mima08

Dear all, I hope this is ok to ask here: I am looking for some feedback on a game idea I am trying to develop. I want to create travelguidebooks for children with a game twist. The game is a hunt for virtual treasures while on holidays, mainly visiting cities. To play the game, you have to visit popular sites/attractions at your destination. The parents select which sites they want to visit during their trip and the kids can learn about the sites and gain some general knowledge about the country they are visiting while playing the game. Once they are at a site, they have to find a clue ? this clue is needed to get access to a secret webpage. I also suggest things to do at each site, where to go next and some general things to do (e.g. in London ? taking the tube etc). I am deliberately not focusing on specific kids attractions ? these are easy enough to find on the web, but want to make general citytravel fun for kids (and adults). My first game is set in London and will initially be in pdf form to be downloaded and ebook for the likes of kindle/ipad. Eventually, I would love to make this into a fully interactive game for Pc/mobile phone, but this is a little while off.... I would love to hear from some experts (i.e kids) on whether they find this idea fun and if they would enjoy playing such a game when going on holiday. And, of course, I would be very grateful for feedback from adults on whether they would buy a game like this and any suggestions for improvements. Unfortunately I cannot attach the pdf files due to filesize restriction but could pm /email/ upload to my site for anyone who would be interested. Could make for a fun day out in the Easter holidays? I would really appreciate your thoughts! Thank you Miriam Edited for typo!

Hiya , I am so sorry for the delay in getting back, my friend was away on holiday himself! Anyway, it turns out that the precise appartment he had stayed at in NYC is no longer listed, however, the website he used was VRBO Vacation Rentals by Owners which he highly recommended. He said he used it for several holidays and was always very happy with the properties he got through it. Hope it is of some help mx

Hiya - we are a bit off learning to read yet.... but there is a great website called Brillkids with lots of resources (and a lot of free ones, rather than the expensive programmes) and a very helpful forum. mx

Hiya, i've been told about this event - not been before, but it's free, so maybe worth a try? http://www.workingmumslive.co.uk/ (hope the link works).I might be going, just to check it out.... The organisers - workingmum.co.uk have jobs advertised online too - again, i have not tried it, but looks good. Wishing you best of luck! mx

Hiya - love the idea! I am new to freelancing and business owning, but I'll struggle with Wednesdays at the moment (I have a mega cushy deal at the moment till June where I can use Wednesdays to help my business along) but would love to come to such a group. Thursday or Friday afternoons any good to anyone? What a great idea to start this! mx

Hiya, there is Zumba class at the Albrighton Centre (opposite Sainsbury on Dogkennel HIll) on a Monday and Wednesday 7.30pm to 8.30pm. Not your traditional aerobics but a very good workout. And yes, people wear whatever, it's really relaxed and quite a hoot - well, how can you not laugh when doing those moves....Good value at ?5. If there is any other aerobics going, I'd be interested, too.... mx

Hiya - thank you all for the information, very enlightening. I was surprised about the paid holidays, as normally self-employed people don't have paid holidays (oooohhh, I am finding out about that one at the moment....different story) but I guess, otherwise the daily fees would just be higher. It's great to have a benchmark, although even by judging by your posts, it seems to vary a fair bit - and those extra costs quickly add up. I am trying to find a way of making childcare economical - I am just starting out being self-employed and thus watching the pennies...Guess that's very standard, too! Pebbles - have pm'd you! Thanks again mx

Dear all, I am looking for some information on what to expect when looking for a childminder. I will be needing a childminder for my 1year old (he will be 16months then)as of June this year and just wondered about a few financial questions: - Holiday arrangements: am I required to pay when we go away on holiday? And when the childminder goes on holiday? - Sickness: I appreciate I will have to pay if my child is ill and cannot go, but what about if the childminder is ill? And what constitutes ill? Of course I would not sent my LO if he was seriously ill, but he has colds pretty much most of the time... - entrance fees etc for playgroups: are these generally in addition to the childminder's fees? - notice period: what are the standard notice periods you have to give if you wanted to take your child out? Are there other things I need to consider? thanks for any advice! mx

Hiya - I have not yet heard back but will chase again.... (might want the details too some day ;)

Hi nabz, totally second what people have said before, if you can (and are happy to) bf is sooooo much easier than bottles. Unfortunately I had tons of problems and mix fed from 3weeks, and by 4months my milk had all but disappeared. My LO did not feed any quicker than the babies of my friends who were breastfed, if anything, it took longer and the stress of being over prepared (never mind the costs of cartons) made getting out & about much more difficult. I was really jealous of my bfing friends and if anything, I thought people in ED would stare at me for bottle feeding.... (nobody did, but there is no end to my paranoia....:) Why don't you try a large scarf / shawl you can drape strategically? I am sure you will feel confident in no time - best luck mx

Hiya - I have not been with a baby/toddler but a friend of mine went with two and rented and apartment for a week. He said it was amazing, very central and so much easier than the tiny hotel rooms you'd normally get. I'll try to get the details, but in the meantime maybe google for apartments. Good Luck mx

HIya, I love the idea of afternoon groups, as my LO sleeps in the morning /lunchtime and we always look for entertainment in the afternoon. We are always missing out on groups because of the morning naps, so we will definitely start coming to some of the afternoons starting week after this- if the sessions lasted a bit later than 16.00, even better :) I don't know the area at all, but is there any outdoor space, for example for summer picnics? Good Luck mx

Thanks for the reassurance... it's always hardest when you think you're the only one! Especially, as he has decided NOT to go back to sleep after anymore (he did the first week) plus to throw in a few earlier wakings too last night....argh! Sorry for the whinge, but I really don't do well with sleep deprivation (ha, does anyone? (I hope noone says yes to that one ;-)) Just hoping there is little trick that might improve it... mx

Six weeks? OMG, I thought growth spurts only last a few days at a time....He is growing like topsy, so maybe that's what it is.... will do the later dreamfeed. Interesting point about the glycogen - I did not know that. He has just started to walk as well in the last two weeks, so is getting a lot of new exercise: I guess it might be similar to athletes going on a new training regime....As you can tell, I am desperate for any explanation :) mx

Definitely agree that you get to see your baby's personality coming through: mine decided at one point that he does not like lots of food on his tray and would throw everything off that was too much... a bit frustrating at the time, but now we know to give him things one by one (not sure where he got the tidy gene from, though ;)). We ended up giving some food on spoons as well (like mashed potatoes or yoghurts) though nothing especially pureed for him. For a little while he then insisted being feed - no interest in doing it himself, but now (at 1yr) he is great at handling the spoon/ baby fork himself. I found BLW great fun - and weaning was nowhere near as stressful as people told me it would be... Enjoy! Mx

It varies. The last two weeks, that has been his 4am feed - because it's easy having the ready made carton sitting by the bed, rather than warming milk up.... And the dreamfeed is goognight formula that he's been getting for about 6months now....:-S

Hiya - I am looking for some advice. My 1year old has started to wake up for a feed at around 4am every night. It's been going on for about 2 weeks now - aaarrrrggghhh! Prior to this, he was happy not to eat / drink till 7/8 am. I've tried various things, like offering him water, trying both - feeding him lots / less before going to bed, varied the foods he has for supper, and so on. Nothing seems to make a difference... He has recently switched from formula to mainly cowsmilk, but he still has 1 bottle of formula. He has about 3 bottles spread over the day (one is a dreamfeed - we never managed to get away from that...)+ sippy cups of water. He does eat quite well during the day, so I just don't know what to change? Any tips, please?

I second the Peckham Pulse hydropool - sooo warm. We;ve been using Boots own swim nappies with swimming trunks over them - so far so good. The baby swimming lessons at Peckham are great too - we've been doing those since my LO was 5months and he is a right waterbaby now. Enjoy - swimming is a favourite pastime!

Hiya - the technique will be put to the test straight off tomorrow! My 1year old is a nightmare, wriggling like mad with hysteric screaming. I try the book, toys etc. I do always do the special "change your nappy" song, beforehand he thinks is hilarious, giggling away. But then when it come to the actual deed - SCREEEEEAAAAMMM! Plus mad wriggle. It's worse when we are out & about, using a changing facility - any ideas why that could be? And there is no sore bottom in sight...

Hiya, we went to this place south of Naples last year http://www.domuscilento.com/ with a 6months old and it was great. Short walk into town (short, steep hill), nice seaside place with lots of restaurants etc. Nice little beaches too - all in all, we found it perfect. Alternatively, I have heard very good things about this company: www.totstotravel.co.uk, though not used them myself.

Congratulations - so chuffed for you: you will be great! mx

Hiya - going swimming is the highlight for us every week, 10month old baby LOVES it. Peckham Pulse if great because so warm. The water is very shallow for the jelly baby sessions, too. As for your questions: - you can just turn up, but sometimes sessions sell out (mainly during half-term I think, but has happened other times too). Sorry, don't know about the Sunday sessions. - there are buggy parks but the often fill up or the locks don't work - I tend to just leave my buggy in the buggy park without anything valuable in it. - the best changing rooms are the family rooms, there are some right at the pool side - don't go to the normal female changing rooms as the benches are too narrow. Also, there are red changing tables around which do help with an active baby. - in theory you can take your towel to the poolside but not many do - they have various floats, rubber ducks and other toys for the session. I recommend also to have a look online (Youtube?) for some inspiration as to the games to play in the water with a 10month old. Have fun!

So far we've been only sticking to to using a brush & water, but this thread makes me think we need to step up the game and start with toothpaste too.... However, I am very unsure about which type to use - I looked at the links above and the UK recommendations, but also noted that in other countries (Germany in my case) the advice is different. Over there, the official recommendation is to use toothpaste with less than 500ppm for children under 6 years (!) with various convincing arguments... Arrrrggghhh - why is it never easy?

Oh your poor friend, what a horrible situation for a new mum to be passed around! I hope the midwife /HV aftercare is sorted quickly - if she is looking for help on breastfeeding and can travel to ED, there is a BF cafe at the Townley RD Clinic - I found them very helpful! Details from the Southwark website: >> Monday (except public holidays) Dulwich Breastfeeding Caf? Townley Road Clinic 121 Townley Road, London, SE22 8SW 10.00am to 12.00 noon For further details contact: 020 3049 7470 / 020 3049 8838 Wishing her good luck! mx

hellosailor Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > you can get those for adult women too Sillywoman! > look! Allegedly they are a festival goer's must have... - I obviously have not been to a festival recently :)