sillywoman

I know this isn't strictly the right place for this post, but I have a feeling the family-roomers will have the answer I am seeking! This weekend Mr S & I celebrate 17 years together. In all that time we have never celebrated anniversaries as Mr S doesn't like fuss & to be honest I haven't been too bothered. But this year, for some reason, I feel differently and would like to go out for a cheap but special meal, somewhere local, without our children. Our actual anniversary is Sunday, but we could go on Saturday if necessary (I'd have to sacrifice Casualty of course, but - you know - in the name of love, keeping the spark and all that I'd be prepared to make that sacrifice if I had to). Local to us is LL, Bellendon, Herne Hill & DV. Can anyone suggest anywhere that's reasonably priced and doesn't play very LOUD music (we'd like to see if we can still talk to each other after all)? Thanksyou. P.S. Mr S is veggie (just to complicate!)

I've signed up. I love that we have what is essentially a field in the middle of our South London urban sprawl. To me that has massive value for the community & I'd be very, very sad to lose it so I hope any change of use would aim to keep (at least some of) the area's nature as open & fairly rough ground.

Stephanie Calman would be great if you could persuade her. She's a local Mum and her books are very funny (just finished reading one - lovely holiday reading). I'd definitely be up for that:) http://www.badmothersclub.co.uk/jsp/index.jsp

I thought the advice now was it's OK to introduce solids sometime between 4 and 6 months when your child shows signs of being ready? The main signs being; 1) Watching you as you eat, e.g. following your fork from plate to mouth. 2) Grabbing for food from your plate or hand. 3) The loss of the tongue reflex (whereby if you put a finger/spoon/whatever in their mouth they push it out again with their tongue). So if your little one is ready - I say go for it. :)

That boy has a great future in comedy - very funny. Well done Freddy.

Strawbs Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > becky was fantastic when referring > to partners rather than just solely using the term > "father" of course it was used a lot as it would > be naturally but not 100% of the time. Defo look > her up and get them to go there. The NCT beats all us teachers with a big stick until we learn to say 'partners' not 'Dads' :)) Becky is just lovely, very funny and witty, and if they're over that way then I agree that her classes would be really great and welcoming for your friends Jasmina.

Jasmina have PM'd you

Welcome Happychicken, My babies are a lot older now, but I'm sure someone will be along soon with babes of a similar age to yours. In the meantime you might want to check out ED Tots website: http://www.edtots.co.uk/ for news on what classes and playgroups are happening in ED. I hope you & your family will be very happy here. SW.

Ooh now that's a nice gift Mumra, not as nice as a kettle though ;)

. . . and change his/her nappy a lot more frequently until it's gone. Another Metanium fan here. Am well past nappy rash now but swore by it when mine were babies. Is it possible that your baby is teething - disgusting nappies often go hand-in-hand with teeth arriving?

Yes ;)

We live opposite ED Hospital,and I have posted about this before so apologies if I'm boring anyone. I love where we live. There - I've said it!! Our houses are large, wide Victorian natural 4 bedd-ers; our streets are friendly; we're right halfway between ED & DV; with the station a 10 minute walk, but from your perspective the big plus is that, to date, we always get in to the DVInfant school (on community,not faith places), Dulwich Hamlet Junior school (though in recent years we've had to wait a week or two for places down our end of the road) and The Charter Secondary school. There, I've given our secrets away - I hope I don't jinx us for the future! The downside is that our gardens are small (though big enough for a large climbing frame/ playhouse or 12ft trampoline). I feel that because our area is a mixture of Housing Association & private ownership, & we're tucked away our natural advantages can be easily overlooked. But you could do worse than come & look around our streets. :) Good luck wherever you go. You'll love ED I'm sure. It's a lovely place to live and a really, really lovely place to raise children. :))

OMG snowboarder that review is so funny. Your friend has a brilliant writing style.I was laughing so hard I was crying & couldn't find the words to explain to sensibleman a) Just what a 'mooncup' is (ah bless, he goes a bit white at the mention of 'women's issues')or b) Just why an piece of writing about said mooncup was so funny. I've been sitting on the fence for a while now but I think, prompted by your friends review and the posts from the lovely women of ED on here, that I will bite the bullet and get one. Thanks for thetop tip about avoiding alcohol though VanessPMR - will take that firmly on board (more sniggering into my cup of tea over that one). :))

OK, my hackles are down now Otta, Thanks for the apology. I do know what you're saying about inclusivity, but to stand up for them a bit they are trying very hard to remedy that with a lot of teachers running 'teen pregnancy' classes and being encouraged to bid for contracts teaching a lot of the hospital classes. Unfortunately for the NCT - though fortunately for us - we have excellent hospital parenting Ed from Kings and our teen pregnancies are well served by a specialist Midwife team (Bessemer). They are trying though Otta, really they are.

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > And that NCT survey is pointless. > > Much like everything else the NCT do. (sorry, > couldn't resist) Every flipping time Otta - what's your beef? Really - give us a break now & again will you? Or, fess up as to what it was that the NCT did to you that made you feel so truly bitter toward them. I suspect you'd get pretty hacked off too if you spent 4 years training, did the job you love that aimed to be as factual and as helpful as possible to new Mums & Dads at an often difficult time in their lives and had someone making perpetual snide & unpleasant digs at your chosen career path at any and every opportunity. Come on now, play nice make some effort to resist. It's not fun any more. Pretty please. P.s. Katgod - I could have written your post - are you me?

Hmm, my friend has no reason to make it up Townley - they have children there themselves, & have wholeheartedly brought into the Alleyns ethos since well before some of them were even a twinkle in their fathers eye, but now you challenge me & I think carefully maybe I've misquoted the stats for the transport distance & bloomin miles away'. My friend may have said that 1/3 was 'local' (they were very clear about that), and of the remainder 2/3's were transportable & 1/3 'bloomin miles'(my terminology). Either way they won't have been wrong (they just never are), the website is though & we are seriously off topic (apologies OP & admin).

I was having this very conversation yesterday (though with less tension I must say) with someone who works at the school. They told me that they had recently looked into this out of interest - possibly prompted by this thread, I don't know? - and had found that approximately 1/3 of current pupils lived locally (walking distance) another 1/3 lived near but coach/ car/ transport distance (Clapham/ Balham etc.etc.)and the last 1/3 live bloomin' miles away. So 2/3 traveling distance sufficient to need transport. Seems the website might need updating.

Common sense would agree with you SophieC, but that's not what this bit of research seems to be saying. At least in regard to academic achievement (which of course is only a tiny part of what can be considered a 'great outcome' for a child). I caught the tail end of a discussion on the research on a news item - one of those involved in the research analysis was discussing what it might mean & she said that a theory that her team had discussed and found 'interesting' was that babies who are demand fed play an active role in making something happen that is pleasurable (assuming food is pleasurable to your baby) to them by crying and receiving a response. Scheduled feeders are fed at times that bear no relation to their personal wishes and so learn to be passive in making their 'world' respond to them. It's a theory I guess? My personal philosophy is more akin to yours Pickle I think. I never thought of myself as 'scheduled', and I would say I demand fed all mine whether bottle or breast fed,but I did like a bit of structure to our day & their sleeps. Mum can do without a lot, but not her sanity!

You're safe with us Ruth ;)

Ooh, good question Saff; and how can you (or indeed can you) do the whole clarifying sleepy/hungry/comfort cues without resorting to Gina-type structures, so avoiding sleep confusion and problems continuing longer than necessary. I think another book needs to be written - the EDF book of babies maybe?!

I know, I know - I couldn't resist it in the light of the Gina/non-Gina bust up on the other thread. Naughty. But that aside the research results are quite interesting. Of course Pene leach & O James would be happy to give comments - this bit of research backs up the parenting ethos they've based their professional reputations on. I'd be interested to see views from those whose professional reputations are based on more structured approaches to baby-raising. This one doesn't spell good news for them. Also - as an aside - does routine always mean scheduled feeding? Do they have to go hand-in-hand? Those who do/have done 'Gina-light' , have you also done demand feeding with it, or something similar? It doesn't have to be an all or nothing does it?

http://m.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/mar/17/babies-fed-demand-better-school?cat=society&type=article Thought provoking, no?

hellosailor Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > the book or an actual contented little baby > sillywoman? > > I have a slightly fractious baby with a > temperature that doesn't eat, if you'd like a lend LOL :)) hellosailor, & thanks Ruth, got one now. Vaiiry interesting - if slightly scary - reading ;)

Off topic I know (sorry moderator), but has anyone got a CLB they would be willing to loan me?

Belle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > they now have their base near King's, SW, down > that side street to the right before the carpark. > They still do their meet the midwives sessions at > Dulwich Hospital though. Thanks Belle, it helps if I can at least sound like I know what I'm talking about in my classes!!