inthewoods

The majority of streets around Herne Hill have only restriction between 12 and 2 so drop off and pick up can be done easily by car.

I would try Kodali based classes to start with. They are supposed to develop musical hearing, sense of rhythm etc that feed in ability to play and enjoy playing music. It's not just a mechanical extraction of sound out of instrument. I would also take them to concerts targeted for children. There is Bach for baby (or such) and they have local venues. I think they do them in St. Barnabas hall in Dulwich village on Fridays.

It looks like your child is happy with 12 hours sleep per day which is the right number for their age. What about moving bedtime later to say 8 in small increments and don't have nap too late in the afternoon. If you are exhausted it's probably for running around after them as well. What about doing a group every day (if you can't find a free place from 9 till 12) so yr child have playmates other than you. I don't think you can make them sleep longer but you can tweak the time of sleep so it suits you better. Wouldn't your partner/husband be able to take care of them in the evening?

Little Green has a whole set of greys. I would get samples because light can be totally different in a south facing kitchen and east facing bedroom. We are choosing paints at the moment and it's so fascinating.

We used Arms reach and liked that it can be folded so we used it as a travel cot.

I second babyjabs. As far as I remember, you need to be immunised twice.

It's a lovely nursery. They are good at picking people that are interested in children. They've done quite a lot of work improving a room for younger toddlers and are finishing work on the garden, extending it and making sure there is enough space outside for everybody. They have additional activities by external providers: multisports, yoga and dance. My son absolutely loves the food which is cooked on premises.

Trinity Laban in Greenwich has creative dance classes on Saturdays. They have a waiting list but are very good. Theatre in Peckham does something (I saw a flyer). I am looking for something during the week which doesn't involve a lot of pink tutus but we can't do weekends.

Put some mirrors interspersed with plants to bounce light around and reflect greenery on the other side. Didn't they agree the plans with you?

It's probably too far but I would mention anyway. My friend used Hopscotch therapy centre on Harley street with her son and was very happy with them.

Have a look at this blog: http://www.carolinehirons.com. She is very good at explaining "routines" which will be a familiar word for a mother of a baby. Basically, she praises proper cleansing. She particularly recommended a cleansing oatmeal balm from balance Me (Waitrose and John Lewis) and their roll on radiance oil which is particularly good for spots. If the spots are on the same side are they on the side on which you sleep? Have you grown your hair and little hands grab them a lot?

The one we used the most was bought in a TK Maxx. It just had everything we needed and the insert made it really easy to wash. It had a very wide base which eliminated spills when my son was getting up and an insert was not round but very oval in shape. I've heard somewhere that boys are late at potty training because the majority are trained by women. So after getting daddy on board we got the peeing business out of the way (standing). You would need a low step for that though. I didn't enjoy washing poo though so we quickly transferred to a cushy toilet seat I got on an NCT sale. Now he just copies his older friends and somehow balances on a normal seat. We are very lucky to have a downstairs loo though. Hitting the loo bowl would actually need a lot of practice so make sure that there is nothing near your loo and prepare to clean it a lot more.

Have you checked your private messages? Some people prefer them to answering in the thread. I don't have any information, I am afraid.

There is a talk that it is on the up. The council is spending money on an upgrade as there is simply no other school for that part of Dulwich. I am personally not convinced that failing schools need investments in new buildings. I'd rather it went into improving teaching. The new head came from a similar school in Reading so presumably he made some difference there. Their last inspection (where they were rated good) was in 2012 and when it came to children levels they seemed to be below average throughout but getting to average at the end of year 6. I talked to somebody who went to the school quite some time ago and was local and they were full of praise for gentle and arty environment. If I was looking for a childcare setting I would've liked it but as a school I am not convinced.

Most private schools have some sort of assessments in the autumn prior to school places applications. Increasingly if you give up your place late you have to forfeit not only deposit but some additional money too. Last year there were parents applying to Oakfield as far as I remember.

I don't know how outdated this handbook: http://www.hernehillschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/NURSERY-Parent-Handbook-Apr11.pdf. There is an address for the uniform shop which is near West Dulwich station.

Renata, you've missed a dot in the email address so the correct one is [email protected]

I think if you need to attend those surgeries it's too late. The schools are bursting at the seams and siblings policy makes it much more difficult but I don't think any party would commit a political suicide by abolishing it. If you want your child in a good school buy or better rent within a spitting distance of the school and then you can move any time after deadline. There is no other way to avoid anguish. There will be more movement between now and September but I don't think every family's wishes can be accommodated.

Spa at Beckenham does crash courses during school holidays for a very reasonable price. Their training pool floor raises for younger swimmers and the water is nice and warm. 5 days in a row does make a difference and after that you can just copy what they were doing during their classes.

Instead of attacking Lewisham I think you need to put pressure on Southwark council because they historically underfunded on the edges of the borough which created black spots on the border with Lewisham and Lambeth. Both Of those councils do their best, their good school regular bulge, and it's time Southwark started doing the same. The former head teacher did say that to accommodate the bulge they would have to have extensive building works done on the slopes which would be a very expensive exercise.

Have you tried babyjabs at Harley street? I seem to remember there were 2 injections with 6 months in between.

First steps Montessori. They are very good at picking people that genuinely care about children. They recently enlarged their under 3 room and it has direct access to the garden.

I used Little Green: no fumes, made in Manchester, beautiful range of colours.

There are a lot of people working hard and seeing their children only in the evening just to keep the roof over their heads and to feed the family. Does it mean they are irresponsible parents too?

I have a friend in Worcester park. Apparently there is an ongoing wrangle between the council and the Muslim community about a church (?) near the station which would be a good location for a mosque. My friends are concerned that the area would change dramatically if the planning permission was to be granted.

When I take iron I normally take Spatone sachets. They are little things you can carry with you and inside is iron rich mineral water with apple juice for vitamin C. I seem to remember iron needs it for better absorbtion.