alieh

Not Ivydale, but my childminder is on Marmora Road at the Forest Hill Road end, so not far from Peckham Rye park. She only takes kids over 12 months, so not sure if that is suitable. You can PM me for details if you like.

I had the Kari-Me the first time, but I didn't love it because I found it annoying to tie (there were always long pieces of fabric dangling in puddles when I was trying to tie on the go!) and also my son liked to come in and out and I found I had to re-tie every time. For the next baby, I have got one called a K'Tan (sp?). It is the same stretchy fabric as a Kari-Me or Hugabub, but it is in two ready-made loops so you don't have so much fabric and tying to contend with. Can't comment on how it will work as I haven't used it yet, but it seems like quite a good design. I also have the Coorie Fleece pouch sling, which is great for throwing on in a hurry and should work well for feeding. May not be the best choice for long times carrying though, because it is just the one shoulder design. Agree that your best bet is to go to a Sling Meet and try a few different ones.

I vote for Big Barn Farm! This is the only one that my son will actually watch.

Just one final point which seems to be missed, and which someone else raised above...if you don't have a car and rely on buses and your buggy to do all your shopping/chores, you are likely to have the buggy full of groceries (and baby!) and therefore not be able to fold it, even if it is a Maclaren type. If a bus is already carrying a wheelchair or 2-3 other buggies, then I am happy to wait for another one. But if there is an open space, I don't see what I shouldn't be able to hop on the back doors and wheel the buggy into the space. I get that people hate "SUV prams", but the rear wheels of the Bugaboo strollers are only 3" wider than those of a Maclaren so it's really not that much of a difference.

I had this, and my lactation consultant said that the traditional advice about letting boobs dry out between feeds is the exact opposite thing you need to do for badly cracked nipples (if they are dry, then each feed just re-cracks and reopens the wound). The trick is to keep them clean but moist. When mine were really bad, my GP prescribed wet dressings that I put on my nipples between feeds. I also had these silver nipple cups, which made a huge difference: http://www.breastfeedingheaven.co.uk/breastfeeding-products/silverette-healing-cups/prod_138.html Finally, the silicone nipple shields can really help when the pain gets unbearable. If it is to the point where you're considering giving up breastfeeding, these can really help get through a bad few days while your nipples start to heal. And if the pain persists - look especially to see if the nipple is flat or misshapen when baby comes off - there is probably a latch problem and/or something else impeding baby getting a good latch (like tongue tie). In this case, she needs to seek help from one of the breastfeeding cafes, or a proper breastfeeding/lactation consultant.

My cat did this to my son as well. It seemed to happen when he felt cornered, i.e. if he has a quick escape route he seems to run rather than scratch. It was right across the eye too (luckily just lid and below), which could have been quite bad! I'm not sure there is anything you can do, except continue to explain to your son how the cat likes to be approached, and what he does when he gets scared or angry. It won't sink in now, but in a matter of a few months he/she will be able to understand so much more. We do loads of talking about the cats "See how much he likes it when you pat gently? Can you hear him purring? That means he's happy. He doesn't like that, see how he ran away., etc, etc, etc". We also started getting our son to help with feeding the cats (he carries the scoop over and puts it in the bowls) and sometimes give him a bowl of cat treats to dole out to the cats. He loves doing this, and it means the cats associate him with food, which makes him more popular! Again, your son might be a bit too little right now, but you may be surprised how soon he could do something like this. My son is now 19 months old and he mostly gets it now. He generally pats the cats gently and likes to give them a kiss.

Or those of us without cars?

You could also try Disprol, which is also paracetamol but it is dissolving tablets that you can put in milk or in a little bit of water. My son loves the taste of it!

I found that there was very little that I really NEEDED in the first few days. Even the stuff that I thought I had well prepared (e.g. sleepsuits) didn't fit because baby was so big. Daily trips to Mothercare with a list of obscure things I needed were a feature of my husband's paternity leave! Shopping as you go can really help save money and stress. I'm trying to remember the list of things that were really essential to have on hand, but don't have it handy. Off the top of my head: -a few baby gros and sleepsuits (in a few different sizes) -blankets/swaddling blankets -a good sling for newborns (I had a Kari-Me and pouch sling) -carseat -somewhere for baby to sleep (we had an amby hammock) -personally, I was glad to have a good buggy with a flat bed-like pram attachment. We used it as somewhere for him to sleep in the lounge and it was nice to be able to go for walks. Others might be happy just with slings. -a change mat (we just got a plastic one that had raised sides to help avoid baby rolling off, and used muslins on top as others have said) -you could get a bath (we had a tummy tub) but you don't even need this straight away -nappies (just a couple of packs because you might find some brands work much better than others for you, and/or that you want to try cloth) -wipes -muslins -nappy bags (i.e. rubbish bags for dirty nappies) -flannels We then went out in the first few weeks for other bits and pieces: vibrating bouncy chair to see if it would help soothe fussy baby, millions of breastfeeding paraphernalia, etc, etc I'm sure if you posted on here people could give you a realistic idea of what to focus on. Changing bags, I have coveted many that I have seen but still haven't bought one! My son is 19 months old by the way. I tend to just chuck some bits and pieces in my handbag and/or in the bottom of the buggy. These are the kinds of things you can window shop for on your daily meander up and down the Lordship Lane trying to get baby to sleep!

I have heard of people who developed asthma in pregnancy - could it be some kind of seasonal allergies that are triggering asthma that you haven't had a problem with before? My allergist told me that women in pregnancy often experience either a significant worsening or significant improvement in asthma/allergy symptoms while pregnant. I don't see what paracetamol has to do with a wheezing cough?! I agree that you shouldn't be fobbed off, and should perservere with the GP.

I will do, ClareC. Thanks for putting up the number. If it makes anyone who has encountered this driver feel any better, it appears that he hates all human beings so we shouldn't take it personally! And I will mention the design of the new buses too. It is just that one pole that needs to be moved by about 3 cm and it would be no problem.

I had the joy of encountering this particular 63 driver on Saturday - I'm sure it must be him. We asked to get on the back and he snarled "No!" (bus was also empty, we were getting on at the second stop on the route). So we got on the front anyway and my husband was trying to touch in his Oyster card, which didn't seem to be working, and the driver shouted "I've told you 20 times that the card reader isn't working. If you weren't so worried about your pushchair maybe you would have heard me." Umm, okay. He then proceeded to scream out the window at a driver in a car beside us "You f&*(ing idiot...", etc., etc. Pleasant journey! I've met him before and had the same problem about getting on through the back doors and his explanation for not letting me was "what if there was a fire?" When I asked what about if there was a fire with a wheelchair on the bus, he just replied with his standard snarl. I do think that the underlying problem is that many people want to judge parents that have big "4X4" prams. The reality is that Maclarens/other umbrella-style pushchairs are the only buggies that will fit through the aisle on the new bus design and that fold easily. Personally, I don't like taking my Maclaren for a full day out - it tips over when you hang anything on the handles, is a pain to push, isn't as comfy for baby napping on the go, etc. People with buggies other than Maclarens, or with two in a buggy (like a Phil and Teds), newborns, etc. should still be able to get on the bus when the space isn't being used by a wheelchair or other buggies. I don't see what the problem is with opening the back doors on an empty bus and/or keeping the design of the old buses which were no problem for all buggies to get through.

There are lots of people on the Baby Whisperer Forums site that have experience with trying to make a loose routine work around an older sibling, so might be a good resource when the time comes. Also just noticed your point about freelance work - can you give yourself a reasonable amount of time before you have to do this? I would have found it very stressful trying to fit in work of any kind in the first few months and that was with only one child! And/or be very realistic about what you can achieve (i.e. a few hours on Sat/Sun mornings, for example, if you have a partner who can watch the kids).

The one that I liked best is the Baby Whisperer. The books were annoying in tone, and she definitely makes it sound like, done properly, all babies will fit in with exact timings (obviously not!), but I found the principles worked well. Not rocket science, but just the idea that that you work towards a routine where baby eats, then is awake for a bit (when teeny, probably just enough time to change nappy), then has a sleep, then eats, etc. She has guidelines about what different timings might look like for different age babies - so feeds are approx every 2 hours, then eventually every 3, then 4, etc. I only followed this very loosely, and ignored her ideas about naps having to be in the cot (used sling and buggy loads), but found it worked well for us. Especially the eating upon waking, as we had got into a cycle where he was BFing a bit, then dozing for for 10 or 20 mins, then BFing for a bit, then dozing, etc. This is great when they're brand new, but eventually he got really overtired because he wasn't getting either a proper sleep or a proper feed and by the end of the day he would be screamy and beside himself with exhaustion. So switching up the order helped stabilise things for us. I also found the Baby Whisperer Forums much more helpful than the books. Lots of mums on there willing to help when things have gone haywire!

Sorry gwod, I am left-handed but my son had a strong left preference too! Wonder if it is something about hearing the heartbeat whilst feeding?

I have used sitters.co.uk for day childcare when our childminder has had to be off at short notice. It has worked well for us, though my husband works from home so it is a bit easier to have a "stranger" looking after my son as they aren't completely on their own.

Lots of good products here. We have the Baa Baa blind with suction cups behind our blackout blind, and it works well (plus can be taken on holiday). For the bird noises (and other general household noises), we have this cheap air purifier thing that hums away so provides some level of white noise kind of like this one: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/household-products/jml-fresh-air-globe/1054767/. Or you could try a fan. Snowboarder, we put a sippy cup of water in our son's cot a few months ago and I am always surprised to find that he has drank loads of it some nights. I too didn't think he would manage to find it himself, but he does. Could be worth a try. Also, emc, am sure you don't want to invest in another sleep clock, but the new Gro-Clock has a way of locking the buttons so that they can't play around with it. Or the cheaper option is to just put some fairy lights on a timer. Hope it gets better! We had months of 4:45 am, so I sympathise.

Oooh, good question. I'd like to know too!

snowboarder, we had the same with the 4-5 am wakings around the time he was transitioning to one nap. I think those early starts can be a sign that you need to get a tough with the AM nap! We had trouble pushing him to 11 or 11:30 at first, so I did a short nap in the buggy and woke him (easier than buggy than cot). Say 9:30-10:00, and I would plan to be at the park or a group so that I could wake him up and get him straight into doing something fun. Then he would normally be ready to go down again around 1:00, and I could let him sleep until 2:30 or 3:00. We did this for a while, then started waking him after only 20 mins in the AM, then started having a few days where we could push him to 11:00 or 11:30, then alternated 2 nap and 1 nap days for a while, now he is fully on 1 nap. Though we find we can still do days out and he will either have a couple of short sleeps in the buggy, or a shorter sleep at lunch in the buggy. As long as I compensate for bad naps with a super early bedtime, he seems fine with it. We had the same with cow's milk at first. It took a couple of months for him to start liking it. Eventually I found that if I warmed it (same as above) and also if I put it in a soft spout sippy cup, he would drink it more readily.

Many thanks everyone. I've gone for Beegu and Naughty Bus for the 5-year old, and Monkey, Monkey, Monkey and Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late for the 3-year old. Will enjoy your other suggestions for my son's book collection too!

Thanks! The 5-year old is quite a girly girl, but I think I'll get her Naughty Bus and Traction Man anyway and hope she can find her inner tomboy. I am just checking with the girls' Dad to see if they already have the Mog books.

Can anyone recommend books for a 5 year old and 3 year old (gifts for friends)? Preferably something slightly obscure to reduce the likelihood that they'll already have them. But not so obscure that I can't find them on Amazon. Not asking much am I!?

We had a playlist playing when our son was born, and at the exact moment he came out the song playing was "What a Good Boy" by the Barenaked Ladies (Canadian....people here probably won't know it). A beautiful song and the lyrics are quite apt, though also bittersweet: When I was born they looked at me and said What a good boy, what a smart boy, what a strong boy And when you were born they looked at you and said What a good girl, what a smart girl, what a pretty girl We've got these chains that hang around our necks People want to strangle us with them before we take our first breath Afraid of change, afraid of staying the same When temptation calls we just look away Here's the song on You Tube in case anyone is really bored and fancies a listen!

Hmmm....we got rid of ours around 6 months. If it were me, I would be inclined to teach him how to replace it himself at this stage. It is quite old for him to have to learn a whole new way to fall asleep, and may be easier to now wait until he can understand giving it to the fairies?? Have you seen these, which might make it easier for him to learn to replace himself? http://www.sleepytot.com/ Or you could tie 4 dummies to the corners of a muslin cloth? Litter the crib with millions of dummies? Rather then replacing it when you go into him, you could just guide his hand to the dummy and get him to put it back in himself. Might make for a few sleepless nights while he sorts it out, but could pay off once he gets the hang of it and hopefully he'll stop calling for you so much?

Actually, now that you say it, linzkg, I think that the Breech Birth book did talk about whether the baby was expected to be over 4 kgs as a factor in whether to consider a natural breech birth. Of course how they decide in advance whether baby is expected to be over 4 kgs is another story, as your experience shows! Thanks for sharing your story. What a miracle that your son survived, and I hope that both you and he are managing okay.