Pickle

I only just moved my son (just turned 3) after Christmas! It made the transition very easy, as he's old enough to understand when I tell him to stay put. My daughter is 19 months and I plan to keep the side on her cot for as long as possible, as I know she'd be a nightmare if she had an opportunity to get out. Our cot beds are very deep, so I would struggle to reach and lift her out if she was lying down, but she always stands up when I come into the room which is helpful :)

What an absolutely bizarre comment - Rydalema is a regular contributor in the Family Room, and is friendly & supportive. Nothing she's posted could be seen as bullying!

I'm fairly certain that at 21 months you'll be fine. We've recently bought a duvet and pillow from Mothercare for our son (3) and the boxes for both said not suitable before 12 months. The duvet is 4 tog, he used to sleep in 2.5 tog Grobags, and we've had to start putting an extra layer on him under his PJ's as he complains he's cold, which has never happened before!

A "behind the scenes" tour of a rugby ground? (if such a thing exists here... in my home town in New Zealand you can do a tour of the stadium). My Dad was here for his birthday last year and we arranged for him to go to to a car factory - not top of my list of exciting things to do but he loved it!

The Health Visitor CAME to you... oh my goodness! I had to chase up for both of my kids 8 month checks, and never got anything as exciting as a toothbrush!

I haven't seen last night's episode yet, but it's far and away my favourite show on TV. There was one series (3 maybe, can't remember) that lost it's spark a bit, but I really enjoyed the last series.

One of the nannies that I see at a lot of local playgroups (Vlad) posted a message this morning looking for part-time work... I've never actually used him as a nanny, but he stands out as someone who really loves what he does, and kids seem to absolutely love him - worth a try? If I was looking for a nanny I would feel very happy knowing he was looking after my children.

I wish it would p*ss off... otherwise I'll be calling the police to get them to deal with my kids when they wake up because of the noise (6). It's turning circle seems to be around the Upland/Underhill junction. Our houseguest (not a Londoner) is getting edgy and keeps thinking she can hear people in the garden!

That's excellent Iain, I look forward to seeing her again

Interestingly after I read a thread on this recently I asked our dentist when I took my son for his checkup, and she said the 0-3 year stuff was adequate for young children. I don't know what to believe!

Brilliant JDR, would be good to see you and have a proper catch up :)

Yes, it's definitely changing to sessions that you sign up in advance for, but I'd not been told about the HV referral bit. I know the "white middle class" issue had been raised, but as of the end of term when I got an update from Jean I hadn't heard of it being taken any further (although had been told they would have 2 spaces per session reserved for special needs children).

The Lodge would be cool, I'd be up for that

Ah, don't worry about that - most people don't know each other (although chances are you'll realise you DO know people from seeing them round the area!), and we're a friendly bunch :)

Me too! 13th good for me :)

Great news Iain, phew! As I said earlier, M didn't go for about 2 weeks - in the end she went (explosively, so be warned, it resulted in a baby grow being thrown away!) when she was in her little bouncy seat, might be worth a try if you have one? Gentle circular massage on her tummy and the riding bike technique with her legs as PollyD mentioned are also good ones. P x

I'd always been very sceptical about amber necklaces, bought one as a last resort for M and it really was a bit of a miracle... within a day of wearing it she seemed a lot happier and a couple of teeth popped through that I didn't even realise were on their way. May just be a fluke, but I'm sticking with it :) She gets very excited every morning when I put it on, at 19 months she's getting very aware of what she wears etc., and looks in the mirror at her necklace and says "pretty"!

I had similar with both of my children, and teething was the cause in both cases. Try rubbing your baby's gums with some teething gel before a feed (or even sometimes just rubbing with your finger helps a bit), and I second the recommendation for an amber necklace - my daughter has been wearing one for a few months now (she's 19 months) and it's made a huge difference to her during the difficult period of getting her molars. I wish I'd got one earlier! Try not to worry too much, things will settle down again. Try offering milk at different times to "normal" during the day, maybe when she's sleepy it might be easier? Express if you can, although if you've been breastfeeding for 8 months a few days won't make a difference to your milk supply. Good luck x

I went in there today for the first time based on the comments on the forum (bought some fruit, very nice), and got the friendly welcome that everyone mentions. Will definitely use them more often now that I know they're there.

My kids also woke around 11.30ish for no apparent reason, so maybe there was something? I didn't feel anything though!

By memory foam do you mean the "tempur" type mattresses? If so I'd never given it a second thought and have slept on one of those mattresses through both pregnancies :-$

Hmmmmm, Iaineasy... pleased that you're impressed, not so sure about the fact you find it so surprising ;-)

Ooooooh, I really shouldn't have clicked on that link... although conveniently Mr Pickle is out and probably wouldn't notice if I snuck them into the nappy drawer...

It's definitely worth getting some really good socks too - I had special dual layer socks when I used to run regularly (did London in 2005), they really helped prevent blisters. Even the best, most worn in shoes are pushed to their limit when you do a marathon, blisters appear where you've never had them before! I found the running shop in Beckenham really friendly and helpful, and not as busy as some of the Central London ones. Good luck. I loved every minute of the marathon, best day ever!

Congratulations EmmaG on the arrival of Isobel - I've been noticing lots of little babies as I walk round ED with my increasingly large children and it's making me broody! Enjoy the cuddles, and take care of yourself.