ladyruskin

There's a children's choir in Camberwell which runs sessions every Saturday during term time. It's not proper coaching but might be worth looking in to to see if it's something your daughter might enjoy: http://www.camberwellchoirschool.org.uk/ They do a performance each term which I believe every group gets involved in with the exception of the 0-3, which is like hearding cats!

supergolden88 they have changed my life!

The Americans have gone some way towards solving the tupperware issue with these: http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?CatName=FoodStorage&Prod_ID=RP091258&Redirect=1 It does mean a little investment, but the problem of opening a cupboard and having countless lids/pots fall out is much reduced. I think you could probably get them on eBay or Amazon

Hello. Firstly congratulations on the birth of your son. Mine was born three years ago and I have largely managed to forget the early days of his arrival due to the generally misery. Three years down the line I can whole heartedly say it does get better but I know that will seem like a lifetime away from right now. Have you discussed your difficulties with your health visitor and/or GP? They may be able to shed some light on possible causes. There are countless things that could be causing him to be so upset. Some of them may be easy to solve but I don't want to speculate as I am in no way an expert. My son had tongue tie which caused countless problems (although none of them with his weight etc so took until 12 weeks to be addressed). Have you thought of taking him to an osteopath? There are some people who swear by them with new borns as they think that the trauma of birth and being cramped in utero for the last few weeks of pregnancy can cause all manner of problems. I took our son to the centre in Wandsworth and whilst I'm not sure that it specifically did anything, they crying subsided. I'm not sure if I've helped you at all but I did want to say that it will get better.

What about a plant that can be grown in their garden (if they have one)? My friend's son is called Robin and I got him a 'Robin Redbreast' plant for his christening, which they have planted in their garden.

I will watch this thread with great interest as we're doing the journey with a 3yo soon!

Is there any way you could incorporate a pin board? It depends on your space & budget really. I've seen people put up a line along a wall and use clothes pegs. Some companies offer to shrink scanned versions of pictures and then create a montage pictire for you to frame. The attached picure makes use of an IKEA curtain line and pegs. Pinterest is bound to have loads of ideas... Edited to say we're just using sticky tape at the moment but that's on a to-be-decorated surface!

Thanks for the link. I have completed the survey and will await the result with great interest.

You could try splitting your tickets on the trains. It can apparently make the journey substantially cheaper. I think there are several sites that offer some kind of service one is called Tickety Split or something, and Money Saving Expert has a tool http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-train-tickets#app Or you could try Lift Share https://liftshare.com/uk

If you are at all worried you should arrange an appointment with your GP who can examine your son for any infections that may be causing the high temperature. It is my understanding that young children are expected to have several febrile illnesses a year as their immune systems develop. My 3 yo son has had several such illnesses over the years, most of which lasted no more than 48 hours and we have managed with alternating paracetemol and ibuprofen suspensions. If they have gone on any longer or if the medication has had little effect we've taken him to the GP. The NHS have guidelines for alternating paracetemol and ibuprofen here: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2569.aspx?CategoryID=73

Ours is also BT. It has all the functions Pickle describes plus a torch on the parent handset (not that we've used it that much!)

I would say it depends on what you and your partner are like. If either of you are particularly anxious then the ones with extra trappings are likely to play on your anxieties. We had a basic sound monitor which showed the room temperature that did just fine - and I was on the neurotic side of anxious in the early days/weeks/months!

My son seems to be bucking the pinkification trend as he wants pink presents for his 3rd birthday tomorrow and a pink bike when he's older! This I put down to all the girls at nursery wanting everything to be pink, but I stand to be corrected. He also loves spiderman, Ben 10, batman et al none of which he watches at home yet knows the theme tunes for. There's only so much influence we can have as parents and that's not going to change any time soon, especially with advertisers working hard to get our little ones to pester for their princess yoghurts and spiderman pasta! When he told me yesterday that girls weren't allowed to come to his party as it's for boys only, I told him that would mean one of his good friends couldn't come and he soon changed his mind!

There's also a Spa London at Ironmonger Row near Old St which is relatively new. I think you can book treatments too.

If you're near the seaside and anticipate families going there, then you could have a bucket & spade set and some folding chairs for them to borrow. Access to a washing machine is very handy and would agree that a dishwasher makes sure you don't spend your holiday doing the washing up!

We've had success with it so far and I know others who swear by them. Not so easy to operate (at least I've found it tricky!).

I recommend reducing the naps, but not eliminating them. I found with my son that then he was tired enough to go to sleep at 7:30 and sleep though. Mind you, our problem has always been him not going to sleep until late if he naps rather than waking early. Have there been any other changes lately? We recently started potty training and that lead to my son have a week or two of restless nights and early starts but they seem to have righted themselves. I have also introduced a Gro Clock and told him he couldn't get up until the sun came up and he's stuck to it since we started with that on Monday. However the gloomy mornings may have helped with that too!

Under The Willow on Croxted Rd (Herne Hill end) are open for drop offs from 7:30am

Last time I went to Bookstart Plus at Peckham Library with my son there were 2-3 dads there. Lots to do and it's free!

I camped here once, pre-child: http://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/england/new-forest/ashurst-campsite Good facilities but nothing too OTT. New Forest ponies on site and lots of walking/den building opportunities.

Thanks. The weather forecast & your suggestions of a lazy day have inspired me to propose a drive out to Ightham Mote with a picnic. Although looking a the cafe menu at Petersham Nurseries I could be persuaded otherwise!

It's my birthday on Thursday and me & the Mr have both taken the day off work whilst our son is at nursery. I'd like to do something/go somewhere that I don't usually get the chance to do. My husband has suggested a day in Brighton but it's not really sparking my imagination. We need to be back to do nursery pick up at 5:30-6pm, we have a car at our disposal, what would you do with this opportunity?

Also Southwark publish a very handy guide each term of things for under 5s for different areas within the borough http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200246/activities_and_things_to_do/768/activities_for_under_fives The Bookstart Plus session at Peckham Library is good and local children's centres usually offer something every day for under 5s.

Perfect. Thanks!

Gifts are permitted, just not really extravagant ones!