devsdev

I'm using it on a Bee Plus too. OK, so it seems that there's just an inherent incompatibility between the two. Think there will be a lot of us on the lookout now for a bugaboo footmuff!!

For what it's worth, a "natural" birth can be a very traumatic experience too. I had a very difficult time after the birth of my daughter and it took me months to feel emotionally sound enough to even discuss it. If I had an ECS (which I was fighting to avoid), I'd probably have healed better with less lasting damage, but still beaten myself up about not having had a "natural" birth. So if you choose to go the VBAC route (and if you do I truly hope everything goes very well), just remember that it may not be a perfect experience. Be kind to yourself and do what feels right for you and your family.

I have the John Lewis one and it absolutely drives me crazy! Anyone with advice - the straps always get lost, they feel really tight when I clip them in and then fall off my daughter's shoulders (she's sitting up) once they're on and it generally adds a lot of stress to the process of getting her in and out of the buggy (which can be fraught enough when she's tired!). Am I doing something wrong I wonder? Alternately, if there's one that's really amazing, then I may buy another one. Hope the responses to this help you Bexy!

I'm going to put in a plug for our local cupcake and cake maker - Moira at Nandi Nandi in Honor Oak Park. May not be convenient, but all her baked goods are delicious and she can make incredible decorations (https://www.facebook.com/NandiNandi)

We've used Sainsburys Eco for my daughter mostly, but use Pampers at night (baby dry or active fit once she was in the size) as they're more leak proof. Not had many explosive poos except for a period when she was just sitting and we hadn't cottoned onto her ability to poo without making as much noise as when she was lying down! What's worked for us is keeping her in the larger size for her weight - so she's in 4+ now even though she's within the weight for 4s as I find it just covers her bum better and also holds onto any excess poo. Ultimately you don't know how sensitive your baby is going to be - whether she'll react to different nappies or not so you can't be certain which will work for you. I'd also recommend using water and cotton pads to wipe down after using wipes even after the newborn stage. I don't know if we've been lucky viz nappy rashes thus far or if using water the majority of the time has helped keep it at bay. Ultimately the wipes are full of chemicals even if they're "sensitive" or "newborn" ones. Good luck with everything!

Things that could work for the whole family (and could also be batch cooked) - not sure how picky your LO is! -Chilli con carne with rice/quinoa/couscous/other carb of choice -Fajitas (chicken, peppers, plus any other veg like courgette, aubergine, carrots) - sour cream and guac may make it more appealing - Thick dahl soups which can be frozen and defrosted quickly - again with carb of choice - Mousakka/shepherds pie/lasagne etc. which can be batch cooked and frozen in little ramekins in 4-yr old portions and popped into the over for 45 mins or so (requires a little more forethought on the day!) I need to start doing this myself!

Shutters Up were fantastic - ordered October, delivery early December (8 weeks as mentioned above - they were very up front about the orders coming in from China). Installation was quick, considerate (taking into account a sleeping 2 month old in the house) and they took out some existing venetian blinds for us. We have half shutters (slatted) which are great for privacy. But we also have curtains so draw those at night. If you only want shutters then I would recommend getting separate upper and lower ones so you can open the upper ones for light and keep the lower ones shut for privacy.

Definitely go to the sling library. Emily is brilliant. I used a Close, which I loved. But I got given that and then bought a Manduca for 5/6 months onwards. If you want one sling only then something like Ergo with insert or Manduca (newborn insert is integral) will be suitable till toddler years. Good luck with everything!

Agree with bluesuperted - you can also always carry a shawl as an additional layer around the Manduca. I had mine in a Close during the winter when she was a little one and a shawl or wearing maternity coat provided extra layers. Didn't have my Manduca when the LO was born - will be interesting to see next time how the newborn insert is...

Hi all, We have agreed a net hourly rate with our nanny as that made sense in terms of understanding current rates etc, however as I am setting up payroll I've read about gross pay being the new trend because of new HMRC rules. Does anyone have any further insight into this? Are the potential cost differentials in the 10s, 100s or 1000s? I don't want to go back on our original agreement obviously, but equally want to have a better understanding of the financials. This was the posting I read: http://www.payefornannies.co.uk/parents/net_vs_gross.htm Any insight appreciated Dev

One option would be to find a smaller town along the Costa del Sol and rent an apartment for a week to stay in - there should be buses going across to various towns. I would say go east from Malaga rather than west, but that's because I really like Nerja (very English in some ways, but you can still have a great Spanish experience if you speak Spanish and stay away from the obvious places) - large enough town to do things and easy enough to walk around without needing a car. Alternately rent an apartment in one of the villages in the hills if you prefer that to the beach, though they'll generally have less to do. Hopefully someone on the forum has suggestions about really special places as we'd like to go there next year - no more holidays this year, alas! Or you could take the train or bus to Granada (you have to make a connection for the train) or Sevilla and make it into a touristy holiday. Both cities don't require a car and are a lot of fun. With the Alhambra in Granada you will need to book very soon as the tickets tend to get sold out for the summer months. Hope you heal soon!

How do you get this information? I've tried using the Ofsted site, but I'm obviously not as savvy a searcher as I thought I was! Thanks

Thanks polla - I'm keeping my fingers crossed about that. Hopefully ID fraud is too much work and it's really just to make a quick buck. I will try to do the router thing this evening as well. The police came this afternoon and were great. I've managed to pass on the crime reference to the computer company and fingers crossed that helps. Plus the police have a record of the theft in case anything shows up. Am tracking gumtree and cash converters - thank you all for the suggestions to check those. Hope all goes well with you diddlediddle - and everyone make sure you have remote tracking/locking software on your computer and phones!

Hi all, Thanks so much for the responses. We've reported it (I reported it to 101 within an hour of realising). Police unfortunately came at about 1/2am and decided not to ring the bell as we'd fallen asleep by then. Wish we'd left the light on! Anyway, have managed to ask them to come around today rather than waiting for an appointment tomorrow evening so we can get a crime reference number. Computer company are going to try to protect the computer remotely somehow but require the number (I happened to have called them recently so they had all our information), but it's possibly all too late now. Changed all our passwords on anything I can think of logging in automatically. Definitely getting remote security for the computer next time, doing more regular backups (we were in a hurry last time and didn't back up the whole thing - what would those 10 minutes mean now!), looking into cloud storage, ensuring I don't tick "keep me signed in" or storing any passwords and also locking away electronics when there's work going on (I completely take on responsibility for being an idiot there). Also now I've finally sorted out remote locking, remote wipe etc. for my smart phone...again, what's a few quid to pay for a good app compared to the value of all the lost information and lost photos of your child?! I'm just worried about ID theft right now and hope none of the thieves/buyers is smart enough to go down that route... Where you based diddlediddle? Really hope you've been able to change all passwords etc. and haven't lost anything hugely valuable.

Hi, We've unfortunately had our laptop stolen from our house in HOP/FH. Obviously opportunistic because we're having work done and the doors were left open much of the day to let workers in and out. I brought the computer out to do some work and then stupidly left it lying on the coffee table when I nt out (and didn't lock door behind me as worker was inside). Person obviously darted in at some point, grabbed it and got back out as nothing else was touched including the power cable. The laptop is a bit rubbish tbh, but everything on it is very valuable to us. So just warning everyone to be very careful while kicking myself for being so complacent. I was hoping that someone would have thoughts on local pawn shops, websites etc where someone would try to sell a used/stolen laptop? I'm hoping they were just looking for a quick buck and I'd happily pay to have it back. It's a Dell Inspiron 5010. And I don't think it's anyone who was working on the house - their project is longer and I doubt they'd jeapordise it for something so small (but which would be difficult to hide). Thanks!

Agree about the Wonder Weeks - really handy. If you don't want to buy the book (a library may have a copy) then here is a website with a useful general overview of the weeks. (http://www.whosthatmom.com/wonder-weeks-week-by-week/) Admittedly every symptom includes more crying, but other points are helpful! And as others have said - enjoy the moments when your LO will sleep on you. I miss those cuddles now! My LO suddenly started napping better at 3 months and till then I used a sling a lot of the time so I could get things done. Used the sling as a fallback nap option till last month when she became too curious about the world to nap in sling or buggy (AHHHH!)

We introduced a "routine end" to the day very early on - massage, bath, eat, bedtime. Even if I knew I'd be up a few times and was pretty overwhelmed for at least 5-6 weeks with massive feeding difficulties etc. it provided a point of reference for the day. We also tried to differentiate clearly between daytime (sunshine, bright lights, noisy) and nightime (no lights unless necessary, keeping baby in darkened room rather than bringing down to living area even when feeding before adult bedtime). I then discovered EASY and it was a very useful guide for the day (I never woke LO up from naps - let sleeping babies sleep!). However, as people have said, definitely avoid getting wedded to the routine and expected timings - I found myself getting really stressed at times and then had to step back and remind myself that my LO has no idea about the routine! The one thing I'm generally strict about is getting her to bed at roughly the same time every evening unless there's a very special reason not to do that. Finally - as some have mentioned already - really paying attention to sleep cues. Even if according to the routine it wasn't "bed/naptime" if she was yawning, rubbing eyes, getting spaced out then I put her to bed. Enjoy the moments - the cliches are true, it goes by so fast!

Agree that paspic is the best option - you don't have to worry about whether your baby will be happy or upset as you can take the photos at home. They were prompt and do different sizes if you needs visas etc. They also changed the background so it was right (I had my LO on a white sheet).

Hi Lulu, I flew 8-9 hours (to India) when my LO was 3 months and then back when she was about 6 months. I ordered formula packs at LHR from the Boots airside - they're very used to it and numbers available on airport websites and on boots.com. If you use something other than Aptimil then definitely call at least a week in advance to ensure they can order it in (we're using Hipp and they had to order it). In India when we were coming back miraculously they didn't take away the formula from me since I couldn't buy any in the airport! Definitely check what to do at the airport from where you'll be returning. At 8 months you may not need to sterilise depending on where you are going and what the quality of tap water is there. If you wash in hot water it may be fine. For the plane I had a small suitcase and changing bag stuffed with many bottles. On our way back our LO was having about 6oz so I had 4 big bottles and a couple of small ones and I just threw away any left over milk in the carton as there was too little to bother storing it in a bag of ice and then figuring out how to rewarm it (the stewards wouldn't store the leftover milk in their fridge). When you choose where to go, see if you can get a self-service apartment with a kettle and microwave so you can follow your formula routine. If worried about local water then use mineral water and boil it completely before using to make up formula (powdered). Ready-made formula would be quite heavy, but then again you'll probably have to take some with you if you're going to be out and about. If you do decide you're likely to sterilise I have a smallish Avent micro-steriliser you're welcome to borrow to take with you. Re: destinations - entirely up to what you want to do and where you want to go! I'd personally recommend going somewhere close like Spain where you'll have good food, good weather and get to relax - but that's just me voicing what I wish I was doing this summer! Of course you can always go to the Caribbean instead! Hope this is helpful!

I'm not sure I could sit through the entire movie as I was in floods of tears almost as soon as the trailer started. But it's a very good cause and I know if my partner and I had gone through a stillbirth then I would be very grateful to be able to speak about it and have resources to turn to. Please do look at the website and donate if you can.

I turn again to the trusty forum for words of wisdom. We're having a loft conversion that would ideally be starting next month. I would love any advice from people who have been through this on what to expect and, more importantly, how to prepare/deal with it. - I'm assuming I should put dust cloths on everything and try to "seal" all doors on the first floor (unfortunately our doors are rather wonky!)? Where can I buy dust-cloths - or will normal sheets do? - Should I expect to hoover every evening? I have a LO who's just started crawling so am concerned about how much dust she may be exposed to. - Should I plan to be out of the house/at friends on most days or are there worse/better phases of the build? - Any other tips or advice? Is there anything you wish you had known before you had the conversion or anything you wish you had done in hindsight? Thanks again to everyone - the forum really is such an invaluable resource. Thanks to all who respond! Dev

We're about to start on a loft conversion and are having 2 rooms and a big bathroom. We're actually giving up a little bit of space in the front room to have a really good second family bathroom. We have one LO and plan on having another one so a second full bathroom is key (we also have a WC downstairs). It may seem somewhat unnecessary right now, but as others have mentioned think of what would be important in the future (especially as you'll have a live-in nanny). We're getting eaves storage in the front as well as over our back extension - if you have this option you should ask about them putting in storage at the back too. Good luck with the conversion - I am dreading the process as I'm going to be home with my LO through the whole thing!

Thank you all for your advice and insight - I really appreciate it. We considered having an au-pair or someone from nursery to do a drop off, but this doesn't cover off the other problematic point of what we do if LO is unwell (which apparently is very often when they first join nursery!). Going to discuss everything with my husband, but think we shall advertise on EDF and take it from there. Seems like we have a decent amount of time (as opposed to the nursery scenario where you needed to book a year+ in advance!) for the process and if EDF route doesn't work out then we will look at agency options. Thank you again and any other advice, experience, comments will be gratefully received at any time! Dev

Thanks Lorraine - I'll follow up with them. Just a query to all - is the cost of a nanny really in the region of ?38000+ gross???? I was under the impression that it was more like ?28000. I may have to reconsider my job!! Dev

Hi all, I come to the EDF looking for advice on childcare. My LO is near 8 months and I am due to go back to work in October (just before she turns a year old). We were decided on sending her to nursery (we have her place and were due to start early September), but after a lot of introspection and discussions about the reality of our jobs, we've realised that we should really consider having a nanny. Getting back easily for a 6pm pick-up is going to be next to impossible on a daily basis and is likely to lead to really stressed out parents, feelings of inadequacy all-around and many anxious clock-watching moments - all of which will inevitably impact on our daughter I'm sure. While getting a nanny will seriously stretch our budget, I think this is the only option (we considered an au-pair, but don't want to have someone living with us). We've clearly left it very late, so I would be very grateful for any advice and pointers to help us on our way in finding a live-out nanny. I'm researching myself, but personal experience from forumites will be invaluable. 1. Would you recommend going through an agency or advertising on the forum (we live in Honor Oak Park) for a nanny? 2. What are the key things you would recommend looking for in a nanny in terms of personality, experience, approach etc.? 3. What are the things I can ask her (or him) to do apart from child care - would cooking for my LO etc. be things I can ask about at least? 4. What is a reasonable salary for a live-out nanny working about 11 hours a day (I think 8:30 to 7:30 would be what we would like, though we'd hopefully often be home sooner)? You can PM me on this if you prefer! 5. Apart from following up on references, do you also expect other qualifications? 6. Is there a website/service where you can get contracts, information on the legal obligations and statutory requirements etc. if we didn't go through an agency? 7. Anything else that I've not thought about at all?! Any advice, thoughts, experiences etc. are very gratefully received. thank you! Dev