fairylamb

Hi Looking for a good central London gathering spot for a pre-Christmas Sunday lunch for approximately 20 adults and 5 kids. Any recommendations very grateful received and open to all types of cuisines. Thanks, FL

With my first and currently only child I always made night feeds strictly business (no talking, playing, fussing, very low lights etc) - fed him, straight back down to settle himself and I never ever dream fed. Before 12 weeks slept next to me in a carrycot, fed on demand and naturally alert in the evenings. From 12 weeks down at 7 in his own room see how long he could go. Initially he woke 2-3 times a night then once a night at about 5 months (usually 3:00am) then at 8 months he occasionally slept through or woke up at 5 for a bottle and went back down. Slept through without milk at 11 months. If I did it again I might try dream feeding. There was no stress in my approach as the feeds just naturally dropped off as he got bigger. With dream feeding I would have had an advantage of moving his 7 hour stretch in line with mine and wouldn't have received so many pitying (or effing irritating) remarks about him not sleeping through. But then again I quite liked my adult only evenings. So I guess I wouldn't do it differently. HOWEVER I did not put any thought at all into his daytime sleeping routine and consequently despite being good at night he will only sleep in a pushchair during the day. And he has survived on only 1 sleep per day (sometimes for only 20 minutes) since about 8 months. Although on the bright side he does compensate his lack of day time sleep with extra night sleep ? sleeps until 7:30 sometimes 9 (none of that getting up at 6 and back to bed at 9 business). If I have another I will definitely try and adopt some sort of cot based daytime sleeping regime.

er.. a..big YAY to us working mums 'coz the article was about that much beleaguered group (working mums of very small children). GOD you stay at home parents are sooo sensitive (ONLY JOKING)!! In the interests of fairness a big YAY to all parental guardians both working/non-working/lactating/non-lactating!

I know this was mentioned at the bottom of another thread but I think it deserves its own thread. Or maybe someone's already posted this and I was too busy to notice. Anyway.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/01/babies-dont-suffer-working-mothers a big YAY to us working mums!

Apologies for my original post - I still avoid boiled potatoes and have thrown a plate in anger aged 36 and its nothing to do with my parents! It is such a learning curve being a parent especially reconciling the gap between your parenting ideals and reality. My 14 month old son was recently hospitalised with dehydration after a stomach bug and it took that to make me realise he really doesn?t like water, I should give him cordial instead. He was also hospitalised with jaundice aged 2 days old and I agonised so much over whether to give him formula ? when I eventually did give him the formula he was perkier within hours and gained 200 grams in a day. I sometimes feel like I never learn and I should go with my gut instincts not the preferred route. If he started refusing milk tomorrow I would definitely reach for the coco powder.

If he still throws mud around the house and won't eat vegetables aged 15 years not months I'd start questioning your parenting skills (although admitedly a bit late by then) :) Maybe review at age 6!

If I could prove to you the long term health consequences of childhood obesity are greater than those associated with smoking while pregnant would you intervene?

Out of interest would you step in if you saw a parent feeding a clearly obese child a kingsize Mars Bar and a litre of coke? I think the long and short term health risks caused by childhood obesity and poor diet are even greater than smoking during pregnancy. Why stop at the unborn? Why not protect the born too? And if you wouldn't express your opinions on this health issue (why not and how does this differ to the pregnant lady smoking)? Just interested in how you justify your behaviour here compared to other similar scenarios.

Lordy, lordy what next shouting at people with obese kids when you see them hand over a liter of coke and a kingsize Mars bar to their offspring? Of course public intervention is required when a child is in serious and immediate danger i.e. from the affects of sun exposure and their parents are alarmingly oblivious to this Street confrontations are unpleasant to witness. Were you really helping that unborn child/providing a necessary public health service? Or just a bit pissed off cause she dared to give you a defiant look back and you were in the right and she needed to know it?

Sorry slightly off topic but this is an interesting quiz on the subject of brain sex (takes about 30 minutes). Turns out I have a male systemising brain which explains a lot! http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sex/add_user.shtml On topic SuperGolden88 I?m glad you're feeling a little bit more excited about your little fella - and hey you never know he might be in that group of guys with a more empathising brain.

Yorkie I am in a very similar position OH got made redundant while I was on maternity leave last October and I went back to work full-time in January when my son was 7 months old while he does the stay-at-home Dad thing (although to be fair to him this does include renovating our house). And yep I feel horribly and wretchedly resentful that it is him at home not me. It's awful being ousted from you position as chief carer (this doesn't happen if your child goes to a childminder/nursery) and I worry that he'll become no. 1 in our son's life not me. I also sometimes feel that he should be more unreservedly grateful that I have such breadwinning capabilities. He can stay at home as long he wants the lucky bugger that?s not an option for me. It sucks, sucks, sucks. Please feel free to PM me and let all those feelings out any time you want also very happy to meet for a coffee and discuss coping strategies/stress levels. Mine are definitely rising in this gorgeous weather!

I read/heard somewhere alcohol is not stored in breast milk unless you drink a very large quantity (I guess this is where the 2 bottles of wine figure comes in). Which makes sense as you don't generally excrete alcohol through other means i.e. sweating unless you have a very heavy night. However I also read it can make breastmilk taste a bit funny. But I guess this applies to all food groups/drinks etc.

Hi I used the Lloyds Hay Fever allergy reliever last year while breastfeeding and it did eventually work. You have to be pretty diligent using it (initially up to 4 times a day for a week before you notice any effect and daily use after that). http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=1008&storeId=90&productId=5383&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=18354&top=&top_category=18352&gclid=CIrukMezuKICFRkJ3wod_jDR6A

Apparently plastic sockets covers aren't just a rip-off they are potentilaly more dangerous (make creating a circuit which is pretty difficult for a kiddie and nigh on impossible for your average baby that bit easier). http://www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/index.html

MAM teats are also very good for bottle refuseniks. They are the only teats my son would take. I heard about them here on this very forum: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,365822,373966#msg-373966