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In waaay Before Times (as in when my oldest was a baby), I traveled monthly to Detroit for work. When traveling for work, I liked to visit a local yoga studio — traveling was stressful, so it helped me relax. I was also guaranteed a warm and welcoming environment. At that Detroit studio, I loved the yoga mats so much that I bought my own, but in a travel version.
JadeYoga’s travel mat is only an eighth of an inch thick and folds right up into the bottom of your suitcase. It’s perfect for those resuming business travel who may want to stick with working out in their hotel rooms for now.
I love that their mats are made of natural rubber (better traction so my sweaty hands don’t slide) and made in the U.S., and that JadeYoga plants a tree for every mat sold.
The travel mat is $64.95–$79.99 at Amazon, depending on the size and color. It comes in four earthy shades (black, midnight blue, olive green, and purple).
Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
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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?
Anonymous says
I started a Federal government job during the pandemic, and I finally have to go into the office today to get a photo ID made. Help! I haven’t interacted professionally in a year! Should I wear a full suit/business attire? Or can I just bring a blazer for the photo? I don’t think I’ll see any colleagues aside from the security people handling the credentials.
Anonymous says
In my field, bringing just a blazer for the photo would be totally fine. Unless you’re in a front office position I think that would be more than adequate. Maybe matchstick black pants or something (not jeans) would be appropriate but you don’t need a full suit.
ElisaR says
is it weird that i’m excited for you? I miss real life!
TheElms says
I would wear business casual with a blazer. So for me that would probably be a pencil skirt or slim black ankle dress pants, a colorful blouse, and a blazer.
AIMS says
This. Probably the pants version.
Mary Moo Cow says
I would just wear a blazer; the photo will only be mid-chest up. Wear something you like because this could be your photo for years — I’ve had my government ID photo for 6 years and if I were to lose it, a new one would be printed with the old photo.
octagon says
Yes to all of this. I’m super happy that mine was taken on a 102-degree August day in DC. I look like I just got done exercising. At least my clothes and jewelry are cute.
Anon says
I want to travel this summer in the US and will have a 4 and 2 year old. I think we need a house type setup with things but in an area that doesn’t require a lot of effort to get the kids out ie driving long distances for activities etc. Any suggestions?
Anonymous says
Literally any beach town in the country and most lake resort areas. You’re going to need to provide more details.
Anon says
where are you traveling from? what types of activities appeal to you?
anon says
Plug for my hometown – Chattanooga. Tiny, easy to navigate airport. Lots of natural beauty. Great children’s museum, amazing aquarium, nice small zoo that is great for smaller kids, get ice cream at Clumpies and fried chicken at Champy’s, burgers and beers at Tremont Tavern, then walk across the street to let the kids play at the Riverview playground, ride the carousel in Coolidge Park and go to the splash pad there. Walk along the Riverwalk. Go see the choo choo. Drive up to Signal Mountain one day to the Pumpkin Patch playground. See rock city! Everything in town is within a 20 minute drive. If you stay in one of the nice newly redone hotels downtown you can even walk a lot of places. Great restaurants. Not particularly expensive. It does get hot and humid though, so if you’re not used to that it might be uncomfortable.
anon says
^ all of this is assuming that people are mostly vaxxed by this summer and things are normal-ish
p.s. ruby falls and the incline railroad are tourist traps that I generally suggest avoiding. Rock City is a tourist trap too, but 100% worth it anyway.
I re-read and you say you want an air bnb. I’d recommend staying in one in the Northshore area, which is the 37405 zip.
Anon says
The Chattanooga airport is the best airport in the history of the world. It’s so tiny and friendly!
Anonymous says
I love this suggestion as a general destination option. I think if I had a 2 and 4 y/o this summer I wouldn’t do it though. Everyone will need masks. You have to load up a car and drive to stuff. You have to fly (in masks) to Tennessee to see a children’s museum and a zoo and ride a carousel. If it were a short drive away it’s an A+ idea. But this year with kids that young i’d rent a beach or lake house and park my carcass.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Yeah, I agree with this. Like someone said below, we also went to the Cape (drivable for us) last summer with a then 4 year old and 1.5 year old and it was a nice getaway in the midst of Covid. I’m not sure what this summer will look like – I imagine there will still be restrictions and mask requirements. I personally find air travel with small kids stressful anyway, and with Covid, not worth the extra hassles just for them to play in playgrounds and go to a museum (which we haven’t even done in the last year at home!).
Anon says
Agreed. We’re flying this summer but only to visit family which we can’t do locally. I would not fly to see a zoo and children’s museum since we have those things locally.
Anon says
We rented a beautiful house in Destin right on the beach and it was an incredibly relaxing vacation. We did it because Covid prevented us from flying and staying in a Caribbean resort but both DH and I agreed we wouldn’t mind doing it again even in normal times. It was very low stress even with a preschooler.
ElisaR says
my boys were same ages last summer and we did a 5 hour drive to a lakehouse in Vermont on Lake Champlain. That type of trip was never on my bucket list, but it was SO fun and perfect for our family. We only left the house one day and went for a hike at a beginner mountain nearby that I found on TripAdvisor. Also, there was a pool with the house we rented (in addition to the lake) which was nice. My 4 year old shocked me by kayacking BY HIMSELF on the lake. Who knew he could do that!? (obviously bring life jacket)
Anonymous says
Stay near a beach and make sure you are in wagon-ing distance of the beach. I would say no more than one small block away. Beach quality matters way less than beach access. You also want a beach with a toilet unless you are staying extremely close, and ideally a lifeguard though at this age it doesn’t matter as much because you won’t be letting them in the water alone anyway.
For the past few summers we have been spending 2-3 weeks on cape cod. It was perfect, even with COVID. This past summer we literally only went to the beach. We got takeout and walked for ice cream some days but every day we walked or biked over to the beach at the end of the street, set up camp, and played all day. We did takeout or cooked at night and went to bed early. Sometimes we did a bike ride (kids in trailer). Mine were 2/4/6 this summer. In non covid times there is mini golf, water parks, amusement parks etc available within a short drive but if i had just my 2 and 4 y/o i wouldn’t do much other than enjoy the sun.
With kids that young you will be more stressed planning museum visits, etc when what they really want to do is throw sand around and splash in puddles. Now is not the time to make them wear masks and visit attractions.
Boston Legal Eagle says
If you don’t mind sharing, where in the Cape did you stay? We were in West Yarmouth last year and are thinking of doing another trip this summer, and am wondering if there’s a better spot we should check out, or if that general Hyannis/WY area is a good bet.
Pogo says
We usually stay in Brewster or Eastham. I LOVE THE BAY SIDE for kiddos. It’s soooo much less crowded than the ocean side. Last summer I felt so comfortable, did not have to be within like 30 ft of anyone else. The water is shallow with no waves. Lots of little tide pools.
I’m also terrified of sharks, and my husband surfs, so I am anti-ocean side for that reason as well. Coast Guard is just so, so crowded and there are always sharks.
Anon says
+1 Bayside for sure. We love Eastman. The Dennises and Mayflower beach (and the beaches nearby) are very popular for kids, too (that’s where we’re headed this year).
Anonymous says
This. My kids are 4/6/8 and we’ve done beach week (I’m jealous you can get away for 2-3!) each summer in Rehoboth and this will be our 4th year. Even last summer, we still did minigolf, the small local water park, and the boardwalk carnival rides, but mostly we just hang out at the beach and do a couple days of biking. We stay in a different house each year, but the requirements are
1. No more than 2 blocks from the beach
2. At the end of the boardwalk, not right in the middle of the noise and crowds
3. On the part of the beach where there is chair/umbrella service (weekly rate is like $100 and it’s worth every penny to not haul those back and forth!)
EDAnon says
This! We did this in Florida (along the Gulf Beaches) and it was perfect! Our kids bring it up all the time (including getting that same wagon for our house!).
Anonymous says
Did you go to the Gulf beaches in the summer? I grew up in Sarasota and would not recommend that – the water gets really hot and often red tide makes it unhealthy. And then it is miserably hot outside.
Anon says
Sarasota’s pretty far south though, right? Is that true farther up the coast? We were in the panhandle in December and although we found the weather (high 50s/low 60s) delightful compared to our Midwest home, it wasn’t swimming weather and everyone we interacted with kept telling us how much better it was in the summer when the water is perfect for swimming. I doubt we’ll ever go to Florida in the summer because we take our beach vacations in December and March when the weather is not great at home, but it sounded like a lot of locals thought summer was the best time to visit.
Anonymous says
Sarasota is about an hour south of Tampa, so more than halfway down. I haven’t spent much time in north FL but I can’t imagine that it is say, comfortable in the summer, and can’t believe it is nicer there in the summer than in the spring or fall. It’s south of the deep south, you know? I guess it depends what you like, but 95 degrees with 90% humidity is not my cup of tea. It does look like red tide is more of a problem further south. My family actually drove up to the Outer Banks every summer, so we obviously liked a different beach experience. (Also my parents had a house there – we lived in MD when I was little and they didn’t sell when we moved.)
Momofthree says
Agree with the above that it definitely depends on where you’re located.
We go to Dewey Beach in DE annually (live in the DC area) b/c it’s dog friendly, but any of the beaches around there are nice- Rehoboth is more crowded while Dewey, Betheny & Lewes are less so. Also from DC North Beach or Annapolis can be nice weekend trips (although Annapolis itself doesn’t have great beaches- only 1-2 public ones).
We’re also planning to go to Lake Anna in VA next month.
We’re only comfortable driving & prefer staying at Airbnbs. Our plan when the kids are a bit older is to go to Outer Banks in NC, but we’re not currently up for a 5 hr drive (before stops).
anon says
Is there anything to do about a 15 month old daredevil? My first kid was not a climber but this one seems to have zero self preservation instinct. At this point I’m seriously considering getting rid of our couch until he’s 2 (it’s old and due for an upgrade anyway). But its everything really, kitchen chairs, kitchen table (!), stools, toys. We watch him of course, and tell him to get down or to sit down, but we can’t stand by his side every second and we can’t get rid of everything since some of its for his older sibling too (like the stools). How did you all handle daredevil climbers?
Anon says
A LOT of redirection. Reminding that tables are not for climbing…but I also think having something that is ok for the 15 month old to climb on is important. For example, my twins went through a phase where they thought climbing on the coffee table was fun, so I would tell them that if they feel like climbing they should go climb our little tikes slide and now we also have a nugget. that being said, they were a bit older than 15 months, but i’d imagine at this age it is just repeat ad nauseam, and physically removing him from the items. this would also be a case where making sure all heavy things are anchored to the wall is actually important
GCA says
Babyproof what you can so nothing heavy topples over on them and falls are onto softer surfaces, and also have them practice getting down slightly more safely. My second kid is a climber as well; when she was a year old we had to teach her how to get down off our bed (turn around to face the bed and slide down feet-first) and a few months later we had to teach her to downclimb the ladder from her brother’s loft bed. I can’t do anything about the couch, but at least we have a rug to fall on.
Anonymous says
Two things worked for our crazy climber –
1. reactions is super consistent and boring so climbing doesn’t get you much attention (No. Get Down. – if they don’t get down, physically remove them immediately). You will have to do this again and again but it’s part of how little kids think. Like they don’t realize no climbing on the bookcase means also no climbing on the tv stand. It’s about check out boundaries.
2. providing a safe space to climb and work off that energy/interest. When we had time, we’d let him tire himself out climbing stairs (with close supervision) and outside climbing. Friends had a pickler (sp?) triangle that worked well.
Also, you just have to let some stuff go. The same kid now regularly climbs our backyard trees higher than I’d like but there’s lots of evidence that risk taking within reasonable limits is really good for kids so I don’t stress too much and accept there may be a broken arm or something at some point.
Anonymous says
Had/have two daredevil climbers. Honestly for my own sanity I taught them how to jump off the couch safely and they were allowed to jump on the couch and climb on it as much as they wanted. Soft rug underneath from the couch, so they wouldn’t get hurt if they fell. They weren’t allowed to play or jump on tables, stairs, or counters but couches were fair game. Also younger kid’s bed is still a mattress on the floor. Always meant to get a bed but never got around to it and they really love jumping on it. During COVID times I also let them jump off of a sturdy dresser that is secured to the wall on to the mattress. They think it is awesome. Now that they are older and bigger (4 and 7) they aren’t allowed to jump on top part of sofa and sofa jumping is generally discouraged. But overall I’m inclined to find ways to safely engage the instinct to jump, climb, etc.. I like that they are active kids and want to allow them to express themselves that way within reasonable limits.
DLC says
our third child (18 months old )is a climber too…and like yours climbs everything… I turn my back and she is on the kitchen table, or over the back of the couch…. it’s been months and months of this and it is exhausting, so lots of commiseration. Honestly I feel like we should do a better job watching her for the non-amount of babyproofing we did. Our non-tactic is vigilant watching, removal of baby from unacceptable places, trying to remove opportunities for dangerous climbing and, like others have said, redirecting towards safer ways to move. We put our kitchen chairs down on their sides if no one is actually sitting on them. Doors to rooms get closed when no one is in them. The kitchen stool gets put in the sunroom with the door closed. The two older kids know if they want to use it, they can get it, but they must put it back afterwards. The older kids also know if they see their little sister climbing they have to tell a grown up or help her down themselves – it’s kind of an all hands on deck situation. This child just seems to be more naturally curious that her siblings (who are both very risk adverse), and I don’t necessarily want to discourage that.
Anon says
Do you have a learning tower? My kid loves climbing in an out of that thing and it distracts him from unsafe places (chairs/stools).
also a climber says
My daughter was like this – jumped out of her crib at 19 months. At 3, she’s better about knowing what she can do safely. She’s an only so no experience on the second kid who needs space but could you create a safe area for him with gates, etc.? You also need to redirect and just say no repeatedly until you are blue in the face and then 10 more times and keep removing him from the object in question I remember an epic battle with my daughter over the kitchen chairs to this effect. Also give opportunities for safe climbing outside, playground, etc.
anonymommy says
Teach them to get down. They can climb up; they can climb down. This won’t work for truly dangerous climbing, but the couch. (We use a lot of “feet on the floor” and “butts in seats” reminders to cut down on the “no no nos!,” and remind our 14 mo. old to lay on her belly and feet first to get back off the couch). And, as others suggest – create a “yes” space where they can climb and do whatever. No joke, our garage was it during the winter for our older child. I’m in a cold state and had a newborn last winter, so we couldn’t go to the park for long. So, I’d shut the garage door and let the older kiddo climb on boxes and whatever else he could safely play with. (Yes, internet trolls, I did move chemicals into a locked cabinent, etc.) An hour in the garage where he could just go nuts saved me from constant yelling. I also removed toy chairs, tapped over light switches, etc. to remove the most common temptations for a busy one.
Anon says
This is good advice and also applies when they’re older. My kids love to climb trees often quite high. My rule for them is they can climb as high as they want as long as they can get themselves down. Like the poster above, I’m expecting a broken arm somewhere along the way… but yeah, they’re climbers! All three of mine actually – we go to friends houses and they “teach” friends’ kids how to find fun things to climb at their houses too. Oops!
Anon says
Keep the couch and let him climb it. He most likely won’t get seriously hurt. You can also look into a Nugget or a small climbing dome (for outside). But basically…he’s going to climb, redirect him to safe areas and take him outside as much as possible. In a couple months you’ll probably be much more confident in his ability to get up and down safely.
Anon says
Time out for climbing the stuff that’s serious (outside of the stairs….the fireplace mantle!!!); ignore the stuff that isn’t (anything under 4 feet or with sharp edges or no padding in the “drop zone”) and let natural consequences take their course (and teach them how to climb down). My number of grey hairs has also quintupled so YMMV. It is only a short phase until their physical prowess catches up with their daring, but my 3.5YO still has no fear. Caught her using a chair to climb up to get at the top shelf in the kitchen cabinets just last week.
Io says
My daughter’s a climber. The only thing that stopped her was letting her climb on the biggest/hardest climbers at the playground. That basically made climbing on the furniture boring.
Anon says
Survey: If your daycare closes a class room due to a Covid case, can asymptomatic siblings of kids in the quarantined room still attend school?
Friday says
No.
Anonymous says
Not until 5 days have passed and they’ve been tested.
Spirograph says
I think they’re not required to stay home as long as the sibling isn’t the one who tested positive, but at our school, parents have been keeping siblings home. (And thank goodness, one kid in my son’s daycare class tested positive after being home for a week when her brother’s class had a positive test. Because she hadn’t been in school, my son’s class didn’t need to quarantine.) If I already have to shuffle because I’ve lost childcare for one kid, it is really no extra work to have more than one kid home unless there are zoom classes involved. And in fact, it’s easier because they’ll entertain each other at least part of the time if there’s more than one. (My kids are 4 and up, I’m sure this is not true for toddlers and infants)
Anonymous says
In our daycare it was not specifically banned, but parents have chosen to keep their kids home anyway. The board of health (in MA) specifically said asymptomatic siblings of ASYMPTOMATIC kids in quarantine due to exposure are not themselves quarantined.
My oldest was a Close Contact in elem school and my younger kids were allowed to go to daycare just fine. We kept them home until Oldest had a negative test, then sent them for the rest of her quarantine. If Oldest had been symptomatic we would have kept them home the whole time. Same process when my toddler’s daycare room had a case and everyone had to quarantine. In both cases the person with COVID was wearing a mask. It was the girl sitting 6′ away but next to my daughter in class. In my toddler’s case it was one of her teachers, who was masked, but not 6′ away by any stretch!
Nope says
Nope. Not for a very very long time (Bright Horizons.). It’s really hard and frustrating!
Anonymous says
Yes. Does it make sense? Not really. Do I want to push back? Definitely not.
Anonymous says
Kindergarten not daycare but yes.
Anonymous says
Our daycare follows our state health advice (which is what I think schools are doing, but not 100% sure). All sibs go home until exposed kid gets negative test. Earliest exposed kid can be tested is 5 days after exposure. Family also is supposed to comply with daily symptom monitoring by health department via email. If exposed kid develops symptoms, sibs are supposed to stay home even if exposed kid previously had tested negative.
Anon says
What kind of bags do you guys use for daycare? We’ve been using an old daypack for my 18 month old’s lunch box, cups, extra clothes, and on occasion sheet/blanket. It’s ok but needs to be replaced. Should I get a backpack for an older kid? A tote? So many options.
Anon says
We use a Vera Bradley tote bag I got for free on a press trip. It’s not my style at all, so it lives at daycare. At my kid’s school, nobody uses backpacks. I’m not really sure why.
AnonATL says
I use an old gym bag. It’s easy to wash, has a few internal pockets and is about the right size for his stuff.
I drive to daycare from home. If I was walking or had an older kid, I’d probably do a backpack
Anon. says
Preschooler has a backpack. Baby just has a niceish reusable grocery bag.
Cb says
I use one of those drawstring backpacks that I got at a conference. I wanted to get a cute backpack for him but needed something I could carry alongside my work bag. And it just gets filthy anyways, so something cheap and washable is good. I attach a wet bag to the top for anything that gets wet/accidents during the day.
Pogo says
I use an LLBean bote n tote, monogrammed with their name.
CPA Lady says
I use one of the nylon LL Bean totes. Monogrammed. Non kiddy colors. It blew my husband’s mind a couple years into using the tote bag when he finally realized she could keep using it even as an older kid/young adult.
Anonymous says
One of the zillion cloth tote bags we have accumulated or a reusable grocery bag, until kiddo is old enough to carry his own backpack.
Io says
LL Bean tote with diaper bag insert.
You’ll use it for something forever. (Beach/sport bag, school supply drop off day, shopping, moving, overnight bag, travel,)
Sun Protection says
What kind of sun protection do you send your infants to daycare with? Kid is 7 months and at his in-home daycare, they spend a decent amount of time out in the yard when the weather is nice. It’s great, but I’m not really sure how to cover him up as it warms up here in the SEUS. He has a wide brimmed sunhat. Is there such a thing as a sunshirt or lightweight jacket type thing for infants? I see lots of toddler options or swim shirts. There is sunscreen of course.
Anon says
We use a long-sleeved swimshirt for swimming, but if they’re not going to be in the water I think that would be too hot (and I’m in the Midwest, not the south so probably not as hot). I just do a t-shirt but size up so it covers more of the upper arms and there’s less concern about it riding up and exposing a small patch of skin on the lower back. Copious sunscreen applied in the morning, and daycare should be applying it in the afternoon. Sunhat and sunglasses.
Mary Moo Cow says
I washed play clothes/specific day care clothes with an SPF additive (Sun Guard, I think) and used lots of sunscreen. You could do a longsleeve rashguard, but YMMMV, I get uncomfortable in those unless I’m in water. For sunscreen, I’m partial to Neutrogena baby and Blue Lizard.
TheElms says
At that age, I kept my kid in long sleeves and long pants until temperatures were reliably in the 80s or higher (you may be there soon). After that, sunscreen and a hat with specific instructions to daycare to reapply before going out in the afternoon.
Anon says
Yep, we do long sleeves if the high will be under 80 and long pants if the high is under about 85. Make sure you sunscreen arms even if you send your kid in long sleeves because daycare may roll them up.
Anonymous says
My kid would overheat in long sleeves above around 67 degrees and in long pants above 72 degrees.
Anon says
Then I guess you shouldn’t do this. My kid has never complained, and I myself am comfortable in long sleeves when temps are in the 70s and in long pants and short sleeves when temps are in the low 80s.
Anon says
Thirded. I always generally tried to keep my kid in long pants during the crawling stage unless it was really hot.
MidwestMama says
Any advice on room sharing for a toddler and a baby? We’re a few months away from moving the baby out of our room, and I’m having a hard time picturing how to make room sharing safe for the kiddos. Right now they are never alone together, because toddler’s favorite games include throwing heavy objects as high as possible (for the big boom when they land, of course) and hitting people with his stuffed animals. I just keep picturing him throwing stuffed animals from his crib to the baby’s, climbing out of his crib and messing with hers, etc etc. Toddler loves the baby but doesn’t know his own strength and does not follow directions with any reliability. Am I overthinking this? How do people manage?
Anon says
We kept baby in our room for 10 months for exactly this reason… I wanted the little to be able to move and cry to alert us if something was wrong (and they didn’t even share a room, but their rooms are railroad-style so toddler had easy access). Honestly, I’d keep baby in your room until the toddler is a bit less impulsive.
Anonymous says
My vote was for overthinking until you got to the part about throwing heavy objects to watch them go boom. Like you said, though, you have a few months… he might outgrow that game and be a bit more reliable at following directions by then. Anecdata, but I never had any issues with toddler and baby room sharing, safety or otherwise. They started sharing when the baby was 6 months. Toddler was a just over 2.
anonymommy says
It gets better! Ours are almost exactly two years apart. I think we moved #2 from the bassinet in our room to crib in kid room around a year. We procrastinated on sleep training because we thought #2 would wake #1 up — but #1 just slept through it when we finally tried! (So don’t be miserable — you might be just fine sleep training with both in the same room.) While son does still push/grab younger daughter, it has gotten a lot better (he’s now 3). And, even when he was really impulsive about hitting her, he never messed with her in her crib. I think that’s because most of the hitting was over OUR attention on her — a non-factor when she’s just sleeping. Also, we’ve found that the younger sibling is MUCH more vocal and lets us know FAST if he’s messing with her. Oh, another tip — when he goes through phases of getting up really early, we try to reinforce the “ok to wake” light we have, but also grab him and go lay on the couch ASAP to try to fall asleep again (“it’s not wake up time yet so we are resting here now”). I know that’s not everyone’s jam, but for us it put a stop to the “reward” of getting into mom/dad’s bed, but also prevented the horrible both-kids-up-too-early-too-cranky problem. Wish someone had told me this seemingly obvious tip. Good luck!
TheElms says
Shopping help? Looking for slightly dressed up tees that are zoom appropriate (east coast big law that used to be on the formal end of business casual but now pretty much anything you’d wear out of the house is fine) that are long enough to wear with leggings / don’t look silly with leggings for the evenings when I grab my kid and go for a walk outside. I liked the Boden puff sleeve tee that was on the main site earlier this week, but I can’t see that looking ok with leggings. Any ideas? Like jewel colors and happy to do prints.
ElisaR says
lululemon has some tops that are a bit longer in the back and work well with leggings. Love crew and back in action come to mind.
AnonATL says
I’ve found a lot of cute tunic length shirts on Amazon. the Amazon essentials scoopneck tunic are very comfy and affordable.
AwayEmily says
Old Navy has a lot of these. I think i have some of the Luxe tunic tees.
Anonymous says
+1 I basically wear these every day now.
anona says
Has anyone given any thought to baby-sitters in the After times? Not that I have any plans coming up, but recent news of Alaska had me thinking… the pool of teenage babysitters shrinks considerably if J&J and Moderna are 18; Pfizer 16?
EDAnon says
We have a daycare teacher babysit in before times. She’s very reliable and COVID safe generally. All teachers are vaccinated at our child care (I am too. My husband is not). Once I get past the 2-4 weeks for the vaccine to kick in, I am going to ask my husband about having her babysit again. She already spends all day with one of our kids (they’re both masked). I assume she would still mask (the kids are chill with it at this point).
TBD if we go through with it. We have been very COVID safe and it is super weird to think about.
Anon says
It depends on your risk tolerance, but once DH and I are vaccinated I’m not going to really worry about whether everyone in my orbit is vaccinated. We’ll be doing things like flying and outside dining that put me in close proximity to unvaccinated people, so I’m not sure why a babysitter would be different. Also I know for a fact that one of our daughter’s daycare teachers won’t be getting the vaccine. I’m definitely not thrilled about it, but it’s not worth leaving our daycare over and even if we were willing to leave I’m skeptical I could find any daycare where 100% of the teachers will take the vaccine. I’d probably ask a babysitter to wear a mask assuming Covid numbers are still reasonably high, but otherwise I wouldn’t sweat it.
Anon says
Ours is affiliated with a hospital and I am fairly certain the teachers are 100% vaccinated.
Anon says
Yeah I meant that I can’t find a daycare local to me with 100% vaccination rates, not that it doesn’t exist anywhere. Ours is affiliated with the local university and all the children have faculty/staff parents, so I expect vaccination rates among the parents to be very high, but the teachers are mostly from the surrounding deep red rural areas and many of them politically conservative and skeptical of the vaccine. But our daycare is far and away the best in our city, and I doubt there are any daycare centers in my county where all the teachers want the vaccine. There was one county in my state where only 20% of *healthcare workers* accepted the vaccine, so that’s what we’re dealing with.
It’s not ideal but it’s not something I’m losing sleep over – once DH and I are fully vaxxed we’ll be very well protected, and the illness is so mild in daycare age kids. I’m mainly annoyed that unvaxxed teachers will mean we have occasional classroom quarantines until 2022 or beyond.
Anonymous says
I don’t think it matters. In states other than Alaska, I suspect that by the time 16-/18-year-olds who are not high-risk can get vaccinated, at least one vaccine will be authorized and available for ages 12 and up. The real question is whether parents will allow their teens to babysit unvaccinated kids (I wouldn’t).
Anon says
I don’t know. My (non-Alaska) state is saying anyone who is 16+ should be eligible by May. I think the vaccine for 12-15 will be more like August/September timeframe. It won’t be a long gap, but I think there will be a gap of at least a couple months.
Anon Lawyer says
You wouldn’t let your vaccinated teen babysit unvaccinated kids whose parents are vaccinated? That seems like a low risk scenario to me.
Anon says
Especially with everyone in masks.
Anonymous says
Absolutely not. The vaccines are not 100% effective, and they will soon be less effective thanks to variant spread. Taking care of little kids requires close contact. My 3-year-old nephew refuses to wear a mask and tried to pull mine off the last time I saw him. I would not let my child take that kind of risk for something as non-essential as a babysitting job. Save the risk budget for school and maybe non-contact sports.
Anon says
It really depends on the kid’s ages and how much experience they have with masks. It sounds like your nephew is unaccustomed to wearing a mask but for many kids, even toddlers, it’s second nature at this point. I know plenty of 2 and 3 year olds who wear masks for 8+ hours a day at daycare, don’t pull them off and whine about it way less than certain adults who have to wear one for 30 minutes at the grocery store. And many kids who need babysitters are significantly older than 3. In my state, kids 6+ are required to wear masks, so virtually all kids 6 and up are adept at wearing them.
Anon Lawyer says
Nothing is 100% but they’re very, very, very good at protecting against severe illness and evidence so far is that’s true for the variants too (and we’ll know more about that by the time most teenagers are vaccinated). At this point, I don’t see a vaccinated teenager getting a dangerous Covid infection while babysitting as any more likely than them getting another dangerous illness from a kid they’re babysitting at any point, Pandemic or no. Of course, everyone has to make their own risk calculations but to me, waiting for 0% risk means we’ll never do anything “non-essential” again and shouldn’t have been doing it before Covid either.
Anonymous says
My 3yo wears a mask no problem and my 19 month old is so used to me wearing one he doesn’t pull it off. So I think your perception of little kids and masks is skewed
Anonymous says
Yeah my daughter turned 2 right at the beginning of the pandemic and has worn a mask regularly since July when our state got a mask mandate. She sometimes goes up to adults and older kids who aren’t wearing one and tells them they should put one on! I know there are exceptions like kids with special needs, but in my experience most kids who “can’t” wear masks have parents who believe masks are an infringement on their ~freedom~ and the kids are very obviously internalizing their parents’ views. And I actually know quite a few kids who happily wear masks despite anti-mask parents! I was in line at a bakery a few weeks ago with a maskless woman who was loudly complaining about how Covid is a hoax and it’s her right to refuse to wear a mask (even though it’s actually not because it’s legally required in indoor public spaces) and she had a ~10 year old boy with her who was wearing a mask properly and looked embarrassed.
fallen says
So how do you think things are going to change post-vaccine for those of us who have kids? I haven’t been following the data very closely but I am wondering if we will still have to be super careful since kids won’t be vaccinated for a while, even if we are vaccinated.
Anonymous says
Things should not change immediately post-vaccine, whether or not you have kids. Check out “daily infections and testing” at https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america?view=infections-testing&tab=trend&test=infections. The red line is what happens if vaccinated people go back to normals levels of mobility. Even with the vaccine, we aren’t beating this thing unless we stay home a while longer.
Anon says
I think all the school precautions (masks, distancing, no visitors, probably quarantines…unfortunately) will stay in place until kids can be vaccinated. Outside of school, I think it really comes down to personal risk tolerance. I know people who basically plan to stay locked down until their kids are vaccinated, but since the risk to kids is so minimal and the risk to others is minimal once every adult has the option to get the vaccine, we’re going to relax significantly once we get the vaccines. I doubt we’ll be able to travel internationally this year due to daycare restrictions, but otherwise I expect the summer and fall to be pretty much normal (other than masks). Once the vaccines are widely available to adults, we’ll be visiting with family, flying domestically, staying in hotels, dining outside, socializing with other vaccinated adults (and their kids), putting kids back in extracurricular activities (fwiw, we could legally do all these things now – we’ve just been abstaining until we get the vaccines out of concern for ourselves and others), etc. etc. I’ve had my first shot and am very hopeful and excited about the summer.
Anonymous says
My husband and I got J&J this week. We will be catching up on postponed non-essential medical appointments, and I may do a little in-person grocery shopping once in a while. My biggest hope is that being vaccinated lets me reclaim all of the mental capacity that was being wasted worrying about catching the virus and finding a vaccine dose.
Anon says
Yes. I got vaccinated a few weeks ago and that’s been the biggest change for me so far – much less anxiety about the things we were already doing (daycare, masked grocery store and library runs, etc.)
Anon says
+1. It feels so good to know it’s a lot less likely that we’d be incapacitated at the same time.
AwayEmily says
Yes! I’m two weeks after my second dose and my behavior is the same, but my emotional state is much improved. I had to go to the FedEx store today to pick up my repaired laptop and a month ago I would have been low-level nervous the entire time, calculating exactly how far away everyone was standing and looking out for masks pulled down below noses. But today I just went, stood in line, got my computer, and left. Looked the same from the outside but SO different on the inside.
Anonymous says
Yes, this! I used to do the same thing, assessing every single person and where they were standing and how well or not they were wearing their masks and it’s SO mentally freeing to not do that.
So Anon says
This. The lost mental capacity worrying about catching the vaccine is what I am most looking forward to regaining. As a single parent, its hard to quantify the fear of even getting a “mild” case, let alone a more significant case. My mom has been helping me with childcare (she basically threatened that she was either helping me or returning to nursing….), and I was so caught off guard by the involuntary sob when she texted that she had her first vaccine. I think this (the fear) is a very heavy pack that many are carrying but we have become so accustomed to it that we almost forget that it is there, even though it is actively weighing us down.
Anon says
throughout the pandemic there is nothing you “have” to do other than follow the laws of the state where you live. I live in TX where apparently Covid is over and we no longer have a mask mandate and all restaurants can be open at 100% capacity….however, i am on the more cautious side of the spectrum. unlike one of the posters above, i do plan for a while on wanting to be around other vaccinated people, especially if it is for any activity that doesn’t involve wearing a mask. we have not done indoor dining and i don’t anticipate dining indoors again anytime soon, especially not with my kids. i actually think i would fly with my kids before dining indoors bc we live a 24+ hour drive from our family. and flying is a masked activity, whereas to me dining indoors is no different than going to a 200 person wedding, which i’m not at all comfortable with. it is all going to depend on how much you care about the public health and your own personal risk tolerance.
SC says
Kiddo has been in school in person since August, and it’s gone really well. I plan to resume many of our normal activities–road trips to AirBNBs or state parks or to visit (vaccinated) family members), occasional indoor dining, etc. We will likely avoid indoor play places, the children’s museum, the aquarium, etc. for a while. Honestly, he doesn’t do well in crowded, noisy places with lots of kids, so he’s not exactly begging to go back. We’d likely attend an outdoor birthday party once the vaccine has been available to all adults for a while, but avoid indoor birthday parties.
Kiddo is in a school for kids with exceptionalities. Many of them have complicated medical issues and may be high risk. The school has asked everyone to be cautious about gathering with others outside of school. We may feel like we can open it up more during the summer, when it’s too hot outside to do anything and our kid isn’t going to pass anything on to high-risk kids.
Anon says
I feel the same about indoor play places (they’re petri dishes, which is a bummer because my kid looooves MyGym) but we’ve done some museums and aquariums throughout this and I felt pretty comfortable with it, if masks are required. The ones near me have capacity limits, which make it pretty easy to maintain distancing, and mask requirements that not only keep other people from sharing germs but also keep my kid from sticking her fingers in her mouth, which I suspect was the source of a lot of our problems in the past. I doubt we’ll seek them out over the summer when the weather is nice but when the weather turns cold in the fall I totally anticipate day trips to the nearby city to visit the science museum and natural history museum.
Boston Legal Eagle says
This whole time, I’ve been more worried about me, my husband or our parents getting the virus than my kids getting it, so once we’re all vaccinated and hopefully a good chunk of the adult population is also vaccinated, we’ll resume outdoor then indoor dining, massages, nails, etc., will probably spend the summer going to more outdoor places and will do a family trip and hopefully a (non-flight) couples trip! We’ll probably sign up our older one for soccer and swim, and will attend birthday parties again. Also more playdates. I don’t think we’ll be air travelling this year, mostly due to the kids still being too young for it to be worth the hassle for me. Assuming we don’t have to keep the kids out daycare for out of town visitors, we’ll probably host in-laws if they want to travel to us.
Anonymous says
+1 same, except we’ll be flying too. I know there was a big brouhaha on the main s1te yesterday about the CDC not recommending air travel, but the CDC recs are totally inconsistent – vaccinated people don’t have to quarantine after *direct exposure* to a known Covid case, but can’t fly even with masks, face shields, testing, post-travel isolation, etc.? Dr Leana Wen (who has been pretty cautious throughout this whole pandemic) was on CNN the other day talking about how silly this CDC anti-travel recommendation is and how we should instead be pushing masks and responsible behavior at your destination, which is what my family will be doing.
Realist says
I have an immune compromised kid. For us, the vaccines will alleviate me worrying about both DH and I being sick at the same time and alleviate concerns that we could be one of the unlucky ones that gets a severe case. But without a vaccine for kiddo, we will still be stuck in pandemic limbo for awhile. I am hoping that better data comes out on whether vaccinated adults are prevented from also preading the virus. If we get good data on that, visits with family will finally be an option. But I will protect my kid at all costs. So far the CDC is only recommending family visits among vaccinated adults and unvaccinated kids when the kids are not at risk for severe illness from the virus. I’m really hoping that we soon get data to show that vaccinated individuals do not spread the virus. I’m also hoping that vaccines for kids come sooner rather than later. I know they are working on it, and I am so thankful for the families that are signing their kids up for the vaccine trials.
Anonymous says
Just watched the Ex-Presidents’ Vaccination PSA (minus one, but not trying to make this political), and Jimmy Carter holding up his vaccination card at the end with a giant smile just warmed my heart. I feel like he symbolizes everybody in that older generation who lost a year with grandkids, great-grandkids, friends, etc. It nearly brought tears to my eyes. He just looked so genuine.
Anon says
He’s adorable!
travel Q says
We’re thinking about planning a trip over Thanksgiving or Christmas. Any recs for an all-inclusive, budget-friendly, kid-friendly resort? Our kids would be 10 and 3 at that time.
Anonymous says
No specific recs, but Mexico and the Dominican Republic have a lot of AIs in a wide range of budgets.
Anonymous says
I work in tech and Artificial Intelligence is my default definition for AI. it took me a sec to get to all-inclusive after my initial reaction of “huh, I didn’t think they were particularly advanced in that area”
Anonymous says
Ha!!
Pogo says
omg same.
Anon says
this is more of a helpful hint for travel qs- when posting questions in addition to posting kids ages, it is helpful to post where you are coming from and how far you want to fly because that can help people provide better advice. Like I might have different recs for someone flying from California vs. New York
OP says
Sorry! I thought about that later but just now made it back to update. We would be coming from the Midwest. My kids are not experienced travelers, so shorter flights would probably be better.
Anon says
my comment wasn’t geared just towards you as you are the second poster requesting traveling advice today
Friday says
No advice on location, but I would check Costco travel, if you’re a member. We booked several Mexico AIs and our honeymoon in St Lucia through their travel site.
AnonATL says
Costco rocks and Cheap carribean is good too!
shoutout to tripmasters. They have fewer all inclusive resorts, but some awesome packages for other trips. We’ve traveled with them a couple times.
CHL says
Yes to Costco! We stayed at the Grand Palladium Colonial Resort with a 4 and 6 year old and had a good experience. We kind of cycled between big pool, kid pool with water slides and and fountain, and beach. There is a little train that goes between buildings that my kids loved. It’s set in kind of nature preserve with lots of little critters around. Food was standard for an all inclusive. It was Riviera Maya so a little further from Cancun airport but an easy drive and cheap to get a private transport.
Anonymous says
We stayed here for a wedding in before times with our then 4 year old and she keeps asking to go back. Kid friendly but not overly so if that makes sense.
Anon says
Haven’t been yet, but we booked the Jewel Grande Montego Bay for Christmas break. There are nonstop flights from Chicago to Montego Bay, which was a big reason we chose that area. There are also non-stop flights to Cancun and several other cities in Mexico but many Caribbean islands are weirdly hard to reach from the Midwest, even from a major hub like O’Hare. I remember we were vaguely planning a trip to Antigua in before times and it was going to involve three plane flights and an overnight layover in Miami or Atlanta or something like that. It was insane!