snowboarder

We first took our eldest when he was just over 2 - to see the Gruffalo (super short) and Lost and Found double bill - he loved it and sat really well, snacked on pop corn and it was a general success - mr snowboarder and the baby toured brixton - I'm not sure I'd take a young baby in as it did seem pretty loud/dark as normal cinema rather than the baby cinema sessions.

There's a pot of ready made bolognaise pasta sauce for kids that is my tea time life saver - called miniscoff I think - from ocado. I do use fresh tomato and cheese pasta sauces too. Veggie sausages good. Quorn goes down quite well with my 13m old as not too chewy. Ocado (and I think sainsburys) do fresh rather than frozen fish fingers.

Really? The straps on my quest are for a giant - 13m old barely restrained by them! Weird...

Have been idly considering trying one of these. Then a friend posted this review on facebook....so now I'm thinking maybe not!!! Any...ummm...alternative reviews?!?

In my search for 'glamping' holidays I came across this article.

Yup! I have one, bought it when they came out last summer. I missed having a new baby in it and had a phil and teds for the early days. The duet feels lighter, is easy to push, much easier to lift up kerbs and obviously easy to access both children. It (just) fits in my house and I really can get on buses (with other buggies on too) and anywhere you can get with any of the chunkier singles/phil and teds. You will have seen you can get a carrycot for one side - or you can just flatten the seat and put a cocoon or newborn size cosy toes in it to make cosy. It still works for us with a 13m old and 35m old, the seats are narrow but fine. My eldest is pretty sturdy and I think about 95cm tall/15kg. Downsides are that I think there are raincover issues if you have a carrycot and seat unit on at the same time, sometimes now they fight (!) and oldest used to delight in waking sleeping baby up, the fold is pretty big and heavy (check your car boot size) - and I really don't take it in and out of the car very much. Also (obviously) it's always going to be a double - I really only use it about half the time now and use single/scooter for short trips. Hope that helps!

We went to a little show by Theatrebugs at christmas - think they do workshops/courses? http://www.theatrebugs.co.uk/londonandhomecounties.html

Hum I would say not! My 3 yr old loves films and daddy quite often lets him watch things I'm not keen on (some animated chameleon thing this morning and monsters inc.!) but even mr snowboarder said no way to avatar...

Hmm I've been looking and there are some awesome places - all kinds of treehouses and yurts etc - but I just can't envisage how this would work with very young children - at the moment they both sleep in cots and have never shared a room....and I can't imagine how bath time etc would work (am I being completely anal?!?). Maybe better fun for them when older? France seems to be where it's at though. This place looks fab!

Have to say I just got on with it as best I could - hefting toddler in and out of the bath/cot etc once husband back at work as you have to really. I also did start driving sooner than the 6 weeks that seems to be recommended - just found it less of a strain to drive than to walk with double buggy. It's pretty tough and I suppose you have to take it as easy as you can, but demanding 2 yr olds don't understand this....Just make sure you check your wound is healing ok and you're not straining that.

OK forget Gina Ford, I need a holiday. I'm not generally a camper, but cash is tight. Anyone got any recommendations for a nice uk break in mid June, mum dad 3 yrs and 1 yr. I don't really get how camping works with littlies - basically they both sleep well (ish) as long as they are in their own little beds in separate (dark) rooms...so maybe a cabin style affair? Thanks :-)

I had a close sling - cross between a wrap and a really nice soft carrier - with rings rather than need for tying knots. I liked it a lot and easy to get baby in and out but by 4/5m he was a bit heavy for it really. Nice and cuddly though!

Ladies you all sound awesome. I am a complete disaster - having started this thread I think I may be the only one to have lost NO weight at all. Ok deep breath, lighter evenings and the thread of summer might help. I am in the worst physical shape of my entire life.... Keep the success stories coming...maybe the guilt will get me if nothing else :-(

We have the kiddy guardian pro for eldest (had same dilemma as you can imagine) - apparently lasts till they are 12? It did take some hard sell on my part as he wasn't convinced about the impact cushion (OH look - a little table for you in a big boy car seat...WOW...etc). Apart from anything else I feel it's so much safer as he was slipping his arms out of the 5 point harness. Come and have a look...

Fab hs let me know...we could do lunch...should be cheap, at least....

Did anyone get this? Is it useful? Am losing will to live with my 1 yr old - 2.5 weeks afer sickness bug and week later high temp (and constant streaming cold since about october) but he's still not eating proper meals (he had got better). Literally bits of toast/fruit/yoghurt and the odd bit of pasta. Need to get him back on track but how?

Sorry no idea why that image is so huge!

I don't know whether the countries you are visiting are going to be very hot, but the problem I have always found with light travel strollers are that the sunshade on them is a bit rubbish (it certainly is on the quest!). We went to Australia with our then 8m old and took the baby jogger city mini as it folds really easily, pretty light, reclines flat and has an awesome sunhood. The new gt version sounds even better as it is basically the city mini with forever air (so non puncture) tyres and an adjustable handlebar... http://www.babybabyonline.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/t/gt_crimson_1.jpg

We have the mountain buggy duet - it is amazingly narrow and I can get in all the shops and on buses (even when there's another buggy on) with it. It is the only side by side that fits in my house - if I had the room I would have loved the bugaboo as I'm just a bit sad that smallest baby never really got to parent face. It's quite heavy to fold and put in the car though - I don't do it much and usually use single buggy and buggy board on car trips. Your age gap is smaller than mine though. They actually have them in John Lewis on Oxford st now. Also maybe consider the baby jogger range - the new gt mini looks great.

Check out what you can do under permitted development - we have done a side return extension and a loft conversion - both under permitted development. hth.

Thanks ladies it was great - nice to meet everyone! I possibly had one too many g&t's....Hmmm....Ow.

My nearly 3 yr old LOVES tv. Cbeebies is our friend and I don't worry about it too much as mostly we're out and about or he's at pre school - he definitely uses it to wind down when we are home, and like you MrsC I used it a lot in late pregnancy/early new baby as help. I like to think it's not all bad - he's very good at his shapes thanks to Mister Maker (jumps round the house...'I am a SQUARE'...) and days of the week... Slightly more worrying is that he is starting to get bored of some of the cbeebies favourites (told me that waybuloo was for babies) and he loves any type of cartoon - he has raided all my husbands dvd's and is currently obsessed with Dangermouse...Hmm... I'm probably really lax though....

Have pm'd!

Fuschia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sb: but your house is so tidy! And 2 under 3 Ah it's all surface (don't open a cupboard!) and is a constant battle!!

Also I'm pretty good at time keeping and generally early if not held up by faffing husband/children...BIG up me, right?!?