Lula

MacLaren Quest is good. Not as easy to push as my Bugaboo but I appreciate that it's less cumbersome and a good travel buggy to boot.

I usually say, 'Thanks, but no thanks' but occasionally I get very frustrated with answering the door to cold callers ? sometimes I am expecting a parcel so I want to answer the door and we don't have a spy-hole unfortunately. The other day someone turned up mid-afternoon while I was looking after some friends kids as well as my own asking about some veg box/recipe scheme. I politely declined, he could see I was busy and asked if he could come back later. I said, 'No thanks. I'm not interested.' Then in the middle of serving the kids tea ? he rang the doorbell again. Unbelievable. I wasn't polite then.

I had the Bee and didn't have the carry cot (not available when I purchased) or the cocoon. When is your baby due? If it's spring/summer I think you can get away with not buying either of these. You can just buy a lovely natural sheepskin (cool for summer/warm for winter) which fits on to the buggy, and it also has longevity as baby grows up. When it was really cold, I did buy a JL foot muff but as baby becomes mobile I found they didn't really like being in the foot muff and resorted to using snow suits/waterproofs.

Hi Gooders79 ? I don't have experience of hiring a nanny (we have always gone with childminders and nursery/preschool) but your post chimes with how my OH and always feel too. We have a 2 yo and 4 yo and they are currently in school with wrap-around care provided by a childminder and my younger one is in a nursery. I hate the rushing around in the morning to get them out of the house on time then when I pick mine up, it's around 6pm, so we don't get in until 6.15, then it's dinner, bath (if I can be bothered) and stories/bedtime. They are never in bed before 8pm on the days I work and usually I am tired too from all the rushing around so can't wait to get them into bed and relax. What I have found works sometimes is to stop and play a little game with them, so a puzzle or make-believe - even for just 10 minutes and they really appreciate the attention. We have all been ill the last week too (has anyone else had horrible tummy bugs?) so juggling half days here and there to make up the time and working nights has really taken its toll. I think all in all if you can afford a nanny, it would be easier as the kids can be in their home environment, and I imagine she can care for them at home if they are ill? Anyway, good luck with your decision.

nunheadmum ? that's exactly where we used to go, and Superkids was the company that held our classes. Highly recommend them.

Hi there, I recommend that you just sign your 3 year old up to a class with other kids. My 4 year old has been attending classes for a year and loves going as from 3 they can go in the pool by themselves - and you don't have to go in! He enjoys the interaction with other kids and the sense of achievement when he learns something new on his own while I'm watching on the sideline. I also bought him some swim goggles which made it very easy for him to go under water without worrying about the water stinging his eyes. I have a 2 year old too and I've taken her occasionally to the pool at Forest Hill and in pools on holiday but haven't started classes yet. I did start classes with my son from around 1 year but he hated going in the end so I stopped it. I would say that those early classes I did with my son - while fun - made no difference to his swimming ability (he had a break from swimming for about a year)so unless you really want to do classes with your youngest, don't worry if the timings don't work out.

We've used the bugaboo bee buggy board (bought second hand on ebay) and it's been brilliant. My DS and DD both love using it. DD is only 2 and has been using it since she was 18 months (with big bro in buggy...) I've have no balancing problems at all although you do need two hands to steer but I think this is more to do with extra weight you're pushing along rather a fault with the three wheel design. Maybe test-drive someone else's to see whether you prefer the Lascal or the Bee board? Good luck!

Facepainting by Sue ? she's very good. She painted loads of kids' faces at a local fete last year, and they all looked amazing. Her number is 07538719926.

Five to six days of being contagious - so the spots have appeared and haven't crusted over until the end of this period. Cola babe, I think the incubation period is 21 days, and they are the most contagious 2 days before the spots appear. But if your little one has past this stage I would suggest that it is best to try not to expose your child to it as if my son (now 4) was just under 2, I think I would try for him not to get it. It's only now that I have two kids that I was less bothered about the second one getting it. Ie, better to get it out of the way in one go rather than be housebound for another week in the future. Good luck!

My son who turned four a few weeks back caught it 5 days before his birthday party. Cue: nightmare of texting all invitees informing them of the situation. Luckily most had had it (it had been going round his nursery) or didn't mind if theirs caught it. My daughter, 20 months, got it soon after and wasn't too ill with it. In a way I'm glad it's out of the way and glad they didn't get it before a holiday where we'd potentially have to cancel it. Although I do know some kids who've had it twice.

Ah... Kids playing with the controllers again. thanks, Convex!

Sarah & Duck too! Just thought... Maybe it's to help blind children enjoy the programmes too. If that's the case, I don't wish to deny them, just wondered why the sudden change?

Anyone else catch the new versions of these programmes today? What is going on? IMO It is intrusive and unnecessary.

We've had problems lifting our son as well as he's too fast a sleep to wee. Best success so far is limiting drinks before bed. Make sure he drink lots during the day, especially in this weather, then last drink two hours before bed. Wee before going to sleep. If he insists on drinking before bed, I don't deny him, I let him half a small cup, but if he wants more, he has to wear 'special nighttime pants' ie pull-ups. We decided to use this terminology so he wouldn't try to wee in them. But if he has more than half a cup, he does generally do a wee in the pull up. We try to take it off first thing in the morning too and get him to do a wee in the toilet. It's real trial and error but keeping track of your child's drinks and then thinking about how long before they need a wee is a good idea.

What a lovely post. I need to be a bit more like that. I often catch myself checking my phone when my child is trying to do/show me something. I'm going to make a concerted effort too to slow down and enjoy their innocence and curiosity about the world.

She does love spas, her Kindle and wine so thanks v much!

We went on holiday with friends, staying in their apartment and I want to send them a little thank you gift. I was thinking a gift hamper of sorts but the ones I've seen seem a bit pricey considering the contents. I don't mind spending ?50 or even a bit more for the right thing. Has anyone sent/received a really great gift that they can recommend? Thanks!

I have to confess, I snack a bit on the kids' dinner then eat with hubby when he gets in, around 7.30-8. My excuse is that I eat lunch at 12-sharp, and it's usually just a sandwich, so come 5pm, I'm starving!

My eldest is a very light eater, always has been. Pasta, fish fingers are his staple diet. Recently discovered though that he and younger one will eat chicken cooked in a marinade of garlic, soy sauce and honey. I use the cheaper cuts on the bone, ie thighs and drumsticks and serve it with sticky rice (which they love) - that Thai Taste one you can get in Sainsburys. I also try to serve them a version of what we eat and don't make a fuss if they don't eat it, but remind them they'll be hungry. It has taken the stress out of dinner time for me, as used to fight to get every morsel in eldest's mouth. Oh and peas with everything.

Totally agree, Esme. Parents, IMHO, tend to know what's best for their own child/children. Also, as kids get older they can wind you up so easily. You hardly need heckling from the sidelines...

Hi there, They replaced the catch which aids the folding mechanism. It was ?30 for part/s, ?30 for labour, and ?15 for couriers there and back. It does indeed now fold, and they didn't need to replace the chassis. We replaced the handlebar locks once (a separate problem that occurred before this one, although it could be linked? Who knows?) by getting the part from Bugaboo direct and that fixed the problem. I am not sure if Buggy Pit Stop can do that for you. Ring and ask - if not, visit the Bugaboo website and order some on there. You can fit those yourself, quite easily. Good luck!

Just an update: the Bugaboo was sent off on a Tursday by courier and returned fixed on the following Tuesday. It worked out really well for us, so highly recommend.

Oh poor you, Grotty. That sounds awful. And the neighbour buzzing you?! How dare they comment without knowing the full story (I had a similar experience with two 'helpful' people separately telling me to feed my baby or give her something to suck - she was 6 months old at the time - when we were landing after a long flight, as if I wasn't trying to do that already!)I'm having trouble with tantrums from my three year old too. I find the best coping strategy is to make them laugh or do something silly although when you're tired and fed up with their behaviour, it's easier said than done. Bribery usually always works, too. So have a treat in your bag like a lollipop for difficult situations. Really feel for you. I'm sure you're an amazing mum. It's one of the hardest jobs in the world.

Hi OhNoGeorge, The catch is broken, not the wire, and it's quite tricky as the frame has to be re-riveted not screwed shut. We will get it back either tomorrow or early next week. I'll let you know if all is well. Be worth giving Buggy Pitstop a call.

Thanks, everyone. We're sending it off to Buggy Pit Stop tomorrow. We spoke to them about the problem on the phone and they said they should be able to fix it. Fingers crossed!