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Happy Tuesday! Since I’m sure we’re all recovering from lots of buying this past weekend, I thought I’d give a shoutout to my favorite lip balm for kids with chapped lips: drugstore favoite Neosporin Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy.
I use it myself when I have severely chapped lips and want more than my usual nighttime balm — but I LOVE this stuff for my boys.
This will be my fifth winter as a mother, and it now seems inevitable that at some point the following will happen: one or both of my boys will have chapped lips. They will refuse all offers of regular lip balm, instead choosing to lick their lips and the skin around their mouth, resulting in WORSE chapped lips and a red, splotchy, dry rash around the mouth.
So what I do is wait until they’re asleep, and then sneak into their rooms to put this on their lips — it’s got enough of a watery consistency that I can do that without waking them; I even spread it over other dry patches around their mouths. (We’ve never had a problem with goopy, gunky sheets!)
When they wake up they look a thousand times better, and I feel a bit better about my stealth ninja lip balm tactics.
Lots of stores have this awesome balm for around $6, including Amazon, Walmart, and CVS. Neosporin Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy
2018 Update: We’re adding this product to our CorporetteMoms Hall of Fame because it’s still being sold in stores and we still love it! You can also find it online at Amazon, CVS, Wal-Mart and more!
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Sales of note for 12.7.23…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Holiday sale up to 50% off; up to 40% off selected designer styles
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase & extra 15% off sweaters
- Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase; up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything & extra 20% off purchase; Gap Inc. cardmembers take extra 25% off
- Eloquii – $19-$49 holiday deals; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase with code; up to 50% off coats; up to 60% off present picks
- Lands’ End – Sleepwear from $19; 60% off everything else & free shipping (readers love the cashmere)
- Loft – 40% off your purchase plus extra 15% off
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off select styles (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is 40% off)
- Talbots – 40% off your regular-price purchase; 50% off all sweaters, coats, shoes & accessories
- Zappos – 34,000+ women’s sale items! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 60% off sitewide; holiday deals $5+; up to 70% off clearance
- Crate&kids – Free shipping sitewide; up to 50% off toy + gift event; free monogramming for a limited time only (order by 12/15)
- Graco – Holiday savings up to 35% off
- Hanna Andersson – PJs starting at $20; up to 50% off the Holiday Shop; free shipping on all orders
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off your purchase with code; up to 60% off present picks
- Old Navy – 50% off pants for the family; clearance styles from $2.99; 30% off your order, even clearance
- Pottery Barn Kids – Holiday sale up to 50% off; free shipping on 1000s of items
- Target – BOGO 50% off select toys; 30% off kids’ & toddler sleepwear; buy 2 get 1 free kids’ books
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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?
Patty Mayonnaise says
Thoughts on maternity photos? Are they worth doing? If so, when? And any recs for photographers in DC? Thanks, ladies!!
RDC says
I did them last time around and ended up not loving them. (no fault of the photographer, just don’t love the way I look.) It’s weird because it was something I really wanted to do. I would say if you do them, pick an outfit that tends to the body-con to show off your bump – in mine I just kind of look large.
NewMomAnon says
Yeah…I actually *was* just large while pregnant; no bump, just lots more of me than usual. I skipped the maternity pics because I was so self-conscious. I have a couple pregnant pictures, and they just remind me of how unhappy I was during that time.
BUT! I wish I had gotten some professional newborn photos taken with me in them, with professional makeup and hair assistance, because the candid shots I’ve got from that time are awful. Like, I seriously wonder if my family hates me, awful.
Anon says
Yes, this. I’m done with kids, but I wish I would have splurged on nice hair/makeup for some newborn photos. We did the ones in the hospital where the photographer comes to your room, but I look absolutely awful in them. I wish I had the foresight to schedule nice pics within the first week or so, but also gotten a hair/makeup stylist to come make me look good.
(And I swear my family purposefully only kept the pictures where I look ridiculous. Their response was “oh well everyone’s only looking at the baby anyway”… geee, thanks.)
Anon in NOVA says
Opposite perspective: I have one or two photos of me pregnant (one I’m actively frowning, the other is with my now ex husband) and, now that it’s been a few years, I really wish I had more. Maybe not even professionally done, but just some good solo pregnancy photos to be able to show my child when he asks.
Em says
I took mine when I was 22 weeks so I had a super cute bump and otherwise still looked pretty good. We had a family member who does photography as a hobby take them, but I’m not sure I would have hired a photographer just to do maternity photos. I like them, and have one framed in my house, but I’m not sure I like them enough to pay several hundreds of dollars for them.
Anon in NOVA says
^That’d be the way to do it. When the bump is all little and cute but still there.
I’d try to take some non-professional pregnancy photos and save the professional photography $$ for family photos with the newborn
Advice says
Ladies, talk me off a ledge. I’m getting worried here when I know this is normal for many pregnant women.
I’m expecting my #2 and have just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I have a full assessment and follow-up appointment next week, but what should I expect? Is this something to really get worried about? How have others managed through this? What are things I should know regarding treatment? They tell me I don’t need insulin yet, but should be able to control with diet and increased exercise. (If it helps, I also do have a family history of diabetes, but did not have GD with my first or diabetes beforehand).
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Anonymous says
I haven’t had any experience with GD yet myself, but you might want to head over to reddit.com/r/gestationaldiabetes. (There was also a recent thread about it in /r/babybumps.)
Anon in NYC says
Don’t be overly worried! My mom had GD with all 3 pregnancies but it went away post-partum. A friend was similar to you in that she didn’t have GD with her first pregnancy, but did with her second. She said that it was easily controlled through diet, and it wasn’t that she had to completely cut out carbs, but that she had to be more conscious about what type of carbs, when she ate them, and pairing them with other food items. I think she met with a nutritionist a few times, who provided her with some general guidelines.
pockets says
I had GD with my first and it was a big shock to me. Prior to being pregnant I didn’t really think about what I ate (didn’t read nutrition labels, tried to eat “healthy” but also snacked). I was excited to be pregnant because I could eat whatever I wanted, like huge bowls of delicious pasta, and then they told me I had GD and definitely could not eat what I wanted. My case was relatively mild (my morning sugar levels were all below 100 and I could control it very well with diet). Here are some random thoughts from my experience:
1. No doctor is going to want you to cut out carbs – you’re pregnant, you need to be gaining weight. But you do need to balance your carb with a fat or a protein. This was a completely alien concept to me because I had never read a nutrition label or thought about food like this. An apple is no good (all carb) but an apple with peanut butter is great. Crackers are no good, but crackers with cheese is fine.
2. Ice cream is half sugar, half fat. It is therefore the perfect GD snack (and is even better if you put nuts on it). Your doctor will not agree, but your doctor is wrong :) (ditto croissants – half butter, half dough)
3. I bought almond meal from Trader Joe’s and mixed it in with my morning yogurt to add protein (I still do this today).
4. Any food is GD-friendly if you put peanut butter on it.
5. Once I was diagnosed and started eating an appropriate diet, I felt a lot better.
6. I did the whole test-your-blood-4-times-a-day thing and it a) sucked and b) was pointless. I wrote down everything I ate and it was annoying and useless. My endocrinologist tried to push insulin on me and I refused (I would have taken a pill but no way was I injecting myself). My baby was a completely normal size (6lbs9oz). Take the medical care with a grain of salt. If you feel good and your sugar levels are normal, don’t feel pressured into taking more extreme measures. I felt like a lot of it was just doctors managing their malpractice risk, not necessarily what was best for me.
NewMomAnon says
I’ve heard from a few friends who were diagnosed with GD with their second or third kid that they felt SO MUCH better than they did with their earlier pregnancies. You’ll get a lot of advice about nutrition and self-care that “normal” pregnant women don’t get, you probably won’t gain as much weight because you’ll be watching your diet more, and you won’t have the crazy blood sugar crashes.
Alexandria VA says
I had gestational diabetes. It was not easily managed by diet alone and therefore I had to take insulin pills. However, once I learned how to test my blood and the best food pairings, it was manageable. I would suggest finding an app for monitoring your blood sugars and diet as it helped figure out the causes for spikes/drops. I did not tell many people about it at the time and regret it now. It was hard to eat around what people had planned – especially at my shower! Although I have a slightly elevated risk of diabetes as a result, my blood sugars went back to normal immediately after birth. There was some extra testing of my son’s blood sugar while he was still in the hospital, but by simply regulating when he ate, everything was fine.
Edna Mazur says
Sorry I’m late. I had it with #2. Not a huge deal just kind of a pain and you ear super healthy so gain less weight which is probably good.
You’ll meet with a nutritionist who will tell you how many carbs you should be consuming. They will want you to keep a steady level throughout the day. Mine was 60-90 g per meal and 15-30 for a snack (morning and afternoon). If your fasting blood sugar is high, you might end up needing a bedtime snack as well.
The finger pricks are a pain but nbd. I tried and couldn’t find a great app so used a spreadsheet to track my food a blood sugar levels.
You’ll have extra, weekly appointments near the end. Ultrasound alternating with non-stress test (sitting in a comfy chair for 20 mins strapped to a fetal monitory) and my doctor wouldn’t let me go overdue at all. I had an inductions scheduled for the day before my due date but kiddo got impatient and came a day before that.
Don’t panic. It will be fine and is quite doable.
Anon in NOVA says
Definitely going to get some of this! Glad to hear mine isn’t the only one who licks around his mouth when his lips are chapped and ends up with that horrible rashy looking thing. He’s willing to let me put Chapstick on him, but I can’t follow him throughout the school day and reapply! Can’t wait to try this!
JP says
Aquaphor is also very effective at this and you might already have it around the house.
Mrs. Jones says
Ditto Aquaphor. It’s awesome.
NewMomAnon says
Wait…some children reject lip balm? I have to hide “emergency” sticks around the house so I have some I can use when needed because kiddo loves lip balm so much…. have you tried the fruity, sweet smelling stuff? My daughter is partial to cherry, especially if it comes in a round container (like the Eos brand).
Katala says
I am a total chapstick addict and now kiddo loves it too. He finds a tube and brings it over saying “chap chap, help” – too cute! Interesting some kids don’t like it.
Maddie Ross says
This. Granted I have a daughter, but she thinks chapstick is lipstick and she loves it. She’ll cover her lips in it and then stare in the mirror and talk about how pretty it is.
NewMomAnon says
My kiddo’s dad got her a chapstick in the shape of a nesting doll, and last night I made a comment about her lip balm. She got really mad at me and shouted, “NO mama! It lip GLOSS! It pretty!” and then slathered her whole face with it and smiled for the next hour. I wish I found that much joy in a $3 lip balm.
Anon in NOVA says
Off topic, but I LOL-ed in my office at your “shut up girl!” story the other day!!!
Meg Murry says
My problem with my kids and chapstick/lip balm is that they want to put it on and then lick it all off – making the chapped problem even worse.
Since the front of this says “white petrolatum lip protectant” I’m wondering if stealth vaseline (or generic equivalent) application would work exactly the same way. I use a tube of generic vaseline (I like the tube because then no one is sticking dirty fingers in the tub) to smear on my kids when they sleep. It also works well for red irritated skin from too much nose blowing with rough tissues at school.
Sarabeth says
Yes, this! My daughter is obsessed with chapstick, and loves to lick it off, which is why her lips are chapped in the first place. We use Aquaphor instead.
Out of clothes says
Half whining, half question. At what point in your pregnancy do you start getting credit for just showing up at work and get a pass on your clothing choices? I’m 37.5 weeks w kid #1, have an easy car commute, and getting out of the house to go to work is good for me. But I would be infinitely more comfortable/productive at work over the next 1.5 weeks in yoga pants and sneakers. Plus I have three outfits that fit, are work-appropriate, and don’t involve a super-complex re-layering dance after every bathroom trip, so by Wednesday of each week, I’m out of clothes. My workplace (academia) is the casual side of business casual, especially on non-teaching days. When my pregnancy jeans still were comfortable I wore them happily, but they’re a demi panel and no longer get the job done.
I think I’m especially self-conscious because I know everyone’s looking at me in a way that they wouldn’t if I weren’t carrying a nearly full-term baby, so I don’t want to be a total slob. But maybe I get a pass…thoughts?
Em says
My office has a casual dress code and that was about the point when my maternity jeans weren’t working any longer so I gave up and wore leggings, tunics/dresses, and boots every day. I did my hair and makeup and accessorized every day so I still look “put together” but otherwise I didn’t care.
Anonymous says
If you were 34 weeks I’d say treat yourself to some new maternity clothes but at 37.5 weeks? Re-wear the same three outfits – dig out some scarves and necklaces that you haven’t worn in a while to change up the looks a bit.
Katala says
IMO you’ve passed that point. I’m 30 weeks and just bought extra leggings and some longer tops/sweaters that I fully plan to add to the rotation any day I feel uncomfortable. Which will be soon. And I work in biglaw, true business casual (most guys wear a tie but no jacket). I don’t care. No one will remember what you wore (I tell myself).
Could you find some non-sneaker shoes that are almost as comfy? I think yoga pants would be less obvious with a not-clearly-casual top and some nondescript shoes. But seriously, you only have a couple weeks left. Wear the yoga pants!
Closet Redux says
Ugh, I hear you– I’m 35 weeks pregnant and in a wintery climate and getting dressed every day and every bathroom break is tough. Even so, I would not wear yoga pants and sneakers to my business casual workplace. I already feel like my pregnancy is front and center (literally) and wouldn’t want the part of my appearance I can actually somewhat control to eclipse my contributions to the workplace and how I am seen as a competent member of the team. I do think you get a pass on re-wearing your 3 outfits for the next few weeks, though. Maybe change them up with different scarves or jewelry or cardigans.
NewMomAnon says
Do you have any blazers or cardigans from your pre-pregnancy wardrobe? They don’t have to close, but throwing one over your existing outfits will make it seem like you’re wearing a different outfit even if everything else is the same.
And if you need to leave the house but want to wear yoga pants….work from a coffee shop or library with cushy couches or something. No need to actually go to the office.
Maddie Ross says
I’m 39.5 (shoot me now) and still working. In the last two weeks I have given up on nearly all my dresses (and really gave up on pants at about 20 weeks this pregnancy). I am solidly in the leggings, tunic/t-shirt and big sweater camp now. I do draw the line at wearing running shoes those. Unless I had an actual ortho problem, that to me is a bridge too far for a full work day. I either wear very basic flats or boots (which hide the swelling). I do try and continue to do my hair/makeup, but I don’t bother with scarves or jewelry really.
Anon says
Ha – I’m 36.5, wearing tunic and leggings with flat boots for the first time today. And I literally wear mascara a few times a year but put extra make up on today to try to distract from the casual outfit!
Anon in NOVA says
I appear to be in the minority but at 37.5 weeks do whatever you need to do to make it through the day. If that’s sneakers so be it. As a supervisor who seems to double as a fertility fairy (everyone who works for me seems to get pregnant… sigh) I know that by mid 30’s week-wise people are just struggling to show up. No judgement.
That being said, I think yoga pants AND sneakers might be a bit much for me personally. I might choose one or the other. I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with repeating your outfits. It’s only for a couple more weeks!
NewMomAnon says
I’m with you actually. I wore snow boots the last two weeks of my pregnancy because my feet were swollen and I didn’t have the energy to bend down anymore. But I wouldn’t have worn snow boots AND yoga pants, because…standards. Snow boots and leggings with a stretchy dress and cardigan…yes.
Betty says
I agree with you as well. OP: You are a few days away from full-term. Wear what is even moderately comfortable and congratulate yourself for arriving at your office every day. I wore snow boots my last several weeks with my first (born in early Feb in New England) because I had to have my husband help me put them on and then I couldn’t get them off by myself. I wore them under my stretch maternity work pants. You are so close!!
RDC says
Could you hit up a consignment shop for a few new pieces (a size up)? Or ask any mom friends for hand-me-downs? I was able to buy some used maternity clothes in the last few weeks and it helped carry me through. Just having a couple more options made me feel much better about how I looked.
Out of clothes says
Thanks all! The issue with rewearing my few work-appropriate clothes multiple days in a week is that maternity clothes have, like, 0% natural fibers, and I find that after one wear, pants are…not so fresh (am I alone in this?). With my one cute and nondescript black dress (which gets a different pre-pregnancy cardigan and necklace every day! a tip I got here!), I always seem to forget that my belly is gigantic and brush into something that leaves a stain on it. But maybe a tiny load of laundry on Wednesday nights will be worth it.
Thanks for being honest about the sneakers. In my head, yoga pants with ankle boots is more ridiculous than yoga pants with sneakers, but getting away from rigid ideas about what shoes are “supposed” to go with which bottoms, I can see how the boots will be basically invisible.
Katala says
Ugh, everything I wear once is not so fresh. Last pregnancy I had like no BO and it was glorious! What happened?
Do the yoga pants with boots. Especially if they’re in decent shape (not faded/holey or notably too short or something), people will probably not look past your belly (sorry!) to what’s on your legs and they’ll just blend in as pants + boots. Also, maybe a shout wipe/tide stick to get another wear out of your dress? Every other day I notice some kind of belly stain I’ve probably walked around with half the day, ugh. Not looking forward to having fewer than 5 outfits that work.
Coach Laura says
Out of clothes – I’d go with a casual black shoe with yoga pants – not a running shoe. Something like Puma Asha Alt 2. I wear these with yoga pants or ponte pants. Macys has them for $30.