snowboarder

Where is Bookstart? I was thinking of trying to go to whippersnappers (?never been) but it starts at 10....early for us!

I know I have no place on this thread(!)...but....a word of warning! You can do all of the above 'good' things, have routine etc etc and they still may not sleep.....or like one friend do all the 'wrong' things and yet after the last feed to sleep at 7pm you don't see her little ones again until 7am - and she has done nothing!! Luck, to some extent, I reckon. And someone once told me you only get what you can cope with (I'm not sure whether I found that reassuring or not!!!).

I watched the last episode last night - oh my word... The programme generally makes me feel TOTALLY horrified at the thought of going through labour in hospital - looks so awful. I had a lovely home birth planned this time last year - then it all went wrong with a couple of weeks to go and pretty much ended up being told to have a c section. I REALLY want to have a natural birth next time - but hate the thought of being in hospital!!! Can you have home births after having had a c section? As others have said - none of the women really seem to be having a very positive experience (apart from end result, obv) or be in the 'zone' at all.

oops sorry wrong place...

Bumpy - yes keep going - you need to do it regularly and then your milk supply will adjust - and I think there's a thread on here about doing it when you're relaxed etc - however I can remember doing it stading at my kitchen table whilst eating toast.....I also used to try to do it at first after a feed as I was paranoid would express all my milk then none left for baby (would have been true as he never took the precious stuff from a bottle!!) Also - putting aside any debate re Gina Ford's philosophies - quite useful things in her book re expressing - she's very into it...

ko - I know - he can't seem to get back to sleep by himself - but how to teach him?!? He's tricky - picky about what will eat, won't take a bottle, bit big for a dummy I think and anyway constantly sucks his thumb (another 'baddie'!!). On the plus side he's very energetic, speed crawls around the house in hot pursuit of our cats, nearly walking and getting more fun by day...it's just nights that are bad!

Lard- Daytime sleep - 2 or 3 naps - total usually about 1.5-2 hrs. There's NO WAY he could have just one nap - but when it's three it is annoying. Supper - well I try to get him to eat as much as poss!! But he won't eat porridge (or anything 'sloppy' that need to eat really with a spoon) and won't take a bottle! So it's usually something with toast, smoothie or yoghurt and some fruit. And then breastfeed before bed....so the bad nights are probably due to the last of your reasons!! Made husband read this last night and he got up with babySB this morning and I got a lie in UNTIL 8AM!!

EDMummy yes - I totally struggle to get vegetables down babySB - the spoon denial comes with a strong will! And it is still after 4 months EXTREMELY messy. But that is mostly because my baby throws so much on the floor (again - testing little character!) ON PURPOSE!! Oh that I could just occasionally spoonfeed him a jar of hipp organic!! ps - I am finding those pouches are my friend!! Ellas etc - and you can get yoghurts in pouches in sainsburys - yay - I thought I'd never get yoghurt down him!!!

Thank you all again. Yep am investigating the night nannies but sceptical re the controlled cryin solution that they do seem to employ - albeit tailored to your baby - maybe if we could agree a gentler approach sim to night-weaning in F's article...ANyway - an option. Lovely lovely to think it could be possible to ask someone to take babySB - you know though during the day I feel fine - I just DREAD and hate 10pm onwards! Anyone fancy a little one for a sleepover!!!!!

And baby snowboarder won't have anyhting to do with mush or even let you come near him with a spoon! There's def been threads on this in the past if you do a search...

Swimming at the slightly hideous but prob good for kids K2 centre in Crawley?

Umm yes I get out of bed and pad downstairs to babySB's room. Cold and not conducive to good nights sleep!! Mostly I am relatively philosophical about it (or try to be!) but also get these moments where I think OH NO this can't go on! Moos thank you for lovely comments....isn't it funny how much forum support there is where sometimes there is not so much in 'real' life. The nightweaning process - sounds hard hard hard but seems good combination of gentle approach mixed with a bit of tough love. He does emphasise they should be over 12 months though....

Thanks for all the advice. Will sit and think properly once the monster has gone to bed tonight - we do at least get an evening to ourselves at the moment! Bobbaz - I think controlled crying is tricky and really really depends on your baby's character. I've basically spent the last 10 months trying to calm babySB who cried A LOT in the early days and has not been easy....now he's actually pretty good during the day and quite a happy little character. But he can cry for 2 hours plus in the car. I both don't think it will work, and I also think I've spent this long trying to NOT let him cry, so it would be v confusing now to start leaving him to do just that... I am assured it can have results though... Fuschia - you are amazing at being sure that your way is the best for you and your babies. I am so easily swayed and do feel that am rubbish mum because he doesn't sleep 'properly'. MrSB is currently working late into the small hours so tricky to get him to help...but yes when we did that a bit before christmas things did get a little better.

I tried not to feed him last night (for about half an hour at first wake) and he got hysterical. It's not so much that he wakes, I understand the theories (i think!) but it's the number and frequency of wakes and the fact it takes pretty much half an hour at least to resettle. Eg - (although hate listing it as sounds a bit like boasting!!) last night he woke at 11, 1.30, 2.30 and 4.30 and then 6am for the day. A pretty bad night but not exceptional. It's too much on me and he's cranky...(we don't co-sleep - to wriggly and he thinks it's play time!). Oh. 2.5 yrs. Will have look at links Fuschia thenkyou!

Just a general moan really - sorry I know we've been here before - just for some light relief amongst the midwife posts... It seems that with each developmental 'stage' where sleep is supposed to improve, babySB bucks the trend and things just get harder!! Solids = no effect. Now hyper crawling and cruising = more awake at night and harder to settle than ever. I'm wondering whether we just need to grit our teeth and stop all nighttime breastfeeding....but my hunch is he's not waking for food, he just wakes. And b/f helps him settle (a little bit). Anyone got any success stories (I'm thinking on the lines of 'my baby hit 11 months and suddenly slept well'!) to help me keep positive? And I just can't get him to settle himself, so think we are just never going to sort this out. Just awful - newborn babies sleep better than babySB and I haven't slept properly in 10 months now. Tea and sympathy needed! (and pro plus...)....

Sleepy Nico looks nice too! basically love the joey sling pattern but can't be faffed with mai tai (totally rubbish at tying knots!) and the ergo seems a bit flimsy/boring in black..... Anyone any views on soft structured carriers at all?

It's on the planner I'm watching the SNOWBOARDING!!!!

Marax75 - we will probably be too late for you as probably looking in the autumn - BUT - this is exactly the sort of thing I would like to do - a kind of pay as you go nanny share!

I like the look of 'em. Any good? (Promise will sell ergo and poss joey sling mai tai to finance...)

I'm not sure we're ready for diddydancing...only just crawling really!! Hmm still nothing for tomorrow. Leapers times don't really work for us. Will be lapping lordship lane trying to avoid spending money in whitestuff and jojos....

Anyone know? Usual activities (sing and sign, swmimming etc) all off because half term - but this means very little to us and we'll be bored!! Something in mornings for 10 month old and tea for me needed...

Not me sorry..next time...baby sleeping too badly to even think about getting out of the house in the evenings atm!

I'm currently coming round to the fact I might want/need to get back into work post baby - probably in a couple of months. A long story but maybe not my old job although that option is open to me. I've been thinking about maybe looking for some freelance work so I can have more control of hours/workplace etc. But the work could be sporadic, especially at first. I was wondering whether anyone does this and has flexible childcare arrangements? I was thinking maybe a nanny share could work with maybe us committing to 1/2 days per week but maybe not always the same days. Does anyone do this? It's hard to really think practically as I don't want to start looking for freelance stuff and get all set up if childcare then becomes a deal breaker....

Ooh yes go to the baby show and try them all out!! I'll come...(second thoughts better not to save marriage...)

ps am sitting looking at my new buggy in the corner of the room. I used to feel this way about shoes.....