Sanne Panne

Night lights weren't enough here, 3yo would just stand on something and turn the big light on... which wasn't great for the quality of her sleep I think. We put a red bulb in her ceiling lamp now and just leave it on all night. It's dim enough to not bother her in her sleep and bright enough to let her pick up a book and look at pictures for a while until she falls back asleep. During the real monster phase she slept in our bed a few times but it's better now and I think the light helps. We also happened to need our carpets steam cleaned and told her it would help keep the monsters away. And we used monster spray (e.g. water with a bit of lavender) and let her stick princess stickers above her bed... all helped a little bit but you also run the risk of cultivating the thing too much. As with everything, every child is different... but in our case having more "warm" light in the room seems to really help.

Was thinking the same, you're more likely to get into Heber from there, but if you need to move anyway that's irrelevant. sb Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > BTW I'm not sure you'd be within the distance > criteria for DVI if you live on Milo road - have > you seen the admissions stats from last year on > the furthest distances from school? Unless you > qualify for other criteria (sibling etc).

Tumbletots is on this week

Obliteration room it's called I think

Looking for a very active class for a 3.5 - 4 year old on Fridays. Ideally either a drop-off class or one that a 1.5 year old can take part in as well but willing to compromise on that. Don't want an instrumental music class with a bit of dancing - movement has to be the focus. She does gymnastics on Saturdays and loves it. She used to do tumbletots (and loved it) but the nearest Friday class for her age seems to be in Blackheath (we do drive but want to look locally first). Will consider anything from swimming to football to dance, as long as she gets some nice exercise in. And yes we do lots of walking and scooting etc too, just want to add one more structured class :) Thanks!

Or how about a high bed with a desk under it? http://www.dekleinegeneratie.nl/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/h/o/hoogslaper_1.jpg

Both my kids nap/napped very differently in childcare than with me. To me this would be a case of don't fix what ain't broken! :)

Well after a slight temptation to go without I decided to keep the bottom stairgate in. Will see if I can teach my 3.5 year old to open it so she is less restricted. The thought of my 1.5 year old having a nasty fall is just too much (and yes of course she'll dive off the back of the sofa onto a radiator 5 minutes from now but at least I prevented the preventable). Foam mats there already, and relatively late walkers here too (15-16 months and both on the careful side) but still. Everyone their own comfort zone! :)

Until what age would you want them to go down backwards? Our 19 month old now seems extremely keen to go down forward, on her bottom. She goes slowly and fairly safely but it may be easier to trip this way. And to give some experience based advice, make sure to tell them not to haul two dolls, a train and a beanbag up/down the stairs at the same time... or wear oversized dressing up clothes... shiver.

that's pretty long. good you're all ok.

every parent's nightmare, how long were you without him?

We have a similar staircase situation and for now we have one in the corridor, effectively closing off access to the bottom of the stairs as well as the entrance hall. It's a pain especially as our 3.5 year old is fine going up/down on her own but can't open the gate so we need to help her every time (gate is there for the 1.5 year old who is pretty safe on the stairs but not ready to go alone). I'm too obsessed with stair falls to be ok without it for now... If they get distracted climbing up they can still fall down. But note that I really am a bit obsessive ;)

I'm with susyp on this one, I think there are perfectly gentle ways to say "no" that don't traumatise your child and will keep him/her from scaring/hurting other children (especially babies for whom there is no "well, being hit on the head is part of life, get used to it" kind of lesson). I personally believe that leaving immediately is the best thing. You don't need to shout, don't need to tire yourself, your child and all the other parents with the "gentle repetition of the same thing" (and/or long talks at night) that I think is ineffective for boisterous behaviour. I think just leaving instantly will sort the problem out much, much sooner than the "no Marcus, strooooke the baby" approach. Shouting and other angry behaviour will probably only make a boisterous toddler more aggressive and I already talked about talking ;) And you don't need to be isolated, I think being strict a handful of times could sort the problem. And there are always the (smaller scale and more controllable) playdates with mums you know that are more tolerant of the phase your child is going through. Just my opinion of course.

I'm so sorry he lost his tooth. Hope he's ok otherwise. :( Just adding that the Mountain Buggy Swift also seems prone to tip over if you're not handling it as prescribed (e.g. one handed steering with an 18 month old in the buggy and going over a bump (walking fast, not running). Of course, I should have held it with two hands but it doesn't hurt warning other parents... otherwise great buggy.

I think the teething granules are a treat that surprise kids and therefore stop the crying... it's really sweet if you ever tried it. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut I'm no doctor, I just go by published proven science and fully accept that yet-unproven ideas CAN drive innovation - I just believe that homeopathy has been studied enough by now to be dismissed but am (seriously) happy to read any (serious) evidence that points in a different direction.

But believing in homeopathy is a bit like believing in god. It's purely faith based, zero science behind it. If you claim one is true and the other isn't, please come up with a really good story. Ok I'd really better run now ;)

I loved Safe and Sound. Not sure if they do local courses, I went to Regents Park for it. http://www.safeandsound.uk.net/catalogue_main.php?catID=4428&PHPSESSID=248f54ee2eab9775f79af9adf491f2b8

Barcelona is great, it has beach and parks and pools and a great aquarium, bigger chance of good weather at that time of year, it's relatively small so you can do a lot just by walking and cabs are cheap (and metro/tube not at all hectic) when you don't want to walk. I would recommend renting an apartment so you can go "back home" during the day, have a kitchen where you can keep your bread, sleep in separate rooms yet be together, ideal with kids. Would NOT recommend staying in the charming but shabby Raval / Barrio Gotico / Barceloneta areas (can be smelly/noisy) but in Gracia, Eixample etc (feel free to pm me about specific neighbourhoods as I used to live there). Have fun if you go there, I'm jealous!

Yes in the early days of #2 (and probably increasingly so with #3 and onwards) you do wonder what the hell you were worried about and busy with in the early days with #1 (until you remember you were new to parenthood then) but I still find the article incredibly condescending.

Depends on what I think the adult in question is happiest with. Definitely use same wording at home especially with younger kids.

There's a lot of room for autonomy and exploration (and indeed challenging behaviour) that can be accommodated within the boundaries of not hitting other kids or spitting on the table etc... And what is this thing with the Brits versus the French, wasn't the last war quite a while ago? ;)

"Can you put batteries in my mermaid please". At 3:30am. It's a soft mermaid, never had batteries in it, never made a squeak or moved her tail.

Also, at 5 months age you really don't need to worry about perfect sterilisation. Good to pre-sterilise and allow to dry bottles thoroughly (for peace of mind etc etc) but even if you have to re-use a bottle just by rinsing it with water you'll be fine... the infamously germophobic Americans don't usually sterilise baby bottles at all except once after buying them new! No need to change your habits just to make you feel more relaxed in case things don't go as planned.

I was also wondering when reading the title but it must be the No Cry Sleep Solution sillywoman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Umm, sorry to be asking the bleedin obvious - > what's the NCSS?

Shamelessly deducted from classic guns 'n chasing ;) sillywoman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > are you saying by boys are rough Sanne Panne!! > > ;)