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I love the construction of this dress from Hobbs. The wrap portion looks intentional and well constructed in a way that a lot of wrap dresses or waist-accentuating ties aren’t. The wrap looks substantial, and I like how it looks a little higher on the side and is part of the dress, rather than just a tie around the waist with loops. I also really like the pattern, and how the wrap matches but also breaks it up a little bit. And of course, for me it wins points by being a V-neck and having a cap sleeve. Plus, it’s machine washable and lined. The dress is available at Bloomingdale’s for $290 in sizes 2–14. Tahlia Tie-Waist Dress 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. This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!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
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Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
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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?
anon says
Our new nanny told me that one of her best friends (who lives far away) is very ill and might not make it through the weekend. She is planning to go see her this weekend. She hasn’t asked for time off, but should we offer a couple days off so she can make it to see her friend? It’s super hard for us to take a day off with work because of the nature of our jobs, but I feel so bad for her and her friend that I feel like we should. My husband would most likely take the day off since he has more flexibility, but he thinks we shouldn’t say anything until she asks.
Lana Del Raygun says
Yes, you should offer! Your instincts are right here. Do you have a sitter you can call?
LittleBigLaw says
You should absolutely offer.!
anon says
You should offer, but I’d work on back up care. There is a chance she’ll ask for time off next week for a funeral.
Anonymous says
If I were you, I’d probably say something like “I’m so sorry to hear that. Do you need anything? Is there anything we can do?” That would open the door for her to ask if she feels uncomfortable since she is new. That said…if I were me, I’d probably offer Friday off explicitly because it sounds like our jobs are a bit more flexible so it would be easier to swing.
Annie says
Offer and ask her if she has any friends who could sub in for the day — you’d need to check their references, of course, but it would be good to set up back up care anyway.
Anon says
My 18-month old has had constipation issues and our ped GI put her on daily miralax. Four months later she hasn’t had any serious constipation since but still straightens up when she poops, and poops most days, but not every day. The doc suggested teaching her to crouch down to poop. Which, sure, great. But how exactly do you teach an 18-month old to crouch when she poops? Have any of you successfully done this? Any other tips for constipation?
Anon says
It seems way too young to be worrying about her position when she’s pooping (I’m assuming she’s going in a diaper and not on the potty?). Frequency doesn’t matter – only consistency. If her poops are soft enough, I wouldn’t worry about the fact that she doesn’t go every day.
anonymous says
Try the Squatty Potty. For my constipation, daily fiber like Metamucil has been a life changer. Not sure if there is a version that could be used for kids, though.
Anonymous says
18 month olds usually aren’t using potties.
shortperson says
Yes there is a kids culturelle packet with fiber and probiotics you mix with juice. I would add this to your miralax routine. We do these in combo
lsw says
We use this and mix with applesauce; my son eats it with no problem.
Pogo says
I don’t know how you are supposed to teach a kid to poop, but my kiddo has issues from about 18mo-22mo but he has been MUCH better since without a huge change in diet. In the interim we did fiber gummies which helped (miralax is probably stronger than that so you’re good there). I did for a time rub his back while he was trying to go, and pick him up and snuggle him if he seemed like he was uncomfortable. He naturally started backing himself into a corner to go and crouching, but I can’t say I did anything to encourage that. He now has a few “spots” that he likes, including between a cabinet and the wall in the dining room, and inside his toy chest, and he always squats. Sending good vibes – it’s so tough to see them struggle!
Ifiknew says
I have a six week old and a 2 year old who turned 2 in May. She had been potty trained since April and in thr past six weeks has completely regressed. She’s telling me after she pees and it’s gotten worse. The first three weeks of his life, she was initiating having to pee but seems to completely not care in the last two. She’s at home with us and will start preschool this fall. Shoukd I put her back in diapers and try again once she adjusts to preschool? I feel like I’m admitting defeat because it was so nice to have her day trained but gosh I am so so tired of cleaning up pee. Also noting that there has been no other animosity to her brother, she’s been very loving and we don’t see any other issues so far.
anon says
Have you tried keeping her bottomless while home? If you know she can control it, she might be reluctant to have an accident without clothes.
lawsuited says
+1 I’m not sure what method you used to potty-train, but we used the Oh Cr@p! method which recommends spending time bottomless any time the child needs a bit of a potty-training tune up. The book also talks about how potty-training can bring out resentment in toddlers about leaving “baby” things behind, which I can only imagine would be amplified by the addition of a new baby who was a novelty for the first few weeks but now it’s clear that the new baby is a permanent fixture. Maybe up the “baby love” with your toddler (carrying her, cuddling her) while also telling her how proud you are to have a big girl that uses the potty/dresses herself/feeds herself/whatever.
Anonymous says
I’d put her back in diapers for now and try again in a month or two. A newborn and a toddler having lots of accidents is a lot to manage. It doesn’t mean it will be difficult forever. Does preschool require them to be toilet trained? 2 seems young for that. The group effect at preschool or daycare is powerful and if other kids are trained, that will help her get back on track.
Op says
Yes we’ve had her bottomless for two weeks at home and she just pees on floor, maybe we need to do the hard core three days do nothing else thing again. I’m worried she’ll regress again starting school and no they don’t require they’re trained at 2 so I hope she’ll be motivated again seeing other kids
Anonymous says
Sounds like now is not a good time…emotionally, physically, or both. This is on the young side for potty training. I’d put her back in diapers or pull ups (if you think she might want to use the potty occasionally) and agree with the poster above about peer pressure at school.
Anonymous says
doesn’t sound like she’s ready. Try taking a break and starting again a month or so after she starts school.
SG says
If you have/had a video baby monitor in your child’s room, how old were they when you removed it? We have a 2.5 yr old and still use it most nights, mostly to alert us to noise in her room. For context, our room is on the same floor, just down a short hallway. We typically use a white noise machine, which would prevent us from hearing crying.
What do others do?
Anonymous says
I stopped whenkid was able to get out of bed and come get me if needed.
Anon says
She’s 3 and we have no imminent plans to remove it, although we don’t use the monitor that much anymore. It is not a “smart” monitor so not worried about hacking etc.
Em says
+1 same. When our video monitor broke 6 months ago we replaced it with a cheapo $20 audio-only one. My son often won’t get out of bed and will call to us, so I like having the ability to hear him even if I’m in my room or downstairs. When he consistently gets out of bed and comes to find us we will probably ditch it.
lsw says
We moved when my son was about 15 months old and never hooked up the audio monitor in his room in the new house. It’s right next to ours, and I am such a light sleeper that I easily hear him calling for us or crying. Being a light sleeper pushed me to stop the monitor earlier, because I woke up at every noise! In our previous house it was a necessity, because his room was on a different floor.
Anonymous says
We still have it in the twins room. They are 4.5 and in big kid beds. I find it useful to hear them coming if they get out of bed at night or so DH and I can go out in the garden to enjoy the summer evening without worrying about not hearing them if they get up after bedtime.
CPA Lady says
We took it down when she moved to her big girl bed at 3.5. I never used the audio feature though, since she’s a noisy sleeper and every slight snuffle or whimper would wake me like a jolt of electricity. I slept with my bedroom door cracked, and could easily hear her across our smallish one floor house if she started crying, but not if she made re-settling noises. Now at almost 5 she just bellows “MOOOOOOOOMMMMM” at the top of her lungs if she needs anything at night. It’s lovely.
Emily S. says
I think it was around 2.5, when we had our second child and Big Sister got a new twin bed. We took it down to paint the wall behind the new bed and didn’t bother to put it back up. She was potty-trained by then and right next to the bathroom, and felt comfortable getting up to use the bathroom by herself (which she only needed to do a few times.) This seems to be a know your kid situation.
Pogo says
Kiddo is almost 2 and we still have it, though use it rarely. I like it in the event that I hear him before wake-up time, I can check to see what is going on (sometimes he sleep talks, for example, and I can see that he’s still out and doesn’t actually need us). I like it for naps because I can check to see if he’s still awake or stirring before starting another chore. Otherwise, don’t use it.
Anon says
Heads up – Lands End has 53% off backpacks and 50% off lunch boxes today! I bought mine for the upcoming school year!
Redux says
Snagged, thank you!
PetiteMom says
Where do I buy nice, timeless, but not too pricey frames for my attorney license as well as my law school diploma? Thanks!
Anon says
You wait for the 60-70 percent off custom framing coupon to come from Michaels or AC Moore (usually a couple of times a year, get on their mailings) or whatever your local craft store is and then go have them custom framed with complementary frames and matting! Very reasonable if I recall.
K says
I just framed a professional license with a frame + mat from the online river-named store. It was $15 and looks great.
AnotherAnon says
We’re moving at the end of August; should I move my 2.5 y/o boy to a big kid bed before or after we move? I was planning to move him to a twin but is that too big? His crib doesn’t convert (er, we lost the conversion parts in our last move). He doesn’t know how to get out of his crib. Should I just continue with the crib until we’re more settled?
Anonymous says
If he’s not mad about the crib I’d keep it through the move
Anonymous says
Leave him in his crib. We moved around the same age and our daughter found it comforting that her crib was exactly the same at the new house as the old house. We also painted her room the same color.
As a side note, I’m team crib until they crawl out or ask for a big kid bed. My 3 were all in cribs until their 4th birthday. Almost no problems with them getting out of bed because they were old enough to understand when I said that having a big kid bed was only allowed if they stayed in it.
Anon says
If he’s not climbing out of the crib, I’d leave him in it until you get more settled. Also, what do you mean by conversion parts? Ours “converted” by just taking one side off; is that an option?
OP says
There was a small rail that replaced the front, but we lost it. I’m not sure If it would be stable without the front piece entirely, but I could try it. Thanks!
Anonymous says
YMMV of course but I think most of those are just a rail to keep the kid from rolling out so you can replace with any small sized bed rail. Not as pretty but functional. I also used the rails for the inbetween stages like – ‘I’ll have to put the side back on the crib if you can’t stay in bed when it is open” and “you have to stay in your little open bed to show me you are ready for a big kid bed”.
Pogo says
I’m team Crib Forever. Is there some benefit to a big kid bed that I’m missing?
ElisaR says
me too.
Anonymous says
Same! My 2.5 year old sleeps like a rock currently and is still in the crib. I’m not messing with that! Not switching until she tries to climb out.
Anon says
Nope. My 3 year old is in a crib. She’s never attempted to climb out.
OP says
Thanks everyone! For some reason I was thinking we were way past the time that he should be in a big boy bed, but I’ll just keep doing what’s working for us!
Cb says
I’m team crib as long as possible and use a sleep sack to discourage learning to climb.
anon says
Is he potty trained? We switched to a bed so our kids could get up to go potty on their own.
Anonymous says
Does this work though? My kids were like 4-5 before they stopped wanting help to potty at night. Usually when they woke up to pee, it woke them up enough that they needed to be tucked in, stuffies located etc.
Clementine says
Totally dependent on the kid.
My 3.5 year old is happy to get himself up and go potty at night and then tuck himself into bed.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Tips for weaning without feeling too engorged? I’m hoping this is my last week of pumping at work and I’ve been slowly cutting down on the amount of time I pump per day, and I’m at less than 5 minutes 1x per day. I still nurse twice in the morning and once at night. Try to follow the same schedule on the weekend. The problem is that it seems like my body is still producing a bunch of milk! I’m afraid that if I just stop pumping entirely next week, I’ll feel too engorged by the time nighttime rolls around, and then will have to pump after the last feed.
Any suggestions on what helped you produce less milk during the workday?
Emily S. says
Slow, agonizing, time, unfortunately. I didn’t find I could do anything to produce less milk than stop pumping, but to help with the discomfort of engorgement, chilled Lansinoh soothie pads (forgot the proper name, but the ones with the beads that you can microwave.) A quick trip to the moms room to sit with those for a few minutes and after 4-5 days, it was much better.
Pogo says
+1 and take lecithin tablets. I cut down daytime pumping really slowly – like over the course of 2 months. But if you’re already down to 5min 1x/day, that’s pretty much the minimum already.
Anonymous says
When you pump, make sure you are not pumping until empty and turn out the strength of the suction. 5 mins is not a lot but cut back another minute or two today and tomorrow. Pump just enough to relieve the uncomfortable pressure so your breast is not rock hard.
After nighttime feed, if you still need to express, take a hot shower and hand express a bit to relieve the pressure. Will help with the pressure.
Anonymous says
Once I got down to 5 mins once per day, I stopped pumping. I think I pumped once more after a few days just to relieve some engorgement, but for the most part the nursing you’re doing in the morning and evening should take care of it.
Irish Midori says
I have friends who swear by certain herbs (you can make tea with them). You can search herbs to reduce milk production and there’s a ton of information. They even make a special “weaning tea” you can buy at crunchy-mom stores that have a combination of herbs, since not everything works for everyone. Even if it doesn’t work, you get to drink some tasty tea…
Anonymous says
I had zero issue with engorgement once I was at that point with pumping (around 11months). Nursed until 13-14 months and again zero issue stopping once we were down to 1x/day. I didn’t even have any hormonal issues/sadness. Everyone’s different though
Anonymous says
Take cabbage leaves, smush/roll them a little to get some juices, and tuck them in your bra (use an old sports bra). Sounds strange, but it totally helps provide relief from the fullness discomfort. Definitely only do this when you’re at home, not expecting company.
Sasha says
Talk to me about moving kids and how well they adapted. My daughter is starting kinder this fall, but we are looking at planning a move next summer, across the country, for lifestyle reasons. I know, the best time to move would have been a year or two ago, but barring that, it seems to me the best time to move is ASAP, if we’re going to go at all. Will she be okay starting over at a new school in first grade? What about second, third? Is there an absolute “cut off” after which you would not do a discretionary cross-country move (obviously, moving because you have no other option is a different question)?
Anonymous says
She will be fine. My cut off would be late high school.
Anon says
She will be fine. I think the cutoff is after 11th grade (after 9th if you want to be extra nice about it).
Anonymous says
I moved cross country when I was nine (brothers were 11 and 3). The culture shock – going from DC to Southwest Florida – and disruptions to family happiness were the biggest issue, not making friends. Think about how the move will effect recreation opportunities, external support networks, relationships within the family, and other things that impact your family’s general happiness and function. If those will generally be the same or better than now, she should be fine.
Sasha says
Can I ask, what was the cause for your move? We are hopeful that our move will lead to better recreation, support, etc. I’m glad to hear that making friends wasn’t an issue. <3 Kids are awesome.
Anonymous says
My father’s job – 30% raise. But it also meant 50% travel for him for the first year, so that was really stressful, and my parents lost their support networks, which took a long time to replace (esp. for my SAHM given the wide range of ages of her kids and very different culture).
Irish Midori says
My family moved to Japan when I was 6, going into 2nd grade (dad’s work). At that age, it was all just an adventure, and I had little trouble adjusting. Moving back and going into 4th grade was much, much harder. Moves happen, and growing up I moved every three years. I think one thing that made it a little easier is we always found a “tribe” where went that acted as pseudo-family. For us it was a church. Even now that I’m more settled, it’s still a favorite tradition to invite over all the transplants I know for Thanksgiving dinner and have a big pot luck with whatever odd collection of friends show up.
Callie says
I was moved in middle school and did fine. My sister was moved in late elementary school and then again after 10th grade (I wasn’t impacted by that 2nd move as I’d graduated high school already at that point). My parents (and my sister) would tell you that the mid-high-school move was very hard on her. However, they would all tell you now that it was a positive thing. She had a VERY difficult 11th grade year (she was exceptionally angry and I know that she and my parents had a very strained relationship). But ultimately, the move was good for our whole family, bringing our family closer to extended family, allowing my dad to take a rare career opportunity, and getting my sister in-state for college which was a much better fit for her than any of the opportunities she would have had in the other state (and saving her $ longterm in tuition which I think set her up to pursue her passions). I know that it was hard but I also know it all pans out. A decade and a half later, my sister has retained relationships with some of those closest friends from early high school and also has many close friends from 11th and 12th grade who are centered near where my parents still live. Her relationship with my parents is strong and she’d tell you that she’s come to appreciate that they made a difficult decision but that it benefited her longterm even as she was angry at the time. For what its worth, I think the high school she graduated from in the state that my family moved to was a better fit for her than the high school that I graduated from.
This is all to say that I think kids (even teenagers) are resilient. Moving during high school isn’t ideal but I think any point before that is fine and that even in some instances during high school makes sense. Certainly, I wouldn’t hesitate to move my kids in elementary school and maybe even later if the situation made sense for our full family.
Anonymous says
I think it depends on the kid. DH moved a child after 2nd grade and had a really rough time. He refuses to move our kids now that they have started school. My daughter’s BFF moved after kindergarten and seems to have integrated fine with the class. Her parents are friendly and involved which I think helped build the relationship with other parents more quickly. I know them better after a year than some of the parents who were in kindergarten as well.
anon says
I think moving in first grade is fine. I moved to a new school in the middle of fourth grade and then I went from there to middle and high school. I think moving in high school or middle school would be the most difficult.
Anon says
I’m the outlier I guess, but I moved a lot as a kid and hated it. I really crave stability for my kids and I would not do a move for purely optional reasons after they’ve started school, and I wouldn’t even be enthusiastic about moving preschoolers. We intentionally delayed TTC until we had moved to the area that expect to be our permanent (at least until retirement) home. Of course if we have a reason we need to move, that’s a different story.
Anon says
Ditto. Moved in 3rd grade and it was terrrrrible. Probably not a help that my mom was desperately unhappy in our new town, but I got essentially bullied and had a hard time making friends and honestly feel like it was the cause of my having some degree of social anxiety that I still have now. Which is not to dissuade you from moving but I’d be extra on top of getting involved, meeting parents, helping your kids make friends and don’t just assume they’ll figure it out.
anon says
shows how unique every situation is because i moved for 3rd grade and it worked out fine. i went to a private school but everyone thought it was cool to have a new kid from out of town.
ElisaR says
yeah, i moved in 3rd grade and it was awful. It was the age when the mean girls just started getting mean and they weren’t welcoming to the new kid who came from the poor side of town. (my move was just across the train tracks within town to a new school district)
RR says
We just moved with 3 kids last year. Older two were going into 5th grade–the last year of elementary school at the new school, so those kids had been together for 6 years (K-5). My youngest started K at the new school.
It was totally fine. I wouldn’t want to do it repeatedly, but it was fine. The new school was great. They have lots of friends. I think our kids had an easier time because we moved from a huge district where they didn’t have continuity of kids in their class year to year anyway. So, they only saw friends at recess and lunch (which are important, definitely). Otherwise, they started over every year anyway. The new school is very different, so those kids all knew each other well, and my kids were the “new kids,” but everything went really, really well.
I moved a lot as a kid (started my 4th school in 3rd grade, but we did finally settle there), and I don’t remember it being a big deal then either.
anon says
I moved across the country twice as a kid (5th grade and 9th grade). My siblings also moved again while I was in college (they were 5th / 9th / 11th graders). I think we all found that it’s easiest to join a school during a year when the classes are being mixed, e.g., when several elementary schools feed a middle school. It’s also harder if you move into a place where you’re the only new kid there has ever been. Transitory moments and locations were the easiest.
I had a particularly tough time moving into a 5th grade class where I was the first new kid since kindergarten and all of the girls were into catty tween girl stuff that was backed up by catty parents. Misery….
So Anon says
My perspective is probably skewed because I was a military brat and moved all of the time, but I would be fine moving my kids pretty much any time. I moved throughout my childhood into communities where it was common (military post) and where it was not. I think it builds resiliency. The parents can do a huge amount to help kids through the transitions. For us, it was always an adventure. Whenever we moved, my mom would build up the fun aspects (we were always allowed to pick out new bedding for our bedrooms), we would go on local adventures and take advantage of the new area. I think this mentality applies regardless of the frequency of the moves or the distance. I recently moved my kids post-divorce (rising 1st and 3rd graders). I really pumped up their new rooms, the advantages of where we were going and acknowledged the difficulty of change. In short, do what is best for your family, acknowledge where it is hard and make it fun.
anon says
I don’t have kids but I thought this is something you ladies would be able to help with – for various reasons, I’m driving my husband’s 2008 sedan with a light colored, upholstered interior. It was used when his sister bought it and is a hand me down from her, so there’s a lot of marks/stains on the inside that didn’t bother him but bother me. Anyone have any wonder cures for any of that? Since the car is sold and janky, I don’t want to throw money at having someone else clean it, just some time on a weekend afternoon.
K says
I’d probably try OxyClean, diluted in water/applied according to the container.
Irish Midori says
I rent a carpet cleaner from Lowes once a year or so, and last time I used the upholstery attachment to clean my car seats. It did wonders, even on the gross chocolate stains.
Clementine says
My local carwash has a car rug shampooer that I use periodically.
(Actually… the last time I used it I was pregnant sooo… maybe it has been a while.)
lawsuited says
I’m looking for a clean BB cream with SPF. Any recommendations? (I’m also posting on the main s!te.)
AnotherAnon says
I used to wear It! Cosmetics bb cream. I think it was spf 50. I don’t wear it now because it’s mega humid here and the formula is a bit too heavy for this environment, but you could try that!
lawsuited says
This is my current BB cream and I love it, but I’m looking for a clean alternative :)
Anonymous says
‘clean’ doesn’t mean anything. It’s like ‘toxin’, it doesn’t provide any information about what you mean. Are you trying to say you’re looking for a BB cream with a mineral sunscreen and do not want one with a chemical sunscree?
Anon says
+1
lawsuited says
I happen to agree but it’s for someone who cares about the “clean” label, so I guess it needs to be recognized as a “clean beauty” product by some source or another and IT Cosmetics isn’t.
Anonymous says
‘clean beauty’ doesn’t mean anything. It’s just marketing. There’s no solid third party evalution that covers all areas. Is it about chemical sunscreen or animal testing or vegan products or fair trade ingredients? Some people think the Environmental Working Group rankings are worthwhile source and others think they aren’t useful at all.
mascot says
I don’t know what clean means so this may not work for you, but I like BareMinerals Complexion Rescue. It’s a sunblock (titanium dioxide) and provides a nice buildable coverage.
Pogo says
I use Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm, it’s SPF 20 and includes zinc oxide and titanium dioxide for sunscreen rather than chemical sunscreen. Agree depends on what you mean by “clean” – it does contain parabens.
anon says
Suntegrity 5-in-1 Tinted Sunscreen SPF 30!
AMama says
I’ve used the Burt’s Bees BB Cream and like it- it does have a little bit of a scent to it but not bad.
Anonymous says
Also not sure what u mean by “clean”… but until recently I wore Tartes BB cream (not the tinted moisturizer) which is “all natural” and cruelty free. But then my skin started reacting to it after a few years
Pottery Barn Food Containers? says
Looking at stainless steel containers for my 3.5 y-o to take to pre-K in the fall (want her to get some practice with them). Anyone use the Pottery Barn ones? I’m wondering if those lids are easy for little hands.
(Looking for stainless steel because of weight and being dishwasher safe. )
anne-on says
They are $$ but I do like planetbox containers and lunch box for ease of use/cleaning. The lids stay on well but are easy to get off and seem to do well in the dishwasher.
Pottery Barn Good Containers? says
The hinges don’t rust/break? I sort of rejected that style out of hand.
shortperson says
we’ve had the planetbox for four years and it is in excellent shape.
Anon in NYC says
I’ve used Planetbox containers for about 2.5 years, and put them in the dishwasher/hand wash every night and there is no rust.
AIMS says
I’ve been really happy with Thermos brand kids stuff. Funtainer? Or something like that.
anon says
We’ve found that our kids eat better if they have only one container to open. I’d avoid any option where your 3.5 yo would need to open many containers. We’ve had good luck with the Yumbox, but it’s plastic.
ElisaR says
interesting – this never occurred to me but makes total sense.
Anonymous says
Ditto. It’s also much nicer to only have one container to emtpy/wash/find to repack, etc.
Anonymous says
We were just told yesterday that our four year old has a rare but ultimately resolvable medical condition that will require surgery. I am obviously terrified bout the idea of her having surgery, but I’m equally scared of how to explain this to her without completely terrifying her.
We don’t plan to tell her until we meet with her surgeon and get more information. And I’m sure the children’s hospital will have lots of ideas for us on how to talk to her about this. But I’m wondering if anyone has gone through it before? What did you tell your young child about a scary procedure to keep her as calm as possible?
Thanks for any and all ideas or words of encouragement.
RR says
I’ve been through several pretty low stress surgeries with my kids (they are all high stress, but these were objectively not as risky as some). We just told them that they were going to go see the doctor and get X fixed. They’d be asleep, and the doctor would take great care of them. I tried to keep a pretty upbeat tone. In my experience, children’s hospitals are just fantastic about this, and my kids weren’t stressed at all. They were playing with toys, chatting with the nurses, eating lollipops, etc. The hardest part is when they wake up and after, depending on pain. I prepped them for that by saying that it might hurt a bit, but they’d get to watch all the TV/iPad that they wanted and eat lots of ice cream (sub what’s appropriate based upon your surgery). Kids are really resilient about these things. If you do your best to not seem scared, she will be much less scared. And the hospital staff are brilliant with this.
AIMS says
I’m sorry you’re going through this but happy to hear that it seems resolvable! I don’t have specific advice, but just wanted to chime in to say that I think kids at this age experience so much “new” in the world that they don’t often know what is and isn’t typical and sometimes scary things can come off as actually more normal to them than to us. My mom had to have a pretty serious surgery and spent a lot of time in the hospital when I was around that age and I remember thinking it was all totally normal, like everyone’s parent has to go in for a few weeks once in a while. I had no frame of reference for what other kids/parents experienced. I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible. Thinking of you and your little one. Hugs.
Anonymous says
OP here—thank you for your kind and thoughtful replies. It is helpful to remember how resilient kids can be. And I’m definitely trying to keep it super upbeat. So far we’ve been talking about how awesome it is that she got to see inside her body!
anon says
i know you mentioned this in your original post, but you could even ask the surgeon if he has a recommendation on how to explain this to a 4 year old, or if the hospital has a social worker who has ideas, etc. without knowing more about what kind of surgery it is or what the recovery for her will be like, it is hard to fully advise – but if it will involve a hospital stay maybe she can pick out a new stuffed animal to have waiting for her afterwards or special pair of pajamas, etc.
So Anon says
Children’s hospitals tend to be really great at helping you frame how to discuss this with a kiddo, and someone in the intake (completed well before surgery) should be able to help. Your child will be asleep for the actual surgery, so think about the before and after. Night/morning before: learn any limitations on eating and drinking and plan on how you will handle a hangry kid at home. When you arrive, my son received a new stuffy and was treated so well by the hospital staff. We also brought a new toy for him to play with while he was waiting. General anesthesia: ask whether a parent can be present when your child is placed under general anesthesia, which is different from whether a parent wants to or is ok being there. Full disclosure: my son has been placed being placed under general anesthesia multiple times. I held him in my lap as the meds went in. He was totally calm, and I think my presence was helpful to making the experience easy on him. However, it was really tough on me each time. Having your child go limp in your arms is not easy. They had a nurse walk me back each time. Plan for what you will do while you are waiting. After: Kids can get really upset coming out of general anesthesia, so ask ahead of time what you can expect and do for your kiddo. Singing to my son helped him. If your child will be discharged that day and on pain medication, ask for the RX before the day of surgery and have it filled before you go to the hospital. It really isn’t fun to have to stop at the pharmacy on the way home. For the drive home, think about how the car seat may rub on any tender spots from the surgery.
I’m sorry you are going through this but glad that the issue is resolvable. I agree with others above that your child will take their cues from you, and it sounds like you are being upbeat. You’ve got this!
Anonymous says
Thank you for this as well. It’s a complicated and “weird” diagnosis, but surgery will be most similar to an inguinal hernia repair. So outpatient and (I’m told) relatively simple, but still scary for this momma!
DLC says
What are your favorite/ splurge-y nursing bras and nightgowns? Preferably with some natural fiber content. I’ve decided that for my third baby I’m going to treat myself to something nicer than the hand me down nursing bras and cut up t-shirts I used for my first two. (Because I was cheap the first two times around, whereas it would have made more sense to splurge and use the nicer stuff for three babies….)
Anonymous says
I loved my panache nursing bras. Like I still wear them because they are cute and comfy and I weaned like 2 years ago. Sometimes a hot pink bra is just necessary for mental health.
Anonymous says
I recommend going to N-strom and having them concert your favorite bra into a nursing bra. Game changer!
Anonymous says
This only works if your fav bras are not underwire. Underwire while nursing is so uncomfortable.
Anonymous says
I am very large cheated—especially while nursing. I much preferred a bra with underwire. Otherwise I felt bpretty indecent!
Irish Midori says
Heh. If you’re the same size nursing. I gain at least 3 cup sizes for this job…
Anonymous says
Recs for a backpack for an average-sized 2.5-year-old to take to daycare/preschool? We’re switching daycares in September so now he’ll need to bring a lunch and water bottle every day, as well as a sheet + blanket on Mondays and Fridays. Currently we don’t bother with a specific bag, since we just bring in pullups and spare clothes occasionally. Is 12-inches big enough to be useful or is 15-inch okay on a toddler?
Redux says
Poster above noted that Land’s End backpacks are on huge discount today and they have multiple sizes, the “small” being sized for daycare/preschool/kindergarten.
Annie says
The skip hop ones are great.
Boston Legal Eagle says
This is what our 3 year old has and what half his preschool classmates have. It can hold a lunch container and has a side pocket for a water bottle. Not sure if it will fit a sheet and blanket, but a bigger backpack would probably be too big for a toddler.
AnotherAnon says
The LE backpacks look great so I’d start there. My 2.5 y/o is small and I just took him to Target and picked a backpack that was his size – the girls’ section has about twice as many options as the boys’. The one I chose fits his lunch box, water bottle and a blanket but it’s tight. TBH he prefers to carry his lunch box, and then a Lululemon tote bag full of any extras: clothes, pullups, towel for water play day, etc.