lucyA1308

We went to scotland - 5 hr journey, with a 4 month and a 2 + yr old. It worked ok with them on our knees, because the baby hadn't yet got to the wriggly stage, and the toddler had just come down from that, and was a bit more able to focus on stories, colouring etc. We were in a family carriage, so everyone else was in the same situation, which was nice. Sometimes the kids ran up and down the aisle together, sometimes they shared out their books / snacks etc. pack a few new books to keep their interest going. Perhaps you can arrange a nap time, so that they both fall asleep on your lap, and you can all have a bit of a snooze.

France lost out on the Olympic bid to England, so it mightn't be a very diplomatic gift.

My daughter is starting at dulwich Oaks Montessori in Sept, which she is very excited about. I will just be returning to work after maternity leave, and her younger sister will be going to the nursery where she has just been - all so far, so good (although I am sad about maternity leave coming to an end, it is an exciting new adventure for the two of them). I am a violin teacher and work in schools localy, and so mostly my hours of work are good for school pick-ups at Dulwich Oaks, and then on to the nursery. However on Thursdays, although I will only be working round the corner at Kingsdale School, I don't finish until 4.10. I was wonderting whether there are any families who might be able to look after my daughter with their child in a friendly, fun environment between 3.00 pick-up, and about 4.20, when I can wizz round and collect her myself. I would be grateful to hear if anyone might be able to help. With many thanks, Lucy

my older child started showing an interest before the baby arrived too, and did get quite good at it. Then when the baby arrived, she wanted just to be back in nappies again too. We sorted this issue out by having a friend over who was also potty training, and my daughter then decided that she wanted to be back in knickers again. Haven't bothered with nappies for her since then.

I have an Ergo. Both my 2 1/2 yr old (she is quite petite though) and my 7 mth old love it.

My children would be happy with just the same old park time and time again, but I need a bit of variety too. In my recent study, the one opposite the hirniman is our favourite for convenience, and atmosphere. On a sunny day, the huge sand pit can feel like being at the beach. The hirniman has also done up it's gardens extensively, and has got a new "sound garden", which is lovely, and if the heat is getting too much, or you need a change of scene, you can pop across the road and visit that. However, the playground in Greenwich park has to be the best which I have visited so far. For us the 202 bus stops at the top of Greenwich park - there might be other buses, which are good from E. Dulwich, and then we walk through the park - you can see deer on the way, and the Greenwich meridian. The playground is at the lower end of the park, but it is fantastic. Take a picnic, and make a day out.

I am also a teacher, although a music teacher, not a class teacher, and I always expect my pupils to practice between lessons. It is a way of solidifying what they have learnt in the lesson. It is very important to have parental support, otherwise how will a child feel motivated if the people they most want to impress in the world aren't being supportive? The pupils who do the practice at home thrive, and the ones who don't continue to struggle. Encourage him as best you can, make it fun, and hopefully you will see him thrive too.

A friend of mine said that the man plants a seed in the woman, and the seed grows into a little baby. Could be confusing to some, but is a nice - not too technical way of saying what it is.

i have had some lovely fun with the kids, just putting the wellies and rain coats on and going and jumping in as many puddles as we can find. It is free, and endless amount of fun. My bigger girl last friday said "Mummy, I am sooo happy". If you can't beat the weather, just join in. On the other hand, I am finding myself saying phrases like I know my mother in law would, and that is a little bit scary "oh well, it'll be good for the garden" "what will I do with all the washing" etc etc.

1st baby was puree fed, and right from the beginning, always had very good table manners - yes, it was messy (but no more messy than anything else a 6 month old usually does, and yes, when she got to the wriggly stage of toddler-hood, it was often tricky to keep her at the table while the others finished their meal, but generally she ate with her mouth closed. ate everything up, and was a pleasant companion at meal times. We are doing things differently this time, having heard so much enthusiasm for BLW, we are giving this a go. Last night though, my older daughter had a friend to stay. He came for supper, and was not well behaved with his food - he ate with his mouth open, spat things out in quite an obvious way if he didn't like it, and generally acted in more of a similar way to my 6 month old Baby led weaner. As a baby led weaner is encouraged to eat with their fingers, and spit out the bits they can't yet eat, will they eventually realise that cutlery comes into play eventually, and manage with this like others. i suppose eating with their mouth closed and not spitting food out is eventually down to the parents telling them not to do it etc. What are other peoples' experiences? Thanks

OK. please can you remind me about this nearer the time though? thank you.

Hello there 2nd baby, and I thought I'd know what to do by now, but either I've forgotten, or I have done things differently from the beginning, 2nd time round, but there are still some things which I don't feel so confident that I am getting quite right. 2nd baby is getting along ok with the weaning. i am doing a loose sort of BLW (mainly finger food vegetables and fruit, with spoon fed yoghurts and risotto etc). She loves the fruit which usually gets gobbled up before I know it. Veggies and fish are usually ok, but can get stuffed behind the ear, under the seat, on the floor etc, as she is getting used to managing bigger chunks. With the purees, which I did with the first baby, although messy, at least I felt I could see what exactly she was eating My question is really about breastfeeding though. I was doing a lovely 3 hour routine - around 8.00am, 11.00am, 2.00pm 5.00pm and then a few cluster feeds around bed time. She usually did wake up in the night around midnight, and then maybe once more around 4.00ish. Some people say when weaning that you don't want to give a milk feed before a regular meal other wise she will fill up on the milk, and not be so interested in the food. However I have found that if I give her a milk feed after her food, she only takes a short little drink, and then leaves the boob (rather uncomfortable). Her nap times are changing too, and so I am getting all confused as to when to give her milk. She is still waking up in the night, jsut as much as she always did, so I don't know if I am cutting out a bit too much milk from her diet too soon, in my own confusion. Thanks, Lucy

Summer parties, you do have the dilema of being indoors, or outdoors. Other than that, pass the parcel, a bit of dancing. Cake, and maybe a sticker / drawing activity -decorate a party hat to take home with them, should usually be enough for a 3 yr old.

I am not Italian, but when I was younger I spoke quite good italian due to going there frequently first of all on holidays, and then later on for work. I have forgotten most of it, but I would love my children to have an opportunity also of learning it at a young age. It is not a language taught in schools, and so this might be a good way of doing so. They are both young (2 1/2 and 6 months) so I am not in a great rush, but I would be glad to know what's out there.

It is quite expensive, and as far as classes go, the NHS ones were brilliant for me. People say it is as much for social contact as anything. I didn't realise the necessity of this until my baby had arrived, and endless walks through the park without conversation, or being at home on my own, wondering what the baby needed next. It is good to have a group of friends in the same situation as you, but you can find that in other areas, not necessarily NCT.

I will contact the school and ask to view it. I have also been in touch with the Dulwich Oaks, and there is an open day on Saturday. Being part of the same organisation, I am sure that they will be very similar. I am just happy at this point to go with availability. The days which I need are Monday, Wed and Thursday - full days. I'll keep in touch with you (I'll pm my telephone number, and we can chat if you would like), and hopefully I will have a response back about viewing. With many thanks, Lucy

Gebbjane, this sounds a good possibility. Ellibob, Please can you let us know what the situation really is. I am right in the process of investigating all my options, as we were too far down the list on our first choice, so it would be good to know. thanks, Lucy

Is this really up for grabs? i thought that the waiting list at this school was quite long. Surely it is up to the school to go down the waiting list and find the next available person on the waiting list. We are currently quite far down the waiting list of our montessori of choice, and so could be interested in this (only need 3 days though), if this really is the case, but I am surprised that it is not up to the schools to decide. Please let me know if this is not the case. Thanks, Lucy

Petit filous is also a favourite in our house. Sometimes if I have made muffins, they get a treat of a muffin for breakfast, but other than that weetabix or crispies or toast.

Chamber Players is a summer music course for all ages (school age) and abilities (Grade 1 and above) of string players. Pianists are also welcome, but need to be grade 4 -5 for the junior course, and grades 7 -8 for the senior course. It is held at Sydenham High School, and runs from 20th-24th August this year. There is a junior course in the morning, and a senior course in the afternoons. The junior course is ?100 for the week, and the senior course is ?120 for the week. Some scholarships ar available for families who may need assistance with the fees. The tutors are all highly respected chamber musicians and teachers, and are chosen for their experience in this field, as well as their enthusiasm. Many of whom teach at the Junior conservatoires. The course starts with a concert given by the London Cellophonic, and all pupils are given a free ticket to this. The course finishes with a fantastic concert, where all pupils -and tutors take part, and performed what they have been working on during the week. All further details can be found at www.chamberplayers.org.uk

I'd love to have 3, but as I am fairly shattered with just two, I do wonder why? My 2 are just gorgeous, and perhaps i should leave it at that?? Any good reasons to keep going?

i used to work from home, and loved it. I wouldn't worry about the state of the house, I would just get straight down to work, without any of the distractions of an office. Since having children though, it feels like a wonderful thing to get out of the house on my own, talk to other people, read a book on the tube etc. I think if I was at home, I would be much more conscious of how the house looked, and the need to do housework now than I was before. I still do run a business though, and I have to do that once the kids are asleep, that is tough. I think any mum who can work from home must have more calm and peaceful children than I do!

My 2 1/2 yr old has the ability to fill my heart with love and amazement one minute and absolute trauma the next. Is this normal? I am sure it is, but in my over tired state, i feel like I am the only one out there, and that I have a crazy child who does crazy things. This morning I was woken by her around 5.45ish - ok, the mornings are lighter and it is hard to stay asleep when the light comes in, but then wide awake (she, not me) and having gone to the loo (again she, not me), she then found the jar of sudocream, and emptied all over her face (like daddy's shaving cream, apparently) and then all over her legs (just incase there was any sore patches) and then onto me (not quite awake yet to stop this), and then as it was already everywhere else, into her hair for good measure. I was cross, because it was not only a mess, but a wast of the cream, but had it not been so early in the morning, I might have found it quite funny. Is this normal activity for a 2 year old. I would love to have an angelic little girl, who when I ask her not to do something, she calmly accepts and does what I ask. I don't, but she is wonderful in so many other ways. When I am trying to be strict, she thinks it is a joke, and she laughs, and then I can't help laughing too. recently tiredness is taking hold of me, and I am losing my temper more frequently. I hate doing this, but maybe it is good for her to have some more enforced boundaries. Am I being unfair on her, or me by worrying about this?

www.thebedlambunch.co.uk

I think there might be one on Rosendale Road http://www.anyroadup.com/anyroadup-local/to-Dulwich-England.htm