ClaireClaire

The Plough has got a board up outside saying they will be showing it.

(useful to know if you don't already...) Dulwich Library is doing a nice summer reading challenge for school-age kids. It's called "Story-Lab" this year. Read a book, talk to the librarian about it, and get a sticker - yay! http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/

My daughter asked me this some time ago, maybe around age 4? I just told her the truth. And we have an excellent DK book on the Human Body where I showed her a few pictures. I don't think 5 is too early - seems perfectly natural to me? Especially if younger siblings are arriving. I didn't have any qualms about explaining the "mechanisms" of the business :-) but I can understand why people may feel awkward about it. My only concern was explaining that she and her brother were born via c-sections, because I think that's potentially a bit traumatic for a 4yo to visualise! But I did tell her, and just kept it light-hearted. I'm sure everyone will have a different approach. For me personally, I know my daughter and I knew she wanted the truth straight up!! Good luck!! Claire x

Sorry, haven't followed the whole thread but have you already tried Kwells? This is what we always used as kids: my parents (docs) just gave us half or quarter tablets according to our age. The other thing that always helped me (when feeling carsick as a child myself, and even now as an adult) is to open the window full blast regardless of the weather. Rain, snow, cold wind - all of those help prevent the nausea, and other passengers don't seem to mind if it stops me spewing up in the car :-) Good luck and hope you find a solution. Claire x

Hi Stardust, School holidays are a total pain in the neck for working parents! From what I can gather, people manage with a mixture of some sort of holiday club, ad-hoc babysitting from family or students who are also free over the same holiday period; or having to take time off work themselves. For me, there's never been one good solution where I can sit back and think, ahh, I'm all sorted now... it's basically a different solution for every school holiday depending on what's available. Claire

Article about it in the Guardian today. I think it's cool - would love to make it happen on my street! http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/23/reclaiming-the-streets-for-kids

Thank you! Just been there, that was a good tip, thanks. x

Sounds good - what days does it run?

Hello, We are going to the paddling pool at Brockwell Park today.... any tips on where to park?? Don't know the area very well. Claire x

The Seven Chinese Sisters by Kathy Tucker

Thanks for the replies people I went to Deptford at 8 miles, it was good, not too busy. Baby sat in his buggy a few yards behind me and I did my cheering :-)

Just to add my 2 cents... :-) My kids (now aged 2.5 and 5.5) go down around 8.30pm and have done so for ages. (At least a year) There is no way in h*ll I would be able to get them to sleep at 7pm! We do all the usual good things and they go down well around 8.30pm Both my kids dropped their midday nap by the age of 2. I hope you can get your early bedtimes back on track, LucyA1308.... I guess this is just to say there might be a chance that your kids are like mine, and just need less sleep!! Good luck with it Claire x

Yes GOOD LUCK to all running tomorrow! Enjoy it, people! PS I have a question in the lounge re where to go as a spectator (with kids), if anyone has any tips.

Help! I want to go out tomorrow (with kiddies) to support friends who are running. Surrey Quays is looking like the easiest option travel-wise, but I remember it being really busy. Anyone have any advice re. what time I'd need to get there to get a good viewing spot?? (I know the elite runners are expected at 9.47am, the 5-hour crowd will be passing around 11.30.) Alternatively, mile 8 around Deptford I remember being quiet, but looks a bit tricky to get to. Probably easiest to take train to New Cross Gate and then walk, which is around a mile ... could be too far if kids are whiney. Any other ideas re how to get there? I could drive but expect the whole place to be choc-a-bloc so public transport probably better. Any advice from experienced spectators gratefully received! Claire

Hi nymom, yes you are right and it is a problem for parents trying to figure out their chances for future years. As far as I know, the furthest distance offered at the final allocation (after the shakedown) is not made available by the LAs. So that is why the edf is so useful! There is a lot of anecdotal information on here about people's experiences of the waiting lists, and if you keep a close eye on the relevant threads, (and maybe a few PMs to figure out people's exact locations!) you'll probably be able to gather the data you need.

Hi Crokes, Sorry to hear about your experience. I also have asthma, although sounds like mine is milder than yours. I was also concerned about taking medication (salbutamol) while pregnant, but as the doctor told me, what options have you got? You have to breathe, right? To me it just seemed like there were risks both ways: risks to taking the medication and risks to not taking the medication. So I took the medication as needed and wasn't aware of any adverse effects. But of course that is just my personal experience. Good luck Claire x

If it were me, I'd just try to make a brief appearance at wedding ceremony without baby, if possible? Depends how far away the wedding is, of course. If that's not possible, I'd probably just miss the wedding. I know it's not ideal, but my pov is that when you have small babies and you're bfing, you have limitations and that's just the way it is. (Personally, I doubt my kids would have gone off breastfeeding in 24 hours, but that's a separate issue.) Good luck, hope it works out for you x

I think the point is that it gets progressively more risky with each successive operation. It is basically a choice you have to make yourself, about how you think your body will cope and how far you want to push it! Personally I decided to stop after 2, even though I am perfectly healthy and I know lots of people who've had 3 safely.

I'm sure others will know more But it's advised to not give cows' milk while child is sick (with tummy bug? with general virus? with antibiotics? not sure) If you do, they can subsequently develop an intolerance to cows' milk. I don't know if it would necessarily result in all the vomiting, but I suppose it's possible any help? Cx

Like others, I struggle to get a same-day appointment with DMC Crystal Palace Road. I start calling at 8am and keep hitting redial, and by the time I get through all appointments are gone. When I tell the staff that the patient is a 2yo child, it makes no difference. Tough luck for me. Today I had a very sick child who had to see a doctor pronto so I was taking no chances. Husband took a half-day's annual leave so that I could go down to the surgery myself for 8am to make an appointment. (Otherwise I would have to take sick child with me, not an option, too sick.) I arrived at 7.45am and there were already 2 people waiting. By 7.55 there were FOURTEEN people waiting. The staff opened the doors at 8am promptly and began to deal with us (not answering the phones). I got a 9am appointment (phew). By the time I was leaving at 8.05, another 3 people had arrived to make appointments. So this is why we can't get appointments by phoning at 8am!!! Anyway, I thought I would share this info for others. Personally, I think I'm going to try to switch practice because this is ridiculous. Claire

Hello people, My sister-in-law has just had a baby in Korea and I would like to send her a gift... I am thinking baby books in English via Amazon, but wondering which Amazon should I use? .com or .co.uk? I'm guessing shipping charges might be less from the US, but will they have to pay import tax when parcel arrives in Korea? Grateful for any advice from those of you with experience in such matters! Thanks Claire

Yes, I second the recommendation for the car park at the top of Crystal Palace park (nearish to CP train station) Also in Sydenham all around the Lawrie Park area is excellent - quiet roads with lots of other L plates moving at 5mph!!

hello people, I wondered if anyone here could give me some ideas. It's my grandmother's 100th birthday in a couple of weeks and I've love my kids to make a card for her. Kids are aged 5 and 2. But what to put on the card??? All I can think of so far is: - "Happy 100th birthday", where the kids paint the words or glue stuff in to make the words - A collage-picture of a cake with 100 candles (how do I do that?? matches with the tips taken off?) - A collage-picture of 100 of something else - 100 balloons? 100 flowers? 100 glasses of champagne? Any better ideas? She lives in her own home in rural Ireland and is still fit as a fiddle, and a keen gardener. Claire

So funny :-)

Hi rahrahrah, It sounds like you're using some variation of the controlled crying technique, and I thought I'd share the version that's worked for me. The version I use comes from Richard Ferber's book called "Solve your child's sleep problems", which I cannot recommend highly enough. Basically, the first step is to identify what's disturbing your child's sleep. In my case (and it's very common in babies the age you mention), it was a sleep association problem. For example, the baby might need her dummy to get back to sleep, so you have umpteen wakings between 11pm and 5am where you have to go and put the dummy back in. Or baby needs to be rocked to sleep, or cuddled, or nursed, or have her tummy patted, or whatever. So the first step is to identify if you have a sleep association problem, and decide whether you are in a position to try to break that sleep association. (BTW If baby still needs night feeds, then obviously CC is not appropriate.) Choose a time when you have a stretch of at least 3-4 days when you can concentrate on sleep training. So not when you're just about to take a trip or have a houseguest etc. Also, make sure to choose a time when baby is not ill or teething etc. If you start the training when you're concerned baby is ill or teething, you are likely to change your mind half-way through and not follow through with the procedure. Your objective is to remove the thing that is causing the problem (e.g. dummy, rocking, etc), and LET BABY FALL ASLEEP without it. What you're really doing with the CC technique is standing back respectfully and allowing your baby to learn this new skill. So, on the big night, you and hubby should both be there and both committed to the training. If you're not both committed yet, don't start, because you will probably just cave in and then end up feeling like "controlled crying doesn't work" -- whereas, done properly, it does work. On the first night: Put baby in her cot. Make sure to remove whatever sleep association you're trying to break E.g. put her down without the dummy, or without all the ritual rocking/patting/singing etc. Just put her down, say good night, and leave the room. Baby will start crying. Wait 1 minute, then go in and give her a pat. Don't pick her up, DO NOT under any circumstances reintroduce the association you are trying to break, i.e. the dummy/rocking/patting. Just reassure her briefly that you are there, you love her etc. Remember that your purpose there is to reassure her, NOT to stop her crying. She will probably start crying again as soon as you turn to leave: that is ok. Just leave the room anyway. Next wait 3 mins before going in and repeating the brief reassurance. Next wait 5 mins. Next wait 10 mins. Next wait 15 mins. Continue to go in at 15 min intervals until she falls asleep. It actually doesn't matter what intervals you choose, as long as they increase and then plateau. So in the example above, I've suggested 1 / 3 / 5/ 10 / 15 / 15 / 15; but you could also do: 1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 10 / 10 / 10. On the second night, increase the intervals slightly compared to whatever you've done previously. So if you did 1 / 3 / 5 / 10 / 15 / 15 on the first night, you could do 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 20 / 20 on the second night. Again, whatever is manageable for you. On the third night, if your child is still crying, increase the intervals again. And so on. If you have diagnosed the sleep problem correctly, you should see a huge improvement certainly within a week, and more likely within just a few days. There are a number of reasons why this technique works. Firstly, it's manageable for the parent: not only do you reassure your child that you're still there, but you reassure yourself that your child is ok. The cold turkey method of "put child in cot and leave it there until it falls asleep" doesn't work because most parents, understandably, cannot follow through with that. Secondly, by repeatedly going in and not changing your stance, you're providing important data to your child. You're teaching your child that yes, mummy is here and mummy is looking after you, but mummy is not going to take you out of the cot (or stroke your tummy or give you the dummy). With the cold turkey method, the child actually doesn't have that data, because the whole time, they're thinking: "Where's mummy?" So in that case they cry until they exhaust themselves. But with this technique, they cry until they realise that mummy's behaviour isn't going to change, and they may as well just go to sleep. It really is an active training technique. We did this for the first time when our first child was 6m and her having a dummy at night had become a problem. On the first night, she cried for 1.5 hours. (We had mentally prepared for 3-4 hours). On the second night she cried for 45 mins. On the third night she went straight to sleep without a murmur. We've also done it numerous times with our second child. (We go through cycles of letting him sleep with us while he's sick, and then getting him back in his own bed after he's well again, so we've done CC with him numerous times, and I can assure you that each time it works like a charm!!) Sorry for this long post but I thought it might help you rahrah, or if not you then some other poor person suffering from sleep deprivation and wondering about controlled crying! GOOD LUCK and if you have any questions about CC then feel free to pm me Claire