Some news...

[midnight]

Hi Katster,

I've just stumbled over this, congratulations!

Mine is now 6, but I remember it all well (and yes, his head grinding against my ribs at 34 weeks was something I really could have done without, but hey).

Took him to his first Glastonbury when he was 13 months old (2009). Great fun.

Enjoy!! xx

[Katster]

Thank you midnight I am planning on taking 'it' to Glastonbury next year when it will be roughly 10 months old. Any advice for a parental festival virgin? We are buying a trailer tent to make life a bit easier and we were thinking of using a rucksack carrier thing rather than attempting pushing a pram through crowds etc. I know this might be a bit of a strain on our backs/shoulders but between the two of us we should be able to juggle? We might opt to take a cheap buggy too so it can sleep if it wants to. Dunno, what's the best way do you reckon? If it's muddy surely a pram is an impossibility? The main thing is we are both fine with accepting that there will be stuff we simply have to miss. We have also agreed that we can both have one day each where if the mood takes us we can have a few more shandies than normal and that the other will take the responsibility...I doubt when the time comes either of us will be that fussed though...especially since it's the NEXT day that's tough with a tiddly wink.

I am almost 26 weeks now and still doing well. Keeping fit and active and enjoying making a start on its nursery etc.

[Katster]

I'm a bit weird. I've made it a dream catcher and mobile and bought some obscure stuff. I want a room with stuff going on rather than the usual pastels/Winnie The Pooh. It even has a globe which is a lamp that shines the constellations at night. It's such a cool room already, I want to sleep in there!

[bunique]

Kat - look at soft structured carriers for back carries - much more comfy than a rucksack carrier. Off top of my head, good brands include Boba, Tula, Rose and Rebellion, Connecta. Easy for both parents to use, available at reasonable prices second hand. We had an Ergo carrier we used daily from 4-18 months and never used a pushchair until she was almost 2! Avoid anything off the high street as they're not made for back carrying or babies much bigger than 3 months old

[Katster]

I will be using the rucksack which came as part of the £200 package from a work colleague. It's pretty comfy but I can't remember the make/type etc. The baby will be 10 months old by Glastonbury.

I personally don't have much desire to use a pram or pushchair and will be using slings etc from birth. I only really bought the pram for my parents and for days out when we are going to be away from home for a few hours and it might need somewhere to sleep.

[bunique]

They're handy in hot weather too, slings can get warm!

[Katster]

Yeah but the baby is due in October...

[bunique]

Indian summer?!

[Katster]

Pffft, been promised one of those every year for about the past decade!

[Wooderson]

Parent of 3 consecutive Glasters with infants here. Not an easy option folks.

[midnight]

Hi Kat,

if baby and parents are fit & healthy it should be fine. Mind, a really miserable weather year like 2007 wouldn't be much fun, so to some extent you have to suck it and see. And I wouldn't try it with a cranky baby either, imagine a few days of puking in the tent.... think you get the idea.

How you do will depend a lot on your baby's personality - mine was the sort who prefered to sleep snuggled up to mum, so a pram was pretty useless, he just cried and complained when I put him into it and I spent our first year together carrying him with me everywhere in a sling, or later a back-carrier. I didn't take a buggy or pram to Glastonbury. The good news is that your strength increases gradually and in direct proportion to the weight of your baby (up to a certain point!). And if your partner is fully involved, it shouldn't be a problem. I had an ear protection set for the little one, think that's important.

We had a normal tent, but big with plenty of space, and we camped in a quiet area off the beaten track. I was still feeding, so always had a snack handy, and I took some food in jars and a large bunch of bananas. Also, most stalls that do tea and coffee are quite happy to sell you a cup of fresh cow's milk if asked, I've found. Apart from having to pace myself, the main difference was the much larger amount of luggage, I was used to travelling really light and going by bus or train, but that year we really needed a car for all the baby related stuff. Seems you got that. Disposable nappies are best for that kind of undertaking, of course. I've found some main supermarket's own brands to be quite good, and cheaper than pampers. I had washable ones (cotton and bamboo mix are really soft) at home, and I often just left that little bum naked.

Festivalling with a toddler is quite different. When young one was 2 I started taking him to WOMAD instead, that's a really good one to go to with a child and he loves it - he's really looking forward to going again this year.

It's great to watch a young child discover the world, it came to me when I had almost given up on the idea and I appreciate it all the more for it, I think. You got years of fun ahead of you!

Edited July 4, 2014 by midnight

[Ed209]

How's your Mrs doing Ed209??

Hey! She's doing very well thanks. Really starting to bloom and getting lots of wriggles and kicks now. We're just coming up to 23 weeks. Our anomaly scan went very well. Everything in the right proportions and nothing highlighted as a problem which was a huge relief - although my partner was a little upset by the attitude of our sonographer who was very bad at involving us in the whole experience. She had the monito turned away from her for the whole time and we had to google most of measurement acronyms to find out what it all meant. We did really want to know the sex but they were apparently in the wrong position when the time came at the end to look (although its very likely they saw when doing all the measurements) so we couldn't find out, which was a little frustrating, but we paid to have a private gender scan for £50 which was yesterday .... and we're having a little girl! (which was secretly my preference), so mum and dad to be very happy. We can go full steam ahead with the name choosing now. The excitement is ramping up!

Glad to hear everything is going well with your pregnancy, Kat. Interested to hear how aquanatal goes when you get there.

[Katster]

The local aqua natal classes aren't running at the moment. I can travel to somewhere where they are but that's all dependant on having the car and since my partner works shifts its always difficult to know when that will be. Our sonographer was quite similar to yours really, she spent ages in beginning trying to coax the baby out of my pelvis but rather than informing us of this she just kept tutting and frowning at the screen so we naturally thought there must be something wrong. Thankfully not and in the end she was ok with us. We were opposite to you and really did not want to know the sex. She gave us plenty of warning when going to that area, not that it mattered for me as I could hardly see anything anyway. Glad to hear you are all doing well and congratulations on getting your secret wish ha.

[Katster]

We had to have an unexpected scan today as my bump is slightly smaller than average so they wanted to check the measurements of the baby. All fine I just have a small bump. Baby is slap bang in middle of average on growth chart.

We got to have a fantastic look at its face during the process and watched it gulping amniotic fluid it even stuck its tongue out at one point, cheeky baby. Awwwww.

[bunique]

Glad all is well Kat. How are you finding the heat? We had our 12 (turned out to be 13+5) week scan last Thursday and it was just as amazing the second time around!

[Katster]

Ahhhh congratulations Bunique. I'm doing very well even in the heat. The worst thing is cooking so its been salad for tea for what feels like forever now, ha. Long trek to Brittany next Friday, looking like it will be hot there too at least I'm getting plenty of vitamin D ha.

[atomised]

Enjoy your trek to Brittany Katster

[Katster]

I had a fabulous holiday with only one bad afternoon when i got too hot and tired and emotional. Generally speaking i am well but at 32 weeks tomorrow its getting tough now. The bump is heavy and moves all day long which tires me out. Not long to go now though I guess. We still have pretty much no idea what name we are giving this bundle of joy, ha. Hows everyone else going with their bumpety bumps??

[feral chile]

I had a fabulous holiday with only one bad afternoon when i got too hot and tired and emotional. Generally speaking i am well but at 32 weeks tomorrow its getting tough now. The bump is heavy and moves all day long which tires me out. Not long to go now though I guess. We still have pretty much no idea what name we are giving this bundle of joy, ha. Hows everyone else going with their bumpety bumps??

It won't be long now Kat. I feel for you though, being pregnant through the summer, my first child was born in September and I can still remember what that was like.

[Katster]

Without having another pregnancy to compare this to I have no real idea if I am doing well, struggling, getting on ok or what. The heat has bothered me at times but the heat bothers me at times in normal life anyway. Until now it hasn't seemed as bad as I thought it would be but just recently as my bump gets heavier and my body gets more tired from lack of sleep it does seem to be the pain in the arse I'd always thought it would be. I definitely don't understand people who say they love being pregnant and on these notes I am off to bed after only a simple wander to the bank and for few bits of shopping this morning. Zzzzzz.

[bunique]

I'm with you Kat - my first pregnancy was very easy, for which I feel incredibly fortunate, but I didn't particularly enjoy it! I am finding second time around so dull and slow - I want it to be here already!

[Katster]

Lol. I obviously haven't changed my mind but oh my gosh I already can't wait to get it out of there!!

[bunique]

I forgot about the joy that is pregnancy insomnia. 4am seems to be my preferred wake up time!

Edited August 19, 2014 by bunique

[Katster]

Horrible isn't it?! I didn't do too badly last night but night before - 1am to 4am was wide awake time. It isn't helped with the party going on inside of me, but I have struggled to sleep properly for the past 8 months now. I guess it's natures way of preparing us...

[bunique]

Nature can feck off, I remember it quite well enough from last time!