supergolden88

Forgot we had it and now I am watching it again thought I would mention it. It's a music cd but also comes with a DVD where each song has a little animation/video. Great stuff! They Might Be Giants Here Come the ABCs ABCs there's also Here come the 123s (not as good I think) and Here comes Science (which I need to get!)

Hi Zoe - although I can't help you with the school, I have a 5 year old daughter and we live one road over. So if you fancy a playdate or visit to playground let me know. Just out of curiosity how did you settle on Horniman school seeing as Ivydale is so close by? I agonised quite a bit about sending mine there (she started in January) but so far so good.

It could be that he's afraid of being locked in the bathroom. My daughter who is 5 and has been going to the loo without any issues for a long time (although she too gets scared of hand dryers) suddenly started saying she did not want to close the door all the way - afraid she can't get out again! Check to see whether it's being in an enclosed space he hates. My daughter got over the fear of dryers when she saw her slightly older friend use it. And she loved going to the 'family' loos they had in Canada - big toilet for the parents and little one for the children in same room with two sinks and two dryers. I think they have one of those in Peter Jones in Chelsea.

mima tried to PM you but my mailbox is acting bit weird so let me know if you get message

since the Wii was mentioned I will share this funny story I went on it when I was a few weeks pregnant and created my avatar. I did not use it for rest of pregnancy and second time I went on the fitness thingamabob post pregnancy the wii actually FATTENED my avatar. Well it's funny now - not so funny when it happened... I now wisely stay away from it

In terms of encouragement Mima - you can do it but your baby is still pretty young so cut yourself some slack. At first tiredness and lack of free time conspire to make you eat more, then there are all those coffee mornings with other mums... Since comfort eating is your downfall (mine too) here are some tips (if only I could follow my own advice) * dont keep cakes, sweets, treats in the house. If they are there you know they will be eaten. * dont deny yourself everything this usually backfires * have some easy healthy lunch options available (this is where I fail miserably) * eat breakfast - a proper breakfast with lean protein if possible (ditto) * I find having some sugar free chewing gum will stop me from snacking (too) much * dont drink too much juice (my one craving when pregnant) * coffee and tea contain lots of calories if you like them milky. Go for skinny or black option * drink lots of water especially if breastfeeding Try to fit in a little exercise when possible - even 10 minutes a day helps. I have some great exercise dvds ripped as MP4s happy to send you copies. I recently downloaded an app for 4minute workouts - but have not tried it yet... Going on holiday in two months - I hope spanx makes swimsuits

I am in same boat although baby is now seven months. I lost some of the weight - no idea how much as I did not weigh myself when hugely pregnant or since. But being a freelancer and having a baby means working whenever baby naps, on weekends and in the evenings. Fitting exercise in is very difficult and frequently I am so tired that going for a run or doing an exercise DVD is unthinkable. Moreover my husband and I never used to order in but since the (2nd) baby we have had more takeaway meals than in our 13 years together. I think I have started to put weight back on recently since I am breastfeeding a lot less and eating a lot more. I would be interested to know more about Weight Watchers ryedalema - what does it involve exactly and cost etc. I know nothing except points are somehow involved. Do you have to go to meetings?

Harris Girls (more Nunhead than ED) has a bouncy castle but don't think there's outside space. The outdoor gym area in Peckham Rye Park can be hired for parties and I have seen bouncy castles there but you probably need to make arrangements to hire it for the day. Not much indoor space though. I recently had my daughter's 5th at Gambados in Beckenham. It would be my idea of hell but my daughter and her friends had a fantastic time and I did not have to worry about anything but the cake. No cleaning up afterwards, no worrying about party bags or food. It was great. No bouncy castle but tons of indoor soft play activities, carousel, bumper cars etc. As it rained buckets on Sunday I was very relieved to be indoors!

I found my daughter to be very emotional and whingy (=tired) after a day at school but then again she goes to afterschool club so she is at school till 5.30ish. She is better now than when she first started. In fact she gets upset if I pick her up 'early'. As swimming is so tiring anyway it may not be the best activity when Moosling first starts at school but he would probably be ok after a couple of terms. Could you book a place on it and see how it goes? Or would you have to pay for whole term?

I was impressed by the teaching staff and the kids while visiting Turnham. I did not love the school building and play areas it did feel a bit prison-like but that's not really the point. In the end we decided that our daughter (who was only 4 1/2 when she started at Ivydale) would be best suited to Ivydale. I would not want the school to be so focused on getting good exam results that all they do is groom the children to do just that ignoring areas such as pesonal development and creative expression. Some schools are more focused on getting the best exan results and Ofsted reports. The first thing we were told while visiting Stillness (which is a very good school) was that the school had been featured on television and won awards. I know from a friend that her daughter was given homework on the first day of reception class. I really don't think mine would have coped with that! I wish Ivydale would become a bit more focused and organised overall and hope that will be the case with time.

My daughter started at Ivydale this January in Reception. Like you I had (and to some extend still do) the same concerns. In the end even though my daughter was also accepted at Turnham (which has far better results) my husband and I decided to send her to Ivydale. We liked the creative buzz surrounding the school, the community feel, the teaching staff and especially the children (and parents) that we met there. We also have neighbours whose kids just finished going there and they were very happy with the school. I still have concerns - the school seems bit disorganised, I don't have a very clear idea of what is happening daily at my daughter's class and so on. But she is very happy there and excited to go in the mornings. She loves her teacher and has made lots of friends. All the parents I have met are very active in improving the school - I need to become more involved myself once baby no 2 is a bit older. In terms of results I would say that the area is changing a lot and probably is quite different now to what it was 10 or 15 years ago. I think there has been a lot of staff changeover at the school which hasn't helped. A strong head would make a big difference in the long run. I would say if you are uncomfortable about sending your children to Ivydale the best thing would be to visit the school and perhaps speak to some of the parents. If you don't get a good feeling then don't think Ivydale is the only choice in Nunhead (depending on where you live). Hollydale is a good school and Turnham as well (in Lewisham). I am not saying this to put you off Ivydale by the way just to say you have options. Nunhead itself is a lovely place - we have been very happy here having moved from East Dulwich to get more space.

Not sure we have time to go there - anywhere in ED? Right now knee deep in cupcake baking

Daughter's birthday party is today and have not found one yet. Can anyone help please?

There's always times when they wont settle even after successfully sleeping for a while. Look into whether the morning nap is too long - then they dont need to sleep as much at lunchtime. But more importantly since there are night wakings as well - are there other issues such as teething, growth spurts or a cold? They always derail naps for a while at least. If it keeps up then perhaps worth doing CC again but wait first to see if the problem persists. I am in same boat - my son finally was napping quite well most days but a recent cold means he is again being a nightmare about napping. I will probably have to nap train him again.

Certainly not unusual. My daughter kept waking up and breastfeeding till she was 14 months and we sleep trained her. She did not NEED the milk but it was how she was accustomed to going back to sleep and her body was probably used to having a feed in the night. It was a sleep association problem - I created it by picking her up and breastfeeding her EVERY time she woke up in the night (and she woke up at least twice, sometimes a lot more). You need to determine if the night waking is due to hunger or a habit and sleep association issue. Regardless you can phase it out by giving less milk gradually (or breastfeeding for shorter time) till you drop it. Assuming the baby is eating well during the day and has a nice feed before going to bed then she doesn't need the milk in the middle of the night (unless perhaps there's illness / teething etc). I dropped the middle of the night feed cold turkey with my daughter when sleep training at 14m. She cried a lot the first night (not because she was hungry but because of sleep training) but the second night she slept through for the first time ever. Did the same when sleep training my son at around 5 months (but kept the dreamfeed at 11pm). With my son especially dropping the night feeds meant he was finally a bit better at taking milk/breakfast in the morning. You dont have to do controlled crying if it's not for you - by phasing out the feed slowly hopefully there won't be any tears.

My daughter developed a red bumpy skin rash on her leg near the ankle after visiting Nunhead cemetary on the 21st. She complained it was itchy and at first I thought she walked into stinging nettles as she was picking flowers. We put some Eurax crean on it and she soon forgot about it. Ten days later the skin rash remains more or less same size and colour although she says it does not hurt or itch any more. Stinging nettles are out as the culprit - perhaps another plant could have caused this? It does not look like an insect bite. Is it possible she has developed eczema at 5 years old? Her baby brother has very sensitive skin and mild eczema but neither I or my husband have it. Should I take her to the GP?

Having designed a bit more of the book Claridges does afternoon tea and children are welcome. Highchairs available but give advance notice when booking. It does look very nice. www.claridgeshoteluk.co.uk

I am designing an afternoon tea book but so far have only done the presentation spreads... and the suggestion is that Flemings hotel welcomes children. No idea if it's true but worth checking I guess www.flemings-mayfair.co.uk

thanks that was helpful found these on amazon bendy spoon

When I was little (and in Greece) we used to have weaning spoons that were bent sideways at the spoon end like a dentist's tool. I am not explaining very well but have not slept much. Anyone know what I mean and seen those anywhere? My baby is offended if I offer spoon face on (wont open mouth as he is teething) but takes it sideways and kind of slurps the food off it.

She may going through a growth spurt. Dont rock the boat continue feeding at 3am as you have done. You can try increasing the amount she has during the day if she is willing and very gradually reducing the amount at 3am. Or you can try pushing the 3am more and more towards the morning feed (by 15 minutes at a time) and reduce the amount. She is really young still though and probably growing loads

Why dont you continue feeding her at 3am as before but gradually reduce the amount she takes? Are you still giving a feed at 11? How old is she? As for logistics you could buy ready made formula cartons and have a thermos handy to warm them up in bottle.

hmmm I am not too keen on lots of dairy it seems to make him really constipated... Not trying eggs for a couple of months. Think I will wait till he can eat finger food. But hummous is a great idea. Perhaps a stew with chickpeas as well - there's a great curry recipe with chickpeas, coconut milk, potatoes and spinach. now I am really hungry

I love Quinoa for me but dont think he is ready. But I have the Plum porridge which I have been adding to things. I cant think what else is protein - all pulses?

I made a red lentil dish for baby today that (with the addition of herbs, spices and stock) turned into a super yummy soup for me. Any other vegeterian ideas - that contain protein? I am keen to give him a bit of a break from chicken etc. but most all veg recipes are not very filling.