Saffron

I agree with RenF. The baby shower gift can be for the mother. The baby shower is not just about the baby. It's about celebrating the mother and the beauty of her pregnancy.

If you have your child immunised now, the vaccine will reduce the chance of your child developing CP, and reduce the severity should he develop it. The sooner your child is immunised following exposure, the more likely you are to derive benefit of the imm. Recommended period is something like 1 to 5 days following exposure. If you're planning to travel with a child who may be incubating CP, please think about the other people that will be exposed to your child, especially babies and pregnant women. And remember that your child will be very contageous even before spots appear. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chickenpox/Pages/Causes.aspx

Well, pretty much any approach can be made consistent by equal application of all elements of the chosen strategy. Also I think it's important to recognise from a behavioural point of view that sleep training does not teach children how to go to sleep. What it attempts to do, behaviourally speaking, is extinguish crying behaviour. As far a behavioural paradigms for extinction are concerned gradual withdrawal techniques are specifically designed to involve less crying, and animal models of behaviour have suggested that gradual withdrawal may produce more lasting effects than sudden extinction. However, reading a strategy in a book and applying it to one's own child can be two completely different things, because of the wide variability in individual responses. If there's only one thing that's true about sleep strategies, it's that there's no such thing as one size fits all.

ryedalema Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi all > > I'm looking for a day out with our oldest daughter > tomorrow and wanted to take her to a swimming pool > with slides, wave machine etc....but looking at > the Deptford Wavelengths website it seems to have > had a revamp and all the 'fun stuff' removed... > Oh no! When did that happen? I was there last year several times. The flume slides had been repaired and were open, and there was an elephant slide for toddlers. Bubble fountains and wave machines were both working fine. Edited to say that I looked at their webpage, and it says the flumes are working but only open at certain times. The fascility is under redevelopment and the 25m pool (not the leisure pool) is temporarily closed. Is the webpage out of date or did I miss something?

Sorry, was going to post this last night, but my internet stopped working! It can be difficult to measure cortisol release directly under non-experimental conditions, so actually there isn't a lot of high quality scientific data about cortisol release in controlled crying specifically. What is known is that cortisol is rapidly released as a response to stress in both adults and infants. Therefore, cortisol probably starts to be released immediately upon crying, and will likely continue to be released as long as the infant is crying. Cortisol is not a sleep hormone, so any activity that releases excess cortisol is working at opposites with sleep onset. This is one critical methodological problem with sleep training techniques that involve a lot of crying. Dr Christopher Green is the originator of controlled crying, which he designed (and tested) as an alternative to cry-it-out, which he felt was stressful on parents and children. So, for anyone to tell someone that it's ok to shut a crying baby in the room at night and not go back, to me, actually shows a profound ignorance of the available literature on sleep in infants and children. In Dr Green's original research, he himself notes that controlled crying is only a method of last resort, and that are some children for which it would not be suitable anyway. You can read his research in sleep journals, or in his Toddler Taming parenting books, which also give details of his methods of sleep training. However, many years on from his publications Dr Green has admitted that he feels differently. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/child-experts-growing-pains/story-e6frf7l6-1111114426718 I'm not telling you not to use controlled crying. You have to do what works for you, and every family is different. It's just important to recognise that there are many other forms of sleep training available and that different styles may suit different children for different reasons. Parentingscience.com has some interesting information. http://www.parentingscience.com/Ferber-method.html and here http://www.parentingscience.com/Ferber-method.html I also think this journal article (Blunden et al 2011) on sleep is one of the most profound articles on sleep that I have ever read. If you don't have access to the full text, please PM me. Here is the abstract and the link http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079210001322 I'm posting all this because I have a child who has always been a difficult sleeper. At every step, there has always been someone bullying* me or offering incorrect/incomplete information about controlled crying/cry it out. Parents should know that these were originally meant to be methods of last resort, and that other methods are available. *Not on the Forum, I might add. xx

Have you tried putting a dehumidifier in the room?

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > By the way, how did the mathmatical genius get > over his constipation? > > He worked it out with a pencil! > > Heh heh. It's nearly come to that here a couple of times with Little Saff! Seriously though, it sounds like you're doing all the right things. This seems to be a physiological phase that many children go through, which is probably why GPs are reluctant to interfere unless constipation has gone on for more than 5 days. Do you have a smoothie maker or good quality blender? Your LO might have fun making fruit and live yogurt smoothies. You can add psyllium husk, ispaghula, or ground flax seed to aid digestion and peristalsis. These are all natural 'bulk' laxatives that soften stools. They often come in powdered/ground form and need to be taken with liquid, hence the smoothie idea. Lactulose is a synthetic bulk laxative which comes in liquid form. You can give it without much additional liquid, although liquid will help. None of these bulk-type laxatives are very effective for acute constipation in the lower bowel, as far a I've found with Little Saff. They need to be taken regularly several times a week. Maybe worth carefully considering how much fluid your daughter actually needs, then implementing a sticker chart for reaching small goals, eg 1-2 oz of water 4x daily with a sticker for each cup finished? Really hope your LO is feeling better soon. xx

If it's nighttime separation anxiety, they don't 'just get over it'. It can take a long, long time to outgrow this, and indeed the anxiety may just end up being transferred to other areas (so they never really outgrow). Many popular types of sleep training are not recommended for children with nighttime separation anxiety and can actually make them worse. I'm currently in a longstanding disagreement with both my husband and mother-in-law over this issue. :( Little Saff appears to have nighttime separation anxiety, and they have both kindly (not!) said that it's my fault! They want me to leave her to cry it out. She's nearly three. There's no way I'd ever have let her cry it out as a baby, and I'm sure as sh1t not going to start now. My instinct has always told me this is very, very wrong for her. For the record, if your child has nighttime separation anxiety, you didn't cause it: It isn't anyone's fault. All children have some degree of anxiety about different activities. In some children this gets expressed as nighttime separation anxiety. It's normal for all children to wake at night, and some are going to be anxious when they do. If anyone has a magic bullet for this, please let me know! However, I suspect there are no quick and easy remedies. I'd love to hear some anthropological approaches to nighttime sleep issues. Wake-to-sleep technique is the neareast I've come to a natural approach... except for co-sleeping, which I already do with Little Saff in her room on her double fouton... She's 3 yo next week, and we've promised her a 'big girl' single bed to try to stop cosleeping. I think we're going to have to put a truckle bed in our bedroom for her as well. I can't spend my entire nights traipsing up and down the hall to pat her back all night. Rapid return technique has been a total 'fail' for us. I wouldn't even bother if you suspect nighttime separation anxiety. Have you tried a white noise machine or ipod app? I'd love to know if these are helpful for older toddlers/children. xx

What type of laxatives did you try? Lactulose is a very gentle laxative that is well tolerated with few side effects, IMHO. Definitely steer clear of anything containing senna for mild constipation, as this can cause terrible cramps. For older toddlers/children, you could try a few sips of cooled tea in the morning. The caffeine can help stimulate the bowel. What do you mean by "doesn't drink enough"? Despite constant messages to the contrary, most of the 'water' content from our diets should come from our food, this includes things like whole fruits and vegetables. If children don't have lots of sugary/salty/fatty snacks, they don't need massive amounts of water to drink. Speak to a dietition if this is an ongoing concern? Adding fibre to the diet is good in general, but it won't have an immediate effect if the constipation in the lower bowel is quite profound. What about glycerine suppositories? We have used the adult ones on Little Saff a few times. Just cut them in half with a clean pair of scirrors or knife. However, if the constipation has gone on for 3+ days, then sometimes the glycerine just gets pooed out before it can do any good (sorry, TMI, we have a lot of personal experience with this!). So, try to get your LO to 'hold on' to it for a few minutes. Although, even if the glycerine comes out mostly whole, just the physical stimulation in the bowel sometimes seems to have helped. Despite a good diet Little Saff only has a bowel movement twice a week and is prone to occasional constipation. Even when she was a breastfed baby, she only pooed once a week -- and what a nappy-filler it was!) We talked to the Paed's Consultant and more recently the HV about it. Both said it's normal. If constipation has gone on for 5+ days, the advice from our current HV (who is actually fabulous) is to see the GP for a prescrition for Movicol. Otherwise it's best to let the bowel sort itself out. A very warm bath also helps sometimes... be prepared with a net. Good luck. :) xx

Well, you've already gotten some excellent replies (hurray for the Family Room!)... but if you want my 2 cents, here it is: There is no such thing as anything that Cures All Ills. If there is a reason to believe that your children are lacking in a key nutrient(s), then specific supplements might be beneficial. Personally, I would look for fatty acid supplements from a vegetarian souce, not cod liver oil. It cannot be guaranteed that cod liver oil is 100% free of chemicals with which the fish have come in contact. This is something about which I would personally be very conservative, although others might be more relaxed. Meh. It's probably up for debate. What's not up for debate is that the essential fatty acids that are derived from cods' livers can also be obtained from vegetable sources. You need to make sure supplements are age appropriate. Cod liver oil for adults and older children could have far, far too much vitamin A and D in it for young children, toddlers, and babies. A&D are not water soluable. Excess supplementation cannot be eliminated through urine, and could gradually build up to harmful levels if chronically oversupplemented. However (much to the irritation of parents of fussy eaters), dietitians will almost always recommend that it's better for your children to get their nutrients from whole foods rather than supplements. Dr Alex Richardson has an excellent book on nutrition called They Are What You Feed Them. He writes about diet, supplements, and specific benefits of different nutrients in different scenarios. The book is not long or complicated, and its writing style is informative without being patronising. I think my copy is on loan at the moment, but actually I would recommend buying it as it's not expensive and will make a good reference book for your child's nutritional needs as s/he grows. http://www.amazon.co.uk/They-Are-What-Feed-Them/dp/0007182252 . You could also check the library? xx

I agree with bluesuperted, a gentle prod might be a good idea. Your bro/SiL can ask to have a 2-yr check early. The age is just a general guideline, not a requirement. For Little Saff's 2-yr check, the HV came to us to observe her in our home. The check was very comprehensive and not invasive at all. Of course you don't want to make them worried, as reren says. Chances are they've noticed the differences themselves. What you don't know is what they might be doing about it. Maybe they don't know what support is available? If you're really worried yourself, I'm sure you can find a caring way to talk to them about it. xx

:)

Rumpelstiltskin at the Albany: http://www.thealbany.org.uk/event_detail/810/Family/Rumpelstiltskin

So this was essentially a quality control issue with formulation, which has not been observed to cause any adverse effects acutely. Novartis withdrew products which it knew/suspected to be affected, and not all countries banned these products. Quality control issues can happen with the formulation of any drug, not limited to, or exacerbated by, the production of immunising compounds. Here's a link to the UK MHRA statement on recall, which was issued in Oct: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/Safetywarnings/DrugAlerts/CON199572 . Print it out and take it to your nurse/GP when you go to receive your jab, if you're worried. Quoting MHRA: TE44 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Beagle, After the recall of 160,000 flu > vaccines, Agrippal and Fluad, made by Novartis, > this vaccine was banned then > lifted. Here's the story. > > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/96455 > 44/Thousand-of-flu-vaccines-recalled.html > > > From what I have gathered the particles were > protein aggregates (clusters) see link below. > > http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/31/us-novart > is-flu-idUKBRE89U13O20121031 > > > Here's a bit about them, from a medical view, > there should be a system to stop these clusters > but somehow that didn't happen. > > http://www.aapsj.org/view.asp?art=aapsj080366 > > > Here is some information for doctors from the > Novartis site. > > http://www.novartis.com/newsroom/product-related-i > nfo-center/influenza-vaccines-information-center/i > nformation-for-doctors.shtml > > > I am not posting to scare you, I absolutely > understand how hard it is to get informative > information, maybe a good idea to look into the > individual manufacturers flu vaccine. Best wishes.

My friend's child has dyspraxia, but is very bright. He wasn't speaking whole words until he was about 3-4 years old, and then it was only through the help of an SLT. At nearly 5 yo, his words are now excellent. Another friend has a 4 yo with "suspected" autistic spectrum disorder, but the family has been told that their son is still too young for an accurate diagnosis. He's a lovely boy, though after spending just half an hour with him, it's obvious that there is something wrong with him. He's easily upset by busy situations that most other children would find exciting. Communicating verbally with him is difficult, and he doesn't seem to recognise emotions well in others. There are so many things that can affect development, it's worth having a professional assessment. I agree that earlier assessment is better, but your nephew might still be too young for an accurate diagnosis. But the earlier your brother and SiL are aware of potential problems, the better they can track his progress with professional assistance. Isn't there a two-year check with most HVs? Could you work that into the conversation somehow, so that they know that you're being concerned but not interfering? xx

Does it plug into the mains? You could put a timer on the socket?

Yes, many of the active ingredients in cough meds for young children have been reclassified. Basically, if your child is under 6 yo, you probably need to see a doctor for a prescription if the cough requires medical attention beyond a boiled sweet: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/hard-to-swallow-the-truth-about-toddlers-cough-medicines-803077.html. This is an old article, and there have been even more strict reclassifications recently. Basically, the medical concensus is that for the incidence of side effects in young children, the benefit seen from these meds is not significant to justify the SE. (Sigh.) We've been going round in circles here from one cough/cold to another all autumn, debating whether there's any point going to the GP or not. I feel like, more than likely, I'd go and they'd say to give Little Saff paracetamol... oh yes, then let's not forget that paracetamol is correlated with asthma... so have a pat on the back and don't let the door hit you on the way out. Decided not to go in the end... (double sigh)

Well, antibiotics are not likely to help anyway. Here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20767470 , in a recent article the Lancet confirms what other published works have been reporting for years: "Antibiotics are ineffective in treating patients with persistent coughs caused by mild chest infections, the Lancet journal reports." Little Saff has coughed herself to vomiting on a number of occasions over recent weeks. It's so disheartening. Out of desperation one morning a couple of weeks ago (when we were both coughing and miserable), I let her have some of my Lemsip. It did make her much better. BUT, then I felt guilty when I looked up the expectorant ingredient gauifenisen, only to discover that some studies reported an increased risk of adverse events in toddlers given this drug, eg diarrhoea, allegy, etc. I did think about going to the GP to ask about getting an expectorant on prescription, but her cough is slowly improving on its own. Maybe worth checking with you GP if the cough doesn't get better?

If there is a reason to think that your child will have a bad reaction to one part of the MMR, then you may want to consider giving them as singles. Reasons might include a history of family reactions to imms, allergy to any of the ingredients, bad reaction to a previous imms etc. However, the downside of giving singles is that your child will then have to endure more individual needle sticks to get the full protection against each aspect that would be covered in the combined MMR. Then again, hypothetically speaking, if a person is deadset against the combined jab but would consider singles, then giving singles is better than giving nothing from an imms point of view. You can use Emla cream to reduce the pain of injections: http://www.emla.co.uk/ . It won't totally take away the pain, but it will reduce it. xx

Early teething could be another possibility. Sometimes the teeth start moving around under the gums long before they ever erupt.

Yes, that would count as an act of kindness. ;-)

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/17/15972814-inspired-to-act-26acts-of-kindness-to-honor-those-lost-in-newtown-conn?lite I gave ?26 to Celia Hammond Animal Trust. xx

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/17/15972814-inspired-to-act-26acts-of-kindness-to-honor-those-lost-in-newtown-conn?lite

susyp Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron what you raise is v interesting. I agree > to a point, eg I help at a children's cancer > charity and my daughter who is 4 knows what it is > and why I help. I don't shield her or myself from > the harsh reality about it. However that aha > article did make me think about how I always pour > over the details of any tragedy involving children > and it def makes me an - even more - neurotic > parent. So I am taking its advice and not reading > any more. It is a random occurance and it is > unlikely I can do anything to help. I thinking > about the parents but I don't need full details to > do that? > Well, that's a decision that can only be made by each individual. Some people will actually want to hear the victims speak. Indeed many victims find that talking about their experiences is part of the healing. They need people to listen to them, an audience for their healing. Television and social media are the modern platforms for this. Of course we need to think about what's age appropriate for our children and not let our own neuroticism play out through our interactions with our children. The Aha article does well to highlight this. So in that respect it did have some good things to say. It was interesting, and I don't think it was a bad article. I just think the article suffers from being hastily written, with an unnecessarily antimedia undertone. For example, in a list of 12 ways to help your child, it offered number 1 as Turn off the TV. Whereas, Listen to your child came 7th, and Empower you child came last! If the article gave you pause for thought about excessive media consumption by children in general, that's wonderful. But let's not get so caught in the antimedia hype that we forget that Listening and Empowering our children should be top on our lists. IMHO.

Here are some rather disturbing stats... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2760905/ (Ouch, those stats are really harsh! Perhaps I had "pregnancy goggles" on when I didn't take the flu vaccine in the past, but had I been in London for the duration of my pregnancy I do think I might have considered it. I would definitely take it now were I pregnant again.) More interesting articles here: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1003462 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmc0912599 And here: http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20120710/h1n1-flu-shot-appears-safe-during-pregnancy