ludoscotts

great book to get is the annabel karmel total meal planner. Great meals and ones where you add more stock etc to make them up into soups for the adults so you wernt cooking for you and baby seperatley. I was also very confused about amounts. I.e if my baby was now eating solids how much milk should she still have been having etc. The book gives you meal plans for the week and although I didnt stick to her choices for each day it gave me an idea of when to give milk and when to give juices etc. And it gives meal plans from first tastes up to 12 months plus.

Hi im afraid im not going to make it. Hope you all have a nice time and will come along to the next meet up. leanne x

Hi we had our daughter at kings and they were brilliant, I dont think many labours "go to plan" but I couldnt fault the staff and my experience at the hospital. I had a very quick labour(2.5 hrs from first pain to giving birth) so when I arrived at the hospital I could barely stand. They got me straight into a room and onto a trollery to take a look. I was 10cm and ready to push. The midwife was great and about 20 mins after arriving at the hospital our daughter was born. The midwife was brilliant, After our daughter was born she wasnt breathing as the cord had gone round her neck but the midwife had us so calm and relaxed on reflection I dont know why we wernt freaking out as she was literally blue and floppy but the way in which the midwife dealt with it we were not stressing at all. after a few mins they got her breathing again and all was fine. they helped with skin to skin and breastfeeding etc. we then had to spend the night on the maternity ward which wasnt great but nothing to do with the staff. It was the other new mums on the ward keeping me awake(one on her phone all night!!!) another crying etc. so if I had a choice I would get straight home rather than staying overnight but this is no reflecion on facilities or staff. We are now pregnant with no 2 and have been strongly advised for a home birth with my first labour being so quick(think they think im going to sneeze and it will be out!) but we want to go to kings. Everything was so good with them that I want to go there for no 2 too. you will be fine and taking the tour around the dept is a great way to put your mind at ease. good luck with it all.

hi that sounds fine, hubby has a rare sat off so can come without toddler yeah! wont be able to stay long as we are going to go out for afternoon, but will be lovely to meet you all.

hi you might need to check with airline, most say it has to be umbrella fold style buggy. they are very rough with them(seen them being thrown onto carousel)so you might want to get a cheap second hand one to take that wont matter getting bashed around. it is prob best to take to plane door, was a godsend having ours as flight delayed so daughter had nap while we waited but might be worth having sling for other end as they come back to you with the luggage and good to have hands free for passports etc.

found them on mothercare website link to jane buggy

hi we had a maclaren but found it wouldnt fit in my sisters boot so difficult as she always collects us from station. (used to have to sit with it between knees) we have just swapped the maclaren for the jane sonic buggy and its great. The back wheels fold unfer as you close it up. Its slightly heavier than maclaren but so much more compact. Fit in my sisters boot nicely and even went under the seats on the train! it also has extending handles giving hubby a few extra inches on handle hight which is great. think they sell them at mothercare. if you want to try ours in your boot let me know x

hi fushia, im not due till feb but happy to meet up with toddlers, I also find weekends difficult without toddler as hubby works. leanne

hi everyone, I can do 7th but might have to have toddler with me! Hubby works saturdays and some sundays so would depend if I can get sis-in-law to come over to have 2yr old. Did you guys want toddler free time or did you just not want to bring your own? Im ok with coming with her if you guys are but will try to get a sitter for an hour or so. leanne

hi me too! im expecting baby no 2 at the end of feb. Would be nice to meet people who are near the same stage as me. Leanne

hi just wondering at what age you all start taking your little ones to the cinema? my daughter is 2.5 and I wasnt going to take her until she was about 3 or older but with such a good film out im tempted to take her but maybe she is still too young? She will sit all the way through movies at home but not sure if on a big screen she will find it all too much.

hi I think he would prob find a pool float really frustrating at that age as it will stop him splashing etc. By that point I put my little one in armbands(about 35 from jojo's) and she is more than happy in them. Wont let us hold her in the water gets in and she is off on her own.

snowboarder you need to get one of these-link to snack catcher I was at my wits end with my little one spilling raisins and snacks on the floor but this has been brilliant. You can put anything in them! Big chunks of apple down to raisins and you wont loose any out-brilliant. Asda was doing them 2 for ?3.90 at one point not sure if deal is still on, but def do them in jo jo's.

oh my god now im really worried! my first E was born in 2.5 hrs from first twinge to birth wasnt even time to get undressed properly when I got to hosp, really worried at how quick this one will come! bound to be when hubby is at work and it takes him an hour to get home!

Well after a very frustrating afternoon I'm now signed up to a different doctors and booked into see the midwife on wed. This has been the last straw in a long line of thing to piss me off about my doctors and I've had enough. They didn't bother faxing my details across before closing for the afternoon (at 11.30) even though I'd stressed to them on the phone the midwives needed it asap. I went and singed on at dulwich medical centre and I'm seeing them next wed so fingers crossed I will now be in the system.

hi I can third a shadow of the wind-loved it, also half way through her fearful symmetry by the time travellers wife author and really enjoying it. Just finishe a savage garden and that was great.

hi thanks clare, just got straight on to it and kings say they never recieved anything from my doctors, rand my doctors and they say they faxed the info in the 18th june! I am going to put it down to doctors being rubish as before I got pregnant Id been waiting about 3 months for a gyne app to help with my endometriosis which hadnt arrived by the time I went to gp to say I was pregnant. Mentioned it to him when I went in and he just said "oh looks like you got lost in system!" looks like its happened again. got to ring back this afternoon to speak to midwife after doctors fax info again, thanks so much I though I was being really impatient-glad I asked now. x

sorry to jump in on your thread but when do you find out when your scan is going to be? I went to the doctors as soon as I found out I was pregnant but havent heard anything yet about when I have to go to hosp for scan. Im now in my 9th week. Should I have heard from hosp with scan date by now? The first time round I didnt get to see a midwife for booking in etc until I was 15 weeks(very nearly 16) and she had the nerve to say I had left it late to see her but id gone as soon as I got an appointment, I guess there must have been a hold up at my doctors or something. Dont want the same happening this time so just wondering how soon I would know. leanne

thank you

thanks everyone

hi do you have an old one he can play with? when we upgraded our old digital we gave my daughter our old one. We too considered buying one for her but seemed silly at her age to get her something like a camera. she was more than happy with our old one and with the internal memory she can take about 6 pics and if any do ever come out ok we can put them on the computer.

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fushia wrote I don't think that's legal, currently. I thought that the 15 hours entitlement must be offered free at the point of delivery. Parents must not be charged for this but can be charged for early education and childcare over and above their 15 hours entitlement. hi the way it was explained to us is that because private nurseries charge fees the government cant pay 15 hours of private fees so they work out what the school based equivalent would cost and then this amount is paid to the nursery and the parents make up the rest. might be wrong but thats how it was explained to us when we went to look around a montessori nursery.

hi with regards to "I realise that at most privately run nurseries the 15 free hours free isn't actually free at all, just a slight reduction in fees each month and only during term time. Does anyone know why? High hourly rate maybe? " with private nurseries they basically get something like ?395 per term from the govenment (the equivalent of what the schools get for the 15hours) because private nurseries are longer days all year round etc they cant offer you 15 hours free as the hourly cost is much much more so they just work out the equal amount and knock that off your yearly bill. does that make sense?

does anyone know more about the stabbing yesterday? was it a failed mugging or was she targeted? did she know her attackers? glad to hear she is home and recovering.