bobby's bear

On the eve of my second's first birthday I am feeling all sad and nostalgic about how fast time is rushing past and how quickly my babies have got big. My eldest is almost 3 and she seems so grown up already! I love the baby / toddler stage despite its challenges, all the innocence, giggles, dribbly kisses and squashy cuddles, and from a very selfish point of view I love being so utterly depended on (most of the time) I am terrified of having teenage daughters and having to make hard decisions around giving them freedom vs. keeping them safe and how to ensure they don't have sex with the first boy that smiles at them! When I think about the mixture of contempt and embarrassment I felt about my mother it makes me feel really sad that it is inevitable at some point that they will hate me! So is the solution to keep on having babies!?

We are in your area and have terrible signal with EE too, it drops out constantly. Virgin use the EE network so it wont be any better sadly.

My daughter is almost 3 and still in a cot and says she doesn't want a 'big girls bed' so I am glad to see that is not totally abnormal!

Hi there, I have 23 months between my two and have always done bed and bath myself. The short answer is IMO there is no easy way in the early days, espec if the baby is crying alot in the evenings. I used to feed the baby when no 1 was in bath and during stories and worry about getting baby 'ready for bed' after no 1 had gone down. Baby didn't really have any bed time routine til about 5/6 months and then it got easier. I also (heart breakingly) ended up putting the baby downstairs if she was fed / winded etc but still crying as I found she was disrupting the toddlers settling down. Also baths slipped by the way a bit and no 1 prob only got bathed 2-3 x per week when I was feeling strong enough and to be honest that is still the way. I also found we had to start 'bedtime' earlier. Also getting PJ's / nappies / towels etc laid out ready in advance helps. So the long and the short of it is I felt it was a bit of a 'grit your teeth and get on with it' few months, but it does get easier and now 10 months on I have getting two to bed down pat(most of the time!!) and both are usu tucked up asleep by 7 :o)

I have seen on the BBC today that a motion has been tabled in parliament for parents of summer borns to be able to choose when they start school without losing a place in reception. This is based on the evidence of long term disadvantages that summer born babies can face at school. Here is a link to the motion http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/213 The suggestion is that if you agree with this to ask your MP to sign the motion.

My 2y8mo has been a great sleeper since she was about 1yo, however over the past month or so she has started waking 2-3 times per night and crying out for me. Usually all I have to do is go in and rub her back and she settles straight back to sleep but it still means I'm up! I have tried leaving her for a bit but it usually escalates to her shouting 'I want mummy' over and over and I end up going in as I worry she will wake my 9mo too. Coupled with this she has also been howling and clinging to my leg everytime I drop her at childcare even though she has happily gone there for almost 2 years. She is always happy when I pick her up and the childminder says she is fine within minutes of me leaving. She is also demanding to be carried all the time and always wants to sit on my lap esepcially at meal times. She seemed to have adjusted well to her sister and does get tons of attention on the days she is at home with me. Anyway the night wakings are getting to me (espec as baby is often up for the day at 0530) and it is really upsetting to leave her howling at the childminders so I really want reassurance she will settle, and or tips on things I could do differently.

We (2 yo and 9 mo) often combine a post nap trip to grove vale library (open til 7pm) with a coffee / hot chocolate at Blackbird which is usually deserted at 4pm ish and so you can get the sofa, and it is open til 7pm too.

It's my understanding that the legal requirement for them to be schooled starts when they turn five, so you only have the right to hold them back until then.

We were at Brockwell Park this morning and the gates were locked and no water, the toilets in the playground were also locked which was a bit rubbish!

I started a thread on this a few months ago as I had similar concerns, serach for 'delayed primary school starting' as I can't work out how to link to a previous thread! The basic answer was that the only option was to miss reception and then they go straight into year 1 so will still be the youngest, and that there is no legal obligation for them to go to school until they turn 5 so they could go part time for the first year.

Thanks everyone, my gut feeling was good but it is always reassuring to get good feedback too. We're going to go for it!

We are thinking of moving our almost 3yo to Mother Goose Waveney from a childminder she has been with for 2 years. She loves the childminder but she is now there with lots of babies and we feel it is probably time she hung out with some bigger children. It is a hard decision so I would appreciate some honest feedback on this nursery, good and bad! Thanks in advance

On a similar theme I read this in the paper today..... "What I wonder about is why we love our children so asymmetrically, so entirely, knowing that the very best we can hope for is that they will feel about us as we feel about our own parents: that slightly aggrieved mixture of affection, pity, tolerance and forgiveness, with a final soupcon - if we live long enough - of sorrow for our falling away, stumbling and shattered, from the vigour that once was ours."

Hi all, looking for a bit of advice / tips from those with bigger kids...... My 2.5 yo was potty trained about a month ago, she did brilliantly and got it almost straight away and from about day 3 we had very few accidents and had about 2 weeks with none at all. Last week we went on holiday and as the week went on we had more and more accidents, I think due to a combination of us being a bit lax about reminding, drinking more fluids, and the other children we were with were all in nappies. Now we are having at least 4 accidents a day, she also stopped asking to go during the week and would only go if we took her and demanded a wee. Back home things are no better and after 5 changes yesterday I am not sure what the best thing to do at this stage is. I'm not keen to go back to nappies as I know she can do it. So I am not sure how to play it? Ideas I had were back to square one with house arrest for a few days and chocolate rewards, a bit of light disappointment (we obviously avoided this 1st time around), giving her the responsibility so only going when she asks so she is 'in charge' of it. Any tips much appreciated, I am finding it very frustrating!

Thanks Smiler that confirms what I suspected.

Thanks everyone for replies. What I understand from the postings is that it is not possible for her to start reception the september after she has turned five, ie holding her back a year and applying a year later. Am I understanding that correctly (Renata??)

Hi My second child was born in late August and so will be only just 4 when she is due to start primary school, this is in contrast to my first born who is a September baby, there is almost two years between them but will only be one school year, bad planning I know! I am worried that she will be at a disadvantage being both the youngest at home and at school and so was wondering if it is possible to delay starting primary school until the following year given that there is no legal requirement for schooling until she turns 5. I have heard of children going straight in to year one, but we would ideally like her to start in reception just after she turns 5. Does anyone have any experience of this? I am an August baby myself and although I turned out ok (I think!!) I hated being the youngest and it definately has affected me into adulthood. Thanks

My almost six month old only naps for 30-45 mins at a time three times a day irrelevent of where we are (sling / buggy / cot) she is my second and number one did this too, only settling into longer naps from about 7 months despite trying everything under the sun. So I would say wait and it should sort itself out in time IME.

Steve has just done another painting job for us before christmas and at short notice. He always turned up when he said he was going to, did a good job and charges a very resonable rate. I would happily reccomend him.

Baby number one was a terrible sleeper - two hourly wake ups until she was about one and so I was dreading this with baby number two. Amazingly since about four weeks old number two has been giving me between 6 and 9 hrs (occasionally more) unbroken stretches, so I thought we had a great sleeper!! until this week...... She is now 17 weeks and for the past week has been waking every one to two hours over night, crying urgently and only settling with a feed. I am finding this tough with a toddler to entertain during the day and am thinking it might be a growth spurt (do they have one at four months?) or is it the fabled 4 month sleep regression. My main question is if it is sleep regression how long can I expect this to last and will I ever get my good sleeper back??! Number one was never a good enough sleeper to regress! Or maybe I shouldn't complain as at least I had 3 months of mainly good sleep this time!

Thanks everyone, and thanks canela, I would be interested in the details of your place.

After such a terrible summer I suddenly can't face the long winter ahead without some sunshine so I am trying to talk the OH into some winter sun. Does anyone have any reccomendations of child friendly places to go with a then 2 1/2 yo and and 6 mo, I was thinking the Canaries are about as far as we would want to go, but am open to other ideas. Has anyone any suggestions of quieter places to go in the Canaries away from the masses? And any accomodation reccomendations? Thanks in advance

Thanks everyone for tips, is is so upsetting seeing him struggle to breathe and wake up in a panic. Re the nasal aspirators are they a very short term solution and do you keep having to do it, or do the affects last for a while?

Hi all, My six week old has had a blocked and snuffly nose for the past three weeks, thanks I am sure to his 2yo brother. It is affecting his sleeping and feeding and getting us all down. We saw the GP for his six week check who says it is viral and not much we can do but wait, but I was wondering if anyone had any top tips for making him a little more comfortable. We have tried saline drops, a steamy bathroom, and are currently sleeping upright (with him on my chest, not much fun for me!) I know there isn't a magic cure but was just wondering if anyone had any other suggestions!

Hi, Does anyone know of any local places that are showing the All-Ireland hurling final tomorrow? Thanks.