40+ mums-to-be and those who've 'popped' - come say hi, pull up a chair and have some cake!

[jeanjeannie]

Hello everyone - yet another thread. I'm expecting a call anyday soon from ITV - as I imagine we'll be prime candidates for taking over the Loose Women slot when they need a break

So, for anyone interested in joining in with us - just jump in and say Hi - we don't bite - unless you're disguised as a chocolate sponge cake

Ladies..................Take it away

the water supply isn't always as good as you might think - especially if you live at the far end of the pipeline where the Chlorine has been used up. But if you rinse with very hot water that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I think the faff of making sure every surface and ridge of the bottle is perfectly spotless would be more effort than sterilising.

Each to their own I guess

Well, shocking news that Fern has quit This Morning after 'rift' with Phil Scofield Who would have thought it?

she's had a face on her like a soggy mackerel ever since she lost all the weight has Fern - I think he kicked off about her gastric band scandal. Poor woman - she didn't owe anyone an explanation.

And I thought the shocking news was that The Apprentice was starting with one less person because someone backed out at the last minute!

That's ok - didn't mean to start a sterilising war! If it helps, you're really not told to boil water and cool it either in the US - tap or bottled water to mix formula. So it's different all the way around. Although I do boil the water here and let it cool - I do wonder if water sitting out cooling is really good though - we used a fair amount of bottled water with DS2. Because every time I left a pitcher of water out cooling, someone knocked it over!

I do sometimes wonder if the current level of cleanliness (meaning using antibacterial everything and sterilising so much) is responsible for kids not being able to fight things off as well bug-wise. When we were kids, if you dropped an apple or whatever, you rinsed it off and finished eating it. Now lots of people will panic about germs and throw it away. But funny how we sterilise and clean frantically, then see our little ones pick up a dust bunny (hey we got 'em at our house sometimes!) and eat it!

haha triggles don't worry - thankfully we are grown up enough on this thread to respect other people's choices (unlike many other threads )

I totally agree about over-cleanliness - its not natural. My mum has obsessive hygiene habits but her and my dad are forever catching things. D's nursery has an anti-sterilisation policy - they encourage the kids to catch things in a way. It stretches even my liberal hygiene standards sometimes!

With you all the way on the over sterile conditions being one of the causes of so many modern day allergies, my mother is very much of the old school, one of her sayings being 'they'll eat alot more muck than that before they're grown'

another little ditty I read in one of the many childcare manuals....you can always tell how many children a woman has, with the first born when he drops his dummy she washes it then sterilises it before giving back to him, second born drops his dummy and she washes it before giving it back and any subsequent childern she picks it up puts it in her mouth to clean it then gives it to them

One of my pet hates is to see mothers giving fruit juice in bottles with teats, why??? is it just me or is this not fundamentaly WRONG!

MUM41 isn't that supposed to be bad for the teeth?

triggles yes very bad, thats my point, we only give juice in a normal beaker cup with no lid at all, we only give milk and water in bottles, I have to bite my tongue sometimes when I'm out and I see it, mind you the mother often tends to not have the best of smiles either

Bad for teeth and waistline, triggles!!

Speaking of waistlines...did anyone else read the Observer Food Monthly this past weekend? Whole big article about how we are killing our children by feeding them things like ham and bacon. But no ideas on what else you put in a lunchbox besides lunchmeat etc! Really annoyed me!

Also, just posted new belly pic, if anyone wants to see!

yes - it says it on the bottles not to do it.

I read that too tee and it said that feeding mashed potato to kids is like giving them pure sugar. Now, kids have been eating mash for ever so how comes its only now making them obese?

Yeah, that too mrsb. The whole article was very odd, and extremely one sided!

Mashed potato, how is that then? its just potato with a very little amount of butter and milk, oh dear all mine have loved mash potato, seems a shame for DT's not to enjoy the same...but hang on a minute they never grew up to be overweight...oh its just so confusing nowadays
fried chips it is then

very classy bump tee

Thanks mum41

Yeah, chips would be so much better.

mrsb of course it isn't just the mashed potato that's making them obese. It's coupled with no exercise (the playstation generation), bad parenting (afraid to get their little darlings to walk anywhere, do household chores etc) and lack of sport. Kids today are so wrapped up in cotton wool they're not allowed to move from the sofa without their parents helping them

I see it with DH and DSS. I p**ses me off tbh. He has no independence and is totally reliant on me and DH to do everything for him. He can't even tie his own shoe laces - he's never had to. He has velcro straps on his shoes Ok, I'm having to breathe very deeply now .........calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean.

If my kids didn't do jobs, fine. They got no pocket money. End of story. Twas their choice.

Of course children aren't allowed to play out either. Far too dangerous these days It all adds up.

It amazes me that people are throwing their hands in the air and saying 'I can't believe how fat our kids are! How did that happen?'. Well duh. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work it out.

mum41 I can't stand seeing babies past 12 months old with bottles, usually dangling from their mouths. Dummies till they're at school. Replaced by a fag when they're 12 probably

Rant over. You may relax now

I'm right with you on all that JW.

I've seen people lamenting all over MN about how sad it is their kids can't just go out and play the way they did. To which I want to reply, well why can't they???

DH and I are hoping to move to a slightly more rural area in a few years in order to allow exactly that!

I do not think the world is any more dangerous than when we were kids. I think its just more widely reported due to internet and instant news.

omg jw that rant could so easily have been mine and probably most of us on this thread, don't you find you have to bite your tongue when you see those things while out...
another thing is why do some parents just not talk to their children, mine all natter away about anything and everything but I was walking behind a dad with his 2 sons on the walk to school the other morning and he didn't say a word to them all the way and it's about a 10 to 15 minute walk, I found that so sad, my DD on the other hand was chatting about the blossom on the hedge rows and the scarecrows in the field oh and the dog poo alert we always have to have on the way to school

Only just been able to get back on here - was it just my browser? Glad I missed transatlantic Steriliser Wars . I've got the old steam steriliser out in case I do any expressing, because I can imagine old milk particles getting caught in the rims of those teats, but in any case am sneakily hoping not to bother doing it this time around. Moo!

Tee I'm the opposite to you on vaccinations - have had the rubella one 4 times and am still not immune - apparently every time you immunise, 10% of people won't be immune, then if they have the jab again 10% of them won't be immune and so on. I'm in the ever-decreasing 10% of 10% of 10% ad infinitum. Rubella's rare but becoming more common, like mumps and measles, because of the crazy nonsense about MMR. Rubella can be terrible for a foetus at any part of gestation. Makes me when some people not only decided not to give their LOs the MMR but then didn't bother to get them done separately. Immunisation only works at optimum level when everyone takes part.

Mum41 we always look behind us on the way to school and shout dog poo warnings to anyone who's there. If they're mums they shout back their grateful thanks, if they're dads they look embarrassed. I want to say - ok, next time I shan't tell you and hope you step in it, you plonker. (I'm sure not all dads; just how it's happened for us recently).

We didn't give our DC juice at all until they were about 2, and then just watered down, unless they were out at, say, a playgroup which served squash (different rules for home and 'out' means they didn't feel like social pariahs but were completely used to just water or milk being the norm). They have a glass of juice at breakfast now, but they automatically ask for water if they're thirsty and only occasionally have squash at parties or if that's what their friends have at their houses. DS has a friend who comes for tea every week before I take them both swimming, and he told me he hated the taste of water and always had squash at home. Well, water's what we drink here, I said, and funnily enough he drinks two big beakers of it every time he comes now. Who would let their child not drink water? .Sugary squash marketed for babies - remember rosehip syrup? - is still sold, which I find completely incredible.

Oh, mine have had milky tea from an early age though . But not in a bottle

ermintrude my MW actually recommended rosehip syrup when I had my first baby 23 years ago! Luckily DD#1 didn't drink it by the time she had teeth. Can you imagine?????

I don't think that a lot of mums realise that even milk served in a bottle (especially before bedtime) is full of natural sugar. Even cows milk is. It's still a teeth rotter.

I've had my older ones teeth plastic coated when their second teeth came through. DD#1's are still going strong. She never has any treatment at the dentist apart from a clean and polish...and it was free! Not sure if the NHS still does it though. Will certainly be having K's done even if it's private. Better than a mouth full of mercury.

ermintrude going back to your DC's friend that doesn't do water (sigh), it's all about what they do at home. Not encouraging a child to drink water is just plain absurd. It's amazing what they will have from their list of 'don't do's' when there's no choice though

I'm currently in talks with DH which is very difficult for a man who doesn't like talking Basically I've booked DSS a swimming lesson crash course during the easter break. He's pulling his face as 'it's boring', 'don't want to do it' etc. So I've said the Xbox is being removed from his room and he'll have to find things to do that don't involve the tv. This is not going down well and DH's apathy doesn't help. I feel like I'm the bad cop all the time. Anyway, he's going swimming whether he likes it or not. Bloody 9 year old wearing arm bands is beyond ridiculous!!! Hard though as he's not mine. If he was mine, we wouldn't be having a swimming course as he'd already be swimming

Weather is filthy here today. Where have all the spring blue skies gone? I'm hoping to get an hour to myself today and do a bit of retail possibly in Manchester. Haven't ventured down to the big smoke for a while.

Think we're doing Blue Planet this weekend as it's indoors. Possibly get a chance to nosey around Cheshire Oaks if I'm lucky

mrsb I meant to ask you, this mystery surrounding the woman from York going missing? Isn't that disturbing? Is she local to you?

Morning all

Bad nights sleep. Up at 4:15. YAWN

JW Good for you! Stick to your guns, everyone should know how to swim! And he does need to find things to do that have nothing to do with the TV. I feel like I might have the same problem with my DH, who's whole life seems to centre around the TV sometimes.

I hope you get to go shopping!

I'll be spending my day updating our website at work. Oh Joy. Oh Rapture.

ermintrude warm tea hey thats what my mum used to give DD1, that was 18 years ago, big no no now though due to caffiene isn,t it.
my connection was broken last night too when I came online just after the apprentice.

jw teeth plastic coated? I've never heard of that and I very much agree with you if it has to be private then so be it, I would rather remortgage than have a family with bad teeth
Blue planet? I guess thats somewhere near Manchester, I've never been to Manchester, had relatives in Newcastle we visited and went to see the angel of the north and the Metro center.

we have an american fridge with water and ice dipenser and its the only thing DD3 can reach to get herself a drink and she just loves to drink water by the bucket full

Morning all. Couldn't check in yesterday as I was stuck faffing with an advert deadline...grrrrr....and I'm still not happy with it.

Just had a quick read through the posts.....AHHHHHH...juice in bottles with teats...WRONG! Sterilise...MMmm, I think a good go in the dishwasher is actually fine - but it's the formula milk that presents most of the problems I was told in SCBU. Also, water supplies in various areas can be pretty cruddy and stuffed to the gills with fluroide. I know in many old peoples' homes they have to boil the water as fluroide can have a pretty bad effect on old and young - so I'd never make up formula without boiling.

tee you look beautiful - and that outfit is really, really lovely

jw Another Junior Vogue shot there And loving that Bumbo!

I'm thankful that MIL is a hard-core Eastern European mum - both DP & his brother are capable humans and I like that.

Righty ho - still got a bit of a frazzled tummy and stuff to sort but shall pop in when I can

Morning all!

Ermintrude and JW it's crazy when parents don't even offer their kids water isn't it! My friends little girl asks for it as her favourite drink - when she was littler I used to put ice cubes and a straw in it and call it a cocktail. Her mum told me at school she was asked about her eating habits and she told the teacher they were allowed sweets on Fridays and only water to drink and she (mum) was embarrassed because she looked mean! Looked like a good mum I say.

JJ I feel your pain with headline. Was it French? Give it to me for a try if you're still not happy. I quite like grappling with them.

Tee sorry you didn't sleep well. I woke up four times myself, at 6, 7, 8 and, er, 9... The problem is our new flat has huge skylights and some of them don't have blinds. I'm going to have to do some kind of total blacking out in the baby's room (after I put up the flowered pelmet Gina Ford thinks is a must for a contented little baby of course - NOT!). Love the photo too - fab bump!

I've just persuaded DP to take us to Ikea. Normally we have an Ikea exclusion in our relationship but it means he can get his van out so he's all keen.