sanity girl

If you are near to either North or East Dulwich station I agree train to London Bridge then jubilee line to bond street is good, otherwise tube from brixton to oxford circus is fine - there is a lift at brixton then you have to use the escalators at oxford circus. Can be a bit busy that way though.

Thanks. I've heard good things about the american apparel leggings - they are a bit pricey but I guess maybe it's worth it in the long run. Any other suggestions anyone?

Sorry I meant leggings for women, rather than children!! Should have specified that more clearly

Thought I'd consult with you canny clothes buyers about this now winter is upon us and leggings are about to become a staple part of my wardrobe. Where to buy the best leggings - i.e. nice smooth fabric with good stretch, wash well, hard-wearing, and of course not too expensive. I got some from Uniqlo last year but they already have holes in them. Any recommendations would be welcomed!

I have a manduca which I've used for my 14 month old (for trip abroad when he was 12 months and country walks more recently, but not regularly as we both prefer the buggy!). It's very comfy and easy to use. You are welcome to come and try it and I would be happy to sell it on if you like it.

JB - thanks for the pointer to Kew for wrap dresses - they look good! Sorry to continue the more frivolous aspect of this thread, but would you say their sizes come up small, big or true to size? Thinking of ordering something from them online! One a more serious note I'd agree with all the above - as long as you are happy with childcare and have help for household chores it will be fine. I usually heave a sigh of relief when I get into work and get to sit down at my desk and drink a coffee uninterrupted while I check my emails. I also second the recommendation to incorporate some exercise into your journey to work if possible. I now usually cycle to work and back (admittedly fairly local so only a 10 minute journey) and it really wakes me up in the morning, plus I've lost loads of weight :))

Not Sainsburys, but I swear I walked past Bobby Charlton in Dulwich Village this afternoon. Could this be possible?

My experience with my daughter - who potty trained at 2.5 years but only night "trained" when she was about 4 - was that I absolutely had to get her up for a wee when I went to bed around 11pm, otherwise she would more often than not wet the bed. We had about 5 months of that before she was ready to go all night. She did however still have milk at bedtime when we started and doesn't drink so much now, so it could be connected to that. I did get her some bambino mio training pants to start with which were helpful at catching a bit of wee the mornings she couldn't quite make it to the loo in time. And some a good waterproof mattress protector is a must! I use a hippychick fitted sheet protector as it's nice and soft and not at all plasticky.

I really wouldn't worry about it, especially if you already have plug guards on the plugs. And if the sink has old fashioned taps you can just make sure they are closed really tightly. I found that when my daughter woke up in the early days of the move to the big bed she wouldn't even get out - she'd just call out until we came to her.

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't transfer him to the cot while asleep, especially if you've got a bed guard on the big bed anyway. Moving him to the cot while asleep may create some confusion for him and cause him to feel unsettled when he wakes in the night. He'll be fine in the big bed - you can always put a few pillows/ duvet on the floor if you're worried about him falling out. Thinking back, my daughter started in her cot with the side taken off (quite high off the floor) from around 20 months if I remember correctly, before we got an actual bed for her a couple of months later. I never bothered with a side guard, just put a thick duvet on the floor, and the one time that she fell out she didn't even wake up!!

Agree I don't think a 3 year old would be able to lift baby out of a cot. My 4 year old shared her room with baby for a while when he was 4-8 months and it was fine. Then he got too excited by her being around at bedtime and I had to move him out again!

I'm glad I'm not the only one having to deal with the "still BF while eating solids" sloppy joe poo. It is so grim! 14 months and still sloppy. Please tell me it's going to improve soon. This morning I put a particularly afflicted fleece liner in the loo while I dealt with the rest of the nappy, planning to swish it around in the flush, then forgot and flushed it down the loo :-$. Hope it doesn't cause any blockages... Still, on a positive note I find a bit of bambino mio sanitiser plus daz washing powder sorts the stains out no problem Re. liners I use either bambino mio paper liners (get them from ocado) or little lamb fleece ones (they are so soft and fluffy). Will definitely try the poundland fleece blanket though. bluesuperted Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This is far TMI simonethebeaver but my boy still > BFs a lot (now 15 months) and his poo was sloppy > Joe for a long time. But we coped with just fleece > and no stains on any of our lovely nappies > (Bumgenius V4 and Flip primarily). Now it's much > easier and more solid, the fleece is wonderful!

In my son's case his aversion to the cot was definitely connected to the advent of separation anxiety and me going back to work (which I did when he was around 8 months). He is perfectly happy when I'm at work, but I think he wants to make up for missed contact with me when I am around, especially at night! I'm just hanging on until he's big enough to go in a bed (but not mine!)...

My suggestion would be to move him from a cot to a toddler bed. That way you can lie with him at bedtime and reassure him with your presence etc as he goes to sleep, and then gradually withdraw/ alter the bedtime process so that you are leaving him awake. That's what I did with my daughter when she was about two, and had previously hated her cot and mostly co-slept with me. It did take a while to sort, but having a bed that I could lie next to her in and read stories/ sing songs/ tickle her etc in readiness for sleep really helped. I also made a big fuss about getting a grown up bed with new duvet, pillow, bedding etc etc to get her excited about it, and made sure that her bedroom felt really cosy and welcoming. I sympathise as I'm currently having the co-sleeping issues with my 14 month old (combined with still feeding at night ::o) - I'm probably going to hang on until he's big enough to move into a toddler bed - hopefully in just a few months as he's a big boy! Hope that helps.

I would agree that you don't need a special changing bag - just a capacious bag with plenty pockets that you like, or (my choice these days) a backpack. All you need to add is a changing mat - you can buy handy travel ones like this travel changing mat, although you might find it a bit small once baby gets bigger. I currently use an itti bitti changing mat because it's cute, soft, rolls up small and I can chuck it in the wash when it gets mucky. You might want to get a wet bag as well if you are going to be using cloth nappies (or even if you're not they are good for putting mucky clothes in after sick/poo explosions). Hope that helps!

It's not bad. I'd say there's one every 10-15 minutes in the morning. You'll usually find one waiting at the stop at the bottom of sunray avenue which will sit there for a few minutes before heading on its way. There can be the odd day with a longer wait though. Why not give it a try and see how it goes? Or how about cycling to work if you only have to get to kings. I work near Denmark Hill and it takes me 10 minutes from North Dulwich and I feel so much better for it. Have lost loads of weight too!

My daughter has only recently started sleeping through the night aged 4 and a half! I think it's the tiring days at school that have done it. Unfortunately I'm not able to enjoy it as I also have a one year old who is following in his sister's footsteps - lots of night waking, no intention of foregoing the boob, strong-willed little chap etc etc. I shall follow this thread with interest for advice/commiseration!

it really worked for me as the moisture was coming from the outside through the drafty windows rather than from inside. You should definitely give it a go at least in one room and see if it works for you.

this stuff does the job for me. You can get it from Homebase or most local diy shops. It's really easy to put up

Ooh I was wondering about that Garnier cream. Will have to give it a go!

Favourite toys for my 1 year old: traditional spinning top, teddies, anything his 4.5 year old sister is playing with! Not interested in the one vtech toy we have at all (thankfully bought second hand) but he does like a sort of drum/shape sorter by chicco that plays 3 different songs when you press a button - claps his hands when he hears the music - luckily the tunes are not bad and there is no annoying singing.

Yes I agree as a single parent it's nice to read. I don't find it so bad, but I am fortunate to have extremely supportive and hands on parents nearby. Weekends are fine - there's always plenty going on and non single friends with kids who are still happy to meet up :) Evenings can be a but lonely - roll on when I can get baby 2 off the boob and get out in the evening!

Also, Laura Mercier illuminating tinted moisturiser is generally great for making you look fresh when you are really sleep deprived/ hungover/ ill etc

Some good advice here - do watch the video too Sali Hughes on concealer pens and here. If the shadows are really bad I'd go for a very creamy concealer - best to go to a counter to get a good colour match. Bobby Brown are meant to be very good. The irony of me giving this advice is that I never have time to do any of this in the mornings, despite looking a total fright due to extreme lack of sleep!

Emmanuel Marshall at ED warehouse will take old childrens shoes and pass them on to Variety Club for recycling shoe recycling