Dec 11: Not tonight dear, I've got a haddock.

[PerilousStiletto]

I liked this one. :)

We have decided to get Sky a Trampoline for her birthday. She loves the one at nursery and the one at toddler group on a Tuesday.

For her main xmas present we are getting the Peppa Pig Jumbo Playset in Asda for £40 at the moment and lots of toys in there and figurines. (She's loving Darcie's Sylvainian's but Darcie is being quite protective over it so Sky can have her own Peppa playset) No arguments then.

Darcie is getting the Lego Friends Dolphin Cruiser as her main wrapped present.

In denial here re Christmas too!

Anyone got any good tantrum taming measures? Freya's are wearing me down. Just had a nightmare swimming experience (DS 's swim lesson). Tantrum about taking wellies off in changing rooms (leading to wet tights) - I just let that one go and let her get wet. Then epic tantrum by the vending machine where we wait for DS - she wanting a snack from there ( I have never bought her one - I can only assume DH did sometime). I said no, tried to distract her, tried to offer her her own snack I had with me, tried to cuddle her, then left her on the floor to cry - it went on for 15 mins. I generally ignored her, with an offer of a cuddle or her snack every few minutes. Gosh the looks of distain I got from everyone who passed - even a "cant you sort your child out" comment. What do other people do? She is a stubborn madam and prone to 5-10 tantrums a day - normally about wanting to do something, or wear something she is not allowed. (She is currently sat her in DS s wet swimming hat, she has had on since the end of the lesson - not ideal but I cant face another melt down.) All advice appreciated? DS was not really a tantrumer and you could just pop his dummy in if he did and that was that, so at a bit of a loss. I try not to get wound up by them but eventually you do.

Thinking of you xiao and good luck to all the house movers.

I am looking forward to going to work tomorrow for a rest!

figgy can you get a buggy in the swimming pool change rooms? That's what I used when DD2 was this age and going through a grumpy stage. If DD is safe in the buggy you can turn her to face the wall and ignore her when she grumbles. The main thing is reducing the attention she gets so a prolongied tantrum doesnt result in mum talking to her more or getting a good fireworks display.

An alternative strategy is smiling next time she does it, giving marks out of ten a la Strictly Come Dancing, and comment on how she can improve her arm/leg work, or alter the vocals for greater effect (then turn away until the noise abates a little). This tends to make people more sympathetic for some reason....

Morning all!

Cheung here, fancied a name change :)

I may need to prop my eyes open with matchsticks today after a much disturbed sleep last night as DS is teething :(

I'm not the best person to deal with tantrums, I often end up shouting :( When I do manage well, it's usually if we are out and about and I go for lighthearted sarcasm e.g. "That floor looks so comfortable, I'll tell you what, you stay here, and I'll carry on shopping!" People are usually giving me sympathetic smiles!

I find the best thing for me is to just avoid tantrums altogether and I do go for the easy route and generally stay at home so DS can sleep in his cot after lunch and keep a rough routine in place. Also making sure we always have snacks in and meals on time, he gets really angry when he's hungry and sooo impatient!

Distraction is also a good tool, especially if we're out, I'll put on an excited voice and say "ohh DS! Can you see that red car?"

Just arrived in London in a summer short sleeved jacket (big mistake it's v cold on this platform) and receive text from dh to say DS refused all breakfast options this morning so he fed him jelly and fig rolls I despair

I get the giggles when DS has a tantrum. It's bad and I need to stop because he's getting attention from me for playing up. We've been trying to do the counting to three method but he's not really old enough yet to understand that when we get to three he needs to stop doing whatever it is, so mostly it's DH picking him up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and removing him bodily from the scene.

My mum is here, taking care of things, cooking meals, distracting DS from his naps because she wants to play with him (fine with me as long as she deals with the overtired meltdown later on!) She also keeps telling me off for sighing I have tried to explain that I'm not sighing, it's a large baby forcibly expelling the air from my lungs when I sit/stand/walk around!

I haven't even got as far as Christmas yet - 2nd birthday comes first, we were thinking about maybe an easel and some chalk and crayons and asking grandparents if they want to club in.

Hello all, Xiao how long have you got until baby day? Can't be long now? We are also fans of the sack of potatoes trick. Though I prefer to tuck him under my arm as I get kicked in the head a bit less.

Lady fig rolls at least have fruit in them? Kind of?

Boo to teething Chip

Seven DS loves his happy land london bus, I've been debating getting him some more bits for Christmas.

I'm having mixed feelings about Christmas. DS is a Christmas Day baby and last year I had raging tonsilitis and couldn't move from the sofa (thank go my mum and dad were here to cook and be enthusiastic about the day) so the day was a whole wash out. I want this year to be brilliant but at the minute I'm not sure if we'll be at home or with family or what. As far as presents, I don't think we'll go overboard as he gets spoilt rotten by family so we'll end up having to spread all the new toys out over January. I'm debating a toy kitchen (ikea) but only if we move his bedroom around and put him in a toddler bed and get rid of the glider and changing table (wont fit otherwise) but that seems like a massive thing and I'm not sure I'm ready for him to be a big boy in a big boy bed, and not my little baby in a cot. I cry just thinking about it. I've clearly got ishoos.

Queen do you mean a proper trampoline or a little one with a handle? We have one of the little ones and it's a death trap! DS can just flip it over by jumping too hard. Mostly it's used as a sleeping spot by the cat now.

I've got 9 days to go. 9 days. OMG.

Eeeeek!

Hi - thanks for the tantrum advice. I normally do take her in the buggy for DS s swimming and then let her run around whilst waiting. Even when she has had a sleep, eaten etc etc she will still tantrum - as she just wants her own way! she is just one of those types I think! It is hard not to get wound up and shout though - although it is easier when she does so many a day - as I learn to just ignore her quite easily. The looks I get though for having a tantruming kid though - not helped by the fact she looks so angelic and pretty and they think I must be being cruel! I seem to attract the helpful type comments like - "oh she must be tired" (no she is not actually!) oh she just wants a cuddle - (no she doesnt!!) etc

Wow 9 days xiao - good luck!!

Tantrum advice: um...with Sky she doesn't really have tantrums thankfully. Darcie however, is a whole 'nother ball game! We just put her tell her to go to conservatory and shut the door and come and talk to us when he is calm! Can take about an hr but in conservatory she is out of my way

Hop - a little kids trampoline...Darcie had one when she was a toddler and was brilliant so will get one similar and see. X

9 days!!!!!

Trouble with being on DC3 is we've pretty much had every kind of toy in the house already, plus lots of playing woth age-unsuitable toys for little fingers to poke! think at this rate DS is going to get a pirate hat and a pink feather boa.... He's also terrorising the DD's new birthday Furbys, he managed to "turn" one of them into the Disco Girl persona by singing at it earlier!

If people can cope with mildly annoying electronica I recommend Leappad "Fridge phonics": it's about £15 new and sings a cheery alphabet song with magnetic letters and the phonic sounds. dS has found ours and loves it :)

Aethel we have a leappad fridge zoo where u match animal head to bottom and it tells u facts about the animal and sings it's ace DS not slightly interested.

DS is in hysterical bed refusal mode I knew it was coming as we had a grumpy face to equal a les Dawson gurn just before took him to bed. Half hour in and dh now in with him usually he's asleep by time lights r off which makes nights like this so hard

Ha! DS was ratty after nursery (several mornings of waking up at half 5 will do it, thanks child ), and was sitting in his chair. He yelled...no attention. He then tried swatting at me, which didn't work as he doesn't have 2ft long arms. No result.

He then picked up a lump of his sandwich, looked me in the eye and threw it at me. I exclaimed "DS!" and gave him the mummy glare until he burst into tears...

God love 'em all

You're brave Queenie, I know so many kids who've broken something on a trampoline, and I didn't think those little dinky indoor ones could be so dangerous Hop!

Glad you've got some help Xiao, and hope that comments about your sighing are as bad as it gets... And though it sounds weird, try to enjoy these last days before DS2's arrival as much as you can, as the next few months years will be pretty hectic!

Just to warn you as well Lady it's going to pee down all day with rain tomorrow as well as being cold, so hope you've at least brought your brolly...

Am looking at three houses tomorrow, and DP's seeing them Saturday (I'm working then so have to do it separately) and although none are really bob on I'm going to make offers on the lot of them and see what we end up with !

Cripes he's still going dh seems to think we just shut door and let him get on with it now I'm by no means soft but don't think I can just listen while he wails mummy!! Parenting disagreement alert!!

Don't worry northern am home tonight will be properly attired for Birmingham trip tomorrow. Good luck with the houses!!

We are in the middle of a bedtime tantrum as ds2 wants to take Martian moonland to bed with him and/or hold my hand to go to sleep. We got out of this phase a while ago but it appears its back. Now I think about it perhaps its related to teething?

Xiao - 9 day wow that's coming round fast. Glad you've got help at home.

If Sky breaks a bone on her trampoline at least it was by having fun and not anything else.

Sky also didn't settle to well for bed. However, I sat and gave her a cuddle said good night and walked out of her room. DH was downstairs and I had to go collect Darcie from Brownies so left Sky whilst she was yelling Muuummmmyyyy by time I got back she had climbed back into her bed and gone to sleep.

Hmmm tantrums. I do the ignoring thing but it can take a loooong time for her to calm down. She hasn't so far had too many while we are out. Once in town she did. The evil looks! Ugh. Not fun. I try hugging sometimes but she kicks too much. I guess no attention is the best route unless you catch it before it gets properly going and grab their attention with sth else/divert them. But yeah. Stressful.

figgy sorry I can't remember your new name but Minim went through v v long phase of bawling when I put her down and I figured out that going in again actually made her worse so I just had to let her cry. Horrible. Sometimes she'd go for an hour. I'd go in and pat her but never talk/make eye contact but I don't think it helped but I found it impossible to just not go in but eventually husband persuaded me. So the crying period got shorter (over a period of weeks though) and just this week FINALLY she is going down quite happily after a story and long cuddle. But I've no idea if it is just s new phase or was due to us letting her cry. So I don't know if it's good advice. It is horrible letting her cry and v v stressful. So relieved we seem to be in a new phase.

My neck/upper back is so so so tense and painful. I guess stress. It is horrible. Not sure how to ease it and bloody hot water is broken so no bath possible Any tips?

xiao nearly there! Yay.

Northern, hope one of the houses is fabulous in real life.

aethel , my niece had one of those alphabet yokes. She loved it but omg. The tune drove me crackers. Ugh. Minim loves toys like that but I'm v selfish about buying them as I loathe them. She has a few though (presents). It is a balance between occupying her and not going round the twist.

Queen one thing I'm v nervous about is a trampoline. Minim is already always doing crazy dare devil things and banging her head etc. She always has bruises everywhere from jumping on/off things, climbing things etc and falling. She tried to run down the slide at the playground recently . I only just caught her before she went headlong over the side half way down. So I really don't think I dare risk a trampoline. Over precious of me perhaps?

Right. Bed. Night all!

Evening all. Quick one before I fall asleep. Boo has been neatly classified as textbook Aspergers. Four years yoyoing, but now we can move forward. Mixed emotions but we'll hopefully get help now.

Octoboy has another tooth, for a grand total of nine. His speech has improved and he mow has maybe a dozen words. He gets another respiratory appointment this week too so hopefully he'll feel happier soon too:)

Night all. Sleep well.

Sorry Lady, mine was a bit of a cross post- I'd started writing it to go after jiggle and Queenie and it ended up after yours, so I wasn't laughing at the tough night you are having
Really hope its sorted now (and glad you have a coat!)

Glad you've got the diagnosis now Octo, but sounds like a hell of an effort to get there.

We'll get there Northern. I'm lucky I had a GP who listened:) I hope the house stalkage is fruitful this week. I have pack 'n' ship pompoms on standby!

do you ever get the feeling you just want to scream??? yeah i'm there right now.

PMT is in overdrive and Darcie's meltdowns are doing my nut in and DH isn't helping matters imo.

whispers how are the houses going, guys?

Ps hope the evening got better queenie...

Thanks Aethel. My evening got better about 8pm when both girls were asleep! They are still asleep at the moment so am just about to enjoy a cup of tea & a slice of toast in peace.

Got some advice from the SN board last night so will look into that.

PMT is high this month :( also hoping my GP will agree to laparoscopic hysterectomy rather than just laparoscopic sterilisation. As my hips and back hurt so much :( sodding hormones.