The Nappy Lady

No you need to arrange an appointment for the blood test etc. Maybe call the main Kings number and ask them to put you through - you should get an answer machine where you can leave a message for them and they get back to you. If all else fails I'd ask for Claire Kevdis as I'm sure she could help get you sorted (she took my blood when I was a donor). It's very easy - hope you get sorted.

Just spotted this in the 'wanted' section & thought it might get missed; Teddy found on Lordship Lane on Sunday http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?28,746537

Can anyone tell me if there is a toddler swim session this morning?

Speaking as one who is emerging from the other side..... My best friends still tease me during moments of Mummy chaos with the words 'it's not going to change my life' which I was heard to say whilst pregnant with my first! My hubby says he 'lost' me for a year at least with each baby, no resentment, but I do kind of give every bit of myself over to the experience. Now my youngest is almost 3 & I'm rediscovering the old me, but with so many more dimensions to my character. I've lost nothing (apart from the old figure!) through motherhood, but gained so much. Ladies, dont be afraid to embrace every moment with both arms, even if it means talking about lack of sleep or dirty nappies. In your entire life this phase is so brief and you will be moving on before you know it. I don't care what title you stick on me, I'm a Mummy, and a wife, and a person in my own right and I'm proud of every part of what makes me the person I am (& believe me I've talked about a lot of dirty nappies in my time)!

Thanks both, the chair is currently out of stock so your timing might be perfect Mrs F - I will keep in touch. Ratty - I might want a very small item this week - will PM details later. Many thanks.

I'm after a 'Fargglad' children's chair & wondering if anyone could pick one up for me? It's a multicoloured woven thing with a metal frame - ?10.99. We have one which has become a point of conflict between 2 children.....please call or text or PM me if you're going & can help. Thanks

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Thanks Renata - a friend went through this with her then Year 6 son & said next time she will def. Visit the schools when her younger child is in Year 5, then again the following year to get a better feel overall & to note changes etc. I'm not at this stage yet but think it's great you're flagging it to parents of children in both years.

Fu-fa or front bottom & back bottom here. 7 year old knows the correct terms but I think it will always be a Fu-fa in our house....we like having our own name for it!

Airport Direct Services 0800 135 7533 We've used them 4 times now & they are truly FAB. So good actually that in Aug when I was flapping about whether all our bags plus buggy would fit in their estate boot they sent an exec car half an hour early so we could see if the bags fitted & if not they were going to go & swap the car! How good is that? They have car seats for every age/stage. They charge a small fee for providing them which I think is a bit naughty, but their service is so good I wouldn't use anyone else now. They will pick you up on return to UK too - give them flight details & you get a mobile number so can text them from abroad if any need & then call them from baggage reclaim & they are there when you walk out. About ?45 or ?50 to Gatwick from SE15 Nunhead - depending what car/estate/MPV you book.

Hmmm, love those bright Autumnal Days when the leaves glow and you can bask in gentle sunshine...but today is just bleugh.....first day of having to get up to get my eldest to school - walking there in the rain and gale force winds when less than a week ago we were in Spain enjoying blazing sunshine. It just feels mega depressing. I find it better once I get back into the swing of things, but the combination of end of overseas holiday blues, rain and back to school is not good I have to say.

Godmother took my two - nearly 7 and 2.5 at the time. They got a deal - 2 day entrance ticket, plus a hotel stay at a nice hotel with a swimming pool etc. Both had a great time - older child liked the rides in the rest of the park which were of course a bit more grown up. I think the queues were pretty bad then too, although it was soon after it opened, so maybe it hadn't got quite so busy at that point.

We did a camping sleepover for our daughters 7th birthday in July - her plus 3 friends, 1 big tent & Dad 'next door' in his 1 man tent. Used the godparents garden as ours too small & had an evening BBQ & morning bacon & American pancake fest. It was fab!

At home for both, bathrobe on, off, on, off with no 1 as too hot/cold/hot - oh and socks as I hold cold feet! Had to bin socks afterwards as they were bloody though it was an easy birth. No 2 in a birth pool so naked after early labour in maternity PJs. Def don't waste money on special stuff. Another vote for cheap cotton pants too!

Glad you've found a solution for now. Soaking nappies at this age are quite common - baby is at maximum milk intake in run up to starting solids, and so what comes out tends to I crease too! You can double boost cloth nappies - put 1 booster inside the cloth nappy & 1 outside between nappy & wrap. Otherwise the super boosters mentioned earlier. With boys it can be connected to where the willy is pointing (should be down into the nappy) & or how they lie when asleep. Once he gets established on solids things may improve, but it's possible he will always be a heavy night wetter. Once they are older you can try to reduce the amount of fluids they have after dinner & up to bedtime but clearly he's much too young to do that yet. Keep an eye on his weight & wrap size as it's important to go up a size when they hit the weight threshold. I do still have some hemp nappies if you're interested just give me a shout. They are slim but much more absorbent than other types of cloth nappy.

The Jo Jo suits with the fold over cuffs which create mittens are fab & really cosy. I love the idea of the mother care thing you're looking at from the point of view of being able to easily unwrap the baby if you are going in and out of shops, or if they are sleeping etc.

HH - not sure if you know my story as I have posted before. I had my first very easily at 35, then had 3 very hard years - Miscarriage at 6 weeks Miscarriage at 8 weeks Ectopic & loss of a Fallopian tube Miscarriage at 12 weeks Then, having always got pregnant easily, didn't catch for 13 months. Gave up & accepted we would only have 1 child Found out I was pregnant two weeks later & went on to carry C & give birth easily in the October 7 months before turning 40. When they investigates the miscarriages they didn't find any reason (but this is common, only about 6% of recurrent miscarriages can be clinically diagnosed). I'm convinced it was down to my age & quality of the eggs. The ectopic was just bad luck. I found the first year of motherhood with number 2 much more tiring. The pregnancy & birth were fine - as you can imagine we were so happy. I know quite a few over 40 Mums who had no problems at all, so I'd say go for it & see what happens....if you don't catch after 12 months def. See a doctor - personally I'd go at 6 months & say you've been trying a year given you may have to wait for a referral. Be prepared that the risks of miscarriage are higher BUT remember this is usually nature doing the right thing & discarding an embryo that is not viable anyway. I'm sure it will all work out well. The 4 & a bit age gap between my 2 is actually great & they really adore each other so I'm glad we produced a sibling, but if we hadn't life would just be different, not better or worse. Good luck. Xx

I'm still at 2 & now getting my life back to the extent that I definitely have no plans for more. Quite a few friends seem to have gone for an unexpected 3rd baby recently but I'm assured it isn't catching. Someone I know has 7 and is currently pregnant with twins! Can you imagine. She writes a blog and has just released a book on larger families if anyone is interested (it covers all the obvious questions, plus how they budget, homeschool etc etc); www.largerfamilylife.com The blog is always a good read, even as a Mum of two I really enjoy it.

Jo Jo Mamon do great waterproof dungarees & coats, either thin or fleece lined for cold weather. Otherwise there are a few on line companies that do similar stuff. For you I'd look at hiking waterproofs - maybe Decathalon at Surrey Quays??

Yes, I did wonder.....a nice excuse for a present for parents too though maybe??!!! I guess portable DVDs have cone down a lot in price over the past couple of years. Hope you get sorted.

Hmmm, if flying with EasyJet I'd say head to the gate when the number comes up because; It can be a long walk with small children (but good if they walk it as helps to wear them out)! No seat allocations, but you will get priority - after Speedy Boarders, but before everyone else. Dont pay for sperry boarding if travelling with little ones as you don't need it. You want to be at the gate in time to board with all the other families though so you can make sure you are sitting together as a family. If you board late the airline are obliged to ensure a child is with a parent but you & hubby may get split up & you may find yourself sitting next to a hacked off person who has had to have a friend moved to make room for you & your child - not good!! For your 3 year old, a film on your iPhone or iPad etc with over ear headphones could make for a lovely easy flight! Otherwise a holiday sticker or colouring book works well I find. Get plenty of lollipops - the chuppa chuppa type. Hide them in a place you can get to them easily & only bring out as the plane speeds up for take off or starts descent for landing. Get children to suck as hard as they can - or bottle/breastfeed baby. It helps with painful ears a lot. Usually worse at landing than take off I find. If you can manage a basic set of spare clothes for both children in your hand luggage it's helpful on the off chance they throw up etc. If travelling late then take PJs & change them on the plane or after landing so if they fall asleep on the way to your hotel/villa you can easily pop them into bed. Equally, if arriving in the day put sun cream on them before you go & take swim gear in hand luggage, then 1 of you can whizz them off for a swim whilst other parent unpacks & gets sorted (this saves my life as I get nagged about going to the pool from the instant we arrive)!! Xx

Not sure how cost compares but an iPad would do all that & more for you & you could all use it?? Make sure you get over the ear headphones as in ear ones don't work on little ones.

It is a tricky one. C hasn't had it yet & it is horrible having it hanging over us - mostly because I fear it will mess up a holiday etc. Unless they have it really badly it isn't that awful & you can go out, you just need to stay away from other people - e.g. let them run around in Brockwell Park on the grass not the playground. The reason CP spreads like it dies is because the most infectious bit is 5-10 days before the spots come out when they are sneezing & the virus is airborne. Once they have spots they are infectious until the last one scabs over, but only by skin on skin contact. Also playmates with other children who have already had CP are fine & pretty easy to arrange via the forum. I plan to hold out and let C catch it naturally, just hoping it's at a convenient time!!

Miele do a Hoover specifically for pet hair etc it's good - not an upright a cylinder one. Beware of shake & vac etc - some pets react to it & get bad skin problems (in a former life I had a boyfriend who was a vet & he saw a lot of it)! Carpets & dogs & kids are a real nightmare, we have moved to wooden floors too but appreciate you just can't. 6 monthly steam cleans & regular hoovering the rest of the time is really all you can do.

I'd say it was a wind up guys, user only registered shortly before this thread. Best not to rise to it.