Speech and Language Assessment

On Tuesday I took Celeste to see the Health Visitor.  She was 16 months old exactly and it was to be our first trip for almost 6 months.  There were two main reasons for my visit, firstly I felt I ought to get her weighed and measured after all this time, and secondly I wanted to speak to her about Celeste’s speech.  I have tried to step back and not be a pushy parent but is does concern me that she is not making any of the sounds and babbling expected of a young toddler, let alone any words.

Is Preschool At 2 Too Early?

In this morning’s Daily Telegraph there was an article about delaying children’s education until they are 6 years old, instead of starting when they are 4.  It cites studies in the USA where educating a child too early can have a social and health implications later in life.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9266592/Bright-children-should-start-school-at-six-says-academic.html

A Very Late Early Birth Story

Watching someone give birth on television last night made me realise that I never actually blogged C's birth story. Although 15 months ago, I feel writing it down now might help me focus what to put in my birth plan this pregnancy.

I am sure many of you saw my tweets during labour last year and therefore are familiar with how the situation unravelled however hopefully this will piece it all together and fill in any blanks.

Mummy Time: Myth or Necessity?

Today has been another difficult day.  A day of clinginess and tantrums.  Celeste is teething am I sure that has exacerbated the problems this week, however they have definitely always been there.

Now, as much as the idealistic parent might say that 100% of a Mummy’s time during the day should be devoted to their child, in reality there are other parts of daily life that need to be dealt with.  This washing needs to be put out, dinner needs to be cooked, Mummy even has to go to the toilet occasionally.  Not all of this can always be done during nap time.   If I know I need to get on with something else for 10 minutes, I always try and set up Celeste with an activity that I hope will keep her interested until I return.  However this isn’t the issue.  The issue is Mummy has left the room!  Celeste is clingy to the extreme.  Unless she is with another adult to keep her company, she cannot cope with being parted from me.  Although on paper, this may seem quite sweet, it does unfortunately mean getting anything done is almost impossible.  I appreciate that I am the most important person in her little life but no-one else I know seems to have this problem.

16 Weeks Pregnant

This week I am 16 weeks pregnant.  I always consider this a bit of mini milestone being half way between the 12 and 20 weeks scans, and, if you believe the week by week pregnancy guides, this week baby puts on a growth spurt meaning you actually start to look and feel properly pregnant (if you didn’t already).  Also, in my case it is the week I am beginning to feel the first flutterings of movement.  A very reassuring feeling!

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15 months old - Introducing Messy Play

Celeste has just turned 15 months old and over the past few weeks my Mum and I have been introducing Celeste to a variety of messy play activities.  Thursdays have become messy play days in our house as it is the day my Mum looks after Celeste so I am able to work.  I do however set aside some time to join in with the messy play activities as these currently do not last much longer than 10-15 minutes due to Celeste's still short attention span.

I Want One Of These

It surprised me how helpful my Pushchair Ponderings post was in collecting my thoughts for what I most needed from a double pushchair and what type of pushchair most suited that.  I originally assumed I wanted a tandem pushchair as I needed something narrow enough to fit on the pavements along the country roads where I live.  However the impractical arrangements of the front and back seats for a newborn and a toddler meant that I could not find a solution that really worked for me.

I therefore concluded that a narrow, all terrain, side by side like the Bugaboo Donkey was the best solution. However at over £1000 new, I had huge concerns about the price and whether I would get my money’s worth.

It was then I came across a post on a pushchair forum where someone posted asking what double pushchair was most suitable for getting on and off public transport.  The first response was from a mum highly recommending a Mountain Buggy Duet.  I had never heard of this brand before and went off to do some research.

On the 20^th May 2013 the Mountain Buggy Duet was awarded a Which? Best Buy.

The Mountain Buggy Duet is only 63cm (25in) wide and therefore the same size as many single pushchairs.  It is also, importantly, suitable for newborns, even without purchasing the additional carrycot attachment.  Additional key points for me are it is suitable for multiple terrains and it is compatible with Maxi Cosi car seats, our car seat of choice.  Surprisingly, it retails for approximately half the price of the Bugaboo Donkey...  A huge consideration when you have 2 small children!

I am hugely impressed by what I have seen of this pushchair on paper.  I now intend to visit our local retailer to look at it in more detail, test the weight, how easy it is to put up and down, and finally (and probably most importantly) whether once folded it fits in the back of our Kia Sportage.