reren

Another vote for leave this - i was able to put my son down and he'd go to sleep in moses basket by himself - but as he got older turned into a terrible sleeper! I am pretty convinced sleep comes to some children easily and others not so much...we did everything bar control crying and he continued to be pretty terrible sleeper until he hit about 2 and now is great...i think for him nothing we did would have made much difference he just had to get to the point developmentally where he could sleep thru...that said im pregnant w second and will be praying he is different / trying whole new battery of techniques once again :-)

Shame that some one had to post something crass (or was it an attempt to be funny?) on here - cause the reality is that most men dont even notice that is what you are doing. And if they do - they are generally concerned not to embarrass you or be seen to be staring. Most people would much rather not hear a baby crying than risk sight of a nipple.

Do any Goodrich parents know how they work out eligibility? Is it based on when you fill out the form? Do you essentially go on a waiting list - so if you were organised enough to do it the day your child turned 2 would you have a better chance than someone who waited? Is there a deadline by which you must have filled in the form to be in the running for the following sept?

Thank you all so much - so am I right in understanding that it doesn't actually make any difference financially whether you go for nursery or just use your 15 hours free at a private nursery? In a way since you get the 15hours for free you might as well keep them in private nursery and have greater flexibility over times? A friend of mine lives in Westminster and their nursery provision is full school day - so I guess that makes it much more appealing to send them to nursery than the local school as you are getting so many more hours...

Have to say I'd really strongly recommend doing a course - I listened to the Marie Mongan CD's first time round, but really didn't know how to make best use of them and found them almost useless during labour. I've found that doing a course has made a world of difference to my understanding of what to do on the big day.

I'm sure there must be previous posts on this - but I'm so confused about nursery and there's hardly any information on the website for my local school (Goodrich) - so I wonder if you wonderful forumites can help? My son is turning 3 in October - so I think i'm right in saying that the earliest we could send him to Goodrich nursery is September 2014 (when he will be almost 4). When do we need to apply - is that in the new year? I see that the schools are offering open days locally at the moment, is this for nursery as well as school? I was thinking I didn't need to think about it until the new year - but should I be going to see the school now with an eye to Nursery? Or will there be opportunities to go and see the nurseries around the time that admissions open for nursery? Also - from what I see on the website - the sessions are quite short (8:50-11:50 or 12:40-3:40) so what do other parents do? Do you send your children to Goodrich in the morning and nursery in the afternoon for example?

Just a quick update - I found a lovely practioner called Suzy and have just finished a 4 part one-to-one class which I really enjoyed. Haven't actually had the birth yet - so can't report on its success - but just doing the course has been a great experience and I can't recommend Suzy enough. Check out her site http://www.limitlessyouworldwide.com/about/

My nearly 3 year old is at nursery 3 mornings a week - but I'd like to organise a class or something for him to do one of other mornings or afternoons (ie Monday or Tuesday). I've looked on Ed- tots and know about some of the drop-in playgroups - but I wondered if anyone had any recommendations on classes? Would love him to do an arts and crafts class for example - but can't seem to find? Has anyone any experience with the eos dance school? Too prim and proper for lively little boy? He loves dancing - but don't know if ballet is quite his scene yet...

Feel your pain - though sounds like u are having a tougher time than me w not sleeping at night ulcers etc - but i am so tired this time round. Hadnt thought to check iron levels - but going to do that too - i was very iron deficient after the birth last time and it made me feel unbelievably awful - if nothig else want to avoidfeeling like that when baby arrives. You might think about a fruit smoothie with yoghurt and oatmeal in mornings - really good way to get some slow release carb and protein into you first thing. Maybe also just insist on nap on weekends. My husband is lovely but i do find he can't really understand how tired I am - ive taken to just insisting on a nap - brokering no objection :-) and going to bed really early - he has been ill with various colds and tummy bugs quite regularly thru the pregnancy so is always suffering slightly more than me (!) but taking to my bed fOr extra sleeping seems to make him realise i really am tired :-)

A little while ago there used to be a regular meeting place for au pairs in costa coffee on a Sunday at 3pm - anyone know if that is still happening?

Anyone else got an au pair keen to make friends - my new Italian au pair is keen to meet people! Mettlesome have pm'd you but don't think she's heard anything from your au pair...

Coriander is really really expensive - a similar look can be achieved with a very much cheaper alternative http://www.maiaworksurfaces.co.uk/ We splashed out on a composite stone (cheaper than corian but much more than maia or butcher block) and I think it's much nicer than the Maia worktops - but they are worth a look depending on your budget. John Lewis kitchen store has them installed last time I looked and will give you a good sense of colors...

Also worth bearing in mind that if you have a drier that is non-vented you will need to pour out water from drier by hand - sink becomes critical. No drier? Prob not so crucial - but we find we use our sink all the time.

My new Italian au pair has just arrived - she is interested in meeting new people - be great to put her in touch with others?

Interesting - I just read something similar in a book about psychology (the explored mind - or something like that). But to me it just doesn't really ring true...in my experience people who's parents heaped lots of praise and attention on them are well adjusted and feel good about themselves - its the much more common issue of parents constantly criticising that causes problems...I can see some value to what the article is getting at - but I think over analyzing how you interact with your children might be a problem in and of itself- surely you want to do what comes naturally to you - I think I'd feel a bit weird if (rather than saying - well done, aren't you clever) I found myself saying 'look at how impressed everyone is with you' or whatever the 'right' style of praise might be...

What is the name of the Facebook group?

Am about to buy a single bed (rather than a toddler bed) which toddler will soon move into - I'm thinking a cheap bed from ikea with a half decent mattress. But how much to spend? I'm thinking you want something reasonably good to support growing body? Looking at John Lewis site it seems you could spend an awful lot on a single mattress - but who knows how many times he'll wet the bed / jump on the bed - dont really want to splash out too much (not to mention can't afford it!). Does 150-200 seem about right (there isnt much on offer that is a lot cheaper than that)?

Very close friend had her twins at 25 weeks - they were 1 pound and just under a pound respectively when they arrived They are now 2 and a bit and perfectly healthy and developmentally exactly where they should be - they are a bit small still but apparently they will catch up by 5 - but there seem to be no health problems and they are talking walking etc it was obviously pretty tough for the parents - but it is amazing what can be done nowadays - so don't be too worried! I pregnant too - and her story has actually made me feel less worried about premature birth because it has been so positive!

It is the best thing you will ever do. We have had 2 lovely au pairs and it has been a fantastic solution for us. I think people get hung up about the idea of having a stranger in the house - but the pros so far outweigh the cons - and there are lots of things you can do to help with the cons. First the pros - it is amazing to have childcare on tap - my au pair starts taking care of my son at 7:30 - allowing me to hand him to her and go back upstairs, shower and get dressed - while she feeds him breakfast / plays with him / gets him ready for nursery. I literally dont understand how people mange to get themselves and a small child (or 2+) out the door on their own. My husband works long irregular hours - so the flexibility you can have with an au pair is amazing when you are in this situation. And having someone to babysit in the evening so you can pop out for dinner or a quick pint is amazing. So lovely for your relationship with your husband/wife - and allows you a degree of spontaneity that is unusual in parents. In terms of what to do to make the relationship work - I'd recommend going for an au pair who is a bit older and more experienced - 22+ We have found it is good when someone is grown up and independent - keen to go out and see friends a lot. Our first au pair ate dinner with us every night and that wasn't easy as we were parents of a small child - and having to cook for someone else and make conversation in the evenings was tiring. Our current au pair prefers to make herself something to eat earlier in the evening and tends to be up in her room or out when I get home from work (by which point my husband has taken our son off her hands). But it is really important to also fulfill your bit of the bargain - it is a cultural exchange - not cheap childcare. They usually want help with their English / a chance to take lessons and some exposure to life with a family in the uk. Most important thing is to treat them really fairly and choose someone you like spending time with. I've heard of families making the us pair work really long hours, do housework etc - you need to stick to roughly 25 hours and just a bit of light housework related to the child(ren) - I.e. tidying bedrooms not scrubbing kitchen floors. I think if you treat someone well and put an effort into making their stay enjoyable - you get a fantastic relationships with a lovely young energetic person for your child and a level of flexibility and support for you that is invaluable. And finally - yes I recommend an agency - though we are just about to try our first au pair found through gum tree - so will tell you how that goes! An agency however does a lot of the hard search work for you and so far we have been really pleased with the result (plus you get crb checks etc for peace of kind.)

Just found out that am expecting another boy and trying to get my head round it - wanting to hear all the great things about being a mum of 2 (or more) boys! I have a brother - and more than I realized I think I expected to have a girl and am slightly mourning all the books I won't be able to pass on (or are there boys who would love Rebecca at 12 as much as I did??), the relationship I would have with a daughter etc - so silly I know because all that should count is having a healthy baby and I should be counting my blessings (and i feel really guilty about the little chap inside who i should just be excited about) but I don't think a third is an option for me - so bit worried about being the odd one out in endless football conversations etc - tell me it is all ok and there are lots of great thing sa out being a mum in a family full of testosterone!

Brilliant thank you all for the advice!

Is it possible he is hungry? we had a similar problem w our son and started giving him a bowl of cereal before bed - suddenly he started sleeping through! It was quite miraculous! Our son was older - so could be that he was just shifting into a stage when he could sleep for longer - but there was definitely a connection with not being woken by hunger in the middle of the night.

Has anyone got a recommendation for a good hypnobirthing specialist? Thinking it might be worth a try 2nd time round?

Has she thought about a year out first to work and earn money to help reduce some of the debt? Probably at 17 it seems like its more fun to just get into debt - but I do think it can be invaluable to hold down a job before you head off to university. It can really help focus you on the kind of thing you want to do after university - or the sort of thing you want to avoid and by the time you get to university you appreciate the freedom and the chance to spend time just focusing on the things you find interesting - think it helps make you more serious about what you are studying?

Been some interesting threads on this already if you search - but will give you the potted history as i understand it. The vaccine has been routinely given to all children in the usa and elsewhere for over 30 years - and as such is considered very safe - has been tested on a huge amount of children. The reason it isn't on the NHs is complex - there is an argument that if you immunize a whole generation of children then the older generation (who caught the virus as children) have a greater chance of catching shingles and more severely. As I understand it if you had chickenpox the virus is in your system and shingles is your body having an immune response to the virus. If you are regularly exposed to chickenpox however - it boosts your immunity each time you are exposed - giving ou less of a chance of getting shingles. Therefore if no one has chickenpox - you will never get the boost effect. The other reason I've read about for not introducing the chicken pox vaccine - which to me seems even more plausible - is that the powers that be have decided to focus their attention on getting people to get the mmr vaccine as a priority over trying to convince people to immunize against chicken pox. Probably a major factor is also that since people aren't clamouring for it and see chicken pox as 'not too bad' there's no impetus to spend extra money on a programme of vaccination.