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Mleh.We did loads of co-sleeping at 0-6 months. Now (19 months) she gets a bedtime story or two read to her on our bed and we bring her through to our bed in the morning when we don't really want to get up straight away.
She is perfectly happy in her own bed. Goes down as soon as you lay her in it and sleeps 8 till 6:30 every night.
maybe i wasnt clear enough, what you say was as we did... what i meant was friends of ours had theirs in the bed from birth up to 2 years old!! (ALL NIGHT/EVERYNIGHT), now he's 7 it still causes them serious grief as he wont stay in his own bed.
+1 what DezB says.
Netmums, carboots etc etc
christ we've got thousands of pounds worth of stuff that cost peanuts. Our house looks like an uber posh nursery and the sprogs are fitted out with Jasper Conran, Next...etc The best bit is not giving two hoots if they break or wreck anything.
Second no issues with the tripp trapp and not-so-mini-clubber never sits still so if it was going to topple over, I reckon it would have done. It does have the extra long legs though
Top tips: second hand stuff on mumsnet is way, way cheaper than ebay.
And a lot of kit you'd pay top whack elsewhere is a lot cheaper at home bargains
The chairs now come with an extended bottom foot
Yeah saw that, but our "brand faith" was already shaken - plus we were looking to buy second hand (as they are chuffing expensive for a couple of bits of wood) so we wouldn't have had the extended foot.
maybe i wasnt clear enough, what you say was as we did... what i meant was friends of ours had theirs in the bed from birth up to 2 years old!! (ALL NIGHT/EVERYNIGHT)
Ahhh right.. yeah that's asking for trouble!
My Mum bought us a Mamas and Papas thing. I'm not a fan of M&P however this thing is amazing.
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As Funky's friends experience ilustrates this screening stuff is not so black and white with all the emotions - some parents who may be high risk just want to know the risk even if they won't terminate.
Babygrows which don't button up the front are the work of Satan. Dressing a newborn is like Jiu Jitsu combat in miniature, especially at three in the morning. Don't make it any harder for yourself.
Dressing a newborn is like Jiu Jitsu combat in miniature
I've found it like bloody wrestling! You have a 5 second countdown. If its not on within that time- let the wrestling begin!
hora - Member
My Mum bought us a Mamas and Papas thing. I'm not a fan of M&P however this thing is amazing.
At the risk of agreeing with Hora, we borrowed the same model from friends and it was very good.
For me, it's been all about balance. My daughter just turned two and she is a riot.
Sure, things do change when a wee one comes along but in a good way. I love spending time with her but I also still make sure that I get out on the bike regularly too. It all comes down to being a bit more organised.
For me, a Chariot Trailer and Kiddy seat have made a huge difference for going to nursery, getting out and about etc. It's riding time but with the wee one so a win win for me. As she has gotten older, she's become much more interactive and bike journeys have become a lot more fun based with plenty of stops and chitter chatter. At Easter, we would go for spins around Rothiemurchus and built in fun stops such as having a picnic by the river etc. The riding becomes as much about the things you see and do as the ride itself. In the mornings, I was getting up super early and knocking out some classic trails such as the Lairig Ghru before breakfast which gave me the bonus of family time later in the day.
I still get out on the bike a lot but am careful to strike a healthy balance with my wife as she rides too. This year, she headed off to Portugal with a pal while I had a trip to Verbier and Chamonix for 10 days. Learn to come and go with your partner and it will pay back dividends.
As for classes, I found them useful especially the bit about pain relief.
I guess the most important thing I have learned is to get the little un into a good routine. That made a huge difference for us and we also took turns to tag team at night in the first few weeks for night time feeds. By doing one night on, one night off, we managed to ward off some of the general "tired all the time" feeling.
As for Strathpuffer, that might be pushing things timewise but then I did spend a week in verbier when my missus was over 8 months pregnant so perhaps I'm not the best one to take advice from! Ha! Ha!
it's just a high chair, what could possibly be so amazing about it?however this thing is amazing.
Its very sturdy, well built and many configurations.
Same goes for the BabyJogger. Not the most attractive push chair but buggy light (and packs down smaller than a buggy atthe flick of your wrist.
Plus you can use it from birth upto toddler.
We've got the same chair. Papa Primo Evo.
It is very good and has lasted for 2 kids / 4 years. Way better than anything else we've sat them in. The kids like it too as they have never tried to escape from it.
ok, not amazing in the slightest then. 🙄
It glows and Angels sing. What more do you want!
But it is better than anything else we've used.
just somewhere to feed them/feed themselves really
how many have you used harry?
Good gawd alive yet another thread descended into a pointless argument.
This time about high chairs.
And neither me or TJ are involved either.
how many have you used harry?
704 at the last count.
FFS aren't I allowed to say that a product is better than anything else we've tried (grandparents, other relatives, hotels, holiday accommodation, pubs etc...)?
Whatever. Life is too short.
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back to the question
1) How did it feel? How did you cope? What happened to the bike?
genuinely the scariest two days of my life followed by utter relief and exhaustion . The bike has hung on the wall for the 14 weeks since crankbrat entered the world.
2) Did the NCT classes help?
yes we made nice middle class friends and got some good background info but they earned their nickname "the house of lies"
3) Are there any forums I could join that would help prepare me for the inevitable life-explosion about to happen?
I've not posted on here about crankbrat before but have read and been comforted by many other threads and honestly can't think of a better forum it's the people on it not the umbrella topic that counts .
On Downs screening we had a long hard think decided that come what may we would not terminate and so decided not to bother.
Crankbrat's entry in to the world was hard but he was and remains perfect.
would you terminate if the foetus is positive for downs? if not then no point in taking the risk of screening
This. We found the prospect of screening quite upsetting actually. Then we realised that a) you only get a percentage risk, not a yes/ no, and b) we weren't prepared to terminate in any case, so there was no point doing it.
Very few people are absolutely pro-choice or pro-life in all circumstances. We're both pro-choice by inclination, so I guess we found where our line was.
Muke, your synopsis was bang on the money! I was crying tears of pent-up misery on reading your post.
You did forget one important aspect, well loads actually.....may I?
Appendices A
[1] Send a collective email to all your friends that you do not require anything at all from them ever again and they should cease their visits, phone calls, text’s. That you weekend and mid-week rides are over for the next 6 to 7 years – rare outings, typically on a ratio of twice per 3years may present if you have completed the entire list of DIY tasks. Pseudo –patronising contacts, usually from exotic locations, can be expected to arrive on your facebook wall, best delete this account.
[2] Visit every park, paddling pool, café with sand pit that your DISTRICT has to offer – for 5 years. After each visit, throw away the pants you have hidden in the side pouch of your now redundant MTB ruck-sac before they hatch!
I could continue, but I can feel the urge to reach for my Stanley knife re-emerging
I agree with hora. The chair is amazing.
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See 😈
Awesome photoshop skills Sir 🙂
Are those racing cars real?
We found the NCT classes very useful - I think our lovely NCT lady was way more up to date on the latest medical research about all the random things that people worry about with babies (eg. can babies eat peanuts in the first year) than most of the medical professionals we met. Also, was dead useful having someone else to contact when breastfeeding advice was needed, our particular health visitor was a complete waste of time on that front.
I also found the NCT classes very useful because it meant that I was initiated into the world of babies as well as my wife. So I know some of the parents around town etc. which was good when I was looking after Rose myself. Whereas I think a lot of fathers find themselves a bit separated from that whole world, meaning that if they do end up looking after their kids, they find it hard to get involved in the baby stuff that is going on, as it is weird turning up out of nowhere and being the only guy at the parent and baby group (although I'd still recommend doing it, as people are actually much more friendly than you'd think, and whilst you might feel weird, the babies still enjoy it).
One thing I know a lot of people used not to have the chance to do, but which I can totally recommend if you can work it out financially, is sharing some of the maternity leave time. ie. if your wife goes back to work before a year, take that time yourself to look after the kid. Since April, anyone has been able to do this ([url= http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/Paternityrightsintheworkplace/DG_190788 ]see here[/url]). I spent 3 months looking after Rose, from 8 months to 11 months, and it was brilliant - got to do tons of bike trailer rides, got to go to baby things (this was where knowing other parents was really useful), take her down the park to play, go swimming, and generally just be a full time parent for a bit. I think it was really good for me and her too - I don't at all feel like people posted above, that she is mainy focused on her mum, and I think it is good for her to know that two people can look after her roughly equally.
I also don't think babies are boring like some men seem to, and I think spending a lot of time looking after her may have really helped on this front, they are complex and nuanced little people who are developing at an amazing rate, but when you're working full time and not getting big chunks of baby time, it can be easy to just see the obvious crying, pooing, vomiting and needing feeding bits and not really have the energy to see beyond that.
Also, my top tip for when your kid is about 1 years old - kids *love* camping, and camping kit fits easily into a bike trailer:
Just a point but NCT isn't the only pre-baby group available...
We did the NHS one - our local one was quite good - we've made some good friends there. Other peoples' experiences (in other areas) haven't been so positive so maybe the NHS is more hit and miss.
Mind you, a guy I know is currently going to the NCT classes and it sounds mad - several 3 hour sessions and a whole day event. I'm just not really sure what they do there.