Lochie

Thank you ctovey that is very useful indeed

Thank you so much for the advice. I think some haribo at a party yesterday kicked off the pain flair up. It had subsided today. My husband is visiting my sons dentist tomorrow for his own check up, so will ask him what to do. Temp filling without needles would be a great option, as I fear a full filling without sedation will give him a needle phobia for life!

Hoping for some advice - my son (10) was on a wait list for a large filling at Kings due to dental phobia. Found out six weeks later his referral was rejected as we are out of catchment (we are in Beckenham and the error was caused by referring dentist). He has now been re-refered to Bromley paediatric dental but tonight he is in AGONY- this cannot wait- does anyone know if I turned up at Kings tomorrow morning whether they would sort his tooth out same day (with sedation)? Apparently they have a wait list in Bromley of 800 children, my son cannot wait that long Appreciate any advice

I can recommend the teachers at the JAGS pool who are working hard to help my son who is still struggling with water confidence at age 9 (nearly 10). The pool at JAGS is really well looked after too. We've tried a lot of the group lessons locally and I can recommend Crystal Palace: https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/crystal-palace/crystal-palace-national-sports-centre We are only going down the 121 route because my son is nearly 10 and still can't swim properly and I don't want it to be an issue for him. Good luck wherever you choose.

I find this really sad, I've never heard of this before. My son is in year 4 at a state school in LB Bromley and from year they are told they can bring in two snacks - one for morning and one for afternoon break (fruit). Both my kids (9 and 6) are hungry on a regular basis (perhaps it is just habit and boredom but I am pretty sure it is because they are growing so fast!). I think it would be really hard for them to go from breakfast to lunch without a snack at all in between whilst maintaining concentration levels. I hope you manage to get a solution to this and I will watch with interest...

Hi there, my son (8) was recently assessed as dyslexic. The specialist recommended we find a tutor via Patoss: https://www.patoss-dyslexia.org We did find a local tutor via Patoss but they had a 2 year wait list! We?ve decided to watch and wait to see how he copes in year 4 for now. Have you heard of Bell House? Fantastic facility in the heart of Dulwich Village that offers advice and support for dyslexics: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk I?d also be interested to hear about whether tutoring is worth it as our school is not being v helpful

My son (8) had a massive verruca about a year ago. I definitely think it takes more than a few days to disappear...more like several weeks and maybe over a month of applying the tincture. We used bazuka and that did the job. I wouldn?t give up just yet at all especially if there are lots of them- they are probably very stubborn. Freezing might be an option but from what I remember of having it done myself it?s quite painful!

Both our kids also liked school of rock and yes jumanji too.

Back to the future or Indiana Jones? Not recent but they are classics for older kids

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a gaming bus company for a 9 year old birthday party? There seem to be lots when I google them but no idea if they are any good. Thanks

Broadstairs is lovely too because there is alot to do there beyond the beach - fairground rides, mini golf, little arcades with 2p slot machines (my kids got addicted!), fantastic ice cream at Morelli's on the beach. There is not very much on Camber beach apart from the sand.... Have fun. We've just discovered Broadstairs and its my fave seaside town, its lovely!

Thank you Jane. I do think there is a real ramp-up at year 3 in terms of depth of work and homework...so for those who were managing to mask problems before, it becomes almost impossible to do this. I've been to my GP and am awaiting an OT referral for motor skills assessment, as well as another referral for behaviour. I think it'll be a long road. His behaviour became awful before the end of the last school term but its been amazing how much it has improved now he is on Easter hols. The only time its become bad again is when I've asked him to do handwriting practice or reading - cementing my belief that he really does struggle in these areas. It's disheartening to see, particularly as he is entering an age where many children take real joy in writing and reading. He can't get lost in that world of creativity because it is a real struggle for him, and I think that is so sad

Thanks v much for that info. I just went to the GP, it all seems so complex. He talked about my son getting 'bounced around' if he made a community paediatric referral so instead said he would make a referral to 'paediatric physio' to assess motor skills and 'school nursing' to assess behavioural issues. No idea what the latter is to be honest. Anyway, GP was very nice but I guess it sounds like there is a 'system' that I will need to navigate without really knowing how the system works. If we don't get the answers we want this way then we will look at a private assessment (assuming things don't improve). @theratprincess - that is interesting what you say about your son knowing he was being assessed - I think that is what worries us most particularly my husband, who doesn't want my son to think there is anything wrong with him. Not sure how to solve that issue really...

Thank you so much for your responses and PMs. Really useful. I've also spoken to a few people and consensus seems to be start with GP. I've got an appointment (without my son) on Wednesday. The school haven't been in touch about it at all despite promising to, so that is a bit frustrating. Parents evening in 2 weeks so I'll continue the conversation with the teacher then...hopefully also with the perspective of the GP. Thank you again.

Wondering if anyone is able to offer any advice/experience - I would really appreciate some help. My son is 8 (in year 3) and is now at a point where his problems with schoolwork and particularly handwriting are being flagged by his school. I had a meeting for the first time with his teacher last week (at my request) and was told that the SENCO is 'aware of him'. In combination with this, he finds it almost impossible to focus on a task for more than a few minutes, has a meltdown over almost any homework situation, says he 'hates school' despite being 'very popular' (teacher's words not mine), is also very temperamental at home (generally manifests itself as crying overy any task that he can't or doesn't want to do) and has very low confidence academically. He also avoids using cutlery and runs with a lopsided gait which quite a few people have commented on over the years. A physio friend of ours says he looks like he has 'floppy joints'(don't really know what this is but I could enquire more). I don't really know where to start with any of this but know that some of these symptoms might be indicative of dyslexia or dyspraxia. Has anyone been through the journey of getting these diagnosed (or looked into and ruled out?). How do you do it (GP? School? Privately?). How much do you have to push this through yourself in terms of assessment? How much is the child aware that they are being 'assessed'? We've spent most of his school years exasperated at what seems to be a poor attitude to school work and now I'm starting to wonder if actually there is a physiological root to all this. It is almost like he is in pain when he sits down to hold a pen. The teacher has said that only the problem with handwriting has been flagged by the school at the moment - they haven't been aware of the other symptoms (odd running style and emotional flair ups) but that sometimes a child can work very hard to mask these in a school setting. She has said she will mention these things to the SENCO (but I still haven't heard anything from them) If anyone has any experience or advice I'd appreciate it. I've had a hunch that something isn't right for so long now, I want to ensure there are no problems so we as his parents take the best approach to help him. FYI I live in Beckenham (so Bromley borough). Just to add I also don't want to do an armchair diagnosis on this and know that this might just be nothing but a bit of delayed development!

Thanks that is interesting... came up in my google search but hadn't heard of them before so didn't pay much attention but if you are recommending them I will think again!. We are in beckenham so it's quite local to us. Thanks for the tip

Hi there is anyone able to recommend an engaging drum teacher for an 8 year old boy? Thanks

Looking for a life coach recommendation if anyone is able to give one? I'm at a point in my life where I'd like career guidance along with an appreciation for the fact that I want to spend time with my kids too - I'm in a real rut and want some proactive help. Any recommendations would be really appreciated. Thanks

Hi redjam my dad recently turned 80 and sounds similar to your mum- he doesn't want/need anything material. I asked my two children, who he adores, to write him a poem and draw him a picture each. I then got the pics professionally framed (not cheap so it felt like I was actually spending something on him!). Once framed it looked great and he shed a tear when he unwrapped the gift. It's now hanging in his kitchen and my dad loves it. Not sure if that kind of idea would work for your mum?

Hi there, I lived in Brighton for about 8 or 9 years in my twenties, had my son there (now 7) and moved back to SE London where I am from when he was a few months old. I think Brighton is a great place to bring up kids - but would agree with the suggestion above regarding Hove being more suited. There are other lovely more family orientated parts of Brighton with (reportedly) great secondary schools - Seven Dials, Preston Park. I lived on the sea-front in central Brighton and I would not want to bring kids up around there as it is certainly rough around the edges - so would recommend the inland neighbourhoods in Brighton or looking at Hove. When I lived in Brighton a lot of my friends ended up moving to the towns further along the coast - Portslade, Shoreham, Worthing - as they are less expensive and I believe the serve family life well. I have a few friends still down there with kids and they are very happy in/around Brighton. Great outdoors lifestyle and everything is so accessible (I remember main choices at the weekend were either beach or driving to the Downs for a walk or just exploring the countryside). In summer it really does feel like you are on holiday every weekend, being so close to the sea (the main beach drag is always very busy but as you head towards the periphery areas its quieter). You could also look at other towns inland - I love Lewes, for example, which is an easy commute from Brighton. I think it just depends on the type of lifestyle you want. Being from London, I always found Brighton a bit small (even though there is lots going on). But that also comes with positives - nothing beats being able to walk to work (vs. horrible commute on tube - no contest!). One option would be you taking the Brighton job and just seeing how you feel about Brighton for a while before moving down there. When I moved back to London I still had my job in Brighton and it is quite an easy route journey if you are going against the commute (i.e. out of London) in the morning - in fact it is quite pleasant. Good luck!

I've had two parties with and been to many parties with this guy- he's very good http://www.itspartabulous.com/

Hello, I had the Mirena coil for about 3 years and my perception at the time is that it was a marvel. Literally no periods. So easy as you don't need to do anything you can just live your life and not worry about getting pregnant! I would echo ludoscott in that I had monthly 'PMT' mood symptoms (without the bleeding) - but then I have them anyway. Despite that I felt it was such an amazing contraception in terms of no periods/no daily worry about forgetting to take pill, that it was worth it. The only downside I would say is that it lowered my libido quite a lot - I find it annoying when doctors say that the hormones won't affect you as they are 'localised' because everyone is different and has different thresholds of sensitivity to hormones. With that in mind I would say there is no way to predict really how you will react to a contraception as we are all unique and as I said, have different sensitivities to hormones (I suffered from severe PND after my first child and am very nervous of taking anything hormonal as I know hormones affect my mood big time - but the Mirena wasn't a problem in that regard for me, though with my history of PND it could have been). I've just spent the last 6 months on the minipill which was horrific in comparison to the Mirena, so I would consider getting the Mirena again. If you do get it fitted then take some pain killers before hand (pain is completely manageable but pain killers help). Good luck whatever you decide (I'm completely fed up with contraceptive choices at the moment - I'm giving my body a 'break' from all hormones) - and remember you can always have the mirena taken out if it doesn't work for you!

We've got a quooker which we inherited when we bought our house. I'd defo replace it if it broke for all the reasons stated by alasksa above! Don't have any problems with the quality of tea it makes either ;-)

Yes I would recommend- we've been 3 years in a row and it is a treasured memory for us! I think my 7 & 4 year old are getting a bit old now (7 year old not 4 year old) so we won't go this Xmas but I would definitely recommend it. It's magic for kids (and I always cry at the end) :-)

My son aged 6 and daughter (4) had the first jab a few months ago. My daughter was fine, no side effects. My son had a fever for the first 12 hours and a sore arm. Nothing worse than that though. You can get it done at Boots, if you are looking to find somewhere. I think its about ?180 per child.