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Sales of note for 12.5.23…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Holiday sale up to 50% off; 5x the points on beauty for a limited time
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase & extra 15% off sweaters
- Banana Republic – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything & extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – Extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase with code
- Lands’ End – Up to 70% off everything; free shipping (readers love the cashmere)
- Loft – 50% off your purchase with code (ends 12/5)
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off select styles & free scarf with orders $125+ (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is down to $75)
- Talbots – 40% off your regular-price purchase; extra 50% off all markdowns
- Zappos – 34,000+ women’s sale items! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- Crate&kids – Free shipping sitewide; up to 50% off toy + gift event; free monogramming for a limited time only (order by 12/15)
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off your purchase with code
- Pottery Barn Kids – Up to 50% off toys, furniture & gifts
- Graco – Holiday savings up to 35% off; sign up for texts for 20% off full-price item
- Walmart – Up to 25% off top baby gifts; big savings on Delta, Graco, VTech, Fisher-Price & more
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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?
Anon says
Does nursing get easier? DS is 6 weeks and often struggles with feeds (pulling off, screaming, gulping and swallowing lots of air). I’ve seen an LC but it didn’t really help. Will he just figure it out at some point?
And I fed my first formula in bottles so I know that’s an option but I want to stick it out with nursing as long as I can because it can help manage pcos symptoms.
Anonymous says
Yes, you should find it getting easier, especially around 6 weeks. How often do you see the LC? Maybe try a new LC if you don’t find her helpful. They should be able to point to clear steps to take to improve things. My local hospital had a program where there was an open drop -in time with the LCs twice a week to get the baby weighed and ask for any tips and chat with other moms. I went twice a week until I went back to work. Maybe check if there is anything like that in your area?
Do you have over supply or under supply? Sometimes it takes baby a while to get used to a fast let down. Do you notice an improvement when feeding in different positions like football hold or sidelying? One of mine fed best at that age with movement so I always fed in the rocking chair or I walked around the living room if I got bored of sitting.
Ashley says
Yes! It got SO MUCH easier for me as time went on! Also, I saw two different LCs–the first one didn’t help that much, but the second was a godsend. Maybe consider whether you should try another?
Anon says
Have you tried a n*pple shield? I had a different issue but it helped me with nursing a lot. The conventional wisdom (I think mostly disproven now) is that the shield slows milk transfer. It sounds like you have a powerful letdown so it might be worth a try.
Anonymous says
IME by 6 weeks it has started to get easier. I’d give a different LC a try.
Anonymous says
Have you checked for tongue or lip tie? I know it’s said they are over diagnosed, but getting them clipped in both of my daughters made a huge difference for me and them in nursing.
anne-on says
+1 – my son was not a great nurser (great at latching though, which meant the LC’s couldn’t ‘see’ the issue). His tongue tie was undiagnosed until he was 2. Let me tell you, having to teach a kid to chew at that age because nobody caught the tongue tie early was SO costly and annoying. I’d have your pediatrician take a look and check tongue movement/positioning.
Ashley says
+1 and–despite my suspicions, my pediatrician told me repeatedly and emphatically that my son had no ties. When we finally made it to the pediatric ENT, he said the upper lip tie was in the “worst” category (he categorized ties 1-4). I suggest going straight to a pediatric ENT or pediatric dentist to check for ties if you can. Unfortunately I think it is something that many pediatricians aren’t trained to recognize or think is a “myth from the mommy blogs.” (<–actual words my pediatrician said, no idea why I didn't switch immediately)
Anonymous says
+1 for a different lactation consultant and a little more time. I don’t think we really had it down until more like eight weeks.
Would combo-feeding from a bottle and just pumping a couple of times a day be an option for the PCOS benefits?
lsw says
^ Yup. Everyone told me 6 weeks and I was crying because I felt like a failure. It was truly eight weeks for me. I spoke with a few different LCs, all through the breastfeeding center that is attached to our pediatrician’s office. You could try another LC!
Pogo says
6w it started to get better but then at 8w mine had a growth spurt which knocked me back down to feeling like a failure.
If you want to combo feed but keep hormones steady, I’ve found mini pill + BF help keep the PCOS symptoms at bay. Only when I 100% fully weaned did it all come back full force; and I continue the mini pill even now (despite the fact that my PCOS means I probably could never get pregnant on my own – I need the hormones regulated!!)
Anon says
+1 on different lactation consultant. I found the ones that, by credentials and prestigious employer, should have been great, to be beyond useless. The lactation consultant in the community (also well credentialed) that my OB recommended was amazing and worth every penny.
Anonymous says
Yes. For me it got easier, which in turn made me more confident, which in turn made it even easier. One thing that really, really helped me was going to a support group feed thing at the hospital where I delivered. They had them a couple times a month. They weigh baby before and after. My baby nursed crazy fast in response to a pretty forceful let down. And then she’d spit up. And I was very concerned she wasn’t getting enough because she was “supposed to” nurse for half an hour or more like the other babies. And then it seemed like she’d spit so much up. Knowing she was getting enough from the weighing made me relax SO MUCH. And they usually have a couple LCs so you can chat with all of them and get advice/see if you click with one of them to follow up.
Anonymous says
I’m at 6 weeks and it’s stsrting to get easier, but I found it got a TON easier at 3 months with my first. Try a different LC, but it sounds like you possibly have oversupply. Have you tried laid back breastfeeding and/or hand expressing right before feeding just to take care of the forceful let down? Part of bfing getting easier is your supply regulating as well which takes time. Hang in there!
Anon says
Yes, but if it doesn’t get easier, I give you permission to stop.
layered bob says
In my experience and that of all my close friends, nursing gets noticeably easier at 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months. Keep working with an IBCLC and stick it out for at least 3 months.
I will also say I noticed another downshift in difficulty after 6 months – if I had quit after 3 months I would have missed the dramatic improvement at 6 months.
And then of course toddler nursing after 12 months is, for me, easy and fun and stress-free and just generally all the best parts of a nursing relationship with none of the bad parts, and I was really glad I stuck it out so that the incredibly difficult 3-6 months were only a small fraction of my nursing relationship with each child.
(Of course you can stop if you want to! Just providing encouragement since you said you didn’t want to.)
Anonymous says
Yesss with my first both me and DH were so happy I kept with nursing at 6 months. It became a breeze, so convenient, and nice bonding.
Anon says
I had all kinds of issues in the first three months. So challenging! I also went to a couple lactation consultants but felt they were overrated and not especially helpful, more like cheerleaders than problem solvers, although they tried.
After three months, it was much easier. I think your baby’s mouth gets bigger and they are less fretful and more eager to latch on and nursing requires less acrobatics just to make it work.
I encourage you to try different options to see what helps but also there is hope that it may just naturally get easier. Sorry it is so hard. I feel you.
anon says
I’m having a moment today. Kiddo #2, my youngest, turns 5 tomorrow, which does.not.seem.possible. DH and I decided long ago that we were done having kids (vasectomy and all), but moments like this totally give me that twinge all over again. It’s fun to have a big kid and I don’t REALLY want to go through the baby stage all over again (not to mention pregnancy, omg, no thank you), but man, sometimes it is sad that it’s over.
avocado says
Sending you virtual hugs. I am feeling this so much as my 12-year-old seems to be turning into a teenager overnight and college begins to loom on the horizon. I don’t want another child either, I just want the time I have with her to last longer.
RR says
My tweens, especially my daughter, seem so much like grown ups sometimes now. Just these little glimpses in between playing with dolls.
And my youngest just turned six, which was surprisingly hard.
Lots of virtual hugs.
Anon says
I know it’s not the same as turning 5 or 12, but my 1.5 year old only child has gone from a baby to a toddler almost literally overnight (she was a late walker, so the ability to walk steadily and the verbal explosion were basically simultaneous, and then she decided at the same time that she was done with nursing). I don’t want another child and I’m so excited for all the fun stuff we can do now that she’s a walking, talking kiddo, but I so miss nursing and rocking a baby to sleep.
Anonymous says
My oldest is 5.5. I have two younger ones. You are in the glory days! :) My husband and I were just talking about how great it will be when all of our kids are 5+. I am drowning pretty much on a daily basis with all these kids!
Anon says
Mine is 4 and started pre-K and was doing homework at the little table in her room last night and I almost cried. I thought I didn’t want any more but…
Anon says
My first just turned 2, which wasn’t a big deal, but she starts preschool on Tuesday and I am having all the feelings. We were going to wait until 3, but a spot opened up at the preschool we like and her pediatrician suggested it might help with delayed speech (plus socialization is good – she doesn’t get much at home), but oh my goodness I’m so not ready for this.
shortperson says
mine turns 5 tomorrow too!!
anon says
did anyone’s kid’s school do anything for 9/11? my kids are still very little, but i am just sort of curious as to how it is acknowledged in schools these days.
RR says
My older kids talked about it in social studies. My daughter came home with an optional homework assignment to ask us about our memories of it. They also made a timeline of the events of the day, so she was refreshing my recollection of the sequence of events. They are in middle school. My youngest (in early elementary) seems to have not discussed it at all, but I deliberately did not ask her about it. She’s in a phase of being very afraid of fires, and a book my son was reading about 9/11 a month ago really upset her, so I didn’t want to bring it up again.
ny says
I got an email from the elementary school principal yesterday saying that they had acknowledged a moment of silence and apologized by not giving the parents advance warning. But my kids didn’t mention anything. As someone who lived very close to ground zero and experienced it first hand, I have been avoiding it thus far since it’s still pretty emotionally raw. But I wasn’t upset about the school acknowledging it (as a NYC suburb, there are probably several in my situation of having a personal experience of the event). As they learn about it in school, I can share my experiences but I don’t see a need to talk about pre-emptively at this point
Anon says
Same – kid is still young and I hope I’m in a better place when she’s old enough to come home with such a homework assignment. Right now I still can’t talk about it.
anon says
i think it should be acknowledged at schools. it was a major historical event and significantly shaped where we are as a society today
Anonymous says
As far as I’m aware from my 1st grader, our school did not do anything to acknowledge yesterday. He probably wouldn’t have mentioned a moment of silence, though.
Not public elementary school, but I teach 4th-5th grade Sunday School at church, and 9/11 came up one day because the curriculum used a photo of the burning towers. It was so interesting to me to hear the perspectives of these kids who learned about 9/11 as history vs actually living through it. Including one student whose parent worked at the Pentagon at that time, they didn’t seem upset by it, and had this strange (to me) idea that it only impacted people in NYC and at the Pentagon. I talked with them a bit about how it was BIG DEAL for most Americans, even those who live nowhere near NYC or DC. People were scared, people were sad, the military has been in Afghanistan for almost 20 years because of it, etc. I’m sure they’ll get a more sophisticated understanding of how 9/11 was a watershed event in recent history when they get a little older, but my impression is that while it may be acknowledged with a moment of silence, it’s not really taught. I live in a DC suburb .
anon says
In my experience, it’s completely normal in education to not teach recent history (as in, the last 30-40 years) or its impact on current events. Growing up in the 90s and early 00s, all of my history classes spent a lot of time on WWII, briefly covered the Civil Rights Movement, and maybe acknowledged the Vietnam War on the last day of class. I took a class on the Vietnam War in college because I realized that everything I knew about it was from the movies (particularly Forrest Gump).
Anonymous says
This was my experience, too. My history classes taught the American Revolution, Civil War, WWII (WWI was not really touched other than Franz Ferdinand, interlocking alliances, and as a cause of WWII). We barely touched anything that happened after 1945, other than an acknowledgement of the Civil Rights Movement (mostly around MLK Day), and the Cold War+proxy hot wars.
I’m sure this has everything to do with what is on standardized tests and AP tests. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m really curious how those decisions are made, because it is a huge amount of power to set curriculum direction for an entire country.
Anon says
This is my experience too. I never studied the Vietnam War or cold war in school during the late 90s/early 00s, and we barely touched on the civil rights movement.
Although it does make me feel old to think that an event I remember very well could be considered history now.
Anon says
My EBF 3 month old has had very dark green diapers for the last week. (Previously they had been consistently the normal orangey color…) She seems gassy but otherwise ok. I have a call in to my ped, but prob won’t hear back for a while – anyone else experience this? My toddler has had a cold, so I wonder if that could be related?
Anon says
Yeah it can be caused by a cold. I wouldn’t worry too much.
Anonymous says
Yes. My kiddo had really green diapers – probably around that age, too- and it was totally fine. They tended toward green for quite a while going forward.
Cb says
My baby had those at about the same age. It seemed to be when he was nursing loads and loads, perhaps too much foremilk?
Anonymous says
Could be the cold, could be too much foremilk (which contains more lactose), lastly could be dairy intolerance which you’ll need to talk to ped about. Are they frothy at all?
Anonymous says
Could be a cold. Look for lots of mucous and blood. At 4 weeks my oldest went from normal to that and she ended up with MSPI. Luckily she outgrew it super quickly and was back to eating everything by 6 months.
Anonymom says
This is prime time for onset of milk protein allergy…that will turn a baby’s diapers dark green (I had it happen with both my kids). If you bring a diaper into your ped he/she should be able to ID it quickly. I’d take that step versus waiting as you’ll want to try an elmination diet (if you plan to keep BFing) soon since it takes up to a week for hte milk protein to get out of your system and you don’t want her reaction to progress to blood in the stool.
tired of being the wet blanket says
Trying to figure out how (a) my husband can plan better, and (b) I am not always the naysayer (and I’m sure there’s a (c) where I just handle things better…).
Last night, we had a frustrating conversation where I brought up that his upcoming plans to take our toddler camping may have to change because of eastern equine encephalitis in the area (we don’t live in an EEE area, but we have an upcoming trip to New England & he was planning to do one night of camping as part of an otherwise indoor trip). I realized that I just needed him to say that he wouldn’t do the camping if there was still a risk based on area and temperatures — basically I do not want to be in the position of telling him “no,” I want him to make this decision himself. And one of the areas he is looking at is high risk where town is saying not to go outside during areas of high mosquito activity & not to go camping…which seems like a no brainer to me. If I said no based on a safety issue like this, he would respect that, so it’s not that I’m worried about him going necessarily. But I want him not to go because of the actual risk, not because I said no…I am so so so tired of vetoing things based on doing the emotional labor of figuring out what is feasible, etc.
Not sure what I am looking for, kind of a vent. But commiseration/ideas/reframing welcome.
Anonymous says
What was his response when you brought up the safety warnings?
tired of being the wet blanket says
So for the “high risk” area, he agreed (plus that campground is currently closed because of the issue). For the other area he was thinking of, he is going to ask our pediatrician about it (his idea, and then I also suggested he call the campground to see if there is testing in that area).
I told him that I needed him to say that he would consider canceling based on the information he gathered and not leave it to me to decide, and he couldn’t say that. To be clear, I wasn’t asking him to say now that he would cancel, but basically acknowledge that it was a conclusion he might reach (rather than telling me what he found out and having me tell him no).
AwayEmily says
You guys may just have different ideas about risky behavior, and that’s okay. I differ a lot from my partner — I’m way more risk averse when it comes to cars (our 3.5yo is still rear-facing, because I insisted) and he’s more risk-averse when it comes to babysitters/childcare providers (he insists on an “observation” period before hiring someone, I don’t really care). Generally we just defer to whoever is more worried. Would I be with you on this particular one? Yes, definitely. Doesn’t seem worth it (especially since I can’t stand camping). But I also can see your husband’s perspective (maybe he sees this as a rare opportunity and thinks he can minimize the risk with mosquito repellant, etc).
Anon says
I agree. My husband is more risky than me in most areas but oddly freaked out about cut vegetables left outside for “too long” that I was going to eat. Yes we defer to whoever is more risk-averse for that particular thing (I thought it was a waste of food but threw the veggies away).
Occasionally I recognize when I’m being the hovering parent and my husband talks me into giving the kids space to take risk. For example, not standing next to my toddler waiting to catch her if she falls off a large-for-her play structure. Yeah I know, and I’ve dialed it back – and also become a lot calmer with my second kid.
tired of being the wet blanket says
That is a good point about deferring to whoever is more worried. I also think I conflate frustrations about being more detail-oriented with being the worrier. So I am also more likely to be the one saying no we don’t have time to do xyz right now because I actually think through how long it takes to get out of the house, etc. And one approach to that issue (yay therapy) is ok, but what if we try and aren’t actually able to get to the activity or if we do and we are late to our next activity and have tried to let things go based on the answer to those questions.
Pogo says
Are we the same person, married to the same person? Solidarity.
I present the facts, and offer research – DH does not take the time to do those things, so when I say something like “being RF til 40lbs minimizes the risk of death in crash by x%, I read it in this article” he will very much be like “OK, sounds like you have all the info”. But he won’t do the emotional labor to research something and come to that conclusion himself.
He’s also the type to gloss over logistics when I’m like “Yes, but the forecast is calling for 70% chance of showers, what are we supposed to do with a toddler inside a tent all day?”. I’ve made my peace with being the naysayer; it’s checks and balances. He is my check on other things where I defer to him.
tired of being the wet blanket says
OMG do not start on the weather. Apparently I have the unique and amazing superpower of accessing weather forecasts (and other things, like the instruction manual for the Instant Pot).
Anonymous says
Ugh OMG do not camp. I live in a town in MA that has EEE. An elementary schooler got it. They are blasting the state with all kinds of sprays. Our town had 2 truck sprays and 2 planes dropping spray. Outdoor activities after 4pm are cancelled. Recess is inside.
Do not camp wth a toddler.
Sorry, no help on the husband. But my daugter’s soccer team just made a get well soon card for her teammate that may or may not recover. Don’t pick battles on this one.
Anon says
+1000 – I neighbor a high risk town. It’s very real and very bad. This isn’t something you can just “let go” . They are cancelling everything that happens out doors after dusk. Do not go camping. Full stop.
tired of being the wet blanket says
So if you are not in a high risk town yourself, but nearby, same precautions? Really just trying to info-gather (and that makes total sense to me).
Anon says
Yes, because why not? It sound so friggin terrible and new cases are popping up every week it seems. My moderate risk town could be high risk tomorrow and I don’t want that to be at my expense.
My lot also abuts conservation and (mostly dry) “wetlands”. Mosquitoes don’t respect town line boundaries as far as I’m aware (the nerve).
tired of being the wet blanket says
Thanks. Good to get a gut check that this is in fact reasonable.
Pogo says
I drove through a high risk town the other day and they had those flashing highway signs saying “no activity outdoors after dusk – EEE RISK”.
tired of being the wet blanket says
I am so so sorry for the child in your town as well as the others who have been infected. I cannot imagine how scary it is to have this going on where you live (I grew up in a New England town that had WNV/EEE issues, but don’t remember much panic from my kid perspective).
To be clear — are you saying no camping at all in the general area? Or do you think it’s ok in an area where there have not been cases or mosquitoes testing positive? One issue I am having is that the Mass maps make the info very clear, but I just cannot find info that seems as reliable about CT.
Anonymous says
So we are in a town that was “high risk” until last week, when the little girl got infected and we are now “critical risk.”
A few weeks ago, some mosquitoes in a neighboring town tested positive in the traps they have here, so that town was Critical and we were High. At that point, everyone in town guffaw-ed at the idea that the Critical town moved moving recess inside, was cancelling sports, etc. (“ha ha, what can they do, close the outside?”). There was much online complaining about the potential arial sprays (“my garden! my pets! the bees!”) Then this little girl got it, and wouldn’t you know, there was outcry that we had allowed recess outside, how DARE the town not cancel the full weekend of outdoor (midday) sports, why isn’t the state spraying faster, etc.
Two weeks ago, my kids went to school and played. Now they are basically on “lockdown” from the outside: daycare doesn’t let them out, middle school down is indoors only. High schoolers are “strongly encouraged” to wear bug bands and there are insect repellent wipes all over the high school. Two weeks ago, I sprayed my kids with bug spray if we were going to be outside at dusk. That’s when we were “high risk”.
So…in hindsight, I would have been more cautious with my kids. The little girl that has it is my kid’s age. it’s so scary. they live less than half a mile away and the kid got it in her yard or at school (they think- she wasn’t anywhere else!). I would say it stinks not to be able to camp outside, but hoping the kid will (a) come home from the hospital at all and (b) walk or talk again is just not a thing I want to think about for my children. Or anyone’s.
The woman that got it down in the Fall River area died a couple weeks ago.
To your question- if you are going to be in CT, check with the health dept. I have family down there and haven’t heard about any cases. We lived here during the 2012 outbreak and were sprayed then too (different town). I didn’t have kids and nobody from our town was infected so I didn’t really have same reaction to it. In MA, I would look at the maps very carefully. It seems to be spreading and I wouldn’t camp or be outside after dusk in any of the towns near any of the high risk areas.
Like I said–just weeks ago I was not even thinking about this stuff. But it’s literally now in my neighborhood.
tired of being the wet blanket says
Thank you for taking the time to write this all out. Hope you get a frost soon.
Anonymous says
Wow, I must live under a rock, but this is the first I have ever heard of EEE, and how terrifying!
Redux says
Me too, and I live in upstate NY, just over the border from MA. Not that I need a new anxiety to add to the list… (I’m all set with tick-borne illnesses, thanks), but where you at public health campaign?
Pogo says
With climate change how it is, I just assume we’ll have more and more of these outbreaks as the seasons lengthen and fewer of the carrier species die off in the winter. Like with how we are all so vigilant with ticks, I assume it will be the same with mosquitos. I see no reason to risk it and get kiddo inside before dusk (we are in a low-risk/no-risk town right now).
Anonymous says
Yes, I tell my husband all the time that we need to move farther north because mosquito-borne illnesses are going to be one of the leading health risks within this century.
Baby’s got (no) back says
My 3 y/o is built so differently from me, and from her two sisters. She’s 80% for height, and 35% for weight. DH jokes that she must have hollow bones like a bird. Her wrists, ankles, knees-everything-is tiny. She has size 9 feet like my other two did at this age, but XX narrow. We just had to custom order tap shoes for her because even 9 narrows wouldn’t stay on.
So. Pants. Her waist fits into 2T pants and skirts with room to spare. She doesn’t wear diapers. She has no butt. Every pair of pants we try that isn’t leggings falls right off. She won’t wear a belt.
Even leggings are loose- I have a booty and just cannot wrap my head around having thighs on which *bike shorts* are baggy!
Generally my solution is tunic dress + leggings, but she’s now telling me she won’t wear “dresses with a stripe” aka empire waist dresses with a seam- like 90% of preschooler dresses.
So- does anyone else have a kiddo with this build? What brands work? She is
Wearing these old navy jeggings in a 3T today and they literally fell off her at school when she tried to put away her backpack.
She weighs I think 29lbs soaking wet, which is what my other two weighed at like, 2.
Anon says
Both my kiddos are super skinny and tall, so boys pants with an adjustable waist are your friends here. Old Navy and others have them and they have buttons on the inside of the waistband that you can adjust to get to the desired waist size. Also she is only 3, so I wouldn’t generalize too much on size, it’s too early.
Anonymous says
Seconding pants with the adjustable elastic in the waists. My 27 lb/36 in toddler is getting by with a lot of shorts in 12m to 2T now, but once it gets cold enough for pants it’s definitely trickier to find ones with long enough legs that don’t slip right off her bottom.
avocado says
I also had a string bean. For dresses, we had luck with Tea Collection. Have you tried pants in girls’ size 4 slim? Mine was able to wear a 4 slim when she was around your daughter’s weight. We found the Gap slim sizes to be slimmer than those at Old Navy. Jumpsuits, rompers, and overalls might also be worth a try.
mystery says
Assuming you have pants from your bigger kids, take them to someone who can sew and have them narrow them at the side seam? Little kid pants cut as a flat pattern (jeggings, pj style pants) could be narrowed with the extra fabric put to the outside, or French seamed on the inside. Pant’s with a separate waistband or fly/button would be bulky with a simple fix, so maybe not those.
Artemis says
So, have you tried boys’ pants with drawstrings and adjustable waists, and in the skinny cut?
I ask because my oldest son was/is built SO like your daughter. Tall, all legs, skinny as a rail. If he were a girl toddler leggings would have definitely fallen off.
BUT Old Navy, in their toddler boys’ section, has bottoms in “skinny”, “regular” and “husky” cuts. I had tons of success always ordering the “skinny”cuts and making sure that they still had internal adjustable waists (like the jeans) or drawstrings. They might not be quite as fun or cutesy as leggings, but they’ll stay on and ON has fun colors in most of their boy bottoms.
Anonymous says
H&M fits narrow but you have to size way way down.
Anonymous says
I don’t have girls, but in case helpful, I had decent luck with Uniqlo slim fit pants for my string bean boy last year
CCLA says
My 3yo is the same (maybe barely cracked 30 lbs now?), super long and lean. We buy her things almost exclusively from Cat and Jack, which tend to run narrower in our experience., though she really just ends up in leggings most of the time anyway because she can handle getting them on and off independently. A few Tucker and Tate things from Nordstrom also fit well, though we don’t buy a lot from there because…daycare means she wears things hard.
GCA says
I also have a string bean firstborn. He wore exclusively Children’s Place pants and Uniqlo leggings when we finally figured out what brands worked, and IIRC the bottoms from the girls’ section also had elastic and buttons at the waist. (At one point I got him a pair of toddler suspenders in desperation, which he of course rejected.) He is now picky and will only wear Old Navy joggers with real drawstrings… For your daughter’s age, I’m hesitant to recommend jumpsuits because it’s harder for them to use the bathroom independently.
Emily S. says
Mini Boden usually has a good selection of tunics and tunic dresses that don’t have the empire waist seam. Check out the second-hand market for those, too. Primary makes a t-shirt dress and polo dresses without a waist seam, too, and those run narrow in my opinion.
NYCer says
Gap often has dresses without an empire waist if she is otherwise interested in dresses. They often have big sales (40-50% off), so I would not buy anything from there full price.
RR says
My older daughter was similar at that age. Gap Slim Fit was our best friend–and even then we had to cinch up the waists.
(Then of course my youngest is a totally different build and cannot wear any of her sister’s hand me downs. At age 5, she’s wearing her sister’s outgrown 8-10 stuff. She’s just 90% across the board.)
Anon says
As it gets cooler, would tights rather than leggings work? Might be tighter.
Anon says
Also anyone who could see even a tiny bit could make a few simple wrap skirts (and then your daughter could pick out the fabric!). Easy to pair those with a tee and tights. If you don’t know anyone, a tailor could do it for cheap I bet.
anon. says
Primary has several play dresses that fit your criteria.
Anon says
How common is it for a preschool/daycare to refuse to put sunscreen on kids in the afternoon?
Our preschool recommends “8 hour sunscreen” application in the morning, I looked the brands up and they do not really last for 8 hours, are not made for kids anyway.
They ask that we put on sunscreen at home before 8am and will not reapply sunscreen at 2 or 3pm before the kids go outside to play, without a doctor’s note. This is a large daycare/preschool, part of a chain, and their policy is standard for all ages. My older child is in elementary school and of course there’s no way to reapply sunscreen there either, though I am tempted to send some in the hope that kiddo will do it himself.
Both kids often come home hot and sweaty and red, after playing outside in the afternoon, so I’m concerned about too much sun exposure. I assume only kids with an actual skin condition bring in a doctor’s note. Should I try and get one (or argue with the school) or am I being too paranoid?
Anon says
I would try to get a doctor’s note. 8 hour sunscreen is not a thing, it really needs to be reapplied after two hours, although that’s not always feasible with kids. Our school expects parents to apply in the morning but will reapply after nap, and I sort of assumed that was standard. My kid is pale and burns easily so I’m more paranoid than most people, but she doesn’t have a medical condition.
Anonymous says
There is no such thing as 8-hour sunscreen. Everyone needs to reapply during the day. Your day care is just lazy. I’d get a doctor’s note.
Anonymous says
+1, there is no such thing as 8 hour sunscreen and this is bizarre. I will be the first to admit that I skip sunscreen in the morning more often than not, but I count on daycare applying after lunch. 2-3 pm sun is much stronger than 9:30am sun!
Anon says
Weird – our preschool reapplies sunscreen before going out in the afternoon. I would expect them too, it doesn’t last all day! I’d get the doctor’s note.
Pogo says
Ours definitely gets reapplied after nap/before afternoon outside time. We each send in our own sunscreen. That seems like common sense to me.
rosie says
My kid’s preschool says they will reapply if we sign the authorization (same kind of authorization as for diaper cream & bug spray) but we are new to it so don’t have much experience. I have heard of places that will only apply it w/a doctor’s note. I assume it’s a cya/overly cautious thing and wouldn’t hesitate to get a doctor’s note in that situation. I would view it more as an authorization rather than a showing of specific medical necessity.
Anonymous says
My kids daycare applied before morning walk and afternoon outside time. Almost all sunscreen says reapply after two hours. I can’t imagine the annoyance of having to sunscreen before drop off and then they won’t apply in the afternoon? definitely get the note.
Anonymous says
Mine does every day for all kids. You have to sign an authorization. I would push for it if I were you. That said, we’re at the end of the season when I care about it, so maybe fight the battle next May. I have conceded that I’m not going to get my elementary schooler to get sunscreened in the afternoon.
CCLA says
Another vote to get the note. Also, can you get your kid to wear a hat? Thankfully daycare has been great about reapplying, but I candidly don’t trust that they’re as thorough as we are and we have skin cancer in the family so I’m super paranoid. Kiddo has one of those sunday afternoons wide brimmed toddler hats and after much training is very committed to wearing it whenever outside. They still reapply, but that gives me some more peace of mind about face/head/neck coverage.
AwayEmily says
+1 we are in the exact same situation. One of my kids is super fair skinned and so we send him with one of those ridiculous (but very effective) sunday afternoon hats.
Anon says
Normal to have parents apply in the morning, but I find it totally bizarre that a preschool/daycare won’t reapply sunscreen in the afternoon. I’m surprised that licensing allows them to refuse to reapply sunscreen.
I’d definitely get the note.
Anonymous says
Licensing requirements make it easier for them to refuse to apply sunscreen. “Sunscreen is a drug, so the state requires that you submit a new form, signed by your doctor, every two weeks.”
Anon says
My toddler finally took off walking a couple of weeks ago and suddenly has way less interest in eating. This is normal, right? I assume she just doesn’t want to stop running around the house long enough to eat. We’ve been skipping snacks if she tells us she doesn’t want to eat, but forcing her to sit down at dinner with us, even though it usually involves some tears. Is the right approach? Should we be doing something different? I’m not really concerned about calorie intake (she’s chunky and daycare teachers say her intake there hasn’t changed much) but I am concerned about night waking due to hunger (hasn’t happened yet though) or setting a precedent that she can skip meals if she’d rather play.
Anonymous says
We sometimes let ours stand to eat at the table when they are bundles of energy. Or one of us will run the energy out of them in the backyard right before supper while the other cooks.