The Nappy Lady

I had a 7 month old when I turned 40 - at least it meant I had no time & was too tired to care!!! I only have two but the 4.25 year age gap has been brilliant so far - youngest now 2.25 years old. I'm done, but very happy when I get to cuddle other peoples babies!

Ah Gina....Congratulations...if that is the right term...it sounds like the time was right for you and your little one, and exactly the same as me - I stopped on the eve of C's 2nd birthday too. However - C will happily drink 3 or 4 big beakers of milk a day if I give her half a chance - "Hot Mook please Mummy" is a phrase I am all too familiar with! Enjoy your new found freedom, I still feel deep joy everytime I'm poorly and realise I CAN dose myself up with whatever medication I feel I need - wooo hooo......(how sad is that)? xx

Oh - "Sharing a Shell" I think it is called is a big favourite too.

LOL co-posted with HelenaHandbasket, but I think we are kind of coming from the same perspective here.....

Hmmm, speaking as one who almost had a mother in law who lost all her teeth at the age of 15 due to growing up on Dartmoor where there was no fluoride in the water or the toothpaste I'd be inclined to go with toothpaste with fluoride in and just be very careful to stick to the advice re using a 'pea sized amount'. This is the sort of thing that can drive us all into slightly psychotic parents. I say, make your decision and then go for it. Sometimes you can't do right for doing wrong! Molly

Dinosaur Roar (they like to join in) Pants by Giles Andrea Dirty Birty (loved by my 2 year old) Stick Man - Julia Donaldson & her others Dear Zoo Captain Flynn & Pirate Dinosaur books are good, but maybe more 3 years plus?

Sooo annoying, finally treated myself to a cashmere jumper a couple of years ago & as fast as I darn one hole another appears. I'm told putting stuff in the freezer kills any eggs but I can't keep it in there all the time. :-( Back to cheap polyester mix stuff for me I think. Sigh.

I used Shot by the Sheriff last time & they are very good. When I last used the shop by Soup Dragon the photo got rejected, though that was about 3 years ago. Xx

I loved the male midwife - he was fantastic.

Tee hee I to look back a pictures of my now quite pretty 6 year old as a bald buddah baby & wonder quite how she seemed so totally gorgeous at the time!!!! You're right though, it's an endearing trait!

LOL, yes 'twas me Sillywoman. I'm lurking on here quite a bit, drawing some inspiration (read mad 10 minute cleaning sessions whilst dinner cooks etc) & loving the fact my totally fabulous ex lodger now cleaner came in today!!

I do understand, & in a flat I can imagine you worry about disturbing neighbours too maybe. Not suggesting you should do it if it doesn't feel right. On the timing front - C played up / partied for 3 hours when I was in with her, but only cried for 40 mins max when I refused to go & play her game....you know babies, they never do what you expect them too! Another thought if it's a new thing is that it may be teeth or related to a developmental spurt?

Have lived in Nunhead for 13+ years and love it - very friendly, village feel, 5 minute walk to Peckham Rye Park, 15 minute walk over the park to Lordship Lane...close enough to be convenient, far enough away to feel like we are in a quieter neck of the woods (not for everyone I know). I love the fact that because of the park, railway line and cemetery we are fairly cut off so we don't have loads of traffic etc. My friends moved to Honor Oak a year ago - similar doubts as OP and are very happy there, got a bigger house for 100k less by moving 'across the tracks' so to speak! Good luck with the house hunt.

I remember both times we decided to get tough hubby and I lying in bed alternately reassuring or worrying.....so I'd so "enough, I'm going in" and he would say "it's OK, just hang on 5 more minutes"...then he'd be saying "do you think she is OK?" and I'd be saying "yes you can hear she's just cross".....and so it would go on. You do have to be pretty tough to follow this method, and if it hadn't worked in 3 days both times I'm not sure I'd have stuck it out for a lot longer, but it is worth the pain in my opinion.

My friend & I used to do a thing where one of us watched babies whilst other went for a long soaky bath - in the middle of the day! Bliss!!

Yorkie, Sympathy.....C was awful until about 15 months, with me still going in to her, breastfeeding, sleeping in with her etc. At 15 months (last January actually) it reached breaking point, she didn't really want to feed anymore, but we started having a party in her cot from about 2am until 4am, then she'd go back to sleep until around 9am. It was over Christmas so OK...but I realised it just wasn't going to work once I had to get up, get O to school and myself to work, so I resolved to sort it out. Afraid though from your post you will not want to do what we did. Basically, I told her Mummy isn't going to come and cuddle or feed you in the night any more when I put her to bed, and then she got put down as usual. When she woke and cried DH went in and told her 'go back to sleep it isn't morning yet' and then walked away. With both children this worked exactly the same way - first night crying for about 40 minutes, second night 20 minutes, third night 10 minutes and then they learnt to sleep through, or self soothe I guess. I hasten to add that we were listening and prepared to go in if necessary, but you could hear the crying was angry rather than distressed/hurt. With our first we tried the whole controlled crying going in and out to them and I found that made her more upset - each time I went in she thought I was going to pick her up, then when I walked away she'd go more ballistic. So, we tried just going in once, being firm and then walking away and it worked. I know not everyone will agree, or want to do what we did, but this method worked the first time on a much younger child, second time around I was much softer and committed to going in to baby C for as long as she needed me, but in the end it was wrecking me, I was truly exhausted, run down and ill, and she and I both needed to start getting a full nights sleep again, so I don't have any regrets. I know as a mother I've always found it very hard to just let my babies cry, and have been prone to run to them the minute they wake up from a nap, or get fed up of being on a play mat or whatever. I'm glad I've been able to be that kind of Mum, but I think sometimes we make it very hard on ourselves. When you think (and I'm not saying it is right), that babies used to get left in a pram in the garden or cot so Mothers could get on with the MASSIVE amount of housework they used to have to do, I suspect we have created children that develop much faster because they get much more stimulation, but that are also way more demanding because we don't really give them the chance to learn to settle themselves. Anyway, bit of a random dump of information, and bracing myself for lots of comments about being an awful Mum for leaving my children to cry themselves to sleep now (please not people - it's all water under the bridge now and I have two very happy, well balanced girls, honest). Just wanted to give you some moral support really. Hope things improve soon. xx

Didn't have a parent facing pram/pushchair for no.1 and she always screamed in the buggy and hated it.....I ended up carrying her and pushing the buggy 1 handed so many times when she was little as her screaming really stressed me out. She didn't really take to going in the buggy until she was about 8 or 9 months old as I recall, maybe even older (long time ago now as she is almost 7!). I had a Bugaboo Frog 2nd time around and loved being able to see baby and chat to her as we went along, and she always seemed really happy in the buggy, even when she eventually progressed to forward facing. I think there is a very basic need - instinctive I guess - as a parent to be able to see your baby. Maybe it was just different personalities between my two girls, but I think there is something in the whole parent facing thing. However....I think you have to be practical about your circumstances too. There are some good ideas and suggestions here re using a sling, and maybe keeping a buggy in your car if you have one. The Bugaboo Bee seems very popular and small and light for people with a flat/lift to cope with. Re talking - frankly if you are the type of people who talk a lot, and are likely to natter away to your baby anyway - when changing nappies, cooking and going about daily life, then your baby is likely to be an early talker anyway. If you are naturally a quiet person, who doesn't talk much unless spoken to, then they may well be slower to talk. This is my theory anyway, acquired over the years!

Hmmm, would imagine best method would be similar to when brushing teeth of resistant toddler - sit on floor with legs spread, get her to sit between your legs and lie back so her head is against your tummy and she is looking up at you, then put drops in her eyes. However, may still need someone to hold her down or stand with sweets at the ready - quite literally hovering over her mouth?? Good luck.....

We have a Volvo Estate 480 (boxy but good, very Dulwich housewife I know), and it has a very clever pull down booster seat in the middle of the back seat....it can be an arm rest like most cars have, but also has a back rest that you can flip up, and then the seat bit goes wider to accommodate a childs bottom! 3 proper 3 point rear seat belts too. So, normally I have C's rear facing to age 3 seat one side and O's 5 year old booster seat with back rest the other side, but when needed I can flip down the 3rd seat and fit another child in the back without any hassle at all. Actually there is usually quite a bit of negotiating as to who gets to sit on the 'secret or magic seat' as it gets called as they all love it.

Try card shop near Celestial - think that's your best bet. Xx

Hi Ruth, I think you have to have a baby under 6 months to sign up. Re blood transfusions, they do blood tests before you can be a donor, maybe just need to know for the record when you had transfusions & not recent etc??

I loved the Brierley & can't recommend them highly enough. Two years on I'm still in contact with the midwives who were present at Cs birth & one of them popped in for a visit at Christmas with her hubby!

Hi ClareC, I think unless you are drinking every single day it would be fine - just dont express/donate on the day after you've had a drink. I will try to check for you. Best to speak to the ladies who run the unit.

Jasmina I had my second with the Brierley & my friend had both hers with them. I can't recommend them highly enough, I've even heard of midwives staying on duty after their shift at times, they are an incredible team. I'm still friends with the two midwives who delivered C 2 years ago and one of them, despite moving up north popped in over Christmas for a drink as she was in the area!

Ruth, I thought Wayne was fab too, he seemed so calm & totally 'got' what he needed to do & say at every stage.