crystal7

Another recommendation for Toddler's World! Fairly painless on the bus too. Great to meet anna_r and mellors too!

I think I'll try Toddler World tomorrow. Am I right in thinking you can get 363 to CP Sports Centre?

Another vote for JMB, staff are so friendly even if you're not buying anything. Expensive but really nice stuff that's fab quality plus prices are not as bad as the baby clothes in Oranges and Lemons on North Cross Road.

Polly D I saw the manager and her tripets in there a while ago, with a monster of a buggy! She looked surpisingly relaxed!

Another vote for the Bugaboo Cameleon. I walk everywhere and it's so nice to push plus E always slept well in it. We live in a flat but are able to store it unfolded in the hallway. ALthough it's a proper travel system it's actually quite narrow so fine on the bus (although not at busy times). We also have a Maclaren too which takes up less space in the car but not nearly as comfy to push and a bumpy ride for little one!

A friend of mine got the Silver Cross 3D and said it was very heavy to push? I'd recommend a test drive!

Hi

I'm not sure about nanny shares, was a bit out of our price range but expect someone else will help there.

Childminder rates vary, usually about ?5-6 per hour. I pay ?45 per day (8-4.30) including meals and snacks. Unfortunately one of the childminders I saw now works as a classroom assistant and the other had a post in the classified sections of this forum but I can't remember her name. I'm sure if you put up a post asking for term time only childcare you may get some replies.

Hope this helps. PM me if you need anything else.

I'm a teacher too and looked into this briefly when I went back to work in Jan (my daughter was 11 months). I didn't find anywhere locally that took children as young as 1 term time only. I did however find a childminder who only worked during term time and my current chilminder charges half in the school hols, plus I have the option of sending her for a day if I need to. Sorry, not very helpful maybe someone else can be of more help!

Good luck!

I used a Dream Geni which I loved although no good for breastfeeding as it claims to be IMO.

trinity Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We always have a class collection at my kids

> school and then get vouchers of some sort -

> usually John Lewis. It always seems to be

> appreciated.

That sounds like a great idea!

I'm a primary school teacher and have had all sorts of lovely gifts over the years (and a few odd ones including a fake Rolex and a box of 48 packets of Walker's crips...). I'm a fan of wine, nice chocolates, someone got me a makeup bag a few yrs ago that I still use. The year before last I got a huge panettone (sp) which was great, I took it to my parent's for those of us who don't like Christmas cake.

A friend of a friend works in an independent school in Kensington and got an ipod touch last yr!

We were the the only people at Dulwich Park this am. Like little SB E is NOT keen on the snow. She just stood there saying 'mama cawee' (carry) so ended up carrying her and pulling biggy behind me all the way to the cafe where she cheered up. Thinking of braving 1 o clock club this pm...The Maclaren is a bit rubbish to push in the snow though, am missing bugaboo which is in storage at my parent's house.

You've already had lots of advice, but just to say that the difference between your baby now and in March will be huge. It is a long time in the life of a now-8 month old! You have lots of time to gradually adjust your feeding schedule - at 8 months I was still feeding very regularly through the day (and still in the night), but at 12 months when my son started at the childminder we were down to just a morning and bedtime feed. This happened quite naturally, with a bit of prodding (more vigorous encouragement required to drop the night feeds, but we got there!)

I completely agree with this! Also I found that when I wasn't around E woudn't miss the milk (or so I was told). The feeds just changed with very minimal 'prodding' from me. At 1 she was completely happy to have 2 feeds a day so didn't need bottles (just as well as she never took 1!).

Ah happy memories of Ritzy trips every Fri! Well done for organising, hopefully I'll get to go along in the future...

Hi bonacara. I wenl back to work pt when my daughter was 11 months. I felt sick with worry for weeks beforehand- spoilt the end of my mat leave a bit. At 8 months she was still breastfeeding every 3-4 hours day and night too. I stopped feeding her mid morning and offered a snack instead which she was fine with. I was lucky enough to be able to get back from work by 4ish and would feed her at the childminders then although i stopped this once she was more settled as it effected her dinner. I'm not very good at tough love so left the nights as they were. E just slowly improved. By the time she was 13months she only had 1 feed a night and started to sleep through around 15months. I also very worried about daytime sleeps as E would only sleep in car or pram but it was fine- she'd fall asleep on the way home from groups and then be transferred into the cot. I'll be honest- i found the first month or so really hard and felt permanently guilty but it got better and now almost a yr on i'm so glad she has such a great relationship with her childminder and her daughter- it's like her 2nd home. I'm rambling! Good luck and enjoy the end of yr mat leave! Excuse the typos i'm on my phone.

not sure why my post went in twice!

EmmaG Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Oakwood Midwives at Forest Hill Road are

> wonderful. Dr Scorer there is wonderful. Other

> doctors variable. Rude, unhelpful receptionists.

> Exceptionally rude nurse practitioner. Poor

> administration.

Ha! Couldn't agree more about drs and receptionists! Such a shame as the midwives are fab.

EmmaG I could have written yr post this time last yr (apart from allergies). My daughter refused to be spoonfed at all after 8 months but like yrs would only take a few bites from finger foods before losing interest. She lived on ella's stage 1 pouches and weetabix with a few bites of sandwich and organix snacks thrown in. F has given some great advice. E's weight was below 0.4th centile and i was so worried i started to offer her all sorts of stuff i swore no child of mine would eat- dairylea on breadsticks, fish fingers, baked beans. Slowly she became less fussy- no idea why but i spent a lot of time feeling guilty at how limited her diet was. She's now 22 months and still quite picky and doesn't eat a huge amount but perfectly healthy and i wish i hadn't worried about food so much! Hope that's some use. E still really likes homemade chicken nuggets with rice krispie coating then shallow fried...good luck!

I don't drive and whilst on maternity leave didn't find it a problem at all. As others have said everything's on your doorstep in ED. Also my partner drives and we have a car so getting out of London isn't a problem. I've even been to Leciester to see my family a few times on the train (they have lots of baby stuff so I don't need to bring much and it was quite painless). But since returning to work I find myself wishing I could drive as I choose to put E in childcare close to my workplace and now have to take her with me on the bus 3 mornings and evenings a week. This used to be fine but now she's 21 months and needs constant entertainment! It's also a journey that would take half the time by car. But I suppose I could have found childcare nearer home...I also wonder whether driving becomes more necessary as your family grows- dealing with baby and toddler on the bus doesn't sound fun.

I went to a first birthday at The Prince Regent pub in Herne Hill last year. There's a huge upstairs room with a bar and the hosts brought lots of toys and created a corner for the babies.

I went to a first birthday at The Prince Regent pub in Herne Hill last year. There's a huge upstairs room with a bar and the hosts brought lots of toys and created a corner for the babies.

Keef the St Faith's playgroup is on every Monday 10-11.30am. It costs ?2 (if I remember correctly). It's a nice friendly group run by local mums.

Snowboarder I went to DP alone this morning- I should have texted you! Although the trip ended with us making a hasty exit post tantrum and E screaming all the way home!

I am naturally quite shy and feel like I never say/wear the right things so would love it if people wore EDF mum badges! Working 3 days a week hasn't really helped the self esteem because, as others have mentioned, I feel as if I'm doing a bad (or at least not good enough) job at parenting and my paid job. Also I feel as though younger, keener (thinner!) colleagues think I'm a bit hopeless rushing off every night at 4.15, half eaten rice cakes falling out of my pockets etc.

I'm going to make the effort to speak to more people at groups. I'll start at P Rye 1 o clock this pm...

ClareC this post made me smile. I find it quite hard work having my inlaws to stay- extra washing cooking and having to sit up and socialise! And they have never offered to change a nappy or do anything other than light entertainment...maybe they don't want to tread on our toes? We don't see them much so E doesn't really know them anyway. My parents are much more hands on but I had to keep 'offering' nappy changes and babysitting duties and now they do the offering. We only see them once a month or so which has probably got something to do with it. I don't really mind as we are very self sufficient being used to managing without ad hoc childcare. Boths sets of granparents are very busy too, groups, comittees etc and my parents work full time and will do for a while. I also appreciate that they (my parents that is!) don't try and interfere or offer unwanted advice about parenting/childrearing which some of my friends inlaws/ parents do!

Our experience sounds similar to Link's. Daughter gained only 1 or 2 pounds from 6-15 months, at 15 months she was about 16lbs. I was incredibly worried, she seemed to eat very little (but was still having 3 breastfeeds a day). HV told me to give her formula twice a day (advice I ignored). Throughout she was a happy, healthy and active baby and I wish I hadn't worried so much! She is now 21 months and her eating slowly picked up from about 16 months. She is still quite fussy and smaller than most of her friends but her dad and I aren't exactly huge.

I'll echo what others have said, try not to worry so much about the centile charts (my daughter dropped off hers for ages) and weaning can be a very slow process. I'm sure E didn't eat a significant amount until she was about 10 months. I used to make cheese sauce with cream instead of milk, porridge with cream, butter with veg, HV suggested sponge and custard which funnily enough we never tried...

Forest Hill Road Group Practice is also great, Oakwood midwives are fab!

Forest Hil Road Group Practice is also great, Oakwood midwives are fab!

We live in a first floor split level flat and bought 3 Lindam pressure fit gates from Argos. They've worked well, useful that they automatically lock when they close behind you.