Gubodge

I only have experience of Kings, but know that they are far more flexible than the vast majority of hospitals regarding induction. Most placed still book induction dates for 40 +10 as soon as the woman reaches about a week overdue. Kings were very relaxed about my going over 42 weeks, and they still did not put any presure for me have an induction date booked at 42 +6. I was induced at that point, but only because my daughter's heart rate dropped when she was being monitored. Child #2 was a home water birth, but I can't honestly say that one experience was significantly better than the other and I had a happy healthy baby result from each. The hippy dippy stuff was nice, but I can argue prety convincingly for the drugged up versions, too. Epidurals are fab! And, for what it's worth, I actually 'bonded' far more quickly with my first daughter.

My only advice is to try and stay zen. In my opinion, all the sweeps/curry/acupuncture/pineapple/hot sex/clary sage in the world will do nothing to budge a baby that's not ready to be budged. #1 was three weeks late despite three sweeps and all the rest. It probably helped that we have a family history of long gestation. None of my sister's or my mother's 7 kids had been born at less than 42 weeks, and those that were born at 42 weeks were induced, so right from the off I was certain that I'd have at least that long. I didn't even bother packing my hospital bag until I was a week 'overdue'. The only downside as far as I was concerned were the constant phonecalls from friends asking if I'd dropped yet.

My budding gymnast spent this morning before school balancing along the inch wide foot of our bed, declaring that she's going to be a tightrope-walking ringmaster when she joins the circus. Please consider lessons for smalls!

The Worst Witch. Clarice Bean. Flat Stanley. Georges Marvelous Medicine. And L loves poems at the moment. I can't think of any titles off hand, but funny, sureal poetry goes down a treat.

We have a two-screen Philips that straps to the headrests and plugs into the cigarette lighter for power. It's great. I researched other makes where you have to wear headphones, either because they don't have external speakers, or because they were so weak that the soundtrack couldn't be heard over the car noise. I was a bit concerned about this as I think earphones worn too young can damage hearing. It isn't a problem with the Philips, the volume is absolutely fine, and by the time we got to Italy I could recite most episodes of Peppa Pig word perfect.

I'd be very interested for my eldest, but she's probably a bit too young at 5. (She's very into gymnastics, but I'm looking for something a bit more relaxed than the traditional gym classes.) If you'd consider doing anything for kids that young though, I'd sign her up straight away.

One of my mad mothering things is that any fancy dress has to be homemade, preferably from fabric or clothes we have around the house anyway. Previous Christmases have seen me dyeing t-shirts yellow (she was a duck) sewing antlers onto dyed-brown hoodies (reindeer) and cutting up the seam of and old skirt of mine to make a cloak (wise, erm, lady). I'm secretly quite sad that both kids are in a concert rather than play this time round, so I don't get to create. It's only a matter of time before my cack-handed efforts are scorned in favour of shop-bought so I want to make the most of it. (I even saved the offcuts from my ikea net curtains to add to the dressing-up box. They have been put to use as bridal veils, mummy wrappings, dolls blankets and ghost costumes so far, but I'm sure could be turned into a woderful angel costume if I added some silver tinsel, too.)

You can spend all day just pottering ever so slowly down South Bank towards Waterloo. Wobbly Bridge, Tate Modern, lots of good benches and walls for eager climbers and no traffic. There's always penty of buskers to stop and stare at, or if the weathers awful just pop her in the buggy and head straight for the Tate.

My two daughters are 23 months apart and get on just fine, with no rivalry evident at all yet (Eldest is now 5). Although #2's arrival was not exactly planned, we were looking for a gap nearer two years than three. My reasoning was that I wanted them to be at the same stage and be able to enjoy similar holidays and pastimes. It's worked so far. It may also have been down to subliminal jealousy of my siblings. There were only three years between the three of them, then another five before I turned up and I often felt left out as they all got to do grown up things together, whilst I was (and still am, at 39) the little kid.

We had an old style P&T for my two (23 months apart) and we loved it. We alternated who got the back seat, but neither child minded being back there (much easier to climb in and out and they got to root through the shopping.) I am glad to see they've now put mudguards on the rear wheels though, they were far too tempting for little hands to grab on the old one. And by the time your younger child is 2 1/2 I'd be very surpised if you needed the second seat for anything other than transporting bikes/scooters/picnics to the park. We'd certainly sold the P&T on well before then and had reverted back to the maclaren for the youngest and walking/scooting/cycling for the elder. And I'm proud to say that, without even noticing, sometime in the last few months we have become completely buggy-free! Yay!

cleopatra Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > He seems fine to me. I've been in a few times > just for a look, once bought an off cut at very > reasonable price. And the last visit all I wanted > was some button's. He was really friendly and > helpful. Bought 5 button's, no problem. You were lucky. I went in when I needed a tiny amount of fleece, so asked where he kept the off cuts. He was very scornful of the possiblity that he might sell such things. Perhaps he uses the ends of rolls to string up rummagers at the back of the shop.

As a result of the bulge class Goodrich will be putting all the January intake into two new classes, to then be mixed up at the end of year one. (Or earlier if circumstance dictates). The Early Years Educators will also be primarily focussed on the new classes to get the summer children off to a good start. Any half decent school will know the literature and recognise the problem and ensure any gap is closed as soon as possible. My own children's birthdays are 2nd September (Due date August 13th. Mellors, you didn't cross hard enough.) and 24th July, so although 2 years apart in age they are only one year apart academically. I do have concerns about the younger but am grateful Goodrich has a January intake, which they appear to manage well, as I think that is the best way forward. Private isn't an option (and wouldn't be even if it was, if you see what I mean) and I'm sure delaying her start until year one would just put her further behind. If we were able to wait until she was 5 and a bit to start I don't think I'd take that option either. L, by 5 and a week was very very ready for school and her sister is more advanced socially. She'd be climbing the walls if she had to wait another two terms.

At 9 months she should still be getting the vast majority of her calories from milk, and as Fuschia says, it is not until she is one that the balance should tip to her getting more calories from solids than from milk. This stage is all about them experimenting with food, playing with the textures and tastes rather than any nutritional or calorific value they get from it. You sound like you are doing just the right thing, with the range of finger foods and purees. My own younger child was just not that into food until about ten months, but put away her usual three course breakfast (Porridge, cereal, bread and cheese) this morning and eats pretty much anything most of the time, and your girl will get there too.

Take care with sesame oil, it's a fairly common allergen.

You could try soy formula (There is a goat powdered milk available but it is not suitable as an infant milk as it doesn't contain the necessary fortifications) but you shouldn't restrict or alter her diet without first speaking to a GP about it.

It's very much horses for courses. Our daughter has worked her way through diprobase, aqueous cream, oilatum, hydrocortisone and many others in her three years, none of which worked very well or for very long. We now manage it pretty well by blasting it with elecon steroid cream when she has a flare up, and bathing her with hydromol and moisturising with emulsiderm. (or it is the other way around?) She has various food allergies but these only exacerbate her eczema, they don't cause it, so avoidance of the problem foods doesn't 'cure' her. One thing to be aware of is that steroid creams have come a long way and are nothing to be afraid of. The damage done to the skin by scratching is an awful lot worse than any damage potentially caused by long term steroid use.

iaineasy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > do dads to be usually > get a twitchy as I feel now? Yup. And just wait 'til she's in labour. But it's all good practice for having a child to worry about constantly for the rest of your life. :)

The size of your partner's bump will be down to her body shape, the amount of amniotic fluid and how the baby is lying. There is sod all link between it and her ability to carry to term. Your GP friend is an irresponsible idiot to suggest otherwise. Doesn't s/he think pregnant women fret enough without friends giving them even more worries?

The only way I could see it working is if it is seperated from both carriageway and pavement by kerbs. But I'd rather see a contraflow on the one-way stretch of Bellenden, between Highshore Road and Holly Grove, where pedestrians aren't an issue.

My daughter went without her night-time pull-up for the first time last night. She didn't wet her bed. She sensibly climbed into her sister's (water-proof sheet free) bed and wet that instead. She's back in a nappy tonight.

redjam Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My mother always gleefully tells me that when my > brother and I were newborn babies, the medical > advice was to put us to sleep in a warm room, > face-down, covered in blankets AND a duvet! Oh, > and of course my mum smoked like a chimney, as so > many people did in those days. Needless to say, > my brother and I both survived, as did the vast > majority of our generation. GAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! The Back to Sleep campaign has been the most succesful public health campaign ever, in this country and around the world. You and your siblings, and the rest of us here were the lucky ones.

If you're going to mention butchers, it would be criminal not to mention Libretto's on Woodvale. The best in the area and predates the development of ED's 'thriving food scene'. He also should come top of the list of interesting foodie characters. He knows everything there is to know about meat and views every sale as an opoportunity to pass that knowlege on.

My two were 23 months apart and I loved my P&T. Brilliant for loading all the shopping into if you make the elder walk. But I have to say, for a regular bus comute I'd have popped the baby in a sling and the toddler in a mclaren or similarly small and easily foldable buggy. It was my preferred method for trips up into town, and would certainly be the easiest way in rush hour. I'd often end up with the small one in the sling and the older one perched on the end of my knee, and the buggy in the luggage rack, but find I engendered a lot more good will from fellow travellers when my children were seen to be crammed into the smallest available space. Get a really good sling though, not a baby bjorn. Something like a kari-mi for the start and an ergo from 6 months.

Rain...snow...hail...nothing puts a stop to powerpramming. And the worse the weather, the larger the piece of cake you allow yourself as a post-pramming treat. It's the rules. Or was that just me?

I used to just stick mine in their cots with plenty to play with if I needed to corral them. Playpens can come in handy though as even if the baby objects to being in it, you can place whatever you need to protect from them (and them from) inside instead. They come into their own for putting the Christmas tree in; vital when curious 9 month olds are wanting to pull themselves up on whatever is closest to hand, particularly if it is dripping with sparkly ornaments.