snowboarder

We went to crystal palace toddler world this morning - good indoor option. On saturday we had our first trip to the cinema then soft play. Rainy days are challenging...especially when you think it is summer!! During the week there is mostly some playgroup on...it's actually the weekends I struggle more!

A friend gave my little boy Zagazoo by quentin blake....I'm not sure how ironic she was feeling when she bought it...but anyway weirdly he loves it....another one I'm not fussed on reading though!!

I'd go to John Lewis on Oxford St and mamas and papas opposite on regent street. Not a fab selection, but that plus mothercare should be a good start. There is also peppermint on Northcote Rd in Clapham (37 bus?).

Yep I hate reading the tombliboos book...and pirate petes potty..

We like - in random order etc as on phone feeding baby: We're going on a bear hunt The tiger who came to tea Monkey and me The deep end (about swimming!) Lost and found Hairy maclarey books Meg and mog books Giraffes can't dance Octonauts book (well small one does I can't stand reading them!) Original railway series books (Thomas tank engine) We have loads -all scattered on the floor!! My little boy knows most of them off by heart...so I don't get away with cheating! Ones I remember are Edward ardizone (sp?) books like Fred and ginger, and Shirley Hughes books. Prob for slightly older ones though...

Which van was it? Cyrena Rd seems to have been a mecca for camper vans recently...I live v close and heard nothing - and am often up feeding my baby in the early hrs...

I've signed up baby snowboarder for sing and sing on fridays in sept - he'll be 6m then - baby 1 was 5m when he started so around this age is fine I think... The challenge is getting them to be fed, happy and awake at the required time!!

I want gps for my little boy too. He has escaped out of our front door, and the door then slammed shut on him - I was hanging out washing and couldn't work out where he was shouting from. OUr front door opens directly onto the street... He's such an escape artist that there is NO way I will feed the baby whilst out unless we are with someone else, or he is imprisoned in a high chair. Never understand why people think the picnic bit of peckham rye is good - the gates are easily openable. In fact there is nowhere I think is enclosed enough for him....maybe sunray gardens? Like the felt tip marker idea. Think it would annoy him though...

Got a pram hook but the buggy is a double decker type so I whack baby in the head if I carry anything on the handles - bummer - and a lovely expensive change bag I love - but try as I might it's too heavy. Might look into those change pack things that are flat - they might fit in the bottom I suppose. It's all the snacks/drinks/clothes/tissues etc!! I think the bag is defo one of the worst things as it's particularly where I have it slung over my shoulder that it aches. Still none the wiser about the difference between chiropractors and osteopaths!! Massage always is v nice at the time but I've never had one and felt oooh that's done the trick!!

Help. 5 months of b/f in weird positions, sleeping with baby and not daring to move, carrying a hefty baby around whilst chasing a 2 yr old and carrying my change bag satchel style as my stupid pram won't accommodate it has left me with a stiff achey neck and shoulders. What do I need? A massage? An osteopath? A chiropractor? I'm clueless - all I know is it's NOT my gp!! So any ideas and recommendations?

The bumps and babes sessions on a monday at goose green and friday at st faiths on red post hill are good for little babies. Not much runs over the summer though.

They didn't much like me and my toddler either - though he was trying to steal an entire chocolate cake. I only went as I thought they were child friendly and had a playroom....which I think they do but it was being used for yoga!!

I'm sure it's different depending on the age of your children. I'm a self confessed 'joiner' so when little sb hit 6m I signed him up for all the baby activities I could - to get us out as much as anything!! Now at 2 he's either grown out of most of them (sing and sign etc) or I just can't manage them with new baby's arrival (eg swimming). And nursery has taken over 2 mornings a week. He still does tumbletots and started little kickers when he turned 2. Might do tennis in the autumn. I'd like to take the baby to sing and sign on a nursery day - it was definitely the best of all the music classes, and would be nice for him to have something that's not just tagging along to older brothers gigs! I always did loads of sport as a child - but obv that was later and through school. My mum says we had playgroup and that was about it when we were little...

Goodness - links with a senior school? Would that not make thinks even worse for the non goodrich chldren?!? Sorry I'm completely not up to speed about what being an academy means - but if it does go ahead what would that mean for the reception age admissions procedure? Would Goodrich not be part of the Southwark admissions process? (Sorry if this is a really stupid question).

Hmm don't know - my husband takes my phone sometimes and plugs it in to the computer and faffs about...assume he must update it? Tbh it's not all that - but means you can have the chart to hand at all times!!

Hmm seems to work on mine and my phone is old? Try doing a search on the apps button?

Just found it! Very cool...more night feed reading matter....

Alieh - OH NO!! C wakes early but hopefully I notice and I grab him straight away and feed him lying down and stroke his face (which he LOVES) and he usually drops off - even for 15/20 mins or so until husband sets toddler free and he comes in and wakes him up. Similarly our naps can range from 30-1.5 hrs. For no reason. I can't get a late afternoon nap to work at all - he just won't sleep after about 3/4ish - so if nap 3 is rubbish then we have a v tired baby who because of my rubbish bed time 'routine' has a really late bedtime feed and settle. Nursery etc all off for summer in 2 weeks so hopefully I'm going to try and get in a bit of a pattern. But it is SO hard fitting it round the older one - can't see us ever getting back for the baby to have a lunchtime nap (and not falling asleep in the buggy on the way home) and our afternoons are a write off atm - got out as 4.30pm today!!

Mrs whippersnapper are you running any of your under 5 classes over the summer?

So I'll admit it - I like routines. I want one. Never had one for baby 1 until he was 11m, and then suddenly life got better, he started sleeping etc. Baby 2 is v different and ironically I think could get into a great routine, but has to fit in with no.1 really (especially in terms of nursery pick up/drop off etc). My ideal though would be to get both of them having some sort of nap at the same time in the day (after lunch) - I am sitting down for the first time today with a cup of tea and am SO tired! Baby 2 is 4.5m. He currently has a sleep around 8.30/9 for an hour or so, then up for 2 hrs, another snooze for around an hour at 11.30ish, up for another 2 hrs and another snooze at 2.30/3, and then he has to hold out until bedtime The sleeps can vary from 30mins to 1.5 hrs though. I just had a look at gina ford - just for interest really - and her schedule for a 4-6m old involves only 2 sleeps, a 45min one at 9 and a 2.5 hr one at midday (I think). Does anyone actually manage this? My baby really can only stay awake for around 2 hrs for most of the day - and then gets too hungry to sleep for any more than an hour mostly! So - what do you do? And if you have 2 how do/did you coordinate them? (ps bedtime with 2 continues to be another issue but I'll bore you with that later...)

Anyone know whether any of the music groups are doing summer sessions?

Cool lots of ideas about meeting up - makes me feel better! My current issue also seems to be getting out of the house - baby has a morning nap then feed - out by 10 if lucky and then will snooze on the go around lunchtime, then 2 yr old sleeps after lunch, baby does a tag team nap and has a snooze just as toddler get up. Argh! For anyone interested - Crystal Palace are doing some week long swim courses towards the mid/end august - I did one with my then 16m old last year and it was good for sthg to do every morning for a week. Can't this year though - shame. In terms of summer events I like the sound of lollibop. I have a flier for a production of Wind in the Willows and The tiger who came to tea is on in town - what do you think about suitability for a 2.25 yr old?

My 2 yr old currently goes to nursery 2 mornings a week and tumbletots 1 morning. These are all on holiday as from 2 weeks time - ARGH! What to do to keep us both occupied (and that 5m old can tag along to?). Investigating tennis 4 kids sessions. Can't do swimming because of baby. Help. Holiday not until september....august is looming....

Yep can't wait to take our boys to Costa de la luz when they're a bit bigger - the beaches are just fab. All we have to look forward to this year is a week in Suffolk in september - which seems ages away!

We have just ventured into the world of estate cars - our brief - maximum space and power for minimum cost. We ended up with a skoda(!) octavia vrs. I love it - so much easier to drive than our megane, and parking sensors mean I can reverse park - hurrah! It has a huge boot, but despite that my husband still went out and bought a roof box for a recent trip away - 2 car seats, 2 travel cots, high chair, bike, scooter, double buggy, luggage and food for a week...phew...