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Updated: Aug 26, 2021 147 Comments · by

Organizing Thursday: Soft-Sided Scrunchable Laundry Hamper

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checkered laundry hamper

I’ve used this hamper for years and I’m so glad Target still sells it! We used to live in a small townhouse with a stackable washer/dryer in the middle of a narrow hallway. After putting a load in, I would scrunch this hamper up, and slide it next to the washer, out of the way.

This hamper is made from a durable, yet lightweight, fabric and has two handles for easy schlepping. The subtle grid pattern is a nice touch — I can see using it to store stuffed animals or other toys. And, since it’s scrunchable, it goes out of sight until you need it again.

The hamper is $10 at Target.

Sales of note for 12.5.23…

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

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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About Ann

Ann is a working mom, a longtime reader of Corporette and CorporetteMoms, and has been writing our morning fashion advice for working moms since November 2020! She has a daughter (born winter 2014) and a son (born fall 2019) and is a public interest lawyer in Washington, D.C.

Comments

  1. Need a couple random suggestions says

    Looking for suggestions for a few random products:
    Breton striped long sleeve shirt: budget under $50, want a more substantial weight ls tshirt or sweater. Black and white or navy and white
    Kids table/chairs: Budget under $100. Small table and at least one, probably 2, chairs. Is Ikea the go-to at this budget?
    The Ordinary buffet: Need to ditch my retinol based products while ttc #2 and this seems like a popular pregnancy-safe product. Anyone use this or another product from this line?

    • Cb says

      Not sure what shipping costs will be like but I like Seasalt breton tshirts. M&S stocks Seasalt and they have decent delivery options to the UK. IKEA is the answer for the table and chairs, or FB marketplace.

    • Anonymous says

      For kids table, look into coffee tables. Amazon also does a great space saving nesting table with pie shaped seats within your budget.

    • Anonymous says

      Boden for the shirt. It is a t-shirt, but thicker than average.

      Table: we have an Ikea one and really like it. It has held up well and washes great.

    • EDAnon says

      We have the IKEA table and it’s totally fine. It does have two chairs which is key with two kids. You can probably find one on Craigslist or Facebook.

    • EB0220 says

      Definitely FB marketplace or Craigslist for the table. I got a used PB Kids Carolina table and chairs a few years ago that is really excellent quality. I think I paid maybe $50. Kids outgrow these quickly and when people are done with them they’re done.

    • AwayEmily says

      I got a cheap-ish table from Wayfair, and then two chairs from Crate and Barrel kids (the “Animal chairs”) on the recommendation of a friend. They aren’t at all cheap ($79 each) but they do. not. tip. They’re just really heavy and good quality, and fine for adults to sit in, too. We had IKEA ones previously and they were constantly tipping over. Just make sure that if you get a table and chairs from different places, you make sure that they’re the right height for each other.

  2. Tote bag says

    I’m looking for a weekend tote bag for running errands with the kids (3 and 1). I leave the full diaper bag/backpack in the car and like to just wear a shoulder bag or throw it at the bottom of the stroller. It would hold one change of clothes for each kid, a few toys, snacks, water bottles, my wallet, sunglasses, face wipes, a diaper. I’ve been using an old le pliage (large size) but I’d like more organization (or at least one pocket). I looked at LL Bean canvas bags but they seemed pretty heavy. I got the Hershel strand/sprout tote but it looked too much like a diaper bag so returning it. I would appreciate any suggestions! Budget is under $300 or so but not firm. I plan to keep it for a while. Thanks!

  3. Worried says

    Well, 3rd day of school and my 7 year old woke up with upset stomach, back hurting, sneezing, and sniffling. Hoping it is not but this seems likely to be covid. Kiddo has asthma that is under control but still means that illnesses hit him harder. Would appreciate anyone giving me a progression of their kid’s covid symptoms. I know there is not much I can do to change anything but would also appreciate good vibes. This is the scenario I have been fearing and dreading.

    • Anon says

      So sorry to hear this. Do not have any experiences to share but I urge you to call your pediatrician and get your child before jumping to worst case scenario.

      • NYCer says

        +1. There are lots of non-covid illnesses going around amongst children. Definitely get tested, but try not to panic!

    • Anonymous says

      Ok what?!? Like those aren’t even classic symptoms. Back pain? Go and get your kid tested before running down the worst case scenarios.

      • Anonymous says

        OP here. Kid says his back has been hurting since the middle of the night, i.e. body aches. Diarrhea, sneezing, congestion, and runny nose are symptoms according to what I saw.

        • Anonymous says

          And yes, we will be getting him tested. Kept him and sibling home from school today to be on safe side until we get test results.

        • Anonymous says

          Ok. So what’s the point of leading us all down a panic spiral instead of getting him tested?

          • Anon says

            OP is not trying to lead random people on the internet down a panic spiral. she is probably slightly panicking herself and is looking for some reassurance/positive thoughts

          • Anonymous says

            Like I am absolutely sending good vibes!! But this is going to be happening all the time to lots of us. We just need to test, quarantine, and follow doctor’s orders. Anecdata is not reliable and just adds to understandable stress and anxiety.

          • Anonymous says

            Not trying to lead anyone into a panic spiral. Yes, honestly, I’m panicking myself and trying to get some information. We’ve had him tested before and of course he has gotten colds during the pandemic. These symptoms are different and he seems more ill this time. Kindly scroll past if you aren’t interested, your tone is pretty dismissive and unkind.

          • Anonymous says

            Sorry! I can see that and truly am sorry. I’m feeling very fraught about all of this as I know we all are and I should have kept my mouth shut.

          • Anon says

            Everyone’s stressed OP. I think it’s 100% fine you posted what you did. Fingers crossed this isn’t Covid! Be kind to yourself and take care of your kiddo.

          • Anon says

            You sound unhinged. She’s sharing an experience and asking for specific input. The fact that reality upsets you does not mean she’s “leading us all down a panic spiral”.

          • Anon says

            Gah 9:12, you need to up your anti-anxiety dosage or stay off the internet! You’re completely overreacting.

    • Anon says

      My 7yo niece got it a couple weeks ago. She had diarrhea, coughing, congestion, and a small fever. She was back to normal but with a slight cough after a few days.
      I think testing is wise. Best wishes for a speedy recovering from whatever he’s got!

    • TheElms says

      I’m hoping for you that it is not Covid, and that if it is its a mild illness, and that it doesn’t spread to your other kiddo. Thinking of you and your family today.

    • Anon says

      Hoping it’s not COVID for you. My 6 year old just had it and was unfortunately ill for 2 weeks. Fatigue the whole time. No true fever but he felt clammy a couple days. Vomiting one day. Woke one night with a bad earache (not sure whether it was truly his ear or if it was a headache). Congestion and runny nose. He got little blisters on his nose which we believe were related because they showed up on a cheek one day where snot dried while he slept. He tested negative on Saturday, 3 days at school, and is home again today with bad diarrhea, which could be ongoing COVID symptoms or a totally new illness (fun!). We think our 4.5 year old likely had it too but just some fatigue and a little diarrhea for him.

      I’d also just put it out there that we did two at-home rapid tests in the days after my oldest was exposed and was starting to show symptoms, both of which were negative. Luckily we still kept him home because a PCR test 2 days later was positive.

  4. Anon says

    just need to vent. i was supposed to go see my college friends for the first time since 2019 next month and we just canceled the trip. the rational part of me knows it was the safer thing to do, but DH got to go last month to see his friends before things really blew up and we knew what we know now about delta. i would have been willing to make other sacrifices to minimize risk to make it work and i’m kind of frustrated/hurt that my friends are choosing other risks (flying with their kids to stay at a hotel in a hot spot right before school starts, visiting indoors with local friends/family; note – my family is not visiting indoors with anyone right now) rather than seeing each other. it wouldn’t have been a risk-free visit, but it definitely would not have carried more risk than what some of them are doing already.

    • anon says

      That sucks, but realistically, they’re probably going to put family plans ahead of friend plans, as much as it hurts.

      • OP says

        yea i guess i’m just tired of people not owning their decisions. like just come out and say, “seeing you guys is important to me, but i want to prioritize seeing local family.” or the people who say, “we are prioritizing keeping kids in school and doing our part to keep society safe, so we aren’t doing anything outside of school…except X, Y and Z.” well honestly how about you say “we’ve decided that doing X is worth the risk of getting covid/spreading covid/having to quarantine/causing quarantines” and own it! stop pretending that you aren’t taking risks or potentially contributing to spread

    • Anonymous says

      I’ll be your friend and go on an as safe as possible trip. I need a break, too!

    • Anon says

      i guess i’m just tired of people not owning their decisions. just say “i’m prioritizing family.” rather than pretending you aren’t taking any risks. or saying things like “we are prioritizing keeping kids in school and doing our part to keep the community safe, so we aren’t doing anything else…except x, y and z.” well just own your decision – “we have decided that doing X is worth the risk of getting covid/spreading covid/having to quarantine/causing quarantines.”

      • Anonymous says

        I wish this too. I’m not going to fault people for choosing family! Just don’t say “we can’t see you for a beach day, the risk is too high” and then go do something 3x as risky with Grandma’s extended family.

        • Anon says

          yes, this. it is also very lonely when none of your family lives locally and everyone prioritizes family

  5. anon says

    Day three of daycare drop off for my 1.5 yo and I feel super sad. He was hysterical. I know it will get easier but I also know it will be a while before it does. So emotionally draining and a horrible way to start a day. :(

    • Anonymous says

      If it makes you feel any better, there is a 99% chance that he was happy and smiling within 2 minutes after you left.

      • Anonymous says

        Yup! My 2yo freaks out everytime at church nursery but I look through the window after 5 mins and he’s happily playing

    • Nan says

      It might be awhile before it gets better, or it might be sooner than you think! For us it took about 3 days and things improved drastically. So don’t lose hope!

    • anon says

      My oldest still is upset going to daycare a lot. One thing that helped was giving him a task, and reminding him of it on the way to school. At 1.5 that can’t be anything too hard but maybe he can carry his own bottle or something? It’s largely a re-direction from the focus being on how sad he is you’re leaving. Also recommend “Grownups come back” song from Daniel Tiger. Good luck and good vibes being sent your way. This was so hard for me too.

    • EDAnon says

      When I raised feeling upset about it, our teachers were send a photo pretty early in the day to show how well our kiddo adjusted. It is easy through their app. That might help you feel better.

  6. Anon says

    Given how down everyone seems to be today, wanted to type up what I think is a hilarious anecdote involving my 6yo who just started first grade on Monday:

    Took him to the grocery store Tuesday evening for lunch stuff (because I’m scrambling, what’s new). Our store just put in the scales in the produce section where you can weigh items and print labels for the bags yourself to make checkout quicker! My son was fascinated. I had to stop him from trying to weigh himself and put a label on himself so we could buy him at checkout (and given he’s 70 pounds he’d be an expensive item!). Instead, he printed a label for one lemon, put it on his shirt, and stood next to the lemon box and said to the multiple shoppers who walked by in a high-pitched voice “hi, do you want to buy me? I am a lemon.” A couple of them engaged with him and his responses were so funny. Nearly everyone giggled.

    He is such a silly kid and normally I would be quick to shut this down, but it legitimately made people laugh. Hope you’re able to appreciate the silly stuff this week!

    • Mary Moo Cow says

      This made me smile! I have a kiddo who would do that, and I love to hear that people engaged. We went out for a fast casual dinner last night because we’re moving next week and things are falling apart faster than I expected, and my 4 year old got up and danced and said hi to people who were leaving. A few people waved.

    • Mommasgottasleep says

      That is adorable! What a gregarious and creative kid you have! Our 11 year anniversary was last night, but we don’t have a babysitter so we just did dinner at home. After we put our 6 mo old twins to bed (at 6:30) our four year old announced we were having a dance competition. He showed us his moves and then made DH and I show him our dances (we are not dancers but it was fun). I never would have expected a wedding anniversary would end that way and it was delightful.

    • EDAnon says

      Hat is so funny and sweet! I would have definitely bought that lemon. I mean the cost per pie is crazy low ;)

  7. anon says

    With Delta now being a thing, how are you evaluating what you’re doing as a family with unvaccinated kids? Our school is requiring masks, thankfully, but I haven’t signed the kids up for any fall extracurriculars. I don’t know if I can mentally take another 6+ months of keeping them away from grandparents, cousins, friends, and low-key activities that enhance our quality of life. I guess my approach is to do things fairly normally but have them masked up and to give preference to outdoor activities whenever possible. Thoughts? Am I being foolish?

    • Anonymous says

      I’m not keeping my kids away from family. Kids are not high risk, everyone else is vaccinated.

    • Anon says

      Spend time outdoors. Enjoy the pleasant fall weather. Don’t keep kids away from family and friends, especially if those you’re visiting are vaccinated and your kids are low-risk (I imagine they are). Mask them indoors if you’d like (we are doing this). You still don’t need to mask them outdoors (we’re not).

      • Anonymous says

        Same to all this. Not trying to do a ton of indoor stuff, but also not shutting down like we did last year. We’re in a high vax area and I don’t have any friends or family (that we see regularly) that are not vaccinated.

    • Anon says

      I’m not keeping my 4 year old away from vaccinated family but I am keeping her out of daycare. She stays with us or her grandparents during the week. It’s tough but we’ve been able to figure out a good system. I’m not willing to risk sending her to an indoor environment with many unvaccinated folks for several hours per day. I’ll send her to preschool once she’s vaccinated.

      • Anonymous says

        Unlikely there will be a vaccine for her before she’s in Kindergarten anyway.

        • Anon says

          I think it’s pretty likely that there will be one for her before fall 2022

    • Anonymous says

      Some distanced activities (swimming lessons), some masked activities (art class), and seeing grandparents/close family. Using outdoor playdates (eg playgrounds, hikes) for playdates with their friends. Socializing with a tighter circle for both kids and myself/DH and everyone I know who is eligible has been vaccinated.

    • Anon says

      We’re making a few changes but not too much yet. We’re not going back to 2020.

      We are doing indoor swimming in the fall with a 3 year old but not signing the 1 year old up yet. We’re mostly doing outdoor activities (this month it was – fruit picking, zoo, playgrounds, beach, animal farm, drive through safari) and outdoor dining until we can’t anymore (might be soon given that we’re in the Great Lakes region). We’re seeing family. All adults are vaccinated. We do small (< 10) indoor dinners and playdates with vaccinated friends and their unvaccinated children. Kids don't wear masks. When possible, we try to do outdoor brunches rather than dinners but with friends' older kids' weekend activities, that's harder to accomplish. The 3 year old is masked as daycare. We decided to keep the 1 year old home through the winter even though he was supposed to start at the daycare next month. The mask policy at daycare is 2+.

      We also do date nights with vaccinated friends. This month, it was a couple dinners out on patios and two outdoor concerts.

    • Cb says

      We’ve been deep into Delta for awhile in the UK – we do nursery, outdoor activities and dining, and we are having grandparents visit next month (train and plane away). I just can’t ask grandparents to stay away any longer, it’s too cruel. It could be years that vaccines for little ones are approved here – I might think differently if I had an 11.5 year old.
      Husband is back in the office most days, and I’ll be flying to teach (hopefully masked) in October, so I’m stressed but trying to maintain some perspective – we’re both vaxxed, I’ll have a booster next month, etc.

    • No Face says

      School and daycare provide a lot of activity and socialization. Outside of that, we do outdoor things, including playdates. Kids see their vaccinated grandparents at least once of week, indoors and out.

      It is still hot, so I am taking advantage of the ability to be outside. When it gets too cold, we will mask up and go to certain places like the art museum, etc.

    • Anonymous says

      We are masking whenever we are indoors with anyone outside of our household, kids and adults alike. We live in a state that’s actually tracking breakthrough infections and it’s pretty scary. On top of that, our parents are quite old, were vaccinated 6 months ago so their protection is waning, and refuse to mask. We don’t want to give it to them.

    • GCA says

      Things we’re avoiding currently: crowds (outdoor or indoor), unnecessary indoor activities.
      Things we’re not avoiding currently: I’m not keeping kids from seeing other families where the adults are vaccinated, one on one (so eg. indoor playdates in the winter). Outdoor activities. Playgrounds.
      The risk goes up with crowds, confined spaces, longer duration, unmasked and unvaccinated people — no single one of these is a dealbreaker but they add up (though, knowing that someone is unvaccinated raises questions about the rest of their behavior – luckily we don’t have to deal with any family members holding out, but I’m conscious that some folks here do). And the calculation may change as the situation changes in the next few months.

    • ElisaR says

      i get your hesitation and my appetite for risk seems to change daily. For now, we are attending school (ages 3 and 5) for the first time since March 2020. I signed both boys up for soccer and outdoor yoga in the fall. We will probably continue to visit with our local vaccinated grandparents and aunts/uncles and (unvaxed due to age under 12) cousins. everything is subject to change. We will continue to avoid indoor socializing with the rest of the world, but I’m comfortable w/ outdoor socializing.

    • Anon says

      so i attended a zoom for my kids’ school (it is a private school that goes 15 months – 5th grade, my kids are in preschool), and the doctors leading the event said that if your goal is to keep kids in school and the reason that schools that were open last year were able to stay open so much is because of how people prioritized school. they strongly encouraged only outdoor activities or indoor masked activities. A LOT of vaccinated people are spreading and getting covid. i have two vaccinated colleagues in the past week who got covid. one knows for sure she got it from an indoor family gathering with all vaccinated people. she doesn’t have kids so the risk was only to her and her husband. i don’t think you’re being foolish with your approach, but you are saying “doing this activity is worth the risk of getting/spreading covid and having to quarantine/causing quarantines for others.” i posted this above, but you need to just own your choices and then don’t complain that your kid got covid or your family was exposed to covid and now has to quarantine and your kids can’t go to school.

      • Anonymous says

        No I don’t. I don’t need to only express myself in the one way you deem acceptable. I don’t need to take all your blame on because my kids see their grandparents. I don’t need to just contending accept Covid and never be sad about it because I, gasp, dared to live my life in a slightly different way than you.

        Your attitude is toxic and miserable and I’m not taking that on.

        • Anon says

          i don’t think this poster was saying that she doesn’t feel sad about it. my family takes some risks. we’ve had grandparents come and fly to visit us. DH goes in-person to a small office, where everyone is vaccinated, but we know breakthrough infections can happen. my kids are in preschool for the first time and it sucks that i can’t go inside and see their classroom and meet other parents. we didn’t see our siblings for 1.5 years and finally did over the summer – they missed over a third of my kids’ short lives. but i also realize all of those choices came with risk and could have led to us getting covid and having to quarantine. DH flew to visit his friends the week before our kids started preschool. We made that choice very much knowing that it could mean our kids would miss the first two weeks of school. I hate it. I hate covid. I hate living like this. But I also realize that my choices come with risks.

    • Pogo says

      I don’t know anymore. It’s our ten year anniversary and we kept going back and forth on whether to do anything. We hadn’t booked, which is good, because that ship has sailed, but I am sad. As long as we can keep doing playgrounds I’ll survive but I am honestly starting to forget what it was like when we could parent “normally” – playdates with friends, kid’s museums or playspaces, gymnastics class, story time… My oldest was only 2.5 when the pandemic hit so we never even got into a lot of this stuff.

      I’m lucky that we’ve been spared exposure at daycare for awhile, but I’m sure it’ll happen again.

    • anon says

      Our immediate family are all vaccinated or too young to be vaccinated. We’re not limiting our kids from seeing them. We have our kids in school (masks required for all but the 1-year-old, all teachers vaccinated), and we attend church (masks required for everyone over 2). One of our children does an indoor activity (dance), with masks required for all kids and adults. We know there’s some risk associated with that, but made the decision that it was worth it given the mental health impacts of the last year on that kid (who was also diagnosed with an incurable and serious lifelong health condition 6 months ago).

      Friend meetups (whether their friends or ours) are outdoors so long as weather permits. We mask in the grocery store, Target, etc. and try to avoid going there with the kids. We’re not doing indoor dining right now unless we have no other option (ie, at the airport). We flew over the summer, but not doing that for a while since we can’t mask the baby (we did get him a little face shield hat but he hates it and I know it has minimal benefit anyway).

    • Anon says

      i think it depends A LOT on where you live, the level of vaccination and community spread. where i live, the positivity rate is high, ICUs, including pediatric ICUs are full and for the first time in the pandemic the pediatric positivity rate is actually higher than the general population one, so the risk to my kids is likely the highest it has ever been. if i lived some place with a higher vaccination rate, and a lower positivity rate i might behave differently

    • Anonymous says

      4yo is doing masked preschool. All teachers/parents are vaxxed (so glad I live in Maryland). She’s also doing masked ballet class. We’re stopping indoor swim but that’s mostly so she isn’t over scheduled. 2yo is only doing outdoor stuff and no classes. All of our family/adult friends are vaccinated.

    • More Sleep Would Be Nice says

      There was some discussion about this yesterday…and I was firmly in the “Not going back to 2020 but still cautious” camp.

      DS #1 is in swimming (indoor pool with one wall of windows open) and soccer, both kids are in school. All adults in our lives are vaxxed, so not keeping them away from family. We will keep them away from indoor group situations if there are too many folks (even though everyone would be vaxxed). No flights for kids, and holidays still TBD on if we’ll travel to see DH’s family. If so, we could drive if needed. The highest risk activity is DH and DS #1 walk to our neighborhood diner on Sunday AM, and DH and I agreed that’s fine until DH decides otherwise.

      DH has a lot of work travel through Mid-October, and I have a long-awaited girls trip with 2 of my BFFs in early October and planning on all of that staying on the calendar with the appropriate testing/masking.

      Where we live, prime outdoor time is October-May, (summers are very hot and often rainy) so looking forward to spending a lot more time outside this fall.

    • SC says

      I am outside New Orleans, and this is basically the approach we’re taking–reasonably normal, with masks indoors. My 6-year-old is at school in person, with masks. We are still sending him to his play therapy and occupational therapy, which are indoors and masked. DH took him to get a hair cut yesterday, also indoors and masked, and I know DH has run to the grocery store with him when necessary. The grandparents are coming over, but we are all wearing masks indoors. The visits have to be shorter (1-2 hours) and timed to fall before dinner, but we’ve played Wii bowling and card games together.

      We are not going to indoor, public spaces like the gym, an indoor pool, bowling alley, movie theater, children’s museum, aquarium, etc., even with masks on. We are not dining indoors (we did April-June after DH and I were vaccinated). I’d be comfortable with outdoor activities and outdoor playdates, except it’s too hot. We have plans to go to a state park and stay in a rented cabin over Labor Day, and we’ll have to use public restrooms on the road.

      We’re not committing to all this for 6+ months–just considering one month at a time. I am hopeful that Louisiana is at its peak right now, and that things will be better in 2-3 months. Vaccination rates should climb after full approval and employers’ and universities’ vaccine mandates. We have a statewide mask mandate in public buildings and in schools. New Orleans is requiring proof of vaccination to enter gyms, restaurants, stores, and events. And honestly, the Covid rates are so high, there may well be some herd immunity among the unvaccinated, at least until the next variant. If the Covid rates come down and the pediatric hospitals are less full and DH and I get booster shots, we will probably go back to some things that are important to us, like unmasked visits with vaccinated adults and the occasional date night at an indoor restaurant.

      • More Sleep Would Be Nice says

        +1 – I’ve thought a lot about the herd immunity for the unvaxxed + surge in vaxxes + booster making fall a lot more “normal”…until the next variant.

        • Anonymous says

          That won’t happen until all the kids have been infected, though.

          • SC says

            Honestly. if you look at the way people here are behaving, the plan, to the extent there is one, is for all the kids to get infected. (For example, only 10% of kids 12-17 are vaccinated.) I just hope the measures people are willing to take will slow down the spread enough that hospitals are not overwhelmed and kids who do get really sick can get the care they need.

  8. Anonymous says

    I need this shirt but for a 3 year old and it is sold out! Where do I go to stalk used kids clothes?

    https://www.bodenusa.com/en-us/lift-the-flap-vehicle-t-shirt-ivory-sapling-green-vehicle/sty-y1400-grn?code=K4G3&tc_ch=ps&tc_ve=goog&tc_so=pla&tc_me=cr&tc_ca=aw-drop-offer&tc_au=pla-300539720612&tc_cr=na&tc_campid=Shopping+-+Smart+-+Mini&tc_adgroupid=Mini&tc_kwid=PRODUCT_GROUP&tc_matchid=na&gbraid=0AAAAADntptg8wilvvHmVziwpa_hT6jK7B&gbraid=0AAAAADntptg8wilvvHmVziwpa_hT6jK7B&gclid=CjwKCAjw95yJBhAgEiwAmRrutAXvwCVjmTDR2mnZgCwdeCTUKd6UjGDlPdbHv45vuKk7D1Y1gBJR4BoChDQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

    Or if you own this I will buy it from youuuuuu

    • Cb says

      It’s available at UK boden. Want me to get it? It’s adorable, but my kiddo hates anything with appliques on it.

      Does anyone have a very soft grey Old Navy toddler tshirt with little constellations on it in 4T+ they’d like to send me? It’s my kid’s favourite shirt, purchased by my mom from the clearance section for 2 bucks.

      • Cb says

        Aack, I was wrong, the page refreshed and it’s only available in little sizes.

      • Anonymous says

        That is the sweetest offer! Sadly looks like it’s sold out in the UK in size 3-4 too though.

        • Cb says

          I’m going to John Lewis next week and always take a spin through the kids clothes. If I find it in-store (merchandising is absolutely bananas here due to Brexit, who knows what is where), I’ll pick it up. Frugi has some cute stuff that might fit the bill as well – we have a rocket and a tractor top from them.

          • Anonymous says

            If you do, def post here and I will connect with you and Venmo you for it and shipping! It’s specifically the trash truck/bin lorry essence of it that will be a hit.

          • Cb says

            I love how my major contribution to this sub is genius gate and the use of the words “bin lorry”

          • Pogo says

            lol, my LO has picked up bin lorry from some British show and I always think of you when he says it!

          • GCA says

            ‘Bin lorry’ is so adorable and gentle and it sounds like something from a Postman Pat episode! Whereas ‘trash truck’ is large and aggressive and tips entire trash bins into its gaping maw.

            Clearly I’ve thought too much about this…

      • Anonymous says

        No but carters just came out with a solar system one that I hope will replace the grown out of “space ones” that I need to hide because his midriff is showing (Long-sleeve). Grandma bought it this week.

  9. anonamama says

    So, I’m on month 5 of unemployment, which is longer than I had hoped, and this month has been the hardest yet. This week, I finished a round 2 interview for a huge job (which I’m pretty sure I nailed) and later that day, my husband told me he had been laid off.. oof. Financially, we will be ok for a couple months, but we are both under a huge weight right now with lots of question marks. Anyone been in this position before and can share some insight?

    • CHL says

      No good specifics but I’m so sorry to hear this and wishing you and your family all the best! It’s so hard to manage through the messy middle with so many unknowns!

    • Anon says

      I have not been through both of us being laid off, but we dealt with a long stretch of unemployment for one of us and it was so, so tough. When it finally ended (after a year) we felt such relief. Fingers crossed for you in the months ahead, and be kind to yourselves!

    • Anon says

      so many hugs to you and your family. what industries are you guys in? sending good vibes your way after your interview!

  10. Anon says

    Sorry if this has been asked before, but book recommendations for kids who love A to Z mysteries? My 5 YO isn’t reading on his own yet but is OBSESSED with those books, which is great, and really motivating him to want to learn to read. We’re on W now so being able to see Z around the corner is making he and I both upset! Help!

    • Anonymous says

      That series goes on for a bit longer. Capitol Mysteries and then baseball park mysteries. (And calendar mysteries are by the same author, but a tiny bit younger.)

    • SC says

      My son loves A to Z mysteries, but we’re only on D! Those are probably the most complex stories we’re reading, but he also loves Nate the Great if you haven’t tried those. If you’re into comic books/graphic novels, the InvestiGators series is super silly but also has some pretty advanced vocab and complex storylines–there are only 3 of those. They aren’t mysteries, but Ms. Frogbottom’s Field Trips is a fun series that’s basically a reinvention of Magic School Bus but for history/geography instead of science.

  11. Anon says

    Cross posting from the main site since I realized I probably should have posted it here – you all are the best at answering this type of question!

    Tips for making a bruise disappear? Or is that a pipe dream? My first grader got a big bruise in the middle of her forehead and school pictures are Tuesday. It’s also the part of her head that’s most exposed when she’s masking, so she’s feeling self conscious about it. Anything you all have used successfully to hurry along healing? We already iced it when it happened…

    • Anonymous says

      I don’t think there’s any way to make a bruise disappear faster… the actual mechanics cleaning up that blood under the skin take the amount of time they take to clean up, based on your body’s response. It might be OK by Tuesday if it’s already a visible bruise! if not, there’s always retake day

    • Anonymous says

      Arnica helps. Our school photo company also offers retouching for facial blemishes for a couple extra dollars–maybe a bruise would fall under that?

    • Cb says

      Commiseration, my 4 year old crashed off his bike and when he got up, it looked like he was having some sort of spa treatment. As a result, he started his new nursery with a bloodied nose and scraped up forehead.
      I’d put a little concealer on it and call it a day?

    • OP says

      Thanks all! I’m picking up arnica gel from target – hadn’t heard of that! I think she’ll appreciate some sort of medicine whether it’s a placebo or not.

      Makeup may happen too. I worry about a makeup because everything this fall is so uncertain! She was not excited about concealer but I could maybe get her there! (Note: I do not care if she has a large bruise in her school picture – this is alll DD driven!)

      • AnonATL says

        way back in the day when I had a hickey, I used a coin to rub the edges of it to disperse the bruising. It heals much faster, but it’s pretty painful while you are doing it.

  12. Anon says

    We’re setting up the nursery for our 1st, and I’m seriously waffling about a bassinet. It seems big and expensive for a very short term use. Would it be so bad to just put baby in the crib right away?

    We’re planning to strictly never cosleep or put baby in our bed at all. Early on, the baby might sleep in our room or the nursery (we’ll see what works best) but there is plenty of space in either room for whatever furniture.

    • Anonymous says

      The only value a bassinet adds is cuteness. Of course a newborn can sleep in a crib. If you need something smaller to fit in your bedroom, a pack and play works great.

      • Anon. says

        Both of my kids spent the first 4-6 months in a pack n play in our bedroom, using the bassinet feature until they outgrew it. No need at all for a separate bassinet in my opinion. Pack n play (or whatever brand of travel crib you buy) at least has other baby containment uses.

    • CHL says

      Yeah you don’t need a bassinet. the pack and play “bassinet” is great. or a plain pack and play. or a crib. or a cardboard box (not really, but kind of – Finland).

    • ElisaR says

      i put my 3 week old down in his crib and tip toed away….. he stayed asleep and POOF he was sleeping in a crib from then on. we had a co-sleeper in our room for the first 3 weeks of life. it worked for us!

    • Anonymous says

      We only did it because I was given a halo bassinet for free. A crib in the room would be fine.

    • Anonymous says

      If you want to sleep in separate rooms, the crib is fine. If you want the baby to sleep in your room at first, a bassinet might be more convenient for you, but if the crib fits in your room that will work fine too. We only got a bassinet because we wanted the baby in our room at first and a crib wouldn’t fit.

    • 3 month mother says

      We had a crib in a separate bedroom and then husband freaked out and bought a bassinet the day we came home… and we never used the bassinet (baby was too loud to sleep with us, and I exclusively pumped, so no need to stick her next to my side of the bed for easy access). The crib’s been working just fine, with one caveat: in the first few months, when you have to lean over and put baby to sleep and then pick them up and soothe them and put them back MULTIPLE TIMES A NIGHT – leaning and reaching over the crib hurt my back. Now she’s only waking up once a night, it’s a breeze. Also, our baby likes to rotate her alignment in the crib and bang her head up against the bars, but doesn’t seem to cause any harm so far.

      The other benefit is we don’t need to transition from bassinet to crib, which I’ve heard people complain about.

      • Nonnymouse says

        Agree with this. Constantly shushing/patting kiddo in the pack n play hurt my back. We borrowed a halo for the second and it was great since it is height adjusted/ I could sleep laying down with arm in the halo. You definitely don’t need it but you could probably pick up a used one for not much and resell.

    • Anonymous says

      We have one child and never had a bassinet. We used a Pack and Play in our bedroom for about the first four months then moved her to the crib in her bedroom. That said, I wish we’d had a bassinet. I don’t know why necessarily, I just do. If we’d had a second (which is likely out of the cards now), I would have bought a bassinet and a better high chair.

    • Anonymous says

      Some babies sleep better in a smaller space to start. Not all. If you start in a crib and are having issues you can easily get a bassinet from any neighborhood buy/sell group.

    • Anon says

      Not sure what stroller you’re getting, but we had an uppababy vista and used the included bassinet for sleeping and for naps; got the bassinet stand and would just move it around as needed. I was in a small bedroom at the time, did not have room for a crib, and definitely liked having the baby in our room when it was very little – getting up to bf in teh middle of the night was hard, especially since I had c-sections. So I guess a plug for hte uppababy vista!

      • Anonymous says

        We never used the vista bassinet for night time (had antique family heirloom ha!) BUT it was SOOO great for during the day, especially if you are in a multi-level house.

        Because our bassinet is quite literally 90 years old it is tiny compared to ones today, the LO could only sleep in it for a few weeks before his flailing woke him up. At that point we went to pack and play in room / walk in closet. Bassinet is definitely not essential

    • Cb says

      We rented a sidecar sleeper which was great (although I had such a stupidly bad sleeper, I should have bought the Snoo). We also had a hand-me-down wicker bassinet which we weren’t sure about but we put it in the garden when he had jaundice and used it as a baby container for showers, etc. We were in a 2 bed flat at the time so no going up and down stairs but it was still nice to have a portable place to put him.

    • Anon says

      No need for a bassinet. I got a pack n play for our bedroom. Kid 1 slept in it for 7 weeks and Kid 2 for 3 weeks. Then both went straight into cribs in their own rooms. Even when they were in our room, I would only feed in the nursery recliner. Just walked with the baby down the hall. Could never get comfortable feeding on the bed and was also against bedsharing. I still have the pack n play in my room. It really only left for about 6 months between Kid 1 outgrowing it and kid 2 coming along. Right now, I pop the 15 month old in there while I’m getting ready in the morning. Drag it to the bathroom doorway and kid is fascinated with my makeup routine. To me there’s no use for a bassinet after a few months, while a pack n play is useful for a lot longer.

    • Mommasgottasleep says

      Just another vote for a PNP with a bassinet insert for your room (you may not need it at first but you will use a PNP eventually) and a crib in the nursery.

    • Anonymous says

      You can definitely just have a crib. But as someone who also strictly planned to never cosleep, I was in for a rude awakening when my newborn baby literally slept no other way. I finally threw in the towel after I went 72 hours with only a few minutes of sleep. Which was actually quite dangerous and had me considering sleeping situations that were even more unsafe than setting up a safer sleep environment in my bed. I hope so much you have a baby that sleeps easy peasy wherever you want them to, but have an open mind and a contingency plan A, B, and C if sleep doesn’t go how you were envisioning. I say this just because in my sleep deprived state it would have been so easy to fall asleep on our couch with a million cushions or in my glider and those environments would have been so much worse than cosleeping. Our cosleeping phase didn’t last long (it ended as soon as I could get the baby to sleep any other way, which ended up being a special swaddle and then lots of bouncing on the yoga ball and then into a bassinet right beside me). Anyway, I think all the anti-cosleeping rhetoric is dangerous for the really tough sleepers because it just pushes desperate moms into sleeping environments that aren’t safe at all for the baby. Not sleeping is literally not an option so people need alternatives for babies that won’t sleep in cribs.

    • Lydia says

      oooh I highly recommend a “mini crib” for your bedroom (if you plan to have baby in there at first)… it’s the same footprint as a pack and play and uses the same size sheets, but it’s higher (so you don’t have to bend way over to pick the baby up, crouch to soothe baby, etc). We got a foldable one on wheels from Delta Children for around $100, and used it more than the real crib for the first 4-6 months. Now it lives at my parents’ house and is great for naps there.

    • More Sleep Would Be Nice says

      DS #1 slept in a Pack and Play full time until he was almost 3…and he was taller/heavier than the specs. DS #2 is currently in the Pack and Play and will be there indefinitely; we used the Pack and Play bassinet the early weeks for DS #2.

      Also never say never – I’m against co-sleeping but a monitored nap (e.g. while you read/watch TV) on the bed for a baby can do wonders for all involved.

      • Anonymous says

        I wouldn’t consider that co-sleeping. It’s only co-sleeping if the parent is asleep too.

    • Anonymous says

      I am confused by the comments about having to bend over to pick the baby up out of the crib or PnP. Cribs have adjustable mattress heights, and the PnP has a bassinet insert. In the PnP with the insert, I could easily put my hand on the baby while lying in bed.

      • Anon says

        PnPs have a bassinet, but my baby was a still a newborn when he outgrew it and it was difficult to put a floppy baby on the bottom.

        • Anonymous says

          My cheapo PnP didn’t have a tiny cute bassinet. The bassinet insert covered the whole thing and was the same size as the bottom of the PnP. I don’t know whether they still make those, but that’s what I’d look for.

    • Anon says

      If you want the baby to sleep in your room (I did, I’d rather get a crying baby 2 feet away vs 100 feet away) then you want a bassinet. Cribs don’t fit through doorways, so you’d have to disassemble it to move it which may be a huge pain. Some people do pack and plays but I really didn’t like ours (4moms) and the baby outgrew the bassinet after only a month or so. You don’t need an expensive bassinet, the $40 model is just fine.

    • Pogo says

      I used the Chicco Lullago with both so that baby could be right next to my bed. It fit in the space perfectly and puts baby right at bed-height so kinda like a sidecar sleeper. The PnP was too big for our space. We moved both kids to their own room around 2mos, but for the first 2mos, having them right there was great.

    • anon says

      We never had a bassinet. Our twins slept in our room for 5 months, but we had a huge room so just moved one of their cribs in there.

    • Anonymous says

      Late counterpoint to all of this but we got the halo after I had a C section because I literally could not bend over to reach the baby in the PnP or anything else and it was amazing and SO worth it. It was eye level when I was sleeping so I could check on the baby often as I tended to do.

  13. Anon says

    I’m considering going 80%. Those who are at 80 or 60, what do you use the extra hours for? Me time? Catching up on chores? Bringing baby home early?

    I have an 8 month old and am drowning in housework. I am fine at work and meeting all my deadlines and have strict boundaries. DH helps as much as he can but strapped for time. I am essentially a single mom during the work week—so I’m either working, taking care of baby, or doing chores. Outsourcing seems to be the answer but what I need is a housekeeper for 2 hrs everyday so I don’t have to be “on” 24/7. No one seems to want to do this so I am wondering if me cutting back on work is the answer.

    • anon4this says

      I wouldn’t necessarily go 60-80% so you have more time to do chores… I think that should be the last resort. Do you have the type of career where going 60-80% wouldn’t kill your career? I think a lot of women who cut hours end up just doing more chores. Is this what you want to do with your time?

      I would first try to see if you can get more housework help, a helper to come, outsource more (e.g., prepared meals, have a housekeeper come regularly to do laundry, have a mothers helper in the evenings), take a really good look at how your husband can help more (it sounds like you do all the work during the week, so he should do a lot more on the weekends).

      This is temporary but leaning out of your career is forever.

    • Anon4this says

      What chores are you doing each day? Could they be consolidated to once a week? It might be easier to find a housekeeper to come once a week for a longer period of time.

      I’m 100% at a firm with a toddler and this is my day. Spouse is also at a firm. Spouse does laundry on weekends. We have a cleaning service twice a month, and I cook really simple meals or we do take out.

      7:15am Wake up, shower, get dressed, let dog out, feed dog
      7:50am Get toddler up, dressed
      8am Nanny arrives
      8-8:25am Finish getting toddler dressed, talk to nanny, attempt to separate from toddler (since we are WFH this takes longer than it should but it is what it is)
      8:25-8:45am Get breakfast, coffee, unload dishwasher, deal with any toddler meal planning
      8:45-9am talk to husband about day, other random tidying up, finish makeup if I didn’t before
      9-5pm work
      5pm Nanny leaves
      5-7:30pm play with toddler, cook dinner, eat dinner as a family, do dishes (sometimes spouse does them but I often ask to do them to get a break from a cranky toddler), take work calls as needed switching off with husband for toddler care if he’s not on a call
      7:30pm-8pm Husband does bedtime; I clean up any toys (nanny cleans up before leaving but it still gets messy in the intervening time); take dog for walk (we also have a noon dog walker and a yard).
      8pm – whenever (usually not later than 10pm) Complete any work
      10-11/ 11:30pm Talk to spouse, watch tv, do chores like pay bills, research toddler related stuff.
      11:30pm Bed

    • Anon says

      One thing you might consider is getting a nanny if you can… a good one can be life-changing. Before you reduce 20-40%, I would try to use that money to see if you can make your life easier.

      • Anonymous says

        +1 my friend has a nanny who is fine with doing all the family laundry, dishes, etc..,and then has a separate house cleaner. An 8 month old naps a lot. I think you just need to be upfront that you’re looking for a nanny + housekeeper.

    • Anon says

      I would try the outsourcing before I cut back at work, at least for a few months, and see how it feels. Things that have made it exponentially better during what is an absurdly busy season at work:
      -housekeeper who comes once a week and folds laundry (I do the clothes washing on the weekends because I am particular; she washes sheets and towels while she is here). For the most part I’ve stopped cleaning for her. Yes that means she spends more time picking up clutter and less time scrubbing, but I am OK with that for our current season and will just up to include a deep clean 2-3x a year instead of 1x.
      -prepared meal delivery or take-out. If not, we’re eating frozen food. DD is a super picky toddler, so since the rest of us want to eat more than 5 things, we just feed her what she wants to eat and offer but don’t fight on whatever we are eating. If it takes more than 20 minutes to cook, it’s not happening on a weekday. That means if we are cooking, it’s a lot of leftovers from the weekend, bagged salad, frozen potstickers, frozen empanadas, maybe frozen pot pies which take an hour but literally you just stick them in the oven, hot dogs, broiled fish, meatballs, tacos, pancakes for dinner. Realistically we probably eat takeout at least 3 nights (usually one to two takeout orders and then we usually get multiple meals out of them).
      -getting up an hour earlier or staying up a few hours later than DD. Often I use the morning time for chores (I unload and reload the dishwasher with the previous day’s dishes, and then dishes just go in the sink until the next morning) and evening time for work when it is blessedly quiet.
      -you might consider getting a mother’s helper a few nights a week to help with the mental drain. Let her do evening playtime, dinner, bath and maybe bed. DH is 100% in charge of everything but bath here, but if it were me I would definitely call in help.

      • Pogo says

        +1 to all of this, these are my strategies. Only difference is we only have housekeeper 1x/month but I do laundry on weekends because I secretly enjoy it.

    • anon says

      You do need help, and I’d encourage you to get it. Just remember that housework tends to fill the time you have available, so it does not seem like a good tradeoff to cut your hours just to do that. Having a baby and working full time is hard. I would encourage you to hold on a bit because things do ease up when the baby is older, you’re not washing bottles, and sleep schedules are more predictable.

    • SC says

      I agree with not going 80% for housekeeping or chores. I’d consider (a) drastically reducing my housekeeping standards for a few years, (b) hiring a nanny who will do light housekeeping instead of daycare, or (c) hiring a mother’s helper for Saturday mornings and doing housekeeping then.

      What chores are you doing everyday? I agree that it may be more efficient to do them all at once, though that also involves reducing your standards. There may be other ways to outsource as well. My typical suggestions for creative “outsourcing”/reducing overall work are sending laundry out, using paper plates, ordering meal kits, and switching to formula. If it seems expensive or wasteful, it doesn’t have to be forever, and it’s worth it to stay at 100%, which you’ll probably be working anyways even if you take a pay cut.

      • AwayEmily says

        +1 to relaxing housework standards, at least for now. Figure out what’s really important for you personally (for us, it’s having a very clean kitchen and having the downstairs picked up/tidy at the end of each day) and then relax your standards on everything else (we don’t clean bathrooms as often as we should, our bedroom only gets tidied once a week, the kids’ bedroom is a shitshow, etc). I’ll note we don’t have a cleaner, so if we did we’d probably have them spend some extra time on the stuff we slack on.

    • Anon says

      If you really need someone to clean multiple days a week, reach out to a service and hire people to come twice a week to start. (They are professionals, they are more efficient than you.)

      The other option is to ask ALL your neighbors for their cleaning persons’s info. Get two or three of them to tack an hour onto their regular day (because they’re already in the neighborhood and it’s not a huge burden). Then zone your house and give each an area on different days.

      Though honestly it sounds like your standards are too high.

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