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Needless to say, I’ve used gallons of hand sanitizer over the past year. I haven’t been very particular about what brand, but Dove’s Nourishing Hand Sanitizer recently caught my eye.
We use countless bars of Dove soap during the winter since it doesn’t dry out our skin, so I’m excited to try their hand sanitizer. Given how drying most hand sanitizers are, I’ve been looking for a product that annihilates germs but also keeps my hands soft. It looks like Dove might score on both fronts.
Note that some reviewers mentioned that the product has a strong fragrance, so if you have a scent sensitivity you may want to pass.
The sanitizer is available at Target for $4.99 and at many other retailers.
Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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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
The “moms are not okay” episode from the what fresh hell podcast is what I needed this morning. Give a listen.
TheElms says
I am not ok today. I was up until 3am working on a matter, woke up to over 2 dozen emails thanks to clients in different time zones, and this morning there is ice and so our nanny can’t make it in, I have just as much work today as yesterday (even before no childcare). It just sucks.
Anon says
Are you my twin – down to the 3am work (except then my toddler woke up and partied for another hour)? Today sucks.
Anon says
Def not ok over here. I keep waking up with these painfully vivid dreams, mostly about very specific open work matters, but all highly stressful situations. One last night is that we were being robbed and we had to hand-to-hand fight someone to get our belongings out of their car before they drove away. Another last night was going through in excruciating detail a somewhat perplexing matter I’ve been working through. From these I wake up very stressed, very awake/aware, and unable to fall right back to sleep. I haven’t had a restful night’s sleep in weeks if feels like. I think the compounding effect of Everything is really taking it’s toll. The odd thing is, right now, awake and working, DD happily playing downstairs with the nanny, I’m like a 6-7 on a 1-10 scale of stress. That could change on a dime if a client requests something nutty or a new deal drops on my desk, but my dreams are way more stressful than my waking hours right now, but then takes a major toll on waking-hour productivity because I’m so dang tired. Riddle me that.
Anonymous says
Same here. I had a few nights of solid sleep right after the inauguration, but aside from that I haven’t had a restful night in nearly a year. Even if the dreams don’t prevent me from going back to sleep, they wear me out.
Boston Legal Eagle says
I need to listen to this. Instead I started listening to “Best of Both Worlds – How to Have Fun” – like… what? Fun is last on my list now. I know we’ve talked about how out of touch LVK is, but I feel like their show became even more so during the pandemic – they barely acknowledge it beyond saying things like “well now I only have my full time nanny instead of the 5 back up sitters.”
anon says
BBW is so disappointing. I would love to have more mom podcasts that are geared toward working moms, but I cannot relate to BBW at all.
Cb says
Yeah, I listened and thought, “well, museums are closed, alongside zoos, botanical gardens, and the rest of our go tos”. I also don’t have any childcare so the rest of my time is spend working, etc. I get an hour of reading before bed and I potter in the garden, that’s my fun. I realise they can’t be everything to everyone but…
anon says
Yes. I listened to this episode the other night and tried to plan a spring fun list on my phone and basically came up with nothing given that one kid is high risk. If you follow lvk on twitter and see some of her “likes” it’s pretty clear she thinks covid is overblown. I really like shu but lvk’s complete lack of empathy for anyone who parents differently or is so unfortunate as to have a different financial situation than her is so frustrating.
Anon says
Me too! I used to listen frequently but dropped off post-covid. My husband is working an essential job that involves travel (please believe me, it is essential), I’m working with 2 kids at home by myself for long isolated chunks of time as my location is in a serious lockdown and I’m so grateful our childcare is open, but I’m struggling. My body is keeping score big time.
anon says
Definitely not okay. I have a 7 yo who really needs in person instruction after a year at home. Our governor finally bullied schools into reopening now that teachers are vaccinated. I was very excited for in person instruction at least two days per week. Now our school has announced that of the 6.5 hours at school, only 40 minutes per day will be in person instruction. All other instruction will be via the iPad with a teacher monitoring the class while she teaches a different virtual class by iPad. Students will eat lunch at their desk and will not be allowed to stand up during the entire school day except to go to the bathroom. No PE. Lunch at their desks. Recess only on days when the weather is good enough. It’s a stupid plan from beginning to end. My option seems to be to pull her and homeschool, while working full time and overwhelmed.
anon says
Jeez, that sounds downright cruel to those kids. :( I know these are tough times, but that’s not developmentally appropriate at all.
anon says
Yes, the teachers seem to be taking the position that if parents are willing to put teacher health at risk, then their kids deserved to be punished. Despite teachers being vaccinated. Despite the parent-advocated masks, air cleaners for each classroom, social distancing, and multitude of other safety measures.
Anonymous says
I would not pin this one on the teachers. Decisions to have all kids working on laptops in place of live instruction are made by administration.
Anon says
That is f’ed up. I’ve said this a million times, and I’ll say it a million more. Plenty of schools in this country are open, full time, with some restrictions (i.e., masks, some limits on activities, etc.) but largely normal. There is no evidence that those areas are in a worse position for it. This is sick.
anon says
I am in one of those districts, and I am very thankful for it. I want to shout at all these districts on your behalf that it IS possible to safely have kids in school and that they aren’t really trying hard enough. (Note: Not blaming the teachers. I am blaming your administrators and school boards, though.)
Yes says
Same!
Anonymous says
Yup I’m in one of those districts too. Our county has never had a huge surge, our hospitals have never become overwhelmed, etc but we’re not a unicorn state like HI and we had relatively high community spread even before opening schools. School is safe with masks and some limits on activities. It breaks my heart that so many kids on getting no education or socialization for a full year now.
Pogo says
Ugh, that sounds so awful. I know districts are trying to be creative but it really sucks.
Anonymous says
Ugh that’s awful. If it makes you feel any better, your teachers may take matters into their own hands to make this a little more realistic. My mom’s teacher was supposed to have similar rules back at the beginning of the school year, but she added a couple outdoor mask breaks every day because… as a teacher, she knew it would be an obvious disaster for classroom management to keep a bunch of elementary kids sitting down except for bathroom breaks for 6.5 hours.
Anonymous says
*my mom’s a teacher and…
sheesh, typing fail
Boston Legal Eagle says
This makes me so angry. Who is saying that vaccinated teachers can’t go back to teaching in person full time? The districts? The school administrators? If it’s the teachers themselves, then sorry, you can’t do your job, so you no longer have this job. Even the CDC is saying schools can be in person, even pre-vaccines! Ugh, I’m so disappointed on behalf of all of our kids.
Anonymous says
I have so much respect for teachers, but no other essential workers (including my husband!) got say “eh, I don’t feel comfortable, I’m just going to stay home”.
Anonymous says
Yup. Why are teachers different than every other category of essential worker?
Yup says
Agreed 100%. You don’t get to demand an early vaccine and then refuse to do to the work that made you eligible for the early vaccine.
Anon Lawyer says
Oregon? I want to support teachers but I know some who have gone pretty off the deep end about covid anxiety on this and parents who say they want schools to reopen get attacked by other parents for not supporting teachers and BIPOC families.
anon says
I love that podcast so much. They tell it like it is.
I want to give virtual hugs to everyone on this board. You’re working your tails off, ladies, and carrying a heavy load. Give yourselves credit for the 1 million things you’re doing right now.
anne-on says
I am not ok. We have more snow, my kid got his privileges to do home school alone revoked because he was reading comic books instead of doing his school work (so now we’re tag-teaming trying to work while supervising school), my big boss is trying to champion better ‘work life balance’ (but not by taking away any of our work, no, silly idea) and I have 3 high profile projects with tight deadlines about to launch. Summer was hard, but this winter just might break me.
Cb says
Ugh, I’m so sorry. We have quiet long weekends (Friday to Monday) where we’re not supposed to send email or book meetings. And respite days over Easter, but no effort to reduce workload. Colleagues are killing themselves delivering online teaching, meanwhile the uni chancellor is in the news talking about how crap online delivery is.
GCA says
Prize for most ironic non-solution: sending employees endless webinars about work-life balance!
Ugh says
I hate these! What a joke.
Anonymous says
My 20 month old has been chewing on the face of his stuffed animal (a Jellycat bunny) every night recently. The poor bunny is all smushed up! Should we take it away? Replace with a new one? Not sure what to do, if anything. Thanks!
Anonymous says
Does it have pieces that might come off and present a choking hazard? If not, I’d just let him keep chewing.
AwayEmily says
Is it his prime lovey? We use the Angel Dearest loveys and by my count I have ordered at least eight for each kid over the years. Eventually we found it was easiest just to have a lot of them, so we didn’t have to do last-minute desperate lovey searches before car rides or bedtime.
anne-on says
This – we are an angle dear lovey family too and I always buy the ‘twins’ for new parents – we have had at least 8-10 in constant rotation over the years (daycare loveys, home loveys, extra loveys for when the first set got thrown up on, etc.)
AwayEmily says
Last night I my 4yo came running into the kitchen sobbing and she could barely get the words out to tell me that her little brother had PEED on her lovey (to be fair, she should not have left her lovey in the bathroom). Luckily we had several extras floating around.
Anon Lawyer says
Lol, this was a good reminder to order two more brown pony ones. The problem is we have one (of 2) that doesn’t have a white stripe on its forehead that doesn’t seem to be available anymore so hopefully she won’t start getting picky about that.
Anonymous says
Unless it’s starting to fall apart and become a choking hazard, you can just run it through the washing machine and dryer in a mesh bag.
Chewing and sucking on a stuffed animal will eventually wear out the fabric and stitching, so if it’s a special lovey you might want to take it out of the crib and limit it to daytime play to prevent further damage. I had to do this with my daughter’s lovey.
Anonymous says
Awwww snack snack bunny
Anonanonanon says
This made me laugh and I don’t know why but thank you
Boston Legal Eagle says
My 2.5 year old also has a jellycat bunny that he looooves – sleeps with it, takes it everywhere, calls for it when he’s sad. The bunny looks beat up at this point, but the nose and eyes seem to be pretty sturdy, so if yours is ok, I’d let him keep chewing. Just spot clean every now and then. We did buy a second bunny, in the unfortunate scenario where something would happen to bunny1, but so far haven’t needed it. I’m afraid he wouldn’t like a brand new bunny if the old one is available!
Leatty says
If you ever need to wash bunny1, I’d recommend swapping out the bunnies during the night and telling your child that bunny had a bath overnight. That’s what we’ve had to do with our daughter’s beloved white (well, now gray) bunny. Just make sure you hide bunny1 so kiddo can’t find it – my daughter found one of her back-up lambies (also white – why??) and then insisted on carrying both around at all times. Now she has fully abandoned lambies in favor of bunny. If only we could get her to like the lovies that aren’t white so they don’t look gross all the time…
Boston Legal Eagle says
The white stuffed animals are the worst! My older one has a while lamb also, and it looks so bad, even though he doesn’t really play with it that often. At least bunny is beige…
CCLA says
Yeah similar here, I take lovey to “get washed” as follows: grab a backup from the closet, toss dirty lovey in a bag up high in the closet to clean later, sprinkle water on fresh one and return to 4yo saying look all clean. We have like 5 or so and periodically rotate.
Anon says
My twins love the jelly cat monkey. I bought extras but waited too long to rotate so my kids won’t touch them.
Anon says
I know there was a recent threadjack about making your own baby purees, but I can’t seem to find it. Yes, I probably suck at Google. But help?
AnonATL says
Check the sushi post from 2/5
Anon says
Yes! Thank you! Appreciate it.
anon says
Maybe this post or the one the day before? https://corporettemoms.com/sushi-slicing-play-set/
Anonymous says
I totally misread that as baby purses as first and wondered 1. why a baby would ever need a purse? and 2. how I missed it the first time.
purees makes much more sense
Anon says
Is there any particular area we can help with – recipes, blending methods, cooking tips?
Anon says
Well there was a lot of good advice in the original threadjack I was seeking (so thanks again to AnonATL for directing me!) but happy to have any advice on starting out. Pediatrician mentioned at yesterday’s 4 month checkup that we can start solids whenever we feel ready (b/c baby is developmentally ready), and it’s our first baby so we’re flying blind. Will do baby oatmeal at first but curious how others decided which veggies to try first, winning veggie/fruit combos (understanding all is somewhat kid-dependent), etc. I have a vitamix and recipient of some handmedown silicone baby-food freezing trays (look like ice cube trays but probably more expensive since for BABIES) so I don’t think I need any other special gear.
Pogo says
I responded on the original thread, but I did the least effort possible in “making” baby food. I am right there with you with a 5.5mo right now. Here is what I have done so far:
– roasted a sweet potato, smashed it up; froze some in the mold you speak of
– microwaved small amount of frozen butternut squash, smashed it up
– fed baby regular old applesauce
– food processor’d regular old oatmeal to make it super fine (like oatmeal flour); to serve, I spoon a small amount into a bowl with water, microwave 30s, stir; add more water & repeat. Then I might add a little b-milk to cool it down and sweeten it
Per my ped I feed the baby the same food for 3 days to make sure he isn’t having a reaction. Some other foods that were a hit for my older son:
– smashed banana
– smashed avocado
– frozen peas smashed or puree’d (immersion blender) via the above method used for squash
– ditto above for broccoli, carrots
… by the time you’ve done that for a few weeks, your kiddo will likely be ready to start having basic finger foods, like the little puffs or the rice husks. From there, just move to whatever table food you are eating and let babe feed himself. This is why I really believe the “making your own baby food” period is so short and I really only “made” baby food a few times.
AwayEmily says
+1 to this. “Baby food” for us was 90% just stuff that was already super soft (applesauce, yogurt, oatmeal, avocado, banana), maybe mixed with some b-milk or formula. The puree stage is so quick there’s no need to get fancy.
Anon Lawyer says
I mostly did that, though I did use baby oatmeal for the iron supplementation and sometimes bought baby food. I will say that it’s worth knowing upfront that some kids take slower to solids than others – mine wouldn’t touch anything but purees and only minimal amounts of those until about 8 or 9 months. I was worried but shes’ a great eater now at 15 months. She just was slower to get into it.
Anon says
We started both our kids with avocado. I think because it’s so easy to smash up, so kind of low stakes effort if they don’t eat much, and if I remember correctly it’s better to start with non-sweet things at first?
Anon says
Sweet potato is one of the easiest – if you bake them until they’re very done (like 1-2 hours) you don’t need to blend them into a puree, just whisk in whatever liquid you want to thin it. It’s also (IMO) the tastiest veggie. I think I mostly just picked things at random based on what I felt like cooking.
My kid loved this fruit/veggie puree recipe – I probably added more spinach: https://books.google.com/books?id=K0PTCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22Sweet+and+green+puree%22&source=bl&ots=SG9xjMWgsz&sig=ACfU3U3Wz7FPD_KkMf4E6Cr4A3ckzgOrVg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjl5LGjkvTuAhUMGFkFHc2TBQcQ6AEwCnoECA8QAw#v=onepage&q=%22Sweet%20and%20green%20puree%22&f=false
Anon says
As kids get out of the toddler stage, how do you gauge what’s normal developmentally? Any recs for a good book to consult? My 5 yo is having daily breakdowns and tantrums, cries very easily, and I would have thought those would have decreased by now. But I don’t have many friends with kids so I don’t really know what is “normal.” She otherwise seems fine, does well in school, has friends, is liked by her teachers, etc.
mascot says
Late afternoon and evening weekday meltdowns were often a product of mine holding it together at school all day and needing a safe place to fall apart because he was just DONE. It doesn’t make it any easier though. Adding a hearty afternoon snack and convincing him to get in the shower or a bubble bath sometimes helped to wash away those big feelings.
AwayEmily says
Yeah, this. My almost-5yo goes through stages where for weeks she will find SOMETHING to melt down about as soon as she comes home. She just needs to get those feelings out, I think.
Spirograph says
This. It sounds like your daughter is in the range of normal. My oldest had regular weekday meltdowns when he started K through at least January. With the additional stressors in the air this school year, I would expect transition angst to persist longer than it does in a non-pandemic year. My daughter seems to be doing comparatively better with the K transition this year, but she still loses it at least once a week.
A big snack, 10-15 minutes of quality time with a parent, and early bedtimes all help, but IME there’s no magic bullet.
GCA says
Yes, this. Age 5 can be volatile enough to begin with especially when they’re tired or hangry or have just held it together all day (even in normal times other parents would tell me this is A Thing when kids start K), and when you add the extra layer of stress from the pandemic, it’s no surprise that their feelings can be bigger than usual.
What about rituals to help them reset and feel better? I’ve just finished ‘Bravey’ by the Olympic athlete Alexi Pappas, and I love this ritual she describes: when a college teammate of hers was having a bad day, she would put on her PJs, turn off the light, lie down in bed for a moment, then get up and holler ‘New day!’ as a way to reset. I’m thinking of coming up with something similar for my kindergartner. (And frankly, myself as well! Cup of tea and ten minutes of Pilates…)
Boston Legal Eagle says
No book recs but my nearly 5 year is the same, so there’s that. His tantrums have certainly decreased from ages 2-3, when he was hitting and being generally out of control a lot, but he still cries and tantrums probably on a daily basis. They are a little more logical now in the sense that I know what will trigger him. I have also heard no negative feedback from school so I assume he’s doing fine there/is an average preschooler.
Anon says
Commiseration. My 5 year old was in a full day preschool program with before and after care, and he has still struggled with the transition to kindergarten. My oldest struggled with kindergarten too, but his is going on far longer now. I’m chalking it up to the crazy times we’re in. He’s had to bounce between remote and in-person school a few times so it isn’t what he remembers or expected, he isn’t getting nearly as much movement or spontaneity as he needs during the day, and his parents are stressed the eff out and yell more than we should.
Honestly, my emotions are more raw than usual now, so it makes sense that they’re closer to the surface for younger kids as well. And they have many fewer tools to understand and process our world. I try to narrate how they’re feeling and empathize. (From this morning: “You can’t find your favorite leggings and that makes you frustrated. I’m sorry, that would make me upset too.” and “You seem disappointed that we can’t have paczki for breakfast again today. That’s a special treat for Mardi Gras only, but wasn’t it delicious? I can’t wait until next year. Which flavor will you pick then?” ) It doesn’t always work – the leggings issue involved tears – but I have noticed a SLIGHT improvement in both kids being able to talk about their feelings rather than rush straight to tantrums.
DrBeckyAtHome on IG has had several posts about this, so maybe if you read directly from her it’ll be more coherent than what I wrote above.
Anonanonanon says
I think I remember my kid still being fairly quick to tears at that age. He was never one for tantrums (he’s my easy child) but that was the age where I felt navigating feelings started to get more difficult as a parent. Trying to balance letting him know he was safe to cry at home and tell me his feelings, but also working toward being more resilient in dealing with small disappointments and frustrations, because I didn’t want him crying so much at school that kids made fun of him (he is already incredibly small for his age). Honestly, he’s 10, and this still seems difficult
Anonymous says
The lack of frame of reference these days is tough!!! Mine is a kid who struggled in preschool but was evaluated as normal. Being home the last year, remote kindergarten, there are multiple daily meltdowns. FWIW all of my friends with kids this age are also having daily meltdowns- especially for those kids in virtual school.
Boots With The Fur says
Eyeing Kamik boots to tough out the rest of this super snowy winter. Currently have Sorels. Does anyone have Kamiks — would/would not recommend?
Anonymous says
Canadian here. They are my ‘go to’ boots. I prefer them to Sorels and not just because the price point is better. Their Snobusters are what I used for my younger boys. Older girl prefers the snowgypsy as that style in popular with the older elementary age girls. I do remove the liners to make sure they are 100% dry in between wears. But that applies to all boots including North Face and Sorels when we’ve had those. Any dampness in boots can make feet cold. Sometimes the dampness is from snow getting in from the top or from sweaty feet. I like that you can order the snobuster liners online from Kamik so usually I have the warmest liners for the dead of winter and the less warm liners for late fall/early winter and late winter/early spring.
anon says
Yes, we have had many pairs of Kamik boots over the years. The only style I would NOT recommend is the snowbug that has the velcro strap across the front. IME, those do not keep the snow out.
Spirograph says
We’ve had several pairs of Kamik boots. Caveat that the DC area rarely has significant snow, but they’ve been great for us. For little kids, those velcro ones are easy to get in and out of.
If you need deeper snow boots, my kids have also liked Tundra boots -they kind of fold over and velcro at the top so they’re still easy to get on, but there’s protection all the way up even if the velcro comes undone.
Anon says
I don’t have Kamiks myself but I have had them for children and teens and they are absolutely fine – seem comfortable, excellent quality.
Anonymous says
Kiddo has had Kamiks over the years, and I really like them.
Anonanonanon says
Meghan Markle wore them when she lived in Canada and I think that’s a decent endoresemnt haha
Anonymous says
Our 3yo has worn Kamiks all winter. We’re in the DC area but we’ve had ice/mud and they’ve been great for that too.
AwayEmily says
Is this for you or for kids? I have a pair of lace-up Sorels and a pair of slip-on Kamiks and the Sorels are MUCH warmer but that may just be because of the style of the boots rather than a brand thing.
Boots With The Fur says
for me! I will definitely keep Sorel in the rotation – I think my aging feet might need different support. But this all started when I was (sheepishly) influenced by Meghan Markle (as someone mentioned above!)
thanks all for feedback!
Anon says
No advice on Kamiks, but I just replaced a 15 year old pair of Sorels (different model) with new Sorel Caribous and I cannot overstate how much I love them and how much happier I am with the new boots that are no longer damp (the waterproofing finally bit the dust on my old sorels last year), particularly in what is the snowiest winter we’ve had in a while.
octagon says
We have Kamiks for the 5-year-old and they’ve been great. We have the kind with a toggle/string closure at top and it’s easy for him to get them on by himself. Also I appreciate the wool liner so we could buy a size up and hopefully use them without the wool liner next year.
Anonymous says
In Canada – LOTS of snow play. Have had Kamik’s and Sorels. I have found the Velcro on the Sorels to hold up marginally better. But both were great.
Anonymous says
Canadian from above – for Adult boot perspective: just upgraded my Sorels (which were pretty great) to SUPER warm UGGs this winter* (on sale post xmas)…. The UGGs are so comfortable.
*actual waterproof UGGs (waterproof rubbery bottoms / goretex top and gloriously lined in faux fur), not the boots that rose to fame paired with sweat with juicy on the bum.
i have never owned or even tried on Kamiks for grown ups.
Anon says
I am expecting baby # 2. My first is 6, so there’s a pretty large age gap between the two. Please spam me with must haves for baby #2 and any new baby items that are a must have. Also, since my car seat from # 1 is about to expire, I’m looking into new bucket seats. Anyone have any experiences with the Nuna Pipa Lite? Would you recommend it?
Anonanonanon says
My kids are >8 years apart and honestly it was so fun getting to buy baby stuff the second time around!
I enjoyed the guava lotus bassinet/playard for in room sleeping and travel. We actually did not get a crib and used that until she transitioned to a floor bed. It was nice to have an upgrade from the old school pack n play. It’s not a necessity if you’re going to use a crib, but it’s something I enjoyed having the second time around.
Strollers seem to have come a long way as well. I got a fancy uppa baby because I forgot how much lugging around a heavy stroller stinks, so here is your reminder. We ended up getting a nano mountainbuggy too and that quickly became our full-time stroller once she could sit up. Can fold up the size of a briefcase but is much more substantial than an umbrella stroller.
The Hatch Rest seems to be a parenting staple these days. Was nice as a white noise machine for infancy and now as an ok to wake clock for toddler.
Anon says
No personal experience with the Nuna Pipa Lite, but I know it’s one of the infant bucket seats you cannot install without the base. This might not matter to you, but for us when traveling it was much easier to have a bucket seat we could just buckle into taxis or rental cars without also having to lug the base around.
NYCer says
+1. We got the Nuna Pipa (non-Lite version) for this reason.
Pogo says
For my second, I didn’t really know what I would need until it happened. For example, my second has pretty bad cradle cap and eczema; my first didn’t. So I had to emergency order all kinds of creams and baby wash/shampoo. He scratched his little head raw so I had to buy an electric baby nail trimmer and special eczema mittens. My second is also is much bigger than my first, so even though they lined up relatively closely seasonally for clothes, my 5.5mo is in 12mo clothes right now. I didn’t have very many cotton footie pjs in that size because older son wasn’t in 12mo til summer and didn’t wear footies at that point, but right now we’re still in the Merlin suit and I really prefer cotton footies under that. To that point, I had to buy 2 Merlin suits in the 6-9mo size, while my first was out of the Merlin before 6mos (and he was average size, as opposed to my giant baby).
That’s not really a specific answer but hopefully gets you thinking of all the random stuff you might end up needing! I just rely heavily on 2-day prime shipping or Target curbside.
Anon says
I’ve had 2 babies in the last 2.5 years. If you can swing it financially, the Snoo was awesome for us during the newborn stage the second time around. We didn’t have one for our oldest but splurged on it for baby #2. He could have just been a better sleeper in some ways but I do think the Snoo helped us get incrementally more sleep at night during those first few months, which helped my mental health a lot.
I also love our Hatch (combo sound machine and nightlight that you can control from your phone) and Keekaroo changing pad (you can just wipe it down; no covers to wash or change).
AwayEmily says
I would totally rent a snoo if I had another kid — they came out just after my second but my friends who had them for their second kids said they are amazing for those first few months.
Anon says
keekaroo or other changing pad you can just wipe clean. We also like our Hatch
Anon says
No specifics, but mine are six years apart and I somehow only recently learned about Once Upon a Child. After knowing how brief the time is that you’re going to need a bassinet, swing, bouncer etc. – it isn’t worth buying anything new.
Anon says
There are also Just Between Friends sales in some areas.
DLC says
If you are planning on breast feeding: A new breast pump! The technology has gotten so much better. It’s still not fun, but between my first two kids (5 years apart) they got so much gentler, quieter and efficient. Also nursing/pumping bras were a great discovery for me. And nursing clothes have gotten so much cuter too.
Also- for my third baby I got the OXO space saving bottle drying rack and i love it so much! It’s a vertical rack so it takes up less space and doesn’t have the gunky build up in the bottom that other drying racks develop. It’s so well designed and I smile every time I see it next to my sink. I feel like it’s silly to love it so much, but it was honestly my favorite purchase with baby #3.
Anon says
for eating – either stokke trip trap high chair or ikea. everyone i know with any other high chair says it is a pain to clean
Patty Mayonnaise says
Has anyone taken Diclegis to help with sleep? I’m pretty newly pregnant with #3 (still v nervous) and somewhat nauseous, but not terribly so (knock on wood). But I’m having the hardest time with sleep – waking at 3 or 4 and not being able to fall asleep. I’m considering taking Diclegis to help, since it’s unisom + b6 — anyone have experience with this?
Curious says
Late reply but: Insurance won’t cover that until you try “rolling your own”, but I found OTC Unisom really helped my sleep. Prior to taking it, I woke up at 1 am to use the restroom and then again at 4 am, and by 4 am I was nauseous and sweating and sniffling and needed an hour and the guest bed to get back to sleep. With Unisom I slept through the night with
1 brief 3 am break. Unfortunately over time it also hyper activated my anxiety, so I had to stop, but it was a lifesaver at getting me through the early nights.
Curious says
Note I was taking with this with B6, and it did also help the nausea.
Kate says
My 3 year old niece is in quarantine (she’s OK – but got exposed at daycare, she had a mask on but other little kid didn’t, so has to quarantine for 2 weeks). Her parents both WFH and have had daycare up to this point, so this is a new challenge. For you pros – what kidsafe, inexpensive fun things could I drop off to help distract her/keep her busy? She has an older sister who is attending 1st grade in person, but she’s not used to playing alone all day!
octagon says
Melissa & Doug Water Wow Books were a big hit at that age.
anon says
If she’s into coloring my 3yos love getting a new set of markers/crayons/colored pencils and a coloring book. Sticker books are also major hits.
Anonymous says
Lots of stickers. New (washable) markers and a notebook. a puzzle (3 year olds can do surprisingly complex puzzles…). I ordered some stencils to cope with recent cold spell and those were a big hit – but with an older sister she might have that.
These are all things she can do independently. Not that cheap, but some new duplo would get great mileage at my house.
Anonymous says
Definitely check with her parents what she’s into. My 3 old year would have no use for crayons or anything involving coloring but loves to do puzzles and stickers.
Anonymous says
My 3 y/o has been quarantined twice. Not the full 2 weeks mercifully though as the guidelines have changed a bit.
If parents are working, the only solution is screen time at that age. Unless she’s almost 4, most 3 y/os cannot be left alone for more than 10 minutes.
I would send a kindle fire with amazon free play loaded in it. I am anti screen time and I typically don’t allow the kids to use it but I pull it out for emergencies. This would qualify.
Anon says
+1. A combo of Duplo, Little People, and the Kids Amazon Fire at that age.
Cb says
Maybe a doctor set? Her parents could throw out animals in a type of animal hospital.
But it is just really hard, we’ve been doing it since March.
Anonanonanon says
-Washable markers or crayons and coloring books. Washable is key.
-Play dough and easy accessories (not a complicated machine that will get jammed and lead to tears, but maybe a roller and cookie cutters)
-Melissa and Doug water wow books as others have said. They also have books that have a clear marker and you color on the pages and a picture appears, same concept
-Magnets. Letters, numbers, shapes, whatever. If the parents won’t mind, my kid spends some time putting them on things.
-see if they mind you bringing popsicles. Those have saved me once or twice during conference calls.
Anonanonanon says
Just ask yourself if it is something that will take a long time to set up clean up, if it is likely to require parent assistance or lead to a meltdown if it breaks, etc. Sometimes, well-intentioned gifts add more of a burden than they are helpful.
Anon says
The real answer is screen time; maybe access to a new service if they don’t have it (Disney plus (Doc McStuffins, Elena of Avalor and Fancy Nancy are favorites right now), netflix, etc. On Netflix my 3YO is super into scooby doo, masha and bear (I detest) and cocomelon right now)?
My 3YO loves food for her play kitchen (slice and bake cookie set, or mixer baking set if they don’t have those already) and is really into imaginative play with it – she can occupy herself for a while.
If you have the time and energy and the kid is good with video chats, you can talk or chat with her for a little while (my parents and sisters do this with my 3YO who is adept enough to actually call them if I hand over an unlocked phone, super useful when I have conference calls (on my other phone) and DH is busy too).
3YO also is super into (unsupervised) use of washable glue sticks, a bag of pipe cleaners, stick on googly eyes, pom poms and wooden craft sticks and will happily decorate construction paper for a good chunk of time (and since the glue doesn’t hold well, I just wait until they dry, pull them off and put them back in the bag for reuse). Not a super big mess.
Anonymous says
Definitely check with parents about what she’s into and what they want. I have a 3 year old and she/I would enjoy: books, anything designed to facilitate pretend play (play food, costumes, etc), simple arts and crafts (crayons or markers), stickers, dolls and accessories, LEGO Duplos or Magnatiles. We would not want WaterWow (she’s not into them for whatever reason), puzzles, board games, or any arts and crafts that are messy or require parental involvement which in our house includes PlayDoh.
No one has mentioned it, but cookie decorating kits are a huge hit with my kid. Definitely check with parents first as it involves the kid consuming sugar and can get messy, but for my 3 year old at least it’s an activity she will do independently for 30-45 minutes so it’s worth some cleanup time. You can buy them on Etsy and there are probably local options too.
octagon says
This is a great piece from the NYT today about the value of parenting. I am definitely guilty of seeing upper class people who “step out” of the workforce to become a caretaker, even temporarily, as virtuous, while being more judgmental to those in poverty. I hadn’t seen it framed that way before and will be doing some self-reflection on my biases and how to change them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/opinion/theres-no-natural-dignity-in-work.html
DLC says
This is such an interesting read. I’m currently reading Utopia for Realists and the first few chapters talk a lot about universal basic income. One of the ideas is that when the value of work is decoupled from the value of money, it makes a more equitable and productive society. The book cites some compelling research that shows people don’t work less when given additional assistance. And by tying all these things to the American Dream of having a job (health insurance, benefits, social capital)..it actually contributes to a decline in well being.
I’ve been thinking of this while being COVID unemployed – I see my unemployment benefits as basically the government paying me to stay at home and watch my kids rather than working in my high transmission industry (the performing arts). But I would much rather be working and creating than home with the kids. Whereas there are lots of people I know would be rather at home and not working. And it would be nice if it could be a real choice for all of us, not a financial one or a societal one.
Texas says
Any Texas ladies here today? How are you doing seems like a silly question, but – how are you doing?
AnotherAnon says
I had an anxiety attack Monday but I’m doing ok now. We’re honestly pretty lucky – we only went 12 hours without power. A pool pipe burst yesterday but it’s minor and we can afford to repair it. We have plenty of food. I’m running low on laundry but that’s very minor in the scheme of things. Our family and friends are still mostly without power but seem to be doing ok, which is unbelievable given that some of them are experiencing indoor temperatures in the 30s. Thanks for checking on us. I’m a native Texan and honestly we will probably relocate soon. This was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Anon says
in Houston. Saw something on social media which said in 2020 we were asked to stay home, in 2021 we were asked to stay home without power or water. I’m very grateful that we can afford heat on a regular basis bc hearing your child cry out in the middle of the night that they are cold is heartbreaking
Realist says
All the good thoughts and good vibes to the moms and caregivers in Texas right now. My heart breaks every time I see the news.
Jeffiner says
In DFW. Power has been back for nearly 48 hours, and our boil-water order was lifted this afternoon. I still feel like we have to conserve energy, like we’ll turn the heat off to run the dishwasher or turn the water heater off to use the oven. We’re technically ok, warm again, plenty of food, and no pipes burst. But I’m still ragey at ERCOT, the Railroad Commission (they do the gas line infrastructure), our government in general, and my company.
My company gave us a weather disaster day for Wednesday, if we didn’t have power. Most people in my city were without Monday and Tuesday, it came back Wednesday. The company is graciously allowing us to use our vacation time for Monday and Tuesday.
I’m out of rage for Ted Cruz. He’s useless wherever he is, I just don’t care.
Anon says
THEY’RE MAKING YOU BURN VACATION! That is so wrong.
Anonymous says
WTF. As someone who works with Texans OBVIOUSLY we don’t expect work product. come on.
Anonymous says
Wow, how kind of them. /s
Jeffiner says
Also, thank you for asking. Hugs
Anonymous says
Any insight into when to consider speech therapy for a 3 year old? Mine talks a lot and I think she has a good vocabulary but I have such a hard time understanding her. She talks so fast now and her pronunciation of many words is still not great and trying to talk to her is like trying to talk to a super drunk person who is slurring their words…funny at times but also difficult and exhausting. When she was younger she had fewer words and enunciated them more carefully so I actually had an easier time understanding her even though her pronunciations were more off.
So Anon says
Is she in daycare/preschool/any kind of group setting? If so, I would ask the teacher/care provider whether your daughter seems on par with the rest of the kids her age. My daughter’s preschool teacher was the first to call out that my daughter had a speech issue around 3. They are around so many kids and have a better sense of what is normal (all the words coming out all at once so enunciation gets lost) versus a speech issue that may need a bit of help.
Anon says
Mine (3.5) is in speech therapy through the county-run preschool special ed program, but her speech delay was identified around 2.5 (really 2, but we gave it time to see if she would have the explosion and she never did). Her expressive speech has improved but now we are working on sound production because now that she is talking more, we have been able to identify my kid is missing a lot of the basic sounds that she should have developed earlier (note that some sounds will not be fully developed until even age 6, particularly blends). No advice on when to consider, but I will say that sound production errors are definitely a thing and therapy is helping so it may be worth an evaluation to see if the errors are “normal” or something that merits therapy!