GinaG3

My daughter has an ikea Kura mid sleeper. She is 4.5 and loves it although wont come down the ladder on her own. We have a stepped trofast unit at the head of the bed that she walks down like stairs, but goes up the ladder. Front door, back door. The thing I love about the Kura is it can be a mid sleeper and then turned upside down it can also be a four poster bed, so if they decide they don't like midsleeping you can just reverse it over by lifting. Only costs ?120 unless you can get one second hand locally and it is solid pine. I was up on my daughters the other day putting up things on the walls and there was no movement at all with my 'adult' weight. Underneath she has a den with her old cotbed mattress as a sofa and loads of cushions, the underneath of the bed has been threaded with reused christmas lights that no longer fitted our larger christmas tree. She absolutely loves it. Took me 5 hours to put the bed together, by myself, with help it would take a lot less time.

I am certainly happy to pass on details to you Renata, especially if it could help in any way sort out a solution for the coming years. I know I have felt hugely stressed and let down in this situation not least because I have have had very stressful things going on alongside which needed more of my focus. If you don't mind why/how are you going to be investigating further? Will PM you details a bit later on, have to root out emails for preference order.

London air ambulances are also now equipped to carry blood - rapid response cars carry when helicopters cannot fly. He may of needed a blood transfusion before being moved, or seen by a special trauma doctor onboard the air ambulance, or been transferred to somewhere more specialist than Kings in a particular area. Many reasons for air ambulance. Hope the rider is okay.

Congrats loulou, we and a few other have also just received a place at Bessemer in the last week or so, after not being allocated any of our top 6 and subsequently being offered Langbourne. It is happening, slowly. Happy to have waited it out, along with the others. I hope everyone else is getting somewhere closer to where they want, PLEASE don't give up hope. Wait lists are definitely shifting in the right direction now, just maybe not so with the 'central' Dulwich schools such as Goodrich and Heber, I'm aware we were also still 70-80 on their lists before receiving our offer last week.

Thank you both, it's been worth the wait. Thank you for all the information, think I am just going to go plain on top and black on the bottom. Why navy anyway? Black is so much easier and smarter IMO. Will just do a plain red cardigan over the polo and pick up a book bag when the office opens early for sales. No idea of class yet, I've had no communications from school so far just the council offer letter and phonecall. Hoping it arrives soon, waiting to see if she will be in friends classes from preschool. Would be nice for her.

Do you all have fibre optic? I never have any problems with virgin but am supposedly with virgin 'national' as I have ADSL broadband, although this still comes under the vmedia umbrella. Considering switching to fibre optic but won't if that's what's having repeated problems..

Thank you Vik. Yes, we were offered our place on Friday. Finally!

Incase you are wanting to attend a cafe tomorrow you can drop in at - Kintore Way Childrens Centre, SE1 10-12noon. I believe that is still the right time, I will check with a peer supporter I know that works there and post back tonight if it needs revised.

I'm happy to adhere to the rules, but obviously my daughters skin condition is number one priority to me especially after the severity of the year we have just had with her. Finding school uniforms particularly trousers, skirts and pinafore in cotton and especially navy (cotton alternatives are all grey, even on eczema clothing sites) is a bit more tricky than the top half. Flipping 'crease resistant' polyester. Any help finding a retailer for these appreciated, anyone been through this before? ETA: Thankyou both!

Hi astrid, I'm a trained breastfeeding peer supporter and have worked in both Peckham and Dulwich cafes. Please rest assured you are not a bad mother, when you go through problems in breastfeeding they can be extremely emotional especially with such a small baby. I had very difficult problems with my baby for the first 2 months and went on to breastfeed for 2 long and very happy years, its just a matter of finding good support and a solution that works for your baby. Have you tried feeding laying on your back, baby and you tummy to tummy? As if he had just been put on you after birth and he was rooting for your breast. I've found this to help in some women with forceful let down, it may help you if you haven't already tried. You may also want to try having a bath together and feeding in the bath whilst surrounded by the water, this can create a calm atmosphere in which to try to restore feeding directly at the breast. I throughly recommend Peckham breastfeeding cafe for support during the early days/weeks/months of breastfeeding I wouldn't of got by without their service. You can drop in any time on Thursdays 10-11.30am, Peckham Library 5th floor. Dulwich cafe runs in Townley road clinic on Mondays 10am-12 noon. http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/

Thought I would revive this thread as opposed to starting afresh. I have a question regarding uniform that I hope someone can help with please. Do children have to wear the branded uniform ie polos or can they be plain white polos? If they need to be branded can anyone tell me the fabric composition (surely the label states inside)? Hoping they can get away with plain white polos, I don't see a reason why its unacceptable. Need to ensure 100% cotton as my daughter has horrendous flares of eczema and cant wear synthetic materials, even 50/50 blends. Trying to root out 100% cotton uniform early to avoid panic last minute. I have found polos, cardigans in JL & M&S but struggling now with the usual polyester pinafores/skirts in a cotton version.

I was only 18 when I had my daughter so can understand this fully. I felt immense periods of loneliness but at the same time was very happy with the choice I made and my daughter more than made up for the fact I felt I had little to fill the lonely gap. I had friends in one part of the country, and friends in another. I moved to london at the beginning of my pregnancy to be with her Dad, we were in a long distance relationship for nearly a year before this after meeting abroad while on holiday. All I had here was his family, with whom we lived until my daughter was 9 months old and his friends (who were just that, HIS friends) sometimes I found it really difficult. We did do nights out once a month of once every 2 months just to have some time to feel ourselves. He found it especially difficult to transition from a 18 year old to a parent and thought his life was going to be completely put on hold for 18 years raising a child. I could understand completely but knew it wouldn't be like it. My daughter is now 4 1/2 and has just done a year at preschool, this was good for both of us. It gave her a chance to create great relationships but while she did I also did too. While most parents you see on route its just a smile and friendly hello, others its playdates and a coffee, long chats, and real interaction. Its nice. Gives you some form of social normality if that makes sense. In the early days we didn't do much as my health was bad and I felt really low in myself. Although it didn't affect my relationship with my daughter it did affect the days out we 'didnt' do and the time I felt I should of spent doing things with her outside my comfort zone. I may well of made playdates and coffee mornings before. As my friends were elsewhere in the country and I don't drive I rarely saw anyone but kept in touch on facebook and over the phone. They also didn't have children so were and still are enjoying life before children and don't understand the full extent of what having children means and the hours in the day it takes up being a mother. I moved away from my life long best friend in 2004, we kept in regular contact until 2008 when I was pregnant when contact became less regular. Between 2009 and 2011 we could go upwards of 6 months without phonecalls, my life was hectic, I don't think she understood but I didn't blame her for that. When we spoke it was as if we had been chatting every week, nothing had changed we were still the best of friends. In mid 2011 we saw each other after about 2 years, she had been through a rough time, we starting chatting more and more to the point we now chat and facetime weekly for sometimes 4 hours at a time. My daughter gets involved and loves it and is growing a great 'aunty' type relationship with my friend. We have just spent the weekend with her and her parents and plan much more frequent meet ups from now on. Relationships with friends can and do evolve they just need work, new friends are great too!

We were there a week ago and it wasn't finished yet. I think the board said end July/start September? I could be wrong though. Animals there just the walkthrough isn't complete yet.

I've lived with neighbours on 4 sides for 4 years now. I find it insufferable sometimes but find it really awkward to say anything. I have full blown fighting between teenagers below me radiator rattling and all, rowing from next door, quiet neighbours on the other side and manic kids upstairs that sound like they are sumo wrestling all day long. Sometimes well into 2am in the flat below. My daughter now nearly 5 sleeps through everything! One day me and my daughter were playing wii (social hours), we have squeaky floorboards so downstairs could obviously hear it, they had the cheek to bang on the ceiling to get us to stop after everything I've put up with from them including all out raves that start at 11pm! If your the sort to not feel awkward with saying something by all means do, I would love to be that person. Good on you. You shouldn't have to suffer another households noise within your property. The noise continues here..

I'm struggling myself. Trying to stay in as much as possible as daughter has time outside at school in the mornings everyday and I cant put suncream on her skin so its all too risky for me. Feel horrible keeping her in as its so nice outside but its also just gone past the point of being nice out there. I cant stand it this hot. 2 day break from the heat for the weekend with temperatures Monday - Wednesday forecast to reach up to 38c I'm really not looking forward to that one. Fan operating round the clock here!

Lordship Lane estate, even when its cold! Set my watch by him..

Fairlawn was my second preference, we are 83 on the waiting list! Its an amazing school, I've never heard anything bad about it. I'd take it a place with ease if offered. Your in a lucky position. Good luck with your decision.

Noticed that the Post Office at plough had some outside yesterday with price tags on if anyone wants somewhere really local.

I'm a private tenant in a flat where Southwark are the freeholder (landlord is the leaseholder). She has a nightmare trying to get them to do stuff to the external but I always try calling too, sometimes I think it just depends who you get on the repairs line. I've had to ring 3 times about drainage on the second attempt they sent someone out to investigate on their part and did find a blocked drain that they dealt with but my problem persisted as such they said it was internal and fell on the landlord for which she sorted. This took up to 18 months of back and forth 'who's responsibility' phonecalls. I've called again about drainage on our balcony which was sorted 48 hours later, no problem at all. I'm about to make another complaint about the double glazing including broken door handle, seals being completely gone, and window being unsafe to open. I hope this is as quick as the balcony as its obvious the doors and windows are a freehold issue. I find if its things that fall on a 'yes its definitely our issue' list they will deal with it, may take a bit of persuasion, if its something that they are unsure of be prepared to put up a fight and ring everyday if needs be. I'm sure their is somewhere you can get advice on such matters but I'm not a leaseholder so haven't had to go that far.

Hi James, I know its out of your area as its College ward but wonder if you can pass on details to get the ball rolling. I rang the council over a month ago about an erupted drop kerb at the small island crossing on Dulwich Common (directly to the bottom of Firemans Alley), they logged the works to be looked at quickly. After 10 days or so I called again as council had been out to install a lamp post on the island itself but did nothing to the pavement. It was then logged as an urgent matter, still nothing done. It has been like this for over a month, all the kerb flags have lifted and the pavement has fully erupted from the ground. Being in the location it is, on the busy south circular with myself and other parents walking and crossing there to get our children to school/pre-school it is highly dangerous. This is a fast moving road and you need to be quite quick to cross it. My concern is if a lorry or any other vehicle for that matter is speeding (as they do regularly along here) and knocks just a bit of the kerb causing it to veer into the island while someone is waiting to cross. Someone has put cones and tape around the area but it has still been left despite numerous calls about the danger of debris spilling into the road and making crossing less safe. I'm sure other people have probably called as well. If this something you can look in to or pass on please? Thanks in advance.

GP has agreed to a hopefully urgent referral to be seen under Dr Higgins at Kings. Urgent referral should see a wait of no more than 4 weeks as opposed to 11 weeks from what I can see on their website. Fingers crossed. Choose and book system wasn't working today but hopefully the referral will be sent ASAP and I can be seen by community while we wait.

I do strongly suggest its the operating system but you can try the following. If you get him to go to the apple and click about the this mac what does the spec say. Is it running its standard RAM, I'd highly recommend over 1GB of RAM. Its possibly well under this. Disable Java if its running, it may stop the beach ball. Find Java through spotlight, open it and disable by unticking the appropriate box. Go into disk utility and verify the hard disk and repair the preferences. FINDER > GO > UTILITIES > DISK UTILITY > CLICK HD > VERIFY DISK see if anything needs done there. You can also empty all the cache and history files, empty icons folder HARD DRIVE > USERS > HOME > THE USER > LIBRARY > SAFARI > ICONS (remember to empty the trash!)

Thank you all. Lots of good info! Your all great xxx. Another night of Hydroxyzine, better last night, full nights sleep with barely any itching. AMEN! Left her to sleep this morning and didn't send her to preschool, they completely understand that it probably is best to focus on getting her better right now as opposed to her attending. Her attendance is terrible, she is probably home more than she is there but I cant help that! House is on complete lock down today to try and eliminate pollen entering, no windows open just fan circulating air in the living room as its so hot in here. We awoke to a swollen eye this morning, so I immediately tried to contact surgery who booked me in for a telephone consultation. Doctor wants to see her again this evening to see what else can be done as she doesn't feel anything will be achieved at A&E. She is fine in herself, running around happy, playing, just looks terrible. Scratching here and there but nothing major. Moaning about any cream being put on it now, even just her usual Diprobase.

Gooders, I've considered A&E as I do consider it an emergency and urgent situation but don't know how they would see it or if they could do anything?! Its like a rock and a hard place. I genuinely just don't know whats going on with her just feeling on my own with no-one to turn to for help right now.

We did all sorts with my daughter to try and help her. There was a silly app on the iPhone/iPad if you can use that, about doing a wee. It was a game/interactive story that she really enjoyed and helped her relate to he need to not withhold. Will he go on the toilet instead of the potty? Or have you tried that too?