My house’s front lawn has a border of mulch on either side of the path from the sidewalk to the house and the path running perpendicular to that one (a T-shape). After we bought the house, the plants that were put in the mulch for curb appeal during the sale quickly died. I cared just enough to pull the dead plants out, but not enough to replant anything.
Fast forward to the pandemic, and I finally decided to bring some of that curb appeal back. I planted mums in the mulch, and my husband bought these solar lights to put in between. They’re incredibly easy to install — they have a sharp post on the back, so you can basically stand it up in the ground, then step on the light to push it in. My neighbor also has them but removed the post on the back and just placed them on the steps leading to their house.
If you get these lights, make sure you’re ordering the right ones — we originally bought white, which is more of a bright, LED-type white light, and exchanged them for “warm white,” which is more of a yellow light and matched the bulbs on our porch lights.
The lights are $43.99 for 12 at Amazon. Solar Ground Lights
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We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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Sales of Note…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off all sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off full-price styles; extra 40% off all sale
- J.Crew – Extra 50% off sale styles; up to 50% off summer styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 50% off everything; buy any 2 shorts get 1 free; extra 50% off clearance
- Loft – 30% off full-price styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Talbots – 30% off entire purchase (through 5/29)
- Zappos – 28,000+ sale items (for women)! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- J.Crew – Extra 50% off sale styles; up to 50% off summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 60% off; up to 30% off select styles
- Carter’s – Summer kickoff deals from $6; 40% off baby essentials
- Old Navy – 30% off your order; girl/toddler/baby dresses $7
- Target – Outdoor toys from $3; 20% off Sun Squad items; kids’ summer styles from $6
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anne says
Hi – I know this has been covered, but talk to me about non-down carseat jackets (family member is allergic to down). We are in DC and usually just buy the Gap lightweight puffer jacket. Pre-COVID we rarely drove so would just take it off before getting in the carseat. With COVID we’re driving every day so definitely need a carseat safe coat. Googling is not telling me whether the Gap lightweight puffer is carseat safe – is it? If not, what’s a down alternative safe one? All the lists I’m seeing only include down coats. Thanks!
drpepperesq says
i’ve bought the One Kid Road Coat two winters in a row and really love it, if you’re getting in and out of the car frequently. especially if you’re doing quick driving where the car doesnt really heat up all the way. i just looked and they have a “vegan/allergy friendly” version of down.
Anne says
This looks awesome! Thanks! Will buy.
AwayEmily says
A friend’s kid has a Columbia powder lite jacket that is quite thin and I believe is not down.
EP-er says
Just to give you a different perspective — do you need a car seat safe coat? We’re in the midwest — it gets cold & snowy here. We never wore coats in the car seat. We would walk out bundled in a blanket (carrying) or with the blanket like a cape (walking) and wearing a hat. Then kid hops in the car, buckle up, and tuck the blanket around. When your child unbuckles to get out, put the coat on. This might not work if your park is parked far away, however… but we need heavy duty snow gear here. My kids (and I!) would overheat wearing coats in the car.
Anonymous says
Similar. In Canada, for super short drives (school is less than 5 mins on a residential street) we just wear regular coats. For longer drives, like a trip to the grocery store we do hat, mitts, hooded fleece jacket. Warm enough for getting from house to car and car to destination. Fleece blanket at each car seat to tuck around kid over seatbelt.
Anne says
Good question – the car is a block and half away and daycare drop off is socially distant and outdoors so we’ll need coats.
Anon says
Same, upper Midwest and we don’t do coats in the carseat. Even if your coat is carseat safe, you will have to adjust the straps because your child will be bigger in the coat. Our weather is all over the place – in late fall and early spring it’s totally common for us to have 60 degrees one day and 20 degrees the next, and there’s no way I want to be messing with the car seat straps multiple times per week – it’s bad enough to do it every few months when she outgrows the current settings. On the coldest days we do blankets draped over the car seat straps and zip her into her coat before getting out at school. That said, we do have a garage that is typically 20-30 degrees warmer than outside. Even on the very cold days, it’s usually at least 20F in our garage. If your car is parked outside, I can see this not working in the upper Midwest or New England. DC would probably be fine though.
anon says
One way to test is to buckle the kid with the jacket on and tighten the straps. Unbuckle without loosening, take off the jacket, and rebuckle. If the straps are reasonably tight, it should be fine.
We’re in a DC suburb and buy the Cat&Jack 3-in-1 coats. Our kids wear the inner layer in their carseats and to walk from the car into stores, etc (back when that was a thing), but we’d send the outer layer to daycare or put it on when we get out if we’re going to be outside.
Anon says
What about a thick fleece jacket and a fleece blanket? We’re in DC and it’s not that cold.
Toddler training toilet rec? says
Toddler training toilet recommendation? Pediatrician recommended one for our 2 year old son.
AwayEmily says
We got the “fisher price penguin potty” for $10 at target and my son preferred it to the Baby Bjorn potty we also had.
Cb says
We have the bright green IKEA one and a bigger no name one. Honestly though if we had fully thought it through, I would have encouraged the Baby Bjorn insert, just so I didn’t spend my life dumping them out. But we only have the one bathroom so maybe a faff to keep taking it on and off.
We also just bought one of the ones that has a lid, for playpark visits and I wish we had done it ages ago.
Anonymous says
I did not like cleaning out the little potty, and my kid didn’t like to use it. We preferred a toilet seat with flip-down kid insert plus a footstool.
AnotherAnon says
+1 this is what we ended up using: a kid seat on regular potty plus a stool. Not trying to contradict your ped: Montessori also recommended that we get a kid potty, but for us it was more of a novelty item that distracted from actual potty training. Kid thought peeing in the kid potty was fun, but peeing in the big potty was scary. I wish we had just started on the regular toilet.
Anonymous says
Ughhh we had to buy the one that looks like an actual toilet and makes a flushing sound, in pink, for DD. She saw it and it was her motivation for potty training. FWIW she was easily potty trained in like 48 hours, but she was 3.
Anonymous says
This was our experience. We trained closer to age 3 and it was pretty easy. Day and night trained within a week. Changing diapers seemed less painful to me than cleaning up pee accidents in the 2-3 age range.
Anon says
I agree with waiting until your kid is ready because a long, drawn-out process is painful for everyone. But that age is varies. My two boys trained quickly and easily at exactly 2.5 (one both day and night) and aside from very occasional accidents for a couple weeks it was done in a few days.
Meanwhile, my sister waited until my niece was three and she still has many accidents every day, two months later. I think it’s possible to miss the ideal window, too. You have to watch your child’s cues and maybe push a little if you can tell that they are capable
Clementine says
To answer your actual question: we use the Prince Lionheart potty seat but also a fan of the simple baby bjorn potty. On potty training in general though: Kids are so wildly different.
With my first, I think we tried to train too early and ended up just… cleaning up a lot of messes. Kid ended up successfully trained around 2.5 with total no accident day and night mastery just before kid turned 3.
With current toddler, I decided we weren’t going to try until kid was 2.5. Same line of thought – I’d rather just change diapers than have to clean up messes for 6 months. WELL. The day after kid turned 2, she started shouting “POTTY” and pulling off her diaper, insisting she sit on the potty and use it. (Also, pull-ups haven’t broken her training like I was worried but they have saved us some messy clean-ups.)
Io says
The IKEA one is great (pouring shape, back handle to make it easy to move). I’d also get a small step stool or squatty potty and add a jr toilet seat (it’s part of the lid). If you have a weird shaped toilet (we do) try the Munchkin insert (it can hang on the wall or stand up on the floor). For out and about we have the folding Potette seat and bags.
Anon says
We got a little one and kiddo hated it. I think she went once on it before carrying it out to the garage for “storage” herself. She much prefers the Fisher Price insert that sits on top of the big potty with a stepstool (ours is white and teal with a big teal handle in back). She’s 3, been trained for about 2 months, and is still pretty happy with it. We have the little travel frog that folds flat and she doesn’t really like that one either, so we bought an extra FP one to keep at my parents house (the only place we travel these days).
Anon says
We potty trained by 2.5 year old recently and she liked the Baby Bjorn Smart Potty when we first started (I think we got it on Amazon). It’s really easy to clean and not totally hideous, which is a plus. We now keep the Baby Bjorn Toilet Trainer seat in our bathrooms with a small stool and she’ll put the seats on as needed.
Cb says
The for sale sign just went up in front of our flat. Whelp…guess we’re moving with a toddler in the midst of a pandemic…going to use this as an opportunity to get rid of so many annoying toys and my least favourite books.
So Anon says
Good luck! I highly recommend the non-see through trash bags if you are getting rid of toys.
Cb says
Haha! The doorside charity pick up came by this am and my son definitely eyed the bag suspiciously. I gave this very annoying James train set to charity in January (or to a little boy who doesn’t have ANY trains!) and I still get asked about it.
Sleepovers for the newly dry at night says
Kiddo is late to staying dry overnight. Like school aged. How long without an accident would you feel comfortable with letting kiddo go overnight with friends (camping; tenting with BFF)? Would you send pullups (other parent would be discrete, but I can see kiddo being resistant because this is a skill of pride that has been a long time coming and other parent may not force it)? 3 months dry? Longer? IDK what is best to do. Fill kiddo up with after-dinner Sprite to really road test this skill over the next month?
Anonymous says
3 months dry is fine. Ask the parents to make sure the kids go to the bathroom before settling in for the night. Send the pullups that look like underwear and a plastic grocery bag ‘for dirty laundry’ so kid can put all the pjs etc stuff in there if s/he has an accident and doesn’t want to tell. Check and wash as soon as it comes home. They may not want to tell you about an accident for fear of not being allowed on other sleepovers, so maybe address that before they go .
Anonymous says
To address the last point, emphasize that only mature, responsible kids get to go on sleepovers. Responsibility includes wearing a pull-up if needed, and cleaning up accidents. Hiding an accident, which parents will eventually discover, is not responsible.
AwayEmily says
This is so smart and thorough! Filing away for future use.
Anon says
I remember having bedwetting issues and doing sleepovers around kindergarten/first grade. My mom told the other moms and it was never really a big deal. I would let them go send a plastic bag and extra clothes in case an accident happens and they want to deal with it themselves. If they’ve been dry for 3 months it seems like a good sign, though.
Anonymous says
If it’s really camping I honestly wouldn’t be surprised at accidents even for kids who are pretty consistent at home- being in a totally new situation messes with some kids’ sleep cycles and even as a camp counselor for 6th graders we had a whole process for bed wetting, that’s how common it was. I would seriously not worry about it at all and would send a pull up and just talk with your kid about how no one will be upset if that happens because it can be totally normal in a new situation.
Anonymous says
Just a rant — I just switched jobs, which means I switched insurance, which means I have to find all new doctors! Luckily our ped takes my new insurance but everyone else doesn’t. I’m unreasonably bummed about this. I had a PCP, endo, GYN, etc that I really liked and have to switch all of them.
So Anon says
I’m so sorry; that would really throw me as well. Do you have to see someone in network for it to be covered at all, or does your insurance cover to a lesser percentage out-of-network?
Happy Friday Thoughts says
Ignore if you can’t deal with silly silver lining posts today – I’ve had those days too. Two random/stupid ways in which my pandemic life with baby is easier than before times:
1) Daycare drop off at the door means I don’t have to take off my shoes to enter the infant room and then awkwardly struggle to put them back on while juggling a baby.
2) I didn’t have to get on an airplane with a pump and breast milk or find somewhere to pump at various airports.
Plenty of ways pandemic is terrible, but was thinking about these two last night and thought this community would understand.
Anon says
I’m 37.5 weeks pregnant. Thanks to the pandemic:
1) My husband worked from home for 5 months, so we got tons of extra “just the two of us” time together before baby joins us (lunch together, etc). I always work from home.
2) I normally travel 1-2 times per month for work, but my last trip was the last week of February. I didn’t have to deal with first trimester nausea while traveling, or traveling with a big belly.
3) Due to #2, I bought zero work-appropriate maternity clothes. I bought a pair of jeans, a few tshirts, a few tank tops, and 6 long flowy maxi maternity dresses.
4) I saved a lot of money because I haven’t been able to get a prenatal massage, pedicures, etc – any indulgent self-care, basically.
Spirograph says
I actually really prefer pandemic daycare dropoff for my 4 year old, too. A staff member meets us at the door to the building, kiddo and I take each other’s temperatures, and then I give him a hug and go right back to my car. No walking at preschooler speed to the opposite end of the building, no dancing around other parents and kids to put stuff in cubbies, no leg-clinging, no remembering to initial the sign-in sheet, etc etc.
Cb says
Yep, definitely! And our nursery seems to have finally figured out stuff storage so it is much quicker to gather kiddo things.
GCA says
Ha, or wear shoe covers. More than once I’ve wandered out of daycare with the shoe covers still on my shoes…
AwayEmily says
YES on the first. I definitely miss seeing my kids’ classrooms and chatting with their teachers but dropoff and pickup is SO MUCH FASTER NOW.
OP says
SOOO much faster. And starting October 1 we are moving to a drive-thru drop off system because they don’t want kids to have to wait outside once it gets super cold. Which means I won’t even have to get out of the car!
Boston Legal Eagle says
I’m not looking forward to waiting in the cold but this seems harder for teachers if you’re at a big center? I have two kids, so one on each side of the car, and one of whom likes to take his time undoing his own and his brother’s seatbelt, so not sure how it would work for us, but maybe they would get used to it!
Anonymous says
My older kids’ school (ages 2-9) is doing drive through drop-off, and it’s suuuper slow and annoying when I’m stuck behind cars with carseat kids, especially if they’re on the non-curb side. The school sent out a message to everyone asking to please put carseats on the driver’s side of the car, but plenty of people have ignored it. I can’t imagine doing this at a daycare center where nearly every child is in a car seat.
Drive through drop-off has only increased my appreciation for automatic minivan doors, though.
OP says
We don’t have a huge center which I’m sure helps. And it seems to me that families are pretty well spaced as far as timing, or I drop off at a slower time. I have never had to wait behind more than two families in the morning and often don’t wait at all. They already are using runners to take from the door to the classroom and given the layout of our front door / parking lot, it will really only add an extra 10 yards for the runner to cover. You can basically drive right up to the front door. I’ve got two as well and have to have my temp taken so I’m sure it will be an adjustment period, but I have a hard time believing it’s going to add too much time to the process. The one key is I’m probably going to need to convince the three-year-old to put his mask on when we get in at home, or teach him how to do it himself.
anne-on says
Having my husband working from home (though he’s starting to go back in once or twice a week) is HUGE. He is less stressed, my son gets waaay more time with dad, and it’s just really really nice to have another adult around to help out with random pet/kid/house stuff that comes up during the day. It’s made our marriage SO much more equitable because we can both handle the ‘oh no, dog has a random tummy bug and needs to go to the vet’, ‘kiddo needs a flu shot’, ‘I need a birthday card for the classmate drive by birthday parade’ requests.
We’re also saving a decent amount of money not having gym memberships/no travel/buying lunches/not eating out. I’ve also cut waaaay back on grooming stuff I did pretty frequently like hair color, pedicures, blow-outs, massages, etc.
Boston Legal Eagle says
As long as the kids stay in daycare, working from home full time is nice as we don’t have to worry about commutes and getting home on time. The 8-5 hours of daycare would have been tight before, but now I can do both drop off and pick up and still get my work done (including logging in at night at times). I’ve wanted more WFH time for both of us going into the early elementary years and I think now we’ll both have a good argument to continue doing so.
Anonanonanon says
I’m in law school in the evenings, and school is virtual this semester. Truly a silver lining; I get to see my kids between work and school since my commute is just walking to the basement office. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have seen my toddler four nights a week. I have 2 extra hours an evening thanks to not commuting from work to school and school to home, which means more weeknight study time and more weekend free time. This was a great opportunity for my family to ease into this big transition for all of us.
Anon says
Silver linings for us:
1. I was at home this summer to work on potty training with kiddo; our earlier weekend attempt in February was an epic disaster. Would not have happened so fast if DH had been the one leading the charge; kiddo has him wrapped around her little finger and the second attempt needed a bit of a firm push (although we went with a different approach from the 3-day this time).
2. DH has finally started cooking dinner a few nights a week even though he does not enjoy it and is not good at cooking (prior to quarantine we would go out or eat delivery those nights, which we are not doing these days for a host of reasons – budget, high risk, health, etc.). Amazing how that one little thing has really shifted my perception of our balance of work even though it isn’t changing what I do (or used to do) all that much (although it is a huge change from the first 5 months of quarantine where I was doing all the cooking and I finally hit my breaking point). He is using meal kits, so even though he has no idea what he’s doing in the kitchen, the food turns out reasonably well. And I do lots of chores I am not good at these days and do not enjoy (cough, cleaning, cough – how I miss our housekeeper, but we’re high risk) so emotionally it feels like it has helped with that too – my resentment while scrubbing bathrooms is certainly lighter now that I’m not the only one doing things I don’t like to do.
Anonanonanon says
Hi, all! I shared a while back that I’m attending law school in the evenings in addition to keeping my full-time job and keeping those pesky kids of mine. Anyway, in what will probably be a throwback for most of you, I got my first legal memo assignment (just the discussion section) back and I did really well! Some citation things to perfect (stupid Bluebook) but other than that, very proud!
So Anon says
Congratulations! That’s a great sign that you’re doing well! As for the Bluebook: I think there was a 6-12 month period in law school where I knew much of it (thanks law review). Take this for what it’s worth, but out of law school (clerking, private practice and now in house), as long as I can find the reference (or someone else can find what I’m referring to), I really don’t care whether a citation exactly matches the bluebook.
AnonATL says
IANAL so no idea how difficult the task you describe is, but dang you are superwoman with kids, a job, and going to school!
Kiddie pillows says
Looking for pillows for my kids, ages 7 and 4. No particular requirements, other than ability to order them online. What worked for your kids? TIA!!
Cb says
My 3 year old loves an adult sized pillow. He sprawls on top of it. We tried a small pillow but he’d just roll off and then grumble.
Anon says
My 3 year old sleeps in a pile of 6 adult sized pillows (when she is not sleeping with us). Lightweight down, designed for stomach sleepers from Company Store (i.e., the guest bed pillows before it turned into her bed). She’s in a queen bed so I think they help her feel cozy. She definitely prefers the flatter pillows in my bed vs. my husband’s fluffier and firmer back and side sleeper pillows.
AnotherAnon says
My 3.5 y/o uses a flat full sized pillow that DH discarded (DH likes firm, low loft pillows). We buy hypoallergenic (not down) because we all have allergies. I think we got it from Target.
Anonymous says
Any adult pillow? Are kids’ pillows a thing?
Breakfast ideas says
We are in a real rut – what are your toddlers enjoying for breakfast?
Cb says
We alternate porridge, cereal, french toast, pancakes, and scrambled eggs. Yoghurt parfait is also a good shout. Today we had bacon, crumpets, eggs and grapefruit since we had time this am.
AwayEmily says
We alternate oatmeal (heated with frozen blueberries so it turns purple), banancakes (banana + 3 eggs), french toast, and muffins that I make every few weeks and freeze (superhero muffins with almond meal). Sadly neither of my kids will eat eggs and both have gone off yogurt lately.
Anonymous says
“Pie” oatmeal is a big hit now that it’s getting colder. Kids love helping to mix in the spices, and it’s very healthy. We rotate pumpkin pie (add canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice) and apple pie (add diced apples, cinnamon, and ginger– this one works best with steel cut oats as it can take the apples a while to soften). I add maple syrup to my own servings but kids don’t need it. Making a big batch on Sunday means we can eat it for several days, we just add a splash of milk in the mornings.
AnotherAnon says
We are also in a rut: scrambled eggs (with ketchup – yuck!), or yogurt with blueberries. I’m going to make egg cups this weekend to use up some produce. Kiddo clamors for pancakes every weekend but then doesn’t eat them so those are out of the running for us but they’re really pretty easy and quick. I like the bananacakes and pie oatmeal ideas! I’ve also started giving into any “weird” breakfast requests: apparently DH grew up eating canned chili for breakfast? Kiddo also likes a turkey sandwich with mayo and I figure that’s fine as long as he eats something. Leftover tacos (from Taco Tuesday) and cold chicken are also popular. Kids are weird.
Anonanonanon says
My son is 10 now but he loved his eggs with ketchup when he was younger. He doesn’t eat them that way anymore, so don’t worry! haha
Anon. says
Pancakes. Husband makes a big batch on the weekend and we freeze what we don’t eat. Lately he prefers them straight from the freezer. If he wants them warmed it’s 15 seconds in the microwave.
He’s at Grandma’s house for the weekend which means today he had a cinnamon roll and bacon….
Anonanonanon says
-Muffins made with the “just add 1/2 cup of milk” muffin mix. Toddler likes helping to make them (putting the muffin liners in the pan, stirring). My kids are partial to blueberry and chocolate chip. Serve with apples and peanut butter or some cheese for a bit of protein to balance.
-Microwavable refrigerated Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patties
-Frozen waffle cut into strips with peanut butter
-Eggs made in the microwave (spray a ramekin with nonstick spray, scramble an egg in it, microwave for 35 seconds, cut up and sprinkle with cheese)
All served with a side of fruit
Boston Legal Eagle says
On weekdays, a granola bar or Belvita and a squeeze pouch of some sort most days. We sometimes do oatmeal. On weekends, my husband and I have eggs and diced potatoes and try to get the kids to eat those as well. The older one is more willing than the younger one at this point.
TheElms says
We do plain greek yogurt with cherrios and diced or frozen fruit; scrambled eggs, toast and fruit; leftover pancakes if I made them at the weekend with fruit; frozen waffle with pb and fruit, applesauce oatmeal.
Anon says
I bake eggs/quiches in mini muffin tins and freeze them. We usually do two of those plus oatmeal with fruit. Will also pull out some “healthy” mini muffins from time to time like blueberry flaxseed made with almond meal or apple zucchini muffins. He loves anything in mini muffin form.
Anonymous says
breakfast at our house is some combination of (instant) oatmeal, mini bagels with cream cheese, cereal, yogurt, scrambled eggs, pb toast, banana.
And I mean combination! Each of my kids is a bottomless pit at breakfast time, so they usually have at least 2 of the above. I refuse to serve them more than 2 breakfast items (because I have other stuff that needs to get done), but they can grab yogurt and bananas for themselves…
Anon says
Yogurt, peanut butter english muffin, applesauce, bacon, kodiak cakes pancakes, open face peanut butter sandwiches. Also solely what she eats for every other meal of the day, but I keep repeating food is not a battle while gritting my teeth and taking deep calming breaths.
So Anon says
I make waffles on the weekend and then freeze them for weekday use (pop in the toaster to thaw and then the microwave at 30-50% to soften). I switch up what goes on top of the waffles – jelly, PB, apples, or chocolate chips for Fridays.
NYCer says
Oatmeal with fruit mixed in (bananas, blueberries, or raspberries) most days. Other frequent options are cheerios and milk, shredded wheat and milk (baby girl loves cold cereal), pancakes with butter (no syrup), yogurt. For whatever reason, we rarely serve eggs of french toast for breakfast, but often have them for lunch or dinner.
Anon says
My toddler has a severe egg allergy, so breakfast can be a tough one for us. In our rotation:
-frozen waffles toasted with butter + applesauce for dipping
-oatmeal (I “hide” bananas in it and she has fun eating and looking for them)
-yogurt + side of berries
-a vegan or egg-less muffin + a side of fruit
-peanut butter toast + banana
-canned cinnamon rolls + berries for a fun weekend treat
-Cheerios with a splash of milk so she can pretend to eat cereal like a grownup without making a huge mess
On the real desperate days, she gets a Happy Tots Fiber + Protein bar and an applesauce and I don’t stress about it.
Redux says
This is so interesting. We eat cereal. Every. single. day. Granted we buy like 5-6 different kinds of cereal, so there is some variety, but it is all cereal every day of the week in our house. Occasionally we make oatmeal or pancakes on the weekends, but we save all our food variety energy for dinners– we cook every day and have a million cookbooks in rotation.
DLC says
We are cereal for breakfast too! Toddler’s breakfast is usually cut up fruit and a handful of cheerios thrown in her tray. Sometimes we don’t make it that far and the kids just eat it by handfuls out of the box.
Realist says
We recently discovered an easy, fun recipe for 2-ingredient banana pancakes. Take two eggs and and one very ripe banana. Mix the eggs and the banana together well. Heat up the pan, add cooking oil, and drop the batter onto it. It works best if the pancakes are small, about 3 inches, so I think that uses a tablespoon or so. Cook about 1 minute (make sure the edges are a bit set), then flip. Serve with honey or syrup, if desired. My child doesn’t eat wheat or dairy, so it was fun to find this simple recipe. They also taste good, sort of like a crepe.
Anon says
We don’t do breakfast at home on weekdays (she wakes up around 8, gets dropped off at school around 8:45 and gets a hearty morning snack at 9:30) but we do a lot of breakfasty foods for dinners and lunches on weekends. Bagels with cream cheese, yogurt and hard-boiled eggs are all in regular rotation.
So Anon says
My nine year old generally wakes up 1-3 times per night, 5-7 nights per week. It had become so routine that I barely noticed it until I started tracking my own sleep to try and figure out why I was sooo tired despite “sleeping” for 7-8 hours. Then, I realized that I was up for 10-15 minutes at least once, if not 3 times per night, to help my son with whatever the issue was. The challenge is that it is not consistent from night to night. Some nights he wants a drink and won’t get it on his own (yells out for me), other nights he thinks he hears something (something beeping), other nights he has a bad dream. I’ve employed all the tricks I know: consistent bedtime and routine, white noise, drink near him. He also sleeps with his head at an odd angle and snores frequently. I finally reached out to our pediatrician for help, and she has put in for a sleep study referral. The appointment is not until January. I’m also seeking out a therapist for my son because I suspect that anxiety may also be at play here. My son has been diagnosed with ASD1. For point of reference, my seven year old sleeps through the night with no problem.
I guess I’m looking for any other tricks, tips, thoughts, for me or for him to keep us both functional.
Anon says
This may be completely inapplicable based on some other things you mentioned, but since you are already exploring physical/psychological routes I will mention it: sticker chart. We are dealing with similar nightly wake-ups with our five year old. We did a sticker chart about a year ago and it worked great…now I’m at the end of my rope again so I set up a 30-day chart with a prize of a new video game. He is pumped up and slept through completely the last two nights (obviously we have appropriate caveats like if he has to pee or is sick). I think it’s really become a habit thing for him and he needs a strong enough incentive to break out of it. We are not usually “reward” parents but for sleeping and potty training we’ve used them.
Anonymous says
Have you tried a weighted blanket for him? Some kids with ASD and/or anxiety find them helpful. I think costco has some online.
So Anon says
He sleeps with a weighted blanket every night.
CPA Lady says
The book Anxious Kids Anxious Parents by Reid Wilson and Lynn Lyons talks about this exact kind of issue as well as a variety of other anxiety manifestations. Not sure if the anxiety management techniques in the book will apply because of the ASD1 situation, but it may be worth a read.
So Anon says
This is such a great book; I’m going to try and re-read it this weekend.
Clementine says
Do you have anybody you work with as part of your son’s ASD team? OT/behavioral specialists/etc?
This is something you should talk to about them because there are some interventions – I’m thinking of sleep tents – that can really help.
(Also google ‘Special Needs Bed Tent’. A friend whose kid has sensory issues had her life TRANSFORMED when kiddo got one of these special sleep systems that basically eliminates all the small stimuli that you or I would never notice and gives him a sense of security so that he is able to sleep.)
So Anon says
I’m going to email his OT this afternoon! Thank you for the reminder.
A bed tent may be exactly what he needs to filter out the stimuli. Thank you for the suggestion!
Clementine says
I hope it helps! Also, as a note: the tent recommended for her kid was fairly pricey (there are some inexpensive options that work for other kids) and with medical documentation she was able to get it covered by insurance.
(Note that her kid has also had sleep studies done to eliminate any medical reason, they’ve tried every incentive/behavioral intervention in the book and ultimately this was the tool that worked for this kiddo. Parents on here who haven’t had kids with extensive needs might not realize this, but pediatric OTs are these amazing professionals who can help figure out strategies to help kids deal with the world around them through offering tools and teaching skills to perform activities that many of us take for granted.)
Anonymous says
Is he able to breathe through his nose during the day? Snoring at night would make me worried about what his airway looks like – does he have any allergies or enlarged tonsils/adenoids? If he’s not able to breathe deeply because of an airway obstruction, he may not be getting into REM sleep at all.
Anon says
Sleep study sounds like a good plan. You probably already know that nutritional deficiencies can be more common and more impactful in ASD; in my experience, these have everything to do with sleep quality. And they aren’t always the nutrients you think of (magnesium and choline are the big ones for me). My biggest sensory issue was light (I needed total darkness, nightlights were a big factor in nightmares for me). I’ll be honest, the other thing my parents did was (a) ask me not to wake them up if I didn’t actually need them, (b) let me stay up reading if that’s what I needed to do. Careful with treating sensory sensitivities as anxiety; they’re not exactly the same, and not every healthcare provider understands ASD very well. But therapy based on processing experiences can be really helpful.
Anon says
Random idea: try a spoonful of peanut butter right before bed, maybe also with a glass of warm milk (with a little honey mixed in). My 7 year old went through a bout of night wakings right when our school started back up, and just a little bit of food in her belly helped her settle down at nighttime. I don’t know if it was coincidence or placebo or what but it worked.
Anne says
Same. You ladies suggested peanut butter and it worked so well.
mascot says
Magnesium supplements can help with sleep quality. My ADHD kid uses Child Calm.
Anon says
Melatonin? It is not habit-forming and my ped says it’s safe for every day use, although we don’t use it every day.
Anon says
My sleep neurologist said the most effective dose is less than 0.5mg. I’ve read the higher doses are used for things like PCOS but could have unwanted hormonal effects in children. So I would be careful about the dose.
Anon says
I thought you all would get a kick out of this: my son (4) got a much-too-hard-for-him LEGO Kit for his birthday last week. He just asked me to assemble it with him because “I want to put it together before you die.”
EK says
Laughed out loud. Thank you for this.
lsw says
Amazing! My 4 year old was pointing out the kids in his last school picture to his big sister and several of them haven’t come back to daycare since Covid. He pointed to one of those kids and said, “That’s Claire. She’s dead.” Fortunately I overhead and was able to correct for my traumatized older sib…
Anon says
That’s hilarious. My toddler dramatically describe them as “missing.” “That’s Nora, she’s……… missing.”
AnotherAnon says
Sort of along those lines, day care recently got chickens and one of them is…gone. The director made a huge deal about telling me that the chicken ran away of her own accord. Mmm, ok. Maybe she said this to make my 3.5 y/o feel better? Anyway, when we arrived home, kiddo announced to DH “Sunny [the chicken] ran away. She just wanted to be free like I am free.”
Anonanonanon says
Oh jeez!!! hahaahahah I mean, at least he’s setting realistic goals!
Anonymous says
ha! #goals. That age has such an interesting, matter-of-fact, and not quite accurate idea of death. My 4 year old regularly announces “I’m not going to do [mildly dangerous thing] because if I do, I’ll die, and then mommy will cry forever.”
Or if we talk about something that happened before he was born, he’ll say “was I alive then?” “no” “oh, ok, so I was dead.”
So Anon says
That’s awesome!
Last week, my kid asked whether there was color photography when I was a kid.
Anonanonanon says
My son was trying to describe a Zelda video game to us, and he said “It’s based off a really old video game from back in the 1900s.” Ouch.
Anonymous says
ouch indeed! side note on this, my kids have rediscovered Zelda: BotW. They watched me and DH play a couple years ago, but now they’re all more or less coordinated enough to use the controller, themselves. They have a joint game going and pass the controller back and forth, and it’s freaking adorable. They’re surprisingly good at sharing, surprisingly good at failing and trying again until they come up with a creative solution to the puzzle, and I love watching them celebrate together when they figure something out.
Also, the physics engine in the game is amazing and realistic (magnetism! potential vs kinetic energy! things get slippery when they’re wet! ice floats!), so they’re learning real science principles. This totally meets the bar of virtual school in 2020! :)
ElisaR says
OMG i’m dying laughing. these kids.
Anonanonanon says
Someone remind me that I do not need the electric Taga family-cargo bike to bike around with my toddler.
I don’t bike. (But it’s electric! And I will if I can take a kid! are the excuses I’m making)
It’s going to be cold before I know it. (But I bought a great new coat last year! It’s socially acceptable to bundle my whole face! This is your moment!)
I keep thinking “I’ll bike to the store!” but I’m Immunosuppressed so I don’t go in stores anymore. (I do go to the farmer’s market, though! I could run inside and get starbucks that I ordered ahead!)
I could take it with us when we drive to see family in Florida! (LOL WUT not happening any time soon)
But when the country descends into civil war after the election it might be nice to have a transportation alternative! (I mean… sure)
For some reason, I really want this bike.
Anon says
You probably won’t see this, but my friend’s husband did not bike. He bought an electric bike with a baby seat and uses it constantly.
I bike a lot (well, used to..) and love to bike, but I won’t get a cargo bike because my kids don’t really like the bike trailer and want to ride their own bikes. My friend has a cargo bike (not electric) and uses it a lot.
None of that helps probably!
Anonymity says
I’m here to enable you, we got an electric bike and it is quite awesome. But I will share that maintenance is tough – it is so big and heavy that it’s hard to load in the car to take to the store, and most of the bike mechanics in my area that do house calls don’t work on electric bikes