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D.C.’s late winter weather can be snowy one day, rainy the next. On rainy days, protect your little one with this cheerful raincoat.
This colorful, floral raincoat features a front zip closure, fixed hood, and snap-flap patch pockets. To clean, just wipe down.
Since it’s unlined, I’d buy it with room to layer for those cooler days. Once warmer rains come in the spring, ditch the layer (and hopefully, your child will have grown into it just in time).
This raincoat from Tucker + Tate is $52 at Nordstrom.
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
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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?
massage during pregnancy says
Have you been approved for a prenatal massage through your insurance? How do I go about doing this?
octagon says
Depending on your insurance you may find it easier to go to PT and find one that does manual pressure as part of the treatment. My insurer does not cover massage in any form but they will cover PT and many of the PTs in this area combine pressure techniques with stretching as treatment.
EDAnon says
My insurer covers massage as part of a limited number of complementary medicine visit. You’d likely have to call and ask.
anon says
Mine did, but then there was a billing code (CPT?) discrepancy between what I was authorized for my insurance and what the provider billed as. So, just double check what you are authorized for and what the provider will bill as, because for my three massages, it took months of adjudication between myself, the insurance company, and my provider — which as you can imagine increased my stress level!
Definitely call the insurance company and ask first.
Anon says
FYI – recall of some Similac, Alimentum, and Elecare formulas for any formula fed babies!
EDAnon says
Oh no! Thanks for sharing. We are past the formula stage but my oldest drank tons of alimentum. This would be a nightmare.
Anonymous says
Oh man, I feel for the formula moms. First a shortage and now recalls?!
Anon says
It’s been difficult, but really feeling for the moms on WIC/income constraints who don’t have the flexibility to just run to the store and pick some up/try different ones without jumping through hoops.
Marie says
I have especially been thinking of these moms. It is already stressful for the rest of us, but uniquely challenging for this group of women.
Anonymous says
Please join mutual aid groups in your area if you are still on Facebook. At least once a week, the moms in my area are able to drop formula off on a porch for those in need.
Anon says
what would i search for to find these?
Anonymous says
You can search just your area and then words like “mutual aid” or “community aid.” Some “buy nothing” and freecycle groups do stuff like this. A lot have the words “neighbors” in them, so might be called something like “neighbors helping neighbors.” I think the Facebook algorithm will also bring up what you are looking for even if they aren’t named something obvious in your area. If you know any case workers, ask them and they probably know which groups in your area are stepping in on stuff like this.
Lily says
I’m so upset. My 10 month old ate basically an entire can and a half of the recalled Similac. We pay a huge premium for that brand (it’s like double what a store brand costs), and for what? Now I’m freaking out because she’s been drinking less of her bottles for the last few weeks and I’m wondering if she has an infection or something wrong with her!
Anon says
Same here, so tough to tell what is normal or what could be linked to an issue when their digestive systems are just immature anyway!
Anonymous says
I’m so sorry. If you feel an urge to do something, get her an infant probiotic powder for her bottles. Of course don’t hesitate to call the pedi if anything seems off.
Anonymous says
Thank you! My twins are on Similac Alimentum RTF so now I need to go home and check.
Ann Anon says
Rant ahead.
Registered my oldest for kindergarten yesterday, and I’m already stressing out about next year. After school options at her school are abysmal – there is one small onsite program that fills up VERY quickly, and the only other option is a part-time nanny (which are really hard to find in my city). DH and I have big jobs, and while we have some flexibility, we can’t leave work every day to pick her up after school (especially since our school gets out early once every week). We will find a way to make it work, but it’s no wonder women lean out or leave the workforce in droves when their kids hit elementary school. The public school system is still set up as if one parent (let’s face it, the mom) stays home with the kids, even though that hasn’t been the norm in decades. Maybe it is easier in HCOL places where it is normal to have two working parents, but the set up in my city is beyond frustrating.
anne-on says
Same, this is when we got an au pair and we now religiously mark the sign up date for school break and summer camps lest we miss them. I don’t want to be the voice of doom and gloom, but I now council the working moms I know to start seriously thinking about how they’ll make school hours (vacations, staff development days, summer breaks, school pick ups at 2:30/3) work as most people can’t dip out at 2 to grab a kid (or at least they couldn’t pre WFH).
Anon says
I assume you’ve looked into this, but are there no off-site after care programs? In my town schools have very limited numbers of aftercare spots, but there are dozens of places that will transport kids to different facilities for after care. They’re often run by the types of places that offer summer camps.
Anon says
Yeah, here they’ll bus kids to the Y or wherever though there is specific aftercare for the school.
OP says
I checked, but unfortunately no one picks up from her school.
Anonymous says
Have you tried day cares, church preschools, and karate schools?
Anon says
Here it’s not daycares picking up, rather the districts must bus to daycare centers, etc if they are in the district boundary. It might be worth asking local daycares but then again a lot of them end after kindergarten, so you’ll have that problem next year unless there are other after school programs. It might be worth reaching out locally to see if there are other hidden options that might not be obvious.
EDAnon says
In my city, you can get the kid on the school bus to after care that is not at the school. There are tons of them, but some are quite expensive.
Sick days says
What does everyone do for child care when your kids are sick (non-covid)? I feel like I’m the only one in my whole office without family to step in in these situations.
Anonymous says
I or my husband cover sick kids. Pre Covid, we’d both cover a half day if possible so we wouldn’t be too far behind. It is not fun politely debating whose job is more important that day. We do not have local family to cover. Other than one week where kid 1 had a fever for 5 straight days, our kids were generally healthy. Had they been sick often we would have switched to a nanny (we used day care for 2 kids; they’re now middle elementary-aged).
anonn says
“It is not fun politely debating whose job is more important that day. ” I feel this
Anonymous says
My husband or I stay home. Usually it is my husband because he has been with his employer for a long time and has amassed a lot of sick leave. But we definitely do not have family who can step in, despite living close to both of our families– everyone has jobs of their own!
EDAnon says
We take time off or provide poor quality work from home and poor quality childcare at the same time. If it’s an extended amount of time, we have an elaborate trading off schedule that involves me working before wake up for a few hours and him working after bed for a few hours with trading in between.
We don’t have local family. If we have another quarantine closure with healthy kids, my mom offered to fly up.
Anon says
+1 same here. Usually just slog through WFH/childcare that day.
Anon says
DH and I just trade off. He’s a professor who normally teaches two or three days a week so generally I cover the days he teaches and he does other days. We are fortunate that we both basically have unlimited sick leave. He doesn’t have a set number of days, just has to get work done and meet his teaching commitments. I have a limit, but it increases with every year of service and I’ve been here a while so I now have way more sick days than I could ever possibly use. Our first year in daycare was ’19-20 and my daughter caught a cold every two weeks from early September until the lockdown began in mid-March. She got ear infections after every cold, which caused her to run fevers and be excluded from daycare, plus I caught everything she caught, so I would say I was using at least 2 or 3 sick days per month that year. People at work were definitely annoyed but there wasn’t really anything they can do, since I had enough leave to cover it. Thankfully she basically hasn’t been sick at all since the pandemic began. I’m really not looking forward to the end of masking and the return of non-stop illness.
GCA says
No local family, we split the day (I work in the AM and do kid duty PM, husband does the inverse) but we are both in jobs with at least a little flexibility to do this. If we have calls outside of our ‘shifts’, kid is set up with tv if they’re well enough – husband’s calls are nearly always internal so he can take them with kid.
Anon says
Are you me? Anyways. I take off work. DH cannot take off work when kiddo is sick because being a doctor sucks.
Mary Moo Cow says
We have local family who offers to step in, but I feel super guilty about leaving my sick kid. DH and I also trade off and have snippy conversations about whose job is more important that day. Generally, if it is my WFH day, I stay home and pretend to work; DH works from home all the time so he pushes off meetings when he can. If it lasts more than 2 days, I take a sick day; I have a use-it-or-lose it bucket of sick leave so I usually can take a sick day.
Anon says
If it’s just the sniffles, our nanny is happy to come and keep her distance (she offered – this was not our idea), but we have a school that is a bit over-eager to send home sniffly kids. If it’s worse, one of us works from home and does both, usually the one with fewer meetings. If it’s something that’ll be a week long ordeal (like when kid had her tonsils out a few years back), I fly my mom out to watch her.
Anon says
My husband and I compare our meeting schedules and trade off on taking care of the kid. Usually we can get a solid hour of nap time and an hour of tv time, so we each end up taking ~3. We have no family who can help either – but then again, does grandma really like risking getting sick?
Anon says
No local family here either. Our nanny will still come over if it’s something mild – she’s made it clear she doesn’t mind and she’s around our kids 35+ hours a week, so she’s already pretty exposed to their kid germs. For a stomach bug or something more serious, I take off (I have more flexibility than my husband). It sucks to not be able to share that burden, though.
Anon says
So we have local family but we don’t have them watch sick kids – I’m much more concerned about getting my parents sick than my kids! I usually have to just take time off unfortunately. It’s why we’re not taking much vacation this year. DH in theory sometimes pitches in, but he travels a lot for work, so in practice it falls to me!
Anon says
+1 we didn’t have local family in the pre-Covid era, but I would never send a sick kid to my 70-something parents now. Even from a routine non-covid illness, kiddo will bounce back in a day or two, grandparents will be knocked out for a week or more.
Anonymous says
How old are your kids? Unless they are just actively barfing either DH or I stay home/WFH and check in on them. Mine are 3,5,8. Even the 3 y/o (she’s nearly 4 though) can park in front of the tv for 4 hours if she’s sick enough to need to be home.
If it’s a full on pukefest then one of us takes PTO.
Anon says
“if she’s sick enough to need to be home.”
I feel like in Covid times kids are often home when they’re not sick at all though. Even before Covid we were often sent home for fevers that were caused by ear infections and as soon as she got a dose of antibiotics in her she was fine, but still excluded from daycare for 24 hours. Even before she’d get antibiotics she’d be cranky but not sleepy or lethargic. I feel like I had this image in my mind of sick kids just wanting to lie on the couch and watch TV but that’s more for things like flu and the majority of illnesses that get you booted from daycare aren’t that severe.
Anon says
Heading back to work from maternity leave after baby #2 on Tuesday. Having lots of mixed emotions. Actually more about not wanting to leave baby etc. would love some words of encouragement and tips on how you get two kiddos plus yourself out the door in the morning. Thanks in advance.
EDAnon says
I had a harder time with my second since I knew how fast he would grow up, That being said, going back was not bad. I was quickly back in the loop with things and I am fortunate to have a job where I feel good about what I do, so I enjoy putting time towards it. I was almost totally out of time off after maternity leave though and I flexed my schedule as much as possible without getting fired. More early pickups than usual and whatever else I could do to get extra time with both kids .
Mary Moo Cow says
I also had a harder time going back after baby no 2. I embraced leaning out. On the micro level, I probably didn’t wear makeup for a few months and wore the same five outfits on rotation; on the macro, I didn’t seek out projects and worked only my 8 hours.
As to getting us out the door in the morning: relentless planning and preparation. I had to do get up earlier so I had more time to pack bottles and the daycare bags, plan for extra time for buckling one kid in a bucket car seat and one in a regular car seat, plus coats in the winter. (Now it is planning and packing both snack and lunch for two kids.) It also requires planning for special spirit wear days, dress up days, show and tell days, etc: I do as much of that the Sunday of the coming week and the night before.
anonn says
it took me 8 months to figure this out, but I have to be mostly ready and have my stuff ready to go before I wake up any kids. Luckily they do breakfast at daycare and my husband does drop off. Our 4-year-old gets to watch a show in our bed when she wakes up as long as she gets herself dressed. this is the carrot to get her to actually wake up, basically her only screen time during the week. While she watches, I wake the baby and nurse/change him while 4YO is getting dressed. Then we all head downstairs to get shoes on and pack-up bottles. Ideally bottles are already made the night before. This sounds easy but there is lots of bickering (parents) screaming and crying(4yo). though it’s gotten better over the months.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Ugh, DS #1’s daycare when he was 4 months-2 years had breakfast. It was amazing. We’d give him a banana and some milk max in the AM, knowing he’d have a full meal at school. We moved states, and while the daycare/pre-school now is far superior, I wish they had breakfast! They do provide meals, including a morning snack around 9 AM, but not having to factor in breakfast time/attempted negotiation by kid was lovely.
EDAnon says
My 5yo is too big for his micro mini but he loves riding a scooter. What’s the next step up?
I do think he will start riding his bike more, but he LOVES his scooter.
anon says
Micro Maxi if you want another 3-wheeled one. If he’s coordinated enough for 2 wheels there are tons of options.
Anon says
+1 We like the Maxi Deluxe Pro. Very durable for “cool tricks”
EDAnon says
Perfect. He is very into cool tricks!
Mary Moo Cow says
Do the handlebars adjust? My 6.5 year old is still zipping around on her micro mini and I just occasionally check to see if the handle bars are too short and adjust. I thought that thing was supposed to last until they were 11 or so! I’m following because my girl doesn’t really like her bike and the scooter has been wonderful for getting her exercise.
Anon says
The mini is aimed at ages 2-5. The Maxi should go up to age 12 or so, but I think my kids will want to switch to a 2-wheeled version before then
Mary Moo Cow says
Oh, we must have a Maxi then.
Anonymous says
We got our five year old a Micro Sprite- it says it’s for 8 and up but fits her quite comfortably, and she picked up the balance part immediately (with the caveat that she can already ride a bike with no training wheels, thank you balance bike). The adjustable handlebars are nice.
Anonymous says
At age 5 I’d go for a two-wheeled style. My daughter could ride a two-wheeled scooter long before she could ride a bike without training wheels. Balancing is much easier on a scooter.
Cb says
Yeah, my parents bought a two wheeled scooter for Christmas and my 4.5 year old needed 15 minutes to master it
anon says
My kids (8 yo and 6 yo) can ride a 2 wheeled scooter, but still prefer a three wheeled variety.
Poopy toddler says
My 18 month old has had diarrhea for two weeks. She’s eating / sleeping fine and I’ve not noticed a drop in energy – her doctor says he’s not concerned, but that’s weird, right? Negative on a couple of Covid tests, we tried eliminating milk – no change. There’s some Celiac in the family, but other than this she doesn’t have any indications – opposite of failure to thrive, she’s in the 90th percentile for height and weight at last check. Do I push for an appointment? What would I even ask them to do at an appointment – examine sample for virus or bacteria?
Anon says
Toddler diarrhea is a thing! Normally with celiac there would be other indicators and definitely an association of worse symptoms with gluten containing food. Definitely worth pushing for an appointment though to make sure there isn’t anything that needs further intervention.
Anon says
GI things can take a long time to taper off. My second had diarrhea for like a month, with on and off vomiting at the beginning, and it was just a normal bug (we did a stool sample). We have had other long runs of loose poop, too. If she’s acting fine I would just give it time, unless you notice diapers are particularly greasy, mucusy, black, etc. Most parasites and Serious Things would cause other symptoms like stomach ache and fatigues, too
Anon says
Yep, this. Randomly, this is one of the things where having a dog before kids really prepared me – they get the weirdest bouts of loose stools. GI stuff can just take a while. Unless it’s super super loose or otherwise problematic (bloody, greasy, black, etc), I wouldn’t worry if she’s otherwise fine.
govtattymom says
I imagine everything is fine if you doctor isn’t concerned. However, you could push for an appointment to rule out something serious. My friend’s son had HUS- you may want to check to verify that she doesn’t have symptoms of that.
TennisShoesOnly says
On the celiac front – a few things I learned recently. There are gene tests that can be done now that will tell if your daughter (or you, your hub) can potentially develop it. If you have the gene, you then should get blood tests every 3-5 years regardless of symptoms to see if it has developed. My son recently was diagnosed after GAINING a ton of weight. Research on my part shows that in recent times over 50% of those with celiac are actually overweight. While failure to thrive is the standard thing doctors look for, don’t discount the possibility just because the kid isn’t underweight. I feel really Lucky we caught this now for my son (due to a good pediatrician who did the test just in case…), I wish we had done the gene test a while ago so we could have been monitoring.
Anon says
This is helpful to know! My son is higher risk because I have Celiac but our dr was definitely talking about symptoms on the failure to thrive side only.
Anonymous says
I have found that yogurt with active cultures can help with this.
Anonymous says
+1, yogurt or culturelle. We do that 2x/day when things are moving too quickly as recommended by our ped. The ped’s office has said to give it two weeks, and if things haven’t improved by then, give them a call.
Anon says
Has anyone done Wilbarger protocol (therapeutic brushing) with their kid? My 4 year old just started OT and although her sensory issues seem fairly mild, relatively speaking (mainly very picky eating and not liking to get wet) they suggested this to us. We’re supposed to do it 6 times a day which seems really difficult, especially on weekdays. A quick Google also made me think it’s not very evidence-based, so I was curious if anyone here has done it and what your experience was.
Anon says
when my kid started OT they had this other sound therapy thing they wanted to do. I had my bff who is an OT read our evaluation and suggested therapies and she said to always ask about whether what they are suggesting has any evidence behind it. She said there is a lot of stuff out there that won’t necessarily hurt your child, but isn’t at all evidence based.
SC says
We did it, at the OT’s suggestion, for a month or two during lockdown. Kiddo turned 5 around that time. It seemed to help. If I recall correctly, DH had to use the brush on Kiddo’s arms and legs several times a day, so it would have been hard to do as part if a normal routine.
2-e parents? says
I think there are a few of us with 2e kids – are there any suggestions you have of websites/magazines/webinars you find helpful? My husband is struggling with the idea of ASD testing (our son being formally diagnosed with ADHD was a shock to him and he’s been working to educate himself, but the ‘autism’ label is a whole other (scary I think) level). I’m struggling as I believe I’m also on the spectrum and am having to be the ‘go-between’ to name, explain, and guide my son/husband through a lot of the behaviors and feelings that are coming up (for both of them!) and it is SO mentally exhausting. I’m seeking individual therapy for myself but waitlists are really long and it would be helpful if I can direct my husband to more literature in the meantime instead of ‘interpreting’ ASD for him.
Anon says
I thought 2e meant gifted + something else like ADHD or ASD?
Anonymous says
This is correct.
2-e parents? says
Yes exactly, my son is gifted which can often ‘hide’ the ASD issues (and has already been diagnosed with ADHD and the co-morbidity is very high). He is very high performing but struggles with social situations, sensory input, etc. My husband (and society in general) struggle to support these bright kids because they’re ‘so smart!’ and don’t want to label them as autistic but then the kids don’t get help with the issues they have with social skills/sensory needs/physical therapy needs/etc.
Aunt Jamesina says
Having seen how things could go off the rails for kids whose parents “didn’t want to label them” when I was a teacher (and how well so many students with the proper support could do!), frankly, I would tell your husband he needs to get over it and get this figured out for the sake of his child. I very rarely think it’s appropriate for one parent to veto another’s wishes outright, but there is zero upside to not getting your son evaluated. I don’t think negatively of your husband, I’m sure it’s he’s freaked out and this is his coping mechanism, and I’m also sorry you’re put in this position!
I like the other posters ideas of getting him familiarized with ASD and what getting your son help can look like. I think ASD can sound very scary to people who aren’t familiar with it, but it truly manifests in so many different ways that often people’s conception of who is on the spectrum is skewed.
Aunt Jamesina says
I meant this as a reply to the OP, oops.
Anonymous says
I would first determine whether your husband is a podcast or book person. Lots of great resources out there in both those media formats. If he is at all a podcast person, I would suggest he download at least 5 different ones and see if any resonate. For books, I sold also suggest starting with podcast episodes that guest star the author. You usually get the key points from the podcast and if the author seems really great, then he can buy the book.
He also wants to learn more and dive into this. There is no perfect article or book or podcast that is going to force him into learning and trying if he doesn’t want to.
So Anon says
Both of my kids fall into the 2e arena. My oldest is formally diagnosed as autistic and is super smart, which largely masks the underlying challenges that he can have. My youngest has not been formally diagnosed, but I firmly believe she is neurodiverse and academically gifted.
I say this gently – it is not your responsibility to direct your husband to resources or get him on board. Presuming he is a capable adult, you can bring all the resources to him, and if he is not ready to accept it, there is nothing that you can do that will force him to do so. It is also not your job to translate/explain why something may be perceived differently by someone who is autistic, especially as you go through your own process of understanding yourself. A simple google search will yield many resources – books, websites, podcasts, and I would not do the emotional labor of this for him. You can absolutely help your kiddo learn to put words to the intense feelings, help him articulate his needs and your needs, but it is on your husband to hear those needs and do his own work to accept it.
Anonymous says
That’s not a way to keep a marriage or coparent a child.
Anon says
Eh, I disagree with this. I do almost all the emotional labor in my marriage, but I don’t resent it because DH more than pulls his weight on other more visible chores. It’s just the way we naturally split labor based on where our interests and talents lie. Not after situation where the woman is doing more of the emotional labor is terrible. In this case I also think it harms the kid for dad not to have a good understanding of his diagnosis, so even if I resented doing emotional labor I would do in this instance for the sake of the kid.
Anonymous says
I strongly disagree with this. Both parents must consent to evaluation and treatment. How many kids suffer for years because their dads refuse to have them evaluated or refuse to consent to medication? Even if you get his grudging consent, if he doesn’t believe or understand the diagnosis or buy into the treatment and behavior management plan, he will undermine you at every move.
Connecticut kids activity? says
I will have about half a day to kill with my 3rd grader in Connecticut (west of Hartford) next week. Any advice on a good attraction? Norwalk Aquarium vs. Connecticut Science Center? Thank you!
Marie says
CT Science Center is a favorite for toddlers. Also could consider Mystic Aquarium or Beardsley Zoo.
Anon says
Long shot, but if into sports the Basketball Hall of Fame is in Springfield, MA north of Hartford.
Anonymous says
Show her the websites and let her pick and help plan the outing.
NYCer says
I am not sure a third grader would love the Norwalk Aquarium. It is pretty small, and tbh my preschooler is not even that impressed. I have never been to the Mystic aquarium, but I do think it is bigger.
OP says
Thanks, this is exactly the kind of helpful feedback I was hoping for!
Anonymous says
You might want to look at a map because if you’re actually going to be around Hartford or in the northern part of the state, I don’t think Norwalk Aquarium (or Mystic Aquarium or Beardsley Zoo) make sense at all as you might spend half a day driving back and forth depending on where you’re going to be.
OP says
I’m driving from NY to Hartford and have time to stop for an attraction along the way.
Fallen says
See if you can visit Arethusa creamery for ice-cream, apparently they have cows there
Downtown hartford has a nice merry-go round
Lyman orchards always has stuff going on; may be worth checking out. We did a lantern festival thing there a few months ago which was fun, I think it may still be going on
Check out Ted’s restauraunt for steamed cheeseburgers and fries
Dinosaur State Park
Toddler Sun Hat says
Any recs for a good sunhat for a big headed two year old?
Anonymous says
Hanna Andersson hats run very large.
anon says
Sunday Afternoons Kid’s Play Hat. They come in 3 sizes, s0 just measure which is best for your kid.
Anonymous says
I am a major advocate for SwimZip hats. I get constant compliments on my daughter’s summer hat. It’s adjustable, made from quick-drying material, and does a great job providing shade. You can get it on am-z-n.
Anon says
Our state just announced they’re ending all quarantines in schools and daycares, so no one will have to quarantine after exposures, regardless of mask or vaccination status. It seems super reckless, but at the same time, I’m very glad we can go back to having consistent schedules for kids and consistent childcare for parents. We had non-stop quarantines between Thanksgiving and late January and then a bunch of snow closures in early February and we really saw the impact of the disruption on our kid’s behavior. She’s finishing her second straight week of school and it’s like she’s a different person. This morning she spilled something on her shirt and demanded a new shirt, and when I said we didn’t have time to change because we were running late for school she just shrugged and said “ok.” The same thing would have resulted in hysterical meltdown a couple weeks ago. Turns out kids really do thrive on routine, imagine that ;)
Anonymous says
I am here for this, especially since the under-5 vaccine date just keeps slipping and slipping and all the data still points to young children being low-risk as a group. Where are you located?
Anonymous says
There is no solid data on the long term impacts of COVID on young children, but concerning stuff is starting to come out.
Anonymous says
“concerning” is an opinion. I am not overly concerned about any of the data I have seen related to long term impacts of covid on young children. I think majority medical opinion is that young children are a low risk group, otherwise they’d have a lot more of an incentive to fast-track the vaccine.
Anon says
Where? I haven’t seen this yet. My kids all caught omicron so I hate seeing this sort of post with no details. It’s just scaring us as parents.
Anonymous says
Our mask mandates in PK and elem go away 3/7. Both schools have test and stay so quarantine is really very limited. Just my unvaccinated 3 year old but in her class of 12, 8 kids and both teachers have already had COVID. Two have had immediate family sick and not gotten it. I would be fine dropping quarantining all together.
Anon says
What state are you in? Do sick kids at least have to stay home? Personally I’d be ok with no quarantining if the exposed kid had to mask. But my kids are also too young to be vaccinated
Anon says
I’m in Indiana. I think most schools and daycares (including ours) tell sick kids to stay home regardless of whether or not there’s been an exposure, but now I guess exposed sick kids won’t be treated any differently than unexposed sick kids. My kid is also too young to be vaccinated, but old enough to consistently mask and her daycare has a mask mandate that’s supposed to be in place for the rest of this school year. I really hope the mask mandate isn’t lifted until under 5s can get vaccinated, but I’m not convinced the quarantines really do anything and they’re incredibly disruptive to our lives, so while I generally consider myself pretty Covid cautious I’m not sad about this news.
So Anon says
How many credit cards do you all have? I currently have my primary card that I use for my larger purchases, then a card for amazon/whole foods with good rewards for those purchases, and two smaller cards associated with retailers. I’m considering a card for travel perks (and will do my research on which is best). Anyway, how many do you all have?
Anon says
I have five.
1. Chase United Club card that I use for all travel and most other things. Gets our family access to United clubs and contributes towards my premier status. With travel hopefully ramping up and us having more money to spend on it than we have in the past, I just opened this card. We fly United if it at all possible because of this card.
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve that used to be my main card before I got the United. I currently use it for Doordash because it has free Doordash premium benefits and 10x points. I’m probably downgrading this before it renews in October because I don’t like to carry two cards with annual fees at once although the CSR annual fee isn’t bad ($150 after the travel rebate). I’ll probably switch to the no fee Chase Freedom and then use this card for whatever categories have good points that month.
3. Target card for Target purchases only (5% discount and free 2 day shipping with no minimum, so this card is invaluable to me)
4. Amazon card for Amazon purchases only, but I hate Amazon and try to avoid it if at all possible
5. A CapitalOne Venture card that I basically never use, but my husband is on the account and it’s his only card. He buys basically nothing normally (I buy everything for our house and family and he has essentially no personal expenses), but he needs a card without international transaction fees for when he travels without me for work, so this card is it.
Anon says
We have two. I’m not super strategic about them. It’s honestly helpful just to have a backup if we have a fraud issue come up on one!
HSAL says
I have three Visas – one I never use but is the card I’ve had the longest, one with good rewards for most purchases/travel, and one for Amazon. Then an Amex I got when that was the only card Costco took, a Target credit card (75% of our grocery purchases), and a Kohl’s card that I basically only keep because I’ve had it so long.
Anon says
My husband and I each have one major credit card and one store card just in our name, then we have two combined cards, plus one we never use but we keep open for credit purposes because it was his earliest account, so all together we have like 6-7? We do this purely for points; two of them have rotating 5% cash back categories each quarter, one has a standing 3% on online purchases, then another has 1.5% on everything. Store cards are used for store perks. Having so much available credit that we never come close to using also helps our credit score.
Mary Moo Cow says
I only have 1, a general cash-back card with a pretty high limit. We don’t travel often, so I don’t think a travel perks card would be useful. I also have a Target debit card and a grocery store debit card that both have discounts or other perks.
Spirograph says
Just two. An Amex that gets cash back and is my default, plus a Southwest Visa (we haven’t used the rewards as much as we’d like, but fly my MIL to visit us a couple times a year) for anywhere amex isn’t accepted.
AnonATL says
I have a capital one quicksilver and a Costco card.
Husband has a bank based credit card, Amazon, and Costco. We put all Amazon purchases on that card and he basically never uses the bank card.
We don’t travel that much and when we do, Costco has good enough benefits for us.
Anonymous says
Three. One primary, one that collects airline points that I use for work expenses and travel, (I no longer have a corp card and keeping them separate helps me make sure I don’t miss an expense), and I have an old one I never use but never closed.
Anon says
Around 10 I think (without going through my wallet). One general (i.e., can redeem for any travel as a statement credit) visa travel card that is my personal primary card, ones with each of the other major issuers (MC, Amex, Discover), three retailer cards, Costco (joint with DH), and the primary family travel card through our preferred hotel brand (joint with DH). That being said, I don’t carry a balance on any of them and other than the primary general travel card, Costco and hotel brand card, they only get sporadic use.
EDAnon says
Two – one with my credit union with good cash back and the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which we use a ton when we traveled more. I would get rid of it, but I have had it awhile and the annual fee is offset by my DoorDash and Peloton savings.
anonamommy says
Can’t stop thinking about this article about a teen online starlet who had a crazy dude show up at her house with a gun. I’m so angry at the parents – she wouldn’t have the perspective to understand the dangers but they should. And yet I hate that teen girls have to worry about crazy dudes, because it’s actually the crazy dudes who are the problem.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/us/politics/tiktok-ava-majury.html
Anonymous says
That story is just nuts. Here the parents were just as much of a problem as the crazy dude–they let her sell selfies to him! I am also horrified that the guy was able to buy her phone number from her classmates.
EDAnon says
Yeah, selling photos of yourself to people as a child is really inappropriate. The selling of personal information is also awful and I had never thought of that as a possibility.
anne-on says
That story horrified me on so many levels – HOW did the parents think it was ok for this child to sell photos of herself online?!? I totally get why the brother was mad too – it very much read like the parents were all in on chasing ‘influencer’ money no matter what it meant for the rest of the family (I couldn’t 100% tell but it sounded like dad retired early and saw this as easy money?).
Anonymous says
It is such a disturbing story. It is scary as a mother to a daughter and soon-to-be mother of a son. I had a couple of creepy, mentally questionable boys essentially stalk me while I was growing up. It certainly was out of my control– one continued trying to contact me until I was 28 and was a married, practicing attorney! I can’t help but feel if these guys were one step further down the unstable line I could have been a victim of more than just annoying, unwanted contact. A small part of me also worries about what if my son turns our to have these kinds of unstable, dangerous tendencies? I know the family of one of the boys that stalked me was about as “good” of an influence you can be.
It doesn’t help my anxiety that the 18-year-old who tried to attack the tiktok star is from my town, which is a super boring upper middle class suburb.
Aunt Jamesina says
We really need Coogan laws for kids in social media (or just outright ban minors from having monetized social media accounts). Any parent who allows their kid this sort of exposure doesn’t have their best interests at heart.
Puerto Rico says
I have seen Puerto Rico recommended here a few times as a good trip for a little kid. We are looking at trips with DS will be 16 months old… we have not traveled much with him (or really much since March 2020). I am chomping at the bit to actually go somewhere new on vacation, but I just feel so out of practice with traveling and am having trouble figuring this out.
We would like to stay somewhere with a pool and beach access. I would also like to walk around Old San Juan. I don’t necessarily need to do any crazy sightseeing, but being able to walk around would be nice. It seems like you can take a quick cab into Old San Juan from most hotels, but I am confused about how to do that with a baby and a stroller. Has anyone done this trip before? If so, do you have any recommendations about places to stay and logistics?
Anon says
Hmm PR doesn’t strike me as a super toddler friendly actually. Lots of cobblestone streets that would be hard with a stroller, and the beaches are far from OSJ so you’ll be having to drive or cab to one of them. Parking is a nightmare in San Juan and I hate installing carseats in cabs. I think many Caribbean islands (and Florida) would be easier if your main goal is relaxing at the beach. If you don’t want to leave the US, the US Virgin Islands are also an option.
OP says
That is the same conclusion I came to when I started researching logistics. It seems like it would be a great trip for elementary school kids, but I just don’t get how it works with a toddler. I think even just yesterday someone said they took a two year old to Puerto Rico and wished they had done it when the kid was one… I just feel like maybe I’m missing something?
Anon says
I may be biased because PR is just not my favorite place in general. I went there pre-kid and didn’t love it. Many parts of Florida have better beaches than PR imo, and Hawaii and many other Caribbean islands are waaay better.
That said, I think there are very few places you really can’t take a 1 year old to. It’s not Antarctica or Mount Everest, so if the adults specifically want to see PR, I’m sure it will be fine to bring your kid along. But if you just want a relaxing beach vacation that will be easy to do with kids it wouldn’t get my vote.
Anon says
Lol yes Hawaii is better…and waaaay more expensive, with longer flights. Hawaii will be like a once in a lifetime trip with kids
Anon says
Depends where you live – if you’re in California, Hawaii is closer than the Caribbean and might be cheaper to get to. I’ve flown to Hawaii for $300 from California. But my comment wasn’t just about Hawaii. I said in my opinion many Caribbean islands and parts of Florida are also better. PR is definitelt not cheaper or closer than Florida.
Anon says
It’s probably recommended because there are many hotels with beaches and pools that would be easy and great to have a kid at…but it wouldn’t be so easy to go “off resort” and sightsee. It’s also a quick flight from the mainland
anon says
The worst part about vacationing with a 1 yo is that you spend a lot of time stuck in your room for naps and early bedtimes. Find a resort where you can afford a room with a large balcony and a view, or even a swim up room so you can lounge in the water while the baby sleeps peacefully in a dark room with air conditioning. Bonus points for place with good room service and a quiet beach. IMO, this is the time to splurge for the expensive view. When your kids are older you spend far less time hanging out in the room.
Anon says
+1
In the baby/toddler years we threw a lot of money at and limited destinations to only places where we could afford rooms with some separation or a clearly defined porch/balcony that was enjoyable to hang out on for a long period of time due to the napping/early bedtime situation. We also used to use hotels recommended baby sitters at least once per trip for this same reason. Unfortunately, getting around anywhere on vacation with a really young one without a rental car or robust public transport system is difficult unless you are willing to be a bit loosey goosey with car seats (we are not personally). Generally your options at this age for vacations are to rent a car, specifically choose somewhere realistically walking distance to places of interest, or know you just need to stay at the resort almost the whole time.
Our kids are 6 and 7 now and it is much easier if that helps to know. We are fine all sharing a room together which has opened up a lot more (reasonably priced) options, and dealing with mobile booster seats is a little easier if needed.
Anon says
We had the same approach re: transport. We had good experiences at all-inclusive beach resorts where we didn’t leave the resort and good experiences in cities where we walked everywhere with strollers (we’ve even done this in Europe on cobblestone and it was fine). We rent cars when visiting family or in beach destinations like Hawaii where we aren’t content to just stay on our resort property. I don’t mess with constantly installing carseats in cabs or Ubers, and I don’t take an infant or toddler in a vehicle without a proper car seat.
Anon says
Yes, this. We always splurged for a room with a balcony and a view when kid was 0-3. You spend so much time in the hotel room at that age, you need to have a nice room where you can enjoy the destination without leaving the room. When the kids are older you can stay somewhere simpler and spend all your time outside, but that doesn’t work with babies and toddlers even if you think they will nap on the go.
anon says
I’m not the poster who recommended PR yesterday, but I have had amazing vacations with toddlers by being willing to ditch the stroller and just baby-wear the whole time instead. YMMV, obviously, but for us that was a good solution to not being frustated by hills, steps, cobblestone streets, etc.
Taxis are a different issue–you need to either only take public transit or be okay with just holding your kid on your lap.
NYCer says
Honestly, I think PR has been recommended more recently since it is considered a domestic destination that doesn’t require a negative Covid test to get back into the US. In reality, I am not sure PR is actually more toddler friendly than other Caribbean locations (and I would probably argue less toddler friendly than many).
Anon says
This. I think Puerto Rico is among the easiest tropical destinations right now because it’s part of the US.
Anonymous says
I’ve been to San Juan, Puerto Rico with a one year old. We stayed at a Marriott property (no recollection which one) that had beach access. It has been several years, but my recollection was it was a quick cab ride to the historic part of the city. We did not use a car seat for those cab rides. I live in a historic area so I was use to cobblestone and a stroller. A heavier duty umbrella stroller is nice for cobblestone.
Anon says
Thanks to all for encouraging me to have a last minute outdoor party for my 4 year old! We have 6 kids RSVPed yes, so we should have at least a small party and my kid is over the moon about it. The weather forecast has worsened, so hoping the parents don’t hate me. But it will be super casual and people shouldn’t feel obligated to stay long. And I’m going to bring hot cocoa (thanks to whoever suggested that!) Any ideas for activities I should bring for the kids? It’s at a park with a playground and I have sidewalk chalk and bubbles.
Mary Moo Cow says
Yay! We were the guests in a similar situation last weekend: got the invite on Monday for a Saturday party, and kids had a blast. YMMV, but my daughter’s last birthday party was at a park during a rainstorm, and the kids had a ball. We just dressed them in rainboots and raincoats and parents huddled under the shelter drinking hot coffee. Parents were actually happy to have something for the kids do! When I’ve done park parties, we had coloring sheets and crayons set up at the tables and a pinata. I’ve been to parties where they’ve had sidewalk chalk and bubbles, but nothing more: the playground and the snacks/cake are the biggest attractions. That reminds me: I’ve never not forgotten the candle lighter. I pack a clear 55-gallon tub with all the party supplies and I always forget the matches or lighter. Hope the party goes well!
Anon says
Cupcakes, snacks. The only thing I’d maybe add is a couple of balls. Happy birthday and have fun!
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
This is a hot take on this board, but I always provide heavy snacks and/or a meal. Makes it easy for parents to come and go if they can guarantee kids (and adults) are fed. Coffee is always lovely, too.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Clarifying that “meal” means – pizza delivered to park, a heavy bagels/fruit spread from the grocery store, C*ostco trays of sandwiches, etc. Nothing fancy!
Anon says
Even if it’s not a mealtime? Party is at 3 pm and I expect people to be gone by 5. I was going to get a fruit tray. I can definitely get some sandwiches too, I’m just curious because I would not expect any food except cake at a kid’s party that doesn’t fall over a mealtime.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
I’d default to what’s normal with your community/family, then. I am not big in the birthday party circuit, but all the non-school (our friend’s kids) birthday parties I’ve been to have tons of snacks and something like pizza or hot dogs. The school parties I’ve been to have been a mix, and I am always surprised when there’s only cake/minimal snacks. Most importantly, Happy Birthday and it will be lovely!
Anonymous says
I do this too. We can afford it and I always have an excess of good food if we are hosting anything. Coffee, hot cocoa, and whatever snacks you feel comfortable providing would be great. Think about what type of food would you and/or DH go “awesome!” if you pulled up at a casual get together and saw it. Serve that.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
THIS! And people are happy to take home extra pizza and treats that we may not want to keep. :)
Anon says
Personally I would want a really amazing cheeseboard. But I do not have the time nor talent to do that. Need things I can get curbside pickup from the grocery store tomorrow :)
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
100%!!!! Every single thing at DS #1’s 4th park birthday party was from the grocery store (cake, snacks) or delivered to the park (2 carafes of coffee, doord*shed! Pizza, pre-ordered and delivered!). I even had P*rty City deliver the balloons to our house the night before.
The manchego is for another time!
Anon says
Yes, I have balloons and plates, napkins, etc. plus favor bag stuff coming to our door from Party City tomorrow. :)
Anonymous says
I don’t provide pizza mid afternoon because I’m cheap and it doesn’t make sense to me, but plenty of people do. Coffee is always appreciated by parents. I agree to bring some balls. If you have a stomp rocket, that would probably also be a hit.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
I’m pulling together information for DS #1 to get a (unlikely) lottery slot in PK4 public school next year (No universal pre-K in our city/state, neat; most pre-K slots have need-based criteria, school choice district). I have heard a ton, but so surprised how much of the stuff is not publicized unless you dig a bit (e.g. email, call, ask friends) – info sessions, events, deadlines. It isn’t overwhelming per se to me, but is a new workstream if you will. This is so unfair to families with less privilege.