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After months of sweats and sweaters, I’ve been on the hunt for washable blazers to step up my work-from-home game. Although easier to find than even a few years ago, they are still the unicorn of washable workwear.
My workout wardrobe is full of Athleta, and lately I’ve been exploring their options for workwear. The Venice Heathered Blazer looks promising — it’s made from stretchy ponte fabric and has a flattering double vent and sharp stand-up collar. Note that multiple commenters have found it runs tight, so finding the right size may take some trial and error.
The blazer is $198 and comes in charcoal gray or dark brown, sizes 0–16. The matching Pintuck Pants are $119. Athleta has another washable blazer, the Interstellar, on sale for $79.99, in black and in lucky sizes only.
Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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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?
Ifiknew says
I want to be able to buy a bundle of seasonal kid clothes. X pairs of leggings, shirts, dresses etc. Does anyone do this? So tired of shopping.
Anonymous says
Tea Collection sets aren’t an entire wardrobe, but a few of them could be.
AwayEmily says
I use Target for that. Their stuff is pretty well curated (especially if you filter by ‘Target brand only’) and they have tons of basics. So, at the beginning of the season I shop via my phone while watching TV and can get like 90% of what I need in 15 minutes.
Batgirl says
This is what I do, too, with some add ins from Carters for the littlest one.
Anon says
Primary has some multipacks, but their website is so clean and simple that it’s almost as fast as a bundle?
Anonymous says
Agreed, I think shopping Primary is as easy as getting a bundle. You can just create your own bundles basically.
Anonymous says
This is 75% of my local FB mom’s group
Life insurance? says
I’m realizing that my current life insurance is probably inadequate now that we have added a second kiddo to the mix. How much life insurance do y’all have? Do you have term or through work or what? Any recommendations?
I know a lot of people love Haven, but I am frustrated with their screening process as the questions are poorly worded. For example, it includes mild hypertension during pregnancy (which has been gone since baby was born) in with regular persistent hypertension. etc.
As an aside, if anyone asks me what they should do before getting pregnant, I’m going to say buy life insurance!
Anon says
Yep, basically everything my kids wear is from someone posting “I have 2 bags of 3T girls’ winter clothes to give away!”
Mary Moo Cow says
I’ve done this in the past, through Primary. 5 dresses and 5 pairs of leggings, all in colors that went together (a mix of purples, pinks, and teals) and called it done. They have some leggings three packs, and some items are discounted if you buy multiples.
BTW, do Garanamails still exist? Wasn’t that the idea behind those clothes, that everything bearing the same symbol in the hanger would coordinate?
Anonanonanon says
I find zara is good for mixing and matching a “capsule wardrobe” if you will for kiddos.
I can usually get a dress or two that could be worn with a long-sleeved blouse under it, a few long-sleeved blouses, coordinating leggings, and coordinating sweaters as a bundle. The sweaters usually match the dresses as well if I want to throw it over her dress with coordinating leggings. They do a good job of releasing collections that can be mixed and matched without it being TOO matchy matchy
Anonanonanon says
For example, in the “baby girl” category under “special prices” (aka sale) I would buy:
-pocket knit cardigan
-knit jogging pants (works as a set with the cardigan)
-Floral overshirt (the flowers would coordinate with both of the pieces above)
-embroidered chambray dress (the cardigan would coordinate with this)
-thick gauge knit sweater (could be worn with the knit pants, or over the dress)
-a pack of tights (not in the sale section)
-a few pairs grey leggings, because they could work with everything above
anon says
Carter’s and Old Navy have a few multipack options available online. It’s not a huge selection, but it’s there.
And I hear you … tired of shopping. I did finally impose a few rules just to make shopping more streamlined and to eliminate wardrobe battles. As much as I love patterned leggings, if they match with only 1-2 things, I’m not buying them. I much prefer a bunch of solids that can be mixed and matched with tops.
Anon says
i’ll do it for you! i love shopping for kids clothes
Boston Legal Eagle says
Agree on primary. Basic solid colors where you can buy the same items in multiple colors. I find the prices reasonable too.
Anon says
That was the idea behind Garanimals back in the day.
Walmart still carries that line for younger kids, but it’s much more gender-specific with lots of sayings than I remember. A good sub is Cat and Jack at Target – they tend to have the same color pallet each season so you can buy a bunch to mix and match. Some seasons the boys and girls also coordinate so you can mix and match across the aisle, which is extra nice. My son loves flip sequins but it’s hard to find ones that aren’t unicorns or “girl squad” messages, and my daughter LOVES science. Cat and Jack is doing a pretty good job of having options across the board and not overly-gendering them. Flip sequin pizzas and planet diagrams in teal, for the win!
AwayEmily says
Can you wash those flip sequin clothes normally? My 5yo has been asking for one but I’m loathe to get something that can’t be thrown in with the rest of the laundry.
Anonymous says
I put my son’s in the wash and hang dry. H&M often has some sequin options in the boy’s section.
Katala says
We had a cool light saber one, it did fine being washed inside out and our housekeeper put it in the dryer. It got ruined (not from washing) so I’m not sure how long that would last but it was several months of regular wear and the sequins were fine.
anon says
We have some flip sequin clothes that are over a year old and get tossed in the washer and dryer the same as the rest of the kids’ clothes and they seem to be holding up fine. I’d say they get washed inside-out maybe a third of the time (totally depends on how the kid puts them in the laundry basket and how lazy who ever is loading the washer feels).
Anonymous says
Old Navy works well for this, IMO, in the sense that most all their stuff is mix and match.
Amama says
Not sure what size you need, but H&M has had some sets like this in the past where it was shirts and pants that all coordinated. I think they had for babies & toddlers, not sure about other sizes.
Anne says
I buy mostly Target Cat and Jack with Primary mixed in. Works well, minimal effort. I also thirft a lot, but that’s more for my own fun.
FP says
Monica and Andy does this.
Anonanonanon says
I missed the convo yesterday, but my husband and I are actually both fully vaccinated so I wanted to weigh in, because it feels a bit different than I imagined.
We do not currently plan to live much differently than we did before. Until we know more about the ability of vaccinated individuals to continue to spread, we don’t want to be a reservoir for a mutation.
We do plan to possibly dine outdoors at a restaurant in the next few weeks, which we have not done since this started. Additionally, our youngest will be going to preschool in about a month, and I’d be lying if I said vaccination status did not play into that decision.
If it weren’t for the variants emerging, I would say we are planning to stay in a hotel in a large city that is driving distance from us this summer for a mini family vacation. We would dnot take public transport and only dine outdoors and do activities within walking distance. However, I think we will need to wait and see what is going on with the variants. While the data on the ability of the vaccine to prevent severe disease is encouraging, neither of us can afford (workload-wise) to be sick any time soon. It’s disappointing, I really hoped things would be calmer by Spring/Summer and our family could actually spend some time together and be out in the world, but I’m losing hope on that front.
tl;dr it’s not as big of a relief as I thought it would be thanks to the variants
Anon says
Still *much* better than having to worry about getting severe illness thogih!
Anonanonanon says
Oh 100%! I just expected to feel like… a huge weight off I guess? But reality did not magically change, and “I’m less worried my husband will die if he catches it at work” is of course amazing but also a low baseline for relief.
Anonymous says
I think it’s too early to give up hope on improvement in the late spring. Warmer weather and the ability to move more gatherings outside, as well as getting a large percentage of the country vaccinated could have a big impact. It also depends on personal risk tolerance. My family has been more cautious than most people I know, but we did driving vacations last summer and fall and will almost certainly fly this summer (masked up and obeying travel restrictions). I don’t think the existence of new variants is a justification for making everyone stay home for another year, especially if the current vaccines are still very effective at preventing severe disease, which they appear to be. I’ve had my first dose and I have a long list of things I’m looking forward to doing in ~4 weeks, like going to the movies, getting a pedicure, sitting in a coffeeshop and reading, etc. There is reasonably good (and increasing) evidence that being vaccinated dramatically reduces your odds of transmitting the virus, and I will obviously wear a mask wherever I’m supposed to, so I don’t feel like I’m doing anything morally wrong by doing these things even though I avoided them when I was unvaccinated.
Anonymous says
I fully agree. I think there’s a lot of shouting on the main page about this but I think many of us will do the same. Currently I’m more cautious than my state requires me to be, and I’m in a very cautious state. I am very much looking forward to having a meal inside, which has been allowed in much of this country for half a year now and even in my cautious state for months with limited capacity. I expect all local schools to be open as soon as teachers have the opportunity to be vaccinated. I’m not all hashtag best life throwing caution to the wind, but I am going to be more open. It’s hard to have a reasonable discussion with people who haven’t gone outside in a year but while they’re very loud on the internet, that’s not at all what I see in reality.
Anonymous says
+1 we have been more cautious than many and much more cautious than what our cautious state allows. Post vaccine we will start doing more of what is allowed in our state. That doesn’t mean we are going to be hosting parties with 100 people it just means that we will start doing what many in our state have been doing for quite some time with masks on (indoor dining, seeing other vaccinated friends, etc)
Pogo says
For vacation, we’re planning to do in-state rental and cook at home or do takeout. I feel comfortable with this regardless of vaccine status.
I re-read the thread yesterday because I was little confused about what people meant, but I think vaccine would might be feel slightly more comfortable with things like, meeting up with another family to do a hike – but we’d still mask and distance. But I’d keep it all within the realms of how spread is in our area, because any kid could still be a carrier regardless of parents’ vaccine status. We were doing playgrounds w/ masks sparingly before, mostly because LO was starting to go insane. He knows he needs to stay away from the other kids, though, and is really good about it.
Anon says
i found this helpful in thinking things through: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/03/health/after-covid-19-vaccine-safety-wellness/index.html
Anon says
I think how one feels about doing stuff after the vaccine will greatly depend on when they get it. If I got one right now, agreed I wouldn’t likely do much different. Because right now if you went around living like the virus doesn’t exist, it’s *possible* you are putting people at risk who would love to get the vaccine but cannot yet. (And OP, I don’t mean like the things you mention – we eat at restaurants outdoors and send our kid to preschool even without the vaccine, so enjoy! I mean going to like an obvious superspreader event or something).
However, since I will likely be in one of the last groups, by the time they get to me it will likely have been available to most that want one & therefore I will likely feel differently (unless there are crazy mutations/kids are seriously at risk more than before/ etc. etc.). As mentioned yesterday by some, if we aren’t at herd immunity by then and it’s because of the anti-vaxxers, I’m not staying home for their case.
Anon says
Agreed. My husband and I are probably going to get the vaccine soon, and I don’t anticipate changing our lives much in the short tun because we don’t want to be out there spreading it to people who want the vaccine and can’t get it yet. But once the vaccine is widely available, I’m back to normal life (with a mask on if recommended). I don’t believe the US is ever going to achieve proper herd immunity because we have so many anti-vax idiots and I’m not staying home for years or decades to protect people who won’t protect themselves. I will obviously get booster shots for new variants if/when they’re available to me, but I’m not staying home indefinitely out of concern for some variant unless it emerges that the vaccine is no longer at all effective at preventing serious disease in those variants. If half the country doesn’t take the vaccines, there will be a lot of new variants in the coming months and years and the vaccine production won’t be able to keep pace with them, so you won’t leave your house for a very long time if you’re waiting until we have a vaccine designed especially for every circulating variant.
Anonanonanon says
It is a relief to know we’re most likely protected from severe disease even with the variant, but neither of us can afford even a not-serious case right now since we’re involved in the response. The side effects from the second dose were enough to convince me that even a not-serious symptomatic case would be very, very miserable. If I get it from work, so be it, but if I get it from vacation I’m going to be really mad at myself.
Anon says
Fair enough. I WFH in a very flexible job so a flu-like illness would not be a big deal. DH and I do plan to stagger our second doses by a couple weeks, because we have a toddler so us both being laid up at the same time would not be fun. Anecdotally, I know some people who’ve had Covid post-vaccine and their symptoms were non-existent to super mild and they pretty much all had bad side effects from the second dose, so I don’t think it’s by any means a guarantee that the illness would be worse than the vaccine effects. But I understand you being cautious. Thanks for your work on the response!
No Face says
Same. My precautions have been motivated by protecting people more vulnerable than I am. By the time I am vaccinated, they would have already had the opportunity to get the vaccine themselves. I will definitely increase the activities that I do at that point. For example, I have not gone to movies since this started, but I would put on a mask and go if vaccinated. I am not spending all my time at home to protect people who choose not to take the vaccine.
FYI, my kid has been at preschool for many months and it has gone great. If the school has the proper procedures in place, school is not a source of community spread.
Anonymous says
Thank you for posting. After some of the comments on the main page yesterday it’s reassuring to hear about people following public health advice. The end is in sight. We just have to hang on for the next few months. Even if new variants pop up, we will have vaccine boosters start to roll out to address those before too long.
Anon says
There will be another new variant before the boosters for the current variants of concern can be widely available. The science of making a booster is fast, but the production and distribution is not. You realize you have to vaccinate ~5-6 billion people to quash the virus, right? Trying to wait until everyone has the perfect vaccine is an exercise in futility.
Anonymous says
The faster we get the current vaccine distributed, the less opportunity there will be for new variants to emerge.
Anon says
I don’t disagree with that. But that doesn’t change the fact that somewhere between a third and half the people are not going to get the vaccine no matter what, so there’s always going to be a lot of opportunity for the virus to spread and mutate. And the vaccines aren’t approved in kids so that’s ~20% of the population that isn’t even eligible for the vaccine if they wanted it. It would take vaccinating something like 85-90% of the population to fully stamp this out. I think it’s more likely I’ll walk on Mars in my lifetime than that 90% of the US will take this vaccine.
Anonymous says
I am finding the news on the variants to be a real bummer. Even with a strong vaccine rollout, models that incorporate the variants predict a high plateau that lasts through the spring. I would really like to drive to a family member’s vacation home for a couple weeks this spring or summer, but since we have no idea when our numbers will come up for vaccination it’s risky to leave town.
At this point all I really care about is school. I am hoping, but not really that hopeful, that our entire family will be vaccinated by mid-August and that the federal government or our state government will start requiring meaningful safety measures in schools so we can send our teenager back in the fall. At the federal level I could see OSHA getting involved to protect teachers, or the Department of Education making funding contingent on compliance. I am not sure my kid has learned anything in on-line school this year, and rumor has it that the courses she needs will only be offered in person next year.
avocado says
That was me.
Anonymous says
What safety measures are you looking for?
avocado says
Masks, ventilation, distancing, preferably outdoor lunch. Currently the mask “requirement” is merely a suggestion, kids are seated less than 3 feet apart, teachers are not allowed to open doors or windows, HVAC has not been upgraded, and kids remove their masks to eat lunch in the classroom.
Anon4this says
I have no reasonable expectation of being vaccinated before September based on my state’s roll out to date. I’m still planning to send my kid to preschool in September (it was open this year with no in school spread and so far only 1 case at the school). So the earliest I can see travel for us is spring / summer 2022 (kid gets horribly carsick and is too young for most medication so we’d need to fly). Ugh. Maybe this summer we can do outdoor dining.
Anonymous says
This is just dont get. You could have done outdoor dining last summer. You could be doing it now. Why on earth would outdoor dining this coming summer only be a maybe?
Anon4this says
We were in a hotspot initially and there weren’t a lot of close options that were going a good job with social distancing even though things were outside. Tables were exactly 6 feet apart and it was crowded. We have limited childcare so our toddler would have come with us and young toddlers both hate being confined to things like strollers and highchairs and are not good at social distancing. Most restaurants don’t have an outdoor option in the winter here – its too cold/wet – or not enough people go to make it a viable option. If it weren’t for the carsickness we totally would have driven to a vineyard and done a picnic / further away restaurant with more space, but we decided it was not worth it to get puked on multiple times.
Anon says
i’m also not comfortable with outdoor dining. the tables are much closer than 6 feet apart. i have young kids who don’t exactly sit still and would probably try to get up and roam at some point, maybe we’d need to use the bathroom, etc. Just cause something is legal doesn’t mean it’s the best idea
Anon says
Not the person you’re replying to, but my husband won’t commit to outdoor dining this summer, even once we’re vaccinated. He sees it as super high risk for some reason and doesn’t want to do it until we’re vaccinated AND community spread is low. I guess because you can’t wear masks while you’re eating, and also he just doesn’t value restaurants that much and thinks takeout is a perfectly good substitute. I don’t and it’s incredibly frustrating to me. I don’t want to get divorced because my husband won’t go to a restaurant with me, but at some point we have to accept that life is not zero risk, you know?? Arggghhh. I seriously wonder how many marriages are going to end because people have really different approaches to post-vaccine life.
Anonymous says
How enjoyable would outdoor dining really be if your husband is terrified the whole time? Wouldn’t it be more fun to get takeout and have a picnic in the park?
I don’t know about marriages, but our relationship with our extended family will never be the same. The pandemic has made existing differences in values and priorities even more glaringly obvious in so many ways.
Anonymous says
Just go! You don’t need his permission.
Anonymous says
Uh, yes, she does need his agreement. You don’t just get to go and expose yourself to COVID risks without your spouse’s being on the same page. Partly because you are exposing the whole family, and partly because it’s your responsibility to stay alive and help raise your kids. You and your spouse need to be in agreement on the risk level you will tolerate on both fronts. If you want to do whatever you want without regard for anyone else, you don’t get married and you definitely don’t have kids.
Anonymous says
She wants to, months from now, do something perfectly safe and her controlling unreasonable anxious husband doesn’t get to forbid it.
Anon says
To be fair, he is ok with me going alone (post-vaccine), he just won’t go himself. Obviously I’m not going to divorce him because he won’t go to a restaurant with me by July 1 or some arbitrary deadline, but long-term I don’t want a marriage where my spouse will never accompany me to the restaurant or the movies or on a vacation. I was talking about it with my mom and she was like “don’t worry, I’ll go with you!” which is sweet and I love my mom, but I want my husband to be a partner for this stuff!
Anonymous says
If my husband went and ate at a restaurant when he knew I thought it was unsafe, I’d strongly consider taking the kids and moving out.
Anonymous says
I wouldn’t assume that he’ll want to become a hermit forever. No one can predict right now how they will feel six months from now.
Anon Lawyer says
Yeah, I think all this talk of what we will and won’t be ok doing this summer is borrowing trouble. A lot could be different in a month, much less six. This is one of those areas where if we don’t have to plan in advance (and deciding when to eat at an outdoor restaurant, you definitely don’t), you probably shouldn’t.
Anon says
you should be with my husband and i should be with yours. i’m with your husband. i actually do really miss restaurants, but don’t think i could enjoy it until we are vaccinated and community spread is very very low bc we have two small children and they wont be vaccinated. and i’m not letting random babysitters in my house anytime soon, so they would likely be accompanying us on this dining excursion and they aren’t the best at sitting still. tables are much closer than 6 feet apart and it is sustained contact with people outdoors. kind of like how i just read an article talking about possible post-super bowl spikes the way there were in LA when the dodgers were playing in the world series and outdoor patios were packed, so that doesn’t seem safe to me at all
Anonymous says
I’m actually more comfortable with masked, indoor activities than I am with outdoor dining. At restaurants in my area the tables are very close together and you spend an hour-ish next to the same people so I feel like if the person at the next table over has Covid, there’s a good chance you could get it. I don’t do a ton of indoor stuff, but I’ve had haircuts and massages post-pandemic and I even take my 3 year old with me on trips into the grocery store and library. Those things feel safer to me because everyone is masked 100% of the time, and in the case of the library and store, you never have sustained contact with any one person. The duration of the contact matters a lot for transmission.
Anonymous says
This is my take as well.
Anon says
anything unmasked falls into the category of riskiest activities. i hate the idea that just because something is ‘legal’ it is safe or a good idea. it’s legal to smoke a pack a day, but still doesn’t mean it’s the best idea
Anon says
We’ve only done outdoor dining twice, for our anniversary. Partly because we would have to bring DD with us unless family is visiting (local grandparents cannot provide child care), but mostly because you still have to interact with the wait staff (various degrees of mask compliance and plus it feels weird because you’re not wearing one while eating), it’s crowded in our area and tables are rarely a true 6 feet apart. For our anniversary, we went to a family country club that had a good 12 feet between tables and was not that crowded and to Ruth’s Chris, which on a chilly November night was also very not crowded on the patio and tables that were around 10 feet apart. Meanwhile the outdoor dining I see when I pick up curbside is terribly close and crowded. Once we are vaccinated, the grandparents in our bubble are vaccinated and if we go on off hours I could see that changing for us.
To toddler bed or not? says
My toddler’s sleep is a total mess at the moment (still transitioning to no nap and occasional multiple night wakeups with nightmares) and we have a baby coming in May so it feels crazy to switch to a toddler bed now but here are some reasons I’m considering it:
-I’m on modified bedrest and not supposed to be lifting her very much
-I’ll be having a c-section and won’t be able to get her out of the crib for a while once baby comes
-She’s waking up a lot with nightmares and it would be easier to comfort her in bed without the rail there?
-Grandparents are coming to help with the baby and both moms have A LOT of trouble getting her in and out of the crib
-We do quiet time instead of the nap most of the time and in a toddler bed she’d have more freedom to get the toys she wanted instead of screaming for specific toys
-She turned 3 in December and it has to happen at some point right?
Do we pull the trigger or wait? I’m worried it will make the night sleep so much worse when it is already bad…
Anonymous says
Pull the trigger. That status quo isn’t working any way may as well try something different.
Anonymous says
+1. Granted, I don’t have much experience, as I only have a 5-month-old, but this has been my strategy.
Anon says
So I have no experience with this because I only have one child and she’s 16 weeks, but given your list, do it now. It sounds like it will be a tough transition regardless of when you do it, and now is better than when you’re freshly postpartum and caring for a newborn.
Anonymous says
I would probably switch now. I know this stuff is somewhat of a cr*pshoot and other people have different experiences, but for us the toddler bed transition was the easiest thing in the world. She never climbed out of bed or had any sleeping problems. She was 2.5 when we transitioned.
anonymommy says
Once you have baby, it will be a big transition for toddler. If you have until May, it seems like a good time. I’d try to get her on as good a sleep schedule as possible before baby comes, for your sanity.
octagon says
+1. Keep this transition independent from anything baby-related for her. You know it has to happen, but you can play up the “you are such a big girl!” angle and use it to get her into a groove for when grandparents are helping out.
Anon says
I agree. Do it and keep it unrelated to the baby. We switched to a twin when my son was 2 (on the floor) and everyone’s sleep improved. The baby came maybe 5 weeks later and he never associated the two things (but we also bought a new crib for the baby.
Pogo says
Just do it. We had to when LO was 2.5 because he was escaping. It wasn’t a great transition, but he was doing well until the pandemic hit. Since your sleep is already cr*p, I think it couldn’t be worse? I found laying next to him in bed while pregnant wayyy easier than any kind of crib or chair rocking situation. We did toddler bed for a bit and then transitioned to a regular full size bed. LOVE having him in the full size bed.
Leatty says
It may be painful, but I’d recommend ripping the bandaid off now. We did the transition last year a month or so before my youngest was born, and it was PAINFUL. When my oldest was in her crib, we could put her down at 7:30, and she’d happily stay in there until 7 the next morning (it was magical). After we transitioned her, she refused to stay in her room at bedtime; some nights she wouldn’t go to bed until 10 or 11 at night. In hindsight, I wish we would have done it earlier so she could fully adjust to the big bed before the baby was born.
Anon says
I would do it. I was worried about this but it was no big deal for us. Our kid climbed and jumped at 20 months so had no choice really.
anon says
Is anyone planning any summer vacations yet? I want to in the worst way but am having a hard time going for it, not knowing what the summer is going to look like. The odds of any of us being vaccinated by then are slim. We are so far down on the priority list. Maybe a socially distanced air b&b situation? Will that even feel different than being at home?
Anon says
where do you live? last summer we got an air bnb by the beach, we went at a bit of an off time, so we practically had the beach to ourselves and we got takeout and cooked. so no, it was not a summer vacation to europe where we visited museums and other attractions, but it still felt like enough of a vacation compared to being home. i think it depends on what you have access to already at home. for example, if you live by the beach or have your own pool, you might nto get as much out of it as someone who doesn’t have such easy access to those things
anon says
I live in the middle of nowhere, lol. Everything involves lots of driving.
Anonymous says
I think there are two ways to do this- one, assume things will be similar to now and book a vacation house somewhere you can drive to. Two, wait and see what happens.
Spirograph says
To me, it feels very different than being at home. We are planning summer vacations. I wouldn’t do a city break, but imho there’s no reason not to plan a house rental in driving distance somewhere with outdoor activities. We’re planning to rent a beach house for a week, and a couple cabin rentals near parklands. If you’re going out of state, just make sure you keep an eye on any travel restrictions.
Anonymous says
We’ve done 2 air bnb/vrbo stays since last summer and I highly recommend it. Being in a different place is a wonderful change of pace, especially now when our standards for novelty are so low. We live in NYC and went to places out in the country, which was also really nice. I also really like not having to look at my crap for a few days – at home i just see projects that need to get done when I look around (things I need to clean/sort through/fix/etc).
Anon says
+1 million to your last sentence. I just need the physical distance to force me away from my to do list.
Also, there’s just something about being in a different location/on vacation that shakes up our routine enough where my husband and I will end up doing something a little different – like instead of binge watching our 1,000,000th show after the kids go to bed, we’ll take out a game at the Airbnb and play that a bunch of nights. Just changes the pace for some reason.
Pogo says
also +1 to your last sentence. When youre home youre in work mode, when you are somewhere else, you don’t see a million projects to do.
We want to do a driveable beach house this summer; DH thinks that more will open up but AirBnB is reallly booking up as far as I can tell and I want to book now. Also so I can scroll through the listing and imagine myself drinking coffee while overlooking the ocean while the baby naps and my husband boogie boards with the older one. ahhhhhh I almost feel the zen.
Anonymous says
+1. to all of this. Good reminder to get booking before stuff fills up. (Getting a camping spot last summer was like getting concert tickets)
Anon says
It can be fun! We did Airbnb trips to Lake Michigan (in July) and the Florida panhandle (in December) in 2020. Michigan was not a lot of fun for me. It wasn’t UNfun, it just didn’t feel a whole lot different than home and I don’t enjoy staying in Airbnbs (they’re never as clean as hotels and even if Covid isn’t a concern I don’t like feeling like I’m sitting in other people’s filth). We went to different Lake Michigan beaches every day but they were all very similar so while it was fun for our toddler it got boring for me very fast. The takeout/delivery food options were pretty limited and we ended up eating a lot of terrible food. The part of Michigan we went to was very conservative and we actually got yelled at in public for wearing masks (!). Overall not a disaster, but not really what I think of as a fun vacation. Florida was a blast though! I think maybe because my expectations were lower after Michigan, but we rented a house right on the ocean, the house and the beach were both beautiful and it was very restorative for me to sit and read while looking at the ocean. Kiddo was in heaven on the beach and it was more relaxing that the beach was right there at our house and we didn’t have to pack up and drive to it. We did some fun hiking in state parks and saw a reasonable amount of wildlife (deer, herons, alligators, stingrays). We found better takeout food than we did in Michigan. I’m optimistic we can go to a Caribbean resort by December 2021, but if we can’t I would go back to Florida in a heartbeat.
The only vacation I’m definitely counting on in summer 2021 is a trip to my family’s vacation home. It requires a flight, but once we’re there it’s super safe (we have our own property and would just spend time outdoors and get takeout food) so I’m comfortable with it regardless of vaccine status. I’ll wear an N95 on the plane. My birthday is in late April and I’m hoping to do a weekend in the nearby big city, if my husband is willing to do a hotel stay. I really don’t think a hotel stay is that risky since they require masks in all public areas, but my husband disagrees. If we get the vaccine we’ll do a lot more travel, but I don’t want to book anything and have to cancel.
Anonymous says
I agree with you re. Airbnbs. So gross. I don’t know why so many people prefer them to hotels, unless they’re right on the water as you describe in FL.
Anon says
totally agree. i prefer a hotel for sure, but not during covid
Anon says
Yes, so gross! And so much work to do dishes and cleanup after yourself without housekeeping, especially if you have kids. It’s not a vacation if I’m loading a dishwasher and wiping down countertops! My husband has decided he LOVES Airbnbs and has informed me he never wants to stay in a hotel again, even in a hypothetical post-Covid world, and I am seriously so sad about it. #hotels4eva
Anonymous says
Inform him he can do all the cooking and cleaning then.
Anon says
I did and he basically agreed, but I still hate Airbnbs! I loooove a good luxury hotel.
Anon says
Funny, I’ve seen this mentioned a few times from others. We have stayed in a LOT of home rentals over the years, and we have almost never had one that was even remotely gross. Maybe it’s because we’ve generally gotten them in places with a a decent amount of AirBnb inventory, so they know competition is fierce? Or maybe it’s just about really scouring the reviews and only staying at ones that have lots of good reviews? The only time we stayed in one that wasn’t *great* feeling (like, it was clean, but just felt like a 25 year old made a bunch of DIY updates) it was in an area that didn’t have many AirBnbs so maybe they just didn’t feel the pressure.
We’ve stayed in some pretty amazing locations where there just aren’t a lot of hotels, we really appreciate having the space to hang out after the kids go to bed, having our own hot tub, etc. etc. etc. all things that are hard (or REALLY relatively expensive) to get at a hotel.
Pogo says
I agree with this – the AirBnB’s I’ve stayed at have been amazing, and around the same price per night as a decent hotel ($200ish).
Anon says
I’m Anon at 10:15. We stay in expensive Airbnbs with a lot of 5 star reviews in areas where vacation rentals are common. They are obviously professionally cleaned between guests, and they’re cleaner than my own home for sure, so it’s not the owner’s fault and I don’t leave bad reviews. But I’ve never seen a house that was as clean as most of the upscale hotel rooms I’ve stayed in. Maybe part of it is that there’s just so much *more* to clean in a house than in a hotel room. There was a big discussion the other day about how even professional cleaners don’t really get everything that clean and often miss things like baseboards or light switches or whatever. A lot of people even said they can get their own homes cleaner than their cleaners can. I wouldn’t say the same, but I think it explains why even professionally-cleaned Airbnbs may not feel that clean.
Anonymous says
“I don’t know why so many people prefer them to hotels”
Because with 3 kids and for more than a night or two, the space to spread out in an airbnb compared to a hotel room (or two) makes a HUGE difference. Maybe I have low standards, but I have never felt like any Airbnb that I’ve stayed in is “gross.” I’ve only done whole-house rentals, and many of those hosts had a cleaning service come through after each guest. The level of cleanliness was very much on par with what I see in hotels.
Katala says
I too haven’t had a “gross” Airbnb. We stayed at one that was full of antiques/knick knacks, which was a bad choice with a 1-year-old and did feel sort of dusty since there was so much stuff but that was our first and we’ve learned our lesson. It does kind of suck to have to follow their house rules on departure like loading the dishwasher and starting laundry, but that’s part of keeping the place clean for everyone so I won’t complain. I much prefer being able to feed my kids what/when they want rather than relying on packaged snacks or having to go out and get something whenever someone needs food.
Anonymous says
We had to stay in a hotel for one night a few months ago while we were moving, and while the room was clean and had been vacant for at least 72 hours, there were other issues that would make me hesitant to go back anytime soon. The biggest problem was that people in the lobby and other common areas were not wearing masks, and hotel staff didn’t have the spine to call them out. I was pregnant at the time and it really made me mad. In retrospect, I wish I had said something, because my husband tested positive for COVID a couple weeks later.
Anonymous says
I would not stay in a hotel now, but in normal times I definitely prefer them for many reasons.
Anon says
We are doing a single family home AirBnB for Spring Break even and I am very excited! It is driving distance. We got one with a pool so it will definitely feel different than home. But even without the pool I would be excited for the change in scenery and just having *something* on the calendar.
Anon says
We’re planning a normal beach resort vacation for the family, and tossing around the idea of a long weekend in Vegas for just my husband and me. If these things don’t happen, they don’t happen – we can always cancel. But right now, we’re planning on things being much more open by mid to late summer.
Boston Legal Eagle says
We’re not planning anything yet but we’ll likely do another AirBnB trip to the Cape or similar. We did this with my parents last August, and it seemed to work out ok. We did some outdoor dining and otherwise stuck to outdoor activities like the beach. With my kids’ ages (will be 5 and 2.5), I don’t want to fly or go anywhere too far anyway.
So Anon says
I was scheduled to take a sabbatical last summer (4 weeks) and take my kids to Europe. I had to cancel, and it was a total pain and let down. My sabbatical was pushed to this summer, and my kids and I are driving to our closest national park and going glamping for a week (complete with kitchenette). I decided to go this route because we would do something similar today, and I am very hopeful that there will be no need to cancel. Also, I cannot spend another entire summer in the exact same environment that I am in now. I love my home, but when I get time off, I inevitably take on doing a project or two that leaves me tired at the end.
I am also taking my kids up the coast in three weeks for a long weekend at a log cabin (AirBnB). We are all so excited for the change of scenery!
Redux says
How did you find the glamping site? I want to try that this year!
Anonymous says
We aimed absurdly high and booked flights to Bora Bora for our anniversary in late August. :) We’ll cancel if we’re not vaccinated but I’m actually optimistic we will get to go, and I have not been optimistic about much since March 2020. It’s true that at the current rate we wouldn’t be vaccinated by then, but I’m sure the rate will pick up a lot as we get into spring and early summer with the mRNA vaccines ramping up production and J&J and other vaccines coming online as well.
Pogo says
omg that reminds me our ten year is this fall and we wanted to fly somewhere! We’ll see…
Lyssa says
We’re at 20 this year! In the past, we’d talked about going to Italy. Sigh.
anon says
we were supposed to go to bora bora for our 10th in June, but I don’t think we’ll be vaccinated by then, and they just closed the island to tourism anyway, so maybe next year…
Anonymous says
Oh crud I didn’t realize they had closed to tourism. We booked last week and they were open (with a test) then. Hopefully things will be improved by the summer. And fingers crossed you can go next year.
Anonanonanon says
we are crazy cautious (no outdoor dining, even) but we did a vrbo in late fall before things started rising in our area again. it was AMAZING and a wonderful mental reset. I booked for a weekend on a week where it was booked Saturday-Tuesday beforehand, under the assumption no one would book it for Wednesday-Friday ahead of us (and I was correct). It was also a guest house, so not occupied full-time. It was driving distance so we brought our own food etc.
It felt way different than being home.
Anon says
We did a house in Florida that had its own pool and was walking distance to the beach last summer. Takeout options were great. Most people that I know that got Covid at the beach got it from someone that stayed in their house with them, not from anything they did at the beach.
We’ve also done two cabins at state parks in our area that were surprisingly wonderful. We normally brought in our own food to cook being able to be on a lake and have nice views was really lovely. We will probably do this again this year.
Mary Moo Cow says
Yes! We’re going to the beach for a week. We did it last year, too. Drive down with one stop at a patio restaurant and one stop at the grocery store, then stayed in the house all week. It was professionally cleaned the day we arrived and I felt comfortable. It was the best week of the year. Necessary for my mental health.
BabyBoom says
I’ve decided for summer planning purposes to only plan trips that I would feel comfortable taking now – based on the assumption that things will be better, but they will not be worse. So, I would stay at a clean full house rental (either through traditional real estate rental agency or air bnb) within reasonably driving distance. For us we are planning a trip to the mountains in April (airbnb), and a trip to the beach in June (traditional house rental through an agency). However, I have told our family that we are unlikely to join them at an extended family trip to a beach condo resort in August (esp since it is in a state that I think is doing an exceptional poor job at covid precautions). If they all end up happening I will have three vacations this spring/summer. Which seems like over kill, but I’m ok with that!
Planning and anticipation is a huge part of the enjoyment I get from trips. Looking at another 8 months plus with no vacation plans is just too bleak for me to contemplate. I have also told work that I will be out and unavailable for the days I have planned. Unlike the 3 trips since last March that I have canceled, if these trips get canceled I will take the days off and I am making (in my head, nothing concrete) back up staycation plans if we are just stuck at home.
Anon says
We did not last year, but this year we are looking at a beach house for a week with family (my parents and sisters). The very high risk folks will likely be vaccinated by then, the high risk folks may be vaccinated by then, and the family members going are conscientious about precautions. We might eat outside, but are more likely to just eat at home, go to the beach and keep our distance and just enjoy the break.
Anonymous says
We’re going to the outer banks (driving). We went on vacation last year, and a small getaway in the fall. All felt perfectly safe to me and were WONDERFUL for our mental health. We’re also doing 2 nights of cabin camping.
SC says
I’m not planning summer vacations. I’m saving my 18 days of PTO in case I get a serious case of Covid, but that’s because I work in an office where others refuse to wear masks. And I don’t want to miss an opportunity to get the vaccine. I may take a late summer vacation if I can get vaccinated by then, but it would be more of a last-minute thing. We could drive to the beach or possibly drive to visit family, assuming they’ll be vaccinated before or around the same time as us.
Anonymous says
Sorry but HOW do people refuse to wear masks in your office?! Our office requires a screening form and temperature check, plus a mask, before you can enter the building. Do they just take them off once inside? To be fair everyone is also terrified of our EH&S person, even in normal times, so we do whatever she says.
Anon says
I was on a conference call with an outside vendor and the two of them were in the office in a conference room together with no masks. And joking about how they hoped HR wouldn’t see them.
Life ins says
I’m stuck in mod so trying again with less detail. What do y’all do for life insurance? Amount, term vs through your work or whole life, etc.?
Spirograph says
DH and I each got 20 year term when I was pregnant with my first child. I think both of us have about a million in coverage through those policies (we probably ought to have upped it after subsequent kids, but it’s better than nothing. I should revisit), and we also have a multiple of our respective salaries per work. We used Selectquote to find our insurance providers and I remember the process being fairly smooth.
Anon says
Work covers $500K for me as a group policy and I am the sole breadwinner (base comp around $350K). With that and our emergency savings (roughly $100K), the mortgage could be paid off on the house tomorrow if I got hit by a bus tomorrow. We have no other debt . DH is a former attorney, but we keep his bar license active so he could theoretically go back to work very quickly (he was a sole practitioner previously). We are also expecting $3-5M in inheritance from parents (hopefully not for a number of years!), so that also creates some buffer where we might otherwise be viewed as underinsured.
CCLA says
We have enough term life on each of us to cover our mortgage and student debt; length of the term was 30 years when we purchased a few years ago (which we did when pregnant with first child). We are both in our mid-thirties so this will take us until our early 60s and to when our kids are through college (assuming they attend). We also have a small policy through my firm but it’s like less than half my annual pay so not enough to make a material difference. Also everything I’ve ever read says stay away from whole life insurance – do your own research of course but that seems to be a near universal sentiment.
Curious says
Thanks everyone for recommending meds for “morning” sickness yesterday! The unisom came this morning and I can’t wait to see if rolling it with B6 helps. It’s so nice to feel optimistic.
Anonymous says
Depending on your doctor’s recommendation I might suggest asking about using only half a pill of unisom. A full pill knocked me out for more than 12 hours.
Anon says
+1 I had to switch to diclegis because the unisom was just not working for me life and work wise. I can’t be out cold for more than 12 hours a day (in my non-pregnant working mom pandemic toddler life I am averaging about 5-6 hours a night – carving out 8-9 when I was pregnant was a fight).
anon says
I missed yesterday’s thread but just wanted to say, if Diclegis doesn’t work for you (it did nothing for me other than make me drowsy), keep pushing your doc for alternatives if your nausea really interferes with your life. I am now on a mix of zofran (trying to limit how much I take due to GI side effects) which works really well in controlling vomiting, and prochlorperazine (works wonders on the nausea but makes me very sleepy). I also take just B6 but I don’t think it’s doing much. Most of the time I can’t take any meds during the day because I can’t be drowsy while working, so there’s some suffering through the day, but I start taking meds late afternoon/evening (that’s when I’m the sickest). Good luck!
Curious says
Thank you all! I’ll definitely do the half dose of unisom. Apparently insurance wants you to take B6/unisom several days and confirm it doesn’t work before it’ll cover diclegis (great), so that’s where I am, but all of these recommendations help.
avocado says
Let’s have a fun thread. What little things (not necessarily things to buy, can be things you are doing) are improving your quality of life these days?
Mine sounds ridiculous. I bought a package of Swedish dishcloths after seeing them mentioned on the main page. I had been using regular dishcloths or paper towels to wipe up after cooking and to clean up the giant mess produced by making lattes, and these things are just so much better. They clean more effectively, dry more quickly, and take up less space while drying than a dishcloth. They can be sanitized in the dishwasher and are compostable when they wear out. I never knew a cleaning implement could make me so happy.
What little things are making you happy these days?
anon says
I added a calendar, magnetic notepad and pen holder to our fridge door. Now I can easily label leftovers (with the right date!), and write down what groceries need replacing. It has been so great!
Curious says
Can you link the Swedish dishcloths? Dishwashable sounds amazing.
avocado says
These are the ones I have. They are actually gray, not white as they appear in the photo. https://www.nordstrom.com/s/five-two-by-food52-set-of-10-compostable-sponge-cloths/5708703
There are a ton of choices on Am@zon and all over the web too.
Pogo says
I am getting these now.
Friday says
Ooh I’ll have to look into these magic dish cloths. I’m really enjoying burning a candle while I WFH. That seems so silly but it’s koselig and feels slightly rebellious (candles aren’t allowed at the office). Also I’ve been buying dutch bouquets at the local grocery and they make me so so happy. I might go pick one up today. I’m also getting into cooking, which is surprising because I’ve always hated it. It turns out, if I have all day to plan and prep everything, I actually enjoy it.
Pogo says
yes! I was getting flowers with my whole foods order every week… I forgot how nice that makes me feel!
We also get ourselves fancy snacks from whole foods, like Himalayan pink salt popcorn or dark chocolate covered pretzels.
CPA Lady says
I started playing animal crossing a couple weeks ago and I’m completely in love. I have my own little cute island, cute villagers, nothing bad happens, I have lots of cute outfits, and I can walk on a pretend beach or fly to another island on a pretend airplane any time I want. MAGICAL.
No Face says
I started playing video games again too! I am rotating through titles from the libarary. Just Dance 2020 was a big hit with my 4 year old too.
Anonymous says
Ha, this is why I went back to playing Breath of the Wild a couple months ago. I literally said to my husband, “I’m fed up with the real world, so I’m going to run around in this pretty one instead”
Anonymous says
I can’t get interested in video games because they are too much like the real world. I have to do chores and worry about client satisfaction in my real life. I don’t want to have to forage for food or worry about customer ratings for my hotel in a video game, too.
Spirograph says
Fresh flowers. My husband (on his own initiative!!) cleared off his nightstand and put a pot of spring bulbs there instead of the pile of random stuff and magazines, so now I have daffodils, tulips and hyacinths in my face as soon as I turn into the bedroom.
He also bought some cut flower arrangements from the grocery store and we have flowers in the bathrooms, on the kitchen table, on the firelplace mantle, and on our bedroom dresser. For like $15, it makes my house feel so luxurious!
Anonanonanon says
I got starbucks white chocolate creamer and mix it with my coconut flavored coffee creamer for a decadent at-home iced coffee before I leave home. brings me joy.
I also got a chargeable handwarmer that can also be used to charge a phone. Very nice because it’s more environmentally friendly than the disposable ones, and the disposable ones get the powder all over my hands. It’s nice for when I first get into my car and makes me look less crazy than sitting in a meeting with disposable hand warmers because men and AC.
We have a huge stock of bath and body works hand soap (early on they were one place that reliably had hand sanitizer in stock so I added soap to make the shipping worth it) and my kids love to take turns picking out the next scent when we run out.
I’ve convinced my 2-year-old that a candlelit bath is fun. I only get to do bathtime one or two nights a week, but when I do we turn out the lights and I light some candles and turn on Vitamin String Quartet song covers and she plays and I relax. I really look forward to it. I don’t like baths, but I have been doing the occasional candlelit shower before bed and that has also been lovely.
I got some pretty lele sadoughi masks and a headband that matches one of them. It’s my first one of those thick headband things (what are they called?) and I’m actually not confident enough to wear it yet, but some day!
anonamama says
I cleaned out my junk drawer/desk area in our kitchen over the holidays and it was a game changer in all sorts of ways. I put a linen bulletin board up to corral the random photos, cards and pieces of artwork, mounted a mail divider (that also hangs our masks!), put all of the phones and chargers in one basket, changed the random mug of pencils to a nice clear acrylic one. Looking over and not seeing massive clutter helps my mental state, the matching desk accessories make me feel I have my shit together. I actually sat down at lunch to write a note to someone like I was on a home-keeping TV segment. This was all thanks to The Home Edit books, tv show and Instagram.
Also… watching The Bachelor again is so entertaining (after abandoning it in college) and playing fun dance-y songs to see what will get LO (15 months) dancing. He’s been known to drop it like it’s hot when Lizzo comes on, which is incredibly hilarious and fun.
Anon says
Watching blown away on netflix, peruvian lillies every other week with my weekly grocery order (they last for two weeks), and a Sunday morning commitment to my on-demand yoga class.
Anon says
Um, I discovered that Dawson’s Creek is on Netflix. And there’s a Dawson’s Creek spotify playlist. Don’t judge!
Anon says
Low stakes question. Talk to me about trampolines.
We’re considering getting one for our backyard. Everyone in our area seems to have one. They seem safer than when we grew up, now that they all have the enclosed netting, yes? Do they just kill the grass underneath them? Any features you would recommend? Or specific ones? Anyone regret getting one or get a particularly bad one?
(We live in CA so this is a seasonally appropriate question for us : ) ).
Anonymous says
The danger is not so much falling off but broken bones from hitting the jumping surface at an incorrect angle. I’d consider one for older kids in gymnastics who know what they are doing, but not as a play toy for little kids.
gym mom says
My gymnast kid is not allowed on backyard trampolines. Knowing what they are doing does not prevent these kids from doing stupid things, and the stupid stuff they are capable of doing is way more dangerous than the stupid stuff non-gymnasts can attempt. If they are going to be trying double backs it needs to be on a real tramp with a qualified spotter standing by.
Anonymous says
I agree. I mean they can literally break their neck on a trampoline. I don’t get how parents don’t see it as high risk as riding a bike on the street without a helmet.
Curious says
And sprains. I got double bounced and tore three of four ligaments in my ankle. My ankle has never been the same despite an awesome PT.
Redux says
My brother tore his ACL, MCL, and lateral miniscus on an awkward bounce when he was a pre-teen. He had several surgeries at the time which, for a growing kid, were complicated because those joints and ligaments were all still growing. As an adult now, he still has trouble with it and actually made it impossible for him to join the army when he was a young adult. I am a hard no.
Anonymous says
Check with your homeowner’s insurance carrier. The trampoline will probably make your premiums skyrocket.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/surprising-dangers-of-trampolines-for-kids/
anon says
A bunch of my neighbors have the Costco model, and from what I can tell, it’s a piece of junk. The netting is forever falling down and the poles holding up the netting look flimsy. If you’re gonna get a trampoline, I would not skimp. I love the ones that have the springs UNDER the pad, although they’re super pricey. (I’d love to get a trampoline, but DH will not budge. He sees them as a huge hazard. When our neighbor’s tramp flew into our backyard during an Easter windstorm last year, breaking our fence in the process, that made his opinion even more steadfast, lol.)
SSJD says
We got a trampoline in December. Normally I would not have been supportive of this idea. But, it’s a pandemic and my kids have nowhere to go. There are few outdoor sports activities offered now, and my four kids needs more exercise. All of them (ages 9-13) were excited about the trampoline. My pediatrician husband is much more concerned about keeping their activity level high than risk of injury (does not mean he’s right, but I share that such is his point of view). We ordered our trampoline on Am@zon and assembled it ourselves. So far it has been a huge success. My kids have had minor injuries (twisted ankle, pulled muscle, the kinds of things that kids complain about when playing outside) but they have also been really active and come in all sweaty from exertion. For us, this was a win.
We did make a rule that only 2 people can be on the trampoline at once and obviously the netting has to be zipped closed.
We put it in an area where a dead tree had recently been removed. The area was already covered in wood chips, not grass, so lack of sunlight here is not an issue for us.
anon says
Can your DH talk to my DH? Our kids are definitely not getting enough exercise, especially the older one, and I know the trampoline would be a huge draw. But he will not hear of it from an injury standpoint. IDK, I jumped on one all the time as a kid. As someone who wasn’t very athletic and stopped organized sports around 7th grade, it kept me active.
Lyssa says
My in-laws got the kids one about 2 years ago. I’m sure it wasn’t an expensive one, and the (lining? batting? something) around the outside is all frayed and falling off now, which is an eyesore. But the kids absolutely love it, and it’s great to be able to send them outside on it. There’s always the risk that they will tumble wrong and hurt their neck or spine, so that’s sort of in my mind, but it doesn’t seem very dangerous, and we haven’t had any problems with it.
My husband moves it every time he mows (it’s very light), and we haven’t had a problem with the grass. Running a sprinkler right outside of the trampoline in hot weather is basically Disneyworld for the kids.
octagon says
Our neighbors have one for their two tween boys. It’s quite large — there are regularly 4-6 kids on it at once. As far as I can tell there have been no injuries since they got it last April. It has very high netting and looks stable. The grass under it is not dead.
My only suggestion would be to not put it anywhere that would tempt daredevil stunts. Neighbors had to move theirs once after the boys were taking flying leaps off the garage roof (!!) to jump into the trampoline. Still can’t believe no one broke an arm doing that.
Anonymous says
Most people around me have them (suburbia with big back yards), especially since the pandemic. My brother fell off one and broke his collar bone (he was like 12 at the time) and , so I am a HARD NO even though yes, today they have nets.
My daughter’s friends all have them. I know of 4 broken bones, including the 3 year old little sibling of my daughter’s friend. She got it from just bouncing around with her sisters but when she landed, she landed the wrong way on her wrist. After that their rule was the 3 year old had to stay on her bottom when on the trampoline with older kids and could only jump when solo. That rule was not particularly enforced.
Anonymous says
A kid on our street had a terrible leg fracture that required external fixation. No, thank you.
Anonymous says
AAP recommends against them at home and especially never for kids under 6. Trampolines are 4 times more likely to cause injuries than playing football. They have the highest number of ER visits of any sport.
Always surprised that ppl religiously follow AAP rules like ‘back to sleep’ and then ignore other recommendations.
Anon says
+1. With little kids, even the force of the bouncing can snap bones, it’s not just a concern over falling off.
Even if injuries “probably won’t happen” they have the potential to be devastating if they do, and I am not comfortable with that.
Anonymous says
They’re a hard no for me, you can look up the injury statistics. Your kids can get a lot more exercise with free play or going in the woods.
Anonymous says
Would your kids be into video game based hidden exercise. We have an Oculus 2 and Beats Saber is so fun. If I play it on hard or 360, I’m dripping in sweat at the end. For those not familiar, Beats Saber is a little like Dance Dance Revolution for your arms. You have to hit cubes on beat with lasers you are holding, in the correct direction, with the correct arm. It is mentally and physically challenging.
Superhot is a shooting game so you might not be into that for kids, but it is another one that leaves me sweaty.
Anon says
Hard no for me due to injury risk (the falling off never concerned me, but the landing wrong or on the springs does), and I have a daredevil who I mostly let run feral so my risk tolerance is already pretty high. I would let DD play contact football (also a hard no) before I let her play on a trampoline.
Anon says
Just laughing a bit because I saw “low stakes” question and “trampoline” this morning and thought ooooh boy.
I’ve heard of terrible leg breaks due to landing wrong so I don’t think the net helps! that being said, my brother in law is an orthopedic surgeon and he lets his kids jump on one – but only at friends’ houses, he won’t have one at their house
Anonymich says
Any recs for leakproof cups to send to school with milk for a 1yo? Looking for something easy to clean, of course.
DLC says
We used the thermos containers for a while but they weren’t 100% leakproof- there was always a risk of a dribble. It was fine in preschool when I could unpack my kids lunch into the school fridge at drop off, but once my kid was in kindergarten and all the kids’ lunch boxes got thrown into a big basket, I was gently asked to consider packing boxed milk for my child.
anonamama says
Really liking the oxo straw cup (9oz, without handles). They look and function great despite being thrown a lot and washed in top rack of dishwasher. They aren’t getting cloudy after washing like other plastic cups. A little pricey but I haven’t seen a leak yet!
SSJD says
Looking for gift ideas for my niece who is turning 3. Her mom reports that she has the “Carry Around Animal Town” from Lakeshore (link to follow) and would enjoy another toy like this one. Any ideas?
Anonymous says
Melissa and Doug Fold and Go Stable
Katala says
If she likes blues clues, we got a plastic foldable house with the characters, including the fridge etc. that is very cute and enjoyed by my 4-year-old. He’ll grow out of it soon, I think 3 is the perfect age.
Anon says
what is your budget? Lakeshore has lots of other great toys like this like the Treehouse Builders, Under the Sea Mermaid Palace, Fairyland Playset. Also look at Timber Tots by Fat Brain Toys and Lil Woodez, which is carried at Target . I like the Acorn Treehouse. Fisher Price also has a number of sets like the Little People Cuddle & Play Nursery. I have twin girls who will be turning 3 soon and those are all things i think they might like. I think mine would be particularly into the Timber Tots or Lil Woodez because they like animals and already have a larger baby doll type toy
Anon says
MY 3YO has timber tots from Fat Brain Toys and loves them!
Anon says
Tomorrow is notification day for private kindergarten in my city (i.e. we get our admissions decision). It’s kindergarten so I feel ridiculous being as nervous as I am about it. We only applied to very few schools and they are very competitive so I am already making plans assuming we won’t get in anywhere, but, I can’t deny I will feel sad/disappointed. Luckily, since it’s kindergarten, my kid has no clue.
NYCer says
Sending positive vibes! Are you in NYC? I feel like this is kind of a strange year – people undecided about leaving the city, etc. – so you never know. Hope it works out for you!
Anonymous says
Thank you!! and yes, in NYC. I had hoped applications would be down, but the rumor is they are generally way up. I have also heard people make the same point though about uncertainty, though, so maybe waitlists will move more than in the past. We have a good public option so this is really pretty low stakes but still feels stressful. Are you a fellow applicant or a current nyc private parent?
NYCer says
Overall private schools have been doing such a great job staying open full time since the fall, I guess I am not super shocked that applications are way up. But I agree that it does seem like a year when waitlists might actually move. I am current NYC private parent, but I remember the semi-anxious day before notifications feeling well. Best wishes!
Anon Reader says
This group is always so informed about the scientific evidence around covid that I wanted to ask a question about risk. Despite our best efforts, our whole family had covid in January (essential worker husband exposed at work). We have fully recovered and presumably have immunity. I would like to see my parents who have just received their first vaccinations. My parents live a plane ride away and are not able to travel to us. To me, it seems like the overall risk is lower to travel in the spring while the family still has immunity and my parents have received their second vaccine. We would fly and then stay at their house and not see anyone else. Anecdotally, I have heard it is possible to transmit the virus even if you’ve already had it but I am having a hard time finding a study that shows this. Of course, we could wait until the summer, but I am unsure of how much will have changed at that point. Thank you for your thoughts.
Anonymous says
I would not assume your immunity lasts until the spring. About three months is what I’ve been seeing as the approx amount of time people seem to have immunity with some level of certainty.
You need to wait until two weeks after their second dose I think. Hopefully that will be within the next three months.
On the upside, there are some discussions ongoing about if people who have had it need only one shot. So maybe you’ll be vax’d as well by the spring.
Anon says
I would go see them as soon as they’re 2 weeks after their second shot. The combination of you having recently recovered and them having recently been vaccinated is two layers of protection and I would be completely comfortable with it. And as you note, no one can predict what will happen in the summer so I would seize the chance to see them now. My family hasn’t had Covid, but my parents are joining our bubble as soon as they’re fully vaccinated, and we have a kid in daycare, which is a much greater cumulative risk than one plane flight.
Pogo says
Can you follow all applicable state guidelines? In MA, you need to test or quarantine upon return. Travel related testing must be paid out of pocket and is hard to get around here. My husband has been able to get it when he travels for work, because work coordinates and pays for it. And then on the other side (the state you’re travelling to) would you be able to comply with their guidelines? I don’t think any state has a self-certified “I had COVID” get out of jail free card. You’d still need to quarantine or test. On the way home, if test is hard/impossible to get that means no work, school or daycare for anyone until that clears.
Anonymous says
I agree she should comply with relevant restrictions, but a lot of states currently don’t have any restrictions so this may not be a big deal.
Pogo says
Wow, I had no idea. I assumed more states had restrictions than not. It was a pretty big source of drama with school/daycare during the holidays, because you had to sign an affidavit that said you complied with the guidelines, and everyone was scrambling to get tests or keeping their kids home to wait out the 14 days. And it’s not specific to plane travel, either, just out of state.
Anon says
There are no restrictions in, say, AZ where my parents are. And there’s no organization around vaccine distribution. And also, nothing really shut down for very long.
Anonymous says
Most of the Midwest and South have no restrictions.
Anon Reader says
Thank you for raising this! State we are traveling to does have quarantine restrictions ( which wouldn’t be a problem) and our state is not currently requiring quarantine unless travel to a high risk location.
Anon Reader says
And testing turns around in 2-3 days with no restrictions.
Anonymous says
Are you allowed to see family while you’re quarantined? My in-laws are in NY and I don’t feel like we’re legally allowed to visit them without doing the quarantine after arrival, which makes a visit highly impractical.
Anon Reader says
Good point. Quarantine is a recommendation but not a requirement in this state so I think we would be following the law even if staying with my parents.
Anon says
nothing is 100% no risk. However, did all of you test positive for covid or just some of you? i know you said the whole family had covid, so assuming you all were tested – I actually asked our pediatrician a similar question and she pointed me to the CDC site, which considers immunity for 3 months after having covid, so i would go within that 3 month window if possible, quarantine for 7-10 days before you go and test. Mask and shield up when flying.
Anon Reader says
We all tested positive so we basically have until mid April to make this happen.
anon says
Oh yay, today I started the summer camp registration rigamarole for our older kid. I truly miss the days when I could send him to the school-age summer camp at his sister’s daycare. It was one registration, one dropoff, one thing to keep track of. He’s at that borderline age (incoming 6th grader) where he doesn’t need constant supervision but needs to do more than being stuck at home all the time, which was the story last summer. We tried a few virtual camps, and they were not great from a parental standpoint. Lots of supply purchases during a time when it was hard to get to the store, and some of the activities required a second person to assist, which royally screwed up our workflow.
Anon says
I have a special needs child, which makes the summer camp equation more difficult. I was just starting the research and application process when the special school district announced they were doing free summer camps for all special education students in recognition that the pandemic has been very hard on special needs students. I am THRILLED.
Anonanonanon says
I’m so happy for you! That must be a much-needed load off!
So Anon says
Right there with you! I just printed off the calendar of the summer. One of the great summer camps just opened registration on Monday, and two of the sessions are already full. Ugh. High stakes registering is stressful. I’m struggling with trying to let my kids’ interests drive what they do and also not have to drive two different directions each day. Plus, I have no idea whether I will be working from home or 45 minutes away in the office this summer, which is a huge factor in what camps are doable for me. At least – hopefully – they will be somewhere other than the house for a solid 5 days.
anon says
OP here, and same problem. We’re working off the assumption that at least one of us will be working from home this summer. But, it’s a gamble. If we’re back in the office, a lot of driving is in our future.
Anonymous says
We are not doing day camp this summer. I am so relieved not to be worrying about getting on line the moment registration opens and transportation for half-day camps and covering the whole summer. Day camp is my second least favorite thing about being a parent.
Anonymous says
For that age could you do a morning in person camp, lunch at home (if you are WFH) and then afternoon at home/riding bikes with neighbourhood kids?
AnonATL says
Is there some trick I’m missing to keep my 6 month old from yanking my hair out? Even when I have it pulled back into a bun, he grabs onto it and pulls it out.
I’ve been telling him no and trying to pull his hands away from it. Ouch.
Anonymous says
It’s young, but with toddlers I teach them what to do INSTEAD of what not to do. So you teach gentle touches by grabbing their hands and stroking your face saying “gentle touches oh that feels so nice”. And then profusely thank them for practicing gentle touches.
Anon. says
No trick, but in my experience it’s not a super long phase. I wore my hair in a low pony for about 4 months solid because baby could not resist. She’s 13 months now and rarely pulls it anymore.
louisa says
Oh my gosh, friends. Thought things couldn’t get worse but they can! My mother-in-law, who struggles with various health / mental health issues that led to her having to live with us a year ago for six months, has finally sold the house that she hoarded in and just had an offer accepted down the street from us. This is in another town about two and a half hours from where she lived her whole life. Unfortunately that area has gotten very expensive and she ran out of options so has decided our town makes sense because we have the grandchildren. Which is great for her but less help for us given that I don’t really trust her to be on her own with my kids. well maybe the 8-year-old for limited periods of time but that’s mostly because I trust the 8-year-old. And I know she’ll want to spend a lot of time with the baby but it’s pandemic and I’m used to the baby only being with us, although she does have to start daycare next month. And I know on paper it makes sense for her to live closer to us so we can help manage things (I’ve handled her finances for the last two years) but I’m right at the end of my maternity leave this month and I still have a kid who is distance learning and when I go back to work (from home) in addition to my regular work I’m also starting as a supervisor because for some reason when I was pregnant I thought applying for that job made sense. Also I love my neighborhood and I just don’t want her there. Feeling anxious and a little angry, working through stuff. Thanks for listening.
Anonymous says
I’m so sorry :( My MIL is an ocean away and that is about all I can manage!
Anonymous says
I could write a novel. My mom moved to my town unannounced. She has inserted herself into our life. Unlike your MIL, though, I do trust her with my kids but that’s only bc my kids are a bit older (youngest is almost 4).
I think there are a lot of ways to compromise. Perhaps let your 8 y/o spend lots of quality time at grandma’s. Invite her to your house to have baby visits and get some chores done while keeping an eye on the situation. Invite her to watch Older Kid’s sport events around town. My mom lives near one of the fields so she’s constantly parked out there with a chair cheering on my kids, which is great for her and not a bad thing for me. Invite her over for dinner, or suggest she have your older one for dinner.
You should not (and it doesn’t seem like a temptation anyway) rely on her for Actual Childcare. My mom picks up my preschooler at noon 2x/week and they do their thing after (usually too much junk food and a lot of art).
Anonymous says
How much do you ‘not trust her’? Could she take 8 year old to after school activities? My mom has the kids three days a week. Two of those days she takes them from school to activities and then from activity to my house. Third day is usually too much candy and tv at grandmas (hence the need for some scheduled activities). This is great because it leaves our evenings and weekends free of most kid activity transport.
I think there is room to find a path for her to feel very involved without you feeling worried about their safety.
For the baby, Your ‘paediatrician’ is going to insist that babies go to daycare because so many of them had reduced socialization because of the pandemic and need to catch up. Maybe she could pick up and drop baby home a couple days a week?
Anon says
Yeah explore this feeling of distrust for a bit. That is a LOT to put on an 8 year old, to be more trustworthy than the adult in charge. You say MIL struggles with health and mental health issues to the point of needing to live with you – I’m not sure I’d expose my 8yo to that without close supervision. Especially if I’m worried that I’ll be more distracted than usual with a new job and baby starting daycare and chaos of pandemic life.
You didn’t ask for her to move to your neighborhood and you don’t owe her a sense of feeling involved. Pay close attention to your gut and your boundaries, and don’t put more on your 8yo than you should just to protect gramma’s feelings. Gramma is an adult and can manage herself. 8yo is a kid who needs strong parents protecting her/his feelings and modeling how you can love someone but still enforce boundaries.
SF says
I have a $50 gift card to sephora. What would you buy? Can be more than $50.
About me: Mom of a 4 year and 5 month old. Working from home for the foreseeable future. Almost a year into quarantine and I’ve lost any semblance of a beauty routine. Dry skin, post-partum hair, overgrown eyebrows.
Anon says
I really like supergoop glow screen. It’s been my single item that I’ve used most successfully during the pandemic.
Anon says
+1 to Glow Screen. I love it, especially for “no makeup” weekends when I end up outside with the kids. I have dry skin too and while it’s definitely glow-y, I love that look on my skin.
Other Sephora favorites: Living Proof Perfect Hair Day dry shampoo, First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, and Korres Greek Yoghurt Mask.
Anonymous says
I use the matte screen because I trend towards shiny, but yes I love it!
Anonymous says
I like the Drunk Elephant TLC Sukari Babyfacial. It doesn’t require a daily commitment.
Anonymous says
Drunk elephant or Khiels vitamin c
Anon says
biossance lactic acid or retinol
Anonymous says
anything from Briogeo – really good deep conditioning treatments and also love their shampoo and conditioner.
Anon says
Hopefully, a low-stakes questions re: virtual baby showers. We are due with our first in the spring. We are transplants, and in normal times, would have had several small showers in the city we live in and the cities we are from for different groups of friends/family. We are obviously not doing that and are instead having one virtual shower pre-baby. For those of you that have gone to virtual baby showers– who tends to be invited? Is it family, friends, a lot of people that don’t know each other, etc.? I feel weird inviting so many people but also why not? I haven’t been to any so I don’t know what to expect, and most of my pregnant friends were either able to fit in in-person events in the fall when Covid was not so bad or are due in the summer and haven’t decided what to do yet.
Anon says
i think there are no rules. i think if the group is too big it is hard to interact with people on the zoom. will there be games/activities? i’m team no baby shower (i had a bridal shower that i loved having before i got married, just traditionally in my religion/culture people didn’t have baby showers, though now some do), though i always send a gift and have happily attended some. if you think having one is too many people can you just split it into two groups?
Anonymous says
I’ve been to a couple of Zoom baby showers with mostly family and a few close friends who often know some of the extended family. Those both worked well. If you want a lot of friends or friends from different circles, I’d have separate Zoom gatherings.
When most of the guests know one another, the “guess the baby picture” game is entertaining over Zoom. Instead of keeping score, just show the photo, let people shout out their guesses, and then give the answer. It’s especially fun with family because you can see the resemblance across the generations.
anon says
+1 to the first paragraph. A dear friend recently had a virtual baby shower. It was a group of mostly strangers and it was fairly awkward for everyone. Split it up.
Also, make sure you’re sitting close enough to the camera that people can actually see you open presents!
Friday says
Can I answer again after this weekend? We’re attending a virtual shower for our friends who live on the opposite coast as us. I can’t wait! I think they’re doing several virtual showers: I know of at least one friends one and a separate one for family. I will say from my Zoom experiences: fewer people tend to be more fun. I did a Zoom HH with nine friends but they all just talked over each other the whole time. But then kiddo’s day care did a zoom with 20 kids (all muted, obviously) and it was structured and respectful. Kiddo enjoyed seeing his friends and got 30 seconds to share what he was up to, which was nice. I think the key is having a plan, a strong leader and keeping it short. Just to emphasize: whatever you feel like doing is fine.
Lisa says
I’d probably stick with multiple zoom gatherings (friends, both sides of family) so people can interact and enjoy it more. I’d also keep them short…chatting, having a drink “together”, gift opening, etc. for an hour.
AnotherAnon says
I realize this is a very privileged question. My contract job ends in March. I had planned to take some unpaid time off, but another job has potentially landed in my lap. It’s a niche accounting job (my background is accounting; I’m currently doing IT support for accounting). Here’s the kicker: the hiring manager said: “You will need to share an office with current accountant as we are out of space. We can discuss WFH as many people are doing that currently.” I’m not super concerned about Covid, but is this a red flag? I find it more weird that he mentioned WFH due to office space than Covid. I should still interview and get the details though right?
Anon says
I would get more info before thinking it’s a red flag. It could be that they are building out a space right now and don’t have an office for you, etc. I would just make sure there is a real plan for you to have an office in the future if that’s important to you.
My firm has hired people while it was building out offices before, and that’s not uncommon for us. DH, though, worked for a company that was growing so quickly that he kept being moved from one floor to another and worked in closets occasionally (while getting paid six figures). It was a terrible place to work and not prioritizing office space really set a tone for how they treated employees generally.
Anonymous says
I would be skeptical because the default seems to be in-office work, and most states are asking that WFH be the default whenever possible. I’d still do a remote interview and find out more. If they insist on an in-person interview, that’s a red flag.
Meh says
I really don’t see this as a red flag. But maybe it depends on your area? In my city, most workplaces are in person including mine (to my frustration) so the fact that they will allow you to WFH is a positive. I think you’re over thinking this at this point and would at least go forward and find out more.
Anonymous says
I think the point is that in Covid times sharing an office is much less safe than having a private office, so I wouldn’t assume his comment has nothing to do with Covid. I don’t think it’s a red flag at all. My large employer switched the people with shared offices to WFH before anyone else (now almost everyone is remote) and we will be the last time to come back.
SC says
I think it depends. My firm was out of space for a couple of years. New attorneys were working in secretary cubicles, and I doubled up with another attorney for a couple of months. It was not ideal. But the entire time, the firm had negotiated leasing the rest of our floor once the other tenant’s lease ran out, and then the build-out took months. Now, we have a beautiful, new expansion for one team, there’s plenty of room for everyone, and I have my office back.
As far as WFH/Covid, I would just get more details. It depends on the state you’re in, too. My office has been back in person since June, but so has every other law firm in my area.
Anon Lawyer says
Any recommendations for learning about toddler mental development and the leaps they’re making in terms of understanding and comprehension? It’s hard to know what parenting content out there is scientifically supported. (And I have an allergy to Janet Lansbury.)
Anonymous says
The Mayo guide or what to expect from your toddler. I did not like what to expect for pregnancy, but the toddler development guide is very detailed and helpful
anon says
The book The Philosophical Baby, though it’s not organized by age or anything like that and it’s not giving you checklists, etc. Very interesting, though.