Bellenden Belle

South London Travel Clinic just past Camberwell.

I like working in Toasted and Brickhouse Bakery. Excellent wifi, nearly always tables. I always buy food and drink and if I think one is getting busy I go to another one - with a little consideration, laptop workers provide a source of welcome income for cafes. I justify the spend to myself as being in lieu of travel costs to an office (and I keep the receipts as tax- deductible).

tomskip Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Surely the advantage of Bromley is that housing is > much cheaper. Otherwise why would you move there? I thought we were discussing council performance. But yes, housing is cheaper in Bromley (I don't live in Bromley I want to add quickly....shudders at thought).

As a Bromley resident, none as far as I can see. Charles Notice Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What are the advantages of Bromley compared to > Southwark?

We moved from Southwark to Bromley Council last year and I think you only realise how good a borough is when you have a comparison. We have fortnightly waste collections and no bulk collection service at all. We even had to buy our own bins (fifty pounds) and yes we have to buy the food waste bags. The difference is that Bromley has been doing this for ages - so now that they are looking to make cuts it's to vital services such as adult education and the library service (which already is a far poorer offering than Southwark. I would choose Southwark as my local council in a heartbeat, over tight fisted Tory-run Bromley.

Thanks so much or that reassurance. Do you have any experience if Naples in Florida - we are looking for two contrasting places which are still family friendly? Any ideas welcome! Though no Disney! GSJ57 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't have any rental recommendations, but Anna > Maria is fabulous....I used to live in St > Petersburg, and we went there a few times. Bay > Front park is right on the beach and great for > kids.....sheltered picnic tables and a playground. > We loved it there!

Just wondered if anyone had any recommendations for rental properties for a family of 4 (well, 2 adults, a toddler and baby) on the Gulf Coast in Florida. There are so many rental properties that it is hard to know where to start! Budget around ?1,000 a week and we particularly like the look of Anna Maria island. Anywhere particularly child-friendly appreciated.

On the recommendation of people on here I downloaded a book called Oh Crap Potty Training. This was after a failed attempt. I took a deep breath and followed the book to the t: First two days child completely naked and me watching like a hawk. Following that a month of him being commando. Her theory is as soon as you put tight fitting pants on a child it makes them think they are in nappies again. NO PULL UPS! All or nothing but for nap time and bedtime. She also suggested not to go down the reward path - but just to use encouragement and praise. This was definitely the right tactic for my boy - first time round a rewards system quickly spiralled out of control for me with stickers being given left right and centre and quickly becoming meaningless. For me, following the method worked brilliantly and quickly. We also read a book we found on youtube called Poo goes to Pooland which was great at encouraging my little one to be patient and give poo, erm, a little push to send him to his friends in poo-land. It's a book right up there with the classics! Good luck! And depending on your child's age don't be afraid to stop and wait if it's not going well - I waited three months after my first attempt and I'm so glad I did. Chances are if they're ready it'll be easy.

Ten pounds an hour - paid that in Peckham eight months ago and am paying that again in Beckenham now.

Yes they do - I've been paying with Employer childcare vouchers for more than two years. Though you will probably find that nearly any childcare provider who is Ofsted registered will accept them.

We did indeed use Katie Fisher - saw her on the Wednesday, had the snip performed yesterday by Mr Patel, with Katie assisting. Initial consultation lasted two hours and was hugely beneficial for breastfeeding guidance besides the tongue tie issue. Cost was ?70. Snip and two follow up appointments cost ?300 (but is significantly cheaper if you are prepared to hold the baby and Katie rather than Mr Patel performs the procedure.) Would highly recommend - it is now taking my little one just 15 minutes to get the same amount of milk as it previously took 90 minutes of feeding to get - and which still needed to be topped up. BUT the discomfort the little fella is currently experiencing is palpable, although I believe it will ease off after 48 hours. Overall I would recommend Katie not just for tongue tie but as a terrific lactation consultant - even after successfully feeding my first one for over a year I learnt loads about improving my technique during my time with her.

SimonetheBeaver - thank you so much for your reply. Sadly, after nearly a decade I left Peckham for Penge in November, and so I can't attend the cafes you listed. Bizarrely the leaflet I was given about my local breastfeeding cafes states clearly they won't refer for tongue tie, and quite frankly I haven't got huge faith in the Commumity midwives I've met. So wanting to tackle the problem swiftly I thought I'd look at private/ independent alternatives. The good news is that I have found the details of Mr Patel and Katie's private practice and it's actually just down the road from me in Croydon - for anybody else who searches http://katherinefisher.co.uk Confusedbyitall - we called him Magnus :-)

As the title says, my week-old has a slight tongue tie (mentioned at the hospital) and his feeding is suggesting to me this is something I want to explore further. Would welcome any personal recommendations.

She is being asked to step down as Chief Executive. She is not being forced to leave the company where she will continue to be a psychotherapist and figurehead. I think this is a case of Founder Syndrome - The skills to set up a charity and to run a multi-million pound organisation are very different. Why do we think C B can do both? In the charity sector there have long been raised eyebrows and quite frankly year in, year out Camilla has run to the press when faced with funding cuts. Do I think more needs to be done for children at risk and on poverty? Absolutely. Is Kids Company the only answer? Not necessarily.

rahrahrah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > There definitely is a small contingent, who > believe you should never say 'no' to your child or > force them to share. I know this sounds like I'm > making it up, but google it, there are plenty of > articles. It's an extreme interpretation > (misinterpretation) of positive parenting and is > more common than you think. Ah - off topic but yes I've witnessed firsthand the 'not forcing to share' parenting style. Like this advice, taken from a local Dulwich playgroup: Child-led play is observing sometimes close and sometimes from a distance - you do not need to follow your child closely everywhere they go. Sharing Sharing is an adult concept that children are not ready to understand until much later. What to expect - some young babies can be very happy giving and taking with each other, at some point the item will become an extension of their self, and there will come a time when toddlers will be upset over that ONE thing while they learn to negotiate and handle their emotions around ownership. If left to it without adult interference, there is no problem - the problem usually arises in the adult who feels compelled to 'teach about sharing'. The child who is 'made to share' is not sharing, she is complying.

http://www.camberwellchoirschool.org.uk It's in Camberwell so not so local, but this is a really brilliant group which you can attend on a drop-in basis but which I found really attempted to in still the basics of good musicianship - even in two year olds. So they did lots of things like watching the 'conductor', playing loud and soft, as well as having lots of fun and hearing a lovely musical story each week. Lots of opportunities to try instruments and good progression paths too.

Another yes here. Definitely. Worth every penny. The only thing I would say is sort your fridge out - our packers literally wrapped up entire plates of leftovers and put them in a box - a very bizarre thing to find a couple of days later!

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1339737,1339752#msg-1339752

I haven't used it myself but have read some great reviews on here about a playgroup called Magic Moments where you definitely have to leave your child. http://magicmomentscreche.co.uk

http://www.supercamps.co.uk/camps/st-dunstan-s-college-1 Never used it but this isn't a million miles away.

I've made enquiries in Penge where I live. Sixteen pounds for pick up until 6pm with 'tea' thrown in. Or 12 pounds for after school club attached to school.

rahrahrah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > DulwichFox Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > I've even heard of people having a drink when > they > > pick their children up from Nursery .. > > > > DulwichFox > > Err, not sure I should own up to it, but yes, I've > done this too.... swung by the Great Exhibition on > the way back from nursery for an apple juice and a > packet of crisps (for the kids) and a pint (for > me). Starting to feel like a rather bad parent. My little one has a habit of shouting very loudly when I arrive at nursery "Hello Mummy, are we going to the pub?". Every time. It's because we wait there for daddy to swing by with the car to pick us up but it is a tad embarrassing...

We had a co-sleeper (the baby bay). Can't recommend it highly enough. Baby Belle was in it until around five months and then moved out because he'd outgrown in. We had no problems moving him. I don't think it increased dependence at all. He still had to self settle during the day and we used to put him up by himself at 7pm (with the guard up) and then didn't go to bed until later.

They did that a few months ago - but yes, along those lines.....

Hello there, A couple of good friends are getting married. They have three boys and as an alternative to a traditional wedding pressie I wanted to buy the family an outdoor adventure day. The boys are seven and nine. They are super adventurous - already taking diving lessons for example. Any suggestions of a day out near London and something hair-raising they can all try as a a family. Maximum of ?200 budget- preferably less!