Sept 08: They're under starters orders .... and they're off .... well, some of them!

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

I thought I'd use this title as not all of our delicious babies are on the move yet, including mine

ponymum another pen friend would be great. Do let her know my email (on my website).

ninja a nanny isn't better than a babysitter/childminder/nursery nurse... but is better than a teacher in my view. It depends on the persons experience level with the relevant age group. This particular teacher may have such experience... or they may not - they certainly don't work with a babies/toddlers on a day-to-day basis.

I agree with you... ponymum should ask the agency about the person's experience with under 1's, about references, about relevant training. The agency in my view should be doing it's best to make sure the parent (their client) is as happy as possible.

the funseat is something you can attach to the chassis for a toddler with a steering wheel etc. I'd be like pushing them in one of those car things I imagine. I don't know if this pictre's easier to understand.

You can also get a duo seat for the same chassis starlight

What do you have at the mo Starlight?

Hi guys
I feel as though I am popping into see some old friends. Its so lovely to see most of you still together here. I feel quite bad for going off the radar for so long. But I am sure you understand. As I was so poorly with ms I was almost housband last year, you guys where so good to me. Now I always seem to be busy busy busy.
Euan is growing fast now as I am sure your little bundles are. I cant believe its nearly a year. I ve had the most amazing year of my entire life and have loved every single moment of it. I would do it all over again in a instant. I will soon be returning to the work place . I never want this period of my life to end. I love babies.
Ponymum has your spd completely gone now?
I ofen think of you all. gosh I wish I had time to read all the threads. Is there any major news Ive missed? xx

ooopps Its mamamuffin not mincepies. Ill try to change it back.

Starlight love the Mia Moda buggy, we have the car seat and it is pretty good.
Ninja the Mutsy is good as well loads of people near us have one. The second one we were going to get until sis gave us her old mamas and papas.

We are really struggling with the heat. Robyn is finding it really tiring but still doesn't want to sleep. DS is up till all hours and wee cabn't open his window so it is like an oven in there.

Hi mamamincepies. Nice to see you pop in again! So sad you've been unwell. I know how that feels! The SPD is mostly under control but I get symptoms now and again when I have "done too much", i.e. a lot of lifting etc. I was doing really well with the recovery for quite a while - I have lost 18 kg since I have been out of the wheelchair and pilates has been AMAZING for me. But then a couple of months ago I had crippling abdomical pains and had to have an emergency appendectomy! It wasn't straight forward and the recoevery has been difficult, but I really hope things are now coming right. Tummy now has scars all over it - big one from the c section and 3 little ones from the appendectomy. It was like two huge steps backwards when that happened. I am still really scared and unsure about whether or not to risk another PG. Wondering whether I should just be a little bit 'careless' and let the decision make itself!! Then I'll be too freaked / excited to worry about what the hell I am doing!

Hi star [GRIN]
Gosh I hope I wasnt too needy
Anyone else up for starting a new thread due April 10 ?????
However, tbh i want to cherish every day of the stage Euans at. Im not quite ready to go there again.

Are you suggesting we start the thread and then do something about making it happen?

thansk debs - I don't think I've ever seen one. I quite excited about collecting it.

I have a M&P that was given to me, but it's not good to push and I didn't think I'd want to use it for the toddler stage.

I reckon something like the Mutsy might be possible to sell on as well.

That does sound lovely ponymum

well last night was loads better. He didn't wake till about 1 and then DH resettled him. Then he woke at 3. DH woke me at 4 to feed him, he didn't go back to sleep till 5:30 as I refused to bring him in with us. He woke at 6 and dh brought him into our bed at 6:30. Then he slept till 8.

We're definitely working on losing the night feeds first. Get him used to that. That will take a few days of DH resettling then a week of me resettling without feeding which will be very difficult I think. Then depending on whether he's still waking loads we'll have to stop all the other props like taking him downstairs to play his CDs. But I really don't know how we'll ever get him to self settle without some form of crying. Gradual retreat sounds great but the moment he's placed in the cot awake, no matter how drowsy, he immediately pulls himself up and if I don't pick him up he cries. Holding his hand or stroking his face just annoy him when he wants to be picked up. How do you get a baby like that to fall asleep on their own?

This evening we had friends round. We'd exhausted him for bedtime so he went down easily after dh rocked him. But he woke up hourly to be resettled by DH. Potentially disturbed by the fact there were strange people in the house. Or maybe we're back to the newborn pattern of good night / bad night.

I want to follow my instincts on this and not read anymore books at the moment. I'm not ruling cc out. During the times where he's crying and getting angry with me I can see the benefit of putting him down and leaving the room for a few minutes. It's just doing that at the start of the night seems quite harsh at this stage. Although if none of the above improves our nights then it may be the next step.

Ds has been awake and crying since midnight.

very tempted to tell dh to just leave him in the cot and shut the door.

I took over and got to bed at 3:20 after rocking him to sleep. He woke at 6 and DH brought him to our bed for a feed then went back to sleep. I managed to get him back in his cot for an hour and now he's awake for the day.

So that was 7 till 6 between feeds. But bloody hell that was hardwork. Probably go through same again tonight. DH is in a foul mood and has completely lost his patience with DS.

I don't know if cc is more difficult than this, because we are physically and mentally exhausted having just attempted a night of getting him back to sleep without feeding or co-sleeping. Or perhaps cc is easier because it's quicker.

digital sorry you had a tough night last night. But you might find that ds's sleepit gets better very fast after a few tough nights. Hope your dh's mood improves, you need to work as a team to sort it out.

I love the way this thread has turned into a mini pushchair shed! I'm going to clean my rl shed out and see if I have much space in there, I really want the mothercare urban detour double to see me over the winter. The phil + teds sport is good but gives me a back ache as the handle bar is too low. We're walking distance from the town centre, but too far to attempt getting ds to go without a buggy to sit in. And the urban detour has a bigger shopping basket which will make life easier.

Better go...... Ds is making noise from his cot! "Mummeeeeeeeeee!"

digitalgirl that sounds like it was tough last night. I think you have a good attitude and I agree with meglet that you might find your DS changes his pattern quite quickly. Just a question though - what is your goal at the moment? Is it to get him to go to sleep properly when you first put him down, or to get through the night without feeds? I think those are two different things. We have cracked the first but not the second. DD still wants a middle of the night feed about half the time, maybe more since it has been so hot (thirsty?). But... having cracked the first, the night feed is not so much hassle now as it's over and done with and she is back down straight away. HTH.

I was really worried about the babysitting thing last night. I have decided to phone Sitters on Monday morning and quizz them about this person's experience. If I am not 100% happy I will ask for another babysitter. If they get snotty I will cancel and find another agency. Does anyone know of another night time babysitting agency in London?

Wednesday night

Aww! That's so nice! That would have been lovely, and it's really kind of you to think of that.

Of course, you are actually a complete stranger too - your real name is Dave the Plumber, innit?

ponymum wish I could help you, but I'm a rubbish childminder, can barely look after my own let alone anyone else's.

Our goal is to get him to wake less, and when he does wake to not have to feed him back to sleep or co-sleep. He does get offered water though so I hope we're not dehydrating him in this heat. It's a shame as I do like having him in our bed in the morning - it's just the time he expected to come in was getting earlier and earlier and I think it was encouraging him to wake up in the middle of the night so that he could join us - so not really that helpful in the long run.

meglet and starlight thanks also for your support! I'm hoping it does get better in the next few days.

ponymum do you know any local mums that use a good nursery? A lot of nursery staff earn extra ££ by babysitting, I know ds's nursery staff do. There may be a lovely trained nursery nurse who would babysit overnight.

DS has just had me in stitches. I turned the tennis on and he started chatting about Granny Murray (cbeebies) playing tennis. It took me ages to realise he was talking about Andy Murray . He kept cheering "yay, granny murray" regardless of whether it was federer or roddick .

meglet If we were here at home that would be a good option, but it's for a night far away in big scary London town. I think the Sitters thing will be fine; I just need reassure myself by making sure the one they are sending definitely has experience with a 9 mo and has been on their books for at least a year.

Guess what? I went swimming this afternoon! DH, DD and I all went together to the local pool. DH and I took turns playing with DD and doing lengths. It was great!