Saffron

Yes, you really need to see the GP. Nightmares and night terrors are not the same thing, and you might also want to rule out nocturnal epilepsy (very rare, but needs specific medical treatment). Nightmares occur during normal REM dream cycles, but they involve dreams which are frightening to the child. NTs are a disfunction of sleep cycles. Children with NTs are usually unaware of the event and difficult to wake up. Indeed, it's generally considered best if you don't wake them up from NTs. Just comfort them until they return to regular sleep. For regular, frequent NTs you might consider using the wake-to-sleep technique to "reset" the pattern of sleep cycles before the NT occurs. Note the approximate time the NTs occur. Depending on what research you read, and the child's age, you need to wake him/her 30 to 60 minutes before the NT occurs. You only need to wake the child minimally, just enough to barely rouse him/her, so that the child falls immediately back to sleep resetting the sleep cycles at that point in the night. Another rare night time event which is sometimes confused with NTs and nightmares can be nocturnal panic attacks. This happens when children have panic attacks in their sleep, leading them to wake in agitated states. Wake-to-sleep could possible help this too, but you'd really need to identify the source of anxiety to tackle this problem, such as night time separation anxiety or day time stressors. If your GP is unsure, press to be seen by a specialist. xx

I think it was around this same age that we had a lot of trouble as well (TBH, we've never had a great time with Little Saff's sleep). We introduced a bottle of formula at night, then implemented a formula to water fade with some shush-patting. It moved us from 5+ nightly wakings to 1-2 wakings. xx

Curmudgeon Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Chickenpox is spread by coughs, sneezes and > contact so keeping towels separate won't help I'm > afraid. > > There is no reason why a sibling would get it > worse though so I wouldn't worry unduly > The response of a sibling to the virus can be less/worse/same, depending on several factors including: whether siblings have been infected with the same strain of the virus; individual immune response; other health issues for example exzema; etc. It's often noted that primary infection with chicken pox is less severe in younger children compared to older children or adults; however there are many exceptions to this. Complications and severe reactions can and do develop in young children. Infants (0-6mo) are a special case. Chickenpox infections in infants is a serious medical condition, which should be closely managed by physicians. This page is a good, short read: http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/childhood-illnesses/chicken-pox . Depending on which studies you read, Chickenpox vaccine given 3-5 days post exposure to a contagious individual (ie, household/sibling exposure/school exposure, etc), can prevent viral infection or significantly reduce viral symptoms. Here's an example: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0011216/.

OMG, my little girl LOVED her 1st bday party. We had friends over for cake and ice cream in the evening. Little Saff stayed up waaaayyy past her bedtime, flirted with everyone, and dunked her chocolate cake in my champagne! If people come to your party with children (especially other toddlers), and they bring a gift, then it's nice to have a gift to give them too. It doesn't have to be anything expensive. Toddlers just love to unwrap things, so it's nice for them to receive gifts to open too, when your child gets gifts from them. Happy 1st Birthday!!!

Has she been a cosleeper? When she's put down on the bed, is she upset b/c she thinks she's going to sleep and doesn't want to miss the fun? How is she with a surface that's firm but bouncy - like a baby trampoline? Maybe she just doesn't like feeling unsteady. Or maybe there's a pea under the mattress! Is she walking yet? It could be that this phase is associated with transition to walking, or other developmental leap? xx

Do be aware of the 'Sudocrem Episode'. This occurs when a parent leaves an innocent pot of Sudocrem unattended within Baby's reach. Baby then proceeds to open the crem and gleefully smear it on any surface within reach! It takes a 60C wash to dissolve Sudocrem, so it's best never to turn your back on a pot of it!! ;-)

We put a small bit of Sudocrem on Little Saff after most changes, and always after a bath/before bed. I like it b/c it doesn't contain SLS or parabens. She's never come up with more than a spot or two of nappy rash. When she has, we usually put a little Metanium on it (plus Sudocrem), and her skin clears again. I've also used Drapolene in the past and found it very soothing.

KatDew Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Do you know how he got it? It's fairly unsual at > his age. No chance he has hand foot and mouth by > any chance? There isn't any specific anti-viral treatment even if it is coxsackie virus ("hand, foot, and mouth virus"). Little Saff has suspected coxsackie virus last year (about the same age as the OP's child is now). The GP gave us ibuprofen and suggested lots of cool fluids to drink. In practice Little Saff just wanted to b/f or have lukewarm bottles of diluted milk. I came across some more info here [ http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/skin-care/rashes ] when I was looking this morning for info on rashes, b/c Little Saff has a rash though looks like it's nothing of consequence. If the ulcer isn't starting to improve in a week, I'd see the GP.

Mix anbesol with liquid gaviscon and apply it to the ulcer with a cotton bud or clean finger tip. You can also let your LO sip a little gaviscon mixed with water to help coat the inside of the mouth, similar to the effect it would have on the stomach. Change your LO's toothpaste to Sensodyne Pronamel for Children. It has less surfactants so causes less irritation than other toothpastes. It's good for ulcer prevention too.

Clove oil, diluted in olive oil?

When our daughter was much younger -maybe around 4 months?- DH accidentally put her feet first into the bath instead of bum first. She screamed her head off, and we had to abort bathtime for a little later in the evening! I have no idea why that should have been an issue. She also went through a phase where she didn't like being left on the floor and was only happy on a bed/sofa/high chair. That came later. Around 9 months, I think. Is it the elevation rather than the surface, that your LO doesn't like? Is she happy to sit on a beanbag on the floor? Would she be unhappy on the kitchen worktop, even though it's a firm surface?

Jo'sEnglish Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In reference to using the -ing (not technically a > gerund but I won't get into that!), as in the > McDonald's 'I'm lovin' it', it isn't really > American English (it is considered incorrect there > I believe?) but more just wrong! State and emotion > verbs aren't generally used in the -ing form. > However, it may well be that it is an example of > language evolving... No, it wouldn't be considered correct in formal written English in the States, but it is a common and accepted idiomatic use in daily speech or informal written work there. I'm not sure if its origin is from the States, or if we're just more aware of it due to the ubiquity of modern American advertising and televsion? Here's an excerpt from Grammar Girl on linguistic evolution:

As an online reference, Grammar Girl website http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ is a good source of information, and it's easily searchable.

What about cranberry tablets crushed in something sweet, like yogurt or a smoothie? Not sure what uva ursi tea tastes like, try sweetening with stevia? There are other unrinary antiseptics too. Not sure how well-researched any of them are. Off the top of my head, maybe mallow (which tastes ok)? Re orange juice, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence relating orange juice to UTIs. I think there is beginning to be some research to support this as well, though the causal relationship is not clear. (I had lots of OJ as a child, and lots of UTIs, so of course I'm biased!) You're daughter is a bit young for it, but I think cognitive-behavioural therapy could be a good avenue for the future for trying to encourage good habits. I don't think we should (and I'm sure you don't!) underestimate how upsetting really bad UTIs can be for children. If anyone is looking for gentle, age-appropriate therapy for very young children I can highly recommend Hannah Ferry, who is a qualified art therapist with an interest in women's and children's issues. PM me for more info.

GinaG3 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't quite know > what preventative measures we can try, bar trying > to get her to keep her fluids up. Cranberry is definitely worth a try not only as a treatment, but as a preventative measure too. More specifically, cranberry contains "antiadherence" compounds which prevent common bacteria from sticking to the inside of the urinary bladder. You can do a Google Scholar or similar search for information. Here's one example: http://www.cranmaxinfo.com/CDNJournal.pdf . Study concluded tablets were more effective than juice. My personal experience is also in support of this... sorry TMI warning... I've once awakened on a Sunday with an infection so bad that I was unrinating blood. Cranberry had me pain-free and blood-free in <12 hours without antibiotics (then I went to the drs the next morning obviously). I don't have any personal experience with uva ursi, but my girl friend does swear by this. She has had problems with both bladder and kidney infections. Uva ursi is thought to have an antiseptic effect in the bladder. This looks interesting from the abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18950249 . I would also say that in the future (again from personal experience), your daughter might find that use of some types of hormonal birth control is associated with increased UTIs and candidiasis (thrush). Incredibly my GPs did not pick up immediately on this, and I was suffering for years!

I think you've slightly misread my post, apenn. Nowhere does it say to restrain the child for the examination. I think the child should be restrained from biting and kicking the parent! Allowing a child to bite and kick a parent actually fuels the child's phobia IMHO, by allowing the child to see that the authority figure in the room (ie the parent) does not have adequate control of the environment. Apologies if that was not clear in my post. xx

Urinary retention can definitely make this situation worse, but if the bladder/urethra has been sensitized by repeated infections then it may be difficult to overcome the retention. Would sticker charts or other rewards help to increase frequency? It may take a while to work through this stage (we're currently dealing with poo retention here!). In the meantime, what are you trying to help with the physical symptoms/prevent reinfection? Speaking from personal experience (my own as a child and an adult), recurrent UTIs can hugely sensitize the bladder and urethra and definitely leave it vulnerable to future infections. Cranberry is very protective of the inner surfaces of the urinary system, but you don't get enough of the active compound in just the juice. You either need to take cranberry tablets, or eat fresh or tinned cranberry. I have girl friend who swears by uva ursi ('bear berry') tincture as a urinary antiseptic. It might be worth speaking to an herbalist about what tinctures are available and safe for children. It does seem some people are just more prone to UTIs, like other people are more prone to stomach upset or nasal congestion. Hope it's better soon. xx

Gah! Peppa Pig is just as bad!! They pronouce it 'Peppar' instead of 'Peppa'. Plus the nearly ubiquitous use of 'have got' instead of 'have'. Oh the agony of it.

Can you rule out any other health problems in yourself? It's worth asking your GP for a general blood screening. For example if your iron is low or your white cells are high, this can make you extra tired, which in turn makes it much harder to care for a newborn. Rule out postpartum depression too if you can. Here's an online quiz: http://pediatrics.about.com/library/quiz/blquiz_ppd_scng.htm . Many women wrongly think that PPD is only made up of cognitive symptoms, but it's possible to have mainly physical symptoms. PPD can make dealing with a difficult baby all the more exhausting. The usual treatment is sertraline, which is fine for breastfeeding. I had a "high-need", non-sleeping baby. Along with an undiagnosed blood disorder and PPD, I felt totally floored. Enlist all the help you can, and don't be afraid to push for things that you instictively think are right for you and your baby. xx

Pickle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sorry to hear you're having such a tough time. > > Don't be worried about confusing him regarding > using a hammock - we borrowed Alieh's hammock for > our baby (now 6 months) and it was a godsend in > the first few months in the evenings when she was > hard to settle, the position and motion really > seemed to help. She then happily made the > transition to a Moses basket and now cot with no > problems. > Yes, I totally agree. The hammock doesn't seem to confuse babies, perhaps b/c eventually they naturally outgrow that need for movement while falling asleep/sleeping. My daughter didn't really like swaddling, but she did like the Amby hammock. You really lose nothing by trying it a few times.

I wasn't suggesting that you do. It was more a general observation. ;-) Back to the subject of children and language... I find it remarkable that and intriuguing that children can be taught the best spoken English by their parents but still end up with the dialect of their peers. Take DH for example. It's Queen's English at his school-teacher mum's home, while "down the pub" he turns into a "Souf London" lad. Hillarious!

Carbonara Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The 'I am wanting / needing / loving' etc... It's considered idiomatic use: Generally fine for informal spoken language, but don't use it for formal written written. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/im-loving-it-grammar.aspx

I think they are more relaxed about the ages when schools are out of session for the summer/holidays. I've sometimes noticed older children there with younger siblings during the holidays, and nobody seems to mind.

After you use the pesticide, put pheromone traps in the areas where the damage was, in order to catch future moths when the pesticide is gone. Empty your vacuum bag frequently. I heard that moth eggs can hatch in your hoover, and the little devils escape through the cracks! You can also place some moth balls in the bottom of the vacuum bag for a two-pronged approach. Hoover frequently and thoroughly to suck any stragglers out of the carpets. Use some moth balls or moth strips in your clothes storage before a problem starts. If they're in your carpets, they can likely get to your clothes too. Eliminate anything that's attracting them as much as you can. We had an old cat bed with woolly stuffing. It was practically a moth breeding farm by the time I noticed the problem. I binned it and bought synthetic bedding instead. Good luck!

2.5 years is definitely not "leaving it too late". Some people don't even start potty training until closer to 3 yrs. Instead of actively doing potty training, we just have a training potty. We've had it for a while, but recently it's getting a lot more use (unprompted from me and Hubbie). Little Saff is now 2.5 yrs. I think we're making slow but steady progress, which is fine b/c we're quite relaxed about it all. Maybe something like that would work for you?