sillywoman

I agree Etta166, and am aware that in my search for clarity on this issue I've moved the thread away from the OP's original question so I apologise. She's already said that she's going to be in the house so if she(he?) chooses an Au Pair the sole charge issue won't be relevant anyway.

Thanks working mummy, I knew someone would be along with more knowledge of the law than me. I'm interested in this topic though & have done a little digging. It seems that all the reputable Au Pair agencies are very clear that Au Pairs are not to be left sole charge of under 2's. Some mention their insurance then becoming invalid as a result. One mentioned that the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, the professional body that represents the recruitment industry, stipulates that Au Pairs should never have sole charge of user 2's. I guess if there's no law then it's each to their own - especially if you don't use an Agency to help with employing an Au Pair? Personally I would be very hesitant & thoughful on the issue given the weight of recommendation and advice against it. Usually recommendations by professional bodies are there to protect someone. In this case it seem that the advice is for the protection of both parties, the Au Pair & the child. Working mummy you say that no one has mentioned this issue to you despite long knowledge of it happening in practice in families of your acquaintance? I wonder whether its because you didn't specifically ask (not being aware of the issue) or a perhaps a case of hear-no-evil due to the necessity of your personal situation? Whatever, the advice is out there & seems very clear, but you're right - it's only recommendation, not law.

I think legally Au pairs can't have sole charge of a child under 2, but it would be fine to be in the house with someone else who was the primary carer. I'm sure someone who knows the law better will be along soon though. A Uni Student might be a good bet for what you need cheetahz?

http://southeastlondondoulas.co.uk/ can help. There are a few of them so you can chose one that suits you & your family best.

movingeast has already posted that she will only consider moving to Dulwich or ED if she can find a good private school for her daughter to go to, so catchment to any of our excellent local primary schools isn't a factor for them. Am also interested about why having Upland Road nearby would make somewhere a 'great location'? No offense Upland roaders, your road is lovely, but the same level of lovely as any other road in ED. What's the draw there for movingeast? Is there some special thing happening on Upland that I'm missing out on? Oakhurst Grove is a lovely area, but you'd be hard pushed to find an area in ED that isn't frankly.

Thank you bringing Xavier to our attention Esme. Done.

Though I think if you have dyslexia diagnoses (gold dust), then you can make a good case for a place at Lyndhurst. It seems like a lovely school.

:( Huggers

How about a local teenager as an after-school Mothers Help for those two afternoons? e.g. The Charter finishes at 3pm - a teen attending there has time enough to get to local primary schools & nurseries.

and another 10.

Hi everyone, sorry to gatecrash your thread I was just browsing through and getting a little alarmed at what's being posted so I thought I would just take the opportunity to pick up on some incorrect assumptions. I teach the NCT antenatal classes here in East Dulwich, the course I run covers everything, from labouring in water, through to Caesareans (in as much detail as you'd like!), including Induction, Forceps & Ventouse, the range of pain medications available and a lot of postnatal emphasis. I know that some of you have attended NCT classes where Caesareans weren't covered for some reason, & I can only say 'what a shame':( the NCT allows each teacher to make up her own course & some just don't chose to cover some aspects of birth. I do & so does my colleague who teaches in Nunhead. Our aim is to make sure you leave with an understanding of the full range of types of birth that might happen to you: why they might happen; the likelihood of different things happening; what the process is for each type of birth and how to make your birth (whatever happens within it) as good as it can be in whatever circumstances you find yourself in. Of course we also aim for you to have fun (people learn better when they're enjoying themselves) and yes, one of our main aims is for you to leave with a good supportive friendship group to go forward into parenthood with - to that end we arrange several post class meet ups and aim to attend one ourselves so we can hear all your stories afterwards. Ariadna is right about the benefits of keeping it local. My Nunhead colleague & I are long term ED & environs residents, our children attend the local schools, here so we have a good knowledge of local services for families which we love to share. She's also right about the cost - the initial outlay for our classes is more than for the ones she runs :( , however our classes run for longer and on an hour for hour basis your local NCT classes works out nearly 25% cheaper :). We know that for families in these straightened times spending on antenatal classes is a luxury, & we aim to give you the most we can in the most compact and accessible (evenings & weekends) framework to keep your costs down. We have both had our children within the maternity systems at local hospitals so we know what it's like to be in the systems you are in as a service user. Additionally, I am working as a student midwife at a local hospital so, like Ariadna, can give you all the benefits of an up to date Midwifery perspective. If you'd like to ask me any questions please feel free to PM me. Ultimately I just would like the opportunity to share with you, and a small group (my classes are a maximum of 6 couples) of other people in same situation, the knowledge gained from being an NCT teacher, student Midwife & local Mum in the same situation over a cup of tea and some biscuits in a warm and comfortable environment :D As I said at the start, I'm so sorry for gatecrashing, but I hope I've been able to give you a clearer perspective on what your local NCT classes, and the people who run them offer? SW

I don't know how helpful this will be to you, but thought I'd share it in case it's useful. Years ago now I lived with a family who had a 4 year old who was scared of dogs. They got a labrador puppy and pretty quickly his fear was gone. I've been trying to recall how they approached the first few days with puppy in the home, and what I clearly remember is that the puppy was - for the first week or so - confined to a specific area of the house. For them it was the kitchen (with a lot of newspaper!), then the puppy was allowed into the kitchen/diner and the hall. Then gradually the whole house. This meant that the little boy was able to get used to the puppy on his own terms, and still had his own space to retreat to when it all got too much. Also the puppy was not over-faced with too much new stimulation in the early days of being away from it's MUm & in a new environment. Of course they went to become best friends. That little boy is now a young man with a dog of his own:)

Yes, only didn't feel I should announce it cos it's really her news - lovely news it is too (though he was in a bit of a hurry to get here!) :)

:D

Just dropping in to let you know that one of your regular gang might have some news :D

Hi UKdealguide, Congratulations. You might like to check out the spring baby club in this family room section, it's a great resource where people who are having babies within roughly the same 3 month 'season' can chat, exchange information, and arrange meet ups. There's sure to be plenty of other people in it who are expecting babies in March. SW P.S. Please get back to me about collecting the phone.

Thanks everyone for your good wishes & helpful advice - husband is off to Sainsbo's now. :) (Is only migraine, but need some hard stuff as usual meds aren't cracking it - hate migraine :( )

I've looked and looked on SOuthwark & NHS websites but to no avail, short of trawling the streets (which I don't want to do cos I'm unwell hence the need for a chemist!) How can I find which ED (or nearby) chemists are open today?

Odd? Is it the same two cars that keep blocking you in? In which case a note might be appropriate, but possibly better to find out who they belong to & go and ask if they can leave you enough space to get out? The parking is tight round here, but it's odd that people should keep parking that close to you?

Ahhhh, so you're the steel pans teacher at our local hill-top school eh? Hmm, should be careful about posting your class prejudices on your local forum. The parents of the kids in your care might not be too happy that you're assuming they're 'too posh to wash'.

I sincerely hope you're not a teacher at either of my kids' schools' locally. This post suggests you carry some offensive attitudes and assumptions with you. Not good.

Yup IKEA

Isn't childrens furniture the same as adult furniture - you know, bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers? Or did you have other stuff in mind?

mastershake Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > >>North Dulwich is the closest station to the > private schools and nurseries in dulwich, and you > don't see a high demand for parking there.. > > Because it has a CPZ surrounding it Have we reached meme on this thread?

It doesn't help with he climbing out but a portable bed guard on a the single bed in any holiday accommodation might help the temporary bed thing work for little ones - we certainly found it helped us as a holiday stop-gap for that awkward in between age. It wasn't too pricey (from recollection) and we got plenty of use out of it over the years - friends children to stay etc.etc. Something like this: http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10751&langId=-1&productId=184862&source=froogle&cm_mmc=Froogle-_-Shopping%20Sites-_-CPC-_-Froogle&rw.cm=Google+PLA,ppc,&cm_mmc=icrossing-_-Google+PLA-_-Product+Feed-_- ?