Saffron

I was at Hilly Fields on Monday, and neither the pump nor the water fountain were working. :( Also, if anyone is going to Ladywell Fields, be aware of the road closure to through traffic in Ladywell at the bridge due to massive roads works. This is affecting the P4/122/484 bus services, although there is a free shuttle bus in place to amend the alterations to service.

That's roughly true for SPF which refers to UVB coverage, but only so far as enough stays on the skin and doesn't get rubbed away during playtime! Yup, UVA is a whole different system and v confusing it seems. UV suits are great protection, plus you can alternate days in the sun to minimise exposure. Little Saff and I both have fair sensitive skin, so it's a struggle to get it right sometimes.

Keep in mind that it can take some children's taste buds a long time to adapt to new flavours. I've heard it said that some children will need to try something for example 50 times before accepting it. That would be once a week for a year. Similar to Pickle, we have a "this is what's for dinner" policy, but also like Fuschia I always serve something familiar with something new/non-favourite. Sweetcorn is a big hit, so I always mix new veg with it. Mayonnaise (cut or substitute with plain yogurt if you like) is great on new veg and rice. Frittata is always a hit here, and you can easily mix in all sort with it. Mild chili/vegetarian chili or bolognaise is a winner. Sometime we have breakfast for dinner, just to mix things up.

50 views, and no one can suggest a hobby? Oh dear, well that says a lot! What kind of hobby? Something crafty, sporty, volunteering?

Inkmaiden Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hilly Fields water wasn't working yesterday, > hopefully fixed soon. Boooo! It was on earlier. Hope it's not the same problem as before. I heard they had to specially order a part from Germany (although I don't know why that should take all summer... thought maybe Lewisham was just too cheap to turn on the water last year!)

Hilly Fields Park water is up and running in the playground. There is sand play also and a cafe at the top of the Park. Plus Ladywell Fields has a small stream running through it, which is a really nice natural play area. The stream is a dogleg of the Ravensbourne River running behind Lewisham Hospital. There's also a cafe, mini-skatepart (smallest ramp suitable for ~3yo on scooter), and two playgrounds.

It's impossible to tell from a single post that something is/isn't wrong with your child. Personally I'd say it seems pretty normal. Children have their ups and downs just like adults. But if you're worried about it you should speak to someone professional on a one to one basis. In the meantime I'd suggest looking online at some of the attachment parenting sites for tips on coping and engaging with the behaviour. xx

There is still in place a requirement for prayer in state schools, presumably remaining from a time when the C of E featured predominantly in most British people's lives. In practice it seems most "secular" school ignore this, but technically my understanding is that it would be enforceable and schools could be penalised for not providing prayer time. So it seems that until we truly secularise all state schools, the argument against (any) religion in school is going to remain cloudy in practice.

A high star rating isn't necessarily an indication of high protection. I think it's the ratio of UVA/UVB protection, so a low SPF could still have a high star rating. So what you'd want for max protection is a high SPF with a high star rating. However the star rating system is proprietary to Boots it seems, so be aware of other rating systems if you're travelling internationally. Also, a high factor/star sunscreen still has to be reapplied if it's been rubbed off, so don't be lulled into a false sense of protection. For very young children the advice is still to keep them out of direct sunlight during the highest UV hours of the day esp'y in summer, eg 11am-3pm; and to keep them covered in the sun by using lightweight clothing or UV suits. Broad-spectrum (UVA/B) sunscreens came into the market a while back, so most reputable sunscreens now seem to have both UVA/B protection but always best to double check the label. http://www.bad.org.uk/site/734/default.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen#Sunscreen_protection

Not a changing bag specifically, but these are v sturdy (Mr Saff hasn't yet managed to break mine!), and they are customisable: http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/?cvosrc=ppc.google.timbuk2&matchtype=e&network=g&mobile=&searchnetwork=1&content=&creative=22963640104&keyword=timbuk2&adposition=1t1&gclid=CLzQpfiymLgCFajKtAodvAwAfw. I've found it useful to have a couple different bags, one for short trips out to the park/shops, and another for longer daytrips. That way you're not lugging around stuff you don't really need on short outings. Store extra bits under the buggy if you can, so you don't have to carry them. Twins sounds challenging (I only have a singleton, and it's tough enough). Hats off to you! xx

On Sat/Sun/Monday, there's the Brockley Open Studios. Plus on Sunday, the Healing Arts Team in Crofton Park has an open studio, which is child-friendly (1st Sunday of every month) http://www.croftonpark.com/article?id=523.

Also Blythe Hill Fields Festival on Saturday 2-5pm: http://se23family.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/blythe-hill-fields-festival-6th-july.html

We were with British Gas for 3 years and never had them make an appointment. We did have several unannounced visits, but they always gave their ID upfront. But just to add, you don't have to let someone in your house, even if s/he does have ID (could be fake - how would you know?). You can always request an appointment.

Try making bedtime later? I know it runs counterintuitive to a lot of what we're commonly told about sleep, but if you've tried all the common wisdom, try something uncommon. Whenever I've tried to put my little girl down earlier, it's always been a disaster. Yes, it's tiring for me to put her down later, but not as tiring as fighting to put her down earlier! Also, maybe if you're moving soon, don't struggle too much with changing sleep patterns now. Just go with the flow, because everything is really going to change when you move house! Perhaps a good idea to have a short consultation with a sleep consultant before you move, so you can have a sleep strategy in place for the new home? This would be a natural time to break old sleep styles and aim for new bedtime associations. There is a anthropological shift towards more independent sleep between 2-4 years old. Maybe what appears to be her being "needy" at bedtime is just her searching for an affirmation that you'll always be there when she needs you. She might need that affirmation to be fully supported before she feels confident to make the transition to more independent sleep. Good luck! xx

Yes, you can refuse him entry for not providing ID and/or not having an appointment. You can request that an appointment be made, but you probably won't get a time slot, just a date.

Southbank is always interesting, Royal Festival hall etc. Also Tate Modern has an under-5s area, though my daughter at that age had just as much fun running around the turbine hall and up and down the wide landings. xx

So will the bubble in London ever really burst and give some renters a chance to get a reasonable foot in the door of home ownership, or is this the start of a longterm trend for increasing renters compared to home owners in London?

What will be done to replace these trees?

In my experience, a little sympathy goes a long way. Maybe the people on the bus were just annoyed with the crying and used the shade as an excuse for their unhelpful comments. Maybe they wouldn't have said anything if Baby was sleeping. We'll never know. But what we do know from the OP's post is that she was upset by the comments. Babies pick up on parental stress. Stressed mother equals stressed baby. So the passengers' negative comments could very well have had the opposite effect from trying to resolve the situation. Actually from the OP'p.o.v. comments only served to make a tough situation worse. So their comments were completely pointless, unless of course their point was just to vent on a fellow passenger. If I were a passenger on that bus, I would have been waaaaay more annoyed with others' comments than a crying baby. Baby's cry. It's a fact of life, but adults have a choice of words. I can't condone people verbally attacking someone on public transport for a crying baby in a buggy. It's not helpful or necessary.

Controlled crying is a very specific technique, not the same thing as a baby crying on a bus. Also, suggesting that everyone is familiar with snooze shades and approves of them is clearly not correct, as not only did the OP receive comments specifically about it, other posters relate similar incidents. I think the OP deserves to be cut some slack b/c we don't know what it would have taken to 'sort it out'. In all fairness, it may have involved something more complicated than the OP felt she could safely and effetively accomplish alone on a bus between stops. Yes, by all means feel free to challenge the OP and post your honest opinions. But equally, if your opinion involves little more than a string of huge assumptions, then it's probably going to be challenged as well. That has nothing to do with being a mother. It's simply the application of logic. Xx

OP did not mention using CC. According to her post she was taking a short journey on a bus to get to an appointment on time, and more than one person specifically commented on the shade. It's not always possible to get a baby safely in/out of a buggy particularly on short journeys. The OP does not appear to have intended to subject people to a crying baby, indicating that she had thought the baby would go to sleep. The bus can be a real crucible. Cripes, can we not cut each other some slack? I guess not.

We'll be at Sydenham :)

Pushy "expert" advice/interfering relatives/known-it-all friends: All equally annoying. Although I'd guess most of us in our lifetimes will have been on both sides of at least one of the issues from the article! Xx

100% downy is very squishy. Go for feathercore if you want support for sitting up reading. Microfibres can flatten over time but are easy to wash. Cotton zip pillow protectors are good for all pillows. Why not buy a couple of natural pillows and a couple of synthetic? See which you like best in 6 mo?

Thanks Burbage. Some very interesting points. We're actually not expecting to save a great deal of money (although certainly we don't want to pay more!). DH and I are really just fed up with the poor customer service from British Gas and lack of transparency in the policies. The only power we have seems to be the power to leave them. Not suffering delusions that any other company is a great deal better, but we just thought we'd try a different supplier. I've been looking at EDF blue tariff which seems ok. Any else on this?