Toddler has discovered nectarines and is obsessed with them. This week he was eating one and asked where the nectarine tree was.

Me: "I think it's a bit cold for nectarine trees here poppet" (we're in Scotland)

Him: "Maybe they could wear coats?"

It's a long way to go, but Granton on Spey has them still! They're also probably only on for about 2 hours a night just now...

Came here to check someone had mentioned this one! Such an incredible book.

Thanks! Can I ask what did she wear when she was brand new last year?

Ah yes, I'd forgotten that rule! They'll be in a sling mostly, just out for short walks, no pram. I'm just looking out at the weather today, where the sun is fierce when it's not blowing a gale, and struggling to work out what would be comfortable for a tiny baby... thanks for the advice!

Thank you! Yeah being this close to the end makes me think twice before just adding it to the pile of pills I take every morning... I'll see what she says.

Yeah exactly this. We have a toddler cookery book which has a lovely explanatory mantra at the beginning for those who freak out about the mess a toddler makes/stuff being chopped the wrong size or shape etc. She says to take a deep breath and ask yourself, ultimately, does this matter? More often than not, it doesn't, and it's nothing to do with being permissive, it's about letting your child explore and work stuff out for themselves without helicoptering over them the whole time.

I love that toddlers, upon hearing that, immediately take it upon themselves to run to you at the earliest opportunity yelling "MUMMY/DADDY, NANNA GAVE ME CHOCOLATE!!"

Different Seasons was my SK induction and it was just perfect 👌

Just realised you're talking specifically about honeymoon, so maybe decorations are a bit too lowkey :) But have fun choosing! It's a lovely idea.

So this was never specifically for baby, but we always get a Christmas tree decoration whenever we go away somewhere special - our now toddler looooovvvvves looking through them and helping put them on the tree, and we explain where we got it. He now gets to choose them, and a fridge magnet, when we're on holiday.

I'm in Scotland, so we don't get it til oldest is 3 :( Trust me I'm counting the days!

I had this with my first pregnancy! It felt like someone had a vice in my hips, pelvis and abdomen and was slowly cranking them all outwards. Going to the bathroom temporarily relieved it, but I remember being doubled up on the floor crying in pain with it. I called the antenatal emergency line in a panic and they said it was just your body basically rearranging your bones and digestive system for what's to come. For what it's worth I didn't get this at all for my second pregnancy, muscle memory had my back. But yeah, it really sucked and is scary when it's early on and you don't know what's normal.

I was awake for hours the other night mentally costing out childcare for two children (toddler and baby on the way.) My child is 2.5 and we've spent over £22k on part time childcare already, so that I can keep the career I've worked hard for intact and still be paying into a pension etc. We'll spend more than that again for the second, before they both go to school, at which point one of us (me (F), let's be honest) will have to cut our hours again because afterschool care is either non-existent or insanely competitive. Any holiday is out of the question for the next few years.

So yeah, if I were child free and looking at those sums on paper, having kids looks like an expensive, arguably unnecessary life choice. Which it is, really. I'm happy as a parent, but I'd be happier if the government valued it more.

Oh Crap is so aggressive, and the implication that you're a lazy, failed parent if it doesn't work in the specific window she says it has to can really get through the cracks some days.

We had the same issue, he was so scared and was having anxiety nightmares about it when we started introducing the idea. We tried again a season later and it clicked a lot better. A few months is a lifetime to a toddler - it's much better for you to both be on board and on the same team with what is a huge step for them, and you. Good luck, and don't beat yourself up!

Me too 😭 Please go forth and name your child that if you can!

Ohhh I loved Yvane (Clare Danes' character in Stardust), still do, but before we were even together my now partner was like "I'd die before I called my kid that", which still makes me sad.

Argh I'm so sorry you experienced this, and from your own mother! Apart from anything, breastfeeding (once you've got it nailed) is hands down a million times more convenient than taking a bottle out with you (if you're the one doing the feeding). And yeah, it is enjoyable, it's a lovely closeness with your little one that you don't get again in the same way. I combi-fed and pumped like a maniac for like 12 months, and while the bottle was great and freed me up a tonne, I still loved those quiet moments of breastfeeding (especially when you do eventually cut it down to just sleeptimes and mornings) and my partner was always kinda jealous I could just whip out a boob and do it wherever we were.

Lastly, it's also a good thing to be doing if you're planning on putting them in childcare during that time, great for their little immune system to have breastmilk on their side when they encounter the bugfest that is everyone else's children.

Stay strong and do what you want to do, don't listen to anyone (especially the generation above) who want to tell you otherwise.

I stopped breastfeeding when ours was about 14 months, so we kept the bottle going for a couple months after that so there wasn't this huge removal of all the things he knew, then phased out to a sippy cup (he was only having it at bedtime so it worked out ok)

A lot of the Glasgow trains at Waverley are accessed via ticket barriers so you'll need to get a ticket in advance - there are loads of ticket machines on the main concourse and Glasgow is one of the main destinations listed on there. Just give yourself a few extra minutes.

I worked in a tourist attraction and had to convince them that nobody in their 90%-not-from-Scotland audience would understand the liberal use of "outwith" on their website - "outwith these hours, tickets are available from... etc"

Seconded! - it's like a vessel to carry all the excursion gubbins you need to keep them fed/not sunburnt/comfortable etc, with a bonus of being somewhere for them to sit/snooze if they get tired of running off into the distance 😅