chantelle

my only advice is don't tolerate the bad behaviour and draw the lines as firmly as nanny. I adopted my nanny's catchphrases ("stop that nonsense") and will ask him - what would (nanny) think of that behaviour? Sounds like you are already trying to replicate - be consistent and don't back down! He will catch on that he can't get away with it.

best wishes number 2 - as you can see from my story above, strange things happen. My FSH as of a year ago was peri-menopausal - around 20 - and yet I fell pregnant twice since and am now 25 weeks along.

we got the islabike cnoc with the idea of taking off the pedals and using it as a balance bike until our 3 year old was ready to ride for real. His legs were just a bit too short though so we had to rush out and get stabilisers on his birthday. still might take off the pedals as soon as his legs grow ... he likes to pedal now though so who knows. This option costs about 50 quid more but means you don't have to buy a second bike in a year or two.

i brought along a cute nightdress to wear with leggings while i laboured. ha, ended up not even touching my overnight bag and stuck in a hospital gown with a catheter...

i think they're fab and crucial for infants but not sure about 21 months. Ours got a bit filthy from muddy wellies and whanot last winter, though of course they are wonderful for warmth.

I again have to disagree that Manhattan is un-baby friendly. I was there last week and you couldn't move for double buggies. The upper east side (and Brooklyn) is baby central, maybe less so downtown but still plenty of little ones about. it used to be the old standard that people would move out of NYC when they had kids- the clean-up since the early 90s means it is now considered a perfectly acceptable place to raise a family - though finding a good state school or paying fees are just as much of a minefield as in London.

I think only children are great, and that having one child is severely underrated! There are studies showing they are happier than their peers in the difficult teen years, and I constantly see first-hand how second, third, fourth and fifth children can get lost in the shuffle as parents wear out and lose their initial enthusiasm. It's also just so easy to get up and go with one child - and luxuries like going on long-haul holidays are not a major cost/mission. My 3-year old son has been in a nanny share with a boy six months older than him since he was 1 year old, and they are the best of friends. He is incredibly social and loves to make friends with virtually any child who comes his way. I'm not sure having a sibling in the home is always the best route to "having a friend." My brother (3.5 years older) was not my friend until we were adults and in childhood was a bully and feared enemy to me. All that said, I am unexpectedly pregnant with number 2 at the age of 41 so I am being forced to reevaluate my attitude. I was very happy with one but my husband (five years younger) was very keen for a sibling and mother nature seemed to agree. I find it ironic though because I had a major struggle in my mid-30s to conceive and keep a baby, with two miscarriages and 2+ subsequent years of IVF and other fertility treatments with zero success until my naturally-conceived son. I became pregnant again in November just before my 41st birthday but again lost the baby. Surprisingly I conceived once again in March and am now 24 weeks along. I had the standard genetic blood test and nuchal scan but no invasive tests. I've had to address a lot of negative feelings over the pregnancy, even though conception and motherhood has been such a major goal in my life for the past seven years or so. I resent having to take another career break, just when things were getting back on track, and I don't relish the thought of spending my 50s raising teenagers. So the grass is green on both sides of the fence I suppose.

a cheap umbrella stroller is absolutely fine and sorry nymom - that is ludicrous to suggest one would break on the sidewalks! i lived there 9 years pre-kids but all of my friends have moved on to the lightweight ones and i've never heard of such a thing. it's not Bangkok or the like, where the sidewalks really are un-buggy friendly. Central Park is a must, and the Museum of Natural History.

funny thread revival. i see i said two seemed ideal but that i was very happy with one. Well I'm now 5 months pregnant and already thinking one really is the dream! I would have been perfectly happy with that but hubby was keen for a second and my fertility that was so uncooperative in my mid-30s somehow went into overdrive. Now I am past 40 and not relishing another career break and spending my 50s raising teenagers! I'm going on birth control after this - just in case! (it's a blessing though, of course. :)-D )

as far as I know, you just need to be in your new address upon application to schools in January. If you were in a rental, they apparently can ask for evidence of a contract that would take you into the start of the school year. The Southwark admissions policy brochure is a good place to start - a new version should be out soon but the existing one on the council web site explains residence criteria.

I had my son at St Thomas in July 2008 and have opted for it again for number 2, mainly out of fear of the unknown! My initial care there upon presentation for labour was pretty rubbish, with the night midwives basically ignoring us for five hours until realising my contractions were actually putting my son in distress. The care then became like night and day- with an amazing response from all of the consultants, anesthetist, etc., and much better midwives somehow got rotated into my care (literally a shift change I imagine). The birth wasn't pretty and came via forceps and episiotomy but at least it was handled with expertise! For that pregnancy I lived in Lambeth and had fantastic one on one midwife care, in my home for every appointment. This time I've been assigned to some horrible unit in the Aylesbury Estate where they couldn't be bothered to take a pee sample. I'm just hoping my pregnancy is fairly uneventful and I'm relying on the reassuring consultant I saw around 16 weeks in case of any issues that come up. good luck with your birth.

i've found this all interesting, being pregnant with number 2 and torn between pushing for elective c-section or giving another shot at vaginal birth after a traumatic first time that could not have been any less "natural." i later needed surgery to fix the damage and for other various reasons a c-section might be my best bet this time around. i just wanted to point out one thing though - if vbac has only a 70% success rate, keep in mind that is just about the success rate for any birth. c-sections still make up 25% of UK births, the vast majority of them emergency.

Curmudgeon - they do publish the furthest distance to school for last child offered a space on geography alone, effectively a "catchment" used by parents to make decisions. I think the new admissions booklets are out in September. And unfortunately there are lots of people in black holes in the area who don't get into a near school because they are too far out of any of the catchments.

?10 net is standard in the area.

we have a lot more options though. i bet those monkeys would be pushing bugaboo bees given half a chance.

hmmm, I'm not sure I draw the same sad conclusion as the author. plenty of mums use slings in the early months, but weight becomes an issue. I'm sure even monkey mamas eventually stop carrying their little ones about when they reach a certain size. Babies in plenty of cultures do stay strapped onto their mothers until they're 2 or 3, but by then they are capable of walking and should get the exercise, IMO! Communication and cuddles are obviously important but I don't see buggies, or socialising with other mums, as a big problem. Texting and internet-ing half the day away might be more of an issue though ...

we just got our 3 year old an Isla bike, with the idea he'd use it as a balance bike and then we'd eventually put the pedals back on. unfortunately his legs are a little too short so we had to run out and buy stabilisers! he's loving pedalling it around, and I reckon we can try again in a couple of months to make it a balance bike until he's fully ready to put the two actions together.

for some reason these cheap light strollers are really common in the U.S., where you can get them for about $10! My mother has a great one that is light as a doll's buggy, and she has had my 5-year old niece in it (on long walking trips when she needed a break) so weight isn't a big issue either. I imagine the ones that say 15 kilos here could actually accomodate a lot more. I haven't seen one that has been light enough for my tastes though yet - this is just the sort of thing that would make going into town with my 3 year old with lots of train and tube stairs a lot more bearable. I do sometimes take our Mclaren xt and fold it up and carry it while he walks up the stairs, but it's still pretty darned heavy for a pregnant lady.

yes the Middleton company was recommended but i'm not that organised to plan in advance. i've bought some hideous plastic pirate ones at the pound shop today, to go with the awful pirate-themed toys my husband bought, despite knowing my opposition to all things pirate! i'm getting quite used to being a hypocrite in parenthood. :)

thanks for all the tips. i need them for saturday so too late to order but i'm sure some will be found tomorrow on my journeys.

snowboarder - he was totally fine with the restraint across his lap, not a peep of complaint. I think it seems kind of nice and snug, it doesn't dig into them or anything. it's sort of like a little table.

snowboarder - again i'd recommend the Kiddy seats - Which has given them excellent safety reports, they've won pan-European and German safety awards too. We switched to it from an incredibly expensive stage 2 rear facing seat (currently up for sale on ebay with no reserve if anyone is interested! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maxi-Cosi-Mobi-Car-Seat-Rear-Facing-9-25kgs-/330588257671?pt=UK_Baby_CarSeats_EH&hash=item4cf8987d87) so we have given a thought or two to safety. On the whole undoing the seatbelt thing, the alarm sounds great. I think it's also important to teach the little ones early about how important safety is and keeping their belts buckled and across them. On the usual 5-point safety harnesses - I see so many toddlers of friends who regularly slip their arms out of the harness. Some people have a casual attitude about this too but the effectiveness in a crash goes down massively.

thanks, the ones in the pound shops on Rye Lane are a bit atrocious but will try Sainsbury perhaps.

bluesuperted - wonder if that was the one I sold? ;) i never used the bjorn seat when we had it, having also gotten a hideous fisher price jungle thing that vibrated and played music and which my son really loved. it looked nice though.

sorry for the seemingly stupid question but where can i get (empty, and nice) party bags for a child's birthday? thanks!