One small step for Baby, one large step (or mad dash to prevent disaster) for Mumkind

[ninja]

Hi, Welcome to the new thread, the one where we can't drink a cup of tea in peace (there you go, we could have used that for a title!!)

I was in bodyshop yesterday and M trashed the place. Luckily the sales assistant thought she was sweet as she pulled things off displays and legged it out the shop with jars of body butter (several times)!!, cue me legging it after her with a handful of makeup . Luckily there were no store detectives aroud. She also tried to wear every shoe within her reach at the shoe shop.

Happy weekend. Hope you sleep better tonight meg. Dig lots for you to think about re childcare. My Ds1 went to a lovely cheap goverment supported nursery in a rough area. He loved it there for three years, the staff were lovely, friendly and I was 100% happy. However, this nursery closed down a few months ago and I have been forced to send ds2 to a private expensive clinical nursery. I am still getting used to it but so far it seems so impersonal and more business like. The staff are far less approachable as we have to call the miss, mrs and i dont know who is looking after ds2 at all. The old nursery would always accomadate my needs as I am a shift working nurse. The new nursery will not.
I once asked them if I could put ds2 into nursery for half a day so I could attend a work course. I asked to drop him off at 12 and said I would be back at 4. The nursery said I would have to pay for a full day as half a day starts at 12.30 pm .
Another eg is that I dressed ds2 as a pumkin for halloween and they did not even appear to acknowledge it and he looked so cute. I know the old nursery would have made a fuss. I really am stuck as what to do as childminders wont take him with part time shift work. There are more nurseries in an opposite direction to where I work but my mornings are so tight as it is and I would end up having to put ds2 in out of hours if I left the house earlier.
Sorry this has turned into a rant. Where did this come from??? xxxx

Hi all

Toby seems a bit better today (I hardly dare say it!!) but has not been sick and only had 1 - albeit horrendous - nappy this morning (was so bad I had to open all the windows to get the stench out and then bathe him to get the stuff off him poor love!!!)

Ds1 is at PIL for a sleepover tonight so might put a film on, let dh look after toby for a change and veg out on the sofa. Cant remember what thats like!!!!

Got so muc to do...house is a tip, ironing in piles everywhere..sigh. So tired.

starlight Thank you for asking, I survived after my stressing this morning . The review at work was dull and predictible, no problems just go to keep plugging away. I didn't bother to ask about local working, they never, ever let admin (ie: all the mums) work anywhere but the office (while senior staff get to bugger off to 'work' from home all the time). And we have a prescription of medised for dd from a gp, so she is snot free tonight. We will still see her GP in 3 weeks but can survive for now.

Has everything settled down with the sw's now? Do you have heating yet? Its getting much colder this weekend.

becaroo I jolly well hope you haven't been rushing around this evening and have put your feet up. Really pleased to hear that Toby is a little better.

We have a deeply exciting weekend planned, I refuse to negotiate the town centre with a double buggy and xmas shoppers so we are going to go to Homebase instead, they have 10% off tomorrow. We are going to buy some cress seeds (for home made egg mayo sarnies) and new soil to plant window sill lettuce.

I can't believe this has fallen off my @I'm on' again.

DG I used a nursery for DD1 as 1) I didn't know any childminders and 2) I thought I wanted all the stimulation a nursery can give etc.

For M though we're using a childminder accross the road. I'm really lucky she's so close and so fab and I definitely wouldn't use one without a personal recommendation. However, second time round I just knew that a CM was the right thing. She goes to the same toddler groups that I would go to and sees the same faces, but still has the home environment and continuity with the same carer.

Well I've been madly producing Homebake for DD1's school Christmas Fair (cornflake cakes, muesli and buns). So we have that, and a trip to Eureka (children's museum) planned this weekend.

I hope M's up to it as she's got a cough, cold, dodgy stomach and hasn't eaten for 2 days. She's alternating between beign her usual climbing and escaping self, and clinging to me. Not sure which I prefer Oh and chicken pox is going round all the kids at all the local childminders, so I'm just waiting for that to appear. I'll be glad to get it out of the way.

Off to bed if I don't remember something I must do first ....

digi I chose a childminder because a nursery would charge full price for the school holidays when I wouldn't need to use the place the whole time. I've had 2 childminders (1st recommended by the 2nd who didn't have space at the time, 2nd a very good friend when 1st gave up) and am happy with them. I pay a retainer fee for school holidays and use her for a few days to give me a break keep them used to going.
Another good thing is that she can pick up (and occasionally drop off) ds1 from pre-schl. I was a bit scared of nurseries wen I 1st went back to work after ds1 as I couldn't see how he would nap.
I don't know how much nannies cost but I pay £4 an hour for childminder.

What childcare do you have when at work now?

Hi Guys!

DG
As far as nannies go, i've noticed that everyone pays their nannies differently, but pretty much get the same thing (within the ideal experience they'd hoped for) when they thought of the word 'nanny'. I've never met a strict regimented nanny, neither have I met a nanny who doesn't care.

I hang out with a bunch of them at the playground.

Don't know about childminders or nurseries. I'm looking into them myself.

Hi all.

Spent last night having a heart to heart with dh so not exactly relaxing!!!!

Hopefully we have got a few things sorted though so feel a bit better than I did.

Toby seems better today but I am not counting my chickens!

Have a good weekend ladies x

who starlight? Any of us? I'm quite nosy

Hmmm. ME TOO! [GRIN]
X FACTOR AND TAKEAWAY TONIGHT. X

I am VERY nosey, so I have emailed!

Strictly and a takeaway here tonight.

I have just written up a Chair's report for our NCT AGM and I have just had to waffle as I have no idea what to put! I'm not the Chair and I've only been on the committee for a few months. Oh well, at least I volunteered to do it I suppose!

Glad to hear things are better in the becaroo house

Debi - what was the conclusion to your house buying and selling? Did your buyer pull out?

I've emailed.

ILTMIMI our buyers did pull out and were very horrible and rude about it all. Our estate agent has put our house back on the market and said he'll try very hard to get people through the door but noone yet. I think it's too close to Christmas for people to be looking. The owners of the one we're buying don't know yet but I think we'll have to tell them this week.

We have had a flexible nanny mind DS when my mum or DH have been unavailable. But she's got herself another job starting December. And she's far too expensive (£11 per hour) now that I've taken a cut in day rate for more stability.

Nursery is £72 a day and completely inflexible on days. But I do feel the stimulation of a nursery and the other children will boost DS's confidence as he's always been very clingy and easily overwhelmed.

Haven't looked into childminders yet, think I'll start this week. Don't think we'll get any round here for £4 per hour. But don't particularly want to make a decision based on cost (other than ruling out the very expensive).

Btw think I've decided to go cold turkey on the breastfeeding. DH has put DS to bed and he hasn't a feed since this morning. Will have to see whether I hold out tomorrow morning. I already feel like a neglectful mother. He's 15 months tomorrow.

I pay £3 ph for a childmninder - standard around here but we are up North

nursery is so expensive where you aredig I pay £38 in this new posh one but only £27 in the lovely old one. Good luck with the cold turkey. I am starting to think the same. Baby E is pulling me too much these days. How did last night go. I am off to email star xx

Hi all.

Completely forgot to congratulate DG on her new job! Well done you! x (sorry brain has turned to mush this week)

Toby seems better but still not eating much which is worrying as he is normally sucha gannet.

£72 per day????!! Bloody hell!!! Thats really expensive isnt it? Or am I just totally out of touch???

Was thinking about finding a CM for Toby a couple of mornings per week but am starting to think I would have to sell a kidney to pay for it!!!

Lumpen, rock hard, leaking boobs. It's been 27 hours since DS's last feed. He had a bit of a cry about midnight last night, but eventually sobbed himself back to sleep (draped over my chest). Then didn't wake till 7 this morning, grizzling for a feed. DH took him downstairs for a cup of warm milk. I came down at 9:30 (thank you DH!) and he tried to coax another feed out of me, but made do with eating half my breakfast snuggling next to me on the sofa. Feel very proud for getting to 15 months, but very sad for ending his favourite way of being soothed and cuddled.

Yes childcare round here is very expensive. Too many rich folk pushing the prices up. That's why I'm hoping to get my mum to move in and work part-time. Will be a bit of a squeeze in a 2 bed, but would rather DS was with someone who loved him for the majority of the time.

Right off to dig out the breastpads.

at £72 a day for nursery!!! I thought ours was bad at £43.

DG can you express some of the milk off, it will still tail off after a few days but stop them feeling so heavy. I ended up with a nice stash of EBM in the freezer each time I ended bf my two. I served it up when they were poorly in the hope it would boost their immune systems.

I have discovered the best way to get rid of stains on baby clothes, leave them on the washing line for 2-3 weeks! I left out loads of clothes last month and even really old stains from DS's smaller clothes have been bleached out by the sun . The only thing it doesn't work on is banana stains.

Have started a thread about childcare in north london - starting to feel a bit more positive about looking into childminders now.

Also have stuffed cabbage leaves in my bra. I must admit I'm reluctant to express as i don't want to prolong the process, but also don't particularly want mastitis. Is it inevitable if I don't express?

Looking forward to having loads of time with DS from now on (till mid-Jan). Am hoping my constant presence makes up for the fact that I'm not allowing him to feed from me. He's been quite clear in telling me he'd like a feed. Tapping my chest, pointing at my boobs, pulling at my top to try and unclasp my bra and at one point sticking his whole head down my top. Amusing, in a sad 'am I doing the right thing' sort of way.

DG
don't forget to massage the excess milk out in the shower. Helped me a lot.

Morning all just checking in x

Digi, I'd be interested in your north london childcare thread, can you post the link?

Hello all. Lots going on here. I still have MS quite badly even though I am over 12 weeks. If it is still around at Christmas I will be !

DH left this morning for his work trip for 10 days. At about 4am this morning he was on the verge of pulling out as DD was really sick in the night. Raging fever, terrible cough, vomitting (over all 4 sleeping bags) and refusing all milk/water. We finally got her to take a little warm water from a bottle, as by the 4th vomit it was all solid and greenish, so I was so worried about dehydration. She seems a lot better today though. Temp still 37.7 but she has had a bottle and a decent lunch, and is singing and playing like everything is fine. I am terrified about tonight though. Nights like last night are bad enough with two people on deck - as opposed to one who can't even sit up in bed without wanting to vomit. Really hope she's ok, for everyone's sake.

debithescot You have all my sympathy over the house-fail. Your story is exactly us three years ago! Our buyers pulled out for no reason on the day of exchange, a week before supposed moving day mid December. We had planned Christmas in the new house, even where the tree was going to go, etc. We couldn't tell the seller at first either. We couldn't face Christmas in the old house so I got on the net and found the most remote faraway holiday cottage in Scotland that I could, and we had Christmas in the middle of nowhere instead. (Bitter, moi?) Really hope you find another buyer soon.