Saffron

Decimal in the wrong place? Should be ?2.60.

Has she been wearing a hat or hood recently? Could the irritation be from sweat at the hairline? I think I would also avoid Tgel or any other concentrated products until you know what's causing the irritation, b/c once the skin is broken (whatever the underlying cause) putting anything concentrated on it will probably just irritate it further. If you do want to try Tgel, maybe just put a tuppence-sized bit on one spot of hairline and see if it's better or worse? Have you tried rubbing a little spot savlon into the hairline?

Just been looking for tickets online for Mathilda the Musical. Blimey. The prices can only be described as eyewatering, and not a family/child discount in sight. So it's not just the Chocolate Factory. Seems other theatres are charging a hefty price too. I know it's been a tough few years for theatres, but ?97 for a matinee ticket? Really?!?

What was the concrete floor sealed with?

Hmm interesting. I had a look at the CF website. Looks like their strategy is encouraging people to donate, by offering discounts on other stuff, eg food/drinks, rather than offering concessions. I guess that's working for them, if they're doing well. I understand it's been a difficult few years for theatres. Agreed, though, would be pricey for a family, so maybe that's not their target audience financially? Personally I really like the Albany in Deptford. http://www.thealbany.org.uk/whatson They have a good variety for all ages, and not expensive.

try this thread for info http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1112153,1161242#msg-1161242

You really need to identify the source of the damp. A good dehumidifier will help reduce damp in the air, but of course it doesn't stop the damp from coming in. The purifier will only trap particles in the air which come in contact with it. If there is carpet and a mouldy smell under the bed, chances are the origins of the spores can be in the carpet underlay. If your carpet underlay is old it probably doesn't conform to new CE guidelines for fire safety and should be ripped out anyway. If you're a homeowner, your insurance may partly cover this. If you're renting, and the mould is a health issue, I think your landlord needs to assess this. However, putting in new carpet and underlay will not stop the damp if there is for example a slow leak under the floor causing the damp. You might even want to consider removing the carpeting all together and painting all surfaces with a fungiside+paint.

Is your purifier also a dehumidifier?

Might depend on supply and demand? If demand is very high, then there's less incentive to offer concessions, which is why concessions are sometimes restricted to certain times and shows. Otherwise concessions encourage individuals to see shows, who might not otherwise have spent their money there. Did you ask the CF why no concessions for students/children?

Meh.

Please help this very worthy cause if you can. xx http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2076763036/still-born-still-loved-the-life-within-us/posts/592772?ref=email&show_token=8eac5d5790e1a828

My LO has been through a couple of very short-lived phases of this. As much as some people insist that 'giving in' sends the wrong message, other people will insist that leaving them to cry is an equally undesirable message. I think there's no black-or-white answer. What works for one parent-child dyad will not be suitable for another, and vice versa. So just be cautious of anyone who tells you that you're doing it wrong, b/c their way is the right way. I actually used to put a quiet cartoon on the television, and sleep on the sofa with my daughter sometimes when she was totally 'up' in the middle of the night. She never stayed awake for long, and these phases never lasted long, a couple of days here or there. So, obviously in our case she did not wrongly get the message that night time is playtime, perhaps b/c that wasn't the message she was looking for. I truly don't think she wanted to be awake and playing, even though she seemed alert. She obviously just couldn't sleep, and all that she knew how to do when she was wide awake was to play. When I think about how difficult my own insomnia is as an adult, I can in some ways understand how extremely frustrating this must be for my daughter herself. I don't think we've had a night time episode like this in over a year, and my daughter is now 3.5yrs+. She does still sometimes have trouble falling asleep. When all other sleep-inducing options have failed, I put her in bed with me or on a mat by my bed with Newsnight on the television, and she goes instantly to sleep. For my daughter, anything that leads to escalation of night time crying has always made things worse, so I avoid it. I can't afford to do otherwise, sleepwise! But of course, what works for us might not work for others. I'm just sharing a different point of view. Hope you find something that works for you, and don't be afraid of non-conventional approaches if your intuition tells you it's right for you. xx

singalto Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Could the kitten not have lost the collar? Doesn't > the microchip give the full details of the owners? Yes animals can easily lose tags and collars. That's why it helps to keep your details up to date if your pet is chipped. The legal guideline is that the vet is not advised to give out the owner's details to non-owners, but they do have the discretion to release the lost animal back into the care of the person who found it while the vet tries to contact the owner. xx

LadyNorwood Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I've got a camera on my front door which is linked > to my TV so I can see who is at the door..... > Also, if I'm not expecting anyone I won't answer > the door after dark.... That sounds interesting. Was it expensive? Does it need a cable, or does it work remotely?

John Lewis does good mattress protectors as well: http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-waterproof-towelling-mattress-protectors/p120118 . Whichever waterproof padding you use, don't forget that you can make the bed up in multiple layers, alternating regular sheets + waterproofs. When one later gets soaked, just strip it all off and you still have the clean layers underneath w/o having to make the bed in the middle of the night. Anything that can't go in the wash can be rubbed down with a bit of diluted Ecover maybe? My little girl is 3yrs 8mo, and we only gave up daytime nappies in June. We're currently working on the night time nappies. I think it's normal for children to progress at very different paces with toilet training, so long as you're happy that you're making progress overall. Adjusting meal times might or might not help. We've cut down on evening milk with some mixed success. Sometimes she drinks loads and is still dry, and other times I think she didn't have much but has an accident anyway. I guess it's all a learning curve for us as much as them, right?! xx

Ferrous gluconate with Ester C vit will go easier on the digestion. Also because iron is stored, you may not need to take it every day. Even just once in a while can help boost your iron stores without upsetting digestion so much. I wouldn't waste money on anything homeopathic. Check with your GP for more advice. You should be able to get an NHS referral to a Registered Dietitian. Extra sleep would be brilliant, but understandably hard to come by! Xx

Mr Saff and I have had fast-track tickets for all the big attractions we've been to with Little Saff, eg Aquarium, ZSL Zoo, London Eye. It's sooooo worth the little bit extra you have to pay. Every time, we've walked straight past HUGE queues for just a few extra pounds. xx

I would avoid taking oral aloe vera products during pregnancy, and post-partum, or breastfeeding. Aloe vera is known to have emmenagogue effects, which means that it causes uterine stimulation that could theoretically lead to uterine contractions and bleeding. It can pass into breastmilk and may cause gastrointestinal distress in some babies. Topical aloe is probably fine in small amounts, as not a great deal would likely pass through the skin into the blood circulation. I would avoid oral aloe vera during pregnancy unless under the direction of an experienced midwife. xx

Did your daughter find a placement yet? xx

midivydale Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Now this is going to sound extremely silly and > will sum me up in a nutshell. The girl that I go > to have been off sick with anxiety and depression > and she is now working in the reception as she > finds client work too stressful. > I begged her to make an exception and she finally > gave in. (Last time she did my hair I was > thrilled). > > Anyway, she works part time so will not be back in > the salon until next week and I really dont want > to hurt her feelings or complain about her as she > didnt want to treat customers in the first place. > I really really dont want her recovery to take a > step backwards because I have been unhappy and > made a "complaint". > > I know I know, I am soft and silly. I am thinking > that I will just pay for a colour correction on > this occasion elsewhere. Does anyone know of any > good hair dressers or mobile stylists that could > fix this for me? > > I feel responsible as I talked her into doing it, > even though she did not want to. You don't have to make a complaint against the colourist. Just simply say that you've decided the colour doesn't suit you, and can the salon please correct it, as it's not really what you want. Alternatively, are you in the city area often? I've had really great cut/colour from the Toni&Guy salon in Liverpool Street Station. http://toniandguy.com/salon/information/235 A little closer to home, Geddes salon in Ladywell is nice. They use the Aveda colour system. I think I had highlights from Yola (msp? Jola?) last time, and they were very good. http://www.geddeshairandbeauty.co.uk/ Good luck! xx

Have your iron and vit D levels checked, and ask for a referral to a dietitian. I ate lots of protein when I was pregnant, and that seemed to help. Not only does your immune system need vitamins and minerals, it needs protein too. Anti-bodies are essentially little blobs of protein. If your body doesn't have enough of the right kinds of amino acids that it needs to make specific proteins, it will 'borrow' amino acids from your muscles to make other proteins. Sorry, I'm hugely condensing a very complex process, but I hope you get the gist of it, in so far as you need to replenish your own protein stores as well as needing a little extra protein for the pregnancy. Are the ulcers in your mouth? Change your toothpaste. Many people have a sensitivity to SLS-type surfactants which are commonly found even in the 'natural' toothpastes. Sensodyne pronamel uses a different surfactant. I don't get ulcers from it. Worth a try. xx

I have some of these symptoms too. But is it really related to childbirth, or is it age-related? Do younger women with children have these symptoms too? I've been thinking about changing my copper coil to a mirena coil. Still undecided. I guess the only way to know if it will help is to try it. In the meantime, I've found acupuncture to be helpful in so far as it's very relaxing. I always sleep better after acupuncture sessions. Giles Davies (at 15a Barry Road) is excellent for acupuncture. He and his wife have grown children, so he's very understanding about all post-childbirth issues from his own personal point of view as well. http://www.gilesdavies.com/ If you can't have hormone therapy, perhaps give acupuncture a go? xx

Hi all, Just seen this thread (thx, mima08!). Yes, playdates/playgroups for singleton children are brilliant. I had organised several of these in the past and met some lovely new friends. What I also discovered was that families of all ages have only children for a variety of different reasons, and that the negative stereotypes about singletons and their parents are most definitely not true! Unfortunately I can't make the 13th, as I'm working. Perhaps sometime this autumn when the rain sets in (as it inevitably does!), we could have a Saturday meet-up indoors somewhere? Swimming, Gambados, pottery caf?, pub...? My little girl is 3.5 yrs now, but she plays really well with children of all ages. We're happy to meet up with anyone. If the weather is decent, the Saturday morning market at Telegraph Hill (every 3rd Sat of the month) is also a great place to meet. http://weareccfm.com/Lewisham.html Have fun, and hope to catch up soon :)

mima08 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thank you all for your messages and pm's. I spoke > to my lovely healthvisitor who even remembered us > (impressive memory!). She suggested that it might > be a case of holding in when he is too busy > playing, as there are no other symptoms but that I > should still go & see the doctor to be on the safe > side. > Depending on what the doc says re the > fibre-balance, I will be introducing with "bits" > and keeping a "diary" of when it happens, too to > see if there is anything that triggers it. Our health visitor said something similar. Little Saff is definitely a "poo withholder". It doesn't sound from your posts as if it's dietary in general, or you'd been seeing more frequent episodes. Although that doesn't rule out a particular sensitivity to something. However, on balance, it would seem withholding is probably more likely simply b/c it's very common in this age group. My understanding is that at this age, withholding very quickly leads to constipation. Hopefully your GP will be able to advise further when you've kept your LO's food diary for a while. Our health visitor recommended lactulose, which is not a drug in the classical sense in that it doesn't interact with other chemical systems. It could more be considered a digestive supplement. It's simply a sugar molecule that's too large to be absorbed across the intestinal lining, so it stays in the bowel w/o being absorbed into the body at all. In the bowel it retains water and so keeps the faeces softer helping to treat/prevent constipation. We were also told that constipation of less than 3 days is not really a medical problem (more like a developmental phase of children learning about their bodies and toilet habits). However, if the constipation goes on for 5 days or more, the advice was to see the GP for a prescription for Movicol. > > Caz - did your daughter & nephew ever bring drink > up because their tummies were upset by the > constipation? (I am avoiding saying vomiting, as > it was clear, unprocessed water...) > thanks again > mx That would still technically be vomiting I think, but I know what you mean. My daughter doesn't do this from constipation, but something similar happens to her with coughing sometimes. The lungs and digestive organs are all so close together in their little bodies that putting strain/force on one organ can easily put force on another. Maybe try repositioning on the toilet/potty to avoid letting his tummy get doubled-up? For coughing we have Little Saff stand up or sit up very straight to avoid this problem. xx

I think you'd be fine. My daughter did a lot a running around, and we were ok even though it was crowded. Take a high vis vest? There's low lighting in some parts of the aquarium. Also, best to wait until all the schools are back in session and tourists have mostly cleared out, maybe? Otherwise you'll be fighting the crowds to keep up with your LO through some of the more narrow displays. xx