Norfolkvillas

Hi Suzanne, we're all here on this thread - seems to be a good mix of first time mummies and second (and third) timers: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,861929,953216#msg-953216

Oooh thanks forum, such a lot of food for thought. I'm inspired by all the posters who suggested rediscovering names from eras past. And Ruth_Baldock, I also really really love Scout for a girl, but think it would sound too abrupt with our short surname. Will definitely be adding some of these suggestions to my longlist for discussion with my other half! Sorry to hear some have felt an unusual name is a bind. My name was really unusual (although not so unusual anymore) and I always really liked not being one of quite a few. The most common name when I was growing up was definitely the Kates / Katherines / Catherines - must have been at least 7 in my year at senior school... Keep 'em coming, thanks for all the help!

I was just about to recommend a trip to Soller too. I love Mallorca, although have never visited Pollenca, but if you were looking for a short excursion, I would recommend driving down to Soller (lovely old town, slightly inland) and then getting on the tram from there to Port de Soller, which is the seafront. The tram is wooden and open-sided and trundles down through what look like people's back gardens, some orange groves and then along the seafront once it reaches the coast. We enjoyed it pre-kids, but I think kids of any age would be enthralled. There's some more info here - hope this link works: http://www.trendesoller.com/en/cms.php/Tram_Itinerary?sessid=bbbb9c8d7ae4f1416e452d1b0d26df3e&l=en&sessid=bbbb9c8d7ae4f1416e452d1b0d26df3e&l=en

OK, so with thanks to Polly D who started the boys names thread, I have been inspired to start a similar thread asking for girls names ideas. I have only 5ish weeks til my due date, and the bump remains resolutely nameless. Neither my husband nor I have come up with anything we *really* love, despite having a longlist of names from the first time round (before we knew our first was a boy). I'm firmly in the 'uncommon' (but not totally made up) name camp, so anything in the current top 100 most popular names is out for me (shame, I love Lola and Florence amongst others), and our surname is only one syllable, so I think her first name should be at least two syllables... Suggestions gratefully received!

I am firmly in the unusual names camp, but my son's name appears once in this thread. We are now having a girl and I thought that girls names would be easy, but they're not. We've got 5 weeks to go and I am sorely tempted to start a girls names thread, but maybe everyone is a bit 'named out'.....

It was lovely to meet some fellow autumn mums last night. Look forward to hearing news of more arrivals over the coming weeks!! Amber (second baby, due Oct 7th) x

We're somewhere in the region of 6 weeks away from introducing our almost 3 year old to his new baby sister. I didn't really make much of a big deal of it in the early months, but people naturally started talking to him about it, and he took it in his stride. I sorted out the baby room, and got all the baby stuff out of storage ages ago, so that my son could have a good go on getting in the bouncy chair / lying on the playmat etc etc, even having a go in the baby's cot to see what it felt like... as a result, the novelty factor of all that has well and truly worn off, so hopefully he'll be unfussed about wanting to try it all out once the baby's actually here. We've been doing lots of role play with his teddies, and I've just recently bought him some dolly nappies and a dolly bottle so that whilst I'm feeding and changing the baby, he can feed and change his teddies. He really adores the bottle especially and is doing mixed feeding with his teddy at the moment - half bottle, and half breastfeeding him (he picked this up from the other mum in our nannyshare who he watched breastfeed her youngest. He has it to a tee, even down to the slightly bored 'god this is taking a long time' look whilst doing it!) I'm also planning to take him out and allow him to choose a present to welcome his new sister, and will get him a present from her. I've also been careful not to blame anything on the baby - eg why I can't pick him up (it's because he's too much of a big boy, not because I'm pregnant) and will try to keep doing this once she's arrived, so that he doesn't get to associate his baby sister with preventing him from doing something. Hope this helps - think most of the above is stuff I've picked up from other wise forumites over the past months. I value my own relationship with my sister hugely, so am similarly keen to try and nurture a loving sibling bond from the start (although part of me wonders if any of this stuff will make a blind bit of difference in the long run...)

Hi there, count me in too - see you at the EDT at 8ish! Amber

Saffron, don't forget that most childcare voucher schemes allow you to stockpile vouchers for future use, so if your husband can start collecting them now, he should do, and then you can when you start work. We find it makes a big difference, both actually and also I think psychologically - a chunk of money coming out at source somehow feels less painful than having to find it as cash at the end of each month, and with both of us in schemes, that's almost ?500 of our monthly costs covered. Sorry OP for slightly off topic, but related, post...

My son, between 10months and 18months went through a phase of having one tummy bug after another. I'm sure part of it was just his age (starting to crawl = exposure to more germs + putting everything in his mouth) and the season (this would've been Sept through to the following spring / summer), but where his nannyshare partner would suffer for the normal 48 hours, my son would have horrendous nappies for 2 - 3 weeks each time. It was pretty grim for everyone. I started using a daily probiotic supplement at 18 months (the Udo's choice infant powder), and haven't looked back. He's now coming up to 3, and we've had maybe one or two very mild tummy upsets, which have lasted 24 hours or less... Obv I can't prove the cause and effect, but the improvement was so immediate and so marked, that I can't help but think the probiotics were at least part of the reason. Would be interested to find out if there is any evidence against the use of probiotics for kids though.

We have loved nanny sharing for the past two years. In addition to the contractual and logistical arrangements, we also wrote a nanny handbook, covering our expectations, any house rules, details of baby routines, allergies, doctors contact details etc. I found this a really helpful process to go through with the other mum, as it highlighted how similar our outlooks were. I do think that it makes a big difference if both families have similar parenting approaches, and I think this makes for a happier life for your nanny too. Totally agree re kit - we had two of everything, including a double buggy for each house. I never found holidays too much of a problem - we all gave as much notice as poss, and tried to coordinate wherever we could.

We're off to Hall Place / House of Fairy Tales tomorrow afternoon on the back of these recommendations. We're then carrying on down to Rye to see family for the weekend, so won't have a huge amount of time to spend at Hall Place - probably 4pm til 5pm. Do you think it's still worth buying the ticket or will there be enough to see in the gardens to occupy us for an hour? Any advice from those that have visited would be much appreciated!

With ref to the same quote as Ruth has highlighted, we've had some lovely holidays with our now 2yrs9mths old, and the most recent last month really felt like the relaxation factor took a big step in the right direction, with lots of independent play on my son's part, and lots of sitting around on sunloungers on the part of my husband and I. It doesn't come cheap though. I guess we are making the choice to have shorter holidays (and probably less of them) but to make them feel as much like holidays - for all of us - as possible.... I do recognise that we're lucky to be able to make this choice though. Baby #2 turning up in 8 weeks time, so no further hols on the horizon any time soon, but I think next year will probably be the year of going away with the folks, the inlaws, or any friends with kids who might be mad / brave enough to join us...

Evening of Thurs 30th Aug works for me. I am working up until the last minute, so not starting maternity leave til beginning October. (Bit of a gamble - my son was a full two weeks late, so am assuming this one isn't going to take me by surprise and put in an early appearance!)

Was gutted to miss the Sunday meet up - I just totally miscalculated how long it would take me to drive back from the Cotswolds. Definitely up for an evening meet up soon, either midweek or weekend.

If not self-catering, we go for hotels which offer room types with two separate spaces - eg sitting area and bedroom, and then just shift the cot from one to the other - in the bedroom for afternoon nap and in the evening, then we carry the cot (with him in it) through to the sitting area when we want to go to bed. Doing this has never woken him up, so this tactic could work for the two room apartments you mention? We also take our baby monitor and use a free app called I think Evoz which allows you to listen from eg your iPhone to your iPad as long as both are connected to wifi. I know this wouldn't be for everyone though. We have also found that a 2 hour eastbound time difference really works for us (eg Greece, Turkey, Cyprus etc) as we keep our son on Uk time which means 9 - 9.30am starts and 8.30 - 9pm bedtimes, so we have the choice of eating together at 7ish or we eat later after putting him to bed.

Blimey, the first arrivals of the Autumn babies thread already! Congratulations Ellie and family!

Yes count me in - will be there from 3pm. I guess we'll all be pretty easy to spot, eh?

Hello, I am also up for a Sunday meet up at either The Rye or The Clockhouse, but could only make an afternoon meet up - I'm not sure what time the last one happened as I wasn't able to make it, but will keep an eye on this thread to find out what the consensus is re the most convenient time. My suggestion would be after nap time, so 3pm / 3.30ish, but no worries if this doesn't work for everyone else.

I second the sunshine advice - I first read about it on here, and never fail to be totally gobsmacked when it works so amazingly well, even on days that aren't even that bright. It's magic! Haven't tried it with grass stains though...

@digitalronin OK, thanks, I have now reported it via the link you gave. Hope it helps them catch whoever it is. What a dumb thing to go around stealing. Our pots were a little past their best, and they'll soon find out that the bay trees in them are actually fake, and just on the verge of turning a giveaway blueish-green colour so I hope whoever it is doesn't even get tuppence for them!

We had two large terracotta planters taken a few weeks back - just unbelievable! Ours also would have probably needed two people to move them. Happened either overnight on Sunday or during the day on Monday - I noticed on Monday evening when I got home from work. I still can't believe that it happened! The bare-faced cheek!

Not sure what time you'd be driving through Earls Ct, but I drive into work (Chiswick) and back every day via EC and the roads have been blissfully quiet - my journey is usually 1hr 10 mins ish and I've been doing it in 45mins this week - I wish it was going to be the Olympics and school holidays forever.... I go South Circ and over Batt bridge then up through EC and turn left onto the A4. The dedicated Olympics lane has been open to normal traffic on the A4 every time I've been past it - not sure if this would also be the case on the A40 (if there is an Olympics lane on the A40 - not sure, sorry) Hope this helps!

Calpol sachets for hand luggage (the bottles are more than 100ml). Sticker books for plane, but also mini post its in various colours work well. Travel black out blinds or a couple of black bin bags to minimise early waking....

I also work in Chiswick, but drive to work. I think 1hr 10 sounds pretty miraculous for public transport. In the past I've bussed it to Forest Hill where you can get a direct train to CJ, and then connect to the Chiswick train, but it takes something like 35 mins from FH to CJ alone. It's always taken me close to 2 hrs door to door that way, although it is quite a relaxing, non-frantic journey. You're right that the ELL from Peckham Rye will make a big difference!