Pickle

I would cut the first nap of the day down to 30 mins max, then try putting her down a little earlier for the lunchtime one. Perseverance is the key - my son was an angel, daughter not so easy when it came to daytime sleep. She finally cracked the 2 hour lunchtime nap at around 9 months by which stage she was down to one nap a day (and it continued until she was 2.5). My lazy son was still having a 2 hour sleep after lunch until he was 4!

What a huge relief, I'm so glad to hear she's safe. How did she get as far as Kilburn with no money?

Leather boots to fit my 3.5 year old were ?40, which is on a par with Clarks equivalents. Pretty sure the other shoes would be priced at a similar level to Clarks shoes.

I want to add to the list of recommendations for Dorothy at Emmanuel Marshall - I took my daughter there yesterday as she had her heart set on "boots with zips" (got to love 3.5 year old girls and their attention to detail!). It was a lovely relaxed setting, Dorothy was really good with her, and most importantly we came away with a great pair of boots that my daughter is very pleased with. There was a lovely range of shoes there, nice to have something different to the standard Clarks offerings. Definitely worth a visit if you haven't already been.

Find a couple of strong men/women and do a bit of gentle "bumping" of the car into a more appropriate position? Worked for our removal men a few years ago when trying to park their van and needing to move a car a couple of meters ;-) *thankfully neighbour was out, I don't think she noticed, and no harm was done to the car*

Also agree Otta, and sincerely hope that my kids and I aren't one of the parents being referred to on the other thread (given that I've been to a pub - the Herne - around 2 times in the last 4 years, and not since last summer, I doubt it!) I guess I do feel, however, that no matter how reasoned and calm responses from parents on the subject are, they still somehow manage to get shot down by some of the other posters on the thread. A couple of years ago I remember there being a thread slating parents for pushing buggies around the Northcross Road market on Saturdays. At the time I got really wound up about it (especially as at the time I had two very small children and a Phil 'n' Teds) and started resisting when Mr Pickle suggested we go to the market to pick up lunch etc. When he realised why I was worried about it he couldn't believe that I had let comments on a forum get to me so much - and reminded me that it's a vocal few and not the majority of ED residents that feel that way. (while at the same time muttering something about me using "that bl**dy forum too often, and this is what happens"... ;-) ) Parents, especially new parents, and possibly Mums in particular, are at a very vulnerable time in their lives when children are small. Reading a constant stream of comments from people complaining about pretty much every aspect of parenting can be very depressing and hurtful, even when not being directed at any one individual. I take heart from the fact that having met a lot of the other parents that use this board, everyone seems refreshingly normal - a variety of different parenting styles and opinions, but at the end of the day a group of people who are united in the fact we have children and live in a great area of London for bringing them up.

Oh how I wish there were a "like" button on the forum. You ladies are brilliant. Better go, need to warm the car up just in case we need to go to a&e. Actually, maybe it would be better to go and park outside - having been a Scout in my youth I feel I should be prepared...

I've just braved a look at that thread - the poster suggesting parents shouldn't drink doesn't have children and doesn't drink - priceless :)) Quality input from someone very qualified to pass judgement, I think not. In around 9 or 10 weeks I shall raise a large glass of NZ Pinot in her honour ;)

That thread is making my blood boil, I've stopped looking! Honestly, it's as if by having children we are somehow doing society a massive disservice - god help us if we want to go to a pub/restaurant/cafe, let alone walk along a footpath with a buggy, shop in local shops for fear of getting in the way of someone without a child.... (6) But that is an interesting point. When I'm not pregnant Mr Pickle and I will have a glass of wine together, yes. Not every night, but certainly on a Friday/Saturday evening. I don't see it as a problem at all, and the statements by the person on that thread are absolutely ridiculous. Sure - if you're sharing a bottle of gin once the kids are in bed that's irresponsible and indicative of a deeper problem, but the odd glass of wine is normal, surely?!

I feel a bit sorry for Kitty - granted she's not the most endearing character, but she can sing. Johnny was gracious in defeat, guess he can go back to claiming incapacity benefits now for that debilitating back condition.... How on earth is Frankie still there, he can't sing, and I think the videos they're showing of him out drinking/snogging randoms would have put off a lot of the teenage girls voting for him?

I always used an upright hold with the Hugabub, it worked really well x

I used a Hugabub wrap sling for the first 6 months or so, daughter loved it. Takes a bit of practise but once you've mastered the wrapping it's super comfy for you and baby. You're welcome to borrow it for a week if you'd like? P x

Brioche!? Love it :))

Yes, same applies for my parents Loz - my kids think the automatic grabbing thing is the best entertainment ever. Guess it just wouldn't work in London with all the cars parked on the street!

I'm always really impressed with how cheerful the teams who cover my road are. They don't always put bins back, but I can see that time pressure etc. must be really tough, and battling against hoardes of kids walking to school in the morning can't be much fun! When walking to do the school run in the afternoon I put back bins for my elderly neighbours or those that I know work late into the evening, it takes no effort at all on my behalf, and it's not something I begrudge doing. I tend to feel thankful for what we get - my parents in NZ have to pay extra on top of their council tax to have a wheelie bin collected weekly, it has to be taken down to the road by them by 6am on collection day, and their recycling facilities are very limited (basically newspaper and cardboard only).

Around the age of 2ish my son (having slept in a pitch black room since birth) suddenly started playing up a bit at bedtime and saying he was scared of the dark. We bought a simple plug in "orange glow", problem sorted :) I think it's important to listen to what the problem is, but at the same time not let a 2/3 year old "play" you. Given the chance, our daughter (coming up for 3.5) will come up with all sorts of things to delay bedtime (I need a drink/wee/tissue/blanket/cuddly toy), none of them anything more than a distraction technique.

"Interesting" performance by Cher Lloyd - she seems to have turned into a mini Cheryl Cole with the new hair/makeup combo. And she still can't sing, yet seems to be doing quite well. I think I'm too old to understand what sells. Frankie is a shocking singer, interesting choice to market him as the "bad boy", it's bound to come back and bite him on the a**e at some stage. Not a fan of The Risk, if they hadn't told us there was a new member I don't think many people would have noticed. Girl group quite good, but honestly, "Little Mix"?! You had a week to come up with a new name and that's the best you could do?! I look fondly back on the days when Saturday nights meant I was out having fun and not sitting on the sofa watching this rubbish.

Oh brilliant, hope it isn't too huge on her!

Oh dear! Somehow my kids (even when they were tiny) have alway auto-adjusted, which is brilliant. Hubby was away last night and I feel like I've actually had a long lie as kids didn't start making noise till 7am new time, so a whole hour later than they usually do. No idea how they do it! I'm sure she'll have it sorted in a couple of days at most. P x

Your milk will come in soon, generally day 2-4, so don't worry too much about topping up with a cup as colostrum is all he needs at this point. Newborns can be very sleepy - it is best to try and rouse him every couple of hours if you can in the first few days to get him feeding, this will help to avoid jaundice. I always remember the first night at home with my son, who slept for 14 hours, and hubby and I wondering what all the fuss was about - as far as we could work out, newborns were "easy". Of course the midwife was horrified when she came to visit the next day and he ended up yellower than a cast member of the Simpsons :-$ If only they came with instruction manuals! If he's done that first poo don't worry too much, some babies go lots in the first week, others not much at all. If he hasn't been feeding much so far there won't be anything really in there to poo out! P x

Congratulations Strawbs & partner! Yes, very normal, and one of the lovely things about a newborn (although not so lovely when you're knackered). Good advice from others, and it will pass - swaddling tightly will help in a day or so once he's adjusted a bit more to being in the world. Try to enjoy the snuggles, before you know it they're walking, talking, and "too busy" for cuddles with Mum! P x

Jealous jealous jealous jealous. Have a fab night ladies (and gents?) :)

So sorry you're going through this. No direct experience of kidney problems, but we were told at our anomoly scan with #1 that there was something wrong with the chambers in his brain, which caused much anxiety (and I made the mistake of Googling, which is never a good idea!). We had another scan 8 weeks later and all was fine, so hopefully you will find you have nothing to worry about. Take heart from the fact that they're not doing anything for 8 weeks - if it was something they considered really urgent or dangerous to baby they would be taking action now. Pippa x

It can happen - from memory (and it's been a while since mine were little babies) there's a risk of them cutting down on their milk, and at that age that's where they get the bulk of their nutrition. Try to make sure he's not drastically cutting back on milk and see how you go. I've never believed that weaning will help sleep, as, particularly in the early months of weaning, the foods are all very low calorie things (fruit, vegetables etc.), so won't fill them up. Good luck!

It works both ways. I find if I'm cheerful and friendly to shop assistants (which I generally am) I get the same response back. I don't blame them for being less than enthusiastic to some people!