This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
A Corporette reader happened to mention this Canadian shop a week or two ago and I’m now drooling over much of their wares. Everything in the shop is made to measure, and they customize for maternity wear as well. Most pieces are under $100 and come in a zillion colors and fabric options, so if you’re on the hunt for something particular, I’d give them a try. Ureshii French Terry Cowl Hoodie.
Building a maternity wardrobe for work? Check out our page with more suggestions along both classic and trendy/seasonal lines.
(L-0)
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ 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 – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
Click here to see our top posts!
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
Philanthropy Girl says
Early Monday morning threadjack.
Two questions – one on sizing. My 18 month old is tall and skinny (70% on height, 50% on weight) – and I have a terrible time finding pants that fit. You’d think a tall kiddo wouldn’t have any problems, but all of his jeans and dress pants are anywhere from 1-3 inches too long. They’re loose in the waist, but generally stay up as long as he isn’t tripping over his pant cuffs. I tried sizing down to 12-18 months, but they’re too small in the waist and if they have grippers they won’t stay snapped. What stores/brands sell pants for tall skinny toddlers?
The other is on wardrobe. I’m headed to a community wide mom-to-mom sale this weekend and I’m not sure what my toddler will need. How many t-shirts, pants, dress outfits, sleepers, etc… will he need?
TIA!
Meg Murry says
I think 18 months is where you start to see a lot of pants that have the side adjustments in the waistband – I don’t buy my boys pants without those, as they almost always are too skinny for the length. I also “hem” pants just by rolling up once or twice and tacking the rolled up cuffs with a quick X of thread so it’s easy to take down at a growth spurt.
I had the hardest time with pants for my oldest at 18 months though, and wound up dressing him mostly in overalls to avoid the problem of fitting in the waistband.
mascot says
Agree with Meg Murry, start looking for the adjustable waist pants. You can also buy iron-on hemming tape at fabric stores and in the sewing section at Walmart. It will hold up through a few washings and will make it easy to temporarily shorten pants. My slender kid wore a lot of Jumping Beans (Kohls), Cherokee, babyGap, Janie and Jack, and Gymboree. He’ll be in shorts soon so that makes things a little easier length wise.
As far as the consignment sale, keep an eye out for bathing suits/swim shirts/swim diapers and any holiday specific clothing like July 4th.
kc esq says
Children’s Place khakis worked for my beanpole
hoola hoopa says
My skinny kiddo also did really well with children’s place clothing! When he’s a bit older, Lands End is cut slim (in their girls – I assume their boys, too). Try H&M, too.
She had 1-2 things from Jumping Beans (Kohl’s) that seemed slim, but I don’t know if that was unusual or not. Carters can be slim-ish in the girls sizing.
I hit up shoes first at consignment sales, then head to clothing. It’s more competitive for the gems.
Spirograph says
+1 to adjustable waists, but I also have to mention another one of my classy parenting tricks — roll over the waistband a time or two. It makes the pants shorter and the waist smaller in one fell swoop! Not so great once your kids are potty training, but at 18 months it works like a charm.
As for how many outfits you need… do kiddo’s grandparents like to buy him clothes? I almost never buy clothes for my kids, because invariably a box will show up in the mail the next day with grandma’s latest shopping spree. But assuming that’s not the case, I wouldn’t bother with more than a couple dressy outfits (though, where would he wear them? maybe 1 more if you go to church every week, but honestly no one is going to notice if he repeats). maybe 10 T shirts to minimize laundry. 5 pair of shorts. Definitely look for swimsuits, swim shirts, and hats — so much easier to put on a shirt and hat than try to sunscreen a toddler all over. We got by with about 3-4 sleepers in the summer. Half the time he just slept in a t shirt/onesie.
Anonymous says
I recently re-inventoried my two-year old’s wardrobe to be consistent with doing laundry every OTHER week. This means she has a lot of clothes, but we get lots thrifted or end of season sales (like 2$ a piece), and not having to do laundry every weekend is amazing. I decided to do it this way at 2 (and not at 18 months) because their growth tends to slow down at ton, so her clothes will last for several months (a year for one friend!) rather than the quick turn around growing out of younger babies and toddlers.
She has something like 20 long sleeve tees (we havent been in short sleeve tee season for several months here), 8 sweatshirts/ hoodies/ sweaters, 14 pairs of pants (split somewhat evenly between cotton leggings and “real” pants like jeans or cords), a million socks and tights, 4 sleepers, 2 coats, 2 winter hats. All of her clothes are “play” clothes and we do minimal matching. I will buy dress clothes as the occasion arises (very occasionally as we are not religious and live far from family so things like weddings, funerals, christenings, etc. are few).
Anonymous says
If you live in a snowy climate definitely try to buy a snow suit second hand! Those things are expensive and are usually in really good condition. Generally, coats and snow boots are high on my list for these types of sales.
Clementine says
Lifejacket? Play tent? Musical Instruments? Spare set of stuff that can be left at daycare?
A friend told me that her life was transformed for the better when she got an inexpensive secondhand set of winter clothes that just lives at Daycare and a second winter coat. Inevitably, you forget something in the rush to get them out (and of course the no-puffy-coats-in-carseat thing) or they get soaked from playing in the snow and you want to go somewhere with them.
JEB says
We have daycare only clothes (cheaper, often purchased by the in-laws in styles that I wouldn’t necessary choose). I keep them in a box in the hall closet by the front door. Each day, I grab one or two sets to re-fill her daycare bag as needed. It makes things really easy! I also don’t mind having minor stains on her daycare clothes, so I like keeping them separate for that reason as well. She also has a daycare only heavy hoodie and light sweater that only come out of her bag to be washed once a week. And daycare only shoes that never leave the bag when we’re home.
Edna Mazur says
#1 with adjustable waist- I won’t buy my 100% height 17% weight two-year old anything but that or the ones that are like regular pants but with a waistband of sweatpant, stretchy material at the top/underneath. I don’t know how to describe that better…
Philanthropy Girl says
Thanks, ladies. That really helps.
I’ll start looking for those adjustable waist pants!
Meg Murry says
For anyone that is saying “adjustable waists? Huh?” this shows an example of someone adding them in themselves (which is not worth it to me, I’ll pay extra for it already done, thank you!) with some good pictures of what we’re talking about:
http://www.kundhi.com/blog/2009/11/24/how-to-add-adjustable-elastic-to-kids-pants-in-5-easy-steps/#sthash.bBsCqM0Q.dpbs
And regarding the community resales: may be too early now, but once boys get into 2T-3T-4T and they last more than a couple of months at one size, pants often get the knees destroyed long before they out grow them (maybe girls too, but definitely boys like mine) and 3T and 4T pants and up in resales in decent shape become much harder to find And unlike babyhood they tend to not to skip sizes. So when I saw adjustable waist jeans or neutral pants with intact knees for under $5 (preferably $2-$3) at any of the next 2 sizes up I started stockpiling for my boys – especially since I don’t really care if my boys wear skinny, relaxed, whatever.
Boys shirts can be found pretty easily at garage sales, Goodwill etc, in my experience – but if you have the storage space, collecting a couple sizes of pants that you got cheap has totally paid off for me. Or finding a friend with an older boy that does not like to play rough outside, as I got lucky with as well, but that gets rarer and rarer as they get older. Extra pants are also necessary once potty training is in full swing and daycare needs 3-4 extra pairs of pants.
Philanthropy Girl says
We did the stocking up with infant things – although easier to do because they don’t wear out so fast.
I wish someone would have told me that once they hit 9-12 months and up finding resale PJs is a nightmare. I’ve been searching since last may for 24 month PJs and I don’t even have enough to get me through a whole week.
This is good on pants – I would have probably gone hunting for outfits rather than pieces. Thanks!
Anonymous says
I also had good luck with Hanna Andersson sweat pants. They’re good for my skinny guy and have been easy on/off for potty training. Expensive but you can get them on sale or zulily.
First Flight with Baby says
I’ll be taking my 11 month old daughter on her first flight this weekend. We’re flying from San Francisco to Dallas. My husband will be with us. She does not have her own seat–flying Southwest and fingers crossed the flight isn’t full.
Any suggestions for ways to keep her happy and quiet? I’ll bring easy snacks and can nurse her if she wants to. She’s generally a pretty happy and laid back baby, so I’m hoping this will go well!
Anonymous says
This has got to be one of the most asked questions on this site. Not a slight against you, OP– it’s obviously a great question! I find it really hard to search this site, so no knock on not being able to find a thread (or 5) in the archives. Kat, would it be possible to have a “topics” tab dedicated to travel tips? Or write a post about it with a dedicated comments section, like the substantive topics on the main site? It would be great to have all the collected, collective wisdom on this topic more easily accessible.
Anon in NYC says
Agreed.
Anon in NYC says
We just took our first flight with our (non-mobile) 9 month old. We did a bottle during takeoff and landing. Not sure if it helped all that much with ear pressure for her, but she didn’t seemed phased, so I’m going to say that was a win.
We brought her favorite books and a handful of favorite toys on the plane. It definitely helped occupy her for parts of the flight. We looked at photos of her on my phone. She liked looking at the other passengers. A change of scenery (i.e., walk to the bathroom to change her diaper) was good for her.
But most of all, just don’t stress too much about. Your LO’s going to make noise because it’s what babies do. Most people are fairly nice (even if they don’t want to be sitting near a crying baby) and have been in your shoes.
JDJDTX says
Our pediatrician wrote us a prescription for ear numbing drops for a flight that we took to Philadelphia from DFW. They last about 4 hours, so we put them in after we boarded the plane so that they would take effect before take-off. We also downloaded Sesame Street episodes onto my iPad so that she had something different to see than what she was used to.
anon says
Small wind-up toys were AMAZING for us for plane travel at that age.
Anonymous says
Just flew with my 9 month old for a 5 hour flight. The key was getting her to nap because while she is a generally happy and easygoing baby, she was very cranky from waking up early. I had a Muslin blanket with us that I was able to affix to tray table, my husband etc to make her a little tent to not be so distracted. Sound machine on my iPhone also helped. She ended up sleeping for 90 minutes until they made an announcement. The flight attendants were extremely apologetic that they had no seat for us (flight was very full). Videos of herself were a big hit.
ChiLaw says
I would try asking at the gate about getting a seat for baby even if you didn’t reserve(/pay for one). In my experience, the people at the desk are nice, and if *someone* is going to get to use that empty seat, why not let it be the mom and baby? If not, well, it didn’t hurt to ask.
I bring my stroller/car seat to the gate with those big red santa bags ready. If we can get a seat for baby, I bring the carseat on and check the stroller. Otherwise, each goes in its bag for gatecheck.
I would pay to check my bags, so that in my hands I could have a diaper bag stocked with at least two changes of clothes for baby, and one for me (who knows what might come out of a baby on a plane!), a handful of giant ziplocks for anything gross, and supplies for significantly longer than you’ll actually need them for (what if you’re stuck endlessly on the runway?) plus snacks, water bottle, etc.
Do you babywear? They don’t allow it for takeoff and landing but I’ve heard good things about wearing baby through the airport and for the middle of the flight. Do you nurse? Think about a cover if you’re concerned about feeling awkward in the tight spaces, or baby being distracted. I nursed on takeoff and landing and that seemed to keep baby relatively chill.
Finally, don’t worry too much! Other people on the plane will see you *trying* to keep baby happy, and that’s really all anyone can hope for.
NYCpg says
What parenting sites and blogs (other than this) do you all like? I have some long hours in waiting rooms coming up and would love some suggestions to bookmark!
I’m expecting my first in a few months, so a focus on younger kids would be great, but I love thinking ahead to parenting older kids too. I recently read through a lot of Janet Lansbury’s RIE site, and while we’re not going full RIE, I got some great ideas. I also like browsing Project Nursey.
Thanks in advance for sharing any favorites!
mascot says
My child is school aged so some of this may be a few years ahead of you. I sound like such a fangirl, but I think Brain Child has some of the best parenting writing/essays out there. I also like Alpha Mom and Amalah. Rants from Mommyland was really funny, but she’s not writing as much now.
Anonymous says
Expecting Science & Science of Mom – great blogs that break down the research behind lots of pregnancy and parenting topics
NYCpg says
Thanks, these all look great!!
Anon says
How We Montessori is one of my favorites!
Meg Murry says
Took a look at the Ureshii webs!te and I like what I see, at least in the skirts section. Not cheap, but it looks like the kinds of things I think about sewing myself, but then get overwhelmed by all the steps sewing something myself would take and stop mid planning, before I even get started. Especially since so many of the skirts have pockets – I do love a skirt with pockets.
I have always been hesitant about trying custom made clothing though, because I am so bad at telling whether an item that looks good on the rack or on the model will work for me without trying it on.
Anonymous says
I’d suggest adding the Ureshii people! They’re great about answering fit questions.
Pogo says
Pregnancy dating question –
Something I’ve been wondering about since starting TTC… if dating goes from the date of your LMP, aren’t you already over 4w pregnant when you find out? Is this right?
I know my ovulation date exactly because of trigger shot and testing, and I’m given a date to come back for a pregnancy blood test. I just calculated and on that date going by LMP I’d already be 4w4d if I’m pregnant – that seems so crazy! I’ve had friends tell me at seven or nine weeks pregnant which to me sounds SO soon. I can’t imagine getting pregnant right now and telling people next month!
also, thanks to people who replied late Friday about the judgey nurse at my clinic. I was definitely overreacting and feel a bit better, though I still think she could have been more sensitive. This whole thing is stressful!
Clementine says
Yes, the first two weeks are a freebie.
For me, the longest weeks were weeks 4-14 where I wasn’t publicly pregnant but felt HORRIBLE.
October says
It is strange – the dating assumes a 4 week cycle, so basically you add 2 weeks to the date of ovulation and that’s how many weeks pregnant you are. One of my pet peeves is when women talk about the “10 months” of pregnancy…from date of ovulation, you are actually pregnant less than 9 months!
Batgirl says
Well, even dating from ovulation, you’re still pregnant 38 weeks. If you think that each month has four weeks (really, it’s more like 4.5, which is where things get messy) then you’re definitely pregnant a solid 9 months.
Philanthropy Girl says
Your math is right. Since dates are done by LMP, you are already 4 weeks when you get a positive, give or take a few days depending on the length of your cycle. This is because most of us aren’t 100% sure when we ovulate, and even if we are, can’t always tell when fertilization took place. LMP date is a reliable point to date from. So yes, you’re four weeks by the dating, but only about 2 weeks by actual fertilization.
Everyone has a different philosophy on when to tell. 12 weeks has always bee the gold standard because the chance of miscarriage decreases after the first trimester. Lots of women share their news earlier for a whole bunch of reasons. Some women share later and also have many different reasons. I’m in camp share early – I wait for my first check-up (I have mine at 7 weeks due to being high risk; most are weeks 9-10). But do your own thing – there aren’t really any rules.
Pogo says
Thanks, you guys are so knowledgeable :) Totally answered my question.
I know sharing is a ‘you do you’ thing, I just pictured 7 weeks or 9 weeks are further along than they really are I guess – until I had an actual date to calculate from and realized this would be next month if I got pregnant right now!
Edna Mazur says
I thought this was going to be a question about signing up for Tindr or something while pregnant. Bump pic on profile, or surprise when I turn up on the date type of thing. That would have been interesting.
NewMomAnon says
I had the same thought. I was so intrigued.
MomAnon4This says
Yeah, my first friend to get pregnant pointed out the 40 week thing means you’re really pregnant for 10 months!
But my ob/gyne points out that some months are 4 weeks, some are 4.5 weeks… and I think they measure differently in Europe?
TBK says
Several of you have suggested a play kitchen as a great 2 yr old gift. On your recommendations, my MIL is buying my sons a play kitchen for their birthday. But the options are overwhelming! What are your favorites? Any must-have features? Features that are meh? Or is it all kind of the same from a kid perspective?
CPA Lady says
I got a Hape brand kitchen from amazon. It’s made of wood and is adorable. The things I really like about it are that the doors have little magnets at the top so they actually stay closed, and the oven door opens to the side rather than folding down like a real oven. I saw a lot of complaints that kids broke oven doors off of other play kitchens by climbing on top of them, but that happen with a door that opens to the side. They also have a ton of adorable accessories, all wooden and cloth. I’m going to have to control myself and not buy EVERY SINGLE THING. They even have a tiny pretend sushi set.
CHJ says
+1 for the Hape kitchen. It’s really cute and made of wood, so it’s not another Big Plastic Thing taking over your home.
For accessories, my son loves food that you can “cut,” like the fruit that is velcroed together. He also likes the cookies/cookie tray. You can also get a cute kitchen timer from the regular kitchen aisle – that’s a big hit.
POSITA says
We’ve enjoyed the Kid Kraft Retro Play Kitchen. It’s cute and well sized for a 2 yo. Some of the plastic kitchen are taller and would have been harder for her to use at 2.
Carrie M says
We just bought this for our 2yo and she is loving it. We went with a KidKraft one from Amazon Prime. It took 3 hours to put together, but so far it seems very sturdy. My friend got a plastic one from Toys R Us that was much easier to put together, and the kids love both just as much. But I wanted one that looked a little nicer since it’s in our main living space.
The kids especially love the coffee maker (so random), the pull-out shelf from the oven that looks like a pan, and the cordless phone. We separately got as gifts some fake food, a shopping cart, and a pots/pans set. My guess is they won’t be picky about the features!
She literally will play with it for an hour without a peep. It’s amazing.
pockets says
we got a plastic one from Babies R Us (I specifically sent my in-laws a link for a wooden one but they went rogue). It was easy to put together. My husband and I are big coffee drinkers and my daughter loves to “make mommy and daddy coffee” in her kitchen.
In House Lobbyist says
We have a used Pottery Barn and we really like it. We have had it 4 years now and it gets used everyday. All kids seem to love crawling in the oven door and out the open back. I also like that it’s not really bright, ugly colors since it is on display and the kids play with it all the time. So I vote for sturdy and something pleasing to look at!
shortperson says
we spent the $$ on a pottery barn kitchen because we dont have a playroom so it lives in our kitchen/dining/living room. it was worth it. it is adorable and the bonus is that it holds a ton of toys, so it stores all the kitchen ware and other toys. we got play food and pots and pans from ikea and amazon. and for the utensils, i just went to bb&b and bought the tiny whisks, spoons, etc.
hoola hoopa says
I absolutely agree that if it’s going in your kitchen or dinning room, you should get one that you like to look at. Ours is adorable, and I’ve never regretting worrying about whether my husband and I liked the way it looked since it’s smack in the middle of everything. (It’s sort of like the ikea one, but blue).
FWIW, We originally though the kitchen would be ideal, but actually dinning room has been better. The kids didn’t want to cook in their kitchen while we cooked, as we expected, but they like playing in it as they finish dinner but others are still eating.
NewMomAnon says
I got the Ikea one for my kiddo, and then put a door on a Billy bookshelf with a big handle so it looks like a refrigerator. The Ikea set is pretty basic; an “oven” that has a door which opens down, a sink with a removable basin and faucet, and a stove top with burners that light up. It also has a bar across the back with clips to hang pots and pans, towels, etc. They are a little hard for my kiddo to reach right now. So are the microwave and the upper shelves in the hutch.
The fun thing about the Ikea set is that you can paint it (because it’s wood fiber-board), put in a backsplash, and totally trick it out. I painted the inside panel on the “refrigerator” door with chalkboard paint and covered a magnet board with contact paper, then glued it to the door. It’s super cute. But it’s not a quick build; it took three of us about 2 hours to put it together.
The play food, the light up burners, the window on the “oven” door, and the removable sink basin have been the biggest hits with my kiddo. Also, her own oven mitts.
MomAnon4This says
Don’t forget you can give your kid real things to play with – I gave my kid real measuring cups, and in Target I found a pan for single egg – that was perfect for a play pan for my son.
My mom used to use real boxes and bags for us, and filled them up with newspaper and sealed them shut so we could have “real” packaged food in our kitchen. It was fun.
NewMomAnon says
Agreed – I save empty containers (sour cream tubs, empty cereal/cracker boxes, plastic jars and bottles from syrup, olive oil, peanut butter, lemon juice, milk, etc). I also drink tea and save the tins (which make great stacking sets). I sometimes tape the boxes shut, and I would probably glue on any lids that could be swallowed, but I’m amazed at how full the “refrigerator” is just with things that would otherwise go in the recycling. Plus, if they get ripped or lost or destroyed, no big deal.
Philanthropy Girl says
You can also cover your boxes with clear packing tape so they last longer.
hoola hoopa says
The one we have is very similar to this one in size, shape, and function: http://www.target.com/p/plum-snowdrop-interactive-wooden-kitchen/-/A-50287937
The kids LOVE the microwave. It wasn’t something that I considered when I bought it, but now I wouldn’t buy a play kitchen without one.
They don’t use the stovetop much – they prefer to do the actual cooking on the floor, which may be lack of space or just what kids want to do – and the oven is used (by them) as storage rather than a cooking device.
It’s tight with two kids. We needed something with a small footprint, so I have no regrets, but for twins I’d get one of the wider ones with the fridge and a bit more space.
I highly recommend the Ikea cook set (it’s all real stuff, just miniature) and the Melissa and Doug fruit/vegetable cutting crate set. We also have 2-3 sets of generic food (don’t over think it, just get a variety), a hand shopping basket that doubles as necessary storage, and some miscellaneous things from our kitchen (smallest wooden spoon and silicone spatulas from sets, silicone baking cups, etc). My mom sewed kid-sized apron and oven mitts; the kids LOVE the oven mitts.
NewMomAnon says
I like the Ikea metal pots and pans, but they are noisy on tile floors….just a PSA in case you live above a cranky neighbor (oops). They can also be thrown in the dishwasher when kiddo decides to eat crackers out of them or ‘cook’ shredded cheese.
Meg Murry says
My kids have one similar to this one, except the colors are slightly different. Is it beautiful? No. But it’s not hideous either and they play with it for hours. We live near the Step 2 factory though, so we were able to get an open box special on a previous year’s model and got it pretty cheap
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XHPCTA4/
They get a kick out of the fact that the burners and sink make noise, but I don’t think they’d care if they didn’t. The microwave on ours doesn’t make noise, and they make “beep boop beep” sounds themselves. And my kids probably see us using our microwave more than anything else, so it doesn’t surprise me that they use it a lot :-)
They also have the “Step 2 101 piece play food assortment” which they really like playing with – but make sure you get some kind of separate storage bin for that if you get it, there isn’t room to store it in the kitchen itself.
Since your in-laws are buying, you should ask for veto power or give her a “do not exceed X feet by Y feet” – there are some monstrosly large play kitchens out there, and it would be very easy for an over zealous grandma to go the “bigger is better” route. In your case with 2 kids, if you have the room (large basement playroom, etc) a larger one wouldn’t be a bad idea – but if you are tight on space insist on a smaller option.
Childcare in DC/NoVA area says
I’m trying to help a friend sort out childcare in the DC/Falls Church area and was hoping some of you brilliant ladies could weigh in: She and her husband both work in DC, and they need to figure out child care for their 2.5 month old baby that can start in 3-5 weeks (!!). They’re considering au pair and nanny options, but budget will probably be an impediment – anyone want to chime in with advice and experience? I don’t have kids so I’m not sure where to start, but this is the one thing they said they could really use my help with. Thanks in advance! :)