new mother

Badly written article with sloppy arguments. However I do agree with the underlying premise. I am however interested in the other side of the argument. How can a well educated, mature woman who wants the best outcome for her baby and herself ever choose to be away from potentially lifesaving equipment and resources and voluntarily remain at home. I just don't get it. The majority of women I know had had c sections, electively. Thus includes me. We all had easy pgcies, and births and my post birth scenario was possibly the worst with feet and wrist pain at around 12 months pp. We all drove soon afterwards and ran up and downstairs in my case on day two carting washing that noone else would do properly (!) around. I am so grateful for the immediate bonding we had and the massive euphoric post birth highs.

Thanks Dave and WOD.

Wod, many thanks. That is actually a very good idea. We both desperately need to get fit. We are both quite thin but totally unfit and with horrible hidden cholesterol levels no doubt. Does anyone know about tvs? The chances are that we will end up with a souped up one. the thing is, though, that these things all seem to plummet in price the minute I buy them. Wrong source? Wrong approach? Lack of knowledge of the new technology about to come out? All three?

Any ideas? I am looking for something for my husband. Not an iPad or Iliad. I fear it might end up being a tv to watch the Olympics, laze around and get fat. Has anyone any suggestions of a good tv (or other product actually) which won't break the bank and also where best to get it these days? Many thanks

Jb, good idea but from where please? I have two dvf ones but need to find much cheaper options these days...

Otta, loving the reference to the damned pig!

Bumpkin, Goodness! It is weird I know.... I did expect more bugs with my ch owing to the stats but perhaps somehow I overcompensated. I do wonder if the handwashing thing (to obsessive levels) is what did the trick. But, tbh, I have no real clue. Did you notice anything about the formula babies that could expLain it?

I think you will be pleasantly surprised and have more energy than before. You will get things done at lunchtime, read on the tube and have more money.( try it out for a while and check that it's working before committing to any expensive childcare contracts though.)

I think expectations change between the generations. We could all read either at nursery or just after starting school and we were all expected to do "tables" up to 12 times the following year Ie aged either 5 or 6. I don't think children nowadays can do those things automatically. (it wasn't considered good but simply average for us.)We had to trace pages from a book for letter practice. Do children ever see tracing paper nowadays, I wonder?! My observation is that most children "should" be able to read by the end of first year at school and I would be starting to think about why not if the child could not. (new baby and associated upheaval, youn for the year, eyesight, lack of parental practice at home etc). I would certainly err on the side of gentle intro and playing etc rather than full-scale "you must enjoy the new world that is about to open up to you" sort of pressure.

Suggest they are really careful about where they buy.... Some parts of ED would be great for overland etc as stated above while others would be hopeless.

For goodness sake, why do people post here with things they have found. Hand it into the police. End of story. That is your duty, legal and moral. Isn't that clear?!

I always always make an effort to help people who look like they might fancy it. I do this to the embarrassment of my husband who is more "British" is reticent about approaching people and is always on about how people will ask if they need help. My view is that they shouldn't have to ask. Who is right or more often right on this? The last thing I want to do to imply that someone isn't managing when he or she is taking pride in being independent. :-( To lighten the thread, I once got chatting to a lady in a wheelchair at the bottom of a quite a serious hill. I and my then boyfriend pushed her all the way up it, having a good chat and taking about 20 mins.(as I said it was a serious hill.) when we had said our goodbyes, we went back down when we found her carer going crazy with worry. Apparently she liked to give him the slip sometimes but he then stated that he could relax to some extent as, of course, she cldnt possibly be further away than the bottom of the hill. I had to go back up and show him exactly where we had left her and offer our profuse apologies. I admired her guts though.

Smiled, that is an excellent idea. We should all be asking to see those stats. Ruth baldock, yes I too had heard that about the disgusting " l problem" - it has become something of an urban myth to me. I don't believe it for a second. Re viruses mutating, of course! Thank you. I hadn't thought of that. We the parents are getting the super strong de luxe version. :-(

Some of these should be taken up with the nursery - lice, worms, and things cleanliness related - but some are normal, unfortunately. I don't understand why parents are often worse affected though. Isn't our immunity stronger than that of a toddler? My ch were both formula fed from day 1 and had far fewer bugs than their contemporaries, not that that proves anything, but it is an interesting observation. The only thing I did which seemed different from other mothers was fairly obsessive handwashing, even if not obviously needed. Trade off is bugs for OCD in later life perhaps?!

Sorry no ideas but cannot wait to see the answer. Am vicariously present at the event! have a wonderful time.

Kate, that is extraordinarily kind of you and I really appreciate the offer but I think we need to bite the bullet and get the second mortgage! Thank you so much for the generous offer though. I imagine your local playgroup would bite your hand off for it though. THanks so much again xx

CPz could increase prices as people would have to live here to park here, surely. I wonder how the sale of the OP is going, as a matter of interest...?

These are all great ideas. Thank you ladies!

Hi, we are thinking of investing - and boy is it an investment nowadays I regret to say - in an external playhouse for our big girl and a dolls house for the little one. Can anyone give some pointers before we remortgage our own house to do it! We are looking at rosebud style dolls house but have no ideas re the big house. I gather elc has a sale currently and need to dig out a voucher code my sister mentioned she had used recently for it. (might be worth forumites while checking into these codes too.) Thanks for any ideas!

Dave, a large house converted into various flats perhaps? Lots of different transactions? Peter storm, agreed but many of those joint incomes will be hit by nanny costs or halved if one partner stays at home.... I can see how the 600k prices are "achieved" as the agents say, but not really how 900 plus Prices are arrived at for bigger houses. There are plenty of those in eg the village - where does the cash come from? Is everyone getting bonuses? I find it extraordinary....

THanks anyway.

I would be asking for abs if children had a chest infection.

Errr thanks. I have obviously read their website. What I am looking for is a parent's assessment of the value the after school clubs offer - thank you for that. Is it an academic environment or a more nurturing one? I heard that the current head allows children access to her during the day and I cannot decide if this is good- eg for support vs bullies etc - or a well intentioned waste of her time.

When my little ones were fussy about food, I would think of what my parents would have done ie stick it out, send to bed, take a this or nothing attitude, and then I'd give in completely and bring the girls a yoghurt!

We went round it last term but are focussing more now - not particularly impressed by anything save the wide choice of after school clubs. Can anyone elaborate on how these work? The head is being replaced by a chap from a fulham prep. Has anyone met him?