MSE Parents Club Part 16

Becles

weezl74 wrote: »

Hi, Posted on facebook too, but not everyone reads there:

I've been reading about Martin's keenness to lobby government to make financial education mandatory. http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/banking/2010/03/making-money-can-be-childs-play the question I have for you all as parents is: do you think good financial education is the responsibility of the schools? How much responsibility do the parents have? Also if you feel you are responsible, what strategies and ideas do you have for teaching your children about money?

In an ideal world it should be the parents responsibility to teach their children how to budget and run a household. However I read this yesterday:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12216967
which suggests that as some parents can't teach their own children basic social and moral values, then expecting those parents to teach financial responsibility is a no go!

Charlotte is starting to be aware of prices in supermarkets. We shop in Tesco who use yellow shelf edge labels and barkers to highlight promotions, so she looks for "yellow stickers" for me and asks if we need whatever is on offer.

With the boys and I'll do this with Charlotte when she's a little older, we always look at the cost per 100g/100mls etc., and work out which brand and size is the best value. Sometimes we make choices based on likes - I'll always buy Kenco Really Rich coffee as that is my favourite, even if other brands are cheaper. On other things where the brands and own brand stuff is very similar, I get whatever is cheapest.

When the boys pestered for Dairylea Lunchables as "everyone else was having them", we worked out the cost of buying our own cheese, ham and crackers compared with the cost of the Lunchable packs which was cheaper. Then I added in that we were buying nice cheddar instead of plastic cheese etc., so it was better for them. Then added in they can customise their own Lunchables by adding things like grapes or sliced apple, swap crackers for a bread roll, have different types of cheese etc.

Both the boys have seen my household budget and aware that I have to pay the mortgage, utility bills, water rates, council tax, various insurances etc. When they've mentioned buying a car, I've reminded them they also have to pay for tax, insurance and MOT, plus servicing costs and petrol, which has made them realise they need to budget ongoing costs as well as just buying the car.

ethelsmum

Morning all

Why did my daughter decide to be awake 2-3am this morning? I gave her a bottle as she wouldn't settle and she drained the full 8oz and then slept like an angel :A until I had to wake her up at 8am! She then fell back to sleep at 9am.

I hope it was a one off!

sir_monster

Totally agree Merfe re enjoying the time, when I'm feeding him now he comes off and starts 'chatting' to me so lovely I would not put him down then to do housework!! Also I only go to two groups but the mums are lovely and aimed at babies not toddlers running around.

T slept from going down at 9ish till 7:30 which is great and had a nap just before 9 so rushed around did the washing up, took stuff from downstairs up and upstairs down, put stuff in washing machine and quickly sweeped kitchen - this took about 40 mins. Will try to do a bit more during next nap but I'm going to group today so shall see . .

EM - could be a growth spurt??

CL

Hi all,

Can I join? I was a pregnancy thread addict and my baby girl is now 8 weeks old and I need some advice.

She is breastfed and I am having huge difficulty getting her to sleep in her cot or moses basket at night. She will only relax and sleep well in bed with us, and then neither of us sleep, because we are afraid of rolling on her. As DH has to get up early for work, he ends up sleeping in the spare bedroom.

I know people will ask why we started bringing her into our bed in the first place, but when she wouldn't settle in the cot, I was stroking her face, which seemed to settle her. As soon as I stopped, she would start to wimper, so no sleep for anyone. After a few hours of this, I lifted her into our bed and she slept longer than she ever had (in the moses basket we might have got her to go for 4 hours between feeds, with some wimpering/restlessness, in our bed she sleeps 6 or 7 hours solidly with no noise from her).

I'm so tired and trying to think of ways to get her to sleep in her cot, as sleeping with us is not going to work (and when would it end?) I hope someone here can give me some advice.

Thanks.

lilian1977

CL wrote: »

Hi all,

Can I join? I was a pregnancy thread addict and my baby girl is now 8 weeks old and I need some advice.

She is breastfed and I am having huge difficulty getting her to sleep in her cot or moses basket at night. She will only relax and sleep well in bed with us, and then neither of us sleep, because we are afraid of rolling on her. As DH has to get up early for work, he ends up sleeping in the spare bedroom.

I know people will ask why we started bringing her into our bed in the first place, but when she wouldn't settle in the cot, I was stroking her face, which seemed to settle her. As soon as I stopped, she would start to wimper, so no sleep for anyone. After a few hours of this, I lifted her into our bed and she slept longer than she ever had (in the moses basket we might have got her to go for 4 hours between feeds, with some wimpering/restlessness, in our bed she sleeps 6 or 7 hours solidly with no noise from her).

I'm so tired and trying to think of ways to get her to sleep in her cot, as sleeping with us is not going to work (and when would it end?) I hope someone here can give me some advice.

Thanks.

Hi CL, nice to see you here.

My boy is only 1 week old today but we've had some success the past few days by putting him in his moses for every nap. We're also going to bed at about 9pm and watching telly with him in the moses in the same room, with dim lights - then a last change and feed and straight back inbto the basket.

SugarSpun

Hello CL and congratulations

Lots of little ones feel a bit insecure in their cots or baskets because they can't see or smell their parents and seem to think that if they can't sense you nearby you've gone for ever. Try putting some of your worn clothing in the basket and maybe adding a rolled up towel under each side of the mattress to tip the sides in a bit and make it feel a bit more cosy.

If you want to continue co-sleeping there's a documentary about co-sleeping somewhere that showed video of a mother and child over the course of a night, even asleep we have a sense about where the child is and how not to squish them. If you and your partner are not obese, not smokers and haven't had a drink or any medication you should be well aware of the baby in the bed.

CL

Thanks Lilian and Sugar. Lilian, I remember that you called your bump Peanut, because we did too. Do you still call him Peanut now, because we forget ourselves and call our LO Peanut.

Sugar, I think she didn't like the snugness of the moses basket and in our bed has her arms spread above her head in a "surrender" like pose. I think it has to do with the fact that in our bed if she makes a noise I touch her and she goes instantly quiet. In the cot she will make a noise, then another and if I don't get out of bed and touch her face she will end up crying. I have pulled the cot up against my side of the bed and dropped the side so I can reach in and touch her, but I end up with my arm constantly in there and I can't sleep as it is uncomfortable. I will try to lie her on a pyjama top of mine tonight and see if it helps.

Metranil_Vavin

Hello everyone :wave:

I have been a frequenter of the TTC board, 12 weeks preg and pregnancy club and am now the proud mummy to Joshua Frederick Thomas who was born 4 days overdue last Friday 14th January.

I am very much finding my feet at the moment, and it is incredibly hard work..much more than I ever could have imagined. I've had a few tears and tantrums (me and Josh!), and breast feeding has been VERY tough..to the point where I have almost chucked in the towel several times, and we have been adding in the odd formula feed.

My milk seems to have come in a bit more now though, so am perservering and also expressing to keep the supply going.

My birth experience was pretty long (28 hours), and somewhat traumatic..ventouse delivery eventually, but worth it in the end.

Piccie below..I will try and post on here when I get the chance. Congrats to all the other ladies who have graduated over recently.

CL

Lilian. I hope your LO continues. Our LO slept really well for the first couple of weeks and when she was 9 days old she slept 9 hours overnight and the next night 7 hours. At about 3 weeks it evened out at 4 hours between feeds. This problem has just developed in the last 2 weeks.

Hi MV and congrats. Your little boy is beautiful. Here is a pic of my LO last week.

SugarSpun

Meep! My post disappeared!

What gorgeous pictures, both lovely alert looking little bundles. Well done, ladies!

Congratulations MV and well done If you feel a bit confused or stressed about the birth, or you're having trouble processing what happened, you're entitled to have someone go through your notes with you and explain what happened. Lots of people have found it very helpful. Or if you want to talk about it here go ahead.

CL I hope the pajama top helps with LO's sleeping.