Bellenden Belle

LauraHW - it's been more than a year for me so my memory may be a little rusty. BUT I remember well the six week growth spurt. I was the last in my antenatal group by some distance which was an absolute blessing as I watched all of them go through it so I knew what was coming. Being ready didn't help though - it was still tough! Baby Belle just wanted to feed all the time. But it does pass. I would just make sure she's not hungry - you wouldn't believe how much my one fed during a growth spurt. Also - it could well be the heat - my little one is a great sleeper but has had trouble settling for the first time in a year this week. My work colleague (whose baby is much younger and also a great sleeper) is reporting exactly the same.

Thinking about this in the last twenty years I've lost track of how many different employers, houses, even boys I've had. I'm fickle and contrary - it's just the way I am. And yet through it all I've read the Guardian. Don't know why I started - I come from a Sun/ Daily Mail reading family. But it's been a constant and so probably does define me in a certain way. It irritates me sometimes, bores me even - but when I flirt with other papers I always miss it. I always check out what people are reading and I always feel slightly more comfortable when I see a guardian tucked under the arm. It's secret code for 'I'm a bleeding heart liberal who enjoys an organic crust too" and quite frankly I might as well embrace it, because after all these years it's the one certainty.

Saw Cripple this evening... Was anyone else bemused/ irritated by the audience clapping at the end of every scene? Jaysus - it's a play not a pop concert. At one point they applauded after someone had received the beating of their life. Eejits. Good play though.

http://hopscotch-online.com/ This is a brilliant "what to do in London every weekend with kids" resource. It often throws up hidden gems - highly recommend signing up to their weekly newsletter.

That's so interesting Buggie about andrenaline. Even with Baby Belle that's really clear to see - he can be tired all day, but perks up no end and is full of beans at six ish. Daddy often does fifteen minutes of "wrestle time" - very physical, lots of running about, swinging him about, exhausting him (and daddy to be honest). We do that before we start any bedtime routine... gets it all out of the system.

http://www.izzysmum.co.uk/p/MV-SDTW/sophia-nursing-dress/#.UdCFOL-9Kc0 I loved this dress that I got last year. And I must confess I have even worn it post- breastfeeding.

In defence of EDmummy, my reading of the original post was that the OP thought it was only 5/10 mins so she would 'sort it out later', implying she would let her child cry and comfort her when she arrived at the doctors. So EDmummy was possibly right in her assumption. "Can we not cut each other some slack?" Erm, yes - but is there no room for an honest response? Just because we're mums does that mean nothing ever goes unchallenged but instead we all chorus our approval of each other? Us against the rest of the world, right?

Just saw this today - seen a lot of children's theatre and this was really one of the very best. Wonderful songs, actors, and a small intimate theatre which I think is really important for little ones. Not to be confused with the West End version which has just opened. It's direct on the overground to Highbury and Islington too and highbury park has a great playground by its entrance if you want to make a day of it. It's on until mid July.

Six/ seven months - Baby Belle was in his own room. Went down at 7pm, slept until dream feed at 10pm, but usually woke at 4am for a feed. We dropped the dream feed very soon after this time, however the 4am wake remained until around nine months. Other half always shared the duties - including getting out of bed and fetching Baby Belle in the early hours from his room so I could feed him in our bed (we swung wildly between co-sleeping from 4am onwards and keeping him in his own room).

There's a shop in Hern Hill, two doors down from the Oxfam bookshop that does exactly that. Haven't used them so don't no any further details.

We live softplay - we've been going since Baby belle was about a year. Museum of London Docklands is our favourite - it's usually quiet, it's free, and it has a height restriction which means it is usually only open to those under three - other soft centres can be overrun with older children (probably more scary for mum than baby!) We also like softplay at The National Army Museum in Chelsea - ?2.50 but you have to book in advance (tickets on sale a week before) and sessions sell out fast! And the Science Museum is not softplay but has some brilliant areas - we love the garden in the basement, which has textured walls, great for babies to feel as they walk, a water area (bring spare clothes) giant soft lego area, and playmats. We spent three hours there this week. All of the above are easy to get to with a buggy on public transport.we always make a day of it!

Yep, I have been before - and had "interesting" experiences there. Crazy queues and yes, lots of irate mums. But let's face it its catchment area suggests those parents may have a whole lot more on their plates than you and me. I stay because I really, really like the two doctors I see there. They listen, they have a conversation, they're excellent in my opinion. But the receptionist was wrong and yes, the baby clinic is 1.30pm, not 2pm.

So the health visitor said 1.30pm, and my doctor's receptionist said 2pm. Anyone been recently that can confirm - half an hour with a little one can make a big difference!

http://www.naturalnursery.co.uk/ergo-baby-carriers/ergo-sucking-pads.html

If your child likes singing then Bea's Baby Bop is great - lots of lovely songs (including some you may not know) and the chance to play with instruments. Bea is great too. http://www.beasbabybop.com/Home.html

We did Sing and Sign when my little one was seven months. He just didn't have the concentration levels and I think compared to Baby Sensory and other classes we did there was a fair bit of sitting and listening. Others in the class loved it though. Now at 15 months I can see he would probably get a lot more out of it. So I really do think it depends on the child - I was so keen to do it I didn't do a trial class and looking back I think that was a mistake, so take advantage of a trial lesson if you can.

Pot and pans from the kitchen and a wooden spoon. Throw in a few potatoes and some plastic bricks and you have hours of stirring and noisy clanging ahead of you. Xylophone also a hit. If you've got a garden try making a sandbox - just a plastic storage box filled with sand (2.99 for 10k I think from Argos. Or give her a grobag of compost and some plastic potting pots and a small hand held shovel. Or finger painting with home made paint. I got nearly all these ideas from an amazing website called www.theimaginationtree.com I think there is more doing and pretending to copy grown ups than playing with toys at this age. And mess. A lot more mess!

Lots of toys, particularly musical instruments - the trick for us is to produce them one at a time, a steady stream of small things for little hands to explore. We find our little one also enjoys music - particularly if one of you is prepared to be a bit silly and sing along, preferably with head banging! But for any length of time we do nap times or drive after his bedtime.

srisky Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Having a cleaner creates it's own list of chores - > I spend the previous night/that morning tidying so > the cleaner can clean later that day. Is that > normal?? I could have written that paragraph. I drive the other half NUTS with my incessanttidying before the cleaner arrives. But as I say every week (and said before having a child was even a thought)- I am not paying them to tidy!!!! But in a way I need that deadline it else things would get really out of hand. I think I was curiously more relaxed about living in chaos before kids - is this just further evidence I'm turning into my Mother?

Many thanks to everyone for your replies. I went to the doctors yesterday and he said that whilst they could test for food allergies when they're young through blood tests, testing for dog / cat allergies requires a skin test and shouldn't be carried out until they're at least two years old, or even older. So it's another round of antibiotics and more piriton for us. Poor lamb.

Does anyone have any experience of this? Has anyone had any tests to confirm dog / pet allergies in young children - either on the NHS or privately. I ask because after seven months of Baby Belle-Carnell having the most awful hacking cough at night I am starting to fear he is allergic to his grandparents' dog (they look after him two days a week including overnight). Any advice very welcome.

I have a couple of friends who use them and swear by them - one has twins and used them with success even in the early days. That said, they're pricey if you don't intend to use them regularly.

Soft play is fantastic. Personally I don't like Peckham Pulse for little ones - I always head to the Museum of London in the Docklands where limited numbers mean little crawlers can grow in confidence without big kids around. I also found the vast expanse of nothingness that is the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern just brilliant for letting him crawl for ages. Also - if you can, try getting hold of one of those walkers with bricks. But here's the trick - take it to the park. Mine got very frustrated walking with it at home where he kept bumping into things and having to stop. Instead now, he happily pushes it over the fields, through the mud, for a good hour - and it absolutely exhausts him. (ps. did anyone else think this thread was about nits or was that just me!)

I don't have any real answers to your questions - only my own experience to share. My little one started nursery at 13 months. He was hysterical. Inconsolable. Would shake as soon as he saw the nursery door. Yet the reality was that once we were out of sight, he settled almost immediately - we know this because on separate occasions both daddy I would creep back and spy on him. He would also burst into tears as soon as we arrived to pick him up. Though curiously - he would only cry if it was the same person doing the pick up and drop off - as if it was the memory of being left that made him cry. Six weeks on, he now waves hello to his nursery staff and leaves us behind without a backward glance. Talk to the nursery, particularly his key worker - make sure you are happy that they are going to give him attention and cuddles at the start. Be brave. Always say goodbye. But persevere. Good luck!

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,751992,752140#msg-752140 This thread may or may not be of interest - I think if you ignore the rather provocative title line, you'll discover that basically the music test is designed to discover a child's natural ability and is not something that necessarily needs to be prepared for.