EmilyPie

Thank you for all the great suggestions. Very exciting! All I need to do now is perfect my getting out of the house technique so it doesn't take all day!

While I think this is a good idea I'm not sure about the timing. Very close to bedtime and particularly difficult if people are having sleep issues, or their partner works long hours, both of which may predispose people to loneliness etc. Also if I have successfully got both children to bed by 7.30 on a Friday I just want to have a glass of wine and talk about non child related stuff, if I'm not too exhausted. Hope that helps

As a way of staving of rain-induced cabin fever I'm starting to think about day trips I can do with my 2 1/2 year old and 6 month old. I'm thinking of getting in the car, driving for around an hour, having a few hours of toddler exhausting outing then back into the car and home for peppa pig, bath and bed. I've done a big of Internet research and come up with a few castles, the bluebell railway and digger world, but it would be great to have ideas and recommendations from people who've been there and done it. In my head it is all sunshine and picnics but some ideas that are relatively wet weather proof might be more realistic! Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

The soreness does get better, honest. Mine are tough as old boots now. Thought they'd be less painful second time round but no such luck. Well done you for persevering. Sounds like you're doing a great job.

My eldest is 2. Feeling scared!!!

My 5 month old wasn't keen on taking a bottle but my husband used a NUK teat on the NUK cup, without handles, as the shorter length made it easier to feed him in a position close to breastfeeding. He now takes the NUK teat with the cup and likes it facing outwards in the sling holding the handles himself. So may be worth experimenting with positions as well as bottles. Also an obvious one for supply which I'm sure you're already doing but make sure you're eating and drinking enough. I often forget to drink enough water, which can effect things. I'm also ravenous, far more so than when pregnant. Good luck with it all!! I know what hell it is when you're not getting any sleep so hope things get better soon.

Oh poor you. Sounds horrid. Hope you get better very soon and good luck with the breastfeeding.

It sounds like it probably is getting better if it is getting less red and lumpy. I had it over the weekend and it went away after a few days. Ibuprofen is better than paracetamol as it is an anti inflammatory. Also gentle massage is better than hard massage as the latter can make it worse. You should go to the doctor though if you think it is getting worse as it can develop into quite a nasty infection. Hope you feel better soon!

Second all of snowboarders suggestions. My second is nearly 6 months and while I love him to bits there is loads of stuff I miss. All of the above as well as: being able to play with my 2yo and really focus on him without being distracted by the baby/how exhausted I am; going to cafe's or restaurants and it feeling relatively civilised; going to the big soft play places and being able to climb around with him and help him when he gets stuck without being in a constant panic that the baby is unattended; just stuff like going to the playground without it being really stressful trying to keep an eye on two and juggle breastfeeds/nappy changes/demands to go down the big slide with my LO or rescue him when he gets stuck at the top of the climbing frame. Obviously all these things will get easier as the baby gets older, but the ability to really focus on just one child will, I suspect, always be a bit of a struggle. I suggest putting a list together. Maybe a mix of things your LO really enjoys, things you would like to do. Make it a mixture of little things - a trip to the cafe together for instance - and bigger things - a trip into town or a HOLIDAY where you're not so sleep deprived that you can't see, let alone appreciate your surroundings. I realise this post may make me sound unappreciative. I do know how very lucky I am to have 2, but it is tough, especially at first, and i wish I'd made more of the relative freedom of just having one. Good luck with it all. I know all the trying and waiting is horrible and I think it is really smart to try and focus on having fun with your LO. Not always an easy thing to do!

We went to the soft play in the pavilion leisure centre, accessed through the glades shopping centre in Bromley (the exit near debenhams). Not as big as gambados but quite a good substitute. Was crowded though. They also have a good pool there and a bowling alley. Horniman is also open. Alternatively we've been vaguely contemplating a trip into town to somewhere like the London transport museum or the London aquarium. A wet journey and a bit pricey but at least dry once you're there.

We're going through a similar thing with my husband's mother at the moment. We used a private firm of caters for a couple of weeks, coming in twice a day. However, my MIL wanted this stopped after they left the front door unlocked over night a couple of times. She now has a woman who used to do her cleaning once a fortnight come in every day and help her get washed, get meals etc. makes us a bit anxious as we've never met her and she isn't a trained caree, but my MIL likes her. Have come to the conclusion that the only solutions that will work are ones she is happy with, even if it seems a bit unconventional. We are also in the process of getting an assessment from social services. That will tell us what kind of help she is entitled to from the LA. is very slow process so worth starting sooner rather than later. We also got her into a care home for 2 weeks of respite care. She was quite keen on this but actually the experience was pretty grim. It was useful though in that it decided her on focusing on getting help in her own home. PM me if you want more details on any of the above. Good luck!

Swimming?

How old are they? My 2yo can be entertained for quite a long time by running round and round the room with me shouting 'faster, faster'. We also have dancing which burns off quite a bit of energy and running round like a lunatic to jimmy Hendrix. If they're a bit older maybe stuff like musical statues?

We used the NUK cups which seemed to work well with my bf boy. They're soft so a bit more like a nipple. Still did a fair bit of chewing on it though.

We have two monitors too and they don't interfere with each other.

Watching the fish at the horniman?

The thing to remember with HV's is that some of them are great and some of them talk BS! For instance about a month ago an HV told my sister that all children now have rickets! Said with total certainty too apparently. As others have said A big baby shouldn't mean you won't have enough milk. You're body can produce loads. Just make sure you eat well and drink plenty of water. You may still need to feed every 2-3 hours sometimes if your LO is having a growth spurt, but that is not exclusive to big babies! The other thing to bear in mind is that not all babies put on weight at the same rate. The HV's generally like to see a steady increase with the baby staying at around the same centile. However my first dropped steadily down the centimes, from just over the 50th to somewhere below the 9th and is fine. I had a friend with a similar experience. Very big baby is now quite a petite, but thriving, toddler. I'm just mentioning this because it can be easy to panic and think maybe you're not providing them with enough milk, especially if the HV'S has already put the idea in your head, but for some kids that is just how they grow.

The thing to remember with HV's is that some of them are great and some of them talk BS! For instance about a month ago an HV'S told my sister that all children now have rickets! Said with total certainty too apparently. As others have said A big baby shouldn't mean you won't have enough milk. You're body can produce loads. Just make sure you eat well and drink plenty of water. You may still need to feed every 2-3 hours sometimes if your LO is having a growth spurt, but that is not exclusive to big babies! The other thing to bear in mind is that not all babies put on weight at the same rate. The HV's generally like to see a steady increase with the baby staying at around the same centile. However my first dropped steadily down the centimes, from just over the 50th to somewhere below the 9th and is fine. I had a friend with a similar experience. Very big baby is now quite a petite, but thriving, toddler. I'm just mentioning this because it can be easy to panic and think maybe you're not providing them with enough milk, especially if the HV'S has already put the idea in your head, but for some kids that is just how they grow.

We parked in the multi-storey which is right at the roundabout if you're coming down loam pit vale. You then walk through the shopping centre out onto the high st and onto lee high rd and the bowling is on your left.

We went bowling with our nearly 3 year old last weekend at lewisham. Was very quiet (Sunday morning) and was clean and friendly. Our LO wasn't really that keen though. He didn't like having to be helped to bowl (he is going through a big independence stage), which was necessary even though we had one of those ramp things for rolling the ball down as the balls are big and heavy. He also didn't really get the rules and it went on too long for him. We had fun though so definitely worth a go i'd say. Our LO was a bit under the weather too so might have enjoyed it more if that hadn't been the case. We also went for lunch at a Turkish grill on Lewis grove afterwards which was very tasty.

Or up tower 42 - drink champagne and take in great views of London. Or something Like Bloomsbury bowling where you can get cocktails and food as well as bowl.

Thanks for this. Have just emailed them.

Hello, where are you based? I'd be interested in one of the blue mini Micros and a jumperoo and a 6-9 month snowsuit if you have one suitable for a boy? Also potentially interested in the brio. How much of it is there? I could collect tomorrow.

I think that kind of campaign could be good. It would give me an insight into how it might work and make it feel more real.

It is probably a bit far for you but if you drive the play group on wickham rd in Brockley is good. Lots of space, slides, cars and trikes to drive about in and singing at the end. It is a church group and some of the songs/stories are religious so possibly not one for any strident atheists, although it certainly isn't just for churchgoers.