EmilyE

Would def see a doctor if you're feverish, but also I put breast shields in for a short while (10-15 mins) before each feed when I was engorged near the beginning, and that seemed to allow just enough milk out for her to be able to get a decent latch, and therefore start a positive cycle. Hang on in there, it should get better in a matter of day...

So I'm not in the slightest Cornish, but did try making my own pasties a couple of weeks ago. I'm a relatively competent cook/baker, but these were a total and unmitigated disaster. Do you have a good recipe? And thank you for contributing to my general education - I've just had to look up St Piran...

Ours are a bit older 1, 4 and 6, but at the Fusion desk they clearly didn't think that was a problem, although in their literature they state 1:1 until 7, I think. Have you actually just turned up and tried? Though I can see that it would be exceptionally boring to be turned away...

I'd stick to your original plan. If you're happy to do it at home, then do. You can't get in to endless rounds of one-up-man-ship/keeping up with the Joneses. And 2 is very little - the child is not going to miss the magician... Why don't you think of something a little bit more structured at home. Depending on the guests' ages you could do a craft activity - buy little cardboard boxes to stick things on, or those black shapes that you scrape designs on to - sorry not very clear, but google yellow moon and they have lots of that kind of thing. Or tell them all a story with props, maybe costumes so they can join in. Am thinking goldilocks and the three bears with teddies and three different sized bowls. Feed the kids pasta and tomato sauce or sandwiches or some such and give everybody a slice of cake and it's a winner. I'm sure the reason some people get entertainers/caterers is because they really can't face doing it themselves. So if you can, then do - in my view it's by far the nicer option.

I'd go with a combination of the above. Definitely show the right way to handle a baby and explain - he's very little, you have to be very gentle - and praise extensively when correctly done, but also remove him from any situation where he doesn't behave appropriately, whether that be just taking him outside for a few minutes or leaving the party. I think he's old enough to understand that, but agree with the others that going on about well after the event may well be counter-productive; you don't want to end up in a situation where he gets more attention from you for being naughty... And definitely hang out with the more tolerant mums - one mum managed to make me feel miserable for a lot of the day recently when my (20 month old) son pulled her daughters hair. (I apologised, told him off, he kissed the girl- to say sorry, mother totally ignored me...)

It's clearly an art installation. A comment on the state of our society. An examination of the different waste products amongst us and how we use and view them. The ephemeral and the less so, the undervalued and the essentially not valued. No?

Please can I come to see you doing a handstand while impersonating a horse? I'll eat a sandwich...

Poor you. I don't think that sounds totally just how having a new baby is. I'd really second checking for latch/tongue tie. I turned up as a wreck to my baby's 6 week check, and managed to convince the doctor that I was necessarily suffering from PND, and described the symptoms and she got me referred for a tongue tie check, even though I said it couldn't be as it didn't match up with what I thought tongue tie was. However it was, and two weeks after a minor operation I had a different baby on my hands. Before it was very similar to you - he fed very quickly, very often and wouldn't sleep for long - 40 minutes was the absolute max - and basically stayed in my arms crying for 6 weeks, being windy and clearly uncomfortable. Good luck, the other suggestions all sound very sensible too. I hope something works.

Just to say I've been sent through vouchers with ?15 off your first shop. So if anyone's interested PM me and I'll send through the code. Oh, and I've never tipped. Never occured to me actually.

Ocado is great. And has some free delivery slots, and a Tesco price match on branded products. And very good customer service. I'm not even on commission. I tried to do Sainsburys once and gave up. I've done Tescos a couple of times and have had problems - I find the website more irritating, I had lots of stuff missing, they couldn't deliver where they said they could and so on, but that was outside London. I did look into Abel and Cole, and thought they'd work out more expensive than buying eco organice free range fair trade etc etc locally or ocado.

Diddidance could be good. If you google it you'll find all the info.

Anything not starting, or even ending until 3.30 would rule out anyone who also had an older child and a school run...

Was in today at 9.15 and was done straight away. They said it was very quiet this week, so probably worth doing it before it ramps up again.

Don't think so, at least not exclusively. I've always put my rubbishy textiles in there, anyway...

There's a big green bin for exactly what you describe outside the Mind shop at the top of Lordship Lane. Put all your textiles in a plastic bag and pop them in. I have a feeling there might also be one on Upland Road outside the corner shop near Darrell Road, but not 100% sure.

Nice colouring stuff - Stabilo pens, colouring book Books - rainbow fairies/roald dahl DVDs - Disney classics, Sound of Music, Railway Children, Matilda Sewing kits - nice make a cushion and Dolly one from Ed and Just Williams, I think Jigsaws Games - Guess who, connect 4, marbles Clothes - hat and scarf set, that kind of thing - Gap, maybe Letter writing set, try postmark on Northcross Road haba bead stuff Lego I could go on...!

Children with glue ear which can create hearing difficulties, can also, counter-intuitively, mean that they are very sensitive to loud noises. If he sometimes fails to hear things at normal volume, but then puts his hands over his ears at loud noises it would definitely be worth getting it checked. Not sure where the moon fits into that though!

I know some people have done Christening parties in Locale. V convenient for the church and they're child-friendly.

My 17 month old hasn't had the bar on for a while, because he just climbed out. We didn't bother with anything to replace it, but feel sure you could rig up some kind of harness. I did at some stage have the Stokke one, (a past version, I think) and it was really awkward to install.

I'm no expert, but it seems that as well as taking midwifes out of hospitals, those people are also releasing hospital space and beds for those who need round the clock care, rather than a few hours for the birth. Of course any women who plan for a home birth without considering the possibility of needing to move to hospital are probably naive, but that doesn't mean they are foolish to hope that they can stay at home.

If he were truly tone deaf, you would expect his speech to sound odd, as he wouldn't make the normal inflections and 'sing' of speech. I have come across lots of people who believe they are tone deaf, and aren't. Definitely about practice, first in the hearing, and then in getting your voice to obey what you want it to do. So, in short, it can be learnt. Good luck. Hope he's not too upset by an extremely tactless teacher.

2, 3, 1 But basically they're too young to navigate much by themselves, (6 and 4) and I don't encourage them to. They have free rein on cbeebies, and that's about it.

Huguenot - Hardly a survey, but friends who live Herne Hill way in a CPZ hate it.

Think so too. Bought a pair of school shoes for a girl - ?29. (and some boots for me - gortex, furry, ?65, very pleased!) and Dorothy was great.

My second climbed out of his cot at 20 months, and the 3rd's just started doing it at 17 months. The joys. luckily he can't with a sleeping bag on. The older ones shared (very successfully) from 2 1/2 and 4 months. The older one would sing to the baby in the middle of the night - very cute. Returning to the co-sleeping, I ended up spending a lot of time on cushions by the bed...