The Nappy Lady

My first daughter hated cows milk (like her dad) & had very little - only in sauces etc really never as a drink, so I was throwing out loads of full fat milk that was going off before I could use it. I asked a doctor who said it was OK to give her semi skimmed based on the rest of her diet, she was also breast fed to 16 months. Daughter 2 a milkaholic so got through masses of full fat this time & strangely the older one, now six likes it too - typical!

Yes, think they all have waiting lists around here, but if only 1 day a week & flexible you may get a place right away. Dont know re schools, sorry.

(Heck, she's already asked what > what tampons are for....how the hell do you > explain that one, in a fluffy pink way???!!!) LOL nunheadmum - when DD2 arrived and I was still using sanitary pads post birth my then 4 year old called them 'Mummy's nappies' which made me feel really good about myself obviously. :-$

Personally I think much better to talk about it. I grew up on a farm, and the concept of life and death was always very much a part of my life as we would hatch chicks, ducklings and goslings in the spring, plus I'd see goats born etc. and equally I'd see some of our older animals die. I can remember being sad and crying, and being cuddled and comforted by my parents, but I feel it was a really positive way to grow up. Our 6 year old has had phases of asking questions about death, and actually waved my Mum off a couple of years in floods of tears tears saying "I'm sad because you're old and you're going to die soon" - which bizarrely made us all laugh, but brought tears to my eyes all at the same time! I sounds a bit grim, but living so close to Nunhead Cemetary we often walk our dog in there, and this has at times instigated a few conversations about death, and actually there is 1 grave we regularly visit, and we sit and talk about that person and how we feel/what we remember about them. We've been doing that since she was 3 years old. If you can hold on to the concept that death is simply part of the 'circle of life', and as Saila's boss said - something that comes to us all eventually I think it helps a lot. I treat it the same as the 'how are babies made' questions - tell them just enough to satisfy them, without going into too much detail. I think children really pick up on our discomfort, and also know when we are trying to avoid an issue, which only makes them more curious. Often a very short and simply reply is enough for them, and the subject goes away then for a good while. It isn't easy, but I hope this helps, and I don't think there is anything wrong with saying what you did about it not happing until we're very old (or for a long, long time etc) to a child of that age because of course you want to reassure her at the same time as explaining the concept. The wider issues and explanations cane come later.

If you don't mind which day of the week you should find a place more easily - for example many parents work Mon-Thurs so I think Friday can be a likely day when they may have space. There are plenty of independent nurseries in this area to look at, but they do vary so you need to visit to decide if you like the feel of the place. Have you considered a Childminder? Personally I much prefer them for children under 2 as more of a home from home feel. Again, as youonly want 1 day a week you may well get lucky and just slot in somewhere. Good luck.

Hi Huggers, Do you know what make and size they are? They should still be OK as long as the waterproofing hasn't perished. Do you ever come along to the Family Room drinks? I'd be happy to take a look and try to identify them for you if you like!! If not I'm sure you'd find a home for them via the classified section. An easy way to test whether they are waterproof is to soak a tea towel and wrap it up in the waterproof cover, make sure there are no openings on the bottom and stand it on a dry towel overnight with a weight on top. If the wetness is still all contained in the morning the covers are still OK! Molly

Just a quick reminder of this event tomorrow.

As a doctor said to me - if you had severe toothache & I gave you Paracetamol you'd be fairly unimpressed! When I know it's teeth I have no issue with dozing the poor things up. Tricky when you're not sure though.

Sympathy - I had same thing on & off from January until about a month ago. You're doing right to leave him, I finally did the same or just went in & said it's too early go back to sleep & the time has improved - now 7am usually .....at last, but only in past month I'm afraid. I hated those 5am starts with a vengeance.

Cot bumpers????

No worries, can do each time if you like, only takes a moment. Didn't spot the resources tab - apologies.

Good point about tiredness gwod - I really noticed the difference between being pregnant/having a baby at 35, and doing it again at 39, almost 40. I was waaaay too tired to celebrate my 40th and got really fed up with people asking me what I was going to do - SLEEP was all I wanted at that point! Plus, DD1 slept through the night at 10 weeks old pretty consistently, where as DD2 only just now, at 23 months goes 7.30pm to 7am....in that respect it has been the hardest 2 years of my life (though I know others have had it a LOT worse).

Heidi, I've turned it into a .pdf which you should be OK to open...try this. Molly

DD1 was long but slim and was in the cot until 2.5 years old, then went into a regular single bed. DD2 is 2 next month and still fine in the cot. They do start to look big in a cot, especially with a roomy sleeping bag, but I'd still keep them in there until 2.5 if you can.

That new Bugaboo looks fab - think the front wheels are bigger than on their single buggy which IMO will make it much better. Very clever idea re the shopping basket thing at the side - I was thinking at first 'how on earth would you fit a newborn in that' LOL.

snowboarder Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Given that baby no. 2 is due early next year (eek) > I am hoping a 23 month gap is just perfect in > every way.... Huge sigh of relief and mops brow that I no longer have to worry about letting the cat out of the bag ;-) Official congrats from me - and to Alieh too.

Fuschia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Mine is blue. OOps. Oh, I like them in that colour too then! ;-)

Love is magic, it just expands to encompass more children - I've heard others doubt whether they could love another child as much, but they always do of course. I'm so glad we've had a second as I feel it has 'knocked a few edges' of our daughter. Overall I'd say better to grow up with siblings around if at all possible for so many reasons.

I actually don't find them that offensive provided they are upholstered in cream fabric. Oh dear, I clearly have no sense of design. :-(

Others posts have reminded me' that we did find it hard going 'back'' to the toddler stage having moved on so much (the baby bit was fine) but going back to stairgates & cupboard locks etc felt hard. However it seemed to pass much faster because DD2 was so keen to catch up. Re playing together I haven't found the bigger gap an issue at all but baby toys gather dust whilst DD2 plays Barbies, dolls, hide & seek & Lego with her big sister!

Hi Fi, I don't think there is a right or wrong, all age gaps come with pros and cons. We wanted to have two close together but Mother Nature in her wisdom had other ideas and I ended up with a 4.25 year age gap between my girls. I have to say though that in the end I've found it to be a really good age gap for the following reasons; 1) Most of my Mummy friends from having my first baby had a 2 year age gap between children and then had a very hard year or two with a newborn and toddler 2) Whilst that was going on, despite some unhappy moments due to lack of baby 2 I was having a lovely time with DD1, swanning around and doing stuff that I wouldn't have dreamt of attempting with her plus a bump or tiny baby. I remember some of my friends being quite envious of our girly days out, going to places like the Princes Diana Memorial Playground etc. 3) When I did finally have a full term pregnancy again DD1 was at nursery 5 mornings a week, and generally good about walking, getting herself in and out of the car on her own etc. all a big help when you've got a bump to cope with. 4) Above also applied when baby arrived, and also 3 months after DD2 was born DD1 started full time school so I had all day at home with baby rather like being a first time Mum all over again but without all the scary bits! Got to sleep when baby did in the day too which helped a lot. Actually, it was fab! It also meant as DD2 got older I've been able to go to baby groups etc. with her without my older daughter getting bored. 5) I guess the biggest thing was that at 4 and 5 years old my eldest was old enough to discuss her feelings, understand a little more about a new baby arriving, and how this effects the family dynamics. I'm not saying it was a walk in the park at all times, but it was an awful lot easier than it would have been when she was 2. 6) Now with an almost 2 and a 6 year old, my 'big girl' is so good with her little sister (who dotes on her), and also helps in ways like encouraging her to eat up at meal time, use the potty etc. Simply because she wants to do everything her big sister does (and big sister understands I appreciate good behaviour being copied more than bad behaviour)!! I'm sure though that others will be able to list just as many reasons why a 1, 2, 3 or whatever age gap is perfect. So much depends on your family dynamic, and what your child/ren are like. Whatever the gap is I think you adjust and in the end it hopefully feels right for you, which is how it should be. Also, not meaning to put a downer on it all, but the hardest lesson I had to learn is never to set your heart on a certain gap because you never know what curve balls nature is going to throw you. Whenever I look at photos of my DD1's 1st birthday a little bit of me is reminded that I was 6 weeks pregnant at that moment....it wasn't meant to be, but if it had been then I'm sure I'd have been on here telling you how great 21/22 month age gap can be. Based on my experiences I'd say if you're over 35 don't hang about too long before trying for another, if you're in your 20's take your time and enjoy your lovely boy!

Oh yes - just remembered we bought a Godchild a first edition of George's Marvellous Medicine as a lovely gift which will also increase in value over the years if looked after (always look for a hardback complete with a dust jacket in good condition if you want to ensure long term value).

Myfirstday.co.uk do beautiful images of dawn on the date baby was born, framed or unframed. You can view them on line. I love the one our daughter was given, a gift we will always enjoy, and one I hope she will cherish in years to come.

Aha - thanks, was doing my on line food shop whilst watching so must have missed that! I think at that age experience would make up for any lack of schooling, assuming the parents would pick up reading, writing and some basic maths. If they come back to the UK at around 4 & 6 or even 5 & 7 they would be able to catch up quite easily, with a little bit of extra coaching if needed. Amazing re your relation's children, what a way to grow up. I'm sure they will always find work if they can speak that many languages.

I thought the youngest was 4 (still too young though I reckon), mind you, at the end it said they're not coming back to the UK until 2012 now, so I guess the boys will be a lot more grown up by then. It was lovely to see how the family dynamic changed over the course of the voyage. We've thought about doing it, but it's the 'when' that is tricky as we really want the children to remember it, but equally worry about a year out of school - if we went when our oldest is 10, youngest would be 6.......I guess going when the children are younger at least makes schooling less of a worry.