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Jones New York has steep discounts on their entire suiting collection, including the washable wool pieces — so if you’ve been on the hunt for a washable suit or separates, today may be the day to strike. They come in regular and plus sizes, and there are pants, skirts, and blazers. Just for an example, this washable wool jacket was $159, but is now marked to $59. You can create any two-piece suit for $99. Nice. Jones New York Washable Suiting
Sales of note for 12.5.23…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Holiday sale up to 50% off; 5x the points on beauty for a limited time
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase & extra 15% off sweaters
- Banana Republic – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything & extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – Extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase with code
- Lands’ End – Up to 70% off everything; free shipping (readers love the cashmere)
- Loft – 50% off your purchase with code (ends 12/5)
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off select styles & free scarf with orders $125+ (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is down to $75)
- Talbots – 40% off your regular-price purchase; extra 50% off all markdowns
- Zappos – 34,000+ women’s sale items! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- Crate&kids – Free shipping sitewide; up to 50% off toy + gift event; free monogramming for a limited time only (order by 12/15)
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off your purchase with code
- Pottery Barn Kids – Up to 50% off toys, furniture & gifts
- Graco – Holiday savings up to 35% off; sign up for texts for 20% off full-price item
- Walmart – Up to 25% off top baby gifts; big savings on Delta, Graco, VTech, Fisher-Price & more
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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?
Carrie M says
Ladies, I need laundry help. Two problems:
1) Ring around the collar. I had been doing a good job with tackling this problem on my husband’s work shirts, but the stains are getting harder and harder to remove. I’ve been doing a pretreatment spray (like Zout) or a paste with OxiClean powder that I would rub in with a toothbrush. Sometimes the OxiClean fades the colors, so that’s not great. Other ideas?
2) Baby threw up all over a new shirt last night – a Loft utility blouse. It’s 100% polyester. I immediately washed it off and then threw it in the delicate cycle on cold (per instructions). Stain is still there. Ideas? (Besides changing out of work clothes before putting her down for bed….)
TIA!
Meg Murry says
For baby throw up – the stain is probably fatty from milk, so dish soap might get it out better than laundry soap. Worth a chance if the shirt is otherwise ruined anyway.
Burgher says
There is an adhesive/oil remover (cannot remember the exact name, but it’s with the Goof Off type products) that I’ve purchased at home improvement stores. I’ve used it as a last ditch effort to get oily stains out when dish soap doesn’t work and it has worked most of the time.
mascot says
1) Try rubbing some Dawn in the stain and let it sit. It’s good for breaking up grease/oil stains. I also like the Oxyclean spray and the Shout spray for stains. You may have to wash them a couple of times.
2) The Dreft stain remover seemed to work on all sorts of baby stains. I used to pre-treat any spit-up/formula stains with it and baby’s clothes remained in good shape.
(former) preg 3L says
I swear by Shout. I spray the stain immediately and let it sit for >5 minutes (sometimes a few days, until I get around to doing laundry) and it works every time for me.
ANP says
I know you said Oxyclean has faded some shirts in the past, but I’m religious about the stuff. I’ll put a couple of scoops into the sink, fill with boiling hot water, and soak a piece of clothing overnight — so, perhaps this is more diluted than using it as a paste directly on the affected area? I’ve used it on poly clothing before too but obviously YMMV here. I also put a scoop of Oxy into every wash load and rarely have to pretreat for stains.
anon says
My favorite stain remover is Zout.
Carrie M says
Thanks all! I hadn’t thought about dish soap – will try that and soaking in OxiClean instead of applying it directly.
Denveranon says
For any grease stains, even those that have already been through the dryer, use Fulsol concentrate from Fuller Brush Company. You can buy a gallon on amazon. It will last a year or more, and it gets out EVERY grease stain ever, and also lots of other stains easily (including ring-around-the-collar).
Anon S says
Good morning ladies! For you current moms, I need some pack N play recommendations. My husband and I are expecting our first in April. We live in a 3 bedroom (all one floor) condo in Chicago. We’re considering the Nuna Sena Travel Crib and also the Graco pack n play with reversible napper. Links posted below. We are getting the 2015 uppa baby vista and the bassinet stand, so I guess baby can sleep in there for the first few months, but I also like the graco pack N play option for her to sleep in as well. That’s the main reason I lean to the Graco one. As for the Nuna one, I just like the sleek design! No real reason other than that.
Any recommendations for or against either of these, or any other recommendations? Thanks ladies!
Anon S says
Nuna Sena:
http://www.albeebaby.com/nuna-sena-travel-crib-tc-11-safari.html?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&gdftrk=gdfV21377_a_7c623_a_7c12148_a_7cTC_d_11_d_004&gclid=CNKItb21pcMCFYRFaQodYyAARw
Anon S says
Graco with napper:
http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Playard-Reversible-Napper-Changer/dp/B00GY8J8H8/ref=dp_ob_title_baby
pockets says
This is just my personal experience, but I got a Chicco pack-n-play and I hardly ever used it. Right now it’s used as toy storage. The baby slept in a bassinet for the first few weeks and then moved to her crib and that was that. I wish I had bought a lighter, more portable travel crib to use for traveling. Not to throw a wrench in your plans, but I wish I had gotten this one instead of a pack-n-play: http://www.amazon.com/Lotus-Travel-Crib-Portable-Playard/dp/B00AKKDSNG/
NewMomAnon says
I second this – we got a Chicco pack-n-play, and both sets of grandparents got Graco pack-n-plays, but my kiddo will only sleep with me while out of the house (maybe this will change now that she sleeps better, cross your fingers). So the only thing we have used the pack-n-plays for are changing tables. Buying a changing pad for each house instead of a pack-n-play would have saved hundred of dollars.
But we also had a bassinet in our bedroom for the first 3-4 months and a crib in the nursery, so my kiddo was never going to sleep in the pack-n-play at home. If you do plan to use the pack-n-play as a crib at home, I suggest getting a better mattress; the ones they come with are really thin and hard to clean. If you don’t plan to use it as an everyday crib, I suggest buying the cheapest one you can find or getting a loaner from a friend to see if you use it.
Nonny says
Thirded. We never used ours at all – we co-slept at the beginning and then transitioned straight to a crib. Our baby never even played in it. Ever since buying it, it has sat in the corner of our family room with toys/cushions/various junk in it. The only reason we haven’t gotten rid of it yet is in the vague thought that if there is an emergency and we have to run out of the room for a minute, we can put the baby in it. But if there was really an emergency, we would probably take the baby with us so I’m not even sure that is valid. YMMV but it has been absolutely no use to us.
anne-on says
Ditto. The pack and play was where I put my son for maybe 5-10 minutes while I took a quick shower, but other than that I never used it. A crib and a bassinet sounds like more than enough. Maybe a rock and play if you want another place to put baby down?
ANP says
We have an older version of the Graco you posted, without the mobile, and have used it for two kids (#3 is due this summer). I like it a lot b/c it allowed baby to sleep in our room for the first few months w/o having to move the crib. Also, having the changer/napper station up higher gives you a designated place for diaper duty that’s more convenient than changing baby on the floor or on your own bed in the middle of the night. We really only used the napper/changer portion in the first 9 months, but it was definitely worth it to us.
If you have any friends or relatives with small kids OR if you travel overnight anywhere at all, a Pack N Play (or similar product) is worth the investment. Hotels will have PNPs or cribs but friends or grandmas don’t always have a crib on hand, plus we use ours when friends with kids are over and want to put their little ones down for a nap or whatever.
JJ says
Yeah, our PNP is used most often as a travel crib. We would always travel places that offered cribs, but more often than not the cribs were pretty ratty, unstable, scary, and/or small. So we always bring our PNP with us because it guarantees a (safe) place to sleep. We’ve used an older version of the Graco you posted and it’s been great for our needs. We don’t really use it at home – more as a confined place to put the baby when you really need him to be safe and still for a few minutes.
Jen says
we bought one and ended up leaving it at Grandma’s. Our baby slept in the crib from day 1, or in the swing. Daughter is 15 months now and still sleeps happily in the graco PNP at grandmas, and did for a while at daycare, too.
Katarina says
I considered not getting a travel crib, but I ended up getting the cheap Graco one without the changing table and newborn napper. I have used it much more than I anticipated. Besides travel, my son enjoyed playing in it when he was young. Now that he is older he naps in it (we can put it somewhere dark). I would consider your travel needs. For driving travel, it is sufficiently portable. Our long distance travel has been to visit family, and we bought them a second cheap pack n play, which is both cheaper and more convenient than a more portable one. My son loved the toy bar, it was the first toy item he was interested in. It was also good for practicing sitting and standing.
Maddie Ross says
We got a P&P and my parents bought one as well to keep at their house (as we often fly there). We don’t necessarily use ours for anything except travel, except for a short period of time around 9-10 months when baby girl was difficult to monitor in the morning when we were both getting ready (and then jsut as a baby jail). We had a small house and never used the “newborn napper” or changing table options on ours, though we did twice at my parents house when we went there when she was really little. If they hadn’t been there though, we just would have improvised. So long story short, for us, I would still buy a P&P, but I would not get one with the options/attachments – just the basic one. We used our rock and play WAY more.
Burgher says
I have that Graco and loved it for traveling.
RR says
I’ve had 3 different Graco pack n plays over the last 7 years, and I have loved all 3 of them.
FWIW, our most recent one had the napper , which I never used. I did use the changers all the time, so I would look for one with a good changing table and storage for diapers/wipes/cream.
Our babies all slept in them for the first couple months in our room (we skipped the bassinet entirely in favor of the pack n play, which we could use later as well), and we used them for travel. It guarantees a safe place to sleep/put baby in a hotel room or at Grandma’s.
Watermelon says
Guava Family Lotus is the best travel crib, though small for a play pen. It’s light, quick to set up, and zips all the way down to the floor, allowing cuddling baby to sleep and then just zipping the crib up (no setting the baby down).
Sarabeth says
Ditto this. The zip configuration turns out to be amazingly convenient. This is our daughter’s only crib. We travel regularly and I like that she can sleep in the same thing at home or on the road.
hoola hoopa says
I’ve picked for style and then I got a Graco. Seriously, get the Graco.
We never used at home. I find PNPs in general to be awkward and far prefer a porta/mini crib or cradle. But as obnoxious as they are to haul around, IME there really is no better travel alternative for the time between a baby outgrowing the newborn options and being old enough for a bed/couch/mattress.
JMDS says
We own both the Nuna Sena and the Nuna mini (don’t ask why — I need to sell one). Don’t get the mini version. It is so tiny and will barely last. Love the Nuna Sena. Really nice mattress, really good quality. We used it as a crib in the beginning as I had a big baby and the bassinet my dad made us was just way too small. Baby slept in it well until we finally got annoyed with it taking up so much room and got the Rock n Play. I would really recommend that as a first crib (or check out that new Halo thing which looks amazing), rather than using the Nuna.
I now never use this as home, and just keep it at my moms for baby to sleep there when we are over. He sleeps well in it, and I like it for that purpose. Agree with the commenters that is is pretty awkward to move around, and my kid won’t sit in there happily so I can’t use it as a playpen anyway.
Just note that if you do get the Nuna, you don’t HAVE to buy their sheets. They are very expensive and stain easily (although they are very soft). Regular crib sheets fit just fine, but you need a thicker material as the mattress is a bit rough.
In House Lobbyist says
I borrowed my sister Chico’s for the first baby and never used it. Borrowed it again for the second baby and we used it more this time. We moved and our current house had all the bedrooms upstairs so we used it downstairs in the family room for changing and short naps. My sister never used her for both kids other than occasional use. My parents bought a Graco and have really used it for all the grandkids to take naps and spend the night in. My mom did buy the porta crib mattress to make it more comfortable. So my main point is see if you can borrow one or buy a used one at a consignment sale but I wouldn’t spend a couple hundred dollars on one.
Jen says
For those of you that have more than one young child needing care, what arrangement do you have, and why? We are thinking about starting to try for #2, and while our daughter is in daycare now, having a second baby changes our options a bit.
Daughter would be somewhere between 2.5-3.5 when the next one is born, so we could put both in daycare, or get a nanny and put the older on in part time preschool. I like the idea of having the little one with a nanny, but our daughter was in daycare from 11 weeks and is now a super happy 15 month old. she was a daycare poster child and gets bored when she stays home with me all day :) On balance, though, I like the idea that the siblings could spend more time together (vs separate classrooms) with a nanny, and a nanny seems like it would be useful to have with two nuggets running around. We live in MA, where daycare costs about the same as college tuition (not even kidding), so a nanny for two would be more, but not not that much more expensive than daycare for two. I’d have to pay for preschool on top, but again, it’s nominal in the grand scheme of childcare costs.
I work from home, in a segregated home office, most days. I like the idea of taking a lunch and getting to see the kids, but also am hesitant that the work/home boundaries would get fuzzy (despite my clearly segregated home office, that our child doesn’t ever go into now, even on weekends).
Burgher says
We have a 2.5 year old in daycare currently and will also send baby #2 there in a few months. However, daycare is still a far cheaper option than a nanny would be here. If it were a third child, I’d probably consider a nanny, since that would bring the costs closer.
I was thinking the nanny sounded like a great option for you, until you said that you work from home. Personally, I don’t think I could deal with that. Even if your child doesn’t go in there now, they will eventually figure out that is where you are.
R says
+1. I only work from home two days a week, and would NEVER consider in-home care because of it. My kids didn’t bother me in the office until the oldest was about 2.5, then suddenly she couldn’t stay out of the office (and would howl at the closed door, and get little brother to join in). That made the decision easy to go from 3 days daycare/ 2 days grandma-nanny to a full week at daycare, despite the huge increase in cost. And I now enjoy having my own lunch hour to run errands or do laundry or just veg for a while. “Me time” is pretty rare these days.
BTW, my kids find plenty of time to play together, even with separate classrooms at daycare. We actually moved beds around so they now share a bedroom, just because they ended up in the same room all the time anyway.
Jen says
I also have an office, it’s just a drive. And i travel a lot. so I do have flexibility. My broader worry/concern was giving the baby more time at home and giving the siblings more time with each other at a young age. I grew up with a SAHM and ran around with my younger siblings until we all headed off into school.
JJ says
I’d say it depends on the daycare, as well. My kids are close in age (18 months apart) and see each other all the time during the day. I know they play on the playground/in the gym at the same time and the teachers tell me that my sons will spend the entire time playing together. Since they’re also in “extended hours” care (from 6:30 until 6:30), the daycare will combine classes in the afternoon and my sons will be together for a few hours before I pick them up.
They also play together at night, in the mornings while we get ready, and all weekend. My youngest is 17 months and they’re already inseparable. In fact, my oldest (who will be 3 in February), told me that his little brother was his “best friend” this weekend. Awwww.
anne-on says
I work from home and my son haaates staying home while I’m working because he knows I’m there and can’t see/play with me. Having a nanny would not work for me. Having super fun grandparents over to watch him while I work only works if they take him out of the house, otherwise I just hear the cries for ‘mommy!’.
RR says
We have always done daycare, although I see the benefits of a nanny. I have 7 year old twins, in daycare for before/after school care, and a 17 month old, in daycare full time.
Anonyc says
Three kids, all in daycare as babies, even though that may not have been the most convenient/cost-effective sometimes. House rule is everyone has somewhere to be until 5/6. Currently have a first grader, who does afterschool; a preschooler, who stays for the aftercare portion; and a baby, who is in full day daycare. We have always had a sitter/PT nanny to help with evenings, however (pickups, dinner, baths, and now next day meal prep), as there was never a time when us parents could regularly leave work for pickup. With three we are up to having our sitter pick all kids up and do the evening routine 5 days a week; she clocks on at 3 to do meal prep (lunches and dinners) and stays until I get home.
We originally had our kids in daycare because of the cost, primarily, and I have become a full convert to the benefits of daycare socialization/learning. I know for some kids it doesn’t work, but mine have flourished in school. We had wonderful transitions to elementary schools and I think it really prepared my kid academically in a more rigorous way. It also saves me the trouble of constantly having to sign them up for classes/activities/etc. and/or arrange playdates; we do some activities on the weekend and that feels like a lot to handle (can’t imagine thinking of things to line up for every day). Most folks I know who have nannies eventually sign their children up for preschool, so you’re paying for both at that point. I’ll also add that it takes the pressure off me for scheduling playdates and whatnot–our weekends mostly are family-time-oriented.
All that being said, nannies are generally easier for parents’ lives/schedules. My experience with trying to work from home when kiddos have been sick shows that my kids would never be able to stay away from me if I worked from home, but yours may be better.
Anonymous says
I would not do a nanny if you will be working from home, even with segregated office. I know many who have tried and exactly one person for whom it worked.
With two, they were at the same in-home daycare initially. It was very good to have them in the same environment (ie, not separate classrooms in same building) because it really helped calm baby #2, who has always found daycare/school stressful.
Then older went to an academic pre-kindergarten program (with aftercare) while younger stayed at daycare. Pro was having her in a more rigorous setting – she was ready for that – but con was two drop-off and two pick-ups. Thankfully the two were relatively close geographically.
Then with three kids, oldest was in elementary school and younger two were in a daycare (we relocated away from orig home center). Pro was that middle child was getting preschool without having to use a third facility, but we did miss having sibling and baby together for baby’s sake. The daycare picks up my oldest for aftercare, so we only have one pick-up, but it costs more than the school aftercare. This is very expensive.
I’m very strongly considering a nanny, which I never wanted before, solely to remove the necessity of getting three kids ready and distributed every morning. It would also be cheaper (depending on preschool cost), provide care when a child is ill, and hopefully provide homework time for my oldest. That would mean baby is at home with nanny full time, middle is in a new part-time preschool, and oldest would be home instead of aftercare. Con is that we’d have to trust someone who is essentially un-monitored and without back-up to care for the kids and do all the transportation.
In House Lobbyist says
My 4 year old is in preschool 2 days a week. He had a nanny full time until he was 1 and then transitioned to part time school/husband/nanny. Our 16 month will start 2 days a week when she’s 2. We get a regular sitter once a week or so depending on my husband’s needs. He has a side job he does. My point is that when my job wanted to set me up for a home office earlier this week, we both decided it just wouldn’t work. The daytime caregiver needs their own routine and some days husband wants out of the house so the kids can get on with their regular schedule. I think it would be difficult to be home with little ones even in a separate office. And there is a lot of drama that goes into nannies and it can be difficult to find someone you trust completely if you don’t have access to family.
Anon S says
Follow up question – has anyone used the uppa baby bassinet?
T. McGill says
Used it for both kids. With #1, we were in an apartment, so we just rolled the stroller into our bedroom at night. With #2 we bought the stand, so would just pop the bassinet into the stroller when we were going out. When I bought the stand, I also bought the laundry bags; once #2 moved into a crib, the stand became my hamper (an expensive hamper, but whatever). Considering how quickly babies outgrow the bassinet, didn’t make sense to buy a separate one when we could just buy it as part of a stroller (vista, not cruz).
JJ says
I did. We used it from coming home from the hospital until the babies were about 2 months. My babies are huge, so at that point they were just too big.
We loved the bassinet. We bought the stand and just put it up against my side of the bed at night. I could just reach in and grab the baby for the night feedings. I also could put the bassinet in the living room during the day if I wanted a change of scenery while the baby napped.
Honestly, though, the best part about the bassinet was the stand then converted into a dual hamper. We use that for dirty clothes for my kids and it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
anne-on says
I used it for a few weeks while my son was teeny. Honestly the most useful part of it has been the hamper conversion, we use that thing constantly and I love that the ‘bags’ for the hamper can be thrown in the wash too, especially with gross diaper accidents.
Meg Murry says
And thanks Kat for today’s post – I’m in need of a new interview suit that comes in plus sizes, and didn’t have much luck with anything I liked in the MLK day sales. If anyone has any other recommendations for places for me to try other than JNY, please let me know. My local Macy’s had lots of sales, but was very picked over so very few pieces that went together.
My ideal suit would be a longer jacket, 2 or more buttons and available somewhere in the 16W-20W, in charcoal, light grey or black (not navy or brown). I probably won’t have need for it outside interviews, so it doesn’t need to be the best/nicest suit in the world. Any suggestions?
JJ says
Sejour at Nordstrom? I’ve been pretty happy with the suiting quality there. I know Nordstrom is also experimenting with selling some Eloquii pieces, as well.
Note to Nordstrom: Plus size people wear suits, too. It would be nice to be able to search for full suits and not have to piece together “Jackets/Outerwear” and “Skirts” or “Pants.”
RR says
Agree with Sejour at Nordstrom. Sejour and JNY are my go-to choices these days. I used to be a Talbots devotee, but the quality/fit issues are just ridiculous now. I haven’t tried the new Eloquii stuff (post-going out of business and coming back), but I’m intrigued. If I could spend $1000 on a suit, I’d do Lafayette 148.
hoola hoopa says
I also appreciate the tip! I rarely need a suit and recently had cause to dust mine off… and I need a new one.
Lorelai Gilmore says
I did a bunch of suit shopping recently and ended up with the pieces from JNY. Nordstrom’s Sejour line, which has been reliable for me in the past, didn’t work this time around – the fabrics looked terrible and the cuts were frumpy on me. I’ve almost given up on Talbots (and I am a card-carrying lifetime member of the fan club!) for suiting because it just never works on my body.
The Calvin Klein suiting that they carry at Macy’s is pretty great for the price. It didn’t quite work on me this time around, but my favorite gray suit was from there. I think they carry it online.
You might also look at Dress Barn – they carry a JNY line that has worked for me in the past. And I think their collection of shells and tops can be really great.
Ciao, pues says
Question on sleep training: Can you train you child to sleep until your desired wakeup time? Do you let your kid CIO in the morning?
My 12 month old goes down for the night in her crib super easily at 7pm, but still wakes up earlier than I’d like (around 5am), nurses in the bed, then sometimes falls back to sleep (still in bed) until around 7am. I would really like for her to sleep in her crib until 7, but have not had luck with leaving her to put herself back to sleep. Admittedly, I’ve only waited as long as 20 minutes or so until going to get her. She’s not ravenous when she nurses in the morning, but sometimes she is just AWAKE and ready for the day such that leaving her in her crib seems like it wouldn’t work. I’ve mostly heard of sleep training as a way to get kids to go to sleep at night (or for naps) but what about staying asleep after a full night? Is this just a pipe dream? We did try to put her down slightly later at night, but she is so tired and ready to sleep at 7pm, that we didn’t press it.
pockets says
What would happen if you just left her in the crib at 5am until you were ready to get her at 7am? I don’t know if you’re going to have much success trying to get her to sleep longer, but you may have success at getting her to quietly play in her crib until you’re ready to get her in the morning.
RR says
If she’s just fussing (and not full blown crying), I’d definitely leave her in her crib until the desired wake up time. Or, at least start with increasing by half hour increments. If she’s waking at 5:00, make her wait until 5:30. Then 6:00 and so forth. I’ve done CIO for night wakings, so I guess you could treat a 5:00 a.m. wakeup as a “night waking” and have her CIO.
Also, don’t keep her up later. Actually, maybe try a slightly earlier bedtime and see if she sleeps later. Sleep begets sleep.
Ciao, pues says
I’d like to avoid putting her down any earlier if possible since I only see her for an hour after work as it is :(
I’ll try gradually lengthening the time I let her fuss in the AM. Thanks!
RR says
Totally get that. My youngest goes to bed at 7:00 too, even though the older two went to bed more like 6:30 at this age. I get home later and like to see her.
mascot says
How many naps is she taking? We didn’t see later wake-up times until we dropped the morning nap and still nowhere near 7. There are ok-to-wake clocks that you can use when the child gets older, but 12 months won’t understand those. My child has always been a morning person and just now started “sleeping in” until 7-7:45 at age four. Can you put some safe toys in her crib for her to play with when she wakes up? Maybe add them after she goes to sleep so she’s not playing at 7pm.
Ciao, pues says
She still takes two naps (and seems to need them). Good idea with sneaking in some safe toys and see if she plays for a little while in the morning instead of fussing to be brought into bed. Currently she has a lovie, sleep sheep, and glow worm, but those have been staples for so long she probably just ignores them when she wakes up. Thanks!
Katarina says
My son started sleeping later when he dropped to one nap (at 14 months). I actually recommend a later bedtime. I recommend doing it in gradual increments like 15 minutes. I would move bedtime 15 minutes later, and stick with it for a week. Whenever I move bedtime earlier he wakes up earlier after a week or so of adjustment, so I assume the reverse would happen for a later bedtime.
hoola hoopa says
If she needs her naps, then move back her bedtime in 15 min increments and see if she’ll adjust her wake-up time. She’s only going to sleep for so many hours per day, so all you can do is try to put them where you want them.
Honestly, you may have luck or you may not. You can try to adjust their schedule – I encourage you to try – but if she’s an early waker to the core, you’re not going to have success.
anne-on says
Sadly my son is a super early waker like his dad. Some kids, when they’re up, they’re up. What we did is leave him alone (if he was awake, not crying or fussing) and he gradually learned to play/sing/talk to himself. Honestly, all this does is allow us more time to quickly shower/dress since I can’t sleep through my kid singing nursery songs to himself ;)
NewMomAnon says
Brainstorming request – when I was a kid, my parents recorded themselves reading stories and singing songs, and we had a sturdy little tape player that we could use semi-independently from a young age (I think I got mine when I was 1).
I’d like to do the same thing for my kiddo with today’s technology, but it looks like there isn’t a current corrolary – how would you go about this? I’ve thought about putting the recordings on an old iPod or iPad, but my kiddo would break it within minutes. I see that there are child-specific tablets but I’m hesitant to buy a dedicated tablet for a 1 year old. If I buy a used one off e-bay, can I even load my own recordings onto a Leapster pad or something like it? Or is there a good child-proof case for iPods/iPads? We have some old ones that could be repurposed.
ANP says
Mom of two iPad-loving kids here :) Both of mine started to be able to use apps a little before age 2. I would not buy a Leapster or kid-specific tablet, especially if you have an old iProduct that can be used for this — too cumbersome, not as flexible in terms of usage (i.e. with an iPad you can upgrade to “older” apps as your children age, where the lifespan of a kid tablet is much more limited). We have our old iPads in Otterboxes or similar and have never had an issue — even with our super-tornado of a 2-year-old. I would get an Otterbox and put the recordings on your iProduct/s.
hoola hoopa says
If you search hard enough, you can still find cassette players. My kids love my old one and use it to play my old listen-and-read book/cassette sets.
But what I’ve known people to do with modern technology is to buy one of the recordable books. They aren’t going to last forever, but they work well for the short-term. I know people who do them for the child to use when they are traveling for work. I know Hallmark sells them and would assume they are available on amazon etc.
As far as tablets etc, my kids do fine with a kindle fire in the standard leather cover. For ipads, I have heard raves reviews for otterbox, although my kids again do fine with a standard cover. We have some books for the fire that read to the kids, but I have no idea how to do that myself.
NewMomAnon says
Hmmm…I looked at the recordable books, but we have a few specific books that we want to use and I don’t think we’ll find those. Also, at $30 a pop, three or four of those are going to blow my “low-cost first birthday gift” resolution pretty quickly.
I think we’ll try the old iPad/iPod method with an Otterbox – I think I can record using GarageBand or something similar, or even sync the recording up to pictures of the pages of the book using MovieMaker on my computer. Turns out you can buy Otterbox cases on Amazon for cheap if your phone is old enough. Cross your fingers!
EB0220 says
**Meant to be a reply to NewMomAnon* My almost three year old has a small kindle fire with kid-proof case that she really likes. It has held up well so far, and I like that it’s sized for little hands (she always had trouble with the size of the ipad). She’s not SUPER destructive, though, so YMMV
PregLawyer says
Stop-gap newborn care question:
I think I will be able to get into my daycare of choice (daycare A) about 2-3 months after I need to return from leave. There will very likely be an opening in a fine, but unremarkable, daycare right when we need it (daycare B). Is it okay to do daycare B until we get into daycare A? Are there other options I should be looking into? I think a nanny would be significantly more expensive than daycare (A and B are around $1400/mo) and probably out of our acceptable price range. Are there usually temporary daycare places that cater to these sorts of situations?
Ciao, pues says
Okay in terms of how the change will affect baby? Or in terms of your obligation to the daycare? I don’t know of any daycare options that are designed to be stopgaps between a longer-term daycare (apart from maybe a nanny share with an understanding friend/ neighbor?), and nothing in your plan strikes me as problematic, but I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking. Presuming baby is still a small infant, s/he will likely adjust fine and presuming you don’t sign a long-term agreement with Daycare B that you can’t get out of without paying a huge fee, all seems fine to me.
PregLawyer says
You’re right, I’m probably foolishly overly concerned with somehow “offending” daycare B. I know we can just stay there until we get into daycare A, but for some reason it feels slimy. Oh well.
I think I’m mainly trying to figure out if there are temporary options out there that I’m not thinking about, or, if there are other ways to find out about those temporary options. E.g., specific websites, mom groups, information pipelines, etc. I’ve so far just based my daycare search on word-of-mouth from people I work with or friends, or through Google.
mascot says
Daycares are used to people switching. Your choice B may be someone else’s choice A. You never know how long you will remain on a waiting list so I would encourage you to plan that you may need this arrangement for longer than you anticipated. It would be a major pain to string together care with friends and family for 2 months and then find out 7 weeks in that you need more time. I’d go with B assuming they have a reasonable notice of withdrawal clause (usually a couple of weeks)
Ciao, pues says
Where are you located? I get a lot of information from a parents’ listserv in my town, and I know similar lists exist elsewhere. E.g. DC Urban Moms, Park Slope Parents, SomervilleMoms, etc. Many of these are (inexplicably) hosted on yahoo groups, so you might check and see if your area has one.
And I totally get feeling weirdly guilty about offending Daycare B. I often have to remind myself that I am not in a personal relationship with my landlord and I shouldn’t feel bad about telling her when things need to be fixed.
hoola hoopa says
If you’re at Daycare B for two months, you’ll likely have to forfeit some sort of registration fee. IME, they hold onto a fee for ~3 months, then put it towards your monthly bill. But that’s rather insignificant compared to what you’ll be paying for infant care, so I wouldn’t consider it in the decision. You don’t have any other obligation to stay, in a typical situation.
I’d mentally prepare for a ~1 month transition when LO starts at Daycare B and another ~1 month transition when LO starts at Daycare A.
Honestly, I’d pat yourself on the back for the situation you have now. It’s pretty much as good as it gets for temporary stop-gap while you wait to get off waitlist. You’re not missing an obvious other solution. The only other good option that I can think of is if you have a friend with a nanny who would be interested in doing a nanny share while you wait.
PregLawyer says
Thanks for all the helpful insight.
Honestly, I’m not that excited about daycare B, but I suppose it’s good enough that I wouldn’t be completely stressed out leaving my baby there. I mean, what do newborns really need, beyond a safe clean space and someone to feed and change them?
Generally, I wish daycares could give me some more concrete information about when they expect an opening, but I understand the constraints. I just don’t deal well with uncertainty, especially when money is involved. I wish I could know with 100% certainty that on X date my baby is going HERE, and it’s going to stay there for Y months until then it goes THERE. Instead I just have to wait until about a month or two before I want care and check on the status of the waitlist. Ugh.
CPA Lady says
The not-knowing-til-the-last-minute thing drove me insane too. I was like “I promise I am going to bring my baby to your daycare, can we just set something in stone?!?!” But that’s not how it works out, I guess. It seems crazy that we can plan everything in our lives so far ahead, but not lock down a spot in a daycare until a few weeks before you leave the baby there.
FWIW, since my daughter started daycare a month ago, another baby started in her class and has already left because her mother freaked out about putting her baby in daycare, and took her back out and made other arrangements. She was there for a grand total of 2 weeks. So I would really not feel bad about putting your baby in Daycare B for a few months. At all. People have plans that change all the time. And who knows, you might end up liking Daycare B more than you thought you would.
I got into The Daycare that everyone told me was So Amazing, but I was underwhelmed and sort of thought it looked like a dump. I thought that I’d at least give it a shot, and the longer she’s there, the more things I see that I like about it– teachers even in other classes know who my daughter is, they have a chef that makes awesome healthy food for the bigger kids, and the oldest kids are learning to write! At daycare! She’s really happy there too.
Newly pregnant says
This is essentially what I will be doing. I don’t have an qualms about doing so – and I don’t think the daycare will care either.
And, in response to your follow up comment – my Daycare B option is perfectly fine, but not great. Daycare A is definitely a top choice. So, I completely understand the sort of ambivalence and guilt that comes with going with Daycare B (at least for a little while). But I tell myself that Daycare B is going to give my baby perfectly adequate care, and that’s all she really needs in the first few weeks/months anyway.