Zebra

OK, I'll post weights for one twin but keep in mind that in the later stages there were around 2lbs between them so there is a variable. In the earlier stages it was more like 2 ounces. This is the heavier twin btw. Birth 2.58k/5lbs 9oz 6 days 2.33 k 6wks 4kg/ 8lb 13oz 9 wks 4.46 k/9lb 13 oz 14 wks 5.10 k/ 11lbs 4 oz 16 wks 5.36 k/ 11lb 13 oz 18 wks 5.6k/12lb 7 oz 20 wks 6.02k/ 13lb 4oz So, for me that illustrated that from 14 to 20 weeks was this huge jump and as someone else has mentioned, babies do go through stages of huge growth spurts here and there, yours won't connect much with others because of their prematurity.

Don't worry too much about their weights just now, keep an eye of course but don't allow someone to alarm you. My twins were 3 weeks early, so technically term, but they were scrawny little things. We began weaning very slowly at 4 months and 3 weeks IIRC and they loved it, just a spoon or two of baby rice here and there. So, although I agree entirely that you should wait a bit longer to take into account your twins being early, don't fret too much about the weight just yet, so long as they are having plenty of milk and not losing any weight at all. Also check in the red books that the weight gain hasn't hit a major stumble. My girls are now four, both average weights but very high height percentile and the slimmest waists possible. If I can locate the red books I'll post their weights for similar ages in a mo.

I especially like Bude, it isn't stuffed to the brim with touristy stuff but still caters for them and the beaches there are award winning sandy beaches and still appeal to surfers but in a much less frantic way than Newquay, they're comparatively calm. There's a camping and caravanning site right on the coast line which is named with the area Widemouth Bay and a million more besides. Short drives to lots of things and plenty more in a 30 , 45 and 60 minute radius.

We ended up having dummies a bit longer than we planned as we moved house 4 days before we had planned to hang them on the Christmas tree in return for gifts with Father Christmas. In order to smooth the process of moving we ended up letting them keep them a bit longer. Once settled we worked on reducing use bit by bit until it was only at bedtime and then we went out and bought GloE bears and swapped the dummies for those. They chose them and were willing but took a little longer to settle at bedtime. Their Dad caved in a dug out some dummies and dragged us backwards by a few days so I had to scour the whole house and get rid of ALL of them to prevent him caving. That worked! If there are none in the house then everyone has to manage without so I'd say really do bin them straight away. Apparently when I was little my mum made me put it in the bin so it was in my recollection and easier to refer to when I asked for it. I soon got over it I gather. So, I think they were 2 yrs 3 months when we finally dispensed with them and my girls are fine with their teeth, palate and general oral health. I felt they looked silly with dummies at that age and twingle 2 was a total fanatic and always had a large collection in bed for maximum comfort. Could have been worse

I saw this and found it a breath of fresh air: In a speech on January 9, Mr Cameron said he would hand powers back to teachers by smashing the culture of pupils' rights. He said the Conservative manifesto would include pledges for staff to be able to restrain unruly pupils. He also promised anonymity for teachers facing abuse accusations and pledged binding contracts for parents. According to official figures, almost 500 children a day are allowed back to school following exclusions for attacking staff or other pupils. And research suggests one in four teachers has faced unsubstantiated claims. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1244050/The-noble-profession-Only-elite-given-teaching-jobs-says-David-Cameron.html#ixzz0cxjCdQoB My thoughts are that this is a major part of the collapse of juvenile behaviour for years, in schools and in society in general. The 'I'll sue you' culture which seemed to begin in the 80's. I'm rarely interested in politics but this one should prove fascinating from the point of view as a parent, an educator and working with children.

NVQ Level 4 which IIRC translates to equivalent to 1st year degree. Then level 5 equates to the rest of the degree.

We're S26 too and it's really tricky on the incredible amounts of ice we've got and the snow which seems to be lingering more than anywhere else. Scary stuff, just wish everyone would drive with care instead of fishtailing all over the roads.

That sounds awful, poor woman. I think it's a great idea to send some flowers and a card. At that stage the baby will have a funeral, so treat the sad event as you would any other loss. You might consider making a donation to one of the neonatal bereavement groups if people are giving money, SANDS I think is the relevent one. And let the poor mum know too. *Hugs*

Ohhh, Cosywolf asked the same thing about 2 years ago, have a look for her post, there were a lot of great answers on there. If I find it first I'll merge them Merged, and although Cosywolf's title was very funny I've adapted it to suit the thread overall.

A friends Dad who lives in Texas swears blind by this site: http://www.accuweather.com/ukie/index-forecast.asp?postalcode=S8+9ED&Submit1=GO! Having seen his accuracy recently I'm inclined to say he's right. Give it a whirl.

Congratulations to you both

I'm pretty sure this is legit, I found the details originally on moneysavingexpert.com as a suggestion of how to recycle unwanted gifts. However, in the interests of suitability, please do check for yourselves before sending anything.

Please find below dates that the Victoria Hall is closed and room not available. There are usually more here and there so we'll update as we discover them. Happy New Year Jellytotters Good Friday 2nd April Easter Monday 5th April May Day 3rd May Spring Bank 31st May Summer Bank 30th August Friday 12th March Friday 7th May

Having read through some of the ideas I was thinking I'll buy those sticker sets cos they'll slip inside an envelope and a card nicely. I've also got various bits and pieces which I think my twins can spare so they'll go along with some twin made cards I think.

And cheaper if you pay and print your own ticket online apparently. Though I don't know where.

I've just come across this website http://www.postpals.co.uk/ which is about sending cards, letters or whatever to seriously sick kids across the UK. It struck a chord with me and reading the testimonials made me want to take part. Knowing that SF users tend to be a lovely lot I thought you might like to spread a bit of New Year cheer too.

The debate about whether breast is best is again alive and kicking. Personally I would imagine, from a none scientific background, that the immunity gained by breast milk is indeed best. IN fact I can think of a number of physiological and psychological reasons why it would be. But apparently that's not fashionable again now: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1241051/Breast-milk-NOT-better-baby-formula-scientists-claim.html Women should forget what they have been told about the health benefits of breastfeeding, it was claimed today. A controversial new study has concluded that, contrary to the view of many experts, breast is not necessarily best for children in the first months of life. Professor Sven Carlsen, who led the Norwegian team, declared: 'Baby formula is as good as breast milk.' What really affects the health of a growing infant is the hormone balance in the womb before birth, according to the research. This in turn influences a woman's ability to breast feed, resulting in a misleading association between breastfeeding and child health, it is claimed. The only benefit from breastfeeding supported by genuine evidence is a 'small IQ advantage', said the scientists. And even this was yet to be properly confirmed. Prof Carlsen's team reviewed data from more than 50 international studies looking at the relationship between breastfeeding and health. Most concluded that the more children were breastfed, the healthier they were. On the surface this was correct, said Prof Carlsen, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. But he added: 'Even if this is statistically true, it is not because of breastfeeding itself. There are very few studies that have examined the underlying controls on breastfeeding ability.' The largest study on breastfeeding was conducted in Belarus and involved more than 17,000 women and children who were monitored for six years. It 'cut the legs out from underneath most of the assertions that breastfeeding has health benefits' said the scientists. For example, the study found no evidence that breastfeeding reduced the risk of asthma and allergies in children. Mental ability was the only area where a small benefit was seen. 'It appears that children who are breastfed have a small IQ advantage,' said Prof Carlsen. 'But this needs to be confirmed in new, carefully planned and conducted studies.' The Norwegian scientists' own work pointed to links between levels of androgen male hormones in the wombs of pregnant women, the health of children, and breastfeeding. 'Pregnant women who have higher levels of androgens breastfeed less,' said Prof Carlsen. 'Probably this is a direct effect of hormones that simply limit nursing ability by reducing milk production in the breast.' A pregnant woman's health affected hormones in her womb, which had knock-on effects on her unborn child, said the researchers. Normally a certain amount of the androgen testosterone is converted to the female hormone oestrogen in the placenta, the vital organ that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the foetus and links mother and child. This is an energy-intensive process, said Prof Carlsen. If the placenta is underpowered, some of the testosterone that should be converted remains unchanged and has an impact on both the unborn baby and its mother. For the mother, this leads to reduced development of glandular tissue in the breasts so her ability to make milk is impaired. Adverse effects on the child are believed to include an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and the hormonal disorder polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in girls. Breastfeeding is less common in younger women, smokers, women who have had the pregnancy condition pre-eclampsia, women who have low-birth weight or premature babies, women with PCOS, and when the child is a boy. A number of misguided theories have been put forward to explain why these groups avoid breastfeeding, say the researchers. One claim is that the bond between a mother and her child is not as strong when the baby is a boy. 'This is purest nonsense,' said Prof Carlsen. 'Boys are not less loved by their mothers than girls. We can blame biology here, not mothers. All these relationships can be explained by one and the same cause, namely the level of male hormones during pregnancy. 'We find it very interesting that almost all of the factors previously shown to be associated with breastfeeding can be explained by changes in testosterone levels in the mother during pregnancy.' He said it was wrong to pillory women who find it difficult to breastfeed. Women who bottle fed their babies should not worry that they are doing anything wrong, and should not be intimidated by politically correct messages, he added. 'Don't let overzealous health professionals give you a guilty conscience,' said Prof Carlsen. 'There are many good reasons to breastfeed. But concern for the child's health is not one of them. There is no reason why women who are struggling to breastfeed should have to go around feeling guilty, or think that they are giving their child a poor start in life if they can't nurse. Baby formula is as good as breast milk.' The strongest argument for encouraging mothers to breastfeed was environmental, said Prof Carlsen. Breastfeeding avoided the environmental costs of producing bottles and infant formula, and the energy consumed sterilising bottles. Nursing babies at the breast was also the right approach for developing countries, where economics, hygiene and lack of natural resources made breastfeeding the better option. The research is published in the January edition of the journal Acta Obstestricia and Gynecologia Scandinavica.

Jellytots will close today as it would appear everyone is stuck with their local roads although town is clear. Reopening Friday.

I don't know of a drama group in S8 but you might find one attached to the school perhaps? The disability and carers group will have the best contacts for the group you want there so I'd recommend you pose that question in there. Riding school - I don't know of any that side but I do know of one in S26 just by the fire station at J31 of the M1. It'd be about a 30 min drive roughly. There is provision near Norton I think but I don't know any details. Dronfield and Eckington, which are closer than S26, should also have provision but again I can't provide info. You might be able to Google something with those areas in mind though. Best of luck with settling in and you know where we are

Whereabouts in Sheffield are you moving? It's a huge city so it'll make a difference to know your postcode or the area to help you:)

You can get a pulina pinata whichis less violent, they pull a ribbon instead, ebay has some good ones. All our twins guests had their parents stay but it depends how much space you have and how friendly you are with the kids and their parents I reckon. We had pin the horn on the unicorn which was fine but some of the boys weren't having any part of it, even aged 4. Maybe you could do a pin the dragon on George? Sounds like you have it all 'wrapped' up otherwise

For the kids 0-5, for parents we're a bit more flexible hehehehe. Seriously, 0-5 but we are happy to have older siblings come along in the holidays etc

That's an interesting way to look at it, never thought of it like that. I'm not a fan of smacking, we're very much a 'time out' household but I tend to find the reactions to it all a little strange. In the 70s it was perfectly normal to expect a smack on the back of the hand or on the bottom and I'd personally say it had a lot to do with the way those people turned out - hang on, before anyone jumps on that there are many aspects of that which differ. I firmly believe that with the change which came in the 80's where people started with the 'sue you' attitude and the (perfectly correct) child protection changes actually was handled badly. That generation, have, in larger proportions, turned out to be more difficult that the ones before and each generation since seems to have become less and less able to act in a civilised and appropriate manner. There are exceptions of course. Plenty of them. However, those who were brought up with the attitude of 'you can't touch me', who are now having their own children and passing on that attitude. Those who hit others and expect no response, those who lash out at teachers and challenge them with 'yeah, what you gonna do about it?'. Those are the young people of today who have no fear of what may come of their actions. So, I believe, within the limits of the law, smacking might still be beneficial to some. Perhaps an occasional smack might be of use to the kids feel there are no limits to what they can do. Or maybe they might learn from a smack or two earlier in life? I honestly don't know but I do know that behaviour and respect has changed a lot. Before anyone wants to launch in on me - I fully embrace child protection legislation, I'm fully trained and I personally use time out as my preferred method of reproach.

No, membership is open to everyone which just makes it 50p cheaper but you don't have to join, you're all always welcome. Look forward to meeting you pjozzie and sunshine123

But then there are more accounts than I can quote of the people who say they were smacked and it did them no harm. Some parents take it to extremes, which the victim then has to live with, I completely understand that.