Parenting and family news, picked by parents

Editorial: The organisation has based its work on the truth that most brain development occurs in the first 24 months

When we mentioned we would soon be welcoming a new addition to the household, we were generally met with one of three responses: silence; suggestions of bravery; declarations of stupidity. Rare were the squeals of delight and outpourings of emotion we’d received four months previously when we announced I was pregnant with a baby expected in late October, instead we were issued with warnings of bad timing and a ridiculously heavy workload. ‘Can’t you wait?’ they asked us. ‘Do you really think that’s wise?’ The honest answer to both questions is most likely the same: no… Share your views with The Contented? Maybe.

A puppy? At 34 weeks pregnant? Really!? Are we totally bonkers… share your views.

Well before they can speak, toddlers can communicate using gestures alone. But will learning to baby sign help comedian Alex Horne and young Tom have their first father-and-son chat?

Does nursery daycare harm children? Is there an alternative? Should mothers stay at home? For decades, these questions have panicked parents. In a special investigation, Amelia Gentleman examines the

As an avid reader, I too would be grateful for any tips from Family Vie users re reading while mothering. I feel the last few months should have been spent devouring fiction, but I’ve instead been reading parenting manuals and birthing guides. Perhaps for the last couple of weeks I should cast aside the parenting themed books and immerse myself in novels…

I’m about to disappear on maternity leave, which I gather is not always conducive to keeping up with your reading. All tips very welcome

I found this interesting, as there is some confusion surrounding my due date, which the three month scan calculated as 21 October. My last menstrual period date would have it at 29 October. This is a significant difference when one considers 29 October would put me more than a week overdue and in line for induction if the baby didn’t arrive soon after of its own accord.
Thankfully, I have an independent midwife, who is more relaxed about the duration of the pregnancy and has advised not to expect onset of labour until the very end of October. She is happy to monitor the health of both the baby and me before making a decision to induce. For those whose maternity care is being provided exclusively by the NHS, it must be more difficult to remain relaxed when there is such pressure to get the baby out.
Does anyone else have experience of going several weeks beyond their date?

The idea that pregnancy becomes dangerous after 42 weeks is out of date, says Viv Groskop, whose own third baby was nearly three weeks late

After 26 years, the last of Marion McGilvary’s children is leaving home – ah, peace and quiet, no mess – her own space at last. Job done. So why does she feel so sad?

Much to most of our friends’ and relatives’ amazement (or horror), we have just bought an Airdale puppy, four weeks before my due date with my first child.

The main concern has been that the workload with what’s effectively two newborns is going to be too much to bear, but having thought long and hard about it, and having spoken with dog experts, we believe that while it might be tough in the first instance, the benefits of having both a dog and a baby simultaneously far outweigh the additional work it will entail.

We will have to be super vigilant when it comes to training the puppy, and we will, of course, never leave him alone with the baby, but the routine of walks in the fresh air will be great for my partner, our child and me, especially in those winter months when it might be tempting, as a new mother or otherwise, to sit indoors.

I can understand why dogs would make children more active. They encourage play and regular family exercise, which is something I’m hoping for in abundance.

I agree with shephysio. I’ve been very fortunate with my midwife in that she refuses to weigh me in the belief that in doing so, it add unnecessary pressure to pregnant women to think they’re being religiously monitored and / or judged. That said, I’m sure if she was concerned I was gaining too much or too little, she would talk to me about it, but in a way that was specific to my case as opposed to thrusting general guidelines in my direction and expecting me to follow them to the t.
It’s interesting how everyone feels readily able to comment on your weight during pregnancy though.