CorporetteMoms

Updated: Oct 24, 2019 104 Comments · by

Make My Life Easier Thursday: Original Gear Ties

Recent Recs

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.

Nite Ize Gear Tie Twist Tie This is yet another product that I rolled my eyes at when my husband bought it on Amazon, but then came to find extremely useful. These are reusable cord wrappers that are great for travel and transporting all of your various chargers, headphones, etc. Basically everything I find essential nowadays has a cord attached to it or needs to be charged — phone, laptop, Kindle, baby monitor, blow dryer, Apple Watch … the list can go on and on. Packing all of these cords and chargers can get disorganized quickly. For travel, my husband and I use extra long phone chargers, and these cord wrappers are essential for keeping those tamed in our bags. They are $2.98 for a 4-pack of 3” ties at Amazon and are eligible for Prime. Original Gear Ties This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Sales of note for 9.10.24

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

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!

About April

April is a working mom, a longtime reader of CorporetteMoms, and wrote our morning fashion advice for working moms from April 2018 to October 2020. She has one child (born 2/17!) and she’s a public interest lawyer in NYC.

Comments

  1. Anon says

    These look amazing. I hate twist ties and am always worried that my cat will eat them (and am now worried that once my baby is here, he’ll eat them). Brilliant.

      • Coach Laura says

        I have these and use them all the time. They are problem solvers and have come in really handy in emergencies, like on a kayak trip.

  2. AwayEmily says

    Does anyone have a recommendation for EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE tights? Basically, ones that are minimally restrictive and preferably super soft, too. I often end up wearing leggings with boots rather than tights because I find almost all of my tights to be kind of uncomfortable (and this is even after I size up). But I’d like to have some go-to tights for my outfits that are not boot-friendly.

    • NYCer says

      I like the Commando Opaque Matte Tights. They are expensive (~$35), but they honestly have lasted me for multiple years. I wash/dry them in the washing machine/dryer. Highly, highly recommend.

      For sizing reference, because I don’t find their size charts accurate: I am 5’9 and 130 and wear a Small. I would be a Medium per the size chart, but the waist is way too loose and slips down. I wore these tights throughout winter during my last pregnancy too, just sized up to a Large.

    • anon says

      I need to replenish tights this year too and my go to assets by spanx ones just don’t feel good on my post partum belly. The brand Snag keeps popping up in my social media. While their ads mostly show plus sizes, I think they carry a wide range of sizes and lengths!

      • RR says

        I just ordered some Snags tights. I’ll report back after i receive them and try them.

      • 2 Cents says

        They do. I’m plus size but they carry “straight” sizes as well. Their claim is that their rights are actually different sizes, not just longer as the waistband increases

    • Anonanonanon says

      If you’re looking for more of a legging feel, Fleece-lined tights exist and are warm and cozy! They stretch kind of like leggings and don’t squeeze your midsection as much. Since they’re so opaque, they look odd with heels (in my opinion), but work with boots, booties, and flats. Now that I think about it, I think they look odd with my heels because all of my heels are leather, but they’d probably look better with suede heels. Either way, I wouldn’t wear them for a formal meeting or anything, but they’re very comfortable with dresses.

    • qcgc says

      FWIW I always find tights size charts inaccurate. I can be well within the range for one size on the chart but always seem to need to size up for fit. Lands end has some comfortable basic tights that have held up well for me. I used to swear by commando but I don’t think their quality is what it used to be.

  3. Sephora says

    Does Sephora have a good, hassle free return policy? I’m considering ordering some new, pricier skin-care products, and I want to be able to return them if they don’t live up to the price for my skin. If not, recommendations on where to purchase? Thanks!

    • CPA Lady says

      I’m a skincare junkie. What are you thinking about ordering?

      And yes, Sephora allegedly lets you return anything. They did start cracking down on people who were “abusing” returns last year, but I think you have to order and return a lot before that happens.

      • Clementine says

        Anecdotal, but when my sister worked at Sephora, she did explain that they had people who would literally use 95% of a product and then bring it back for a refund on every. single. purchase. They would then buy more product, essentially scamming the system to get all their makeup for free.

        I have only returned two things to Sephora – the one I’m remembering was a foundation (MAC? MUFE?) that looked fine in the store but turned yellow once I wore it for a couple hours. No issues, was immediately able to return and something that worked. I’d used it for about a week or two – no problems.

    • Anonymous says

      Sephora will make you a sample of anything, so you don’t even need to purchase in order to try a product for several days.

    • OP says

      Thanks, everyone! CPA Lady, the products I am interested in are Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Transformation Gel and Kiehl’s Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Eye Cream. I use the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum and Banana Eye Cream, and they have really been amazing for brightening my skin. (I also have the moisturizer in that line and it does brighten beautifully but leaves my face a bit greasy. I’m putting it on the shelf until it gets a little drier outside in 6-8 weeks to retry during the deep winter.) I’d like to add some more targeted anti-aging. I’m pretty set on trying the Night Transformation Gel because of the good response I’ve had to the other Ole Henriksen products. I’m more open to other eye cream recommendations, but like the copper and caffeine in the Kiehl’s. No retinols for me.

      Thanks for the tip on the sample. My closest store is about 45 minutes away. If I get nearby soon, I’ll ask about it. Otherwise, I’ll order them and see how it goes.

  4. Anon says

    Any recommendations on how to dress to camouflage a baby bump in a business wear office?

    I’m not ready to announce to my employer but I popped this week and it’s starting to get obvious in my current wardrobe.

    I am willing to buy some new clothes but not to spend $$$ on things I’ll only wear for a few months.

    I can get away with dressy business casual most days but I’m especially at a loss on what to wear to court on the rare occasion that happens.

    • Anonymous says

      Buy a slightly oversized blazer as they are currently in style and you can use it throughout your pregnancy

      Scarves and bright statement jewelry also draw attention towards the face and away from the bump.

    • Anon says

      Floaty dresses with a boxy blazer work well. The good thing is that they also work really well post partum.

    • Spirograph says

      Real talk: observant people will notice if you suddenly change from your typical clothing silhouette, but hopefully they will have the good sense/manners not to make any comments.

      That said, slim cut trousers with an intentional-looking untucked blouse and open blazer were my preferences.
      I have a long torso and could fit into my high waist skirts for a while. Even if I tucked my shirt, with an open blazer and distracting accessories I didn’t feel like I looked obviously pregnant from most angles. This is heavily dependent on your body shape, though.

      • Pogo says

        +1 my friend recently hid til like 23w with slim trousers + flowy blouse + open blazer.

  5. Anon says

    We don’t have children, and we’re adopting a 9 year old boy who’ll be 10 by the time we get him. Our friends and family have kids older and younger, but not this age. Could you guys help me with what boys this age are interested in? Books, tv, toys?, clothes (though we have school uniforms, thank goodness). Any insight would be much appreciated ❤️

    • EP-er says

      What an exciting time for you! By this age, interests vary so much: Some are super into sports, or video games, or science. Some like fantasy books but others are more into realistic fiction or non-fiction. Your best bet is probably to wait and ask him directly….

    • RR says

      Video games, books, YouTube shows on gaming or making stuff, computer programming, building things out of cardboard boxes, science, sports, etc. At least my 11 year old. Agree with asking the child. And congratulations! Such an exciting time!

    • Irish Midori says

      Congratulations! Each kid is different, as noted by other posters, but my 9.5 y-o boy is right now super into Harry Potter everything (books and listening on audible on his echo dot), Minecraft, making rainbow loom bracelets, Nintendo Switch (mostly Pokemon or Mario games), Pokemon cards, learning diabolo tricks (sometimes marketed as a “Chinese yoyo”), and more advanced Legos (Harry Potter or architecture sets). Maybe that could give you some ideas to ask about and see if it sparks anything.

      • Irish Midori says

        Oh, and for non-school clothes, maybe it varies, but my kid and his friends all seem to be rocking the athleisure look right now. Dry-tek type shirts and athletic pants are popular. I guess there are kids who prefer a preppier look, but that’s not his set.

        • Anonymous says

          Fashion choices at that age depend so much on the kid, his social group, and where you live. At my daughter’s school, there is one group of boys who wear gigantic basketball shorts every day, and another set who would never be caught dead in them. As an adult, your guess as to what is cool will always be wrong.

    • In House Lobbyist says

      My 9 year old boy just finished the last Harry Potter book. He also loves the Wings of Fire and Dog Man books. He loves legos and anything to do with outside play. He has become picky about his clothes so you might need to wait on anything other than basics. My son doesn’t like shirts/jackets with any words or things on them and doesn’t only likes cargo pants with elastic waistbands. He won’t wear jeans that button at all! He has lots of opinions about things so I assume that is typical of 9 year olds.

    • Anonanonanon says

      Congratulations!
      My son is 9 and it does seem to vary pretty widely. In terms of clothes, I’m sure he’ll have his own opinions but I’m sure you need a few days’ of stuff to get you started!
      I order most of my son’s clothes from H&M and am very happy with the balance of price point and quality. Jeans and henleys are a look you can’t go wrong with to start. They also have some sweatpants and hoodies for more casual around the house/weekend wear. My son doesn’t wear PJs at this age, but sleeps in sweatshorts from H&M and tshirts. I will note that my son is VERY skinny and I can’t speak to how H&M works on huskier kids.

      • Anonymous says

        With a huskier kid, definitely size up at H&M. But agree re: balance between price and quality.

    • Anonymous says

      Congratulations! Yes, totally personality-dependent. My son and his 9-10 year old friends are all about sports. If you have outdoor space, I recommend getting a baseball+ glove and a kid-sized football. In my experience, the easiest way to get a boy to talk to you is to play catch with him.

  6. ifiknew says

    I have a 5 month old who we took to the allergist and he’s allergic to everything – dairy, eggs, soy, nearly all nuts. I’m having a hard time continuing to bf exclusively with supply and having to cut all this out of my diet. I’m also feeling really guilty about putting him on a hypoallergenic formula and starting to wean because I’m having such a hard time not eating any of the above, even though I know it will be better for my well-being. I should be proud of myself for being able to bf this long, but I feel like I’m being selfish by saying I can’t cut all this out of my diet for six more months. Does anyone have any commiseration or advice?

    • Anonymous says

      You are absolutely not obligated to cut a wide variety of healthy foods out of your diet and continue BFing. Your child will be better off if you are healthy, well nourished, and not stressed out all the time. You are not selfish just because you want to be able to eat food. Put on your own oxygen mask and do what you need to do to make sure everyone in the family, including yourself, can stay healthy.

    • rakma says

      I think there’s been a lot of great advice about combo feeding on this board in the past, if that’s something you want to explore. What your baby needs most is a mom who can take care of herself (which might mean eating foods that baby can’t) and food that’s safe for them.

      Yes, you should be proud that you’ve breastfed for this long, and yes, it can be sad to wean before you’re ready. But it’s also most important that your baby is fed, and the hypoallergenic formula might be the best way to do that for you right now.

      • Anonymous says

        I’m a huge combo-feeding proponent (it worked great for me personally) but it wouldn’t really help in this situation – since baby is allergic to all these things, if she wants to give any breastmilk, she’ll have to follow this strict diet.

    • 2 Cents says

      I’m so sorry! This sounds so hard! Some things to consider: if you’re going to be miserable or really struggling on such a restrictive diet, that means unhappy mommy (which isn’t good for you or baby). Just because formula is “easier” for you doesn’t make it the wrong choice. (I say this as someone who EBF with PPD but would strongly consider formula if there’s a next time.)

      • OP says

        Thanks so much all. I know logically formula is 100000% fine, but i just can’t get any doctor to tell me that. They all recommend bf’ing and even the formula cans say “bf’ing is best for baby”. You are all right though that my kids will benefit more from my overall well-being than any marginal benefits of bf’ing.

        • Anonymous says

          Remember that doctors tend to have a very narrow focus on the baby’s well-being that totally ignores the mother’s needs, as well as the contribution that maternal well-being makes to infant well-being. They also tend to rely on simplistic, absolute rules instead of weighing risks and benefits on an individualized basis. You are the person who is in the very best position to make the cost-benefit analysis on bfing with major dietary restrictions versus formula. Get all the information, then do what works best for you, your baby, and your family. The doctor who insists that bfing is always best is not the one who has to exist and produce milk on a starvation diet.

          • Anonymous says

            Yes, this. It’s scary to me how much the medical establishment in American focuses on the baby’s health to the detriment of the mother’s health. Even OBs and other doctors that are ostensibly treating the mother.

    • Anonymous says

      Girl no, don’t feel guilty at all!! Los of moms don’t make it this long even without those crazy dietary restrictions. I’m pescatarian and dairy and eggs are a huge part of my diet – there’s no way I could or would cut those things out of my diet in order to breastfeed. I would switch to formula in a heartbeat in this situation. Fed is best!

    • Knope says

      I want to challenge the premise of your question a bit –
      1) How did the allergist conclude that your son is allergic to all of these things?
      2) Did the allergist specifically tell you to eliminate these foods from your diet if your were to keep BFing? If so, based on what symptoms that your son experienced?

      Normally I would not second-guess a poster when they say they received advice from a doctor, but we got some HORRIBLE advice at first with our then-baby’s allergies because our first doctor was not familiar with the latest research on infant food allergies.

      • Anonymous says

        This is a very good point. I would be asking a whole lot of questions. Skin tests in particular can be insufficient to diagnose a food allergy. An allergist once told my husband he was allergic to a particular food based on a skin test. He (and the rest of the family) found it difficult and annoying to eliminate the food from his diet, so he took an oral tolerance test, which came back negative. If he’d just accepted the results of the skin test without asking more questions, our entire family would still be missing out on an entire category of delicious, nutritious foods.

      • Anonymous says

        This. Times 1 million! We had the same scenario – advised to stop certain foods if I wanted to continue to BF. It was totally unnecessary and contrary to current research. Our daughter’s dairy allergy is likely more severe as a result.

        Very surprised that they recommended ‘all nuts’ be stopped. Many people are allergic to one type of nut or more but it is extremely rare to be allergic to all nuts. As an example, our peanut and hazelnut allergic daughter is fine with pistachios, almonds, walnuts and cashews.

      • Anonymous says

        Yup, echoing the same advice. Specifically ask the allergist (and specifically allergist, not just a pediatrician), if you need to eliminate all of those foods from your diet. It may be that you only need to eliminate some — or all or none — but the research seems to be constantly changing as to what does and doesn’t cross the breastmilk barrier. And sometimes things cross but don’t bother the baby at all. My son is dairy and peanut allergic; I cut out dairy after his allergist said that I could if I wanted to in order to see what happened. The allergist did not recommend cutting out peanuts. Totally fine if you want to move on to formula feeding as well, but if you want to keep up the breastfeeding relationship, don’t just assume that you have to have the same diet that your baby would.

      • Anon. says

        So much this!! Please, please get a second opinion. And also, please do not feel guilty if you decide to switch to formula.

        My son had a skin test at 6 months and tested positive to everything: wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. The allergist who performed the test recommended that I cut all of those things from my diet while breastfeeding to see if it helped his eczema. The allergist gave me a pretty dirty look when he asked if that would be too hard to do and I said yes. Oh man, the guilt trip was REAL. Knowing what I know now, I will never speak with that allergist again.

        When we got in for a second opinion consult, the second allergist actually strongly encouraged keeping everything in my diet to keep providing my son some exposure because the only reaction he was having was moderate, but controllable eczema (which isn’t necessarily linked to the food allergies). That may have been different if my son was reacting more strongly to the allergens.

        My son was old enough at that point that we were able to do some formal and informal food challenges to determine that the wheat and dairy results were both false positives. He has no allergy to those items even though he reacted on the skin test. (Not so lucky on the eggs & nuts).

        Ultimately I breastfed my son for a full year; we started combo feeding around 7 months because I wanted to. I did not cut any of his allergens out of my diet at my allergists advice. We did see some improvement in his eczema after weaning, but no other changes.

        • OP says

          Thank you so much! He breaks out all red pretty immediately after drinking conventional formula, which is what spurred the skin testing. The doctor recommended a blood test to see what’s allergic to in additional to skin test. He did not recommend cutting all these things out of my diet, but said that I could try it and see if it made a difference. My son is exactly the same, as his only symptom is moderate eczema. It’s magically improved in the past week when I’ve cut items out of my diet, but not sure if it’s correlated. I will try eating everything as normal and see if it makes a difference.

          • Knope says

            So I know this seems counter-intuitive, but the advice I got from my allergist at one of the country’s leading children’s hospitals was that if your baby’s only allergic reaction from breastmilk is eczema, it is BETTER to keep potential allergens in your diet and treat the eczema topically. The exposure actually can help reduce the severity of, or even eliminate, the allergy. Obviously continue to consult with an allergist (but maybe get a second opinion), but this worked well for us and while my son is in fact allergic to most nuts as a toddler, he doesn’t have a contact allergy and his reaction to ingesting nuts is not life-threatening.

            ALL that said…I am giving this answer not because I think the value of you BF’ing is very high (I combo fed!), but because I don’t think an elimination diet is great for either you or baby. Nothing wrong with formula feeding in itself. Good luck!

          • Anon. says

            One step you could do now, especially if you’ve already cut everything for the moment and have seen some improvements, is to start adding things back one at a time over the next few weeks to see if it makes a difference. Add back one of the ‘problem’ foods for a week and see if things change. Then add the next etc. etc. I am NOT a doctor – but if it were me, I would probably suspect dairy as the culprit given the strong reaction to conventional formula – so I would make that one the last thing I added back in.

            This group walked me off the ledge the day that I got the skin test results back with my little guy. Glad to return the blessing in whatever small way possible. If you want to post a burner email address I’m happy to chat off line.

          • Anonymous says

            To add to Anon 2:01’s comment, you can start with baked milk containing products like muffins, move up to cheese pizza/yoghurt and other processed products. Even if it’s dairy triggering, it might just be the unprocessed form of dairy like in milk that triggers the eczema. When the proteins are baked or heated, they break apparent and can often be more easily tolerated. Avoid greek yoghurt or icelandic yoghurt or any yoghurt with very high or added milk protein.

    • Anonymous says

      I think you have received some amazing advice so far. Had I been in that situation, I would have switched to the the formula. However, I come from a different perspective than many. My husband has a peanut and tree nut allergy. I have seen how that often limits his options. The additional restrictions would not help. If you do not decide against formula, it may be helpful to work with a nutritionist to make sure your dietary needs are met.

    • shortperson says

      i have a niece that is allergic to almost all foods, including eggs and dairy. my sister bfd for 7 months and then put her on hypoallergenic formula and my niece really did way better on the formula. happier and fewer diaper blowouts. but i would still get a second opinion. and join some allergy family facebook groups.

      also probably not what you want to hear but if you think she might have severe allergies i would start her drinking puramino as a baby/toddler. my understanding is that people who start as babies drink it and like it, and kids that start when they are older get so grossed out by it they often need it in tubes.

    • octagon says

      I have nothing but sympathy for you. A friend went through the same, and hypoallergenic formula was out of her budget (and her insurance wouldn’t cover it) so she limited her diet to about a dozen foods. it looked miserable to me, but she had a great attitude about it. It was only for about 6 months until her son could subsist on solids, if it would help you to look at it as only a short-term adjustment. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with switching to formula — the best thing for your baby is a happy mom, however you get there.

      • Anonymous says

        Somewhat related, I wanted to remind the poster that her baby is probably going to start solids soon if he hasn’t already, so milk/formula will start to be less important. I know it is a slow transition, but it is going to happen, and I think that can be hard to remember when you’ve been the sole source of your baby’s sustenance and milk/formula has been such a focus of your life since birth. No matter what you do, milk/formula is going to become less central.

  7. Convertible car seat rec? says

    It is time to transition my kid from her infant car seat to a convertible one. Recommendations? I am curious about Diono ones because I’ve read they take up less space and I’d like to have a second kid soon (and therefore would have two car seats). Thoughts on Diono car seats? Any recommendations? TIA!

    • 2 Cents says

      We have two small cars (civic and Ford Focus) and use the grace 4in1 forever in both. It’s a roomier fit in the civic and an adult can sit easily in the front seat. There’s enough room in the backseat for an adult or for an infant car seat too (or another convertible). I like the multiple recline options for back and front facing. Got mine for $200 on buy buy baby.

    • AwayEmily says

      We love our diono, largely because it allows for extended rear-facing (my 3.5yo is still happily rear-facing in her Diono).

    • Anonymous says

      We loved our Clek Fllos. Extended rear-facing, super narrow and shorter seat pitch than the dionos so more room for driver and front passengers.

    • HSAL says

      Are you hoping to get a third person in your car along with two car seats? Realistically, if you’re only having two kids, I don’t think seat narrowness matters that much. Three across is a struggle in a lot of cars. We got Clek Fllos for one car hoping to do three across, but it ended up being more hassle than it was worth and we bought a minivan instead. :) If you’re not trying to fit another person in the back seat, just get whatever seats you want. We kept the Clek Fllos because returning them would have been a hassle, but my kids don’t like them that much. We’ve been happy with the Chicco NextFit Zip Air and the Britax Advocate (which is very wide, but the next model down is quite a bit narrower).

    • Anon says

      so i have twins and we have a Honda CRV, but our nanny has a regular car. In our CRV we use Clek Fllos and for our nanny’s car we use the Peg Peregos. We are still rear facing and the Peg Peregos are much easier to get the kids in/out of and are also easier to install. That being said, we got the Clek ones due to the safety features for once they are forward facing. I am able to fit in the middle seat between the Clek Fllos in our CRV and in between the Peg Peregos when they are also installed in a CRV.

  8. Irish Midori says

    I was on here whining on Monday about my back, and wanted to report back that so far, the maternity support band I bought seems to be actually helping tremendously. It still hurts to walk, but I can at least do it. Last night I broke down sobbing as I tried to do some simple yoga to make it better, but this morning after wearing the band for a few hours, I can actually make it down the hall without whimpering in pain. Hoping this will do the trick!

    • Anonymous says

      So glad to hear that you are doing a bit better! I recommended it on Monday, but wanted to repeat that physical therapy was pretty magical in resolving my back pain with my second pregnancy. For me, it turned out my pelvis was misaligned, so I don’t think I would have gotten better without a physical therapist to get things realigned. Let us know how you do!

      • Irish Midori says

        Thanks! Will do. I believe with this improvement I can make it to my next appointment next week, but I will definitely ask about PT then. After just a day with the support, it still hurts to move the wrong way, but at least every way is not the wrong way. If PT brings me the rest of the way back to functionality, I will gladly hand over the time and money required!

  9. Anon says

    Baby boy (12 months) has been throwing up off and on since last Friday. We’ve been to the pediatrician and continue to call, and have an apt tomorrow (ha ha, a “well-visit”) anyway so will check in then. We are doing 2oz of pedialyte every 20 mins and he can get to 4-5 hours without throwing up but then will heave up quite a bit.

    Asking this wise community for any tips on keeping him comfortable/hydrated. Peds advice seems to be we have to just wait it out and then watch his hydration. Any other steps we can take? Thanks so much in advance.

    • Anonymous says

      How much Pedialyte does the pediatrician say to give him? 6 oz an hour seems like an awful lot.

      • Anon2 says

        Yah…sugar is not great for the stomach bug so I would worry this much could be making him worse (but I’m not a doctor!) I’m guessing you aren’t breastfeeding since you didn’t mention it, but in case you are breast milk counts as a clear liquid and is great for rehydration using the same small-dose approach. My son was throwing up off an on for over a week this spring…it was indeed a virus and we just had to wait it out.

    • Anon says

      have you been giving him any bland food like toast or cheerios? i have twins and they have also both had a virus since last Friday. one of them is now totally fine, but for some reason viruses seem to really linger in the other one and take forever to go away. it is annoying and frustrating as a parent, but i’ve seen my daughter sick for like 12 days with viruses that there is nothing really to do anything for. One time when a lot of vomiting was involved they did give us an anti nausea medication, which seemed to help a bit

      • Anon says

        Thanks all. We are new parents and it is just so scary when he is sick! We are combo feeding and I did nurse a bit in the morning. Will try alternating formula/nursing with the Pedialyte. Ped has said stay away from solids while he is still throwing up. Good to know that there are so many approaches though.

    • govtattymom says

      I’m glad you have an upcoming doctor’s appointment so they can make sure it isn’t something more serious than the typical bug. Hugs and hope he feels better soon!

    • anon says

      My pediatrician is big into recommending that we stay away from lactose because it can exacerbate nausea. So we give the kids Lactaid milk when they’re recovering from a stomach bug, and stay away from yogurt, cheese, etc. I honestly don’t know whether it makes any difference at all.

      • Anonymous says

        Interesting–our ped tells us to give them yogurt while recovering for the probiotics but cut out other dairy.

    • Ashley says

      My toddler loves to suck on ice cubes in one of those mesh feeder bags. You could do the same thing with frozen breastmilk or pedialyte. I just like the mesh feeder bags because it cuts down on the choking hazard. It helps us to do frozen liquids because it helps him ingest it more slowly instead of down it all at once.

  10. Redux says

    Anyone have a recommendation for heavier or lined leggings for a 5 yo? My kid will only wear leggings bur they are generally so thin and not weather appropriate now that it’s getting colder.

    • Anonymous says

      Primary has “cozy leggings” that are thicker than the regular leggings.

    • Anonymous says

      Carters fleece lined leggings are great. They do stretch out more than regular leggings though.

    • Anonymous says

      Old Navy has a few different styles right now–fleece-lined, full-on fleece, fleece-lined athletic.

    • Anon says

      gap has some too. zara also has a bunch of thicker leggings. i actually have the opposite problem because i live in a warm weather climate, where pants and long sleeves are needed, but not full on sweaters and heavy leggings and i feel like everything is too heavy!

      • Redux says

        Ha, that’s so funny. I think I must have gone wild at Target in the spring and ended up with all these very light weight leggings. Also my mom gives us a lot of clothing from Kohls and the house brand Jumping Bean is always pretty light weight.

        I will hit up these other recommendations, thanks everyone!

  11. Anonymous says

    My daughters are too young for bunk beds right now, but my oldest is ready for her own bed. I want to eventually have twin-over-full bunks beds, but I wanted to buy the set now and just set up the twin bed for her to sleep on. Trying to look online, price range is huge, from the decently reviewed Dorel version on Amazon to the $1300 pottery barn version that looks exactly the same (Kendall). Any opinions or suggestions? Anyone have either version?

    • Anonymous says

      I don’t have either of those, but I’ve seen the PB one in person and it’s nice.

      How old are your daughters? Are you worried about her sleeping on the top bunk, or being able to climb up there in general? In your place, I’d probably just set them up as bunk beds but let her sleep on the bottom for now. We got our bunk beds when my youngest was 2, and I let him explore while I watched. He climbed up, realized he couldn’t get down by himself, and was not terribly interested in getting back up again until he was more confident in his climbing abilities. At 3, he can now navigate the ladder successfully. I wouldn’t want him sleeping up there, but I don’t think it’s a huge hazard.

    • Coach Laura says

      The blogger LagLiv got the twin-over-full bunk beds for her girls and got a good price. The post is from June 29, 2018 and I’ll post a link in another message.

  12. Anon says

    I am pretty sure I am overthinking this, but just trying to figure out how to navigate this issue with my toddlers. i’ve noticed that some books, like sandra boyton ones have statements like “we’ve all got two feet so we can go for a walk” or “we’ve all got two eyes we can open and close” or Todd Parr books where we are thankful for our feet so we can go for a walk, etc. I do think it is great to appreciate if you do have two feet that allow you to walk…but not everyone has two feet or eyes taht work properly, etc. i think i am particularly sensitive to this because i have a parent who is now in a wheelchair and while she does have two feet, she cannot use them to go for a walk. I guess how do we teach toddlers that yes, generally people have two feet or ten toes, etc. but not everyone does when so many books send another message. is this something i wait until they are a bit older to talk about?

    • Anonymous says

      I think the intent of these books is to emphasize the similarities among people of different racial/ethnic backgrounds, genders, etc., which is generally not a bad message. This is the actually same way that parents are often advised to handle physical differences: acknowledge that people are different in some ways, but also point out the similarities. Grandma uses a wheelchair to get around and you walk on your feet, but you both like to sing! I don’t think you need to weed these books out of your library. If the kids point out that not everyone actually has two feet or can walk, you can just acknowledge that they are correct. There is just no such thing as a perfect children’s book that doesn’t risk the kids challenging it or asking questions.

    • Anonymous says

      I have a cousin who lost her leg to childhood cancer. I just avoid books that talked about ‘everyone’ having two feet and ten fingers etc. There are a bajillion children’s books out there so it’s not to hard to avoid.

    • Clementine says

      I handle these books just like I handle books that say things like ‘My Daddy Loves Me’ when some kids don’t have Daddies or ‘Grown Ups keep us safe’ when talking to kids who know that adults don’t always keep them safe. You talk about the good parts of the book and what it was missing.

      I’ve written on here about foster parenting. We sometimes struggle with simple statements like coaching daycare that they needed to adjust the ‘Parents always come back’ statement they used to reassure kids… Because sometimes that’s not true. I have avoided a couple books that are too gender norm-y but mostly we talk about it.

    • Anonymous says

      I change the words of books all the time. I figure it is one benefit of reading aloud to a kiddo who can’t read. In your examples above, I’d probably read it so that the focus is teaching kiddo to be grateful for his or her health. Or say something like “lots of kids have…”, etc.

      • Anonymous says

        This. I change words in books all the time until my kids can read.

      • Spirograph says

        Me too. I change gender pronouns in Good Night Construction Site (my 1st grader just figured this out), I skip or paraphrase entire pages if my kids pick a super long book, and I wouldn’t think twice about adjusting to be more inclusive.

        Where it gets tricky is if you need to fit into the rhyme scheme. In that case, I would probably use Redux’s tactic below, and just call out that some people don’t have 2 feet, or can’t walk.

        • Anon says

          Yesss I change the pronouns in construction books too! Why are they all about men!?

    • Redux says

      I routinely stop in the middle of books and say something like, “But, wait! Does Granny have two feet? Yes she does. But she doesn’t walk, she uses a wheelchair! Some people have two feet and use a wheelchair.” My kids will sometimes make those kinds observation themselves now. This is probably a little grand, but I think it is teaching them to be critical readers, not just passive consumers of information.

      • Anonymous says

        Sandra Boynton is spreading all kinds of hurtful lies. I mean, imagine how hard it must be for toddlers when they go to the zoo and can’t find a single bikini clad hippo examining its belly button. The world is a cruel place!
        (I say this not to mock OP or Redux – I sincerely applaud your impulses here).

        • AnonLaywer says

          My parents always tell this story about how I loved a book called “Bears on Boats” when I was a toddler. (It was what it sounds like.) But the first time they took me to a marina, they said “AnonLawyer, look at the boats!” and I burst into tears because there were no bears .

  13. Elizabeth says

    I’m glad I’m not the only one who rolls her eyes at her spouse’s absurd purchases and finds herself using such purchases two months later. I will probably ditch the skepticism… about the time we have some needlessly gargantuan milestone anniversary party that he has yet again had to talk me into.

    ETA: My husband isn’t a spendthrift; the purchases are widely considered. I’m just an old-fashioned cheapskate.

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