darlin'

Thank you @abrown !

Hello I am looking for some local builders/ handy-men who can come and construct a bike shed and a raised wooden playhouse (same size and material as a small wooden shed, on stilts.) Ideally I'd love for this to be as soon as possible. Please let me know recommendations or your rates. thanks anna

@bluesuperted THANK YOU!! for linking to my blog. And yes please come and join me on my Facebook page too as I post daily play ideas over there too. I have 3 girls age 3, 2 and 18 weeks and I verge on the edge of insanity most of the time, so these things are to keep me going too! xxx

This is absolutely BRILLIANT!! Thank you SO much for doing it. Have bookmarked it and will be visiting regularly :-)

Ah thanks Born&BrED for mentioning my blog! There are some fab ideas already listed in all the answers above, love them! I write mainly about the play ideas and activities that I do with my 1 and nearly 3 year old at home. I was a reception teacher in ED so probably taught some of your kiddies a few years ago. Nowadays I have to keep myself from going mental and because my nearly 3 year old sounds *exactly* like yours Sanne Panne- interested in toys for all of 20 mins! Hope some of the ideas can be helpful, but please know this is not all we do all day every day and we still have all the usual strops, tantrums and tv days (ummm, a lot!) x

Crompo that's so cool! I love that it's an island- brilL! (they are great for getting a bit of peace and quiet!)

:)) That's great!

Definitely agree that the simple everyday things are what catches their attention (although I also loved the Jumperoo!) At 6 months they begin to be able to sit up or hold head up really well when lying down so the whol world opens up to them. A wonderful thing to create is a treasure basket filled with natural and everyday items that can be mouthed, bashed and explored using all of the senses. I have a little collection of treasure basket ideas and other baby play ideas that have been tried and tested with my two on my blog. You can see them here if you like- it's a direct link to the baby play list. Baby PLay Ideas at The Imagination Tree Hope some of those help- most are from recycled/ every day materials so cheap and easy to create!

Thanks for that link Fuschia. Some of those other signs are really interesting eg thin, elastic skin and easy bruising. Will look into this more. Hope your son gets the help he needs. OT should be really hot on this I imagine.

Thanks ED Mummy. I think I will speak to GP and hope they don't think I'm being crazy. I know I can touch thumbs to wrist and have over curved back so maybe it's a similar thing. Interesting how common it seems.

Bought mine from Myriad Toys as well. Such a lovely online shop- all about natural play. Brill.

I know you have enough ideas already (by the look of it!) but just want to suggest 2 titles that my 2 year ild LOVES (as did many classes of Reception kids that I taught in the past): "Red Rockets and Rainbow Jelly" and "Faster Faster Nice and Slow" by Nick Sharratt and Sue Heap. Has them in fits of giggles, brilliant rhyming text (v good for early literacy development) and wonderful bright pictures.

Lots of people have said anything after 2 is easy! At the moment I can't quite imagine it myself. I found the transition from 1-2 much harder than 0-1 for some reason!

We have used this with our eldest since teething and now still on occasion as a toddler. We get mocked relentlessly by some of our friends but others have tried it too and seem to think it helps! You have to make sure you buy one that is knotted between each bead so that if by some freak occurrence it gets broken while on baby, the beads won't cause a choking hazard. The type to buy is baltic amber- no copies. The way I see it, it doesn't harm to try and it definitely seemed to help to some extent for us.

I'm interested in knowing more about this. What signs did/do your babies first have that show they may have it? In the last month or so my baby (10 months) has been doing the splits when she sits down and moves around, sometimes causing her to fall flat over onto her back because it means she's not propping herself up in a balanced way when sitting. It has freaked us out to see how flexible she is and I've been wondering if it could be something more. She was very mobile in the womb, going from breech to transverse and back to cephalic all within a morning. I eventually had to have her by c-s at 41 weeks because she just wouldn't stop moving and therefore couldn't engage. Does that sound like an indicator for hyperflexibility/ mobility do you think?

Oliver is the most popular name in the UK at the moment I think! It used to be Jack for aaaaaages.

Hi Fuschia I'm really sorry you are facing this and I understand what it's like. I was in the exact same situation with baby 2. Breech baby then officially unstable lie- went in for loads of appointments at MAU to check position. I was desperate for a VBAC so kept asking them to let me go and they actually were quite lenient. Then at 39 weeks I saw a different registrar at MAU, she detected transverse lie again and kept me in even though I had my 18 month old with me at the time. They offered me an elective c-section that week but it was very confusing. SOme consultants said there was no point waiting- babies like this never settle and you should just have the c-s. But I met a couple of others who said yes baby could go head down right up unitl the beginning of labour and I should wait it out. I found it VERY confusing and even my Oakwood midwives didn't really know what to do. I wouldn't say they were my advocates particularly. Anyway, long story, but in the end I waited it out until 41 weeks, they tried to do a sweep to induce labour and then they planned to turn the baby as labour started. But my cervix wasn't ready for induction and they couldn't give me a chemical induction due to previous c-s. So I had another c-s and it was perfectly fine. I was out within 48 hours and found I coped really well with the baby this time even though no-one helped much. Th 2 weeks away from my 18 month old were AWFUL and if I had known it would end with a c-s anyway, I would have had it right there and then on the day they had checked me in! I was just SO desperate for a chance at natural birth that I really wanted to give baby every chance possible to turn and make her own way out. The actual stay in hospital was quite pleasant and I did get a very good rest (on the plus side!). I wasn't in the antenatal ward so it was quite surreal but relaxing as well. Were your previous babies early at all?? They fact that you have already had 3 births could mean that you would be a very good case for induction and your body might respond brilliantly. It would be worth asking for them to try this (maybe at 38/39 wks?) and if it doesn't work then just go for the c-s. Whatever you do, it will be wonderful in the end. Sorry for writing so much. X

Hi I also had elective c-sec with my first due to praevia and was very worried about my options second time around. Have you been sent an appointment with a consultant midwife at Kings yet? I went to one sometime mid-way through my 2nd pregnancy and was told it was a matter of course due to first section. The lady I met (can't remember name) was AMAZING.SHe was all about having a natural VBAC and said there is no need for constant monitoring or to be lying on ned etc. She took a very long time to carefully talk through the options eg hand-held monitor and said it is even possible for water birth. As it happened I had to have another c-sec due to constantly turning baby (she flipped from breech to cephalic to transverse on the day of her birth alone!!) The second c-sec (which I was gutted about and cried a lot over) actually turned out to be a million miles away from the first experience. I don't know if it's just something to do with knowing what to expect, but I felt positive, the pain seemed less and I was walking around much more quickly. I was home within 48 hours having spent a good 4-5 days the first time. The staff were just as busy, but seemed very supportive and kind. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is there is no good reason why you can't have an active birth without too much monitoring. Maybe try and see Mr Marsh consultant at Kings- he seems very forward thinking (from my memory!)And if you do end up with another c-s it really might not be as bad as you think. x

"Do you really need to take the toy toilet to bed with you? Oh you do? Oh ok then" "Please don't stick Makka Pakka on her forehead. Thank you" "I said 'kiss her goodnight' not 'lick her lips'...you weirdo"

These are just some of the thing I have heard myself saying to my two year old recently.... "Stop licking me" "NO we don't draw on our tummies" "NO we don't draw on the floor!" "NO WE DON"T PAINT ON THE WALLS" (ok this one was shouted) "No don't eat that it's been stuck there for over a....oh well, never mind, I'm sure it's ok" "No mummy didn't do a 'poo poo'. It was a fart. But thanks for telling everyone." "baby doesn't want to eat your breadsticks." "Stop walking on the table" "No you DON'T poo on the floor" "Do not pick it up" "Give it to daddy" "Why are you carrying around a tea cup with batteries in?" "Why is there sand in the oven?" "No you cannot stroke the bumble bee" "Take the slug out of your mouth" "GET OFF my tomatoes" "Do not tip that bowl over your head.....Do not eat those out of your hair...Do not wipe that into your face" "Please don't sit on the baby. She doesn't like it" What have you been saying recently?!?!

Wow! So many positive experiences on here. I've had 2 elective c/s now, first due to Placenta Praevia and second due to very unusal situation where baby wouldn't stop turning up until 41 wks(breech in morning, cephalic by lunchtime, transverse by tea time etc!)I felt just like you- totally disappointed that I couldn't do it "properly", but both times were fantastic, calm and slightly surreal really! You sit in waiting room reading a mag calmly with poor women on all-fours moaning in labour next to you (I felt such a fraud!) and then get called to go through and have the preparation done etc. Op itself is quick, surreal and amazingly light and jolly. I expectedtbe operating theatres you see in the movies but they are so bright and casual- completely different. My husband actually videoed the births for me (told him I wouldn't believe baby had come from me if I didn't see it....I know, weird!)Hubby is allowed to stand up and look just as baby is coming out so if u want pics (or sneaky video!) then go for it. I've watched both births SO many times now and it's not that gruesome- tummy is covered with plastic stuff. Be prepared for very bizarre sensations and strong tugging- you won't feel pain but you might think you are going to. It just won't happen. And all the advice on here for the post-natal is brill. I stayed 4 days first time and 48 hours the second. Moving as early as possible makes recovery much, much faster. Take peppermint oil or tea for the very painful trapped wind (seriously) and arnica to help healing. It will be wonderful! X

I would have said exactly the same as Helen GV. It's called the BRAT diet (helps as an aide memoir!) and has always worked for me (though usually try banana last of the 4.) sorry they are still getting it- seems very unlucky that it's lasting so long :-(

I may very well be there too. What do we do on these occasions...wear EDF name cards or something?! Lol. Hope to see you there.

I used to give my baby ReadyBrek mixed with an Organix fruit pot and she never got tired of it! Nutritious and easy to prepare.

yes! we have one and it does. However, there isn't a huge amount of room for anything else!