Saffron

Gradeschool: kindergarten to preteen usu.

From what I understand, the advice to avoid dyes with prolonged scalp contact is more to do with the mother having an allergic reaction than to what would putatively pass to the foetus. xx

http://villapoonie.vpweb.co.uk/default.html 'Villa Poonie' This is my friend's place in Sri Lanka. We've been wanting to go for a while, but other things keep happening, busy busy! All our mates who have been have said how lovely it is there, might be booked-up for this summer though, not sure. Ask Francesca (aka 'Poonie') what resources are like for a toddler. She and her husband have a young son. xx

Yes that's been my reasoning too. I'm curious to have a further read and see what the actual conclusions are on the effects of television on under-2s. Violent TV --even cartoon violence-- has certainly been very well-documented to have lots of negative effects on children of all ages. I've read some research a few years back, suggesting that excessive TV watching from an early age is associated with ADD/ADHD, but such studies show correlation rather than causation. You also have to be of the camp that ADD/ADHD actually IS a disorder. Whereas, some psychologists and evolutionary biologists have suggested that it is a different brain type, not a disorder. I've also seen the research showing that excessive TV watching in gradeschool children is related to obesity. I would hazzard a guess this is true for the under-2s as well. Hey pass the biscuits, Adderall, and TV remote... and that's just for me! (Edited to say that I'm not fat and I don't have ADD/ADHD... hmmmm maybe I'm not watching enough TV? ;-) What's on iPlayer tonight? :) )

Very interesting... "You will view your children?and how to raise them?in a whole new light.You?ll learn:" "...Why men should do more household chores..." (yeaaaah) "...TV is harmful for children under 2..." (booooo) ah well, can't have it all xx

The little girl saying that when she cuddled her baby sibling, she could smell the mold from their flat was particularly disturbing.

I saw part of the program, very distressing. Your idea is a really good one. I'm slightly surprised something like this doesn't exist already b/c it really should! I have no clue how you'd go about setting up something like that, but I bet there are people on the Forum who do. :)

I agree with Fidgetsmum. The relaxin hormone hangs around postpartum. And, even when the relaxin has gone, the effects (loose ligaments etc) will linger for some time. I had tendonitis in both knees postpartum b/c of this. I also had back pain, but the GP kinda ignored this at first. Turns out the back is probably arthritis and NOT pregnancy related. So it pays to keep going back to the drs if you don't succeed at first. xx

Little Saff at it again last night: Up at 3:30am. Didn't even make it to the rocker this time, fell asleep until 5:30 with her in her junior bed (not *quite* long enough for an adult-- who invented this torturous device???). So obviously Mr Saff's plan last year that putting her in her own bed would make her sleep through the night has proved utter failure. I think we may have to swap her cotbed for a fouton matress on the floor, so I can sleep with her all night. Then at least when she wakes up, I would only have to turn over instead of out of bed, down the hall, and round the corner (the longest 10 metres in the world!). F- Haem is Lewisham U Hospital: Waited 2 h to see a junior consultant for 5 min last appointment. Arrrggh. I'll surely be old and grey by the time they decide I need definitive treatment, so hopefully Little Saff will be off the boob by then. Ha.

I was up at 4:30am, Little Saff stubbornly refusing a bottle of warm milk and tearfully requesting booby as if her world would end without it. Grumpy Mr Saff said he didn't want her in bed with us, so it was a lonely half hour in the rocker in the nursery for me. Mr Saff said he'd take her straight away when she was up for the day. But at 6am when she was up again, he reneged! Decided he was too tired from the long drive home from Sussex (humph) the day before. So he dumped her in bed with us and let her bounce (literally) on my head for an hour before he finally got up and made her breakfast. Not his most shining hour, eh? But we'll all be up for a lot more sleepless nights if the haematologist decides my high platelet count needs hydroxycarbamide treatment. That will mean no more b/fing, no more easy back to sleep for Little Saff. Then what will I do? Hump a 30 lb toddler plus buggy down the stairs at 4:30am for endless laps around the block??? You must be joking.

The World Health Organization does not endorse homeopathic treatment in place of conventional medicine for serious childhood illnesses. Fever, vomitting, diarhoea, or serious acute injuries should be treated by a medical doctor. 'There is no objective evidence that homeopathy has any effect on these infections.' -Dr Nick Beeching, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, speaking to the BBC, August 2009.

Just sucking on meat is ok too. Your LO will still get lots of iron and amino acids even if he doesn't actually swallow a lump of meat. At that age, Little Saff loved nothing better than to gum to a whitish soggy pulp a nice strip of beef or lamb. Then she would gleefully spit the soggy mess back and request a fresh piece.

minder Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ksh - hope your venture is a success. It's > obviously something that a lot of people need on > an ad-hoc basis. YES YES YES! > > Just one thing to think about is the paperwork > involved with each child. The EYFS is quite > time-consuming. Unavoidable, but once you're familiar with it maybe not so bad. > > Also, think about the comings and goings with > parents throughout the day. You may be confined > to the house a lot or have children sleeping and > this may wake them. Just a thought! Have set or suggested times for drop off / pick-up? I would be ok with that. Checkmeout, my husband is self-employed, so we currently juggle childcare and weekend work between us, with an occasional babysitter. It gets to a crush point when we both have unavoidable deadlines and can't find reliable, affordable childcare. Urrghhh. I suspect with the economy the way it is, more and more people are in this position, as both parents are working but not nec full time, and don't need or can't afford full time childcare.

I'm also working ad hoc at the moment, and totally stuck for childcare options! Poor hubbie getting brunt of my irritability and our parents all too old / too far away to help. Sigh.

We got a baby hammock when Little Saff was around 3 or 4 months -- would have gotten one sooner if I had known about them. We had an Amby Nest hammock. The nice thing about the hammock is that it is on a big spring. You can gently bring it up to a vigorous bouncing rhythm, then leave the room for a few minutes. The hammock will keep bouncing for quite some time. If baby doesn't settle at first, go back and gently bounce again. You can do this at intervals that suit you and your baby, ie more often on a fussy day, or just one bounce if baby is already sleepy. xx

Sling? Baby nest/hammock? Baby rocker?

Yes, looking for toddler-friendly stuff: Water-based paints, washable glues and the like. Seems like the toy stores mainly have craft sets, but they don't nec carry individual items.

Anyone know a good website for art supplies, water colours, glitter pens, stickers etc? Thanks! x

Claire29, it's mostly the sugar in cola that helps children feel better when they are vomiting. Sugar helps tell the brain that the contents of the stomach are safe to keep. I suspect the caffeine probably helps too as it relieves the lethargy that often accompanies vomiting. As children, if we were ill in the winter, my mother gave us cola, heated to reduce the fizz, warm and soothing with a twist of lemon.

Side effects from ibuprofen (nurofen) are generally only from long-term or high dose usage. At the recommended dose, for short-term usage, side effects from ibuprofen should be nil. Vomiting of the compound is likely due to the formulation (ie, what's been added to the active drug to make the mixture) and not the drug itself. Agreed, ibuprofen generally is better for teething pain b/c of its anti-inflammatory action. And paracetamol (calpol) is often recommended for viral pain. However, some people (babies included) will generally respond better to one drug than the other, a phenomenon referred to as a person's 'pharmacogenomic profile'. Whenever your LO is unwell with fever or pain, if one drug doesn't work, try the other. Keep note of which works best for your own LO, and notice if there is a difference between your children too. xx PS: if baby is prone to vomiting, ask GP for suppositories.

Instead of ketchup, use a big dollop of plain yogurt with a little dollop of concentrated tomato paste on top. This cuts way down on sugar/salt/preservatives.

Olga Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I tried the nose unblocker and calpol nasal > spray, but I found the only reliable way was > sucking out yourself sorry gross I know. A lot of cultures clear a baby's nose this way. :) Not gross, just different. > Then put olbas oil on your > bra while feeding. I did something similar. I put baby vapour rub on the side of my breast under Little Saff's nose when she was b/fing. I agree. It does really, really help with the feed. Hellosailor, I didn't have exactly the same problem as you -- re: colds and feeding -- but we did have problems with teething and feeding. It probably produced pain in a similar place like the sinuses. Little Saff started teething around 4 months (although no teeth made their appearance until 7 months), and when her teeth hurt presumably she had pain and difficulties suckling at the breast. She would get very tired and grumpy. When this happened, I gave her baby neurofen and a bottle of sugar water (sm. teasp. brown sugar in 6 oz warm water). Neurofen seemed to work better than calpol for her. A full belly a sugar water was enough to let her have a good nap, then she was able to feed better afterwards. I hope things are looking up for you and your LO today. xx

Brilliant! He's so funny.

What about probiotic casules? It's the same stuff as in Yakult type drinks, just concentrated in a capsule. You could try mixing it with a little apple juice maybe (to avoid formula/dairy).

Isn't great how motherhood and pregnancy can be empowering?! :)