Sanne Panne

Dana, I brought the sample in (GP only gave me one pot), the timing was good so I didn't even need to refrigerate it. I'll post the results just in case others have similar questions in the future.

I heard the metal frame of the iCandy seats can get the kids uncomfortable when they're too big to be completely "under" and too small to be completely "above" the frame with their heads. But maybe that's changed with more recent designs.

Thanks Saffron and SophieChr, I guess we will never really know for sure - she may have 4 teeth come through tomorrow but that wouldn't mean she didn't also have a bug :) I think the occasional vomiting points to her digestive system being a bit more upset than I think it would be from teething but I can be wrong. Will hand a sample in at the GP tomorrow knowing it will come back with nothing spectacular. I put some infant probiotic powder in her formula tonight (and will keep doing that for a while) and I'll give her some Nurofen at her dreamfeed tonight. Hope we all sleep better tonight!

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In a strange coincidence, Mrs Otta has just called > me to tell me our daughter has been given a place > for 2 afternoons a week, at a more chreche / > playschool type place, starting after half term > (when she'll be 2.5). For her, it sounds a much > nicer option than the nursery she was at, as it'l > only 2.5 hour sessions, and all rather relaxed. > Plus it's cheap as chips, which is always a bonus! That's how we started too although our daughter had had some childminder experience before the sibling was born. You can't really know how easily they settle in until you try it. I think a few creche sessions (see it as a drop off playgroup) will be great for both of you, probably even more for Seb than for you!

Ruth, she has indeed not had any new teeth in a long time (now 4 upper and 2 lower but the last came in June or so)... Just not sure whether to give her nurofen at night as it may help with teeth but mess with the tummy. Great! And my Dutch paracetamol suppositories will probably also not be very well "received" at the moment ;) Thanks for your advice Dana, what do you think based on my answers? Just asked our poor nanny to scoop the nappy out of the bin in case the GP asks me to provide a sample when I'm off work tomorrow...

Yellowy, wet with bits, smelly (sorry for the details). Yes moments of discomfort also when not just about to poo, I think the increased crying has to do with it (generally more cranky and occasionally a big screamy cry). No pointing at the tummy. No bending over or pulling legs up. No temperature (she's not prone to having a temperature at all though. Neither of my kids has ever had a fever, my 3yo has had a warm forehead only once in her life so maybe they just don't easily react with fever). But she does kick her legs and straighten/curl her body sometimes during a feed. I often heard her bowels rumbling during a feed when it was worse last week. But the crying is still there. Also at night. She's not always hungry when she cries at night although she generally does go back to sleep with a bit of warm formula. New foods: no. We did start mixing formula with cow's milk back in July (as a way to phase formula out) but had pretty much stopped doing that in September (out of laziness, not a bad reaction to the milk for all I know). She's not had any reaction to any food so far. I'll give the GP a call to see if I can pick some jars up for a sample (assuming that's how it goes - do I just scrape it from her nappy?)

What do you think? I think it's a tummy bug but I'm not sure it's normal for it to last this long. A normally always healthy and happy, well sleeping 14.5 month old girl has been "off" for 10 days. It started around Saturday 10th, with some runny poos (2-3 a day). She still has these although over the past couple of days she's upgraded to one runny one and one normal one. She vomited three times in these 10 days: once in the car seat during a long drive and once in her cot when she probably had a big burp "behind" the formula and food that came out. And then once just a tiny bit during another long car ride. She hated the actual vomiting but was perfectly smily in all her smelliness immediately after. Her sleep has been pretty bad: from almost always sleeping from 7pm-7am on a dreamfeed she's gone to 2-3 wakings a night (during which she drinks quite a bit of formula) and then waking for the day due to a big poo at 6am. She LOOKS perfectly healthy, doesn't seem weak, hasn't had a temperature or a rash - there are no mother's instinct alarm bells ringing at all but she cries a lot more than usual during the day and I'm not sure if it's cramps, teething, both or something else on top of it. For a few days we gave her very bland foods but have picked up some more normal foods again. Her appetite is generally fine except for one or two days last week. She drinks ok, enough wee in her nappies. What could this be besides a mild but veeery slowly healing intestinal bug? (I had one day of mild discomfort myself but the rest of the family has been fine). The only thing out of the ordinary has been chicken pox vaccination on the Thursday before the Saturday it started. She's never reacted to any vaccination... Any ideas? Tips? I doubt the GP can/will do anything (I called last week, she told me to call back if things didn't improve by such and such day and the diarrhea has improved somewhat...) so I'm asking you if you have any experience or ideas. Thanks!

3yo daughter: my bum. The front side and the back side. And papa has a funny bum. So far, she's happy with that terminology. Will provide more information as the questions come. She knows pee gathers in the bladder before you feel the urge to go. But that's about it. And just to respond to a veeeery old thread on here that I never dared to respond to: if you call it vagina, you're not being an ultra-physionomically correct no-nonsense parent at all. The visible girl bits are called the vulva. And you don't pee from your vagina, you pee from your urethra. If you want to go for the real terminology, do your homework ;) Sorry sounds out of place but it's so common!

Whippersnappers in the Brockwell Park Lido is lovely too.

Thanks for the replies, very helpful and reassuring. I don't think we'll realistically get into either of the CofE schools, even with DVI being our nearest school. I assume this means we'll probably get into a less popular school that's further away. I do sympathise with your rant SR, in a way I feel I should shut up as I've only been in the UK for 5 years but on the other hand my kids are growing up here and I can't buy my way out of the system by having two kids go private (and even if I could, others couldn't so that doesn't solve the problem) - nor can I influence "the system" much as my sorry EU passport only allows me to vote in local elections (and yes I always vote in those). Rant over ;)

Wondering whether you can just take the pedals off a normal bike and put the seat really low to temporarily turn it into a balance bike? That would save money. Only thing stopping you would be a bulky chain cover and non-removable pedals but surely... (I must be missing something)

Eldest turning 4 in July. We're not religious. We're in a rather odd location catchment-wise, it seems (who isn't though? ;)). We moved from ED a while ago and are now on Ruskin Walk in Herne Hill... for local state primaries we're not close to anything but possibly in the catchment of St Jude's (0.7 miles) or Dulwich Village Infants (latter very unlikely for non-siblings @ 0.6 miles based on posts seen on this forum). We may also be close enough to Bessemer Grange (0.8 miles) but not sure what it's like and Jessops (0.6 miles) which I heard isn't great. Anyway. If we were to apply for St Jude's and DVI and are offered a place (is this possible at all with no siblings there and no intention to be a faith applicant?), what should we expect in terms of religion at the schools? Is there just a dedicated religion class once or twice a week or is religion part of every aspect of education? I don't mind a religious element as I see it as culturally relevant and valuable as such but don't want it to be overwhelming as it doesn't fit our views - and I don't want to "insult" the school by not taking active part in extracurricular religious initiatives either. Thanks for all advice/experiences you're willing to share... Edited to clarify poor wording

What I'd worry most about is being able to reach the handle bar as the buggy board would have to be quite far back with the doubles kit attached. Do you have L or I in the top seat, i.e. are you doing it as prescribed or are you doing what lots of parents with walking kids do - have the baby in the front seat and have the toddler climb into and out of the back seat (umm... without strapping them in for short rides) whenever convenient? The latter is almost the same as having a buggy board.

Pickle!!! Congratulations :) If space and money were no issue we'd still stick to 2. But if I had unlimited time (age-wise) I might go for another one in, say, 10 years time. But I'm already on the old side so I'm definitely not going to do that. So two it is :)

I'd love to do this as Friday is my day off and I have a 3 year old who loves good music classes (and doesn't mind me leaving at all) - but the time may not work as my 1 year old tends to nap until 2-2:30. So if you do drop-in classes as well you'll definitely see us whenever the stars lign up correctly :) I know this is not the kind of answer you're looking for... hope there are some mums who can really commit.

Susy, please don't think you should stop posting just because you think you've received too much attention. As you have probably noticed, people here are genuinely happy to help each other out. Many of us have lived through some not-so-great experience or another and it's comforting when "learnings" from a bad experience can help someone else. So please post when you want to (and feel free not to post if it makes you feel too exposed - just don't go into hiding). You've been in the shadow long enough over the past few years it seems, so please allow the lovely people here to help you even if it's just a bit. And... please think about your daughter's and your own long term wellbeing WAY before you think about your husband's as he has abused you and doesn't deserve to be the focus of attention anymore. I once was in a relationship with a hardcore alcoholic and somehow managed to be more worried about his health than the effects it had on my life and the family we thankfully never had.

Another question - I could have pm'ed you but since you've been so brave to post this publicly I thought it might be an eye opener to others as this happens a lot in the UK: does he drink a lot more than one should? Not just one or two more than the recommended maximum units but do you feel he has a drinking problem? I just remember you posting about snoring and I know snoring CAN have to do with alcohol and so can domestic violence (even if he's not drunk but "just" grumpy from a permanent hangover).

I have very close second hand experience of this limbo situation where you're not quite sure whether it's bad enough to leave. It's so easy to forget about yourself when you think your children MAY be better off with the other parent around. But if violence comes into play there's generally only one way out and that's OUT :( It's a bit like cheaters... it seems like cheaters and hitters can only change their ways for a short while. Do you have a good support network here, if not family then friends?

Thanks so much, loving all the replies, thanks all for the great ideas and yes darlin's was the blog I was referring to! Pickle, we just spent a week in Holland at my parents' house where everything is always allowed and one morning I was having breakfast while my 3yo "washed" the massive back window with a dustpan brush with mud ("it's water mum, there's just a bit of sand in the wheelbarrow too"). My 79 year old dad said it was all good as "he had to clean the windows next week anyway". Liar. Aaaahhh grandparents' houses where everything is allowed... :)

How does your friend talk about the behaviour? Do you know if/how she tries to deal with it? To me there's a big difference when the parent really makes an effort to address the problem (be it in a gentle or a tough way, as long as it's genuinely addressed in some form or another) or whether it is more of a "this is just how he is" story. I experienced the latter just after my second daughter was born. Friend's son nearly mauled my eldest daughter at our house, his mum did absolutely nothing, so I told her son it wasn't very nice to do that, never heard from the friend since :( You can lose friends over this. But you can't just let it happen either. I'm not a good example as I clearly confronted the situation too directly (also a cultural issue as I'm not from here and used to being more direct) so I'm curious to see what other civilised answers like Saffron's we get.

I read a couple of hypnobirthing books and never fully "connected" to the idea of going into a self induced trance but it did help me become deeply (and not just scientifically, also emotionally) convinced that birth is a normal, natural process, with every contraction being highly functional etc. You know it, but you need to really believe it too. I liked the Gowri Motha book a lot, some parts of it really hit home in spite of the fact that I decided to just "scan" most of the homeopathy pages as I wasn't prepared to go "alternative" all the way. The books gave me enough confidence to enter labour without debilitating stress and I'm still convinced that the no-nonsense animal attitude (plus a lot of luck) helped me have the two easy home births that I had. I think our birth experience is part physiological luck, part attitude. And if you don't have the physiological luck, I'm sure the positive attitude can tremendously help us deal with the circumstances (e.g. very long labour, emergency caesarian etc) much better. Just my highly subjective view though!

Our kids (1 and 3) have a very short attention span with toys, especially the 3 year old. Nothing new so far I guess. The biggest hit of this summer has been a pampers box turned into a robot "head" using scissors, paint and egg boxes. What other things are nice to keep (like empty toilet rolls, old t-shirts etc) and what can you do with them? I think a mum on this forum even has a blog about a similar topic, would love to find the link back but would be extremely appreciative of individual ideas in this thread as well. Masking tape makes a nice hopscotch court on a wooden floor. You can make a zoo/aquarium by sticking cuttings in a shoe box. You can make a sailing boat with cocktail sticks, pieces of paper and food trays. But that's about all I remember from 30+ years ago... Thanks!

I also had a great experience with Lou, with both my girls in fact (2008 and 2010). He's a dad himself and is great with babies and curious siblings. Both my rather wriggly daughters seemed to consider the process of hand/foot casting a fun game. With impressive results too, trying out different materials and colours. I personally loved the aluminium/silver effect the most but that's a matter of personal taste. The web address I have is http://lousmithart.wordpress.com/ Edited to add this picture I found: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6050431592_f2c3bb3642.jpg

I'm only free on Fridays nowadays, I may go this Friday or next! Fuschia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sp: it certainly is and I am > Planning on going this weds morning think

Is Crystal Palace 1 o'clock open over summer break?