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Hello.Again.Kitty

Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 16 July 2011 - 23:13
Thanks - it's a winner! hehe - but, in fairness DC, it's a lot of money for a holiday nip-around, once you add in rain-cover and/or UV cover etc... and you have your lovely icandy tucked away as your high-end vehicle.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 16 July 2011 - 23:08
Where did you find it at 139? [url=http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=phil+and+teds+smart&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1280&bih=653&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4316549908110230319&sa=X&ei=i-AhTv3VEpGZhQe87omvAw&sqi=2&ved=0CHIQ8wIwAQ#scoring=tps'>link[/url'>... just sort by total price. actually, I've just clicked through to the one that's coming in at 139 and it's higher on the actual website... next best is 149.99 which seems to be legit. Nice bit of kit - and you can get the UV cover for it! Also saw (on the not-as-bargainous-as-google-thinks site) that they do a car-seat adaptor and all kids for it! Oooooo... buggy!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 16 July 2011 - 23:02
I once had a "health professional" advise me to let my DD cry it out, adding that even if she was physically sick, that was normal and I shouldn't give in! o_O Orly?! Imo, that train of thought is only one step away from locking them in the cupboard when they're naughty. Kie, as others have said, do what it takes. If a sling/ carrier is what it takes, then fantastic - do it. There's no automatic or guaranteed habit-forming - some will, some won't. One of my friend's had to carry her son in a carrier for most of the first 6 months of his life during the day, but he's not clingy, not needy and can most definitely fall asleep on his own! Looking at last night's sleep, what happened in the 3h30 between 10h and when she fell asleep next? I would imagine 30mins to 1h for feeding/ burping, but I used to be able to do it in about 15-20 minutes (efficient feeders rock!) and you have said your baby doesn't feed for long either. It sounds like she's skipping a whole sleep cycle, in which case she must be coming out of it, playing/ being active for a bit and then going back to sleep at the start of the next one.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 16 July 2011 - 22:48
...what about a Phil and Ted's Smart? Well, virtually anything Phil&Teds produces has my vote, but it's hardly cheap - £139 is the best price the Intarwebz has to offer and even Kiddicare has it at £174!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 16 July 2011 - 22:41
unfortunatel for me lauren is not avaialble when i am in dxb. :( Of course I can see one of the other osteopaths. Tell me, I am assuming treatment is a lot of touching, yes? And if its cranial stuff, then I guess will have to remove headscarf also?? Yes - it's the same level of handling as a full body massage really. They will give you a robe to change into and have you covered with towels though. If you wear loose-fitting clothes, they may be able to treat you fully clothed. If you're uncomfortable with seeing a man (although they are very professional - same as a Dr really), there's Aziza and Heidi too. With pure cranial they will concentrate on your head and neck (this is what they do for children) and essentially hold your head whilst they do their thing. It's very strange really, but when I've had it done, I've felt tingling appear and disappear in my toes, for example, then it moves on to somewhere else - and all they're doing is holding my head!
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Latest post on 16 July 2011 - 19:09
I once borrowed a Zapp and it was quite nippy but had the slight disadvantage of tipping over as soon as you put a carrier bag on the handles... and it has no storage! I got a Koochi from Argos - £70, I think at the time, so they may do a cheaper one now. If you get their catalogue, it'll tell you the handlebar height and every other detail for each buggy in handy table format. Tell you what - pg 1562-63 in the current Argos catalogue. One at £49.99 at 105.3cm handlebar height (Mamu Jump) or the current Koochi is at £99.99, but includes stroller carry bag (two thumbs up?!) and change bag... and has a handlebar height of 108cm! Winnar! <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 16/07/2011</em>
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 16 July 2011 - 12:39
I love gas hob and fan-assisted electric oven, but have neither here! Our apartment came with a rather good electric hob (is it hallogen?) - all pretty immediate heat and most importantly immediate cool-down. The old electric cooker we had in Uni Halls would only do anything if you whammed it on full power and once the stuff started burning, the only way to stop it was to take the pot off the stove! I might actually consider electric for my next "real" kitchen (one that I get to design and kit out). But for an oven, definitely get fan-assisted electric... nice even, predictable heat.
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Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 19:24
I think also that when it comes to one-on-one teaching, there needs to be "chemistry" so to speak - the teacher needs to be able to engage with and adapt to the child (as well as knowing his/her subject!) and the child needs to feel inspired and enthused. Some people bond, others don't - I'm sure that it's not that she doesn't enjoy playing music, it's just possibly that that particular teacher isn't the best choice for your daughter (but is probably absolutely fitted for A N Other's child).
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Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 19:18
Lauren seems to be getting good reveiws Anyone remembers what her charges are like? If I remember rightly, it's 350 for the first session and 300 for the subsequent, although you may be lucky and your insurance may cover osteopathic treatment if your GP refers you.
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Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 16:07
First and foremost, if you are breastfeeding, please don't go cutting swathes out of your diet! You should be having a balanced diet (including fat) and eating at least 1600-1800 calories a day. 6 weeks post-partum is really early to be worried about weight - 9 months on, 9 months off and all that. However, if you really can't stop eating, simply don't buy any unhealthy snacks - try dried fruit, nuts, rice-cakes, chopped veg instead... and lots of water. Apparently, so many people in developed countries are so chronically dehydrated that their bodies have forgotten how to read thirst cues, and instead interpret them as hunger cues!
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Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 15:57
sit in on a couple of the lessons and just watch the dynamic... then decide. It has to be fun.
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Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 15:56
I love Lauren from the Osteopathic Health Centre, but have heard good reviews of all of them. Some "do" cranial more than others - Lauren, Heidi, Mark and another chap whose name I always forget do.
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Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 11:52
there was even one in the English Channel yesterday morning!
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Latest post on 14 July 2011 - 22:37
before going down the colic route, really try and see if it is just overtiredness. The first 6 weeks with DS were horrid... hellish and dark, tbh. I did exactly the same with him as I had with DD - kept him down with me in the lounge of an evening so that I could feed him as often as I liked. Of course, I watched telly, had the lights on and just normal things. He screamed to the point of hyperventilating every single evening from 19h30 until 1h or 3h in the morning. I would try and feed him, burp him, give him Infacol, cuddle him, rock him, try feeding him again, burp him, walk up and down singing to him... walk out of the room for 5 minutes to calm down... nothing stopped it. I ended up being able to fall asleep with him screaming in my ear - I was that drained. Anyhow, one evening I had put him in his cot while I bathed DD. The curtains were drawn and by the time I'd finished putting her to bed, it was 19h and the room was dark. DS was fast asleep, so I left him there. He woke up at 23h for a feed, and went straight back to sleep. I did exactly the same thing with him the next day and it was the same story... we've never looked back. In fact, he's always (since) been easier to put to bed than DD!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 14 July 2011 - 22:28
seriously though, don't go poking suspected festering wounds... it's just rank.
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Latest post on 14 July 2011 - 22:25
I just want to express my sadness and frustration. My seven-week old baby does not sleep enough at day time and in the evening it is almost 1 or 2 or 3 when she gets settled and sleep. My baby cant sleep on her own yet. Im breastfeeding her and unfortunately she only latch for 5 - 10 mins. I am crying as I am writing this post. It is just really heartbreaking for me to see my baby so sleepy but can get to sleep. Aww, hun! First and foremost, just because she only latches for 5-10 minutes doesn't mean to say that you're doing anything wrong or that there's anything to worry about - if she's still putting on weight and is otherwise happy, then you're doing just fine. Neither of my two would feed for more than 10-15 minutes and they both hugged the 91st centile like troopers! Secondly, regarding the sleep, take it right back to basics. 7 weeks is still young for sleep training, but there are little things you can try and crack. One of the most important is to learn to recognise her sleep cues - she may grizzle, rub her eyes or ears, yawn, blink that little bit longer than usual... anything - and put her down for a nap as soon as you see one. With my son, if I put him down as soon as he yawned, he would be asleep within minutes... if I missed the slot, well, I missed it! Don't wake her for feeding or because you may think she's had enough sleep - rested babies sleep better and overtired babies (as you're experiencing) don't. Think about your bedtime routine with her. If you haven't got one, start it. Bath, book, boob and bed (copyrighted!), same order, same time, every night. I don't know when she wakes in the morning, or when you start trying to put her to bed at night, but a good rule of thumb seems to be around 12h after they've got up for the day. If she fusses or wakes during the night, keep everything in night-time mode - keep the lights dimmed, noise and interaction to a minimum and certainly no more playing. In amongst all this, look after yourself. Talk to your husband whenever you feel the need and if he's a bit reluctant to either listen or to help you, gently remind him that it took two to tango and so two will get through this! Good luck. Getting to know your baby can be tricky and frustrating - we forget that even though we gave birth to them, we really don't know them as a person, we have to wait for them to let us know what makes them tick! Whatever happened to the happy skipping through pink candyfloss type scenario?! Gar - motherhood would be so much easier without having babies around!
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Latest post on 14 July 2011 - 21:49
You're certainly not a bad mum, so really don't beat yourself up about that! Weaning is a big thing - it's the point at which we launch our children into the wonderful world of feeding themselves, instead of us being 100% in control! In essence, it's probably their (and our) first step into their own independence. Anyhow, the only other thing I can suggest is just to persevere. He's not wasting away so there's no great urgency... so focus on just the exploration (which is what BLW is all about really). Try really hard not to cut down on variety, as in only serving up what you know he likes... if anything, try more things, more textures, more spices... even things that you wouldn't necessarily think he'd eat (my two love smoked salmon... and olives, which is something I only started to like when I was in my 20s!). Shaf has been watching Supernanny too, after her advice of not watching them eat (how off-putting would you find that as an adult if a guest at your table just stared at you while your chewed!), but instead concentrating on the social side of mealtimes. Gagging is scary, but it is a reflex, and a very helpful one, at that! Your son isn't old enough to do "statement gagging" (like pretending to be sick when actually, you just don't particularly like something)... so it's either that he's just eaten a bit more than he can chew or that he's having a bit of difficulty with chunks. Did you start him on purées or is this literally the first time he's had solid food? How is he with things like yogurt or porridge? I'm not saying to drop BLW, but it may be worth considering adapting it to suit you and your son.
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Latest post on 14 July 2011 - 17:01
Do you sit with him and eat your food at the same time? That in itself is the biggest encouragement to actually try new things, plus it adds social skills. Even at 1 year old, I'm afraid you just have to be ready for mess, so do make sure you're not jittery or constantly cleaning up around him, urging him to be clean/ eat nicely/ etc... that's a fast route to freaking him out! It's true that they go through phases, but the trick is apparently to consider what they're eating over the course of a week, rather than making sure they tick all the nutrition boxes every day. Also make sure that you're not over-compensating with milk - even now, if I'd let her, DD would drink so much milk, she wouldn't have room for any proper meals. Make sure what you are giving him is high on nutritional value (so bread, crackers, etc.. in moderation) and healthy. He may find it easier with 5 smaller meals a day, rather than 3 big ones. They're all things to try, but if there's one thing Supernanny has taught me with regards to kids and food, it's often the parents who are key to both the problem and the solution!
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Latest post on 14 July 2011 - 11:34
Thanks for posting an update! I'm glad your new approach paid off. Well done you! You're learning on the job, like we all do. ;) I know, I got caught up in the rush of life with a baby, and forgot to breath! They grow up so quickly that you forget how vulnerable they are. I would hate to go to a party on my own, with no one I knew! Thank you ladies for making me look at the situation differently:) edited by TwoKids on 14/07/2011 Well done - it's so easy to do... especially when you have a pre-schooler who appears independent - so easy to forget that they are only 3 and not 13!
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 18:28
ach, I can only offer my sympathies really - I think that "active but not yet concentrating" stage is by far the worst! Snacks, bribes, telly... they're the only options really. I remember when DD was a teensy bit older than that, we actually bought another seat so that she would be off my lap (although still had to hold her during take-off/landing). Also, if you were to buy another seat, don't go for the bassinette space, because in the ones further back, kiddo can start watching telly as soon as they're seated, whereas in the bulkhead seats, the screen has to be stowed until the plane's in the air. Good luck! It's only a day! :\:
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 18:19
So just because i didn't know the timescale for breastfeeding a kid my opinions are not valid? did you know everything there is to know about kids and babies before you had any? i bet you didn't, does that mean all your opinions before you had kids were not valid? Read my previous post. I had very strong opinions on motherhood before becoming a mum... and it turned out very few were valid. In fact, I knew very, very little! The thing about having kids is that, well, you have a child - another human being... who isn't you, doesn't abide by the rules you may have concocted before it was born and certainly doesn't care much about your theories. If you don't learn to adapt and reassess yourself, you will only end up unhappy. <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 13/07/2011</em>
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 18:13
And just because i am not a mum yet doesn't mean that i should not have an opinion on the subject or be thinking about what sort of mum i want to be!!! No, indeed not! Most of what the mums here are (and certainly I am) suggesting is that what we thought motherhood would be like and what the reality of motherhood actually is are two [b'>very[/b'> different things! I was one of the ones who would tut at screaming kids in shopping malls thinking that their parents were not doing their job properly... and then along came my most beloved DD, who started her spectacular tantrums at 13 months old and only stopped at 3.5years old... and of course, I came to realise that even with the best will in the world, I couldn't stop them. Now I give a sympathetic smile to the frazzled mum. So, basically, by all means have your opinions, but be prepared to have them blown out of the water by your own offspring!
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 18:06
It is frustrating to deal with these people because we are not on the same page and they look at me like I had sprouted two heads! I haven't really noticed the correlation between the leak and the mold. The leak isn't frequent, but my humidity can yo-yo from day to day. I have thought of opening up the door to ventilate the clothes on a daily basis. But I am hesitant because I had seen the mold in the vent duct before, and I am just paranoid because it's almost like inviting the mold spores and the yucky dust to sit on my clothes unobstructed. The dehumidifier is literally sitting right in front of my closed closet doors and every time I clean the filter I feel so gross. I still keep the dry boxes inside on the top and bottom shelves too and have to replace them but not as often as before since I have got the machine on. I know...it's a lost cause! :( Thanks again H.A.K.! Get your A/C vents cleaned (by a proper company)... that's start. They will also clean the intakes, the filters and all the rest. Not being funny, but if the problem's in the A/C, mouldy clothes could be the least of your problems! Legionella's anyone?! This maintenance should be carried out every 6 months. Once that's done, you need to deal with the symptoms as close to the problem as possible. Once a month, clear out your wardrobe and clean it, then have the fan on and the dehumidifier with the doors open - the more light and fresh air you get in there, the better. There's not much point in just putting the dehumidifier outside the closed doors if you want to solve the issue that's going on inside. I hope this helps! Sorry if it sounds like a bit of a boot-camp plan, but you do need to be really thorough about it. My house in the UK had quite a severe damp problem and I managed to crack that!
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 17:57
I though you stopped breastfeeding at about 6 months? i'm thinking at 2 they have teeth.ouch.ouch.ouch LOL And that exactly shows why your opinions has been invalidated :D Hehe - indeed! Rumour, whilst I actually kind of agree with you, the biggest lesson you will learn when you do become a mum is that things don't always turn out the way you thought they would and that everyone is different and perfectly entitled to decide for themselves what is best for [i'>them[/i'>. Oh, and teeth don't hurt whilst breastfeeding - kiddo has his/her tongue over their bottom teeth and the top teeth don't get in the way.
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 17:19
There is some water leakage at the corner by that wall, this happens at least once a year. They blame it on the floor above and they can't tell what's causing it. They told me it's dry now *shrug shrug* :( I will call them immediately the next time it's wet. As far as they are concerned, everything is in perfect order when they stick their heads up above the ceiling into the vent. Hmm, just because it's not dripping with water doesn't mean to say it's not damp inside still. What numpties! This is the problem with apartments - someone else's problem can quickly become yours too. I wouldn't be surprised if the flat above has an issue and this is gradually seeping down the wall. Hollow-sounding tiles is a sign that the plaster underneath them has blown/decayed due to damp, but if they're laid direct on to the concrete, the damp may have decided to go for the easier option of seeping out to the cupboard side. Have you noticed any correlation between this leak and the mould (even if it's a few months afterwards? It's academic really, because they won't be able to fix it (because they don't have the will to). In the meantime, I would regularly take all your clothes out of the wardrobe and ventilate it (open the doors and have a fan blowing inside), as well as having your dehumidifier in there. It's also be a good excuse to air all your clothes. It's great that you've got such great ventilation in your bathroom - all the flats I've lived in have had poor excuses! <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 13/07/2011</em>
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 17:09
of course, it is actually possible to give birth to a breech baby naturally... although not a transverse one. Good luck - time will tell, and as the others have said, the main thing is to end up with a healthy and happy mum and bubs!
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 16:39
I've got a stick blender that I used to use, but my two got bored of purées quite quickly. I also got a stash of couscous and those teensy pasta bits that you put in soups... both are perfect for the transition to lumpier stuff and bulking the food out a bit. I never did huge batches, but would put them in ice-cube trays and then decant into marked sandwich bags. Then I could easily concoct a delicious spinach+potato+broccoli meal in a blink! Hmmmmm... deeeeelicious! I would also cook a little bit more for DH and I and then portion the left-overs up into baby/todder sizes meals. Cook without salt, of course!
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Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 16:19
what's happening on the other side of the wall? Any loose tiles in the bathroom (knock them with your knuckle and listen to hear if they sound a bit hollow compared to the others)? Any mould on that side too? Any traces of water having trickled from any of the pipes/ hoses or fixings? Look at ceiling level too - any watermarks there? Any signs of hasty repainting?! In any case, it will be something happening with the wall, locating any obvious places will help find the problem. In short, that level of damp doesn't just happen. You need to tackle the source and quite often, the key (once you've stopped the water) is to VENTILATE. Mouldy bathrooms often get that way because they are not sufficiently ventilated. In the UK, building regulations state that all bathrooms should be ventilated to the exterior (so either with an openable window or a powered extractor)... of course, here, they just shove in the A/C intake and hope that that will do the business... er... nope! If you are renting, I think you will have a job convincing the LL to carry out the investigatory work... strictly speaking, they may need to rip out the cupboards too, because they are almost certainly made of chipboard which acts like a sponge and the mould spores will be everywhere. Again, if you are renting, I'd just quietly move on once your rental contract is up. If you are the owner, then, I would pay someone who knows their stuff to carry out the work and advise you on the course of action (although damp surely isn't a great problem in the desert! lol). I hope this helps! <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 13/07/2011</em>
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Latest post on 12 July 2011 - 01:34
sorry to hijack this thread but perhaps one of the experienced mommies on here can help me and my current predicament... HELP! What worked for us, after DD declared that she wasn't every going to wear nappies again (but couldn't hold her bladder all night) was to pick her up, still virtually asleep at about 23h, and pop her on the loo, with a quick whisper of encouragement to do a nice big wee. She invariably would and would remain dry until morning. Just when I was starting to think that I was still doing all the hard work, she started self-toiletting and one morning, she had got up during the night and gone all by herself. We stopped "potting" her and she's been dry ever since... still gets up when she needs to, but never bothers me... apart from this week because we're in the UK and she doesn't know the bathroom layout off by heart. Got stuck behind her bedroom door, bless her, and puddled!
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Latest post on 11 July 2011 - 12:00
if it's any consolation (hardly!) I found that the number of wees per day just seems to decrease as they learn how to control their bladder. DD was doing 12+ per day to start off with and now does maybe 3-4. If you think about it, there's a huge amount for them to learn and our expectations are for them to do so in a very short space of time. We don't expect them to go from lying to walking in a week, nor babbling to being able to speak in sentences, or indeed "weaning in a week"... so why should we assume they can grasp "appropriate behaviour", learn their own body's triggers, control their bladders, take control and inform us of something and then rush to the "appropriate place" and learn (and carry out) a sequence of hygienic procedures in record time? There are also those who will say that their children were potty trained at 9 months or something, but again, that is about expectations. An infant simply cannot be potty trained (as in autonomously self-toileting) because they can't control their body, can't ask, can't get to the appropriate place on their own and well, basically can't. It's the mum doing all the work... Sure, the child will probably produce if popped on a potty, but that's more down to coincidence and the mum knowing the child like clockwork than anything else. Anyhow, I can safely say that potty training DD was the hardest thing about parenting to date. I'm hoping DS is like my friend's son!
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Latest post on 11 July 2011 - 10:30
A word to the wise - any book that claims they can toilet train in a week actually takes the definition of potty trained as "knows what a potty is, knows what to do on it and does so more than 50% of the time", so congratulations, you have a potty trained child! ;) Back in the real world though, we all expect potty-trained as having no accidents at all and kiddo being able to tell you well in advance that s/he needs to go... and then preferably being able to do the whole business him/ herself. How long [i'>that [/i'>takes will depend on your child... entirely on your child. I have friends who had no intention of starting and yet their son turned round one day and informed them he wasn't going to wear nappies any more and had just gone to the loo by himself... they had a grand total of 1 accident! My DD, on the other hand, took 16 months, although "by the book" she would have been trained within the first week too! lol. 16 long months and all the tricks I could think of. None of them were effective really (the best was trying to bribe her with chocolate AND reverse psychology - "one chocolate for you if you do on the loo, but 2 for mummy if you have an accident" - cue accident and a broad smile from DD saying "2 chocolates for you Mummy!"). In the end, I don't know what it was, but suspect that she needed to get to a certain age and physical development to be able to control it all. She knew the theory, but just needed to put it in practice! Don't stress, don't compare. It's not a reflection of your parenting, nor of your child's intelligence. They all get there in the end.
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Latest post on 10 July 2011 - 14:51
Whatever you buy make sure you can easily fold it down lift it and put it back together , the nice sales assistant is not going to be there when you are loading and unloading your pram in 50 degree heat :) Absolutely! Back in the UK (and for my first year in Dubai), I had an iCandy with all the trimmings, which was a lovely stroller, BUT it required a very strange knack to collapse it - you had to press the button and slam the handle down with a bit of a jump to actually get it to go down. BUT I didn't need to collapse it because it was my walking buggy and I had an umbrella one in the boot of the car. Fast forward to when I needed a double, the iCandy magically transformed into a double, but in the show-room I didn't test it fully loaded and instead just swizzed it round on the carpet... lovely. Apart from when you're trying to manoeuvre round aisles in a shop, it handled like a container ship, so I had to get rid. I replaced it with my most beloved P&T - you can get an adaptor to fit a maxi-cosi too, and I think you can get a carry cot along with a whole load of other really useful additions. Brilliant buggy, can turn on the spot one-handed even with 30kg of assorted children in it, collapses in one easy move and can be folded into its flight-bag in 2 minutes. The only downside (apart from it not being able to make your tea) is that the children can't face you (unless you have your newborn in the car-seat, which does, or indeed the carrycot). In comparison to my P&T, the little umbrella stroller has got square wheels! Oh, and the thing about car-seats is that they aren't fantastic when people leave their babies in them on a regular basis to sleep. The Maxi-cosi certainly has a sort of rocking feature and if you flip the handle right back, it secures the seat in a sort of, well, anchored seat position. A long car journey in an infant capsule isn't going to maim your child, nor is spending a couple of hours a day in it.
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Latest post on 10 July 2011 - 10:33
should come under insurance. Call the police to make a file.
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Latest post on 10 July 2011 - 10:15
I've seen a lot of people just hand over the dummy when the child cries without questioning what the child actually wanted. If you're careful then not to see/ use the dummy as a cure-all, then I'm sure you won't have much of a problem when it'd no longer needed. I disagree, my 11 months son has only EVER had the dummy as a sleep cue, after bed, bath, boob, cuddle and he is totally hooked on it and will not fall asleep without it in his mouth, when tired he has even been known to spit out the boob and pick up his dummy so he can go to sleep. I def don't think I've used it as a "cure all" but he shows no signs of growing out of it by himself so I would caution you be careful, maybe give it for a few minutes before bed but not in bed. Although I guess sucky babies who don't have thumbs or dummies end up being the ones hooked on nursing to sleep. I've just seen a good few parents plug in a dummy when the child starts making noises, almost without thinking. Not all - obviously! I know that if I give my son his favourite (and very sucked) toy, he is instantly quiet and content (which is always nice)... and have had to resist doing so as soon as he cries, knowing that he's probably not crying because he's tired and that he's certainly not crying for the toy. I think it's easy to fall into that trap, because having a quietly content baby is always nicer than listening to crying, but on the flip-side, the crying might be expressing "I'm hungry" or "I'm bored"... which are then messages that you could miss. ... and it also depends on the child of course.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 10 July 2011 - 02:16
My son has always been sucky - and still is (he's 2). He spat out the dummy I halfheartedly tried giving him (don't really like them, eldest never had one but I realised that they were just a means to an end) but instead decided he liked sucking the arm of a cuddly toy (we since bought another 3 to have a turn-around in the wash!). He still does and I'm under no illusion that it's basically the skankiest dummy in the world, but hey. My daughter went through stages of sucking, chewing or pulling at her own favourite toy, but grew out of them all on her own. I also think that often the problems associated with dummy-dependency lie first and foremost with the parents/ carers. It's a very easy (and effective) crutch and I've seen a lot of people just hand over the dummy when the child cries without questioning what the child actually wanted. If you're careful then not to see/ use the dummy as a cure-all, then I'm sure you won't have much of a problem when it'd no longer needed.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 10 July 2011 - 02:06
Obviously we love her and do not want her to hurt (she hits her head rather gently - clever little monkey ;)), but we do not want to give her attention when she hits herself. Supernanny had this come up in the episode just aired, where a girl was plucking here eyelashes out - to get attention - and Jo basically said to completely ignore it. With voluntary head-banging, the children just won't hurt themselves, unless it's by complete accident, but you must try and ignore it. You might want to try just going in a few minutes after the bang, so that she still gets the reassurance, but without the association with the actual bang. They're such pickles when they want to be. You'll find a way!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 09 July 2011 - 18:08
To help break it down, think about what your need your stroller to do. Do you like walking? Do you go to the park a lot? Do you just need something light to trundle around malls? Do you think you'd find a buggy that can hold a car-seat useful? Would you be thinking of having another baby sometime in the next couple of years (and therefore have 2 children in a buggy)? What is your budget like? Everyone has their favourite buggy and have their own criteria... but no buggy is absolutely perfect. The "umbrella" buggies are good, light, cheap little run-arounds, but hard work on anything but flat pavements. They often don't have much storage for shopping. The bigger buggies do more, but are more expensive and heavier. They all offer different features and there's something out there for everyone really. When you go buggy shopping, take a couple of bags of shopping with you. Put the heaviest one where the baby will go and the other one in the storage - then test-drive it! Travel systems (the ones that can safely hold a car-seat) are useful too (I found), because if you're often out and about, you can just take sleeping bubs in the car-seat from the car and clip into the buggy without disturbing them. Check which infant capsule is compatible with the buggy you have your eyes on and take it from there. It's important for a baby to be able to lie flat in the buggy until about 4-6 months old. Some buggies have a carry-cot option, others just have a reclining seat... some aren't suitable from birth.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 09 July 2011 - 17:55
That's a thought - why do people call themselves "homeowners" when they have mortgages? Until the mortgage is fully paid off, the property belongs to the bank, not to you. All the more questionable because I remember reading that "freehold" here in Dubai is in fact a 99 year leasehold - so you never actually own the land the property is on (the land remains firmly in Dubai's ownership)... hence why you also often have to pay maintenance to the development just like in a block of flats) and why you don't have total freedom over changes you may want to make to the property (like demolish it and build something original).
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 08 July 2011 - 18:39
isn't the Sit'n'Stroll meant to be forward facing? If so, that's how it's been designed and so please don't try to do your own thing (I'm a bit concerned about the "rolled up towel" thing as it is - I'm pretty sure that wasn't an element to their safety testing!)... Car seats are tested very rigorously under the conditions for which they are designed, including the installation instructions. On the other hand, when I used my maxi-cosi capsule, the only way I could get it tight with the seat-belt fixing (in our own car we had the isofix base) was to push it up to tighten the seat-belt and then tug sharply on the belt to lock it, which would give just enough for the seat to sit back in the proper position, but with the belt tight and locked. It would still move laterally by a few cm, but I put that down to the slightly rounded base and flat car upholstery!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 08 July 2011 - 02:00
Also, is it an asset? Indeed... it's only worth what someone's willing to pay for it. The stark reality of Dubai is that once the current construction projects are finished, that industry will be pretty much on hold until (or "if") demand and supply balance out. There's already a surplus of property and what, 18,000 new units appearing on the market by the end of the year? Construction-related professionals won't be hanging around, so demand will partially decline, whilst yet more projects are being completed. Dubai and sustainable growth have never been introduced to eachother! Of course estate agents are going to be optimistic - they want to sell and remember the boom time that was never going to end. You just need to look around - there are so many empty properties with absentee LLs and such a huge churn of transient people. Empty properties aren't healthy - they bring down an area.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 07 July 2011 - 10:42
I'm another who would never buy here with any kind of personal risk (as in if I could pay cash, I maybe... no, actually, I'd invest it elsewhere!). The build quality varies from unreliable to shocking, but basically, you just can't trust it. The second thing is that if you buy a villa in a development, even if you are told you're buying "Freehold", you are still subject to the whims of the [often government-owned'> developer, so if they come up with a cunning plan, you have no recourse (look at the chaps in the Springs who bought villas in a leafy suburb and now find themselves backing onto a dual carriage-way!). "Freehold"here is a 99 year lease... not that the property would last 99 years. These two points raises the question of what happens when the property and/or development gets into a state of disrepair. Who is going to pay? Are you going to be tied to keeping all aspects of your villa as per the original design? At what point would the development company deem that it's too costly to maintain the scheme and how would they action a remedy? The big developments in DUbai (both villa and apartment) are hugely costly already to maintain, so you're not just buying a property with a mortgage, but also signing up to pay a sizable service charge. Lastly, yes, the laws...
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 07 July 2011 - 02:37
My daughter goes to another Raffles nursery and they only really do 5 days a week (8h-14h) - but it's worked really well for her. They do also have priority placement on their school's waiting list, but only one of them, so you have have to choose if you want the priority place on the South campus, West Campus or DIA - but your child needs to be attending the nursery in the last term before s/he's due to start school. All in all, I'm very happy with DD's nursery, but of course every "branch" is partly shaped by their vice-principal, so can have a slightly different feel. Go with your gut instinct on it - if it feels right for you and your child, then it quite probably is.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 07 July 2011 - 02:30
My only bit of advice is to discover all this for yourself when you touch down. Everyone has their own favourite places to live, based on their often different expectations/ circumstances/ background. I (and lots of other people) live in the Marina and love it... others will say they hate it, but love the Springs (say), but I think it's like something out of the Truman Show... but just because something is or isn't my cup of tea doesn't mean to say that it isn't yours... you just need to see it to decide for yourself. When I first arrived, I was adamant I only wanted to live in a villa, but after seeing what the choice we had was, we ended up living 35 stories up!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 07 July 2011 - 00:39
don't forget also that any scan is basically down to human interpretation and they measure the baby by eye off a screen... and sometimes bubs is in the process of jiggling about. Scans aren't 100% accurate, even when the baby is near term (how many people have I heard having been told to expect a big baby from the scans and giving birth to a healthy baby 2lb lighter than what the Dr said!)... so when you're 4/6/8 weeks, every millimetre counts! But, you also have to allow for every eventuality. From personal experience, don't set any hopes before 12 weeks. What will happen will happen, regardless of how many scans you may have. Relax, enjoy the fuzzy feeling of being early-days pregnant and don't analyse too much!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 07 July 2011 - 00:27
hehe - I'm sure you can tell that I've been there so many times over with my own nearly-4-year-old daughter! In short, yes, a tougher stance on dangerous things, but also respect her growing understanding of the world and growing independence but explaining things to her - clearly and concisely - so that she knows why she must not do them. I do occasionally play on this a bit too - "do you think Big Girls do this?" - and big up the consequences sometimes too (DD slipped and cracked her head open, resulting in 2 stitches, which she remembers very well - it's what I call "incentive"!). I found having a newborn quite handy in being able to reinforce what Big Girls do as opposed to Babies - "babies spill water on the floor because they can't hold a cup properly, but Big Girls can hold cups properly, can't they?" Also, if she does love water that much, maybe look to having a controlled opportunity for her to have water play in a safe environment - maybe a water table on the balcony/ outside or a tray on your kitchen counter with shapes and things. It's always about balance. If it's something really potentially dangerous, then treat it as if she were about to run into the road or if she was playing around with boiling water - short, sharp stop, then a graphic explanation of the consequences and agreement that it's "not a good thing"... then an apology on her part if appropriate. As for the loo, I'm guessing that your DD doesn't like being wet, but since she is in control of her own bladder, then I think you need to show (and tell her) that you trust her to go when she needs to. I also like to get DD to go before we leave the house, but sometimes she will just say she doesn't need to go, at which point I reply "ok, but we're going in the car for a long time and there are no toilets, so are you sure you can't squeeze a tiny wee out now?" Sometimes she'll tell me she really doesn't need to (and she'll be fine) and other times she'll smile coyly and go to the loo... Such is the way of a determined young lady!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 06 July 2011 - 11:55
the arrival of a sibling tends to affect the firstborn who often seeks attention in varying ways... so you're right there. For me, the big decider on what to let slide or not is "is it dangerous" and "how much does it affect others". I would say that having spilt water on the floor, with a newborn is potentially dangerous, so that is why it needs to stop. Water is fun, no doubt about it, but there's a time and place for everything. Your Dd is old enough to grasp why some things need to happen and why some things shouldn't, so just explain to her why she mustn't. Tell her that it's dangerous and that if she slips or you slip, then you will hurt. Remind her of an incident where she fell over or slipped and cried (preferably lots!) to reinforce the cause-consequence thing. If she does it, then discipline and reinforce... and then get her to clean it up. As for the potty - is she now old enough to decide for herself when to go to the toilet? Does she self-toilet? If so, then just give her that little bit of independence and let her take herself when she needs to (just make sure she washes her hands afterwards!). It's no great shakes if she doesn't go to the loo on demand, but rather better if she follows her own cues (which is what she'll be doing for the rest of her life). My DD is fiercely independent and often refuses to go when prompted, so I've stopped because a/ it doesn't really matter b/ I know she'll tell me when she needs to go and c/ there's be a very pointless long fight if I forced her, almost certainly ending in her still not going, but blood pressures raised all round!
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 06 July 2011 - 11:23
As I said, MANY people don't actually receive any benefit from such a system so they would rather be elsewhere. Normal middle class people are always the ones who lose out! I disagree - just because we're not being given giros doesn't mean to say that we don't benefit from our taxes. The great shame is that it also depends where you are in the UK - I happen to live in an area with an excellent Health Authority (free), great schools (free), a pretty dynamic council that has, over the last few years, noticeably ploughed money into regenerating areas of the town (including spending a lot of money on a fully-inclusive playground)... and the list goes on. Yes, i pay what I consider a huge amount of Council Tax, but I still feel I get value for money for it. Were I elderly, I would be able to have my house insulated for free and would be given money towards heating bills. They also get to travel on public transport completely free, which judging by my in-laws and the fact that when I get on a bus here, I seem to be the only fare-paying passenger, seems to be a huge success! As for students, the fees being charged are still subsidised. Talk to international students, who have to pay the full fees! I'm not saying that everything's perfect and rosy, but when I look at how much I pay (in taxes) and what I get here and then what I pay (directly out of my pocket) and what I get in Dubai, the UK does actually have an edge... that's in terms of core services, not 5* buffets! ;)
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 06 July 2011 - 02:24
Ironically, I was going to make a thread about ameobic dysentery, but didn't get around to it. Have been so furious that one of the kids in the class was diagnosed with this some time ago, but the mother decided to keep it quiet. Consequently 2 other children in the class have since been diagnosed, one of which was on and off school for 6 weeks and went undiagnosed until recently. Was so annoyed the mother didn't bring it to our attention so measures to make sure the kids followed super rigorous hand washing etc could be put in place. In fairness, I had no idea DD had it until we took her to A&E for a really high fever that we thought was associated with a cold... they then did a random test for it (not quite sure why - DH went with her while I was at home with DS) which showed her to have it. The strange thing is, I can't actually place a change in her, apart from when we first set foot in Dubai, when she was only a year old and she had a really nasty tummy bug. I remember saying to my health visitor that her bowels hadn't really recovered and she told me that children often get a temporary lactose intolerance after a bad tummy upset, so I didn't think much more of it... and certainly didn't think she had picked up some nasty parasites! Still, there is no excuse for not dealing with it as soon as you find out - for DD it was a course of medicine for 7 days, another test and she was all clear.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 05 July 2011 - 22:29
I've had gastroenteritis twice here and I can tell you its not nice, people can die from it. I thought i was dying. My Dr told me that it's a big problem in Dubai and basically its because the bacteria in **** gets transferred to food when people don't wash their hands, you then swallow it and boom boom your really ill. DD was diagnosed with Amoebic Dysentery last year, which we were told is really common here too... the paed who saw her had had a 7 month old come in with it... again, passed through stools and water carrying the cysts... by people who essentially don't wash their hands before preparing food. The worst foodstuffs are ironically the healthiest - salads and fruit that don't get cooked. It's a really nasty parasite that can lead to liver failure and death, but fortunately can be easily treated when diagnosed.
Hello.Again.Kitty
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Latest post on 05 July 2011 - 21:43
I don't buy into the "we warned them because we wanted them to exceed our expectations" line... standards are standards and should be set high enough to be "excellent", not to allow a wide range of interpretations and variability. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest, but the scale of it does. I know a pretty decent supermarket that has in the past bought meat products from a different supermarket, repackaged them as their own with the production date as the date of repackaging. Another I know to have added food colouring to make the beef appear fresh-red (they stayed the same raw colour when really well cooked!)...
 
 
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