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Hi we find that we have to virtually make our little boy have a wee before bedtime and that helped massively. But I also read in a Parenting book that boys brains just dont click yet to recognise they need a wee when asleep so it can be a physiological thing that his body just isn't ready yet. Good Luck

We did a superhero party for one of our daughters parties. Everyone was asked to come in fancy dress and my mother in law also made us a few cheap capes for anyone that didnt have fancy dress. We had Mr Amigo for the entertainment and the kids loved him. Also we made a photo booth area using a clothes rail and a plastic 'cityscape' backdrop i found cheap on eBay and the kids had their pictures taken infront of that and we made some props on sticks like speech bubbles saying kapow etc for them to hold up.

Hi Interested if anyones done this to know if your national rail ticket has to be to a station close to the zoo to qualify or if it just needs to be a nat rail ticket purchased on day but can be to any central london station ie to Victoria. 2 adults and 3 kids (over 3yrs) going so trying to save a bit on ticket prices Thx

anyone know of anywhere over Surrey Quays/Canada Water thats a nice place to eat with kids? or very near by that you can park at/near at weekends? thx in advance

Hi I've been a SAHP for 7 years now and although two out of the three are at school and my youngest is 15hours nursery we have always filled our time with park trips or just a walk out and I've never done any playgroups etc up until school/free nursery. I used to post on the Forum for Parents at home with babies or toddlers etc just asking if anyone wanted to meet up in the park and post a time/place to meet and there was always several other turn up looking for another adult to chat to and playmates for their little ones. xx

This is indeed becoming a very real problem with health implications. This area is a regular walk through route for children heading to Bessemer Grange, Charters Schools etc and it needs addressing now.

Hi I have 3 with almost identical gaps as yours. It's a challenge but as with everything in life you find a way that works for you. Logistics of getting 3 that age around on your own can be a challenge but depends how adventurous you are etc. I didnt go far in the first few months of no.3 arriving. I learn't to make sure that no's 1 & 2 had something to occupy them when i needed to feed baby etc and somethings could only be achieved when hubby was around to help also. We have no outside support from family and couldnt afford babysitters so like Medusa our bedtime routine was quite strict - and still is as far as possible - and you do spend a lot of time doing laundry etc. Ive tried to make sure toys and craft things are easily accessible so they can all access them without me always having to help and now they are at nursery/school age i try to prep as much the night before as possible such as school clothes and bags and lunch boxes etc. We've never done the playgroup type things as most of the time they didnt suit all 3 ages groups so was best to make our own fun in the park or home in the garden. Do batch cooking where possible so you've always got a bolognese sauce or the like in the freezer for quick meals and dont beat yourself up about trying to cook everything from scratch. sometimes toast and a yoghurt wont kill them for dinner!. Most of all try to enjoy it. It is hard and even now mine are 3, 5 and 7 the challenges just change they dont go away but life gets a bit easier as they all become more independent and out of nappies and can feed themselves and all that and in my experience having them close in age is now much better as they like similar things. Be prepared though for everything being mostly geared up for a family of 4 not 5 and the expense of 3 of everything!!! Good Luck xx

When both my daughters started we received the paperwork early June so may be after the half term but just call the office and they will be glad to confirm.

Hi Im finding it hard to find information on websites of local schools as to what they charge for additional top up hours over and above the 3/4 yrar old 15 free hours. Does anyone know what places like Goodrich, Goose Green, Dulwich Village charge for their extra hours? Thanks

Hi Renata The Sibling column shows 0 for the majority of schools but we know thats incorrect so is the other info correct? And when a school has 90 spaces and nearly 300 applications how can they 'all be offered'?

My childrens school is also closed when needed for Election Polling. We have two closures, tomorrow and then for the EU referendum in June. As parents we are not allowed to take our children out of school unauthorised, and very little is 'authorised' these days and we are repeatedly told that it is detrimental to their education to miss even one day of schooling so yes, it may be 'only one day' but this week they have lost a day due to Bank Holiday, they are off tomorrow but then have to go in Friday and for younger children this chopping around is hard for them to understand and causes problems. It also means many parents face a childcare issue for these days on top of Inset days. There are plenty of places around that could be used. Community centres, Church Halls. Maybe its time there were 'mobile' polling vans that parked in supermarket car parks etc.

and the actual caf?s thoughts on this would be?

I am deeply sorry for their loss, petition signed x

My Girls were obsessed with Strictly and want to learn proper dancing, anyone know of any childrens classes run locally for ballroom? thanks

After 7 years of 'raising the kids' I am looking to dip my toes back in the world of gainful employment. Initially it will be only for a few hours a week, preferably during school hours to gain confidence and refresh the working muscles so to speak!. I still have a little one at nursery for only 15 hours a week half day each day and two others in school. Anyone done similar and have any tips on where to look, how to brush up on IT skills etc? All and any help/advice gratefully received. It all feels very daunting at the moment.

I think a mix of all sorts of stories and books etc is great for kids and I dont believe they see what adults interpret some of these fairy tales as, they seem them simply as a story they like or don't like!. One of my little girls was never out of a princess dress but it was a phase and she's only just 5 but already moving on from that of her own accord. I think sometimes as parents we put too much of our judgements onto what kids should or shouldn't be exposed to and they really dont analyse it that way. Wouldn't be too concerned I dont think the odd disney story etc will shape their future too much. Keep it balanced is my philosophy and just expose them to other stories, theories and ideas to see what they like.

Anyone know of a local ice cream van you can hire to attend a kids birthday party? Please PM me if you do Thanks

HI does anyone know of anywhere local that hires out disco equipment such as sound systems, lights, dry ice machines etc? looking for some for a childrens birthday party. thanks

Hi I think it's more a question of why did he feel the need to hide away to eat it? Why didn't he feel confident enough to ask for some when he came across it. I have a niece who used to do that sort of thing when she was a lot younger and it turned out that she wasn't allowed sweets a lot of the time or was promised some that never materialised so whenever she saw an opportunity she just took it and used to hide to do it so they weren't taken away. I think its important that he understood it wasn't the right thing to do as it wasn't his to do it with but at the end of the day he is still a child and thats the kind of thing they do, its part of the learning process of whats right and wrong...

Christopher at Dulwich Dental Clinic on Lordship Lane.Great with adults and brilliant with kids. Mine look forward to going to see him!

Hope it's going ok LSB and that you are finding your routine that suits you. I second all the other mums comments, there are tough times and for me I have to be organised, prepared and a little bit strict with them all from time to time to get them to where we need to be and a bit selfish at others - i.e. dumping the smallest in his buggy when he really really doesn't want to be in there but I need to get to school drop off etc for the other two. I try to get them all involved in helping each other and they know that there's certain routines we have to stick to on school mornings etc. Patterns will form and fall into place. I still find certain things I just can't manage with 3 logistically, they are all young still, 2-4 -6 and sometimes what the youngest wants to do the other two don't and vice versa so we have to compromise and i can't always take them places alone such as soft play that has a difficult older section as the youngest will invariably try to climb and cause mayhem!. But you do what you can when you can and plan other events for when the other half is around etc. I do it without any childcare other than school/pre school and a couple of mornings of nursery for the little one, no childminder/nanny or any family around at all. I take up any offer of play dates from friends to get a bit of breathing space and plan carefully for when we host playdates!. Its hard but rewarding. Good luck and hope more than anything you are enjoying your time with them. x

Simon from Amigos magic was fantastic at my kids 5th birthday party, had 30 kids enthralled for two hours.

Bit random I know but if anyone on here is a 'Stilt Walker' or knows one who does Childrens parties please pm me... thanks

James Barber are the police going to enforce the rules of the road to the many Dulwich Cyclists that do not stop at Zebra crossings, red lights, do not indicate or even look around them when changing direction, mount the pavement when it suits them to aid their journey, ride without lights etc in dim/dark conditions, ride two/three abreast when not appropriate......and so on.

Im all for more schools in the area to alleviate the nightmare each year of parents not getting local schools for their children. My three are a few years off needing secondary school yet but I'm already aware that if we don't get more schools built or extended then we will yet again face a bun fight to get them in anywhere so I have emailed my support for The Charter Schools proposal.