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Readers on Corporette were just talking about how comfortable Vionic shoes are — I haven’t taken the plunge yet, but they’ve definitely caught my eye over the past year or two. Amazon has these nice wedge heels marked anywhere from $35-$129, depending on size and color. Nice! (Nordstrom and Zappos both carry the brand as well.) Pictured: Vionic with Orthaheel Technology Antonia Wedge
Ladies, what are your favorite brands for comfortable heels and flats, either for work or beyond?
Psst: check out the Corporette Guide to Comfortable Heels!
(L-4)
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
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- 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:
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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?
IVF and new job says
Starting a new job at the same time as beginning IVF–is there anyway to not come off as flakey and unreliable without telling my boss exactly what I’m doing? I’m not concerned about the monitoring appointments since those can happen before work, but both the egg retrieval and the embryo transfer are days or half-days off work that have unpredictable timing. If I had exact dates it would be easy to just say they were pre-scheduled medical treatments, but what have you all done for things like this where you don’t know the exact day ahead of time (and don’t have much/any leave accrued)?
pockets says
I haven’t gone through this myself, but I would just call/email the morning of your egg retrieval (or the night before if you know) and tell whoever you need to tell that you’re sick. Getting sick happens and in all likelihood no one is going to think about it for more than 2 seconds before moving on. If at that time you know the date of the embryo transfer, tell whoever needs to know that you have a follow up appointment for your illness on that date. If you still don’t know, call in sick again when it’s scheduled. Don’t overthink this, no one is going to bat an eye.
IVF Anon says
How long will you have been in your new job before starting the IVF? A few things to consider as you balance your decision: calling in sick for the day of retrieval is probably no big deal, but if you plan on calling out 3 or 5 days later for transfer that might look strange when you were already “sick” a few days before. If you go this route, I might suggest another excuse (waiting for the plumber, etc.) for the second absence, since you’d be able to work from home (or even go into the office later that day) for most the transfer day. On the other hand, being honest with your boss about your intentions to get pregnant right away in a new job before you’ve built up any kind of goodwill/reputation in your new job (and going on leave potentially before you’d be entitled to FMLA if you’re at your new job for less than a year) might not go over well with your boss, and it might not be worth starting your relationship out that way when the IVF may or may not work right away so it might end up being a non-issue. It’s probably a know your office situation, which is tricky when you are new. FWIW, when I did IVF, I had 18 months in my new job under my belt and only told a very trusted, senior colleague who was willing to cover for me for the two days I was out and the many, many days I was a bit late to the office. I never told my boss.
Batgirl says
I stressed out about this a lot when I did IVF, and I’d been at my job for several years at that point. So I don’t envy you — but people don’t pay as much attention as you think. Personally, I would say something vague the day before the procedure (or as soon as you know for certain when it’ll be) that you have to deal with “an unexpected but minor medical procedure on x morning” and expect to be back online later in the afternoon from home. Few would actually be rude enough to ask what the procedure was, but if they do, I would leave it at “it’s a little bit personal, but everything is okay.” Then, say that you expect to be out for a follow up appointment a few days later. Anyone who has done IVF may guess what you’re doing, but most will not and I wouldn’t worry about it anyway — people don’t tend to think about us as much as we think they do! One thing I would caution you on, however, is that even if your other monitoring appointments are early in the morning, they can take longer than you’d expect and you may end up being late. So if you have a time range you can go in, I’d go in as early as possible. Good luck–it’s a relatively short process in a given cycle, but it can be stressful and tiring so treat yourself well!
IVF Veteran says
I’ve told this story, but I had to be out during the morning one day while in a jury trial (trial went a week longer than expected, and retrieval was weirdly earlier than expected). I went with “minor medical procedure that has to happen tomorrow” in explaining to the judge and opposing counsel. It wasn’t an issue (and I was at trial before noon, but wouldn’t recommend). My boss (and first chair at the trial) knew what was going on.
It was actually my second go round of IVF where I got “are you okay” questions because I’d been out for so many “appointments.” I used my same “minor medical procedure; everything’s okay” explanation, with no issue. I did not tell people what was going on for that round.
IVF and new job says
Thanks all! It helps to hear that others have gone with making vague excuses and it was fine. The timing is so not ideal, but we’ve decided we want to go ahead with it for a variety of reasons, so I’m just trying to make it work as best I can.
anon says
You’ve gotten good advice already, but I just wanted to say good luck and I’ll be thinking of you! So hard to be a professional and an IVF patient, but so so so worth it!
MomAnon4This says
Thread-jack, sorry.
How to choose your child’s birthday, with a planned c-section?
Official due date is 2nd week of July. So planned c-section at 39 weeks would be week of July 4th, a 4-day holiday weekend this year. I’m guessing ob/gynes don’t like to schedule surgeries on holiday weekends. Do I insist on before, choose 7-7 for luck, what?
I’ve never done this before — we can barely decide on a name! Any suggestions or advice? Or people with birthdays July 2-10 that want to comment? :)
Batgirl says
Putting aside any health risks/concerns, etc., I would try to go as far from July 4th as possible. No one likes to have their birthday routinely overshadowed by a holiday — especially one where people tend to travel out of town, etc.
Anon in NYC says
I’m a 4th of July weekend baby and didn’t enjoy it growing up (kids were never around for birthday parties). So, all things being equal, my preference would be to avoid July 1-4.
FVNC says
Unless there’s a medical reason for scheduling at 39 weeks, I’d try to schedule the birth date for as late as possible, regardless of the holiday.
FWIW, my sister’s birthday is July 3 and I don’t think she minded it — in the summer, lots of school friends weren’t around much anyway due to camp, vacations, etc. so a few days before or after the holiday wouldn’t have made a difference. As an adult, she likes having a holiday weekend for her birthday (many years).
Daycare says
I had to schedule a C, and I went backwards. I picked my favorite doctor, and asked for their schedule for the applicable week. Then, I found out what days they were on in the morning, and had the earliest surgery appointment available at the hospital. That narrowed the days to a Tuesday and Thursday. I picked the Thursday b/c I knew I’d be in the hospital for extra days with the surgery, and didn’t want my husband to burn through leave days in the hospital with me.
With my first, I went in for an appointment on a Tuesday morning, and delivered via emergency C just after midnight that night. I was in the hospital until Friday, and so my husband burned through almost a week of leave before we eve left the hospital. I also wanted the first appointment of the day so I didn’t get pushed back all day if other emergencies came up that required my doctor to push my scheduled C. I hated the though t of sitting around all day without eating waiting to meet my baby and awaiting surgery.
I hated the idea of scheduling going into it, but it was a great experience overall. I showed up ready and excited (and showered and composed with a full night of sleep behind me), and we were wheeled right in, no delays, and had a baby like an hour after we showed up at the hospital. The nurses all laughed b/c my husband and I were happy and relaxed. All the anesthesia wore off by that night, so I got a great night sleep (which didn’t happen with my first – I found it hard to sleep immediately after surgery meds), and I had a full day to spend with my son before he went off to the nursery for the evening.
Daycare says
Sorry – I delivered my first just *before* midnight. If I had held out until after midnight, I would have had one more day in the hospital and been discharged on Saturday at least. I could have used one more day in the hospital with that first one!
MomAnon4This says
I’m glad you mentioned your husband’s leave. I was actually trying to figure out if the paid holiday of July 4th would figure into FMLA or not. And then, on the other end, Labor Day.
:(
Like a day or 2 makes a difference… but as you pointed out with Husband’s leave, too, it DOES matter. Some more parental leave would be great, companies/Congress/Decision-makers!
Daycare says
It really did make a difference for my husband! He only had two weeks, which didn’t seem terrible, until it turned into only ONE week at home with me b/c we spent the whole first week in the hospital. Ugh.
For the second baby, especially if I ended delivering on a Monday or a Tuesday, husband planned to go to the office for a few hours in the middle of the day while I had visitors/nurses, etc. just to keep the clock from ticking on his leave. He was able to go in for an hour on the Friday after I delivered, and then he got the next two full weeks at home. It made a big difference, even though technically it was the same “amount” of leave.
TK says
This was my experience too – scheduled first thing in the morning with my OB/GYN, on a Thursday – we were as relaxed as once could expect for this type of thing, and all went smoothly. We refused to have visitors until the next day, so our new 3 person family could get to know each other, so by the time others came by I wasn’t so doped up and husband could extend his leave a little.
So glad we went with scheduled C. After the surgery, dr. said baby might have cooked another 2 weeks or more if I hadn’t scheduled a c section at week 39 … since baby weighed almost 10 lbs then, he would have been super huge if we’d waited, with increased risk of a complicated delivery.
I know there are strong feelings about this vs. trying for a v delivery, but I had some unique risk factors as well as many, many friends who went through 24 hours of labor only to have an emergency C, then had to ‘recover’ from both. My recovery was relatively easy.
MomAnon4This says
Ha, my 1st kid born day after Thanksgiving… 2nd kid day after Mother’s Day. Maybe I should just go for July 5th for tradition.
Planned c-section due to closeness of birth after unplanned c-section, other risk factors include my age and weight. I, too, would like to keep the baby baking for as long as possible, but I’m not sure how much choice I get this.
Thanks, all. Helpful and funny and good advice.
Daycare says
I’m the scheduled C above you, and I was able to schedule at 40 weeks and 4 days. I wanted to give my guy a chance to come on his own, and asked my doctor what the latest date they’d let me go. They wouldn’t let me get to 41weeks, but said I could go to 40. I picked my date based on the analysis above for the week after I hit 40 weeks. They initially told me to pick any date between 38 and 39 weeks, but candidly, I think that’s b/c they assumed I wanted to be done with the pregnancy – not for any medical reason (at least that was my situation).
MomAnon4This says
OOOooo, good question re: the latest. With the previous 2 I didn’t make it to the due date. I think even if I did go into labor, it wouldn’t be an EMERGENCY c-section. Still early, so I will ask!
BKDC says
Funny, I was thinking about this morning. My due date is July 4 with baby #2 and I was wondering about what I would prefer. I could see that a birthday right around July 4 would be tough for birthday parties, etc. But then again, I’m assuming that will always be the case for summer babies. I say consider other factors first — availability of doctors, giving your child enough time to bake, etc. 7-7 does sound pretty cool, though!
Sevens says
I’m a 7/7 bday and have always enjoyed it. It’s memorable and you never have to worry about month-day order of you are in Europe vs the US. As a child, kids were sometimes on vacation for birthday parties but it was never a huge deal. Unfortunately, more recently, it’s had the negative connotations of the London terror attack
Overall I’d make your decisions on all the useful and practical information referenced above. But it’s a great bday and be happy to share it with more people!
Philanthropy Girl says
I scheduled my second at 37 weeks for medical reasons. He ended up being scheduled for Labor Day – my OB was on call the night before, so he just stuck around the hospital and did an early morning surgery. It was his idea!
It worked well as my parents (who are both still working) were able to be at the hospital because they had a holiday. It means family birthday parties can be over a holiday weekend – which never bothered me as a kid (my May birthday was often celebrated around Memorial Day).
With no medical necessity for scheduling early, I’d have given my LO a little more time too cook, so I’d not worry about holidays etc… and just make the choice that at the time makes the most sense for a healthy delivery and happy mama and baby.
anon says
I googled and chose a date with cool shared birthdays! i think you are totally logical to be putting this thought into it.
I’m working on choosing a birthday for #2 now… unfortunately, not going to be as cool as number 1s!
Anonymous says
Who were your shared birthdays? I always loved growing up that I shared a birthday with a popular actor.
Anonymous says
I would choose the date that meant you had a doctor you trusted and was early in the morning. It is a stressful enough experience, there is no reason to agonized about it while you are unable to eat. As to the date, I was born on July 3rd and have always enjoyed celebrating my birthday at that time.
Anons says
+1. July anytime is a great time for a birthday. Pool parties as a kid, BBQs as an adult. In my area of the country, not that many families travel for July 4. A relative has a birthday on Christmas Eve, and that seems much worse (she has always hated it, but has made peace at this point in her life).
RR says
My birthday is July 3, and I have maintained throughout my life that it’s the best day of the year for a birthday. I almost always get out of work early, either because my birthday ends up being the holiday (where the 4th falls on a weekend) or because everyone takes half a day; I generally see family on the 4th and get to celebrate with them because my parents have a BBQ every year; there are always fireworks on my birthday. What could be better? As a kid, summer birthdays aren’t great, but you can’t avoid that. Just a plug for July 3 as a particularly awesome birthday.
Sara says
Okay, so I spent all of last weekend washing new and hand-me-down clothes, blankets, and sheets for our baby (due in a few weeks). Reading some “get ready” lists last night, I saw that I should have washed everything in a fragrance-free, baby-friendly detergent rather than our regular Tide detergent. Is this one of those things that I’m crazy to ignore? Or do I have to rewash, resort, and refold ALL of the baby stuff from last weekend. Obviously, I’m hoping the answer is “it’s fine!” but is it? Obviously, I don’t want our baby to be hurt by the detergent we use, but it’s hard to separate the “must dos” from the “good if you can dos.” Thanks in advance!
mascot says
This wasn’t a must do for me. Some babies have sensitivities to fragrances. Some do not. If your baby seems to be sensitive, start with adding an extra rinse cycle to clothes and not using fabric softener (this goes for all household laundry that baby may touch so your clothes too). Then move to a sensitive detergent if necessary. I found Dreft stain remover to work really well, but didn’t buy into “special baby detergent”
If you are cloth diapering, detergent does matter so do your homework on that.
October says
For cloth diapers, Tide powder (not liquid) works great! Use a normal amount and add a pre-wash/extra rinse.
BKDC says
+1 I used the specialty stuff at first, but found that Tide works better.
Anon in NYC says
Not crazy. My husband (who does the laundry) hates the smell of Dreft, which is one of those baby-friendly detergents, and refuses to use it. Our normal detergent is Tide Free and Clear, and he uses that. Our daughter is fine. If your child has a skin reaction, you’ll know.
Meg Murry says
I still think it’s bizarre that Dreft is supposed to be baby-friendly, but it is so highly perfumed.
Anon in NYC says
Agreed!
Meg Murry says
Pretty sure its a recommended. not a required – its a combo of “use fragrance free in case your child is sensitive” and “here’s a way for us to sell more specialized laundry detergent”.
My family does have sensitive skin (and overall sensitivity to fragrances) so we’ve been using fragrance free and no fabric softener for years now, but that’s mainly because
1)I am more sensitive to it than anyone else in my family and I buy the the laundry detergent
2) I’m not bothering to stock 2 different kinds of detergent
I don’t use anything that’s specifically marketed at babies though, just fragrance free and use an extra rinse cycle on the washer.
If, by any chance your child IS sensitive to detergents or fragrances though, you’ll probably want to switch your whole household to one that your child doesn’t react to, because the baby will spend a decent amount of time with its face pressed against your shirt, your sheets if you nurse in bed, etc.
Anonymous says
I definitely never used special baby detergent — loyal Tide user here. Baby has been completely fine.
shortperson says
depends on the baby. if you didnt think of it you probably come from hearty genetics so you’ll likely be ok. but theres a chance you’ll need to rewash everything after baby gets a rash.
Sara says
Okay, thanks, all! This is all the reassurance I need. :) I plan to buy a fragrance-free detergent now (we just happened to run out of our old one after my washing spree last weekend) and if our little one has any sort of reaction or indication of sensitive skin, we’ll rewash everything asap.
Thanks!
POSITA says
If by chance there is an issue, don’t forget to rewash your shirts and your husbands shirts. The baby will be spending many hours on your shoulders. My infant reacted when I wore a wool sweater once.
Meg Murry says
FYI, if you do wind up re-washing, this is the kind of task that is excellent for those people that say “just tell me what can I do to help” if you have them in your life. For instance, my MIL really wanted to feel helpful and useful, so I kept a running list of things like this (baby seems to be having an allergic reaction to our detergent, please go get all the baby’s clothes out of the top two drawers and throw them in the washer with the unscented detergent please) for that scenario.
MomAnon4This says
Assuming you’re northern hemisphere… the weather is getting warmer and though the babe will be swaddled, you don’t need as many blankets as a winter baby. You’ll be fine. You’ve passed your first motherhood crisis and the baby hasn’t even been born yet — good job!
Sara says
Thanks, I appreciate it! I meant those thin swaddle blankets that double as burp cloths…but yes, agreed, no heavy blankets for our May baby!
EB0220 says
We already use fragrance free detergent b/c my husband and I are both sensitive, but if I were you I wouldn’t re-do anything. Just rewash if your kiddo seems to have an issue.
Anonymous says
My relatively sensitive skin baby is fine with regular detergent. But I accidentally threw in a few of her items with a load of my stuff, and for some reason I put oxi clean in (which I rarely use other than on husbands socks). She reacted TERRIBLY and for a week I was chasing down everything that was in that load because as soon as she would touch an “infected” shirt of mine it was hive city.
Anons says
Huh. EWG actually rates oxi clean as very environmentally friendly, odd that she was sensitive to that but not the detergent.
Meg Murry says
Oxygen bleach is fairly safe, which is why EWR rated it so highly, but if it isn’t thoroughly rinsed out it can be a skin irritant. Also, regular oxiclean contains fragrance, I believe – they also sell a fragrance free version.
SC says
I wouldn’t rewash everything, but I might rewash a couple of outfits you expect baby to wear early, and maybe 1-2 blankets. That way, if there is a sensitivity, you’re prepared. Most likely, everything will be fine, but it would be good to have a few things baby can wear if you end up needing to rewash the rest of it. By the way, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as baby-friendly laundry detergent until my baby shower, which amused my relatives. My mom, who was in town for the shower, bought some for me before baby’s arrival.
Anonymous with Sensitive Skin says
I’ve always just found it easier to rinse everything with a cup of vinegar added. The residue is usually the problem, and vinegar helps with a clean rinse. (So something washed in Tide and rinsed in vinegar might actually be better than something washed in Dreft with no vinegar rinse.) And I always avoid fabric softener. If you do rewash everything, I would just wash with a cup or two of vinegar added to the wash. You don’t need to buy a fancy soap product.
RR says
Only one of my 3 had a sensitivity, and a second rinse cycle was the key–not the detergent. Just my experience, but unless your little one has a reaction, I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
Anonymous says
I used Tide Free& Clear. We had previously used like, Arm & Hammer brand so I “upgraded.” No issues at all. I did try to keep to unscented stuff in the first 6 months.
cloth diaper help says
I am trying to understand how best to do cloth diapering for the first time but I am totally overwhelmed. Even with reading the “easy start” stuff on Kelly’s Closet. From what I understand trying a few types and seeing what works best is the way to go. Can people tell me what they liked best for a newborn? I obviously don’t know how big he’s going to be, but my family has a history of hefty babies so I’m thinking signs point to him being on the 8-10 pound side (barring preemie status or anything like that).
Navy Lawyer says
Just a note, if you plan on sending baby to daycare, ask the daycare if they are willing to do cloth diapers. If not you can still do cloth at home!
cloth diaper help says
Good call, I did not even think of that! We were already planning on using disposable for traveling (my family is not local), but I hadn’t even thought about daycare. Thank you!
October says
Tip: when using disposables, put a diaper cover (just the PUL part, not the actual absorbent diaper part) over the disposable to help contain any mess. We had so many outfit changes when using disposables for traveling and adding the covers kept it contained.
Clementine says
Hi! I absolutely love my cloth diapers. We use the Flips system which is a cover that is made of the PUL material to keep wetness in plus some type of absorbency on the inside. There’s a lot to cloth diapering, so here’s my basic rundown:
-It’s not worth it to buy newborn diapers. Just use disposables for the first couple weeks (nobody wants to clean meconium out of a diaper… ewww…) until they fit into a normal-ish size. My kid fit the Flips with a newborn insert around 7 or 8 pounds. If you really want to have something, I’d just do newborn refolds + Snappi + Newborn cover.
-There are lots of types, but basically you use either an all in one (AIO), pocket style, or cover + some type of insert. We’ve used all three types, but we found that AIO’s took forever to dry (and shouldn’t be put in the dryer), pockets required stuffing which is a PITA, and our flips are very trim and easy to care for.
Cloth diapering has been much easier than I expected, actually. Also, our daycare is perfectly happy to do cloth as long as there’s no pinning, so that’s a win. I could talk about this all day long.
BKDC says
I put my AIOs in the dryer on low and they would just never dry. I did love the rumperooz for newborns, but I sold all of my AIOs after we got out of the newborn stage because I knew that I would never re-use them for a second child because of the drying issue. For baby #2, I think I’m going to stick with prefolds (and flour sack towels — google it) and diaper covers. Maybe we were lucky, but we only had a few poo-splosions, but they were always while my son was in disposables.
Sarabeth says
We have only ever used Flips as well. They are reasonably cheap, dry much quicker than AIOs, and are easier to deal with because you don’t have to use a new cover each time. We ended up with about 12 covers and 30 inserts, I think? That was enough that we only had to do a wash every three days. Bought them used, mostly in one big lot.
Cloth diapers are the kind of thing that some people get REALLY into – buying limited edition patterns, having tons of styles, etc. We just picked a system, bought a ton of them, and didn’t worry too much about it. That worked out totally fine too.
Clementine says
Just wanted to add that we use a couple different things for absorbency inside.
Day:
-Prefolds. Osocozy and GMD are the best quality ones, IMO.
-Flips Stay-Dry: Really stay nice and dry to the touch. They’re also the easiest and are what goes to daycare.
=Flips Organic Cotton: Just a big, flat rectangle of jersey. They’re great, but I’m not sure I like them more than regular organic prefolds or flats.
For night we use either the Flips overnight cotton with a fleece liner/newborn stay dry on top (so baby doesn’t feel wet) or a GMD Workhorse fitted with a fleece liner/newborn stay dry on top.
If I were starting again, I think I might do the same all over again. All told, we were able to get everything for $250 or so. We did get a couple hand-me-downs, but we got all our covers on sale for $7 each.
NewMomAnon says
Sign up for a couple months of rental service? There are also stores that will send you “starter packs.”
Basically, I spent a lot of my marathon cluster feeding nights researching cloth diapers on my phone. We started with disposables and switched partially to cloth after the first month. I started with some diaper covers (so cute) and some prefolds and flats, and then a few pocket diapers. I liked the pockets best and ordered a bunch more.
October says
There is so much information out there and I was in that same boat. (Baby is 8 months now and I’ve learned you just have to pick something and stop all. the. research.) For the newborn stage, I loved Thirsties newborn all-in-ones (with the snaps). They went on and off like a disposible – so easy – and were nice and trim to fit underneath those tiny onesies. I think we bought about 6 (and I would totally have wanted more if they weren’t so expensive and used for a relatively short period of time). We also got a pack of twelve green mountain newborn prefolds and three thirsties covers (newborn and size 1) for nights/once the all-in-ones ran out in the day. I did laundry at most every other day, usually every day.
Now that baby is older, we primarily use the green mountain small prefolds and the thirsties size 1 covers, with a few all-in-ones (I like bumGenius). Baby is starting to get awfully fidgety, though, so I think I may need to invest is some more all-in-ones for faster changes. At night we also use a variety of doublers for absorbancy, but didn’t need that for the newborn stage.
I would love to hear what other moms are doing, as I am still figuring it out! For OP, I’d start with a small stash for the newborn stage, and then you can refine for the next stage. (We got away with newborn diapers til about 8 weeks, if I remember correctly).
Philanthropy Girl says
Price was a HUGE factor for us. We ended up buying a major stash off Craig’s List of BabyLand – they’re what many refer to as “China Cheapies.” Snaps, pockets, one-size. We had both microfiber and bamboo inserts, although I’ve used homemade flannel liners and stuffed prefolds in the pockets as well. The family we bought from had purchased their entire stash, washed them, and then never used them due to not checking with daycare. We couldn’t afford to trial a bunch of things – we read a few reviews and then just went for it. Even new, Babyland is pretty affordable (available thru Ebay). If we wouldn’t have been constrained by cost I’d probably have gone with BumGenius.
Our LO was in NB disposables for a while (we use Earth’s Best), until he grew into the cloth diapers. We never had any problems – never had to strip, never had odor issues. Honestly, they were super easy. We hooked up a kitchen sink sprayer to our toilet instead of buying a diaper sprayer. Dry bag in the nursery, wet bag in the bathroom. Buying used, we had a huge stash for just a couple hundred bucks – and only had to wash once a week – the smaller your stash, the more laundry. Liners go in the dryer, diapers hang to dry. Bleach in the sun when possible.
We travel with disposable. When he started wetting out at a night, we doubled the liners. By the time he was about 11/12 months old, we went to disposables at night (heavy wetter), and he out grew the one-size around 13/14 months. He got really long in the torso and the diaper didn’t come up high enough to contain wetting. Mine are packed away now hoping for another baby to come along in a year or so.
Honestly – I tried to make the decision no big deal. Used diapers sell easily on Craigs List/Ebay/ Mom to mom sales/ CD Facebook groups – I knew if I hated them I’d have no problem selling them to someone who wanted them, in order to afford to switch to something different. I think there are groups/bloggers who try to hype CD up into a big huge, life altering decision. But really, it’s no more difficult than purchasing any other piece of equipment for your child.
MDMom says
So this isn’t exactly what you were asking, but this is my experience: I was interested in trying cloth diapering but not 100% sold (maybe 80%). Was going to do disposable for daycare because my kid’s daycare won’t do cloth. I bought about 4-5 (I think rumparooz brand) plus some soaker cloths that were recommended and washed them per package instructions. All ready to go. Then baby came and I was so busy and doing so much laundry (baby spit up a lot) that the thought of using those cloth diapers I had seemed just crazy. I never used them. I sold them on ebay a month or so ago at a decent price. Didn’t recoup full value, but did pretty well. Obviously I could have sold them for a bit more if they were brand new, never opened or washed, and they would have gone for less if I’d actually used them. I have never regretted this for a second because I just don’t have the time to deal with it. I hate laundry. But I don’t think I could have known this with as much certainty before baby was here. So if you’re interested in trying, you won’t lose that much by buying some to have around… but maybe don’t go all out until you’re sure you want to do it?
As a side note, this is one of those trends that perplexes my mother (who had babies in 79, 84, and 86) to no end. When my sister in law cloth diapered her youngest, my mom basically reacted as if she had decided to build an outhouse instead of using the indoor bathroom. Apparently mom had to cloth diaper her first baby, but disposables became widely available before the second baby, a development she viewed as “a gift from heaven.” Anyway, I know that’s a random aside, but I think it’s interesting how different generations view these things (I actually had expected my mom, who also breastfed, sews, cans her own home grown produce, and has various other homesteading skills due to her farm upbringing, to be pleased by the comeback of cloth diapering- not so much!).
layered bob says
here’s what we ended up doing and what I now strongly recommend:
1) rented newborn diapers from a local cloth diaper store for the first 6 weeks. We had a big baby (9+ pounds, 22+ inches) and she still definitely needed newborn-sized cloth initially.
– 30 fitteds (Kissaluvs – now discontinued which sucks because they are amazing!)
– 6 Thirsties (size 1) covers
After 6 weeks, we bought diapers after trying out a bunch of different kinds. So now we have:
2) for day:
– 24 prefolds (osocozy betterfit premium – love them)
– 6 Flip covers
3) for night:
– 6 bumGenius pockets
– 6 joeybunz hemp doublers
Wash with pre-rinse and extra rinse at the end, dye-free/fragrance-free detergent. Dry in the sun if possible, otherwise throw everything into the dryer. Haven’t had any problems in 7 months. So easy. Agree with Philanthropy Girl that people try to make cloth diapering into a way bigger deal than it is.
cloth diaper help says
This is so helpful, thanks! I registered for a few types, and I’m looking into a rental service. Phew.
NewMomAnon says
Thank you for all the kind comments about my mom guilt yesterday. Update from last night: kiddo had a scary fall at daycare while dad was picking her up, and she insisted on calling me right away. The minute her dad left my house, all she wanted was daddy. So I guess we just entered a new phase!
Also, she told me her version of the fall, which was, “[Kiddo] mad at daddy! Daddy fell and bonked [kiddo’s] head, ouch. But mad all better now. I love daddy.” I was so proud of her.
MomAnon4This says
That’s really sweet. You’re a great mom!
My 7yearold had an activity where he listed each person’s role in the family. Dad’s was “teach me”. Mom’s (I was driving him to said activity at the time) was “Cooking”. I was internally so mad but I know that this, too, will pass — and I am the best cook in the family, if I do say so myself.
Anonymous says
Lol, my son asked me the other day why I had to go to work, and I told him it was to make money, and he said, but Daddy can go to work and make money! (We both work.) I’m pretty sure he hasn’t internalized any patriarchal ideas about a woman’s place, given that he’s only 3 and has never known anything different, but… still!
Butter says
Reporting back on first day back at work being a flying day trip to another city since you were all so helpful.
The good:
-the nursing lounge at DCA. Was perfect for when I landed. A private room with a lock! And a rocking chair! And an outlet! And a mirror! All the wins.
-The TSA agent who waved me through after confirming that all I had in my cooler was milk and an icepack. Asked where the oreos were. I said EXACTLY.
-The giant office someone gave me at the Reserve Officers Association for pumping, complete with giant armchair.
The bad:
-realizing that pumping takes way longer on the road in strange locations than at home. Unpacking everything, getting it all set up, then wiping it off/down and putting it all away, etc was a good 30min.
-using my handpump in an airport bathroom stall before the flight to buy some time. Whoever said bathroom stalls were gross wasn’t joking.
-sitting on the runway on a packed airplane for TWO HOURS due to a rain delay with boobs about to explode. I did use the handpump a couple of times but still carried a bag of rocks in my bra home with me.
All in all, grateful the next trip isn’t for a few more months!
Clementine says
You’re amazing. That’s pretty incredible.
Way to survive mom-hazing!
MomAnon4This says
Love this term for things that stretch your capabilities in those newborn months – whether sleepless nights or husband insisting on a road trip halfway across the country to see his mom who can’t come to you due to her new job. Definitely hazing.
NewMomAnon says
Wow, warrior mom!
I once had to hand-express into a toilet in a public restroom while at a wedding reception because I was so uncomfortable. It was a strange experience and I’m sure the other women in the restroom were really confused. I’m so glad to be done with b*feeding.
Philanthropy Girl says
You are amazing! I never braved the handpump – so you’re a hero in my book.
And yes. Bathrooms are nasty nasty. For me, the only thing worse than pumping in a bathroom was nursing. With a very active 9 month old who wanted to touch everything and escape to craw and explore. BLECH!
MDMom says
Oh man, glad it went relatively ok. The $30 hand pump can definitely be a lifesaver in those kinds of emergencies. After this introduction to working motherhood, your first day back in the actual office should be a breeze.
Anons says
For your next trip, consider some Freemies, even if you just use them on the plane and the regular pump elsewhere. It is basically a wearable pump. Depends on your body type and outfit,, but for many women they aren’t that noticeable (and again, probably would be fine to just slip them on right before you got on the plane even if you didn’t want to wear all day).
TBK says
When did people turn their kids’ car seats around? Our twins are two and have Britax Boulevards. They’re below the weight limit for rear-facing and I’m thinking they’ll be too tall for the seats at all before they’re too heavy to be rear-facing (if that makes sense — the height limit is the same front or back, but the weight limit is slightly lower for back, but I think they’ll be too tall for the seats period before they’re too heavy for rear-facing). Is there any reason at all not to just keep them rear-facing until they’re too big for these seats? I just know that people do turn their kids around at 2, but I’m wondering why.
RR says
I know people who do it early and people who have 3-4 year olds rear facing. If it’s not bothering them or you to have them rear facing, no reason to turn them around. It is safer. That said, we turned our youngest around just before 2. She was huge, such that maneuvering her around that LATCH strap was getting problematic, and we were going on vacation with lots of driving.
Anonymama says
California just passed a new law requiring rear facing until age 2 (or 40lbs/40″).
People turn them around earlier because kids can often see better when forward-facing, so less crying and less likely to get carsick, and it’s easier to get them in. But much much safer to be rear facing in an accident, due to head size and relatively weak neck strength of young kids.
Anonymous says
Safer to keep rear facing as long as possible. We just turned around my almost 5 year old. He has been rear facing in a Diono Radian seat since he outgrew the bucket seat. It’s actually more comfortable for long rides especially bc their little legs aren’t dangling…they can fold them or stretch out relatively easily.
NewMomAnon says
Whoa….I don’t have the Britax (we have an Evenflo), but the instructions for ours said you had to turn it around when their head reached within an inch of the top of the car seat (it also had a max weight/max height for rear facing and she hadn’t hit that yet). My kiddo hit the “inch below the top” point just before her second birthday – she is tall, but not massively so. She had to bunch her little legs up to stay rear facing and was seriously unhappy about that. And ours is supposed to be good for extended rear facing.
Betty says
I had a screamer. Seriously. Non-stop screaming if she was in her car seat and rear facing regardless of the length of trip, and for fun, sometimes she would get car sick. We turned her around at 2, because the lack of screaming made it much less likely that anyone driving her would get into a car accident. And, I was about totally loose my s**t if I had to continue driving her twice a day screaming. So, for us, that was the reason we turned her around.
Anonymous says
My kid is now 2.5 and is very long (99%). We turned the seat in the SUV around in November of this year because it was so much easier to interact with her while driving and so the snow/slush/dirt from her winter boots didn’t gunk up the car seat.
We still have her seat backwards in the sedan because she doesn’t typically travel in that car and we are lazy. Figure if she doesn’t complain keep here backwards since that car is smaller and more likely to take the brunt of an accident. The SUV is a rhino.
Anons says
I’m planning to rearface as long as possible and have bought a seat that will hopefully get us to at least age 3. Only way I would consider turning around the seat earlier is if I had a screamer like Betty, or a kid that was pretty carsick from rearfacing and was throwing up each trip. Otherwise, I will not turn the seat around until she outgrows the limits to rearface. I’ve watched the crash videos comparing the two options. No way will I forward face until circumstances or growth force it.
BC Woes says
Just want to whine about my lady problems. I was on the BC shot and then on implanon for about six years total before I had my kid. I loved it. No side effects other than no period. It was amazing.
So of course I got the implanon (now nexplanon, but same hormone) put back in six weeks after my kid was born. It has been a disaster. I keep waiting for it to get better since I had such a great experience with it the first time. But it is actually getting worse. I am bleeding 60%+ of the time, completely unpredictably. Spotting, then free flow, then nothing, then biblical plague. I am in a really busy time at work, but as soon as it slows down, I am taking my soggy, bloody, crampy self to the gyno for something different. UGH! End rant.
Anon in NYC says
Ugh, I hear you on the period front. Since it returned postpartum it has been waaaay more intense than pre-pregnancy. I’m not on BC, so no recommendations there, but good luck!
Famouscait says
What sunscreen do y’all like for the kiddos? My son has to wear it every day at daycare, and I want to find something that doesn’t smell. Right now, I feel like I need to bathe him every night just to get the residue and lingering smell off his skin.
Anon in NYC says
The last time I asked our pediatrician about it my daughter was under 6 months, so the answer may be different today, but she recommended ThinkBaby, Honest, and one other that I can’t remember. I have Blue Lizard Baby as well.
Honest had that whole thing last year where people were posting photos of their sunburns after using Honest sunscreen. I never really looked into it, so I don’t know if it is a formula issue/Honest issue or if it’s people who did not apply sunscreen as directed.
Anonymous says
It was an Honest issue. They changed the formula to have less zinc oxide because people were complaining the product was too thick/white, but they didn’t get the product re-tested for SPF. I have some of the reformulated product. It was worse than bare skin for me, and I got fried. Fortunately, I’d used something else on my kids.