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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 51 Comments · by

Finally Friday: Native Shoes

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Native Men\'s Shoes JeffersonStylish water shoes can be hard to find, so it’s good to see that every urban mama’s favorite summer kids’ shoe now come in ladies’ sizes as well! If you’re a big fan of Native Shoes for your kids or yourself, I very rarely see them on sale — so you may as well get triple points by scooping them up at the Nordstrom Triple Points Event going on right now. Native Shoes ‘Jefferson’ Water Friendly Perforated Sneaker In other news: what is your favorite mineral sunscreen for your kiddos? I just wrote a whole post about how Amazon has some good 20% off coupons today for “mineral sunscreens,” and then noticed reviewers pointing out all the chemicals listed. So I’m curious, ladies: which is your favorite? My eldest has been battling eczema so we’re looking for a mineral-only one, fragrance free, etc, etc.  

Sales of note for 9.10.24

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

Kid/Family Sales

  • Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
  • Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
  • J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
  • Old Navy – 40% off everything
  • Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs

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Comments

  1. mascot says

    I think Blue Lizard makes good products (read the labels though because some are mineral/chemical sunscreen combos). Babyganics spray didn’t go on very smoothly and the Badger cream sunblock was hard to apply. I’m going to try some of the Alba products too. Price is good and they look to spread on easier.
    We go to the beach regularly as well as the pool so I try to get “reef safe” products for beach days. If you are just going to pool or outside, that might not matter as much to you.
    I try to use mineral products, but I also keep a couple of cans of spray (coppertone, banana boat) if we are just out and about. I haven’t noticed them irritating my eczema that much.

  2. Anonymous says

    Regarding sunscreens, I look to the EWG database. We have been using the Think Baby brand this year, which I like and seems easier to rub in than some of the others.

  3. MomAnon4This says

    From what I’ve heard and read, the exposure to the sun UV rays is worse than the “chemicals” in almost any sunscreen, at almost any age, for most people.

    I put “chemicals” in quote marks because words have meaning, people! EVERYTHING has chemicals — that’s what they are.

    • also anon4this says

      +1 on “chemicals.” Minerals? Made of chemicals. Water? Made of chemicals. Organic wild ramps never touched by human hands until they are picked and lightly sauteed in pure European butter from cows who have fed only on wild grasses? Made of chemicals.

    • Anonymous says

      Exactly. My dermatologist friend 100 percent recommends using “regular” sunscreen. Plus the mineral based ones are way harder to apply- more likely to miss a spot on squirmy babies and kids.

    • Anonymous says

      Another one for Babyganics lotion. It runs in better than others I’ve tried. I also love the Honest stick for face (although their lotion is too sticky).

    • Belle et Rebelle says

      Same re: Babyganics. My daughter doesn’t have eczema or other skin issues, so no idea how it would be from that perspective, but I like that it blends in pretty well, isn’t sticky, etc. I’ve actually just worn it myself at times.

  5. AEK says

    For sunscreens, we like Badger. I saw mascot’s comment; we haven’t had any issues with spreading the baby & kid creams, but the formulation is definitely not a runny lotion. I just rub it in my hands first and spread all over.

  6. Stephanie says

    I think it will be more helpful to search “sunscreen for eczema for toddlers” than to look for a mineral sunscreen per se. PP is correct, everything has chemicals. The minerals in mineral sunscreens are chemicals. And if it’s a carrier/excipient that is causing problems, it won’t matter if the sunscreen active agent is a mineral or “organic” or “natural” or whatever. That said, Badger gets good reviews for eczema-prone skin. We like Blue Lizard sensitive/baby formula, even though my husband is the one who has eczema.

    • hoola hoopa says

      +1 A mineral-based one could aggravate his skin more than a ‘chemical’ based lotion.

      Try CeraVe’s sunscreen.

  7. Anonymous says

    My son has eczema and is extremely sensitive to lotions/soaps/etc. We use Poofy Organics “The Sunscreen.” It is expensive and is a bit hard to smooth in, but works well for sun protection and doesn’t irritate his skin. He had a reaction to the babyganics one, so I don’t recommend that one. Have not tried Badger Baby but may try it given the recs here.

  8. SC says

    I’m planning a plane trip with my son in about a month and trying to decide whether to buy him his own seat. My husband can’t make this trip, so it’s just me. My son will be 13 months. He’s pretty big (90% for height, 75-90% for weight), and he’s very active, especially with the climbing. He likes his car seat and isn’t usually a big fan of being held. There are no direct flights to our destination, so the trip involves about a 2-hour flight, a 1.5-hr layover, and a 1.5-hr flight.

    If I decide to carry him in my lap, any thoughts on whether an aisle or window seat is better? On the one hand, looking out the window might distract him for a bit. On the other hand, the extra room in the aisle might make it easier to grab toys, snacks, and other distractions from the diaper bag while holding him.

    • Lkl says

      Aisle, for sure. Traveling with an active baby (10 mo at the time) we had to get up CONSTANTLY. Now at 14 months I am not sure we could survive without getting up to walk up and down the aisle. If you can afford the extra seat, do it. We will be flying cross country in a couple months and probably can’t spring for the extra seat, and I’m already nervous.

    • jen says

      We started buying our kid a seat when she started to be mobile. So, when we traveled at 6 months, she was a lap baby. When we traveled at 10 months, we bought a seat and put her in her carseat where she slept happily most of the time, but needed to be walked up and down the aisle for 45 min or so each flight (her walking, us holding her hand). After the 1 year mark she got her own seat and NO carseat, as she wanted OUT of that thing!

      We typically fly 4 hour flights (in laws…), so you might be able to handle a lap 13 month old for those shorter flights. And i doubt sleeping will be an option. You also should absolutely check to see if you can have any open seats if you don’t spring for the extra seat. if they have them, they’ll put you in one.

      If you have a lap baby, go aisle. If you are buying seats, I’d do center + window so he can look out the window and your general sprawl doesn’t trap the 3rd person in the row.

      • jen says

        I will add that buying the extra seat is expensive, but (1) is really only an option for ONE year– so once the kid turns 2 you’ll have to buy one anyway so may as well get used to it and (2) we used up our FF miles on some. Also, we chose not to take one trip because it got too expensive for 3 seats and we were unwilling to torture ourselves over it.

        • SC says

          Thanks. We traveled with our son on our lap at 10 months, but it seemed easier with two of us handling him, and it was only a 1.5 hour direct flight. On the return trip, they let us put him in the middle seat because the plane wasn’t full, and it was heaven.

          I’m using FF miles for this trip. I have enough miles for both tickets, but of course I could use them up later. I think I’m just going to bite the bullet and buy him a seat. And, added bonus, these planes have rows with just 2 seats on one side, so we can have a row to ourselves!

      • Lurker says

        Have a back up entertainment plan other than walking in case you have turbulence and can’t get up. My husband was on a flight recently that was very bumpy (flight attendants seated) and the whole plane had a chuckle at the little one screaming from the back “BUT MOMMMMMYYYY, YOU SAID WE COULD WALK ON THE PLANE!!!!!!”

    • Anonymous says

      I would definitely buy him a seat if you can, especially if you are travelling by yourself. Much easier to have him strapped into the car seat.

      • SC says

        Thanks. I bought my tickets, including a seat for LO, during my lunch break today.

        Also, the customer service for Chase Sapphire travel was very helpful! The website was only showing Delta’s basic economy fares, and I wanted to reserve two seats together (for obvious reasons), so I called. They were so efficient and professional making the reservation.

  9. NewMomAnon says

    Anyone have a favorite brand of blackout curtains? My kiddo has been waking up with the sun, and I think better blackout curtains would be helpful. I’m in a rental unit that came with high end blinds (not darkening, sadly), so I can’t replace those, and my Target “room darkening” curtains are not cutting it.

    On sun protection; I don’t trust myself with sun block alone, so I’ll keep kiddo in long sleeve rash guards all summer and big floppy hats. Lands End had long sleeve rash guards in both boys and girls styles. Does anyone have a recommendation for other forms of kid sun blocking clothes? Rash guard is kind of overkill at the playground – a tunic would be better.

    • HSAL says

      I was really impressed with the Utopia brand I found on Amazon. The first time I ordered they sent me the wrong size but I just returned and reordered and I love them. I got navy and I was surprised by how much light they blocked for how cheap they were.

    • jen says

      I have 2 brands that didn’t work. What worked best is a throw blanket, so that’s how we roll these days. Total darkness for the mere price of looking absurd.

    • In House Lobbyist says

      I bought the cheapest ones on Amazon that came in different color choices. We got navy and they are perfect. It makes my kids sleep an extra hour at least and I have been known to take naps in there too.

    • Anonymous says

      I do a combo of IKEA blackout shades and IKEA curtains. Inexpensive and together they work great.

    • mascot says

      We installed roller shades behind plantation shutters and it works well. Not sure you would have the space to do that with blinds though.

      • NewMomAnon says

        I doubt it, we have very fancy Hunter Douglas sliding shades that come in from the side. There is a ton of hardware mounted to the window frame (upper and lower tracks, side mounts). Why they aren’t room darkening is beyond me. And the window casing is so fancy that I don’t want to drill into it install darkening blinds over the existing blinds. I think I’m stuck with curtains on the existing tension rod.

    • hoola hoopa says

      JC Penny and Ikea roller shades.

      Since it’s going behind other shades, I’d just buy the blackout material. You can get it a JoAnn’s (or any other large fabric store or fabric store specializing in home dec). It’s frequently on sale for ~$3 yard (55″ wide), so it’s very inexpensive. It doesn’t fray, so you literally don’t need to do anything other than measure and cut.

  10. Care says

    What was your favorite small new mom gift? I have a friend due next week and I have a couple of baby books for the baby but I want to get something to pamper the mom. I’ve already done a nice shower gift and will be planning to take food/offer babysitting/help the dogs feel loved, so I’m looking for something truly for mom to enjoy. She’s probably having a C-section if that makes a difference. I was thinking about some lush bath bombs or something soft – like a robe or blanket (but it’s summer so I don’t know if anything warm is really desirable).

    • Anonymous says

      Woah, you are an awesome friend. My personal opinion: I preferred to use an old, stained robe as a new mom (due to bodily fluids everywhere…), and luxurious bath items were sort of wasted on me because I never had the time. Honestly, help around the house and with the kids, and meals, were the best presents. A friend got me a sweet necklace that had a little nest with three pearls in it, which I really like — so maybe some jewelry like that?

    • mascot says

      Delicious snacks that she can eat one handed. Healthy is a plus, but not always necessary. Also, non-caffeinated teas or fancy sodas to keep her hydrated. There is a lot of couch time for feeding the baby so Netflix/Kindle gifts are nice.
      I’d opt out of scented bath stuff. I didn’t have time to luxuriate in the bath with a newborn (plus, she’s going to have incisions). And, I didn’t like wearing a bunch of scent around a new baby.

    • jen says

      You are an awesome friend. Come be mine! I wouldn’t’ have used bath products as I was very, very bleedy for a while after giving birth (non c section but I had a tear). Bathing was excruciating.

      What I liked were snack baskets/single serve things to stash around the house. Water bottles, gatorade/vitamin water/juice, plus bar/dried fruit/anything you can think of that’s not hugely messy and shelf stable. A cute summer nursing top might be fun, if you can figure out sizing. With my first i basically had nothing to wear because none of my maternity clothes were nursing friendly and none of my pre preg clothes fit. So I spent a few days in the first few weeks trying to find v-neck tops that fit my super fat arms and swollen belly.

      If she’s nursing, perhaps by the time you visit (ie a few days after she gets home) you may have a sense for how that’s going for her. if she’s in pain, you could get some of the ice pack things that lanisoh makes–they were an absolute saving grace for me. You can heat them OR freeze them.

    • SC says

      I wore a lightweight, stretchy-cotton robe pretty frequently after baby was born, and still use it when I get up in the mornings to change baby’s diaper and make a bottle before I get ready. I’m not sure exactly what material it is, but it’s key that it’s lightweight, smooth (no waffle patterns on chapped n*pples), soft, and washable. These might be good options, http://tinyurl.com/hhfvhtv or http://tinyurl.com/h8kxer7, although it may be worth just going to a store and feeling stuff.

      Snacks are good too. I made myself a trail mix with granola, almonds, chocolate chips, and dried red fruit, and just ate a handful or two of that after each nursing/pumping session.

    • PhilanthropyGirl says

      With a c-section she won’t want to get in the tub for quite a while. I didn’t until after my 6 week check up to ensure everything was healing properly. I’d highly recommend Earth Mama Angel Baby’s C-Mama Salve – when my incision started getting itchy it was a miracle worker. I love just about anything from Earth Mama Angel Baby, but that was the best.

      Maybe some luxurious slip-on slippers that she can just slide her feet into – even in the summer, toes can grow chilly, especially if she lives in a region where the AC might be running a lot. And in those first few weeks, bending over to put on socks will be very uncomfortable.

      Maybe an Amazon Kindle gift card to load up her ereader for long days/nights holding and nursing baby. Depending on the style of ereader she has, a book light would also be really helpful.

    • NewMomAnon says

      Someone gave me lightly scented hand and foot cream right after the baby was born, and it was really helpful – my hands were so dry. Also, I sweated through so many pairs of pajamas in the first few weeks that I made an emergency run to Target to buy more. A very soft Gilligan and O’Malley nightshirt (preferably with a stretchy neck or buttons for nursing, if she is doing that) would have been much appreciated.

    • Care says

      Thank you all for the advice! This is my first close friend to have a baby and I’m trying to figure it all out – I never would have thought about no baths because of the incision! Now I’ve got some shopping to do :)

  11. lsw says

    When wearing shoes like this, don’t people’s feet get sweaty or otherwise just slip around? I have never done the croc/Melissa/rubber shoe thing because of this.

    • NewMomAnon says

      While pregnant, I had a pair of mary-jane style Crocs that fit well enough that I didn’t slip around. But yes, my feet got very sweaty. I bought myself a pair of water sneakers from Land’s End that look and feel like real sneakers. I love them. I have to stop myself from wearing them everywhere, so I can preserve them for the kiddie pool this summer.

    • hoola hoopa says

      I have Native shoes for me (and my kids – they love them). My feet do get a bit sweaty, but nothing serious. They don’t slip around. I find them comfortable to wear all day, and my feet aren’t “wear anything” feet.

      FWIW, though, my experience is that Natives don’t work very well until a kiddo is about 4 years old. Chubby toddler feet need not apply. After that, though, they are awesome.

  12. EB0220 says

    I love ThinkBaby and use it on my kids and myself. We have BabyGanics spray, too. I hate the smell, but my older daughter likes the “SunSpray”. So that one lives at school where I don’t have to smell it! I tried BlueLizard for a while but it was a pain in the butt to get it rubbed in completely.

  13. Anonymous says

    I can’t remember if I got the recommendation here or elsewhere, but I bit the bullet and bought the Sunday Afternoons play hat for my fair skinned 10 month old and am so happy I did. Really adjustable- there is a toggle around he head plus the chin strap, so I hope to get 2 summers out of it. The back is “stroller friendly” so she can lean back in her stroller and car seat just fine. It was pricy ($40 Canadian) but definitely worth it. In case anyone else is looking for a major sun protection hat, I thought I would mention it- most baby hats don’t seem to provide much shade on the face.

  14. Anon says

    I love these shoes for my kids. They are easy to slip on and off, can be sprayed off, can go in the river, and dry quickly. They also somehow don’t smell after all that! Though don’t accidently leave them in a hot car (ours shrunk!)

  15. Trisha says

    My son and I break out from ingredients in some sunscreens and have to be picky. I like Skinceuticals, especially the tinted one (which spreads better). We’ve also had great luck with Rocky Mountain sunscreen.

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