srisky

Not much, I know, but some (most?) employers offer childcare vouchers i.e upto approx ?243 (decreased to approx. ?128 courtesy of the coalition) of your salary is deducted prior to tax, NI, pensions and put in to childcare vouchers, which can then be used to pay any ofsted registered childcare provider. This equates to several hundred pounds of savings per annum depending on how much is deducted and which bracket tax payer you are. Both fathers and mothers can apply for childcare vouchers. Worth looking into if you don't do it already.

Something's got a hold of my heart - Gene Pitney and Marc Almond

Ooops, sorry, Susan - missed that bit of your post and no specific advise to offer on that, I'm afraid. Have you noticed any problems with his grip when using other things e.g toothbrush, toys etc?

I would try not to worry (easier said than done) about cutlery versus finger feeding versus spoon-feeding, as in my (limited) experience when it comes to feeding they do what they want - the phrase 'you can take a horse to water...' comes to mind. As long as you are offering your baby the opportunity to explore and have a try themselves then they will get there in their own time. From what I have seen of babies of a similar age to my own (approx. 17months), they are all good at different things - for some it's fine motor skills, others it's gross motor and others it's language and then a combination of the three. To me, it sounds like your son is quite smart and efficient - why bother with all the effort of using a spoon when hands are much easier?!

Sorry to hear about your neice - I hope she makes a good and speedy recovery. I can't advise much about computers but hospital beds tend to have a few plug points near and, although they may not always be available the instant she needs them, charging shouldn't generally be a problem.

Thanks, both - I agree, they do look very cute! Silly question - I was wondering if you found that their backs became hot and sweaty after toddling about for a while wearing one on warm day (granted, not many of those this summer)?

Would like to buy some reins for my 17 months old who loves walking - any recommendations? Any to avoid? Thanks

It's a man's world - James Brown

Walk On By - Dionne Warwick

Pussy Galore - The Roots

Thought it was a damp squib with a very disappointing line up most of whom will (hopefully) be long forgotten in a decade. There are so many 'greats' in British music who could have been represented either in person or with guest singers e.g The Rolling Stones, Queen (no pun intended), The Kinks etc. Even ignoring the line up, most of the songs sung were hardly uplifting or anthemic and (the impression I got) was the crowd never got going - if they wanted some modern music for the young'uns then how about Florence and the Machines or Adele? And where was Brucie, surely an deal host to gee up the crowd with a bit of 'nice to see you...' - shunned again by the establishment?

Really enjoyed the Good Wife - 3 series so far

She cries your name - Beth Orton

Take a packed lunch to work - over a 5day working week you could save ?25...over a year it definitely adds up and then don't think twice over going out for a nice meal

Puzzles

Dotes

You could order one online (eg amazon.au)and get it delivered to the place you'll be staying at...

I add the abidec drops into her cereal in the morning, which masks the taste

Brilliant, thank you, will look into those. Another question, forumites - what did you do with your little ones during the transfer from airport to destination? Did they provide car seats or were they sitting on your laps? Thanks

We are planning our first holiday abroad for the end of May with our daughter who will be 16 months at the time. Our wish list is as follows: - relatively short flight (to maintain our sanity during the flight and avoid jet lag) - near a sandy beach (a pool would be an added bonus) - warm enough to enjoy the aforementioned sandy beach - has accommodation where the bedroom is completely separated from the main living area so we don't have to sit in silent darkness from 7.30pm while our daughter sleeps - not self catering (I do enough of that at home) We're probably asking for too much, as we've not had much luck finding such a place but any tips would be very welcome!! Thanks :)

Trouble so hard - Vera Hall

Tennis

Used since birth of my daughter and LOVE it - she's now 14months. only thing is I still find it heavy to lift one-handed once folded but I think that's just me as others don't have a problem! The handle bar height is not adjustable but my husband (5'10) and I (5'4)haven't found this to be an issue.

Asda red kite - costs approx ?25, very easy to use. Has a thin mattress (as you would expect for a travel cot) so we pad it out with some towels unders the sheet. How often do you think you'll use it?

Whatever happened to the 'h' in yoghurt...seems to have been dropped by major manufacturers