Yak

I found this a good website for ideas http://www.gamestoplaywithbabies.com/

Totally agree about keeping up your separate lives and identities - otherwise you end up living in each others pockets. And also a healthy sense of humour and an ability to keep things in perspective. It is a bit pop-phsycology, but I loved "Why men don't listen and women can't read maps" for a bit of lighthearted look at the differences between men and women. We also did some questionnaires (not about compatibility but more about how much you knew about each others' outlook on life) which were really revealing and useful. Basically anything that means you communicate about your attitudes and expectations is a good idea. Also date nights an absolute must!

Yes, I think the red books now reflect bf babies weight growth as well. Of course go to your gp or hv if you're in any way concerned, but I agree with the stuff about the the wet and pooey nappies being a good indicator of healthy gain. Assuming a baby is going to perfectly follow a centile line, whether breast or bottle fed, is about as realistic as assuming we all have the same appetites and hunger levels (in my very hunble, unscientific and totally personal opinion).

One top tip from a friend of mine - if bribery with sweets or chocolate works (and you're happy with that) give them the sweet to hold in their hand while you administer the medicine. For some children the promise of a sweetie after the event is just too distant and remote a reward to contemplate, whereas if they have it in their hand and they know they will get it immediately. Good luck!

Can't remember the name of the online company, but we used boat grade foam - essentially the stuff used to line bunk beds etc in boats. It was reasonable price wise, nice and firm and fire resistant. They cut the pieces to size which was great as our bay window was not straight. I'll try and find the link. Aha, it was the foam shop: http://www.thefoamshop.co.uk/category/15/BOAT-MATTRESS--SEATING

Otta, I misread your post as asking whether there was an adult playroom in the pub. The mind boggles...

Post of the day from Saffron.

Works fine on Android OS. Brilliant idea - well done!

I would still recommend trying to incorporate any exercise you can during the day to get your heart rate up and to build lean muscle - e.g. doing squats while brushing teeth (particularly if you have an electric one and can't cheat and finish early!) bootcampathome.com worked for me - sends you you tube video each day of your challenge

It's self selecting, innit. If your kids are the types who like to sit down, watch a leader, follow rules etc then I suspect they are more likely to go to "classes". But if you have toddlers who just want to do their own thing then I wouldn't bother. It's a pain when free sessions are organised more like formal classes - they shouldn't be marketed as such. I do think it is particularly hard when the weather is horrible and options like the park etc are more limited.

I echo what everyone has said about bananas. Also tonic water is supposed to be good, as it contains quinine. I'm not sure of the scientific basis of it, but maybe worth a try? You have my sincere sympathies; pregnancy is the time when everyone is telling you to stock up on sleep and it is so tiring and annoying when you can't get comfy.

We have a small, admittedly 5 door, Fabia but we use a Maxi Cosi front facing one with no extra base - we just use the adult seatbelt to attach it to the car.

We had 2nd hand maclaren xlr from birth but bought the maclaren car seat too - that way you can use it in parent facing mode while they are wee. Has been v good for us.

Thermos mug, and loads of nicely packaged dried fruit / flapjacky snacks. I also make up sea salts infused with lavender and a drop of lavender oil for baths - a nice gift if you are quite close to them. And maybe a pretty scarf to wear when it feels like nothing fits and all your clothes are covered in baby sick....

Hi herrd Mr Yak is a full time stay at home Dad (at least for the next couple of months) and would, I expect, love to meet up with other Dads. There is the South East London Dads group (meets in Herne Hill on a Fri I think) but something more local would be great.Good on you for getting the ball rolling!

The Crooked Well in Camberwell is opening up on Friday mornings specially for parents and kids. This week is the first one so no direct experience, but it is a fab restaurant....

Dentinox had better results than infacol for us...

To say nothing of the horrific back problems even very young kids have due to carrying so many books to and from school... Having said that, nothing got me to behave like my mother hissing "ca suffit" at me across a dinner table (she was a French teacher and boy, we knew we needed to stop mucking around when she swapped languages!)

Aloued (Amy from the Dulwich Touch) made up a clay sage & carrier oil for me - I added it to the bath and also massaged it into area between thumb and fingers, and along tendon on the outside of my lower legs. I've explained appallingly but apparently these are accupressure points - maybe look on you tube? Amy does lovely induction massages too - they certainly helped me relax tho I went 11 days over, which is not what you want to hear, really....x

Adding banana to flapjacks has transformed flapjack baking into an exercise in scraping inadvertent granola out of the cooker to a foolproof joy. It works best if you lightly score it once it's cooked, then return it to the oven (switched off) overnight. You can reduce the oil in this one and up the number of bananas if you want to be a bit healthier.... Banana flapjacks

I listened to this on r4 last night, and felt like doing an air punch. Very refreshing to hear some good news about childhood and parenting.

Yep, harness or no harness is no obstacle here. Hmm, might have to upgrade sooner than planned to tripp trapp...

Slumber-roo sale now on in case anyone's interested....

It is difficult to get right and depends to a certain degree on how well you know your guests. I agree that you should ask people if there are things they do not eat but then I do think it's then incumbent on guests just to focus on things to which they are really allergic, or have real difficulty with, rather than just having a mild dislike. For instance I don't like eating meat that has been mangled unless I know its provenance, but I wouldn't refuse a lasagne, sausages etc. I tend to let people know at least what the main course will be, so if they don't like it they have an opportunity to say s0. I'd send a text or email the following day, but not write a letter. If it's a really special do, I might send flowers before or after (not turn up with some - the last thing you need to do when getting dinner ready is running round trying to find a vase!) Sign of the times I reckon...

And a second vote for the beco Gemini. Basically, any of those types of slings that carry most of the weight on your hips will be better than the bjorn where it all hangs off your poor shoulders. I don't know how you have managed - like Pickle, I lasted only a couple of weeks with the Bjorn and my husband even now is admitting defeat and converting to the beco! The slumberoo website offer hire for about ?11 for a fortnight, I think, then 10% off if you subsequently buy a sling through them.