akc74

Thanks all for tips. Re flying direct to Cape Town - we are about to book and it seems we could save quite a lot of cash by changing in Jo'burg....but is it unanimous that it's worth paying the extra to avoid this with 2 little ones?! Dilemma...

Also, I assume that I should go more by weight than age when looking at the feeding guide? My boy was born at just under 37 weeks and was 6 lbs 3 so he's quite little. However he necks 100 ml quite often and sometimes behaves like he's still hungry afterwards. Actually that may have been more with EBM than with formula which I guess is not surprising as it's less filling... I am thinking of making up 120ml bottles and assuming he'll stop when he's full, but obviously don't want to overdo it. The midwife is coming tomorrow so will consult her too.

Thanks both. KateW - what age was yours when you were doing the split feed either side of the bath? I am wobbling about stopping just yet - so I may try and BF again later and see if the pain has subsided after a couple of days off. I think I've been expressing enough that I might not have screwed up my supply yet. So it's all a bit up in the air for me, but I am still interested in learning what I'd do in case I am on the formula this time tomorrow!

I am reluctantly (for various reasons I won't go into) in the process of winding down breastfeeding at 3 weeks, and just wondering how evening formula feeds tend to work. I would try and fit in a breastfeed around 5 and then again about 6.30 and that would usually mean the little one was full and settled well until I fed again around 10pm. Since beginning the winding down he's had mainly expressed milk, but this will run out soon. Formula feeders - what sort of feeding quantities/frequency would you be doing for a 3-4 week old? Do you usually just do one big feed at bedtime, or do you try to squeeze in a couple of smaller ones close together? Thanks

Sorry to chip in but does anyone have any experience of a P&T Dash to share? I don't think it's on the market any more but I may have the opportunity to buy a secondhand one from a friend, but I've no idea how it compares to the other models. Any insights welcome!

I have just had my second child by C-section and I have another boy who has just turned 2. My husband will be returning to work next Friday for 2 weeks (unexpectedly as our son was early, and we had hoped that paternity leave and summer holidays would merge!) So I am considering getting some help for these 2 weeks - I am not 100% sure exactly what I need, but taking my son to nursery 2 mornings a week, lifting him when required (eg for lunchtime naps) are among the things that spring to mind, as well as help with the new baby and help entertaining the toddler eg when feeding the small one. Would welcome any input or suggestions as to whether I need a temp nanny, a post natal doula or what - and any specific recommendations also very welcome. It's very short notice I know, so I guess an agency may be the only option (and hence pricey..) Thanks.

Hello all experienced flyers, We are due to go to Cape Town next April for a family wedding, with a then 9 month old (not yet born!) and a nearly 3 yr-old. Any tips about best time to book? At the moment most direct flights I can find seem to be ?1,000 and my bro was suggesting we should be able to get them for more like ?700. Does anyone know the optimum time in advance to book? Also it has to be worth paying more for a direct flight with 2 little ones? Would you all agree?! From what I gather the older child is almost a full fare and the younger not, if we just have him on our laps? Would this still entitle you to a bassinet thingy where he can sleep or will he be too big for that by then? Any tips gratefully received! Including re airlines, best times to fly - whatever comes to mind! Thank you so much in advance.

My toddler loves spinach & ricotta tortelloni, gnocchi...I've had mixed success with chicken & broccoli crispbakes from Sainsbury's. He also likes sweet potato falafels (from Waitrose/Ocado I think). Sainsbury's sell arancini - sold as butternut squash and sage risotto balls, if I remember correctly - these have also gone down well.

Thanks - I did find this very helpful, as I am planning (99.9% sure) an elective CS this July, after 4 days of failed induction last time ending in an emergency CS. I am really hopeful that it'll go like yours did!

I have my second child due mid-July - not around on Sat, but may be at Goose Green on Friday morning. Will look out for other bumps!

I also heard about it via a text message - but wasn't able to go. I'd be interested to hear what came of it. On a slightly different matter, I have just tried to book in to see the midwife at the Gardens and can't see her for weeks - they could really do with another day of midwife appointments, which I will try to feed back.

Tonight we decided not to get him out of the cot for the cuddles, but we went in about every 5 mins and tried to reassure him with stroking, singing Twinkle Twinkle etc - he was in a bit of a state for probably about 45 mins in total, eventually becoming more willing to lie down and then suddenly saying "Bye bye" at about 8.15. I will find this hard to do in the night but I guess I should be consistent and will do it again tomorrow night. Thanks for all the tips, it's really helpful to know other people have had similar issues and interesting to hear a variety of different responses.

I think it's really handy having an afternoon option, though 3-5pm is the most relevant slot for us given sleep etc. There are probably plenty of Mums with little ones who don't have school pick ups to worry about yet. We are planning to come up this morning...

To be honest it is often 7.20/7.30 by the time the lights are out already - we still get the screaming, usually for less time and he is more tired by then I guess. This morning he woke at 5.30am and that was it for the day - no going back to bed in spite of my efforts. I think he probably needs to learn to self settle so that as and when he wakes in the night he is able to go back to sleep by himself. I do enjoy the bedtime cuddles but not the repeated demands for them, and the crying - I think it would be better for him, not just us, if he could happily go to sleep by himself. I am also 20 wks pregnant and don't think i could manage it once there's a new baby.

Ha - just found this old post of mine and he's now 20 months and still doing the same thing - screaming for Daddy or Mummy as he wants more cuddles and won't be left. Keep thinking I need to leave him in order to break the habit, but can't bring myself to listen to it for too long. Anyone else got any other experiences of this and how to handle it? I miss my evenings that used to start at 7pm! For now, I'm off back up to try and calm him down....

...is the flyover still half shut and therefore is it a no-go, even during the day?! 'Scuse the ignorance but haven't driven out west for a while and due to do so on Thurs (to Reading) - and would usually go that way. Tips welcome re best route as, knowing me, it's probably not the cleverest route at the best of times.

Very interested in missing the potty out all together and using the loo seat - sounds like a great idea. Is that unusual, or are there many of you out there for whom that worked?

Wow - congratulations - if your warmth and empathy as an NCT teacher is anything to go by you'll be amazing!

Having seen some helpful sleep threads on here, I thought I'd throw my issue out there to the wise forumites. Currently my 17m old has decided he doesn't like his 7pm bedtime anymore. He settles quietly at first but within 5 mins of us leaving he is screaming and the cycle is repeated with us going in 2-3 times and him eventually conking out at 7.45/8pm. I'm pretty sure it's not teeth/illness as he's been in good spirits during the day. I am not sure if he genuinely isn't tired or just wants to be cuddled - I know I should probably be able to tell the difference! He sleeps till 6.30-7am at the moment which is the upside as he has previously been a very early riser. He also sleeps for 2 hours at about 12.30pm. Is it just a clingy phase or does anyone think I should be cutting back his lunchtime nap? He is often still quite out of it after 2 hours, so I'm not sure about shortening it already. Lots of his little buddies are still sleeping in the morning as well as a long one after lunch. Thoughts welcome!

Thanks Ruth, have heard of WTS and may try if this 5am thing seems to stick. He has his first molars, but the top canines have only recently surfaced so I think teeth are also part of the picture. If it settles back to 6ish I feel perhaps I should be grateful for that and let it be (and go to bed earlier myself as one forumite suggested last time I brought this up!)

Our 16m old has always been an early riser but we've had 5am starts the last 2 days in spite of trying to stick to new times. And yesterday he had a shorter lunchtime nap than normal too, so I suspect he's overtired. Will keep persevering!

I did the Jelly Belly class at Dulwich Therapy Rooms and I thought it was really good...in my experience, a well qualified teacher who knows her stuff (and has special post-natal training) can still do a good job even without having had a C-section herself! She also does follow on classes at Goose Green and at Push Studios. So basically a really good idea, and fairly well-catered for already - but maybe there is enough demand for more than one of you...! Good luck.

Thanks Bumpy - suggests maybe I should be going for an 8pm bedtime, even though 7pm seems the bedtime of choice! Maybe I'll try 7.30 for a while and see if it has any bearing (if he can last till then....) - as a one off it doesn't ever seem to affect his wake-up time.

Hi Nicola, thank you so much for the suggestions. I have heard about wake-to-sleep but had assumed this was more relevant for a 4 or 5am persistent waking habit - for some reason I had thought it wouldn't work with us, because he is not far off a normal wake up time. But I may give it a go if it the pattern persists. However, do you have experience that would suggest that some children just need 11 hours sleep a night, instead of 12? I am trying to crack the morning sleep again to see if that helps. I have tried to resist giving him one for a while (as per your suggestion - which is very consistent with the Gina approach) but it's a bit of a vicious circle as it's hard to last through after such an early start. Today he went without, had lunch at 11.30 (not that he ate anything much) and crashed out at 12.

The current routine is screaming on the dot of 5.45am. He has gone through phases of chatting for a while to himself so we haven't needed to go in, but not at the moment! This morning I really tried to resist going in too soon, but I was a bit worried about the neighbours - after about 5-10 minutes it was pretty clear he wasn't going to go back to sleep. I think he is teething at the moment so I should probably be a little more sympathetic! ]