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(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
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- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ 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
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Cb says
Has anyone found any good solutions for middle of the night growing pains? My son was up from 2:30 to 5:30 with pain in his legs, despite grandma using a “magic potion” (magnesium spray) before bed. No injuries, he spent yesterday walking on the beach and playing basketball, but that’s not an unusual level of activitiy for him.
Anon says
We usually give Motrin or Tylenol and cuddle him for a bit and he falls back asleep. Sometimes we will also give him an ice pack.
Anon says
No, we woke up regularly for years with one of ours. Banana before bed. Our pediatrician suggested a weighted blanket, which didn’t seem to help, and melatonin, which same.
anonn says
I remember us all needing lots of ace bandages as kids, like we thought they cured all. Looking back I’m sure it was growing pains. Probably a bit of placebo, but it worked. Ibuprofen and laying next to my kid helps a lot too.
Anon says
In my experience, it seems like magnesium, potassium and calcium all contribute.
Anonymous says
+ 1
We often do a banana at bedtime
Fallen says
Has anyone here had a kid with scarlet fever? Ours has is and he is on his second round of antibiotics (to be fair; the first round was for the step and scarlet started after he finished his first round, so ped prescribed second round) and it’s not going away… we are on day 5 of antibiotics with zero improvement. Ped seems to think this is normal to take a while to go away but I am getting very worried and kid is beyond miserable.
TheElms says
A friend’s 5 year old recently had it and he was really sick for 2 weeks between the strep and then scarlet fever and then it has taken another 2 weeks for the kiddo to get back to “normal”
Mary Moo Cow says
Growing up, my parents swore by bananas for my sister. They made her eat one a day when she was having growing pains.
Mary Moo Cow says
Sorry; nesting fail!
Anon says
My son had it over Christmas. He barely had a sore throat, so this was our main indication of strep and he only went on one round of antibiotics. The rash itself took a long time to fade and go away, but he started feeling better (aches & pains wise) within a day or two of starting the antibiotic. The doctor also gave a cortisone cream for his hands, which were the worst of the rash, to help with the itching.
I think it’s unusual to have no improvement after five days. Is there a fever? Or just itching? Maybe ask for the steroid cream
Fallen says
There’s just itching, no other symptoms. When he first got the strep he had other symptoms, but those wore off almost immediately after antibiotics. The steroid medication is helping, but the itching is not any better once the steroids wear off, which is odd after after antibiotics…. Did the itching go away after a couple days of antibiotics? I am worried the itching isn’t going away.
Anonymous says
Could he have Kawasaki? Does he have a red tounge?
Anon says
We’re calling pediatricians today to see if anyone has spots for our expected baby. Any must-ask questions or features? I was thinking about asking about an after hours call line, policy on vaccinations, and attitude towards combination feeding.
test run says
I think proximity to your house, Saturday/evening appointments are pretty much the main thing. If you live near a major medical center, their pediatric practices are all pretty much going to agree on vaccinations (you have to vaccinate your child on schedule at our practice or you can’t be a patient there) and supportive of any type of feeding. Also the friendliness/competence of whomever answers the phone – you’re going to be interacting with them a lot.
Bette says
Weekend appointment hours for sick visits.
My kids inevitably develop an ear infection Friday and Saturday morning availability is key.
AwayEmily says
Availability for weekend appointments is huge. Existence of a good after-hours nurse line (ours has a great one — they are always really clear about “here is what you need to look out for” and will connect us to the doctor as needed). We also wanted a practice that was very cautious about antibiotic prescription — so, I trust them to tell us whether antibiotics are necessary or whether we can wait and see (e.g. with mild ear infections).
Anonymous says
Definitely weekend appointments or telehealth visits. We’ve had 9pm video calls on the rare occasion. Also Sunday morning calls. We could always do urgent care but trust our pediatricians more. We also go to a practice that does not push antibiotics but will give them if I ask for an ear infection. Both practices I’ve been to are “we highly recommend vaccinating on schedule but you won’t be kicked out of the practice”. Kicking patients out can be counterproductive – having an open dialogue tends to be more effective at parents eventually vaccinating their children. There are also situations that do call for more spaced out vaccines. (We vaccinate on schedule).
Anon says
I have chosen slightly larger practices or those with multiple locations bc it means much more evening and weekend sick appointment availability. I’ve never had to take my (often sick) kiddos to urgent care bc I can almost always get an appointment. Also agree on after hours call line – I can always get a nurse at an hour and a doctor will usually call back within 15-30 minutes. Very helpful when your kiddo gets croup at 1am.
Anon says
I think the most important thing is sick visit availability – do they have open call in the morning where you just show up, do you call and typically get a same day visit, do you have to go to another location, etc.
New Here says
Our ped has a walk-in clinic Monday – Friday from 8-8:30 (before regular appointments start) and we’ve used it SO MUCH. More than the after-hours nurse line (which has been helpful as well).
Anon says
Combo feeding is huge. Our ped was really supportive of that and it did wonders for my mental health in the newborn days.
Vaccines, I’m not sure it matters, assuming you intend to vaccinate. Our ped is personally pro-vaccine (as 99% of doctors are) but doesn’t refuse to see people who won’t vaccinate. I don’t believe there is any practice in my city that refuses people who don’t vaccinate, but maybe it’s a regional thing…I’m in a red state.
This may not really matter in an interview because >90% of our sick visits have not been with our regular ped, but I did NOT want a doctor that is super cautious about antibiotic use. Antibiotic overuse is a global issue, it’s not harmful to an individual to have antibiotics frequently, and I really wanted to avoid the situation where we went to the doctor and were told to watch and wait, only to have to go back a couple days later to get the antibiotics. Sick visits are expensive (~$200 for us) and time-consuming and we didn’t take our kid in unless they were clearly suffering, so I didn’t see the point in prolonging the suffering. I don’t think we ever left the doctor’s office after an ear infection or strep throat without an antibiotic prescription, and that’s what I wanted (although a couple times we did wait at home to give it). Unpopular opinion in crunchy mom circles, I know.
anon says
There is significant evidence that frequent antibiotic use may be harmful for individuals – it’s not just a population-level issue. My daughter has early onset Crohn’s and frequent antibiotic use is associated with a higher risk of developing pediatric IBD. It’s also associated with an increased risk of asthma. Decisions to use antibiotics should be based on a balancing of the potential harm (not only at a societal level, but also to the individual) and the potential benefit, just like any other drug.
Anecdotally, our daughter’s first pediatrician was very much of the type that you favor, she took antibiotics multiple times a year from the time she was born, and we absolutely switched to a different practice once she was diagnosed and her pediatric gastroenterologist described the research relating to antibiotic exposure and IBD. Our current pediatrician is much more conservative with antibiotic use.
CCLA says
With a little baby, I also looked for practices with separate sick and well child waiting areas so baby wasn’t hanging out with sick kids when coming in for their many many checkups.
Clementine says
Watch the small things – who gives you the best vibes? Who runs on time? Who puts you on hold? Who calls when they say they’ll call.
Our pediatrician runs on time, has good after hours options, is super just supportive and understanding, and has the right level of ‘yeah, let’s run some tests’ versus ‘eh, sounds normal’ that I feel like I need. Ask your friends about their experiences.
Anon says
+1 – I never thought we’d have to shop around for “fit” re pediatrician, but we did after moving and having kid #2.
anon says
I think that unless you live in a pretty crunchy area, most pediatrician’s offices are going to be unfazed by any approach to feeding, whether it’s EBF, EFF, EP, or combo feeding.
Availability and after-hours nurse line are the most important factors. I guess policy on vaccinations if you intend something other than the standard schedule – my ped will not allow patients in the practice unless they vaccinate on a standard schedule, subject to medical reasons for delaying or spacing vaccines.
Anon says
I’m not in a crunchy area and a lot of peds push EBF-ing hard. I was lucky to have one who was very supportive of combo feeding, but from talking to local friends it’s rare.
anon says
I’d ask local parents about the quality and availability of pediatric urgent care in your town before deciding how important after-hours care is. My town has an amazing pediatric urgent care that allows us to see an excellent, board-certified pediatrician almost whenever we want. They can always get us in same-day, and immediately when needed. I don’t bother to call the pediatrician’s office for urgent matters because it’s way easier to just go to urgent care than play phone tag with the pediatrician’s office and see if we can be squeezed in by a colleague.
Anon says
Coming at you all with a happy story — we just returned from a 2 week trip with our three kids (ages 11, 9, and almost 5). It was absolutely lovely, and the only critique from my crew was that we wanted more time together — no one was ready to come home yesterday! We have slogged through years of vacations with managing baby and toddler needs/tantrums, and yes, our 5 year old still had his moments — but it was more downtime, good behavior at restaurants, and genuinely fun moments together than we’ve had in years.
But now the less fun — my weight has crept up over the last few years, and I find I am …. gassier than I used to be when I was 10 lbs lighter. Is this related? I don’t think I realized it until the last few weeks — possibly bc I had more downtime to notice how I feel (or possibly bc I was traveling with a 9 yr old boy who thought it was hilarious to hear me toot).
Anon says
Thanks for posting this. We did a week away to visit out-of-state family with kids (3.5, 6.5), and while overall an excellent trip it was still rough at times with the 3.5 year old behavior/tantrums.
We purposefully picked the trip we did for a few reasons, including the age of your younger kid, but really hoping/looking forward to vacations in new places/abroad as a family to make different kinds of memories.
Anon says
yes! definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Our hardest trips have included a 3.5 yr old. In between having a 2 or 3 year old in the house, we’ve snuck in epic trips abroad — and they are utterly lovely, when you have kids older than 5 or younger than 2 (in our experience).
Anon. says
Last year on vacation my then 6 year old was great but my 3.5 yr old was an absolute nightmare. Multiple full on screaming tantrums every single day. There were good times too, but her screaming “I want my iPad!” at the top of her lungs for 20 minutes one day is forever seared into my brain. (The iPad was in the hotel room; I couldn’t give in even if I wanted to.)
This year my now 4.5 year old was an utter joy. The only tantrum came driving home from the airport and I can absolutely empathize with that. The two kids had a great time together.
There is hope.
octagon says
Congrats on a fun vacation!
Your weight and GI issues are likely related – possibly caused by changes in your eating habits? I’m much more sensitive now to beans and fried foods than I was 10 years ago. I’ve also noticed my gut generally is more sensitive, so I take a probiotic regularly to keep things happy.
Anon says
I only have one kid, but definitely feel like 4.5-5 is a huge turning point in terms of making travel easy and fun. I’m impressed that you all lasted through a 2 week trip though! We took a 2 week vacation in June for the first time since our late 20s (long before we had a kid), and we we were all kind of exhausted and ready to come home by about the the 10 day mark. It wasn’t even really about our kid, who did fine. I think DH & I just not really long vacation people, especially in our 40s. Lol.
AwayEmily says
Where did you go? My kids will be those exact ages in two years…
Our weeklong trip this year was fun but I was VERY ready to come home. Toddler travel is…not easy. For me, at least. Looking forward to the post-nap era.
Issues with my five year old says
My third child is an outgoing joy with her family and anyone she knows well. Or even at school after the first couple weeks. But when she’s uncomfortable and in a new situation she tends to act sullen and be totally silent – she won’t answer basic, friendly questions directed to her by a parent’s friend, for example, and when doing an activity around strangers will be frowning and pretending she’s just putting up with it even though she wants to do it and later says it was fun. It’s a weird personality thing and I keep thinking she’ll outgrow it (she’s 5) but she’s not and it’s starting to hold her back. I think she gets invited on less playdates since she’s not friendly with adults even though she’s very popular with other kids at school, for example. Or she did not get into my older kids’ kindergarten because of behavior at the group test even though her current teacher’s recommendation was super positive.
We’ve tried motivating her with stickers, treats, anything. We’ve talked about how her behavior isn’t polite. I’ve also tried to be patient because it does seem to come from anxiety or her own innate personality. But I’m also getting pretty tired of it. (We have four kids so I tend to be pretty laidback on individual quirks!)
It occurred to me that maybe play therapy could help here? Any other ideas? Please be kind – I promise we’re experienced parents here, it’s just a personality quirk of my third I’m really struggling with! She’s a very happy kid and will tell you that. Just with her own family or people. I’m also okay with shyness, just not to the point where it comes off as rude!
Anon says
No advice, but I think it’s good you’re taking this seriously. It comes off as rude because it IS rude, whether it’s her intention or not, and actively helping her overcome this will help her in the long run.
Anon says
Really? As an adult it’s hard for me to imagine labeling a 5 year old as rude because they were frowning and being silent. It’s rude behavior for an adult, but you don’t judge little kids by adult norms. I think of 5 year olds as rude if they’re name calling or being very demanding of adults (“get me that now!”) with no “please” or patience. Pretty much anything else is well within the norm at that age.
Anon says
I wouldn’t judge it at age 3, but age 5 is very different.
Anon says
+1. 5 is still a little kid. This type of behavior is still very, very common at age 5.
Anon says
To me, rudeness is a description of behavior, unconnected to intent. Both children and adults can be rude without meaning to; it’s still rude and still something you should correct.
Anon says
I dunno, I only have one kid but that seems very normal to me for a 5 year old. Do most 5 year olds really chat easily with adults they don’t know? My 6 year old is very outgoing with peers and adults she’s comfortable with including teachers and coaches, but pretty quiet around adults she doesn’t know well, including most of her friends’ parents. (And tbh as someone with advanced verbal skills as a kid who could talk easily to adults but struggled to relate to peers, I’ve always thought the reverse was much better from a social standpoint…) At play dates she and the other kids seem to avoid the adults completely, whether it’s at our house or the friend’s house, and I assume this will only increase as they get older. I really doubt her being quiet around new adults is impacting her play date invites (and if it is, it certainly won’t continue for much longer – grade school kids make their own opinions about friends, and don’t let their parents choose who to invite over). Sticker rewards to try to change what seems like a personality trait is weird to me.
OP says
She’s a standard deviation off of most kids. Her (very experienced trusted) teacher called us two days into school to talk about her “sullen” behavior and attitude problem, and two weeks later called to tell me “she’s a joy, the heart of the class, but we do need to work on how she can come off.”
With friends of mine, for example, she won’t answer “what class are you in?” or “how old are you?” which most kids will at least answer if not have a a friendly chat. It’s a problem!
But I also appreciate that you all don’t think it’s too far off normal!
anon says
Sorry, is this not pretty common? Among the 5 year olds I know, most are like this especially if there is a crowd of new people. I think it’s less of an issue with other kids but my kid is definitely not talking to stranger adults. I think it’s a delicate balance, because if i push my kid to engage strangers even if he’s not comfortable, how do you then also explain don’t trust all adults? I think it will eventually get better with practice. I am personally not too concerned.
OP says
She’s like this in a small setting with one adult that she doesn’t know well though – not just a crowd of new people. Or with a soccer coach she sees once a week for a whole season. I have two older kids who would both be described as shy and on the quieter end by their teachers, but they don’t come off as rude. It’s tricky!
I do think as an adult she won’t be like this, but I also think it’s giving people a really bad impression of her and it’s not helping her at this age. It’s also not helpful to US but I try to meet my kids where they are. But I don’t know that that applies where she comes off as rude? This one is really hard for us.
Anonymous says
I think she’s 5 and feeling shy in a new situation. My answer would be totally different if she was 10. Their prefrontal cortex doesn’t even begin to develop until 7. Just keep encouraging her and the behavior could resolve itself in 1-2years. Extroverts are NOT automatically better people than shy introverts. It can be incredibly hard to overcome shyness in a situation and you’re really expecting too much out of a 5 year old. What’s important is that she has friends and plays well with peers. How often do 5yo an even need playdates beyond school? Especially if they have 3 siblings at home already.
OP says
Thanks, these responses do make me feel better. My older two are introverts too! I’m an introvert!
I actually think she’s worse because she has three siblings and two parents to play with at home, so she doesn’t really NEED people outside her family. But she’s very popular with her peers. I’m going to try focusing on that more too.
Anon says
+1
Anon says
Please don’t equate rudeness with introversion. Becoming sullen or refusing to respond to a known adult IS rude. It’s not a crime and kids need to learn – but it’s definitely rude. Teaching kids basic manners and reinforcing them is not in any way exposing them to excessive harm that they might trust untrustworthy adults.
anon says
i don’t know why you’re on a vendetta against 5 year olds who won’t engage with adults lol. did a 5 year old hurt your feelings?
anon says
what 5 yo hurt you? you have a vendetta against them. calling this rude is so over the top.
AwayEmily says
My 5yo has some similar issues. I had a Serious Talk with him about three months ago. I did it in the car so we didn’t have to make eye contact, and I told him that I was going to tell him something that might be hard to hear, and that he didn’t have to respond and we didn’t have to talk about it, but it was really important that he listened. And then I told him that he was getting older and it was no longer acceptable to ignore adults who were talking to him (e.g. “How’s kindergarten going?” from a family friend). That I knew he was a kind, good kid but when he ignores people, it is perceived as quite rude. He did not say a single word in response, but we have not had any issues since with the responding-to-adults thing.
anon says
So my son is no 6.5 and is getting better at this but still isn’t great and needs prompting. However, I’ve rarely had anyone comment on it and they accept him not wanting to talk to strangers pretty readily. I wonder if part of why adults react to it so strongly is unconscious bias/expectations of girls? (Not you, but others. I’ve noticed with my extroverted daughter how much people react to her, but don’t even really notice that DS doesn’t answer them at all.) With DS I just try to reinforce that he doesn’t have to talk to strangers or hug anyone, etc., but he is expected to have manners (ie. go say hi to great-aunt-whatever, but he doesn’t have to hug them; he doesn’t have to converse with every adult in all circumstances, but he can’t just ignore them). He also doesn’t like to participate in large groups but is in fact having a good time usually. I wouldn’t try to fix his facial expressions. He also doesn’t get invited to many play dates, but I frankly don’t love them so don’t see this as a problem to fix because he’s a happy kiddo who prefers time at home with his siblings. TLDR, I’d try to just go with the bare minium for manners (remembering she’s just 5) and let the rest go if she’s happy.
Anon says
I have a girl who is 6.5 and also somewhat like this but improving, and adults seem unfazed by it. She’s also not an outlier among the kids we know.
OP mentioned school interviews so I wonder if some of this is private school culture? It’s hard for me to imagine a public school teacher emailing parents about a kid being quiet and a bit pouty. Even in our high SES district they have much bigger behavioral issues to deal with. And maybe the parent community has overall high standards for kids’ social interaction with adults? I don’t know any parents that would blink an eye about a 5 year old being too shy to talk to a new adult but I feel like my community is more “live and let live” than most private school communities.
Anon says
My child has been diagnosed with selective mutism and her behaviors sound similar to yours – check out selectivemutism.org for more information and resources. We did play therapy with not much success and she is soon going to start with a therapist who specializes in selective mutism, so I’m hopeful.
Anon says
I have a 5 year old and based on the sample size of her preschool class this is totally normal. Some will answer me when I talk to them, but not all the time. Some pretty much just ignore me all the time. Most are in the middle (i.e. sometimes will respond to me if I ask a direct question, sometimes won’t). I think they’re just feeling shy/uncomfortable or sometimes are distracted by a butterfly or sometime just don’t want to talk or sometimes don’t like me. I don’t think this is a problem for a 5 year old.
Anonymous says
Jumping off the pediatrician thread, my older child goes to a pediatrician that is no longer very close to our house, since we moved to a suburb a few years ago. We keep going to this doctor because we like the continuity, and the practice is large and highly regarded. However, we’re expecting child #2 and I’m considering using a practice that’s much closer to where we live. Would it be a bad idea to have two different pediatricians? Or should I (a) use our current practice for the new baby or (b) switch both to a new practice near us?
anon says
(b)! I switched all the kids to a new ped closer by right before we had baby 3. No regrets! (We have been lucky though, no major health concerns where I was more worried about continuity). I think it will be really nice when we have those random sick visits for the bigger kids, because the further drive was just far enough to make it annoying. Shorter drive, only one office to remember for paperwork/phone calls etc. Make it easier on yourself!
Boston Legal Eagle says
Definitely b. Convenience trumps most things. This way they can get combined flu shots, etc.
Spirograph says
100% this
I like our pediatrician practice, but I would not hesitate to switch to a new one if we moved far enough away that it became inconvenient!
Anon says
I would definitely switch both. Having two different peds would be the last option for me.
Anon says
I’d call/look around to the practices by you and see if they’re accepting new patients. Unfortunately there’s a shortage of pediatricians and it’s going to get worse so a lot of practices will only accept newborns and siblings- so if you want to switch your newborn may be your “in”.
Gift Help says
My SIL’s birthday is coming up and I’m drawing a blank on a gift. She is a working mom with a toddler. I honestly don’t know her super well (despite my efforts) and I can’t think of something generic and maybe trendy that she might appreciate. Budget is $50-$75. Any recommendations? Thanks!
Anon says
Gift card to a local coffeeshop.
AwayEmily says
I really love when my SIL gives me things that she also has and loves, with a note to that effect. Makes me feel a little closer to her (we also are friendly but not FRIENDS).
Anon says
That’s a generous gift for a SIL you don’t know well! Does your family have a big gifting culture? I like my SIL fine and we’re friendly when we see each other a few times a year, but I’ve never gotten her a birthday gift, nor her me, and I don’t typically spend more than $50 on my best friend, except for milestone birthdays. I agree with a gift card to a local coffee shop or restaurant.
Anon says
I might spend $50-$75 on my SIL for Xmas, but we typically don’t exchange birthday gifts. What has she given you on your birthdays? That might give you some ideas. Other ideas: gift card to the best spa in her area with an offer to babysit; Zingerman’s gift box.
An.On. says
I really liked the necklace with the birthstone for my baby that my SIL gave me – somewhat generic but also personally sentimental.
Mary Moo Cow says
A trendy belt bag (like the Lululemon bag)? Consumables, like flower delivery or Jenni’s ice cream (a friend did this for me and my kids were beside themselves that ice cream was delivered!) If you are a reader, a book you recently read and enjoyed, with a coffee shop gift card and a note.
Anon says
Very random and very petty vent. We’ve been very fortunate to have extended family stopping by our house to meet our baby and older child when passing through our town in the last several months. I’ve noticed a pattern where basically if anyone is over the age of 50, they just do not take their shoes off before walking through our home. Granted we have a lot of hardwood flooring, so it’s not as clear of a delineation as a room of carpet. But I can’t figure out people assume they shouldn’t take off their shoes. We always take off our own shoes. Our older child always takes off hers. Our baby can now crawl, so anything on the floor is going to their hands and then their mouth.
When we’ve previously visited any of these other people’s home in the past, they obviously do not walk around in their own homes with shoes on, so we take ours off. We even have benches in our entry way dedicated to helping take off shoes and these are relatively healthy people who have no issues taking their shoes off.
Just curious if this is just unique to our family or common for other people too?
Anon says
We’re a no shoes household, but I don’t think it’s universal by any means in the US. If you want them to take their shoes off, why don’t you just ask? Expecting them to read your mind about no shoes just because you have a bench in your entryway is a bit much.
Anon says
+1 I would ask. “Do you mind taking your shoes off? Now that baby is crawling we especially are trying to keep the floors clean.” You can also have little booties if they are resistant.
We are a shoes-on household and I’m extra cognizant of taking them off at other people’s houses. But if people were to visit me they would see me not in shoes a lot of time, too (like, if I’ve been inside all day I wouldn’t have put shoes on, or if it’s wet outside I’ll leave my boots at the door) so it’s possible some of these guests are shoes-households and it’s an ingrained habit. FWIW my four kids are very, very rarely ill, despite (because of?) our shoes.
AwayEmily says
Definitely not universal. I try to always ask when I go into other peoples’ houses and I’d say that in nice weather it’s about 50/50 whether they want shoes on or off.
In our house we are mostly shoes-off but I don’t ask my guests to take off theirs.
Spirograph says
I grew up in a carpeted, shoes-on household, but my house now is wood floors and shoes-off. (I think shoes are worse with hardwood floors because the dirt and debris shows so much more! And you feel it if you’re walking around barefoot!)
Similar to you, we have a shoe tray and other hints by the front door. Most people pick up on it, or at least ask “would you prefer if I take off my shoes?”…my dad does not. He doesn’t visit often and my kids are past the crawling stage, so I usually just let it go. But since you have a crawling baby, that’s a perfect opportunity to cheerfully say “please take off your shoes, the baby is crawling everywhere these days, so we’re trying extra hard to keep the floors clean!” to people as you invite them in.
Anon says
I think polite guests ought to ask whether to remove their shoes indoors, but I would not assume a shoes-off policy. Absent bad weather, we are a shoes-on house with a three year old and a one year old. I admit it may not have been the most hygienic choice when either kid was crawling, but it’s a habit that I grew up with. In bad weather, I often wear indoor shoes like slippers or sandals, but I’m always wearing shoes. That said, I think it’s perfectly acceptable and polite to ask guests directly to remove their shoes. If the guest shows any hesitation, you can quickly point out that baby is crawling. I generally ask when I’m at a new place whether to remove my shoes because many households understandably do not want stuff tracked in!
Mary Moo Cow says
I hear ya. My dad has to be nudged to take his shoes off in our house (which is weird to me because we were a no-shoe house growing up.) My mom finally fessed up that she has plantar fasciitis and bought dedicated house tennis shoes to wear when she visits — so, even though your guests may be outwardly healthy, they may be hiding something. My in-laws usually wear their shoes; my FIL seems to pretend not to notice/hear me and when I visit their house and immediately take my shoes off, he says it’s fine to leave them on: I think we might be locked in passive-aggressive stalemate. My MIL responded, “Oh I’m going to leave them on because of my bunions.” Cool, cool. All 4 are over 60.
So I just quietly seethe while I wet swiffer and run the robot vacuum after everyone leaves.
Anon says
Yes, this is a thing with older people! I let it go but it does bother me. I just don’t want them to wear the same shoes they may have walked in a gas station bathroom onto the rug where my baby is crawling! I try not to think about it but sigh.