This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Whoa, I don’t think I’ve seen this before: Old Navy has nursing sweaters! This nice looking cowl neck is sadly almost sold out (check your local store!) but I like the functionality aspect mixed with the style aspect — it looks like it would be great with all kinds of outfits. They’re $44.95 at Old Navy. Old Navy Maternity Cowl-Neck Nursing Sweater
Psst: If your size is sold out, check out this similar nursing sweater at Amazon.
(L-3)
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ 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 – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
Click here to see our top posts!
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
Famouscait says
I had a Mirena IUD inserted about a month after I had my son (my first, who is now 11m). I’m having a hard time deciding if I’m happy with it, because I’m not sure if I can separate possible IUD-related woes from the stress of living with a baby. For example, I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight within four months postpartum, but have not been able to get the scale to budge after that. During pregnancy, my skin was miraculously clear; now it’s back to pre-preggers acne. I’ve had some bouts of exhaustion, but again- maybe that’s just normal with an infant?
What bothers me most is that sometimes I feel extremely frustrated and MAD, but without good reason or cause. I think I’m in the second such phase, and I can tell that I’m not handling little stressors well. For example, my dog. Whom I love. He is driving me crazy when we walk and he pulls a bit, or when he balks at getting in the car. I’m not worried about hurting myself, the dog, baby, or husband. I just can’t tell if this is normal for this new routine in life with a baby, or if the IUD could be exasperating things. FWIW, I was on the mini-pill before trying to get pregnant. I do like that I don’t have to worry about a period or birth control with the IUD. Any thoughts or experience? I wish I could go back in time and wait a few months post-partum before trying the IUD, so my body had its chance to work out hormone imbalance on its own.
Syd says
I have not personally had an IUD, but you sound just like a close friend that had one inserted after her first kid. She had acne, mood swings, fatigue, bouts of depression, etc. When she had it taken out she said it was like a fog that lifted. If there aren’t other culprits that could be causing extra stress, I think it’s definitely possible your body isn’t responding well to the IUD.
mascot says
The pill made me ragey post baby, but my Mirrena has done nothing of the sort in fact, it was something that my doctor and I were both on the lookout for but it never materialized.
You could have some PPD going on. Mine didn’t resolve until baby was over a year old. I’d ask your doctor for a screening.
Anonymous says
And even if it’s not formally diagnosed as PPD it might be worth having a few sessions with a therapist. I felt similarly around 7/8 months pp (overwhelmed, not handling stressors well) and talking with someone helped immensely. I am so glad I went.
anon says
Ha, I am 7 months pp and just having several conversations with my spouse over the last couple days about how I am not handling stress very well right now and feeling overwhelmed. Feels worse than a couple months ago! I am thinking it is a combo of many months of not sleeping great (even though our baby sleeps all night usually, he makes a bunch of noise in his sleep or needs to be rescued from having his leg stuck in the crib bars at least every few nights, plus he wakes up pretty early); back at work but it’s not new anymore; and the baby is getting so cool and fun that it’s hard to be away, but of course I still have to work. Glad to know I am not alone in going through this at this time!
Maddie Ross says
I don’t have an IUD, but IMHO, some of what you may be experiencing may be normal for life with a baby. I also lost the baby weight fast, but it never moved again after about 4 months and once I stopped nursing I actually put on about 5-7 pounds above pre-baby weight. So it could be hormonal, or it could be your body finding a new normal combined with eating habits and working out habits (or lack thereof with a toddler). Same with acne – the hormonal rush of pregnancy gave me clear skin, but I am back to my pre-baby cystic acne that I’ve had since 13. Two things that may be worth considering – how little sleep are you getting and are you still nursing?
Famouscait says
Didn’t nurse at all, actually. And baby is a great sleeper – he has been from the beginning. I do stay up a little bit later than I used to – bedtime for me is now around 10:30 or 11pm, but that still gives me 7 – 8 hours of sleep on a nightly basis.
anne-on says
I’d say this might be PPD and/or PMD. After literally wanting to get a divorce once a month or so right before my period (and breaking out, and having migraines, etc. etc.) I finally talked to my GP and got put on a course of Prozac for 2 weeks before my period. After nearly a year on it, I’ve found that being on Prozac for about 16 days before my period and stopping 3 days before my period was nearly miraculous.
EB0220 says
I had Mirena after my second, and hated it – but not for any of these reasons. I felt the way you describe after my first was born, and it turned out to be my thyroid going crazy. Just another thing to consider.
Due in December says
So I’d love some enlightenment as to how to approach consignment sales as an expecting FTM (who still needs EVERYTHING for the baby). DH and I are planning on going to a large sale later in the month, and I’m considering looking for:
A Snap-and-Go or Caddy for our KeyFit carseat
Basic newborn clothes
Swaddlers
Cloth diapers
A baby carrier cover
K’Tan
I’m thinking, however, that I’m going to avoid looking for items I’m not sure how best to clean sufficiently (a stroller, a breastfeeding pillow, a playmat, a Rock and Play.
Any tips? Anything I should look for that’s not on the list? Thanks!
anon says
With our Rock and Play, you can just take the cover off and stick it in the washing machine. Most things designed for babies are that way! Our nursing pillow is like that too.
If they are cheap, I’d try out a variety of kinds of swaddles — different kinds may work best at different sizes/ages (for example, the Swaddle Me ones worked great for us a for a month, but didn’t work after that, when the Halo sleepsack swaddle worked better).
Due in December says
Thanks, this is good to know! Especially in regards to the Rock and Play covers.
NewMomAnon says
A swing? Maybe you don’t need that with a rock and play, I don’t know.
I wouldn’t worry so much about the stroller cleanliness; mine doesn’t have any parts that can reach to baby’s mouth, and I don’t care if her pants touch a seat that may be a little dirty. Plus, I think I can remove our stroller seat and wash it?
A baby bath seat too, unless you already have something planned.
When are you due? My kiddo was born in January, so I also bought some winter clothes at consignment – a light fleece jacket for riding in the car, a big Columbia jacket for $10 for playing in the yard (it was a couple sizes too big at the time and is now going into its third winter) and some warm fleece pants. I wish we had bought some waterproof shoes or boots too, we had to buy those on sale once she started being mobile in her second winter.
Once baby gets a little older, I would suggest looking for an exersaucer, umbrella stroller, high chair, and bumbo seat at consignment, assuming you want those items (which you may not – the exersaucer is a huge piece of somewhat controversial equipment that nonetheless saved my sanity 10 minutes at a time as a new mom).
Anonymous says
The cover on my Rock & Play came off easily for washing. I’d also consider a swing – saved my life in the early months. Then you can just pass it on.
Clementine says
I was just at one of these consignment sales and bought a breastfeeding pillow that had never even been opened or used, so keep an open mind! I will say- go early. There was a line out the door on the first day it opened to the public and they had already had 2 days of ‘pre-sale’ for volunteers and consigners. Even with all that, though, I got a few great items, including that exact LLBean fleece snowsuit that people on here were recommending last week.
I also found Craigslist to be incredibly useful for a number of very specific items I was looking for, so you might have better luck with (say) the Snap and Go on there than at the sale. As for cloth diapers- I’m so torn. I love the resale value of these diapers, but part of me feels like if it’s $15 for a used diaper or $18 for a new one (with sales and coupons and everything), it might just be more worth it to go for the new diaper. I’ve gotten a good bundle of diapers on Craigslist and picked up a couple at the consignment sale, but I’ve found my local diaper swap group on FB to have the biggest, best priced, and most convenient selection.
Also, as someone also due in December, I’ve loved having you on here too as my virtual ‘buddy’.
Due in December says
Thanks! We’ll have to compare notes as this thing progresses.
Famouscait says
I like to pickup spare clothes at consignment sales to keep in the car, diaper bag, and as extras at daycare. I agree with the rec to get a swing. I also picked up a Bumbo seat, baby bath tub, some nice toys (xylophone, Fisher Price stuff, all easy to spray down with Lysol). Also books.
Meg Murry says
Addition things to consider buying:
-Crib sheets and mattress pads – when you are changing them for the 4th time that night when baby is sick, you won’t care what color they are
-Baby bathtub
-I bought spare Medela bottles for my pump at one of these sales – I figured as long as I sterilized them once they’d be fine
-Totally random things I wouldn’t have purchased for myself at BRU but was willing to when they were cheap enough, like a soft mirror for the car so I could see baby in his carseat, or a baby rocking chair
I got a lot more out of the sale once baby was here and a few months old and I had a better idea of “nope, I don’t bother with that, even thought I thought I would” vs “oh yeah, I didn’t even know this existed before I had kids but now I would love a dozen if they are cheap enough”
FYI, I’m not sure if the Keyfit is compability with the Graco Snap&Go or generic baby trend carseat carrier. I know my cousin wasn’t able to use her Keyfit (purchased 5+ years ago) with my Graco Snap&Go (purchased 8 years ago) but maybe something has changed since then.
uh oh says
Uh oh… we’ve been just fine with two crib sheets for nearly eight months. Don’t tell me we’re going to have to change the sheets more than twice a night…
Due in December says
Thanks all! This has definitely given me some good ideas about what to look for (can’t believe I hadn’t thought of winter gear…due end of December/early January). I am hoping that if I have a list of things to consider, I’ll be less overwhelmed. Also, good to know that more things can be cleaned than I had originally thought.
JEB says
Does anyone shop at H&M for baby clothes? Do the items run true to size? I find Gap and Old Navy tend to run quite large, for reference.
Anon S says
H&M has the cutest baby clothes! I love that they’re not super “babyish” if you know what I mean. I do think they run pretty true to size. My daughter is on the smaller size for her age (she’s 6 months) and she fits in the 4-6 month size at H&M.
NewMomAnon says
I found that the onesies ran a little on the small side (they were a different sizing too, if I remember right – 2 month increments for the littles?) and the pants and dresses a little on the big side. My kiddo is still wearing sweat pants that we bought for her last year (her tummy grew first so we need a bigger waistband, and now her legs are growing so they don’t need to be rolled up). They have worn and washed really well; I just found a hole in one pair and it’s the first sign of wear we’ve had in any H&M stuff.
And yes, very cute kid stuff, often really good sales.
MDMom says
I love h&m for baby clothes. They fit my baby well and pretty true to size, but he is 20th %ile weight and 8th %ile length. Carter’s also fits well so I think hm is similar in sizing.
MDMom says
Should say 80th percentile length not 8th- big difference!
JEB says
Thanks!
CHJ says
Question re: taking a morning off — my son’s daycare is taking a field trip to go apple picking next week and they need parent chaperones. I’d really like to go, and work is slow enough right now that the time off wouldn’t be a big deal. Would you be up front with your office and say that you’re taking a half-day to go on a daycare field trip, or not explain what you’re doing? On the one hand, saying I’m going on a daycare field trip feels very Lean Out. On the other hand, being out of the office from 9-12 with no explanation feels very suspicious, like I’m out interviewing. What would you do?
NewMomAnon says
My office mates would love to hear about an apple picking trip, so I’d probably be honest about it. If your office isn’t like that, you could just say you have an “appointment” for your child; I usually have to take a half day for pediatrician appointments, and nobody bats an eye.
Lyssa says
I would probably say that I was going to spend some time with the family or do a family event, but wouldn’t necessarily give details or admit that I was chaperoning (because, I agree, that feels a little “lean-out-y, though it’s probably fine).”
EB0220 says
I work for a very family-friendly company, and my manager is a mom, but I don’t hesitate to share details like this. It’s your vacation time – it’s not leaning out to use your vacation time as you wish!
Anon says
I think it’s a know your office situation. At my current office my boss often takes off for her kids’ activities, so I wouldn’t hesitate to tell her the real reason I was out, although I’m not sure she would even ask (we are FB friends, so she would probably find out anyway). At my last office, it was very “traditional law firm,” and I absolutely would have been dinged for something like that, so I would have lied through my teeth about where I was.
Anon says
This was in response to CHJ. Missing that edit feature…..
eh230 says
I need some advice about Kindergarten lunches. DS is 5.5 and has been in school for about a month. He attended half-day preschool last year, so he has never experienced eating lunch on his own. As it is, he is a very slow eater, and we often have to bug him to eat. He is finally getting used to the new morning routine and having to eat breakfast more quickly, but he is having a problem with lunch at school. His class only gets 20 minutes for lunch, which I think is ridiculous, but there is nothing to be done about that aspect. He takes his lunch to school and helps decide what goes in it. All are things he likes. The main problem is that he is just too slow. He is also doing a lot of talking with a new friend. New friend’s mom was a lunch helper last week and told them that if they did not eat that they could not sit together anymore. Anyone have tips to help him get through his lunches? There are no weird packages to open, and I cut his fruit so that it is already bite sized.
mascot says
I’d let the school/helpers handle this. You can’t change the lunch period or who he sits with. Eventually he will catch on that he needs to eat and not visit. Is he getting portions that are appropriate for his age ? (I often misjudge what a 5 yr serving size is). I think the only other thing you can do is to pack nutritionally dense foods so he gets enough calories/protein/fat in smaller packages. Let dinner time be the time he can leisurely eat veggies and dip.
Anonymous says
The mental image of 5-yr-olds “visiting” during lunch (from your comment that “eventually he will catch on that he needs to eat and not visit”) has me in stitches. Thanks for the laugh!
anne-on says
No advice other than what you’re already doing for school (packing things you know he likes). My son will often not eat his ‘lunch’ at daycare and just graze on the snacky stuff all day (fruit, crackers, juice, veggie sticks). On those days its easiest just to get dinner into him early (5:30) and give him a good sized dinner along with a snack before bed maybe? My son also still gets a cup of milk at night with a story, so that helps him fill up(he refuses to drink milk cold, so warmed at home is the only way he consumes dairy. sigh).
Lorelai Gilmore says
If you haven’t already, you might try packing his lunch in something like a Planetbox Rover – when you open it, all of the food is just right there, with no packaging whatsoever. It definitely has increased my kid’s vegetable consumption.
meme says
I ordered the featured sweater and it is soooo huge. So size down if you want it. I am 8.5 months pregnant, 5’7″, size 4-6 pre-pregnancy and I’ve gained 35 pounds. I buy a size medium in almost all maternity tops, and this one was a huge tent on me even with my giant baby belly. It wouldn’t have worked post-partum for nursing, not even close. I’m sending mine back and thinking about trying the extra small.
JMDS says
I have this sweater too. I bought one size down. It fits now, but will probably be big postpartum. I’m ok with it. It is very comfy and I like the way it is split for nursing. Seems unlike anything I have seen out there.
Butter says
Question about daycares providing food – is this something I should care about with an infant? I found one that provided all food and snacks for the week and thought that was pretty cool (and have heard it’s a huge timesaver), but then realized that I don’t know if that matters when they are 12 weeks old. When does it matter? I think they start getting some solids in the 6-8 month range (forgive me for being ignorant), but am not sure if that would include daycare snacks or would be more experimenting at home. There’s also a decent chance we’d be switching daycares within or at the end of the first year, so I’m wondering if this is something that will ratchet up in importance later but is less so at beginning.
anon says
Our daycare provides food only for toddlers, not babies, so we are about to start providing food for our 7 month old. (Baby has been eating solids at home for a month and a half, just not at daycare yet; our doctor recommends starting solids between 4-6 months.) While he’s mostly eating purees, it seems pretty easy — plunk a couple of frozen cubes in a container and go, or send a jar. I think it’ll be vastly more annoying starting in a couple months when he’s mostly eating finger foods and we have to provide a little bit of this and a little bit of that, all cut up. Having a daycare that provides food sounds AMAZING. We love ours in all other respects, though, so it wasn’t a make or break.
Meg Murry says
Less so in the beginning, but any one less thing you have to remember to drag along to daycare is helpful, so even providing purees and puffs is useful.
Do they provide formula? My oldest did only formula at daycare, and it was convenient not to have to remember to buy and bring that too, and with our youngest we started combo feeding around 8-9 months, so it was nice to just be able to say “and if you run out of b-milk, just use the formula you already have on hand”. Of course, our daycare only provided 1 type of formula, so if he hadn’t tolerated plain old Similac we would have been providing that ourselves.
EB0220 says
It’s definitely more important later, but it is nice to have when your infant is older. My daycare started giving my LO lunch when she was ready (10 months or so) and that meant that they did a lot of the heavy lifting on transitioning to solids.
Butter says
You all have given me great questions to ask at the tour! They say they handle all supplies (including diapers and wipes, snacks and lunches, and bottle labels) but it’s not clear if that includes formula or is just for toddlers, etc. Thanks again.
Meg Murry says
Ask if they wash the bottles for you, or if they send them home for you to wash. Our daycare washes the bottles for us, which is another HUGE one for me (since I hate hate hate hate hate dishes) and is yet another thing we don’t have to haul back and forth.
Pretty sure my daycare is atypical on that front – but then again, providing diapers is atypical as well, so maybe they will.
JEB says
I might be late, but ours provides food. We started around 14 weeks, so it obviously wasn’t helpful right at first. When my daughter started solids at 6 months, she was reluctant to eat just about anything. I fully credit daycare and the variety of foods they provided with her finally learning how to eat! I’m so glad we picked a place that provided food, not only for convenience, but for the ideas they had to get her to eat that I never would have thought of on my own. They also provide formula. I just started combo feeding around 9.5 months, so she gets two bottles of formula at daycare. It’s nice that I don’t even have to think about it.
Butter says
Awesome, thanks. The probably greater diversity of foods they would give is a really good point. And thanks Meg Murry, I’ll add that question to the list as well.
Anon S says
Pumping moms: What kind of bag do you use to carry your pump parts and your cooler bag? I’m thinking I’m going to use my work bag for my laptop and work related items (wallet, keys, makeup, etc.) and then I need a separate tote or bag to carry my pump parts and my little cooler for milk storage. Interested to hear what kind of storage/bag systems work for you.
MDMom says
I’ve only been pumping at work for a few weeks, but I just carry the bottles back and forth in the cooler that came with my media pump. I leave pump parts at work (I have easy access to kitchen so I use the wipes to clean and the microwave steamer bags at the end of the day). The parts would fit in my regular work bag.
But I’m only pumping 2x per day. If I pumped 3x per day the medela cooler wouldn’t be big enough. In that case, I personally would use a larger lunch box type cooler for bottles and parts, one with a crossbody strap.
MDMom says
To clarify: I just carry the medela cooler by itself. It doesnt fit in my work bag without turning sideways. But I drive. If I had a walking or public transport commute, I’d get a lunchbox type cooler with a crossbody strap.
Anon S says
I have the steamer bags, but you don’t need to sterilize every day, do you? (At least I don’t!) Do the wipes replace washing in hot soapy water?
MDMom says
No you dont, but the wipes aren’t as good as hot soapy water. There is still milk residue left, plus who knows what chemical residue from wipes. So rather than washing with soap in the office sink, I use the wipes after first session then at the end of the day i just rinse the parts with plain water (using the steamer bag) then steam them using office microwave. When I pumped at home, I just used hot soapy water.
JEB says
I used a Lands End (or LL Bean?) canvas tote bag. It carried my pump and a small soft sided cooler, where I kept ice packs, milk, and my pump parts. There was plenty of room to shove my laptop in as well, on nights when I needed to take it home. I carried a smaller purse for my other personal items.
Anon in NYC says
I carry a cooler bag and pack my parts and bottles in there. I also pack a quart size Ziploc bag and use that to store used parts in the cooler bag. It fits in my OG bag reasonably well, but I can’t fit both my lunch containers plus the cooler bag without doing some jenga that I’m too lazy to do or having the bag get really heavy, so I usually carry a second bag (like a Longchamp) with the lunch containers and cooler bag.
AEK says
I gave up and am carrying a backpack. My commute involves a train ride and a long walk.
I have a clean bag for the pump parts coming in, and a bag for the used parts for going home. That goes into the main compartment of the backpack, along with the lunch bag for the pumped milk and ice packs (one of the Built neoprene ones, so it’s easy to shape however there is room). I fit all my other things—work files, wristlet, phone, small cosmetic pouch, keys etc.—into other compartments. I use a separate tote if there is a lot of work to bring home but most days I don’t need it.