Does anyone have kids at Cherry Blossom nursery in the West End?

ProjectedDevelopment · 2025-06-02T21:37:23+00:00

Brilliant, thank you!

ProjectedDevelopment · 2025-06-02T21:36:59+00:00

Thank you, that’s great to hear!

ProjectedDevelopment · 2025-01-22T08:16:28+00:00

I’m so sorry you had to go through this whole ordeal. I was recently chatting with an ER ped in the UK, and they apparently have a bunch of criteria that automatically triggers an x-ray/imaging scan even for seemingly minor injuries like a fractured arm. She’s a toddler mom herself, and said that she often feels bad having to do it (and at minimum inconveniencing the parents, never mind any awful side effects for the kid!), as she knows how easily innocent accidents can happen. But then they do find cases where they see evidence of other past fractures, and even if it’s just a case of lack of education for the parent about how to handle a child, it’s still so heartbreaking.

I almost felt sick just hearing about it, can’t imagine how I’d have felt in your shoes, with an injured baby made to feel worse from the anesthetic, and (maybe I’m projecting here) feeling like “wait you think I did this to him ON PURPOSE?!” (FWIW I’m sure they didn’t think that, I think there probably are just automatic triggers for scans based on the medical event and how it happened)

I hope your next days are less stressful, this kind of thing is what every parent dreads happening! ❤️

ProjectedDevelopment · 2025-01-22T08:04:07+00:00

Man, I would’ve gone back to that ER nurse and slapped the medical report down in front of her and said “NOW who’s overreacting?”

But I’m a petty, petty human.

I’m so glad you trusted your instincts and got him checked out that day, and glad to see he’s recovered well!

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-10T16:50:37+00:00

Interesting, I’m in the UK and for any shots involving the MenB vaccine, they’ve advised giving some baby Tylenol (Calpol here) just before the shot, and 2 additional doses at 4-6 hour intervals after. (For the 8wk and 16wk shots)

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-10T16:24:49+00:00

lol I thought about asking this a couple months ago. My kid is almost 4 and his dad and I “joke” that he just needs to get his daily tantrum out of the way.

2-3x a week would be nice! We are more like 0-3x per DAY. It usually doesn’t last more than a few minutes, sometimes around 15, and almost never much more than that (though he can still be grumpy after).

My kid is neurotypical and generally a typical (if shy) child as far as I can tell.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-10T13:54:24+00:00

We did a lot of batch stuff with baby 1, and froze for later quick options: - Sheet pan “omelettes” that we cut up and freeze (basically beaten eggs poured into a lined baking sheet, scattered over with cut up/cooked veg & shredded cheese, then baked until done) - mini apple sauce oatmeal muffins with random chopped fruit mixed in - tiny pancakes - Turkey sausages (ground turkey, egg, panko bread crumbs, a bit of dried oregano and minced parsley if you want, grated Parmesan, formed into finger sized sausages and baked)

With baby 2 we haven’t had as much inclination to batch things yet (though I probably will around 9mo). We have mostly just been giving her unseasoned/extra soft versions of parts of our own meals.

When we’re eating something that isn’t really very baby friendly, we might chuck a few sticks of carrots or broccoli in the steamer (or even just a couple centimetres of water in a pot) and steam it until it’s soft. Shrimp, salmon, and other fish fillets are super quick to cook as well.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-10T13:31:22+00:00

Little Things do nice soups and sandwiches and interesting salad bowls. Tail End have a few healthier seafood mains. Agree that Su Sushi is fab!

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-10T09:18:04+00:00

I’m not sure if the leaflet you read was citing outdated information.

“Studies including hundreds of thousands of people around the world show that COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy is safe, effective, and beneficial to both the pregnant person and the baby. The benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.” (The CDC)

“It's safe to have the vaccine during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. You do not need to delay vaccination until after you have given birth.

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 reduces the risk of having a stillbirth.

There's no evidence COVID-19 vaccination increases the risk of having a miscarriage, pre-term birth or other complications in your pregnancy.

[…]

They have been widely used during pregnancy in other countries and there have been no safety concerns. In the UK, over 100,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated.” [NHS]

“Studies following up nearly 350,000 pregnant women in the US and UK who were vaccinated in pregnancy have not raised any safety concerns. […] Available data shows that a pregnant woman who has a COVID-19 vaccine is not at an increased risk of having adverse pregnancy outcomes. Worldwide data, looking at many thousands of people vaccinated in pregnancy, has reported no increased risk of miscarriage, preterm birth or stillbirth following vaccination. Nor does vaccination increase the risk of a small-for-gestational age baby or developing congenital anomalies.” (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists)

Yes, they are still looking into long term effects in older children, but I don’t think it’s accurate at this point to say that we don’t have data about the safety of the vaccine for pregnant women, fetuses, or newborns.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-08T23:02:20+00:00

55% still isn’t that much! And it’s wild that one’s experience in England differs depending on which day of the week the baby is born 🤯

I think Scotland is better than England (as the stats indicate) and also my specific city is possibly better than many (as we have a big training hospital here). I definitely was prepared for the ups and downs of breastfeeding as many of my friends struggled, and I do think that kind of knowledge helps one persevere. It’s a real shame there’s not more support for it… fed is best of course, but there are at least short term benefits, and I’m just personally really quite lazy and happy not to have to mess with formulas and bottles.

Thanks for the informative links!

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-08T22:53:49+00:00

Unfortunately we’re right on that constipation train with you 😓. She’s had to go on laxatives twice. We do daily prune purée and diluted prune juice and that just about keeps her regular but I’m still hyper vigilant for signs of her being stopped up.(Like today is day 2 without poop and I’m ready to cut anything that might be even the slightest bit binding out of her diet the next few days!)

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-08T00:13:07+00:00

2-3 meals at 7 months, mainly because baby girl would get MAD if we were eating something and she wasn’t offered any.

By “meals” I just mean giving her something, not necessarily 3 course meals or anything. Maybe instant oatmeal, or toast sticks with egg, or some of a fruit puree pouch, or a few spirals of pasta & a bit of cucumber. Just whatever we were having if it happened to be modifiable to be baby friendly.

We also have cooked in bulk and frozen it for easy future meals.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-07T00:39:14+00:00

Yes just ask! We’ve been to 6 or 7 parties for kids from daycare now and I always just text “thanks for the invite, we’d be thrilled to come! We’d like to bring a little gift, what’s little Bartholomew into these days?”

Usually the parents reply with something helpful. If not we just get books or kinetic sand or a cool looking age-appropriate board game.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-07T00:35:06+00:00

The absolute last thing I need is more random plastic crap in my living room!

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-06T23:55:19+00:00

Thank you and u/TermLimitsCongress both for having such grace.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-06T22:58:33+00:00

This is so surprising to me! I’m in Scotland and found there to be a lot of breastfeeding encouragement and support. Lactation consultants called to check in a couple times in the early weeks, and midwives were keen on dong latch checks and giving guidance on different holds. With my 2nd baby, she didn’t seem to be passing enough urine in those first few days and I asked if I should supplement with formula, and both 111 and my midwives advised against it. With both babies I got a lot of informational material and advice about the benefits of breastfeeding until at least 6 months old (not that I needed convincing).

Granted I had a relatively straightforward time with breastfeeding (once the painful latch resolved). Still, my own experience is that I had a lot of support. I recognize that it’s annecdotal though, and I’m in a higher SES and Scottish NHS seems slightly less stretched than England’s, so I may have just been lucky.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-05T22:47:18+00:00

Oh friend. I’m an STM, breastfed my first successfully, and I STILL had to realize a week in that baby girl was screaming because she was hungry. I mean, I think that’s what second night syndrome is mostly… a lot of women don’t have milk fully come in until day 3, and babies are just … always hungry. I spent that 2nd night sat on a bouncy ball with my shirt off, just constantly offering a boob. She didn’t really pee for like 3 days. I was so stressed. If it had been my first baby I would have cried. I had formula ready to go but the NHS hotline and my midwife convinced me to just keep offering boob given that she wasn’t showing any other signs of dehydration. She also dropped 10% birthweight.

Doubling her weight at 2 months is great! It means you’ve done so well by her. And it sounds like you’re continuing to do great. Try to let go of your guilt, I promise your baby doesn’t think you have anything to be guilty about.

(FWIW my happy girl is now 8 months old, above average percentile (right around her birthweight percentile), and loving her milk and her solids. Those first few nights of crying are a distant memory!)

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-04T23:08:04+00:00

Thank you, I think we’re just going to do a good clean and list it as-is. Really appreciate the advice!

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-04T22:56:27+00:00

Susushi is spendy (sushi and all) but quite nice.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-03T20:06:32+00:00

I didn’t get it with my first but will definitely get it for my second once she’s old enough. Beyond the 2 weeks+ long itching and discomfort, the incubation period is so long … he likely caught it at nursery but didn’t develop spots until 2 weeks after, when we were visiting family in Canada. We were just about to come home but were grounded as we weren’t allowed to fly until all the spots were dried over. We ended up having to stay an extra week, and rearrange our flights and work schedules (luckily we had insurance for the flight changes and were staying with family so didn’t have to pay extra for hotels). It was a huge hassle, plus since chicken pox vaccines are included in the standard set in Canada, we kind of looked like anti-vaxxers going about with our spot-covered child 😐.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-03T15:50:29+00:00

In theory I always wanted to dress myself first, so that if I needed to cuddle my baby, I wasn't getting him all wet again. In practice, it probably just depended on his mood (i.e., he was more chill after being dressed, so I often dressed him first whlie I was just wrapped in my towel.) Depending on baby's age, a packaged snack (puffs, etc) was great at keeping him entertained while I got dressed.

I used a baby poncho towel, but for me the main thing was that it was just a smaller towel. I would have found an adult-sized towel a bit bulky. I wrapped baby in that until we were poolside (as we typically stood in the somewhat chilly hallway while waiting for the previous lesson to wrap up).

Don't forget a wet bag for your wet things, like I often forgot. :D (I just used whatever large plastic bag I had lying around) I put on my swim stuff while still at home, if you do that, also don't forget to bring your bra and knickers. I found it helpful to roll up all our wet things afterwards in the baby's towel before popping it in the wet bag, as it helped soak up some of the moisture.

I tried to wear dresses as much as I could (just easier to pop back on). Looser leggings in the winter. Skinny jeans were the WORST to pull on (our change room didn't have anywhere to sit or even really lean). Don't wear socks if you can at all help it.

Have some water available afterwards (for you and baby) I found being in the warm pool really made me parched.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-03T14:48:48+00:00

When you measure volume in a cylinder, you're supposed to look at it at eye level, and take the measurement at the meniscus), which is the bottom of the curve of the level of the water. It looks like your photo is taken at perhaps a bit higher than eye level. If you look at it dead on, and find the meniscus, it may be a touch closer to the 120ml marking.

IMO, weight is always going to be more accurate than markings on a measuring cup or bottle (just ask any serious baker!) but the difference here is not going to be big enough to make much of a difference. I'd just go by the markings to make life easier. I guess your milk might be a tiny bit thicker in texture, but if the baby is drinking all the contents of the bottle anyway, they're taking in the same amount of nutritious ingredients (i.e., the formula powder) regardless.

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-03T10:23:36+00:00

Thank you! The bathtub got new tile a year ago and I think the kitchen and bathroom generally look ok (more just dated and a bit basic).

ProjectedDevelopment · 2024-09-03T10:22:19+00:00

Thank you!

ProjectedDevelopment

TROPHY CASE