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I really like this linen top that is also work appropriate. I like the black stripes with the black buttons down the front; I also like that the fabric makes the white part a little less white, and the black more toned down, so the contrast of the stripes is a little easier on the eyes.
I also love how it’s collarless, which adds to this top being easy and comfortable to wear.
When the weather gets super hot, linen is the only fabric that I can bear in long sleeves — and these sleeves look loose and comfortable as well. The top is currently on sale for $79.20 at Lord & Taylor. Striped Button Front Linen Shirt
Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear.
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Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
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- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
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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?
Tweeter says
I’ve been reading this blog before I was a mom and now my son is 20 months. Picked up so many tips that I filed for later. One that has worked really well for me recently is pretending to catch the “bunnies” in his mouth while brushing his teeth. He gets a kick out of it and it’s pretty effective! Any other random, general “small wins” or tips like this anyone wants to share?
mascot says
When my son got into the “run everywhere and not holding hands phase” we made a game out of it. Basically, we’d say green light and he would take off. When we yelled red light, he had to stop immediately. Failure to do so meant the game ended and he was back to the stroller or holding our hand. Obviously, this doesn’t work for every personality or every situation, but it was a great way to let him safely burn energy and gain independence.
Anonymous says
DH trained our kids using this system because he hated the kid leashes. We still use this at age 5.
JTM says
We do this too with our 3yo and she loves it.
Spirograph says
Audio books for quiet time. My 3.5 year old needs a nap, my 5 and 7 year olds don’t necessarily need to sleep, but *I* need them to take a break in the afternoon. The rule is that they need to be quiet and stay in their bed; books, coloring books, and quiet toys are allowed, but none of these appealed to the oldest. If I turn on an audio book, though, he’ll happily listen for an hour!
Catching bunnies? says
Can someone explain the catching the bunnies thing? I have a 21 month old and the tooth brushing struggle is real.
IHeartBacon says
This is how I did it the first time. I got the toothbrush and toothpaste ready and asked kiddo to open his mouth. I peeked inside and in a theatrical way, I announced that I saw some bunnies inside his mouth that I needed to catch. As I moved from tooth to tooth, I’d say, “oh my! There’s another bunny in there. It’s a purple one!!” and then I’d scrub the tooth where the purple bunny was. The longer he let me brush his teeth, the more elaborate the bunnies became. By the end, the bunnies had polka dots, stripes, wore costumes, etc.
Pogo says
I say, what do you want me to look for in your mouth? Are there some tractors? (hysterical giggles: Nooo) Are there….. koalas?? (hysterical giggles: Noo!) Oh, I see there are some fire trucks, I better get them! And then I pretend to find fire trucks (or whatever) in his mouth.
Realist says
Sometimes if you are struggling with an issue, it can help during pretend play to have your child be the mommy or the daddy. Then, act out the problem behavior in a super exaggerated, silly way. It helped at around age 2.5 to get my child to get in the carseat faster when we did this. She thought it was so, so funny that mommy didn’t want to get into the carseat, but it did seem to help her struggle with the issue a bit less.
Quail says
+1 – this is similar to a tip from How to Talk So Your (Little) Kids Will Listen that’s worked well for us. If kiddo wants something, you say something like “Oh, I want that too! I really wish we could watch TV all day/eat a million ice cream cones/whatever extremely exaggerated scenario, but we can’t.” It works surprisingly often for us,
anon. says
Bunnies didn’t work for mine, but pretending his teeth are a train track and the toothbrush is a train worked wonders!
Anonymous says
we did crocodiles and plovers. Kid had to open his mouth wide like a crocodile so the birdie could clean teeth. crocodiles never bite the birds that are helping them!
Pogo says
haha yep, I posted above, but it’s all kind of stuff. Whatever he’s into that day.
Anonanonanon says
My son loved dinosaurs. I called broccoli “dinosaur trees” and he could pretend to be a dinosaur that ate trees and chomp them
Knope says
DS is 3 and I’m currently in my third tri with kid #2, so I don’t have a ton of energy these days. I have become really good at finding ways to play with DS that involve little energy expenditure on my part. The best was last weekend – he played dress up in various past halloween costumes (firefighter, elephant) and I played sounds from YouTube on my phone as he imagined various things he was doing (putting out a fire, squirting water from a trunk, etc.).
DLC says
OMG I am going to try this now. It’s brilliant.
Anonymous says
Restaurant is another good one. You are the customer and sit on the couch while kiddo takes your order, goes and cooks the food, serves it, and then clears your plate. Our restaurant frequently mixes up my order or delivers something I did not order, but for some reason we still dine there often.
BabyBoom says
The best tip I got from this site is using Dr Bronner’s soap in a refillable foam pump dispenser in all of our bathrooms. We started this when we had 2 in diapers and the hand washing was constant. Well the hand washing is still constant -but for a different reason. We always have hand soap because those bottles last forever! I have lavender for general use, peppermint for holidays, unscented for the kitchen. I have shared this tip with many people who had a hard time finding sufficient hand soap during the covid crisis.
For the record, I just put 1/3 Dr Bronner’s, 2/3 water in dispenser and go. The kids love foam soap. Which honestly, I used to hate but have learned to tolerate. I got the hand soap dispensers from amazon.
Anon says
I’ve been using the method foam soap dispenser + refills, and they keep breaking and needing to be replaced. It’s been a source of frustration. Now I will look on amazon to see if I can find a refillable dispenser with good reviews!
(Former) Clueless Summer says
I just put my Dr Bronner’s into an old Bath and Body Works foam soap pump. It does require you to buy soap from Bath and Body Works FIRST, but they are so cheap there, it was cheaper to use that first than to order a refillable dispenser on Amazon. Just take off the label.
BLW says
When did BLW start? My kids are 10 and 12 and I had heard of it before yesterday’s discussion, but never paid it much attention. And I thought it was about weaning (not introducing foods). I clearly have been out of the young-baby side of parenting for a WHILE. I am a bit relieved that I missed this — there was too much drama back when I was in the thick of it (and now I just work and re-re-re-plan our summer camp schedule, so no time for drama).
Anonymous says
2012 ish? It was just starting to be a thing when I had my oldest and was in full swing around 2014 when I had my youngest.
CPA Lady says
It was definitely a thing when my 7, almost 8 year old niece was a baby. My sister did it with her. She’s a more crunchy, wrap wearing, SAHM type. I think it started in those circles and became more mainstream in the last five or so years.
Anonymous says
Why do they call it weaning? It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with weaning at all. Like words have meanings and this seems to be very encoded or something (and I’m not a native speaker, but this seems to be almost deliberately obscure).
CPA Lady says
“Weaning is the process of gradually introducing an infant human or another mammal to what will be its adult diet while withdrawing the supply of its mother’s milk.”
Apparently we think the word “wean” means stop nursing, but it’s actually the whole process of transitioning from a milk based diet to a food based diet. Which I had no clue about until I just looked up the word meaning today.
Anonymous says
Why are you so obsessed with this?
Anonymous says
Because the definition of weaning is starting to give the baby something other than mother’s milk or formula. Weaning is more often used in the US to mean stopping nursing but that’s not the original definition and it’s not the definition currently used in the UK where BLW started.
Anonymous says
“Definition of wean
transitive verb
1: to accustom (a young child or animal) to take food otherwise than by nursing”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weaning
Anonymous says
Also: why is it called “baby led”? Clearly it is the mom / parents who are deciding to give options to the baby. I guess unless you have a self-starter of a baby who eats crumbs off the floor and the dog’s food.
Anonymous says
Because you present food to the baby and let the baby feed it self. Really weird you’re being about this.
Anonymous says
Because you put food in front of the baby and let him do as he pleases with it, rather than spooning the food into his mouth. Also to make it sound very child-centered and progressive.
Spirograph says
haha +1 to your last sentence. I think it’s a fairly recent marketing rebrand; I don’t remember it being A Thing when my 7 year old was in that phase. Parents have been doing this forever, not as a philosophy, but just as a natural step that happens in feeding growing babies. Whether or not you do purees first, eventually you’re going to dump some food on the high chair tray and let your baby try to feed himself. Voila, baby-led weaning!
avocado says
Yep, 13 years ago we called it “finger food.” Except that it wasn’t a Philosophy with lots of Rules. It was much easier and much safer than what I’ve observed of BLW. Whenever the baby was developmentally ready to pick up little bits of food and chew and swallow, you just put little bits of food that weren’t choking hazards on her tray.
It was so much easier and safer than what I’ve experienced with my BLW relatives. I have to confess that I couldn’t stand babysitting or even family meals when they were in the thick of it, which was from 6 months to almost 2 years with one of the kids who just couldn’t get the hang of chewing and swallowing adult food. The constant vigilance against choking. Having to sweep wads of food out of their mouths multiple times per meal. Too stressful for me.
Anon says
Yeah, I am also very confused by this term and it being a whole thing. Doesn’t everyone at some point “BLW” when they start dumping food on their tray to eat? Why does this have to be a movement? Is the alternative people are still spoon feeding a five year old?
(I’m not really looking for answers here, I have older kids so luckily I don’t really need to know. I think I did BLW them accidentally though!!)
avocado says
As my BLW nieces like to remind me, just giving your child finger foods does not make you a proper BLW parent. You must completely eschew spoons and purees. If you ever “fed” your baby, you did not practice BLW. That is what makes it a Philosophy.
anon says
Oh brother. Avocado, your nieces sound exhausting.
Why must EVERYTHING in parenting turn into a freaking movement?
Anonymous says
We know some people who pre-chewed their kids’ food by . . . chewing it themselves a bit first.
I have no idea if that is BLW or something else. I bet those kids have amazing immune systems.
Anonymous says
I think that is penguins? Or is it seagulls?
AnonLawyer says
The thing about the hardcore BLW people is they have a lot of weird beliefs that go along with it – like that you can’t give a combo of purees and finger foods because babies will get confused and choke. So if you give them a puree you have to wait two weeks before giving a finger food. (Which makes no sense as far as I can tell because they’re swallowing milk all the time either way). Or some of them are militant about not giving any food until 6 month because of some “virgin gut” theory. So giving finger foods make sense, but there’s a lot of unscientific woo that sometimes goes along with it too.
avocado says
Haha, they are quite exhausting. It is kind of cute, but sometimes I want to remind them that my husband used to change their diapers.
Lana Del Raygun says
And there are some people who think it’s not a “puree” if it’s a grownup food in your culture. Like if you serve pork chops with applesauce then applesauce isn’t a “puree,” but otherwise it is.
Anon says
The rules I hear are that you supply the types of food and the baby decides how much to eat.
Anonymous says
So that is what happens at family dinner for adults and older kids every night?
Anonymous says
Yes. Again. You’re weird about this.
Anon says
Well yeah but they’re not being weaned and you wouldn’t typically spoon feed your kids and other adults, so it’s not baby-led weaning for them. Pretty surprised you’ve never heard this term even though you frequent baby groups! It’s everywhere.
Anonymous says
At some point in any spoon-feeding session, the kid purses his lips and refuses to eat anymore, or splatters the spoon’s contents all over the wall, or otherwise indicates he’s done. Soooo he’s still deciding how much food he wants, even if he’s not using his own fine motor skills to get it into his mouth. The whole Philosophy makes no sense to me. But if some people like it, *shrug*
DLC says
In a way, I consider most all of the feeding practices we use to be “baby led” in the sense that I’m not going to force feed my kid anything. But, yeah, BLW as a philosophy and Methodology is more nuanced than that.
Also- data point – my mother chewed my fish for me up until I was in elementary school. I mean I think this has a lot to do with the fact that we ate whole fish (we are from Taiwan) so she wanted to make sure we didn’t have any tiny bones in our food. But I’m still on the fence about how weird I think this is.
Boston Legal Eagle says
When I first heard this said aloud, I thought people were saying “baby linguini,” like I guess you give the baby pasta or other foods to start? That is all :)
Anonanonanon says
I stand behind this new parenting philosophy.
avocado says
Make sure you don’t give the baby fettuccine. It might lead to noodle confusion.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Love this.
AnotherAnon says
I promise I’m not a crazy person but the first time I heard of Paw Patrol I thought my friend was saying “Pot Patrol” and I was very confused. I will let you draw your own conclusions on what a kids’ show called Pot Patrol could possibly be about. DARE for toddlers?
Anonymous says
lol
I thought it was Papa Troll. Was not expecting dogs…
asdf says
Me too!
GCA says
Members of the Pot Patrol go around the neighborhood with cooking utensils misappropriated from their parents’ cabinets, fighting crime and making sure no one ever sleeps. (When kid 1 first came home from daycare talking about Paw Patrol he must’ve been about 3 – we’re Philistines who don’t have Nickelodeon – and I thought he was saying ‘Papa Troll’, like the troll in Billy Goats Gruff.)
Clementine says
So, I use the term because ‘I’m pretty lazy and mostly just mash up food and throw it on my kid’s high chair tray while I attempt to keep the organized chaos that is the hours of 5-7PM going’ is much harder to explain.
I mean, as with anything, you’re gonna have some purists and some extremists. And then you’re going to have people like me who – much like my mother and mother in law – are kinda hippies about it and just throw some soft food on the tray, watch the kid to make sure they don’t choke, and introduce a variety of flavors and textures. BLW (or BLW-ish laziness) is messier than 100% spoon feeding of cereals and purees, but that’s why I have a dog.
IHeartBacon says
This. I was not about to make special trips to the store for baby food, nor was I going to make special baby food at home. Kid got what I ate, in small non-choking sizes; soft stuff first; laid out on his high chair tray because he didn’t know how to use a spoon or fork and I wasn’t about to sit there spooning food into his mouth all day. Technically I think this counts as BLW, but I certainly wasn’t doing it as a *philosophy.* If anything, I get an D- for effort. :)
anon says
My kids are 10 and 5 and I’m pretty sure I did at least partial BLW without really calling it that? IDK, with my oldest, I had just gotten through the breastfeeding wars so starting solids seemed really easy in comparison. I think I made a couple of batches of homemade baby food and gave up on that pretty quickly; the effort was really not worth it.
AnotherAnon says
As Clementine said, you can do this without the drama (but lol @ avocado’s nieces). Someone put it well yesterday: as a parent you’re always being judged. I decided pretty much the moment my kid arrived to just nope out of the drama. “Oh you’re doing that? Cool. Our family chooses to do something different.” People will still try to convince you that their way is the *only* way, but I just ignore them. I only have three close mom friends though and that’s probably a consequence of my refusal to participate in the nonsense.
BLW flunkie says
BLW is stressing me out!!!!! I downloaded the Feeding Littles course and O.M.G. the gagging/choking hazard part really freaks me out. It reminds me of sorority hazing “just push through it, worth it in the end!” Babies will figure out how to eat, right? I’ll just keep with the purees and soft, easy to swallow stuff. No need to be a purist.
Lyssa says
I think the “it’s worth it” is what amuses me the most – I’ve never seen anything to explain why it’s worth it or even what exactly “it” is. It’s not like kids who start with pureed foods are stuck with some sort of life-long eating handicap.
Pogo says
lol, exactly. Supposedly BLW makes your kid a more adventurous eater, or something. I did not practice Purist BLW, because I let my kid use a spoon and eat purees, but I did just feed him whatever we were having from an early age. He was more adventurous with his eating. Ate everything. Til about 14 months. Then he became a toddler and I haven’t been able to convince him to eat chicken or squash since then (I’m barely exaggerating).
SC says
I didn’t do anything like baby-led weaning. Kiddo had purees, yogurt, applesauce, etc., and we definitely spooned some into his mouth. He was still a really adventurous eater. He ate everything. Family members were impressed at holidays. Then he turned 2. Suddenly, he hated all of his former favorite foods, including traditional kids’ foods.
FWIW, he’s 5 now, and he’s getting more adventurous. It took us a while to figure out the common threads and try to present foods that we thought he’d like, or make foods in ways he’d like. We’re still trying to figure it out.
AnotherAnon says
This was me too – don’t let it stress you! I first heard about BLW on this site (so the advice was pretty measured and reasonable), and I thought “oh cool that’s basically what I’m already doing!” but then I briefly looked into it and found out it’s a whole Thing[tm]. So I just kept feeding my kid what we eat. Sometimes I googled whether or not a baby under 12 months could have something – 10/10 helpful. But I still don’t get it right all the time. It was only recently that I learned (thanks, Kids Eat In Color) that I’ve been giving my 3 y/o choking hazards: spoonfuls of pb, whole grapes, popcorn, etc. Yikes. There’s always more to learn.
Anonymous says
wait, peanut butter spoons are a choking hazard?
Whole grapes I learned from daycare — we brought them for the kid to eat for breakfast, and the teachers insisted we cut them all into quarters or they wouldn’t serve them.
Anon says
I’ve also heard peanut butter is a choking hazard because of it’s thicky, sticky texture.
Knope says
There really is no need to be a BLW purist, as others have said, but I do think people get too hung up on their babies gagging. Gagging is very different than choking – you will hear the baby make noises, and they will clearly look like they are in the process of getting something out of their throats. It’s normal and not something you need to intervene in. Choking, on the other hand, is silent. It’s not likely to happen if you start with very soft, small pieces of food, but you do need to be watchful.
rosie says
Agree. And I think the most valuable prep you can do before starting to introduce solids is to learn what choking looks like and what to do (infant first aid/cpr course that is).
Anonymous says
Weeeellll… I got hung up on gagging because it often led to vomiting. Not dangerous like choking but also gross and unpleasant for kiddo.
AnonLawyer says
Is Feeding Littles the one that has an Instagram with posts like “how to introduce your baby to branzino”? Because that’s some yuppie nonsense. I’ll introduce my baby branzino when I take her and her roommates out to a nice dinner when I visit her in college.
Anonanonanon says
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Anonymous says
I’m 36, and I just had to google branzino.
NYCer says
I don’t think that is Feeding Littles. I find most of her posts to include very normal kids foods.
AnonLawyer says
Sorry, guys – I looked it up. It’s Solid Starts. Good for a laugh if you have some free time. You can also learn how to introduce your baby to hemp seed. (Obvs a priority).
Anon says
It’s VERY BRITISH, which is why weaning has a weird meaning to American ears. Maybe 6-8 years old there. It was picking up in NYC about 4/5 years ago.
Someone I know thought it meant just give babies adult food and I nearly passed out when she was giving her 1 year old whole grapes.
I guess it’s fine if people research the safety of it, but it seems like doing BLW poorly is riskier than doing purées.
Anon says
Early elementary parents – what sort of plans are you making for the fall? My district is starting to talk more seriously about the alternating schedules (one group of kids Mon/Wed, the other Tues/Thurs). I don’t know how to make that work with multiple kids and working parents. So far no talk about kids from the same family on the same schedule. I don’t know how to make that work when my kids are too old for daycare but too young to stay home by themselves (so in that kindergarten to 4th/5th grade range).
Our current summer setup (using a combo of college students and teachers for whom summer school has been cancelled) doesn’t work when those groups are back to school. I literally can’t think of any other options and don’t know what else to consider or where to look. Any ideas I can try to start tracking down?
Anonymous says
It is such a stressful situation. Our district has provided no details on the fall — just a vague statement that it will be a blend of online and in person learning. But rumor is that it will only be 1 or 2 days in person. I am making a last ditch desperate attempt to apply for private school and praying my kids get in. (The private school could likely open for in person because of smaller class sizes.)
Spirograph says
Same, we’re looking into private schools in case any of them are able to open for full day M-F instruction. I have a rising K, rising 2nd grader, and one in preschool, so whatever I do with early elementary also has ripple effects for the youngest. The lack of certainty is infuriating.
Also on the table:
1. Stay in public schools, but hire a part-time nanny for all the non-classroom days: providing instruction and/or supervising distance learning would be explicitly part of the job description (youngest would stay in daycare)
2. Switch to homeschool + nanny, again the nanny’s responsibilities would include facilitating schooling (youngest would probably switch to a partial day preschool)
Anon says
I struggled with this, and the only option we felt confident in was removing our son from the public schools. He was to enter kindergarten in our districted school (top district in the state, Midwest, we moved into our city mainly for the public schools). News story came out about 3 weeks ago that the neighboring district in the same county (top 10 district in the state) will likely adopt a 40% in-person schedule like you mention above as the default plan for the year and will only go full-time in-person if all CDC regulations were relaxed. We freaked and that afternoon enrolled him in the neighborhood Catholic school where he went to pre-K this year. We apparently weren’t the only ones as now the school is full with capped classes at 15 students and plans for strict cohorting.
I fully recognize we are privileged that we can make this choice and that we have a very good, relatively inexpensive Catholic school that we are comfortable with that had openings. I also recognize we may be buying a false sense of security and may end up going part-time anyway, but I don’t have time to deal with the anxiety of waiting around for public schools to develop a plan, and I’m sorry that so many families around me are going to have to deal with this issue. We visited our pediatrician for a well-visit on Monday and when we told him about our school plan for the fall, he was so impressed that we found a place taking the right precautions and he said he wished the public schools would follow suit. I left that appointment confident that we made the right choice for us.
AnotherAnon says
+1 to all this. My kid is eligible for prek (in our state, you must meet certain criteria to qualify). I had debated sending him, but the waffling by the school district has made this a hard pass for us. I am not trying to be incendiary, but I honestly don’t understand how it’s mid-June and all the school district has done is send out a survey asking: do you have an ipad at home and if you had to choose between in-school instruction or distance learning what would you choose? That is an impossible question to answer without more information. Ok, end of rant. I’m fortunate that my kid is in a Montessori day care that goes through first grade. In the past I’ve been lukewarm on the whole Montessori philosophy, but for the moment I’m planning to keep my kid there through first grade, as they have demonstrated that they are taking serious steps to mitigate risk. My heart truly goes out to parents of multiple school-aged kids, and HCOL families who don’t have a lot of options.
Pogo says
Same, mine is slated to attend the public pre-K in the fall but if that doesn’t happen I still have options (private part-time, private full-time, continue to be at his current daycare – she will take kids even school age for aftercare). While preschoolers are terrifying monstrous creatures to try and parent while working full time, I am very grateful I do not have any school aged children. You are all champs, this is so so tough.
AnotherAnon says
Preschoolers are terrifying monstrous creatures to try and parent. Full stop. I have a newfound love and respect for early childhood education people. Sure, you may be instructing my kid in 40 minutes of “education” per day but HOW DID YOU GET HIM TO WASH HIS HANDS FOR 20 SECONDS YOU’RE MY HERO. It probably involves bunnies.
Anon says
I’m jealous your private schools have an option of staying open full time. The ones around here (Chicago suburbs) are considering the same setup as public schools.
Anonymous says
In our area the regulations are the same for public/private but the class size is so much smaller that there will likely be more in-person schooling available. Like if your class size is 14 and you need 35 sq ft of space per kid you might be able to make that work, whereas not if your class has 29.
anne-on says
Right now we’re doing private school (which is all in-person for the lower grades) and we’re (hopefully!) going to have an au pair again in the fall once borders open. If our au pair’s arrival is delayed we’ll struggle through supervising after school, and I’m planning on taking a short sabbatical (4 weeks) to cover the gap between our current au pair leaving and school starting.
Long story short, it’s a mess, and I do not know how 2 working parent households are managing especially if grandparent care is out for many (as it is for us due to high risk factors). The local daycare teachers are going back and our babysitter’s agency is also saying they have more demand than they can fill right now (a LOT of ‘young’ grandparents babysit normally for some extra money and are not doing that right now).
CPA Lady says
No actual clue. I think just struggling along, working from home the days she has school online, going into the office on days she’s at school in person, if it ends being a schedule like that. But I only have one kid. But I expect that if she has online school I’ll have to do a lot of hand holding because she’s 5 and can’t read or work a computer. I’ve considered going down to an 80% schedule at work, but haven’t made up my mind on that yet.
Realist says
We’re making plans to homeschool. I don’t trust anyone in any position of authority to properly do a reopening that doesn’t leave us in limbo every few weeks with quarantines, changing regulations and guidelines, that puts our family or other family’s health at risk, etc. My business will take a hit, but it already has.
It is a tentative plan. I would be thrilled to change it if things work out so that the schools can be open. But this thing won’t be solved by September and I’m just not seeing any realistic reopening plans that work for working families. I’m very, very worried about disadvantaged groups and kids in unsafe home situations.
Anonanonanon says
Same. Mine is an upper-elementary student, but we will be homeschooling. We basically already started and will continue through the summer to provide a cushion. Hoping it’s just for the fall, but the reasoning is almost exactly what you stated. In addition, it is less disruptive to my work schedule than the alternatives being proposed. My office is currently committed to teleworking until 2021. I will likely still have someone paid to help a couple of hours a day to make sure that he’s on track doing his work, help with any computer issues, etc. and, hopefully, cover in the event I do have to go to a meeting in person.
I’ll develop and monitor the curriculum, administer tests, discuss what he learned, etc.
What has worked for us so far:
Khan Academy for Math (I administer paper/pencil tests to make sure he’s really doing it/learning)
The Young People’s version of Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States (just finished, he read a chapter a day, wrote three surprising things he learned and a chapter summary. That worked on spelling, grammar, reading comprehension, and social studies in one fell swoop for us). We’re doing the young people’s edition of A Different Mirror next.
Spelling City to maintain spelling lists. This was recommended by a friend who homeschools. Has games he does to practice the words (words are a combo of a list of words I’m working off of for his grade level, and words he spelled incorrectly in his writing assignments.) I administer a weekly paper and pencil test.
Grammar worksheets (they’re vs. there vs. their, your vs. you’re, lose vs. loose, it’s vs. its, etc.)
Science… we’ve neglected. I will be getting more info on the actual curriculum for next year from the school to keep him on track for the semester. I’m hoping they’ll be supportive of sharing.
1 hour a day of reading a book he has never read before. I ordered a bunch of Newberry medal winners and he is loving all of them so far.
Our school system actually does not do spelling/spelling tests, so that’s the reasoning behind the strong focus on writing/spelling.
Realist says
I’m copying all these resources. Thanks!
Junior Associate says
Wow. Reading this, I almost wish my parents had home schooled me with these resources! (although I appreciate that this is a pandemic and parents are scrambling)
I know you didn’t ask for additional resources, but In junior high I LOVED the Cartoon History of the United States as a resource similar to Zinn’s. Larry Gonick (the author) also wrote a bunch of other cartoons on the history of the Universe / Modern World / Chemistry / Biology / Statistics / Algebra / Biology / Physics, some of which I read and I found super helpful for getting an overview and grasp on the material. For science, my parents basically just stuck me with loaned Horrible Science books for elementary school, and I actually excelled in science in middle and high school (although I switched school districts 4 times and countries 2 times through K – 6 and half the time the teachers were barely doing any teaching), and there’s always Khan Academy.
avocado says
Same reasoning, but for ninth grade. I really, really, really hope that our district comes up with a workable plan to keep kids safe and provide continuity of instruction, but so far the signs aren’t promising. The superintendent keeps popping up in the media saying he is looking forward to a full in-person opening in the fall, and the district has a history of not planning for or reacting well to other types of perfectly foreseeable contingencies (snow, tornado warnings). We’ll make our final decision in mid-August.
If we homeschool, I will do zero teaching. (I can teach pretty much anything to anyone else’s child, but nothing to my own.) She will take courses through a combination of two different on-line providers. One of the providers is possibly superior to what she’d get in public school, and the other is inferior to public school but better than the mindless busywork that was “learn from home” this spring.
Realist says
That sounds like a good plan. Each age presents challenges. For 9th grade, I think back to how I would have felt having to stay home and not see my friends and it just sounds so devastating and emotionally traumatic. But on the school front, I do wish my child was a bit older and could independently do an online program. I will definitely have responsibility for teaching this fall to keep her from falling behind. We’ve had some luck with Outschool and a few online worksheets and resources her teacher put together, but I still have to monitor online learning. My work hours have plunged.
Anon says
Ahhh I’m keeping my fingers crossed because my DD is entering K and it would be so much better.
I just filled out a parent survey sent today in which I told them I had no concerns whatsoever about in person, please please just have school like normal!
anon. says
And even if schools open, there won’t be aftercare… at least in our district. So I’m starting to talk to my boss about working until 2:30 then again late if I have to. It’s all so so hard.
Ms B says
Full time panic.
Anon says
+1
Mrs. Jones says
+2
Quail says
I have no idea either. Our district hasn’t provided any info. I have a kid entering kindergarten who was accepted into a test-into public school program – so I’m loathe to lose the spot by not enrolling this fall. I was thinking of maybe banding together with some other families we know from preschool going to the same school to do a nanny-share home school type situation for the off days. But that depends on the various schedules of the kids, and is probably more expensive than his current full-day preschool. That preschool is also a montessori program that continues through K, so we could just keep him there… but we’d lose our spot in the public school we want to be in for the next 8-9 years, so…yeah. No good options.
Jeffiner says
Some of the daycares in my area take kids up to age 12, for drop-in school holidays and summer break. They’ve added a “School” option so that if public schools close, you can take your kid there. The daycare teachers are even working with local elementary schools to help the children do all the online classes and homework. I don’t know (and don’t care) how much it costs, but I’m signing up now to get a spot.
Anon says
If the state is allowing kids of that age in daycare, then why aren’t they allowed in the school? Isn’t it the same risk? Or does the daycare have smaller classroom sizes?
Anon says
I’ve thought about this and I think here is the difference:
Kids don’t *have* to go to daycare, in other words, if you don’t send your kids to daycare, you obviously don’t get a visit from the CPS or whatever. So if your daycare opens up, you can legally choose not to send them (and figure out your alternative care).
There are laws that K+ kids *do* have to go to school. So if the elementary school opens (full time in person), for example, there is the law that the kids basically have to attend (or do the official homeschooling/private school switch & all that entails). A parent can’t just opt out of sending their kid if they feel unsafe. So we are left with trying to come up with all of these hybrid models that make those families feel safe.
The situation sucks.
Anonymous says
Thanks for this explanation, it makes a lot of sense.
Anonymous says
In our state school is not legally mandated till age 6 and there have been times in the last few months where I have debated just skipping kindergarten next year.
Anon says
that’s great! where do you live?
Jeffiner says
I live in Texas. During the first shutdown, all the public schools and the private schools that I know of closed, and a lot of daycares closed. However, some daycares stayed open for children of essential employees. That’s probably their plan for next year, although Texas’ leadership seems to be taking a “just ignore it and let everyone fend for themselves” stance.
The class size at the daycare will likely be larger than DD’s kindergarten class. And it will be a new group of kids she’s in contact with, all of whom would have parents going to work in essential jobs. This spring I was able to WFH. I’ve transitioned to an essential job that has to be in-person. I haven’t heard of an outbreak anywhere that was linked to children in daycare. Her current daycare (which doesn’t do school-age, we’d have to switch) has taken a ton of precautions and I feel comfortable taking her.
anon says
Our district announced yesterday that it intends to have 100% on-site instruction this fall, unless our area becomes a “red zone/high risk” area again. Which is entirely possible, given how noncompliant people are with masks. There will be a hybrid option for families who aren’t comfortable sending their kids back. I am glad the district listened to the parents for once and realized that partial instruction/full distance learning was impossible for the large population of working parents. Of course the mombies are out in full force, saying it’s the parents’ responsibility to keep their kids at home and make “other arrangments.” Like you even know what those are; they’re non-existent, Karen.
I have a kid with ADHD and the private parochial schools around here are known to not be very accommodating of any kid outside the norm, so I don’t see that being an option for us. Public schools = support services, limited as they be. Around here, private school = you’d better hope your kid is a perfect, compliant angel.
Anonymous says
This is wonderful. Where are you located? You said red zone “again,” which gives me hope that cooler heads might prevail in my red zone, too.
avocado says
This is a fantastic plan. Give parents the choice of in-person or on-line instruction to accommodate family needs and risk preferences. The hybrid plans where the same kids are in school half the time and home half the time make zero sense except as a way to reduce classroom occupancy, and that just doesn’t seem worth the hassle. It’s the worst of both worlds–they get exposed at school but parents are also stuck with them at home.
AnonLawyer says
Anyone have experience with the various toddler-size armchairs? I’d like to buy one at some point but having a hard time finding reviews. It looks like the options are the PB Anywhere chairs vs. the Ugly-Where chairs vs. the Nod chairs from Crate and Barrel.
I found that I think is really cute from the last brand, but saw some reviews suggesting that doesn’t hold up as well as the PB ones. Any experience? And what about the Ugly-where chairs? Are you sacrificing quality for the price point?
Anon says
My kid almost never sits in her PB chair. She loves the couch I got her (for a lot cheaper), and it has held up remarkably well (note the aesthetic is not ideal, but she loves it).
Anon says
Not sure where my reply went, but this is the brand of couch that gets way more use than the PB chair (ours is a Frozen one – the first one (Sesame street) got destroyed in a nail polish accident – in case you were wondering, toddlers can crack those bottles open). https://www.amazon.com/Marshmallow-Furniture-Fold-Sofa-Story/dp/B07H9NL794/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=toddler+couch&qid=1592411908&sr=8-2
AnonLawyer says
Hah, I can see why they would be popular but they’re so hideous! My kingdom for a non-eye searing design!
Cb says
What about one of the IKEA ones? They are a bit cheaper and they use them at my son’s nursery in the reading nook which suggests they are decently sturdy.
Realist says
We have an IKEA one and it is reasonably sturdy, but my kid doesn’t like it. She doesn’t ever sit in it and it has basically become the dog’s chair. The most popular sitting spot for my kid is her Yogibo. I could also see something like the one linked above from the River site being a hit as well. I think most kids like something that is pretty soft and adapts to a variety of sitting positions.
ElisaR says
talk to me about the yogibo! i just googled it and i’m intrigued. is it a high end bean bag chair? looks like i would like it and the kids would too.
Realist says
Yes, a high end beam bag chair. It is pretty comfy, I sit on it when playing with kid. We have the tall one (the Max, or whatever they call the most popular size). Kiddo loves to slam into as well as sit on it.
Anonymous says
We have an animal adventure brand chair. Available on Amazon but we got it for less at home goods. It has held up well. It’s mostly used for flipping on and DD sometimes watches tv sitting in it. They’re cute but not really a necessity.
AnonLawyerr says
Thanks. Those are a much better price.
Mrs. Jones says
Our PB chair is going strong at age 9.
ANon says
my twins sit in their pb chairs daily. we have the medium size (it was a gift), but i wish we had been gifted the largest size
Cate says
We have two PB ones. Have gotten a lot of heavy use – today they were a major part of fort building as well…
NYCer says
My daughter has the PB anywhere chair and uses it all the time. She loves it.
Pogo says
We have an Elmo one (link in reply to what I think it is, we were gifted) that gets a fair amount of use because LO likes Elmo. If it had not been gifted I don’t think I would have bought it.
Pogo says
My reply also got eaten… we have, I believe, ‘Sesame Street Large Furry Elmo Nod Chair’ from Crate and Barrel (it was gifted to us so I actually have no idea but it looks like this). If it had not been gifted, I would probably not buy a toddler arm chair, but kiddo loves it b/c Elmo.
Anon says
When do kids really NEED socialization with other kids? My 2.5 year old hasn’t played with another kid since her daycare closed in early March. Daycare is “tentative” for a September reopening, but it’s hard to feel optimistic about that, since it seems like there will surely be more cases in September than there are now, and even if they do open I don’t expect them to stay open for long. We didn’t do playdates before this started (since she was on the young side of 2 and we figured full-time daycare was plenty of socialization) and it seems really weird to reach out to a family we’ve never hung out with right now, since a lot of people are still being cautious and avoiding contact with people they don’t know well. Other daycares in our city are open now, and we’re considering switching to one (although that would be sad since we all love her school) but due to insane waiting lists in our area we’re unlikely to have a spot anywhere else before the fall, and then that puts us right back in the situation where everything may shut down again. Please tell me she’s not going to be a loner for life because of this extended isolation? At the beginning of the pandemic I could reassure myself that a lot of kids were in the same boat, but with more and more daycares and camps reopening that’s not really the case anymore :/
avocado says
I am a huge proponent of day care, but I don’t think missing out at this point will be the end of the world. When I was growing up, the only “socialization” most little kids got was random playground encounters, occasionally playing with the kids of the moms’ friends, and a year of preschool two or three mornings a week at age 4. Plenty of kids entered kindergarten without having attended preschool. It’s not ideal, but your child won’t be permanently harmed by a few months or even a year without interacting with other kids at age 2.5. She’ll have plenty of time to catch up. I’d be more worried if she were pre-K age.
If you are comfortable having her interact with other kids right now, I’d look into something like outdoor soccer classes over the summer. A moms’ morning out program affiliated with the Y or a house of worship might be another possibility if any of those have started back up (not yet in our area).
Anon says
our situation is a little different because we have twins, but they are 2. we have a nanny who we love and were planning on also starting them in part time school this fall, but have decided that given the potential closures, risks involved (we asked our pediatrician what she thought), etc. that the cons outweigh the pros so they will just be with our nanny. while they do have each other so have to share/take turns all the time, one of mine is definitely more dominant and is the toy stealer, while the other one does not really put up as much of a fight when toys are taken, etc. and i do think it is very important for them to interact with other kids so they don’t always fall into these ‘roles.’ we’ve had a few playdates with other kids, but there really is still so much parallel play at this age. our thought is to reevaluate at the end of the year and maybe enroll them in january. i am worried about it as well, but i am also trying not to borrow worry about a situation that is very much out of my control
Spirograph says
I think it’s probably really kid-dependent how well any individual kid tolerates not playing with another kid for an extended period of time, but I definitely don’t think she’ll be a loner for life because of a few months break in preschool. Also, socialization doesn’t need to be a big group – it’s enough to go to a public playground where kids need to take turns on the slide, not push each other off stuff, share a ball etc. Do you have neighbors your kid could play with?
Also, I don’t think it’s weird to get in touch with a daycare family right now and ask about a playdate. Lots of people are OK with outdoor playdates at this point. There’s nothing wrong with saying, “hey, [daughter] is missing playing with friends since daycare closed. If you are comfortable with an outdoor meet up, we’d love to get together at the park this weekend.” Offer to bring some bubbles for the kids to chase or something. The worst they’ll say is no.
Anon says
I wouldn’t worry about it – even one year is relatively short in the scheme of things and kids are fairly resilient. But wanted to say, don’t feel weird about reaching out to another family. They may be wondering the same about you.
“Hi, this X, Kid’s mom. With daycare closed until September, I know Kid is really missing playing with friends. If you feel comfortable, we’d love to get the kids together to run around outside for an hour or so. Let me know if you’re interested at all and we can try to figure out logistics we’re both comfortable with!”
Anon says
My kiddo will be 3 in August. She has not played with another kid since her part-time preschool closed in March. We are meeting her socialization needs with video chats with relatives and friends (mostly adults) daily, sometimes multiple times a day, prior to school ending weekly video chats with her preschool classmates (it was as bad as you think it was), in-person visits with my younger sisters (i.e., active and playful aunts – oh to be in my 20s with all that energy!), and lots of pretend play with her parents (my least favorite, but it lets us work on turn taking, sharing, physical boundaries (mama is not a climbing structure), etc.). Given that we didn’t do a lot of playdates before and she is (for now) an only child with a SAHD, and that we were initially going to wait until 3 for preschool anyway, I am not concerned about the lack of social exposure. Kids are resilient, and even a year without in person playdates I don’t think is going to be a huge problem. As long as you can fit in a year of preschool before staring K, I think your kid (and mine) will adapt.
AnotherAnon says
I don’t think kids necessarily /need/ socialization with other kids until school starts – but what do I know. It seems like their little group norms are constantly changing, which is interesting to observe from afar. I also think kids are born introverts or extroverts, on a sliding scale. Does she seem like she misses interacting with children her age? That was my main motivation in sending my 3 y/o back to day care when it opened – he cried often about missing his friends, and he’s not much of a crier. I think if day care weren’t an option, my kid would have benefited from an au pair or college kid to pal around with, so those might be options to look into?
Anonymous says
I may be the voice of dissent – I think before 2 most socialization can take place within the family unit. But I do think by 2.5-3 they start interacting a lot with each other and by 4-5 friendships are very important. My just turned 3yo misses and talks about her friends and we are prioritizing her going to preschool in the fall (at this point we are focusing on her mental/emotional health). Keep in mind even though kids may have just had one year of pre-k4 in the past, they also probably had more siblings and local cousins and neighborhood kids to play with.
Anonymous says
OP is trying to get her kid to preschool, though. No one is saying preschool at age 3 isn’t important or beneficial. We’re just reassuring her that in the grand scheme of things her kid’s life won’t be destroyed if there isn’t a way to make preschool happen for a while.
Anonanonanon says
I promise I say this not to minimize the worry of a caring parent, but in an attempt to be helpful. This is literally a worldwide pandemic, the likes of which we have not seen in over a century. This is going to change our children’s generation in ways we probably haven’t even realized. I promise that if delaying playing with other kids in a classroom setting is the worst impact your child feels, they are going to be fine. Your child comes from a loving, food-stable household and will be OK.
Children are so, so resilient. Plenty of children of SAHMs do not regularly socialize with groups of children their exact age and it all evens out eventually. Please do what you need to get through this with the childcare you need that balances your family’s safety and continued employment.
Realist says
PSA – Target has a basic athletic skort that seems pretty good for weekends and days at home. I just got 2 and am debating if I get one more color as I think I will use them a lot this summer. The material is like the stuff used for many running shorts. Brand is All in Motion. Link to follow.
Realist says
Link to skort: https://www.target.com/p/women-s-stretch-woven-skort-16-all-in-motion/-/A-77615818?preselect=77283421#lnk=sametab
ElisaR says
that is super cute.
Anon says
thanks for the rec! how does sizing run?
Realist says
I haven’t washed them yet, but I would say true to size unless they shrink in the wash (which I’m guessing this fabric won’t). True to size leaning a bit towards the smaller end (if that makes sense), so order the larger size if you tend to be between sizes.
Ashley says
Good tip!! Just bought one plus the similar looking shorts.
Anonymous says
Can anyone recommend a maternity/newborn photographer in NoVA? Thanks!
Anon says
In my local moms group, Norwood Photography (Liz Norwood) comes highly recommended.
Anonymous says
LCE Photography is great!
Anonymous says
I used LCE as well!! Price is great for NOVA and she’s like amazing with newborns.
Anonymous says
We used Michele at http://www.michelejeaninephotos.com/.
Anonymous says
Jess Lynn Photography – got the recommendation on this board, and she’s amazing! She does our yearly family photos now too.
Let's talk about snacks ba-by! says
I know this is discussed often, but I’m trying to think of preschool snacks that *I* won’t end up eating the entire carton of (looking at you, Goldfish). My kid is a little strange…here’s stuff he’s meh toward: bananas, Goldfish, string cheese, raw carrots, raw celery, including ants on a log. He’s obsessed with fruit: can’t get enough berries (fresh or frozen), cuties, apples, plums, grapes, and raisins. I suppose I could add in PB crackers? He’s not big on crackers, but probably because we don’t buy them often and don’t get the good stuff like Cheezits. I’m sure this is super obvious but what are some big winners at your house that I’m missing? Applesauce? Fruit cups? Is there shelf-stable yogurt? Send him with pouches? I’m not above that…
Cb says
Our nursery won’t allow nuts and I suspect most are the same so PB crackers won’t work but sun butter is a good alternative. My son likes dried fruit, breadsticks, cucumbers, oat cakes.
ElisaR says
Made Good granola bars in the purple box are a big hit. and they are nut free so fine for daycare. applesauce is hit as you mentioned and yes, pouches still work even though my son is 4 and i try to steer him elsewhere. pirate’s booty is a “special treat” that will make him do flips if need be. i find if they are individually packaged snacks i’m less likely to raid unless DESPERATE
Spirograph says
Trader Joes sells “fruit leathers” which are basically like short, fat, fruit by the foot, except made with real fruit instead of chemicals. My kids love them, but I think they’re kind of gross.
If you freeze gogurt, it will probably stay cold enough and also thaw enough to be good by snack time
granola bars? Quaker has some soft ones that are nut-free, just oats with chocolate chips. We buy them in bulk from Costco.
This is dumb, but have you tried different shapes of cheese? My kids are off cheese sticks, but like babybels (“circle cheese”) and american cheese slices (“square cheese”)
sliced cucumbers and bell peppers are hits with my kids, but if yours is ambivalent toward celery and carrots, he may not like them.
Spirograph says
Oh wait, the TJs things are actually labeled “fruit wrap.” They’re organic? I dunno, they’re still weird.
Anonanonanon says
We have “circle cheese” and “square cheese” in our house, too! since we started buying cracker cuts of cheese there is now also “baby square cheese” and “big square cheese”
AnotherAnon says
Thanks, everyone! I’ve got several new ideas to try.
Anonymous says
We make healthy muffins weekly and those are a big part of what our kids Use for snacks – I find they really need filling snacks (like mini meals) and not just fruit or crackers . Oats, eggs, yogurt, bananas and a tiny bit of sugar (and cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda) get blitzed in the food processor and that’s the batter.
Anon says
A big hit in our house for our fruit-loving kids is half a mini-bagel with [cream cheese or sunbutter] and berries on top.
Other additions to fruit: pretzel sticks, those handi snacks dippers of little cracker sticks and cheese dip, babybel cheeses, and mini rice cakes of various flavors.
Io says
Caveat that my kid is weird, but olives, pickles, hard boiled eggs, nori snacks, baby bell peppers (sometimes stuffed with cream cheese), lunch meat /cheese rolls (lunch meat/cheese/tortilla and peanut butter/banana/tortilla), were all popular. For a while she’d eat dry fruit so raisins and Just That bars were staples.
More normal are sliced apple soaked in sugar/salt water to prevent browning and served with peanut butter dip.