Pickle

I would ask, at least that way you'll shame someone into giving one up for you! The pregnant vs. fat thing... many years ago, after a hefty dose of the "Heathrow injection" after moving here from NZ I was offered a seat on a tube. Mortified. Not pregnant, just worked too close to Brick Lane and had a love of curries and beer. Oh the shame.

From looking at the picture my main observation would be that the Ergo is much smaller and would be easier to roll up small for storage etc. I had a Patapum, which is basically the same design as an Ergo but for half the price, I used it a lot when we were travelling and also out and about in ED, it was brilliant.

Piriton is safe to use during pregnancy, I was prescribed it for a different condition (obstetric cholestasis, horrible) in both pregnancies from about 30 weeks onwards. Safe to use when you're breastfeeding too.

In our house the arrival of the black gunk signals it's time for the toys to go to the big bath in the sky... (although my two think it's hilarious. "look Mummy, the duck's doing a poo". Charming)

Mr Pickle and I never saw ourselves as long term Londoners once we had a family (he's from Scotland, me from NZ) and always assumed we'd move to the "country" once the kids came along. Funny how things change - lots of friends have moved, sister in law relocated from central London to Buckinghamshire, and we can't think of anything worse. From what I can gather they all feel isolated, SIL now has to drive to meet friends due to remote location (I love that I can walk out my front door to the park and will always see someone I know here in ED). Her husband works in London and due to long hours often misses his last train and has to stay in a hotel, his commute is 1.5 hours each way on a good day and he never sees his children. On a bad day it takes Mr Pickle 30 minutes to cycle home, and he makes it back for bathtime most evenings. While I can see the benefits of living outside ED, I can't imagine myself doing it.

With #2 Mr Pickle and I had different ideas on whether to find out or not. I got the gender written down for me, so I knew from 20ish weeks and Mr Pickle didn't :)) He never tried to trip me up on it, and I was good at referring to "the baby" rather than him or her. When she was born I had to remind him to check whether he had a son or a daughter!

My reception has been fine, I'm in and around ED all day and haven't had problems at all.

My friend's 4 year old girl goes to gymnastics classes at Beckenham Spa which she loves.

I'm from a country where swearing (albeit in a mild form) is commonplace on TV/radio etc (I'm sure the kiwi "bugger" ad made it onto the news here?!"). I quickly had to adjust my swearing ways when I moved to the UK 10 years ago, but do find myself slipping every now and then. My parents think it's hilarious that I'm now "posh" in that I will say "goodness" or "gosh" instead of the kiwi recognised "bl**dy hell" when the kids are around :) The car is the worst situation for me, I do tend to be quite verbal about other people's driving and forget the kids are there. After tooting my horn at an inept driver a week or so ago my son (4) said "is that man an effing idiot Mummy?". Oops.

Yes, I would be interested as a stallholder.

I'm through the other side of it now that my daughter is 2.5 (closer to 3 now, where's the time gone?), but she was a total diva for a while and it was very trying. Do your best, try to give consistent messages about what's appropriate and what's not in terms of their behaviour - even though they're probably too young to understand they will understand eventually. Then all of a sudden one day you'll discover that a reward system consisting of pink tutus and the option to chose her own clothes in the morning works wonders :) She's still a stubborn little madam at times, but will do just about anything if it means she gets to wear a "princess" dress. The joy of girls!

I've always made it the way my Scottish Nana did... coarse oats, soaked overnight with a dash of salt (although I microwave it, have childhood memories of having to wash the pot she used). I mix a bit of milk in once it's cooked, sprinkle with brown sugar. Yum. My kids love it soaked overnight in apple/mango juice, with raisins. Weirdly they call it robot porridge :-S

A good healthy diet with lots of water. I always find I have so much more energy when I eat well and drink my water - when you're tired and run down it's easy to turn to caffeine/chocolate which I'm convinced makes the problem worse. P x

My back was really bad when my daughter was born - a combination of breastfeeding, carrying a baby and having a "toddler" who didn't yet toddle. I can highly recommend Daniel at Dulwich Chiropractic (on Crystal Palace Road, near Jennings Road) - a couple of treatments with him and it was sorted. I go every now and then these days when I feel my back is starting to get sore, he always manages to fix it. Lovely guy, very professional, and you can take your baby along... either in the treatment room with you, or I always found the receptionists were more than happy to look after them in the waiting area. Good luck. P x

I'm about to head to bed, so apologies in advance for a tired post. You are doing an amazing job - I had a tongue tied baby so know exactly what you're going through, it's not fun and you have my full sympathy. Your baby has had 2 weeks of your milk, and no matter what happens that means you have given her the very best start you can. Formula won't harm her, she is better off having a happy, rested Mummy who has the time and energy to focus on her baby. I know it may feel that people judge you, but I honestly don't think that's the case. I may look at a Mum feeding a new baby with a bottle, but when I do it's because I'm thinking "awwwwwww, look at that cute little newborn, am I really sure I want to stop at 2, or should I have 3....", not "oh my GOD, she's feeding that baby with a BOTTLE". I remember giving my little boy a bottle at the DMC baby clinic when he was just a week old and feeling like everyone was looking down at me. Actually they were probably just looking at the tiny baby (he was under 6lbs at the time). Do what's best for you and your baby. And enjoy those scrummy newborn cuddles while you can - I have to rugby tackle my 2 children these days to get a cuddle out of them ;-) P x

It's perfectly normal for breastfed babies to poo less than once a day - breastmilk is digested very efficiently and there's not a lot of waste product, so don't worry too much if you go a day without a dirty nappy. Wet nappies are a great sign that she is hydrated - the other thing to check is that her fontanelle (soft spot at the top of her head) isn't depressed. With anything to do with small babies though... if you really are worried get her checked out. There's no harm, the doctors/midwives don't mind, and if it gives you peace of mind it's the best thing you can do. As an extreme example of the poo thing - my daughter, once past the tar poo stage, then didn't poo for 2 whole weeks! Obviously I had her checked out as it did seem a bit extreme, but she was fine. She was seen by a doctor at Kings a couple of times who reassured me, while giving me a gentle "warning" to expect a bit of an explosion eventually. He was right, the babygro she was wearing that day ended up in the bin ;-) P x

Hi Olympia, It's worth doing a search (search box top right of your screen), as this is a topic which comes up frequently and you should find lots of good advice on older threads. Good luck.

I carried my daughter on my back using a Patapum, found it much more comfortable than front carrying once she was bigger. A Patapum is very similar to an Ergo, and they come in a larger toddler size.

Admittedly I've never hired a nanny before, but if it were me I would go through a reputable agency rather than contacting some of the nannies that advertise on here - they seem to advertise so often that it makes me wonder why they can't find a family to work for when there's such a demand out there! I have also heard good things about Simply Childcare, a few people I know have hired through them. I would expect a nanny to take a baby to age appropriate groups, with at least one "outing" a day, whether it be to a group or just to the park. Good luck!

I used cows milk in cooking/on cereal from 6 months, just not as a drink. From memory that's what the various weaning books I read said was OK to do (and the kids have survived to tell the tale!).

Congratulations - it's such a confusing scary time in early pregnancy, I remember not having a clue what to do! I've got a copy of "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" which you are welcome to have if you would like it? I bought it when pregnant with #1 and both Mr Pickle and I used to enjoy reading it every week to find out what was going on with the baby at each stage in pregnancy. Never opened it when pregnant with #2 :-$ Let me know if you would like it. P x

My son started at around 2.5, daughter at about 20 months.

I think at the moment they're full on Tuesdays, but have space the other days (not open Wed). When my son started I just rang up, went and had a look, and he started the next week - a lot less stressful than the process for proper nurseries!

Magic Moments is technically a creche, but more like a nursery in that you sign up to do certain days a week and the same kids go every time. My daughter has formed some lovely bonds with the kids she goes there with (Fuschia, she seems to have an infatuation with T at the moment... never stops talking about him!).

You could use a creche like Magic Moments (which is on Lordship Lane up towards the Harvester) - it's a 2 hour drop off, and a lovely gentle introduction to the concept of being left before starting 5 mornings a week. Both of my children have been there, my youngest (2.5) still goes and will continue to until she starts school nursery. My son started school nursery in January and settled in very easily which I think is in part due to the lead up going to creche (he went 2 mornings a week). The ladies that run it are really nice, the kids love them.