ClareC

I second Curmudgeon, I put a duvet either side of the bed for the first few nights, only fell out a couple of times and never did it again!

We took a Maclaren, did need to fold it. We caught the train from Ebbsfleet which was great in a lot of respects but there is such a short pick up time it did feel a bit of a mission getting us plus baby plus buggy plus luggage on the train in the 2 minute stop time. I ended up holding baby with propped up buggy leaning on me in the entrance bit until everyone had sat down and I could then get to the seats. My partner was dealing with the luggage and came back to sort buggy. A sling would have been good! I would avoid the Chameleon if possible (we left ours at home), if it's busy there isn't a huge amount of luggage space and they don't exactly fold conveniently or small!

I have a baby and a toddler and am about to rescue a dog, maybe even two. I've been looking at the dogs looking for homes on the web and it's heartbreaking! The people that breed dogs to make a quick buck are despicable. The suffering they cause is shocking. This is such a sad and awful thing to have happened, I am so sorry for your loss. Im glad you clarified what happened, it clearly was the owbers fault and there is nothing to indicate this dog is dangerous to people. That said, it should be muzzled and the owner held accountable!

There are some great gites in France. We hired a 3 bed villa with pool from owners direct, kids didn't need to share and we even got an under occupancy discount :)

Your welcome to "glamp" in one of our fields at the new house! I would second owners direct, there are some great properties and if you holiday outside of high season (school holidays) you can get some lovely places at really reasonable prices.

I just took it as easy as possible, you can limit lifting the toddler, impossible to avoid all together. I lifted with my arms, ie avoided using my stomach muscles. The big issue is to avoid stretching. I also had a CSection belt that protected the wound from the toddler if she jumped on me etc. I felt "normal" within 2-3 weeks this time round. Recovery was far easier second time round strangely.

Good to hear :) We move away on Friday, may just pay le moulin one final visit before we go!

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Don't take pictures and potentially provoke a > reaction! If your instinct kicks in, as it should > do with any animal, then do the right thing and > call the police. At worst the person will be > questioned and if thought to harmless let on their > way. It's common sense surely? All this > wishy-washy crap about thinking the best in people > is coming from those least likely to ever be > attacked or at risk of attack because they tower > above the rest of us and hold themselves in a > certain way, a vulnerable mother and child doesn't > have such a luxury does she? > > Louisa. Here here!

Nice idea, if only Londoners got tickets!

Ludoscotts, You do not come across as paranoid, it's good you have posted. The chap was clearly acting suspiciously, as verified by the park staff and police! You were right to be concerned and I for one am grateful you have posted. I too use that park with my toddler and baby and his behaviour would have freaked me out too. To have that happen when alone would be scary, when with your two small children even worse as you are in a far more vulnerable position. Pay no attention to mfcjoe, at best s/he is a troll, at worst an insensitive, totally inappropriate piece of work looking for a reaction, best ignored! Hope your ok. I have one of those alarms, your welcome to have if you haven't managed to get one.

Full country for us! Eek

We move away next week.... Feel really sad to be leaving friends. Although they are gradually all leaving now anyway! Will miss having everything on the doorstep and the huge choices available for everything but there is good food etc out of London too. Feels odd to be going but for us the benefits far outweigh the losses.

Sued him for what? Definitely go to police! Let us know what they police are planning to do (if anything).

ED Safer Neighbourhood Team do give out the alarms, subject to availability. Def report to the police!

Sounds creepy, thanks for the warning. We often use that playground.

Totally agree! Best mothers day gift would be a lay in and day to myself! Doesnt even need to be a spa day, soak in the bath and good book is enough! Wouldn't be without the kids but a break from them is so appreciated!

I bought a plain black B/f dress in Pretty Pregnant for a wedding reception, I then made it more interesting with accessories. I only wore it once or twice, put it for sale on here but had no takers so still have it. Your welcome to try it on and borrow x

I use an agent..... Not ideal but when I tried privately the enquiries were all people that were high risk. Agents are good when things go wrong .....

We are about to move, old house has built in wardrobes but kids bedrooms in new house do not. Will need something cheap to make do with until we get round to decorating etc. Any ideas? Am thinking a trip to Ikea but would be great if there are tried and tested inexpensive options as it could be a while before we decorate!

I've recently gone back to work 2 days increasing to 3 soon. My daughter is 26 months and my son 11.5 months. d is at nursery 2 days and we have a nanny. If you can find a good nanny I couldnt recommend it enough! Both children love their nanny and enjoy their days with her. My son particularly likes the days his sister is at nursery as he gets all the attention, something rare to him as a second child! A nanny isn't cost effective for one child but if you can find a good nanny share I would really recommend it. It really has made going back to work really easy! My nanny arrives at 730 am so deals with breakfast/washing /dressing/teeth and nursery drop off. Def takes the stress away. I'm loving work and appreciating my time at home far more...... Not sure how long before the novelty of work will wear off !!

Thank you :) Ordered one today! I checked the which reports and it comes out really well, amazing for such a long lasting car seat, great tip, I had never heard of them before.

Definitely a phase. I had something similar with my daughter at the same age. She would grab faces if she felt she was wronged!! It's horrible to deal with and makes you feel paranoid your turning into a social leper but it does pass and it doesn't take long. I kept her nails short and was grateful to the friends that still saw us! Play dates at home were worse as they were "her" toys, also easier to manage on small playdates. Would also echo tiredness a huge factor, most incidences occurred when she was tired. My daughter is 26 months now and it's not happened in a long time. Her speech is pretty good now and her understanding far better which is why I suspect the problem has gone away. I think it's frustration from not being able to communicate. Good luck and don't worry! It's a horrible situation but it passes quickly!

Thankyou, daughter is 26 months. She is @ 14.5 kg and quite tall. Not sure of height but know she is @ 75th percentile plus

My son is in the first stage Maxi Cosi cabrio fix, my daughter in the maxi cosi pearl (9 mths to 4 years) I need to move my son to the next stage soon and would ideally like to put him in my daughters seat and move her into a larger chair (from what I understand the ones to age 4 don't actually last that long) Is this possible or is she too young? Trying to avoid having 2 of the same size seat if possible!

Black Horse in Thurnham is great, lovely pub with excellent food!