The Nappy Lady

That is sooooo funny. Thank you for posting.

Thanks both. We went to the PP 12.00 session....got in fine - only about 6 adults plus babies in the pool so we were lucky I guess....didn't take the wetsuit as I know that pool is warm, but will in future just incase we end up in the big pool - worth knowing. She likes the Hydro pool now as she can stand up in it and go armband free which is building up her confidence really nicely. Hilarious though - she really took against the painted mermaid on the glass and refused to go on that side of the pool saying 'she's a nasty mermaid'. LOL. Such progress - we can do softplay without me having to crawl around with her, and go for relatively stress free swimming sessions. Gosh, I almost have a life.

Do all your shopping through Ocado or other home delivery service!! It would be tough with two little ones, but if you don't have plans for more then I guess in theory it wouldn't be bad for long in relative terms. My youngest is 3 in October and now walks or scooters to school and back 5-10 minutes each way depending how fast she's going...would certainly manage steps etc. if need be. If house is very close to future school then it's all less of an issue - think school runs 2 times a day, plus any possible after school activities with youngest in tow once older child starts. Re excavation...I've known others who considered this for their back garden. The issue is that moving earth is VERY expensive...lots of skips (more than you ever imagine), and if you dig out your garden, then potentially it can have an effect on the gardens either side, so you have to make sure whoever does it knows what they are doing and puts in plenty of restraining walls etc. properly. I'd be very cautious about doing anything like this. Hope this helps a bit....home buying is such a dilemma. Come to Nunhead, it's lovely over here ;-)

DD2 wants to go - does anyone know if the baby pool is open between 11 & 3 today? Thanks

Otta, that's hilarious. Hmmm based on 'that' holiday I'm the dirty stop out, drunken lady....but hey good to find the old me under the pile of Motherhood Snowboarder...there is help for us all. Maybe I shall just be Molly....frighteningly simple??!

Any polite suggestions? Gosh, am I going to regret this.... :-S

Hi guys, My hubby works on the BBC Daily Politics show and they need to find a couple to interview about their experience of the difference in IVF availability depending on where you live in the UK. If you, or someone you know has experience of this and would be willing to dicuss it please could you ask them to contact me and I will put them in touch with my hubby. It doesn't matter where in the UK they live as the reporters will travel to them. Edited to add - the focus will be on how much care can vary, and how it could be improved...so a chance to get your own views across to some extent, and certainly not delving into your own personal stuff beyond that IYKWIM - this is not tabloid press! Thanks, Molly

Hi everyone, The monthly cloth nappy drop in session is this Wednesday 15th June from 9.30-10.30am at the Ivydale Childrens Centre, entrance on Bellwood Road in Nunhead. After this there will be another one on 20th July....and then I'm afraid there may not be any more from me....I will be hanging up my nappies for the last time over the Summer Holidays I think in all likelihood as my little ones are getting so grown up, and life is moving on. This is a great session to come along to if you are interested in using cloth nappies, or needing help with a system you already have, advice on accessories or whatever - please feel free to come along and I will do my best to help you. As always this is a totally free, no obligation service with no sales pressure (I don't sell nappies at all). For the 'full' Nappy Lady advice service you can go to the website www.thenappylady.co.uk and fill in the 5 minute questionnaire which results in a very detailed advice letter tailored to your requirements. You will also find loads of links to You Tube demo clips now which are 'almost' as good as coming along to see me! Best wishes, Molly

Yes, could def. Do it in the room, or if you'd rather just pop out into the main area & sit in the book corner or baby corner where there are little sofas & beanbags. It will not be a problem at all so don't worry.

Susyp, You will be surprised how fast the day goes - 9am to 3.30pm is really not that long..and if you plan to go to the gym/yoga/aerobics or whatever, plus housework, food shopping, and maybe a bit of voluntary work at the school - helping with reading or involvement with PTA etc. You could always look for some work locally that fits in with school hours for a couple of days a week if you really feel the need - but you have to then think about what you would do for childcare during school holidays. I have to say, I'm so glad to be around for the school run - at the moment I do the drop off and the pick up....if in the future I had to drop anything I think my first choice would be to put the girls into Breakfast Club, meaning I could drop them off at 8am and extend my working day (or free time) by 1.5 hours that way. I'd still do the afternoon pick up though for a number of reasons; 1) It gives me the chance to chat to the teacher any time I feel I need to check on something whether it be learning related, or otherwise and it was particuarly helpful during that first year when they are settling in and often start off loving school, then going through a big dip about 2 months in and start begging not to go each day (this does pass). 2) I get to know other parents in the school & chat in the playground - finding out how they are finding their child's progress etc. 3) I feel much more connected with the school in general & what is going on, I am able to pop into the office if I need to.....if all this was being relayed to me via a childminder or notes home etc. it would be much harder to keep track 4) - and this is the big one - I can arrange after school playdates for at least 1 night a week....I think this is so important for anyt child if at all possible, it helps them form those important friendships, and for me to also get a real feel for who her friends are too, and how each friendship works. One of my daughters friends is just as strong willed as she is, and it is so funny watching the power struggle between them, yet they are great pals. Susyp, for your daughter I think this will be such a wonderful bonus, for you and her, as you can allow her the chance to develop some really close friendships who can make up for any lack of siblings to play with (I don't mean this in a horrible way - there are pros and cons to being an only child, (and times I love time alone with my daughter - it makes the reading/homework a heck of a lot easier too!) but I have seen how much my daughter loves having friends back to play, and it's fantastic when they just disappear off and leave you to get on with other stuff. You can even start to have Friday night play dates & sleepovers, and hopefully the other parents return the favour, so you get a night off AND a lie in the next day which is FANTASTIC! Sorry, I'm digressing a bit...but I never expected it to be so important and have been very surprised by it. I had the first 10 months off with DD1, then went back to work full time in the City - so 8am drop off and 6pm pick up from the childminder....she did just fine, but I hated it with a vengence. The grand plan was to have another baby ASAP, get my second round of full maternity pay and then go part time...but the best laid plans....my daughter was 2 and there I was, still working full time, still hating it, and no 2nd baby on the way....so I went self employed and found work locally 3 days a week....I was so much happier, and really felt I'd got the balance right. When DD1 was 4 and a bit I had a second daughter (hurrah!) and so I took a year off, then went back to work very slowly - 1 day a week, then 2, then 3 and eventually up to 4...but now only working school hours because my eldest was doing full days by then, and my youngest took her place at the childminders. Before I had children I was convinced I wanted to be a full time Mum, but to be honest I think I'd go a little insane if I was - much as I love my girls, I find the time away makes me a better Mum when I'm with them. However, whilst it may appear I have it all, at times I feel like I am juggling so many balls I don't know whether I'm coming or going....I think once they are both in school it will get a lot easier, as at least I'll be dropping them both off and picking them both up from the same place....until the oldest goes to secondary school...eek! I think it helps being self employed, because each day I work it is my choice, and if I need a day off to go on a school trip etc. I can take it, without having to put in holiday requests etc. etc. that's a good feeling...though I do worry about the lack of sick pay and holiday pay..... As nunheadmum says, the whole issue is so complex. It does occur to me that more Freelance Mums should get together and maybe do a 1 day a week childcare swap to help each other out - if you get on and the 'vibes' feel right/children get on etc. this is especially easy to do if 2 children go to the same school nursery (or full time later on), so it's just a case of 1 parent doing the pick up and care to the end of the day one day, and the other the next. It can be easier having two children playing together, then one expecting you to entertain them in my experience! Good luck everyone, whatever route you're taking.

My eldest is coming to the end of Yr 2 at Ivydale & I'm very happy with all areas of her learning. She gets just the right amount of homework - not obligatory, but it means we can support her learning & focus on supporting her most in the areas she needs it. I have found I am much more 'informed' of what she is learning since she started in Year 2 than during Reception & Year 1. If you do go with Ivydale I'd recommend you embrace the opportunity for your child to learn to play a musical instrument as this is one of the schools greatest strengths. I feel the new head is addressing previous issues raised as part of the Ofsted report very well & I am very glad my daughter is attending this school rather than others in the area to be honest. As others have said, the area has changed a great deal over the past few years. I believe that in the past (& possibly still at the higher end of the school) English was not the first language for a good proportion of the pupils & clearly this had an impact on KS1 & KS2 results etc. Whilst this is not the only reason it is worth bearing it in mind. In fact I think the previous head achieved some amazing results with a difficult set of circumstances. There is no doubt that Nunhead as a whole is changing & Ivydale is too. I feel there is a perfect mix of cultures there now, great opportunities & a lovely atmosphere!

Splashabout Happy Nappies are excellent - Google them. It is a wet suit material with ribbed cuffs on legs and waist. Can be used over a normal nappy, or on it's own - nothing gets out of it, which saves any potential nasty accidents, and more and more pools are starting to insist on them anyway. They come in about 4 different sizes, and are pretty snug, so if in doubt go for the next size up. Various colours - boys/girls/unisex and well worth the investment in my opinion. If baby does soil it you can just tip/shake what you need to down the loo, swill nappy off and then wash in the machine when you get home. If using over a disposable then this isn't necessary of course. Your call either way. I also think baby wet suits are a very good idea for keeping the core temperature up if you are swimming in a cooler pool. We used ours all the time even in Spain where it was hot, but the unheated pool was brassic, and our little one at 10 months, and then 1 year on wore the wetsuit both times, and could stay in the pool for 30 mins plus instead of the 5 minutes without the suit on. Happy swimming!

Very different on a Saturday morning - different people running it then I believe. I go to TH mostly for the outdoor play area though I must admit.

It is all laughable as the most infectious stage is before you even know they have it - when they have the runny nose and are sneezing etc. in the week to 10 days before spots appear and you think they just have a cold. That is why it goes around school/nurseries etc. the way it does. Having said that my 2 year old didn't catch it from the other child at the childminders, despite being with her for 4 days during her infectious period - no idea why not, quite honestly I'd rather she caught it so we know it is out of the way (DD1 came down with it a week before we were due to fly with her for the first time and really messed up the family holiday so I am rather paranoid)! Once the spots come out it can only be caught via direct contact with the spots themselves so being in the park, in the middle of a field or whatever on your own with them would be fine. We ended up taking a ferry to France with DD1 still in the spotty stage - with an OK from the GP that it was fine as long as we kept ourselves away from general contact with others....common sense basically. Honestly, the world has gone mad you can't possibly keep a child cooped up inside a house for an entire week, especially when they are often fine in themselves, just spotty, spotty, spotty.

For those who may be interested, I can honestly say 'hand on heart' that for tiny babies - twins, preemies etc. you cannot beat the Bimble nappy, which is a fleece lined cloth nappy, best used with a Motherease Waterproof Wrap over the top. No matter what shape your baby is these will work for you and really will not leak. With DD1 I used disposables for the first 8 weeks or so and had to change entire outfits several times a day, from the moment we went into cloth we had less than 5 leaks in the first year. With DD2 she was in Bimbles from birth and again I'd estimate less than 5 leaks in the first 12 months - and probably ones I had were down to me forgetting to change her when I should have done. The Bimbles happily lasted 12-14 hours at night unless she pooed, despite lots of night feeding and many, many explosive poos. Furthermore, the poo washes away easily on a quick rinse cycle and then a 60 degree wash - and - really - my set is stain free, even now after being used by at least 7 babies (so much so one friend was afraid to use them on her newborn for fear of spoiling them)! I know disposables seem convenient, but I always think there is nothing convenient about changing entire outfits, or having to wake a baby in the night just to change their nappy, it is - quite literally a pain the bum! For those who'd be interested I have a full set of Bimbles, plus wraps which I lend out for use on newborns, free of charge (?50 refundable desposit). They are currently with a friend, but if you have a baby due you are welcome to put your name down to give them a try. The downside of Bimbles is that they only fit up to about 15lbs, so they are soon outgrown, and I realise this makes them something of a luxury, which is why I have kept mine to let people try cloth, and then potentially invest in a larger size, which will fit for much longer once baby has grown a bit. Newborn leaks are so common with disposables, people seem to just expect it to be the case "one of those things that goes with having a tiny baby" but it really, really doesn't have to be that way. It is difficult to try to share this knowledge with people without sounding like 'cloth nappy mafia', but at the same time I find it really sad to think there are so many new parents out there, struggling with leaks, going back and forth to the shops and buying all these different sizes of nappies. Did you know, with cloth nappies you can use the same set, or at most two different sizes from birth right through to potty training and be leak free all the way! Yet with disposables there are what, 7 or 8 different sizes, and you still get leaks. Anyway, before you all decide I'm an eco warrior looney I shall leave you in peace. Little H - you know me, so hopefully you can vouch for me not being scary, or pushy at all in the flesh!

Hi everyone, The monthly cloth nappy drop in session is this Wednesday 18th May from 9.30-10.30am at the Ivydale Childrens Centre, entrance on Bellwood Road in Nunhead. This is a great session to come along to if you are interested in using cloth nappies, or needing help with a system you already have, advice on accessories or whatever - please feel free to come along and I will do my best to help you. As always this is a totally free, no obligation service with no sales pressure (I don't sell nappies at all). For the 'full' Nappy Lady advice service you can go to the website www.thenappylady.co.uk and fill in the 5 minute questionnaire which results in a very detailed advice letter tailored to your requirements. You will also find loads of links to You Tube demo clips now which are 'almost' as good as coming along to see me! Best wishes, Molly -------------------- Molly 07977 130318

I guess so Belle, but I've been through a lot with my doctors & really trust & rate them....don't want to change. :-(

Update...... Went to the Peckham Pulse Family Planning Clinic today and just wanted to let people know that they are closing it down from 30th June and relocating all the staff to the Camberwell Sexual Health Centre at 100 Denmark Hill, with the opening times of Monday-Friday 9am to 7.30pm (I was also warned not to just turn up later in the day as they often stop taking people before the official closing time...so phone first to check (020 3299 5000 is the direct line). The Saturday morning appointment system at the Camberwell Centre is also being got rid of apparently - Mon to Fri only in the future. I am so fed up with this. 10 years ago I could walk 5 minutes up the road to a local Doctors Surgery that ran a Family Planning Clinic one evening a week from 7-10pm. Currently I have a 30 minute walk to the Peckham Pulse clinic, but have to take time off work to go, and frankly I'm not even going to attempt to be seen at the Camberwell Clinic having read the feedback on here about 5 hour wait times etc. So....choices in terms of family planning pretty much reduced to; 1) Abstinence!! 2) The Pill - via my Doctor (and must remember no good if I'm on anti-biotics....eek). 3) Persona - which worked well for me pre children, but costs me ?10 a month for the testing sticks....and does mean being pretty organised (2 hour testing window so have to check it every morning at more or less the same time) 4) .....where's that thread on vasectomy's again ;-) I know there are a few clinics around the place, but nothing close, or easy when working around a 2.5 year old, the morning and afternoon school run, work, and ....life in general. I feel worn out even trying to work out how and when to get there, and stressed by the thought of not knowing how long I'd be there for. Is it just me, or do others feel it is wrong to be closing clincis and sending even more people to an already overstretched clinic? I guess we are lucky to get free contraception, and just have to accept the hassles which are involved, it's losing services that were there that I find so upsetting. Sigh.

Agree with Buggie - the Piriton & Eurax can be a godsend for heat rash as well as bites. I have a 'travel pack' permanently made up to pop in the bag whenever we go away whether it be to visit family in the UK or overseas on holiday.

Lee, I completely agree, and have said myself we could easily lose a corner of the common to create an much improved junction with a roundabout. The bus lane leading up to the lights when approaching from ED towards Peckham causes real problems, the phasing on the lights is all wrong & it is, overall a nightmare of a junction. However, I shudder at the thought of the chaos involved in such large scale improvements.

I know, it's just I was so looking forward to dropping them both off at 9am in one place from January....sigh....and she is so excited about going into the nursery (I know once she's there she'll probably be clinging to me and begging me not to leave, but even so.....).....

It is no longer restricted to term time - you can look at the total hours over the term - e.g. 15 hours per week over say a 5 week term is 75 hours, but can then spread it out evenly across the weeks INCLUDING school holidays - so instead of using 15 hours a week, it may be you actually do 10 hours per week but this works out to the same amount of hours used over the year (or however long) your child is there. Hope this makes sense. I found this out today when I went to put my 2.5 year old down at a nursery for the 15 hours a week. The lady said it's an administrative nightmare as they keep changing the rules, but have finally realised parents don't only work Term Time, which has instigated this change - (DOH)! My daughter is 3 in October and can start there in the January, assuming they have space, but priority is given to full time children. I have said I'm happy to be flexible so hopefully she will get something, my ideal would be 2 or 3 mornings a week. She would have gone to Ivydale School nursery in January 2012, but now they are single intake she can't go there until September 2012, which is much too far way for her - she's desperate to be like her big sister and to go to 'school'. I know there has to be a cut off somewhere, but the single intake is a nightmare for children born in the Autumn.

Hmmm don't know about BA but on Manu airlines you don't get a baggage allowance for a baby unless you've book a seat in their name. You can book & pay for extra hold baggage if need be, but IME I am prone to pack too much & with the restriction if sharing I usually get it about right. Easyjet will take a travel cot or car seat as a FOC extra so if they do I'm sure airlines like BA do to (I think it's either or, plus a buggy not all 3 however. Handluggage is tricky as I always wanted a change bag as well, in the end I made sure I could squash it into my main hand luggage if the queried it, but they didn't say anything. I would phone & check on the hold luggage to be safe if you want to check in a bag each. Happy travels!

Hi C, I googled & found a place last year who did all colours in assorted pack sizes. Posted out same day first class - very efficient. I don't recall their name but they were in North London IIRC, try googling 'ready to roll icing London' or similar & you might find them. Good luck!

My main issue with using the sling when they are little is that by the time I had sling, plus my stuff, plus Nappies etc all bagged up & on me I felt like a pack horse! For school runs (5 mins each way) & other short trips, at home when trying to get stuff done, or if going out & with another adult (so 1 carries baby & 1 carries all the other stuff) it's fine. As they get older & need less paraphernalia I find that's when I use the slings for the longer periods/trips. They are life savers on many levels though, not least for getting a resistant toddler to take a nap!