mrs f

Hey cornelia, I'm due mid march with no2, a few weeks before my 1st is two!

Nigella lawson has a few different recipes for almond based cakes. The choc orange is a favourite of ours as is the damp apple & almond. Both dairy & wheat free

Really boring question but is it possible to fit the old bee footmuff onto the bee plus? or is it only the universal one that fits the bee plus? thanks

You can go to private midwife led classes

I suffered from Croup most of my childhood & my little one has had it three times in a year, although each episode has got better as you say. We also ended up in a&e the 1 st time... Have you got a vapouriser? They are great, the steam really helps with the cough, we put oil in ours & put it on as soon as we hear the bark/cough. I vividly remember my parents coming in in the middle of the night putting my (candle lit!) one on. Carpol or Vicks too. I do believe it is one of those things you can be prone too annoyingly, I certainly was

Hey also check out http://www.mothers-meeting.com/

Defo rental too, to try them out too

Niether of the shops we went into had the navigator, I still really want to see it, and compare to the Dot FMM... that 2m in length isn't a big deal to me really... but if the seats are better it's prob worth the extra ??. I'd love to see them side by side, hopefully I'll find somewhere in the next few months as i have a little time. SB, Seriously, come back to ED, open a buggy shop, just sell buggies & accessories, like a bike shop, and have a good range, with your knowledge you would do a roaring trade round here and I wouldn't have to trek elsewhere to try and see a glimpse of a buggy!

Hey SB, we actually saw one today, although we didn't have the rampaging toddler with us so couldn't test the seat but I did like it, I can imagine the little one will be in the back seat more often.... The back seat is fairly small I agree tho there isn't any buggy that will ever do it all

I live in fear of my life come march, I'm not even half this organised with one!

can you not keep him back a year & start him in reception when he is five if you are really worried?

my basic understanding is that a nursery or day nursery is 'childcare' ( this is not to say they don't 'teach') and generally open longer for working hours etc pre-school (or nursery school?) is generally a shorter day say 9-3 and more set up to teach either in montessori method or more mainstream (if that's the term) I'm sure there is a better explanation out there!

SB - Just out of interest, what buggies have you currently got in your catalogue? I'm thinking that yes, the chameleon will have to go away.... it's too big to have both that and a double and two kids in the sitting room! So, I was thinking, I had initially thought of being able to use the single with buggy board or baby in sling combos for shorter journeys and then the double for bigger outings but realistically that isn't going to work with something that doesn't fold down really small and can fit perhaps in the boot or somewhere else I can find to stash it but at the same time, we will go back to a time when we need a single buggy again, when C is old enough so it would be good to have something we can use then, I'm not convinced that a p&t in singles mode is what I'm going to want to use... Oh and I looked up the Icandy and oyster max but don't like either... hopefully makes the decision easier!

Hey not direct experience but my husbands niece is bilingual, she spoke Thai 1st as lived there, mum Thai & dad english but he spoke in both Thai & English. When she was 3 or so she spoke only Thai although she did understand English too. She then started at English school & her dad started speaking only English to her & that became the dominant language... So I'm sure it's in there & with a bit of encouragement will come through. Lucky kids, I wish I was bilingual!

Thanks SB, Yes another spring baby! Just shy of 2 year gap-eek! Oh god more buggies, I was only just getting my head round the choice between the navigator & the dot!! I like the sound of small! We have a super narrow hall where you can't fit a buggy & already have a chameleon clogging up the sittingroom... So where is the best place to test drive them all John Lewis or somewhere else?? Have you considered opening a buggy shop? Seriously...

Snowboarder, you are going to have to have more kids so you can keep your buggy knowledge up for the clueless forum members ;-) Thanks both, great to hear a direct comparison Fmm... It's so hard to tell from the website but I was swayed by the size & price of the dot, but will give the navigator a good look too now I'm a while off needing one but thought if I knew what I wanted I could look out for it 2nd hand... Although not sure Many people will be up for selling theirs by feb seeing how new they are Next step is a John Lewis trip I think to test drive them

Thanks Fmm I was wondering if anyone had the navigator or the Dot (they look fairly similar to my non expert eye) Not a big issue but the p&t website shows the carseat on in the doubles mode but you didn't think you could? Anyone else got the dot Or navigator & got any comments??? Anyone fancy lining up a customer for feb time !?

Thanks for the offer Belle, I've just got a cotbed from the forum for him & I'm going to swap him into that & pack his cot up for no 2 as they will be shoved in the over crowded spare room/office so need a small cot!

Thanks. That was my initial feeling to keep him contained for as long as possible, I just got thrown a bit as am expecting no 2 when the lil one is 2 so didnt want to combine moving him with that potentially stressful time.... Keep the stories coming tho, a friend thought moving earlier was easier as they were less likely to get out but I wasn't convinced....

Hi, I'm sure there are other threads on this but I can't seem to find them so I apologise if this has been discussed before but How do I know when to move my little one (17m) into a bed? He currently tries to climb INTO his cot but not out and loves spending time in there reading etc whilst I do other things but he also loves getting toys in and out etc. The other week I took the side off for the afternoon as he was demanding I sat there whilst he was in the cot and got him books. He was delighted he could get in and out and spent an hour and a half doing this which is very rare for his levels of concentration. He is really into snuggling down and I'm thinking perhaps catch this enthusiasm for bed now and swap him sooner rather than later before he gets more into escaping out of bed? or will I regret this as soon as he can get out and keep him contained for as long as possible? Thanks

Defo home cooked food! neither me or mrf had any energy to cook but you can't live of microwave food... especially if bfeeding My mum also went shopping for us and did cleaning etc.... essentials for keeping us going in the early days I was so over people buying us clothes, toys etc (really ungrateful I know, but i'm super fussy and we got a lot of crap!) spend your money on one nice thing that will be a treat for them / the baby or get them vouchers - even better, as the things you need never stop coming.

try different cups and bottles... you never know if all else fails then just feed first thing and at bedtime if your work schedule allows... he is prob only having one other feed a day by that point which they will take when you aren't there... or if they miss it it won't be a big deal then when they are over one go cold turkey with cup/bottle whatever as if they don't drink it it's no big deal... that is what we did anyway... you might not be able to / want to feed for so long..

I can't advise on draining it as that was defo hubbys duty, I think he used buckets due to the "debris" which would have clogged the hose, when there was only a little water left he dragged it into the garden to empty & clean (ready for no 2) We did use the hose to drain when we tested it tho & it worked fine just took a while

Jojobaby. No one asked your opinion on home births, this is not a debate someone is asking for advice. You do not know this person and your point of view is irrelevant. Why even read this thread? Duchessofdulwich, yes, I'd test the pool out for the reasons others have stated, good to know the hose etc work. My midwives & husband ended up taking buckets of water out & keeping the temp consistent as I was in mine a long while so good to have buckets etc prepared too. I actually left mine blown up so it just had to filled up on the day. Good luck, my home birth was great, I wouldn't have had it any other way & am planning no 2 the same way, I was in the pool for hours as it was so good! I hope it all goes well for you X

This actually made me laugh out loud "Me too. In fact, I'm doing it now. The older generation call it 'making a rod for your own back'. I call it 'the only way to watch trash telly in peace'. " I fed my son just before putting him to bed until we gave up bfeeding at 14months, sometimes he went to sleep and others he didn't. Also if he woke in the night ill or teething I'd more often than not feed him back to sleep as it was very quick! he is now 16m and get's annoyed with me if I try to get him out of his cot to give him calpol & a cuddle when he is teething! And there is no way in hell he would fall asleep on me now