cazbee

We turned the sensitivity right up to the highest setting (5). Yes, gets to the stage where you want to do away with it altogether!

For anyone who may be interested, the NICE pathway for induction of labour, along with the clinical guidelines and the evidence tables that underpin the clinical guidelines are all published on the NICE website. I stumbled upon this the other day when I was doing some reading in preparation for arrival of baby no 2. I found the flow charts for care in labour particularly useful. They give an indication of what your options are but also a heads up on what the practitioners will do/offer you. I wish I had read this stuff first time round. http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG70 Also http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/intrapartum-care/intrapartum-care-overview

Try Tesco f&f. I've bought these before for my son and they're fine. http://www.clothingattesco.com/tops+t-shirt-multipacks/icat/kids-multipacks/

We also had a car seat hater, whose aversion seemed to start just in time for a driving holiday to Scotland! Argh! We found a mirror really helped (we had this one http://www.bonnybabies.com/bearviewmirror.htm ) and also teething granules, if only as a distraction/something to do with your mouth other than howl! You'd be welcome to borrow the mirror for your trip if you're desperate!

I'm not sure if this has been posted elsewhere but Southwark has now published figures for last place allocated on distance for the community schools for September 2013 admissions. Thought it might be of interest to other parents. http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/3414/table_of_community_primary_school_place_allocations_for_september_2013 Also, with regard to the new Harris Free School proposed for East Dulwich, now is the time to make submissions about which areas should be considered for the three nodal points. The consultation is now open and it is local parents' opportunity to get their area considered as one of the 3 notional "front doors" for the new school. Once decided, these will be a permanent part of the admission criteria and not shift year on year based on need.

I have just come out of this. I couldn't believe how much worse I felt the second time round and the constancy of it really got me down. I agree, tiredness makes it worse so go to bed as soon as your other child is down if you can, even a few nights a week will help. I found buying some dinner to eat on the commute home from work really helped as this was peak sickness time and gave me some energy for the bedtime routine, then I could go to bed straight after. Obviously the housework etc suffered but who cares?! I think the foods that help you really differ with the individual so just eat small amounts of whatever doesn't make you gag every few hours through the day. Easier said than done with a snack pinching toddler in tow! Best of luck. Hope it passes soon. X

If you have your heart set on a large, sporting type dog you could look at an English Pointer. They are about the same size and same coat type as a Hungarian Vizsla and are known for having very soft, gentle loyal natures and being wonderful with children. I don't have any personal experience other than to have admired them from afar for many years. I have whippets and probably won't ever have any other type of dog but if I were to get a "big" dog, I would go for a Pointer. Good luck with your search.

Another good brand I would recommend is Geox, especially for the winter. They do a waterproof range which have goretex lining and breathable soles which were fantastic for the wet long winter we just had. It was great being able to send my son off to nursery and know he wouldn't get have wet, freezing feet all day if he stepped in a puddle (and he steps in all puddles). I was lucky enough to get the winter boots in their half price sale so paid ?25. I was so impressed with them that I shelled out full price for a pair of their summer shoes as soon as the sun came out!

We were at Hastings sea front a few weeks ago and it was heaven for our almost 2 1/2 year old! Great areas for riding the scooter outside the new Jerwood Gallery, mini steam train, bouncy castle, cheesy amusement arcade (little boy and daddy were equally engrossed!). There is also a fabulous (free) pirate themed enclosed playground on the sea front itself just behind the crazy golf place. Definitely worth a day trip. And Hasting Old Town has great boutique shops if you want to leave the little one with your other half and go and browse! Camber Beach not far away is also great for little ones (provided the wind is not too strong). Our little boy had endless fun digging with his ?3 bucket and spade and there is a second car park which is closed when it's not busy which is great for riding bikes/scooters.

You could also try the old trick of Vaporub on the soles of the feet, inside the sleepsuit. This seemed to work really well when my son was small, as well as propping up the end of the cot with some thick books to help drain the mucous away. He's 2 now and when he has a cold I still put vaporub on his feet. He asks for it and holds up his toes in expectation while I'm putting him in his sleeping bag!

If you're going from Peckham Rye I would take the train to Blackfriars then do a step free interchange onto the District Line and on to South Ken. The steps at South Ken are a pain but someone has always given me a hand, esp in school holidays. I sometimes catch the 345 back as my little one will still sleep in the buggy on the bus after a long morning running around the museums.

I've had two Kaiser footmuffs for our Baby Jogger City Mini, the sheepskin bag one for the baby stage and the longer, zip up the middle one for the toddler stage. They attach on with the straps and do slip a bit (especially the larger one) but the footmuffs themselves are so good it outweighs that problem.

The panasonic ones are very good. But you do get sick of eating lots of bread!

I did look this up on the Arm and Hammer website and it doesn't state a minimum age, just to use adult supervision for under 3 year olds and to regularly inspect the brush in case of loose parts. It is much less powerful than an adult electric toothbrush. Might be worth checking with the dentist as well if using on a very little one.

We had success with one of these (but the boys version). About ?7 from Boots. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spinbrush-Battery-Powered-Toothbrush-Girls/dp/B003C4HCQG It comes with several sheets of tiny stickers to stick on the blank brush. Every good brushing effort gets a new sticker to go on the brush handle. I think our little one also likes having his own electric toothbrush like Mummy and Daddy and there is the novelty factor of having the button to press on and off.

My son is weirdly not into bread products (I thought all kids were?!) but he loves scrambled egg and better still, scrambled egg with smoked salmon. If I order it in a cafe for us to "share" he will scoff the lot and leave me the soggy toast. Lidl salmon is really good. We also do lots of homemade smoothies with whatever fruit needs eating, porridge oats, natural yoghurt, honey, milk and ice. Or another firm favourite is mango lassi with tinned mango pulp, yoghurt, milk and ice. I freeze the leftovers and make mango lollies which he loves, even in current arctic temps.

Hi Kate. Congratulations on the new addition to your family! I have had whippets since I was a child and have two now as well as a two year old boy. They are the most wonderful dogs with children, incredibly tolerant and gentle. I think your son is adjusting to the new member of the family and will overcome his anxiety with time. It is very early days and suddenly having a live animal in the house must be quite a change for him. It could also be that the puppy is taking up lots of your attention, and he may feel that it is taking attention away from him. I have the opposite problem in my house in that one of my dogs is still a little nervous of the rambuncious toddler. But if I were in your situation I would try making your son feel really important by involving him in the puppy's training or daily routine, like having a special time each day where he helps with the dog's training and gives him a treat. Or making it his special job to clip on the lead when you go for a walk, that sort of thing. Or you could try and foster a relationship between the two by having a special ball or toy that only they play games with together. And this may sound silly but I would keep telling him that the puppy loves him very much. Another thing you could try is inviting one of his friends over (who is hopefully not scared of dogs!) and if his friend is keen and enthusiastic your son might follow suit. There is nothing like a bit of peer pressure sometimes. Good luck! I'm sure before too long the first day sofa snuggles you experienced will be the norm. xx

You have probably already tried this but elevating the top end of the bed could help. We have our little one's bed permanently propped up on two thick books at this time of year. Could you get her some goretex shoes for school? Clarks or Ecco do them. I am looking into getting some for my son as I also worry about soaked freezing little feet.

It could be worth exploring the diet issue further with the new GP. I have a permamently runny nose if I drink cow's milk and no other pain or symptoms, and noone else in my family has the same issue. It was getting incredibly annoying and embarrassing at work to be constantly blowing/wiping my nose whilst trying to look professional in meetings. Years ago I was reading the blurb on the back of a carton of Delamere goat's milk (which was for our then puppies!) which had a story about the farmer having the same experience with his daughter and a constantly runny nose. I reduced dairy in my diet (not cutting it out altogether though) and noticed a big improvement. It meant I could breathe through my nose which I hadn't been comfortably able to do for years. Also, Kleenex Balsam tissues although expensive are brilliant for frequent nose wiping. I've tried the Boots own brand ones and they are not as good! Good luck with your little girl. I sympathise as a fellow snotty person!

I would highly recommend the Southwark Community Dermatology clinic. Ask for a referral from your GP and then follow, follow, follow it up if you haven't heard anything within a fortnight. The Dermatology Nurse Practitioner at the Aylesbury Clinic, Zoe Foster-Goss was absolutely brilliant with my son. She diagnosed my son's condition in 30 seconds that 3 GPs over a period of nearly 12 months had failed to identify, even one that was supposedly the resident expert on skin conditions! I felt so relieved to finally speak to someone who really knew her stuff. She gave me excellent advice, was happy to talk through my concerns and prescribed a regime that worked and by the follow up visit his skin was looking and feeling miles better. I could have hugged her.

I bought some fabulous little wetsuits second hand on ebay for our first summer holiday with our baby. I didn't want to spend a fortune as I knew they would only get very light wear and be grown out of next year. I would suggest ebay or put an ad up on the classifieds section?

Try the Just Williams on Half Moon Lane 020 7733 9995 Perhaps worth calling to see if there is a bashful mut enjoying a vacation in store. I walked past there yesterday en route to the Lambeth Show and there were lots of Jellycats in the window.

Signed it! Thanks very much for posting the link. And thanks to other mums for posting on here about tongue tie issues. If I hadn't read your posts I would never known to raise the issue when I knew something wasn't right in my son's first days. I just wish we and others hadn't had to go through that all too common and traumatic loop before we got it sorted. If I'm lucky enough to have another baby I will not be budging until someone who knows what they're doing has checked the baby's mouth!

We found George/Asda plain white sleepsuits really good. Very thick, wash well and ridiculously cheap at ?4 for a 3 pack. I have some Green Baby ones that are good, particularly the winter weight ones for cold nights. After about 12 months I couldn't face the after bath battle with a wriggling octopus child and a thousand poppers on the legs so we switched to a mixture of big boy pyjamas and a couple of Hatley sleepsuits with a long zip fastening.

I was looking recently for my son who is younger than yours (and also handsome!) and noticed that Next have a good range of smart long sleeve summer shirts and trousers in the age range you're after. They start at size 3 so still too big for my lad. If I'm after something special I sometimes buy designer stuff from online sale sites like Junior Style. Then of course there is ebay for high quality kids clothes you wouldn't want to pay full price for. I have searches set up for the brands I like in his size and buy lots of his clothes for a few pounds a piece that would cost a fortune new and they are usually in pretty good nick. If you are after something for a wedding ebay is a good bet as the outfits have probably been worn once or twice before being outgrown. Loads of online boutiques are having summer sales at the moment. The blog bambinogoodies has a good round up of the sales and has discount codes. Happy shopping!