MrsLL2b

We bought through Wooster and Stock years ago - I?m still scarred by it! I don?t know if the person we dealt with is still there or not, which would affect things. They lied, as in made up huge fabricated lies, and tried to play us and the buyer off each other which nearly made the whole thing fall through. All got found out when we went for a viewing mid purchase to measure up and the vendor was there. They hadn?t told him and were really shocked and flustered. They had told us he was an elderly widow moving to the coast to be near his children - he turned out to be a man in his 30s who was selling to buy with his girlfriend!! I will never trust an agent again because of how appalling they were.

The books by Alan and Janet Ahlberg are great, real classics that appeal to all ages. I got them for my daughters first birthday and she still picks them out regularly and she is now 2. Also if you look up 'push along toys' on amazon these are great. They're around ?6 and are lovely wooden little animals like ponys,mouse etc that they push along on a little wooden stick. Great for that age when they're starting to walk and like to hold something. They also look alot more expensive than they are!

I was going to say possibly teething too. I think my daughter is doing the same. I also wondered if my daughter was just getting really bored of having the same meals all the time! I usually batch cook for her and freeze it in portions,but I haven't really changed my repertoire since she started eating food! Two things she will always have which your daughter might go for as the cow and gate apple and pear pur?e but in the pouch rather than the pot. Tesco do their own brand kids yogurt in the same thing. It's not like the frubes it is a proper pouch with resealable lid so you can put it back in the fridge if they don't finish it. She can suck it out rather than having to squeeze it. She also seems to like things she can dip like fruit into yogurt or grilled chicken strips into mango chutney etc. Like you I'm trying to just be relaxed, offer her more variety and trust her appetite. I am trying not to do too many snacks though in between meals as I do think that affects how much she will eat at mealtime although I appreciate it's better to get snacks into her than nothing at all.

Just resurrecting this thread as I am considering getting these and wondered if anyone had used them? I am specifically interested in how well they fit under a standard fitted sheet or do I need to buy the extra deep sheets? Thanks.

Thanks Lucy, that's great. I keep unconsciously crossing my legs and then realising it is probably not helping. I have definitely found sitting in a lotus style comfy but again was worried it could be doing more damage. I have my physio appointment tonight so hopefully I will get lots of tips.

Hi Hollie, I know it's not quite what you are looking for but we are off to the Algarve on Saturday (woohoo) and staying in a place about 20mins from Faro airport. I'll let you know what it's like when we get back, but it's called Fonte Verde if you want a look. I searched for ages and the sites I found most useful (other than forum suggestions of course) were baby friendly bolt holes, the family friendly sections of Alastair Sawdays and Mr & Mrs Smith, and also the holiday review section on mumsnet which has tons of suggestions listed by country and hotel vs self catering. Hope you guys are well x

Thanks Rachel but not based in London anymore. (EDF is a hard habit to drop!) I spoke to the pelvic partnership today and they seemed to think it doesn't matter so much if it is physio, chirp or osteo as long as they specialise in women's health/pregnancy issues. So I found a local physio today that only treats women and specialises in PGP so fingers crossed it will work. Thanks again.

Hi all, That's great. My appt is with the GP rather than the midwife as the receptionist didn't think the mw could make referrals. But it might be worth seeing the mw again anyway. I'll see what they say about waiting times for the Nhs physio and if it is long I'll try private. I have emailed the pelvic partnership to ask if they can recommend anyone near me (based in Cheshire now. It would be great if it just takes 1 or 2 sessions to sort out. Thanks for the tips.

I am 26 weeks pregnant with my second child and I think due to lugging around my toddler I have started to develop quite bad PGP and want to get it seen to before it gets too bad. (have stopped all toddler carrying!) I do have an appt with the GP on tues to get a referral to a physio but due to waiting times I'm assuming I'll have to pay for some private sessions. Just wondered if I am paying anyway then would a chiropractor or osteopath be better than a physio or does it not really matter? Not based near ED anymore so no need to specific recommendations just unsure which specialist to go for. Thanks.

Thanks both!

Ps isn't the babyjogger alot cheaper? I got my cherry second hand but when pricing it up in John Lewis it was looking around ?700 with all the bits whereas the babyjogger is around ?200 I think?

I have th iCandy cherry....wish I had the babyjogger, it just looks so light and easy. I love the way the hood comes down so low over the baby for naps/blocking the sun/shielding from the rain etc. The cherry is good and the pram was especially lovely when my little one (winter baby) was born and I could wrap her up all snug. But I do now find it quite heavy and cumbersome. Basically I was happy with until I became aware of the babyjoggers existence!

My sister has spent the last year working very hard to design and launch her fabulous new maternity line Madderson London. It finally went live yesterday and has had some excellent reviews so far. The concept was born following her frustrations during her first pregnancy with the limited fashions available for the style conscious pregnant lady. Impressively the entire collection from concept to launch has been achieved whilst looking after her 20month old bundle of energy full time and being pregnant again.....naturally so she can try all the styles out herself! I am lucky that my second pregnancy coincides with this launch so I am now the proud owner of the Saturday dress which has transformed my maternity wardrobe. I love it. They are all manufactured in London using very luxe fabrics so the results are beautiful, high end fashions. Apologies for the shameless plug but I am really proud of her and hope it is a success. www.maddersonlondon.com

Thanks snowboarder. I'm already 5 months pregnant so hopefully no more unexpected holiday pregnancies this time!

Snowboarder that is weird, that is one of the two places we have narrowed our choice down to. The other one is called Fonte Verde in the Algarve which is a modern complex of 30 townhouses which have been built with child safety in mind. We are prob leaning towards the latter but would be very keen to hear more about Padre Aviles. Were there places to eat out or did you totally self cater?

Hi uptime! Hope you're ok. We have in our freezer as staples frozen peas, frozen sweet corn (only just discovered this) and a bag of mixed chipped veg from sainos which is surprisingly nice. I only really use them for E's dinner as they microwave in about 90seconds so v handy. Also have frozen chopped spinach which is really handy to throw into pasta. I also use that sometimes to make creamed spinach for us. Apparently waitrose do a nice rice and mixed veg which is handy for dinner in a rush for the kids with goujons etc.

I agree, please don't worry, some people just have smaller babies or your bump may be smaller if for example you have quite toned stomach muscles etc. I definitely found different midwive measured my bump differently each time. I think if there was anything unusual it would have come up in your 20 week scan. If they do offer you any growth scans you could take them just for the peace of mind and to have another peek at your little person. If you think how varied the population are in shape and size it makes you realise how unlikely it is that every pregnant person is going to grow in the same way or that their babies will fit some sort of standard pattern. It is all just based on averages. Keep doing what you are doing and try not to worry....oh and I have heard several times that you only need to eat the equivelent of an apple a day in extra calories from 7 months and before that your standard diet is fine. One of my best friends is absolutely tiny, had a teeny bump at 9 months (you would have thought she was 6/7 months) and had 9ib-ers both times! Good luck.

One of the biggest successes for my daughters 1st birthday was this: http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/3489343.htm Even though it is plastic and sings it is really cute and not annoying. Alternatively some nice clothes or pyjamas from somewhere like mini Boden or the little white company. Or some nice books... Winnie the pooh or Beatrix potter collection. Some good baby books are the Tales from Acorn Wood selection or anything by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Check out amazon for deals.

Hi all, Thanks so much for all the advice and words of wisdom. I agree having an apartment or two rooms is ideal. I think going to a large villa with one or two other families is probably a good compromise. It we have left it too late to organise anything like that this year. I don't want to be totally self catering as it wouldn't be much of a holiday for me. I know mark Warner well. We have stayed in their ski resorts a few times and my husband has also worked three seasons for them many moons ago! It was the hotel room set up that put me off there. But it is looking like at this stage a package Hol might be the way forward for this year. I shall report back if I happen to stumble upon the holy grail of holidays with kids!! Thanks again.

I am probably being really thick, but I am trying to plan our first proper holiday abroad with our toddler and really struggling to get my head around the logistics of having a child around in the evenings! I must admit I am a stickler for routine and bedtime. So I am going to try to be a bit more relaxed and let her stay up a bit later/go with the flow a bit more. But the way I see it the options are: a. allow your child to stay up, bring the buggy out with you and maybe they will doze off in it? Really can't see our toddler doing this as she is a nosy little thing and tends to get hyper with tiredness. She also hasn't slept in a buggy for as long as I can remember. b. all eat together early-ish and we end up sitting quietly on the balcony or something and go to bed early. Sounds fun. I had hoped to book a small apartment within a small family run, independent set up (see my other post) but budget constraints are meaning we will probably have to consider a half board package style holiday. The first option would mean we would at least have a living space to use in the evening. On package holidays are kids allowed in the restaurants in the evening, or would we just have to eat with her very early? I have found one or two that look nice within budget which have two room apartments. We would still all have to sleep in the same room but we would at least have somewhere to sit once she has gone to bed. Sorry for rambly post, I have been looking at holiday and flight websites all evening and my head is ready to explode with the complexity of it all. Don't even get me started on flight timings!!

Hi Hazel, sorry to pester you again. We are being really indecisive and umm-ing and aah-ing about where to go on our hols. We havent yet booked Verdemar as I can't really tell that much about it from the website. I know you said it is 10-15 drive to the beach, but is it near a town or anywhere that you can walk into? I get the impression it is quite rural/remote and I don't want to get there and find we are a bit bored if there is not much to do. We will be pretty limited anyway as our daughter will only be 21 months but I don't want to be too isolated. Any advice appreciated! Thanks

Hi V, Thanks for that. I hadn't thought of groups where I might be able to discuss it with others in the same boat. I might see if the local NCT do one here. I'm in Cheshire now, halfway between Manchester and Liverpool. I'm impressed you managed a home birth after a previous section, well done! Thanks again Louise

Hi all, Sorry to resurrect this thread again after months and months. You're probably all sick of discussing your birth stories. I am in the same position, basically identical first birth to cff9 and the same mixed feelings about whether to have a VBAC or c-section. I only know one friend who this happened to, she did manage a VBAC but ended up with a horrible forceps experience and very bad tearing. So that hasn't really given me confidence, as she really regrets not having an ELCS. However logically I know that could happen in any labour (it isn't VBAC specific) and I suppose I have no valid medical reason for choosing an ELCS other than the control factors others have mentioned. I have the added bonus of being due 20th Dec so am ELCS means I could choose to avoid Christmas day in theory! I'd be really interested to hear how those who had a CS, either elective or emergency, found their recovery having a toddler around. I have received a copy of my notes but as far as I can see there is no detail about why I ended up with a EMCS last time apart from feral distress. Ie no details on the baby's positioning etc. I have also now moved out of London so haven't got the option of registering with any of the great midwife groups down there. I was booked for a home birth and had got quite into the Hypnobirthing etc last time so in a way feel I'm 'owed' a good birth but I think if I attempted VBAC and it ended in EMCS or a really bad birth I'd be really disappointed. Aaaagh decisions decisions! Met the consultant yesterday but he just said to keep an open mind til I'm about 34 weeks and then we can decide. So no pressure either way yet, although I did notice afterwards he circled VBAC in my notes! Any advice or just stories on how you came to your decisions would be gratefully received.

We moved 5 months ago to Cheshire. Swopped our top floor conversion flat for a 5 bedroom Victorian semi with huge garden in very nice large village. I was nervous to leave London despite knowing it just wasn't right for us anymore. We have an 18 month old and another on the way (and hopefully more after that!) so a top floor flat just wasn't an option anymore. It was really starting to bother me that to live in the catchment area for a half decent state school in ED you would need to buy a ridiculously overpriced and probably too small house, and would need to be a two income family to afford it. The crime levels and general stress of even mundane things like battling the DKH sainos were just taking their toll. We literally have not looked back since making the move. Like someone else said we still feel like we are on holiday all the time. I have found it really easy to make new friends as everyone is very friendly. Everything is easy (Ikea in 10mins and always empty!), life is simply more enjoyable and there is more time to appreciate it. I think the keys to a successful move are to choose your new area carefully, be gaining more than your losing (in our case big house, being near my parents and friends, and massively increased quality of life) and being ready to leave London/ED rather than being forced out. Shocker as it may be.....there is life outside ED!

Esme - apologies for hijacking your thread! Hazel - that all sounds ideal. I have been in touch and they do have one of the larger villas available the week we want to go. She also said the monitor should work which is good. We may well end up here! Thank for the advice.