Knomester

Thanks Fuschia. We've booked at place for one of the sessions at The Dish & The Spoon (which also serves fab coffee and cake..!) which coincide with my week's holiday with Baby Knomester! Also thinking about the Hilly Fields activity too Saffron.

We love mackerel in this house too! Our current favourites using smoked mackerel are: smoked mackerel with a warm salad of new potatoes, beetroot, capers, gerkins and parsley or smoked mackerel with beetroot and celeriac remoulade (http://www.thegingergourmand.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/smoked-mackerel-with-celeriac-beetroot.html). Like david_carnell says, mackerel can stand big robust flavours and there's a lovely Rick Stein recipe for Mackerel Recheado which we eat with pilau rice and katchumber salad (http://cornwall-living.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mackerel-recheado-recipe.pdf). Baby Knomester doesn't always like very spicy food though so if we're eating with him, we tend to choose simpler dishes, e.g. fry fillets and serve with tabbouleh style salad made with bulgar wheat and puy lentils or with quinoa. It also makes good fish fingers coated in egg and panko! There's a recipe in a Waitrose Magazine which my Mum gave me last week that we're going to try soon which is for mackerel with soya beans and sushi rice, but I can't seem to find the recipe online anywhere.

We travelled up on that line on Saturday (mid-morning). We only had the one toddler and no pushchair, but lots of luggage. The wheelchair spaces are huge, so if there is no disabled passenger using the space you will have no problem with your pram. There is also generally more space around those sections of the train (and large disabled toilets with baby change facilities). As ncj97 says, there is space to park your pram in the doorways too. Having used that line for many years, I would say that it depends on when you'll be travelling as to how tricky it will be to find space for all of your luggage and pram. Our Saturday morning train was nowhere near full, we hadn't been able to book seats, but got a table together, and there was plenty of room for luggage. It was the same when we travelled down from Manchester on a Monday lunchtime. Virgin Customer Services aren't always the most helpful bunch, but when you get to the station and onto the train, I have always found them really helpful and some station staff have bent over backwards to help us out in the past. I'm sure you'll be fine!

Brilliant Ruth :-)

I'd agree with the Science or Transport Museum - both perfect for that age and on a rainy day!

We don't have room for a dryer, so we bought one of these last year which dries a large load of washing overnight and doesn't cost much to run: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/21736/Dry-Soon-3-Tier-Heated-Tower-Airer (We're not particularly enjoying the lack of sunshine this summer either, but I have to say it hasn't kept us indoors - impossible with a 22 month old toddler with seemingly endless energy! Wellies and raincoats and lots of dry clothes have been our saviour...)

I don't yet have a child of that age, but I was raised in a home where everything was always open and questions answered frankly. I knew all about how babies were made before I started at primary school (with a little help from this, rather explicit (!), book - http://jezebel.com/5300095/70s-european-childrens-book-depicts-penetration-crowning/gallery/1 ). I don't know any different, so I can't say whether it was the best way for my parents to approach things, but I certainly wasn't scarred by any of what I was told and for me it was no 'big deal' because I'd learned about it all in a natural way. I was a child of the 70s so I doubt my Mum was into shaving her legs etc at the time! My 22 month old already knows what tampons and panty liners are (they live in the bathroom and he has asked). Trying to convince him that he doesn't need to use them is another matter entirely...

Thanks theratprincess. I also PM'd Jurand but haven't heard back yet. Would be great to get a class organised!

Thanks. I think my toddler may be a touch too young at 22 months. But then we're in the park every day that I'm not at work anyway!

Thanks for this Fuschia. Do you happen to know what age range the sessions are aimed at? I can't seem to get onto the wensite... Thank you.

Sounds very familiar... We have been going through something similar with our now 22 month old toddler on and off about 3 months now. It started with him happily lying in his cot and then shouting to get up after shorter and shorter periods of time or napping 1 lunchtime out of 3. We moved his nap times around, tried later and earlier, organised very active mornings to tired him out, etc but nothing seemd to make any difference. Now we don't even bother trying. He will have a nap on the days he is with his childminder, but not at home, no matter how tired he is! The advice we were given by friends and family was to keep trying and stick with it, which may well work for some children, but in reality it was too stressful for us all. For whatever reason, he doesn't want a nap when he's with us at home. He has never slept in his buggy (even as a small baby...) and rarely falls asleep in the car, so we don't have the nodding off at 5pm issue, just the overtired toddler one! I hope your toddler takes to her nap again soon...

OK, so this isn't strictly family related...but I thought it might be of interest to some of you who like baking. The details of the events are usually hidden somewhere in the depths of the What's On section and get lost very quickly. The gatherings are local, friendly and free to attend. There are even already a few family roomers who come along! http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?6,914503

jollybaby - I am in awe of your solo travelling! We have just been on holiday and a friend recommended the Itsy Bitsy Spider app (which our 22 month old toddler calls 'jump hat'). We kept it as the last resort in our armoury of things to amuse him whilst travelling and he really enjoyed playing it.

We just have the basic reins from John Lewis and they are absolutely fine. We don't use them often, but always carry them around in the change bag in case we need them. They've come in handy for that added security when we are out and about somewhere busy or near the road as well as holding hands and also as a make shift harness if we go to a cafe / restaurant that doesn't have a highchair.

Thank you so much for the link to the rosybee website. We are looking for some more plants and bee-friendly ones will be perfect! Best of luck with your bees Chick.

There are a number of charity shops which may be interested in an extra pair of hands over the summer. My brother has worked at his local Oxfam once a week since he was 16. Perhaps your son could try contacting Sue at Suzanne James. She will of course be very busy because it is the height of wedding season, but she is a wonderfully community spirited woman who has helped set up local inititives including the HOPE project with Harris Girls' Academy - http://www.suzannejames.co.uk/news/harrisgirlshopeproject.asp - and a gardening project at Goodrich School. She may be able to offer some work experience or have contacts who can point your son in the right direction. There are various arts projects going on in Peckham where he may find something film-related, even if t's just a case of shadowing people? Best of luck to him. *edited for dreadful typos!

I thought this might be of interest to some of you... http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/jun/28/save-childhood-forest-schools?CMP=twt_gu

I have been on the look out for French language versions of children's DVDs for my 22 month old toddler, but finding that they are quite expensive to buy online. I know I can download episodes from youtube onto my phone, but I'd rather have something he can watch on the TV. Does anyone have any that they wouldn't mind lending us for a few days or alternatively selling if you no longer need them? I'm thinking of short episodes like Thomas the Tank Engine, Roary, etc.

Swaddled our only one (now 22 months) and really think it helped with sleep in the first few months. 1) When do you swaddle - only at night / all the time? We swaddled from from day 1 at night and also for day time naps once there was some semblance of a routine (i.e. not just falling asleep at any given opportunity!). 2) How and with what and is it worth buying a proper swaddling blanket? We used old pieces of sheet at first and then invested in a grobag swaddle blanket which was nice and soft and stretchy. I didn't know about the miracle blanket until Baby Knomester was too big for it, so sold the one we had bought to try on the forum. If we had another I'd definitely buy one of the cocoon style zip up swaddles which must be loads easier for middle of the night re-swaddling! We also tucked him in quite tightly with a sheet over the bottom half of his body. 3) For how long? We sawddled in the day until 9 weeks when he made it clear he didn't want to be swaddled for naps anymore. At night we only stopped swaddling when he went into his big cot at around 4 months because he would 'get lost' in his cot (he was in a crib at night until then). We switched to sleeping bags with a sheet tucked in under his arm pits and rolled up towels to fill the gaps on each side so he still felt snug. 4) Arms up or down? Always down at first but once he learnt to wriggle an arm free (and took to sucking his fingers for comfort) we left that arm free. Eventually he would free his arms completely.

I think it depends on the size and shape of the baby! For Baby Knomester, as he grew out of his original basic John Lewis babygrows, Next were the best fit and M&S. Both washed and wore well too. He was always long but slim.

Hello. I too had an emergency c-section. Aside from the emotional difficulties, having had previous spinal surgery I have struggled to recover physically, despite having weekly pilates sessions both ante and post natal and doing some yoga. My son is now 22 months and I have still not regained my abdominal strength. I would be more than happy to talk to you / email. I'll PM you with my details.

Jurand - We would certainly be interested in a class in East Dulwich if it would be suitable for toddlers (my toddler will be 22 months soon). A Friday morning would suit us too. Thank you.

You'd think it would be a simple thug to find wouldn't you! Sadly all the usual suspects only had baby sizes or 3 upwards or sold out because they were winter stock. However, thanks to the amazing Ruth (and a last minute dash to Oxford Street for bits and pieces this morning), H&M on Regent Street saved the day. A lovely little navy cardigan in the sale for ?5. Happy mummy.

Stunning eco79, if a little out of my budget... The John Lewis 'school' cardigan would be perfect (like the Next one KatDew mentioned) but they start at age 3 which would drown him at the moment. I shall remember for next year (when I'll probably want yellow or green or red!). Pickle - I wish I had known sooner. We do have knitters in the family, but unfortunately very slow ones who can't be relied upon to finish knitting something before it's too small! I shall head off to Mothercare in Peckham over the weekend in search of the one with a hood I think. better than none at all. And thank you for the offer Ruth, incredibly kind but I wouldn't want to put on you.

We were waiting until 6 months, but Baby Knomester was clearly ready and so eager to eat solids that we gave it a go from around 5 1/2 months. We weaned in what seems to now be referred to as puree weaning (although I always think this is a bit of an anomaly as the real puree stage passes very quickly). From a first few gums on our bananas and pitta bread, we worked our way through first tastes of baby rice with breastmilk, purees fruit and vegetables and on to mashed / finely chopped meals and finger food in less than a month. We spoon fed, but always gave baby Knomester his own spoon and offered finger food along side the (then) pureed / mashed food until he got used to lumps and had some teeth to chew with! We never forced him to eat when he didn't want to, didn't 'coax' him into eating and always stopped when he let us know he'd had enough. He took to food brilliantly and by the time he was 10 or 11 months was eating 3 large meals plus snacks and had naturally dropped to 2 BFs per day. He could reliably spoon feed himself his meals from around 12 months after his Daddy spent lots of time gently teaching him to 'scoop' (Daddy has more patience than me...!). I would say he is a good eater. There are foods he is not so keen on, but very few that he won't try at all (smoked salmon is the only one that springs to mind, but that's really not a problem, is it?!). Like all toddlers, he has gone through phases of refusing meals and certain foods, but we have just continued (and continue) to offer everything and (unless ill, teething, etc) we don't really offer alternatives. (As an aside, there is some discussion above about attitudes towards parents and their choice of the way in which they wean their children. I have also personally faced some pretty harsh criticism of the way in which we chose to wean Baby Knomester from people who have chosen BLW (not from anyone commenting on this thread I should hasten to add, and certainly not from my dear friend bluesuperted who has a toddler the same age as Baby Knomester). I recall one particular incident when I was feeding Baby Knomester some homemade food sat outside the Kernel Brewery arch at Maltby Street one Saturday morning - a lady behind me quite openly criticised me to her group of friends, telling them how cruel and psychologically damaging it is to spoon feed babies and that I ought to have done BLW. I'm not sure if she knew that I could hear her or not, but it left me feeling very upset.)