h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Other keyrings, HUGE beads, those tassels you get on really fancy curtains (though might be too fluffy)

Oh and what about treasure boxes - you know when you have a special box with interesting things in it - pine cones (where would children be without them) sparkly material, a little mirror - that sort of thing

Anna

She was so obsessed with the tassles on a hat I knittd her that I've made her a 'thing' with panesl of different fabrics, some (not too fluffy) tassles *very* firmly sewn on, interesting buttons, little lengths of ribbon, some with knots, and it all folds up on itself and fastens with a clip-buckle from an old rucksack. I had a lot of fun making it, and it's a big success....

...I can see a trip to the haberdashery department of a certain department store (never knowingly undersold) coming on...

I love haberdashery shops. There's one on Marylebone High Street that must supply theatre costume makers - loads of very pretty bits and pieces and a vast choice. It's not cheap, but they're certain to have exactly what you're looking for

I am so jealous of you being able to knit. I'm a rubbish knitter and am just not fast enough to be able to do it not looking, so I get frustrated and never finish anything. I'm not bad at sewing though

I was much the same with knitting, until I was stuck in a seasonal job in a small village in the middle of nowhere, all on my own, with not much to do all day. Friends who'd thought they couldn't have kids suddenly realised there was one on the way, and there was a wool shop in my godforsaken village, so I thought I'd have another go. I spent most of the time phoning my Mum on the office phone (!) getting her to explain fisherman's rib, or whatever, but with perseverance I got there, Baby clothes are a great way to practice because they have all the same details as adult clothes, but are much quicker and more rewarding - and less undoing if it goes wrong! I always knit two sizes ahead though... to make sure it fits when I finish!

Chucking it down today, so I don't think I'll get to go shopping in town - ho hum

It's amazing what you can learn to do if circumstances allow/demand. I'm not very good at dress making, but I made several frocks for my daughter. She was very tall for her age and the only dresses I could buy were meant for a teenager, totally unsuited for an under 10 year old. (I only made three or four because most of the time she wore jog pants and sweatshirts (she still does))

And thank goodness younger children at least are tolerant of 'apprentice quality' garments! I enjoy sewing baby clothes, but I have a friend with older daughters who has supplied much of my clothing needs - bless her! But I have a drawer of *gorgeous* fabric I bought before the birth, which I shall do something with one day. Why is fabric so enticing?

BTW The haberdashery dept is a quarter of its usual size as the store is undergoing refit, so no joy I'm afraid

> Why is fabric so enticing?

I've got piles of it too Stationary shops have a similar effect on me!



Anna

Stationary Shops? We won't report you to the BBC spelling police as it's your birthday, but I assume you mean stationery shops?

My teacher taught me 'e' for envelope to tell the difference, and I've never got them wrong since.

Have some and don't mind me, but while I'm here, can we talk nappy rash, dry skin, dribble rash, eczema, cause and effect? (not that I want to put you off your ). The kitten ended up at the docs last week with a dribble rash that wouldn't shift. cream supplied by doc is shifting it, but she's now broken out in nappy rash sore skin between fingers, dry skin on backs of knees - do you think these are all related?

Hello,

I have an 11 year old daughter called Hannah and an 8 year old son called Joe. My son had dry skin (eczema)behind his knees and we were recommended (oh damme, it's those braincells I lost- I'll have to go home and look it out and tell you tomororow, but it worked - sorry)

P2

Sorbolene cream was what I was thinking off, but Joe was older the the kitten, still, I guess any information is useful

Hey Platypus, good to see you here

Dear Cloviscat,

Sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday, we're having a rush on. Can I also apologise for the 'stationary' thing - what was I thinking of? Doh!

Now then, nappy rash etc... Have you got your heating on a lot at the moment? We have and Dom's got really dry skin. Babies's skin is so delicate. I wondered whether I should humidify his room somehow. Aren't there those clip on recepticles that you can put on radiators that help with that?



Anna

Hi Anna, Hi Platypus

Hope you had a great birthday Anna!

I'd heard those radiator things pooh-poohed, but I don't understand the chemistry behind gas central heating and humidity - I wonder if one of the chemist types on-site could confirm the best way to deal with such things 0- from a techno rather than parental p-o-v? (Will poop over to Ask.. if I get chance, but internet is falling down a lot today )

She did have sort of grainy skin when I first put the heating on, and the health visitor recommended aqueous cream, which did the trick, but doesn't seem to be shifting this.

I have so many different tubes and pots now - i don't know wheteher to use the same thing al over, or to try ad specialise each cream for each place!

Platypus - was that cream over-the-counter or from the doc? It's not one I've heard of so might be worth hunting out - thanks!

I'm in the states, but I used something called "Aquaphor" for my daughter's ezcema. It does seem to be worse this winter from the dryness. My legs are also really itchy and dry- maybe I should try it...

And Aquaphor is over the counter. Near facial creams and such, not near baby stuff.

(Lovely birthday, thanks )

I just thought of something else. We are now giving Dom a bath every other night as the water's so hard around where I live that that was drying out his skin too. We thought that letting his skin build up its own oils again would help...

Maybe?

Anna

Oh I really don't want to stop the night;y bath if I can possibly help it, but I had wondered...she loves it so much. it's a nice bit of quality time with daddy and it gives me a chance to catch up on things. Plus it's quite an important part of the 'getting to bed' routine -- I'm very afraid of messing with *that*!

Is it to do with water hardness? Because ours is really quite soft

I've been out this morning and bought a bottle of Boots hyper-sensitive baby bath, as some sort of compromise....

Princess B - I don't know if that name is used at all in the UK - could you check out if it lists ingredients, so i can work out what it is? Thanks

Too late, I was going to suggest a change of soap... Might be clutching at straws a little, but have you considered changing the washing powder you use to clean clothes with?

Because of hubby's dreadful predelictions, I only use non-bio, and swap brands of *all* washing things regularly, from showergel outwards, to try and keep his immune system guessing! At times of grea tstress I go onto the hyper expensive Boots sensitive skin clothes washing liquid, but I don't like to do that too often, because he seems to be extra sensitive to changing back.

Please, please please will my daughter have my skin and not his? breastfeeding's supposed to help, and she's had plenty of that. Oh poop. Just her luck if she gets my asthma as well

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there seems to be a shocking lack of guys in this club. Figured I'd better help redress the balance.

On the subject dry skin; when my son was born (about 18 months ago) he had quite dry skin. We used olive oil for the first month and it worked very well. We used it once more recently and it was again successful. Give it a try. If it doesn't work you can always use what's left with some olives and feta cheese.

Other than that, I think the earlier comments about central heating being a cause and reducing the number of baths are both good points. We bath him every other night and don't worry about it if social comittments/his mood mean that it's every third night sometimes. I think it's good to resist the temptation to be super clean - both in terms of skin care and also immune system training.

Hi Clovis and everyone else, Sorbolene cream is not a brand but a type and it's available over the counter in Austrlaia (dosen't help much I know). There's a brand called EGO that has water dispersible bath oil, great for the treatment of chicken pox)that is supposedly very gentle on the skin. The other thing you could try, is to put oatmeal in a bag of some sort)in the bath, this releases oils into the water and should help with the dry skin.

P2