February 2014 - is there an octopus in there?

[LittlePandaBear]

Okay I don't like to run out of things, even threads, so here's the new one.

Can't remember who described their baby kicking like an octopus but it's very true :)

If anyone fancies a Quinny Buzz or whatever they are called I know someone selling one. It has the carrycot and the two stages of main pram seats but he Chasis probably needs replacing, which can probably picked up cheap second hand.

gnitting I was umming and ahing about getting a pram but decided it was for the best for the reasons mentioned already and also (a) apparently some (though I think very few!) babies hate being in slings (b) as one of the other ladies on this thread pointed out previously, sometimes it's really handy to have the pram out to transport all the rest of the paraphernalia baby needs - guess otherwise you'd have sling on front and backpack on back?

I too was completely overwhelmed by choice so just kept an eye on gumtree and waited for something in good quality to come up in my price range, wasn't that worried about the brand/model etc because if I thought about that too much I'd never buy one!.

I got an icandy apple for £150 which included chassis, carrycot, pushchair type seat, parasol and a rather snazzy changing bag (okay, probably not snazzy to anyone else in the world...)

I'm planning on getting a co-sleeper rather than moses basket so the carrycot feels like a particularly useful feature as baby can nap in it downstairs.

Essay over...but I'd definitely recommend going the second hand route if you are not particularly fussed about your pram. :)

Pram selection is a nightmare. We decided we wanted one which will convert to a double which limited the options thankfully and so were going for the baby jogger city select.

There are lots of bargains to be had on eBay etc though so definitely worth keeping an eye out. To be honest I think surely most prams must be pretty much the same.

Marzi - do you know which cosleeper youre getting? We've got the arms reach one but now I need to try and find a new mattress for it or get one made as it's an eBay but. Weren't going to get a Moses basket either but our carrycot isn't okay for overnight sleeping so was a bit unsure whether it would be okay for naps - luckily I found on for 12 quid on eBay tho as they're so expensive new for what they are and I didn't want to shell out for one. God I'm stingy.

I'm having an ill day to recuperate - really want this cold and feeling crappy to piss off so I can get back to work and do my job properly without knackering myself out.

Oooh apparently our insurers have given the okay for our bathroom quote so fingers crossed the work can start next Monday. Annoying that it's another week with no water but thank god I'm friends with my next door neighbour so I'm using her shower. Need to get her a massive bunch of flowers/lots of cake as a big thank you when this is sorted out!

Hope the rest of you feeling crappy are feeling a bit better xxx

misskat actually I'm not sure, I'm really torn between the arms reach and the bednest. I was always thinking of the former but the latter seems to get marginally better reviews. What are your thoughts on the arms reach (mattress issues aside)? Have you tried asking the NCT if it's possible to just buy a mattress? We will also be using it as a travel cot as we have quite a bit of travel lined up for next year - I know the bednest folds up into a bag, does the arms reach do something similar? (sorry for all the questions but don't know anyone else who has one!)

I think we will be buying new as I have bid for a few on ebay but all the ones I've bid for have ended up going for £200+ and I've got a 10% off voucher so, factoring in delivery and buying a new mattress, there's not a huge amount in it.

So glad your insurers have approved the bathroom - what an absolute nightmare having to go elsewhere for water! We've got someone coming round tomorrow to look at replacing the carpet in the nursery and then it will be DONE, sitting room still very much work in progress!

PS misskat this is the company I'm planning to get a replacement mattress for my carrycot from babymattressesonline.co.uk/coolmax-foam-mattress-to-fit-icandy-2

Might be worth asking them as well about the arms reach mattress? Prices look pretty good.

Who wants some TMI?
I had an orgasm then LO had hiccups straight after - now I feel weirdly guilty! Like my womb contractions squished his diaphragm or something.

Oooh thanks marzi will have a look. Arms reach looks good so far. It does fold up into a bag (I'll get a pic and post on eBay later). I like it as it's got cloth sides so seemed nice and cosy compared to some of the cribs I'd seen. The mattress is a bit weird - it folds up and has board on the back to keep it level and is kind of plasticy. I'm thinking of getting a new mattress made to put on the top (which I've read is safe). It's really quick and easy to assemble and out down but it's hard to know how good it is until baby is here. I definitely like the idea of a cosleeper tho so am chuffed with it

Oh god how do you decide on mattress type too!??

missk glad you've got the go ahead to repair the damage.

I've just got my job advert out. I gave up waiting for my boss to do it so did it myself. There'll be a huge gap between me finishing and my replacement starting. Trying not to get too annoyed about it.

I think I'm staying to get braxton hicks. I've noticed my tummy getting hard occasionally. Then in the early hours of this morning I woke up with a sharp pain across my bump. And then just now I had similar pains and my tummy went really hard.

DH has gone to work for the afternoon, for the first time in ages. He's starting a new job on January, and he's having a few (unpaid) afternoons at the school first. It's a bit weird him being out at work again!

Thanks misskat! I'm just going for the most basic mattress - all the options don't bear thinking about!

I'm not planning on replacing the carry cot mattress as ds only used it for five weeks if that. We need a new crib one, which will be the £12.99 one from babies r us, same as we had last time. Then the cotbed mattress will be replaces when required as DS will have used it for 2.5 years so only fair to replace. That was about £80 also from Babies r us the cotbed was bought in a rush as he had outgrown crib

There are just too many bloody options for everything baby related aren't there!

Are Moses baskets all the same size does anyone know? I need to get a new mattress thingy for that too!

according to my friend Mr Google, there are several sizes but John Lewis do a range of Moses basket mattresses. However all the bedding is the same size... off to find a brick wall
it's a ploy to keep you busy during pregnancy.... thats what I thought when the midwife told me to write a birth plan...

I think there are 4 standard size mattresses - Moses/carrycot, crib, cot, cotbed. Things like the BedNest may not fit any of those though, but those 4 sizes you can buy anywhere and interchange. Except Ikea which have funny sizes all their own!

Feeling the pain on the cot mattresses - my dad is refurbing my old cot (circa 1985) which is annoyingly about 5cm smaller all the way round than standard cot mattresses you can pick up in Kiddicare/JL/Mothercare etc. So we are having to get one custom made! Fortunately www.babymattressesonline.co.uk makes them to fit bespoke measurements at reasonable prices.

I'm starting to get very out of breath and not sure if this is baby moving to lung area or too much cake... I am finding I'm needing the loo a lot more often than in 1st and 2nd trimesters though, presumably baby is still quite low down?

Finding this week a challenge at work. Not much opportunity for working from home so may have to phone in sick one day this week. I am just finding the travelling so tiring (min 90mins each way but more like 2hrs each way at the moment) and get to 2.30pm and almost fall asleep at my desk with exhaustion. Then have to find the energy to drive home again. Boss says all the right things about working from home more but then piles on the meetings in the diary so I have to go in. Have tried blocking out my diary but he somehow finds a reason to use that time rather than the days I'm in. Grrr.

Ladies I would like your opinion. Do you think £125 is a fair price for a 2011 good condition Icandy cherry? It is the carrycot and pram but no car seat.

The thing is I have also been offered an Icandy cherry for £120 which comes with the car seat and foot muff as well. But we are thinking that option is too far away and it will cost too much in petrol to go and get it. The first one is right by my DH work so he can just pick it up on route home one day.

jazz sympathies about the work. I slept Friday afternoon and felt so much better for it, I'd tired myself out with work up to that point. Can you dial into meetings from home?

Off to Brussels tomorrow. It'll be my last trip for over a year, which is sad. In the job I've been every month or so. It's a faff to go and I miss DH, but I'm a little sad to think it's the last time in this job.

Baby is totally back to its normal movements, after the shock it gave me on Sunday by not moving for ages. I think the key is cake for elevenses and then cake for pudding

somany that sounds like a good deal to me! Plus do you want a second-hand car seat? It's a good idea if you know the history, but otherwise it might not be ideal.... Plus frankly, at this stage, the hassle factor is for me the deciding factor!

Rubbishy rubbish day:( in so much pain with my back and can't find anyway to get comfy! Stupid pelvic support does absolutely nothing, in fact has just made it worse. Wanted to cry so many times at work:( only 6 more weeks to go and will finally be able to relax I keep telling myself!! Sorry girls, needed somewhere to vent!!

Hope everyone's colds are getting better, sounds like some of you are having a yucky week too. Fingers crossed everyone feels better soon! Xx

Somany that sounds like a good deal, but I would t want a second hand car seat if I didn't know it's history.

Somany I think that sounds like a good deal. We bought our iCandy Cherry for DS second hand from eBay and think we paid similar for the frame, carry cot and buggy seat which is the same as your package I think. Also came with foot muff and raincover. It worked really well for us as a lie-flat pram and good for a couple of months as a sit-up buggy but then DS got fussy and wanted to sit more upright which is when we decided to invest in a Phil & Teds, knowing we were hoping for a second DC with a smallish age gap so a double would be needed eventually anyway. But I know plenty of people who have been happy with the Cherry throughout. Plus it's great that you can clip the car seat into the frame and it's lovely and light and easy to manoeuvre.

Jazzcat, feel your pain with work and a long commute, although I guess because mine is train/tube, I can at least half close my eyes and try to make it a relatively restful part of my day (easier said than done when feeling nauseous of course!) By the time I get to DS' nursery to pick him up, I'm spent and then have to get him home, do playtime, bath, books and bed. Then collapse! On the plus side I am currently working from home on Fridays and yesterday found the courage to ask my boss if I could do one more day from home each week now that I'm so exhausted. He was cool with it which is a huge weight off my mind. Hope you can manage to protect more of your WFH days from meetings going forward as that drive must be seriously exhausting!

baby is totally hiding at back of uterus today - bump feels smaller and movements are slight. but quite frankly I dont blame him/her as he/she keeps getting squished by ds constantly climbing all over me . He still doesnt know about baby but i think he is getting suspicious because of comments made by others.

Thanks champagne, going to call on Thursday, so I have a chance to see if I can find paperwork from then tomorrow and I have some free lessons to call in.

Just in from second antenatal class - did not realise that an epidural was not just an injection in back... They put a tube in which stays till after birth! Probably me being daft but that freaked me out!