Lochie

I think its par for the course :-( I took my son to the doctor last week with suspected thread worm (which thankfully he DIDN'T have) - yet another glamorous bug that breeds in nurseries and schools. I was told to literally take his nappy off at night and put a torch to his bum to see if there were little worms crawling out. Wow how life has changed! Seriously though we have been getting the nursery bugs too, as a whole family, I was very ill with one caught from my son a few weeks ago. Its hard hard work but glad to hear they settle down with age.... And as for the work thing, I think it really helps if you have a kind and caring boss with kids of their own who understands all this and lets you take time off as and when you need it...

Its less the falling out and more the what he could get up to if he manages to get out of bed....there is a sink in his room and plugs (albeit with plug guards)....ugh!! Am so accustomed to the 'safety' of his cot despite how much he hates it. Guess need to do a bit more childproofing of his room...:-(

I really REALLY tried to stick to controlled crying last night but after an hour of toddler screaming (literally murder screams!) I relented. He was very grateful and it was the right thing to do. After sobbing 'big bed big bed' he eventually agreed to sleep in the adult single bed in his room but not in cot. So thanks to those earlier suggestions who referred to move to a big boys bed. Seems this might be the way forward, I'm going to buy a bed guard today so he doesn't fall out, then we'll probably just transfer him to the cot when he's asleep until we're 100% sure he feels safe in the big boys bed :-)

@EmilyE - thank you very useful to know. I forget how quickly things change and am just thinking about the way he lobs his teddy around. Am sure a 3 year old is very different from a 2 year old. Can't wait for the 'climbing out of cot' stage ;-)

oooh well done countjc/jenny - you had a feeling it was a boy!!

Thanks for all posts, really really useful. We have a cot bed so taking one of the sides off is an option so it feels more like a bed. However, I am very nervous of this as next summer he will be sharing a bedroom with a small baby sister. I have no idea how room sharing works with a toddler who is not boxed into a cot, who could effectively go and scoop a young baby out of the cot - what if he dropped her? Or perhaps a nearly 3 year old would know not to do that? And our living situation is such that hubby and I have to use our bedroom as our living room as we are lodging with family so don't really want baby 2 in with us longer than we have to. Sorry going off on tangents! @fabians_ma - Yes I do firmly believe this is linked to starting nursery but also general development and a grander sense of 'self' and the fact that he knows he can really push push push to get his own way.

i can do 8th dec - babysitter permitting. would love to see everyone Rosie xxx

Please help! I need some advice on how to stop co-sleeping in as kind a way as possible. My (just turned) 2 year old son joined nursery about 6 weeks ago, 2 days a week. He has settled in as well as can be expected ? frequent occasions of crying when being left after the first few weeks but that is settling now. He naps there in the afternoon for an hour or so and apparently has no problem with this. He comes home happy after each day nursery visit and chats about his day and his ?friends?. However, since starting nursery he has a serious problem with being put to bed in his cot and sleep in general. For the last month the only way I?ve been able to get him to sleep is in our double bed. He will use ANY tactic under the sun to avoid his cot. In case he is frightened of the dark I?ve bought him a glow worm but this has only served to upset him more when the lit face goes out. I?ve started leaving the door open too so the landing light shines into his room. To be honest it seems a bit like he is playing me for a soft touch as whenever I put him in his cot and he rages, and then I go and take him out and put him in our big bed his tears dry instantly and it?s all fun and games again. I am not averse to co-sleeping except that it is taking me til much later in the evening to settle him and is truly exhausting. Co-sleeping also means my sleep is broken in the night and that I am woken at 5am (sob). I am expecting another baby in February and am well aware that logistically it?s going to be a nightmare if I don?t get this sorted. I have looked into controlled crying (and successfully tried this when he was much younger), however, efforts with CC in a 2 year old are almost heartbreaking to hear and very different from with a baby. I find it very hard to sit on the stairs outside his room and hear him cry in an almost animal pleading way, it goes against every best instinct and seems very wrong. Perhaps I am being too soft about it all though. Has anyone got any advice on how to gently re-introduce a wilful toddler to their cot without too much upset? Or is it just a case of cold turkey? I?d really appreciate some advice as am desperately tired :-(

Really sorry everyone don't think will make it tonight. 2 year old is in truly exhausting phase and as I've been at work today am finding it all a bit tring. Defo up for next meet up. Have fun x

Thank god for this thread. Fussy eating (and general bad sleeping) is making me into a daily shouting wench :-( 25 month old eats cheese, chocolate, baked beans, bananas, sometimes pasta. Note the major absence of green food/fish/meat. I have tried and tried other stuff but have to admit am losing the will to fight. Sometimes I look at him running around and think 'how DO you survive off cheese and chocolate ONLY'. We also have an obsession with having to dip every food item in tomato ketchup or tartar sauce (weird). The other day I caught my son in the fridge actually biting into a whole chunk of cheddar cheese. Two major sources of comfort that keep me going: 1) 2 days at nursery mean he apparently eats loads of healthy food that he simply won't eat for me - so at least he has 2 days of some vitamins. Therefore would assume that its the watching of other children and what they eat that maybe sparks curiousity for new foods. I have also noticed same effect at the playgroups he goes to where they provide fruit. Maybe more toddler eating en masse then? 2) I have started to use bribery i.e. 'if you have 5 mouthfuls of fish fingers AND peas then you can watch Justin's House/have even more chocolate/go on the big boys slide tomorrow' Also snowboarder - if your eldest likes beans then have you thought about jacket potatoes and beans and cheese. This is a new one we are trying and its very much enjoyed at present (FOR NOW)

Hi Emmy it's good to have a twins mum on board! I may not be able to make it on Thursday now as have been in hospital with a nasty virus, getting better though so I may pop in if up to it. Got to experience William galliat ward first hand. All I'll say it's very very busy! Also had 22 week scan and my bump is girl bump in case jo adds genders to due dates over time X

I was going to start a similar thread but based around bedtime showdowns that can last for hours with our 25 month old. Truly exhausting and honestly at the moment I feel like my son is the boss and I am some wearisome slave mother who gives in when too tired of saying no a million times. The only thing we do use that works during the day is we have a travel cot set up away from toys/ telly and if he I naughty he goes in there for 5 mins and he is not allowed out til he says 'sorry'. I am not sure how a naughty step works at so young an age as surely they just keep getting up? maybe at 2.5 they are old enough though to understand. Will watch this thread with interest as expecting baby in feb and don't know how to cope with raging toddler and newborn. Sending u sympathies!

thanks Jo. The group is getting quite big now! I have got my 22 week scan tomorrow so fingers crossed and I'll post to update on gender so maybe we can start adding that to the list for those that are going to find out. Am currently sat at desk at work weeping over the worst pregnancy heartburn ever UGH :-(

Thanks - I am due in Feb/March with baby 2. Lack of sleep is my anxiety after very long labour with child 1 and hence lack of sleep. So I had been wondering about ear plugs, or perhaps even asking if the baby can be put in the nursery for a few hours so I don't worry about who will pick him/her up if s/he cries. of course s/he might fly out in a few hours in which case there won't be a problem (!)

sorry if this is a bit of a thick question but I did want to know about the earplugs. How does it work if your baby cries and you are wearing ear plugs? I can't really see how it is possible?

thank you for organising Jo - really looking forward to it x

I've heard really good things about Lewisham birthing centre recently which is attached to the actual hospital so you only need to go next door if you want an epidural or need extra care. Kings and St Thomas's don't have birthing centres and they are a home from home and apparently far more relaxing to 'birth' in. If I lived in or near Lewisham i'd seriously think about going there....

I echo Jenny's sentiments above. So much emphasis put on what you need for hospital and for whatever reason I felt had nothing prepared for when we got home despite ensuring I had lots of frozen meals in freezer and maternity pads in the cupboard! The list in reality is much longer than that... Defo echo having something like Senokot at hand. Also ibuprofen and paracetamol to double up on if you have had stiches. You will probably be fine with breastfeeding but I will never forget flapping around setting up the sterilizer on day 4 having struggled with it. Reading the instructions, taking out of box, working out how it all worked - at 3am with a crying hungry baby - funny now but not funny at the time! It doesn't hurt to plan for every feeding eventuality then whatever the outcome you feel much more confident if you know what you are doing. Also chilled breast pads in the fridge/cabbage leaves. And finally put a protector on your matress under your sheet for breast milk leakage so you don't find out the hard way and do it when you get home! If I think of anymore I will update you at drinks on 3rd Nov! x

i'm happy with green and blue x

wow Jo that is so useful. so organised - a woman after my own heart! Seeing all the dates makes me not dread going over my due date now - I'd rather be on the ward with familiar faces so will try and keep my legs crossed til 12th March! Yes I vote central ED/Lordship Lane for meet up, don't really mind where as long as there are seats Rosie x

Hi Amy, I have a friend who had a private c section at kings and i visited her in a private room paid for by her medical insurance (cs was due to health reasons so covered by private med insurance). The line from kings was you can never secure a room in advance - preference always goes to those with priority needs eg poorly mums after birth or those with traumatic births/ still born. My friend ended up in a private room because there were no severe needs on the ward at the time, otherwise she would have had to have stayed on main ward. I think this is the policy across the board in the nhs.... I didn't give birth in kings but secured a private room after birth at the hospital I was in simply because it happened to be free. The charge was about ?100 a night from what I remember but they never charged me because i checked in about 3am so not a full night. I'm due to give birth with baby 2 in feb and would love private room like u but not banking on it to avoid disappointment!

Hi Jenny, I am a month into settling my 24 month old son into nursery. Though he is older, he is so SO particular about his daytime nap. Prior to nursery it had to be in his cot, after lunch and after Balamory only (not before!), blind down, silent, cuddling teddy. He would not sleep in the day away from the cot, I have been completely housebound in the afternoons for the past year because he won?t sleep in his pram or at friend?s houses so haven?t been able to ?put him down? for a nap away from home. I have gone out with childless friends in the afternoon and warned them that he will not sleep in the pram and he will have a meltdown and its only when they see it with their own eyes that they understand why I can?t really go out in the afternoon! I was very sceptical about nursery and how they would handle his particular napping needs, however, it has all gone fine. Someone told me before he started that even the fussiest napper will likely fall asleep at nursery as they see their ?comrades? nap too and for whatever reason, respond, and replicate, despite the different environment. Though my son doesn?t sleep as long at nursery (maybe an hour rather than 2 hours at home), he apparently sleeps fine, his carer at nursery today said they just rub his back and he starts to nod off with all the others after 10 or 20 minutes. I would share your concerns with the nursery in advance but I am sure they will have encountered this problem many times and will know how to deal with it. Also as your baby will be away from you she may well respond better without having mummy as a distraction. Good luck

this gets at least 2 mins of attention from my 2 year old son - he loves it!

i should be able to do 3rd nov as long as hub gets home to babysit in time. Count me in x

Nice to meet everyone too. I think first weekend nov would be good for me as will be toddler free! Also was thinking alot of us should have had second scan by then? Am easy with dates though.. Rosie x