RoLo1

Thanks all, much appreciated. Not sure what to do next! Funnily enough not sure if steam cleaning is right or wrong having looked at way too many websites and getting myself tied up in knots - the steam kills the mites, but the humidity encourages those not killed to thrive (bit of a quandary! I guess you could steam clean things outdoors, let them dry and then hoover the dead mites up - as they cause the allergy). It's such a mission - such a difficult allergy to deal with.

Thanks nymom. Good advice. Husband is a bit reluctant to take up the new lovely wool carpet (oatmeal colour was never the best plan anyway with kids! - but there is no comparison between the dust I got upstairs from carpets vs wood floors downstairs (x 30 times more I would say, also shows how crappy our 6 month old hoover was, as I had hoovered twice last week with it!). And yes, got rid of all but four soft toys (those 4 are currently in the freezer!). Floorboards it is, if you have found any flooring on top of that particularly good please let me know. Sheets of flat rubber may be a solution, no joins and no raised areas, will have to look into it... If anyone has any info on experts for ventilation that would be amazing, in winter the windows in his room (double glazed) always have condensation, shows what a great breeding ground that room has been... Eugh.. (I give up!)

We have just found out our 2 yr old boy has an allergy to dust mite (he has had bad eczema for over a year now). Just wondering if anyone else has had this and what strategies you found helpful - seems to be a lot of info on using dehumidifiers to 45%, not sure what way to go so any help would be great. Since finding out last week I got new allergy proof bedding, hoover and been decluttering and dusting but he almost seemed to get worse(which could be down to dust in the air from my frenetic activity). We have lovely carpet in his room that we will have to remove, anyone experienced improvement from doing this. All in all a dust free house should do us all good, just worried about investing in the wrong areas - plus taking up new carpets and even working out what to put on the floorboards (I would leave them exposed but they are gappy and have nails sticking out). Another weekend of high scale dust wars coming up!

No major help, seems like you've tried everything tbh. I know someone who has turned going to bed into a treat - re-branding exercise if you like, so 'if you're good you can go to bed even earlier - yay" and lots of enthusiastic noises about how you can't wait to go to bed etc. It might catch on! Mine are same age and still in cotbeds (dreading taking the sides off!) and we lift the kids up, cuddle them as we put them into bed singing 'twinkle twinkle' and sing it again when they are in bed. So I guess they like being put to bed, sometimes they come up with inventive reasons they need to get out but I just laugh and stick to 'bedtime, don't be silly' etc... No magic answer sorry.

Happened to our neighbour. She went to claim for repairs through her insurer liasing with his insurer (I had his reg and description), anyway find out first if you will lose your no claims. She was told she would so wasn't worth it in her case. Not sure if they logged with police too, but worth seeing where you stand insurance wise.

Very sad to hear. On top of all his other attributes he was clearly a good judge of character. RIP

My daughter responds really well to the Gro-Clock, knows it's bedtime and to call mama when the sun comes up (I set it for 7.45!). I am amazed she responded so well to it, her brother isn't quite so interested in waiting til then, but they are v different. Definitely recommend it - may be one going on the forum... Good luck!

I avoided a mop-mop forever - mainly cos they slosh water (I am doing mainly wood) and cos I may be slightly ocd (less so since kids of course, I have really given up!) but I like to use cloths etc that can either be washed in the machine or discarded. Even with cloth and on knees with a bucket and microfibre cloth I would have to change water repeatedly - I have converted to the steam mops I must say, so quick and painless!

It's IMO a very uplifting class! My twins did three terms from 6 months and if your child likes music/singing then I would think it's ideal. In terms of signing I think it took from about 15 months before that happened but it was so useful - my kids for months would pronounce 'milk' the same as 'more' for example, but there's no ambiguity when they are singing and saying the word, I found it brilliant. So I would say if you are looking for a class with lots of singing, it's ideal, plus within a few months your baby could sign (signing needs to be used consistently of course, I wasn't consistent initially!). I was a bit upset that my kids reached 2 years and therefore outgrew sing and sign...!

Neighbour sounds like a real expert, I would discount her completely! She is your child, you sound like a caring and concerned mum. It's just traumatising for you when it seems your being judged (wait til it happens to those disapproving mums!). If she is a handful and too tired for a bath I might resort to wet wipes, but of course that's not guaranteed to go down well either. I do find myself losing it sometimes and yelling, but I like to think I am being 'firm' and setting boundaries, couldn't care less what others think. Whatever works for you and well done for being so patient! Hopefully a good nap tomorrow will help her avoid a repeat performance. :)

Hi caesio - we considered that car too, my brother has it (lives in middle east, I haven't seen it but heard great things). Can't understand why Honda stopped making it with the 3 seats at the front, just wondering if you've found any disadvantages with that in terms of looking for spare parts? Thanks, r

Hi Roopa, I remember hearing Pitta Patta have a high staff turnover. A friend wasn't keen on how it was managed, but for continuuty she did leave her daughter there til she started school so it was a niggle rather than a deal-breaker. I know they have the video link but she didn't like to log in as it was hard seeing her daughter when she couldn't be there. That's all I can offer on it, haven't visited myself. What put me off was that you have to provide all their food until the kids turn 2, requires too much balancing for me anyway. good luck!

Guardian has an article from 17th May 2013 comparing leading brands if you need more info!

My husband came home yesterday with the h20 steam mop.so happened it was our wedding anniversary... Anyway, I just tried it as he fell for it having seen an infomercial, I would have researched more. Apparently the water used the better the cleaning, it used lots of water but also left the floor pretty wet, so not ideal on wood unless you go around drying it after. Used it on tiles too, but with a microfiber cloth any mop/ steamer is already getting half the work done. So I am not totally sold on this one, but it did leave the floor clean (but wet - I am sure others dry as they go).

Congrats! And worth doing the sums now. I decided to duck out of the rat race to spend the first few years with my twins, as really it didn't make sense financially anyway when I looked at how much 'profit' I would make per day and per month - once you've totted up childcare, cost of travel to work, your own lunches, things like 'work clothes', plus the hectic pace of life (which frankly I didn't feel I could handle with twins). Can't say I miss work or having bosses breathing down my neck, but know this isn't for everyone - I now have two little bosses. I know many twin mums in the same boat, while those I know who are really high earners all had an older child so a nanny made sense for their circumstances. Having looked at all the options before coming to our decision we would have opted for a child minder, but start researching one early on so you find someone you really like and trust! Good luck and no doubt you'll find a great solution! At least you can hopefully take a year off to give you a chance to see what works.