[Nutty]

Not medically qualified, but when our little one was on phenoxymethylpenicillin, it was supposed to be on an empty stomach (4 times a day, at least 1 hour before eating and 2 hours after eating: scheduling nightmare!). The leaflet in the box also specifically mentioned that guar gum (commonly in ice cream and other desserts) could cause issues with absorption.

[SA Chris]

Any advice on "table top" pets? Kids found some brine shrimp / sea monkey and swamp monster / triop kits in the toy shop and got all excited about them. I know sea monkeys are nothing like they used to pretend they looked like in old American comics (i still remember the disappointment) but these triops things look a bit different?

Otherwise any suggestions?  We had goldfish and silkworms when we were kids but not much else. Anything that is not endangered / unethical to keep and doesn't require an extension to the house / cages in the garden / is so fragile it can be crushed by a child / leaves hair on the furniture / shit on the lawn. Oh yeah, and isn't horrifically expensive.

Thanks

[nik at work]

A friend of ours has an aqaurium type thing that he has just put some sea/rockpool water in along with some seaweed covered rocks from the beach. To start with there wasn't much seemingly going on but now it is rammed with various things, shrimps, a couple of sea urchins, aenemones, weird alien shit etc. It's very cool to look at.
I dunno about the ethics of such things, or anything about the pumps/filters required etc. But it was genuinely mesmerising to watch and a real visual lesson in the 'life in its many weird and beautiful forms is all around us' mould. I think he was going to keep it for a bit then just put it all back in the sea and get some new seawater to start again.
Only cost is the tank and a dribble of electric for a pump/filter I guess??

[nai]

In spring we get hold of tadpoles from friends gardens and raise them into frogs.
Dead easy to start with, just need a tank and some pond weed and feed them a frozen spinach leaf every other day, can keep them inside or out. Need some rocks and fish food later on, all info online easy enough.
Kids get to see them grow legs then change to frogs which is quite exciting to see the changes happening.
It's a temporary thing so if they lose interest despite the developments then you're not stuck with an unwanted pet.

[fatneck]

We have mice.

Table top sized housing, weekly cleaning routine for the munchkin (teaches some responsibility etc), cheap, cute and cheerful!!!

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Recently got a syrian hamster. Pets at home give away the 'old' ones that haven't managed to sell.  Cage and setup cost about £50 but after that they eat hardly anything. Similar setup to mice. Early days but kids haven't lost interest yet. Even I think he's quite cute.

[Oldmanmatt]

We did the Hamster thing, at one point reching four of the little buggers.
The warning here, is that despite this house being somewhat accustomed to death; their departure still caused a deal of smokey eyes etc.
Currently on rabbits.
Originally as house pets but now banished outside due to previously unrealised allergies...
We once had an aquarium full of fish, now down to a single Neon Tetra, who appears to be immortal; though they never elicited any attachment from the kids.

[Mike Tyson]

We have guinea-pigs. Relatively low outlay probably about £100 all in. Quality little characters, you can really interact with them. Need fed, bathed and cleaned out regularly but doesn't take long and is easy.

On a side note, I'm one week into the new lads life. Sleep deprivation is peaking I'm slowly unravelling from the edges, I've drank a bottle of fine Sauvignon Blanc to myself in the kitchen in record time...... 

[erm, sam]

I know the OP didn't want furry things, but I have to agree Guinea Pigs are brilliant. Low maintenance, personable and funny.

[kingholmesy]

How old do you reckon kids need to be before you get them a hamster / guinea pig / similar?

My eldest is 4 1/2 yrs and would be keen, but I think she is maybe too young?  Ideally I’d like her to be old enough to take responsibility for cleaning out it’s cage (otherwise muggins will end up doing it), but I think she might be a way off that.

Even if she is old enough, will one of the younger two kids (2 1/2 yrs and a 10 months old) murder any pet?

[erm, sam]

We waited until our daughter was old enough that looking after them could be her responsibility. For us that was 10. She feeds them, cleans them out thinks about who can look after them when we are away etc (with lots of reminders at the beginning and less and less now).

Otherwise it becomes just another job for the stupid parent who bought them.

[nai]

How old do you reckon kids need to be before you get them a hamster / guinea pig / similar?

My eldest is 4 1/2 yrs and would be keen, but I think she is maybe too young?  Ideally I’d like her to be old enough to take responsibility for cleaning out it’s cage (otherwise muggins will end up doing it), but I think she might be a way off that.

Even if she is old enough, will one of the younger two kids (2 1/2 yrs and a 10 months old) murder any pet?

Tried rabbitts at five, enthusiasm lasted a few months before Muggins ended up doing it, I wasn't too upset when they ran away to live in the field behind the house.

[T_B]

My mate has guinea pigs and reckons they're dead easy. Plus they actually live quite long (unlike hamsters). He got two for his daughter when she must've been about 3. We have fish, but I can see furry things on the horizon.

[SA Chris]

A friend of ours has an aqaurium type thing that he has just put some sea/rockpool water in along with some seaweed covered rocks from the beach. To start with there wasn't much seemingly going on but now it is rammed with various things, shrimps, a couple of sea urchins, aenemones, weird alien shit etc. It's very cool to look at.
I dunno about the ethics of such things, or anything about the pumps/filters required etc. But it was genuinely mesmerising to watch and a real visual lesson in the 'life in its many weird and beautiful forms is all around us' mould. I think he was going to keep it for a bit then just put it all back in the sea and get some new seawater to start again.
Only cost is the tank and a dribble of electric for a pump/filter I guess??

This sounds great. I think a mate has got an old tank he;s trying to get shot of. We live about 10 minutes walk from the sea, so loads of opportunities for collecting things. Be good to know what details are required wrt pumps filtration etc. I think furry creatures are not on the cards yet, but thanks for the advice. Has anyone tried those triops things, they certainly sound like interesting creatures?

[nik at work]

I shall make further enquiries...

[SA Chris]

Cheers min.

[Mike Tyson]

Baby Tyson is 13 weeks old this week, and has been taking bitty mainly but has been having roughly 2 bottles per day to top up (was advice as breast feeding was difficult to begin with).

He had been happily taking the bottle, formula and expressed, but this week he has just started to refuse the bottle entirely. Pushing it out his mouth with his tongue, like it tastes disgusting. I’ve cleaned all the bottles and sterilised them extra, just to be sure, and cleaned steriliser too. The formula hasn’t changed. I managed to get him to take one last night, which was random. It’s almost like he has forgotten how to do it,

I know he is having a lot of brain development at the moment, but this is a bit of a bugger really.

Any ideas?

[Will Hunt]

Have you changed how you make it in any way? Apparently adding boiling water to the powder instead of slightly cooled boiling water can affect the taste of some stuff.

And the obvious question, are you sure it's not too hot when you're giving it to them? My bottle protocol is to add however much powder you're going to need to half the amount of freshly boiled water. Then add the other half of the water cold (keep some previously boiled water in the fridge in a BPA free bottle). This generally produces the right temperature stuff and avoids long cooling times on bottles when you've got a kid screaming for food.

[tommytwotone]

We're an all bottle household - basically, get one of these...like one of those coffee pod machines for formula bottles:


https://www.tommeetippee.co.uk/product-support/perfect-prep-machine


Takes all the hassle out of warming / cooling etc.


As for flavour etc I can't imagine that's an issue - Una (our youngest) had a milk protein intolerance and ended up on Neocate, which is a rank non-milk milk which smelt like boiled cabbage. We started off putting vanilla essence and even Nesquik in it to improve the taste but she got used to it.

[Will Hunt]

Jessica is on that Neocate stuff also. Smells odd, but she's a baby so can't know any different!

[tommytwotone]

Jessica is on that Neocate stuff also. Smells odd, but she's a baby so can't know any different!

It really is rank. I hope you're getting it on prescription (we did), as it's bloody expensive if you're paying for it out of your own pocket!

[SA Chris]

Both of ours went through a phase of refusing a bottle, but gave it a break for a few days and then went back onto it. To be honest though, if you had a choice what would you prefer?

[tomtom]

Ours never had formula, one of the 1% exclusively breast fed..... Which I still find a remarkably small percentage https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/what-is-baby-friendly/breastfeeding-in-the-uk/breastfeeding-rates-in-the-uk/

This led to a few issues earlier when he wouldn't take expressed milk in a bottle - but he'd got used to sippy cups before it became a problem when mum wasn't around..

He has gone through phases of liking and not liking then liking again food/toys/things so its probably just one of those..?
 

[lagerstarfish]

Baby Tyson is 13 weeks old this week, and has been taking bitty mainly but has been having roughly 2 bottles per day to top up (was advice as breast feeding was difficult to begin with).

He had been happily taking the bottle, formula and expressed, but this week he has just started to refuse the bottle entirely. Pushing it out his mouth with his tongue, like it tastes disgusting. I’ve cleaned all the bottles and sterilised them extra, just to be sure, and cleaned steriliser too. The formula hasn’t changed. I managed to get him to take one last night, which was random. It’s almost like he has forgotten how to do it,

I know he is having a lot of brain development at the moment, but this is a bit of a bugger really.

Any ideas?

I remember similar happening due to the hole in the end of the rubber teats getting worn bigger so that it was flowing too fast - maybe try new tips?

conversely - it may be time to switch to a faster flowing tip

? (obvs)

[Mike Tyson]

Good knowledge as always chaps. Cheers.