mima08

sorry to hear, that's rotten luck. When the weather wasn't so good, we tried the Discover story centre in Stratford (http://www.discover.org.uk/), which would work for both ages, I think. Easy enough to get to on overground / tube, and can be topped off by a pizza or so at Stratford? Hope he gets better soon!

HIya, I tend to look at the hopscotch newsletter (http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d6c6230c9e3a27917542e1268&id=ce83d69439) for inspiration, they have great ideas. Plus, I recently picked up a "families magazine" for SE London and was quite impressed with their suggestions, especially theater performances etc. Hope you find something good!

Treehouse looks great - wish I'd known about it before. There is also this place in Putney http://www.third-door.com/

Hiya, sorry cannot give any suggestions but if you are thinking Portugal, make very sure the pools are heated. We went first 10 days in June last year and it was freezing, pool and sea. Warm enough out of the water but almost no swimming to be had :( Plus, the place was pretty dead, out of season... I'll be following the thread, need ideas too!

HI Lindsay I take my son to TryTime Kids rugby (http://www.trytimekidsrugby.com/) on a Sat morning in Belair Park. They are real fun sessions, nothing too serious but the kids learn all sorts of skills and get a good run around, even when the weather is bad. Thoroughly recommend it!

Hiya no, we don't have it in the kitchen as the kitchen was tiled when we bought the house. Not sure what tiles these are, I wouldn't think they were the very expensive ones, and so far, no breakages but yes, staining (son is 3yrs old). Give the bamboo co a call: they were very helpful and not sales-y. And yes, for the quality, I thought it was very reasonable, will (eventually) do the rest of the house in bamboo :)

I second the bamboo flooring - we used the same company, their stuff is really nice quality and very hard wearing.the builder we used at the time was so impressed that he's now recommending it to others, too. We have it downstairs as well as in other rooms and 5yrs on, it still looks great. Get some free samples to compare (there are other companies, but their samples didn't impress me as much).

Hiya If you mean the jelly babies swim sessions (i.e. not the swim classes), they always were PAYG, I cannot remember how much. They can get quite busy (I never really figured out the pattern), so it might be worth trying to book in advance, though the phone can be difficult to get through. I seem to remember that you can book up to 7 days in advance, if that is any help? Good luck

Boots on Rye Lane have it regularly - not sure about other places. It can be tricky to find - we ended up buying lots at a time... good luck!

Wow - sounds great: now I know what we'll be doing this weekend! Thanks for the recommendation.

Hi - we started the rugby when LO was 2.5 and it took a good few sessions before he got into it, listening and following instructions etc. This was in the summer - so much easier, I definitely think: this cold, muddy, wet weather makes it much harder (on all of us!)... so maybe wait 'till the weather picks up? [whenever that is...]

Hiya, really sorry to hear this happened to you. I can empathise with getting lulled into a sense of "oh, no one will take my stuff" when we are in "kiddies" environment - unfortunately, seems the trust can be misplaced... might be worth looking in the nearby bins for the purse?

I am glad I've come across this thread with all the suggestions as my 3yrs old has just started asking about my dad who passed away before I met my husband. We have pictures around and my son has known that the man with the beard was my dad but just the other day he wanted to know where my dad was and if he was going to come to his (my son's) birthday party. I was a bit surprised and hadn't thought about what to say so I just said that, no, my dad could not come to the party and that he was really far away and could not visit. That was not a very good answer as I quickly realised as a lot of questions ensued about where exactly my dad was as we have family all around the world and my son is used to people being in different places but coming back or we will visit them... We are not religious (my husband very much not) so I was at a loss on how to provide a better answer - will check out the other links here. mx

Hiya, here is a thread to the new ED NCT team: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1262966 I don't know them personally as we did NCT 3years ago but it was totally worth it, for learning and, more importantly, for the friends we made: we are still good friends with the other couples and just had a joint birthday party as our little ones turned 3yrs....

Yes its's "Try time" now, but all the same coaches -and they are really great. Saturday's thundery downpour was horrendous and still my 3yrs old came away telling me how much fun he had and that he was looking forward to next Saturday. They've got a facebook page as well where they post news & pics: https://www.facebook.com/kidsrugbydulwich

Thanks for the reassurance re illnesses. I had to laugh today as we were at toddler rugby, he got major muddy hands and was less than impressed with the taste when he stuck them into his mouth,hahaha. The whole thing is pretty new, only started in the last month or so, even though he had given up his dummy during the day more than a year ago. Puzzling. Will try another comforter...

Thanks for the replies. It is a bit frustrating - but my real concern is about him catching something nasty...I really don't think he's got any confidence issues: he's very lively, outgoing and very sociable. Loves being quite physical in his playing, too and does regularly "admire" himself in the mirror.

Hiya, I am looking for some tips on to get my 3yr old to stop putting his hands in his mouth. He is not sucking a thumb- no, it's any (or all fingers), either hand, that continuously make their way into his mouth. No matter where we are, no matter what time of the day. It also includes sucking on gloves when out... I have asked him if there was something in his mouth that was bothering him, but he says no. I am getting really bored of hearing my voice constantly saying take your hands out, and of course it is so very unhygienic...- any tips please? thanks mx

15 Things no mum would ever say: http://www.pleated-jeans.com/2014/01/21/15-things-no-mom-would-ever-say/

HIya - I suffered SPD during my pregnancy and Daniel Harvey at Dulwich Chiropractic has been amazing. I think he takes private health insurance, but you better confirm. He's been recommended by others here too, link to his website is:http://www.dulwichchiropractic.co.uk/index.html hope you feel better soon!

Hiya - I've been using bluehost.com, found it very usable, easy and great customer service: no question too stupid for their live chat team :)

Yep, moving from Beckenham to SE15 a few years ago made my car insurance jump by about that.... Strangely enough - last year it actually came down? Try a lot of price comparison sites (they are a major pain, but you can save a lot compared to renewal offers). Good Luck! mx

Hiya, we went to Waterfront based on Goodliz recommendation - it's brilliant! Really, really clean and nice changing facilities, lovely pools, waves, slides etc. My 3yrs old loved it - even though I said no to the big slides (there from 3 yrs on, but way to scary...). Sessions on a Sat are 9-1 and 2-5. mx

Wow, I didn't know about bra-recycling: will definitely take those which no longer fit post pregnancy. Bloomers is great, and even though the initial expense might seem high-ish (I had never spend more than ?15 on a bra before), the quality is actually worth it (ie much longer lasting), plus it does make me feel good about my changed body, too...

Hi - Tall horse Accounts is run by a couple of highly qualified local accountants, and I have had very good feedback about them (I introduced them to my clients). http://tallhorse.co.uk/ hope this helps