 5:30/6, I have no idea why. It doesn’t seem to be correlated to the quality or length of her first two naps.
lawsuited says
She’s not awake for a 5 hour stretch anywhere else in her day – there’s a 2 hour stretch between wake-up and morning nap and a 2-2.5 hour stretch between morning nap and afternoon nap. She might be getting tired by 5:30pm (about 2 hours after her afternoon nap) and then be getting progressively overtired after that which is why you struggle to put her down before 8pm. I’d try stretching her naps further apart, aiming for about 3 hour chunks of awake time.
OP says
Her ped said she should be awake longer at each stretch then the previous stretch, which I think is pretty common? I don’t know too many people that space naps at perfectly even intervals. The ped recommended doing 2, 3 and 4 hour awake intervals as detailed here (https://www.todaysparent.com/baby/baby-sleep/the-2-3-4-nap-schedule-that-will-get-your-baby-to-sleep/), so that’s what we’ve always aimed for since she dropped her third nap. But she really seems to need more like 5 hours at the last stretch. She actually used to wake up from her last nap at 4-4:30 and then she wouldn’t go down until 9 pm. We tried what felt like everything to get her down earlier, including putting her down WAY earlier (even though it was obvious to me she wasn’t overtired). Nothing worked. Finally we switched her nap schedule so she woke up from her nap more like 3 pm, and suddenly she was willing to go down around 8 pm. It’s pretty clear to me that she needs to be awake for 5 hours to build up enough “sleep pressure” for the night.
Anonymous says
I would bet this is a phase that works itself out. Otherwise my only comment would be that I think she is sleeping later than average in the morning. Maybe think about waking her up earlier if you’d still like her to have two naps (which I agree is age appropriate, but some babies do drop down to one nap that early) and go to bed at her typical time.
Anonymous says
I can’t be the only person whose baby/toddler gets far more food on the floor than in their mouth…how much do you clean up the floor in restaurants? I know I should clean up after my kid, but a restaurant floor is usually pretty dirty and the idea of getting down there on my hands and knees amidst other people’s messes grosses me out. Can a big (like 30%+) tip compensate for leaving a mess?
SC says
We usually go to restaurants where you pay at the counter, then sit. I always picked up the largest items with a napkin and put them on a plate. Then I left an extra $5 tip on the table for whoever had to clean up the mess (in addition to the normal tip I left on the credit card at the register).
Anonymous says
I pick up the biggest pieces and leave about a 25% tip (more if service is good, less if service is bad), but I like the idea above of leaving extra cash on the table for the poor soul who has to clean up my kids’ mess.
Anonymous says
Adding that the staff has to do the same (well, more) work with serving my kids even though they order less and less expensive food, so I also bump the % tip up to compensate for that, even if we don’t make much of a mess.
Anonymous says
Yes, I calculate the tip on DH’s and my meals and then multiply it two to account for our kids. Kids meals are cheaper, but it’s no less work for the server. Servers seem very surprised (but grateful) that I do this.
Mrs. Jones says
I used to leave bigger tips when my son was younger and made messes.
Anonymous says
No. Get down on the floor and clean up your mess. If it grosses you out, feed the kid yourself without mess or don’t eat out.
Coach Laura says
I disagree. Patrons don’t get on their hands and knees to clean the floor when they eat out. Leave a bigger tip after picking up what you can without crawling on the floor.
Aly says
What? No. This would be super weird. I worked as a server for a long time and I would have been weirded out by a patron doing this. Tip well, be polite and your server will be fine to clean up. Also, you’d be surprised how messy some adults can be…
lawsuited says
OP, I hope this comment doesn’t make you feel like you’re not allowed to eat at restaurants. I pick up big things (like a piece of toast or an apple slice), apologize to the server, and leave a good tip (at least 25%).
Anonymous says
I leave a healthy tip and pick up the big pieces. I’m not worried about the mess…they’re going to come over with one of those sweeper things and have it cleaned up in about 30 seconds or less.
Anon says
I have tried to clean up a few times and been told that I shouldn’t, because it’s so much easier for the staff to do it (with a broom or mop). We don’t go to fancy places, and I leave a generous tip.
Coach Laura says
This.
Anon says
This. I’ve been admonished by staff even trying to pick up the big pieces off the floor. Also a game changer for us was the summer infant silicone placemat that rolls up into itself and has a little drop tray that hangs over the edge. Food goes right on the mat, nothing to chuck assuming it sticks, or if it doesn’t, not hard to keep an elbow on it while I eat, and kiddo’s independence streak remains untouched. I also got over my aversion to giving her adult weaponry (i.e., forks) and I try not to cringe every time she looks like she’s going to poke her eye out eating with it, but she is so much happier with it (I can never remember to bring the toddler-sized silverware, but the placemat lives in the diaper bag).
AIMS says
I am a big fan of the bibs with a catch all thing. Baby Bjorn makes a good one. It really cuts down on the mess substantially & I just leave a bigger tip.
Anonymous says
Ah, you must not have a kid who likes to invert the bib and watch it fall out…
AwayEmily says
I’m on Team “pick up the big pieces and leave an extra good tip.”
Spirograph says
Admin/design question for Kat:
Is it possible to bring back the functionality where an entire thread + all subthreads’ comments can be expanded with one click?
Right now, I’m needing to expand each level of comments individually, which is pretty cumbersome.