newcomer

Also I guess you may want to consider: - the length of the journey - the ability to walk at least of the route with friends - the season and weather. I'd be more concerned about letting a child (or anyone, for that matter!) walk alone if it is dark and dreary (e.g., 5pm in February) or very rainy or icy. - whether or not they usually listen to iPod, etc. while walking (ability to hear traffic coming; 'target' for thieves?) - are they a 'daydreamer' and/or very trusting child (I know I was at that age!) or a more canny, streetwise one? - are they going through a stressful time at school when they may be more distracted than usual? - are they walking along a relatively populated well-lit road or cutting through a deserted park? etc etc.

Hang a wet teatowel in an open window. As it dries, it acts as a very cheap air conditioner!

It could well be something like a virus. EVERY time my son had a jab, he would get a cold or bug shortly thereafter. IMHO, I think their little immune systems become very 'busy' processing the vaccination and therefore they are more prone to picking up bugs. He may even have picked up something in the doctor surgery! If so, it may help to give him some infant Minadex or similar (i.e., something with a little Vit A and C in it) and/or Sambucol to give his system a boost; as well as plenty of liquids and rest. I give my son highly diluted Ribena at times like this. I know it's got sugar in it (which is, in theory, not great for an upset stomach) but at least he's drinking something and sometimes I find the sugar perks him up just enough to eat a little something for lunch or dinner. He also sees it as a 'treat' so it helps to cheer him up a bit. However, if I were you, I'd definitely go to see the doctor if he's no better by tomorrow just to set your mind to rest, as I don't remember vomiting, etc. being usual side effects of the MMR?

What do you do for your children's parties? Amongst Baby Newcomer's friends, the round of competitive "Two Year Old" birthday parties has started already. The parties are even MORE elaborate than last year and I'm beginning to feel the pressure to follow suit. So far, all the parties we've attended have involved paid entertainment (adventure zone; face painters etc) and/or catered food and professionally decorated cakes. I HAD planned to have a simple 'at home' party, maybe with some musical games and pass the parcel, but otherwise I was just going to let the kids play and eat cake while the mums drink tea. But this now seems a bit, well, lame compared to everyone else's parties... So I'm looking for guidance - how do I do an impressive, fun, RELAXED party that (a) won't break the bank, and (b) won't take 3 months to organise!

Presume you'll have to take anti malarials? If so, check with your doctor whether you're ok to breastfeed while taking them. I recall having to continue taking them for several weeks after I returned from Africa so your 'one week' away from breast-feeding might realistically be more like a month. Also, you may need vaccines etc before you go (depending what ones you already have had), which you'll need to check with your doc as well re the b/feeding.

I heard that to stop the porridge oats going all over the place you're meant to put the oats in an old sock first, tie it securely, then hold the sock under the hot tap as you fill the bath. Haven't tried it though. I remember my mum tied mittens to my hands so that I couldn't scratch. Not sure how successful it was.

If you can't borrow them, you can hire them instead: http://www.babycomes2.co.uk/carseats.html

To answer your original questions: Question 1: am I being grumpy thinking this is a bit much? Answer 1: Yes, a bit grumpy (but, hey, that's what the EDF is for! To let out all these little grievances ;-)). It's only 55 quid per family. For a ruby anniversary present, I'd say that's on the low side. Question 2: Are presents expected? I thought our presence at the lunch was what was expected. Answer 2: Presents are absolutely expected. The attendance at the lunch is obligatory too of course. It would be very rude if you didn't go, plus you'd be missing out on what sounds like a lovely family celebration. Question 3: if buying presents is the norm, is specifying what you want a bit on the cheeky side? Answer 3: Hmm, I see what you mean, but it's not usually cheeky when it's close family. My family often gives 'hints', but I guess we're big on presents and celebrations so it's viewed as being considerate as you're saving the present-buyer time and effort in trying to figure out what to buy. (By the way, I loved your photo album present idea- that is very thoughtful and I'm sure they'd appreciate it if you went ahead anyway and made it as an extra surprise to supplement the War Horse tickets?) I reckon that if you go with a happy heart, then you'll probably have a truly great time and, even if you don't, it's worth it for your daughter to bond with her grandparents: http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/grandparents.html I hope you and your family (husband, daughter, in-laws) ALL have a wonderful day.

Just to play devil's advocate a bit...(and I apologize in advance if this is out of line or uncalled for) Although it's never right for another mum to shout at your child, I'm trying to see the situation from the viewpoint of the other mums in the class. If your daughter's behavior (albeit normal childlike enthusiasm) is disturbing the class then it's not really fair on the other children. You say that you've paid for a term, but so have the other families. If your daughter needs extra help with the class, perhaps the teacher would allow you to accompany her as an exception? It would probably benefit both your daughter and the other girls? Anyhow, I'm sure you've already considered all this but just wanted to provide a different viewpoint before you return to the class with guns blazing. I'm guessing the mother who shouted at your child probably just made a mistake out of frustration at a perceived 'threat' to hee daughter's enjoyment of the class.

5 months is a really nice time to fly- your baby will probably sleep through a lot of it, and it'll be quite relaxing (well, compared to travelling with a toddler anyhow). For various reasons, I've now done more than my fair share of long-haul flights with my son on my own, and it's never as bad as I expect. Having said that, I do try to be as prepared as possible. My tips would be: 1) Bring more formula powder than you think you need (in case of spills; delays; etc). I usually bring twice as much. 2) The pouches of made-up formula are good but I'd also bring some powder as a back-up in case security make you open everything. For the powder, you could measure out the scoops into a clean bottle in advance, pop some cling film over the bottle-mouth (so that the powder can neither spill nor travel up into the teat), then screw on the teat and lid in their normal position. It's easier than faffing around trying to count scoops in dim lighting. 3) Make up the bottle yourself in the galley. An another poster mentioned, the stewards sometimes overheat the bottle and it's a painfully long wait until the milk cools down enough for your baby to drink. 4) Even if you never normally give any painkillers to your baby, please bring some Calpol or similar with you in case the change in pressure hurts your baby's ears or, God forbid, the baby develops a fever mid-flight. The sachets are handy, and I usually bring a few plastic (disposable) spoons with me too so I can simply chuck them if/when they get covered in sticky Calpol! 5) Wrap EVERYTHING in separate ziploc bags. Enjoy the trip! Ps, if you use Hipp Organic milk, bring LOADS with you. I couldn't find it anywhere in NZ the first time I went and my son refused every other brand I tried! Don't know about Oz though - maybe it's easier to find there.

This conversation does make me smile, as I HATE cheese (not sure if I have any actual intolerance, I just hate the stuff) so I am SO PLEASED when people ask "is there anything you don't eat?" so I can confess and therefore don't have to sit in front of a beautiful-looking lasagne, trying to work out how much I can hide underneath the salad or secretly pass to my husband without anyone seeing... Re thank-you cards, etc. my rule of thumb is: 1) I send a card when (a) the invitation was sent on paper (i.e, a formal invite to a 40th birthday, etc.); (b) when it's a black-tie or formal dress event; © when I know the person sends thank-you cards to other people (and hence it is important to them); and/or (d) when the host made a particularly special effort in accommodating me (e.g., gave me a lift home, made a non-cheese lasagne, etc.). In these situations I might also send flowers or some sort of thank-you gift too. 2) Otherwise I'll send an email, Facebook message, or text, according to how 'formal' I think the event was. However, I admit, I do think it's strange to 'expect' thank-yous, of any description. RE your situation, littleEDfamily, it sounds like you handled things perfectly. The parent should def should just have sat the child on their lap, but never mind - it's best not to mention these things.

This conversation does make me smile, as I HATE cheese (not sure if I have any actual intolerance, I just hate the stuff) so I am SO PLEASED when people ask "is there anything you don't eat?" so I can confess and therefore don't have to sit in front of a beautiful-looking lasagne, trying to work out how much I can hide underneath the salad or secretly pass to my husband without anyone seeing... Re thank-you cards, etc. my rule of thumb is: 1) I send a card when (a) the invitation was sent on paper (i.e, a formal invite to a 40th birthday, etc.); (b) when it's a black-tie or formal dress event; © when I know the person sends thank-you cards to other people (and hence it is important to them); and/or (d) when the host made a particularly special effort in accommodating me (e.g., gave me a lift home, made a non-cheese lasagne, etc.). In these situations I might also send flowers or some sort of thank-you gift too. 2) Otherwise I'll send an email, Facebook message, or text, according to how 'formal' I think the event was. However, I admit, I do think it's strange to 'expect' thank-yous, of any description. RE your situation, littleEDfamily, it sounds like you handled things perfectly. The parent should def should just have sat the child on their lap, but never mind - it's best not to mention these things.

Jeez, it sounds like you do 10x more than most women already... I bought a Wii 2 years ago, used it about twice, then it sat gathering dust until I donated it to my ex-PA as a 'thank you'. In my case, it was an expensive mistake. You sound like you have a lot more dedication than I do, but could you borrow one for a month or two to see if you like it first?

Hi Emza78. Just to let you know that i also AGONISED over this decision as my son has had some bad reactions to his DtaP jabs. Since I 'almost died' (this is according to my mum, who has a tendency to dramatise... but in this case I think she's being truthful) from measles when I was 7, I know first-hand how beneficial it is to have a vaccination available. But I was worried about the potential side effects from having 3 live vaccines at the same time. So I spoke to every doctor I knew and: - delayed the MMR slightly to 15 months, when it was a period of better weather and a decent period of time had lapsed since my son's previous jabs; - held off on giving him any other live vaccines (e.g., chicken pox vaccine) within 3 months of the jab; - gave him a spoonful of Minadex (Vits A and C) every day for a week before and a week after the jab; and - took his temperature and assessed his 'wellness' before he got the jab. I doubt these steps would make much, if any, difference to the risks involved, but at least they helped me to feel that I was doing SOMETHING to help. To set your mind at rest, my son had NO discernible side effects in the following weeks. The only thing I noticed was that, in my own strictly non-professional opinion, I think his immune system was a bit 'knocked' after the jab as he seemed to be more prone to catching colds, viruses etc. for the next few months. I'm not sure why this would be - perhaps his system was busy developing antibodies to the various MMR components, and didn't have spare reserves to fight colds? Or maybe I just became slightly paranoid and over-observant! Or sheer coincidence. Who knows. Anyhow, I wish you very well with your decision- I really do empathise!

You could also cook a bit extra for dinner and then have it for lunch the next day too (properly reheated of course)? Less work for you ... Oh, and it's quite handy to get your little one used to eating pouches occasionally - it comes in useful for long trips, flights, long waits in the doctor surgery, etc. when fresh-cooked food just isn't possible.