crystal7

Thanks again for the replies everyone! She likes most of the foods suggested...sometimes and only ever in small quantities! Just need to keep trying and stay calm- hard when she throws lovingly cooked food on the floor and just wants yogurt. Step mil tells me i'm encouraging her to be fussy- urgh! Ginag3 it's good to know i'm not alone- all my friend's babies are twice the size of my little one too! She also eats very little with the childminder 3 days per week. Thought this would improve as she settled in but mostly she'll eat yoghurt or ella's kitchen for lunch then be be really hungry that evening. She is otherwise happy there .

Thanks for the replies! She loves cheese grated and in cheese sauce- I worry about the salt content though, is it ok for her to eat it on everything?! She likes pasta but other carbs are a bit hit or miss. It's also difficult to get vegetables and fruit into her unless they're well hidden/pureed. When I think about what she eats over a week I feel like a bad mother! Not always 5 a day...

I have posted about this before so sorry if it seems like I'm repeating myself! My 14 month old has dropped from the 25th to the 0.4th centile in the last 8 months. She is a fussy, picky eater and it's difficult to find things she'll reliably eat. I saw my health visitor today who has referred her to a paediatrician. I feel that she's healthy, full of energy, meeting milestones etc. Her eating has improved in the last couple of months although the hv clearly didn't believe this as she weighs less than 17lbs... I was wondering if anyone else has been through something similar? And if so did your little one's weight gain ever pick up or did they just stay small (dainty my mum calls it!)? And those of you who have babies/toddlers that eat well any calorific meal ideas woud be most welcome! Many thanks!

I love my Cameleon (v generous gift from proud first time grandparents). I do lots of walking and it's so nice to push and steer, baby sleeps really well in it and we used it as a travel cot in the early days. It's fine on the bus and train (although not if you ever need to fold it up) and from what I've seen it's narrower than lots of other parent facing prams. But we did buy a Maclaren when I went back to work as my childminder doesn't have room to store it. I think we'll use the Cameleon until my daughter is a confident walker who wants to get out at somepoint on every trip then we'll use the Maclaren full time. If I were to do it again though I may consider the Bee (though my OH hates them) as it seems to do everything and be very small? Although I've heard for rougher roads they aren't so good whereas the Cameleon is ok (never tried proper off roading with it though, we use a sling or backpack for that)

Hello! I'd be up for that too. 8 at The Mag is good for me.

3 (GBG) but OH only wants 2 (we have 1 girl at the mo). Not sure who'll win...

The Bugaboo Cameleon has an extendable handle, is great for walkers and my OH runs around Dulwich Park with it. I've seen the Mountain Buggy Swift and they look great BUT not so good for the bus as 3 wheelers as they're longer they tend to stick out a bit if you know what I mean?

I was incredibly lucky and breastfeeding was great from the start but I did have some unhelpful/incorrect advice from my health visitor. When I told her my 3 month old took 5-10 min to feed, she immediately whipped out the scales saying she couldn't be gaining weight if that were the case- her weight was fine! The most helpful support I got was from the fabulous Oakwood midwives- did the hands-on things initially and before I was discharged discussed all sorts of things- growth spurts, night feeds and expressing which was very useful.

I got a list of registered childminders in SE22 and SE17 (where I work) from the council but ended up finding my (wonderful) childminder by placing an ad on this forum. I don't think you've left it too late for a childminder (or a nanny share?)- I found mine about a month before I was due back at work! Good luck!

I didn't do NCT classes for that reason (and the cost!). I met some fantastic people due about the same time as me through this forum- answered a post asking for pregnant friends. 15 months on we still see each other. I also did the NHS antenatal classes which were fairly useful and informative and I still see a few people I met from them. Having said that I have friends who did the Herne Hill NCT sessions and thought they were fab. Good luck with your pregnancy!

I agree with candj- let it hang out! Bumps are so much nicer than what's there afterwards!

It's a personal thing but I say have a surprise! I enjoyed the endless speculation 'oh you had morning sickness it's definitely a girl' your bump's so neat- a boy' 'your face is quite fat too isn't it..that means it's a girl' (?!) Also if I'd known I was having a girl I wouldn't have been able to stop myself buying little pink newborn dresses that would have been worn once.

I would definitely consider using a doula postnatally. I don't have any family locally and I remember the fear I felt waving my other half off to work with my 9 day old daughter in my arms...

Snowboarder my LO loves Dorling Kinderslep Peekaboo books- Baby Says Peekaboo, Beep Beep Peekaboo, Noisy Peekaboo. Gorgeous photos, flaps to lift, textures to feel. Agree with the above plus Helen Oxenbury- 10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes, Tickle, Tickle, We all fall Down. Tony Ross- I Want a Sister!

I'm a teacher too and I did visit 1 childminder who didn't charge for the holidays so they are out there. My (wonderful) childminder charges half in the school hols as a retainer. I'm happy to pay as it gives me the option of sending little one there if I need to. She has spaces too but lives in Walworth (very near my school) so maybe too far for you? PM me if interested.

I have a MacLaren Quest for commuting/trips away and it's great. Easy to fit on the bus, can be folded with baby in the other hand and leaves lots of boot space. It does feel a bit rattly and I wish it was parent facing. Still use Bugaboo Cameleon locally for 13 month old but it's a pain to fold up.

I didn't dare go near the scales after 28 weeks when I was weighed and had gained a stone and a half. I did use pregnancy as an excuse to stuff my face and I never got heart burn so coud carry on until the end! Like Molly I lost the first stone or so quickly the next half slowly and still have at least 7lb I'd like to loose. BUT I've made very little effort to do anything about it. No time for exercise and too much for coffee and cake I suppose! I don't find breastfeeding a great way of losing weight. It makes me hungry even with a 12 month old who only has 2 feeds per day.

I read the baby led weaning book and it made sense but I did a mixture of that and purees from 6 months. HH and Randomv it's surprising how quickly many babies (my daughter included)learn to eat solid food with 2 or no teeth. E was eating (very small) avocado sandwiches at 7 months. But I did worry that she wasn't getting enough as she has always eaten like a bird. Unfortunately purees made no difference to this and she's almost fallen off the bottom of the weight chart (another story). She completely refused to be spoonfed from about 9 months anyway (apart from yoghurt thank goodness). As others have said it depends on the baby. I have noticed that friends whose babies have been baby led weaned are, at a year ish, fantastic eaters- they can load the spoon and everything Snowboarder I completely agree. I found BLW almost as time consuming as pureeing. Steaming veg to just the right softness, finding pasta that fits into little hands and for me making food loaded with butter and cream that I try desparately not to eat once it's been thrown on the floor. Is it only me that thinks everything gets more difficult post weaning?!

Hello Polly D was going to say long time no see but... I'm also undecided about what to do. I'm inclined to leave a month between the 2, all at once seems like a lot for little E but that does mean putting her through 2 distressing experiences (yes I now I sound pathetic) rather than 1. My childminder's daughter had both at the same time and was very off-colour for the few days after the jabs but after that fine and she is a little dot too...

My OH 'directly' sucked the snot from E's nose during her first cold- urgh! I second what Belle said about the saline spray, I found it much easier than the drops.

Lots of sympathy to you Snowboarder. E was 1 last week and has never slept through the night. I have however started to wean her off the all night milk bar! This is mainly because I really want her to eat more in the day as her weight is so low. She used to wake up at 10, 1 and 4 every night so I sent OH in at 10 and he managed to settle her surprisingly quickly. We're now down to 1 night feed and hopefully wont be doing that forever, need to gather the energy to night wean completely! BUT guess what I've ended up doing instead of settling her with milk-?! Yep she comes into our bed at around 2am every morning. I went back to work last month and don't have the energy to be shushing and patting for hours when we have to be up had breakfast and out of the house by 7.30 am! So rubbish advice really but will keep you posted if I ever crack it!

We have a the phil and teds one. Expensive but is a full sized travel cot with a frame that folds up very small (we have a small car). Baby seems comfortable in it too.

My sympathies Jayd5. I had 'morning sickness' until I was about 18 weeks- horrible! I'm a teacher and was constantly running out of the classroom with my hand over my mouth much to the bemusement of my class! I lost about a stone in the first trimester. I went to see my GP who wasn't very sympathetic but did sign me off work for 2 weeks which heped. Found I felt much worse when tired. It stopped really suddenly and I felt brilliant for the rest of my pregnancy and went on to have a very healthy daughter. Also everyone said to me (including a midwife!) that this sort of sickness means you're having a girl- surely untrue?!

A vote for the Bugaboo Cameleon here. Although not exactly slimline we manage well in our 2 bed first floor flat (stays unfolded in the shared hallway, luckily we have a lovely downstairs neighbour). It's one of the smallest prams that lies completely flat and our nap-refusing daughter has always slept well in it (in both pram and pushchair modes). BUT is does take up quite a lot of boot space, ok if you're away for a weekend but a tight squeeze for a longer holiday (in our Golf anyway). For that reason we also have a Maclaren Quest which is fine but a bumpy ride if ground not completely flat!

My daughter has always eaten mashed up weetabix fro breakfast, It was the only time of the day she'd allow us to spoonfeed her. Now she has decided she wants to do it herself but she is a bit hit or miss at loading the spoon and lots of it slides off. Any ideas of breakfasts she can feed herself. She does eat toast but not much. Her weight gain's very slow (2nd centile, HV not very pleased) so I'm looking for ideas as calorific as weetabix and gold top milk! Thanks!