Pickle

Tee hee, my son self weaned at 10 months, I was pregnant... Something you want to share Crystal7?! ;-)

You're right, it doesn't lie fully flat, but with a cocoon in it I found it a lovely cosy setup for a newborn (our daughter was born in January and I had to take her out to do the school run from 2 days old!). It does lie back to almost flat, and personally I liked that it wasn't 100% flat - in our case the baby seemed a lot happier in it than lying flat in her Moses basket. We used the cocoon until she was 4 months old, then switched to using without. Now we've put a footmuff on it for the cold weather, and have a sheepskin seat liner, and I'm envious of her warm ride as I brave the elements! We used it for long days out etc when she was tiny, no problem. I loved my Cameleon when I had my 1st baby (nearly 6 years ago), but that was before the Bee had been released. I much prefer the Bee due to it being so much more compact, it's an ideal city buggy.

Agree with others, it's not something you can do much about. My son has been dry in the day since he was 2, but still wears a pull up at night and he will be 6 in January. We have been lifting him at night for a few months (have now stopped) and he is gradually starting to have dry nights. If he is awake he will use the potty/toilet, so we know it's not just "lazy boy" syndrome! He is very conscious of it, especially as he sees his little sister going to bed wearing pants. On the opposite end of the spectrum, daughter decided 1 day after her 2nd birthday that she was done with nappies, and hasn't worn one since. She has never wet the bed at night. Same genes, different children!

The Bugaboo Cameleon will last you right up till the moment you decide you no longer need a buggy - the only need for a lightweight stroller would be for travel (although plenty of people take their Cameleons on planes etc). I find the lightweight buggies are very hard to push, especially if you have a heavy toddler in it. Have you considered a Bugaboo Bee? We have one for our 3rd child and it's brilliant. Lightweight, yet ticks all the boxes for using from newborn until 3ish. We've taken it to NZ and back and find it much easier to manoeuvre than a McLaren.

It's possible, but be prepared to put in a lot of hard work! My recommendation would be to get yourself to the level of happily running 5-10km (whether by following a programme yourself, or using a trainer - Liz Stuart does running courses I think and is great). Once you're at that level, join a running club. I used to run with Dulwich Park Runners, and trained for the London marathon with them. There was always an influx of new members a few months before the marathon who were welcomed. The experienced runners will help with training schedules, and it means there are plenty of people to keep you company (and motivated) as you do your weekly long run. Good luck!

I've had a few PM's from people wanting details of the recommendations I've had - I'll get these out ASAP, but probably not until later next week. P x

Mine doesn't change all of the beds, just the master bedroom (and I strip the old sheets off before she comes to save time), and the bedrooms in the loft are only given a quick dust/Hoover unless we have people coming to stay. Pffffft, you have in the region of 17 reception rooms in your mansion don't you Mellors?! Given you can turn both left and right when you go in your front door I'd say your house is larger ;)

Thanks jimnem - we used an agency for years (and subsequently employed our cleaner independently of them in order to pay her more). I'd rather use someone directly and pay them the full ?9-?10 an hour than go through an agency. As an aside, once we had a temp cleaner through the agency - I went out for 3 hours, when I got back she went to great lengths to show me how clean the toilet was. To give her credit, it was sparkling. That was all she had done in 3 hours! I've had a few PM's, and have some good recommendations to follow up on. I've also had some PMs from people recommending their cleaner, who appear to post about almost nothing other than their cleaner. I wasn't born yesterday, so please don't be offended if I don't reply! Many thanks all. P x

I do go out for most of the time to leave her to get on with it, but can't stay out for the whole time (and when I'm home I stay completely out of her way). She has more than enough time as will often do extra ironing - its not the time that's a problem, it's the attention to detail with the actual cleaning.

The time has come for me to bite the bullet and find a new cleaner. Our current one had been with us for over 4 years so I'm dreading having the conversation, but her cleaning is slipping and despite me specifying the way I want things done I find she still doesn't do it. I've put up with it, but as I find myself re-mopping the floor at 8pm on the day that she has been I think it's time. I'll put it out there now, I have high standards. I am very house proud and keep things neat and tidy, and also do quite a lot of cleaning myself during the week. What I don't want is someone who comes in, thinks "this house is already clean", and does a half hearted job. I want someone with common sense. Someone that thinks to look up, underneath and behind things. I shouldn't have to point out that the front of the cupboards in the kitchen need wiped, or that the cat's bowls should be lifted up off the floor before you mop. What I don't want is someone that thinks by tidying up they have cleaned. I don't want anyone that won't use proper cleaning stuff with chemicals in it (or someone that thinks making a bottle of bathroom cleaner last over a year is a good thing, it's not, it means you're not cleaning properly). I don't want parenting advice, especially if the person handing it out hasn't ever had children and is adamant that 4 weeks old is the right time to start giving Weetabix. If you can understand where I'm coming from, and have someone cleaning your house that you are pleased with - let me know! My current cleaner does 3.5 hours a week, which includes ironing 5 shirts. I'd be interested in hearing about cleaners that work in pairs (so in the house for half the time) as I find it tricky with a baby to try and keep out of the way for the whole morning. Please, don't recommend yourself. I've been on the forum long enough to know that good cleaners don't need to constantly post on Internet forums looking for work. Am I asking the impossible?

Mr Pickle plays at Dulwich Hamlets, you don't have to be a member and can book in advance.

Load of bollocks. Christopher the cruise ship singer is terrible, who on earth votes for these people?!

I liked James and Lucy last night. Ella is good, but a bit bland. I don't think X Factor is the right show for Lucy, but hopefully she will do well out of it. I like that they are continuing to let her perform her own music (ish). Rylan, dreadful. Jahmein is a great singer, not to my taste. I hadn't seen the news articles about him, so we looked it up last. Night when they mentioned it. Poor kid has had a genuinely tough life.

I would guess at sore throat, or if she's mucousy it may be making her feel a bit sick. Things with a soft consistency may make it worse (nothing more unappealing than gluggy yoghurt when you've got a runny nose!). Hope she feels better soon x

We get a list of words every week (yr 1 at Goodrich), broken into three levels. So this week, Level 1 - no, go Level 2 - when, out, she level 3 - what, because (that's a tricky one!) My son has written them out a few times, I've worked on the tricky ones with him, and he has used them in a sentence which he also wrote down. I absolutely love the structured nature of the homework he is given, 15 minutes a day of really focussed learning. The geek in me has resurfaced, I loved doing homework when I was a kid so am glad my son enjoys it! I try to gently correct his spellings when he does things at home. He loves making books, often about "soop hiros" and beginning with "wuns apona time". Got to love phonics!

El Pibe, I couldn't agree more. These kids just don't seem to get that you can also achieve gret things by getting an education and a "real" job. I watch the show every year (small kids, no life), but find every year I hate it a little more. James is the only one that does anything for me, but I doubt he will get to the final as historically anyone with a slightly rock edge gets kicked out. Probably because the people that like him (people like me) don't waste money voting on these shows. I was on a plane with the dreadful long haired Brazilian bloke a couple of years ago. Even more creepy in person than he seemed on the show.

I've had people fundraising for Kings knock on the door a few times in the last couple of years. I always say I don't like to sign up to anything at the door and ask for information to look at or website details, which the Kings people gave me willingly (many of the dodgy door to door types mutter an excuse and shuffle off).

Technically yes, although I used to take my older boy along when I had my 2nd child (but he wasn't mobile). I think as long as you can keep the 2 year old calm it would be ok, bring some snacks and favourite toys.

Yes, that's him. He's done quite a few quite good pieces of more serious tv over the years too. Here's hoping this ends his career, as the punishment he got doesn't scratch the surface of what he deserved.

I had two children in cloth at the same time for 18 months (small age gap between #1 and #2) and didn't find the washing too bad, it becomes second nature! I (even now) find drying is easier in winter as I make use of the radiators and they dry very quickly. The nappies I used for my youngest from newborn were the best of all the ones I've tried over the years - they were "Easy Peasy" nappies, used with nappy nippas which meant I got a really good fit on my daughter who was very small. Topped with a good cover they are excellent. My word of advice would be not to put too much pressure on yourself. If you use them from birth, great. If it takes you 6 months (or in my case, 10 months after I had my first baby) to get on top of everything and then you switch to cloth, equally great. P x

Agree with Convex, wait to see their size/shape before spending any money. I've used cloth from birth with two of my kids, and from 10 months with my first. I would never go back to disposables, cloth is so easy and so much more reliable when used correctly. Good luck!

Ours was fine, and we didn't have a travel bag.

Yep, we tip our milkman at Christmas (money and chocolates) and I give big boxes of Roses/Quality Street to the bin men (difficult to tip them as there are loads of them every week with the different collections etc.)

If you have a baby (up to around 1 year) and are looking for a lovely welcoming and relaxing activity on a Fri morning I can't recommend this group highly enough. Run by the lovely Alice, it's just ?1, there's nice coffee, tea and biscuits, and soft mats and toys for the little ones. This group was my absolute life saver when I had my first child, and kept me sane throughout my 2nd pregnancy and subsequent birth of #2. I went this morning with #3 (who doesn't really know what babies look like, so I figured I'd socialise her!) and was reminded just how great the group is. Surprisingly there weren't many people, so I thought I'd help drum up some support. There's free parking, or if you're feeling energetic it's not too far to walk from central East Dulwich. Come for a cup of tea, a chat, and a chance to relax (Alice is brilliant at recognising the signs of a Mum who could do with 15 minutes of hands free time and will willingly hold/entertain babies). Full details are on the ED Tots website.

Perhaps they get supplied with apples and various other produce grown on the errrrr... Side return terrace? Shopping locally taken to a whole new level. I wouldn't be surprised if there was livestock there somewhere too.