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Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- 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
Anonymous says
We are going away to the carribean for Feb break. My oldest needs summer clothes. Where can I find cute summer/resort wear and shoes for a 11 y/o girl in the next 2-3 weeks? She’s still in kids sizes, but barely. She’s 5’1 so could wear a Women’s XS dress as long as it works with no bust. She wears a womens size 7 shoe (kids 5.5). She doesn’t want to wear crocs, flip flops and gym shorts (I asked), though she does have a pair of Lulu shorts she’s fine with wearing with “the right cute top.”
Anon says
My local Target has a resort section right now, and Old Navy seems to have some stuff.
Cerulean says
H&M has some summery items.
Anonymous says
We did a quick spin through the gap/ON/a&f/H&M last night and didn’t see much.
Mary Moo Cow says
I would check second hand (like Thred Up or Kidizen); Tea, J.Crew/J.Crew Factory, Lilly Pulitzer all might fit the bill for her.
Cb says
Agreed, I’m in the UK so have Vinted as an option, but I think secondhand (or new with tags) would fit the bill here.
Anonymous says
We always have luck in the big girls’ department at Nordstrom. For small sizing and straighter cuts in juniors’ sizes, try Hollister. Also check out the surf brands, especially Roxy and Billabong, in both kids’ and adult (really juniors’) sizes.
Anonymous says
I was poking around Nordstrom online but it’s so…vast. In person there wasn’t much there we liked.
CCLA says
Yeah I used to LOVE Nordstrom but find myself shopping there far less these days because the stores seem to stock far less, and trying to find things in their app leads to 1000 results when I just want to see like 10. I used to just pop by the dress section the day before an event and reliably find something. Alas, no more. I was in Target the other day and saw stuff like swim coverups out already.
anon says
Target has quite a bit right now.
Anon says
target has started to release their summer dresses and cover ups online, some are super cute, especially the kids cover ups, or shoes you can also check zappos, also a site i haven’t thought about in forever, but Abercrombie still exists and has cute stuff as well
Anon says
Depending on what you live, you may have to shop online.
Anon for this says
My 9YO son was diagnosed with ADHD on Friday. You ladies are my go-to for the best resources, so please point me to your favorites: books, message boards, organizations, and, if you’re in the NOVA area (we’re in Arlington), therapists. My son has been seeing a therapist in Falls Church for general anxiety, but we’d love a specialist. Thanks all!
Anon says
Can you please share more information about your therapist? We also live in Arlington, and I’m looking for someone to help my 10 yr old son manage his anxiety. I’ve heard really good things about Blackbird Health from friends, since we are likely headed that direction as well.
Anonymous says
We are TTC for kid #2, and I’m looking for a new OB practice — wondering if y’all can help me think through the options. For kid #1, I went to an OB downtown near my office, since I was going to the office full time. That practice delivers at Hospital A (a non-religious teaching hospital), and I had a great experience. Now, I work from home most of the time, in a suburb 30 minutes from downtown (either on public transit or driving). I’d still like to deliver at Hospital A, since it was a great experience last time. I could stick with that practice, but I’d have to travel downtown a lot more. The OB practices near my house generally deliver at Hospital B, which is Catholic, or Hospital C, which is Adventist. Hospital B is 5 minutes from my house, and both A and C are about a 20 minute drive. Should I be worried about the religious aspect? Anything else to consider? Thank you!
Anonymous says
I would stick with hospital A based on previous good experience and the fact that it’s a teaching hospital.
NYCer says
This is where I would lean as well. Do you ever go into your office? Can you try to coordinate your appointments, at least early on, with days you are in the office?
Anon says
Did you have a quick labor last time? I tend to like close hospitals because I don’t enjoy being in the car long during labor.
But my biggest factor is honestly NICU level – does one hospital have a better NICU than the others? I choose to deliver in hospitals in case of a worst-case situation, so I want my hospital to be fully prepared for that worst case.
I personally have no qualms about delivering at a Catholic hospital, though from past threads many people here are strongly anti. Catholic hospitals are absolutely “allowed” to prioritize and save the life of the mother if it comes down to it. They can’t perform elective sterilization, though, if you’re planning a Csection and would want something like that done.
Do you have neighbors or friends in the area who have experience with the local practices/hospitals from whom you can get feedback?
Anonymous says
This is dangerous misinformation. See, e.g., the case of Savita Halappanavar.
Anon says
Yeah – they may be officially allowed to terminate to save the mother’s life, but they consider their religion when determining if the mother’s life is sufficiently in danger, and sometimes that results in unnecessary harm to the mother.
The bottom line is they are making medical decision through the lens of their religion, which has very different views about the relative sanctity of mother’s life vs. fetus, and that makes me extremely uncomfortable. YMMV.
Anonymous says
This. My sister had a uterine rupture at 40 weeks and nearly died. Her baby tragically didn’t make it. I don’t know who would have made it at a Catholic hospital.
Religions are entitled to their own views. DH was raised Catholic and we attend Catholic services with his mom when visiting his childhood town but I would not deliver at a Catholic hospital because I would not want to worry about this issue. And how I feel about what decisions I would make is different now that I already have a child who needs me.
Anon says
Yes that case was tragic and appalling. It was also in Ireland, which has a different breed of Catholic Church (and has until recently had somewhat of a chokehold on the country).
Anon says
And Ireland also at the time had an abortion ban. I could be wrong, but I thought her tragic death was a consequence of the law banning abortion more than the religious views of the doctor(s).
Anonymous says
The issue is the decision about when the mother’s life is sufficiently endangered, which is the same problem whether you are dealing with a law or a hospital policy or an individual provider’s preferences.
Anonymous says
Based on Irish family from Cork area and direct experience living in Dublin, there is not a significant difference in Catholic Church doctrine on this issue.
Ireland had an exception for the life of the mother at the time however the baby still had a heartbeat even though she was miscarrying and then she became septic and they would not terminate because it was not yet risky enough to her life – by the time they agreed it was too late. ‘Life of the mother’ is not a black and white exception. The shades of grey is when it matters what hospital you are at in addition to what the laws are.
Anonymous says
I don’t know about Seventh Day Adventist hospitals, but Catholic hospitals will not even inform you of the existence of options they refuse to provide (e.g., medication instead of surgery for an ectopic pregnancy). Your life and health are of no value—it’s all about the embryo or fetus, even if there is no possibility of a healthy baby. I would steer clear unless your preferences align exactly with the official policies of the denomination.
Anon says
I think these would be questions for your provider. There is no settled directive in the Catholic Church around how to treat ectopic; it is a gray area and medication can be used. Maybe the hospital has made a decision one way or the other, but it is not blanket across the board.
If there are specific areas of concern and how the provider/hospital would handle, you could ask at your first appt .
Anonymous says
The problem is that you can’t anticipate all the potential problems. For example, if I didn’t know better I would just assume that miscarriages would always be treated and wouldn’t think to ask. Sadly, we know this is not the case.
Anon says
This is very personal, but yes I would be worried about the religious aspect. My MD grandfather told me when I was maybe 14 that I should never to have a baby in a Catholic hospital, because their anti-abortion religious stance can endanger your health. I have no problem with Catholic hospitals for non-reproductive stuff, my dermatologist is at our local Catholic hospital and he’s amazing. But my dermatologist would never be in a situation where he might have to violate his religious code to save my life.
Anona says
I had the same decision to make for my first, living in DC. I was so certain I wanted to deliver at Hospital A that I worked backwards, IDing practices that delivered there that took my insurance, and then picking among those options. My OB was about a 15 minute drive away, but for me that was worth it, even at the end of pregnancy when I was there weekly. I am still glad I made the decision, and would do it again – no complications, but frankly the religious options weren’t even on the table for me.
Betsy says
The religious concern has been covered, but I would also say that if you’ve had one good delivery experience at Hospital A, I would stay there. Could you go into the office to work on your appointment days so it doesn’t feel like such a long drive for a short appointment?
Anon says
This is where I land too. I’m expecting my second and despite medical concerns (or maybe because of them) I was treated very well when I previously gave birth at our major teaching hospital, which also has a top-level NICU, so I really wanted to go back there for my second. I also find it comforting that I know where the L&D ward is, what they provide, what I need to pack, where the good food is nearby, etc. So I would stick with hospital A.
Anonymous says
I’m guessing, but could be wrong, that you’re in the DC suburbs? I delivered at GW for my first (office proximity) but then moved to MD and delivered at Holy Cross. I’ve never heard of anyone having religion factored into care at Holy Cross and they’re one of the hospitals that delivers the most babies in the country. We are about 15 mins from holy cross, and my first delivery was “only 8 hours” which is actually quick for a first baby. Second delivery was classified as precipitous because my hindwaters broke at home but once the OB poked my forewaters I had the baby immediately. Like if my forewaters had broken at home we might’ve had the baby in the car. So hospital proximity was the most important on our list. Plus, laboring in the car is SUPER uncomfortable for me.
Cerulean says
I’ve tried to make a good effort to reduce the amount of new clothing I purchase for my two-year-old in light of the environment, but I’ve noticed that prices seem to be increasing at my usual online shops (Poshmark and ThredUp), to the point that it often costs the same or even more than it would if I purchased the exact same item in-store. The only “deals” seem to be items in sad shape. Am I missing something? Tips? The local thrift stores have a tiny, sad selection of worn out fast fashion when I’ve checked and the consignment shop by me is full of fancy occasion dresses and pretty light on everyday items (and I’m not super interested in paying $23 for a used tshirt…).
Anon says
Do you have local pop up consignment sales? Around me there are ones organized by groups (the parents of multiples, moms clubs) and ones run by companies (Just between friends). They are usually cheaper than stores/online.
Anonymous says
No advice, just commiseration. I got excited that Hanna Andersson was doing pre-loved clothes from their website. However, you have to pay individual shipping on each item, so it ends up being the same cost as just buying new on sale. I pass down my son’s clothes to friends (he is an only), and then they’ve returned them to me, and I pass onto another friend. many of these items are on their third or fourth kid.
Cerulean says
I was also bummed out by the Hanna prices! I’ve bought a few special items there since at least I know the items will last.
Anon says
Local FB “Buy Nothing” groups are the best source for this in my area. I think ordering online and having it shipped to your house likely cancels out the environmental benefits anyway.
Cerulean says
Ugh, I haven’t had Facebook for years. Between this and the vintage furniture on Marketplace I feel like I’m missing out on all the deals!
An.On. says
I get a lot of my kid’s stuff on FB marketplace these days, and the Goodwill near me usually has things too. I like to buy a whole season at once if possible, so search things like “2T winter”. Probably ebay has bulk boxes too, if you looked.
Busybee says
I have the most success on FB through buy nothing and the local moms group. Our local children’s consignment stores only take high end clothes that end up costing more than Cat and Jack brand new. There’s still an environmental benefit but not cost.
Anona says
FB groups are where I get so many of my son’s clothes. People are often giving away or selling for ~$20 entire lots/ wardrobes in a particular size or for a certain season. Usually, they post pictures and are pretty transparent about conditions and any staining. I find that local parent groups tend to have more kids clothes specifically than the general buy nothing, but that might vary by area.
Anonymous says
I would suggest asking friends and families for hand-me-downs, or posting on your local buy nothing groups or moms groups that you’re interested and accepting them. I (and most parents I know) am extremely happy to give my kids used clothes to someone I know because it’s easier and feels like they’ll get more use than donating them. I’ve made it known to friends I would love to take their hand me downs, and it’s great- I get more than enough and my clothing expenses for my kids are probably about $100 a year each to fill the gaps. And then I pass them all on to other friends and family.
Cerulean says
I’m so jealous! We had our kid long after most of our friends (and strangely overlap almost exactly with our few friends who have young kids). Hand-me-downs are pretty few and far between.
Anon says
I only have one kid but we never had clothes that were in good enough condition to pass them onto friends. I would have used them on my own second kid if I’d had one, but they were in rough enough condition that I would have felt embarrassed giving them to others. And none of my friends ever gave us anything – many didn’t even reuse their first kid’s clothes on the second kid. The quality of clothing (even from the “high quality” brands like Hanna) has declined a lot and things just don’t last that long.
Anonymous says
Well, I’m sure it depends on the kid, but I personally am fine to get stuff with stains (not rips or holes though). My kids are just going to add to them, and I am more comfortable sending them to school in less than pristine items. While leggings never lasted us long, target brand t-shirts and some of the pants have worn like iron. Agree Hanna has declined, I was super disappointed when I pulled out my kids christmas pjs (which are only worn in that season!) and they almost immediately got holes in the knees.
Anonymous says
Got it- as the kids grow up things might change. I actually get most of our clothes from an extremely tall kid in my youngest’s class. You might also meet kids who have different sex older siblings who might be willing to pass on clothes.
Anon2 says
A solution could be buying new, but less. If you have a regular laundry schedule (or could throw in her clothes after work a couple times a week), you can reduce the amount of clothes you really need, down to maybe 7 daily outfits, 1-2 fancy, and a handful of pajamas. You could thrift lower quality things for daycare backup or similar, non-regular use.
Or you could ask friends with an older child if they’d pass down to you. I find informal clothes sharing among friends and family to be the best way to cut down but still get nice (and free!) things.
I’m about to have my fourth (but first girl!) and anticipate 95% of her wardrobe will come from my niece. My boys clothes have gone through three kids and are going to my nephew next.
Cerulean says
Yeah, we do laundry every weekend, but my kid is so messy! I tend to have 8-10 tops, 8 pants, and 3 pajama sets at a time for home so I don’t feel like I’m getting too many items. We also have to keep three backup outfits at daycare and one at grandma’s (where she goes once a week). I wish I had friends with the right age gaps for more hand-me-downs!
AwayEmily says
I also think that hand-me-downs get more scarce as kids age because they wear items for longer and are much harder on them. Like, I received huge bins of baby stuff, but nobody is handing down 5T items because they get worn to the GROUND — my kids’ stuff (even the high-quality stuff) is threadbare and stained by the time it’s been on constant rotation for a year. I’m lucky if I can pass it down to the next kid and I’d feel weird giving it to another family given its condition.
Most of the hand-me-downs we get these days are “special occasion” stuff, because it doesn’t get worn as hard.
Anon says
On the other hand, I think pretty much all our baby stuff was stained, but now that my kid is in elementary school, dresses and shirts often survive a year or more of wear unscathed. Leggings definitely wear out though.
Anonymous says
I buy and sell on poshmark. For buying I recommend filtering for NWT or excellent condition. Once you figure out a couple of good sellers, follow them. Gymboree usually wears well but something like carters I only buy NWT.
You want at excellent pictures and individual sellers not people who are selling in bulk.
Cerulean says
Yeah, that’s pretty much what I do in terms of filtering and the non-bulk items. I guess I’m just appalled at the prices people are charging for used items. Who are these people paying $9 with shipping for Cat & Jack leggings?
Anonymous says
The trick is to buy in bulk – even if a seller has individual items listed, bundle them and make an offer for 60% of the total price. Especially if you have 3+ items. I don’t do clothing bundles because it’s hard to know what people want or if they want a mix of adult and kid stuff.
Anonymous says
If an item is $9 then offer $5 and bundle with other items to get your shipping closer to $1-2/item. Sellers prefer to make less per item and have buyer pay for shipping be more per item and offer free shipping because of how Poshmark works.
Mary Moo Cow says
I’ve noticed that, too. I’m also a big seller on Thred Up and the cost of selling (from nothing to $14.99 per bag) is, I understand, the nature of the beast, but oof.
Over the past few years, I’ve tried to shift to a buy quality and buy less mindset for myself and my kids so that when I need to buy new because secondhand is not available, I don’t have as much heartburn. I also justify, say, buying a brand that I know practices good stewardship like organic cotton or b-corp or mending and re-selling to offset some guilt. Selling the quality brands that I’ve bought and recycling what’s too worn also helps me.
Anon says
Do you have local consignment sales? I’ve had a lot of luck at Just Between Friends. I’ve also gotten some decent things at Mercari, but you have to hunt.
Anonymous says
If the Facebook suggestion doesn’t yield fruit, I would give up and buy new. You can’t do every single thing the sustainable or ideal way. As someone who studied economics I understand that all the individual decisions can add up to effect systemic change, but at some point you have to admit that the choice you would like to make just isn’t feasible at this time or in this place, and prioritize your efforts where they will have a greater impact. For example, you weren’t wasting time and money searching for used clothing that is going to be shipped one piece at a time using lots of plastic packaging and fossil fuel, would you have the time and energy to start composting? I drive a hybrid car and volunteer and work in a social justice career for low pay and buy organic food when it’s available and recycle and use the public library and repair my clothes and shoes and have a rescue dog and am looking at putting solar panels on my house, but I am not going to waste time and money buying crummy kids’ clothes off of Poshmark for full retail.
Anonymous says
Fancy occasion dresses that only get worn a handful of times are the perfect thing to buy used. Consignment stores don’t mess with a lot of casual clothing because it fades and pills and gets stained very quickly and no one wants to buy stuff that looks used.
The No Club says
I recommend ebay rather than the sites you named – the lots seem to be larger, with a lower cost-per-item. I think of the sites you named as focused on high-cost single-item listings, versus ebay where a quick search turned up numerous lots with 2T pieces priced at $1 ea.
I’m also a huge fan of Goodwill – not sure if you include that in your local thrift stores assessment, but if not, definitely worth checking out.
Anon says
i didn’t realize i had to book my daughters’ birthday party venue 3.5 months in advance. they were so excited that their bday is on a saturday and that they could have their party on their actual bday, but i guess not. i was also excited bc i didnt need to figure out what to do on their actual birthday. also- any party favor ideas for 50+ kids that won’t break the bank (i have twins in K and we feel the need to invite their whole class plus some outside of school friends, though i’m hoping this is the last year of the huge party)
Anon says
Same age kid. We’re doing crayon packs with some themed coloring pages (printed at home in B&W), plus a cute animal eraser and a couple Hershey’s kisses. I like receiving practical/consumable stuff, and we had a hard time finding stuff branded with her chosen theme (Magic School Bus), so the coloring page is a way to work in the theme.
Cb says
With 50 kids, I’d do some sort of snack, a decorated cookie. No party bags.
Clementine says
Literally SAAAAME. And my kid’s birthday is on the cusp of being too cold to do things outside… adding to that, kid isn’t quite old enough for many party venues so we need to adjust for that too.
Honestly, I think I’m just going to book her party whenever.
Anonymous says
What kind of party place is it? Is there a theme? My youngest is in K. Seriously, the only point of having favors is to get the kids to leave. Whatever you stick in there is fine! That said, here are some ideas for favors:
Coloring book on theme and small pack of crayons
Ring pop + balloon
Small bag of candy + glow stick
Do a pinata, provide a bag, let that be the goodie bag
One decorative cookie (only if you DIY; buying these is $$. I have very limited skills but can make basic shaped sugar cookies and decorate them with my kids as a project then let it be the favor)
Anon says
Yeah, we looked into decorated cookies for the aforementioned Magic School Bus party, but it was going to be $5 per cookie. So a VERY expensive option unless you can DIY.
Anonymous says
No party favors and 59 people is fully insane.
Anon says
Low stakes camp question. We only need two weeks of full day camp (non-consecutive, one in mid-June and one in late July). We know people going to both of the big full day camps in our area, and have heard conflicting opinions about which is better. I’m not sure if we should split the weeks or do both weeks at the same camp. I’m leaning towards splitting so my kid can sample both camps. I don’t think continuity is a big deal because the two weeks are so far apart. Does that make sense? Or would you pick one and do both weeks there?
And sort of related question, for a parks & rec or Y camp, would you put much weight on the weekly ‘themes’? My gut says no, but curious what others think.
Anon says
Wrong place, sorry!
AwayEmily says
I ordered a whole bunch of helium balloons for my 7yo’s party (the cool foil ones — got a mix of stars, hearts, and circles in all colors and they were $2.30 each from Party City) and let each kid take one when they left. The kids ADORED it and I did not have to clean up a bazillion helium balloons.
Anon says
Yep, we’ve learned that if we want to book an indoor party venue for my winter kid’s birthday, we need to do it at least 2 months in advance.
Also, gently pushing back, do you really want to potentially have 50 kids at a party? I also have twins, so I get it, but a) I can’t invite 24 kids from each class and maintain any sort of sanity and b) they’re not actually friends with all the kids in their class. In K last year probably 3-5 kids in each class had whole-class parties, but it was definitely not the norm. Our current compromise is that they can each pick 5 school friends and then their mutual neighborhood friends–doing this we’re going to have 20 kids including them at the party, which is about the max I feel like I can manage!
Anonymous says
Right. And trying to book any event for more than 50 people is obviously going to be extremely difficult.
Anon says
50 people invited will probably only yield 30-40 guests. It’s still a lot, but more manageable than 50. It makes sense to me for twins in separate classes. My only child in K invited nearly 35 people this year – she really wanted her whole class and a few other friends. Like OP, I’m hoping next year we can talk her into a smaller party, but she missed out on a lot of stuff, including big class birthday parties, during Covid and I don’t mind hosting a giant one now (at a public place – not at our house!)
Anonymous says
Yeah, it’s a know your area sort of call, I guess. Based on my experience with whole-class parties, especially if it’s a season where the weather is unpredictable and parents are looking for ways to entertain kids, inviting 25 five-year-olds gets you 20 kids, 20 parents, and a handful of siblings (sometimes mentioned in advance, but not always). So I could easily see how inviting 55 kids (both classes plus the other friends mentioned) rapidly spirals into 40 kids + 40 parents and now you have 80 people to feed and manage.
Anon says
Yeah, with 35 kids invited we had to be pretty strict with no siblings. I know some people are not happy and at least one person is not coming because I said no to her bringing her younger kid (a 4 year old who would want to participate, not an infant in arms), but there will be plenty of guests and none of my kid’s closest friends are impacted so it’s not a huge loss.
We also told parents space is limited and they can drop off. I know a lot of people aren’t comfortable with it at this age, but if even a third of the people do it will give us some breathing room.
OP says
i hear ya. most kids in their classes have not had full class parties, but my kids want to be inclusive, and i like the idea of encouraging that. i also feel like kids at this age aren’t good at not talking about things when everyone isn’t invited. one of them has only been invited to one classmates bday party so far this year and i don’t think she’s noticed because she’s also gone to bday parties for some of her other friends. it’s also our first year at this school and we are trying to build community and get to know people. i highly doubt everyone will come/i plan on using an evite so if a parent has chosen not to add their email to the school directory or provided it for the class directory their kid won’t be invited. i’m more so annoyed that the date we wanted isn’t available than i am with such a large group of kids. personally i think party favors are a complete waste of money (last year we had a pinata in lieu but that wont work this year), but feel the need to have something
CCLA says
Chiming in to say we’ve done a few of these large class parties (first one was in K, when we were likewise trying to build community), and they can be great! Yes, there were a lot of people and it was loud but it was fun, and people later commented that it really helped get the parents in the class to know one another better. We probably had about 70 people, with close to 40 kids (mix of kinder and former preschool group, plus siblings). I also loathe party favors but my kids adore them so I lean into it with mostly consumable things. Idk what kind of venue you have, but as long as there’s space for everyone I wouldn’t be too concerned. We’ve done a lot of ours in open-space venues so bring/hire the entertainment, but if your venue includes that, even easier! Our gift bags are usually consumable like goldfish and/or fruit snacks, a sticker sheet, and bubbles, some sort of fun pencil. Depending on whether you care about theme, consider just getting a ton of those $1 bubble sticks (that are like a foot long) as favors, each kid take one.
anonymous says
We also did a huge class party this year and did not regret it! I will add that we bough cheap nametag stickers. Kids put their names, e.g., Ben, and adults put their name and their kids name like “Susan, Ben’s mom.” People seemed to love that idea and really helped with building relationships. For party favors we did a themed mask, e.g., superhero masks for a superhero party. I loathe a bag full of cheap stuff as a party favor. The masks were a big hit with the kids and just a single thing.
anon says
Can you do a park shelter? Those may not reserve as fast and it works well for a large group. I would skip favors, I hate coming home with bags of choking hazards for the little siblings. If you must, can you do ring pops?
OP says
this is what we did last year and it was a torrential downpour with thunder and after that i need a few years off before the stress of an outdoor party
Anon says
Godspeed to everyone registering for summer camp this week!
Anon says
that was us yesterday. my phone was exploding with texts from my mom friends
Anonymous says
I signed up in September!!!
anon 123 says
+1
anon mom says
UGH, I thought I had done such a good job of setting up my daughter’s activities to give her several different social groups. But now the mean girl from school is in all of them. My daughter (4th grade) loved gymnastics, but now this girl is in her class and spent the class chatting with another kid about how clumsy my girl is. The other girl joined her scout troop this year and is quick to make a point out of excluding my daughter in groups whenever she can. The other girl is apparently signed up for the same summer camp that my daughter was so excited to go to. (Just randomly, I hadn’t mentioned it to the other parents, who seem oblivious to how mean she is.)
I’m really not sure how to navigate this – I don’t want to pull my daughter from activities she loves, but this girl is really like a dark cloud and seems to single out my kid to be mean to. Also this is fairly triggering for me as I spent a lot of elementary school actively trying to avoid a couple of mean girls. Advice?
Anon says
uch that is so frustrating! for the summer camp part, is there more than one group for each age? bc i’d make sure they are in different groups. also- is this as upsetting to your daughter as it is to you? it can be hard not to project feelings from your own past experiences onto her. empower your daughter with how to handle some of these situations, and while i am very pro parents staying out of things, if needed talk to the troop leader
anon mom says
Thanks for validating my frustration! My daughter is extremely sensitive to social slights (probably overly sensitive, we’re working on it) and she sets off for school or activities in a good mood, and then comes home in a funk because of this girl. I didn’t go into the background but her teachers are on high alert to monitor the dynamics because of some previous issues. And the scout leaders are good at actively managing things, but they can only do so much (hard when the other girl says “everyone not named X come over here!” – they can step in and make sure everyone is included but the damage is done in terms of setting a stigma). My kid is very kindhearted and it just doesn’t make sense to her that someone would be that mean for no reason.
I’ll reach out to the camp to get more information – in the past they did one big group, but maybe they have changed things. I don’t want to be that parent who overly controls things, but at the same time I don’t want to put my kid into a situation where she’s constantly playing defense.
Cerulean says
Holy cow, that comment from her is absolutely awful! I hope her parents were told about it.
Anon says
I’m a Girl Scout leader and I think they should be doing more to stop this behavior. If we had a kid who was consistently saying “Everyone but X come over here,” we would have private conversations with that kid about that behavior being unacceptable and if it didn’t stop it would be escalated to the parents with consequences up to and including being asked to leave the troop. That’s bullying and it’s not ok. You can’t force kids to be friends even in a “we’re all friends” type of activity like Girl Scouts, but you can force people to stop exclusionary behavior like that.
Anon says
Yep, also a GS leader here. “You don’t have to be friends but you have to be troopmates. Let’s brainstorm together what being troopmates means (respectful, kind, etc).” And then you have to enforce consequences when someone breaks the agreed upon code of conduct.
Anonymous says
Yup. That other girl shouldn’t be allowed to attend meetings if that behavior keeps up
Anonymous says
I have never, ever seen a Girl Scout troop kick out a jean or disruptive child. The Girl Scout values are usually interpreted to prioritize “inclusiveness” of problematic children over a welcoming environment for normal children, who are told they have to learn to put up with everyone.
Anonymous says
*mean
Anon says
Sorry you had that experience. I don’t think that generalization about Girl Scouts is fair. Our troop has younger girls and we have not had an ongoing cruelty issue like the one OP describes, but we have dealt with our fair share of behavioral issues, and I don’t think it’s accurate to say that “the Girl Scout values are usually interpreted to prioritize “inclusiveness” of problematic children over a welcoming environment.” At least, that’s not how we interpret the values.
Anon says
I’m sorry, that’s tough. For Scouts, I’d talk to the leaders – there shouldn’t really be “excluding” at least not during official activities like troop meetings. In my experience, social dynamics are managed more actively in Scouts than they would be in an activity like gymnastics.
Cb says
Yeah, my son is in the first year of Scouts, and the kid in his class who pushed and threatened him at school is impeccably behaved because the leaders are on top of it.
Anonymous says
Gross. I have a 4th grade girl and am trying to really keep an eye on this stuff. I am pretty involved in her school- parents sign up for lunch duty and recess monitoring so I can see them on the playground, plus I carpool to a bunch of activities so get to hear their chatter. They all seem so nasty and cliquey but I think it’s…awkward rudeness? One thing that recently warmed my heart a little was that one friend group wanted to get a friendship charm…there were about 7 of them on the group chat. They eventually settled on this pizza slice one that has 8 wedges, then realized they might be excluding someone, so decided to order 3 sets and give out a “slice” to everyone they know so that everyone can have one. Any 8 of them could come together to make the pizza and “there is always room for more pizza!”
Regarding the girl who is excluding your daughter- does your daughter like her? Would they benefit from some 1:1 or smaller group time together? One of the moms in my daughter’s class organized a holiday party for all the girls in the class. It was not the friend group her daughter would have picked, but it was framed as a party “for the class” so the girls got to spend some non-school time together. It was really cute and crossed friend group lines in a low stakes way.
In scouts, have you observed the behavior directly? Can you volunteer to help out at scout events and nip it in the bud OR talk to the leader about it if it’s more appropriate? This is harder for gymnastics where you are obviously not a coach, but maybe you could take the team out to a meal before/after a competition or something?
Anonymous says
Can you go farther afield for activities and camps? We went to the professional ballet school downtown instead of choosing one of the local storefront studios and only ran into one kid from school there. We did the fancy full-day camps instead of the part-day county camp, and there were zero kids from school because all the families in our district have SAHMs. Etc. Even switching up the schedule may help. If the mean girl has a SAHM or nanny then choose evening/weekend activities, or if the mean girl does evening activities then pick afternoon classes. To some degree your daughter will just have to learn to cope, though. My daughter quit Girl Scouts because the mean girl was the troop leader’s daughter, but the mean girl’s family attends our church so she just has to suck it up and deal with the mean girl there.
Anon says
This stinks. I can commiserate there’s a kid who makes life tough for my son (not quite this level) who just seems to turn up constantly at everything. Good for you for being proactive!
Anon says
I wouldn’t pull her out of activities – that seems like it will worsen her mental health and teach her that she can’t overcome difficult situations on her own. Also, be mindful of bringing your own experiences to bear too much. Her life now isn’t the same as your life was and your fears and anxieties can be contagious. I’d try to focus on helping your daughter with some practical things she can say or do if incidents arise. Let her make the decisions (with guidance/oversight) as to how she wants to handle this. Navigating bullying and exclusion is, unfortunately, an important life skill.
Anonr says
This. We live near the K class mean girl and I thanked my lucky stars that she is not in my kids first grade class. We of course see her everywhere still. We talked to our kid about using your words and to say that isn’t kind. Also to buddy up with someone else. Strength in numbers. The problem with a lot of these girls is that they are also the queen bee (ours was) with lots of followers.
I was also bullied by mean girls and I had to force myself not to give it so much oxygen to make it a bigger deal that it was. Yeah Susie says mean stuff. What can we do when that happens? Then move on.
Anonymous says
IME the girls who chitchat during gymnastics class or practice are the almost always the ones who don’t last long.
Anon says
When you’re still recovering from your last miscarriage and your best friend (who is normally supportive) chooses you to hear her latest vent about how the newborn stage is hard…she has at least four other close friends who are new moms with living children she could talk to. If she weren’t struggling with what seems like severe postpartum anxiety, I’d be pretty tempted to just walk away for two months. I’m visiting her soon and can’t wait for it to be over with. That last part makes me sound like a jerk, I’m sure, but it’s the truth.
Anonymous says
Just here to say cancel your visit. “Susie, I’m cancelling my visit. I love you and I can’t wait to see you soon, but I’m still recovering from my miscarriage and it is just too hard.”
anon mom says
100% this. It’s the equivalent of putting your own oxygen mask on first. If you go, the odds are high that something happens that really strains the friendship, right? Better to be honest and put her on notice that you are really having a hard time, and take care of yourself.
Anon says
I’ve definitely thought about that, but I’ve decided to go because I’m having a surgery soon (unrelated to this) and won’t get a chance to visit again while she’s on maternity leave. I feel that I can “do hard things” and will get through it (and trust me, I would 100% cancel if I didn’t believe I could do it – I don’t believe in being a hero). I also think it will help me to help someone else right now (it did in my first miscarriage), so it’s honestly sort of a selfish decision anyway. Just wanted to vent somewhere anonymous today.
Anonymous says
This sounds really hard. Just want to throw out there that you should both reach out for professional support. My postpartum doula was actually a registered social worker who did doula work and postpartum counseling for both loss and anxiety issues as well. She worked 9-5 and was usually only available evenings and weekends but that worked out for my schedule okay.
Anon says
That sounds very hard.
Anonymous says
That’s really hard I’m sorry. But newborn mom fog is real and she probably wasn’t trying to be insensitive. If your friend generally isn’t an insensitive jerk I’d let this slide. The first 4-6 weeks with a new baby are a sleep deprived disaster.
Fkorence and Rome with kids says
I have a surprise business trip to Florence over spring break (beginning-mid of March where I live), and will take my family. Kid is 8 yrs old, seasoned traveller (family in Europe, been to London and some other cities with muesums and sightseeing).
Any tips for sights to see, playgrounds, parks, anything kid-friendly?
Anon says
We were there at the same time a couple years ago (I think I responded to you on the main page the other day about hotels), but the Galileo museum would be great for an 8 year old. It went over my then-preschooler’s head a bit. We also did hands-on cooking classes to make both pasta and gelato (pizza is also an option) and my kid loved that. That’s not unique to Florence, but it was the first time my family and I had done something like that in Europe and it was a really cool experience. My daughter also loved the carousel but an 8 year old might be aging out of that. Otherwise we mostly did the adult sites (Uffizi, David, Duomo) and bought her cooperation with gelato. I don’t remember a lot of playgrounds but we didn’t miss them because she was always running around chasing pigeons in the piazzas.
Anon says
Oh and I saw on the main page you asked about agriturismos. We loved Al Gelso Bianco which is an about an hour outside of Florence. We visited as a day trip from Florence (that’s where we did the pasta class) and combined it with a visit to San Gimignano, which is super cool. We definitely want to go back for an overnight stay at some point but plan to do it summer because I think the main draw for my kid will be the swimming pool.
Anon says
Boboli gardens! And take the 7 bus up to fiesole for beautiful sunset on the piazza, usually trucks selling candy and great gelato stands around. Trattoria Tza Tza for dinner! Will possibly still be quite chilly/rainy in march, so be prepared! Have a great time!
Anon says
Low stakes camp question. We only need two weeks of full day camp (non-consecutive, one in mid-June and one in late July). We know people going to both of the big full day camps in our area, and have heard conflicting opinions about which is better. I’m not sure if we should split the weeks or do both weeks at the same camp. I’m leaning towards splitting so my kid can sample both camps. I don’t think continuity is a big deal because the two weeks are so far apart. Does that make sense? Or would you pick one and do both weeks there?
And sort of related question, for a parks & rec or Y camp, would you put much weight on the weekly ‘themes’? My gut says no, but curious what others think.
Anon says
Is your kid old enough to have an opinion? I’d lean toward splitting the weeks, too, that way you know better for next year, but if your kid is a socially nervous person maybe they’d like the familiarity of the same camp (even if different campers). If cost similar? If it’s all the same to you, I might just pick the cheaper one
Anon says
Thanks! The cost is the same. My kid is 5 (will be 6 by summer) and generally outgoing and has no problem with situations where she doesn’t know anyone. She also will likely know kids at both places, although I’m more sure about one camp than the other. I originally told we were doing both weeks at the camp where we’re more certain she knows people and she said “sounds good!” and then I mentioned to her that maybe it would be better to split the weeks so she can figure out which camp she likes better, and she said “sounds good!” On this issue at least, she’s very easy :)
Anonymous says
For my (admittedly neurospicy) kids, knowing what routine to expect makes them much happier, so we stick with the same camp even when it’s non-consecutive weeks. There are also always some kids who are there the whole summer that they’re recognize a month later, so it feels more friendly.
That being said, we have done summers of splitting up between different camps and it was worth it for our family to know that Camp A that everyone raves about isn’t a good fit for us, but Camp B is totally worth the extra weekly fee.
Anonymous says
I would absolutely 100% no question take advantage of the opportunity to find out which camp works better for your kid and family before you need to sign up for multiple weeks.
Anon318 says
We gave eight-year-old DS a kindle paperwhite for kids for Christmas and he has been devouring books. My bookworm self loves this, but I’m struggling to keep up with good book ideas! He flew through all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books this month. Suggestions for other books (series, preferably, so I don’t have to scramble again in a few days!)? He’s supposed to ask his school librarian today, but she typically picks from a list of grade-level books and he’s read them all…
Anon says
Ask a public library librarian. They always have good ideas about age-appropriate books for advanced readers.
anon mom says
Dragon Masters
Eerie Elementary
Upside-down magic
Big Nate
The Last Firehawk
Notebook of Doom
Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians
Percy Jackson (might be a little early for this one)
anon says
I loved Goosebumps at that age, who knows if they still hold up. Agree with the idea of connecting with the public library.
Anonymous says
Harry Potter series
Land of Stories series
AwayEmily says
Check out the Scholastic Branches series.
Anonymous says
BFG, mouse and the motorcycle, all the “I survived” books- both the regular books and the graphic novels, the “who was” books (there are millions, he can’t read them all this week!!), a Guinness book of world records (warning: he will attempt a record; one of my kids is working on hula hooping), the lunchlady series. My 4th graders class is reading the City of Ember books, which may work for your kid depending on his reading level.
Mary Moo Cow says
This reminds me of the Ivy and Bean where the kids try to break a record after the teacher gives Bean the World Record book. :)
Anonymous says
Humphrey the Hamster is perfect for this age.
Anon says
The Boxcar Children? There are a million sequels. My 8yo has been listening to them on Yoto and really enjoys them (he also devoured Wimpy Kid many times over).
Or if he’s still at that mix of picture/word stage, the 13-Story Treehouse series
Anonymous says
My kindergarten and third grade kids are listening to boxcar children pretty much 100 percent of the time and I cannot wait for this phase to end (library via Libby).
Anon says
My bookworm had worked his way through
– everything by Roald Dahl
– Bad Guys
– Total Mayhem (Monday through Friday)
– Planet Omar
– Ben Braver
– Max and the Midknights
– Odd Gods
– Bad Kitty
– I Funny
AwayEmily says
Bad Kitty is a good call. God those books are annoying but my second-grader loves them.
Anon says
Ha I am usually pretty “read what you want” (Dogman, Captain Underpants) but I hate the Bad Kitty picture books SO MUCH I have avoided the chapter books. They are creative, and my kids like them, but that Kitty is such a mean stinker that I’ve donated our copies
Waffles says
My kid also has a Kindle Paperwhite, and has been re-reading all the Big Nate comics for months. I don’t really get it.
Does anyone else have a kid that re-reads things for months? Prior to Big Nate, she used to read all sorts of things.
Waffles says
For Amazon Kids+ on Kindle, there is a book series called Warriors that she used to read before she discovered Big Nate.
Mary Moo Cow says
My 8 year old has read all the Wimpy Kids multiple times — I feel your pain trying to keep them in a series.
Here’s what’s been a hit/on the TBR list at my house:
Harriet the Spy
Boxcar Children
Third Grade Angels
Fourth Grade Rats
The Superfudge/Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing Series
Muggie Maggie
Frindle
The I Survived Series
Harry Potter
Because of Winn-Dixie
Mouse and Motorcycle series
Mysterious Benedict Society (we just picked this up over the weekend, so too soon to tell)
My 8 year old/third grade nephew is enjoying the Time Hunters series.
Anonymous says
Look at the booklists at Read Aloud Revival
Cb says
Any interest in Greek mythology? We’ve been obsessed with the who let the gods out series on audible. Hilarious. There’s also a Loki series that is diary entries.
Anonymous says
My Diary of a Wimpy Kid-loving son has liked a lot of the books on this list: https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/books-like-diary-wimpy-kid/
A number of them are part of a series, such as The Terrible Two.
That website is my go-to source for book lists. A couple of others I have used are this one (although graphic novels are short so won’t solve your problem) https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/funny-graphic-novel-series/
and
https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/funny-middle-grade-books/
Here are all of her book lists: https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/books-for-kids/
Stand alone recs:
The One and Only Ivan
A Whale of the Wild
Anon says
Wings of Fire! There’s a lot of them! My 7 year old started with the graphic novels but prefers the regular books. They’re definitely above his grade level but have been a lot of fun.
Land of Stories is also great.
Anonymous says
Second the recommendation for public librarian. If you use Instagram the Multnomah County Library (Oregon) does a weekly feature where you can ask the librarian for recommendations and they publish all the requests and recommendations- it’s AWESOME and I’ve stolen a lot of the ideas for myself and my kids (people ask the coolest things too). My 8 year old third grade boy has been enjoying Harry Potter, the I Survived books, The Who Was books (history), any sports biographies or other sports books, starting to enjoy the Redwall series, Big Nate (not my fave), still enjoys All of a Kind Family series, enjoys Roald Dahl (just read Danny the Champion of the World and really enjoyed Boy, his autobiography).
Anonymous says
I have a reply in mod, check back later
The No Club says
Series recommendations:
Spy School
Space Case
FunJungle
Goddess Girls
Phoebe and Her Unicorn
Babysitters’ Club
Magic Tree House
Captain Underpants
Anon says
My daughter is going to be a flower girl in a wedding soon. She wears at size 24months/2T. Any advice on where to get fancy dresses for her? We are Gap/Old Navy/hand me down people most of the time, but want to get something nice. Only guideline from the bride is that the dress should be white or pink.
Seafinch says
Next Direct has fabulous options for this.
Anonymous says
Gymboree. Great quality and cotton fancy dresses.
Anon says
Nordstrom has good options and a great return policy if your daughter is between sizes
Anonymous says
Janie and Jack :)
Anonymous says
Seconding Janie and Jack. Quality is great, styles are classic. You can also try Maisonette, though it will be $$$$.
Anonymous says
Noralee, little English, maybe Cecil and lou
Anonymous says
Gymboree and Janie and Jack are good options. I would start with secondhand stores and work my way to retail. Also give then bride’s parameters, I would ask around on buy nothing fb groups or personal friends.
New Here says
Department stores will probably be putting out Easter dresses soon. I got married in April and my FGs wore off-the-rack dresses from Belk that I loved more than the special order ones I picked out first (the bridal store messed up the order)
Clementine says
Echoing to look for Easter dresses. I’ll also say that I’m not a big consignment shopper but would 100% check out somewhere like ‘once upon a child’ for special occasion dresses like this.
If you like a more classic/vintage little girls’ style, for similar big events I’ve gotten adorable smocked classic dresses from Etsy and a really special dress on sale from Mini Boden. T-strapped Mary Janes (Livi and Luca brand) with a smocked dress??? Literally make my heart sing.
Clementine says
Something like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/472782471/ivory-flower-girl-dresses-cotton-hand?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=smocked+flower+girl+dress&ref=sr_gallery-1-43&frs=1&organic_search_click=1
Clementine says
Or this? https://www.etsy.com/listing/1391825734/vintage-french-bud-sleeves-dress-baby?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=flower+girl+dress+2t&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&frs=1&bes=1&sts=1&organic_search_click=1
Anon says
Mini Boden is adorable!
LA recs says
Any kid-friendly recommendations in LA? We’re visiting friends in Studio City area and looking for activities that are good for toddlers (beyond the zoo). Thanks!