canadianlisa

Batman hangs around in the Victoria Inn, must go more often ;-)

Thanks everyone. Last night she didn't make a peep and slept from 7:30 until we got her up at 7:30- it is so strange. I need to try to not get into a panic about these things. I saw a bunch of my mum friends today with other one year olds and of the 4 I mentioned it to, all said that they are having similar problems so clearly we are not alone. She only has 5 teeth so far so teeth are bound to be a continuing hassle for a while.

Thanks ladies. I liked this quote from the buzzle site; 'It is very essential to educate or teach other family members and servants who are with the child to deal with emergencies and tough situations.' I will be sure to let the servants know asap! Both useful articles though. It might be night terrors as she is totally out of it when she is crying and does not show an interest in her dummy which is very weird for her. Poor girl. So far so good tonight, keep your fingers crossed for me. x

Yes just been reading my Dr. Sears book about the developmental leaps. Will good wonder weeks. We are almost at 61 weeks now. I am hoping that maybe the pillow helps Saff and was thinking of maybe trying her with a duvet. I also gave her one of our pillows. I got her a new grobag which is roomier but maybe she doesn't like to be confined anymore. I will probably explore all the options and then she will start sleeping again and I will never figure out what it is! It's always a bit of mystery isn't it?

Uuugghhh another bad night. An hour of screaming between 8-9 p.m., then she slept through until 5:45 , had another scream for 15 minutes and then back to sleep until 7:30. We gave her a dose of nurofen last night which did not seem to make a big difference. We also gave her a very flat pillow as were thinking that maybe she was uncomfy. She did seem to like it as she stayed at that end of the cot last night. It is awful to hear her screaming and holding up her arms to get up. She is not walking yet but had started standing unaided and taking the odd step so maybe that is doing something. She is so happy and sociable in the day that I can't imagine she is ill. No temperture, eating and playing well and no real signs of teething. Not much you can do about it but hope it improves. Thanks again everyone- always helps to know I am not alone.

Yes I wondered about the ear infection as well. We were at the GPs on Tuesday due to the spots on her arms and she checked ears, nose, throat and all was fine- no temperature. She is also very jolly in the day. Maybe it is something that is more uncomfortable at night though. Lochie- I wondered about the dark and nightmares as well. It is so hard when they cant tell you. Maybe seperation anxiety? I think it is more developmental. When she has come into our bed she almost instantly cheers up but the problem is that she then thinks its playtime and wants to climb around, put her dummy in our mouths, play with our hair etc. It is strange as it is a switch then from this very angry, sceamy girl to her usual self. I will keep my fingers crossed for tonight as it would be so nice for her to have a peaceful night. Thanks everyone.

Hi forumites, I am hoping that you seasoned Mums can give me some advice. I apologise in advance for the long winded post, am feeling very tired and emotional and in need of some reassurance. For the last 3 nights my 13 month old girl has been waking up screaming bloody murder in the night. Sunday night it was on and off for from about 9 - 2 and then Monday from 8-11 she was awake and inconsolable and then last night it was from 12-1. Prior to that she had been a bit unsettled at night but this is a whole new thing. We have had a lot going on recently- were away on holiday for a week in Egypt and then came back and I was away on the weekend. I have never left her before for this length of time and am afraid that I have caused all of this by doing so. She was looked after at home by Daddy and was relatively good but did wake in the night. She also woke up on Monday with a few spots on her arms that look like raised round bumps. I brought her to GP and they could not conclusively diagnose but said that she thought it may be the beginning on hand, foot and mouth. Since Monday she has not had any further spots and they are now fading. She seems to have an little bit of a stuffy nose but otherwise seems fine. She is eating and drinking well and is in relatively good sprits in the day. I think she is cutting a tooth as well. She has never been a perfect sleeper but was mostly sleeping through and if she did wake would settle down quickly with a blanket and with the dummy. She has not cried going into bed for a long time. When she was about 7/8 months old we did some sleep training (with cc) to overcome frequent night wakings. Since then she has been a relatively good sleeper and had a good routine. She is in the process of going from 2- 1 naps. In the nights past nothing other than sitting in the chair and cuddling her seems to help. She is breastfed and wants to sleep with my breast in her mouth. She won't settle in our bed though so this is not going work. When she is really distressed she is not taking the dummy. I am feeling really guilty / demoralised by this all. It is awful to see her so upset and nothing seems to calm her and I don't want her to be(come) afraid of her bed. I know they change but I really thought we had this sleep thing cracked. I am also on top of this all starting back at work next week so she is going to nursery. With Christmas coming we will be staying at relatives and I really don't want her to be like this when we are there. What do you think I should do? Any suggestions appreciated. Is there anyone out there who has had to re-do sleep training- did it work? Is it seperation anxiety? Thanks in advance and sory for the rant. Lisa

I saw a fruit one in the florist at the top near the plough. I didn't really look at the price though.

We have the v-tech walker as well and it was a hit. That being said my little girl got a mothercare wooden one for her birthday which I have found much sturdier - it has rubber wheels with grips on them so it seems safer on the wooden floors and we don't have half as many accidents with it as we did with the other one. I think they are half price at the moment at mothercare online. Maybe worth a look as he may feel more secure with it? My girl is also not toddling much- she's nearly 14 months and only just standing on her own. She is a demon crawler though! It doesn't matter I am sure that we won't have 13 year old's who crawl around ;-)

Another vote for the Poang- very comfy, good arm height and doesn't take up too much space.

If it isn't going with any of the other suggestions you might need to go to the GP and get a prescription as it might be a thrush. My little girl had a terrible nappy rash and despite trying everything including metanium, welada, sudocream etc. it would not clear. She also hated having a bare bum as she was scooting around on our wooden floors. Eventually we went to the GP were given a prescription and within 3 days it was almost better. You then have to keep using it for some time to ensure the infection doesn't return. They do sell Welada at Health Matters. Good luck it's not nice, hope it clears quickly.

I don't drive (tried learning when I was very young, was terrible, gave up) and I have not found it a problem at all. I have now been home a year with my daughter and can count on one hand the number of times it has bothered me. My partner drives but we don't have car. We do sometime borrow his parent's car or hire a street car for trips out of London or to Ikea but that is about all. You can walk, take the bus / train everywhere and I think especially when babies are small is is much easier than getting them in and out of a carseat, into buggy etc. I think it all changes when you have 2 or are pressured about dropping at nursery and school run. I actually don't mind walking to the shops and picking up things each day as it gets you out of the house and is an 'activity' on the days that you don't fancy a baby group. Like others have said walking saved my sanity in the early days. So I'd give the test a go, but if it doesn't work out it is hardly the end of the world.

We used an agency called sleeping babies who recommended a very experienced nanny. She came to the house and met with me and helped us develop a plan and then provided a lot of follow up support via phone and email. This was 6 months ago and I have gone back to her on a few occasions with questions and she has always responded quickly and sensitively. It isn't cheap but was worth it and made a huge difference to my daughter's sleep and my confidence in dealing with the problem. PM me if you want her details. She was very kind and down to earth and I did not feel judged at all. It is the best money we could have spent as the sleep deprivation was really getting us all down. I am not sure there is an NHS service for these type of problems unfortunately. Good luck.

I have flown quite a bit with our little girl who is one now. I don't think that there is any problem with breastfeeding on a flight at all. I think that actually it was much easier to be breastfeeding when you are away as it is very comforting to the baby and you don't have to worry about bringing lots of supplies with you. I tried to be relatively discreet on the plane and it worked fine. The other advantage is if you have a long delay you don't have to worry about being stuck somewhere with no formula, dirty bottles etc. It might be better if you are comfortable with it to delay weaning till you get back as it will avoid a lot of mess and hassle. Also remember not to worry too much about packing everything as there is lots of shops there that sell everything. You will have a lovely time.

I don't think it closes at all. I live very close and can't remember it being closed but it probably is very unappealing in the winter.

Ackroyd nursery does look lovely and pretty reasonable I think. However when I inquired they told me they have a very small catchment area- I live on Honor Oak Rd and it was too far. Too bad. The toy library and little group are quite nice there.

My little girl is on the list too and is likely to get a place there as well (also after a years wait!) I was keen when I saw it but have been told that they are going to let in an extra 30 children. I was not so sure that this is a great idea given the size of the communal areas and particularly the very tiny garden. I also felt the fees were very high. We are looking for a part-time place but there does not seem to be any reduction in price for more days (if that makes sense?) just a daily rate which is quite high. Was quoted ?845 monthly for 3 days a week. Given all that we may still end up taking up the place due to long waiting lists and a real shortage of nurseries in Forest Hill. Good luck Lisa

How busy is it at the sports club? Do you have to get there early to get in? Just planning ahead as we have visitors and will have some disapointed kids if we can't get a space. It looks great. Thanks.

Me too, same as above. Somtimes I wish that monitors were never bloody invented. I keep saying, 'when she is whatever next age' that is the end of the monitor but then I feel too guilty and keep it on. I am looking at it now, after the 3rd time in her room already tonight... uuughhh.

I was actually thinking the same thing as Alieh last night. My own mother is a terrible sleeper and is often up for hours in the night. She was given that advice by her doctor- go to sleep at a reasonable time - I think 10:30 or later, same time each day and get up at a reasonable time each day and try not to fall asleep on the couch at 9 p.m. If you do decide to keep feeding in the middle of the night, I also found it helpful to keep myself warm while doing it. So I had a 'slanket' in my daughters room and wrapped myself in that and kept my earplugs in and kept it dark while feeding. It sounds and was a bit weird but it did help to keep me feeling like it was still nighttime and I was better able to re-settle. It is very hard though if you are, like me, a light sleeper.

Oh poor you Gussy. I had the same thing for a little while with my daughter around the same time. It seemed like those hormones or whatever they were that made me feel really sleepy after feeding kind of vanished at some point and I was alert and awake in the middle of the night. Part of my problem was I was worrying if there was going to be another wake up and what time morning would be. Once I was able to kind of let go of that it was a bit easier. Maybe you could try a more planned strategy with your hubby to cut out the middle of the night feedings. With my daughter we just had to find a date to do it and stick to it. I think we did it around 8 months but we were having some other sleep issues as well. Also I wonder if you could turn the monitor off for a night or stick it on your husband's side of the bed, stick some earplugs in and try to get one good nights sleep. Even one full night makes such a big difference. My one year old girl is a good eater generally, but will still always take the boob when offered, always. That being said cutting out the middle of night feedings then resulted in her eating more brekkie. Good luck and hope you have a good night.

Fantastic great to hear it all worked out well.

This happened to my girl as well when she had the bottle. One time it was in the car, while on holiday- nice. I switched back to the newborn teat and it seemed to help a little bit, but then to be honest we went back to breastfeeding as it was all too much of a hassle. I think with her it was just much more liquid all in one go than she was accustomed to from the breast. Now she is bigger (1) she is learned to take smaller sips from the bottle or cup and she barely ever is sick.

Yes we use them and they helped a lot for daytime naps. We (well my Mum) lined our existing curtains. It is not totally dark but is darker. My little girl is a light sleeper, like me and her Dad, and seem to need the darker room to settle. I also thought that if I was napping in the day then I would find it hard to close my eyes in the bright sunshine as well. I do think though that it is better not for it to be super dark so there is an obvious difference between night and day. Naps also went a bit haywire for us at 5 months and then evened out again.

Bit off topic but- when does cradle cap go? My girl who is almost one still has very dry, flaky skin on her head. You can't see it due to her hair and it doesn't seem to bother her but just wondering when it goes away. It is very small flakes so I am not even sure if it counts as cradle cap or is more like dandruff. Thanks