helibell

Try the centre for asylum seekers at copleston centre but they have limited space for storage, phone first, 020 7732 0505.

Hi Left or right? I, too, have lost a size 8-9 croc (grey, right). Being tight, will happily make you an offer for a right croc if you don't find the missing one, rather than buying a whole new pair...

my son is starting september - it would be good to meet - can do mondays or tuesdays - pm me?

i think slings are really individual. loved my ergo. pm me if you'd like to try it.

Hullo Sorry to hear this news. It reminds me that I've been meaning to get a much more secure back door to our place. DOes anyone have a recommendation for a door person who can advise on security & fit??? Thanks

I struggled with being solely responsible for for nursery drop-offs & pick-ups of my 2 children on top of full-on job. One day I realised - no one I know does this - so why do I think that I can? And is it any wonder that I feel on the edge all the time? Perhaps there are people out there who manage happily to squeeze a full days work & commute in between nursery hours but I haven't met them yet. My neighbour now picks up the children one day a week - while I pick up hers on a day that I don't work. I work at home on another day. There are perhaps creative solutions as well as paying for additional childcare.

had problems settling my daughter (14 months) back at nursery after christmas break - v. agitated, crying, not eating, drinking, gernally v unhappy. was feeling terrible & v guilty, unable to concentrate at work. Arrnaged meeting with centre manager & key worker & thanks to their excellent suggestions she is now much happier, doesn't cry any more: 1 2 days a week seems to be the ultimate unsettlign nursery pattern for children - too long between visits, too short a time at nursrey (daughter is now 3 days a week - counter-intuitive but it works) 2 See if nursery will let you take your child every day for a week for a short day to get used to the routine a bit better (again counter-intuitive, but worked) 3 take a small bag of your child's favourite toys, books, even some of your things - to make a little corner of home at nursery

party daze, a party shop in sydenham, has all colours/shapes/styles & will inflate them while you wait

Re: cycling - I think all advice about doing exercise that you are already used to doing, but doing it carefully & listening to your body's signals is sound. I cycled like crazy during my first pregnancy - to work in central london, from Berlin to Copenhagen when 20 weeks, to NCT classes up Telegraph Hill at 30+ weeks, even to Kings when I had tightenings at 24 weeks (the last was, in retrospect, foolish & can't believe I did it). The one thing I struggled with was hills - got out of breath v. quickly. On the plus side, I felt great, healthy, fit. On the down side, I had a few problems with pelvic pain during my second pregnancy & do wonder whether it was payback for being a bit gung ho first time round. During my second pregnancy I cycled much more sedately (often because I had a 2 year old on the back of my bike). Now I have one in front and one behind & they love it.

maybe best thing (v. unscientific) is always to taste it first. I used to freeze breast milk & couldn't work out why my son refused the bottle... until I tasted it & realised it was going off when frozen. Yuk. I found an article on kellymom which said that this is not uncommon because some women's milk is v. high in certain enzymes. Or something.

My no. 2 arrived 10am on Christmas morning. No. 1 slept soundly all through the night while I mooed in the birth pool next door. We were fortunate to have grandparents on standby, staying with uncle 5 mins away. After no. 1 woke up, he sat like an angel reading in bed until grandparents conducted a dawn raid, pickign up no. 1, his presents, as well as turkey & christmas pud from the fridge... All very amusing in retrospect but I think it's worth considering (as well as the fact that seeign you in pain could be traumatic for your child) what effect it might have on your labour if you are worried about your no. 1. After it looked like no. 2 was ready to pop out by 6 in the morning, I had a massive slowdown & I think my anxiety about him waking up may have contributed to that. I would have sent him to stay that night at uncle's if it hadn't been Christmas eve.

I vote for orange ribbon (easy to get & not used by any of the better known campaigns?) attached to self or buggy somehow.

The amount that you can express will vary from day to day too. Catjo13's suggestion seems like a good one - see what you can get out without too much trouble, give it a few days & you'll work out what she needs. I think my baby used to take about 4oz at that age. If it's any help, I used to do exactly the same & what worked best for me was to give my daughter one boob first thing in the morning, and then express from the other before topping her up - that way there is lots of milk ready for expressing. Nothing more miserable than pumping from a dry old boob...

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omg have just read this thread with a chuckle & a tear in my eye. I feel like I want to respond properly but I can't just now, I'm trying to dash off another few sentences of a chapter of my phd thesis before jumping on my bike, cycling like fury up dog kennel hill, loading 2 children (3 and nearly 1) front and back, and then trying to cycle very carefully home. Probably with skirt tucked in my knickers & food on my face. Please give me a wave if you see me & I will post properly later...

Oh that's good advice sillywoman. I ended up having a long discussion with v. helpful consultant midwife at king's with postdates, unstable lie baby - I can't remember her name but you could ask your midwife to put you in touch. My understanding is that consultant midwives have a slightly different perspective & can help you with your decisions based on their knowledge of the research & evidence base.

Similar - son nearly 4, daughter 1 on xmas day. I figure she won't notice at all & we're going to have a 1 and a half celebration for her in the summer. what do other people do with xmas babies, i wonder?

Hi For what it's worth I had the same experience with my daughter (now 10 months) from about 6-12 weeks & then that phase passed. Totally different experience with my first baby - he would feed at 7pm & then out like a light. So at first I found it really frustrating to be continually feeding from about 6-11 at night. It got easier when I decided to just go with the flow. Got myself ensconced in bed with remote control, books, ipod & just fed when she wanted. actually quite a good way to relax & stop yourself running around doing other stuff in the evenings. At a certain point I had the feeling that she was doing it more for comfort than cos she needed to, so started to put her down in a darkened room & go in & settle her by stroking/singing/patting. After 3-4 days she was sleeping all evening. I think it's worth going with the flow, rather than fighting it, follow your gut feeling & you'll know when your baby is ready to move on. In my experience the upside of cluster feeding is a long sleep when it ends. Good luck & don't worry it will pass. try to ignore the 'you're making a rod for your own back' school of thought & follow your instinct.

Looking at several local primary schools for my son who will start reception Sept 2011. We live between Rye lane & East Dulwich road. I'm trying to keep an open mind, given that school reputations (good & bad) don?t always seem deserved. I?ve made visits, read the reports, stats & so on. Am aware that everyone has different experiences & that all children are different, but keen to hear from PTA members/parents of children at Rye Oak, Bellenden, St Johns & St Clements, St Mary Magdalene schools. Especially to know if there might be any opportunities to meet PTA members ? Goose Green school PTA does regular coffee mornings, which is really helpful. Thanks!