simonethebeaver

Eliot Bank is a lovely warm school, and I can't imagine it being intimidating. Just wanted to reassure anyone whose kids ARE going there. But it's a great thing if we all want different things - spread the demand!

We have extensive experience of the Evelina and it really is wonderful. The staff are superb. I'm so sorry to all of you who're having to deal with big worries during pregnancy. You will be very well looked after.

Thanks, Lacey. We're way further than that so not an option for us.

The Baby Led Weaning Cookbook is worth a look. Good recipes with lots of variants.

Just looked up Bessemer's entry in the Southwark applications brochure, out of curiosity as we are in the black hole. It says all applicants offered a place. Is that how undersubscribed schools are described? Although there are school places available in these various schools, the children in these tricky areas will miss out on going to school in their own close community within walking distance of home. Bessemer is quite a hike, and most of the schools Renata listed are some distance away in very different communities. I think the Peckham Free Schools are the closest.

I asked for clarification of this a while back and haven't had a reply yet!

I had huge problems finding hair bands for my one year old that weren't pink, white, covered in bows, sequins or flowers. Plain cloth hair bands in funky colours or designs would be great. She was blessed with lots of hair from the start so I needed them early and most were too big?

I can't recommend the caseload system enough. People pay thousands to have similar care from independent midwives (or have done until the law changes) and these have the added bonus of being King's midwives who can deliver at the hospital and liaise with the staff there. This is my second pregnancy with Oakwood and they have been brilliant both times. This time round I was diagnosed with GD and they have supported me throughout. I am now in the final stretch and hoping excitedly for a second home birth with them. The GD has meant I've seen quite a bit of the King's doctors too this time round and the consultant has been great to deal with, and facilitated the choices I've made rather than stuck rigidly to protocol. My niggle with Kings is that they are very quick to medicalise and their research and teaching status means they are sometimes too ready to see problems. But I imagine that in many circumstances that is a good thing, and as Tommy's is exactly the same sort of hospital, presumably the same attitude prevails there.

James, do those distances include sibling places and other entry criteria, or just admission by distance?

Yes, not our headache this year (although watching with interest) but all six of our nearest schools are oversubscribed. We're thinking of researching undersubscribed schools that are at least on our way to work to put down when the time comes but possibly would then sabotage any chance at all of getting a local school.

Sorry, voluntary aided. Non-academy schools.

Just had my 36 week scan and now have a head down baby. Very relieved. We did moxa for over a week with phone encouragement from Dan!

MarmoraMan, to whom I addressed my post.

I was responding to 'in Southwark the majority of schools are run by the Local Authority'.

MarmoraMan, you're not right. Ten of Southwark's 17 secondaries are academies and another a free school, far outweighing the LEA-run establishments.

Hi, thanks for all the suggestions. I've started off with our own moxa sticks from the Dulwich Therapy Rooms. We've done one session so far, resulting in a slightly scorched toe, a burnt husband, singed sofa and a completely peaceful baby! Hopefully we'll get the knack. I've been told to try ten sessions at home first, so fingers crossed.

I think it's that they don't have a clear role (although middle child would seem to be it!) and struggle to establish themselves. My husband had two children living with him when we got married so my first was already number 3 and we had no option really, other than not having any which was never a possibility for me. We are expecting no. 4/2 next month and really don't notice it being lots. Partly of course the big age gap (older two 8/11 when baby arrived) meant that we weren't struggling with three small kids, but my stepdaughter is seriously disabled so in a way has her own high needs. She is now in residential care so this baby will take us back up to three full-time at home. We love it. I really want to have another after this but pregnancy appears to disagree with me so I need to see if I want to do it all one more time. We need the seven-seater car and there will be bedroom sharing, and flights are prohibitively expensive, and we have no family support nearby, but the kids are fine, and I love the idea of them having each other when they grow up.

I once chatted to a woman who had been referred to the Oakwood team even though she was out of catchment as she wanted to try a homebirth with twins. It might be worth contacting Oakwood to see if this is possible (I don't think I'm misremembering). I'm pretty sure. She was with Dr Yu at Kings who referred her, who I think is no longer there, but it may be you need to talk to the right consultant.

1688 - declaration of rights.

I am 34 weeks with a breech baby. I've had moxibustion recommended to me. Is there anyone local that does this crazy-sounding thing?!

Congratulations, SuperTed! I was thinking about you yesterday and wondering whether you'd had your baby. Love the mini-Manduca!

Penguin, I think we agree on the phone-in woman.

What a good way to make your point, neillson. Personally I do want to retrain, moving from a pretty well paid job to a far less well paid but more socially useful job. It will be a big change for my family involving serious financial sacrifice. We will be paying our childcare costs from our savings-they will likely be wiped out. We won't be eligible for any subsidy as that is restricted to very low earners. But it sticks a little that we will get no tax break at all on our childcare when people on 300k are getting it. Yes, my choice. But I'm in a privileged position where it is a choice. There are many people trying to better themselves with the aim of moving from a minimum wage job to a skilled or qualified profession who will be affected by this. They also have a choice, true, but in the long run will contribute far more. Meanwhile cuts in local authority spending year on year mean a parent at home with children to care for and health difficulties will find it harder and harder to get any financial assistance in caring for them. Still, all about their choices presumably.

Perhaps you could look outside the ED bubble though? For families which don't have barristers in them but are in fact earning a lot less. Who have real difficulties. Where one parent isn't working but wants to be and needs childcare to support that. Government support for childcare costs for students doesn't begin to cover the costs in London. The Government wants to encourage people to retrain into certain careers, often requiring study for years. This shouldn't be the preserve of those with one high earner. Parents with health issues face real struggles to get childcare funded by anyone but themselves. I don't think the state can or should fund everything but I do think assuming all families with only one earner have no need of childcare and one partner who isn't contributing to society is off. I don't though think those who have decided to stay at home to raise their kids need childcare subsidies, although I assume there may be cases where the loss of childcare vouchers could make the choice economically unviable.

There are lots of reasons a non-'working' parent might need childcare. They could be a full time student. They could have health problems that mean they need childcare support. They might be volunteering or training to make themselves more employable.