Saffron

Look at the ingredients of your creams. If they have the surfactants SLS/SLeS or the preservatives called parabens, put them in the bin. New research from the States suggests that these ingredients can make eczema worse for some people. Emily88 when you say, '..stronger they [steroids] are the longer your on them for', this is somewhat misleading. The potency of the steroid is not relative to the course of treatment in this sense. However, if the ammount of inflammation is sufficient to warrent the use of a highly potent cream, then it's possible (though not always) that you may need to be prescribed steroids for a longer course of treatmen simply b/c the condition is sufficiently advanced. In general I agree with you, that steroids are not necessarily the best first course of action. However, they're not the last port of call either. There's something to be said for a middle ground, a treatment window before the inflammation has gotten out of control. A stitch in time saves nine. Shaugan, although they do often coincide, eczema is not a 'sign' of allergy or asthma. No need to kick yourself. True allergies can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint. Three or 4 months to correctly diagnose a dairy/soy allergy may have seemed like an eternity if your LO was unwell, but actually that's not so long in general. (Some people go years with undiagnosed/misdiagnosed allergies!) xx

Saturday or Sunday (29th or 30th) October seem like logical dates. Any good for anyone? :)

Hello all you lovely parents of singletons! Is anyone interested in a Halloween pottery party? All Fired Up pottery cafe does mobile parties. I'd love to do some more pottery painting with my toddler, but the last time we were in the cafe, she ran around like a crazy thing! (I'd rather have her running around my house, than a cafe full of breakables!!) And if anyone wants to bring a friend, that's absolutely fine by me-- even if they have (shock, horror!) siblings. ;-) Let me know, and I'll look into the cost. Cheers everyone xxx

Oh just remembered something a lactation consultant told me. As babies grow, their suckle becomes more efficient. So a feed that previously took 15 min, might now only take 1-2 min!

A second vote for Emmanuel Marshall children's shoes in the ED warehouse! I bought shoes for my toddler girl. There was a good selection, and all the staff in the ED Warehouse are really nice. :)

That sounds totally possible. I used to do this kind of work when I was studying for my undergraduate degree many many moons ago. You may find that you have to pay slightly over the standard rate as it's evening work, and depending on how far the person has to travel to yours. I know a mature student who does this kind of work, not sure if she's free the hours you want. I will check. If you don't find anyone through the Forum, have you thought about posting an advert with some local universities? xx

If you think it's teething, have you tried giving a dose of Neurofen about 45min before the feed. Ibuprofen is better than paracetamol (Calpol) or topicals like Bonjela for this kind of pain b/c the discomport is inflammation deep in the gums, not just the surface. The sucking action in Baby's mouth can make this kind of pain worse b/c it causes a change in pressure in the mouth. An antiinflammatory like ibuprofen should help this by reducing some of the deep inflammation. xx

newcomer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But, you might want to consider the following > before you give up the breastfeeds: > 1) Have you definitely got milk left? If you're > down to one feed a day, your body might not be > producing much anymore. If that's the case, your > daughter might be refusing the milk because it's > frustrating for her- it's hard to get any out! > You might be able to test this by measuring how > much you can express. 'Might' being the operative word in that last sentence. Expressed milk yield is not necessarily a good indicator of milk supply or availability. Also, not all pumps are created equally. The general consensus is that you're likely to get a better yield from a hospital-grade double electric pump vs a manual single pump. I think trying to express milk is a lovely way to keep going, if it works for you. Why not try renting a double hospital-grade pump for a short while? (Not worth buying, as they're around ?400 new!) And if it doesn't work out, you haven't lost anything. 10 months of breastfeeding is wonderful!!! If your baby is weaning herself, that's absolutely fine. Good luck. xx

You could also try a really firm beanbag with a sheepskin or baby quilt on top.

Sorry, Pamina, I don't understand or follow your post at all. Pamina Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron I found your thread very amusing. You > shouldn't worry too much about what you like and > what you don't I'm not at all worried. The first part of my post was about my mother not giving me a properly fitted hat to wear in freezing weather. As a child I just accepted this. In restrospect, it's totally bonkers b/c letting a child get cold means they are more likely to get sick. > I have told you many times is your life and let > others live with their own. For the record, I do not interfere with other people's lives. And I don't know you, and as far as I know you've never told me anything previously. > To be very honest with you I am glad you are > tracing somebody else for you. Has not work with > many woman in the past > but I really hope she will be tolerant enough with > you. I have no idea what you are talking about. > I thought to post something today as I notice > you seam a bit worry and I don't know why and for > what. Again, not at all worried. But thanks for your concern. > I can't prevent you from doing something you have > enjoy for many years and you still do. > Yes don't > buy the coats just buy the hats.(tu) Again, no idea what you're talking about, sorry.

Oh don't even get me started on hand-me-downs. I have 2 older brothers, and I'm a girl!! When I was 6 years old, instead of buying me a nice girlie winter woolly hat (I would have been happy with secondhand even!), my mother made me wear my brother's outgrown black wool skimask to school when I told her my head was cold. She told me, 'It's not a fashion show when it's cold'. After I came home in tears b/c kids obviously laughed at me, she didn't make me wear it anymore... but she also didn't give me anything else to wear on my head! I think I never ever told her again that my head was cold, even when I was freezing. My father also used to tell me not to put my face on the cat when I would give our cats a cuddle. He never said why. He just appeared to find it disgusting (and he likes cats!). I alwasy used to tell him that when I was a grown-up, I'd have my own cats and put my face on them whenever I liked. And I have, and I do!! Now off to buy some nice winter hats for me and my daughter. xx

I think we may need to go up a size, but absorancy isn't the issue. Sometimes when this kind of leak happens, the nappy is almost dry inside! I think it could be that my daughter is very tall for her age, so her hip is very deep from top to bottom. I might give Toujours a try. We're in Pampers active fit at the moment.

Where to buy, and do they really work: Onesie/vest popper extenders? We have a lot of life left in my daughters vests and onesies, except for the fact that she is really tall. Has anyone used those little extenders you can get to add on to the poppers at the bottom of a baby bodysuit? How 'universal' are they really? Presumably the poppers on a newborn onesie are spaced a little differently than a 24mo onesie, or does it not really matter?

It's all change, again this morning, sheets, duvets, etc, as my daughter had another nappy leak in bed. It seems like recently whenever she sleeps on her front with her knees underneather her, the urine just rolls down the inner front of the nappy and out of the the top. I'm suspecting that changing her last nappy in the dark last night I might not have made it tight enough? But then again how tight do I have to make it?? And, the position she gets herself into seem to make a gap at the front of her nappy no matter how tight I pull it! If I cut off the circulation to her head with the nappy, is that tight enough???!!! Arrrgh. Has this happened to anyone else? Are some brands of nappy better than others for this kind of thing? Or is it (yet another) phase to be suffered through? xx

Hi 123ed- What are the 'other things' that make you unsure? My brother, his wife, and their then 2 yo daughter lived abroad (Jakarta) for 2 years. My brother worked really hard and was hoping he would be made partner b/c of his willingness to work overseas. It didn't turn out that way in the end. In fact he was made redundant due to internal company issues. Corporate loyalty -- hah! My brother enjoyed living abroad, though his wife found it a strain due to cultural differences. I think they both felt a little cheated that their time and effort abroad was never rewarded by the company. So if you think there are company politics afoot, it's just worth considering all angles before you go. Would you still enjoy the time overseas even if it didn't really turn out to be a step up careerwise? How would the company feel if your husband turned down the position? In other words, is he being pressured to go? Why would moving abroad mean only seeing grandparents once a year? Are they unable/unwillig to fly out to see you? If you fly to see them, and they fly to see you, you could all see eachother three or four times a year. Or, could they come once a year but stay for an extended time, say 6 weeks?

Hi everyone, We're on for the the next playdate at Forumite lorraineliyanage's place in East Dulwich: morning of Thursday 6th October from 10am. Please PM me or lorraineliyanage for more info. xx

Have you thought about getting a baby hammock? I had an Amby Nest hammock for my daughter. It was very light, easily portable. They are expensive new, but you can find used ones in very good condition. Or if you buy new, the resale value is fairly good. xx

Otta, just seen your post. Made me chuckle outloud to myself ;-) Beeandson (or others?) always happy to share a glass of vino!! :-)

Parents (and other adults too!) were always telling us to cover our mouth/nose with our hand when we coughed or sneezed, even if you didn't have a tissue. I could never figure out how this was helpful, b/c of course then the germs are just on your hand!! Now the advice from the Health Dept is to cough or sneeze into your elbow if a tissue is not immediately available. Duh!!!

If Baby is vomiting at every meal, then it probably is stressful. It's also a sign from Baby's body, that Baby is not ready for solids. Go back to milk only feeds for a few weeks. There is a hypothesis that the separate sections of the alimentary tract have parallel development. So, as the mouth, tongue, and throat develop, so too do the intestines. Intestinal development is very complex. It includes maturation of cell-to-cell junctions, development of intestinal fauna, induction of enzymes, etc. If intestinal develpoment is not sufficient, then even if Baby takes solids, nutrients from these solids are not necessarily captured and processed by the immature intestines. If you think Baby is capable of swallowing some soft solids, and you want to continue with spoon-feeding, try giving Baby the spoon and a little pot for herself. This lets Baby lead, while giving Mummy some control too. Have a look at PEDIATRIC CUTLERY: specially curved little spoons that are easier for Baby to handle. http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=pediatric+cutlery&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=536 Good luck and happy weaning. xx PS: Fuschia, hillarious post about the Chinese restuarant metaphor... although I know some adults who would probably pay to have that kind of service for themselves! ;-)

While it's true that soya is a source of phyto-oestrogens, realistically how much does a baby/child have to eat before there is a problem? Most of the research on this has focused on infants receiving exclusively soya-based formula. This is a very different scenario from a weanling have a couple soya yogurt pots. If there is some research on this for older babies and children, I'd love to read it (and if I find any, I'll pass it on). xx

We've done BLW with Little Saff, and it's been brilliant, though not without its difficulties. The thing about BLW is that it can take you to the highs of triumph (the day she ate pickled beetroot) and the depths of despair (the week she only ate meat...), but it all balances out if you are patient (...she only ate fruit the next week). You have to think of BLW as not an act of surrender, but an act of free will. It's a concious choice to let Baby discover for herself. If you're finding weaning difficult --whether you do BLW or traditional weaning-- it's time to take a step back. Give Baby the spoon, or offer finger foods only, don't hover, and don't worry!! :)

Check the council webpages for contact info on sports and recreation grounds? Of course getting the water back on may depend on whether it's off for the season, or off awaiting repairs. :(

Control Top Tights from the Magic Knicker Shop? http://www.themagicknickershop.co.uk/site/1642934/page/2087837

It's a dysfunction of REM (dream wave) sleep. Instead of remaining recumbent in REM sleep, the brain is causing him to act out his dream. What he says or appears to see has nothing to do with you or anything in the room. It's happening in his head. Stress is often the cause of sleep disturbances. You can take a holistic approach and try something like acupuncture (Giles Davies at 15a Barry Road is very good) or hypnotherapy, or you can consult with a GP if you think there might be another medical condition relating to his sleep, eg nocturnal epilepsy (very rare). You could also keep a broom by the side of the bed. When he sits up, poke him the ribs with it until he wakes up. Then quickly hide the broom under the bed and pretend to be asleep yourself. ;-)