prdarling

Hello Looking to hire a bouncy castle for my son's birthday in March....any recommendations please? PRD x

...and I am literate enough to spell restraint...it was a typo, before anyone has a pop at me

Good on you parkie and I applaud your restarint at the use of the word morons to describe these bottom feeders. Would doubt that they would be suffuiciently literate to use the forum, but a good flag to other park users, thanks

ibilly99 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > souless barn to mindless consumerism stick with > good 'ol Peckham Had i been looking for stinky fish or Vietnamese nail bars I would have certainly stayed local but I needed to buy a sofa. Took the route as described but parked at Honor Oak Park (can't negotiate getting to the Overground with two small children without using the car). It was as easy as pie

Brilliant thanks everyone x

Lots of them do Walkfit in Dulwich Park on a Saturday morning, run by British Military Fitness www.britmilfit.com

Thanks Marianne. How far is it from Stratford? TFL seems to be telling me i need to take a bus??

Can anyone tell me how to get there on public transport please?

I put mine together when baby (W) was 8 months and my older son (S) was 2 years 2 months - we gave W the cot bed and put S straight into a bed. I usually fed W sitting on my bed with S next to me for his story and milk. Depending on how things were going I would either then pop them both down at the same time - W was usually milk drunk and ready for his cot and S was so thrilled at his big boy bed that he never made a fuss, or if W was being grizzly, I put him down in his cot first and then read S another story in my room then popped him in bed once baby was asleep They loved sharing and did it until we moved house last October when S was 4 and a half and W was 3

Reality is that you will get offered the school you are closest to ..... unless you are not close enough. In which case they will look down your list and see if any of your preferences have a space for you. if none of them do, you will be offered a school in the borough you live in but which may not be on your original list. The fact is that our primary schools are very over subscribed so unless you live very close to the school (within a couple of hundred meters) you may not get in on the first round. I would probably put Horniman down first if it's your closest and then Goodrich and Fairlwan in preference order. Unfortunately Goodrich bulged in 2009/2010 and Fairlawn and Horniman in 2010/11 so there won't be extra places at these schools and there may be a higher number of siblings taking places next year/year after. It's a minefield, so take your time to read all of the admissions reports/policies tec and you can find out from the councils the last place offered in terms of distance so you can assess your chances. Also if you don't get a place when the offers first come through, things move incredibly quickly and places do become available Good luck :)

Oh. Thanks. How rubbish

Can anybody tell me where there is one please? Thanks PRD

It's an awful place but my boys have such fun there. I find the only thing that works is going when the doors open, so 9am or similar, then it's time to go just as it's filling up. Anything else is just mental torture

I went back to work last August, we moved house in October, the after school nanny who started in August didn't return to the UK after Christmas, my 4 year old started school in January, the new nanny lasted two weeks (long story but she was horrendous) the old nanny came back and my son took a dislike to her and life was pretty bloody rough until mid April. Not suggesting you'll have as bad a time as us, but when you combine a house move with other life changing things, the house move may well be the least of your worries :) I think a lot of it depends on the child. My three year old is much more adaptable and coped well with all the changes but i suppose he didn't have a new school to contend with as well. My older son loved the new house (and garden), loved school but was surprisingly annoyed with me going back to work and having to have an after school nanny. We had huge meltdowns, tantrums and tears galore for a few months before it all calmed down (he's now happy as a lark in after school club 3 days a week) Let your son be involved in planning what goes where in his room etc, get him some new pictures for his wall, new fun bedding or such like and you may find that he'll be quite enthusiastic. As per Mellors comment, trampolines, sandpits and the like always work too Good luck!

Would definitely avoid ibuprofen if poss. My mother nearly died in April from a burst ulcer caused by taking ibuprofen regularly and it can be particularly dangerous in small children. While I am sure a few days here or there would probably be fine, I really wouldn't want to repeat the experience we just had, so it's Calpol only in our house

sillywoman flat on her back with legs akimbo I bet she could only see the ceiling :) I'd want to see the Sistine Chapel for the money it probably costs for the ahem, privilege

Same applies if you buy frozen berries and whizz them up with yoghurt and a bit of honey (and mint if you dare be so adventurous) We live off the stuff :)

What channel was it on? Very interested to watch as had a heated discussion with a work colleague who said she'd had a fabulous experience giving birth in NYC, which transpired to be an epidural, on a bed, with legs in stirrups with everyone in masks like she was radioactive and the baby being snatched from her washed, wrapped up and with a hat on before she'd even seen him. Sounded bloody awful to me. She looked at me like I was mental when I said that I refused to get on the bed and gave birth like I was in a rugby scrum. They seem to go out of their way to make the procedure as medicalised and unnatural as possible. Very peculiar but nonetheless fascinating. Gutted I have missed it!

Chippy Minton if it's of any use, we are doing Camp Bestival again last year as it was such a resounding success last year. Mr Tumble was brilliant but only on once a day so I wouldn't say he dominates the weeekend...and unless your kids can read the programme you only really need to see him once if that's all you can cope with! We went with friends who had a 13 month old and she got along fine. The only downside to taking a really small fry is that unless they will sleep anywhere in all sorts of noise, then you probably need to be back at base camp for bedtime so you end up missing out on the evening fun - obviously depends on your baby. You can always rotate babysitting with friends. Agree that ?170 is a lot of dollar but based on my experience last year it was worth it

I had one of each. My first son was obsessed and would put it in any moment he could but always slept so soundly that when it fell out he didn't notice but as soon as was able he would put it back in if he stirred in the night. We got rid of it just afetr he was one in the same way as Belle - 45 mins crying the first night, 20 mins the second and nothing the third. The reason I wanted to get rid of it was I saw the battle my sister had with her son who was about three and it just wasn't worth it :) My second son quite liked it but at around 14 weeks started going mental whenever it fell out of his mouth so I got rid of it completely because with a 3 months old and a 21 month old I just couldn't function on no sleep. We just found a way around it by shush patting him, feeding him till he was fairly drowsy and then putting him down etc and to be honest after about one night and one nap he didn't even notice anymore Good luck with whatever you decide, it's a stressful thing :(

Nightmare poor you. I lost my son for a few minutes at Camp Bestival last summer and my life flashed before my eyes. Such a relief to find helpful kind people. I have taken to putting my business card in my kids pockets so they can whip it out if they ever get lost and fingers crossed someone will call me...that's the theory anyway....

Usually by January 2014

Late applicants, people who move in closer all jump the queue and I think that after the results have been announced in April, you can basically add your self to any waiting list you like so people can appear out of nowhere that way too. Plus special needs/looked after children. It doesn't seem fair. Southwarks argument to me last year was that kids shouldn't be penalised because their parents can't get their act together to apply on time, but then that means that other kids whose parents ARE on the ball are penalised. The system is by no means flawless. Don't think a lawyer would help and not sure appeals work either i am afraid unles you have a specific issue like SEN. Do you have a place elsewhere? All I can say is that waiting lists do move so much in the 2-3 months after the results are posted. last year we went from 4th-7th and back again and eventually got in after 8 weeks. Then 8 months later I got offered the Lewisham school i really wanted all along and on whose list we had been 6/7th for pretty much the whole time. Don't give up hope x

My elder son was at Buds from age 2 until he went to Reception in January and my younger son is there now and has been for 18 months. It's not the shiniest, newest pre school, but the setting is delightful and peaceful and the staff are kind and loving with the children who have lots of fun and make heaps of friends. That's all I think a 2/3 year old needs :)

The pharmacy on North Cross Rd used to do great premature baby nappies x