shaunag

There are some agencies that have nannies that can help out in this type of situation; a friend used this service for the birth of her second child and it worked really well. I will try and find out the name of the agency she used and let you know. I was in a similar situation; no1 is incredibly nervous around strangers and my mum is abroad. She flew in 2 days after my due date and my son was born the following day. I was v lucky with the timing and had many sleepless nights about it in the run up to the birth. The midwife had said to me that it tends to work out somehow for most people and it did. If you are fretting about it try to put lots of plans in place so that you feel reassured that no1 will be ok (have a standby overnight/daytime bag ready with clothes, toys, snacks and printed instructions), and maybe have an agency nanny as plan a but lots of other options in place that could be there at short notice/overnight etc. you don't need any stress re this right now so don't worry about asking for help with this; you can always repay the favour if the time comes for your friends/neighbours!

Just be aware that if you do do controlled crying now, you may find yourself having to repeat it several times when teething/developmental changes kick in. My first is v difficult to get down, no 2 loved his sleep, so I think it's baby personality too. I'm sure the humid hot nights aren't helping but with the nights starting to draw in hopefully it will start improving soon...

Anyone? We could take the Los for a picnic in the park as the weather is so nice...

Hi. My lo is due to start doing this session in September. To help with settling in I thought it would be a good idea to try to arrange to meet up with some of the other new starters. Let me know via pm if your lo is in the same boat and you'd like them to meet a classmate a few times before they start!

My 9 month old boy has trouble going too. I've not been prescribed laxatives, but avocado is brilliant. I get the ones ripe and ready to eat from waitrose. He has 1/5 with some pur?ed pear (not good for no2s but his absolute favourite); this really helps to soften things. He has this for breakfast every morning. I also do pur?ed prunes which he loves-a total faff but easiest way I've found is to use the ones from waitrose tinned in pineapple juice; remove stones first then simmer for 10 mins and run through a sieve. I then freeze in ice cubes and give to him as a pudding occasionally. I'm doing my best to ply him with fluid too-apparently dehydration is a big cause in Los. Will watch this thread with interest for any other tips-it's awful watching them strain.

Oh, I also talk to her when she is calm about how the shouting and fighting makes me sad. She then says it makes her sad too. We then make a deal not to fight; when things start going pear shaped we raise the 'deal' and it does help to calm things down. I also make a fuss of when we have a day when we haven't had a fight saying it makes me really happy. I don't know if this type of reasoning will work with a six year old but anything is worth a try...

Hi. I recently experienced something similar with my three year old-in the end I withdrew her from nursery. The nursery assured me there was nothing going on, but since taking her out she has largely reverted to her happier and calmer former self. I'm convinced she was being bullied-she is quite articulate but I don't think she could express what was going on. It will be interesting to see if your daughter improves out of school; my bet is she will. With my lo screaming back just escalates and prolongs the situation. It is really hard to stay calm I know (I'm not brilliant at it) but when I do the mood diffuses far quicker. Hope your little girl becomes happier soon!

Someone (the police?) should get to the bottom of what's going on here-these women are obviously desperate whether searching for sensitive info (if they really don't speak English are they just taking all documents) or scrap-chances are they aren't getting the help they are entitled to. As Sophron says there may well be someone else exploiting these unfortunate women. I don't like the idea of strangers rummaging through my bins, and it is theft to remove things from people's bins but I think it's really sad that they have to whatever the reason (have you noticed how badly the bins smell in this heat)? Maybe there is a charity that can help these guys out if they are made aware of what's going on-anyone know of a relevant one?

We bought a lightweight britAx (toddler) seat for travelling-it has been damaged recently but has been on many flights. It was cheaper than buying a decent case, and with all the luggage was easier to transport. It also means our main sear is still in perfect condition for no2. It's also handy for if a pal comes over, and fits with a belt. You can get wrapping done at lots of the airports.

We got my daughter a big box of mega blocks for her first birthday. She has played with it every other day since then (she is 3.5)! Initially she loved emptying out the box, climbing into it, and knocking down the towers we built for her. Now, she mostly likes to build fortresses with us. I think she has loved it so much as it is something we can play with together or she can play with it on her own. My 8 month old now likes knocking down her towers! Loving the suggestions above too though

Hi Amanda. The only issue with trying to get two pushchairs to do one job is the fogginess that descends when you are tired with a baby-I would worry that I would forget to lock the wheel for running and then could potentially have a problem. I imagine this is why those prams that do have lockable front wheels have their disclaimer. Everyone is different though so you might be ok not to do this. I'm super organised normally but there are lots of things to think about all the time when lo takes centre stage! Good luck with your search..

Superhero costume for dressing up in (his favourite character). Duplo. Sticker books. Superhero/cartoon bedding (his favourite character!) bubbles. Or, take him out on a trip for the day.

Hi damzel. Just to say I recently got glasses for my 8month old locally. I wasn't happy with the fit and went to the opticians in the western eye (as recommended by my opthalmologist). There is a lady there called Jane that is excellent and ordered a far superior fitting pair for my son. So, if you can face the schlep worth the trip (185 then change to the 2 to marylebone). Good luck.

On electricity box corner of landcroft and whateley road (outside old police station)

That's cool crustyrack. What's the app called? My husband does a lot of flying and would be cool to point out his actual plane to the kids every so often!

I'm sorry you are going through this. Life is hard enough with a young baby without having to deal with what you are dealing with on top. Agree with above suggestions re agencies you may get support from. On a related note I know you have said you won't talk to your parents, but maybe reconsider, or if not do you have any other family members you can turn to for support? Your parents might surprise you, I imagine they would hate to learn you have been through this without their support. I don't want to upset you by suggesting this,I just think you could do with all of the support you can get right now and until you have managed to get your life back to where you want it to be...

Thank you so much I will check both of these places out tomorrow (here's hoping we can avoid surgery). X

Hi. My 8 month old has been prescribed glasses to help correct his squint. Can anyone recommend any local opticians that stock baby-friendly glasses? Hoping to get these ASAP (and the closer the better as imagine we will get through a few pairs)! Many thanks in advance.

Oh, there's a knack to packing/opening them-you need to have the fixed bit of the latch on the ground when you open it-pack it knowing you will open it this way and I have found things don't fall out do much (or maybe it's just what we are packing)...

What Pickle said. Reacting always got a laugh from my two. Broken latch is easier for them to understand as a no no. Hope she stops!

I don't really want to get into a debate about spina bifida. Yes folic acid has reduced the incidence but there are other risk factors too. My mother had 7 healthy babies before she was 40. The point is the risk of things going wrong increases with age. I imagine I am prejudiced because of my family but disability is for life and there isn't always a happy ending to babies at 40. That's the point I'm trying to make.

Ok-this will be controversial, but my mum had my brother when she was 40. He was born with spina bifida. He has had the best of care and you wouldn't know it from looking at him (although he is beginning to deteriorate a bit), but, it is and has been an incredibly tough life for him and my parents. He has had countless surgeries and is in pain every day. All of the above posters have been happy endings but there can be problems, and they can be very severe. I adore my brother, he is a brilliant bloke and an inspiration for everything he has been through, but I would not wish his condition on my worst enemy, so I won't be attempting babies anywhere near 40...

Our 3 year old loves her trunki. We regularly fly short haul and it's a life saver for the long walk to/from the gate to the baggage area (and beyond now we have 2 but only a single buggy). So it probably depends on the child! Might be worth gauging interest or borrowing one for a trip first to see if your child likes it....

My 3 year old is obsessed with nail varnish....I am not...she developed the obsession from copying her best friend...a boy! I'm not worried-it's a phase and healthy for kids to explore. Pamper party sounds like great fun! Hope she and her pals enjoy it!

Something to consider is cord length and weight of the vacuum cleaner. I had a dyson and a Henry for a good few years. I could vacuum my whole (little) house without unplugging the Henry. To do the same with dyson I had to keep unplugging and re plugging it in. Also dyson weighed a lot more so annoying on the stairs (model we have doesn't balance on our narrow step)-not did the Henry but it was much lighter so easier to do stairs with (and reached further from bottom/top of stairs). Also consider how much floor space they take up considering where you want to store it-dyson did a bit better here as telescope wrap-had to dismantle Henry a bit. All of these points cost you time so worth considering. Finally, the noise they make! If you have kids and tend to vacuum when they are asleep you may prefer a quieter model. I found the noise of the Henry easier on the ear than the dyson (which IMO makes an awful racket, as does the hand held I also have)...