Saffron

Advice from a dermatologist was not to let the scabs dry if possible. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Any cream or oil that keeps the scars pliable will limit scar formation. xx

Had a quick look at the Argos sight. A problem springs up immediately. Many of the lightweight pushchairs, even reputable brands like M&Ps, are only listed for children up to 15 kg. My daughter is already 15 kg! Oh dear. The search becomes more challenging!!

Little Saff (18 months old) and I will be doing some long-distance travelling on the train by ourselves later this summer. I'm looking for the teeny-tiniest, lightest weight possible collapsable stroller-style buggy. It needs to fold up small, really small, ideally like an umbrella. And it needs to be light enough to wave frantically in the air while I'm running for our connecting train with Little Saff in a sling and tote bag around my neck. Does such a thing exist?

Stopped by the GPs office today and was surprised and pleased that we can be seen by the doctor on Monday morning (usu a 2 wk wait). I must admit to being quite curious about the outcome.

Living in Switzerland for a few years, I noticed that balance bikes were very popular. Everyone cycles there, and children learn to cycle from an early age. Children were all going straight from balance bikes to regular bicycles. Perhaps this is because everyone cycles so frequently there that children learn very quickly? It's a bit too early for Little Saff to have a balance bike. We'll probably be looking for one next year. Like-a-bike was the one that was recommended to us. http://www.likeabike.co.uk/

Thought I was being productive, taking the milk out of the freezer one evening to thaw in the refrigerator overnight... left the freezer door open. Husband closed the freezer door, but didn't say anything about it until months later, bless'im. Early days with new baby, I settled her snugly into the bedside co-sleeper and fell back asleep. Cue cat to sneakily curl-up in my arms. I woke up thinking my baby was still in my arms but had been turned into a cat! And it's not just we ladies who suffer from baby brain. I left Husband home with our 6 month old daughter so that I could attend an evening acupuncture session. When I returned home from the session, Husband was asleep on the sofa and Baby nowhere in sight. I naturally thought she was sleeping soundly in her hammock. When I gently woke Husband to ask how the evening had been, he jumped up in a panic shouting, "Where's the baby?" and "I left her right here!" [indicates empty sofa] Popping our heads round the corner of the bedroom, we could obviously see her sleeping safely in her hammock. Husband had fogotten that he had put her safely to bed. xx p.s. happy for comments to go on website and for username to be used.

Hi Helena- Hope you get some really good ones. Most of mine have been so dumb as not to be remembered. The one that does spring to mind was loading the non-refundable coin & key locker at the swim centre the wrong way around... Twice in a row!!

Hi Claire29- That's very interesting. Was what your child had referred to as pseudostrabismus? I.e., angle of the eyelid or bridge of the nose gives the eyes a inwardly turned appearance, although there is no ocular misalignment whatsoever. Children naturally outgrow this as the shape of the lid/bridge matures. My daughter wouldn't be anywhere near developmentally able to perform as your LO did obviously, 6 or 7 months makes a lot of difference at this age. I thought perhaps she could be assessed with the Hirschberg test. I think this is basically a photographic test looking at the angle of corneal reflection. I think it doesn't involve anything other than looking at a light long enough for a photosnap? I'm going to phone the GP tomorrow just to put the whole issue to rest.

@ Belle: Yep that's kinda what I was thinking too. And as far as we can all tell, Little Saff's vision is completely fine. It's obvious that she can see what she wants and act on it accordingly. She definitely wouldn't be a candidate for surgery at this point, and I really can't see us being able to keep corrective eyewear on her for more than five minutes unless it was strapped in place with duct tape. ;-)

Could it be the timing? My little girl likes to be up for a while before she gets going on her breakfast. xx

How is strabismus diagnosed in children under 2 years old? Is it even possible to make the diagnosis so young? Reading this you're thinking, Surely if the child has a crossed-eye it's obvious. Hmmm. MIL insists my daughter (18 months) has 'a turn in her eye'. I don't see it personally. What I do see is that my daughter does go a little cross-eyed on rare occasion. (You would probably go cross-eyed too when people waved things around 10 cm from your face going, Ooo lookie-lookie!) Occasionally going cross-eyed is normal and is not the same as having a crossed eye. So is it wasting the GP's time to take Little Saff there? Do you need some special equipment to positively id strabismus in a child under 2 yo? I thought they only tested the under 2s for ocular abnormalities if they were high-risk (eg congenital eye problem), and stereoscopic vision isn't assessed at all until 3 / 4 years old? And, if it turns out that Little Saff does have stabismus, how do they even treat it in a child so young? I'm not keen to spend an afternoon in the drs office just to be told that treatment would only be watchful waiting anyway. At the same time, I'm fed up with comments from the MIL. Grrr. Anyone have any experience with this? xxxx

KattyKit Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi thank you all for your replies. > > It is throughout the night and tends to become > worse as the night goes on. > > The last couple of nights we have started to > co-sleep but my husband isn't keen for it to > become a permanent thing although I am and I think > it does solve our problem somewhat. Does it > become difficult to move them back to their own > cot once you start to co-sleep? Husband had to admit defeat, and we went back to co-sleeping with Little Saff a couple months ago (She's now 18 mo, and had been sleeping separately since last Sept.) Husband now has to sleep in the spare room, as Little Saff kicks him in her sleep (poetic justice?). Husband never does the nighttime settling. Months of slogging up and down the hall multiple times a night were making me a crazy person. It was a question of co-sleeping vs sanity. Mr Saff still isn't keen on the co-sleeping, but he had to admit that it is better than having a crazy wife -- or NO wife. Moving Little Saff back to her own bed / own room? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. xx

Morning or afternoon?

Hi little h- Have you considered trying a baby hammock to help with reflux? I've just seen one for sale in the Family classifieds here. We had an Amby Nest hammock for our little girl, and she slept really well in it. She didn't have reflux, but she was a restless sleeper. The hammock helped her to settle better. Might be worth a try. Hope you're doing better soon. Everything is just a phase (telling myself that, with 18mo old still not sleeping through...). Hang in there. xx

Not the first breastmilk babydoll I've seen, but definitely the funniest! :)

Little Saff (18 months) often goes to bed between 9-10pm. I don't feel permissive about it. It's just what works for us. We've tried on several occasions to get into a routine of putting her to be earlier so that she would sleep better/longer/wake less etc. It was rubbish. Totally useless. Every baby/child is different. And every family has a different dynamic. It's quite normal for some babies/toddlers to need less sleep, or to stay up later than others. There is a wide variation of what is normal in terms of our biological clocks.

I think a couple activities a week is good. It deps on the child and on what else you do as a family too. I always wished I had more parent-child classes when I was young, like mother-daughter yoga or father-daughter art classes. My mother was out Brownie leader and my father took us fishing in the summers, but it's not the same as 1-on-1 time in a class.

> I will print this off & drop it round for the > owner to see, must remember not everyone uses the > EDF! One would think they will want to listen to > feedback - no point just posting it here, we need > to make sure they know & then judge them on how > they respond. Great idea!! x

Isn't that the old 'electrical shop' on Peckham Rye? I've only had good service there, but admittedly not been in a while. That's quite an oversight of them that they only have 3 highchairs!!

It's not just a cold if it's lasted a month. Definitely go back to the GP. xx

Mellors, consider yourself very blessed if you are able to always have private options for transport available for your children! xx

Make food for yourself that both of you are able to eat. Only serve it on your plate, but sit him close enough to reach your plate. Then just see what he does. It may be a case of the grass always being greener on your side of the plate. As long as he's having his milk, he'll be fine. We did BLW and often had oatmeal porridge for breakfast, made with milk+water, but add a little less liquid than you normall do. When you take the mixture off the hob, use a teaspoon to make little balls. The mixture sets as it cools. Little Saff loved stuffing her mouth with these little porridge balls. Sliced, boiled and cooled apple or pair was also a bit hit with my LO at the age, as were flavoured soft cheese. Try adding a little cumin to softcheese for a savory snack. Serve with breadstick, or lightly boiled broccoli for dipping. I don't know if you're offering meat yet. My daughter also really like little strips cut off a nicely roasted lambchop. She would hold the end of one and gum the juice out of it till it was a pulp, then throw it down and ask for more. Also, could there be a temperature issue? Some babies like warmer food, others prefer chilled food. Just something to think about. As other have said, really try not to worry. It does seem that all babies go through a phase (or several phases!) where they seem uninterested in food. As long as you're always offering nutritious food, your baby will eat when he is hungry. xxx

Good for you, Ruth! x

Sorry, Ruth, I'm still unclear... did you actually have to give up your seat?!? And you stayed on the bus standing?!? You need to file a formal complaint with TFL if that is the case. If all the 'special seats' are full, and someone who need a special seat wants to board, they would have to wait for the next bus.

Ruth_Baldock Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'd have pointed out that they were just little > kids, it was a packed moving bus, and that he had > a seat now anyway! However, I'm still bitter about > being shooed out of a seat yesterday, at 40wks pg, > with an 18mo balanced on my knee. Oh, don't rush > to give up your seats anyone else, that's fine. > Grr. Wow, that's unbelievable! How did that come about?! @AJM-- those are all good suggestions; however, sometimes i fid that trying to justify myself to strangers just ends up putting me on the defensive backfoot for a ridiculous argument. There's no logical way of explaining oneself to someone who is making illogical statements to you. F- you did well just to say sorry and more/less ignore the situation.