Convex

Went trough the same.... Only daddy was the favourite! Pretty difficult for me so I know how your husband feels. As all things it's not personal and I'm sure is just a phase. How is he when you aren't there ie it's just daddy?

We've had a few long haul flights recently and it really is manageable. I'd say 1 or 2 favourite toys/books is enough from my experience. Fdefinitely try to get a cot. And definitely a sling, we needed it to get him off to sleep a couple of times when the flight times didn't work out. We took ready made milk and went prepared to pour it into bottles although we didn't need to, I did have to taste the Ella's pouches though, sadly not the flavours I would have wanted to! Only other advice is that it can be both very cold and very hot on a plane so simple layers work best, we had him in pjs mostly with a jumper and a blanket as extras. If your baby is the one that cries, try not to worry. You need to focus on the baby and either people understand or they don't, and I don't think you can do anything to change that!

we did colouring pencils, and a disposable camera for the kids. the parents then added a game of 'go take pics of al the ladies in hats' etc etc also had lawn games, giant jenga was the most popular then they just ran around exploring, my flower girls had to be changed into shorts and teeshirts as there was a hill for rolling down!

I have found bumgenius free times dry quickly, but I imagine microfiber would be even quicker.

Also using a combo of reuseables and disposables can work really well. We use disposables at night and cloth the rest of the time. If I am going out for a full day or on hols and space is tight in my bag I will use disposables. I don't find the laundry a chore, Especially if you chuck the baby's clothes in with the nappies. You def need a good drying space though, we have a sunny warm spot which works all year round. Or if you have a dryer, and use nappies that can be tumble dried, or the radiators as pickle says.

I'd wait until they are born and then get a local rep to come and do a fitting. Will save you time in researching types of nappies and trying them out etc. Def worth doing though! I think we started reuseables at around 3 months.

We are travelling with a micralite in a bag and also a carseat in a sunshine kids bag. I'm glad we have both as everything does get thrown around a bit. If there are 2 of you travelling its not too much hassle getting it into the bag at the gate, though we have decided to just check he pram from now on and stick with the sling. I think the sunshine kids carseat travel bag would fit the bee, by the way. It's huge.

Sanity girl I reckon - I basically copied her to start with! My best nappies I love the most are bumgenius free times. I use a fleece liner then a paper liner. The fleece stops the paper liner scrunching.

A skip, or hippo bag

Just a bump for tomorrows kiwi kids meet up.

I'd advise one with no bar to step over if you can, especially if you are going to and fro carrying stuff. We have the Lindam one. It might be worth considering a playpen if you don't want to screw anything into the walls? Even pressure fit gates will take paper off and/or scratch the walls we have found. Also, my crawling baby still goes in the jumperoo or activity station when I need to keep him in one place. Just some alternative ideas!

Hi, I was making a bottle this morning and remembered this thread and how helpful I found it. So i thought I'd bump it in case any formula feeding parents are struggling with the wait-for-20mins thing. I use a method copied from a friend, which is keeping a bottle of cooled boiled water ready and using a combo of boiling water (from kettle or thermos) and cooled boiled water to get the right temp. I am thinking of switching to the premake-and-keep-in-fridge method though. Every second counts for that morning feed!

As a first step is there one of your friends you could confide in? I'm sure they don't expect you to pretend, and will be a willing support.

Don't worry, I have it on a teeshirt, so we can use that as a prompt. I'm extra kiwi, me.

Meant to say its mostly under 1s but there are a couple of toddlers too. So obv all welcome.

Edited to reflect new direction of thread!

The usual I think.... Call seldoc/nhs direct to check...

Does anyone cycle to west London / white city area?

I've been quoted ?60 for a childminder, but most I have seen are ?50 Also check whether they charge you extra for group activities that they go to, and travel costs

Does a Brazilian blow dry mean your hair always looks freshly blow dried, or does it still need styling?

I think the adapters are a bit cheaper on eBay, but don't quote me?

We use Eco balls and they do work. I don't know how. With very dirty laundry I use liquid, and for my nappies I use sanitizer. So that's quite a full cupboard! Jess why do you have to take the bannister off? Have you seen the retractable stair gates? Edited as it looked like I was swearing instead of saying 'jess' stupid autocorrect

It should do, you just need the maxi cosi adapters, but somewhere like John Lewis would know.

Thurs out for me but not always, just next week! So if that suits everyone then go ahead and I will join in when I am back!

I've heard the fisher rice rainforest one is good too. We had a borrowed one (can't remember the make) and when he seemed bored we pimped it up with extra toys. Mamas and papas have a really nice selection. Generally add something by Lamaze and something with a mirror and he was happy though! Perhaps your bub has more exacting standards :-)