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This looks like an amazing dress, particularly for when you first start wearing maternity clothes, because it doesn’t scream “maternity” to me. I’d probably need a camisole or demi-camisole underneath it, but then I always do. The dress is $115 at Nordstrom. Olian Maternity Wrap Dress
Psst: note that LOFT is having a flash sale with an extra 70% off sale prices all day today — precious few maternity items in there, but lots of the maternity items are “take an additional 40% off, no code needed.”
Building a maternity wardrobe for work? Check out our page with more suggestions along both classic and trendy/seasonal lines.
(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
- 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
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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?
rresq says
Are any of you familiar with dad-to-be blogs? My husband isn’t a big reader and would much prefer to learn about pregnancy on a well-designed blog than in a traditional book. Any recommendations?
Merabella says
There is a blog called Fatherly – which is designed for Millennial Dads, I can’t remember I saw it first, here maybe in a weekly round up? It is nice because you can narrow it by age/stage. There is practical stuff on there.
My husband really liked the book “The Expectant Father,” if you end up looking for a book vs a blog. I don’t feel like there is a lot out there for men, so best of luck.
rresq says
Thanks! It’s so unfortunate that there aren’t more resources…
Anonymous says
Reasons My Son is Crying ;-)
Merabella says
40w3d… no baby – but EVERYONE keeps stopping by my office “to check on me.” They offer up gems like “Oh you are still here!” or “any news on that baby?”
Goal for this week – Don’t punch co-workers in the face, and/or don’t say something totally rude.
sfg says
Actually, it’s totally justifiable to punch them.
Merabella says
I have wanted to say things like “Oh, I’m not really here, just a figment of your imagination” or “Nope, not here, just a hologram!” or “I had the baby, I just figured my time was better spent sitting here listening to you make TERRIBLE JOKES!”
I may be less and less likely to keep it in the farther along I get.
KJ says
I worked until 41 weeks, 1 day. Multiple people joked that they didn’t want to get on the elevator with me, lest it get stuck and I give birth on the elevator. har har har. Every day at least one person asked if it was twins. They got a stoney-faced “No.” Multiple people also scolded me for continuing to work so long, and I treated them to a nice rant about how we have *no* paid maternity leave. I think you are under no obligation to be nice to these people. They are lucky if they escape without getting punched.
NewMomAnon says
I DID get stuck in an elevator for half an hour at 8 months pregnant. I was gigantic already, and the person in the elevator with me was a stranger who didn’t know that I was only 8 months along….she had this wide-eyed panic look on her face the whole time. It was kind of awesome. Probably the only time in my life that I intimidated someone over the age of 2 with my size.
Merabella says
haha, I keep having images of myself getting stuck in the elevator “Saved By the Bell” style – you know the episode with Mrs. Belding having the baby in the elevator. No Mark-Paul Gosselaars in my office though…
MomAnon4This says
I think your goal for this week should be to have the baby…
Merabella says
My family is full of late baby havers. I’m going to be induced on Saturday either way, doctor’s orders, so I’m pretty sure that is what is going to end up happening. Can’t really do anything about having the baby, he’ll come when he wants to, but I can probably do something about not punching people..
KJ says
In my opinion, there’s only so much you can do about not punching people.
Jen says
I was 10 days late…it was awful (the waiting, not the birth- that was easy, all things considered!). Think of it this way: you’ll have a baby by Cinco de Mayo no matter what!
sfg says
Question: for those of you who pumped when you went back to work, how did you transition from nursing your LO? Mostly just wondering how the heck you know how many times a day to pump and if you were able to figure that out before returning.
rakma says
I’m pretty sure I got my advice from KellyMom, but can’t find the direct link now. Here’s all the articles on pumping: http://kellymom.com/category/bf/pumpingmoms/
The advice I remember was to pump around the time baby would be eating. This was a bit of a guessing game until she settled into her bottle schedule. We didn’t have any issues with DD taking a bottle, but she had to adjust to not nursing on demand. We couldn’t figure out any of this before I went back, but we had difficulty with nursing for her first 2 months, so I was trying to nurse her as much as possible at the time I went back. The pumping I did try before I went back was unsuccessful and discouraging, but when I was at work (thus away from DD) I could successfully pump.
I started pumping every ~2 hours when I was back at work, (4x day) first session about an hour after I got in. As my supply evened out and we all adjusted, that moved to about every 3 hours (3x day) and once we intro’d solids, I moved to 2x day. I found I could skip one session/week and not mess with the overall volume, but skipping more than that would change my output.
ADE says
I continued to nurse in the morning and before bedtime (and have continued to do months after I stopped pumping) and I pumped twice a day (noon and 4:30) at work. I know women that have pumped three times a day at work, but I think that can be incredibly disruptive to your workday and typically not worth it in terms of supply. Just make sure to drink lots and lots of water all day long! Good luck!
CHJ says
I didn’t do anything in particular to transition from nursing to pumping. I would pump 3x/day, roughly every three hours, and then just nurse DS on demand when we were together. I think it’s pretty common to follow a rough 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m. schedule for pumping, if that fits in well with your day.
RDC says
I also do 3x per day, but I try for 8:30, 11:30, 2:30. I’ve heard the earlier you get in your pumping the more you tend to produce (bc you produce more in the mornings). But it’s a bit trial and error to figure out what works for you, your supply, etc.
hoola hoopa says
Start recording when your baby nurses and look for a pattern. Try to set up your pumping times for the common nursing times. (Your daycare will probably want this info, too).
Other than offer the baby to nurse before drop-off – and getting them used to using a bottle – there’s not much you need to do on the nursing end.
EB0220 says
I started pumping once a day when I was about two weeks out from going back to work to build up a little stash. I had grandma give baby a bottle or two to make sure she would take one at daycare. Back at work, I pump 3x a day at 10:30, 1:30 and 3:30. I feed baby around 8:30 prior to daycare drop-off. She is almost 9 months and consuming significant solids at this point. Over the last few weeks, I’ve pumped more than she has consumed. I am going to keep up the 3x/day pumping to build up a bit of a stash (from months 6-8 I had little to no milk in the freezer).
Katarina says
Initially I pumped three times a day, every three hours, starting from 3 hours after I nursed. I transitioned to twice a day, every 4 hours. I was nursing once in the morning and twice in the evening. I gave smaller bottles than typical (started with 3 ounces every 3 hours, increased to 3.5 ounces, plus an extra ounce once a day), but my son never reverse cycled or had growth problems.
EB0220 says
I have been freezing batches of food for my 8 month old, on the advice of this group, and it’s been wonderful! So far I’ve done carrots, sweet potatoes, black beans, cauliflower and pasta. I haven’t done any fruit because it doesn’t seem like it would freeze/thaw well. Has anyone found any fruits that do freeze/thaw ok? I was thinking that berries might work. Any other ideas?
mascot says
Are you doing purees or whole fruits? Some fruits get mushy in texture when thawed, but that may not matter so much with purees. Peaches, pears, applesauce, berries, bananas, mango, grapes all freeze well. I think melon and citrus do better when fresh.
EB0220 says
Whole fruits. I don’t mind a little mush – just want them to taste ok. Thanks!
MSJ says
I just defrosted some frozen cantaloupe this weekend and my 8 month olds devoured it. Frozen mango is also convenient to have on hand. It works well as a teething aid in a mesh strainer or you can defrost and serve. I also frequently freeze pear puree (haven’t tried chunks) and homemade applesauce. We haven’t done berries yet, but I would imagine they freeze well since they are often sold that way. Same with peaches.
I’m interested to try cauliflower and black beans. Do you cook them and then freeze whole?I’ve cooked and frozen lentils with good results. Plan on trying chick peas/hummus later in the week
Anyone with a labeled GIFTED kid? says
Please allow me a mostly-humble humblebrag. But my son in kindergarten took all those tests and is now eligible for the Gifted/Talented/Exceptional whatever you want to call it class at our public school. It is a 1 day/week program; he’ll have to keep up with his regular class but they will be “reviewing” that day, so it’s OK.
The Gifted Teacher (by which I mean, the teacher of the Gifted Program) would like to meet the parents of the newly designated students. What do I talk with her about? What questions do I have? What questions should I be asking?
Both Husband and I were designated Gifted in early elementary school – we are proud but given our setbacks in career, finances, emotional intelligence, etc. we are also realistic – this is not a 1-way ticket to Ivy League + success, but we are glad our son will continue to be challenged in school, as he does enjoy learning.
So please excuse our own cynicism. Does this change our parenting or our son’s education at this time? Any help is appreciated.
Anon for this says
I was also designated as “gifted” as a child and placed in the gifted and exceptional program at my elementary and middle school (high school only had advanced classes open to all). In retrospect, I’m glad I was at it made school more fun and challenging for me. My classes were interesting in a way that my normal classes were not. I don’t know that my parents did anything differently for me as a result, though they always provided lots of books and interesting experiences (museums, art classes, etc.). I’m sure they would have done the same without such a “tag.” IMHO, I think the only questions you shoud have should be those about social issues regarding your son’s education. You’re right, this is not a ticket to great things necessarily. But it is a way to make school more interesting and fulfilling. That said, I was teased mercilessly about my gifted classes as a kid and most of my friends in those classes were too. That to me is a bigger issue.
"Gifted" says
I do have an identified “gifted” child. It’s not a determiner of future success. In fact, I think a lot of gifted children struggle with applying themselves because things come so easily, which is one of the things gifted education should address.
For us, I have learned that there are pros and cons to gifted traits. My son is clearly very gifted, but it results in a lot of negative behaviors (e.g., not understanding why it’s not appropriate to tell other kids that they are wrong, or the teacher). He’s socially and emotionally behind his classmates, although he’s caught up a lot, so that, combined with his intelligence, is a big old mess for social interaction. We’ve been working on these issues his entire school career (he’s in first grade, so preschool, K, and 1st), and we are starting to see progress. His school administration, psychologist, and guidance counselor are all happy that he’s identified gifted because they think it will help him to be around kids like him. So for me, this changes a lot about our parenting because my son is struggling with his “giftedness” in combination with his lack of maturity. I think it’s a very good thing for him, but I parent him differently than my very smart, socially mature daughter. I worry much more about my “gifted” son’s future success than I do hers, even though she hasn’t identified as gifted. I’m not sure what my bottom line is, other than the advice to keep parenting your child–the person that he is–in the best way for him. Whether the gifted program plays into that or is just a cherry on the sundae depends a lot on your individual circumstances.
Meg Murry says
I would ask what kind of support your son (and his teacher) will be given the other 4 days of the week. What is the plan for when your son finishes his worksheet in 5 minutes that the teacher has blocked out 20 minutes for? In my experience gifted kids that finish their work early can get really bored, and bored kids often equals troublemaking (for my son it can manifest in something as simple as talking to his neighbor, or it can turn into “can’t sit in my seat bouncing around” or it can turn into elaborate schemes involving creating spitball catapults out of rulers and other school supplies). I would make sure the answer isn’t “do another page of the exact same style worksheet” – because if your kid can whip through a page of 1+1 and 2+1 in 5 minutes, giving them another page of the same is not teaching them anything and leads them to feel like school is a waste of time.
I would also look to other things outside of school to challenge your son – for my son, this has been piano, art classes and various sports. My son is not so athletically inclined, but I think its important for him to be involved in something he has to struggle a little bit with, so he doesn’t get into the habit of finding everything easy and rejecting the things that don’t quickly to him on the first try.
I’d also suggest asking for some resources for what to do to keep your son occupied this summer – and they don’t all have to be academically oriented, a camp where he runs outside all day, plays in the mud and wears himself out running and swimming might be just what he needs – but again, I’d avoid boredom at all costs.
Last – you mentioned your son is in public school. We have committed to keeping our kids in public school for as long as reasonably possible, but keeping in mind that we may need to explore other options for middle/high school. I was one of the top students in my middle school, and very top in math/science at my high school – but looking back, it was because all the other students who had been my peers had been pulled out to go to private or even boarding schools, partially because our high school didn’t really handle advanced students all that well since it was so small. Putting a socially immature freshman girl into a math class with a bunch of underachiever senior boys was almost a recipe for disaster for me and something my parents were totally not ready to deal with – but on a positive note, at least I got the “bad boy” complex out of my system early?
Merabella says
+1 to asking about how they’ll deal with boredom in class the other days of the week. I was in a gifted program as a kid, but I don’t remember it being anything all that challenging during the one day a week – just getting out of class.
My mom stressed the outside experiences (going to museums, reading a lot, engaging my outside interests – like when I read all of Shakespeare’s plays in the 3rd grade and taking me to go see stage productions). She also got me into a public magnet school that approached learning in new and interesting ways, which I believe was really beneficial. So looking into other school options, or extracurricular options might be a good addition as well – the teacher might have some good suggestions.
mascot says
I don’t think you need a specific set of questions. I imagine that this is a meet and greet where she learns a bit about your child and you learn about the program.
I was in a gifted program in first grade and had similar 1-2x week enrichment activities. I changed to a private school the next year that had an honors track beginning in elementary school.
Lyssa says
Is there anything out there that I can use to shade a baby who is being carried or worn? My little girl is due in June, and, since we already have a 2 year old, we’d like to have her outside a pretty good bit (zoo, park, pool), but I’m worried about her in the sun. Husband and I are both really fair, and I understand that sunscreen’s not the best for newborns. I know that I can put her in the carrier/stroller with a shade, but I’d really rather be holding or wearing her much of the time. My first was born in December, so it wasn’t really an issue then.
rakma says
I’m a fan of the iPlay sunhats. Wide brim, tie under the chin, and the material has an SPF of 50+. It looks like they also have an infant version which looks more like a bonnet.
Nonny says
+1. I use those hats too. They are fabulous and have the best brims I’ve seen.
Also, I carried my daughter in a carrier a lot when she was an infant, including on a trip to Singapore. Some carriers come with sun canopies. Mine didn’t, but I rigged up something with a very light bamboo blanket (one of the Aden & Anais ones) by tying one end of the blanket to my shoulder and draping it over my daughter’s head (in a way where I could still see her face). It took me a while to get it right but it did work.
mascot says
Sunhats and sun-goggles are good and they should be easy to find right now. iPlay also does those full body swimsuits as well as swim-shirts. You might be able to find clothing that has some sort of protection built it too.
KJ says
+1 on a sun hat. My spring/summer newborn wore one without problems.
Can I piggyback on this and ask for recommendations for a sunhat for an opinionated toddler who likes to rip hats off of her head after 2 seconds? I recognize, of course, that this might be a futile search, but my almost 13 month old still has very little hair, and I would really like to find a way to keep a hat on her head.
POSITA says
We had a lot more luck when mom and dad started wearing hats, too. She likes putting our hats on our heads when we leave.
Right now we have her brainwashed to believe that you can’t leave the house without a hat. It works for us until we misplace her hat and she FREAKS OUT that we are expecting her to go out without a hat (even after dark). The sky must be falling–and she doesn’t have a hat to protect her little head!
CHJ says
My parents got my toddler this sun hat, and amazingly he will actually wear it for hours:
[ETA: For some reason the link is problematic. It’s the “REI Animal Bucket Hat” on this page:]
http://www.rei.com/c/kids-sun-hats?ir=category%3Akids-sun-hats&r=c&page=1
We also got him an iPlay sun hat that got very high reviews on Amazon, but he can’t stand it. I think the brim is too wide. The REI sun hat has a thinner brim (but still enough coverage for a sunny day).
Other says
I would go for a hat when she’s a little older, but I just used a muslin wrap when my guy was a newborn in August. I wore him almost everywhere, and the aiden & anais wraps were a great light sunshade for him.
Watermelon says
Flap Happy sunhat is good for the neck shade. Lightweight long pants and socks (or, even better, footsie pants) that fully cover legs are important for Ergo-style carriers. The Ergo sunshade is also super useful.
RR says
Once she’s big enough, a lot of the backpack carriers have built in sun shades you can put up. Until then, lots of hats.
Pigpen's Mama says
Ideas for a first birthday party in DC/NoVA when we can’t have one in our home?
Our place isn’t workable for a party — it’s a bit on the small side and we really don’t have any parking for guests, so I’m trying to come up with ideas for a first birthday party. It’ll be the end of the summer and ideally guests will probably include families with babies from about 6 months to 8/10 years.
I think our best bet would be to have it at a park, rent a pavilion, and have a cookout and just cross our fingers that it doesn’t rain, but if anyone has better ideas, I’d appreciate it!
Thanks!
Other says
My son’s very favorite party park is the CLEMYJONTRI Park in Fairfax County. It might be a bit of a hike, but it’s so very worth it. Pavilions cover rain issues, and there is really something for everyone. It can be a little overwhelming – especially for the younger set, but it will definitely cover the older kids.
TBK says
Fairfax County has some of the most amazing parks! I love that this one is designed to let children with different abilities play alongside their friends and siblings — such a beautiful concept!
Pigpen's Mama says
Thanks! I’ve heard good things about that park, but we haven’t been yet. Perhaps that will be this weekend’s activity.
Nonny says
I just want to say:
SEVEN SLEEPS UNTIL DISNEYLAND! AAAAHHH!
That is all.
OCAssociate says
Hooray! I’m glad you’re getting your vacation. The weather is supposed to be perfect while you’re here – not too hot. I’ll be at Disneyland on Friday, but it sounds like that’s earlier than you’ll be here.
TBK says
Any suggestions for activities for 13 mo olds? One of my little guys has been pretty fussy lately and for various reasons I think he’s just bored. The au pair takes them out for a walk when the weather is good, but they don’t walk yet (just cruising) and so there isn’t much to do outside besides sit in the stroller. (Also, if it were just one baby, putting him on the grass to play would be fine, but they’re fast crawlers and I don’t think we’d feel safe putting them on the ground without a fence or something between them and the very busy street that runs by our house.) At home ideas would be ideal since the au pair only rarely has a car during the day. Just trying to alleviate some of the cabin fever for everyone!
Nonny says
Things my daycare has done in the past few months (my daughter is almost 16 months and most of the children are a similar age) that might give you some ideas:
– dye a large amount of (uncooked) rice with various colours of food colouring. Pour the rice into some very large Tupperware containers, give the babies some empty cup measures/empty yoghurt containers/whatever and let them play with and in the rice.
– fill some very large Tupperware containers with water. Give the babies various things, e.g. cups, empty yoghurt containers, things that float, and just let them play with the water.
– make two-ingredient play dough with cornstarch and give the babies things to press into it. Let them explore with their hands.
– have dance parties.
– our daycare freezes finger paint. I’m not sure exactly how they do it but I’m sure you could find it on the internet. The end result is “ice cubes” of finger paint that they can play with as it melts. Way less messy than regular finger paint and they seem to enjoy it.
– sticking stickers on things.
– magnets seem to provide hours of amusement.
…Just a few ideas that I’ve seen and they are all pretty cheap. I hope this helps!
Nonny says
Also, here is a great webpage I just found that might give you some ideas:
http://www.learning4kids.net/list-of-sensory-play-ideas/
Nonny says
Another idea: Are you on public transit? Can the au pair take them to things like story time at the library? I know, for instance, that our local libraries all have good play areas in the children’s section so on a rainy Sunday I will often take my daughter to the library to play, just for a change of scenery, even if we don’t need to take out any books.
Lorelai Gilmore says
Look at Play At Home Mom – lots of good ideas for sensory play. What about a play group with other babies of similar age? Or a weekly music class?
Chi Squared says
Wow, this is making me feel like my 18-month old is missing out! Maybe one of the drawbacks of having a nanny instead of going to daycare.
CHJ says
Would it be possible to fence your yard? DS loves his sandbox, and that will keep him occupied (and contained) for a good length of time. Our daycare will also take the kids for walks and collect things along the way (leaves, rocks, etc.) and then do something with them back inside, like paint the rocks or do a little art project out of stamping leaves on paper. They’ll also take the kids on walks and focus on things that might strike us as mundane, like a fruit stand, but really focus on it and have the kids each pick out their own piece of fruit, etc.
TBK says
We do have a fenced yard, but it has a walk-out basement door that’s kind of a cement stepwell (if that makes sense) and we can’t figure out how to fence it to make it safe.
mascot says
Would something like this work? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Baby-Safety-Fence-Auto-Close-Hearth-Gate-BBQ-Fire-Gate-Fireplace-Metal-Plastic/37196794
Or maybe those things you can put across the end of a driveway – One Step Ahead has one.
rakma says
We got a Little Tikes slide, and set it up in DD’s carpeted bedroom. She can wear herself out on that thing, and we wedge it in her closet when she’s not playing with it. She got the hang of climbing the ‘ladder’ pretty quick (she’s a climber, was climbing before walking) but still needs a grown up to get her legs in the right position.
HM says
Involve them in household chores? If the Au Pair is folding laundry or putting away dishes (plastic items only) , or making the bed or what have you, have her involve the babies. Our 14 month old loves helping her Grandma and Mimi (and Me!) “fold” the clothes (especially if she gets to ride in the laundry basket), and make the bed, and what not. Granted, it takes at least 3x as long to accomplish these tasks, but all of the “help” helps with her fine and gross motor skills and her language. And she thinks chores are fun!
Nonny says
Yes! My little girl loves helping me with the laundry (and watching the clothes in the washing machine and dryer go around and around…