Monkey

Silly me. Check out Powerpramming.co.uk. 12.30pm om Mondays and 10.00am on Thursdays. I think it's still drop in but to be confirmed. Can't remember the price.

Mondays in Peckham rye and Thursdays in dulwich park. You'll make great friends! Check out: www.asfitas.co.uk

I could not agree more Only me!

Hi Loren I came out of the two nurseries my daughter's been to feeling a bit like you (i thought one of them hardly had any toys which was rubbish) Yet, now, when I look at the bond between my daughter and the staff, I could not be happier. I don't know what it is about nursery visits but they do strange things to mums! I think two visits to each nursery on your list (at different times if posible) would be a good idea. Good luck.

Surely Dr Gupta should be concentrating on fixing the problems at his surgery before expanding his business. It's not like he does not have lots on his hands already: recruiting enough gps for the number of patients registered at his surgery, fixing staff morale issues which mean gps never stay very long, ensuring phones are answered promptly, and in the meantime perhaps handing out coffees to people queuing from 7.30am outside his surgery to make an appointment.

I found the nct classes just too expensive for my budget. I made friends at Powerpramming instead. Had fab (if short) maternity leave. I wish I had attended the nhs classes. I have heard good things about them on several occasions now.

Why don't you try to teach your dogs not to bark?

My little girl, who turns three at the end of August, is still not potty trained. She is starting school in September and needs to be clean by the time she starts. I am really starting to worry about it especially given the fact that I don't have any time off this summer. Has anybody here got any tips? Or maybe knows a "potty training consultant" who could help? I feel bad "outsourcing" this issue to someone else but I am really getting nowhere.Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Otta.

Be careful - very few companies are flexible. By flexible, I mean letting you leave at 5.00pm to be on time for nursery for example. My company lets me do that but only because I offered to come in at 7.30am which means leaving the house at 6.30am. If you are happy with the money you are making freelancing, I would consider the options people mentioned above . Of course if I was working from home, I might tell you to go and get a job in town!

I have had problems with this machine in the past including once when the bank called me straight away because they thought my pin had been compromised. I hope you have cancelled your card!

I would not get too worried about terminology. It's just common sense really: if you look after kids during the day, you entertain them, play with them, read to tem, talk to them. Full stop. Sounds like you are better off without this young lady. We pay the lovely lady who looks after our precious daughter ?10 an hour. She only does day time. And an hour started is an hour paid even if I come home early.

From my experiences, most people working in childcare are extremly kind, truly love their little charges and get paid very little for what is a very tiresome job. If you are worried about having to rely on just the one person (which is after all a legitimate concern), I would give nurseries a go if I were you.

The shoe shop in Dulwich Village has some. Dunno how their sizes compare with Clarks with the shoe fitters in the shop are really good.

The St Christopher's Hospice shops on Lordship Lane do take toys.

Congatulaations! Enjoy those precious first few weeks!

Le_37, when people make so much noise, it's clear that they just don't care so talking to them won't help. Come down hard on them and call southwark's noise team. They'll get a warning and if they continue making noise, their stereo will be seized. Also worth finding out who their landlord is and making him aware that their tenants are causing huge disturbance. A landlord has a duty to ensure his tenants behave. Good luck.

Getting worse. No appointment today until June 14.

Thank you Jollymummy!

We have a place at private school but had they contacted me in March, I might have decided otherwise. Anyhow. Should serve as a warning to other parents really. Thanks!

Have places been attributed then? I have not heard anything. I have alternative arrangements in place but it does not say much for their admin. Quite shocking really.

How about Zog? Princess Pearl becomes a flying doctor at the end! Otherwise this page might give you some ideas: http://talesonmoonlane.co.uk/essential-reading/moon-lane-recommends/ (you need to scroll down a bit to find the bit about female characters.)

I watch Mad Men, desperate Housewives, Braquo or Spirale, all snuggled up against my husband.

Interesting Snowboarder. I thought their excuse (3 GPS off on maternity leave) at the same time was a bit lame. Seems like the problem is not just about seeing GPs. Looks to me like they are milking the system, registering as many patients as they can but not providing enough staff...

A lot of their gps (3) are on maternity leave. Dunno about the rest. It could be that a lot of them work there one day a week. Sue, it's bad planning because it's next to impossible to make an appointment. They've not got enough locums to provide cover. Not enough gps every day for the number of patients registered with the practice.