devsdev

Ah, that is just gorgeous! Unfortunately booked for the week my husband has off :( But I'll definitely keep that in mind. Very poor planning on our part!

Hello trusty forumites! We would like to go for a short break in mid-October to the Cotswolds with our 2 yr old and newborn (will be 4 adults). We would love to find a good farm stay or other self-catering cottage that is child friendly. I am searching online for any that are still available in the area but would love any personal recommendations. Any suggestions of what to do also gratefully received (so far we plan to do Cotswolds Wildlife Park and maybe the National Arboretum). As ever, thank you!

Thanks very much for posting this. We'll be going to CarGiant tomorrow to look at second hand cars and I think we'll stick to looking at the Golf/Focus/Civic range on the basis that we'll get ERF seats and hopefully fit in an adult as and when required (I'm assuming I'll be the adult so will give me an extra incentive to get into better shape!). Do you know if we should be looking at cars with Isofix for these kind of carseats? Will get in touch with Margaret as well. It'll be much cheaper to buy a rear-facing carseat than paying for a bigger car!

Thanks everyone. It seems like a big car would be needed unless the extended rear facing car seat option works. I found the thread about that and will look into ERF seats. Would much prefer a Golf/Focus sized car and, obviously, if rear facing is safer then we could switch to that kind of car seat. Thank you again everyone!

Hi all, I have no doubt many EDFers have cars and 2 children and will have the experience to answer this query...Are you able to fit in 2 carseats plus an adult into the backseat of your car? If so, what kind of car do you have? We would have an infant and a toddler carseat for the first year, following which there would be 2 toddler seats/1 toddler and a booster. Adults in mind would be average sized - tallest would be a 6ft man. I'm fairly certain carseats can only fit on the outside seats - so I guess floor space (the middle "hump") should be taken into the consideration as well as the "bum space" available. It would only be on limited occasions when an adult would be around, but this could be for longish journeys. We will be going to CarGiant to look at some cars, but are struggling to decide between the Golf/Focus/Civic/i30 category vs. the Ford C-Max etc mini MPV category. Hopefully any experience shared will help us decide. Thanks again! Dev

I just went to the OCC and it's now ?35 for first visit and ?25 for follow ups. They have a clinic in Shoreditch on Thursdays. They were great btw, highly recommend going.

The OCC in Wandsworth is open and they have a weekly clinic in Shoreditch if that's easier to get to. Also try reflexology - search "reflexology baby constipation" on YouTube and a basic method shows up. I used this with DD1 and for the first time yesterday with DD2 - I think it works (there was poo!). Good luck!

Thank you both - I will look at Which? and WhatCar. I need to spend time reading up and really understanding all the additional costs like insurance, MOT, road tax etc which I also don't have a good grasp on. We will try to head out to a big dealer (any others apart from Car Giant?) though we have a little baby which makes it a bit more difficult. Unfortunately my husband isn't very comfortable with manual so an automatic is the safer option even though we both can drive a manual. You always hear about people being ripped off by used car salesmen which is making me very apprehensive about the process! Thanks again!

Thought I'd update - we ended up buying the basic Henry model and I bought the carpet attachment (which comes with the Henry Xtra) from Amazon as that was cheaper than getting the Xtra. It's been absolutely brilliant. Haven't had to change the bag yet after 2 months (gets used about once a fortnight for the whole house and a couple of times a week to do the hallways). The extra bags were only ?5 for 10. It's heavy to lug up and down the stairs, but once plugged in it can really stretch quite far without needing to be unplugged. Storage is a bit of a pain, so something to consider if you don't have somewhere to put it. Thank you for all the advice!

Dear all, We have finally caved on the car issue and are planning to get one now that we have 2 kids. While we both drive, we've never bought or owned a car so I turn to the trusty forumites to give any advice on negotiating the process! We would want an automatic car that would fit 2 car seats and still be wide enough to squeeze an adult in the middle (my mom stays with us often). The boot should be spacious enough for a collapsed Phil & Teds double plus at least one suitcase. More space is obviously a bonus - will usually be used for local trips to parks and shopping, occasionally for longer journeys within the UK. I've been looking on Autotrader, but realise I really haven't a clue! We'd like to have the car for a few years so want it in decent condition. Here are my questions (and I realise all impact on price): 1. Should I look at private sellers or trade sellers? Warranty I imagine is a good thing to have. 2. Is is good to look at "authorised" sellers for certain makes? 3. What is the maximum mileage we should consider? 4. What is the maximum age we should consider? 5. Would you recommend investing more for a diesel so running costs are cheaper? 6. Any makes you would recommend over others? 7. Any trade sellers you would personally recommend? I've probably not asked the right questions so any advice is very gratefully received. I wish we could stick to just using the buses, but I've had to accept that everyone will be happier if we can get from point A to point B quickly, especially with a 2 year old! Thank you so much as ever!

Simone, agreed. I think they can ask for a letter even if names are the same. I remember reading an article about a mother trying to get back her kids from Russia (she had actually sent them to visit their dad) and it referred to this. Our kids have both our names, but I travel with a letter and birth certificate.

I pm'd the OP but would be nice to connect with others. Our DD2 is a 29 weeker (29+5) and we're still in SCBU at Kings. Hopefully home on oxygen soon. Due date was 19 July so she's -2 weeks corrected. Still feel a bit sad when I see heavily pregnant moms to be...but grateful she's here and safe. Would be great to meet up in the future, but for now I'm going to be at home with her for at least a month! If anyone has advice or words of wisdom on having a baby on oxygen at home would be gratefully received (and hope this isn't hijacking of the thread). And as OP said - first hand experiences are great to hear/read. Moonshine, you should also check out the "Born Too Soon" group on Babycentre UK. It's really helpful on a variety of topics. (edited to amend autocorrect!)

The letter of consent is also to prove (however far it can) that the travelling parent is not abducting the children in case of custody battles etc.

We have the First Years Sounds of Silence machine which is great. Apps are good for when you're traveling, but you can't take your phone away from baby! I like it for the same reason as yeknom. Btw, I just looked on Amazon and the machine is ?40 and I'm sure we bought it for half that!

Thanks all. I'll reconsider the apnea mat (or at least wait till discharge to decide if we need it). The video monitor will be useful anyway - else I'll probably keep running upstairs to check on her which will make me more anxious! Plus I intend to use white noise with her as well, and with my older girl we could only hear loud cries (which we could also hear without the monitor!). The Summer Infant range looks great (and very expensive!) - will have a look on eBay or Gumtree, thank you.

Hi all, We had a regular BT monitor for our older daughter. However our second little girl was born early and when she comes home I know I'll want a video monitor and possibly an apnea mat. Can anyone recommend a video monitor before we spend a ridiculous amount of money on one that's rubbish? It needs to have enough range for a Victorian house, hopefully including from the loft to the ground. Thank you!

Hi Knomester - I posted on your other post without seeing this. My comments stand - you will be doing the best thing for yourself and your relationship with your children since you won't be in pain and can focus on having fun being a parent. Really sorry it hasn't worked out though. Will PM you some tips on preparing bottles. In the end you find a method that works for you. Good luck :)

I'm so sorry - sounds like a really stressful time, especially with an older child to care for and no doubt a lack of sleep. All I want to say is that formula, if you need to switch, will not do your baby harm. I had to fully FF after 5 weeks with my older daughter because she wasn't putting on weight (many reasons why breastfeeding wasn't properly established) and I was incredibly upset about not being able to breastfeed her and felt very strongly that I was letting her down. I know your reasons are very different, but the emotions about switching may be similar. Our DD is tall, strong, smart and, most importantly, very healthy. For her first year she barely had any colds and coughs and was arguably the healthiest out of 9 kids in our NCT group - all the rest were BF. I'm not saying formula made her healthier - just that it certainly didn't make her unhealthy. I really hope you find a resolution.

Haha, so true Otta. I've already spent far too many precious minutes reading reviews. My 20 something self would be horrified!

Thank you everyone! Now we're torn between a Henry and a Miele...shall be scouring through the reviews. I think we're likely to end up with a Henry, though clearly there are some ardent Miele supporters who are muddying the waters. How can choosing a vacuum cleaner be so difficult?!

I turn to EDFers for advice - our Vax vacuum is turning out to be complete rubbish after less than a year. We've decided to invest in getting a really good vacuum cleaner and were going to get a Dyson. But reviews are really mixed on them and it seems the Miele Cat & Dog or Sebo cleaners are better options. Does anyone have experience of these and can you recommend any models (or advise against any)? Would you recommend an upright or a cylinder (we've always had cylinders)? We're in a Victorian terrace with a mix of carpets and hardwood/tile flooring. We also have 2 sets of stairs which are carpeted. I fear an upright won't get into the many nooks and crannies in the house. Any advice gratefully accepted! Thank you Dev

I am unfortunately back on the antenatal ward, now till whenever baby comes (hopefully not too soon). I can report that they're allowing water births again and the water situation seems to be improved if not resolved. Good luck ladies.

Sillywoman, they didn't seem know when it would be resolved. I was in for 2 weeks and the problem persisted. In fact I think they were initially allowing water births and then stopped. I think they were planning on cleaning out the tanks or treating the water soon.

Thanks Fmm - not been the easiest time, but am looking forward to the new little one! I know you had a tough time post-baby 2 - but sounds like the belt would at least allow me some protection - it's about ?20 on Amazon so not hugely expensive. I may get it (can be used as a cold and hot pack later). Would be great if bubblebob has the feeding pillow too! Hope all is well!

Just to let anyone having a baby soon - there's a bug in the water at Kings and they aren't allowing water births at the moment. I've been in the antenatal ward and they're managing the bug in various ways (special bottled water for cleaning babies, brushing teeth etc, filters on taps and showers) and births taking place as normal, so not a cause for concern that I can tell. But just a heads up rather than realising you can't have a water birth when you get there.