EmilyPie

If babies sleep the way their physiological needs demand then mother nature was clearly having a really bad day when mine was designed. Waking up every 45mins to an hour, all night, every night, despite being not just in the bed but on mummy's chest, at 6 months. What sort of needs is that designed to meet ffs!!! Not trying to knock the research but it would be nice if these guys also took into account the physiological needs of parents too!

Otta, I would probably talk to the person advertising the vacancy, ask a bit more about the role, tell them how excited/passionate you are about the role, tell them you think you're a strong candidate but can't afford a pay cut and if you applied and were successful is there any flexibility for matching your current salary. Even in public sector there is sometimes more flexibility than you think. If not you'll still have had a useful conversation and can always ask them to let you know if anything comes up in the future.

I like relentless laundry.

We used a lindam with our warren evans bed and that was fine too. Real pain if you need the loo and they're sleeping though!

We used nicola watson from child sleep solutions. As you can see from the fact that I am writing this at silly o clock the problem is by no means solved, but it is, after a truly horrendous first night, definitely improving. We are on night 3 so far. A lot of what she said was stuff I'd heard before or might have been able to work out for myself if I wasn't so sleep deprived. However, the stuff around changing the daytime feeding routine and around naps I probably wouldn't have thought of and has been very helpful. The real value was in having someone put it all together into a plan, so when you're desperate you aren't standing in the darkness with no idea what you're supposed to be doing. I also find that just having a proper, written down plan has given me confidence. She was also very nice and sympathetic which helps. We didn't go for the full package, because we were confident we could implement the plan, but I imagine the ongoing support would be reassuring. We have gone for the controlled crying option but she talked me through the whole range of methods, including various gentler approaches. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. Good luck!

Rear facing is safer but you have to take into account the range of risks. We moved my LO into a forward facing car seat as soon as possible because he screamed every time he was in the car, for very prolonged periods. So although rear facing is safer if you have a crash the chances of me crashing into something were much higher when he was rear facing because driving was so stressful. He was happier immediately in a forward facing. Is there anyway you can do a short trial run to see how cross he gets? Maybe ask a local friend if they'll drive you about for 10 mins?

Oh, the other thing that the sleep specialist I spoke to talked to me about was his day time routine. So for instance, I was still bf my 7mo on demand but he was snacking all the time, including about every hour or more all might, and not interested in solids. We've moved to 4 hourly feeds and it has really helped both with interest in solids and with getting him to take more at a time so he's fuller overnight. Obviously each child will be different but worth thinking about day time habits and routines as well as just night time.

Having just got some advice from a sleep specialist her view was that most techniques will work eventually for most children. However the gentler technique tend to take longer. However, consistency is crucial otherwise they get mixed messages and you can easily lose any progress you've made. Only just started so can't claim success yet but the theory makes sense. That said, I didn't actually use the no cry methods. I did read the book but found it all a bit difficult to put in place and get straight in my head, given my sleep deprived state. If you wanted to try something else there are other, gentler methods you can use, like gradual retreat or versions of controlled crying where you pick them up and comfort them until they're calm (I think). So you wouldn't have to go to cc if you didn't want to. I think it is a case of weighing it all up. How exhausted you are, what other commitment you have (eg work, other children) and how able you are to meet these, how able you are to parent during the day in a way you are comfortable with, how safe you are doing stuff like driving, how much of a toll the sleep deprivation is taking on your own mental health, whether you think that you are better able to cope with a longer process where you are able to offer more comfort, or whether you think a faster process but with more crying would suit your personality/anxieties. Also, as others have said, nearly all children will sleep eventually, although it can take years so again depends how you are coping whether you want to try and expedite the process! Wishing you lots and lots of luck. Hope it gets better soon!

I've actually failed to do no.14 and ended up with a baby covered in food. I was quite impressed by that guy's organisation and foresight. Not sure what that says about my parenting skills!!

We tried son 1 with little kickers at a similar age to mini strawbs. He spent all the classes as far away from the other children as possible demanding snacks and lying with his face on the floor. On the plus side we weren't running around in the mud but still not one of my fondest parenting moments. Glad it isn't just us who struggle with instructions.

What about the big red in deptford. They sell great pizzas and I'm pretty sure you can hire space there.

Hope it helps!

Banana and yogurt; peanut butter on toast or crackers or in a mini pitta (or almond or hazelnut butter) milkshake made with banana, honey, milk, yogurt, frozen berries and maybe even some oats A bowl of cereal, eg weetabix with milk or yogurt and chopped banana Eggy bread Pitta and hummus

Something at the Albany in deptford with lunch at the big red pizza bus (an actual double decker bus).

You could try this as an alternative - http://www.thealbany.org.uk/event_detail/1116/Family/Disco-Kids---Chinese-New-Year - Chinese new year themed kids disco in deptford.

People tree is good for dresses - still on sale I think. I like great plains too.

We've got this one http://www.mothercare.com/Baby-Polar-Gear-On-The-Go-Booster-Seat--Polkadots/474259,default,pd.html

My nearly 3yo has a travel booster seat and it is fine. He's had it since s bit before he was 2. It slips a bit but we've tied it to the chair with string and it works fine. He eats at the the table with us and enjoys being able to get on and off it himself. Not a particularly elegant solution but functional and cheap.

I'd go for it. You can always stop and try again later if it is a disaster. I potty trained my son at 2 1/3 because he had seen his cousin do it and was really keen. I was a bit reluctant to be honest as had just had no 2 but in the end just went with it and it was really smooth. I explained what we were doing and that he wasn't going to be wearing nappies any more as he was a big boy so he had to tell me when he needed a wee or poo etc. We went together to choose him some big boy pants. They have a little car on the front so he knows which way round to put them on -easier than plain. We did a sticker chart which he enjoyed, although we forgot about it quite quickly. Also at first I still put a nappy on him when we went out, which made it less stressful for me. Also for the first couple of days I just let him run around with a bare bum as I found he was more likely to forget if he was wearing pants. Good luck! And if it is a nightmare don't be afraid to give up and come back to it later.

Also worth thinking about the difference between change management and project management and how you might demonstrate both those skills. From my experience while project management is all about delivering on time and on budget and meeting milestones etc, and for which experience of software/courses can be a useful way of demonstrating skills, change management is a bit more nebulous. I've found that it most often means implementing redundancies or restructures across a team or organisation while maintaining/improving morale/performance. This tends to involve a combination of steely ruthlessness to decide where/who to cut; empathy and an understanding of people to motivate and get the best out of those who remain and a strong grasp of future trends and strategy to identify any gaps in skills or refocusing of current employees. Not the kind of thing you can easily do a course on but there are books about it (not sure how good they are), and it is definitely something that can be referenced in a cv and expanded upon in interview. Especially as, by the sound of it, you've already been through a few restructures!

I'm fantasising about the idea. I would pay a lot of money for sleep. But I'd be worried about spending all that money and it not working. That would be seriously depressing! Reassuring to hear it worked for you snowboarder.

I don't have first hand of experience of this so can't offer you any advice I'm afraid, but I just wanted to say well done for getting this far. Seven months is a long time to carry all that burden yourself and you should be very proud of yourself. Depression can be very hard work for the people who have to live with it. Have you Thought about trying to get some counselling yourself? Somewhere where you can express your anger, sadness etc without worrying about the consequences might be helpful. Good luck and I hope things get better for you soon. X

Thanks Mellors and bawdy nan. More great ideas. Looking forward to exploring the coast once the weather is less dicey. Also had forgotten about Richmond park. Used to go when I was little. Looking forward to a return trip.

There is a playground near Waterloo, looking at the boats on the river, there are rides etc near Waterloo too, including a Mary poplins style merry go round, and there are usually street artists, musicians etc too. We normally get coffee etc in the royal festival hall. Plenty of room for buggies and lots of space to run around if it is wet. Towards London bridge there is the golden hynde ship and the turbine hall in the Tate modern for running about in if it is wet. Cafe at the Tate is also pretty baby friendly. Have fun.

Will there be big slides? My LO is all about the big slides.