charlottep

My mum told me about a documentary she watched a week or two ago which tracked two different approaches to parenting. One quite old school and hardline, and the other more moderate and conciliatory. Unfortunately, she can't remember what it was called or what channel it was on! Does anyone know what she's referring to?! I'm struggling with my feisty two year old and need some inspiration. Thanks!

My three and a half month old watches. I book my session so that it directly follows her feed to ensure she doesn't protest. Sometimes she snoozes too. The sessions are 25 mins so it works quite well.

Sounds good!

To my son: why don't you just say (in proud tone) "mummy, i have done a poo poo". Please take off the necklaces now, daddy will be home soon. No, the potty isn't fireman sam's hat. My son copying me: "it's bloody hot in here" (EVERYTIME we go somewhere hot)

Anna three months ago I was in the same position as you. After a very long induction with my first i was hoping for a home birth for number two with the brierley midwives. I went a week overdue and went to health matters for acupuncture. They also gave me some homeopathic remedy, i think it was derived from cohosh? Anyway i think the homeopathic remedy did the trick as i felt the first twinges after taking it and the twinges got much stronger with the second dose. Ended up having a very quick home birth and the brierley midwives were fab. I will keep everything crossed for you.

it's by GMs and Therapy at the ED station end of Melbourne Grove. They do have a website, pretty sure it's just highvibe.co.uk

I know that there has been a recently revived thread on post baby bodies and in relation to that I thought I might just put in a plug for High Vibes on Melbourne Grove. The powerplate sessions are only 25 mins long and Gianni, the instructor, is very happy to have babies attend with their mums. As well as actually losing weight, I've found the powerplate is improving my core strength too which had taken a real beating after two pregnancies in close succession! Just wanted to add that I have absolutely no connection with the business itself, it's just that I think it's ideal for those of us that don't have access to childcare or a lot of time on our hands, but still want to do some effective exercise!

But au pairs can't look after children under two can they? Thx

I was told by simplychildcare that they get in the region of ?350 net a week (about ?497 gross). It would be good to hear what people locally are paying in reality.

Moos, we're currently settling in my son to his nursery. We're in week 3 this week and it seems to have clicked all of a sudden. You're probably doing all of this but this is what I've found has worked so far: I tell him he's going to nursery as soon as he wakes up, i try not to spring it on him. This can make the whole getting ready in the morning bit a lot harder but it also gives us a chance to talk through some of his concerns and ensures that there are no surprises. When we arrive at nursery and the real tears start i try not to cuddle him too much or show my concern (this is really hard to do as i just want to scoop him up in my arms) so as not to fuel his anxiety. Before I leave him, I always say goodbye (no sneaking off) and i talk about what we're going to do later once i've picked him up and we're back home - just so that he knows for sure that I'm coming back. I always try to leave him with some firm arrangement in place, e.g. i tell him that i'll need his help to bath his little sister later, or that we will watch his fav episode of fireman sam. I'm not sure if any of this has made a real difference and i'm sure it's stuff you're doing anyway. I think it's probably mainly about sitting it out and for us, after a truly appalling start, it is improving significantly. I hope it does for you too and I'm sure it will.

I would recommend Elaine at the Therapy Rooms above Health Matters. She's a cranial osteopath who does a lot of work on mothers and babies. I had a lot of back pain with my first child, i thought it might be related to the epidural i had too. I didn't have an epidural with my second child and no back pain either. Good luck!

Sanne Panne - i'm in the same situation as you - a terrible two year old and a 12 week old. i sometimes feel resentful of my toddler, that he's spoiling some of my precious time with my baby with his unreasonable behaviour and then i catch him glancing at me and his little sister (especially when i'm feeding her) with a very earnest look on his face and it breaks my heart. He's obviously feeling the impact and i'm sure that much of his behaviour is a form of separation anxiety. i hope it passes soon as it often feels very intense (it's that unique love that LB refers too that creates that degree of intensity i'm sure).

hi - i'd like to come along tomorrow too pls. my 2 year old will be at nursery so it will be just me and my 3 month old, but hopefully my toddler can join us at the next meeting.

i feel that way almost everyday with my son, i often feel that i have no control whatsoever. The naughty step used to work but now he'd rather go sit on it than pick up whatever he's thrown or apologise for his bad behaviour. He often sings twinkle twinkle little star during time out - i'm sure it's a very clever act of defiance on his part!

Whitstable or Broadstairs. We get to Whitstable in 1 hr 10 mins, Broadstairs is a tiny bit further but the beach is better I think. Both really lovely though

Beagle - do you have a close friend or family member that has recently had a child? When pregnant with my first i was overwhelmed too by the quantity and choice of baby products and for some reason totally unable to make a decision. I got one of those lists which claim to identify everything you'll need for a first baby (i used the mothercare one). I asked my sister to look over it and tell me what i actually really needed, including quantities and suggestions on types / brands, etc. She ended up compiling a brilliant list and i'm sure i saved quite a bit of money as a result too. Re bouncy chairs, i have one with vibrate and it seemed to annoy both my little ones so i never bothered turning it on. I think it depends on what kind of baby you have, a fussy baby might need the extra helping hand to drift off and so something like a swing seat could work well. A more contented baby would be happy in a bog standard one. Either way though I think it's a good idea to have a seat that reclines fully to aid nap times (this can be used once your little one outgrows the moses basket). You probably won't use the seat for a couple of weeks after birth so maybe hold off and decide once you've met your baby?

Bishberro, my daughter had really bad wind for the first few weeks, i think it was because we were doing too much cluster feeding and her digestive system was being overloaded. I made a decision to feed her every two hours during the day to avoid her feeding in clusters in late afternoon and that sorted out the wind. Bathtime also helped to calm her down. Like Emily I use one of those bath supports and she goes in with her big bro who just about contains his nutty ways for 10 mins or so. I then bung him in front of some Fireman Sam DVDs and he sits there happily while I give baby a chilled out breastfeed and put to bed. We started settling her upstairs away from the hustle and bustle of the house at 4 weeks and that also seemed to help with her evening fussiness, i think when they're that little they just get over-stimulated by the end of the day. Like you, I really struggled with doing everything on demand, but it really did change overnight at around 8 weeks so hopefully it will for you too - it was definitely no magic on my part.

i have a two year old boy and a 3 month old girl. My eldest was/is in a great routine from about 4 months of age (a much less rigid version of the gina ford routine) and i wanted to achieve the same for my youngest. For the first two months everything was on demand. At week 8, literally overnight, she fell into a pattern of regular feeds (every four hours) and sleeps and I have tried to encourage these to suit my toddler's day. So for example, we're up by 7:30, I feed my daughter then we drop my son at nursery, I come home and my daughter has a morning nap for 45 mins. She then naps over lunchtime (as does my son) for a couple of hours and has a nap somewhere between 4-5. We then pick the toddler up from nursery and have half an hour before I do their bath and bedtime routine (jointly). On the days when my son is at home I chuck him in front of the telly when she's napping in the morning and late afternoon, so that she has some peace and quiet. If we're out and about she will happily nap in the buggy. I guess I've been lucky as although I wanted her to have a routine I wasn't planning on trying to establish it until she was 4 months old, she's just kind of fallen into it naturally around my son's day. Although i myself find it mind-numbingly repetitive it suits the kids very well as we know what we're dealing with and both kids get fed and napped when they need to which keeps them generally happy and easier to manage!

Personally I think it's totally over the top and further confirms my view that this nursery isn't getting its priorities right. Surely this money should have been invested in improving overall quality and tools that focus on the childrens' development.

First labour 20.5 hours of established labour (from 4cms) following an induction. Second labour 1 hour 17 mins in established labour. One minute I was told I was 7cms dialated and two contractions later my daughter was born - no pushing at all. My labour notes say 'S is born in one huge contraction'! The midwives were on the other side of the room writing up my notes while my daughter was floating around the birthing pool.

my 10 wk old was definitely on a 2 hour cycle during the day at around 2 weeks. She was sleeping for up to 16 hours a day and at night would do about a 3 hour stretch. My midwife said that i should ensure that I was feeding at least every 3 hours, but she was demanding it at least every two hours daytime. At 8 weeks she changed almost overnight to a three hour cycle of daytime feeding and now naps for about four hours during the day (in 3 naps) and goes longer at night.

My little boy has just been diagnosed with an inguinal hernia. he has been referred to king's for urgent surgery and unfortunately he will be put under a general :(. Has anyone had any experience of inguinal hernias in small children? any insights would be v helpful. Thx

i had this too (particularly in my ankles) and i was told that it is pregnancy related. i was told that it is due to the relaxin hormone which helps the pelvis expand to accommodate the baby but impacts on the tissue of joints in the body. Here's a small bit of info: Relaxin - A hormone secreted by the placenta in the terminal stages of pregnancy. It causes a softening of connective tissues (cartilage and tendons), so that the bones at the front of the pelvis can separate, making it easier for the baby to be born. Unfortunately, relaxin also affects the tissue of other joints, loosening them. These changes may persist for several weeks after delivery. Therefore, most physicians advise expectant mothers to avoid vigorous weight-bearing exercises during the later stages of pregnancy and for a few weeks after birth.

i lost most of my baby weight first time around doing powerplate sessions. They're only 25 mins long but v effective for losing weight and toning wobbly bits. I had my second baby 10 wks ago and was very pleased to find out that there is a new powerplate studio on melbourne grove as i used to do my sessions in the city. the guy who runs the studio says its fine to bring babies and prams in while you do your workout.

Fortunately sex doesn't do the same thing, otherwise it would be a most unpleasurable experience. with a sweep the aim is to separate the membranes around the baby from your cervix. i had a sweep with my first when my induction was failing to progress, it definitely did the trick, although it does make your eyes water a bit. worth it though, especially if you're keen to get the baby out.