Saffron

mich Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My daughter was in private nursery and we moved > her to the school nursery when she was entitled to > 15 hours. But many private nurseries also accept the free 15 hours. Plus many private nurseries also accept childcare vouchers through the parents' employment. In the OP's case, it doesn't look as if there is any cost benefit to moving to a school nursery. If there's no cost benefit, and the child is happy where she is, personally I say leave her there. But everyone is different of course. No right or wrong answer. Go with your gut. xx

Tarot Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > After the recent jubilations this summer its clear > their are too many people in the U,K > There must be a complete stop to migration and > illegal immigrants now the strain on the system > has compremised the standard of living. Well, the very nature of illegal immigration is that it is, well, illegal and therefore difficult to control. So I'm afraid I don't have any help to offer there. As for migration/overpopulation within the UK... why not pay people to emigrate? After all, if over their lifetimes' legal residents (whether immigrants or natives) are costing the system so much money, then offer them financial incentive to push off to the colonies. NZ looks nice. Gimme ?8000 and I'm out the door, Husband and Daughter in tow. Seeeeee ya later.

Are there licensing issues with using registered or copyrighted characters? Or is that considered 'personal use'?

Mrs TP Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We have a Lilian who goes mad that I > refuse to shorten it to Lily as that is v popular. > She prefers the short version as it is on all the > named tat you can buy all over the place. People > automatically shorten it and that annoys me > massively and stick two ls in the middle, which is > an Americanisation not the traditional European > spelling. > Lillian is a traditional European spelling... if you're Dutch! Also, Lilly (just "Lilly", not short for Lillian) in the States has a slightly different origin. It comes from the tradition of using an old family surname as a daughter's first name. Lilly (with 2 Ls) is a surname of Anglo-Saxon origin.

Very lovely banners. What about a local stall during holiday season? Dog Kennel Hill Adventure Playground is looking for stall holders for their winter craft fair. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?28,957131,957131#msg-957131 You could showcase your work with some general pieces and take orders for personalised items? It is a tough time for starting new businesses econimically. Then again, the only way is up! I have a friend who started her own business last year. It's doing pretty well.

youandiaredominoes Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi everyone > > Just sorting out my bills at the moment. > > I live with my partner in a one bed flat and we > aren't excessive users of gas and electricity but > the gas bills I've been receiving seem expensive > but maybe I'm just being naive... Is paying ?66 in > the winter months a lot for 2 people? > > M That seems on par with other people I know. Utilities are just expensive in general. What's the insulation like on your flat? Mr Saff and I are in an old victorian house, and it leaks heat like a sieve! Alas, we're only renters. Otherwise we'd make some serious changes. But even small changes can help too. If you feel drafts around your doors and windows, you are losing heat (and money).

ladywotlunches Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As to the effectiveness of powder, I think there > was something on the family room about it last > year. Liquids aren't as good as removing body fats > etc (sorry for the 'yewwww' factor) from the sides > of the machine, and therefore it can lead to more > bacteria. People who have been using liquids and > notice a funny smell from their machine find it > goes if they start using powder. Which? did a > survey showing powder is slightly more effective > too: > http://conversation.which.co.uk/energy-home/liquid > -gel-powder-laundry-detergents-tested/ > > Hmm, I'm going to give powder (tablets) a try. We've been using liquids for a while, and sometimes our machine does have an odd smell! I'll report back how it works out. :)

JessM Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just a comment with regards laundry: > Try an EcoEgg. God only knows how it works, I was > sceptical but gave it a try and has been fine for > the last 6 months or so. It's not detergent, it's > got these odd pellets inside. You can get them at > karavan on Lordship Lane and possibly at Jojos > too. > Hey I'm not god, but I had a look online... ECO egg looks like a laudry ball. They purport to "wash" clothes by increasing the aggitation in the water. Basically, they churn the water up a bit more. Clothes that are very soiled or greasy will still need to be treated with detergent/stain remover. > I'm a rubbish mum too. My 11 month old fell down > the stairs yesterday. As far as I knew he > couldn't climb up them, but off he went and down > he came! (luckily just lots of crying and a bump > on his nose) He hasn't even learned from his > mistake, he had another go today! I'm going to > have to take the bannister off to fit a stairgate > though. Aaargh. When i was a kid my sister went > in a playpen. It seems they are totally out of > fashion now but I might get one anyway! They had a playpen at baby swim class. My daughter could climb in/out of it around 14 mo!

yup

James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Saffron, > I sympathise with your view the Police should try > and avoid young children seeing disturbing images > - but the logical extension is they should ensure > newspapers, magazines, etc shouldnt be openly > displayed as they sometimes having shocking > images. That's not necessarily the logical extension, b/c newpapers etc are already controlled in their content by other governing boards. In other words, their content is already filtered/reviewed by other agencies, so that's not w/in the police remit and therefore is not a logical extension of my suggestion.

-Heinz-, no, prions can contaminate lymph tissue as well as nervous tissue, making contaminated tissue extremely difficult to dissect. In addition, if dissecting tools accidentally become contaminated with prions, the prions can spread to healthy non-affected tissues such as a dissected muscle. If that muscle were then to be consumed, the prions could migrate into the host's lymph and nervous tissue where they would accumulate, convert additional prions to the misfolded shape, and (provided a clinical threshold was reached) produce the neurodegenerative sypmtoms of disease. There may one day be an immunisation against prion disease or an antibody treatment for it, but currently there is nothing clinically available to the best of my knowledge. From the MRC prion unit: http://www.prion.ucl.ac.uk/research/university-departments/prion-immunology/ . Also interesting: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/217415.php . At this point in time, I don't think evolution favours cannibalism for H sapiens.

I had Clementine and Hero on my original list of first names! (But Mr Saff nixed them both - boo.) I like the antipodean names. :)

We're looking to add another middle name to Little Saff's name (long story). We won't bother ammending the birth cert, and you don't have to have a deed poll in the UK (as confirmed by the Southwark Register who said names can be leagally changed through usage in this country). Sooo, we're simply going to add the additional middle name when we apply for passports. I want a girl's name to start with H or B. This will sit phonetically well with the rest of her name. It's no holds barred on style or origin. Unusual names welcome. So far I have Beatrix (Latin), Berwyn (Celtic/Old English), and Halima (Swahili - DH spent time in Tanzania/Zanzibar) Any more B's or H's anyone???

'Singing in the Rain' Sorry, not animated, but Little Saff loves the singing and dancing.

Mary Poppins? Pete's Dragon?

Huguenot Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm okay with it in general, but I'd prefer if you > didn't (a) tell me first, or (b) look at me > hungrily. > > Historically it would have been a very unhealthy > practice, but I suppose modern hygiene techniques > make it less so? No (sadly?) it doesn't. One of the problems with prion disease it that prions are not easily deconstructed (technically: denatured, as they are misfolded proteins) by sterilisation techniques. Their misfolded shape is very stable and resistant to change. Furthermore they do not require nucleic acids for replication and can replicate simply by converting the host's healthy proteins into the disfunctional shape directly. In addition, eating old/healthy dead people would not help (as opposed to eating younger/diseased dead people, who obviously died of nvCJD or similar), because prion disease is cumulative. Prions can accumulate in tissue and be passed on and further accumulated through consumption of diseased tissue from one generation to the next, until the disease manifests a clinical threshold. This is my understanding of prion disease as presented through a lecture series at King's College London in 2006. Also here's what Wiki has to say: So maybe if you wanted to eat dead people, try this method first: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_hydrolysis http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14114555 But seriously, who wants to eat what's leftover after that? Although it might make a good marinade...

What do you currently do for car sickness? What type of carseat do you have? We had problems after we switched from a baby carseat to a toddler seat, I guess around 18 mo. Things I have found that help... Keep the carseat in a less upright position. This means Little Saff is sitting more in a 'bucket' position than a seat position. It seems counterintuitive, but being too upright was causing her stomach to be in an awkward position. This meant trapped wind caused her to vomit. Can you borrow a couple of different carseats from friends for a test run? Maybe a different seat would make a difference if you can't adjust the position of your LO's seat? After we adjusted the seat position, the carsickness mainly stopped, although she's still looks a little queasy from time to time, so we take precautions. Keep the windows open. It's not enough to have a the front windows open a crack. Little Saff needs her window open far enough down so that air reaches her face and torso. Even if it's cold, the window needs to be down. We give her big blanket if she's too chilly. If she looks like she's not feeling well, we pull over as quickly as possible and wipe her face with baby wipes or a damp towel and take her out of the carseat for a little while. Don't travel on an empty stomach, but only give clear fluids before a trip, no solids. Definitely no milk, as you're already doing. I've also found that being really well prepared for Little Saff actually vomitting in the car makes it less stressful for everyone. DH always hopefully says that we don't need all the extra stuff (clothes, wipes, sick bags, etc), but in the end, it's much better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. xx

Agreed, powder would also cause a burn b/c it contains similar detergents. However, I think the solid tablets of powder would be much more difficult for a baby to swallow rapidly in great quantity compared to liquid (although I'm sure there's some adventurous little poppet out there willing to prove me wrong!). Of course there isn't anything that is 100% safe, unless we soak our dished in cold filtered water maybe! Even 'natural' and organic cleaners still contain surfactants and other active degreasing molecules. For children that are particularly good at opening childlocks, what about a double system? Put your chemicals in a keyed lockbox inside the childlocked cupboard? Or for that hightech edge to wow your friends, how about a thumbprint lock?

Yak Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron, I stopped bf just before nursery so can't > help with that I'm afraid. On immunity, is it one > of those possible benefits that those of us who > use nurseries tell ourselves to validate the > choices we have already made? I suspect it might > be! I honestly don't know (but I try to validate myself anywhere I can ;-) )! The info from the psychnet article is pointing to the importance of ongoing b/fing in early nursery environment, but I suspect that there is also a residual effect of having been b/f. I'd love to read some more info on this. If I find anything interesting, I'll post it. > Interesting though that recovery is linked to parental time off. Well, one thing that bothers me about a lot of b/f data (don't get me wrong, I'm GREATLY pro b/fing), is that it doesn't tell anyone what to do for children who weren't b/f or who were weaned early to formula. I think the link between recovery/parent time off is interesting b/c it is divorced from the BF-FF controversy, and merely seeks a way to aid children of working parents who are already sick.

oimissus Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > number of days - doesn't that depend on how many > days a child is in nursery, and also, how much the > parents want to keep their children off? Are you referring to the 2.2 days statistic from the psychnet link? Yes, I think it could be quite variable, which is why it's given in context. You'd have to read the original article from which it's taken to know more. The stat was originally derived from Hofferth, Brayfield, Deich, & Holcomb, 1991, within the context of the psychnet article's quote. > A child > who's at a private (ie non-term time only) nursery > 4 days a week, and parents keep child off still > totally well could result in that number of days > off. No, I think the statistic is for sick children only, not well children kept off for other reasons. (Or did I misunderstand what you were saying? A bit confused, sorry.) Do you want a copy of the psychnet article? PM me for a pdf for personal use. It thought it was a very interesting read. > Personally, unless Miss Oi has a temp or > looks really unwell, I pack her off - having a > cold isn't enough to keep her at home for me. Yes, that's what I would do also. (And most nurseries or schools don't send them home unless there is a fever or D&V, I think). At least, that's what I would have done. Now, having read this article, I might have to have a rethink. The suggestion from the psychnet article was that additional parental care when ill has linked health benefits. (At least that's how I was interpreting it, in the overall context of the article.) So maybe I'll be a bit more cautious about keeping Little Saff home. Not sure yet. I guess I'll know when we get there!

Jessie Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron, I wasn't protesting the circus, I don't > support the protest, but really I think the police > presence was extreme. There are children in London > much more vulnerable than those attending a circus > with some animal rights protesters voicing their > opposition But protesters were in fact allowed to voice their opposition! Therefore, the right to protest remains intact. It is simply the manner in which they are allowed to protest (ie no banners) that was being considered. Do children not deserve a modicum of consideration in this environment? > (what do you expect them to do to the > children??). If banners etc contained graphic/violent or otherwise inappropriate material, it would have the potential to be disturbing to children. Police perhaps have a duty of care in this case to see that children are not exposed to such material, no? In which case, it's not their job to judge what is such, merely to make a blanket ban on banners. Thus allowing the police to conduct their observation of the protest w/o undue involvement. If you disagree, that's fine. Opinions and entitlement etc. I was just proposing a possible explanation for additional police consideration. There may indeed be any number of reasons why police presence and control was such. Has anyone actually asked the Police Dept why their policy is such? (And, Jessie, the additional info at the bottom of my previous post re charities was general info, not aimed at you personally. It was not my intention to slight you or anyone else by providing information. x)

tired Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > And don't assume that it's 'standard' to feed the > nanny/pay them when off sick (over SSP)/pay for > Ofsted fee etc etc. From tired's statement, it did seem like the suggestion was not to pay. Thanks etta166 for clarifying where employers stand legally. Everything is most certainly negotiable, within the letter of the law.

Yes, accidents do totally happen, even to the best parents in the world! What an awful doctor. I hope you reported her behaviour. I'm glad your daughter was ok. So, indeed, maybe we're all best to avoid liquid tabs if we have young children? It isn't something I ever gave much thought to until I saw the article, which is why I wanted to share it. xx

Hmm, re-reading this, I'm also a little curious! At first I thought Forumites were just talking about younger infants (eg 28 days off sick for a 6 mo old), but looking again it's older toddlers too (eg, 18 days for a 2.5 year old). What were LOs off sick with mostly, I wonder? I thought nurseries didn't send them home for just nose colds/upper respiratory if no fever? While the statements about immunity are interesting, they are also very highly generalised. I wouldn't read too much into applying them to individuals. I think it's somewhat inaccurate to say that children who attend nursery early develop "strong" immunity. However, it does seem to be the case from the links presented that children who attend nursery early may develop broad immunity to a number of minor viruses, which may benefit overall immune development. Anecdotally, has anyone found that b/fing was protective against nursery illnesses? This is an interesting article: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ocp/9/4/306/ . If you cannot access fulltext, please PM me. I have a copy of the article for personal use. This is from the States 2004, so not that recent. Would be curious to read anything more recent, and also particular to London/SE. Here are a few interesting quotes from the article: So, keep b/fing if you can. This seems to be one major determinant of days off sick. It's in your employer's interest to provide you with lactation support. But what to do when the child is already sick? OK, I'm interpreting that to mean that the days off a parent takes to look after a child are actually an investment, as (a)sending the child in to nursery sick or (b) having a non-parent look after the child are not as effective as the parent actually being there to care for the child. So it's in your employer's interest to give you adequate time off to care for sick child/ren. Small consolation if you've 20+ days off/yr?!

I agree that everything is "up for negotiation". But equally, if you want someone to show care for your child/ren, you have to show care for that person. When you think about cost, read about the London Living Wage, who earns it and why. Here's a good place to start: http://londonist.com/2011/05/london%e2%80%99s-living-wage-who-pays-it.php . The LLW is currently ?8.30/hr. The new rate is set to be announced in November. Richard Barnes, Deputy Mayor of London