Lochie

Thanks both. I would like to sleep in her room on a mattress but her room is tiny, a cot room really. Otherwise yes I think that is the best solution. Michelle- I read that article. My mum keeps saying 'one day she'll be 18 and you'll miss her not wanting to sleep next to you'....so whilst it is tiring I do try to cherish it and know it won't last forever!

Thanks all, and thanks Saffron, it is useful to know that they grow out of it. Rather oddly, as if she has telepathy, my daughter slept 8pm-6.45am for the first time ever last night, in her cot without stirring! Naturally of course I couldn't sleep wondering why she wasn't waking up!!! Would be lovely if this is a turning point...

Gina, what you wrote is really sweet! The truth is that part of the problem is me - because I actually love co-sleeping and so can cave in very easily. But I don?t want it to be the norm because I don?t really want my husband having to sleep in another room like has done for the best part of the a year and a half! It is also hugely detrimental to my sleep as she often wakes me in the night pointing at the door either to get up and go downstairs or go and get her a bottle of milk. This has the knock on effect of making me really grumpy for the majority of the morning, so I don?t think it benefits my children overall. You mention that your daughter likes stroking a certain part of your body, and I think my daughter just likes the warmth of another body at night, as she often tries to fall asleep with her forehead against my forehead, or her back against my back. There is no substitute for this if I put her in her cot. Saffron, I completely agree about night time separation anxiety. Whilst I am quite resilient with controlled crying in the early evening and day, I cannot stomach it in the middle of the night. I think it is instinctive as a human at any age to sometimes find waking in the middle of the night disorientating which is why I don?t really want to be so hard in the dead of night. Moving her mattress next to ours is a really good idea. I guess in the next 6-9 months I may be moving her to a big bed anyway so that maybe a good way of kicking it all off. I think my main concern is if I don?t tackle it now will it just get harder as she gets older to convince her that her own bed is better. As time goes on, will it be harder habit to break. I know as they get older you can use incentives and briberies, but that seems a long way off! Thanks for the help

I'd be ever so grateful if someone can give me a little advice on the best way to stop co-sleeping! My daughter is 15 months. She has slept in my bed for most of her life. At first I enjoyed it, but the last 6 months have not been through my choice but her wilfullness. Through controlled crying we have got to the point where she consents to sleep in her cot for naps during the day and will go down at night in her cot. However, she usually wakes again before midnight and will absolutely NOT be coerced back into her cot. So the majority of the night she spends in bed with me (husband goes in with her big brother). I tried last night to let her cry it out when she woke at 9pm but she became hysterical and we could only bare leaving her for about 20 minutes crying in her cot (she got to that stage of crying where she could hardly catch her breath). So, I was hoping for those that have co-slept, you maybe able to answer: 1) How long did you co-sleep for, is there an optimum age that it can be stopped in a kind way? 2) When it was bought to an end, how did you go about it? 3) Is there a way of ending long term co-sleeping that is not brutal? I am sure there is not a black and white answer but some advice would really help. Thanks :-)

thanks for advice both. And useful to know about Monarch too. Defo think will take our own...

We are taking our first trip abroad later this summer (Mallorca). I've seen several comments about there being a large cost when booking child seats, and also some comments suggesting that the standard of the seats can vary. - Does anyone know approxmiately how much extra it is to hire child seats with a hire car? We would need 1 x booster seat for 4 year old and another seat for an 18 month old. - Depending on cost we may buy a bubble bum seat for my eldest child (which costs ?30) and take our child seat for my daughter (a large, heavy Britax). Does anyone know how easy it is to check in one large child seat (we are flying with Monarch). Is there an extra charge? I don't mind lugging a child seat through the airports if it provides a safer option and saves us alot of money. Any advice appreciated! :-)

Thanks all, I went today with one child not two. Don't think I would have survived with 2! apart from anything else they would have taken up most of trolley space... (probably a good thing) Sling came in handy when i did run out of trolley space so would defo recommend taking one to anyone ikea bound with small kids.

I just paid ?100 for 10 hours hire of a zip van (with no men) My brother recently paid ?700 for a professional removal company to move him and family from one 3 bed flat to another in one go, only half a mile away. The service included packing and unpacking of all boxes and rebuilding all dismantled furniture. Goes to show there is a big difference depending on how much you are willing to do for yourself!

A manduca sling was kindly recommended to me on this forum. It's one of a handful of things I would happily shell out for baby-wise. Really comfy for me and baby (now 15 months). I had the baby bjorn and would never go back! I have used the manduca for long journeys without pram and it really is comfy

Thanks Polly, that sounds ok I think I will brave it for a laugh... Although just realised its half term, am sure it will be hell!!

I am sure I saw a thread about this a few months ago but can't find it! :-( I need to go to Ikea tomorrow with a one year old and 3.5 year old, can anyone tell me if they have trolleys you can put kids/babies in? Thank you :-)

I was actually also going to add the above point re: how would you feel about lving out of catchment long term. I went to primary school in camberwell but moved about 2 miles away when I was 5 and missed not having classmates round the corner to play with. My husband experienced the same but even further. We are actually relocating full stop to the area where the school is so will not have this issue. However, you can still move out of catchment and be close to a school as catchments can be so very small.

We are moving next weekend into the catchment of our preferred school and will be going through the application process this Autumn. I am not sure how common it is, but we are renting through Winkworth and most of the properties to let that are within a sought after catchment used this as a marketing point. So I therefore assume that it is 'done' and there is a thriving rental market in popular school catchments because of it. One of the main things I would advise is that you should look around the schools a year before you are due to apply. My son isn't due to start school til next Sept but I went to open days about 6 months ago to give us plenty of time to be in the best position to take a property when it came up. We have chosen to live near a school that doesn't have the best results or an outstanding ofsted, but that I really loved when looking around. It is a very very popular school and as such the catchment is 0.1 miles so tiny. When you are looking use an online tool to calculate as the crow flies distances. Don't necessarily trust estate agents that claim the property is in a catchment. There is no way they can make this claim (we found KFH and Winkworth do this alot). Another thing to think about is how long you will need to stay in the catchment. We have found out that our preferred school will have a bulge class when my son enters Reception, and therefore assume that we will need to stay in the catchment until our daughter applies 2 academic years later on, in case there are too many siblings for places (unlikely but possible). We have also found that moving at this time of year has been pretty easy. Properties near the school we like don't come up often and we would imagine if we were looking Oct - Dec time we'd have lots of competition from other parents trying to get into catchments. Are you applying this year browncoffee?

The Wolsley is really nice and feels special, not too expensive either. I also went to the Savoy for afternoon tea with work last week. That was really good value for money as you could literally eat as much as you like (and I did!). It's a nice trip as the Savoy has been recently done up, the loos are worth a visit alone! If your MIL really appreciates good baking I would recommend both the Wolsley or Savoy. Hope you all have fun.

I just wanted to recommend the Ritzy for kids. They have plastic booster seats at the back of the cinema that you can just take and pop on any of the chairs so the kids are the same height as you... My 3 yo son also seems to like going to the cinema there (he is a bit jumpy) as the screens are smaller so a bit more intimate. Have fun where ever you go! :-)

Just wanted to add as well that I get my son's shoes from Camper but never pay full price. They do a great sale about twice a year (new year and summer, not sure when in summer though). The Regents Street store does a full range of kids shoes, they've always had the really nice styles in stock. Typically a good leather pair of boys shoes in the sale is ?30-?35, so similar to Clarks shoes...

Fourways in herne hill. http://www.fourwaypharmacy.co.uk/ Only ?4, excellent friendly service and very accommodating of fact 1 year old and 3 year old didn't want to have photo taken. They didn't even charge for fact they couldn't get a shot of my tantruming daughter. Highly recommended

I've always been a worrier, in fact that seems to be my default position :-0 Having children made it 10x worse like you said - making decisions that affect other lives so now I have even more to worry about! I had some help with CBT as a result of having children and it's really given me a tool to deal with my anxiety. One text recommended at the Maudsley is The Worry Cure, I really recommend it, very easy to read and helps explain anxiety as well as how to manage the type of anxiety that is irrational and needless: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Worry-Cure-worrying-start-living/dp/0749927240/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368035618&sr=1-1&keywords=the+worry+cure

we went here recently http://www.camberbeachhouses.co.uk/ 3 mins walk camber beach The house is an eco house and is COMPLETELY AMAZING/luxurious!! It was snowing when we were there and the house managed to keep a 1 year old and 3 year old happily entertained. Lots of toys and games. The do long weekends too so would suit your needs. Camber itself is a bit of a dump but the beach is fab and you have lovely Rye a 10 min drive away Sorry edited to add realise now you only want 1 night sorry!

Thank you knomester, I think I have just found it on Amazon - 'Going to the Doctors'. It looks great. We have never been to the dentist as my son screams whenever I mention it and even when a dentist from Kings visited his nursery last week he wouldn't even let them count his teeth!!! SIGH. Perhaps the bigger issue is his complete and absolute stubborness but not sure how to cure that! :-(

thanks guys, i've ordered him a doctor's kit. Fingers crossed.... ;-)

Am hoping someone maybe able to offer some advice/hints on how to manage my son's trauma when he visits the doctor. He is 3.5 yo. Am sure this is not unusual, but the last few trips we've been the doctor/nurse has suggested his reaction is extreme. E.g. I took him today, he has an awful cough which has been hanging around for a few weeks. He wouldn't even let the nurse check his chest with stethoscope, have ears checked, temp taken or glands checked. So a wasted journey. The appt was a double appt so not rushed in anyway, and the nurse was lovely. Problem also extends to unwillingness to take calpol or any medication from me. So I have been unable to treat any fevers for zonks now. He is a healthy boy and visits to the doctors are rare, however he has reacted this way for a few years so it is a problem. Any books anyone can recommend to persuade him the doc is not a monster? Or any tips generally?!!

My daughter is now 1 and has just realised the concept of trying to fight for the space on my knee by biting her big brother on the bum to get him off...and when she finally gets him off she gives him the smuggest look i've ever seen. Not quite sure why but it warms the cockles of my heart more than anything else!!

Thanks for the suggestions. I put travel cot in our room last night and did some controlled crying. Gut renching at times but am going to keep it up. She did a good 6 hour sleep on her cot in the night without waking so am hoping she 'gets it' soon, and will then move her back to her big cot in brothers room.thanks again

Would be eternally grateful if anyone could share sleep tips if your children share a bedroom? I have a 13 month old daughter and 3.5 year old son. They share a room, my son is a great sleeper. However, my daughter is very clingy and has been sleeping with me for the last 6 months as she won't settle in her cot. If I leave her to cry in her cot she wakes up my son. Any solutions? Am due to move house soon but likely we will move into another 2 bedder and so am curious to know how others tackle issues of children sharing a room at night. I am starting to get fed up of sharing a bed with a fidgety one year old and my husband is fed up of sleeping on a mattress on the floor!