hpsaucey

Urgh - I'm sorry for other people's bites! The Minkey - I'm not for killing really and I always put out house spiders but I'm afraid we're killing these evil beasties and you might want to do the same! Nasty bite they have and agressive too.

We've been getting foreign spiders in our flat and garden for the last few years. Just caught another of these nasty beasties: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segestria_florentina Anyone else plagued? Helen

I think a LOT of children go through a stage like this, so please don't feel you;re alone in this one (and I'm sure you don't given the number of replies). I'm sure most of us who have gone through this would say that its a phase that they DO get over. My first didn't really act like this but my second did/does. We used the usual mix of displacement activity/disapproval (whilst trying to be reassuring as well) etc. The posts above have said it all really with their usual great ED common sense! Good luck. Like all things, it will pass.... Helen

I got referred to the urino-gynacological (God - miracle if I've spelt that right) unit at Kings as I had third degree tearing with my first. The therapist there was BRILLIANT. Was assessed and given exercises to do. MY main point is that its not always as simple as just doing pelvic floor exercises. They told me that I needed to exercise both for long and short 'hold's if I can put it that way. Also isolating front, middle and back muscles. Also how to hold in your abdomen most of the time in order to support your pelvic floor - takes practice but becomes automatic - and most importantly of all, how to cough without putting pressure on it! Maybe worth getting referred by your GP? Good luck, H

I got one of the Kiddyguard roller stairgates and have to say really love it. Blends into the rest of the doorframe. Got it when they weren't so pricy though! But it fixed on really easily, and when you get used to it you can open it and close it one-handed! Meant to be used up to toddler age but it discourages our now 5-year old nicely. Having said that, if my kids really rammed it I'm not sure what would happen. Would buy another though. H

Hell there Yorkie, I'm going to go against SOME of the previous posts in saying that it isn't impossible that its PND. I found myself cracking after going back to work when my first baby was 9 months old. I can empathise totally with the anger you feel, the being stretched etc. A string of problems compounded problems and I finally realised that I had depression. You can get PND for much longer after birth that is widely known, although it is, of course, more commonly diagnosed/recognised in the early months. The other thing is that anxiety and depression are quite closely linked, with anger being a symptom of both. With depression you can go out on the brightest, sunniest day, and you, to you, the world is enveloped in a smothering black fog - that's how it felt to me anyway. I WOULD say go to your doctor and get checked - they can do a really simple test to assess you and its always good to have someone to talk to. I would also say, be kind, gentle and understanding with yourself as well as your partner. I think we often expect more than is humanly possible of ourselves! If you are overstretching - and many people above had good advice on that - this is the time at which depression, if it is going to, would be more likely to kick in seo best to get to the GP and just get checked out anyway. I had CBT and cannot recommend it highly enough. Good luck!!!! H

Just wanted to say a big thank you to whoever found my animal jungle print picnic rug in Peckham Rye Park and put it over one of the logs to be retrieved. Having dragged a weepy tired 5-year old and an ice-cream splatted toddler out of the cafe to retrace our steps and try and find it we were really to find it left so nicely. Thank you whoever!!!! Helen

Also Lloyds on Northcross Road.

Hi there. There are lots of courses out there - Red Cross etc run them. Some Children's Centres and SOuthwark do them as well. I went on a free course at Ivydale Children's Centre so I'm sure other places do then as well. H

So we're back to getting dog licences and making sure that potential dog owners get training? Should be like passing your driving test. Then again, think new parents should be trained too! Seems ridiculous that you have to be trained to drive a car, but can be guardian/parent of a child or owner of a dog without any training!

Think he works in SoupDragon - lovely chap!

But despite all this, MANY of the reported cases on this forum and elsewhere mention staffies. MUST be for a reason and I cannot believe its solely a witch hunt (and yes, I acknowledge that there are lovely dogs and responsible owners). I am sure that those witnessing attacks would mention where it was another type of dog involved. Hope the OP, her daughter and their dog recover from the shock. I also hope they can find it in them to report the case - even anonymously if possible? I would hate to think that it happens again. Helen Hcassidy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I to feel sorry for the op, his daughter and their > dog in what seems to be a totally unprovoked and > distressing incident and hope everyone is ok. > However it never ceases to amaze me how one dog > incident is now being turned in to a witch hunt of > staffies yet again. > There are a large number of staffies around and > despite what many people now believe most of them > belong to responsible owners and are kept not just > with children but with other animals as well and > should not all be branded dangerous or their > owners irresponsible just because of a small > minority of irresponsible owners. You dont punish > every car driver because one or two people drink > and drive and it should be no different with dog > owners. > Staffies in the right hands can be loyal, loving > companions a great addition to any family and who > are a joy to have and this can be shown by the > number of them being re-homed from rescue > centres. > The incident was terrible and especially > frightening for the child and dog involved but it > is not the action of all staffs and should not be > seen as such

I take him to my other half, who does a great job for a Mars Bar LOL!

HI there. I did the same as Debstar. My first was happy to wait until 6 months for solids. Again, you won't find any health visitor recommending this, but with my second he was a big baby and obviously desperate to try food from 5 months so I did the same and introduced very small amounts of baby rice to start with. He was pretty keen to eat it LOL!!! Sorry - don't know much about how reflux would have an effect. Good luck. H

Agreed. HR Can be partisan. BUT, then still have a duty to record properly what was said and act on any issues. As long as you're aware that they are not necessarily a 'friend' then you can use the system to get bad management and treatment at least recorded. Good idea to take a chaperone along. You can usually justify this as needing another pair of eyes and ears to listen and write things down, although the danger could be that it is seen as 'escalating' the issue and making it more formal.

Ooh - an expert. Far more sensible than my reply!! H elloriac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I would imagine that bonniebird thought the park > manager might remove the dead bodies before they > rot and fester away. Also, those dead fish might > be an indication of low oxygen levels in the pond > - though that's normally only seen in warm > weather, which we haven't been lucky enough to > have yet! The parks people can normally pump > oxygen into the water if this is the case. (this > happened where I used to live and the park mgmt > posted a notice telling people to contact them if > dead or distressed fish were seen)

Well, I guess for one thing they would want to rule out poisoning the pond water for example if enough fish were seen floating there.

I'll second the Health Matters probiotics. Have used them for OH/kiddies when needed.

Yup. My other half. I'm afraid to say he was knocked out by it for well over a week. He has other underlying issues however so was probably weakened. Hope you feel better soon!!!

HI there. Lots of good advice already posted. I'm a union Health and Safety rep so get to see cases of harrassment/ bullying etc. If you haven't already done so its a good idea to start keeping a diary of comments etc and, if anyone has witnessed any of these comments, then try and get some sort of email comment from them if they're willing (I know someone already mentioned checking back on old emails etc). I feel they have duty to clarify these 'incidences' they are mentioning because, if they are allegedly impacting on your performance, then your managers should be in the business of helping you improve your performance in a supportive way. Hopefully you'll find they are those incidences you mentioned - i.e. related to your pregnancy . Telling you than you face "a very challenging time when I return to work" is abrupt and totally lacking judgement on her part! Please write her comments down somewhere! Do you have an HR department or a sympathetic HR contact? I realise you may not want to 'escalate' things at this point by making anything more formal but forewarned is forearmed so it might be worthwhile having some sort of formal record if youo disagree with their assessment of your performance/they refuse to tell you what instances they are referring to. Good luck!! Helen

One week my kids and the buggy went through 4 lots of dog poo in PR Park and on the path near the cafe. ARRGH. I was so fed up I binned the pair of shoes on the fourth time. Another time, when I challenged a lady about her doug fouling her language in response was even more foul. As I threatened to take a photo and her car registration number she ran off to her car - leaving her poor dog behind to run free near the road! Eventually she came and reclimaed it but not without more attitude and bad language. Severely fed up with it!!!!

Think that's probably true. Or, at least there seem to be more of them so maybe they're, on the whole, less stressed and busy?? Or, IF they've made a mistake and said a one minute cut-off for missing an appointment, then maybe new and not making a good judgment call?

Well. I used to find DMC staff quite abrupt on reception. My worst experience was when I had a home birth with my son. I had to get him seen by a doctor when he was only 6 hours old so I asked for a home visit. It took four phone calls to get them to agree to come out. They suggested that I put him in a taxi to take him round to the clinic as I wasn't able to walk!!! HAVING said that I have to say I've found them really good and helpful recently. I guess you're going to get good and bad experiences everywhere and to be fair, everyone has their off days!

Second Coram's Fields. You can only go in if you have a child and there's lots to do and a cafe. Could combine this with elephant 'hunting?

Am I in the REAL minority then? First was in with us - our bed and then his own until he was 2 and a half (Years that is) and the second has just gone into his own room at just under 2. Really loved sharing with them. Soon got used to the snorting and gurgling (and snoring and farting LOL) and wouldn't have had it any differnetly for all the world. Think we all benefitted in many ways but each to their own, horses for courses and all that. Any one else leave it that late?????