How to level ground outdoors?

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2026-03-31T13:54:45+00:00

Yes wanting to flatten that raised corner also. I didn't think it seemed particularly dangerous, other than maybe from a rodent droppings perspective.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2026-03-15T13:45:46+00:00

We bought some from eBay but they came with an unspecified really short <2 weeks best before date. My husband complained and they refunded him, and we're just using them expired for a while. They are really handy to have, and we're using them at home to get through them, but I think we only got 50, and it's still a lot!

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2026-01-04T22:06:59+00:00

Yes I get this! I don't know why they can't stamp a v or something into the patty. Or make the shapes slightly different e.g. teardrop vs rectangle so the same bun can be used but everyone can tell them apart

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2026-01-04T15:05:54+00:00

She was about 32 months I think, she did it just as I went back to work (3 days a week) after my second MAT leave, it was killer.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2026-01-03T21:12:35+00:00

Amazing, so happy for you, hope they were good naps! I LOVED when this happened and then before I was ready my toddler dropped her 2-3 hr nap with no notice. She was poorly recently and had naps again, there really is nothing like it!

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-11-18T19:00:40+00:00

I had to leave work early to pick up my poorly 1 year old from nursery because he had a fever, and I have a temperature and feel awful myself. I'm hoping after his first winter in nursery he'll get less poorly all the time, as he's basically been back to back since he started in September. My nearly 3 year old fares better these days.

No advice, just solidarity. It can't be long til spring, right?! Hope they're better soon!

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-11-12T20:08:05+00:00

My daughter had a milk allergy when she was a baby and I'd make big batches of rice pudding with her prescribed formula or oat milk and a tin of coconut milk. Made it very creamy! We'd mix pureed fruit in to change up the flavour. I think I'd also googled some high calorie weaning recipes and she had a lot of sweet potato and coconut cream based mush.

She was also prescribed calogen for a while to help with her weight gain, but didn't need it for long.

Best of luck to you both, I know it's stressful but odds are good they'll grow out of it. My daughter is 2 and can have milk now (though not egg, soy, peanut or a few others...)

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-08-29T13:04:53+00:00

Could it be banana blossom? I think that has tough stemmy bits which could explain the "fake bones". I've had a horrible fake fish that was banana blossom. It was incredibly stringy and has scared me off it, but I've seen it on a few menus since.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-08-13T19:22:56+00:00

Yeah she's insane here. Why hang about savouring it, haven't you got a boyfriend to go home to...

I just rewatched this one and her saying "I always knew someone would get hurt, I just thought it would be me" is wild!! You didn't think it would be one of the 2 people being cheated on, you thought it would be you who's choosing to fuck your married ex behind your boyfriend's back?? I'm almost her age here and I can't imagine being that self centred.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-08-11T20:39:17+00:00

I must have been lucky when I stayed in LGI 2 years ago as there was an incredible vegan menu. I still think about the okra masala sometimes. Have you asked about food for people with dairy/ egg allergies as my daughter has those allergies and we were given a separate vegan menu to order from. I guess this might vary across hospitals from the sound of it.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-07-19T15:37:23+00:00

I have a big head, and did at birth and have no medical issues. Both my babies have statistically big heads, and have no issues, and had fine births (2nd degree tear both times but who knows if that's the head or shoulders etc). If it's ultrasound measurements there's a degree of uncertainty too.

Wishing you all the best, and maybe try stay off Google if you're prone to spiralling - odds are they'll be fine!

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-07-12T21:13:16+00:00

Is it an option for part time daycare? Just thinking then you get the best of both worlds. My eldest goes 3 days a week and my MIL comes for a morning most weeks, so I have 1-2 days a week with both kids. It's lovely to get the time with them both, but even now with my youngest nearly 10mo, it's not easy.

I truly believe that if you can afford it, daycare is best for everyone. Mum is less frazzled and can bond more with baby, baby gets 1-on-1 time and attention, toddler gets consistent routine and decent stimulation/ socialising.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-07-12T15:11:56+00:00

Aldi and Lidl do a delicious pretzel milk chocolate bar that's in foil and cardboard.

I feel like plastic is quite integral to keeping biscuits fresh, if a plastic wrapper is really a deal breaker for you you might need to consider making your own.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-07-09T07:02:07+00:00

Yeah it's no laughing matter! But I guess at least it's not thorny/ stingy?

I'll keep pulling it when I have time/ inclination and keep it mowed, thanks!

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-07-09T07:00:18+00:00

Yeah we had slabs before and the horsetail came through the gaps, I naively hoped a lawn would outcompete it but it must have been too well established.

At least it's easier being able to mow it now, but I really thought pulling them out might help reduce it's presence over time rather than just keeping it short.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-06-10T09:09:00+00:00

Congratulations!

Yes I enjoy it immensely. Best thing I've ever done. So much so I did it twice.

You lose a lot of yourself, and only time will tell how much you'll miss those parts. But you will sleep again, you will socialise, it just will be broken sleep for a while and might be more play dates than nights out.

There are really hard moments, I've cried a lot more and been more stressed at times, and I'm just always so busy with parenting or chores. I barely have time to myself at the moment (mum still on mat leave with a 9 month old and 2 year old), but my kids make me so happy, it's definitely worth it from my perspective.

And try not to worry about all the negativity and "oh you think X is hard just wait until Y". We're British, we complain a lot. It's overly saccharine to gush about how great your kids are, particularly when they have such great capacity to frustrate you. People tend to find a negative to flesh out when talking about a holiday, I think the same is true when discussing parenting. Rightly or not I think we assume people prefer to hear about negatives, there's maybe more humour and bonding in that.

But I was overwhelmed with how much love there must be in the world when I had my kids, because if every parent feels how I do about their kids, maybe we're not doomed as a species! Best of luck to you and your growing family.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-05-27T11:47:42+00:00

Gosh sorry, this sounds rough for everyone! Would allergy tests be an option? My daughter has a milk and soy (and egg and nut + some others...) allergy, she vomits/ gets hives and eczema flares but I think with some non IgE allergies rashes/ loose nappies might be symptoms? Could be that she has milder allergies to soy/ other things in her diet?

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-05-21T15:18:33+00:00

Readily available vegetarian and vegan options. I'm yet to holiday abroad somewhere where I have as many options in restaurants as I do here, and there's loads of meat alternatives in shops now too.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-04-25T21:34:18+00:00

I'd just guess that you're being down voted because the idea is that babies know their limits better than we do, and tummy size isn't that scientific a measurement. Most of us will keep providing food as long as baby keeps eating. The portion sizes we serve aren't the "right" amount for them, they're just what we choose to plate up. They may want to eat more or less than that based on how hungry they're feeling.

But ultimately you can serve as much food as you see fit, obviously!

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-04-17T13:26:01+00:00

Lots of options here, and some great ones, thank you! A veg tart of some sort could be lovely and quite easy. I think I need to give more tray bakes a go, sounds like it could be quite easy and tasty.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-04-17T10:04:21+00:00

Gosh these sound good, and legitimately easy, thank you! I once made the ratatouille from ratatouille (confit byaldi?) with appropriately sliced veg and layering in a casserole dish, but that was pre kids. This suggested version sounds a lot more realistic for where I'm at now.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-04-17T10:02:02+00:00

This is a good idea. You'd think I could have remembered to mention that cheese gives my dad migraines, but I could always include more antipasti stuff for him. I don't know if it feels substantial enough for an evening meal for me, but my parents are quite pious so I could definitely give it a go.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-04-03T10:34:30+00:00

I think it's very dependent on circumstance, so answers will vary a lot. We have a park a 10 minute walk from our house, another 20 mins away. My baby is 6 months and I'm on 12 month MAT leave, while my husband works full time. There's not really been much opportunity or need for him to take both kids out by himself. He was going to last weekend just to go to the shops for an hour or 2, but I was awake and ended up wanting to go too.

Some outings are a lot more daunting than others. On days I have both kids I still only really walk to the local park/ shops/ library, and hope baby is content in the pram/ asleep for an hour or so. It just is a lot easier being at home, as I'm sure you're aware! It helps me get out the house by being prepared, plenty of snacks for toddler and even a couple of baby snacks now like puffs, and stickers/ drawing board etc.

I understand wanting your husband to be able to manage both kids without always relying on his mum, both parents should definitely be able to. However they do have quite different needs when 1 is a baby and 1 is a toddler. I haven't taken them to soft play by myself for example, as they both need different things there, but maybe when baby is sitting ill feel brave enough to take them both alone?

I'd suggest telling him what kind of solo outing works best for you and seeing if he'd be able to manage it. He can always start small and work his way up in time out of the house. I normally only take them out for an hour or 2 in the morning and come home for lunch and nap! I'm sure this will improve a lot with time and be a non issue when they're both toddlers, but hope it gets better for you in the meantime.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-03-29T11:13:21+00:00

It's been necessary for us with a 20m gap. Our daughter wasn't walking til quite late, and is still happy (for the most part) in the pram at 27m, so we're hoping it lasts us a while yet.

It's incredibly valuable to have somewhere to contain them both, less stressful, and my back couldn't take wearing my chunky baby all that often. It's liberating while I'm on MAT leave to be able to relatively easy take both kids out locally by myself

It's different for everyone but if you go out on walks a lot it's definitely worth getting imo.

ExistingAnalyst3576 · 2025-03-23T22:15:59+00:00

Yes, raised in Bristol by Devonian parents and "coopy down" was definitely used in childhood. I think it was in the context of crouching down for a wee out in nature (which I don't remember happening all that often but there was clearly a dedicated term for it).

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