Hunting for Prenatal Non-Alcohol Drinks? I Love Drinking Vinegars and Bitters
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If you’re trying to drink less, or if you’re pregnant and not drinking, I want to give a shoutout to both drinking vinegars and bitters. We’ve talked about Dry January in the past over at Corporette, and I really upped my bitters game this summer because I did Dry July.
There’s such a wide variety of bitters — much more than the orange stuff you may get locally. For example, I like Aztec Chocolate bitters and lavender bitters and cherry bitters. So if you’ve got a Sodastream or a seltzer habit, it’s really easy to just add a few dashes and get a flavorful drink that’s not too sweet. (That was my problem when I was pregnant and not drinking — everything just tasted too sweet to me. An important note: bitters are actually very concentrated alcohol — sometimes like 44%! You only put a dash or two into seltzer, though, so the alcohol is very very diluted. Still, talk with your doctor about them if you’re pregnant, or do your own research.)
Drinking vinegars are also a really easy and good way to go, with a wide variety of flavors available. Som is highly recommended and has a sample pack, and I’ve also tried the Horball’s sample pack.
For drinking vinegars and shrubs, you do want to add a little bit more, so bitters are probably better cost-wise, if you’re worried about affordability.
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Some of our favorite things to add to plain seltzer (we love our Sodastream!) include:
If you’re more interested in moderation, check out these products:
Pictured above, some ideas on how to moderate your drinking: Caloric Cuvee, Mr. Picky Stemless Wine Glass (the brand has several options available), and Wine-Trax; all $9-$19 at Amazon. I’ve also talked about how much I love the beautiful cocktail glasses from The History Company because they’re generally smaller!
Sales of note for 5/14/25
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Beauty Deals up to 25% off (ends 5/17)
- Ann Taylor – Suit Yourself! 30% off suiting (ends 5/16) + 25% off your full price purchase (ends 5/18) + extra 60% off sale (ends 5/14)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 25% off
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off everything + extra 60% off sale + $1 shipping on all orders
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off long-weekend styles + 50% off select swim and coverups
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + extra 15% off $100+ + extra 20% off $125+
- M.M.LaFleur – Lots of twill suiting on sale! Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 40% off all markdowns (ends 5/18) + 30% off dresses, skirts, accessories, and shoes
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
If you’re still reading, Dr. McCuisten at McKnight Pediatrics at Washington Hospital Center was magic in getting my son to latch. I would not have been able to continue breastfeeding without her (though I have mixed feelings about that, per the discussion earlier–it was never magic for us and I hated virtually every moment of it, but that’s a whole other issue).
Racking my brain trying to find this post – did someone post about a DC/MD pediatric practice with a lactation consultant on staff? Would love the info. Thanks all.
The comment above about the stubborn three year old gave me flashbacks to one of my very difficult daughters, who was impossible in just, everything, from about 2.75-4.25.
Now she’s about to turn five and I just came back from lunch with her (perks of covid-era wfh), where she set the table by herself with clean dishes from the dishwasher, sat for the whole meal, took her plate to the sink without being asked, and is now helping my two year old sit on the potty and find a fresh diaper. She gets herself and the two year old dressed most mornings before they come out of their bedroom and cheerfully holds the doors while I bring the stroller or groceries in/out.
She can still push all my buttons sometimes but even though when I was in that difficult younger period with her I thought we’d never get through it, by now I’ve mostly forgotten how challenging it was.
Have hope, you’re doing great.
My 3YO is a giant (40″ tall, about 44 pounds – larger than most of the kindergarteners I know). She is almost too big for the ikea latt table we have had since she was about 18 months. What is a good next table for her? We’ve been super happy with the ikea one, just trying to think ahead because one more growth spurt and I think it will be done. She mostly uses if for playing with her toys, coloring and eating.
Agh, don’t think my post worked.
Recs for a kids desk? I know I saw these a couple weeks ago I think – need something for my kid entering kinder who is doing so virtually (sob!)
I can’t get a peaceful, restful night’s sleep. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night with vivid memories of my dreams that are consistently of my work or personal life stressed (admittedly, the universe is dealing me far more than my fair share right now). These kinds of dreams used to creep up occasionally but it’s 2+ weeks, and going strong and I wake up stressed and still exhausted, even after 8+ hours of sleep.
Any ideas? I’m a Peloton-er so I’m thinking of trying their sleep/meditation series, but I’m in dire need of restful sleep. I find Tylenol PM can help for the sleep itself, but then I wake up feeling hungover for much of the rest day.
For context, I have a 2 year old, mid IVF, 2 full time WFH jobs,
I know this came up the other day but I haven’t been able to find it! recommendations for kids desks? DD is starting kinder virtually (sob!) and I suspect it may last – Id like to get her set up. TIA!
(Dining table works but younger siblings are in and out and distracting!)
Just wanted to say thanks everyone for the sunscreen application recs yesterday! And glad to know I’m not alone on this one!
FWIW, I don’t think the sunscreen itself is the issue – DS is pretty dramatic and would let me know if it really bothered him. I bought three sub shirts yesterday!
Not super handy but I can probably manage to nail a 1×6 around the inside of the crib. Kiddo hasn’t been in daycare since 10 months (daycare hasn’t reopened and ones that have are oversubscribed because of smaller class sizes) so kiddo has no concept of naping on a cot. Between a 50-60 hour work week and less child care than ideal I’m not super keen on a transition to a mattress on the floor so I’ll probably try plywood before that.
Help! I have a three year old (turned three at the end of May). Getting him out the door in the morning to go to daycare is a nightmare. It generally takes 45 minutes – 1 hour to get him to get out of bed, go potty, brush teeth, put on his clothes, and get in the car (he eats breakfast at daycare). It’s not just the amount of time it takes – it’s such a struggle. He just won’t cooperate with anything or do anything on his own, and then I end up physically making him do it, which makes me feel terrible, and it still takes forever. I’m worried about this affecting our relationship. I really really hate to physically make him do things. I would love to just let him do it on his own time, but I do also need to start work on time. I’ve tried motivating him with a rewards chart. That worked for a week, but now he just says he doesn’t want the reward. I set timers and count to 5, but he just lets time run out. Help! Any suggestions? I know three is a difficult age, and I know this might just be what parenting a three year old is like, but wanted to reach out and see if anyone has any helpful suggestions.
Anyone know of potty training books aimed at older kids? My son is 4 and has autism, and he’s only about 30% potty trained. (Haphazard pee, not at all for poop.) He’s a really advanced reader, and he likes reading books about potty training, but they’re very much divided into “babies” and “big kids” because they’re aimed at 2-year-olds, and I think our old books were getting him down a little because he doesn’t want to be a baby. I pretty much packed those up and out. It’s clearly a niche area, but if anyone knows of books for kids who are a little older but struggling, I’d appreciate your recs!
My 14 month old can got her foot/ankle over the railing of the crib (yes its on the lowest setting, she is just very tall and flexible and determined). We tried putting the mattress on the floor but there is a gap between the top of the mattress and the bottom of the crib side rails so I’m not comfortable with that option. So far her sleep sack is stopping her from actually climbing out. Is this likely to continue to work? If your kid did this I’m wondering how long it took between this phase and actually being able to climb out. I can’t really see having my 14 month old in a toddler bed or on a mattress on the floor…halp please!
Can you all talk me through your experience with breastfeeding vs pumping vs combo feeding?
My son is 10 days old and has been breastfed so far with a small formula supplement at every feed due to his weight loss. He’s back at a good weight, but we’ve been keeping some formula in the mix because I appreciate my husband being able to do a feed or at least get him calmed down before trying to latch. Objectively, we are doing it right as confirmed by a lactation consultant. He has a good latch. I have good supply. Everything is technically ok.
BUT I am already so tired of wrestling a banshee octopus child onto my boob every 3 hours. Especially in the evenings. I feel ok about it most of the day, but he hits his evening cluster feed right when I’m hitting my exhaustion level for the day and the tears are inevitable.
I’m thinking about trying to pump some of those afternoon/ evening feeds and do a bottle at that point, but I’m not really sure how to transition or if pumping is going to be any less unpleasant. I have enough stock of breast milk for a few feeds while I start pumping more.
I have read the combo feeding post here before and found it useful, but am seeking more anecdata.