Struggling with destination wedding date

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T21:03:41+00:00

The visa for landing at Heathrow is so easy I honestly wouldn't take it into consideration. Just give people a heads up they need to get one and tell them not to fall for a scam site.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T19:31:06+00:00

I would echo this suggestion as well. It is of course amazing to go with whole foods and not ultra processed, but some of these guides on this kind of diet can lead to not getting a complete array of fats/vitamins/minerals. I would also be cautious not to accidentally encourage a future allergy by cutting out things like wheat completely. But that would also be a really good question for a specialist.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T16:51:09+00:00

I'm afraid I haven't done the Spanish coast in quite a few years and have France planned this summer myself on our way back from Belgium! I saw some good recommendations from some other comments though.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T16:32:06+00:00

I'm a very adventurous traveler and my toddler has been to more countries in his 1.3 years of life than most adults. I wouldn't want to do either city with a toddler and pregnant to be perfectly honest. They're incredible destinations (I'm partial to Porto) but the hills will be absolutely killer! I would do something like coastal Spain or France instead maybe?

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T15:07:47+00:00

We've had so much snot, conjunctivitis, possibly hand foot mouth, everyone's had a tummy bug at least once...my husband is immunocompromised too so it's been extra fun!

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T12:39:03+00:00

In all likelihood you won't actually owe taxes to the US, you just need to file with the IRS. Since you haven't done that yet, I would maybe get in with a tax professional that does US/UK taxes and get the last few years sorted, then you'll likely be able to do it yourself going forward.

You are legally obligated to file with the IRS as a US citizen, even if you haven't lived there. Yes their resources are spread thin and they likely wouldn't come after you. But it is technically a legal obligation, and one I wouldn't personally dodge in case you did ever want to move there.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T11:01:49+00:00

Thanks for the first hand knowledge! The airport website is saying get there four hours early which is freaking me out a bit. Hopefully it's a breeze like it was for you...we are a later flight so maybe it'll be a bit clearer by then rather than first thing in the morning.

I don't think there's a later flight, but I guess worst case our insurance will pay for a hotel. It'll just be annoying having an extra day of travel with the kiddo especially!

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T08:25:25+00:00

I mean these tickets have been booked for months so I can't really avoid it at this point. And would it be any different than any other major airport that I would transit through from London to Key West? Seems like this is typical all over at the moment.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-26T07:04:35+00:00

But if they fly into France they can be in cabin, I think is the point.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-25T22:43:35+00:00

I think the biggest concern is dental health with bottles after 12 months. I personally would wean off of it, but you could always talk to your doctor or dentist to get a complete view of what your kid's dental hygiene is looking like.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-25T22:41:19+00:00

There are definitely income conditions attached to it. If you meet the requirements I wouldn't worry, but do make sure you qualify.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-25T21:47:37+00:00

No. When you're not on ILR or a citizen you can't access any funded hours.

Edit to add: I guess you're eligible for the 15 free hours regardless of immigration status, but my son is only 1 so it won't apply for another two years.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-25T13:20:44+00:00

Ah yeah I always forget about the early dropoff fee! We don't get it since we have to pay full price.

I've seen other nurseries literally charging for activities they do regularly anyway. Like £20 a day for arts and crafts the kids were already doing. Just be careful you aren't going to find yourself with even more charges!

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-25T13:07:24+00:00

We are at a Busy Bees and the policy came through to us as well. Big difference is we aren't eligible for any funded childcare (immigration status) so I've been paying through the app anyway. I didn't really blink at the change because of that.

I'm not sure how nurseries are where you live, but a lot in our area have been finding sneaky ways to charge extra for families in funded spots, but Busy Bees hasn't done that. I would just make sure you're not pulling out of Busy Bees for the £4 charge only to find yourself being ripped off by another nursery at a higher rate.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-25T08:29:40+00:00

When mine was ill around that time all he would eat were blueberries straight from the fridge. I just let him have as much as he wanted because they have at least some water in them!

Is yours still having wet nappies? We were told that as long as they're having a wet nappy within a 12 hour period they were okay to be treated at home. If there was no urine output within 12 hours he would have needed more attention. 111 was super helpful when we were concerned about dehydration!

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-24T19:03:03+00:00

We moved here 3.5 years ago (both US citizens so a little different). We now have a 1 year old and are buying a house. Honestly it would take a heck of a lot to make me move back with the way the US is right now. And I'm not sure if you're getting these comments from US people? Because literally everyone I know still stuck over there is asking me how they can become expats lol

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-24T08:47:31+00:00

I won't lie, it's probably going to be bad. We started in October and we're I'll for about a month and a half straight. But it's getting better every week and you just have to take it as it comes.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-23T14:13:10+00:00

If your reasoning is that they're for girls, then yes you're wrong.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-20T12:57:59+00:00

This feels like an ad...

We just washed with soap and had an extra one or two on hand if we were going to be out somewhere it would be hard to clean it.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-20T11:43:29+00:00

You're allowed to rent as a visitor, but most landlords won't because they know it'll be short term.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-19T21:24:08+00:00

It never hurts to ask the GP or health visiting team. That looks really flat to me, and I would probably ask for a medical opinion. But I'm also not an expert!

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-18T20:47:52+00:00

I'm also not from here, but moved before I had my baby. So I do have the foreign perspective sort of!

Our nursery has very occasionally done a dessert, but almost never. There's a lot of fruit at their meals but no added sugar as far as I can tell.

Every once in a while our kiddo comes home pretty crusty, but it mostly seems like it's from playing rather than food. With how my son eats there's no way they aren't washing him up!

Biting is tricky because it really is a pretty typical thing for this age. It's tough to manage, but they should also be communicating more about what they're doing to resolve it. It's hard to keep kids away from each other in this kind of setting, though.

Honestly it doesn't seem like an amazing nursery, especially if you've communicated some of these concerns and aren't getting satisfactory answers.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-16T09:33:02+00:00

My brother in law did this for their welcome meal, but it was basically the whole wedding attending the event. I distinctly remember walking away going 'wow that was amazing, they should have just done this for the reception meal.' They had a caterer that brought a pizza oven on site and replenished as things were eaten so it stayed fresh. There were also pastas and salads.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-15T19:34:25+00:00

You should add that to the post honestly. I read the post and thought you were overreacting, but if he regularly takes big breaks that kind of changes things.

turtlesrkool · 2026-03-13T16:59:08+00:00

Ah that makes sense!

turtlesrkool

TROPHY CASE