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hi I had a phil and teds explorer with double kit (baby cocoon as well) for when i needed baby and toddler in pushchair and i used a Baby Jogger single with maxi cosi cabriolet baby seat for when i needed just baby in a pushchair and now use that as single pushchair as its amazingly easy to fold with large shopping net underneath, only downside is its width doesn't fold but it will stand on its side in my boot when its folded if i need extra space otherwise i put it in flat and pile shopping on it when i don't need it..

Hi! I had my first at 38, 2nd 8 weeks before my 40th and 3rd just before my 42nd birthday. I was very lucky and had 3 good pregnancies and 3 healthy babies so I'm a big advocate of babies when your older but everyone and every pregnancy is different and risks do obviously increase as you get older but I used to sit in the midwifes waiting room with ladies in their twenties with far more problems than us 'older' mums seemed to have so its swings and roundabouts. I was far more tired with my 3rd pregnancy but i had two toddlers to look after as well at the time so who wouldn't be! :) xx

Hi We have 3 kids, Five, Three and a half and a 21month old. Cons: I find it hard as we have no real support network and absolutely no family nearby or whom we visit that much or visit us to help out so it can be tough. Husband works full time and I am a SAHM. Logistics is always my bugbear especially now the toddler never wants to be in his buggy and wants to 'walk' everywhere and we have to do 3 school runs in the car everyday. Food bills seem to be massive, someone always needs new clothes/shoes, we live in a two bedroom flat and all 3 now share a room. Squabbling, bickering and inability to share..cost of taking 3 anywhere! restaurants, cinema... anywhere you have to pay for them individually it adds up quickly and can put you off venturing to some attractions etc. Having to get a bigger car that properly accommodated 3 different car seats and had big enough boot for pushchair and shopping!!!. Taking care to ensure all 3 have their own needs met and individual time with me and hubby and not always treating them as a troupe. Pros: I love all 3 to bits, they are very different to each other and I'm fascinated by their developing charters. When they are getting along and playing nicely its a joy to behold and they entertain each other really well on occasion and I can't imagine any of them being an only child. Now we have them I can't imagine any more or any less but I'm definitely sticking at 3. They are very protective of each other when out and great company for each other. Its a very personal decision. It can be done in all sorts of circumstances, you just make it work but all I would say is that if you don't have lots of help or the access to nannies/au pairs etc then do think about how much you yourself are giving up. As a couple we hardly ever get to go out now, not many friends want to babysit for 3 and by the time we've paid a babysitter we can't afford to actually go out !. My week is spent entirely driving the kids to where they need to be and entertaining them when at home etc so there is very very little 'me' time. It can drive you crazy but everyones circumstances are different and each day is different!. But after saying all that which all seems a bit negative reading it back I can't imagine life any different and for us 3 is the perfect number!. We have some pretty strict routines for mornings and evenings which is the only way i can cope with getting all 3 out the door and to bed and we have to be far more organised than we would have ever have liked to be to make life easier but once you've done it for a while it just becomes a way of life and as the kids get older they start to understand those routines and help out a bit. Good luck with your decision. x

Another thumbs up for Bessemer!. It was our first choice last year for Sep 2013 entry but we never got any of our 6 choices, we stuck it out on Bessemers waiting list, starting off last April at 29th and then mid August we were offered a place and she started with all the others in September. She absolutely loves it and so do we as parents. We have our other daughter in the nursery there and she has flourished. Our little one will go down on the nursery waiting list later this year also!. Good luck for September and enjoy the Picnic for new parents in June!

hi we have the expedit units too and have pull out material storage boxes in them so the toys are out of sight when needed but easy to take down when the kids want to rummage and play. we have one in the dining room with their craft bits n bobs in and one in the lounge with most of their other toys but come night time we can tidy away and it doesn't look like a creche!. you can leave a few squares without boxes as well and put your own bits in to make it more grown up, some books, stereo, vase etc. we have a smaller one in the hall as well with same boxes in and keep their shoes in their so its easy pull out and again tidy and out of sight.

Their is an 'interim head teacher' their since they went back after the Feb half term with the previous Head having left rather abruptly. I haven't heard of any teachers being 'asked to leave' though. I have several friends with children there.

I parked on double yellows once, i got a ticket. I use that road all the time so how dare they!!

Hi I found Sunsense still bought my girls out in a rash after a few days use, theres a brilliant one by copper tone called water babies Pure & simple, its SPF 50 and broad spectrum, oil, fragrance and dye free. its only available online, you have to hunt it down but amazon uk often stock it in summer and also Neutrogena pure & free liquid sunblock spf 50 broad spectrum. comes in small bottles and is pricey but great for faces.

Hi Looking for an activity for my 16mth old and thought id try out Whippersnappers. Their websites not been updated since Dec so does anyone know if Tuesdays 9.30am are back up and running and cost and if you have to pre book? thx so much

I've never seen these spoken of wardens! Are they hiding in camouflage in trees so as to not take up valuable ground space??

Well that's told me!! A simple question and now I'm Dulwich's answer to 'swampy'. Surely by asking the question some of you could have reasonably assumed I was not oblivious to rules, regulations and etiquette and rather than just rock up and do as I pleased I have actually considered this. I now fear even setting down a picnic blanket or two with friends to celebrate our sons birthday and 'hogging' any public park space that I clearly don't personally own will end up with my incarceration for crimes against freedom of use of a public space! I agree that should the park be full of gazebos all on the same day it would be rather tricky to enjoy the area for anyone not invited to one of the events in said gazebos but if you knew how damn heavy and awkward even a small one is and would be to actually get from the car park to anywhere within the park you would understand its unlikely more than one antisocial group of individuals would try to erect one at any one time. I shall break the news to my not quite one year old that his party will be al fresco, and a little disjointed as I will have to ask his friends and parents to spread around the park so as to not appear to be creating a 'gathering'. I won't even ask the other question about caravans, fire pits and a bouncy castle !!

Does any kindly folk know if you need any kind of permission to put up a gazebo for a few hours in dulwich park? thx

our little girl is going to start bessemer in sep and we only were offered place two weeks ago but she's been invited to meet her teacher at school two days before start date, not home visit

Government rules for cyclists 64 You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement. Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A 1984, sect 129 Just saying.....

From Highway code 64 You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement. Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A 1984, sect 129 Just saying....

There is hope... We didnt get any of our 6 choices. We were given Langbourne. Our best waiting list was initially 27th at Bessemer Grange (our no.1 choice). Goodrich etc are not even worth chatting about as we were in the 70's on the lists.. Today we were offered a place at Bessemer Grange so in 3 months we have gone from 27th to being offered a place. I was pessimistic and didn't think it would happen and went ahead and bought Langbourne uniform but we do now have a silver lining so keep the faith disillusioned of dulwich. It can happen. oh and if anyone wants brand new langbourne uniform at discounted price I have some to sell!!!

When I had my 2nd baby I apparently asked for an Epidural as she actually popped out so bit of a late request there! And to top it off as they put her on my chest immediately upon birth I asked my husband if she was ours!!!

Hi If any of you are attending tomorrows Meet and Greet for Reception entry children in September at Langbourne then you are more than welcome to join an informal lunch get together a few mums have suggested at The Paxton pub. Will give us a chance to meet other new parents, especially for those of us who were allocated the school rather than it being a choice! and for the kids to meet so it's a little less daunting in September. So anyone that fancies meeting up just make your way to the Paxton pub (apparently good outdoor space for kids) on the roundabout at Paxton green nr the health centre not far from Langbourne after the event has concluded around 12 noon. Look forward to meeting some other New parents and Children!!!!

Hi If any of you are attending tomorrows Meet and Greet for Reception entry children in September at Langbourne then you are more than welcome to join an informal lunch get together a few mums have suggested at The Paxton pub. Will give us a chance to meet other new parents, especially for those of us who were allocated the school rather than it being a choice! and for the kids to meet so it's a little less daunting in September. So anyone that fancies meeting up just make your way to the Paxton pub (apparently good outdoor space for kids) on the roundabout at Paxton green nr the health centre not far from Langbourne after the event has concluded around 12 noon. Look forward to meeting some other New parents and Children!!!!

Everything room temp. I beat butter and sugar on medium speed for around 5 mins till almost white and the graininess has gone. Add one egg at time and beat until combined each time. Don't beat too long when you add flour as it will toughen the batter. Even if curdled cake will cook fine. Should need 20 mins min at 170 don't open door before but check at that stage, leave in and check in 3 min intervals until cooked. Good luck!!

Thank god some of you we're never kids in buggies being pushed by your mums or chasing behind her on a scooter.....

Nothing new to add to what's been/being said but we are in the statistic of one of those not offered any of our choices, we've been allocated Langbourne which we should be overjoyed with as its within 300 metres of us but after 3 visits and lots of discussions with current parents it doesn't meet what we want educationally for our children so we had to choose other schools on our preferences. We were sad but not surprised to not get any of our liked schools. We have gone down on the two waiting lists we've been put on and our best position is now 27th, (was 17th initially) so highly highly unlikely we will see enough movement to get a place. We are now facing having to start our daughter at Langbourne but look to physically move property to get closer to a school we like to try to get her moved during the year or for next September. System seems crazy. Would rather we had not been given any pretence of being able to choose and had just been allocated a school. Would have perhaps saved this worry, angst and disappointment .

A nice bag filled with some things she likes. make up, perfume, dvd, chocolate, nice pen/pad if she is a list maker. good lip balm, nice tissues. a book perhaps. Things she uses all the time but just an upgraded version of each in a pretty tote bag? (hope my hubby reads this and takes the hint... :) )

Just wanted to see how all the expectant mums are doing? First time I've been on for weeks so missed the meet up. I've got 9 weeks till due date and feel huge and panicking about having a 3rd now with two so young already!!!! Are you all prepared and blooming? Xx

Saffron we are not wealthy , we are barely comfortable but money isn't always the issue. People have more kids than us with far less and don't expect 'public funds' as you put it. We work hard at budgeting to give our family the best we can. We aren't in the Dulwich elite of having our kids down for private school or going to every 'toddler group' going but life does not revolve around money and being middle class. We punch above our weight by living here in leafy Dulwich and soon with 3 kids we will have to move but why not aim high if you can make it work even if for a short time. We would never have had kids if we had thought about the cost but the joy of them far outweighs what we sacrifice . So much of people's income is on material things, food wastage and socialising and visits to the nail bar etc and for us having kids far outweighs those things now. Maybe we are naive not considering the financial cost but I'm one of 4 and my family are not wealthy but showed me it can be done. You don't have to live in a ?million house, drive the latest BMW X5 and have the kids name down at ducks to be able to 'afford' more than one child.