Oxalis

Hi Hollie - hope tonight is better for you both. My daughter has had occasional night terrors since she was about 10 months old - odd sounding screaming and thrashing around about two hours after she falls asleep. She appears to be awake but doesn't respond as she normally would if she had woken up and started crying. During a night terror she carries on screaming and thrashing around for 5-10 minutes (I think, it feels a lot longer) regardless of what I do. When she was younger she would suddenly stop, close her eyes and sleep peacefully. Now she sometimes stops thrashing/crying and is awake but goes back to sleep quickly with milk/cuddles. The night terrors happen when she is over tired or has a temperature. Other family members have parasomnias. She does also have nights where she is awake (fairly happily provided she has company) for several hours for no apparent reason!

My daughter is in the baby room at Gumboots. I am very happy with the nursery and so is she. I was asked to provide clothing suitable for wet outdoor play when she started at 7mo. When she couldn't walk she didn't go outside if the weather was very bad. She isn't there every day so I didn't mind too much and made up for it on the other days. The menu is varied and everything is cooked on site. The little ones are given fruit when the older ones are having something more pudding like. I am sure the staff would be happy to chat about your concerns. They have always been very receptive when I have raised (small) issues.

I had a home birth with them (first baby), very happy and it all went smoothly. I met two of the team during my antenatal care but neither were on call the evening I delivered. I didn't find that a problem. The two midwives who came were professional and supportive. The post natal care was good and they identified my daughter's tongue tie early.

My daughter wouldn't take a bottle either. I tried pretty much every brand. NUK trainer bottle saved the day (Ocado sell them). I think I started trying her with it around 5 months although it wasn't until she went to nursery at 7mo that she started taking it well. It has a soft free flow spout, the opening is small so she did have to suck to get the milk rather than it pouring out. Feel free to PM, I was pretty stressed as she went to nursery only drinking about 30ml (on a good day) but soon got the hang of it when I wasn't around!

My almost 9yo step-daughter stays with us on alternate weekends and 1-2 weeks during school holidays. The rest of the time she lives two hours away so seeing her school friends when she is in ED is not feasible. She is sociable, outgoing and likes swimming, dancing, music and making things. We do know a couple of other girls locally but they are not always able to play when she is here. If there are any potential friends for her out there please let me know.

Bluestone national park resort - not been myself but hear good things about it from friends www.bluestonewales.com

I've used Runner's need several times (Camden and Liverpool st branches) and had good advice by knowledgeable staff. Video not available on one occasion but they watched me run and I was happy with the shoes. As others have said take your old trainers with you. I'm thinking of doing the Windsor half marathon in October. If you're looking for company for training let me know. My aim is to complete it!

Bicarbonate of soda did an amazing job of getting rid of the smell of sick from our daughter's bedroom carpet. Might be worth trying soaking the car seat in water with plenty of bicarb before you try the washing machine.

My daughters much loved brown jelly cat mouse was lost this morning on a long walk.... along Darrell Rd, Uplands Road, Barry Rd, Peckham Rye Rd, Kinsale Rd, Gowlett Rd, Crystal Palace Rd If anyone has seen it please PM me thanks

Maybe I should get a life but here is a recent BMJ article on the subject http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c4616.full

Hello, my 8mo started nursery about a month ago. She is there three days a week for 8-10 hours/day. I was really worried about how well she would sleep with the other kids around and in an unfamiliar environment. She is used to going to sleep on her own although I don't use much of a pre-nap routine during the day. I tried to get her used to sleeping at the times the nursery use before she started. She has a soft toy she usually sleeps with so we got another similar one which she has at nursery (and cursed Jellycats for changing their range so often). It took a couple of weeks but she gradually slept for longer each day. I think this was also linked to her eating better as she got used to the nursery. She now sleeps for about 30mins in the morning and about an hour in the afternoon, sometimes more. The staff were great at helping her settle for naps. They often rub her tummy to settle her which I don't usually do. However, it works for them. I guess she learned that things are different at nursery. She doesn't sleep as long at nursery as she does at home but is still very happy. She sometimes sleeps a bit longer at home to make up the time. As she was young the nursery asked that she started there two weeks before I returned to work. I was really glad we did this. It gave us both time to adjust - I think my separation anxiety was worse than hers though! I hope it goes smoothly for you both.

Sleep deprivation is miserable. I found "teach your child to sleep" (hamlyn) really helpful. It is written by two health visitors who run milpond sleep clinic - they run a sleep consultation service which is very pricey... so I just bought their book! (A friend has used the consultation service and found it fantastic - she was at the end of her tether and about to return to work. btw there is also a similar sleep consultation service called sleepthrough in st albans - telephone support/advice without the london price tag) Mainly I found the book useful for trying to work out what the problem was. I am a first time mum and was fairly clueless. My 6mo woke 2-3 times/night and wanted to start the day at 5am. They do suggest controlled crying but I didn't want to do this however, understanding more about night sleep/naps helped improve the situation without CC. hope things get better for you soon

Another vote for Anita bras - I also needed a large cup size, tried loads of nursing bras and these are the best I have found.

Hello, I've recently joined this site and would like to know if any step-parents in the local area would like to meet. I am in my late 30s and the mother of a young baby. My partner's two children from his previous marriage stay with us on alternate weekends and longer during holidays. I would really like to meet other people who are step parents - the issues that come up are often difficult to deal with. Now I am a mother myself I can see even more clearly how different it is to be a step parent. Do post/PM if you are interested.

My daughter was born earlier this year - a delivery from cook was the best thing anyone got me, followed by a massive slab of chocolate from hotel chocolat! The fisher price bouncer chair was also a godsend, particularly in the first few months. My daughter has enjoyed various things from the jelly cats range - soft toys/ jungly tails soft book/ toe finders. The little scolastic glove puppet gets a lot of use too (despite my terrible singing)

Hi Nabz - my seven month old has just started at Gumboots. They take babies from six months old. I have been impressed with how caring the staff are. Many of them have worked there for years which I think is a very good sign. The indoor and outdoor spaces are fantastic. The other children seem settled and content. Please PM me if you would like to know more.