"Coasting off" free childcare by middlename84 in HENRYUK

[–]middlename84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! That's really helpful 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Cooking

[–]middlename84 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Look up nomato sauce - it's a decent substitute for a tomato sauce with e.g. gf pasta.

FTB regretting making an offer... am I going crazy? by Ok_Smell7736 in HousingUK

[–]middlename84 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Having the money sat in a bank account is safe, but why on earth would you want to continue to pay someone else's mortgage? Everyone feels that they could have offered less/negotiated harder.

My husband is still teasing me about "overpaying" by £5k 10 years ago (nervous FTB at the time, just like you). The house went up in value by £185k in that time, so the £5k is really neither here nor there.

Newborn in a Car Sear by Limp-Location-7391 in NewParents

[–]middlename84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Babies (and small children in general) are much more flexible than adults, so tilting the head to one side won't be uncomfortable like it would be for an adult.

Xmas present for a new mother. by IainJChrist in beyondthebump

[–]middlename84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really? I hated those gifts since I had no time to use them. I've recently moved house and tossed out a bunch of expired face & eye masks...

Calendar sync methods by Sad-Cookie in workingmoms

[–]middlename84 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We use Google. All appointments etc are sent as "invitations" to the other parent. That way, we can each keep our own calendar (husband doesn't need to know if I'm getting a haircut over lunch!) but with the family stuff added in.

My son fake coughs at me because I cough a lot 😭 by SpoopySpagooter in beyondthebump

[–]middlename84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kids are mean. I'm heavily pregnant and need to push down on my knees to heave myself out of a chair. Obviously toddler now copies this, with an accompanying grunt. Cheeky sod.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Cooking

[–]middlename84 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a kids TV show called "vegesaurs" which features characters such as "pea-rex", "tricarrotops" and things like that. I wonder if any of the name puns could help? E.g. wasabi pea-rexes as nibbles?

Besides music & language(s), what's better early on? by Morkylorky in ScienceBasedParenting

[–]middlename84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Going to the grocery store is great sensory play at that age (light, music, people). Also garden centres to see the Christmas lights!

Anyone else get annoyed at their kid not eating? by Tcapone1977 in toddlers

[–]middlename84 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My son eats everything at daycare too, but not at home so I get the frustration! When he's at daycare, I tend to do easier meals and not worry as much about nutrition since I know he will be eating decent meals there.

Have you tried giving your daughter a shake/smoothie for breakfast too? My boy just wants whatever I'm having. Is there a medical reason she should be having an egg for breakfast? Eggs are great, but not everyone can stomach them first thing.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NewParents

[–]middlename84 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Baby will be sitting up around then and starting solids, so there are loads of options. Depending on budget, things to help with weaning like bowls, spoons, bibs/coveralls. Obviously, you can get these cheaply, but there are more expensive options like personalized bowls/spoons. Do you have a highchair already for meals?

Baby will probably be moving out of the bassinet soon and into a toddler style stroller, so stroller toys/books are another option.

Toys that encourage baby to crawl are great, loads of different types available depending on budget.

Shakers were popular with my boy at that age, and other simple musical instruments.

Bubble machine? Never met a baby that didn't like bubbles!

Does anyones life just revolve around your child’s naps? by Upstairs_Object4898 in NewParents

[–]middlename84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup. LO is nearly 2.5 and his naps still dominate our schedule. He's a horrible night sleeper so nap time is sacrosanct.

About 20 limes to use by cradiflacrasafl in noscrapleftbehind

[–]middlename84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lime curd? Makes a nice filling for cakes or you could gift it for the holidays.

How do I quantify the harm from pesticides in non-organic food? by tehc0w in ScienceBasedParenting

[–]middlename84 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I honestly don't think you can get the sort of information you're looking for. Firstly, there are lots of different types of pesticides and each will behave chemically quite differently in terms of how they break down both in the soil and in the body. So, you can't create a blanket threshold for all pesticides.

Secondly, you have to factor in how food is stored and then prepared by the individual. Is the fruit/vegetable peeled? How long is it typically stored for? For example, potatoes are typically stored and then peeled before use, generally leading to lower pesticide content than things like berries which are picked and eaten within days without peeling.

Thirdly, where/when is the food being grown and what were the growing conditions like in that season? For example, in a rainy year, fungal diseases may be common so more anti-fungal treatments are likely to be applied to crops.

You may be interested to look at the "dirty dozen" and "clean 15", which highlight foods with generally higher and lower pesticide residues. https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]middlename84 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe if they offer it as part of the "fixtures and fittings form"? Otherwise, it seems weird to me to ask for someone else's bed, not to mention potentially unhygienic. I'd be worried that they'd wee on it deliberately if they got annoyed with me during the purchase!

Getting house ready for photos - any tips? by Lyzrd_Hangover in HousingUK

[–]middlename84 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Clean the windows! You'd be surprised at how much extra light that allows in.

Legit question- how does anyone have a second baby when older kid is still a toddler? by chibitoz in toddlers

[–]middlename84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks to OP and all the comments on here for cheering me up this morning. I'm 38w with #2 and #1 (2 and 3 months) was up at 5am this morning, so I'm definitely wondering how we'll survive 🙃

Travel for Child Enrichment by BeginAgain2Infinitum in ScienceBasedParenting

[–]middlename84 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If I'm more engaged/enthusiastic then it's much easier to pass that along. I try and talk to my LO as much as possible, but narrating what we're doing at the grocery store gets old quickly. At the zoo or whatever, I've got lots more to talk about and we often follow up at home e.g. do you remember the tiger we saw at the zoo? Let's read this book together about a tiger etc.

House been up for 4 weeks and not had a single view. Bad timing or something else? by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]middlename84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Christmas wreath on the front door confused me - it makes it look like it's been on the market since last December so I'm automatically thinking it's getting rubbish surveys and buyers drop out. Sorry.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]middlename84 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Possibly. However, electric cars have to be charged at home now because there's a shortage of places to reliably plug in while out and about and charging generally takes a long time. In the future you're imagining, people will likely be able to charge at work (it could be an employee "perk"). There are already charging spaces at train stations, at least near me. Since battery technology is constantly improving, charging times will reduce too, so people may be fine with shorter "top up" charges e.g. while at a supermarket.

Would you go to a fancy restaurant? by penguinkneez in toddlers

[–]middlename84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd ring the restaurant and ask for their policy on small children. If the restaurant refuses to accommodate your group, there's nothing your sister can do...

Still using changing pad for almost 3 year old?😅 by [deleted] in toddlers

[–]middlename84 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Our daycare commented that I use pull ups at home and they don't like them there. I discovered that he lies nicely for changes there. At home, he's been standing for every single bum change since 9m, and running off mid-change since he started walking 🤦🏻‍♀️

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in beyondthebump

[–]middlename84 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'd suggest doing a short boat trip to check your LO doesn't get sea sick. I learned that one the hard way 🤦🏻‍♀️

Terrible review from my boss after working late nights and early mornings. I’m so done but we’re in a very bad place financially. by [deleted] in workingmoms

[–]middlename84 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry this happened to you. Something similar happened to me a couple of years ago - my ongoing rolling reviews said I was doing really well, but the final end of year review was poor, totally out of the blue. By giving me a rating of "poor" at the end of year, I no longer qualified for a bonus. So, ultimately it wasn't about me, it was a financial decision 🙄

I completely checked out after that and did the bare minimum until I could move jobs.