canadianlisa

Toronto-ish. We are thinking of Dundas, where my parents live, but wonder if it might be way too much of a culture shock after London. Also maybe Hamilton, which is a bit crap but I grew up there so am used to its crappiness. I would love to live in a nice bit of Toronto but we are afraid that we would get into the same housing trap as we are in here, in terms of big mortgage, tiny house. Also my partner is obsessed with having some 'land' otherwise known as a big backyard :) We are thinking of putting our paperwork in for his visa in about April and then going from there. Good it is huge decision though.

We are planning the big ED to Canada move as well, likely in the next 18 months. Maybe once we are all there we could form as ex-pat ED site? L x

I saw a mum with a purple one of these last week at the Horniman. I think she had triplets as it appeared to be a double with the extra seat on top- very cool looking.

Thanks Cate- sounds delish, on the menu for later this week.

I agree with Ruth and Saila have said. Our problem was also not allowing our little girl to settle herself. We always rushed in to re-settle her with the dummying or breast feeding when she stated to make a noise. The plan our night nanny out together for us included getting her on a very structured routine in the day- doing this for one week and then moving on to controlled crying to sort out the night time wakings. We did it when she was 7 months old. It has not been a miracle solution. She still wakes up if she is ill, or teething or if we are on holiday but things are 100 times better. If you are mainly having good nights and good naps it does not seeem like a such an issue.

We use this; http://www.sleepingbabies.co.uk/index.htm They sent a lovely lady who was a really experienced nanny and nursery teacher. It was not cheap but was worth it as she helped us solve our big time sleep issues- my daughter was waking for literally hours in the middle of the night and it was killing me! She also helped with routines around daytime sleep and feeding. PM me if you want to speak more. Lisa

Oohh the recipe for sloppy joes is making me hungry. What do you put in the seasoning mix cate? We have 'spanish rice' which is rice boiled in tomato juice with onion, green pepper and browned mince stirred through at the end. You then have to squash it on a plate and cover it with shredded cheddar cheese. Yum, yum. My partner doesn't really get it so I mostly eat when he is away for like 3 days in a row. We used to have it everytime my Gramma looked after us. Sometimes followed by spanish bar cake which is maybe a specific canadian delicacy. No idea what was 'spanish' about either thing. My mom used to also make us some sort of weird 'carribean chicken' with chicken and cooked banana but haven't brought that one forward.

I thought I wrote earlier but it seemed to disappear somewhere. We looked into using the trailer when we were in Canada with our little girl who is a bit older than your boy. The bike shop was pretty clear that they would not recommend them for a child less than aged 2. I think it was due to the child's stability and the fact that they might choose to stand up or something while in the back. I also thought that such a little one might get a bit scared back there- all alone and not being able to see or hear you. Yes single speed- you must be very fit (in a fitness way)!

Or you could try the P4 if you live close to West Dulwich / Dulwich Village. It is usually fine to get on, although you have to ask the driver if you can get on through the back door as it is a small bus.

I take the bus all over the place with the pram and it is generally ok. You do sometimes have to wait for a second bus but not that often and if you do there is not a great deal you can do about it. As Saffron says the worst times are after school when Mums are picking their children up and also have their little ones with them or there are lots of teenagers crowding the aisles. Honestly you'll be fine and the 37 is not that crowded. Good luck

That is a good way to look at it. I am feeling much more positive today after a nearly tantrum free day. I also had a long talk with my mum, who had 4 children within 4 years (!!), who said that she felt she had the longest, hardest days were when we were one but that she felt that it got better (temporarily) for a long-ish period between one and two. It is also good to hear that others are going through the same thing. Helps with perspective. I also turned off the monitor last night, put in the noise proof earplugs and had a better sleep. Not exactly the parenting tip of the year but feel much more human today and my little girl was fine in the morning. We also had some success today with a joint feeding- I feed my daughter and then she 'feed' me with her spoon. Who knows what tomorrow will bring but a good day helps a lot. Best of luck everyone. L x

We had this last week with my 11 month old. She was sick for 2 days and then fine for a 2 and then sick again. I think she was sick on the second round as I had thought she was better and given her a more adventurous meal when I should have stuck to the bland stuff for a few more days. All together took about 5 days for her appetite to come back and she now seems to be making up for it by eating loads. Banana, rice cakes and apple juice worked for us. Me and my partner did feel a bit yucky but never got to the vomitting stage like her. I think it's going around.

I have no advice but can sympathise as I also have an angry little lady on my hands at the minute. She is also 11 months and has taken to screaming at the top of her lungs, arching her back and refusing to sit anytime I put her on the floor and do not sit with her. It is driving me mad- today we had a joint cry after what felt like a morning of constant screaming. This followed 4 hours of it last night between about 9 and 11 and then 3 and 5. And that followed an atrocious weekend. I think it is a combination of developmental phase and some hard core teething. She has never been a great sleeper but was sleeping through finally and this now seems to go out the window and naps have also gone haywire. I know it will pass in time but it is such hard work right now. To be totally honest at the moment more than anything I am looking forward to going back to work so someone else can deal with her for a while. God I sound like such a sh*t mum.

My little girl used to do this as well but did not seem very uncomfortable. We used to find that if she lay on her tum on the change may and wiggled around a bit often the poo storm would begin. I don't think it's anything to worry about, although I worried about it lots ;-)

I was going to say the same. I live on the Horniman side of Forest Hill and it is a great location. The Horniman on the door step, 15 minutes walk to Dulwich Park or P4 bus. And a do-able longer walk to ED or Peckham Rye or an easy bus ride. I almost always get a spot on the bus down- although it might be a bit harder if you are going to have a side by side double buggy. There is lots going on in FH and lots of mums and babes. Honor Oak is also nice but a few less buses. Trains are great from Forest Hill and there is a local decent sized Sainsburys which is unexciting but convenient. I wouldn't think you'd get a lot more for your money in Herne Hill but I could be wrong. I really like Herne Hill. We also have a 2 bedroom flat and are having the same thoughts in terms of future arrivals. My number one priority would be increased storeage rather than another bedroom.

If I had to do it again I would see more films, long weekends away, Sunday afternoons in the pub with friends and with my partner. Also I would have shopped more in town. Maybe buy some clothes for when you are closer to your normal weight so you have something to look forward to wearing. Actually I would go into town a lot- I really miss leaving SE London now as it is so much more of a mission if you can only do it after bedtime. Like everyone else said though it is pretty great to have a baby.

Very, very comprehensive. I think it is generally useful although did not read through the whole thing.

Hi there- We are considering getting our little girl a Smart Trike for her 1st birthday. A kind mum let us (well her) try one out in the park and it seemed to be a hit. I was wondering if others thought they were worth it? Also how far could you reasonably walk with one. We live near the Horniman and generally walk to the swings at Dulwich park- is this way too far to go on the Smart Trike? Finally is it worth paying for the 'deluxe', premium or zoo or they all much of a muchness? Thanks so much for any advice. Lisa

Yes I agree this needs to be sorted. I was also looking forward to putting my little girl in the creche for an hour so that I was able to enjoy a swim. I am going to visit this weekend and will ask about it. Most public pools are usually around 28 degrees- that is pretty warm and I don't think it will be a problem for adults or children. I found in the past that there is an ongoing problem with the pools being 'laned off' for swimming during general swim at Dulwich and Peckham. I stopped going to Peckham Pulse as they would not put even 1 lane in during general swim and there was no way to swim from one end to the next. The lifeguards and management were really rude about it and suggested that I had to come to adult lane swim but that was only either during working hours or at around 8:30 / 9 p.m. There was a number of people trying to swim who ended up leaving. At the time I was heavily pregnant so was more cautious than usual. I hope this gets sorted as it is really frustrating.

We have one. I think that it would not work very well in a cellar. I have ours in the kitchen and I still have to open the windows if it is running for more than a half an hour. The drying heat on mine is not too high and it is really better for finishing things off rather than drying the whole load from wet.

Hi Kim Is this still drop in or do you have to sign up to a term? Thanks

My little girl had hers done when she was tiny as I was sure I wanted it done due to my work and possible exposure to TB. I thought actually it was the easiest of all the injenctions. I think they told me that any after effects are very uncommon.

Good plan. Yes I was going to bring the car seat and my usual stock of medicine. If there is pasta, banana and bread we should be good to go. Add in some sweet potato and cream cheese and it would be her perfect holiday! I think we are getting a coach from the airport to the hotel- it is a all in package but I will double check. We don't have a car so will need to get a taxi from this end anyways so will likely have it with us. Packing light is no longer an option!

I got brillant very comfy nursing bras for my big boobs from the bra shop in Forest Hill. They are not very attractive but are stretchy and supportive and made a big difference to my comfort. If you need some new ones it may be an easier trek than Bravissimo. I found that the ones I had bought before giving birth were not quite right a few weeks in and it was better to get measured again. They also have good nursing vests there that you can actually wear without a bra. Pricey but worth it. Bath and shower for hand expressing worked for me. I never got the hang of feeding in bed until my daughter was able to hold her head but found the right combo of pillows. It all changes though- now she gets them out of my top and helps herself!! Good luck.

Thanks that's helpful. Buffet food should be okay but it is useful to have a back up in terms of jars and definitely better not to have to bring a weeks worth of nappies. Might throw some Ella's pouches just for a backup. Thanks you have set my mind at rest. My mother had me in a panic last night.