This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I have mixed opinions on maternity blazers, but I do like the looks of this one from Tart — the silhouette is versatile, and the fabric looks comfortable (and is machine washable). The ikat is a fun, on-trend print, but the gray will take you far. They’re both $128 at Nordstrom. Tart Essential Maternity Blazer (L-2) Building a maternity wardrobe for work? Check out our page with more suggestions along both classic and trendy/seasonal lines. Admin Q: For those of you familiar with the tech issues on both sites, how many problems on Corporette are also occurring on CorporetteMoms? Thank you guys in advance!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
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- 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
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
Click here to see our top posts!
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?
New Mom says
My LO is just starting to sleep longer at nights (5-6 hrs) at 9 weeks old. I’ve heard that baby’s usually regress at 4 months and at that point habits are hard to break (rocking to sleep, nursing to sleep, etc.). Wondering if there’s anything I should implement now that will make the regression or future sleep easier? Any good habits I can get into now? What seemed to work for you?
KJ says
The very best habit to build is putting her down awake, but I think it’s probably too early for that. I like the Troublesome Tots website for all kinds of sleep advice – it helped us get through our total nightmare of a 4-6 month sleep regression. Link below to their articles for 0-3 months.
mascot says
Things that worked for my child were being in his own room from early on, a good bedtime routine, putting him down drowsy but awake, and perfecting the 11 pm dream feed. He also needed to fuss it out a little bit to get to sleep some nights – the more we interacted with him, the more wired he became. If we left him to do his thing, he went down pretty quickly. But, my child is a good sleeper and didn’t give us many issues even with temporary regressions. So much of this depends on your child and their personality. I think this is why you will hear such divided opinions on “sleep training.” For kids like mine that do well with a little alone time to self-soothe, it’s easy to say that certain sleep training techniques work. The results vary with different personalities. So don’t be afraid to try a couple of different things to see what works best for your child.
quailison says
+1 to this, except our kid is still in a crib in our room at almost 5 months. We’re going to move him to his own room next week. Routine and dream feed have been key. We let him fuss for a minute until 4 months and he’d often fall asleep on his own with a pacifier, and then we did a very, very light “sleep training” once we knew that he could soothe himself by sucking his thumb. We also stopped swaddling because he started to roll at 4 months, which gave him access to his thumb. I don’t even know if he had a 4 month regression, though he did spend a lot of time sleep-rolling. Our kid never really was a big fall asleep in your arms kid, though. He just always got more wiggly and preferred to be set down to sleep.
That said, naps have become more difficult – but I’ll take that as he’s now sleeping a good 9 hours, sometimes 11 (if I don’t dream feed at 10 or 11) at night. I think it’s so kid specific.
POSITA says
As far as I could tell there is nothing you can do now to help then. The 4 month regression is really a developmental thing and the severity of the regression just depends on the baby. I wish I’d just enjoyed my snuggly baby instead of trying to “teach” sleep skills that she wasn’t ready to learn yet.
Something I didn’t realize at that points is that there are many sleep regressions in a baby’s first two years. The four month regression just tends to happen at the same time for most babies. Other regressions are tied to milestones like sitting up, walking or talking or teething, so they are not as consistent between babies. You can’t just a good sleeper by their worst night or a bad sleeper by their best night. Start working on a routine between 4 and 6 months and see where you and your baby land.
Maddie Ross says
This. Don’t stress too much at 4 months that you are setting them up for a lifetime of issues or that you’ll never sleep again. Personally, I think for the first year you need to just do what you can and whatever it takes for everyone (baby and parents) to get the most sleep that they can the easiest way they can. If that means rocking, do it. Co-sleeping, do what works for you. I had an awesome sleeper from 6 weeks through about 8 months. We used a rock and play, then a magic merlin suit. At 8 months, we regressed (hard) and went to co-sleeping until around 18 months. And you know what, she sleeps through the night, going to bed awake after a story, in her own bed now. It’ll happen.
BKDC says
Thanks, Maddie. Your post is giving me some hope as we’ve found ourselves co-sleeping now more than ever with our 9-month-old. We’re trying to work on night weaning, but that just isn’t going very well (doesn’t help that my husband could sleep through a MAC truck coming into the room, which makes me the default parent at night). At this point, I’m taking the “he’ll figure it out eventually” approach as I don’t think sleep trying would be the best fit for us. Your post is giving me some hope!
(former) preg 3L says
Around 9-10 months, I needed my daughter to reconsider her feelings on not sleeping through the night because I was so exhausted. Shameless plug for Ferber’s secondary book – Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems. It is SO compassionate and was INCREDIBLY helpful, and by 12ish months (maybe 13 months) my daughter was sleeping 11 hours straight in her own crib.
BKDC says
Thanks for the recommendation. Obviously, I meant sleep training – sleep trying is what I’ve been doing!
The sleep deprivation has been killer — this is not sustainable, and I desperately need my dude to be able to get himself back to sleep. We have some long car rides coming up soon, and his inability to fall asleep on his own has got me worried about these trips.
(former) preg 3L says
BKDC, I don’t mean to split hairs, but I found Ferber’s book very helpful, even as someone who did NOT want to do sleep training. It helped me understand what was going on, and helped me support my daughter getting more milk during the day so she wasn’t hungry at night, etc.
EB0220 says
Here’s my thought, for what it’s worth. I haven’t done any sleep training with either of my kids in the first year. I nurse them to sleep, I rock them, I hold them. All the bad things, I did and do. At 3, my older daughter sleeps just fine – through the night, in her bed – despite Dr. Weissbluth’s dire warnings to the contrary.
Momata says
Our kid has always been a great sleeper, so take what I say with a grain of salt – but we used those weeks of decent infant sleep to transition to her own room and the crib, to transition her out of swaddle (because daycare wouldn’t allow them for naps), and to start to put her down drowsy but awake. I have no way of knowing, but I feel like the rough sleep times were not as rough as they otherwise would have been because she had already done that work.
KJ says
http://www.troublesometots.com/newborn-baby-sleep-survival-guide/
Samantha says
Thanks for introducing me to this site, love it!
B says
We’re expecting in October. Wondering – have any of you taken infant care or BF’ing classes? What about infant CPR?
These aren’t available in our small town, but if worthwhile, I could make it work by going to a nearby (1.5 hr drive) large city which has a ton of options. Personality-wise, I like the idea of taking classes, especially since I won’t have a lot of support locally after the baby comes. But, I don’t want to waste my time if the classes are generic or judgy or aimed at 16 year olds.
We are signed up for a 4-hour birthing class at the local hospital, which is the only thing available locally.
(former) preg 3L says
If you won’t have much local support, I’d err on the side of taking the classes. The ones I took in Brooklyn were not judgy or aimed at 16 year olds, but of course, YMMV. I’d recommend getting to know the kellymom web s!ite for bf-ing issues and questions, and I’d try to find a postpartum doula and lactation consultant — just so that if you need a person to help after the baby is born, you have the resources. Your health insurance should cover the first three visits to a lactation consultant (according to my understanding of the affordable care act). If you plan to BF, make sure to get your pump through your insurance and try to receive it before you deliver. There are limited scenarios in which you may need to begin pumping prior to your return to work, and having the pump (especially when it is free, under your health insurance) will be invaluable.
RDC says
+1 to lactation consultants and getting a pump before you deliver. If you have trouble getting started with bf-ing, you may need to pump until baby gets the hang of it. Good to have just in case. I had to try a couple different lactation consultants before I “clicked” with one, but it was a huge help.
I’d also do the classes now since logistically it’s much easier without the baby (vs deciding later that it would have been good to do if you had the time…).
mascot says
Infant CPR is worth it, IMO. Are there lactation consultants at your hospital that you can see on an out-patient basis? I didn’t taking a b-feeding class, but did have some private consults with the LC after the baby was born.
Katarina says
I took all of those, but they were offered free at the hospital where I delivered. I also took a labor and delivery class and a pumping class. The only ones which were useful were infant CPR (it also covered safety) and the hospital tour. I do highly recommend infant CPR. I was very unfamiliar with infant care, but the class was not terribly useful, and the nurses at the hospital really taught us the basics. Also, I think it is useful to have some knowledge about breastfeeding beforehand, but very hard to learn without a baby. The hospital lactation consultant was much more useful than the breastfeeding class. The pumping class was somewhat helpful, too, but not necessary, you can get the same information for reading. FWIW I over-prepared through classes and reading before the baby came, because I had no experience with babies, and I think it was not necessary/useful, and increased my stress level. I wish I spent more time reading for fun, I miss it so much.
MSJ says
I’d definitely recommend the CPR. Like insurance, something you hope you pay for but hope you never actually end up needing to use. Otherwise, I took a twin specific infant care class that was great, but obv specific to my needs. I ended up skipping the whole childbirth class, which I happy about seeing as I needed a c-section in the end (and it wasn’t anything that childbirth class would have change) and they aren’t really geared for multiples-birth.
But ultimately, it all clicks once you are hands on with the baby. The nurses can help with diapering and feeding. I don’t think having a class before actually bfeeding would have been helpful
Anon says
See if your hospital has breastfeeding classes for while you’re still on the delivery floor. The only thing I really wish I’d known ahead of time was to bring lansinoh nippl* cream with me to the hospital and start using it immediately. Other than that, I don’t think you can really learn much without having a baby and a lactating body.
Identifying a lactation consultant ahead of time is a nice idea, though. But don’t stress out about breastfeeding. You are more likely than not to be just fine.
anon says
Only took an infant care class. The overview was nice, but we would have been fine learning from the nurses as well. Best tip was to use Aquaphor or vaseline on a newborn’s bum every diaper change in the first few days because their first bowel movements are very sticky and hard to clean up without some sort of barrier.
anon says
Did anyone have a strong preference for post partum shapewear? The sort of thing intended only to smooth out the extra belly/stretched out skin under more slim-fitting work outfits? All my dresses etc. fit again, but I’d like a little smoothing that I didn’t need before. I was going to try some Spanx shorts first, but figured I’d ask for any specific recs.
AEK says
If you’re looking for belly smoothing, rather than hip / thigh, just a (really) high-waisted shaping brief, as opposed to the shorts, might be more what you’re looking for. Spanx has the Higher Power and the Hide & Sleek, but there are others too:
http://www.barenecessities.com/High-Waist-Panties-Shapewear_catalog_nxs,33,style,57296.htm?amsk=riejwn8874
Alli says
Is there a similar product to wear after birth that helps your body get back to normal? I remember reading about “belly bands” or something where the idea was to gently compress and help things go back to (close to) where they used to be. Does this work? Any recommendations?
(former) preg 3L says
BelleFit has been recommended on here for postpartum shapewear
Famouscait says
If I gate check my umbrella stroller for a transatlantic flight, do I need to put it into one of those stroller bags? Or does it just go “naked”?
CHJ says
It’s not required to put it in a stroller bag, but I would get one anyway. They get banged up and dirty, even with gate check, so it’s nice to have a stroller bag to protect it.
Maddie Ross says
Do you car if it gets a bit dirty? If not, I wouldn’t worry about it. We’ve never used a bag for our stroller (honestly, I can’t imagine wrangling my baby, carryons and getting the stroller in it), and it’s not really worse for the wear. A bit dirty, but that just comes from use, too. It’s never been damaged.
JJ says
We’ve done several flights both with and without the stroller bag. At this point, I prefer not using the bag, because getting ready to board is a LOT less stressful without trying to shove the stroller in the bag and zip it up. But we were also ok with the stroller getting dirty, dinged up a bit.
Famouscait says
Thanks, y’all! Good advice from everyone.
MSJ says
Piggy backing off this, what about for car seats (if we don’t get lucky and get to use them for our lap infants). Do we need to buy a separate bag in advance, or do the airlines have ones. FWIW these are value-priced seats used exclusively for travel
Nonny says
We’re travelling later this week and have a similarly value-priced car seat used exclusively for travel. We’re just keeping the plastic bag it came in at the store, and using that (it’s kind of a flexible, reinforced plastic, not a cheap plastic bag).
Maddie Ross says
I have a black canvas bag with wheels from Babys R Us that works decently. It was about $30 and is a universal cover. I’ve used this with our convertible seat when I’ve checked it. When I’ve ended up having to gate check the infant seat, I’ve just let it go (although honestly, that only happened like once – every other time I was able to bring it on the plane).
anonymama says
You don’t need a bag. If you want one, you can get a big clear heavy-duty plastic bag at the check-in desk.
Meg Murry says
I agree with others that letting it go “naked” if you don’t care is the best method, but you may want to consider how well is stays in the closed position. My umbrella stroller is a cheapy from Target or similar, and only had a single clip to keep it in the folded position, which broke. Not a big deal if it doesn’t stay folded in my trunk, but if I were traveling with it I would probably wrap some velcro around the legs to strap it in the closed position – I also have a ton of velco like this around my house from various craft projects that never actually got used though – you could probably do the same with some rope.
http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Fastening-Tape-0-75inch-Wrap/dp/B004AF9II6
Nonny says
With all the sleep talk this morning….
Could it be that we have FINALLY turned a corner in terms of sleeping? My 17-month-old has only slept through the night a handful of times since she was born – until about a week ago. We finally started some halfhearted controlled crying sleep training about 10 days ago (I am not good at enforcing it), but lo and behold, for the past 5 nights she has slept all night, and the few times she has woken up, she has put herself back to sleep each time. I’ve had about 3 nights of 7 consecutive hours of sleep – something I had come to believe would never happen again. Plus, rather than waking up at 5am for a bottle, she’s suddenly started sleeping until at least 6. I have no clue how this has happened.
I don’t want to count my chickens, but – could it be – ?
Carrie M says
Keeping my fingers crossed for you, Nonny!
TBK says
Hooray! My guys have just started sleeping through until 6:30 (without getting a bottle at 4:30 or 5:00). I’m also crossing my fingers it lasts!
Burgher says
I’m hoping for you that this is a lasting occurrence! We had a glorious period where our first went to bed almost immediately and stayed asleep all night in his crib from 14 months – 2 years. But all bets were off once he realized he could crawl out of his crib. He’s almost 3 and now runs into our bed every night. At least he falls right back asleep…. except now I’m dealing with the 4 month sleep regression with my little one. Never ends.
Ultrasound says
I just found out I am pregnant and am leaning toward using a midwife. I just scheduled my first appointment (which will be at 10 weeks) and was told they wouldn’t do an ultrasound until 20 weeks. Is this typical? That seems really late and I am admittedly disappointed.
KJ says
I can’t speak to what’s typical, but my midwives did a dating ultrasound at my first visit around 10 weeks.
HSAL says
I think it’s really provider-dependent, so if it’s important to you to get an early ultrasound, you may want to call around. With my regular OBGYN I had my first appointment at 8 weeks, but they didn’t even listen for the heartbeat until 12 weeks, and I had my ultrasound at 20 weeks. Assuming there are no problems, that’s the only one I’ll have. My friend who is using a midwife for the second time is 18 weeks and she’s had 3 ultrasounds already. From my friend/family group, my one ultrasound is uncommon.
KaLuLo says
We’re using a midwife – we had an ultrasound for the NT test at around 12 week (not at our midwives but at a testing place) and then the 20 week anatomy scan ultrasound at 20 weeks. And that’s it for ultrasounds – everything else has been heartbeat monitoring and external measuring.
This is my first, so not sure how it varies by midwife or if you go with an OB. But I would be very surprised if you didn’t get an NT test/ultrasound.
gt says
20 weeks sounds late to me, but I only have my experience to base that opinion on. I believe I had 4 total: one around 8 weeks, one at 12, a follow up at 15 b/c of a possible problematic results from blood tests that ended up being nothing, and a final at 20 weeks. I had an ob, not a midwife. I was also a ‘geriatric pregnancy’ (love that phrase) at 36, so that may have been why my insurance paid for them all.
A friend with crap insurance who lives in a conservative state chose of pay for her own early ultrasound when insurance wouldn’t cover one before 20 weeks, because she was in a high risk category for a certain birth defect. Had she waited until 20 weeks to find out that the fetus had a condition incompatible with life, she would have no option but to carry to term because of laws in her state.
quailison says
Your second paragraph was what I immediately thought of – 20 weeks is late if you would consider terminating for conditions incompatible with life, or for other conditions, even in a non-conservative state. It would have been a lot to deal with in a short time. If it were me, I would choose another practice because I would be concerned I would not receive the support I would want from my practice if I ended up needing to terminate. I had a very medical OB experience and hadn’t ever thought of the that side of a more non-interventionist approach.
LC says
That does seem late to me, although I am using an OB so I’m not sure how it differs. I had a dating ultrasound at my first appointment (8 weeks) to confirm the pregnancy and to check on how far along I was. Then I had the 12-week NT test followed by the 20-week ultrasound. And now I’m done until 32 weeks, when my practice does a growth scan.
I would talk to the midwife practice. Technically the NT scan is “optional,” so it may be that you have to ask for that specifically.
CHJ says
I agree with everyone else. There is a very common 12 week ultrasound, and a lot of offices (my OB included) do an ultrasound at the first appointment so you can hear the heartbeat and see the little bean. The 20-week ultrasound is the big anatomy scan where they take a million measurements and you might find out the sex.
All of that said, I would try to figure out if your midwife has a philosophy around ultrasounds that agrees with what you want for prenatal care. Some midwives strongly believe in limiting the number of ultrasounds and other medical checks during a pregnancy. There are pros and cons on both sides, but what is most important is figuring out what works for you. My friends have had experiences on all sides of the spectrum (good midwife, bad midwife, good OB, bad OB, independent practice, large hospital practice, etc.), and I think being aligned with your care provider is a big part of that.
Meg Murry says
Yes – some midwife practices are very non-interventionist, and don’t do things like additional ultrasounds unless they deem it totally necessary. Some OB practices are the same. My first doctor did not recommend the NT scan and quad screen unless I really wanted it because the statistics are not especially strong in terms of the detection rates and the false positive rates. I think we wound up doing the NT scan, but not the quad screen blood test.
With my second we had a very early ultrasound for dating, becuase I really had no confidence what my last period date was (I had been alternating between heavy spotting and a very light period in a very irregular schedule) so they wanted to make sure I wasn’t actually way more pregnant and I hadn’t mis-interpreted spotting as a period.
Also, check – they may have referred to a “NT screen” and then “anatomy scan ultrasound” – if she mentioned “NT screen”, that is in fact an ultrasound, she just may not have called it that.
While I was a little sad to not have many ultrasounds (it’s fun to peek at the baby!), it was re-assuring that I was not having them because there was no medical reason to need one, and that is way better than having a lot of ultrasounds because you are in a stressful maybe-there’s-a-problem mode.
Another thing that made a big difference in my area was whether the OB practice had it’s own ultrasound machine or whether they sent you to a separate imaging lab connected to the big hospital. My sister went to a doctor where they had an ultrasound in-office, and she had a few more “well, lets just take a peek to be sure” quick scans, whereas with my 2nd doctor it was a big involved process to schedule an appointment with the hospital lab. The hospital lab had way newer and fancier equipment, so when we did get scans, we got fancier pictures – but my sister got more frequent scans.
mascot says
Keep in mind that insurance may only cover 2 ultrasounds (usually the early dating one and then at 20 wks). More may be covered if medically necessary, but you’ll want to talk to your provider to avoid unexpected bills.
layered bob says
I love my midwifery practice, but it was exactly what I was looking for
– only research-based interventions,
– an attitude that pregnancy is completely normal until proven otherwise and there’s very little you can do about it anyway if it’s not, and
– an emphasis on sleeping, eating, and exercising well but otherwise chilling out.
BUT yeah, that means
– they only do a ultrasound at 20 weeks (and not even then if you don’t want it and all other indicators are normal).
– I heard the baby’s heartbeat on the doppler at 12 weeks – they don’t try for a heartbeat before then because whether you get one or not can depend on the baby’s position.
– Any testing we wanted would have had to be arranged separately (we didn’t want any).
– The first appointment was actually just a phone consultation, and
– they don’t do any internal exams until very late in the pregnancy, and not even then if you want to avoid internal exams (which I do.)
It is great if
– you want to take a very low-stress approach to normal pregnancy
– you want standards of care on par with the best practices of countries with lower infant mortality and lower intervention rates than the U.S., and
– you don’t want to try to fit a million appointments into your schedule.
It is not so great if
– you are very accustomed/attracted to the idea of lots of appointments/ultrasounds and really want that, or
– want your pregnancy to be heavily “managed” with lots of testing and do’s/don’ts.
My preferences are probably pretty clear at this point, but I think the main thing is to find a provider you trust/who shares your philosophy – you don’t want to have to second-guess every policy/procedure in addition to making other big choices about being pregnant. It’s nice to just be able to go along with the normal policies of your provider/health care system, so it’s worth thinking about what you want and then finding that.
Ultrasound says
Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Upon asking around, I learned that with the midwife practices in my area, ultrasounds are very uncommon. I was a little on the fence about whether a midwife was a good fit for us anyway, so I ended up calling my new, regular OB and scheduling an appointment and was told they will be doing an ultrasound. I realize it will probably be unnecessary, but I will feel better having it done.
Boston Midwife Rec? says
Any recs for a midwife in Boston? I currently go to a practice in a different state with 4 doctors and 2 midwives on staff, and I rotate through all of them. A similar model would be nice.
12wks says
I’ve been seeing Dr. Samaha at Harvard Vanguard in Post Office Square, and their model is the same. I regularly meet with 2 rotating midwives, and then meet with the doctor only a few times throughout the pregnancy. I can choose to have a doctor or a midwife at the birth (and, of course, the midwife has the support of a doctor at the hospital, if I choose to go with one of them). I have been very happy with Dr. Samaha and the two midwives.
OP says
thank you!
Traveling with Baby says
My husband and I are going on a long weekend getaway and brining our almost four month old. We have a choice between a 1.5 hour flight and a six hour drive. The drive sounds painfully long, but honestly I don’t know how the trip would work out logistically if we fly.
We would have to rent a car. Either rent or bring her car seat. Bring her stroller. And my pump.
And then where does baby sleep? (First time mom…can you tell?) Right now she sleeps in a collapsible bassinet in our room. Easy to pack in the car, but how would we take in on a flight? Or would we check her pack n play? Hope the hotel has a decent crib? And this is all in addition to our luggage. It sounds awful!
So I guess I have two questions:
1–if given the choice would you fly or drive?
2–how the heck do you fly with an infant anyway? I can see it working if we were fly to visit family and they had the things we need. But how do you fly with a baby to just plain go on vacation?
NewMomAnon says
At 4 months, I would rather have driven – my kiddo slept really well in a carseat and I did several 6 hour drives with her. Now, I would MUCH rather fly, because a 6 hour drive is basically 6 hours of screaming. Will you be traveling with someone? It is easier to drive with a young baby if someone can sit in the back seat and administer bottles, pacifiers, rattles, etc.
As far as logistics of flying – if the baby is stilli in an infant carrier carseat, you can usually use it as a car seat without a base (check Youtube for your brand). I put baby in the car seat bucket, clipped it into the stroller, and gate checked the whole thing before we boarded (if we couldn’t get a seat for the bucket). She slept during most of the plane trip at 4 months old, but make sure you bring some extra formula or bm (or prepare to nurse a lot) on the plane in case of delays. Baby slept in the hotel’s pack and play in theory, but in reality, she usually sleeps with me when we travel.
I’ve stayed in hotels with her twice now; both times we used the infant seat/stroller combo and the hotel’s pack and play. I’ll be traveling with her again by plane in a few weeks, and family has a crib, car seat, stroller, etc so I’ll carry her in my Ergo and bring a bag full of toys/treats for the plane.
nb says
Fly. Sure, you have to schlep lots of stuff along, but if you fly you can ‘wear’ your baby during the flight, which tends to keep them happy. Not an option in a car, and 6 hours is a LONG time to listen to a grumpy baby. You can check the stroller and carseat planeside at no additional cost.
Most hotels have a pack n’ play. We used one 4 or 5 times, never encounted a major hotel chain that did not have one (though I did reserve ahead of time, and called a couple days prior to confirm).
You don’t need to bring as much stuff as you think, especially at that age and if you’re exclusively breastfeeding. Bring enough diapers and wipes for the flight and buy more when you arrive. Bring clothes but be prepared to run a load of laundry at the hotel once if needed.
Maddie Ross says
I did both with a 3-4 month old infant (actually, a 10-hour drive (20 hour round trip) and 1 hour flight) and both are totally do-able, but not without some issues. With the flight, it’s a great age to fly. They are super portable, don’t want to move, and can easily be held. But you’re right, they require a ton of stuff. I was lucky and the flight was to see my parents, so they bought a Pack and Play to keep at their house. I would not fly with a PnP if I were you – so bulky! Hotels have them or cribs that you can use or if you’re going to a resort area, they often have rentals too. I would definitely just rent (I’ve done that too for a slightly older infant). I did bring my own linens though, but YMMV. We used the stroller with the car seat at the airport and gate checked them (there’s lots of advice about this on the site). I packed my pump in a big suitcase along with all my stuff and my baby’s so I only had to worry about one checked bag and one carryon (which was a diaper bag) + my purse. I’ve flown without baby and carried on the pump, which works too. The pump on its own does not count as a luggage item because it’s a medical device, if that’s a concern for you.
As for the car ride, it also is totally doable, but you’ll be stopping at least once, if not more, to change diapers and nurse. My baby slept really well in the car – basically we could push through for 4 hours or so between stops. The biggest catch to me was that stops weren’t just a quick potty and gas. Each stop would be at least 30 minutes for feeding, changing, mommy potty-break, etc. Of course the benefit of the car is having all your stuff right there like a mobile-nursery.
Anyway, long story short, to answer your question, for a long weekend I would probably fly. I would take her car seat since she’s an infant. I would pack my pump. And I would rent a crib.
mascot says
In many resort towns, there are rental companies that can provide cribs, PNP, bags of age appropriate toys, and the like. (Baby’s Away is one, but there are others). I’d probably fly. Stopping for feedings and diaper changes can add hours to a road trip.
anonymama says
Fly for sure. Even if your baby is fine for a 2-3 hour drive, those last couple hours can be really, really long if baby is screaming and you are frantically trying to soothe/stopping to feed/etc. Flying is really not that hard, just a lot of different things to think about, so it helps to run it through in your head a few times so things go more smoothly in the moment (like, this is when I put baby in the bjorn, this is when I stop at the bathroom before we go to the gate, then I have carry-on, baby in bjorn, and carseat on stroller.)
1.Either check the bassinet/pack-n-play or call the hotel and confirm that they have cribs available (most hotels do). Check as much as you can, bring through security: carseat w/stroller, baby, and large diaper bag/carry-on. It’s really not that hard. Try to make sure diaper bag is really organized, so you can access whatever you need easily, and be as prepared as possible, while also being streamlined as possible. (Like, you don’t need 11 diapers on the plane, bring 5 and a small travel wipes thing, 2 easy changes of clothes, e.g., a onesie and pants, or feety jammies so you don’t have to worry about socks)
NewMomAnon says
So it has been brought to my attention that my 17 month old is a brat. I’m torn on what to do about it – on the one hand, I really admire that she has strong opinions, that she is persistent and assertive about what she wants, and that she is brave to the point of insanity. On the other hand, it’s exhausting and I’d like her to learn that “no means no.” Is this asking too much of a 17 month old? Anyone have any suggestions for how to teach boundaries and instill respect for danger without breaking her awesome bad-a** spirit? I read “Happiest Toddler on the Block,” and my pediatrician basically told me to throw in the trash (more politely than that, she is a very nice person).
EB0220 says
Truth? I don’t think there’s much to do until she’s older. Other peoples’ feelings apparently don’t enter a kid’s consciousness developmentally until between 3 and 4. And they like to test boundaries. I have a 3 year old and she’s just now getting a little better.
I am a pretty patient person but parenting this little person tests me nonstop, every day.
NewMomAnon says
The line from Jurassic Park about the velociraptors testing the fences keeps coming back to me….
After I successfully removed kiddo from climbing the oven several times last night, she crept around me, climbed up it, accidentally opened the door while standing on the bottom rail of the door, and fell flat onto the tile floor with the oven door crashing down on her face. SO MANY TEARS. And this morning? Climbing the oven again. Of course.
Meg Murry says
If she’s that into climbing, could you get something she could safely climb and possibly wear out some energy? One of my friends has a little tykes slide, sit and spin and other plastic climbing on equipment in her living room – she hates that it is there, but it does the job of wearing out her very physical kid.
All toddlers are difficult and/or bratty in some aspect – each one just manifests in different ways, and some days just keeping them alive is winning.
nb says
I have one the same age, the only thing I’ve found even remotely helpful is ignoring certain behaviors. Not dangerous stuff (ie, trying to throw self headfirst off of couch) but if certain behaviors are geared at getting a rise out me – sweeping all food off of highchair tray onto the ground, screaming when I won’t read “The Foot Book” for the 25th time today, chewing on socks after telling him twice that shoes stay on feet, etc – I find that letting him yell when he’s mad and/or not giving attention to bad but not dangerous behavior means he’ll get bored and want to do something else shortly. Also try to remember to heap tons of praise on good behvaior, ie, petting cat gently. No praise for attempting to sit on cat, however.
Negotiating or attempting to reason with a little narcissist is fruitless. Just do what you can, IMHO.
(former) preg 3L says
“No praise for attempting to sit on cat” is making me laugh pretty hard this afternoon. I have a 16 month old. She would totally try to sit on the cats if they would stay still long enough!
Carrie M says
This isn’t exactly on point, but I am really liking Dr. Brazelton’s book “Touchpoints – Birth to Three.” He doesn’t provide a ton of strategies, but he explains what’s going on at each age. It’s been helpful for me to understand what baby should be able to do/understand, and what’s going on with her developmentally. He has a separate book on discipline, which I don’t own, but may be worth checking out from the library.
Other moms on here have recommended How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk. That has all kinds of strategies and Q&A and “homework” for the parent. I’ve skimmed through it, and much of it seems to apply to older kids, so I don’t think it will be very helpful for you right now. But it’s something to consider as she gets older (and presumably even more strong willed!).
EB0220 says
How can I distract my overdue and miserable pregnant sister, who is literally halfway around the world from me? Pics of kittens? Funny stories? Anything non-baby related!
(former) preg 3L says
Calvin & Hobbes? Recipe ideas? West Wing? Netflix subscription (or, maybe just a free trial, if she’s overdue)?
Meg Murry says
Related: cue up the same show or movie on Netflix or Prime and “watch” it together over the phone? Come up with some other thing you can snark about together on the internet (random Reddit thread?) or laugh about together?
Piggybacking off the serial idea – buy her Tina Fey’s book on audible – she reads it herself and its hilarious. Audio books in general are a good distraction – normally I would recommend something really long like Outlander, but I think there is a bad childbirth scene in there she probably doesn’t want to read/hear right now (although that might be in a later book, not sure)
Challenge her to a Words with Friends tournament or buy her unlimited lives on Candy Crush or similar?
Carrie M says
Some good podcasts? Has she listened to Serial? She could listen while walking and (hopefully) get that labor going!
(former) preg 3L says
Kat, re Tech Issues: Seem WAY BETTER after whatever change was made around 11am today.