alieh

Do check re: mortgage ladyruskin as we thought the same but after some very protracted conversations with the mortgage company they agreed to hold it for a number of months while we moved into rental. Agree that it is a total nightmare right now! We have the complication of needing to be walking distance to my son's school, which really restricts the search area.

Chillaxed, not sure why I should feel grateful to my employer for letting me have some flexibility in my working hours...Someone has to have children - perpetuation of the human race and all that (plus future customers and worker bees from the employers perspective!). Off topic though. I know it can be hard to contemplate a change in childcare situation, but over the months you might want to consider the option of a full time nanny instead of nursery X 2 plus housekeeper plus extra childcare. Cost wise it will probably work out cheaper and will give you so much flexibility. Your eldest will fairly soon (presumably) be eligible for a free nursery place once over 3 years so can get a new nursery experience that way? Our nanny runs our house and our lives so much more efficiently and effectively than we could and is brilliant with the kids. It makes such a difference having the flexibility.

I work full time and do love it. But I have quite a bit of flexibility with my hours - much of the time I get in at 9:30 and leave at 5:00, but then there are also periods where I travel or need to do loads of work in the evenings. I feel like the balance is working right now. I actually prefer working 5 days per week than 4 days (which I used to do between baby 1 & 2). With my 4 day/week job it was really just trying to do a full time job in 80% of the time and I felt like I was always rushing around and apologising. I did used to work in professional services too but left (long before children) to work in the charity sector. I think it helps that I love my job. But then I pretty much hated everything about my professional services job except the money! I would have seriously resented working long hours in that job, being away from my children, etc. whereas in my current job I feel the balance is just right. One of the most important factors is I think being in my late 30s I feel I have more experience and confidence to perhaps work less hours than some of my younger colleagues who are trying to "make a name for themselves." 10 years ago I would have felt much more compelled to put in more face time, etc. Perhaps the only advantage to my having waited a while to have children!

We've had good weekends at both the Ebrington Arms pub with rooms in the Cotswolds (near Chipping Camden). It had an amazing pub and restaurant and only 3 rooms right above the restaurant so we felt comfortable leaving our son asleep and brought the baby monitor down. We also did a spa break at the Charlton House hotel - the spa/pools/hot tub area is totally amazing (kid-free, but my husband and I took turns using it), they were very welcoming of my son who was a toddler at the time, and we were able to use the baby monitor in the restaurant/bar area in the evening. We got a very good weekend package at the time but it may be a bit pricey at the normal rate.

We have the GoGo Baby Kidz Travelmate - wheels that attach to the carseat. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Go-Go-Babyz-QRKIDZ-Kidz-Travelmate/dp/B000JJK9EY Brilliant! You need to take the time to get it adjusted properly and once you do it wheels perfectly. Amazing because we also then don't need to take a buggy for the airport. We then also have the ToteATot thing that straps a car seat onto rolling luggage. http://www.toteatot.com/products.html Between the two of them we can manage with both bulky car seats plus two children through airports/train stations, etc.

I have the CityMini too and love it. I bought it in the U.S. and it was very good value - think maybe ?150. I hated my MacLaren because of the double handles (can't push one-handed while helping toddler with scooter, etc.) and because it tipped over all the time. Haven't had any of these problems with the CityMini. Love the easy folding. So light and easy to steer. A tiny bit wider than Maclaren but not enough to notice in my experience.

They don't seem to have the same one anymore but it is like this: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S79931867/

We got the extendable Ikea bed, which is great. It is the wood one (but I painted it white). It can be set up as 3 different lengths. The mattress comes in 3 pieces (a large main mattress, and two small bits that fit at the end for the 3 different sizes). I didn't buy the Ikea mattress and ordered a proper sprung one from one of the custom baby mattress places - they are made for the size of the Ikea beds and include the two extra mattress bits. This one has been perfect for us because in our last house a full single wouldn't fit, but in our new house it will. Great that we don't have to replace the bed as he grows.

It is really key to get a handle on where the money goes. This always seemed so daunting and I would try to write it down in a notebook and do it for a day or two and then stop because it was just too annoying. I'm going to try one of these apps to see if that helps as I'm constantly on my phone! One thing I try to do a few times a year is to download from our bank statements and credit card statements to a spreadsheet. Really easy to do from most banks. Then just go down the list and assign categories - most things it is pretty easy to tell what it is...groceries, clothes, kid's stuff, etc. For the cash withdrawals I just call it cash. But most of the time - for me - cash goes on non-essentials (coffees, snacks, magazines, etc.) or grocery top ups so I don't worry about not being able to track that category in detail. By and large the cash line item is an easy target for cut-backs for me! This can help with budgeting because you can see how much you actually spend now and what is realistic in terms of making adjustments, at first anyway. Whereas my husband will set arbitrary budget amounts for groceries that bear no relation to how we currently shop, for e.g. I prefer to look at where we're at and then make reasonable cuts and then try to budget to that. Otherwise I think it can be so defeating - "I've gone over my ?50 grocery budget this week so forget it!" Meal planning has made a huge difference for us. I finally got control of it by having an actual print out template for each week, with a box for each day, a place to write grocery list, and a place next to each day for any grocery top ups I thought I would need. It is now so innate that I don't have to write it down anymore, but I did this for a long time. I also booked a weekly grocery delivery for the same time each week, which forces/prompts me to meal plan and adjust the order. I feel your pain! Childcare costs are eye-watering. The mortgage doesn't even come onto our budgeting radar compared to childcare costs, which is a bit scary!

We've gotten along fine without a car until the last few months when our two are now 4 and 2. With the awful weather we were getting bored of just the local indoor activities and the toddler's nap makes it hard to go further afield on public transport and get back in time. We did use ZipCar but it isn't great for weekends away and it is also a real pain to lug two huge car seats in and out of the house every time you want to go out. We bought a small, used car and I have to say we're loving it!

Same here - there was a good few months between wees and poos being mastered. I just accepted the fact that I would throw away pants that were really grim. I think better to just say "oh well" and clean up - I was afraid of it becoming a poo withholding issue if I made it into a drama (am sure there are many other reasons for poo witholding, but I just wanted to not contribute to that if possible!). It was always unpredictable times of day for us too, so difficult to time the potty trip. Eventually he just got it!

It could be that the moisture is coming from behind the seal, in which case no cleaners will shift it. We had this and had to strip it all out and re-seal with a mildew resistant sealant. Worth a try if the other options don't work!

Some people do find their 2 year olds dropping the nap, but much more likely that it is a phase I would think. I would persevere as you are. Keep the routine, lots of exercise in the morning, put her down at the same time each day and get her up at the same time regardless of whether she's slept, then a earlier bedtime on the days she doesn't sleep (that's the only thing that got us through dodgy sleep patches, but everyone's different). That's all you can do really! Will she sleep in car or buggy? We've used those tricks before to re-establish nap routine and then transitioned back to cot once he was used to sleeping daily again. Does she go to nursery and does she nap there? I think my older son dropped his nap much earlier than he would have because there was too much excitement at the childminder and then he got out of routine. Hoping the younger one keeps his much longer!

I just booked a long weekend at one of the Landal parks in the Netherlands, which are supposed to be similar but a bit cheaper than Centre Parcs. We booked Het Vennenbos I think it is called. We're taking the Eurostar to Brussels and then it is 1 hr 20 mins drive from there.

Our friends in Canada have a teeny tiny potty trained daughter and they have been ordering very small pants through Next here and having us bring them back for them. I think they come in an 18 month size.

Mine was a great napper in sling and pram until 4 months but from then on, forget it. So frustrating because I had a toddler to entertain. My first would ONLY sleep in buggy - they got it the wrong way around! That book Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child talks exactly about this phenomenon - after about 4 months it is difficult to get many babies to sleep properly on the go. Quite quickly we got down to one shorter nap in the AM (which we could do in sling or buggy) and then always be home for longer lunchtime nap in cot. Then for a while also a shorter nap at 4 pm or so, which I could also usually get away with doing on the go.

We have now hired two nannies (our first moved abroad) through SimplyChildcare and thought there were outstanding candidates both times. We have felt very lucky with both of our nannies, who are very experienced and amazing with the children. Each time we chose to interview about 4-5 people. You can view people's profiles for free on the site and then have to pay about ?30 (for the year I think) if you want to actually contact any of them.

We usually try to go in with him rather than him coming in with us - could you put a small mattress in there for you for a short time? People seem to have good luck with that gradual withdrawal approach - so you say you'll sleep on the mattress right beside his bed for a week, then you say you're moving your mattress to the door for a week, then you say you're moving the mattress into the hall for a week, etc. etc. Might be uncomfortable for you in the short term but could help ease the transition? We are lucky that our 4 year old mostly likes his space so it is quite rare for him to want to sleep in our bed, and the phases where we go in with him are short-lived. Maybe a few days and then he seems to get over whatever was bothering him. Or the mattress in your room sounds a good option too! I think they do have a lot of genuine fears at this age so I try to be comforting, but also consistent.

I'm away in India that week but you'll never find a day that suits everyone!

I had good luck today using our adult ski mittens (so huge) put on before coat, and then coat to hold them on. Not that much in the way of hand functionality but they stayed on 2 hours!

I was going to say the same, DaveR. I always book all elements separately and do self-catering as I find it easier with kids anyway. I usually choose location based on where I can find a good looking apartment or villa through OwnersDirect or HolidayLettings. Flying into major centres that are not just tourist spots is usually way cheaper - so I look for places with reasonable transfers from cities like Milan, Madrid, Lisbon, Athens, Geneva, etc.

We went to the Pelopponese in Greece last year and it was amazing! Just a 2 hour drive from Athens, but there are lots of options if you don't mind a 3-4 hour transfer. We were in the Northern bit - there were more pebbly than sandy beaches (though some sand on certain beaches) but I gather other parts of the Pelopponese have very sandy beaches. We were way off the tourist track and barely anyone spoke any English but we had no trouble, people were incredibly friendly and welcoming of the children, and we were able to get a villa with a pool as it is a bit of a lesser known region so we found cheaper.

Sounds good!

Our Hauck Travel Cot (Hauck Dream and Play or something....primary colours) is the same dimensions as our Ikea cot bed - I think the mattress is 120 X 60. It was super cheap at Argos I think. Our in-laws also have a Graco travel cot that is massive when set up. It might be called the Graco Royal or something? This is in Canada though so not sure they have the same here.

I gave up and cancelled Vodafone as I was missing important calls whilst in my house. I've switched to O2 and so far no problems with reception in SE22. I know nothing about mobile technology but it was both a phone signal and 3G/data problem for me - i.e. neither worked in my house and in most of the neighbourhood - with Vodafone since some time at the end of November.