bluesuperted

Agree re DMC, they have issues but I've never been refused same day treatment for me re: pregnancy or BF related or my son and he is 2.5yrs now. Husband has been refused and sometimes I have had to fight but they do seem better able to prioritis if you (metaphorically) shout rather loudly... Hope you can get the right meds and support (lactation consultant eg Katie Fisher?) to continue BF, take care x

I don't have one to sell but am going to wait and see with my 2.6year old and see if he still wants to use it at 3 and a bit - I think he probably will! However, I found the ikea antilop brilliant for early BLW anyway so I reckon no.2 will use that for a good few months before we need to shell out for another second hand TT!

Can you get to Health Matters tomorrow AM? Ask them for their highest dose (20 billon?!) of acidophilus tablets - these are fab at helping the body fight off thrush making properties of antibiotics. Really hope you feel much better soon x

Yup more I think about it the more I think A&E might be best...

In a case like this I'd be tempted say do you want me to go to A&E with my tiny baby and my older child or can someone fit me in?! I third Seldoc but you have to wait til your GP closes, they have always dealt with mine and my son's problems ASAP - never had to wait more than an hour for call back.

Thank you both - we used Sonia's company in a previous house and had really good cleaners but I think this is more an end of tenancy clean as Dibden mentions as we need to jet wash garden, blast carpets and clean walls. We got a quote from Aussie Clean but will definitely call Xon too - and any others people can recommend. Thanks!

Hi posting this here as well as in the general section... We are hoping to complete on a property in SE23 in the next month and want to have a thorough clean done prior to moving our things in. Does anyone have any experience of companies who offer a very thorough and intensive cleaning service? We would like this to include: - disinfecting the small outside back garden (paved) - thorough carpet cleaning of one small area of carpet (stairs) - cleaning of kitchen, bathroom - cleaning of all other floors, skirting boards, built in furniture (not much of that) - cleaning of windows internally but not outside - general spring clean, airing and sanitising to get rid of strong smells inside the house I'm thinking it would be a 5/6 hour job for one person or a 3-4 hour job for a pair? Any recommendations gratefully received, I'll be 8 months pregnant and have a toddler so want to know things will be really hygienic before we move our things in. Many thanks! bluesuperted

Only just saw your earlier comment K! Am up for drinks whilst pg and before back in the throws of evening breastfeeding, but need to check on dates with hubby.

Is that true Oimissus (I've never read it personally)? That is really bad given current advice, especially as I think lots of people choose BW thinking it's a gentler approach to other routine books. The comment highlighted in my link above about wiping off nipples after BFs made me laugh too, seems to be a lot of misinformation within the book...

Have heard excellent things about Carlos Gonzalez (his other book is My Child Won't Eat which sounds really reassuring and sensible about how all babies and children are at times picky eaters and that being laid back about food is the best tool we have to 'combat' this). I haven't read his books but it sounds very similar to BabyCalm which explains about trends in parenting books too and even though its pro- AP I think it wouldn't scare off people who didn't want to go the whole 9 yards with AP - in fact the author talks about her own non-AP path and constantly reiterates parents having the choice of doing what they feel is right for them at every juncture. If anyone would like to borrow my BabyCalm book, let me know, I'm a bit heavily pregnant at the moment but live just off PR common and would be happy to loan it out for a few weeks.

I did the opposite of a routine but read on Kellymom this week that the BW book is not very compatible with breastfeeding if that's what you are doing. http://kellymom.com/parenting/reviews/review_babywhisperer/ If anyone is interested in reading a non-routine approach I really recommend a newcomer book BabyCalm http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0749958286 It's an easy peasy read, very evidence based - although very clearly anti-routine from early ages and pro Attachment Parenting principles. It talks a lot, like Canela and Saffron have said, about not expecting your baby to be textbook and trusting your own intuition. Have also heard excellent things about Margot Sunderland's What Every Parent Needs to Know.

Not pad Thai but a friend of mine made me this a few months ago and I've made it loads since: http://whatsfordinnerdarling.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/pumpkin-and-tomato-laksa/ I substitute the pumpkin for (frozen Ocado) butternut squash and frozen prawns as LO loves them. It's a total, spicy hit with everyone and sorting out that Thai herb mix is the hardest bit but I always do what this recipe says and keep the other half for another time - makes the second one really easy! I freeze the leftover herb mix to keep it longer.

Hi K! As you know I was pondering the same thing, especially as I don't drive so E is always on foot (hardly ever in pushchair or, sob, sling) these days and it's always crap weather! We decided to bite the bullet and invested in a pair of Vivobarefoot Becks boots, I've had many friends love them and I really like the flexible, natural and wide design of the Vivobarefoot range. They were super pricey though as I bought them in Biff (?57!) but I figured they were the same price as wellies plus new shoes. I opted for slightly too big and E is currently wearing them with extra socks - the fit is great that way and I'm much happier with him wearing those boots everyday than I was with his JoJo wellies which looked like they had no ankle support once they were a bit over-used. The Becks boots seem water and mud proof so far, which is good. Here's a picture but there is not a good size selection (price is great though!). Think they are actually girls but they look lovely on boys. http://www.littlegemsboutique.com/becks---dark-brown---vivobarefoot-kids-was-5799-now-4099-6646-p.asp Vivobarefoot also has a nice 'Chelsea' boot which is also nice and a bit cheaper but slightly lower and without the fleecy inner. Also you can sometimes find these boots cheaper online but you'd have to be sure of sizes first. Hope this helps! BST x

Agree with stretchy and then if you catch the slinging bug there are lots of good threads on here about the south London sling library and the world of very supportive soft structured carriers so don't hesitate to come back! I can't wait to stretchy wrap again for all those (hands-free) cuddles with my newborn!!

Yes sorry I meant to put under 8s but that i wasn't sure if there were any rules inside that rule (ie only 2 under 3s or something). It didn't say so I'd assume not?

ryedalema - children:adults ratio sign said 3:1 but I don't know what ages that referred to...

Thanks for answering my elephant slide query, we went this morning and it was a massive hit. My son spotted the slide from the cafe (WOW!!!!) and was incredibly excited and bombed down it about 20 times. Plus the half hourly waves were very fun. Anyway, we enjoyed the Latchmere a lot - we got there a bit later than planned (10.10am) so we had to go on a waiting list to get in - we bought a ?3.90 soft play armband for our son and he was more than happy to wait and play (and I much prefer that they limit numbers a bit as the pool was busy but not crazily hectic). We then had an hour plus in the pool and a basic lunch in the cafe (vegetable kids pasta looked pretty healthy too), so it ended up costing us about ?25 inclusive (no parking charge). Definitely a fun treat out and will be back another weekend.

That's what I thought from the picture, thanks Fuschia. Thought it was worth asking before dangling it in front of my son's eyes and then thinking it wouldn't be safe enough for him to try!

Great thread, we have taken our 2.4yo swimming 5 times this school holiday as the weather has been so dire and I had been wondering about slides etc... Some of these suggestions sound great and not too crazy given his young age (he's very adventurous/fearless). I had heard great things about the Latchmere too and just found an image of the elephant slide which looks tame enough for a highly supervised slide down, am I totally wrong or would it be suited to a confident 2.4yo with two parents right there and a buoyancy suit on??

This (silent for some reason) video kind of shows point 2 in action - not an amazingly detailed demo but gives you the idea of what I was trying to explain....

That sounds hard work with two in a Baby Jogger... O will want to climb on board the Manduca next you know! Re: Back carry, I'm not great at these on my own as I just carried on with the front carry 'cos I loved it for ease, proxmity/chatting and also nap transfer. Probably other mums on here who do back carry with a Manduca though - and I just asked hubby (although men do seem to have extra skills in this department!) and he recommended: 1. Sitting on the sofa to put them on 2. Position them on your hip sat on waist belt, put one strap over loosely on opposite side (I think) and clip it and shuffle them round to the back, holding onto baby with your hand before doing other strap - this could probably be better explained and there might be a YouTube clip that's better here. As an additional variation to do this, men can cross the straps which secures baby quickly - obviously mums can't cross straps for back carry due to boobs but husband has done that a few times and doesn't mind it. 3. Toddler (not baby!) climbing onto sling with you having done waist belt and crouching down to meet them iyswim. 4. The old swinging over head technique - depends on your confidence and the temperament of your baby! E loves this but is a little daredevil and it's not a manoeuvre I'd attempt! I'll have a quick look for YouTube now to see if any good clips exist... Oh and thanks re D day (be that VBAC day or C day, still feels a while off at the moment!) I know my days with just the one are numbered now it's 2013!

It's fantastic isn't it? I was trying to persuade my husband that we actually *need* a second for carrying both baby and toddler simultaneously on walks etc... He thought this was slightly mental as we do have other sling options for that eventuality! But if we end up having a girl I might be tempted to get a lighter coloured/patterned one (basically I'm using any excuse!). Happy Manduca-ing, it's the one piece of baby kit I'd save in a fire!!

Agree to look into slings/soft structured carriers, an absolute godsend on public transport. I have a lovely bugaboo bee for use with my baby due late March but I haven't used it much yet (2.4year old) and I reckon we'll still aim to sling/toddler walk when using trains and buses.

Re: bilingualism - this can sometimes (not always) result in some form of self-resolving language delay and if you hadn't also been concerned re his more general interactions and pointing I would say there was possibly less reason to be concerned. However I agree with you that this is not reason enough to discard concerns about his overall communication development as too many other potential alarms going off. I say potential because of course this could all resolve but early intervention (or as early as their PCT's waiting list/private finances will allow) is indicated because sometimes it doesn't resolve and extra input, from as early an age as possible, is massively beneficial. If your SIL/brother do go down the referral route via a GP they must stress the lack of pointing and wider communication worries and not be fobbed off by bilingualism and possible related delay - the GP shouldn't discount it on this basis but just in case! And if your nephew gets seen by an SLT rest assured his bilingualism will be taken into account for all assessments, it's a really key consideration in all clinical practice at the moment as it does have a bearing in both positive and negative ways.

Hearing should definitely be checked, 19 months is 5 months away at least from the 2 year check (ours was at 2 years 4 months, so that's 9 months difference) and if there is a hearing problem, even one that requires watchful waiting (like my son's glue ear which did indeed resolve, it is important to get in the system early. An SLT assessment should only be done once a hearing problem has been checked for hence my agreement that audiology should be first port of call. The window between 19 months and 2/2.5 is a crucial one for taking in (as well as expressing) all the language around you hence why intervention in this respect is important. He may be missing obvious words like labels for things but he may also be missing 'quieter' less discernible words and parts of words such as verbs and word endings which could cause an issue later on. Yes this may all end up being an overreaction and resolve organically and only Susyp knows how to word this with her SIL, but equally it may be important and I don't mean to fear monger at all but I do think a gentle prod towards seeing the GP re hearing would be a good start... Hope this helps OP.