louise.flynn

My daughter goes to Dulwich Village Pre-School and adores it. It has a very informal, warm feeling to it. Its focus is on pastoral care over academics but they do set up different activities each day and has a term theme. The special events that they do are so lovely - old fashioned sports days, halloween parties, easter egg hunts. I grew up in the countryside and it really reminds me of small village school. The hours are shorter than lots of childcare options and therefore a majority of the parents are stay at home or freelance (It's also term time only). I know that some days they are at capacity but other days are quieter i.e. Thursdays. There doesnt seem to be a huge staff turnover like other local nurseries, all of the staff have been there for years and the head teacher has been there for decades! Feel free to PM me if you need additional information Louise

Hi everyone, I have previously looked for children's furniture hire for parties and found it to be so unbelievably expensive! I'm thinking about buying a load of white toddler/child size tables and chairs for our church playgroup and hiring them out at the weekend for birthday parties. I'm hoping to first get back the money spent and then anything above that will go towards the playgroup. Before I go ahead, would anyone be interested in hiring children's party furniture locally (for a lot less money than the big hire companies!) Any thoughts much appreciated!

You could try asking here - https://www.drmayoni.co.uk/ It is a salon but they have a more medical approach and I'm sure they would be happy to talk to you and your daughter. I think its lovely that you are helping her protect her skin - i suffered from bad skin as a teenager and I'm pretty sure the super harsh things like clearsil did more harm than good.

Thanks carebear - i tried the dentist on townley road and they are not taking nhs children at the moment unless the parent is an existing private patient.

Hi, Does anyone have any recommendations for a dentist in the Herne Hill / Dulwich Village / East Dulwich area? I want to take my 2 year old for the first time but i have called 4 dentists so far and each one has said that they are currently not accepting NHS patients. I dont really want to go down the private route as i we have another little one and it can start to add up quickly! Any advice appreciated! Louise

Hi, We have just come back from Disneyland Paris (we just went for a day as part of a trip). I would take a cool bag and stock up on drinks and snacks as it is so expensive to buy them in the grounds. It is also worth noting that the food is pretty poor quality with 99% of the menu consisting of some beige fried food (about ?15 for chicken nuggets and fries)! We took a picnic and just ate on the tables outside a restaurant. If you want to wear minnie mouse ears / fancy dress etc i would recommend buying them beforehand. I got my daughter a minnie mouse head band here for ?5 but i saw them for 20 euro inside the park.. It was incredible fun and the look on my little one's face was worth it all :)

Hi, Later this week i am off to Paris for a few days with a toddler and a young baby. Is there anything / anywhere that people would recommend (or avoid for that matter!). Was also thinking about going to Disneyland for the day...but not sure if it might be too much for such a young child? Any advice much appreciated! Louise

This would probably be ideal - its a dad's only playgroup! http://www.dadsandlittluns.co.uk/brockwell.php

We have had our nanny for a year and she has been fantastic. We took her on from a career change and she had previously babysat for us. I wanted some advice on what an hourly rate might be in a share and how to sort out the practicalities such as who buys the meals, where the children should be based etc. We have been asked to share our nanny already but I wasn't sure how best to go about sorting out pay/holidays. Any advice or guidance would be appreciated as we don't plan to do this through an agency. Louise

Hi, Looking for some advice on how to manage a nanny share! What have people's experience been? We currently have a lovely nanny working for us part time but would like to know what the going rate is for a share (net rather than gross as she isn't employed via an agency and isn't a qualified nanny). Any advice much appreciated Louise

Hi, Just had my second and I go to a brilliant bootcamp in Dulwich park (and take the baby along with me!) After my first I went and there were loads of mums doing the same thing but now lots of them have gone back to work.. Would love some company during the classes with other mums in the area! Louise

The Jelly Tots cafe in Herne Hill has some soft play - not massive but perfect for a rainy day or active toddler

Hi, I am looking for local church playgroups in the area. We go to a lovely group at St Thomas Moore on Mondays but please let me know of any others. I'm looking for less structured play than the normal Boppin Tots / Gymboree classes so that my toddler can explore more on her own with different toys. Any tips appreciated!

Hi, I am looking for local church playgroups in the area. We go to a lovely group at St Thomas Moore on Mondays but please let me know of any others. I'm looking for less structured play than the normal Boppin Tots / Gymboree classes so that my toddler can explore more on her own with different toys. Any tips appreciated!

Hi, I am looking for local church playgroups in the area. We go to a lovely group at St Thomas Moore on Mondays but please let me know of any others. I'm looking for less structured play than the normal Boppin Tots / Gymboree classes so that my toddler can explore more on her own with different toys. Any tips appreciated!

I agree that you should follow your instincts that seem to be saying no.. I think the difficulty is that she sounds like she is manipulating the situation somewhat. I knows its not ideal, but how about leaving the older child with granny and taking the 13 month old with you. You can always organise some local childcare in Ireland for the day/ night of the wedding. Although its hard with family politics, they are your babies and you always get final say.

Lauren at Bodyfit is just the person you need. Not loads of cardio but using weights to sculpt and tone. I lost 10kg since the summer whilst training with her! www.bodyfittrainingsolutions.com

Hi all, I really recommend the session below, great baby activity but gets booked up fast!! http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/for-families/recurring-events/mini-masterpieces/ Louise

Hi, Does anyone have a travel bag that would fit the Bugaboo Cameleon? Needed from Thurs 6th Aug for a long weekend. Only popping over to Ireland but dont want to risk damage when the pram cost more than my first car! Bottle of champagne to say thanks! Louise

Hi everyone, Would love to hear from you all about any fitness classes that you enjoyed after birth. I will probably need to be able to take the baby with me if its during the day. Would love to hear about everything from Pilates to Power-pramming! Any suggestions welcome!

Please count me in too - I'm a first timer due mid March!

I'm due mid March and crossing my fingers its not so late that I end up having a baby born on April Fools day... My first baby too - very exciting but also a little bit scary! Louise