What's your dilemma about any aspect of life as a parent? Our experienced life coach Joanne Mallon is here to answer your questions. Send your questions in here and say if you'd like your name to be changed

Eileen writes:

My six-year-old daughter is driving me and her dad round the bend. She knows how to use the toilet but won't give up the pull-up nappies. Even if we don't buy them she's happy to put a normal nappy on. We've tried sticker charts, small toys, lollies etc. Nothing works.

Now we're faced with a four-year-old following her and we just don't know what to do. The school have no idea either. Out of my eight children I have one trained all day and night, and two during the day but slowly getting there during the night. Please if you can help we would love to hear from you.

Here's the life coach's reply:

So, you've popped out your first sprog, and are wondering where all the time in the day goes and how you will ever get any sleep again.

Then at some point you start cooing over newborns and the thought pops into your head: "Wouldn't it be nice to have another one of those?"

For some people this seems to happen more or less straight away. I know siblings who are so close together in age that they're in the same school year.

That seems excessively keen. I'm not sure it's even physically possible, although I accept the evidence suggests it must be.

Some parents have the attitude that you get the 'baby bit' over and done with as quickly as possible – pop out two or three in quick succession, and then go back to work, or resume some sort of social life.

Others seem to take their time over it, waiting for the first child to start nursery or school before embarking on the next round of nappies and night feeds.

Q: With all the headlines about climate change and the environment, I am thinking of doing my bit and swapping to reusable nappies. The trouble is, I'm a bit worried that it's still all huge nappy pins and terry towelling! Are there any better options on the market?

A: When you consider that 8 million nappies are thrown away each year in the UK, most of which are non-biodegradable, swapping to a reusable nappy is undoubtedly a huge contribution towards protecting the environment.

The good news is the days of bulky, rough nappies are long gone! There is now an extensive range of brilliantly soft, durable and easily washable nappies on the market; all of which are good for the environment as well as being absorbent, soft and snug on your baby's bottom.

Additionally, the huge nappy pins associated with reusables are no longer needed as they have been replaced by velcro or popper fastenings, or with plastic nappy grippers. They can also be washed on 40-60 degree cycles and tumble dried. So, with such a huge range available, the first step is to decide which type to go for.

Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband has admitted that he uses disposable nappies for his six-month-old son Daniel, which has got him into a bit of trouble with a group of mothers.

Mr Miliband admitted to the usage on a mumsnet.com webchat. He defended the actions by citing an Environmental Agencies report that suggests that the energy impact of disposable nappies is little more than reusable ones, once you take into account the washing and drying of them.

Unfortunately for him, many eagle eyed chatters were able to point out that the report in 2005 overestimated the number of nappies used, and assumed all of them would be washed at a high temperature, tumble-dried and ironed.

Currently three billion nappies are thrown out every year, making up 4% of household waste.

As more retailers start to associate themselves with eco-friendly practices there is still a surprising lack of green initiatives seeping into the largest of high street chains. The baby market might seem like one of the first places to start, and to some extent it is. Organic baby clothes are becoming a serious trend and often act as a catalyst to turn the most non-believing of mothers to eco enthusiasts. After all, making sure your baby has the most natural and harm-free fabrics around them is an all-important concern.

When it comes to nappies and wipes, most high street stores are rather quiet. There are plenty of brands available to buy online, but it's more difficult if you want to pop eco nappies in your shopping trolley on the weekly grocery shop or trip up town.

The high street stores in the list below are currently leading the way in stocking eco nappies and related products:

One of the things you tend to assume when you have a baby is that changing nappies is a non-negotiable part of the parenting equation. I remember reading when my first child was born that a newborn baby should have 8-10 changes a day. As an uncertain, novice mum I would sit in the evening and try to count up if I'd done the required number. I was always too tired to remember, and felt bad if it seemed like I wasn't doing it right.

A big part of at least the first two years of your child's life will see you becoming fairly intimately acquainted with the contents of their bowels. We might not like changing nappies, but it's got to be done, probably by you.

Or does it? Well, not according to parents who support a theory known as Elimination Communication AKA babies without nappies. It's long been practised in India and Africa and growing in popularity in the West.

Getting the kids out the door can be an exercise in itself, once you've changed nappies, assembled all your necessary pieces, got dressed and changed nappies again it's lunchtime! What's more trying to pack all your essentials into something a little smaller than suitcase can seem impossible. Finding the perfect changing bag should hopefully cut down your prep time but which one to buy?

Jessica Alba is a fan of the Storksak, a funky, modern shoulder bag but one which has caught my eye is the Babymel 'Amanda' bag. The Poppy Red Amanda comes in a charming floral print and the red and camel colourway is wonderfully eye-catching.

Once you get beyond potty training during the day, the next stage will hopefully involve your child naturally becoming dry at night. But sometimes this can take longer than you might expect to achieve. Approximately one in seven children will still be wet at night at the age of 5. So if this is your situation, and your child is still in night nappies when they start school, you're not alone.

And even if your child is dry at night, don't be surprised if you experience a few wet beds when they first start school - this can happen for a number of reasons, including stress, sleeping more deeply, or drinking more water during the day. They will grow out of this eventually. GPs do not generally consider this behaviour a problem until the child is around 7.

And a recent report in the Sunday Telegraph suggested that children are starting school in increasing numbers, still wearing nappies during the day as well.

Newborn baby bottoms are so much softer than any other bottom that even baby wipes can by too rough for them. That's why mothers are advised to stick to cold boiled water and cotton wool when doing those early nappy changes.

But DermaH2O's new baby wipes have been designed specifically for newborns. WaterWipes are made from 99.9% water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract and are safe to use from birth.

Source

What happens when you're 37, almost infertile, in a new relationship and you go and get pregnant by accident? Find out in Sarah's weekly column: Up the Duff Without a Paddle.

I had my second midwife appointment this week, and it is confirmed that I'm giving birth to a racehorse. We tuned into Baby FM, with the handheld monitor that the midwife brought with her, and it was clear as day a racehorse galloping at full speed.

So, we're binning the plan to create a nursery and building a stable instead. We need lots of hay, apparently, and a big shovel to clear horse poo, but it should still work out cheaper, easier and less smelly than looking after a baby.

That's if the Excel spreadsheet of baby needs a friend sent to me and pregnant friends this week is to be believed.

My other half shocked me recently when he told me that his dad had never once changed a nappy for either him or his two siblings. I was even more dismayed to hear since that some modern dads of our generation also don't change nappies. Not so in Tom Burgess's household!

Tom wrote such a great answer to a question I sent to him and his wife about nappies that it deserves a special Dad Tip column of its own. We read so many great words of advice from other women that it felt very refreshing to hear about parenting from a chap's point of view -- I mean, would a woman use the phrase 'poo lumps'? This is the king of advice columns about real nappies, folks.

Tom writes:

We have done real nappies for both of our babies and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Using real nappies is one thing you can do to really cut down the cost and environmental impact of the first years of your baby. I don't condemn people who use disposables but having done real nappies for our two is one of the things I am proudest of.

I must admit, though, with our second baby we have been using a standard disposables for the nights. For our first we kept it real the whole day and night through!

Be warned, this article will provide only a fraction of the information you will want to consume on the topic of nappies before your strawberry-smelling little one does their first stinker of a poo.

But, as all this info comes straight from the mouths, hearts and sheer determined spirits of mums before you, it will be super invaluable. The questions I put to them are which type of nappy did you choose, why and how did you and baby get on with it?

The mums are a real cross-section, so neither a straight run of Daily Mail readers nor a sample from the Green Party. Eco is definitely the way forwards, it appears.

Here's what experienced mums have to say.

Tammy's verdict:
I remember how confusing it was when we were researching nappies. We tried all kinds, from a nappy service to various different disposables, eco and otherwise. We now use a combination of eco disposables and secondhand cloth nappies that we wash ourselves, which we decided was better than using a nappy service. We use the disposables when we're out and about, overnight, or when Jake has nappy rash, and the cloth ones at other times.

By Sarah Coles

The huge cost of bringing up kids is a hobby horse of mine, so I won't go there again. Instead I've found a way to help, with a selection of baby-related freebies...

The most well-known of these is the Bounty pack. These offer a variety of freebies depending on who is sponsoring the pack at the time, but will include things like vouchers for nappies, washing powder and nappy rash cream. You should get a voucher from your midwife when you go for your booking-in visit, but there's nothing stopping you from signing up for another here.

Given the amount you will spend on nappies (assuming you use disposables) it's worth tracking down the freebies. Sign up to Pampers Village and they'll send you regular vouchers until your child hits the age of two.

There's also a useful site called freenappies.co.uk. The deal is that you sign up for a trial with one of their partner firms, like Lovefilm, and you get a free pack of nappies. Many are free trials, but be careful you don't sign up to anything requiring a longer commitment or a payment.

For a stay-at-home mum, a computer with an Internet connection can truly be a lifeline. When nappies and baby talk become just too much, adult interaction is just a click away. But for some mums, the lure of the online world becomes too tempting to resist and instead of a being an occasional distraction, it becomes a fully-fledged addiction.

What generations of mothers have been doing across the backyard fence is now taking place online and for most of us, it remains a positive diversion and a sanity-saver. But researchers now say they are seeing a growing number of young mums for whom blogs and social networking have become an all-consuming passion -- to the detriment of their real-world lives.

Currently, Internet addiction is not officially recognised as a mental disorder by psychiatrists. But considering a recent Stanford University survey that revealed 14 percent of Internet users admit they find it hard to stay away from their computers for several days at at time, 9 percent try to hide their "non essential Internet use" from others and 8 percent acknowledge they use the Web to escape problems, it is probably just a matter of time before it is