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I’ve been a bit at a loss for where to get longer hooded towels for my (tall!) four year old. I’ll admit, my search went like this: Carter’s, Lands’ End, Amazon… IT MUST NOT EXIST. But when we talked about the best towels on Corporette last week I learned not only that Pottery Barn makes one of the top towels for grown-ups, they also make great hooded towels for the littles. These babies are 50 x 27, and look amazing; they’re recommended for kiddos 3 and up. Pottery Barn Kids Animal Bath Wrap (L-2)Sales of note for 3.26.24
(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 all workwear
- J.Crew – Annual Spring Event: 40% off sitewide; extra 40% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – 10% off your order
- Loft – 50% off Lou & Grey; 30% off new arrivals
- Nordstrom: Spring Sale: Up to 50% off
- Talbots – 25% off your purchase, including markdowns
- 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 – 40% off everything; extra 10% off your purchase with code
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 30% off swim; up to 30% off HannaJams
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; extra 40% off sale; 50% off kids’ styles
- Old Navy – 50% off Easter deals
- Target – 20% off Easter styles for all; up to 30% kitchen & dining; up to 25% off TVs; BOGO 50% off shoes & slippers for the family; $100 off select Apple products
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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?
Meg Murry says
For a slightly cheaper option, Target has them as well, as does Kohls. Maybe not as nice as the PB ones, but my kids like them.
Meg Murry says
Target:
http://www.target.com/p/circo-penguin-hooded-towel/-/A-15424036#prodSlot=medium_1_28&term=hooded+towel
Meg Murry says
Kohls:
http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-425892/jumping-beans-frog-bath-wrap.jsp
Babyweight says
I found a Wonder Woman-esque one at Barney’s on super clearance after Christmas last year. It’s big enough for my tall 4 year old and I love that she pretends to be Wonder Woman. Girl power! Big kids ones exit, but take a little more digging to find.
We have couple Jumping Beans ones. Happy with the quality of those.
Philanthropy Girl says
If you’re at all crafty, a quality bath towel and a quality hand towel can be sewn together to make an adorable hooded towel. A friend made me one for my baby shower and it is hands down the best – I quit using baby towels really early on because this one was so nice. Sans animal ears, naturally, but still adorable. I would assume Philanthropy Baby will be able to use the towel for some time.
I believe tutorials can be found on Pinterest.
Two under two says
Follow up on yesterday’s thread about sibling spacing, just found out I’m pregnant with number 2, quite unexpectedly! DS will be 19 months when baby is born if all goes well. Any working moms out there gone through this and have advice for having two under two? Budget-wise we can just barely squeeze in a second tuition at our current daycare, so that’s a small relief.
Anonymous says
Have you looked into nannies? Might be cheaper than two daycare tuitions, depending where you are and how much your daycare is.
And congratulations!
JJ says
I have two kids that are 18 months apart, to the day. It’s hard at first, no lie. But once the baby can sit up unassisted and once your older kid gets slightly more self-sufficient, things get SO MUCH easier. Now the youngest is turning 2 this weekend and they’re inseparable best friends.
Amelia Bedelia says
After YEARS of infertility, I am pregnant with my second. She will be born when my oldest is 17 months. I am petrified. I will say, though, that having a part-time husband and part-time nanny (both of which do quite a bit of cleaning and cooking), and a full-time cleaner makes me think we can do this.
I understand that everything I said screams “privilege” and I have no idea how people on a tighter budget do it. But I do think that if you have the money, spend it on the mundane care items so you can spend your limited “free” time actually being with the family and two kids.
Amelia Bedelia says
hahahaha – there’s no edit button anymore and I realize my sentence is a bit ambiguous.
I have a full-time husband who works outside the house part-time!!!!
JJ says
Sometimes I think a part-time husband and part-time nanny is a pretty sweet deal, actually.
CHJ says
Seriously, is that an option? If so, sign me up!
Spirograph says
Mine are 20 months apart, youngest is 7 months at the moment and I can’t tell you how much I long for a full night’s sleep. I think they’re conspiring against me and trading off nights/weeks of being awful.
Daycare is really expensive. Bath/bedtime is an ordeal. DS went through a rough patch at the beginning with jealousy. You cannot leave a 2 year old unsupervised with a baby (at least not MY 2 year old) for a minute without coming back to screaming. but! They are so stinkin’ cute together. Baby loves big brother even though he kind of beats her up, and when big brother isn’t in a destructive mood, he is the epitome of doting. They play silly games and laugh at each other and it makes it *almost* OK that my sleep debt is reaching epic proportions.
Obviously I have nothing to compare it to, but think tight spacing might be easier as a working mom. In my imagination, having them generally in the same phase of childhood at the same time will streamline everything. But definitely, older child hadn’t reached self sufficiency before the new baby was born anyway, so I’d never gotten out of the habit of having to dress and feed someone other than myself, dealing with diapers, etc. Other than sleep, it hasn’t been bad at all. I did cut back to 80% time at work, though, and that probably has helped tremendously.
EB0220 says
For the under three set, we have loved these Frenchie Mini Couture XL towels (40″x30″):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HB38BA?colid=1J45RNO899FHE&coliid=I2D1UKZU2UNKVS&redirect=true&ref_=br_it_dp_o_nS_ttl
Anon says
Congrats to Two under Two! You have inspired me to ask for those with two or more, how far apart are your kiddos? I have a nine month old and am 35. We don’t want to wait too long for number 2, but are still up in the air on when exactly we will be ready. My daughter’s bday is in November, though, and I honestly would prefer not to have another baby born October/November/December, particularly because I was scarred after our last winter in Massachusetts with coming back from maternity leave and starting daycare in February with nearly constant blizzards. We aren’t quite ready yet, but figured we might start trying around her birthday. That means though I have a few months window of time around first birthday (not that far away!) to try and if I am not prego and do want to truly avoid baby birthday in those months, stop trying for a few months and then start trying again.
I’m trying to figure out if trying to avoid a late fall/early winter baby is ridiculous and if we are truly ready for another baby! Obviously only we really know the answer to the second part, but curious as to how others have spaced it out and how it works for them!
Two under two says
You should check out yesterday’s thread, there was a lot of discussion about spacing!
Jen says
I have a 22 month old and we just started trying for #2. Depending on when #2 is conceived, the kids will likely be 2.5-3.5 (or more if things take a really long time…) years apart, and 2-3 years apart in school depending on birthdays. My October baby will enter kindergarten as a 5-turning-6 year old (which i hate, but thems the rules) and if I have a summer baby they’ll be 2 school years apart. Another fall or winter baby and they’ll be 3 school years apart.
Jen says
FWIW having had an october baby the year BEFORE the insane winter, I think there are some interesting considerations:
– I had 3 month leave that really turned into 4 months after the winter holidays. it was awesome.
-the entire extended family got to meet our kid before 3 months old since thanksgiving and christmas hit
– depending on where you are (we are in MA) your kid will be really old or really young for his/her grade. This annoys me to no end since our kid is very precocious and we’ve gotta figure out an extra year of childcare.
– bre@stfeeding in the winter is SO MUCH BETTER (i think?) than in the summer. I BF’d for 9-10 months so was done in May before it got hot and sticky out.
– bundling up a baby in a carrier in the winter is a lot easier than stuffing a 9 month old in winter clothes and sticking them in a carseat (IMHO)
– b’days near halloween and christmas stink.
Finger foods for baby says
My (almost) 8 month old son eats purees like a champ. I give him finger foods at home when I am with him. Daycare recently asked me to bring in finger foods for him so they can start getting him used to eating regular foods. Honestly, I haven’t yet because the choking terrifies me and I would prefer to be present when he tries new foods. Since daycare has asked, I am contemplating sending in some foods for him. What do you all send to daycare around this age?
Yay foods! says
Just try things at home before sending them to daycare, then. At that age he doesn’t need more than 1-2 different food items a day at daycare, and there’s nothing wrong with sending the same couple things over and over again.
That being said, you’re paying them so if you’re opposed to him having finger foods, don’t send them. But if you want to, and this request was just the nudge you needed to actually start, then just send 1-2 familiar items each day, from a list of whatever you’ve had him try at home before (which might only be a few things at this point!)
There’s also no reason to do purees so don’t feel like he’s missing something if you slow down or stop those.
Philanthropy Girl says
My kiddo is almost one and still prefers purees, although does finger foods just fine.
Fruit is a great option – banana slices cut into quarters, canned pears or peaches cut into bite-sized bits. Watermelon or cantaloupe, or blueberries cut in half are also great. Veggies are good options – peas, green beans cut in bite sized pieces, or steamed carrot slices cut in halves or quarters. I try to make sure things aren’t round shapes, since if something round gets lodged in the throat or windpipe it can completely block air – quarter or half cuts at least will allow some air in and out for long enough to dislodge a stuck item. The only thing tricky about fruits and veggies is they’re more challenging for baby to pick-up because they’re slippery and they squish easily.
We’re not big on grains in our house, so I haven’t done things like cheerios or rice puffs, but those are very easy to pick up and dissolve quickly in the mouth so choking is less of an issue. Black beans are my child’s favorite self-feeding food – although I think that is on the 9 month and up list.
Like Yay foods! said – anything he’s navigating well at home are your best choices. He’s probably comfortable enough with them that choking is less of a concern, and he’ll probably be thrilled to see a favorite treat.
Carrie M says
At that age, we did a lot of avocado slices, peas, blueberries, other fruit like Philanthropy girl suggests, small sweet potato wedges, etc. We would also give her half a pear, no skin, or half a banana, and she just loved to mouth it and would even eat some. You have to watch that she doesn’t break off a piece that’s too big, but we thankfully never had an issue.
We also tried fish and ground meat early on – small bits of salmon were a favorite.
Also, I agree with trying new things at home….except that my daughter often eats things at daycare that she’s no longer into at home. So just be aware of that dynamic too….I think watching other kids eats makes them more likely to try to eat too.
Claudette says
I hope I’m not posting too late in the day to get responses. Our nanny, who is just finishing up her second week with us — and, for what it’s worth, is wonderful with our seven-month-old — just told me she has a court date next month. Why? Because she’s been charged with reckless endangerment. For driving forty miles an hour over the speed limit. With her previous nanny family’s two little kids (baby and toddler) in the car.
I nearly had a heart attack. As a mother, I wanted to fire her on the spot. As an employment/civil rights attorney, I thought, Don’t discriminate! Innocent until proven guilty! So I just told her my husband and I would have to talk about it. Thankfully, I’m working from home today.
Thoughts? Am I crazy to think we shouldn’t just give her notice and start looking for another nanny immediately? We wouldn’t have hired her if we had known this. I get that the forty-miles-an-hour-over part may be inflated, but I find it really hard to believe that the incident didn’t happen at all.
Another thing: She says the parents of the kids are going to appear on her behalf. That makes me feel a tiny bit better, but not a lot, since all they know about what happened is what she told them. Would you call them (with her permission)? My husband spoke to the mother several weeks ago as a reference, of course, and she confirmed what the nanny said about why she was leaving — that they decided to put the kids in daycare. But maybe this was the real reason . . . ?
sfg says
I think speaking with the prior family about this is a good first step. I am in the same field as you and I would also want to terminate on this basis, but I know in my state that one would need to be extra cautious about this.
Anon says
Would definitely talk to the previous family. Good sign that she told you now vs lying about reason she needed time off. Any chance it was a situation where the speed limit changed quickly – like when exiting a highway? If she is a woman of colour I would also wonder what role race may have played in her getting charged vs a ticket or warning
ANP says
Two weekends ago, my husband and I got pulled over for going 25 above the speed limit on a deserted country road, in the early morning, with our newborn in the car. The cop let us go w/a warning b/c as he walked up to the driver’s side window he could clearly hear our baby SCREAMING at the top of her lungs to be fed. He was a nice guy and I was grateful for the pass. I realize this isn’t 40 above, but something to consider.
I don’t think your feelings are wrong either way — is she driving your kids around a lot? If she’s not driving your kids I’d say this is a moot point, but if they’ll be in the car w/her then yes I think it’s an issue. Would be interested to see what the former employers say on this — maybe they told her they needed the kids in a certain spot by x time and didn’t give her sufficient notice? Regardless, I’d try to get the whole story before deciding how to proceed.
Claudette says
Thanks for the thoughtful responses; you all raise some good points. We will see what the prior family has to say and go from there.
(former) preg 3L says
I think the biggest question you have to answer is whether you’ll let her drive your kids around. For me, I would say that she’s no longer permitted to drive my kid, unless/until I find out the whole story. That would include talking to her last employer and finding out where it happened. As other commenters have noted, it may have been somewhere the speed limit changed quickly, and it may have had something to do with her race.
That being said, it’s easy to be calm and rational when we’re just reading internet comments. If my nanny had done that (granted, I don’t have a nanny), I would absolutely be freaking out. Hopefully I would be able to calm myself down enough to handle the situation wisely. Also, not legal advice, but if the crime she’s charged with directly impacts her duties working for you, I’m pretty sure you don’t have as much to worry about w/r/t employment law. Just saying, speak to a lawyer. I know you are one, but you need a second opinion if you’re considering firing her.
If it turns out that she simply was comfortable driving way above the speed limit, I’d say she’s no longer allowed to drive your kids around. Also consider whether you want to reduce her pay if this will decrease her duties.
Lastly, as other commenters have noted, it’s great that she was honest with you about it.
NewMomAnon says
I would be freaked out too. But after thinking about it for a minute, this is how I think I would approach it: (1) talk with the other family and see if there was a big issue (reckless driving, poor judgment, drugs or alcohol, chronic tardiness, etc) and (2) based on the results of that conversation, consider whether I would be comfortable agreeing that she would not drive my baby for a year and if she has no driving violations in that year, chalk this violation up to a bad set of circumstances/lesson learned.
I would not give her a pass just because the family asked her to be soemwhere in an unreasonable amount of time; running late is par for the course with a kid, and I would expect a nanny to share my belief that safety should be prioritized over timeliness.
Jen says
I’d talk to the previous family, and also check on the facts. 40 above is pretty far above….but was she in some random 15 MPH farm zone? Going 55 on a road that is normally 45 but is 15 MPH in a random school zone that she blew through? Was she on an empty highway in a car with a broken speedometer?
If she was going 100-110 on the highway….or 80 in a 40…
Meg Murry says
Yes, I agree with checking with the other family and trying to get the facts. I’m assuming if it was something like “we were going to the hospital because the baby got stung by a bee and was going into anaphalatic shock” she would have mentioned that part when telling you the story.
Do you need her to drive your kids (or does she need to drive to get to your house)? If she is found guilty, would she lose her license or have restrictions put on it? Or could it drive your insurance rates up if she is driving one of your cars? I agree with innocent until proven guilty, but if she is guilty you need to be prepared for what that means for her ability to do her job with you.
Anon for This says
The one time I was ever ticketed for speeding in my LIFE was when I was seventeen, babysitting and had the infant in the car. There was a long curve on the highway outside of my town. The speed limit changed 15 mph at this curve. Except the signs were on different ends of the curve depending on the way you were headed (so if you were heading south, the speed limit went up as you entered the curve and the speed limit went down as you entered the curve heading north, so there was about a block where northbound traffic was slower than southbound traffic.) I was pulled over by a northbound (slower) highway patrolman while heading south (faster).
My parents wouldn’t let me fight the ticket because if I took the defensive driving course it wouldn’t mess with the insurance. I think it would have given my employer pause, except she was ticketed in the exact same spot the summer before. Eventually someone did fight a ticket and the signs were finally put in the same place. The county must have been pretty sad to lose that income from fines!
I would say, find out what the whole story is. Talk to the family. See if you can go to the place where it happened. (Was it an unmarked school zone in the summer? Those are supposedly “temporary” in some places so that traffic isn’t impacted during non-school hours, but police can use a lot of personal discretion about them.) Has your local area/state been one of those places that gets written about for how their police budget comes out of fines/tickets or has a system where fines are being collected by for-profit agencies? Those are both big red flags that the police are incentivized to ticket heavily.