sunbob

I empathise with you. Our place is much too full of stuff, which means that as soon as something isn't put back in position chaos insues. Things take twice as long as they should eg we are going on hol soon and I know it will take me an age to pack because I have to search around for things instead of them all having their own home to be found in. It also can limit opportunities for my 3 y old eg she loves to help in the kitchen and loves baking even more, but if I am struggling for enough space and clean stuff I can't let her in to butter the bread let alone make a cake. Oh well, I will stop moaning for now, thanks for the opportunity to vent.

With our daughter we introduced a mashed sweet potato or banana supper at 5 mnths because she had been on a growth spurt (constantly demanding breast)for 2 wks which showed no signsof abaiting. She could also sit up and was very keen. With our son now we've been giving him a little something since 4.5 mnths for different reasons. He is practically pulling the food off our plates, he is v strong and can almost sit up, he has no trouble swallowing mashed rather than puree and you can see from his poo that its being digested. That said hubbie and I both have our own opinions on how to look after our children rather than following advice and are prob a bit old fashioned so this approach certainly wouldn't suit everyone. Do your own thing based on what you believe to be best for your children.

Sitaram do a one off birth rehearsal class for both parents. We found it v useful first time around (daughter) and I definitely would have gone again to prepare for my sons birth if I had had the money/time. Www.sitaram.org

A tip someone gave me once, which seems quite helpful, is to brush them from behind (eg they could be on your lap facing away from you) because its nicer than someone coming at you from the front poking a toothbrush in your mouth. An idea which my other half came up with which works really well for getting an extra good brush is to remind them of the lovely treat/pudding etc they had today and that they will be able to have treats like that again only if they brush their teeth nicely/are aloud to have treats like that because they do look after their teeth/won't be able to if they don't (whichever angle you prefer

Ok

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,858488,page=1 I just read this on one of the other forum pages and thought other parents of little ones might like to know.

LOL :)) Yes, we saw the trailer and wondered if we could get away with it too, but no that's a grown up one I think.

We have found this pattern in our 3 yr old so far. She got chubby, growing out of clothes round the middle, then got taller and skimmed down, actually fitting back in to some things, sometimes a pair of shoes would fit for 3 months, then the next be grown out of in 6 weeks. New baby seems to be the same, if not more so, recently going down to just above the 9th centile for weight whilst shooting up to the 98th for length! I think it makes perfect sense that getting longer uses up a lot of energy, especially when you are happy t hat your child is healthy, so not worried that it might be down to something else.

Hello, this sounds lovely. Is it on during the Easter holidays?

trying to explore ways that support can be offered to mothers who want to demand feed in the early days I think that there could be a national drive to highlight to new Mums that newborns demand feeds very often and that this iis normal and healthy and will help to get supply established. This sounds really obvious to those who already know it, but I think that there are many areas of the country where people still perceive newborn's hunger as meaning the mum doesn't have enough milk.

How about adding 'state alternatives' as a factor. (sorry can't really help more as I have toddler/baby too).

Says it is experimental And there was consultation in november Thanks Fuschia I missed that as was busy giving birth at that time. I'll get in touch with the. local councillors for further info.

I wonder if it is permanent as I thought they might have to consult with people who live close by or at least post a notice of intent before doing it. Hope not as it makes ed far less accessible by motor vehicle for the 27ish households from Piermont Grn round to the school. My only hope is that they've put in the bollards temporarily because people were driving through anyway when it was meant to be closed off for the gas works.

When my daughter was at nursery with the same food timing dilemma she used to enjoy a 'weetabix suppereaten in her pygamas.

Edmummy - I think you might get your 6 months worth of jobseekers allowance if you were looking for work (hard work with mo childcare). After that its all means tested. 'good money' not sure I'd call it that, I think the line for getting anything is somewhere around twenty grand.

I'm sure you already have, but just in case you could go to the one stop shop on the ground floor of peckham library to make sure you are getting all the benefits you are entitled too.

Benefits are a small amount of money. If you were living off them you would be worrying about how you could afford the uniforms for this hypothetical school and how to put decent food in their lunch box. If you were poor enough to get free school meals then you would be worrying how to feed your family in the holidays. There is a fine line between having enough and not having enough (eg you could lose your job and not be able to get another). There is fine line between not having enough and becoming destitute (eg you can no longer pay your rent/mortgage, spiraling debt lose your home etc). I wish I could write more eloquently to give some kind of picture of what poverty is like for the many people engine are living through it day by day.

Remember that if you intentionally become unemployed you may well not be entitled to benefits. Also, if you no longer have a job/income a bank would lend you less in terms of a mortgage.

Don't know about a book but I think the community midwives at kings hold a homebirth talk at their base near the hospital once a month on sat am. Anyone can go along. Sorry I don't know exact details. In terms of dealing with pain, I found yoga extremely useful both times. Some women find pregnancy yoga a bit slow, but I found that if you can embrace that slow pace and learn to totally focus on breathing then you may be able to breathe through the contractions and delivery and not let the pain distract you.

Amott Rd Preschool is friendly with, I think a good balance of structure and learning through play. There is lots of space inside and a nice playground type area outside. My dd always seems to have enjoyed herself when I pick her up. It's good value to and runs non-fri mornings in term time. They have Facebook page www.Facebook.com/amottroadpreschool

I shop online at tesco - switched from sainsburys because I find tesco points useful for days out If you get a Tesco credit card (and pay it off fully every month so no interest) you can get points on all your spending on it. The range of stuff you can redeem them on is great isn't it and can be up to 4 times face value. We shop either Tesco online or Asda in person and spend as little as possible. How it all adds up, even with a trolley full of value labels, is frightening.

Re getting out of the house- it always feels like one more thing needs doing (feed, change) but I always find that once we get out my son (and couple yrs ago daughter) was perfectly calm and happy, usually went to sleep and I felt so much better. Plan very simple outings to somewhere with chairs or benches eg a walk in the park followed by coffee in the cafe (take fav book/web phone). You may well find that the fresh air helps your baby to sleep for a couple of hours till you get home, rather than the constant feeding that often happens when you're couped up inside.

What age post natal will this cover? Thanks.

Hi Strawbs We had our wedding reception in the goose green centre and it was lovely. We got caterers in who got the tables ready aswell. you're not allowed to play music on a stereo but they have a piano and little stage. Our daughter was Christened at the church too and we had tea and cake in the foyer of the centre afterwards. I think you might be able to rent that bit separately. http://www.stjohnseastdulwich.org/

They usually sing 1 or 2 Christian songs along with the usual wheels on the bus etc at the end. Other than that no, just a normal, though especially friendly, playgroup.