The Nappy Lady

Oh and she knows me as Amanda not Molly if you refer to how you came to hear of me....sorry, double identity can be very confusing I know! M

Brilliant! Feel free to email her with contact details and she will arrange to visit you. Thank you. Molly

I have a Pacapod and a Skip Hop (which hubby uses) if you want to come and compare. I've found the Pacapod very good I have to say. Molly

Hi all, This post is on behalf of Anna Caffrey, a lovely American lady I met this week. She is a student researcher (and qualified Doula) in the Dept of Anthropology, University College London and is keen to talk to people who have had positive birth experiences as part of her MSc dissertation and future publications. All involvement is anonymous and Anna will come to you for a very informal chat, I really enjoyed it. Anna would like to dispel some of the myths around childbirth and to focus on what a positive experience it can be. She said many studies focus on the pain and negative sides of it and she wants to do something different, which may also help women in the future. If you'd like to be involved please email [email protected]

Was funny last year on holiday, would by relaxing on the sub lounger topless and 10 month old would just crawl up and help herself - cheeky madam thought it was great! Candj - was the soundproof box in the church provided expressly for children???!! Can I get one fitted at home ;-) Molly

Whilst walking around the shops in all sorts of places - Oxford Street, Kings Rd and in Matlock when visiting my Mum - was on a Zebra crossing and glanced up to see a slightly bemused lorry driver bless him. Oh and whilst watching older daughter in school assembly - which felt very weired due to 8/9 year old boys also watching, probably the most 'uncomfortable' I have ever felt but needed to keep little one quiet and didn't want to miss my big girls moment so had to tough it out! Molly

It is lovely but water very cold, our 20 month old didn't like it at all even with her baby wet suit/body warmer on. They used to set a paddling pool up for the littlies but don't seem to do it any more :-( We cycled there last time - got rid of the whole parking nightmare and quite a nice easy ride from ED. Was thinking of going to Ruskin Park paddling pool in the morning - anyone interested? Molly

I have to take Piriton for a cat allergy and hay fever and have done so during both pregnancies and breast feeding. It's fine, don't worry. Molly x

As others have said, it depends a bit on the child. No1 never bothered with cupboards, No2 did so I too left the Tupperware one open and locked others. If you have the right handles then elastic bands can be enough to keep them out! Never did socket covers as they never bothered with them. Could just be me, but boys seem more prone to dangerous experimentation and mischief than girls! Molly

We have a half width one and you can't fit much in it surprisingly, what with the sloping top and inner hinges. I'd say go full size if you get one, and keep an eye out on here as the do come up on the main classifieds bit. Be quick though - they go fast. If possible only put on the car when you have to as it is amazing how much more fuel you use with it on top. Molly

Amy, I'd put cats in a cattery for a week or two. Deep clean the house and see what happens. I am allergic to cats and after a bad reaction it can take a few days for symptoms to totally go. If he stops sniffling whilst cats are away but is bad again when they return I'd say that's your answer. I react within minutes of setting foot inside a house with cats (even if they aren't there). Hope it proves to be something else, poor you. Molly

If it is a 'security' issue around having the nappy on try cutting a hole in a disposable and see if she will then sit on the loo or potty and go....after a while she should then be OK with loosing the 'posie and just going for it. Phobias about pooing without a nappy on are very common and we often find this approach solves it, so may work on a more general basis too. Also, as you said she's quite fastidious, you could try putting a flannel inside her nappies (assuming she is in disposables here), so she is more aware of the feeling of being wet. That may well help her to see the benefits of using the potty instead. But, do also agree with others, if she is getting very upset or distressed then much better to leave it. When they are truly 'ready' most children are very easy to train, and it usually takes only a day or two. Much better than going through days or weeks of upset. Good luck :)) Molly

poppylucky Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I wonder if there are > any other exotic type birds breeding here in > London? There are Poppy, they mostly dress like wags and push Bugaboos! Tee hee, Molly

Probably not, WMTD, based on how people react to Gina Ford and other parenting books. I think parenting is such a personal thing, my view has always been to take a bit of everything - i.e. the bits I like and feel comfortable with from many different sources. Molly

Must say I quite enjoy them, they are so bright and have a lot of 'character' - would rather see them than starlings or pigeons it has to be said. But, it is worrying to think they may be affecting some of our other indigenous species, and I know they are causing fruit farmers all kinds of problems. There was an interesting documentary about them on BBC2 a few months ago, explaining the variuos theories behind how they came to be loose in the UK, though no one knows for sure of course. Molly

P.S. Google Cheeky Wipes for the 'posh version' of these..very nice and popular with non cloth nappy users. Molly

Washable wipes are basically mini flannels, they effectively 'grab' the poo and get it off, and baby gets a proper flannel wash clean bottom at each change. I only used warm water for the first month then switch to homemade wash solution which the wipes sit in in a Tupperware by the change mat ready to use - cold camomile tea, 3 drops lavender oil and a tablespoon olive oil - natural, chemical free and moisturising. Leaves slightly damp bottom but no need to dry off. All for ?7.50 for 36 wipes versus ?400 over 3 years for wet wipes, which I too find perform badly by comparison. If squeamish about the poo I'd still use washable wipes for wee nappies and wash them in with clothes etc as nothing dreadful about those - just have a clean and dirty wipes box by the change mat. Molly

It is a really nasty bug - I've heard of it hanging around for up to a month - it can come and go which is really frustrating and depressing. My advice would be to get some pro biotics from Health Matters - the really expensive ones that they keep in the fridge, and stick to no dairy and starchy food like plain mashed potaoes or boiled rice for a few days. It is really boring, but it is the best way to shift it once and for all. Molly

Hi, We had a similar problem with our oldest, who was dry by day at 2, but not at night until 3.5. She was keen to be nappy free at night, but was prone to the odd accident. What I did was get some of the Leigland Bed Protectors - they are rubber but with cotton bonded on both sides so lovely to use, not noisy, sweaty or generally uncomfortable like so many bed protectors are. You can get them from The Nappy Lady (accessories but of the website), but I'm sure if you search on line other places do them to. I got one that was the same size as the single bed, which I used to completely cover the mattress, then I put a top sheet on, then my daughter would sleep happily directly on another of the bed protectors, which was just under half the size of the mattress, and we positioned it so it was under her bottom basically. It stayed in place fine, and if she wet the bed she would get out, pull it out herself, take off her wet PJs and go back to sleep all by herself - allowing her to feel like a 'big girl' and not making a big thing of the accident - in the morning I could just whip the sheet away and wash it. Actually I had 2 that size so I could easily replace whilst the other was washing and drying. I suspect the Huggies type mats wouldn't stay in place if he is lying directly on them, as they will tend to runkle up and move around. You can also get washable trainer pants if interested - Motherease do one that will hold a full wee but no more - so if he is only tending to wee now and again that may be enough for him. They also do a full on nappy called Motherease Bedwetters which are for older children to wear at night, but all in one so they can pull up and down if they do get up to go to the loo - that's why my daughter wore in the end just before stopping nappies all together. Hope some of this helps, and good luck. I think if I were you I would keep trying, but if accidents become regular and/or he is getting very upset by it all then try to persuade him to leave it for a couple of months and try again. We decided for our daughter the issue was she was such a heavy sleeper (went 12 hours from around 10 weeks old) that she just didn't wake in the night to 'feel' that she needed to go - and eventually was dry all night, but not waking up fast enough in the morning to catch herself from doing that first wee of the day in the bed. Eventually I guess she just gained more control as she got older and finally we cracked it, but it felt like a very long time - never expected it to be so long. Molly

Yes, I was worried about that but seem to have been given quite a lot for free in previous weeks (which we were merrily giving away to boys at school pre having the album....sigh). Bet I never see another free one again, maybe I will let it fall down the back of the bookcase....whoops!

Eldest daughter has been given a sticker album, where do you get the stickers? Think I was given some the other day at a supermarket but no idea which one!! Am willing to support this obsession as some of the players are fairly dishy and I reckon it's good to be 'up' on these things.... Molly

My monthly cloth nappy drop in session is this Friday, 18th June between 10 & 11.30am at the Ivydale Childrens Centre, entrance on Bellwood Road in Nunhead. For anyone not able to make it there will be another one on the 16th July, but then nothing until September due to summer holidays. This is a great session to come along to if you are interested in using cloth nappies, or needing help with a system you already have, advice on accessories or whatever - please feel free to come along and I will do my best to help you. Although I have officially retired as a Nappy Lady I will be continuing these drop in sessions for the foreseeable future and as always this is a totally free, no obligation service without any sales pressure. Best wishes, Molly

No logic to it at all as far as I can see, but they seem to love doing this sort of thing. Heaven forbid they actually make any improvements to the road system to make life easier for drivers. Sigh.

Road still closed now - incident response unit taking photos, guess it will be at least another 30 mins to an hour before things get back to normal. How awful for all those involved. Molly

Ah sorry, just read OP again and see it is only at the other end that you need the seat. Yes, worth seeing if they can sort it for you, if not I would take your own one.