mima08

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 :)

Hiya - I love my bee for all the reasons people have mentioned above (light weight, nifty around tight spaces, compact fold, etc). You can get better deals on line if you invest some time researching (I spend a lot of time and managed to safe about ?100 on a bee plus car seat adaptors plus cocoon combo vs John Lewis/mothercare prices). I did like the cocoon as my baby was also born in Feb and quite small at the time - he seemed very snug and safe), and I did not miss having no carry cot. You can get cheaper footmuffs on line that will fit, too. I also know from others who have used their bee for up to 3 years, so seems sturdy enough and finally the resale value of them seems quite good to.

Hiya, there is some one on here who offers help with sleep solutions.... If you put it into the search I am sure it will come up. Sorry, cannot recommend any classes. Good luck!

Thanks for all the great suggestions and opinions! A sensory treasure chest with shampoo bottles, kitchen utensils etc has been created and will start getting the likes of playdough, duplo etc for slightly older ones, too. Plus a big container! MG, thanks for the suggestion on the WOW toys, I did get a wind-up submarine for bathtime and the look on his face was absolute priceless. Makes me accept certain plastic may be ok (particular if it doesn;t sing!) and I guess I should count my blessings if I can minimise the plastic, battery-operated toy impact - must visit more playgroups! :) mx

I guess it is different with different insurance companies - I just phoned mine and they said as long as the Dr did not specifically say I should not drive it was fine with them. Therefore if you want/need to drive, just call them, good luck!mx

Hiya, every c-section is different, but it doesn't need to be horrible. I had an emergency c-section and recovered very well: in hospital for 2 nights & no physical recovery problems after at all, no pains or problems holding my baby,sitting up, walking, etc. It did take 6 days for my milk to come in which my midwife attributed to hormones which some say are released differently after a c-section but I really don't know if that is correct. Wishing you all the best, Mx