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There are a few self-care/personal grooming experiences that I definitely miss — eyebrow threading and pedicures are probably the top two. For me, pedicures weren’t just to make my toenails and feet look nice; they represented self-indulgent “me time” and completely unplugging from life. Unfortunately, right now I can’t tap into that part of the experience, but I can try to keep up with some of the mechanics of keeping my feet nice, especially since I plan on wearing sandals every day. This pumice stone gets good reviews and has a rough side for foot calluses and a smoother side for elbows and knees. I like the idea of keeping it in the shower and using it at the end, after my feet have been in the water for a while. The stone is $7 and currently has a “buy 1, get 1 40% off” deal at Ulta.com. Pedi-Glass Stone
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Sales of note for 3.28.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything plus extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off 2+ items; 40% off 1
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- Lands’ End – 10% off your order
- Loft – 50% off everything
- Nordstrom: Give $150 in gift cards, earn a $25 promo card (ends 3/31)
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item; 25% off everything else
- Zappos – 37,000+ 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 – 50% off entire site
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all swim; up to 30% off HannaJams
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; 50% off select swim; 50% off kids’ styles
- Old Navy – 50% off Easter deals
- Target – 20% off Easter styles for all; up to 30% off kitchen & dining; BOGO 50% off shoes & slippers for the family;
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anonymous says
Day care is reopening in NJ 6/15!!! I’m so happy I literally cried.
Beth @ Parent Lightly says
Summer camps are opening in NC and I am so happy.
anonforthis says
I wanted to say thank you to everyone in this community for being open about their use of daycare during this time. I’m in a state where daycares are still closed and made the tough decision to use the essential worker backup care. I understand there is a risk to sending my LO, but the toll it was taking on my family to try and manage without full time care was really breaking me. I feel like there is such a stigma to not being able to handle it all yourself (even if one of you has to be out of the home) and I wanted to let others who are considering know that it’s ok to ask for help. The essential worker care in my state (and one other where I spoke to a friend about it first) is very under-utilized, so not only are there very few kids but the process was incredibly simple. The director was so compassionate I nearly cried several times while speaking with her. I’m feeling very grateful today we have this option and that I pursued it despite feeling like a failure initially. Hugs to any of you making these tough choices right now as well.
Boston Legal Eagle says
You should not feel like a failure. Trying to watch your kids and do a full time job is literally impossible. No one can do it all, that’s why the saying “it takes a village” exists and is so true. I hate that the U.S. keeps pushing this individualistic, you do it all yourself, with no help from anyone mentality – it’s a recipe for burnout! Daycares are still closed here too (we might be in the same state?) and we just got a part time nanny share and those few hours in the morning are such a relief!
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
OMG you go girl. I’m so glad these posts exist first thing this AM. We’re sending DS to daycare starting next week and this AM I realized it’s the last week he’ll be at home and I got a wave of guilt, anxiety, and sadness. But at this point, once the logical calculus is made, I can’t risk my job performance, family mental health, etc. — especially in this climate. It’s the best option we have (vs. shuttling him back/forth to my parents, and my Dad falls in the very high-risk category), and they’re following all the safety protocols so hoping for the best. Excited for DS to be back with his teachers and other kids with REAL activities.
Feels privileged AF for me to even have this conundrum given what others are going through, especially after this weekend, so feeling grateful to have a good place to send DS.
lsw says
Hugs. I felt ALL the emotions sending my son back last Wednesday. But it has been an absolute game-changer for all of us. So glad you had this option.
anon says
I am really happy for you. This situation is TOUGH, and families are absolutely getting crushed under the weight.
Walnut says
I nearly cried tears of relief sending my kids back to daycare in May. It felt like a weight was lifted.
Anon4this says
I’m very privileged to have this concern, but does anyone else feel like the pandemic combined with child care issues and job insecurity as a result of the pandemic and now the news about the protests is more than they can manage. I live in an area that is a hotspot and that is having violent protests. I’m perfectly safe where I am. I was only just managing before and now I think I’m just not.
Anonymous says
You are not obligated to follow the news. Taking care of your mental health is okay.
Anon4This says
Of course it’s a lot. And it’s okay to be overwhelmed, but if you’re uncomfortable, I recommend you think about why that is. I am typing this as respectfully as possible, because I understand most women on this board seem to lean middle/left, but aren’t WOCs.
We live in a country with terrible class and race inequities and have a festering open wound regarding how law enforcement treats communities of colors, specifically Black Men. Imagine how pissed off people are, especially from a community disproportionately affected by COVID-19, if they’re still willing to get to the streets and protest.
Knope says
She didn’t say she was uncomfortable, just not OK in light of all of the converging crises. And acknowledged that it was privileged of her to tap out of engaging in some of it. One can understand the anger, support the protestors, acknowledge the injustice and your privilege in it, etc., but not have the mental or physical wherewithal to be able to support everyone who needs it.
Clementine says
Yep. FWIW, my husband and I really attempt to live our lives in a social justice-centric way. I have ‘noped’ out of social media because frankly: for me, I’m a Nice White Lady. I’m pretty sure enough Nice White Ladies have spoken over the voices of POC for enough time. For now, I’m just giving money to organizations doing needed work: for me that’s the Southern Poverty Law Center and a local organization that does free meals for kids + lots of needed services and serves a local community that was hard hit by looting/vandalism.
I’ve got crisis fatigue.
anne-on says
I’d challenge this. Sure, stay off social media to share your own message, and make donations – that’s great.
BUT – why not use your own privilege to amplify the voices of POC? To ask your local and elected officials about your town’s own policies around bail, body cams, dash cams, etc.? To raise to your school board the issue of how local schools are teaching history (inclusiveness? or not), how they are teaching social issues to ensure it’s not just the parents of students of color having to (always, again) ask for inclusion in the curriculum? Raise your voice and rally your friends to raise theirs or challenge why they are not.
Clementine says
Great point. My response was directed at what/how I’m able to do this right now.
Please do trust that I am actively engaged more through actions than through words on social media.
Anonymous says
She said she is staying off social media not doing nothing. I’m going to challenge criticizing people for doing something because you think they could be more perfect.
Anonymous says
I created a Facebook account after lockdown started, thinking it would be a good way to stay connected to friends and family. It is so stressful and horrifying that I’m considering deleting the account.
Anon says
This. Also, I challenge people posting just on social media to think about if they are really helping, particularly if their followers tend to already be progressive (and even if not, I’m not sure a social media post is going to get through to racist uncle the way that calling him on his sh*t at Thanksgiving may). I worry that the push for “no more silence” has resulted in a million social media posts that are the equivalent of “thoughts and prayers” after school shootings. I’m not saying social media posts are bad in and of themselves, but I worry that they give us (myself included) a sense that we doing more than we really are.
Anonymous says
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-reckoning-of-morris-dees-and-the-southern-poverty-law-center
Clementine says
I can’t do it right, can I?
Clementine says
Didn’t even read the full article, just… am sure I made a mistake and that there are better places to give my money. Apologies, as I said, I’m a work in progress who needs to do better.
anon at 10:41 says
Not trying to criticize you in any way, just to provide information that may be useful to you. I know how you feel. I am a Nice White Lady who can’t seem to do anything right either.
anon at 10:41 says
And see what I just did there? Oops–I forgot that we are never supposed to say “I know how you feel.” There is just no way not to be wrong.
Clementine says
Update: My gut reaction was to throw my hands up and put my head in the sand.
But that wasn’t the right answer. What I did was: contact a friend whose opinion I trust because of their personal, professional, and political work on this matter. Donate to the local organization they pointed me to.
Work. In. Progress.
AnonATL says
I think this is part of the reason so many people end up just not participating in issues like this. So maybe you can’t or don’t want to physically go out and protest for any number of valid reasons, particularly given the virus situation. You say next best thing I can do is donate to an organization that supports the cause, but so many of those are problematic for some reason or someone tells you this one is better because xyz.
Good intentions and efforts end up leading to judgement anyway so people just opt out of the whole thing and wring their hands and say there’s no impactful way for me to help.
I’m not saying there isn’t plenty that can be done, but it is so easy to mis-step and say the wrong thing or give to the wrong organization even with good intentions.
Anonymous says
I don’t but this. There are currently plenty of lists/ resources out there for how white people can help. Even things as simple as amplifying black voices by sharing on social media.
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Just because everyone doesn’t think your action is perfect, doesn’t mean it’s not good. White people need to worry less about doing the perfect praiseworthy thing and do something. The only wrong thing to do in the current situation is nothing.
Anonymous says
Should be ‘don’t buy this’.
This is a good example of a resource – books, podcasts, social media to follow to be educated about the problems https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic
Anonymous says
Anon @ 1:42, the problem is that literally anything a white woman does in response to racism will be attacked by someone. You donated to the wrong organization. You said the wrong thing. This proves that you are a racist yourself. It is all in the eye of the beholder, and there is no magic response that will be pleasing and inoffensive to everyone. Even saying “wow, that’s awful” is perceived by some as offensive and hurtful. This is why some white women feel compelled to be silent–we don’t want to be accused of inflicting further harm.
I once heard a black author interviewed on NPR about a book he’d written on the experience of being black in America. I wish I could remember who it was. The interviewer asked if white people should read his book to learn from it, and he said they shouldn’t because no white person was genuinely interested in learning about the black experience and anyone white who read his book was just performing wokeness. I do not like performative wokeness either, especially from old white men, but I don’t see what’s wrong with reading a book out of genuine curiosity. It’s not as if the reader is burdening a friend by asking her to explain the black experience. Statements like the author’s are really harmful.
AnonATL says
There have been a lot of strange or horrible celebrity reactions to this, but I see articles about a white celeb who donated money to some organization or made a statement about something only to get a ton of backlash. Or they choose not to boast about what they did, and still get a lot of backlash.
First off, don’t support a cause for some sort of internet kudos, but everyone has an opinion about everything you do, and it can be disheartening. I think people truly want to help, but it feels like you can’t win sometimes.
I agree with you anon @ 1:42 that it shouldn’t be a reason not to participate. You should still try, but we should give people credit for trying instead of attacking them for not being perfect enough which is what we default to. It’s easy to feel like effort is futile when you see criticism all around you.
Anonymous says
Nitpicking an author who said a not great thing doesn’t negate and obligation to take action.
White women need to do something even if that something is just liking and sharing posts about the lived experience of Black people to amplify their voices and making sure the bookshelves in their house are stocked with kids books about Coretta Scott king, Harriet Tubman and other important black women.
The only wrong thing for white women to do is nothing because doing nothing is exercising privilege. Black women don’t get to feel overwhelmed and nope out of the situation and we don’t get to do that either.
Hit the like or share button on Blake Lively’s Instagram post if that’s what your friends who had a plantation wedding will read when they ignore black voices. order a book and read to your kids, donate to a bail fund. Anything. Literally anything to help. Because all of our small actions is what adds up to actual systemic change.
Stop worrying about the best thing to do and do something.
anon at 2:17 says
I am not worrying about the best thing to do. My point is that there is literally nothing a white woman can do that is even acceptable. Of course, doing nothing isn’t acceptable either.
AnonATL says
Also I realize it is the epitome of white privilege to say I don’t want to get involved because I’m scared of doing the wrong thing. It doesn’t mean people don’t feel that way though.
anon says
Yes, absolutely more than I can manage. I am an anxious mess today and am having a hard time working.
Absolutely Anon says
You’re not the only one. Live in a hotspot and now have looting that happened just a few blocks away. Someone was shot last night in my neighborhood too. My block is very quiet, but I am having trouble getting work done. Had a work call this morning that started with “Work is probably the last thing on your mind,” but then transitioned to assigning me a long list of tasks that should all be done soon. I don’t know if my job is the best use of my time and energy.
Ma says
My kids (rising second graders) and I are reading the Little House series, and I’m doing a lot of on-the-fly editing and annotating of offensive/outdated/insensitive language. I’d love to also read them a few books that could help them learn about Native American culture and history. Any recommendations? I’ve stumbled across some on the culture piece, but not much that seems age-appropriate on the history piece. Thanks!
Spirograph says
What about the history are you wanting to highlight? It’s hard to make genocide age appropriate for that age. My rising 2nd grader has a general idea that North America was full of people before people who look like us (we’re white) showed up, and that Europeans took over through a combination of disease, trickery and force, which wasn’t nice.
We’re lucky to have the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian nearby (pre-covid, at least), and it does a good job celebrating culture and remembering history in a way that is relatively clear-eyed and balanced. A quick glance at the website– there’s an Education page that may be worth mining for ideas.
I haven’t watched Pocahontas (the Disney version) since I saw it in the theater, but I remember the “Savages” song sequence capturing tribalism (no pun intended) and how we dehumanize people in order to justify violence. Which, of course, has a lot of modern day parallels. I’m sure there are many other problematic things about that movie, but the song stuck with me.
Anon says
I think it’s important to talk to kids about the media they consume from baby on up. I want my kids to think critically about what messages they’re told. For example, as soon as we allowed Nick Jr we started talking about commercials and how they are trying to get you to buy something. I even bought them that horrible wubble bubble that popped the first time it touched our grass, and then we talked through how that didn’t happen in the commercial and why wouldn’t they show that.
Dr Rebecca Hains has some great resources to talk about popular movies with kids at a variety of ages. Here is the link to her post on Pocahontas. We’ve also used the one on Mulan and found it really insightful.
https://rebeccahains.com/parent-child-discussion-guides/pocahontas/
Spirograph says
Thanks for sharing this! I completely agree with you; my kids love commercials to the point that they ask me not to fast forward through them on DVR, so we’ve had conversations along the same lines. I love 90’s Disney movies, but there are a lot of things in there that I don’t want my kids to take at face value. These discussion guides seem like a good middle ground between absorbing all those messages without comment and ruining the movie with raging against the patriarchy. :)
Anon says
Some great suggestions at A Mighty Girl. I read the book Fatty Legs, which has a companion piece When I Was Eight for kids. My 5 and 7 year old loved it and we had some great conversations afterward. There’s a sequel that I plan to do with them over the summer. We also love the I Am series and reread I Am Sacagawea often.
https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10365
Realist says
Legend of the Indian Paintbrush and Legend of the Bluebonnet are good kids books. Molly from Denali is on PBS.
The whole story of Pocahontas, including the movie, is very problematic. Her name was actually Matoaka and you can search the hashtag #LeaveMatoakaAlone for more context.
Don’t teach Indigenous peoples as gone. They are still here, still oppressed, and still disagree with the Discovery Doctrine.
Anonymous says
I watched Pocahontas as an adult with my 4 year old a few months ago. I hadn’t seen it since I was a child. It did not age well. How was it even okay back when it came out? More history that Mel Gibson ruined.
Realist says
Going back to these things is tough. I remember being happy that Pocahontas was a non-white princess, and that they were celebrating indigenous culture by creating the movie, etc. Now, I just cringe and see how hurtful my silence and complicity has been for so many. Social media has allowed me to follow quite a few indigenous accounts and it has really helped me gain a better perspective and to do better as a person. I don’t judge people like OP and I like the approach of editing out certain parts and doing additional education. But for our house, I got rid of a set of Little House on the Prairie books that someone gave us as a gift. We have limited reading time and I want to find better options. Even though I fondly recall reading Little House as a girl, I want my little girl to have different reading memories to fondly recall.
Strategy mom says
Peter Pan is offensive too
Wilder says
I’m reading with my twins too, a bit younger than your kids. I’m using it as an opportunity to teach them about the native American displacement and genocide and we talk about why certain views are harmful and terms/phrases wrong. There’s certainly enough of it to keep driving home the lesson!
I had trouble identifying an age appropriate novel from the native American perspective – Louis Erdrich is recommended for older kids – as I do want to pair it. I’ll look go the nonfiction route. It’s just harder with the libraries still shut
AwayEmily says
Anyone else have a kid prone to bloody noses? For the past year our 2yo has one probably once or twice a month. Sometimes at night (despite having a humidifier in his room during the winter) and sometimes during the day. The pediatrician seemed unfazed when we told her so I’m not super worried, but…does this ever stop?
drpepperesq says
I had bloody noses all the time as a child. They were really annoying, but I eventually grew out of them, and as an adult I haven’t had any. You can also try putting a q-tip with vaseline in his nose to keep it moist, ice the bridge of his nose when it is bleeding.
Spirograph says
Ugh, yes. My daughter has gotten some spectacular bloody noses. Maybe not once or twice a month for a year, but certainly more already (she’s 5) than I’ve had in my entire life. For her, one of the triggers seemed to be a tantrum or otherwise being really worked up. They were a regular bedtime thing for a while. That has improved as she’s gotten better at self control. She used to get them year round, but now they’re more of a winter thing. I don’t think she’s had one since Feb or so.
Do make sure kiddo leans forward/looks down so she doesn’t swallow the blood. Sorry to be graphic, but way worse than a big bloody nose is vomiting up all the blood from it.
Anon says
I had frequent bloody noses as a kid (including one that lasted for over an hour and sent me to the emergency room). I ended up having my nose cauterized, which wasn’t pleasant, but completely solved the problem. I rarely get them now, even as 25+ years later. Try saline spray once or twice to help keep his nasal passages moisturized. There’s not much you can do otherwise.
anon. says
My kid (now almost 4) had these almost weekly at 2. The pediatrician did a blood test to confirm there was no
hemophilia because they were so extreme. They’ve basically gone away now – so if pediatrician is unfazed, I wouldn’t worry at all.
AwayEmily says
Thanks all! This is reassuring and I had thought of literally none of those tips and will be implementing all of them.
lsw says
A colleague used the r-word (the one that was an insult on the playground when I was growing up in the 80s) and I am pretty upset about it. It was on a call with our team and I didn’t respond in the moment because, frankly, I was pretty shocked. Should I just bring this up with her directly? I know it will result in a 45 minute phone call from her which I’m dreading. But I also feel like I need to say that this doesn’t fly when you’re over 40 years old in 2020 and at work. Come on.
Anonymous says
I personally wouldn’t bother but would say something in the moment next time.
Anon says
+1 I find a well placed “I must have misheard you, what did you just say” works well in this situation
Anonymous says
Yes, you should bring it up with her directly.
Pogo says
ugh threading fail. replied below.
Anon says
I think the appropriate moment has passed, honestly, but next time, I’d say something in the moment – even just “Woah, didn’t realize we were back on the playground in the 80s”. Ultimately, you’re her colleague, not her boss, so I think a separate phone call would be out of place.
Anonymous says
Agree. It’s not likely that anything you say will change the offender’s behavior, but calling it out in the moment may have an impact on others in the room.
Anon says
Disagree that you’re unlikely to change behavior. That word was still being used as a punchline in movies like 10 years ago (I remember a certain line from The Hangover being quoted with alarming frequency into the early 2010s). It’s sad but honestly I think some people really don’t understand how offensive it is.
FVNC says
I hope my reaction would be something like: “Hey, you probably didn’t realize what you were saying, but using [the r-word] isn’t appropriate. It’s especially hurtful for families with neuro-atypical individuals, and we may not even know who’s dealing with that at home. I just wanted to point this out, because I know you wouldn’t want to be unknowingly offensive.”
I’d feel like I was letting them down my friends who have kids with ASD if I didn’t say anything. And after this past week, I’m realizing I probably need to be a little braver. (Not that it’s easy, and of course there are office politics to consider, etc etc…but it feels like the right thing to say something that gives your colleague the benefit of the doubt that they weren’t being intentionally malicious.)
Pogo says
This is one of those ones that’s personal for me, so I would definitely address. Might not do it in the moment, because I’d be shocked, but wouldn’t let it go unaddressed.
The other thing I found when speaking with coworkers is that often multiple people on the call/in the room are uncomfortable with things that are said, but are hoping someone else will speak up. I try to speak up on behalf of those individuals.
I have said something like, “Two of my team members are secular Muslims. I hope you don’t think [racist thing person said] about them.” (or whatever is appropriate if the comment was about homosexuality or disabled individuals, etc) That turns it back around on the individual who made the comment to think about how it actually sounds.
AnonLaywer says
Anyone have a recommendation for a foam playmat for babies? And is there an advantage to the interlocking tiles over the single mat? It seems like it would be more work for not a lot of gain.
AnonATL says
I haven’t purchased one yet, but the Little Nomad mats are so lovely, and I like that they look more like real rugs. They aren’t cheap, but if you compare it to a lot of the other foam tile sets, they aren’t too overpriced.
Someone also recommended the cushmat to me. Ours will likely go in a common room, so I’m looking for something more stylish. Wayfair has a bunch of options btw
Anon says
I love our little nomad playmate! Agree, they aren’t cheap, but it makes our playroom look really nice so I think it’s worth it.
Also, some of the top layer started to pull up and I contacted customer service and they sent me a whole new set of 6 tiles for free. We use 12 tiles to cover our playroom.
anon says
I just got a nice wool rug. It has enough padding and looks nice. I feel like those foam mats are outgrown rather quickly.
For the pre-crawling stage, I will lay down a quilt to keep the wool fibers from sticking to slobbery baby hands. I throw the quilt in the wash if there is spit up.
Anonymous says
I never got one (2 kids) and I don’t regret it. We just have area rugs with good rug pads. Even with a baby who had reflux I just put a blanket down or cleaned up the mess. FWIW I heard do NOT get the ones they can pull the letters out of the middle from. That’s 3x more work.
Lily says
We like our little nomad mat, and it’s very nice, but I think we got it too late – we should have gotten it when our daughter was ~6 months or so, instead we didn’t get it until she was nearly walking, and it was just kind of pointless. Also, we did not have a designated spot where it could just be (and I was worried our cats would claw it if we left it out) so I found it annoying to assemble and disassemble constantly.
Bottom line, I would get one when baby is starting to army crawl/roll/scoot and figure out a place where it can be without having to take it up all the time.
AnonLaywer says
That’s where my baby is now – six months. She’s outgrowing her gym and the rug I have down is not really plush enough for her to be happy rolling around it. So I see what people are saying about rugs but I like my rug and would rather just get a foam mat for this stage. :-)
I’ll check out the Little Nomad ones – thanks, all.
Anon says
We have a Little Nomad one abd it peels a lot. I’ve had it for 1.75 years now but it started peeling after a few months. They’ve sent me two new ones due to peeling so they do have excellent customer service and i do like the way it looks. I also like the skip hop grey and white (it’s thicker than little nomad and even more comfy for an adult to sit on) or ruggish
Anon says
We have hardwood floors. We just used a variety of thicker blankets as our mat. Easier to wash, easier to pick up/ put down, and easier to reshape as we needed to adjust the areas designated as baby. We did end up needing a more permanent solution in one area, and got Flor carpet tiles so we could continue to reshape in the future and also swap out for any stray slime incidents.
The foam mats didn’t seem to be high quality, I worried about off-gassing, and the ubiquitous alphabet theme seemed a little too age-restricted (babies don’t need it, and once they can read at 6ish it feels very toddler-ish).
Anon Lawyer says
Hah, I was thinking of it as a one year thing not until she was six! My issue with blankets is that they seem to get rumpled and pulled up immediately. Maybe I’m not using heavy enough ones.
Anon says
We laid a quilted comforter over crocheted blankets over a yoga mat and that seemed to “stick” well enough for our very active kids, until about age 1 or so.
Anonymous says
I bought the Little Nomad mat and it’s been great–nice cushioning and easy to clean.
In DC says
We have the Gupamiga one from the river store. The print is (hipster) cute and it’s a good size. I was initially disappointed when we received it because it’s basically a high quality styrofoam. It definitely gets dings and scratches but has held up well so far for almost a year (baby is 11 months old). The first fold in half is kind of a pain because it’s large and unwieldy, but after that the folds are easy and it is relatively compact and easy to carry around. We use ours on the patio so it gets folded up a lot and hasn’t separated or torn along the fold creases. It seemed expensive (but way cheaper than the Little Nomad) for what it was, but I think it was worth it. If you’re not going to move it around, the foam puzzle ones are cheap and fine (though not attractive). We have one of them under the play fortress. Like you, I didn’t find that a blanket worked at all, and our baby is very active (read: falls all the time) so needs the cushioning.
anon says
Super cushy yoga mat from the river site. Wish they made it in more of a square shape but it’s extra long and works for what we need (pre-crawler on the patio).
Anne says
We’ve been very happy with the skip hop one.
Anon says
Same. It went away for a little while, but recently pulled it out again and my 2.5YO has been having a blast with her little people on all the houses and roads.