Norfolkvillas

Hi Mandymaz, I found a special offer and paid somewhere in the region of ?75 (think they're usually closer to ?90) and I would ideally like what I paid for it, as it hasn't even been opened. I would be happy to drop it over to you (assuming you're local-ish to SE22) tonight or over the weekend if you'd like it? I can really recommend this particular type of gate - unobtrusive, as stylish as a stairgate can be, and no trip hazards. Anyway, just let me know if you'd like it? Amber

Someone on another family hols thread mentioned a villa company called Coastline, which I had never heard of so had a look at their site and they cover Ibiza: http://www.coastline.co.uk/Islands/Ibiza/Villas

The lascal kiddiguard retractable ones would fit any narrow width. If you're interested in a brand new one, I have one to sell, still boxed (bought two, only needed one in the end).

Was it me here? http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,566981,567029#msg-567029 My son is now 21 mths and am still v happy with it.

Thanks citizened - in the end friends were at myatts field so I went there. Will definitely give brockwell a try next time the sun's out. Kimmy1080, myatts field is in camberwell. Type Se5 9ra into google maps. Sydenham wells park is just south of Sydenham hill. Hope this helps!

Hi wise forumites. I have one afternoon off a week to spend with my 20 month old, and happily today it has coincided with gorgeous weather. So which water play should I take him to? Distance / travel not an issue, but I'm keen to know which will be most fun for my toddler (who can be quite a cautious fellow in new surroundings, so even though I know they'll all be busy, it would be great if we can avoid hoards of much bigger kids) Thanks in advance!

I would second the above advice - our brake handle just snapped and Bugaboo sent a new chassis within days and I have to return the broken one (we are still within the two yr warranty though). I needed the serial number of the buggy and a bank statement to prove purchase date.

Like Snowboarder, my husband does all the mornings with our 19 month old, and for me to be able to get up, get showered and dressed in peace, is a lovely stress-free start to my working day. I happily do bath and bedtime every night. Childcare on weekends are meant to be split 50 / 50 but my 50% is definitely bigger than his, although he would say otherwise. When does the bickering about who does what end? It's sooooo boring!

In the hope that others may be able to avoid the situation I found myself in this arvo (inconsolable toddler, complete with wobbly chin, howling, pointing and clinging to the railings), I thought I'd post to let folk know that the playground in Peckham Rye Park is closed "due to vandalism" and there's a sign up saying repairs are in progress.

This one was totally renovated when we saw it in 09. The only change I noticed from the pics is a landscaped front garden. That's why I was so surprised at the asking price. Nice house though.

A house that we looked at in ED in autumn 2009 (which sold for asking price of ?670k) came back onto the market the other week at ?820k and is now under offer... We weren't looking in 2007 so don't know what it would have fetched at the peak, but I was pretty amazed to see such a massive jump in price in just over 18 months...

Calcot Manor in the Cotswolds, Babington House in NE Somerset, Woolley Grange in Wiltshire or Ickworth as recommended above in Suffolk. The Mr & Mrs Smith website has all of these along with details of exactly what child-friendly features each hotel offers, via the kid-friendly search functionality here: http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/child-friendly-hotels. Calcot would probably be my top choice - amazing food, totally family friendly, gorgeous surroundings. Hope this helps!

For what it's worth, I've just yesterday returned from 8 days in Spain with our 18 month old and, like other European holidays we've taken, it didn't mess with his sleep patterns one little bit. If anything, the hot weather made him more dozey. Plus Spanish / Portuguese properties tend to have the enviable ability to block out ALL light with shutters or similar, which makes blacking out baby bedrooms a doddle. Also, travel seems to affect babies in the same way as adults - ie they find it knackering, so even if he does end up napping at the wrong time during a car journey etc, it shouldn't make much of a difference to his overall sleep patterns. Hope this helps a little!

Great, I am happy to drop them in to you or the school - will PM to arrange

I have been collecting school vouchers from Tesco and Sainsbury's and now have a bumper stash. Will any local primary be happy to have them, or are only some schools opted in to the scheme? How does one hand them in? Sorry for obtuse questions - first time collecting vouchers as wanted to help a school that my son may one day attend (Goodrich / Heber / Goose Green are our closest community schools I believe) - any tips? Thanks in advance!

I know that sometimes it really pays off to travel on a 'tier two' airline - Not sure of exact UK-Oz routings, but Qatar, Etihad, Evaair and Air New Zealand are all meant to be excellent alternatives to the big names on these long haul routes. In general, the newer an airline's fleet, the better the in-flight experience. I've always found the info on airlinequality.com really helpful, and once you've decided on an airline, www.seatguru.com is worth checking out to ensure you don't get a seat next to the loos / galley etc

Bit of a long shot, but all of our regular babysitters aren't available, so is anyone able to sit for us between 8.30 and 11ish this evening? Our son will be asleep so no actual childcare involved. If you can, pls pm me with your contact details and your hourly rate. I would need to take a reference who I can contact today by phone too. Thanks in advance!

I think we moved our son out of our room somewhere between 2 and 3 months, and I certainly remember it as being a bit of a milestone in terms of 'mummy happiness' - as the above poster said, being able to pad about, and keep the light on, and read in bed, rather than tip-toe-ing about in the dark, really made a big difference. I seem to remember that the interim period involved us putting him down in the moses basket in his cot in his room (next to ours) between 7 and 11pm, then getting him up for the 11pm feed, after which we all went to bed, with him in his moses basket on a stand at the bottom of our bed (I also remember it being very significant that he was at the foot of our bed, rather than on my side). Anyway, from here, it seemed like only a small leap to him spending the whole night in his own room. We all (baby included) slept sooooo much better!

Kept me and my 18 month old up ALL night, even though it wasn't very loud where we are. Loud enough though. It was still going when I left for work. I really really hope it's stopped by now. SO annoying!

Brill, thanks so much both - I will swing by there this afternoon.

Hi forum, I don't suppose anyone knows off the top of their heads where I might find one of those little life toddler back packs / reins combo? Thanks! Amber

Northern Kefalonia (around Fiskardo) is just gorgeous, and some of the loveliest beaches are up here, but at this end of the island they also tend to be pebbly so bring jelly shoes / plastic flip flops etc. The most wonderful thing about the North Eastern side of the island is the mirror-flat and crystal clear water - mesmerising for grown ups, perfect for little ones in inflatables. My fave beach is Foki Bay (plenty of shade, a little taverna, easy to park near by). We hired a villa last time I was there, but there's a lovely hotel called Emelisse (http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/us/luxury-hotels/emelisse-hotel) just outside of Fiskardo which has a set of family friendly apartments (I think there are 4) with a shared family pool and playground. Hope this helps!

Hi there, I'm not sure about the waterpark element, but we went to Martinhal last year, which is extremely family friendly - it's a hybrid self-catering complex / hotel, so you can be as 'full-service' as you want. We went with our then 10 month old and stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment which couldn't have been better set up for families. They looked like they catered brilliantly for older kids too. The town of Sagres is a couple of mins away - we didn't actually go as we were only staying a couple of nights, but I doubt that its the kind of place you are trying to avoid. I doubt it's the cheapest option you'll find, but I thought it was really great value for money.... www.martinhal.com Otherwise, in Spain, we stay inland, but the nearest coastal town is Salobrena which is a very Spanish beach town with a lovely old town on a hill, and definitely not touristy in a horrible way. It's about 1.5 hours from Malaga travelling east rather than west (so opposite direction from Costa del Sol which you sound like you'd probably want to steer clear of). Again I don't know about waterparks, but I know there are some bigger, more british touristy type towns along the same stretch of coast - eg Nerja, Motril - so I bet there would be those type of attractions there... Hope this helps!

@graywallpaper: that made me smile and want to renew my Private Eye subscription

Thanks all, I'll try an anti-colic bottle if only to rule out the possibility that it could be wind - he's not particularly windy, and when he does burp I don't see any noticeable relief... I suspect it might be the sucking thing that Ko mentioned - I'm pretty sure that if I gave him a dummy straight after, he'd be happy as larry, but usually we keep dummy usage to 'emergencies' such as planes and, erm, if he wakes up earlier than we want him to of a morning...