amydown

And some private nurseries opt out and don't provide the fee hours at all I have been told...

I had exactly the same dilemma - our older one is now 2 years and 4 months and newborn is 4 weeks old. Have tried Cameleon plus buggy board but older one only stayed on it for 5mins max and always wanted to get down (maybe when he is a bit older?). We have a P&T Sports for nanny share and I found it too heavy to push/get onto pavements, etc. After researching into it, got the P&T Promenade which came out in Jan 2012 and extremely happy with it. The suspension is very good (on par with our single buggy, Cameleon IMO) so it doesn't feel heavy to push around. It's also quite easy to push onto pavements, etc as it has a curved handle which extends out very long. The seats also lie flat both top and bottom (had both kids in it for a nap when we were out and about last week). The only minor point is that it's quite wide for our narrow Victorian hallway but I think the width is actually the same as older model P&Ts. Good luck with the search!

Our little man went through a phase of this too. Still not a fan of nappy changes but after a short period of using Nappy Lady's technique (may only have taken 2/ 3 times?) he got the idea and he's made peace with it now. Don't despair!

For anyone searching old threads for ideas, one of our friends had a baby in Putney recently and we ordered some delicious pies from Mike from the forum for the parents - Mike kindly delivered them to Putney for us and our friends were absolutely delighted! (have asked whether we can order some more for them next time they come to visit) A really good gift for new parents especially if they live locally. Mike's forum ID is bon3yard and mobile number is 07969206854.

This thread has been an absolute life saver. I contacted both Ann and Katie initially and Ann didn't get back to me (must have had a busy day) but when I spoke to Katie to discuss us coming to Croydon, I mentioned that I had had a c-section and she offered to come to our house for an assessment which was so kind of her. She has just spent an hour and a half with us for a full assessment and has written us the referral letter to Dr Patel (the surgeon that does the procedure at King's I think) and we are going to go and see him next week to have the procedure done on medical insurance to cut out the waiting time as Katie recommended. I wish I had known more about TT the first time round - chatting to Katie about our older son's early days, we thought it was highly likely that he had a TT too. I just hadn't thought of it at the time as he was putting on weight and midwives seemed happy. Oh well. At least we got it figured out this time round!

Thank you both. Tried to go to bf cafe today but with feeding and settling, still in bed! I have managed to leave a message for Ann Dobson to call me back so I'm hoping she can do a home visit soon. Pickle, in case was Katie Fisher's house in Croydon easy to get to? Am not very mobile at the moment but if we can't get a home visit, we will go to Katie's place in Croydon I think. He is gaining weight (has gained 400g a week after birth) so I am not hopeful of sympathetic diagnosis on the NHS... Maybe I'm too cynical!

Thank you very much both.

Resurrecting this thread as I think our 3 week old boy may have a TT. He makes this clicking noise when he is feeding and is in so much pain with wind having gulped in all that air. Is the fastest way to get a referral through visiting bf cafe or GP? A bit confused. Also, does anyone know what the waiting time for King's appointment is like? If the NHS route will take more than a week, I think we will go private as the poor lad is in so much pain. He only cries when hungry, after a feed before being winded and when having a poop. Have found Ann Dobson who is a lactation consultant and does home visits to do TT snip too. Does anyone have any experience? Would consider Katie Fisher but trip to Croydon rather daunting as I haven't fully recovered from c section yet....

The Best Buggy website gives really good info on different buggies, including Phil and Teds. Best Buggy Scroll down to P section.

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How about the Transport Museum in Covent Garden? Bus to Embankment directly from ED and you can let the kids loose. Plenty of options for a meal afterwards in Covent Garden too. They have trains and buses which the kids can hop on and off. Edited to add - just realised you were looking for an overnight getaway... Oops!

I've had a couple of PM's about the Promenade. If anyone wants to have a look/ try it but can't easily get to a store, I'm happy for you to test out ours. Please send me a PM. Amy

Hmm.. I woul have thought the new Bugaboo board would fit older Bee too? You are welcome to come and try - we have the new Bugaboo board. We got the Bugaboo one rather than Lascal as it looked easier to walk behind it as the former is triangular in shape but I could just be making it up!

We received our Phil and Teds Promenade today for our newborn and 2-year old - am impressed! Like Snowboarder says, no perfect pram but this one will do the trick for us I think. My main problem with the older style P&T was that I found it difficult to get it up onto pavements, etc as I'm quite small and the handle bar just wasn't the right height for me. The promenade has a curved handle that extends very long and this seems to make it easy to push it onto pavements. Width wise, it appears similar to Chameleon (can't remember how the measurements actually compared) and it feels light and easy to push. Another big plus is that you don't need a seperate newborn kit as both seats can be converted to carrycots easily. Finally, there is a lot more leg room for toddler in the bottom seat compared with the older model. Our 2-year old boy already struggles with lack of legroom in the bottom room in an older P&T model. Haven't been on the bus with it yet but given its width which is the same as older P&T models, I think that should be fine. So far so good! I think Peppermint store in Battersea now has a display model.

We decorated our 2yr old boy's room with giant mural stickers - it's a jungle so big trees and animals.

My Phil and Teds promenade is getting delivered next week. Shall report back after a test drive with our 2yr3m old and newborn.

I had exactly the same dilemma - had a Bee and then got a refund from John Lewis after 2 years, and then in the end, opted for the Chameleon. I love the Chameleon too and I think generally, it's better for the baby/kid. Used to find that our little one used to slouch a little bit in the Bee which isn't the case with Chameleon. However, Bee is definitely more versatile and lighter to use. If I could, I would have both!!!! Hope this thread helps too: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,746747,748462#msg-748462

Just booked our holiday at Sani Resorts following recommendations on the forum and really looking forward to it! Some of the rooms are have a seperate bedroom and they have good deals on at the moment for certain periods, that include HB. Have very good reviews on Trip Advisor. http://www.sani-resort.com/en_GB Creche takes babies from 4months - 4 yr olds and it's run by Worldwide Kids company at the hotel site. We had used them at another resort in Cyprus before and they were really good. The hotel also offers free transfer from/ to airport if you book online for more than 5 nights I think and they arrange car seats. Good luck!

Went to Northcote road store today to try out other alternatives and have pre-ordered the Promenade. In case anyone else is looking at this option, Pramcentreonline had a package that was around ?150 cheaper than all other retailers and although Peppermint said they don't do price match on pre-orders, the store spoke to head office on my behalf and eventually, we got the price match. Been impressed with the store so far!

I shall report back if we end up getting it. A bit nervous about ordering it before testing and the release date slipping as baby will be here in 10 days time... (oh, and the small matter of convincing my other half why we need it)

Thanks everyone. I shall give them a ring tomorrow. Thanks for the advice re: price as well Mrs Mc. I think they do Price match so I shall look into that.

I'm looking to place an order with Peppermint store for the new Phil and Teds Promenade but it will be a pre-order and I wondered if anyone has any experience of their customer service. Have always bought buggies from John Lewis due to their good customer service but John Lewis don't seem to be taking pre-orders for the Promenade! Any feedback would be much appreciated. Amy

Does seem that way SP!

Thank you SP :) The safety aspect does worry me (hubby says I'm neurotic anyway so might not work!).

Currently in a very happy nanny share which will come to an end in a few months time as I will be on maternity leave with No.2. Thinking ahead to when I will go back to work next autumn, wanted to hear stories of how nanny shares might work under our new circumstances. Older son will be 3 when I return to work and we would like him in a nursery for at least 2/3 half day sessions a week or 2 full days. Junior will be 8months. Ideally, we would have a sole charge nanny on our own but by the time I have paid for nanny's salary, tax and other expenses plus nursery cost, I really will be paying to go back to work. Also, having done a share, it's wonderful for the kids to have a playmate and I would love to do a share again. I guess it could be a share with another toddler at nursery part time or with a younger one of similar age to our younger one. Does anyone have any experience they could share? I thought child care for 1 was tough enough but two makes it mind boggling!