ClaireinSE22

Dear Molly, Actually I do use cloth wipes which are ACE - they do a much cleaner job than disposable wipes and are easy to launder. Unfortunately I've already blown my voucher but I think I'll take you up on the demo - see my PM. Claire

Hi Mrs Wiggle, Yes definately trial some - it might be a faff but will save ???. I thought I was being very clever when I ordered a ton of terries - I said to myself that it hadn't done me any harm and my mum had all three of us in terries etc etc. Found that babies bum was huge in them - so much so that his feet didn't touch the ground when he was lying down - and I have abandoned them with a vague plan to try again when he is bigger. At mo, I'm still using disposables which depresses me as I had sworn to use cloth nappies.... ....I've also tried Bambino Mio and not impressed but, hey, they might be the ones for you. Pickle can I ask if Itti Bitti D'lish and Blueberries can cope with the very runny pooh from unweaned, breastfed babies?

I read Ford's book when my son was 6 weeks old and like many young mothers, I was very sold on the promise of getting some sleep, despite being rather suspicious of her contention that breastfeeding should/could be incorporated into a routine. On the first night my baby boy cried on and off for 3 hours (I was sobbing too for alot of that time), on the second night he cried for 45 mins....maybe the third night would have cracked it but I just didn't have it in me. Also, the book didn't cover this eventuality - it only said that most babies would settle in 20-30 mins - so having embarked on the Ford plan, I was then left stranded. I found the experience extremely gruelling emotionally as it went against every instinct and I still feel guilty about the experiment; the ugly truth is that it was motivated by what was convenient for me and not by what the baby's needs were. Despite acknowledging my own culpability - I still feel sort of cross with this woman for every creating the expectation in me that such a tiny baby could be pushed into such a rigid system and for taking advantage of a desperate first time mum! Now that I have more confidence as a mother, I know that I wouldn't be persuaded to try anything that felt so counter-intuitive. My baby is now 14 weeks old and has gradually fallen into a pattern of his own devising - sleeping from 9:30pm to 9:30am with two night feeds and 2 or 3 day time naps. As Polly D and chantelle write, they do sleep eventually....I realise I didn't stick with Ford's strategy but I can't help feeling sorry for those co-operative 'Gina' babies! There are probably no quick, text-book solutions when it comes to babies - I guess parents need to do what feels right, remember to SUPPORT one another and wait for their little treasure to get abit older before expecting their regular 8 hours.

I went in this evening and I got a little bar of fair trade chocolate and a fridge-magnet cum note pad. Coz I have Membership card apparantly.

I'm more worried about my own behaviour that than of the kids. If I go to the pub I might want to indulge in such behaviour as letting go of the occasional expletive - and maybe some racey conversation. I might choose to get a bit worse for wear, and smoke, if the pub has a garden. Unlike many of their own parents, I'm abit shy of displaying such 'adult' behaviour in front of the impressionable. A couple of hours on a sunny afternoon in a pub with a playground seems perfectly innocent to me. But I certainly don't want to see children under twelve (i.e. the ones that are liable to be aeroplanes and banshees etc) in a pub in the evening. There are too many kids in The Herne who should have had their bath and bedtime story by 8pm. Yes, parents are entitled to a social life, that's why there are baby sitters. Or if things are tight you can take it in turns with another mum and dad. There aren't any excuses.

How many counsellors does it take to change a lightbulb? None, the bulbs got to want to change itself.

I live off Dunstan's and I haven't seen it for awhile though we used to get it as regularly as the co-op cash point runs out of money. Am very jealous to have missed out on The Pearly Edition.

It's all very well getting ones money back but they cannot compensate for lost time and mental stress. Just reading this thread has made my pulse increase and stomach muscles tighten - I'm afraid I can't help with a specfic complaint Shaggy as all my hideous experiences of Gner customer services at KC have blurred into one but please accept my deepest sympathy. Unfortunately the operators relay on the maxim that the greatest remedy for anger is delay (Seneca)so people like me who are abit crap and disorganised and don't complain formally help them get away with it I suppose. Sorry.

Surely Janice Turner is in danger of alienating her readers? Can't imagine many regular Times readers would be too horrified to discover that their own manor was under going gentrification. Personally, I've more or less ditched traditional media as I get much more out of online and user-generated content, plus I don't have to carry home all those pointless supplements full of advertising (including the ubiquitous Property pull-outs). Maybe what's really got JT's goat is that forum's like this will eventually put her out of a job?

We have had many take aways from Omrith and I think they are FABULOUS. Please excuse my gush but we were knocked out the first time we ordered from them - plus hubby has been able to re-use the plastic containers for screws, nails, string etc and other male paraphenalia. We always get some free stuff thrown in with our order too. I was very upset that I missed out on the opportunity to canvas on their behalf during the great curry debate. There is more to food in ED than Lordship Lane.