Pickle

I would also add, with my first child I didn't start using cloth until he was about 7 months old. By that stage (post weaning) they use far less nappies in a day and it's pretty straightforward. I used them from birth with both of my girls by which point I was a lot more confident, but you do need a lot more nappies for the early months.

I used cloth nappies for all 3 of my kids (and for over a year had two children in them at once due to a small age gap between my first and second children). We don't have a tumble drier and I never had a problem. I used minkee style nappies (Itti Bitti and Blueberry) which were fast drying - in winter I tended to put the bamboo inner on radiators and they dried very quickly. I had enough nappies to last 3 days or so, which made the washing seem like less of a chore. I loved using cloth, and my children all potty trained relatively easily which I'm sure is in part due to using cloth nappies. If you're interested in a few sample nappies (6 months onwards) I still have all of mine in the loft!

I've been to a few large group dinners at Koz on Lordship Lane - it's quite casual but always has a good lively atmosphere and the food is nice. They do a party menu which is 3 courses for ?20, really good value. Their house wine is decent and only around ?13 a bottle!

I found nice little cutlery sets we were given by one friend after we had our second and third children were really useful gifts - the sort of thing you find yourself having to buy when you're weaning, even when you've got other children. Something nice for Mum is a great idea. I was given some Graze boxes when I had my 3rd child, which were a brilliant present.

Yes, we have been having similar problems with our BT Infinity. In particular it keeps loosing connection with our printer and Google Chromecast - rebooting fixes it temporarily.

Minder, it's more your assumption that the absences are something that can be planned/avoided. Admittedly it's a touchy subject for me due to the way our family has been treated by the school - but 2 out of 3 of our absences in the 4 years my eldest has been in full time education have been due to death or serious illness. Not something that can be worked around school holidays. In terms of "do it anyway" - in the case where we were not granted absence for my brothers ashes burial, of course we did it anyway. Would you feel comfortable telling the rest of your bereaved family that you weren't attending as the school didn't grant 2 days off? I know it's an extreme example, but highlights just how ridiculous the system has become.

The fine, if applied, is ?60 per child, per parent. I'm happy to pay that if it means my children get to say a goodbye to their uncle, or spend time with their grandparents at an important family time. Having accused others of being flippant, I feel your post is pretty rude. The times we have taken our children out of school, I liase with their teachers, take homework, insist that they keep a travel diary to share with their class, and make sure they catch up with missed work.

Bloomers, a gem of a shop that I wish I had found years before I did! Great service and reasonably priced too.

Curmudgeon, this is an excellent post and sums up my thinking better than I could ever have expressed it.

I'm not polite to them :) Try putting up a "no unsolicited callers" notice? Or, unless you're expecting someone, don't open the door. It is a nuisance, I agree.

At nighttime I use a pull-up - but I encourage her to go to the toilet before we put it on, and leave her in pants until just before she goes to bed. My son took a very long time to get dry at night, middle daughter was very quick, and my youngest looks like it will take a while, but it tends to happen independently of them becoming dry in the day. Good luck!

It sounds as if she's ready, if she is successfully using a toilet at nursery. Rather than wait for her to use the toilet at home, you need to lead the process. In the early days of training my kids (most recently my daughter who has just turned 3), I made going to the toilet part of our daily routine at key times in the day - when she gets up, after breakfast, before the school run etc. It doesn't take long for it to become 2nd nature to them, and start either doing it themselves or letting you know they need to go. I've never used pull-ups, other than for nighttime, once toilet training is underway. I think it confuses them - choose nice pants, buy lots of them, and stick to them rather than swapping to pull-ups. In terms of accidents, they will happen, it's part of life. Warm soapy water to sponge the carpet or wipe the sofa. Once toilet training is sorted get your carpet cleaned professionally if need be. We have cream carpets, and they've survived 3 children being toilet trained :)

My son was out of day nappies by 2.5, but it was after his 6th birthday that he became dry at night. We briefly tried lifting, but it didn't make a significant difference. One night he declared he was ready for pants, and that was it. I can count on one hand the number of times he's wet the bed in the two years since. Middle child dry day and night at 2.5. Third child out of day nappies by 2.5 but at 3 shows absolutely no sign of getting dry at night. It happens eventually, just try to stay relaxed about it.

I seem to remember reading that the whole fining system was going to be reviewed/scrapped in the near future?

Yes, we've done it for trips to see family in NZ. Unless you have a very understanding head and/or a very very good reason it will be unauthorised (we had 2 days absence for my brother's ashes burial and headstone unveiling disallowed! Not "extraordinary circumstances", apparently). However, chances are nothing will happen, and at worst I think it's ?60 per child fine from the council. Many people do it, not many admit to it and ring their kids in sick instead - it's those of us honest enough to apply for the leave that get punished.

Yes, criminal activity, but how to do anything about it?

I drove up from Honor Oak Station towards ED last night at 9pm, at 20mph. The person behind me became so impatient he overtook on a blind corner and came very close to a head on collision with a bus. Aggressive overtaking has also happened on Sydenham Hill on a Sunday morning. I am all for 20 mph on side streets, but on the main roads it does feel ridiculously slow and is at risk of causing accidents due to the impatience of people not wanting to drive so slow.

Saffron, a rude and unnecessary response, which is unlike you so I hope all is ok.

I agree that a whole week of a Frozen theme is OTT, however if you take out the film reference, a week of winter/ice themed activities sounds like fun for little ones. Maybe there are some kids that need the film reference to get them excited about the prospect (which, if it is the case, is sad). I'm all for kids watching tv, my weekend mornings have been revolutionised, the kids go downstairs and watch an hour from 7am, allowing us an extra hours sleep. However I'm a strong believer that it's something that should be governed by parents, and would be annoyed if a nursery I paid to look after my kids was using tv to entertain them. Will be interested to hear how the week pans out!

katanita Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Out of interest, did anyone take up my suggestion > of trying My Fitness Pal? I'm not on commission or > anything, promise, I just think it's really > brilliant. I use My Fitness Pal, and agree it's excellent, especially given it's free. I have it all linked up so that my Garmin running watch syncs with it and gives me credit for my running. Love that you can scan barcodes, and that it's an international database.

I don't use a childminder, but have met lots of them over the years by going to local playgroups. I think it's a great way to get a feel for how they interact with the children, and other parents/kids. The group I see regularly are all absolutely lovely, and don't tend to advertise as get all of their children through word of mouth. They are all based near Goodrich School, so no good for you, but might be worth trying to meet some in your area?

Having to resort to using reduced fat grated cheese for cheese on toast. It doesn't melt!

I had a lot of success with a TENS machine in all 3 of my births. All were inductions at 37 weeks, requiring syntocin drips, which I had been told caused a lot of pain and that an epidural was standard. I was pretty determined not to have an epidural, and managed with just the TENS and a little bit of gas and air each time. I started the TENS at a low level as soon as contractions started, and ramped it up as things got more intense. The "boost" button was fantastic :)

Oh dear, I hang my head in shame. Loz, please accept this virtual beer/wine/chocolate.

Hoping the wisdom of the forum can help! All of a sudden, my Epson wireless printer and my Google Chromecast don't seem to be "connected" anymore. A search for these devices turns up nothing, both from my PC and ipad. Up until a couple of days ago both were working absolutely fine. As far as I'm aware, nothing has changed in terms of settings, and if they have it's nothing I have done. I've been Googling, but it's confusing me even more. I have a BT infinity homehub. Help?