Belle

I go for a lot of toilet humour with my two (4 and 6) - in previous years there have been whoopee cushions and fake poos. A couple of friends have secured "Fart whistles" from Amazon which I'm now thinking I should look into! I've also gone for a little wind up torch from Just Williams, and a pencil case to keep all his bits in. Tiger/ Hema really good for stocking stuff. There are loads of party bag supplies on Amazon which double up as good stocking fillers - and Yellow Moon do tonnes of nice superhero things, I had some for my son's 4th birthday party which was superhero themed. Things like superhero rubber ducks for the bath etc.

Anyone know about Nerf parties and if anyone does them locally? I have just heard about them recently and think could be perfect for my son when he turns 7 in January. The alternative he has asked for is a Power Rangers Dino Charge party, which is pretty niche and, I'm guessing, less easy to sort!

Ps - my son was very deliberate about it, as you describe with your son - absolutely knew what he was doing, would go somewhere particular to do it etc. I think he just go to the point where he found it way more comfortable than a potty or a toilet (we had some success after this with using a step/box in front of the toilet to give him a better sitting on the loo position !).

Ooh did not know about Eric. But just to say we could write the book on this. We finally potty trained my son (now 4 and a bit) about six or 7 months ago. When I say potty trained, I mean half - after about a month he was mostly dry... but after initial success with poos, he went on to poos his pants. Daily. Without fail. For six months. So I feel your pain. I got to the stage where it was just normal for me to be cleaning his bum in the middle of Goose Green playground watched by lots of other curious kids and parents! Then he started school nursery and after a month or so (we think he just didn't poo while he was there) he suddenly announced he had pooed on the toilet at nursery. Couldn't believe it. We've had I think one poo accident since then (this was late October). He has the odd wee accident like they all do but generally speaking he's just got it. We had tried everything (barring Eric which I didn't know about) - every book and approach etc. But in the end it had to come from him. I know this isn't helpful but I do think it's no coincidence that we had visibly relaxed once he was at nursery - when we realised really there was nothing we could do! In a way it was a massive relief to think that way, so it was then a very pleasant surprise when he cracked it all of his own accord. Good luck - you'll get there.

ps if it's only for 12 months maybe consider leasing??

I think it is - lots of families with 3 kids don't have a people carrier. I can think of several forumites in fact! I like the look of the Nissan Qashqai (I am daydreaming as we deffo won't be getting a new car anytime soon!) and know someone with three kids who has it. She says the boot is good. She does 7 yr old in front like you say. We have a ford focus and I've managed 3 booster seats in the back before.

I can totally recommend Nicola! I think I know you in real life - will PM

thanks all :) and buggie please do! It's def poss to get Twitter'd out - esp on these types of subjects, quite intense! But some fantastic support on there.

Oh Buggie, didn't realise you are an HV now! Every week on Twitter there is a #pndhour Tweet chat thing, it's on a Wednesday in fact (but I can't join tonight) and last week they did it on health visitors! Might be worth looking up some of the historical Tweets if you're interested. I interviewed a fantastic psychiatrist (perinatal specialist) in Mile End who was very sympathetic to HVs, saying how stretched they are. Don't know if you already have a post but if you ever see a vacancy in that area I think she would be wonderful to work with!

Hope this is ok, but think might be genuinely helpful to people here! I've written a book about postnatal depression called Fine (Not Fine), about my own experiences of PND but also featuring case studies of women (and men) with a range of perinatal mental illnesses (it's not just depression - anxiety, psychosis, OCD, phobia of childbirth). I also was lucky enough to interview some exceptional medical professionals and charities working in the field. In some cases by dint of knowing people, but sometimes completely randomly I found quite a few contributors who happened to live around here, so it feels like a very local project to me. I hope it's of interest/help to some of you or your loved ones. Big thanks to Dr Christine Langhoff (Dulwich Psychologist) who was one of the professionals I interviewed. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fine-Not-Perspectives-Experiences-Depression/dp/1853432202/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446567724&sr=1-1&keywords=bridget+hargreave

It varies - I saw some fabulous minecraft costumes one year, definitely not halloweeny!

Ps other things we did with varying degrees of success (and prob younger than 5 months so I'm sure you're doing them already) - was used a sling a lot (a structured one, v comfy) to keep him upright as much as poss, and we tried one of those bolster things for lying baby safely on their side (I think they are common place in France, we found it online). You're prob past that stage if your baby is rolling though. It is so hard with sleep like that, especially after several months of sleeplessness. is he too big for one of those sleep nest things? You've probably already tried raised cot etc?

Just to second /third Babu, he is brilliant! We first saw him at six weeks. He was good at helping convince GPs when we needed the expensive formula/meds etc. I think we had the suspension for a while, so that shouldn't be a problem, but then later we used the capsules. My son is 4 now and it's like a distant memory, though I realise others haven't been so fortunate. It's good you've already got the omeprazole as that in itself was quite a battle as I recall, GPs were not keen - we only got it through Babu. Likewise, although my first son had reflux it was mild, but it was with my second that it was really severe and I also would probably would have thought twice about trying for another child if he had been my first. The sleep deprivation and general lack of calm was terrible. We didn't find any one thing was a silver bullet, but the combination of the right dosage of meds, the special formula, and just time (I'm afraid) all really helped. We were left with a legacy of bad sleep but that was almost completely sorted by sleep consultant Nicola (she's on the forum if you get to that stage! Child Sleep Solutions I think). Have courage - it will improve! You sound like you're doing really well x

My son is now 4 and we have poo accidents every day, sometimes twice a day, I am demented! He potty trained about 6 months ago - pretty much fine on wees. Was okayish on poo to start with, then went downhill. In his case, he's managing not to do it at nursery which tells me it's something he can control. Anyway, I read this very interesting article on FB the other day which may or may not apply - made me see things a bit differently: http://www.parents.com/blogs/toddlers-kids/2015/04/22/health/7-crazy-important-rules-for-potty-training-success/

The new Goose Green hours for nursery are 8.45-3.45 (they take a packed lunch) Monday & Tues, then 8.45-11.45 on Weds, for the first class. The second class do the reverse - so Weds afternoon, and then 8.45-3.45 for Thurs & Fri. I think as Pickle says Goodrich offer, that GG also offer top up for a fee. My son has just started at GG nursery and he (and we) are really happy.

DC - the time wise website mentioned above often has comms/PR type roles. Also always worth asking if employers will consider flexible working, even if the role advertised is a full time post. I recently noticed an ad for a comms role at a local authority. I emailed asking if they would consider part-time and they said they have a flexible working policy and so they would (although a minimum of 30 hours which I can't commit to at the moment.

I'm around to meet up with my little boy, think we spoke today in real life ! He does his taster session on Monday.

We have loads away when we moved recently but I will have a hunt through and pick up some stuff at sainsburys. Thanks for doing this!

Any experiences? My nearly 4 yr old starts in two weeks. I know the advice is that they be potty trained and independent but believe there are exclusion issues you can raise? My son has been in pants since April, fine on wees but regularly poos his pants (often twice a day). Not even looking for advice on that - tried everything, feel almost resigned to waiting it out ) - but don't want nursery to be a nightmare for him. It's 2.5 days as opposed to five half days so I'm realistic that it's going to come up...

Oh forgot - blusher!! Makes a huge difference and if done right is a world away from 80s human league hell! This is where help in store cd be useful re colour matching. Dr boo used to sometimes to special in store days with makeup artists, worth asking there if you want to stay local.

For what it's worth, I rate Dr Boo, but it's perhaps better for skin are than makeup (tho does stock still which I love). They stock Clarins - handy for the concealer Sanity Girl mentions. Clinique have just brought out a new liquid eyeliner which I've indulged in and really rate (I've tried dozens). They also do a CC cream - the moisture surge - basically a tinted moisturiser - which is excellent for every day. I have Lanc?me mascara at the no but also not loyal to one brand - max factor good or l'oreal and think both available at Lloyds chemist. Benefit stuff is good too. I have some Charlotte Tilbury eye shadow crayons which are fool proof and the website is great - you could order online and follow the tutorials on the site. I do think powder makes a difference tbh.

We are currently living through this, though we were fortuitously away the first week when all the structural stuff was done. I haven't been nearly as organised as most posters here! But my top tip for kids is to get some of those fluffy bootie slippers. We have a rule our kids must wear them at all times to keep their feet safe from the countless nails/tacks and relatively clean. We started work the week after we moved in. We unpacked two plates, a few mugs, and 2-3 sets of clothes abd that's about it. Despite this I can tell some stuff will need throwing out/intensive cleaning when we finally do unpack. Oh, one other tip. We did quite a lot of paper plates at first. As the kids had very few toys unpacked I gave them pens to decorate their dinner plates with. Surprising hit! Ask your builders to leave one if those lamps the use, it's a pain sorting the kitchen out in the dark if you're having electrics done.

Landsberger - I have a son who behaves like the child you describe. (Maybe I am your next but one neighbour? Though I do regularly tell my son off!). We are going through hell dealing with him, the school and psychologists are involved. Maybe your neighbour isn't telling you the whole story. Maybe you should cut her (and her child) some slack. Sorry, off topic.

Oh I'm away that night otherwise I'd be there - that sounds amazing! Are t here any other dates for showings?

I think maybe kids those ages might get bored more quickly than they would at the adventure playground. If you wanted a change of scene maybe dog kennel hill adventure playground - or the playground in Brockwell park which is awesome. The new one at DP is good...but my six year old "did" it v quickly whereas in either of the adventure playgrounds he can play for hours.