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A new-mom relation clued me into this breastmilk chiller — I wish I had this when I was pumping!
With this chiller, no fridge, no problem! You can pump straight into the chiller — store 24 ounces of your milk for 20 hours. It’s great for long commutes, road warriors, or anyone who doesn’t have ready access to a fridge. If you pump at night, no need to make a midnight journey to your kitchen and back — just pump and go back to sleep in the comfort of your room. I especially love that it looks like a fancy travel mug.
Ceres Chill’s OG Breastmilk Chiller is $68.98. It comes in nine colors (some are pre-order only).
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
Anon says
this morning one of my kindergartners was crying that she doesn’t want to go to school. She seemed to have an ok day yesterday, though by bedtime was saying she didn’t want to go back. Parenting is hard.
Anon says
Solidarity. My K-er has been in school for a month and it’s been great, and then all of a sudden this week she’s been weepy and clingy. I think the excitement of the new school has worn off, and it’s finally sunk in that she’s not going back to daycare.
But…they’ll be ok. We went through a period of many months of sad dropoffs last year and it wasn’t fun, but we got through it. It’s true what they say that their attitude at pickup is more important than their attitude at dropoff.
HSAL says
A neighbor asked one of my Ks what her favorite part of school was and she said “going home.” The other K says everything at school is scary and he’s had an uptick in behavioral issues at school. But they’re both happy when they get off the bus, and no protests getting on. They’ve been in for almost a month so I’m hoping things will improve with even more time.
OP says
oh and my other kindergartener apparently threw herself on the floor crying when DH left at drop off. these are kids that have been to school before
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Hi – solidarity.
At pickup yesterday, DS #1 was smiles, and said his favorite part of the day was pick-up and drop-off (neat). Against all the better advice I have read here and in other places, I lightly pushed and asked for a few things good about his day. He said music class, recess, and his new friend. He clarified that even though the new friend went to his old school, they weren’t in the same class then, so he’s a new friend. I’m good with this logic.
This AM? He told me he didn’t have enough sleep (boy, same), his uniform was too big (again), and that since today DH could only drop him to the front he was nervous and didn’t want to go. He was fine around breakfast, and today we started our carpool with neighbors (with DH driving) so my hope is that it helped.
GCA says
My K-er doesn’t start till next week, but between moving states (!), living out of my SIL’s basement, and too much fun (as well as disagreements) with her sibling & cousins, she’s been a bit of an emotional live wire. Argh.
Anonymous says
I need your best tips for making the mornings go more smoothly. I have a 4yo and a 2month old and recently started back to work. They go to the same school-based program. The 4yo is so incredibly slow in the mornings. The last several mornings have ended in us leaving later than I would like with the 4yo upset that she can’t take her morning cup of milk in the car and eating her cheerios and apple slices on the short drive to school. I wake the 4yo an hour before I want to be out the door and give her clear reminders of time and what is coming next. UGH.
anonM says
I don’t do this every day, but when we start having issues in the morning, here’s some ideas. We have a visual night and morning chart. I refer to that. We get ready before breakfast — brush teeth and hair, change clothes, make beds (again…not every day but it’s on the chart and we try). Then, they can have breakfast. If they really dilly dally, they don’t finish breakfast, but I will sometimes let them take things in the car. You can also set a two-minutes-to-leaving timer and let the 4yo hit the start button (kids usually love that, plus it makes sure they know the timer is actually starting). Sometimes when they get up earlier it is worse because I let them play before getting ready, which slows it all down too much, so I’d really try to focus on getting ready asap in the morning, then 4yo is rewarded with play time if they finish everything quickly.
Cornellian says
+1 I think a visual schedule is really helpful at 4. Get her involved in coloring in pictures of someone brushing their teeth, putting on their shoes, etc., and post them in order near the door or kitchen. I don’t think she’d get “time” but “order” is something 4 year olds can understand.
I may steal the timer idea
Spirograph says
+1 we used visual schedules when my kids were younger and it really helped. Honestly, I might need to go back to one even though my kids are in elementary school…
annie says
Does the four year old pick out her clothes the night before? That really helps us. Also – it’s neurotic but my husband and I timed out the entire hour before we need to get out the door and each step so we both know what needs to happen when (e.g. breakfast needs to start by 7:30 and finish by 7:45). It helps us stay on track and be on the same page. It takes us an hour to get our kids out the door and 30 minutes before to get ourselves ready and the kids stuffed prepped.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
+1 – I forgot who posted it here once, but they wrote “For some reason I think it takes X minutes to get downstairs and out the door, when it really takes an hour.” That resonates bigtime with me.
We now have to get out the door by 7:10, which feels a lot earlier than our previous 7:30-45, so I have it timed pretty tightly now. We practiced last week to be ready for this week. It’s only been 2 official days of this schedule: kids up by 6, dressed and eating breakfast by 6:30, wrapping up by 7, and out the door by 7:05. This builds cushion for the inevitable whining and tantrums (maybe they’re from me eventually because I am not a morning person).
I’d rather us sit on the porch or walk outside for a few minutes than be scrambling.
HSAL says
Do you dress her? My kids CAN all dress themselves, but if I want it done quickly I just do it myself. That saves a ton of time. Otherwise doing as much setup the night before as you can.
Not applicable to you, but here’s a morning tip for kids who ride the bus. It comes at 7, which is SO EARLY and we wake our kids up at 6:15. They get dressed and go to the bathroom first, and then I make them put on their shoes before breakfast. Then they’re totally ready to just grab their backpacks and go as soon as we get the bus notification. We used to do shoes last and it was a scramble, now they know if they’re pokey with breakfast they might miss it.
Anon says
Geez, that’s so early. I thought there was a trend for school districts to push back start time so kids can sleep, but that’s the opposite direction…
Anon says
Our elementary school starts at 9, but our intermediate school starts at 7:10. Middle and high school are in between that, 8ish I think. They share buses so they have to stagger the start times. Pretty common I think.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
When I lived in the DC Area, there was a lot of chatter for the change in MD to meet the research based trend as follows: ES to start earliest, and then MS and HS to start later because of the way pre-teens and teens are weird. I don’t think there’s a way around staggering start times in most large metro areas.
Anonymous says
It’s complicated- teens biologically need to sleep later than little kids, but they also have a longer school day and need more time in the afternoon for jobs and activities, so there’s an argument for starting them earlier than elementary schools.
You also can’t please everyone. Our elementary is 9:30-4 which is pretty much perfect for my night owl kid and my work schedule, but I know a lot of working parents really struggle with the late start time.
Cornellian says
Our bus comes at 6:30. I think ti’s great for high school kids that the younger kids go first, but has been an ADJUSTMENT.
NYCer says
Just out of curiosity, what time does school actually start?! I cannot imagine at 6:30 am bus. That is rough.
Cornellian says
7:40! My kid is first to get picked up and last to get dropped off, which sucks since he’s also the youngest. They still get their VERY early (~7:05), but I think they’re trying to make sure lowerincome families can get their kids fed at school at a reasonable hour (rather than waiting till everyone is settled in their classrooms, 90 min after waking).
Anon says
I am a super slow mover in the mornings, so I have solidarity with your 4 year old! But my biggest piece of advice is just to stop pushing, and remove any sense of “to-dos” in the morning. I also want to give every parent the gift that my preschool gave us — which is, if your kid doesn’t want to change in the mornings, let them be. There is nothing wrong with being 4 and going to school/daycare in PJs. In our experience, the kid does it a few times, then becomes personally motivated to change in the morning. Buy a few cups with lids and the night before, put a cup of milk and a bag of cheerios right next to it in the fridge. Grab on the way out if she doesn’t want to eat when she wakes up. Then the only thing you really need to do is have her put her shoes on, and you can even shop with her to find a pair she likes/can put on her own. You can even put a toothbrush in the car that she “uses” right before she hops out, but full disclosure, my kids never brushed their teeth before preschool, and they are now 9 and 11 with no cavities. So, I dunno, make this relatively short time in both of your lives easier.
Anon says
incredibly slow with what? eating? getting dressed? i understand you have a 2 month old, but you might need to be a bit more hands on in the morning with the 4 year old vs expecting her to do it all herself.
Anonymous says
4 year old is too young for reminders of time. Carry her down to breakfast. Hand her milk and apple slices to eat while she wakes up. Take her into the living room – haul off pjs and put on clothes you laid out the night before. Like you pop shirt over her head and she puts arms in. Wash face and brush teeth/hair in main floor bathroom. Put on shoes. Ten minutes of videos on ipad while you finish up other stuff.
If she has a 2 month old sibling, her entire world has been rocked. She’s going to need some extra support/care. In a few months, you can start walking back the support – like she gets herself dressed. I had a 5 drawer small cubby in the living room that stored the outfits for the week. Pick them all out on Sunday night.
Anon says
Yeah I think you’ll probably have to be a bit more hands on with the 4 yo. It’s not an age at which you can expect kids to get ready independently.
+1 says
Unfortunately this. I’d also give up trying to remind her of the time. Most four year olds don’t understand time.
Maybe warnings like “I’m setting a timer for one minute and then it’s time for breakfast.” And then, “okay, breakfast time!” And then if she’s trying to keep playing, you may have to gently take the toys and lead her to the breakfast table. Basically I’d handle this much more like you would with a 3 year old and less like a 6-7 year old. It’s tough because at 4 kids often seem bigger and more mature than they actually are, especially if they are verbal and talking like an older child.
Anonymous says
This. A 4 year old is not a 7 year old. Our oven timer is great because it beeps before the last minute. I put 7 minutes after passing kids their food. When that timer finishes I announce that it’s halfway and put another timer for 8 minutes. They do best with 15 minutes for breakfast and 15 minutes to dress/get out the door. Waking early just lets things get off track. I get myself completely ready before waking them up.
Solidarity says
Sorry, mornings are so rough with those ages. You might have to just wake her up earlier. It takes us an hour and a half or more to get our kiddos that age out the door.
Anon says
Does she get breakfast at school? I’d nix the food/milk if there is breakfast at school. If there isn’t, I’d have those items prepped the night before and ready to go as soon as she wakes up. If the milk becomes a problem, then no milk in the mornings at all. A couple of mornings of being upset may happen until she gets the routine down and knows what to expect. Limit choices if choosing is delaying things. Pick out clothes the night before or give limited choices. Only have a pair or two of shoes that are for school. Pack/prep as much as you can the night before. Screen time can help or hurt you here depending on your kid/preferences. We had to eliminate TV because that was causing problems, but Ipad time did not cause any problems and gives me time to finish what I need to before we leave. We have eliminated any choices with hair. Hair goes into a simple ponytail for school. Fun hair is for weekends.
Anonymous says
I have a four year old as well. YMMV – We have actual alarms that go off when we need to move to the next step. So I get him up, and we cuddle for a few minutes, but then an alarm goes off and he knows that means he needs to go the bathroom and get changed. We have the lovery countdown time clock that we will use at breakfast – the changing colors helps him understand how much time is left, and that’s another alarm.
Anon says
I agree with streamlining breakfast. It might be easier once both kids are eating breakfast, but I think for now, apple slices in the car is fine for a 4 year old breakfast, especially if there is a morning snack at school. Maybe put some peanut butter on the slices to bulk it up? In which case, tell the kid that they need to be eaten before getting to school because of nut allergies.
Waffles in the car?
I think if you whittle mornings down to the truly essential- for me that is pack the lunches and backpacks and make myself tea and get myself and the kids dressed- everything else there is a work around, especially at this age.
New Mom Anon says
I’m having a hard time back at work after maternity leave. I WFH and got a new boss a few months before I went on leave. It’s been hard. A mix of boss micromanaging me, insisting on zoom calls vs emailing as communication, and a 3 hour time difference so instead of having 8 hours to work together, it’s more like 5. On top of that, I’m trying to pump 3 times a day, baby is going through sleep regression, and I feel like I’m not as sharp or organized still as I was prior to leave. Please tell me it gets better ):
Anon says
it gets better. i promise. how old is baby/how long have you been back?
New Mom Anon says
4 months old and went back 2 weeks ago. To me, I feel like I just got back and am still adjusting, but I don’t necessarily feel like others understand that it is taking me a while to be back to “normal”
Anon says
I’m biased, because EBFing was never a huge priority of mine, but if you’re struggling, pumping would be the first thing I’d drop even if it means introducing some formula. Your mental health and ability to get your job done during normal work hours are much more important.
Also three times a day is a lot unless your kid is under 3 months. You can most likely switch to twice a day even without introducing formula.
It does get better! I wanted to quit my job basically non-stop for the whole first year and am so glad I didn’t. When they’re 1 or 2 you will see them making little buddies and having all kinds of fun adventures at daycare and you won’t feel guilty for leaving them because you’ll know that daycare is a much more enriching environment than you could provide. But it’s tough with infants, especially your first.
Anon says
It gets better!!! While waiting it out though, may I suggest prioritizing sleep above all else? While breastfeeding I was literally in bed for 10-12 hours a night to try and get adequate sleep with all the nighttime wakings. Partner’s job was to handle everything else so I could get those hours in.
Anonymous says
Solidarity! This is a scattered response but just wanted to respond quickly to say, you will get a lot of comments here about how you don’t have to EBF or pump that much. If you don’t want to, good! You definitely don’t have to! This was important to me though and I was able to make it work in big law pumping 3x during the workday for my two kids. Don’t judge how hard it is by your first weeks back, as the return to work is hard either way. I did find pumping at work to be an unexpected time suck both times but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t important or a good goal or something I wanted to quit. I still lament to my husband that it stinks but it’s worth it to me. You get used to all of it and you can do it! Some tips- I got very comfortable pumping with my camera off on zoom. I was up front with people that I may have to turn the camera off and it wasn’t a big deal. I also wasn’t as sharp gotta admit but that absolutely gets better and in the meantime I use a lot of checklists and extend lots of grace to myself! You got this!
+1 says
+1. I read your comment and figured the first thing you’d hear is to stop pumping. Which so great if that’s what you want. But it’s also fine if it’s not
Anon says
Reposting from the main board yesterday…
Long shot but any outer East Bay moms here with recommendations for infant daycares, center or home-based? Looking in Concord/Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Alamo, and Lafayette. I’m fully aware this is probably going to be a nightmare but would appreciate any recs. While we’re in fantasy land here, a place that provides meals and has good outdoor space would be awesome.
Crock Pot Rec says
My trusty crockpot of 10+ years has died. Ceramic bowl cracked somehow and leaks everywhere.
Any suggestions for one? Are there any that you can set to turn on at like 11am so it’s done at 5? Vs turning it on manually and then the food simmering in “keep warm” mode? That was my one complaint – if I set something as I left in the morning the food would inevitably overcook in the “keep warm” mode if it sat there for a few extra hours.
I have an air fryer (loveee). Is this a chance to get an instant pot? Will that still allow me to slow cook? Family of four, two full-time working-out-of-home parents and we live/die by the crock pot, particularly in winter.
TIA.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
I’m a ride-or-die for the IP but I only use it for pressure cooking, which I think is what it does best.
I have heard it does not work as well as the crockpot for slow-cooking, but it definitely has the feature.
New Here says
You want a programmable crockpot so that you can set it to a certain number of hours to cook. Though it does turn to “keep warm” at the end…not sure how to get around that other than really timing when you start the cooking.
We have an older version of this: https://www.macys.com/shop/product/hamilton-beach-programmable-stay-or-go-6-qt.-slow-cooker?ID=9911153&CategoryID=7554&isDlp=true
FWIW, my friends all say their IP is a waste of space.
Anonymous says
I don’t think it’s safe to let the food sit out at room temperature until 11:00 a.m. and then start cooking.
OP says
Fair point.
Anon says
This. I really, really want to do crock pot meals during the week while I’m at work, but I have to leave the house by 7:30am and don’t get home until 5pm. That’s just too long for most food to be cooked and then kept warm. Letting food sit for hours without heat is a recipe for food poisoning.
Anne says
If you start it before you leave it’s fine — the keep warm function is at a temp that keeps food safe by design.
OP says
Yes, but meat dries out. Great for stews and other liquid or pasta-based things in particular, but my pulled pork is straw by the time I get home. We end up making a batch Sunday night and put it in the fridge for the week.
Spirograph says
Ha, by the time I got around to finishing my reply, you’d answered my question. What do you cook the pulled pork in? I usually do onions, apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 to 1/2C water & cook on low. Without the water, it dries out, but the extra water will get it through a whole work day and still tender.
Anonymous says
You can do chicken thighs for 6 hours on low covered with liquid. For pulled chicken I like a BBQ spice rub and a bottle of beer. They don’t get tough and rubbery like light meat chicken.
Spirograph says
I have a really basic Hamilton Beach 6qt crock pot. It’s not programmable, just high-low-keep warm settings, but it does have a good secure seal on the lid when I use the lid-lock, which is perfect for pot lucks.
I’m curious, what are you cooking in your crockpot that gets overcooked? I have chicken breasts in my crock pot today to make shredded chicken for taco filling. I set them to cook on low when I left at 7:45, and my husband will to “keep warm” when he gets home around 4:30-5 and we’ll eat at 6-6:30 ish. I make crock pot pulled pork, bean soups, beef stew, & chickpea/veggie curry regularly in the winter with the same schedule. I often add a little more water than recipes call for, but I’ve never had an issue with anything being overcooked to the point that it noticeably impacts the flavor or texture.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
I’m a big texture person and for me, the slow cooker just destroys the texture of things with the exception of really tough, big cuts of meat, which we don’t really eat. Chicken gets way too stringy. I also feel like without any blooming of spices in fat, the spices just don’t catch the way I like.
This is a total personal preference. Also, nothing beats the slow cooker for queso.
GCA says
I agree – I am team Instant Pot over slow cooker for texture, and a firm believer in blooming spices in fat first. I think in OP’s shoes, I would try to batch cook things like pulled pork on the weekend, then fry it up during the week to warm it up quickly.
But now I’m intrigued: slow cooker queso? Do you just dump in cheese, chiles, tomatoes and warm it all up?
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
GCA, you are my forever food twin.
Queso in my house = Velveeta + Rotel in the slow cooker. Preferably hot rotel :) I add fresh jalapenos or serranos, taco seasoning, and whatever fresh herbs I have laying around (green onion, cilantro). I’ve tried for years to switch to a non-Velveeta recipe, and DH refuses.
anonamama says
I love the Cuisinart Multi Cooker. Super easy to use and automatically switches to keep warm when cooking complete. https://www.cuisinart.com/shopping/appliances/slow_cookers_rice_cookers/msc-600/
Anonymous says
My answer to this is to cook crockpot meals on Sundays and reheat the leftovers on Mondays.
Anon says
Help! I’m so confused about calculating pregnancy weeks. Every calculator is telling me something different about which week I’m in (I haven’t had my first appointment yet). Does week 1 start the day of your last LMP or is that week 0? I’m literally getting different answers and advice from different websites.
Anon says
I always thought first day of your LMP was day 0, and seven days after that you were “one week pregnant” (even though you hadn’t actually conceived yet). If your cycles are normally 28 days apart, you’d be 4 weeks pregnant exactly when you miss your period.
But not sure how much it actually matters. Due dates aren’t an exact science and most first time moms will be overdue.
Anon says
This is my understanding as well. However, you will get different dates if you ovulated earlier or later than day 14 in your cycle. Using last menstrual period assumed you have a “normal” 28 day cycle. So going by LMP my due date is March 6, but based on when I know I ovulated my due date is March 10. However, I’ve been measuring ahead so my doctors are keeping the March 6 due date.