MSE Newborn to 1 year (& beyond!) baby club 3

fran-o

Thanks Smlsave and sorry to hear about your friend. You've reminded me how serious it can be, in fact a member of extended family attempted suicide when struggling with two small kids. This was 30 years ago when mental health was more taboo than it is now (and even now it's hard to talk about).

We see each other once a week or so and I'll send some supportive texts in between! X

janninew

Hi ladies.

Fran, I suffer from PND and I'm medicated and am still seeing a counsellor which really helps. Its lovely that you want to help and the only advice I can give is let them talk if they want about how they feel and understand if they have a bad day and might be a bit 'off' though I'm sure you do that already.

Had a really scary experience on Monday, been to Pizza Hut with Poppy and when I went back to my car there were 3 men hanging about. They asked if it were my car and to hand the keys over. I said no and they grabbed my handbag. Luckily a kind man came running over to help and they ran off. The police have it all on cctv so we'll see what happens. Did shake me up especially as I was alone with Poppy. My husband wants to sell my car and get something less desirable (its a new m sport bmw and the police said more and more are getting stolen in my area.) Love my car and don't see why I should get rid but can see why he wants me to. Will have to have a think.

Broken up for school holidays here so been doing lots with Poppy and making the most of the nice weather.

Hope all lo's are okay.xx

dizziblonde

We have one fab post-natal mental health support group around here - they do drop-in sessions which are a nice break from the usual baby group type things in that you feel much more able to walk in and just sit there utterly flat and be down if that's what you need to be, or you can have a giggle and put the world to rights or whatever else (and with choccy biscuits usually) and they have a closed FB group for venting on or whatever else if you need a quick quiet cyber scream or hug. If you can find something like that locally it would probably be fab to give them details of. I have ongoing issues with anxiety and depression (the anxiety was after Erin's birth; Robyn finished me off adding depression to the mix!) and I've had counselling, one short course of therapy and just starting a longer course of CBT which you self-refer to around here but has quite an icky waiting list... things are pretty bad with it at the moment and the GP's just doubled my medication today but that's another story.

Eek at the car thing Jannine! I always feel slightly edgy knowing I've got a "nice" make of car (it's an ancient 10 year old Merc but it's still a Merc) in some interesting parts of town - car was only bought as the first thing we could find with decent mileage on it that the pushchair would fit in the boot of - love it cos it's dinky on the outside but like the Tardis on the inside (it feels like it's got as much room inside it as my husband's huge lumbering Zafira).

Hate the school holidays (not something an ex-teacher is ever expected to be heard saying) - everywhere is just utterly rammed with school kids which is to be expected - but when you've got whacking great 10 year old kids rampaging through designated toddler play areas (when they've got their own next to it) constantly it gets a bit rubbish, all the toddler groups have stopped, everything's advance booking and long since full at the local children's centres and soft play again - the littlies will just get flattened more than normal so kind of limited what we can do at the moment - especially since Robyn's at that arkward point of wanting to be mobile and into things but not quite coordinated enough to do everything she's decided she's going to do (dinky death-wish as we call her) and with already having one very strong willed toddler to wrangle... I'm feeling the close age gap a bit more than normal at the present! Been doing some crafty stuff with them though - had the paints out with a huge roll of wallpaper the other day and had them printing things, running toy car tracks through them, discovering they could make hand prints with the paint and all sorts - quite impressed I only got one splodge of paint on the sofa with all that lot - although the kids looked like they'd escaped from Braveheart casting... and gluing and sticking yesterday - which was more like an extreme sport as the younger of the duo kept nicking all the pritt sticks and running away!

Mrshaworth2b

Ladies, I know it's a bit premature but what would you recommend for a 18 month old for Christmas presents? Just to give me some ideas to be looking at.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the summer hols

dizziblonde

Think by 18 months Erin (and Robyn's hitting that age now) was very into her play kitchen, Happyland (but that seems to be a bit hit or miss if they get "in" to it it seems), building blocks, Robyn's very in to megablocks at the moment and starting to get into drawing pictures a bit as well. We're getting Robyn Duplo mainly to add to the communal collection for Christmas - tend to buy something they'll both get use out of even though one of them or the other gets the actual designated parcel.

Thinking a wooden train set (the Brio type ones everywhere seems to sell that work with everywhere else's) for Erin, Duplo, I know there's some Happyland coming from somewhere, Playdough (I got a set when Tesco were selling some off cheaply) and possibly a balance bike for Erin and another of the seated scooters for Robyn to stop her nicking her sister's... that's not all coming from us though - different things from different people.

freebiequennie

Mrshaworth2b wrote: »

Ladies, I know it's a bit premature but what would you recommend for a 18 month old for Christmas presents? Just to give me some ideas to be looking at.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the summer hols

My now almost 4yr old was 16mths at second Xmas and think he had some happyland bits not loads. A Fisher price little people garage.

Scuttle bug was great got somewhere before 2yrs old.

Toy kitchen good thing for around 2yrs of age we brought cheap plastic one at 2 now in playhouse and he got a decent wooden one for 3 birthday last yr.

Ohhh I imagine for that Xmas he had alot of peppa pig stuff!!

Number 2 due in June poor thing will have pass me down toys we could open our own toy shop.

dizziblonde

Oh yeah scuttle/scramble bugs - great with one proviso - depends if you've got a tall child or not. Robyn's 16 months but tall - posted a photo of her about a page back on hers - she won't have that much mileage in it and she copes much better with her sister's seated scooter to be honest (but the scuttlebug was like £8 second hand so she can cope with it for a while longer!). She's very very tall though (off the top of the height charts)

Saffagal

Evening ladies

Hope that you're all well? We're just back from a weeks camping in Cornwall. It was lovely, but camping with a fiesty toddler is not for the faint-hearted hehe... mind you, it did mean I could have an extra choccie and glass of wine in the evening with all the chasing round the campsite I did

Re presents, my dad asked today if he could buy A a trike so she may be getting one of those as an early Christmas present - something like She is 15 months now, but really good at running/climbing so think this will be a good long term gift. She also loves drawing, sorting, any water play, "caring" for her baby (changing nappy/ wiping face etc) and reading her books, tab books are the best

I still bf A, morning and bedtime and often at least another one or two feeds when I'm off and with her all day. I have never had any negative comments whilst feeding and especially when she was younger would actually time my shop for when she was due a feed and feed her whilst I did the shopping (I wore her in a sling whilst doing so) as it made the shopping experience that much easier.

dizzi - I love the pics of your girls! They're gorgeous

Re nursery; on the days I have dropped A off at nursery I've never had tears however it is usually OH's job to drop A at nursery and she frequently had tears for him at drop off time. That said, most mornings when I leave the house (leaving A with OH) I have screams ringing in my ear as I leave... and most of them from A

For her 1st birthday we just had family round because they expected it and if I hadn't then MIL would have arranged something. However, some of the others from play group had a small group of us round and did sandwiches/biscuits/snacks etc for everyone. I think the first birthday is more about you and your immediate family than LO as they don't have an awareness of birthdays as such yet.

Lol Nutella, I bought a groclock a few weeks back as even though I know A is still a little young, I wanted her to get used to it so when she is old enough to understand it it is already something she is used to. A lot of friends have had very good experiences with it.

I love the age A is at the moment - despite the tantrums and challenges, watching her play and explore is just so cute. She is really into copying at the moment so when we put the tent up, she took the hammer and went round banging all the pegs in after us :rotfl: Not so cute, is that she has learnt the word "No" and is starting to use it regularly, and appropriately :eek: She has also started calling blueberries, her current favourite, "BBs" hehe

Hope that everyone else is well
Saf x

delain

Hope everyone's been well on here.

Busy here with the summer holidays and everything else that's going on at the moment.

The best moment for me today was when I picked my little miss up for a hug and said 'i love you' and she looked right into my eyes and said 'i love cucumber' :eek::eek:

Chickenpox is very nearly done and dusted, the house is (almost) clean and all the kids are in bed. quick tidy of the kitchen and I'll be good to follow hopefully!

Hope everyone is happy and the babies are behaving themselves

dizziblonde

Gotta love basically being paid to use a pushchair for 8 months! Bought a phil and teds cheap as chips once big miss started walking so much more - just sold it on for a ever so slight profit!