Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Post-natal clubs

Join our Postnatal Clubs forum to find parenting advice for newborns.

December 2007 - Oh what fun, they are almost ONE!

999 replies

Caz10 · 19/11/2008 21:59

OK here we are ladies!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
skidaddle · 30/01/2009 13:43

hello eveyone!

I haven't been on in ages but I am now all set up in Oxford with an ofice and internet access so I can get back to my old routine of daily MN fixes...

awen - poor Samuel - both mine have had croup and a steamy room has really helped

buzzy - that's a tricky one with your DD2's dad - have you sorted anything out?

clairey - as always full of great stories re your DS - I particularly liked the blue crayon poo one

BT - poor Daniel - hopefully he won't suffer too much as he is so young (or is that an old wives' tale?)

clara - good luck with the move - hope it is as painless as ours was

beckle - congrats to your DH on his new job - that is fantastic news

Well I love love love Oxford after my initial misgivings about moving south. Everyone is so friendly and I have been really working the baby groups and already have secured a few lunch invitations - v impressed. DS, as I expected, has been fine and settled into his new nursery no problem; DD has found it a bit more difficult but is doing really well.

DS is just about walking now, maybe 6 or 7 steps at a time, but it's funny reading your posts because he's been climbing up and down the stairs for months even though he wasn't walking. He also has a few words and loves music and singing - he cried between every song at a toddler group I took him to yesterday, and then stopped as soon as the next song started!

Anyway, better do a bit of work, should be trying to impress in new job and all that... good to be back

claireybrations · 30/01/2009 17:07

Hey Skid!

Glad the move has all gone well and that people are being nice to you

Took the dc to the park this afternoon oh my god it was so muddy. The buggy wheels are caked in it and so was DS, luckily my sister had bought him one of those all in one mud suit thingys for Christmas so he was wearing that and so proud of himself that he could walk on the bumpy grass in his wellies, last time he kept tripping up.

Wizzska · 30/01/2009 17:34

ooh Clairey, a mud suit, sounds just the ticket. Must get one of those now DS is walking so he can run about in the park.

Skid, hiya! Glad you are enjoying Oxford. Us southerners aren't really so bad you know.

claireybrations · 30/01/2009 18:01

it is this one Wizz

becklespeckle · 31/01/2009 16:12

Hi everyone! Well after a rough week DD finally seems to be on the mend (touch wood), she had her 1 year booster jab last Wednesday and has been poorly since . The GP checked her over first because she had so recently been ill but although he said she was fine I am wondering if I should have given her a bit longer to recover from her bronchiolitis. I ended up taking her to the emergency Docs on Sunday as her chest was rattly and her temperature was so high and he sent us over to the hospital for a chest x-ray (we had to postpone poor DS2's birthday party too). Once admitted it was 4 hours before we saw a doctor! He checked her over (no x-ray though) and diagnosed an upper respiratory tract infection but gave us nothing as he said the antibiotics she had 2 weeks previously would do the job . They let us home a couple of hours later once her temperature stabilised a bit. It's been a long week with her temperature incredibly high at times (usually at night...) but other than a nasty cough and a touch of the grumps she is almost back to herself today. I have postponed her MMR to give her a few weeks of wellness (hopefully) beforehand.

Other than that we are okay, DS2 is now having his party tomorrow (and I have to make another Sonic cake tonight for him), DH has impressed his new bosses at work although he has not yet set foot in a digger which is what they employed him for! He is not loving it but a job is a job and he's grateful to have found one in these times!

Buzzy, hows things? Have you made any decisions yet? With regards to the job, personally I would be tempted not to go for it, there may be other job opportunities in years to come but your girls are only small once. Then again, I have not been overly career minded since having children so perhaps not the best person to give job advice! When it comes to DD2's Dad I would be very torn, its very hard, As a mother in your position would not want him to have a great deal of contact but as a daughter (whose father had no real contact with me as a child) I would say you should let him see her if he wants to. I have recently contacted mine and found that he has wanted to contact me in the past which is not the impression I got from my mother when she was alive. Like Clairey suggested, is letting him have some time with her alone an option so you don't have to see so much of him?

Louise, I would guess from what you say that in your area you had a 6 month check instead of the 9-12 month one, I know lots of areas do it differently! How are you?

Awen, hows Samuel? Is he doing any better? The GP suggested boiling a kettle in the bedroom would help DD when she had bronchiolitis and plenty of calpol for her temperature. Now they are 1 they can have the larger dose which really helps. DD also strops with me when I take something off her and just pulls cheeky faces at me when I say no, it is so hard to be serious with her when she is so cute! Good luck with your TTC! Hopefully it will not take too long, Clomid is fab stuff!

BT how is Daniel? I know it sounds daft but it is a good age for him to get chicken pox, DD coped so much better when she had it than her brothers did at an older age. I found baths with bicarbonate of soda very good for easing itching (I never used calomine lotion with any of mine), running water through a sock full of oats is supposed to be good too! I wouldn't worry about him showing no interest in climbing though, think of it as a blessing! DS1 never really climbed, he was over 2 before we had a stairgate! It is also totally possible that he could be cuttuing molars, DD has 4 now, plus all incisors and her top 2 canines (I suspect the bottom 2 have broken through too but not prepared to risk my fingers to find out!). With regard to playing, I usually let DD take the lead, I get the toy box out and we play with whatever she picks out! She loves her pushchair and ragdoll and also her roll-arounds. She loves books too - her favourite is That's Not My Dragon - she loves the textures and bright pictures. I have taken her on the swings down the road too, she liked that a lot! Have yet to let her have her first outdoor walk though...

Insy, hows everything going? Hope you are all feeling a bit better now. Well done to Toby for climbing downstairs! Very impressive! Evie can get down feet first from a sofa or bed but would not trust her on the stairs, she's already fallen down them once when DS2 left the top gate open - thankfully there is a little landing halfway down so was not so far to fall.

Cazzy, hi! Your Evie sounds like she is doing well! Mine is a proficient stair-climber too but has not managed to flush the chain and thankfully hasn't worked out how to take her nappy off yet!

Skid, glad you are settling in well in Oxford, your DS sounds so cute at toddlers crying between the songs! Bless him!

Clairey, that mud suit looks fab! Might have to get one for DD before I let her loose outside!

BouncingTurtle · 31/01/2009 20:12

Wow monster post Beckle!

DS is fine, just very spotty - so far the spots aren't bothering him he hasn't be scratching them, apart from his chest when he came out of the bath. He has been playing, eating and sleeping as normal. Daddy has been keeping him occupied while I've been doing house work and rearranging his bedroom. I am moving some of his toys out of the lounge into his room.
We've also put the travel cot back in the lounge and put the balls from the ball pool into it - our cat has puncture the ball pool itself so it's no good! Oh well only cost me £1.50

buzzybee · 01/02/2009 09:30

Beckle, that all sounds horrid. Thankfully we've yet to experience the delights of A&E. There was an item on the news here this week reporting that the average waiting time in A&E in NZ hospitals has now reached 8 hours!!!

Has anyone been having problems with very restless sleeping? I don't mean still waking a couple of times, but rather thrashing around loads and waking up to 6-8 times per night calling out? This has been the case for us now for about 6 weeks and yesterday I finally twigged that the timing matched quite closely to when I stopped giving her formula so am now trying her on 1 bottle of formula per day before bed to see if that makes any difference. Apparently some babies get "restless legs" if they are deficient in iron. Worth a go any so I'm crossing my fingers for tonight!

Thanks also for your thoughts re DD2's father. I met with him again today and as usual it felt like an eternity even though it was less than 2 hours. We have very little in common unfortunately and there are also cultural differences (he's German - not sure whether I mentioned that?). For example today he told me "you are doing a very good job with her" which I imagine he meant as a compliment but came across as incredibly patronising.
I don't think I could leave her with him alone at the moment but maybe in a few months. The approach I've decided to try and take is "baby-lead contact". At the moment she's not remotely interested in him and is generally clingy to me around all people anyway so my view is that its just a matter of keeping her familiar enough with him so that when she's older she can start making some "decisions" for herself. I certainly don't want to end up with a resentful teenager but I also have to do what feels right for me - its a very hard balance!

insywinsyspider · 01/02/2009 20:45

hello everyone - a chance to post which waiting for nappies to finish washing,

Beckle - we seemed to be getting back on an even keel but dh sick tonight and Toby has been miserable all day, he's hardly eaten anything past couple of days, I think its molars coming through but he is hungry, the only thing that makes me doubt it is nurophen and calpol don't seem to be touching it, had the most disgusting nappy today so maybe stomach upset? its nothing major, certainly not a trip to A&E, but this constant low level sickness (and the assocaited washing, whinging and lack of sleep) thing is really getting me down, there was a confirmed case of measles this week at nursery too - do you think I chose the wrong place or what?!? Toby doesn't get MMR till wed as been ill, I know it doesn't stop them getting it and I had it as baby and ok but would rather he'd had it before this happened. I hope dd is on the mean and ds had a lovely party

buzzy - sounds like a very difficult situation with dd's father and I admire you doing the best by dd, I've no idea how I would handle it but the baby led approach does sound like a very good idea

BT - sounds like Daniel is coping very well with chicken pox, neither of mine have had it and the way my luck is going (and thinking about how low their immune systems must be) I thinking it can only be a matter of time!

skid - brilliant that you are settling in to oxford so well

BouncingTurtle · 01/02/2009 21:32

Hey Insy - nappy washing never ends!
Ds's spots are now starting to scab over so he is nearly over it. Sorry to hear DH and DS have been poorly! Our nights have also been disrupted due to teething!

Buzzy - sounds like you have a sensible plan re: access to your dd. It must be hard for you though.

claireybrations · 02/02/2009 15:13

Oh Insy poor you having to cope with all that on top of being pregnant! You must be exhausted! I hope ds2 toilet trains as early as ds1 did for you so it reduces the amount of nappy washing you'll be doing when the baby arrives. Although if it isn't nappies it is sicky babygrows or toddler grime encrusted clothes...

Buzzy that sounds like a good way of doing it, means dd will be comfortable which is the most important thing. Cultural differences can be a pita can't they? Some of dh and my biggest arguments have been caused by our respective cultures...not that either of us is particularly traditional or closed minded about things but it's just what you are used to being the norm.

I hope the formula works to get your dd sleeping well again, nights where you are up and down constantly are a killer

becklespeckle · 02/02/2009 15:23

Buzzy, baby led contact sounds like a great idea to me, it is a hard balance but I think you have the right approach to it. Any more news on the job front? Yikes to the thought of 8 hours A&E waiting! Thankfully the doctor I saw last Sunday phoned ahead and we were admitted straight onto the children's ward - dread to think how long we would have been there if we'd had to go through A&E first!

BT, really glad Daniel is coping so well with the Chicken Pox! Evie was only upset by it at night (but fine once in bed with Mummy...)

Insy, how are your DH and Toby today? It does get you down when everyone is ill, so tiring! Especially if you are run down too because you will always be the only one who gets no chance to rest! I'll keep my fingers crossed that Toby doesn't get measles too. How long have you got now until you can go on Mat leave? Evie is doing much better now thanks, she still has a bit of a cough and is quite disturbed at night but seems much more herself now! DS2 enjoyed his party too, we just took him to a soft-play place to play with a couple of his friends and then to McDonald's for tea so a real treat for him!

Has anyone else got snow today? We have it really thick here! Boys are off school so we went to the school field this morning with the sledges which was fab. DS1 built a snowman in the garden when we got home (mad child, DS2 and I were freezing and watched from indoors). Evie was very interested in everything as it all looked so different in white and enjoyed watching it all from the comfort of her buggy snuggle! Its snowing again now quite heavily!

becklespeckle · 02/02/2009 15:29

Hi Clairey!, x-posts there I think! How are you? You are right about clashing cultures causing arguments. Some of DH and I's biggest rows are about the same - even though we are both from similar backgrounds and grew up in the same town, we were brought up very differently!

claireybrations · 02/02/2009 15:45

Hey Beckle.

Yep we have snow too. I was a bit jealous this morning when I saw it so deep on the news and we had none but it started at 11ish just as I was going for a walk to the supermarket! Then I had to walk back in the snow with a flat front tyre on the buggy and a basket full of shopping, oh well!

BouncingTurtle · 02/02/2009 18:16

Snow here too!

insywinsyspider · 02/02/2009 21:31

thanks for your messages, dh was fine this am and went to work, I stayed off with Toby but no more sick after last night - he was sick once at 11pm and has horrible nappies, not quite sure I'd call it diaorrea so I think it might be teething as both top molars cut last night... his been lovely today, bit grizzly but I think thats hunger as he can be perked up with a digestive and milk, his nappies are like a two month olds, yellow milk poo, not that gross just weird for a 13 mo, I think I'm sending him to nursery tomorrow, not sure if that makes me a bad person or not...

clairey - fingers crossed ds2 gets out of nappies in the summer, I'm hoping to have him bare bum in the garden with a potty around and encourage him to copy his big brother (and you have a very good memory!)

beckle - 15 wks till mat leave and counting! glad evie doing better, mcdonalds is a real treat, ds1 and I had a 'mummy' day the other week and I took him swimming and then to mcd for the first time, he loved the weird happy meal toy, a popping brain thing - very strange something to do with a kids film I'd never heard of!

nit of snow here but is all starting to melt, think we'll be in work tomorrow (if all well!)

BouncingTurtle · 02/02/2009 21:57

Glad dh is better and Toby is on the mend. Daniel does pretty gruesome nappies when he is teething as well!!
I'm sure Toby will be fine at nursery tomorrow, you do what you have to!

MamaMaiasaura · 02/02/2009 22:23

BT - aww poor boy with the chicken pox. It is horrible illness and itchy.

Thanks for support. SaSkid - oxford not far from me

Insy - Poor you with the measles thing. Yay for maternity leave though

muel lots better. He is eating again and mischievious as ever! He still has a chesty sound to him, cough and lots of snot (meaning yucky nappies) but he is definately on the mend.

He is behind on vaccinces now, due hib booster and not even notified for mmr yet.

He loved the snow. Isnt it just so pretty Both boys were playing in ti this morning. I was so excited when i opened the blinds.

BouncingTurtle · 03/02/2009 07:53

Awen - glad to hear Samuel is better! And that he enjoyed the snow - ours has pretty much disappeared due to last nights rain.

Wizzska · 03/02/2009 10:15

Hello everyone.

Sorry to hear about all the illness, restless nights, everyone seems to be suffering. DS has snot and a cough but seems ok. Teething a bit last night, kept waking throughout the evening but calpol saw him through from 10pm so we did get some sleep last night.

Snow day was fantastic yesterday. I took DS sledging for the first time. DH has done his back in again so it was a good job I didn't have to work yesterday and I could look after DS. DS a bit scared of the snow at first but soon got used to it. I went out with some friends and DS slept most of the time while we went down the hill on a bit of old plastic, great fun. Then DS woke up so I took him down a gentler slope and he loved it. Very funny watching him walk through the snow with a very curious look on his face. It was an absolute holiday atmosphere in all the local pubs and restaurants all the shirking commuters and parents and kids absolutely filling them, a real apres ski feeling.

claireybrations · 03/02/2009 16:06

Insy I only remember because I was amazed he did it so quickly and young! DD has taken 10 months to potty train and that despite it being her decision. The past week or so I have seen huge improvement and she has actually used the potty or toilet every time though a couple of times she has let a little bit out on the way... My friends ds is also the same age as dd and your ds1 and he trained at the same time as your ds with no problems-she has been shocked at dd! Then again, 2.8 isn't that late really is it, it is just because it has been a long (and wet) process that it seems it.

buzzybee · 04/02/2009 07:46

BT glad to hear chicken pox on the mend. I have just noticed that DD has a mild dose of Hand Foot and Mouth (blisters). I wouldn't have noticed but for creche pointing out that her feet were a bit peely - bad mummy!

Insy, how scary for you with the measles. I presume you're fully immunised against rubella?

Clairey no 2.8 years is slightly under average age from my observation of friends. My DD1 was 3.0 and some of her friends who are now nearly 7 are not trained at night.

Beckle thanks for asking re job. No have heard nothing more since submitting the application which is getting me down a bit. No-one likes uncertainty!! Have been contemplating how I would cope with childcare if I did have to go full time. The issue is with after school care for DD1 ironically as DD2 is already enrolled full time for creche. If they offer me I'm going to try and hold out for at least one day per week where I finish at 3pm so that I can continue taking DD1 to swimming classes - to me that's the bottom line as its also the one time I get to see her on the weeks when she's with her Dad.

The formula before bed seems to have done the trick!!! She has basically slept through the last 5 nights and this after weeks and weeks of hugely restless sleep. I'm absolutely amazed. And it can't be the nutrtional content because she was having an equivalent bottle of full fat cow's milk (and she still has a bottle of cow's milk at breakfast and lunch) so the only thing it can be is the added iron/minerals etc in cow's milk. But then maybe I shouldn't be so surprised as I suffer terribly from leg cramps from time to time and they say that is largely due to mineral deficiencies...

claireybrations · 04/02/2009 12:09

Buzzy that is great news about the formula, though also a bit annoying if it is as expensive over there as it is here! Hmm I wonder if it would work for ds-he has a bf then a cup of cows milk to copy big sister-doesn't always drink any of the cows milk though.

Nights are a bit of a mixed bag atm, we had one where he slept for 12 hours until 7.30am but mostly if he goes through he wakes for the day at 5.30/6. Other nights he still wakes 2 or 3 times, no logic behind it! Still I AM NOT going to complain because he has slept through a whole year earlier than dd did, and at least a year sooner than I thought he would

Oh yes dd not trained at night, nappy still soaked in the morning. Not sure when to tackle that one...maybe when (if?) she stops having milk before bed, or just wait til she starts wanting to use the toilet in the nght rather than weeing in her nappy.

Hope you hear about the job soon, waiting is the worst part.

Louise76 · 04/02/2009 15:20

Hello ladies

Sounds like everyone is still ill. Hope everyone gets better soon.

BT - it sounds as if Daniel is coping as well with his chickenpox as dd did when she had it in Nov. I'm now glad she has had it as it would be worse if she was older.

Insy - I hope things improve for you soon. I hope you get some time to rest soon.

DD is now cutting her second molar and boy, do we know about it!! Poor wee soul, it must be really sore. She has been awake during the night about 3 times in the last week crying and shoving her fingers in her mouth. Not had an appointment for MMR yet but DH took DD to clinic last week and HV said she is organising it at the moment. I'm dreading as a lot of the other mums I know said that it was still causing their lo's grief a week later

DD still not walking but she is a lot more steady on her feet and likes walking holding mine or dh's hands. She is really in to her books at the moment. I have them all stacked up in the lounge and she likes to pull them all out and bring them over so that you can read them to her.

BouncingTurtle · 04/02/2009 19:25

Hi Louise! Yes I think you are right, better to get chicken pox now - at the very least it's out of the way!
DS has been doing the shoving fingers in his mouth thing so I've been thinking he might be about to cut molars too!
DS has got his MMR next Tuesday... not looking forward to it, hoping he'll get through it same as all his other jabs, he has been okay with them so far apart from the last one!

claraquistmas · 04/02/2009 21:41

Hi everyone, we're finally home and finally back online. I have had a quick read through but don't have time to reply to everyone and everything, shame as there are so many interesting topics of discussion!!

It's great to be home but I don't feel settled as we still don't know if/when we'll be off again....

skid glad the move went well, welcome to the South! Sounds like you are settling in really well.

clairey - we use Medised for dd2, in fact I used it last night. I am not entirely sure why the advice changed but I have pretended ignorance of that as I think it might have changed when we were away...anyway, if it helps us all get a good night sleep it's ok in my book....

everyone else - Anyone having problems with feeding? Dd2 is desperate to feed herself now, I shovel in a few spoonful's at the beginning of the meal but from then on in she wants to do it herself. The mess is unbelievable! I'm also not convinced she is eating enough as most of it ends up on the tray/her bib/her face/hair etc etc etc.

As for playing, I now take her to Tumbletots when dd1 is at pre-school, which she seems to enjoy. Other than that, mostly she potters around the house pushing prams and putting things into holes, throwing any item she can get her hands on over the bannisters and down the stairs, destroying anything her sister is playing with, climbing on and off anything and everything...She does love books and I will often find her sitting in her sister's room looking through her books - mainly the ones she had when she was young with flaps etc. She adores animals and is ggetting very good at making animal noises. She also loves "drawing" - I use washable pens and she is getting quite good at making little pictures....