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What’s your typical summer date outfit? Do you still get all dressed up for your partner or, if you have little kids, are you just happy to get time alone? Do you have rules like “no talking about the kids”? These best-selling espadrilles give you a ton of height but are actually only 2″ high with the platform, so they’re a good medium, and I could see them working with everything from a casual outfit to a more dressed up look for a summer date or brunch with your girlfriends. They’re $149 at Nordstrom, Amazon, and Zappos, and come in a zillion colors.
Psst: here’s our last discussion on date nights for working parents…
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Anonymous says
Any suggestions for trendy/fashionable maternity brands? I love everything at Hatch but it’s so expensive!
Anonymous says
I got a lot of wear out of several Seraphine dresses and I thought they were pretty fashionable as far as maternity workwear goes. I got them at Macy’s for around $50 each. There’s one of them (http://www.apeainthepod.com/seraphine-maternity-dress/006-15483-91-8.html) that I liked so much I even wore it a few times after giving birth. (The rest of my maternity clothes I couldn’t give away fast enough, lol).
Hatch looks like a pretty different aesthetic though and I don’t have any suggestions for affordable dupes of that.
Anonymous says
thanks- just ordered that dress (with code it’s like $29 — hopefully can wear to work during third trimester).
Anonymous says
ooh yes i had that dress! i paid way more than that though :( it’s a great dress. I wound up sewing a bit of the keyhole closed though because it showed a little too much….
GCA says
I love the two Loyal Hana dresses I have – they have zippers for nursing as well so I’m hoping to get some mileage out of them after giving birth. Loyal Hana make a jumpsuit I’m eyeing, but it’s probably too casual for most workplaces.
Anonymous says
I asked this the other day but didn’t get a response – any recommendations (or anti-recs) for day cares in center city Philly? We’re looking at Right Steps since it’s so convenient for us, but are open to other suggestions.
Also, is nearly $2k/month for full-time pretty standard in Philly?
Last question – if we go with RS, it’s super close to my work – do day cares typically allow parents to visit their kids during the day (such as at lunchtime), or would that be too disruptive?
Anonymous says
No experience with Right Steps but I would definitely balk at a daycare that didn’t let parents visit. That would tell me there’s something going on that they don’t want parents to see. I toured a bunch of daycares, and all of them told me I would be welcome to come at lunch, and most of them had a special area for nursing moms to use. Whether or not that works for you is a different story – I have friends who tried and then stopped because it was too hard having two “goodbyes” with the baby. But the daycare shouldn’t have any problem with it.
$2k/month is pretty standard in a major northeast city I think. I live in the Midwest and pay a bit less (a little over $1500).
avocado says
Will you have an infant or an older child? I dropped in to day care twice a day to feed my baby, which was not a problem at all and meant I never had to pump at work.
Starting at age 1, our day care wanted parents to volunteer to visit at specific times—e.g., to help walk the kids to the library for story time. Like every other day care we looked at, they had an official policy allowing parents to visit at any time. I did not like going in there during the day, though, because it was disruptive to my kid. And lunch time at day care is massive pandemonium that is probably best avoided.
Anonymous says
I really liked Le Tote for maternity, although I don’t know how helpful it’d be for a very formal workplace. I’m in business casual and got good work and weekend pieces, several of which I ended up purchasing.
Anonymous says
Can you guys talk to me about the pros and cons of in home day care. After reading the most recent Week in the Life post I started researching in home day cares. They are about 35-40% cheaper than what I am paying now. The savings is significant and my daughter has only been in her current day care for a few months but I am already very attached to them.
I also have fears about trying out these care providers that have fewer reviews than my current big center.
Anonymous says
We used a licensed in home daycare from 6-17 Mon and looooved it for that age. We left only because we moved. Pros were the mix of ages (infant to age 5); lower infant ratio (2 caregivers and up to 8 kids total in that state but only 3 infants); homey atmosphere; minimal transitiond; lots of love; separate nap room; lots of outside time. We visited, called references, and checked the license before starting (gave us a report of inspections, etc). She had great backups/subs so never cancelled for illness. She closed 2-3 weeks per year which were announced in advance but we’re not necessarily the weeks you’d prefer. We had planned to stay for several years. After we moved, though, we found a spot in a more formal preschool that had extended care and started at 12 mo. For an older kid I think it’s better– more loving adults, more variety of activities, more space to run, and as they get older the beginnings of a curriculum. It’s also religious in our religion, which is a big plus for us; in home daycare was not particularly religious but the owner was a different religion than us and did celebrate holidays with the kids. New preschool is on an academic calendar with religious holidays as well, which works for us but might not for everyone– but that’s specific to this institution, not necessarily so for all centers. Obviously they have subs if anyone is sick or on vacation.
Anonymous says
This is super helpful. Thank you!
Anonymous says
My experience was similar. My oldest was in a licensed in-home center for about a year beginning when he was 15months, and it was WONDERFUL. He was the youngest there at first, and toddled along after some very sweet boys a couple years older, then he got to try out being around a baby when a new family joined several months before our second child was born. My second went there for a couple months, and I was happy with that experience. There were 3 regular teachers, plus subs on call, so care was more reliable than with a nanny and on par with a larger center. With only 4 other families plus the owner (whose daughter was also part of the “class”) we were close with the other parents, which was really nice. It is a more personal and less transactional type of relationship with the care provider, which can be good and bad. The house itself had a separate nap room, a reading room, and plenty of space to run around. The owner had trained as a chef and made delicious lunches for the kids every day. We visited and talked to references, including parents of current students, plus followed up on all the licensing paperwork, which was more than enough to offset the smaller sample size of reviews.
We left when a space opened up in a larger center more convenient to our house, and I do think the bigger class and bigger play space (indoor and outdoor) was good for my high-energy preschool boy. When the older kids at the in home center all moved on to kindergarten and it was going to be my son and 3 infants, I was worried he would need age peers to help tire him out!
I’d say for kids younger than 3-4, in-home centers are a great environment, and can still be great for preschoolers if there are at least one or two more kids roughly the same age. It’s a great combination of the personal attention you can get with a nanny and the reliability and some social aspects of a center.
Anonymous says
Thanks for all the feedback above and below. It seems that most of our in home options are completely booked out. I am still waiting to hear from a few and maybe get on the waiting list for a few of my favorites. This is still great to know for baby #2. It is also a good reminder that I should consider preschool options for her now if I want to make a jump in a year (or two)!
Anon says
I also use an in home. I spoke to several references and the licensing body as commenters above mentioned.
Similar pros as the others: love the separate nap room (my baby naps more than the other kids so it’s really helpful for him), 1:1 attention if baby is cranky and needs to be held (mine has two assistants), and flexibility (can send in a quart of yogurt with kiddos name on it, rather than needing to portion it out each day). Does not close for snow and is more lenient on illness.
Cons are that there is no curriculum or special subjects like music or math. Fine at 6mos but by 2.5 years we plan to move to a pre-k. She does have a visiting librarian come because it is a free service of our local library.