alieh

I wouldn't be surprised Susan if that is correct! Having just gone through this crazy process this year my assessment is that the good news is that there are loads of great schools in the broader area but the bad news may be that you need to live within 200-400 m of ONE of them to be fairly sure of a spot walking distance to your house (because of lots of black hole areas too far from any of the local schools)!

I agree with Dr Boo for makeup - completely love their stuff and it lasts for ages. For clothes I've found some good gems in ED, the Mrs Robinson clothes shop down by the butcher, Fenton Walsh on Bellenden Road has some lovely clothes and very good value sales at times. Often find beautiful things in the Give and Take shop on Lordship Lane near the EDT. If you like vintage/second-hand the little shop on Upland Road (just further up from North X Rd) called Chi Chi Ra Ra has some great stuff. Same for the ED Warehouse on Zenoria Road. Primark in Peckham on Rye Lane for clothes basics. And Boots/Superdrug/Argos for other basics on Rye Lane.

Agree it is unhelpful, but also agree with Renata that there's not a lot they can do. The distances are only a guide anyway as they can change hugely from one year to the next. For e.g., I wrote down the distances for Goodrich over the last few years and I think it was 683 m (09/10), 440 m (10/11), 674 (12/13) and then this year barely 400m I think. The bulge classes hugely skew things not just for the bulge school but also for surrounding schools (as more places are freed up).

Not sure about the exact rules at Goodrich but in spite of the official information saying that they only take them in September, last year I seemed to get a call every other week from about Dec or Jan saying that they had an afternoon spot and did my son want it. Even though I said no each time, he still seemed to stay on a list somewhere. It did seem a bit ad hoc but I may have misunderstood! We had put his name down just after 2 and lived about 400 m away...but they seemed to have lots of availability for the afternoon sessions in this Jan anyway.

I travel for work quite a bit and they do get used to it! In my case, though, they are usually at home with my husband when I'm away so that is less of a change for them then staying with someone else. I think it is important not to apologise for it - that's my personal view anyway! I just tell them that mummy needs to go away to do her work, I love spending time with them but I also love my work and I need time for both. Now that my oldest is 4.5 we talk about why people work, how we work to have money for all the things we need, and we talk about what I do for my job, who I see when I travel, etc. So far it seems that calls and Skype while I'm away make things worse unless it is very soon to the day I'm coming home. My husband says that it is always around night 3 that they get sad and talk about missing mummy. But that is normal and they need to learn that it's okay to be sad but they don't get to choose how things are all the time, and of course that mummmy will be home soon. By the way, you say that your husband travels a lot as well and mine does too. I think it is really important (for me, in my house I mean) not to give the impression that it is any worse/different for mummy to be away than daddy. We each do 50% of the parenting role and sometimes I'm away, and sometimes he is away. Now that they're 2.5 and 4.5 all they care about is that I bring them a little treat or present from the places I've visited!

The only anecdotal evidence I have is from our tour at Fairlawn where she said that the catchment often increases up to 100 m between offers and the start of term, but that this amount keeps getting smaller and smaller too. I wouldn't want to count on this though as people keep moving throughout the summer and often choose houses super close to schools when it is that late in the process!

I looked into this and a number of people said that the iron on ones all failed eventually. Not sure if that is true or if they just tried bad brands! I ended up biting the bullet and getting the sew-in ones. There was a back to school pack from Easy2Name that was recommended to me, which included sew in ones, sticky ones and sticky covers to go on top of the sticky ones in shoes. You could buy the same kit with iron on if you prefer.

Just to check that you've seen "bottom up" blinds before, in case you'd rather a blind than shutters? These pull up from the bottom so that you can have privacy but still see out. This place definitely has them in lots of fabrics but loads of other places do too: http://www.eclectics.co.uk/index.php?cPath=149_200

I really recommend How To Talk So Kids Will Listen (and Listen So Kids Will Talk). It is useful for any age group I think: In this international bestseller, experts Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish provide effective step by step techniques to help you improve and enrich your relationships with your children. Learn how to: Break a pattern of arguments Cope with negative feelings Engage your child's cooperation Set clear limits and maintain goodwill Express your emotions without being hurtful Resolve conflicts peacefully

We have them in our current rental house - they are very good for being able to make quick and easy adjustments to the light. I would caution against choosing a dark colour/dark wood as ours show the dust like crazy!

Poor you! That sounds really difficult! I would think that allowing her to play at 2 am would not be a good plan as it would send the message that if she screams long enough she'll get what she wants, and it doesn't seem a reasonable request, really, as she (and you!) need your rest at night. It's hard at that age because while they understand a lot they are still very little. I would be inclined to just very clearly and calmly give her two choices - you can go back to sleep in your cot, or you can go back to sleep in our bed/on the mattress beside your bed (depending on what you want to encourage) but "It's sleepytime. Mummy is sleeping." or whatever phrase you want to use repeatedly. Or if you want to keep her in her cot all night for whatever reason then don't offer the choice of your bed....whatever you prefer. Just be as calm, repetitive, boring as possible. I think offering milk, coaxing, negotiating, etc. all give the idea that nighttime is a time for interaction with mummy which may make her try to come up with new and involved ways to keep you awake! My first was a bit like this at times. The choices we gave him were to go to sleep in his cot alone, or to have mummy/daddy sleep on the floor on a mattress beside him but if we did this he had to be quiet and go back to sleep. If he refused or kept screaming we would leave for a few minutes and then come back in and repeat choices. Usually he would quiet down and want us on the mattress. So then I would lie there with my back to him mostly ignoring him and just occasionally repeat "Shhhh...sleepytime". If he started up yelling I would say that I was going to have to leave as he was keeping me awake. It really is hellish, so sympathy!

They don't seem to be able to share the exact system but I found this to be the best one for checking yourself: http://www.freemaptools.com/how-far-is-it-between.htm

Here's the Starting School in Southwark 2014/15 booklet that should have distances for this year (p. 18): http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/2483/primary_school_admissions If you google "Starting School in Southwark" and a different year the old version of this same booklet should come up. Same for Lewisham.

Also, we now have a condensing dryer in our rental house and it is quite good. Not as good as my shed tumble dryer from our last house, but definitely dries big loads well and quickly and the water dispenser doesn't need emptying as often as I expected. With these you can site them anywhere in the house so might be able to create some space somewhere even if away from the washer? I have had combo washer/driers in previous houses and just found them utterly useless every time!

I think sleep (or lack thereof) is definitely the root issue here! I am 5 months pregnant too and KNACKERED all the time. My two older ones almost always sleep through until at least 6 am too so I don't have that problem and I am still beyond tired. I don't remember feeling this tired in my other pregnancies. Do you have a partner who can help? If so, I really recommend getting your partner on night (and early morning) duty with your older one ASAP. This will be necessary anyway once you're dealing with the newborn at night and it's best if they can get used to each other before the baby arrives. Then decamp to as far away from your daughter as possible with ear plugs to try to get some more rest!

We put a cheap vented tumble dryer in a shed outside - any chance something like that could work for you? Changed my life!

There is also the new salon on the corner on Forest Hill Road. Think it is Galleons or something? I was very happy with my colour there last week.

We went to Forge Wood last weekend. Near Tunbridge Wells so just over an hour drive. It was very easy and we thought nice. I like that you can camp right in the woods and have your own campfire. They hire grills for ?5 so you can cook over the fire and they deliver wood to the campsite. There was a little cafe/bar onsite so even had a drink in the afternoon and fry up next morning. A couple of great pubs nearby too. Loos and showers were a bit grim but we barely needed them as only there one night.

Bluedark, this thread might help if you haven't seen it: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,426788,428109#msg-428109

Oh, forgot also to say that I'm sure I've seen people on here before that managed to get on the books with the Oakwood Midwives (attached to Forest Hill road GP surgery) without switching their GP. I think they went on a waiting list or something. Could be worth a call especially as you're asking for a specific requirement (VBAC support). I had a VBAC at Kings BTW and it was totally fine and straightforward and all the doctors I saw seemed very supportive.

Ah, poor you! That is very distressing. I would start a new thread in the Family Room Discussion board about The Gardens Antenatal care and I'm sure there will be others who have faced the same problem in the past and can maybe help you navigate a solution. They wouldn't be checking this thread though as it's just about Winter Babies. Your experience really sounds very odd as I've know lots and lots of people to have had babies in this area and most seem to have had very consistent and good antenatal care. The only difference I've observed is that some people get named midwives through their GP surgery and some go direct to Kings and may see a different midwife each time, but both seem to have worked fine for most people. I hope you figure out what's going on! My friend who lives in North London (Highbury) had a doula and VBAC this year in Feb and she said she was amazing. Not sure where she is based though, but if you don't have luck with anyone more local I can pass along the details. Again, I would start a new thread about looking for a VBAC doula as I'm sure there are tons of people that have faced similar.

I would contact the schools individually within the first couple of weeks of the school offices opening again in September. Some of them posted tour dates on their website and others didn't. I tried to book tours starting around October last year and they were all already full! A number of schools only had tour spaces available in late Jan/Feb after the deadline for applications.

Not sure if you need the full services of a garden designer if it is just replacing the path, but we have been working with Barbara Samitier on the major re-design of a back garden. The design she has come up with is amazing! She lives locally. Her website is here: http://www.barbarasamitiergardens.co.uk/Sustainable-and-contemporary-gardens-in-Dulwich.aspx She also works with a builder/landscaper who can carry out the work once you have the design.

Totally agree about the car seats. It is the pain of hauling them in and out of the car, but also the storage space. Once we had two toddler sized car seats to deal with it it really became more hassle than we could be bothered with. We bought a used Ford Focus and have really loved having it, after being very happy carless in London for over 10 years. We only use it a couple of times each weekend and not at all during the week, but it has been amazing to have in those times. We have also done more day trips out of London on the weekends and there is so much to do within an hour of south London! We still prefer to take the train/public transport whenever possible but there are time when the car has been invaluable.

Hi Bluedark! I am due 31st Dec with number 3. I'm with the Lanes at Dulwich Medical Centre too and I've definitely seen a midwife more than you describe already. I think I've had 3 midwife appointments including booking in? The next is scheduled for about 28 weeks. Sounds very odd! I did think that the surgeries that don't have in-house midwives refer people to the Kings midwives? I would definitely call and ask some more questions. I had a VBAC last time and had lots of information and support from the Lanes midwives but it did seem that there were lots of supportive people at Kings that your surgery should be able to refer you to? You could also try registering with a separate midwifery practice like the Brierly? I think they focus on home births so perhaps if you were potentially keen on a VBAC homebirth they might be able to take you on? Good luck! Happy to join a meet up with babies at some point!