simonethebeaver

Hi I'm expecting #2 mid May. I'd love to meet up with people but am also working on Thursdays so that's out for me. Welcome to SE London, Rach! Kings and Lewisham both have their plus points. Lewisham has an amazing new birth centre whereas Kings is just the labour ward. But Kings has a better reputation for the medical stuff. People have their own views based on their experiences! I had a home birth last time with the community midwives and I know Lewisham also has a great group of midwives.

What we hadn't twigged till we went to the kinderhotel was that when the hotel caters so much for kids, it makes it easier to do the adult stuff too. The kids clubs are so good that most parents spend a lot of time chilling out, and there's no stress of wondering when and what to feed them, or whether you're bothering other people. The kids we saw around were very well behaved too! Our place wasn't remotely Disney but I know some of the other hotels have mascot characters around a bit.

Hi. I've never been skiing but I wondered if you'd come across Kinderhotels? We stayed in one this autumn and absolutely loved it. The hotels (I'm very bad at links on my phone but they're easily googled) are in Austria, Italy and Croatia, and many have skiing seasons, depending on location. The one we stayed in, the Sportshotel in Achensee, was at the foot of a ski lift. We took our one year old and had the best holiday ever. The hotel is completely set up for kids, with kids clubs, soft play, baby pools, children's meals, even down to tiny leather armchairs in reception! It also had a reasonably priced spa. You pay an all inclusive price and the food is excellent and good quality for children. The winter all-inclusive price includes ski school for over-2s (I think). Have a look. They are so child centred that you could balance the skiing time with loads of fun for the kids.

For what it's worth, I never felt welcome in there with my baby and I used a sling most of the time. I've avoided it for months, particularly since the deli arrived in the back room (surely in no one's definition of a 'community space' as it's a shop) because it has endless things for my child to pick up and I couldn't relax for a second.

We had a Sleep Sheep, which went on for ages on different settings. Definitely helped in the car and helped me sleep at night!

Hi Jo. Not superwoman! It's sling plus wheelchair if one of us has to go somewhere alone. In fact, MrBeaver is a fairly frequent sight on Saturdays in ED and tends to get lots of admiration! I think the major difference is that a pushchair is optional. A very good option when you have a sleeping, tired or tiny baby, but optional. A pushchair can be carried down steps. A pushchair can be left at home in favour of a sling. Fundamentally often a child can be left at home entirely if the journey in a pushchair is too awful. None of those apply to a wheelchair. The inaccessibility of London is quite depressing but it's also not considered at all by most. A good friend of mine invited us to the panto this year: she'd booked a block of balcony tickets and was having a party afterwards in her third floor walk up flat. All completely normal and reasonable things but she hadn't given a thought to the fact that my stepdaughter couldn't access any of it.

I have both a child in a wheelchair and a child in a pushchair. As I am aware of the much greater challenges getting around faced by those in wheelchairs, I would immediately either fold my pushchair or get off the bus if folding wasn't possible to make room for a wheelchair. Bus notices state that wheelchairs have priority so the driver should be enforcing that. I suspect some of them just can't be arsed with the flight delay caused by a wheelchair user getting on and off the bus. My sympathies. Perhaps if you use the same routes all the time, a letter to the operating company, cced to TFL, is in order.

We had a humanist naming ceremony for our daughter last weekend. We did it our garden at home. We had lots of positive feedback from our guests and it was a lovely occasion.

Good point on transport, Otta. Southwark DOES require you to reapply when you change schools.

Andrea is the good one I was thinking of.

There's a great playgroup on Tuesday mornings at St Augustine's on One Tree Hill. Quite a lot of older toddlers tbere, activities including painting, and tea/coffee and biscuits, and fruit and juice for the kids for ?1.50.

I made an official complaint about a HV at FHR. I never got a response from PALS now I think about it. The one I have seen since then is very nice and sensible though.

Jacqueline Wilson writes fantastic female leads. Her stuff varies, so some is aimed at younger readers and other at teens. A glance at a book jacket will give you a breakdown of the titles.

Forest Hill Road has the brilliant Oakwood midwives. Appointments are not that difficult to get for a child in my experience.

But Saffron, state funding for faith schools reduces the school places available for everyone, surely? For us, for example, it means two of our six closest schools are not possibles for us. The schools select their pupils from faith groups, so children outside that faith are excluded from education. Religion should fund its own schools. I was at an assembly at a local primary yesterday. (I have a child at the school-I'm not a weirdo!). It was based on the theme of friendship. The kids sang some songs, including a round of Sweet Chariot. Other assemblies have included Chinese New Year, poetry, Eid and the circus. I think 'collective worship' is interpreted pretty widely. In an ideal world, the requirement wouldn't exist but I think most schools take a comparative approach.

Yes, totally aware. I actually studied RE to a high(ish) level too, despite being an atheist. My experience of non-faith primaries is that the act of collective worship is often used to teach comparative religion and culture, and I'm happy with that. What I disagree with is schools that do NOT teach religion as culture but instead dictate one belief as 'the truth'. I also think no state-funded school should be able to reject children on faith grounds.

As I said, a way off for us, although not long. But there is just no way I would apply for, or accept a place, at a faith school.

I was thinking Article 9 actually-freedom of religion or belief. I'm surprised that the LA are not obliged to offer you another school if you have a fundamental objection to the faith teaching at a school. It beggars belief that so much public money subsidises schools that can reject children on the basis of religion and who teach questionable religious theory. I'm all for the teaching of comparative religion and multiculturalism but I won't have my child indoctrinated. Most of our applications will be Lewisham as we are closer to them than most Southwark schools. I would be thrilled for my daughter to attend any of the primaries nearby other than the faith schools. But as you say, what I would really like to avoid is a bugger of a journey to an indifferent school.

I have a question. We're a way off this but as things stand, we are in a black hole between schools and have a real risk of being sent across Southwark. Do kids in this position tend to get places closer to home quite quickly? Also, we are completely opposed to faith schools and will not be naming one in our six, even though one is within the closest six. If allocated one anyway, can we turn it down on the grounds that we do not want our child educated in this way? I would have thought ECHR principles come into play?

We have the same problem. A friend has suggested using a rubber band to hold them together across the chest, which I am going to try! You can also buy purpose made clips on the Internet apparently. We are in dire need as our one year can get herself to standing now.

I am another big fan of Dr Scorer. She talks to me as an intelligent adult and has always made me feel empowered in my treatment. She is also great on women's health issues in particular. I used to see Dr Ackland when she was at Melbourne Grove. Brilliant GP who got me through a very difficult patch of mental health.

I think the most important thing is that they specialise in women's health. (My greatest sympathies by the way. It's horrible.) If you call the lovely people at the Pelvic Partnership, they have a list of people who have been recommended across the country. Their website is very helpful too. The most specialised osteopath in the country is Quentin Shaw in Tunbridge Wells. If you're anywhere near him, it's worth the trip.

You poor things. Sorry to ask an obvious question but have you seen the GP?

I love the idea of naming her after East Dulwich! And I noticed too that it was the only NCT name not in the top 100. I bet it'll get there soon. Our Edith is more often Edith than Edie though. It suits her more. I love Hester.

I love, love, love Hero but MrBeaver said a firm no. I was a bit relieved though as Myleene Klass used it shortly before my daughter was born and then I'd have had to decide whether to look like I was copying her! I also have an Edith and am interested to hear how many are out there. It's still pretty uncommon on a national level so there must be a local concentration. Our other names (mostly nixed by the other half) were: Laurie Aurelia Dorothea Helena Elsie Clemency Margaret Claudia