goldilocks

I've also had home births for both my children with Brierly midwives (now called something else). My experiences were great and I would whole heartedly recommend the specialist teams if you decide that you are happy to go for a homebirth. I was also happier knowing how close by kings was in the event I needed to go in (which happily didn't happen).

I'd recommend Anna too - she's lovely

if you roll up a beach towel and pop it lengthways down the side of the mattress under the bedsheet it stays in place and acts as a bumper to stop them rolling straight out. Easier than taking a bed guard.

They're all 'full' with the exception of 'le Nid' perhaps. Mine went /go to Nellys in W Dulwich (handy for tulse hill station) We are very happy with it, but it has a huge waiting list. Despite nurseries being full it is worth getting on waiting lists / chasing. FT places are v popular for the nursery themselves so definitely worth pursuing.

If you mean the actual inserts we have 3 different ones in our house. 1. Great Little Trading ones - they're not so rigid and are pretty small so don't think that they would be so useful for toys. 2. A Space - these are bigger than Great Little trading but not very rigid so require the frame of the storage unit to hold them up 3. Ikea Kallax / Expidit cubes. These are the largest. They do break down if small children hang on the edge, but that said ours have been pretty indestructible, coped with lots in them and they are cheap to replace in any event. I think that GLTC have some of the nicest designs on theirs - we have the oilcloth ones, but they are just sadly too tiny.

Back to the original poster - it really depends where you are likely to live and where you will work for starters. For pre/ school or nursery provision - in terms of state school nurseries there are 3 that I know of serving 'East Dulwich' : St Anthonys, Goose Green and Bessemer Grange. There are also a number of private day nurseries and then childminder options. I have an almost 3 year old in a private day nursery and have no plans to move her to state funded nursery in September as the hours wouldn't be suitable for my work so that's something to consider. There may be more on the Camberwell / Peckham sides of Denmark Hill but I don't know about these. For primary schools the catchments are pretty small. Ofsted reports are probably a good starting point as is visiting some of the schools. Comments on the forum are broadly useful but bear in mind that that parents who 'love a school and recommend it' are generally basing it on their experience of that school only. Also - the usual features of internet postings apply - in that those with polarised opinions are much more likely to comment on anything. Good luck.

Interesting first post EDfan2. Do you have personal experience of the school - would have thought it would be good to provide context for comments.

Have you tried looking at the planning portal to see if any of your neighbours have done something similar? Not the same as looking at a finished version, but might give you an idea.

Its pretty much the same height wise - its just heavier as the footplate is bigger and sturdier. Guess the extendable handle is heavier than the mini micro too

Ours isn't an animal one, but then we don't have pets. I do have long hair though - it copes but has to be unclogged reasonably frequently!

Just wanted to add - having looked at your child's height and weight they may well be ok for a while on the mini, but my nearly 3 year old can use the maxi no problem (she's probably about the same height and a little heavier than your 4 yr old)

We moved my eldest onto a maxi at 4.5 and he's so much better on it - theres more room for his feet, the brake is bigger and its better for pulling them too if they're tired as you can pull the handlebar up. He also stopped falling over the handlebars! As long as they're scooting the whole time and you don't end up carrying it a lot I'd say the maxi is good. We have a 2 year gap too and the only thing that stopped us going straight for the maxi was that the 4 year old started saying he wanted a 2 wheeler which I wasn't keen on (as he fell of the mini mirco a fair bit) so we bought a second hand mini from the forum that did for a few months until he decided that a maxi would be ok.

I think that you need to go to a showroom to work out what you like / want / what is likely to be in budget. Would recommend CP Hart at Waterlook (for browsing not purchasing - cheaper deals available elsewhere but its a great showroom with a good range of bathrooms).

We have a dyson hand held. Expensive but worth every penny I think

I would also echo other posters re the days - the days you actually want are the most popular at nurseries so you may need to take others initially and then switch once others become free if possible. There is a new nursery on East Dulwich Grove which could be worth looking at as it may have a shorter wait list for now. Look at a few as they are very different to each other. My kids go to Nellys and I think they're fantastic, but the waiting list is very long and its expensive (although I'd say worth every penny for the standard of care!)

Not sure what 'tolls' you're trying to avoid - but there is no congestion charge on a sunday! Avoiding central not always best. Depends where you are coming from? We come down from M1 via finchly road, swiss cottage, edgeware road, marble arch and over Vauxhall bridge

Just picking up the point re the velodrome - don't be put off by the fact it seems like it would be serious cyclists. Its so laid back and a lovely environment for them to learn in. Does she have a balance bike - if not could recommend doing the strider bike session. If she's too old for that she could borrow a big strider bike for the frog sessions they have (there's a boy who's about 5/6 who does this most weeks and seems to love it). My 2 go on Saturdays. My eldest couldn't set off without a push (Celeste who runs the sessions has finally got him over this) and my 2 year old insists on joining in on her balance bike which has never been a problem. No dogs, everyone cycling in the same direction so less obstacles - its great. Its also really reasonable ?3 per session plus ?1 extra if you want to borrow a bike there

a wrap sling would be my best bet - keeps them warm and snuggled - not sure about guidance for preemies though so check that. I loved my wrap for both of mine - good for up to 4-6 months then I preferred an ergo. Don't be put off by the wrap looking complex - it really isn't and once you've done it up you can leave it on and pick your baby in and out.

Have you checked out the new nursery on ED Grove. No experience, but as its just opened it may have spaces?

Re the 'unspoilt bed' comments above - realise its no help now, but British Heart foundation will collect furniture donations as long as they are not stained / marked and have the relevant fire safety labels.

yes - BUT tidy up first - make sure stuff is in the right place. Otherwise you have piles of washing that were folded and in the living room in with filing and you might not open it for a while.

If you go through an agent - ie foxtons type the short term let fees will be significantly higher than market rent - but really they're aimed at people on work placements etc and are typically fully furnished including crockery etc. If you need a short term let for a house sale, looking on here is probably a good bet or airbnb as noted by the previous poster.

Hi - what ages is this for please?

Thanks everyone. Seems its unusual for it to be a paid for option, but also unusual to offer at reception. Think we'll pass on the basis it is genuinely quite a lot of cash in this instance. Maybe I'll teach him for a while and see if he likes it.

Thanks for that - ours is offering recorder but as part of 'music lessons' and therefore the cost is the same as learning violin etc (but recorder is the only instrument available to reception). Just wondered how common this was?