If you’re not a dress person, jumpsuits are the perfect alternative with the same ease and simplicity. Here’s a great summer option for moms-to-be who aren’t feeling another empire waist maxi dress.
This floral jumpsuit from maternity/nursing-wear favorite Seraphine has a shirred bodice, flattering square neckline, and wide straps (perfect for hiding those similarly wide nursing bra straps).
Most importantly, there’s a discreet lift-up top for easy nursing or pumping access. Add some sandals for a summer outing or a cardigan for a casual office look.
This jumpsuit is $99 at Seraphine and comes in U.S. sizes 2–16.
This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Sales of Note…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – The Half-Yearly Sale has started! See our thoughts here.
- Ann Taylor – $50 off $150; $100 off $250+; extra 30% off all sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 25% off purchase
- Eloquii – 60% off all tops
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off “dressed up” styles (lots of cute dresses!); extra 50% off select sale
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything; 60% off 100s of summer faves; extra 60% off clearance
- Loft – 40% off tops; 30% off full-price styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Talbots – 25-40% off select styles
- Zappos – 28,000+ sale items (for women)! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off kids’ camp styles; extra 50% off select sale
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off summer pajamas; up to 50% off all baby styles (semi-annual baby event!)
- Carter’s – Summer deals from $5; up to 60% off swim
- Old Navy – 30% off your order; kid/toddler/baby tees $4
- Target – Kids’ swim from $8; summer accessories from $10
Anotheranon says
Tips for solo travel with a 1yo? Taking my daughter to visit friends this weekend. I’m excited for her first flight but a little nervous about doing it on my own. Would also love any thoughts on fun things to do with a toddler in NYC (near Central Park)!
NYCer says
Regarding things to do in NYC with a toddler… There are lots of fun playgrounds in Central Park, many with sprinklers turned on at this time of year. “Tots” playground near 68 and CPW (just north of Tavern on the Green) is perfect for that age. There are also good playgrounds for younger toddlers at 84 and CPW (Toll Family Playground) on the west side and 77 and 5 on the east side (Levin Family Playground). My daughters also enjoyed the Children’s Museum and the Natural History Museum, both on the Upper West Side.
Anon says
I took my daughter solo to Hawaii when she was 11 months (we met my parents there). The flights were actually the easy part, but maybe because we went into it with such low expectations. She had her own seat, she was pretty entertained by the happenings on the plane and a few toys we brought (and the food – she demolished an Uno pan pizza I bought for myself on our layover) and generally was happy and calm even with the sleep deprivation. She was not walking yet though, and I do think plane travel gets a bit harder with newly walking kids. You might need to walk them up and down the aisles a lot but on a short flight that should be manageable. You’ll want your stroller with you for navigating the airport especially if you have a layover, and a light travel car seat if your child has their own seat on the plane.
FVNC says
Have fun! In addition to the other comments, I’d just add — bring two changes of clothes on the plane with you in case of blowout. You might think one change might be enough (and often will!) but, sometimes…you’ll need two.
Anon says
Yes, definitely, and be prepared for this even if your kid has never had a blowout before. There’s something about airplane pressure changes that makes a LOT come out.
Anonymous says
And bring a change of clothes for yourself too! In case you get, er, fluids on your shirt or something.
Academic says
This is a long shot, but are there any academics/professors on this board? Have you (or anyone you know) ever had baby in the early/middle of the semester? What did you (or they) do?
The timing is obviously far less than ideal, and to top it off I’m new. Everyone I know managed to have late semester or summer break babies.
Cb says
Oh no! I’m an academic but had my son 3 weeks after I submitted my PhD. I don’t think this is really something you can “plan” for, and should be treated the same way as any other major life event which requires flexibility (ie. if you were ill, had a family crisis, etc). Can you ask for admin/research only term until your mat leave and you’ll “make up” with a higher teaching load when you get back? I’d worry you’d run yourself ragged trying to prepare/teach and you never know when you’ll end up delivering early/on bedrest…
Cb says
And major cavaet, I’m in the UK where we’re on full year contracts and mat leaves of 12 months aren’t unusual.
Anonymous says
Yeah this is wildly just not applicable in the US.
Lydia says
agree…. I know academics who got 6 weeks leave in the US (even though a semester is more standard…)
Anon says
I’m not an academic but married to one. At my husbands R1 university you get a semester off teaching and a one year extension of the tenure clock if that’s applicable. Many academic couples (including us) time babies for spring or early summer so the one semester teaching reprieve can be stacked with summer for a long leave. At my husband’s school if you deliver in October you’d probably need to take fall off and to go back to teaching at the beginning of January but that shouldn’t be too horrible. I think the worst case would be delivering in late November or something, because you can’t avoid missing a few weeks of fall but you’re not at all ready to go back in early January. In that case I suspect you’d find colleagues to cover the last few weeks of fall classes and take spring off. But I think this is pretty department-specific so talk to others in your department about how it works.
Cb says
How do you time this? If you miss the 2 month window, do you wait another year?
Anon says
It’s more than a 2 month window. Having a baby between December and March or May to July would result in at least ~6 months of leave, between summer and the appropriate semester. But to answer your question, I doubt many couples pause trying once they’ve started, it’s probably more just timing when you start. We got lucky and conceived immediately so I’m glad we tried to hit our ideal month, which for us was February because I’m not an academic and had 12 weeks of leave to use first. It seems like some other people had the same experience we did because we do know a ton of academic babies born in May and June. My kid goes to university run daycare and there are classmate birthdays every week in those months.
OP says
Suffice it to say, I am not someone who can time pregnancy for a particular month (or year for that matter.) I obviously would have done this if it was an option.
Anon says
I understand you’re already pregnant and I was not suggesting you time it.
AwayEmily says
Hi! I’m a professor with 3 babies, born in January, February, and March. For the March one (which occurred in the latter half of the semester), I actually went back to work 2 weeks after having the baby and took the following fall semester off instead. It wasn’t SO terrible, actually — I had to cobble together family babysitting for the days I was teaching, and I definitely couldn’t have done it with >1 kid, but we made it work.
Most people I know with middle-of-the-semester babies just take that semester off. And FWIW I took maternity leave in my first year on the job twice (switched jobs between babies), and nobody cared. Babies come when they come; I think most departments get that.
So, I assume you’re due in October/November? Seems like your options are to (1) teach the fall semester and then power through that last part of the semester with a newborn, then take the spring off or (2) take fall semester off. Option 2 does mean you’d need to start childcare a bit earlier then perhaps you’d prefer, but you could also do part-time-ish childcare (like, only on days you had to teach) til the baby turned 4 months or so. And hopefully you’d get a lot of research done in the front half of the fall semester. Option 1 also has drawbacks, but it is doable, especially if you have courses you’ve taught before and can mostly autopilot through.
OP says
Thank you so much for this comment! I am still very early, so it won’t be until the spring semester – if all goes as planned, I will start this fall and then due in late February (which feels like the worst possible time!). I’m still in the shock/panic stage right now.
Anon says
Oh if you’re due in late February and get a semester off then isn’t it an obvious choice to take spring semester? I think this is actually pretty great timing. You’ll have ~6 months at home before you have to go back. I don’t think it’s a big deal to go out on maternity leave in the second half of your first year.
OP says
I don’t actually know if taking a semester off is even an option. I guess I need to find that out.
Lydia says
US academic here! When are you due? I had my baby in September, but I have friends who had babies mid-semester… generally, if it’s before midsem break, you have to take that semester off (which sucks). If it’s toward the end, you can usually get colleagues to cover for you (for final exams, grading, etc). It’s worse if you’re due in the fall than in the spring… if you were due in February or March, for example, I’d take the spring semester, even though you wouldn’t really “need” the first half.
Another option is online teaching… I have some friends who teach at places that don’t give a full semester off, but they were able to teach online at least for the semester they were due.
I’d recommend posting in one of the “Academic Mama” facebook groups, and also reaching out to some colleagues… I think any academic who recently gave birth would be sympathetic and have good insider advice. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone in a different dept (caveat, I teach at a SLAC).
Lydia says
fwiw, I also know people who were due at the end of the semester but then had to take that semester as leave pre-birth because they were put on bedrest, etc… the system is messed up and terrible; I’m so sorry! seriously, finding people who can understand your institution and who have survived it is my best tip.
Sarabeth says
Several people in my department have done this; they did not teach either the semester when they were due or the following one. We have a reasonably generous parental leave policy and a supportive chair, however. And it’s a private university, so there’s more discretion around interpretation of policies in general.
On the newness thing, don’t let that bother you. I took mat leave my first semester in my current job (my kid was born literally 5 days after my contract started), and at least one other woman in my department has done the same thing. If you’re in a tenure-track line, this is meant to be a long-term position, so the timing of maternity leave isn’t a huge deal in the longer scheme of things.
Anon says
A hundred years ago, when i was born, i was due at the end of February and my mom negotiated to teach essentially a compressed/accelerated schedule for that spring so she’d be all wrapped up by mid-February (38 weeks pregnant). I don’t know how that would work in today’s academic environment (and she taught law school, not undergrad, which i suppose may make a difference) but thought I’d throw it out there as a possibility.
Anon says
I don’t think that would work at most undergrad institutions.
BlueAlma says
Yup. I’m an associate tenured professor. That’s what I did two years ago at my university in the US. I had a course release for admin work, and then I taught an unofficially very slightly accelerated course. We met twice per week for the first few weeks and then once a week after that. I missed the last class in early November, and a colleague covered for me. Honestly you just need to talk to your chair and find out what your options are. The online suggestion is a good one too—or HyFlex. Our business school also offers a lot of half semester classes. Good luck!
Anon says
My friend just had an emergency c-section. Any ideas for things I can send to help make the next couple weeks better for her? Relevant – I live far away, so I can’t physically be there to help and she and her partner are basically all alone (no family nearby). I’ve never had a c-section, so I am not sure what the recovery process is like
Anon says
Ask first but frozen meals (like frozen deep dish pizza from my hometown of Chicago was one of my fave things to receive) or take out. Lots of takeout. And send non-perishable snacks.
But also my least favorite thing was people asking how my baby is doing. Ask about ME who got sliced open after a grueling 24+ hour labor please!
Anon says
Frozen meals! The website Freshly has good options. Also Blue Apron has frozen meals now, not just meal kits. You could also give her a DoorDash gift card.
Anon says
Freshly meals are only ok. I don’t think the food is much of a step up from grocery store frozen dinners, although it’s probably somewhat healthier (I think they’re more conscious about sodium and stuff like that). I may be biased because we eat Freshly regularly and so it’s a “boring weeknight” thing to me, but I would personally prefer a Doordash gift card or fancy food I wouldn’t normally treat myself to like a Murray’s basket.
AwayEmily says
I would be cautious with frozen foods unless you know she has a lot of freezer room. I got several food gifts (e.g. two dozen fancy NYC bagels) that I literally did not have room for in my freezer and ended up having to toss most of.
Zingermans makes a great “new baby” food care package that doesn’t require a lot of fridge room. Something nice just for her — like a really soft lounge cardigan — would be a good gift too.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
One of the best things I’ve received in this category and I cannot get over how wonderful it was in a dark time (I was not pp, we had a death in the family) – meal train that was set up for me (dinner would just magically show up at 5 PM!)/food delivery/doord*sh GCs.
Anon says
New soft pajamas would have been delightful (button down if she is nursing). A tall dishwasher safe straw cup (large yeti rambler with straw lid is my rec) is great, because the fewer times you have to get up for a refill the better. A subscription to a grocery delivery service would be great too. With a C, you can’t lift anything heavier than the baby for a long time (and that means baby plus carseat is too heavy), so running errands is even more difficult. Similarly, if she doesn’t have a cleaning service, you could offer to treat her to a housecleaning session (but I would ask first, she may be sensitive to people in her space). I would also have loved a doordash gift card. Wolfermann’s baker also does breakfast gift baskets that are lovely and mostly shelf-stable items (so don’t require fridge or freezer space).
Anonanonanon says
A nice robe.
My incision hurt for a very long time and a robe was nice because I didn’t have a waistband on my incision and could easily nurse. Maybe a cute nightgown/robe combo that is nursing friendly if that’s a concern for her. I felt like such a blob sitting in an armchair most of the day, but it hurt so much to get up and down and I had a baby on me, so having a pretty set to wear made me feel a bit better.
Anon says
Do your preschools expect the kids to apply sunscreen themselves? It seems pretty crazy to me, but ours does and my just turned 4 year old apparently stuck a big glob of sunscreen in her eye yesterday while trying to sunscreen her face. Poor kidoo, her eye was still so red and irritated this morning. I’m also a little concerned about sun protection, because I’ve never met a 4 year old who can actually apply sunscreen correctly and cover all the areas that need to be covered, at least not without heavy adult supervision.
anonn says
can you send a beauty blender and mirror with her, that helps my 4 year old a lot to apply to hear face at least. But I coat her before we leave in the morning too. I have no faith that any application happens at daycare.
Anon says
My 4YO does a reasonable job with a stick sunscreen. Not because she is at daycare but because “I do it myself mommy”.
Cb says
Funny kid moments?
I was chatting with my son about our days and I said I was nervous about a meeting where I’d have to tell a student he messed up and wouldn’t get to do something he wanted to do and he might be mad/sad. My son replied “Hmm….that is a tricky one, would you like some advice? If he gets sad, say a big sorry, if he gets mad, say a big sorry, I think that’s how you make it better! Do you need any more advice? I have lots of advice!” and now I’m just imagining him setting up his Lucy-style “Advice, 5 cents” booth on the playground.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Totally a little professor! ;)
I went to a wedding reception for a mentee/former employee on Saturday evening and did very fun, Euphoria/late 90’s-esque eye-makeup, and DS #1 asked me “why do your eyes look different?” before I left, and then repeated the question to me this morning – “why did your eyes look different?” Sigh. Another man who doesn’t get my bold fashion and makeup choices ;)
anonM says
So funny!
My 4yo just told my mom that he’s “just so sick of these gas prices!” And that if she came on vacation with us, the vacation would be “perfect.” He’s also been learning about animals sleeping, so he pretended to “sleep” with his eyes open (like a deer), which was genuinely hilarious once I figured out why he was ignoring me. Melting hearts and also acting like a cranky 80 yo — I’m loving this stage.
Cb says
Right? Just wish he’d use those seriously developed social skills to make friends his own age. He was playing quite happily with the 10 year old next door but another 4 year old? Nooooooo…..
AwayEmily says
Aww, he’ll get there. Some kids just take a bit longer to figure out how to play with a wider range of people. It requires a lot of emotional awareness and that can take awhile to develop.
Boston Legal Eagle says
He definitely sounds like he is very mature for his age! I think it’s a combination of personality + only child. I was similar, and also an only child. Prefer quieter people and older kids. He just needs to find his people and he’ll be golden.
SC says
DH taught my 7 yo son that you can blow into a pool noodle and make water come out. My son has invented a game where DH blows into the noodle, and kid tries to duck the spray by going underwater. This results in my kid getting hit in the face with water over and over, maybe 75% of the time (and DH is going easy on him). My son thinks this is the most fun he’s ever had and keeps begging for more!
Anon says
Trying again because I went to m0d..
Do your preschools expect the kids to apply sunscreen themselves? It seems pretty c r a z y to me, but ours does and my just turned 4 year old apparently stuck a big glob of sunscreen in her eye yesterday while trying to sunscreen her face. Poor kidoo, her eye was still so red and irritated this morning. I’m also a little concerned about sun protection, because I’ve never met a 4 year old who can actually apply sunscreen correctly and cover all the areas that need to be covered, at least not without heavy adult supervision.
Anonymous says
Our daycare would apply spray only. I sent my kid with a sunscreen stick and she could do her hands and face mostly. Appropriate long sleeves and sun hat are way more useful.
OP says
Sunscreen stick is a good idea. I’ll look into that. We do try to cover up with clothes as much as possible, but when it’s 90+ that’s not really possible. Even if we sent our child in long sleeves, I’m sure the staff would just roll them up. They once criticized us for sending her in leggings when it was only, like, 82.
Anonymous says
For ours, I think we had to do it ourselves before we left in the morning, I don’t think they did it. My 10 year old is still unreliable in this area.
anon says
same, parents to apply in the morning before school. teachers reapply in the afternoon.
OP says
Parents apply in the morning. Our school policy says teachers reapply in the afternoon and that was the case in the baby and toddler classrooms, but apparently in this classroom they’re expecting the kids to do it themselves.
Vaccines!!! For under 5s!!!! HOORAY! says
That is all.
Anon says
Except you can’t actually get one…
Anonymous says
Thank you Debbie Downer.
Anon says
I’m sorry but those of us with kids under 5 have waited 27 months for this vaccine (half to all of our kids’ lives), society abandoned all other precautions when adults and older children could get vaccinated, and the fact that this rollout is so messed up is just the icing on the cake of society not giving a $hit about little kids. A lot of moms I know share my frustration.
Anonymous says
This, on top of having substandard prenatal care and absolutely zero postpartum care for many of us who gave birth during early/pre-vax pandemic.
Anon says
I got a Moderna appointment for today through a Walgreens about 20 minutes from my house! And a friend told me the health department is doing walk-ins for the super littles even though their website hasn’t been updated yet.
Anon says
Congrats. Many people are having problems finding anything before next week at the earliest. My state hasn’t even issued their sign-off yet, which means the pharmacies can’t vaccinate (Walgreens is scheduling for Saturday, but Pfizer only in my area) and the county health departments can’t even schedule appointments.
Anonymous says
Same here in WI.
Anon says
I’m in VA, and I know of several pediatrician’s offices scheduling this week as well (not sure which vaccine though). I think Maryland also has availability and DC is scheduling city clinics. Seems like maybe the issue is more state than federal?
Anon says
I expect it will ramp up a lot today. Yesterday was an official holiday in many places and probably an unofficial holiday in others. My state just (like 15 minutes ago) authorized vaccinations to start and our county health announced they’ll be able to vaccinate anyone 6 months and up at their clinics this week. Of course due to lack of demand the vaccine clinic is only open on Mondays and Fridays, so we have to wait a few days but we’ll get it this week at least.
Anon says
It’s both a state and federal issue. A lot of the national retail pharmacy chains aren’t offering appointments yet, which is likely a result of poor coordination on the part of the federal government. Walgreens is pretty much the only one that has their act together, and they can’t do children under 3.
Extra Anon for This says
Pfizer shipment got messed up for some NOVA health depts, but should be available by the end of the week if you’re having trouble finding it.
Anon says
Yeah I have no insider info, but it does seem like there were some shipping issues with Pfizer. The Walgreens in my Midwest state that ordered Pfizer won’t start vaccinating until Saturday at the earliest and the local Walgreens told me it would more likely be rescheduled to next week. The ones that ordered Moderna started at 9 am today.
Vaccines!!! For under 5s!!!! HOORAY! says
I mean, I can’t get one today. But my pediatrician has ordered them and expects the shipment soon and that is a heck of an improvement over the absolute nothing that we’ve had available thus far!
Anon says
5-11 year olds could walk into a pharmacy on the day the CDC signed off and get vaccinated. The under 5s will be doing very well to get shots within 7 days of CDC authorization. A week or two isn’t huge in the grand scheme of things, but it’s just frustrating to me how, once again, the littlest kids have been de-prioritized at every turn. The Biden administration had months to plan for this rollout. The FDA and CDC meeting were set several weeks ago and the outcome was near certain. So why all this delay? It’s just infuriating that they aren’t better prepared.
Anonymous says
Sigh. Some people just want to be miserable.
Anon says
I’m not miserable, I’m angry, as are most moms I know with kids under 5. We’ve been screwed over at every turn by the administration, FDA and CDC, with endless unnecessary delays. Our kids have lived at least half their lives in a pandemic with no vaccine for them and a country that gave up on all non-pharamceutical interventions once other people were protected. If you don’t have kids under 5 or you don’t feel any urgency about getting your kids vaccinated, bugger off.
Anonymous says
Your kids have never been high risk and they’ll get a shot within a week. Get anger management help
Vaccines!!! For under 5s!!!! HOORAY! says
I’m a mom to a kid under 5 and I’m not angry. I’m f-ing thrilled that we can finally get a vaccine in the next week or so! I have a 20 month old who has only ever seen the inside of our home and the pediatrician’s office, and who hasn’t met any family apart from her grandparents. I’m F-ING THRILLED. Should they have done it sooner? Absolutely. Could they have planned the rollout better? Absolutely. Am I pissed about it? No. Glass half full of vaccine!
(And we’ll still have to be somewhat cautious because I’m now pregnant, but life will be much more open to us now).
Anon says
Complaining on the internet that the government should have done a better job about something does not mean I anger management classes. Good grief. You obviously have never met anyone with actual anger issues.
And my child is high risk. You know nothing about my personal situation.
Anonymous says
Different frustrated poster. Can we stop making the assumption that it’s all about whether our kids are at high risk or not from illness/long Covid? I am STILL digging out from my work backlog after all the daycare quarantines this fall and early spring. Unlike some of my friends and acquaintances, neither my husband nor I can afford to quit our jobs.
And before you tell me to get therapy, I’ve tried. Anyone specializing in maternal mental health has a HUGE waitlist, if they’re even bothering to keep a waitlist at this point.
Anon says
you can very easily where I live (Houston)
Anonymous says
My state system isn’t taking appointments yet, but you can supposedly walk into the community health clinics starting today. I’m a planner and prefer appointments, so I got my 4 year old an appointment at Walgreens for tomorrow. We have to drive an hour to get a Moderna because the ones near us only have Pfizer, but we’re going to make it into a fun day trip and visit a water park afterwards. My pediatrician said they aren’t anticipating having vaccines until mid-July, but I believe peds were kind of late with 5-11 year old vaccines too.
It is kind of annoying how the vaccine.gov appointment finder is not going to be updated until late this week. It feels like they could have had that ready to go today. I have a lot of friends with kids under 3 who can’t find appointments because Walgreens will only vaccinate 3+. And two friends had appointments for this week canceled due to lack of supply.
Anonymous says
I found a Moderna appt for my almost 2-year-old on vaccines.gov this morning – appt isn’t for two weeks, but at this point, I’ll take what I can get. Our ped’s office doesn’t anticipate even starting to schedule appointments until the end of this week (and aren’t sure when the actual appointments would start), and they’re only ordering Pfizer at this point. Our local health department is still insisting that CDC hasn’t updated it’s clinical guidance and that that needs to happen and the state needs to sign off on CDC’s guidance before they can start vaccinating. Eyeroll.
Anon says
Got a Pfizer appt on Saturday at Walgreens for my 4.5 year old. Our pediatrician is doing Pfizer only and only at an office inconvenient to us. While it would be nice to be fully vax before school starts in fall – I will take it.
Anon says
My kid got her first shot today!! Very proud of my state, county, and pediatricians office – lots of options are available for people to get shots this week and beyond
Anon says
I had a dress from Seraphine in a very similar print and I loved it!
Anon says
I was thinking about leaving my job, but just got promoted a few weeks ago (a promotion I applied for). I still want to leave. What is the sort of minimum “grace period” i should stick around so that I don’t ruin my reputation by getting a competitive promotion and then immediately quitting?
Chl says
0 days
EDAnon says
When you leave for “family reasons” I don’t think I it is burning a bridge. It may be supervisor dependent, though.
Just to think about: why did you choose to apply for the promotion? Would you be said giving it up? What about in the future?
You probably thought through all that but I only raise it because a few weeks of a promotion isn’t much time for things to change. If you were hoping for change, it may still come.
Anonanonanon says
I’d be less irritated if someone left soon after a promotion than stayed 6 months (aka long enough to start projects) then left.
Runner says
I’m doing a staycation in a few weeks! My first real vacation in way too long. Any recs on funny or inspirational books to read or movies to watch?
Anon says
I just watched The Lost City (the Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum adventure rom-com) and thought it was pretty funny and charming. Enjoy!
Anon says
I agree with this! I also recently enjoyed Fire Island (lighthearted rom-com).
Book wise I will always and forever sing the praises of Taylor Jenkins Reid. Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was my favorite, Daisy Jones and the Sic is also great.
Year of Yes was enjoyable/inspirational nonfiction by Shonda Rhimes.
Anon says
I’m reading Diane Johnson’s L’Affaire right now, I’d forgotten how much I like her books which are so smart but still funny/dishy. They’re mostly about americans in france so probably helps if you’re a francophile!
Anon says
Bridgerton. Season 1 was pretty good. Season 2 was amazing.
Anon says
If you like Bridgerton, the Stephanie Laurens books are similar (work through a family tree) and delightful. I read the first generation two decades ago and didn’t realize she had recently come out with the series about the next generation and I have been devouring those this month, in a way I haven’t read in many, many years.
Anonymous says
Not exactly what you asked, but I just watched the Sweet Magnolias series (two seasons so far), and it is pretty good. Actually, they’re based on books, but I’ve never read them.
anonM says
The Push. Really thought-provoking book with a dark take on motherhood (if you have a newborn baby, I might not recommend yet, but YMMV, I’m a little sensitive post-partum.)
Anon says
This book is extremely dark and not funny or inspirational. I would not recommend it for OP.
Anon says
+1
I loved the Push (in that, I couldn’t put it down) but would absolutely not describe it as funny or inspirational. Literally the opposite.
Anon says
Yikes. Not this! Great book but dark and intense
anon says
If you haven’t read it yet, I really enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow. It was surprisingly entertaining and light. I finished feeling refreshed and very glad I’d read it.
Anon says
Love that book! I read it in the first two weeks of my daughter’s life while nursing/holding her. She coincidentally shares a name with one of the characters, so it’s a very sentimental book for me.
Anon says
Heartstoppers is a charming show about British teens working through sexuality and friendships-recommend
EDAnon says
My potty training kiddo had an accident, which resulted in a lot of pee on his shoes. I cannot seem to get the pee small out of the shoes. They’re Keen sandals. Any ideas?
Anonymous says
Lysol spray and let them sit in the sun
Anonymous says
Or Vodka and sun.
Anonymous says
I keep reading this as vodka and rum. Facepalm.
Anonymous says
Or maybe some pet cleaner stuff? I think they make spray for cleaning pet accidents.
anon says
Soak in vinegar/water solution then put them out in the sun.
Anon says
Biokleen bad out. It’s enzyme-based and works great on these types of messes.
EDAnon says
Thank you all!
Anonymous says
Did you already run them through the washer and that didn’t work? Definitely try that first.
EDAnon says
Yes that’s where is started. I also soaked them in Oxy. They’re in the bright sun today after a vinegar bath so fingers crossed!
Anon says
If you had the choice between half day and full day kindergarten and childcare weren’t an issue, what would you do? Kiddo has been in daycare for years, so theoretically should be fine, but I’ve heard from a lot of people that full day K is very different from full day daycare or play-based preschool. She’s very loud and high energy and doesn’t sit or be quiet very well. She has done ok with large group times at school but that’s 30 minutes of quiet listening, not an entire day. In addition, I believe the US introduces formal academic learning too soon, and like the idea of her only being in school for half days at this age.
On the other hand, her daycare teachers say she’s well-prepared for K both socially and academically, and she’s very extroverted and loves to be with other kids. I think the ideal scenario would probably be morning K and then an extracurricular activity that is active and/or social every afternoon, but I’m not sure we can find enough stuff to keep her happy. It seems like most people who do half day K are SAHMs and their kids mostly just chill at home or the park with the occasional playdate. I also know that first grade is much more academic than K in our district, and I worry about making the half day to full day transition at the same time we make the transition to more academic schooling.
anon says
A couple of questions:
Is she old for her grade or young for her grade? If she’ll turn 6 early in the year, I’d lean towards a full day.
If she doesn’t do full day, what will she be doing in the afternoons?
Anon says
1) On the younger side but not very young. Late February birthday, cutoff is August 1 with no exceptions, and lots of summer birthdays are red-shirted, so she’ll probably be in the younger third of the class but definitely not the youngest.
2) That’s the million dollar question. Ideally I’d like a couple hours of a day camp-type program but I don’t think that exists in our area and I’m not sure we can find enough extracurricular activities to meet her socialization and physical activity needs. I do not think she would be happy chilling at home with a caregiver, although maybe her needs will be different in K.
Anonymous says
I feel like you’re kind of answering your own question here. It sounds like you think your kiddo needs to be with other kids and/or in activities for a full day. Also, remember, the school day is already shorter than the daycare day, so that helps. We live in a small town, but my kiddo kids on the bus at 7:45 and is home by 3:15. It might help to ask a full day teacher what a typical day looks like. By the time they have lunch, recesses, and art/gym/music, there’s not really that much just sitting at a desk. Kindergarten teachers design their day for little kids with a short attention span.
anon says
My daughter was young for her grade (started K at 4 with a Sept 30th cut off) and she absolutely would have done better with a half day. She was not ready for that much school, particularly because her K program was very academic. A February birthday should probably be fine with a full day as long as you don’t load her up on after school activities.
If you can afford a nanny, it’s a lovely life to have a half day of school followed by an activity or playdate every day. That’s how my kids did pre-K and it was bliss for them.
Anon says
I’m in a district that offers full-day preK and I agonized over this decision with my kids. It felt like too much. But, our area offers free public preK (vs $8000 for half day private) so I tried it and was so pleasantly surprised. Both of my boys thrived and we’ve loved it. Now, kindergarten is definitely more academic but the teachers know they’re still dealing with wiggly little kids…my oldest did fine with full day K, too, and my second will go next year.
Context: I am a SAHM and my kids were home with me until age 4 doing nothing else, and they still rose to the occasion. (I’d been planning for half day for all the reasons you mentioned, but they switched the program to full day so I gave it a shot.) The teachers much prefer full day, too and said they couldn’t really get much accomplished in a half day, due to how long it takes kids to settle in and transition between activities.
Tl;dr: Full day works just fine for most kids. If it’ll be a logistical challenge to cobble together a half day + childcare and activities, go with full day. Trust your daughter’s teachers if they say she’s ready
Anon says
Thanks for sharing your experience, this is helpful.
Anonymous says
I would 100 percent do half day because I believe kindergarteners should still mostly be playing. In the afternoon I’d do 1hr of rest time/independent playing in her room and then she may still have energy for a sport/Girl Scouts/whatever. Allowing MORE time for play actually helps them with academics long term and the research backs this up.
SC says
I’ll add a question 3) What does the second half of the Kindergarten day look like at her school?
At my son’s school, for K and 1st grade, all the primary academics were packed into the morning–circle time, language arts, PE, math. The afternoon schedule was lunch, recess, story time, social studies or science (alternating), music, art, and afternoon snack/little recess. I really liked that he had exposure to the extras, and I think it made the idea of school more enjoyable overall. DH picked him up at 3/3:30, and he had a couple of hours to play before dinner. (I just remembered that my son was in K in 2020-2021. We were fortunate that school was in person, but school was his only social outlet and really the only place he went for most of that school year. I might feel differently now if he had siblings, playmates, activities, weekend birthday parties, etc.)
If K included nap after lunch, half day for sure.
Anon says
Afternoon K does include a rest time after lunch. My kid hasn’t napped in years, but she does seem to benefit from having some quiet time at daycare, so I’m not sure that’s a bad thing? I think even if we do half day K we would probably try to have her do a quiet time at home before heading out for more activity in the late afternoon.
It seems like there’s more exposure to specials in full day K but not dramatically so? The form from the school says the half day kids have PE, art, music and library once a week and the full day kids have PE three times, music twice and art and library once. I would like more art, music and library but I’m not sure more PE is a good thing (but I’m probably projecting my own PE traumas, lol).
SC says
I would ask what that afternoon rest time looks like, how long it lasts, and what options there are for kids who no longer nap. I agree that a lot of kids who don’t nap benefit from some quiet time. Even my 3rd grade teacher turned out the lights and read to us after lunch/recess, and it was the best time ever. Plus I have an enduring love for Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh–please don’t fill me in if that book has not aged well! But a strict nap time may be a source of frustration for an energetic kid.
I was never a fan of PE either, but I actually think PE is a good thing for kids, especially at young ages :-) Recess is important too, but my extremely uncoordinated, unathletic kid has benefited from structured activities where somebody tells him how to move his body and had the kids practice some skills.
Allie says
Another question – how long is recess? My kindergartner has over an hour for recess so that builds additional play into the day.
Anon says
I would do full day. Most schools end fairly early so you can plan on outside play every afternoon. Plus school is out so much for breaks, summer, and inevitable quarantines – you’ll have plenty of time for other activities if you don’t have to also do aftercare.
anonamama says
Just returned from our beach trip and wanted to share some finds that match frequent requests if anyone is looking for rec’s on swimsuits, travel toys!
– BELT BAG. Was on the fence about carrying one; bought the lululemon mini belt bag and it was a *game changer* to have all of my stuff (keys, wallet, phone, headphones, mini stick sunscreen) on me in the airport, for walks, on the beach.
– Nutty Toys Pop Tubes – put in with our travel toys and my 2.5 yo LOVED these. Got a lot of reuse too.
– Hilor Crossover Swimsuit (Amazon) – flattering, supportive, chic!
– Kona Sol tie-front coverup pants (Target) – so comfortable & dry fast – look great w the swimsuit above
– Camel Crown Skort (Amazon) – lightweight, flattering!
Anon says
Nice! I have a Kona Sol bikini I really like. Where did you guys go? I have a beach-obsessed 4 year old and am always looking for new beach destinations (she doesn’t care where we go as long as there’s sand and water, but we get bored going back to the same beach over and over).
OP says
We go south of Myrtle Beach, Litchfield Beach. We fly and then drive to smaller, quieter beach areas ( Murrell’s Inlet, Surfside, Garden City, Litchfield, Pawley’s). Highly recommend – no unbearable traffic, beautiful beaches, nice sand, plenty of off-beach activities. I’ve been to every beach from Cape May down to Hatteras and this is definitely my favorite area.
anon says
Those belt bags are *the best*. I now own them in 4 colors and I’m not stopping anytime soon. For travel, I’ll wear one + a tote + carry on, and I can stow everything away without worrying about something being out of reach.
Anonymous says
+1 I only have one, but I would love more and you’ll have to pry it off me if, heaven forbid, they go out of style.
CCLA says
Does anyone here have a combo nanny/light housekeeper, and willing to share what tasks you have them do besides childcare? Yes I will also search the web, but looking for some examples from this trusted community! We are just starting a search for such a person, and I realize it is going to be hard because I gather most nannies don’t want to take on non-childcare work. We only need about 20-25 hours of childcare (aftercare for elementary), so may end up just hiring someone for those hours, but hoping to be able to find someone full time who is willing to pick up extra tasks in the morning before school lets out. Not looking for deep cleaning, will have someone else doing that, more just the day to day things. So far thinking make kids lunches, unload/load dishwasher, maybe some laundry (depending on if we can get cleaning service to do that), errand running, maybe dinner prep for us.
Anon says
so we sort of have this and my best friend has this. we have a nanny 35 hours a week because I work part-time, and until this year it was mostly childcare, but now my kids are in morning preschool. i have a friend with 3 kids and the 2 older ones are in elementary (her nanny i think works 40-45 hours a week) and another friend with two kids in preschool whose nanny I think also works 40-45 hours. Even before my kids started preschool (when they used to nap) our nanny loaded/unloaded dishwasher, did kid laundry (including their sheets and towels and changed the sheets on their beds), washed any dirty dishes/pots & pans in the sink, on Monday she cuts up fruits/vegetables for the week, sweeps the floor a couple of times a week in our main area, wipes down countertops, etc.. My friends also have theirs do all laundry (including adult) do dinner prep/make dinner, and one is also willing to do meal planning, grocery shopping and dinner prep/make dinner.
Anonymous says
We have this. We hire our nanny 40 hrs/week, but during the school year she’s actually only doing direct childcare 20 hrs most weeks, plus a few more hours running our kid to therapy appointments. The rest of the time she:
-does all kid laundry
-does daily cleaning of kitchen, dining room, playroom (we have someone come in once a month to do deeper learning, but she’ll tidy, sweep, wipe down counters, etc)
-loads and unloads dishwasher
-puts in and picks up grocery orders (she adds all the regular staples to the online order, then texts us so that we can add anything else we want that week).
-makes dinner (I select the recipes and send them to her)
-runs errands like dropping off dry cleaning or packages
-simple mending
Probably also some other stuff I can’t think of now. Keeping her full time is our big luxury; we definitely do this instead of overseas travel, etc. But for the kid we have, and the stage of life we’re in, it’s totally worth it. Our kid is autistic and really needs consistent childcare–transitions are very rough–so a caregiver who gets him and is willing to work for us long-term is invaluable. The biggest issue is that I get so used to having her take care of all this stuff that the wheels fall off a bit in the summer, when she’s actually with our kid all day and can’t do the extras. We’re eating a lot of takeout right now!
FWIW, it was actually easier to find someone to do this than you might assume. We started out looking for someone to do part-time, but quickly realized that most professional nannies aren’t looking for a part-time position (and again, given our kid, we really wanted someone with experience; the college students looking for part-time jobs were never going to meet our needs). Not all of them were open to this kind of gig, but it was easier to find a full-time nanny willing to do some housework than it was to find one willing to work after-school hours.
anon says
Kid laundry, unload the dishwasher, clean up kid detritus before the cleaners come
SC says
Our nanny worked 35-40 hours per week and did light housekeeping. She emptied the dishwasher and loaded the breakfast dishes, wiped down countertops or cutting boards as needed, did laundry, washed bottles and baby dishes, wiped down the high chair and floor around it, picked up baby toys as they were used, etc. She had a very natural, easy way of caretaking while doing light housework and errands. I credit that to her being the 2nd of 10 children, and the oldest girl. Baby napped twice per day, for at least 3 hours, and I think she did housework for less than an hour of that time and studied or worked on her music the rest of nap time.
She also ran occasional errands for us, in the immediate area around our apartment, while she took the baby on his daily walks.
Anon says
I think a nanny doing light housework during an infant’s nap is pretty different than a nanny of school-aged kids who does housework for ~25-30 hours a week while the kids are at school. I’m not saying you can’t find the latter arrangement, but it’s much more of a housekeeping job.
Anon says
The OP says she needs ~25 hours per week of actual childcare. To make it to 40 hours, that’s another 15 hours, so like 3 hours/day of housework, which is pretty equivalent time wise to naps?
CCLA says
Yes, OP here, we would be at about 25 hours of childcare so maybe 3 hrs/day of housekeeping/house managing. Not insignificant, but still majority child-focused.
Anon says
Is the person going to be staying until 8 pm every day? Because I’m having a hard time understanding how they’re doing 25 hours of care for elementary age kids unless they work very late-shifted hours, which might be another complication to finding someone.
Anonymous says
Advertise it as a house manager or family assistant and you should get more folks willing to do non-childcare tasks. I haven’t found it hard to find these folks – but I have had issues with a house manager that slowly tried to eliminate all the child care duties from her job! These jobs also tend to pay more than solely childcare.
I think you have gotten a lot of input on the tasks, but here is my list – errands, all family laundry (some will only do kids plus family linens), food prep, taking returns to USPS/UPS, organizing, inventory kids’ clothes, order school supplies, prepack kids for trips, and pack kids’ lunches. Some of it might also depends on who you hire. Be open to asking what are the tasks they would like to do – they might surprise you with things you haven’t thought of.
I also consider our guaranteed hours for our Fam Assistant an expensive but necessary hedge for when the kids are unexpectedly out of school. It’s almost like an availability fee – we try and keep her busy for all her hours, but realize that some weeks there will be down time. Our FA is willing to be with the kids for mild illnesses. I also have a kid who is often “sick” and has to get picked up from school early. It was stressful to figure out who was going to cover those times. Now it is taken care of.
If you can afford it, I strongly support paying for as much high quality childcare/ household support you can. It seems highly indulgent, but if you can find a good fit it can be helpful for the whole family. And it shouldn’t be considered indulgent. It should be just a cost of doing business when you have both parents working.
CCLA says
This is really helpful (as are the other replies, thank you all). How did you find your FA? I have used a nanny agency in the past, but had a bad experience with one (large operation, not very focused on needs) and the small one we have adored in the past is really baby focused so while I’ve talked to the owner and she is willing to try to help us, it’s not really their sweet spot since our kids have gotten older. And if you don’t mind my asking, what rate are you paying?
Anonymous says
We used a local nanny agency that is familiar with family assistants/ house managers. I would look and see if an agency has ads from past postings that you can review. Not only can you see the types of jobs they are posting, but you can get even more ideas about job duties. Another option is to look for job postings on indeed and see what agencies are posting those jobs. The agency we used is not cheap, but they delivered (and we have used them in the past).
We are currently paying $26 per hour. MCOL city in SEUS. We have contract with guaranteed hours and PTO.
We advertised for 40hrs/ week, but actually found someone who only wanted 30 hrs. I think it helps to be flexible and if you find someone that is a great fit, let them adapt the job provided it fits with your hours your needs.
Anonanonanon says
We briefly had this arrangement. It may be tougher with gas prices what they are, but ours was happy to do errands.
-Dropping off returns
-Going to trader joes (since we cant order delivery or curbside from there and the one nearest to us is inconvenient)
-Picking up curbside grocery order
-If you trust them, sorting mail (when in doubt, keep it, but toss out catalogs, etc.)
-empty dishwasher
-Random short-notice errands (summer camp tells you the day before the kids need to bring a white shirt to tie dye, have her grab it!)
-dry cleaning drop off/pickup
-Straighten up the youngest kid’s room
Things we didn’t do but could be helpful:
-Have her research crafts or activities and pick up the supplies (after you approve the craft!)
-On Friday, ask her to assemble stuff for a Saturday picnic!
-Have her put dinner in the crockpot
-If you find someone trustworthy and proactive, set up a rule where she gets the school emails as well and is an extra set of eyes to catch stuff like the fact that it’s field day and assemble the kid’s hat, towel, etc. the day before, or that teacher appreciation day is coming up and she’ll pick up a gift card or do a craft with kid for it, etc.
-Someone to get candy/stocking stuffers or easter basket stuffers, valentines for your kid to pass out for valentine’s day, a “congrats on your engagement” or baby shower card for your coworker, all those little errands
anon says
Mine does laundry for all, grocery shopping (I make a list or do a pickup order), errands (returns, shopping, dry cleaning), some food prep, light housekeeping (dishes, wipe down counters etc), monitors dogs/takes them to vet appointments (but we have a separate dog walker), takes cars to appointments, basically anything that can be done with clear instructions that’s not deep cleaning. I reimburse for gas or she takes one of our cars. She works 11-7 or 1-9 depending on what we have going on. I was very clear in the posting and upfront re expectations. She is happy to do it for full time work. My kids are elementary age and she is essentially a glorified driver for them/source of entertainment; she doesn’t do much “childcare”.