Tinsel and Tantrums- The NEW (and festive) 2 or more kids under 3 thread!

[SpookyGrrrl]

Here we are girls!

Feel free to join us if you have 2 or more kids under 3yrs old- we won't bite

For any potential newbies, I have 2 boys, the oldest is 2 yr 5mths, and the youngest is 13mths.

Oh blimey, I must stop namechanging! It's luckymummy again .

This thread seems so busy with newbies and then I realise that half of them are luckymummy in disguise.

Evening ladie(s) anyway

Had a very long day in work, so DP had to get the gang ready for the CM... I think he managed quite well -- I'll have to make a habit of it.

grrrl - bugger about the sofa, although at least they're sorting it out for you. My sister and I once got a really big sofa stuck in our hall (fortunately we had a front and back door, so you could get around outside until we figured out how to shift it).

goodchristmasgirl - Doesn't sound good with your CM. I presume she won't use a buggy with DD (can't quite remember how old your DD is, but if you're on this thread, it does seem to be a lot of walking). I presume you've raised it with her. Don't really have any good suggestions if no-one in the area has vacancies...

We have a tree too!

brief synopsis of my childcare problem:

Current CM expects 2.5 yr old DD1 to walk up to 5 miles a day. Defensive when I questioned her on it.

I am also convinced she is over her allowed numbers for OFSTED. Questioned her on it, she became defensive. (Her reg says 'no more than 2 under 5 yrs, last week she had 6!!!).

Have decided to leave CM and look elsewhere. I spent all weekend looking but no vacancies. DH has come up with a plan....we just have to see if it would work.

Sorry I am all over the place with namechanges!!!

that's much too far to walking anyway, plus if she's doing all that walking, when does she eat / play / nap etc? The best thing i did was change CMs- the one i have now is superb. It is a headache sorting out another though.

my brilliant solution to my CM problem

Hello all, impressed that you folks are getting organised for Christmas, not really got round to thinking about it yet. Thanks for the reassuarance and advice, great to know that its OK not to get anything done except keep the two little ones safe! Goodchristmasgirl, your CM issues sound a nightmare but great that you've got a plan and hope it all works out. DS crying now so better go, have had about 20mins sitting down all day, ah well, early days here!

That's such good news goodchristmasgirl . I'm so pleased that you've sorted it out (and your DH is the one taking over - it's great that your DDs will be able to spend time with him).

Grrrl - I'm still about your old CM - she shouldn't have little children to look after at all.

Hope you're all having a nice evening

that's great news about the childminder.

Chaotica- did i tell you about when i saw her at a playgroup after i'd taken the boys elsewhere? One of her mindees is quite a sensitive little boy (under 3yrs) and Dyl is quite big for his age. Dyl was running up and grabbing him like babies do, meaning to play but actually being too rough. I could see this boy was terrified, so i kept moving Dyl and telling the little boy that Dyl didn't understand and i was sorry. In the end the boy was so scared if Dyl moved at all he was crying, and old CM said 'OFGS, you're bigger than him. Toughen up, be a big boy, you could take him anyway!' Stuff like that pisses me off, that 'be a man' crap. Later the same boy had an accident in his pants, and he was really sheepish and nervous when she realised, and she said 'you can look embarrassed, i would be if i were you, you're meant to use the toilet' I went home and told DH i didn't want to see her again- she's texted since but i've not replied.

Grrrrl at your old CM!!!!!!!!!

It really annoys me that they get away with it!!!!

i'm just sorry that i ever used her- i think she was fine with DS1 as he's super easy going, but DS2 unsurprisingly wasn't taking to her, and when i found she'd been letting him cry that was it. My new one is brilliant though, very professional, everything by the book, but obviously loves the kids and tells us if she has any worries with them. I trust her totally. When she pulls up in the morning, George grins and jumps in her car, without so much as a goodbye!

Jewels, I know what you mean about the cute fairy costume. Had a similar idea with my dd for her xmas party at toddler group yesterday but the wings were a big disaster as she got stuck in the slide and now wont wear them,lol. As for visiting santa that was also very traumatic and she wouldnt take the present he offered her and then threw it on the floor when i gave it to her. How our little darlings like to embarrass us dont they? Ds slept through the whole thing and only woke up at his sister's tantrum but then too late for me to take him back to sit on santas knee. So I went with strict instructions from oh to take lots of photos of his darling children meeting santa so he could see what he was missing out on. Told him next time he can take them!

Afternoon, Ladies

Wow, Tracyface - what a santa visit disaster. I haven't really thought about taking mine (my cm does it usually). Especially since DD doesn't really have that much interest at the moment and DP isn't sure whether he wants to lie to her so santa is probably going to be 'pretend' anyway... (Then he told her that there was a gnome living at the bottom of the garden in the compost heap gnome-house )

...There'll be a guy in a red coat at playgroup though next week.

too at your old CM, xmasgrrrl. I hate that 'be a man' stuff too - They're babies fgs, not prize fighters and shouldn't be taught never to cry, nor to use violence to solve things. Some people make me

aarrggghhhh no sleep

It's my works Xmas do tonight and i'm looking forward to getting all dolled up. I won't be out late, partly as i'm already tired, and partly because half the people i work with are tossers after half a shandy.

Morning all.

Not enough sleep here either, but I shouldn't whinge compared to some of you. Connor was so enthusiastic about getting up, I couldn't stop him. And he's due the MMR today, so I feel a bit bad for him. (I've been putting it off due to teething (him) and work (me), but I have to get around to it.) Freya had a fairly nasty reaction to it, so I hope he doesn't have the same.

Have fun at your xmas do, Grrrl.

goodchristmasgirl - my oh is also on the waiting list for the snip but has been told about six months, so ages to wait before we can get intimate again, but six children would be too many for my 7 seater car!

Enjoy yourself at your christmas party xmas fairy. My oh is at his tonight also so I am not waiting up but have managed to treat myself to a few glasses of baileys so off to bed early in time for the little darlings to wake me up no doubt.

Tracyface I'm not suprised your OH is on the list for the snip too, you crazy amazing woman, coping with 5 kids!!!

Grrrl Tell us how the do went?

Poor DD1 been sick 4 times yesterday. I'm so fed up of cleaning up vomit .

Hi Ladies

Your poor DD1, goodchristmasgirl.

Grrrl - did you go wild after a shandy too??

DP has flu and so I took both kids to do the weekly shop at Tesco's which he normally does... And we survived I did have a suspicion that I might come home after about 4 minutes, since Connor was already wailing before we left, but they were both really well behaved . I am confused - someone has replaced my children with The Stepford Children

I noticed that an imaginary friends thread has appeared on here - DD is just going through this phase. Does anyone else on here have to deal with having extra people around all the time?

(In our case, we have a family of monsters (uncannily similar to us) and a family all called 'justin' after Justin on Cbeebies... - The justins all appear to be very small...)

Sorry - keep forgetting about the festive s

No imaginary friends here but DD1 maybe bit too young (2.5yrs).

She seems to have finally stopped being sick [phew!].

PMSL chaotica about the Justins. Freya's all time fave programme is higgeldy house, so I think Freya would love to have the justins living here!

Sorry not posted for ages, DH is on his christmas party tonight so I have his laptop all evening.

I am having a feeding nightmare with Izzy at dinnertime. She just seems to choose that time to cry and be whingy in betweenmouthfuls of food. And it spoils mealtimes for all of us, especially Freya who just sings jingle bells at full volume, hoping to drown out the noise. I have taken to picking her uo out of highchair and taking her outside in the freezing cold, after each whingy incident. And then when she is calm, and cold, I take her in and try again. I know it could be teeth but I am not sure - this has been going on for about a week each day, and usually Izzy is teetyhing for a few days, then seems to be ok for a few etc... Any ideas ladies? Is my cold treatment too harsh? (just something to distract her!)

Freya is being a total angel right now, and is a total bundle of cuteness.

Evening, Ladies

Goodchristmasgirl - I think our monster family appeared when Freya was about 2.5 (or even earlier) so you probably haven't got long. But that might be my fault - she picked up 'there's a scary monster' as an excuse for not doing things from our CM's daughter and I insisted that if there was a scary monster he/she should be invited to eat/play/generally hang out with us (so the monster wasn't so scary). We even wrote them a letter asking them to stop stealing the chocolate (although that's really DP) (obviously). No wonder they're seen at the local water park in their swim nappies

Hi Jewels - glad you have a laptop for now. The cold thing does sound a little harsh (but as far as distraction goes, it might work in small doses). Does she calm down if you get her out the high chair? Have you tried not feeding her? Freya screamed because of teeth (or just general illness), and Connor because of thrush in his mouth, then constipation (both when he was younger). TBH I've never really found a way to calm them in the highchair if they don't want to be calmed. (Freya even used to scream herself to sleep - that was very weird: I posted on here and for once no-one said 'oh that happens to my LO' ) I hope she gets better soon.

Had a bad night with Isaac who woke up coughing at about 4am so came in with us for about half an hour but he wasnt going back to sleep and neither was I as he was making so much noise munching on his blanket like the hungry caterpillar so put him back to his cot and he slept in till 9.30 this morning so that was a result!

AS for the highchair dilemma - I have ended up putting Melissa on my lap to eat as she seems to eat more that way and isnt so whingey as when in the highchair. I have the same problem she eats a few mouthfuls and then cries or refuses. Trying not to make a big deal so it doesnt turn into a battle over food but its hard work isnt it? And it always means my food is cold by the time she has finished but I would rather she ate something and then me (makes me sound like a matyr but I can always nuke mine after)

I have also noticed she doesnt want to eat when constipated and then seems really hungry once she has been (sorry tmi)She has been trying to go all day and cant manage it so may have to intervene tomorrow as it makes her really grumpy and she obviously feels uncomfortable.

What does everyone else do for constipation?

Nice names for your DCs, Tracyface

For DS's constipation, we used fruit juice, then lactulose, then senna liquid (in that order - the first two didn't work and the last wasn't meant for babies but the gp gave us some anyway). Senna did the trick. (DS never ate when he couldn't go either, made him really miserable for ages.)