etta166

Try not to be apprehensive about it. I think it is quite straightforward for a lot of children. My first took about a week at just over 2, and my second and third were much easier and younger at the time too. Accidents really aren't a big deal, just take plastic bags and a couple of changes with you when you go anywhere and invest in some laundry sanitizer.

I once experienced Firezza delivering my pizza to the wrong house, and the other recipients kept and ate it. I'd paid by card, too...

When my son started reception at a 3 form entry school, the older children (sept, oct, nov) birthdays went into one class and the younger ones (July and August) mostly were in a different class. I'm not sure if it was international or just worked out that way, and now that they are going into year 2 they are going to be remixed. The age gap seems not so apparent anymore. I have a March child, so no first hand experience, but this does seem to have helped the younger children to cope with starting school so young and to catch up, both boys and girls. I still think all children start school too young, and I would love them to all start 2 years later, but I guess there is little hope of that!

If you go to Peckham, you still need to book in to see the Lambeth Registar, just at the Southwark register office. I registered the birth of all 3 of my children there as they were born in Southwark (at home) but this didn't seem to be that common as the registrar recognised me on the 2nd and 3rd visits. She said she didn't do many births, mostly deaths :( I was also surprised by the lack of waiting time, being given a next day appointment each time.

Another recommendation for the spin doctor. He sorted out my washing machine within a day of calling, and it's working brilliantly now. He has also previously fixed our dishwasher with similar success.

I had one done at the Fetal Medcine Centre on Harley St for reassurance after having previous early miscarriages. Big advantage was that this centre was staffed by many of the same doctors I saw at Kings too. This was 5 years ago though.

If you lived just a few miles away, for example in Croydon, you wouldn't even be eligible for an NHS BCG. I wouldn't worry too much unless you think you are likely to come into pro longed contact with anyone suffering from TB.

Lucy Sparkles and Friends are great for boys and girls parties.

My daughter has had at least one attack that seemed very much like asthma (but is too young for asthma diagnosis) which meant being admitted to King's for treatment over the course of a few days. Allergy testing, including cats was suggested but we declined. We didn't think our cat would cope being rehomed, so we just manage the situation to minimise contact and our daughter takes anti histamine daily. We won't get a new cat, but there's no real problems with our current cat if we are careful. I guess the NHS will only allergy test for cats if there's a real risk to your health, but they do do it. I'm sure you could see the same consultant privately if you want to get the test done.

Lucy Sparkels is fantastic, very entertaining for boys and girls. My children have all been to parties with an entertainer from Lucy Sparkles and loved them.

I've hated pretty much every double buggy I tried, including maclaren and Phil & teds ones. In the end, we mostly used a single and a sling. I preferred carrying the younger one and putting the older one in the buggy to sleep when needed, or back carrying the older one if the little one was already asleep in the buggy.

Kes Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Also bear in mind that it can incubate for 3 weeks > and last more than a week so you could get really > unlucky if the baby arrived a bit early and your > other child was ill (this exact scenario happened > to a friend a couple of weeks ago!) This also happened to me, and delayed my third child coming out of intensive care because we couldn't be discharged to go home to a house with active chickenpox in two older siblings. I am also now considering vaccinating my youngest.

I agree that it is all quite confusing to a non-native, and maybe to native as well! One thing I would say about schools is that it's a good idea to visit the schools personally, and not to set you heart on one specific school until you know that it will suit your family and your child. Also, schools change and sometimes rapidly, so I'm not sure you can decide this early on what school to aim for. If you're not from the UK, especially, you may find that you don't feel the same way as Ofsted and other local parents about what makes for a good school. In particular, having grown up somewhere that religious instruction was not allowed in schools, I found the Church of England school DVI very odd to the extent that I could not imagine my children going there. The religuous atmosphere just felt, to me, to be "wrong" for a school. I am saying that as an example of why personal visits to a school are really important.

My son really liked the buggy he was given when we had his little sister. A friend gave it to him so he could push his teddies around in it. But to be perfectly honest, he was much more entertained and distracted by the train set we got him for his birthday 2 days before his siter was born.

That's good to hear re teenagers :) tadpole39 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Another vote for bessemer, very happy child in yr > 4, v diverse, many Asian families. Also as the > proud owner of a teenager in herne hill, I have to > disagree, it's wonderful transport links mean > teens can get anywhere in london and there is > plenty here for teens, lido park cafes sports > facilities.

Try a Frog bike at a local bike shop. I've got a 14" and 16" Isla bike, but went for a 20" a Frog bike. The extra for the slightly lighter Isla bike didn't seem worth it for a 6 year old. Also, if you're not expecting long rides, then a heavier bike won't matter as much. I was expecting my son to do 3+ miles in one go under his own motive power from when he started reception so the better bike was worth the extra for us. I don't think I'd have bothered if I was just getting it to ride in the park, personally. I know others are evangelical about Isla bikes, though.

What pickle said.. You all adapt and it gets easier as time goes on.

I used to commute to City Thameslink from Herne Hill by tran, but now cycle. On the odd day that I get the train, I do find it hard to get on at 8-8:30am. I understand that the trains are reliable but very crowded. I'd also suggest you look at Bessemer Grange if you want a more diverse school. It suits us really well (one British parent, one not). We love Herne Hill as an area to live with a young family, but I suspect it may lack attractions for teenagers.

Hi! If you're on Facebook I can really recomend this group for answering car seat questions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/289434267864378/?fref=ts The short answer is that it is generally not safe for a child unfer 4.5 years to use a High Back Booster that only uses the adult seat belt. This is for a variety of reasons including skeletal maturity and the ability to sit still. It is legal once a child is over 15 kg in weight, but that does not make it the safest choice. Most infant seats like the Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix are outgrown once your child's head is right at the top of the shell of the seat. It is unusual for this to happen before 18 months so you may have more time than you think before you need to move your son on to a new car seat. After the infant seat, it is safer to move on to an extended rear facing seat. You can get advice on car seat safety from a local expert called Margaret Bolt, and on her website: http://www.rearfacingtoddlers.com/ I can strongly recomend contacting her to help you navigate through all the choice out there for car seats. Etta

My oldest two (4 and 6) really like the old ladybird Read it Yourself range. I got loads off eBay for them. The book probably don't fit with the current reading curriculum but it did get them enjoying reading for themselves.

http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Publications/Files/patient_77.ashx This seems to be balanced advice. I'm a bit worried about my daughter's jaw and teeth, but our dentist and doctor don't think the alignment problems are related to thumb sucking. I'd still like her to stop, though!

I've tried the nail biting stuff on my daughter at her request (she is now 4) but to no avail. We've also tried putting plasters on her thumbs (again, her suggestion) to remind her not to suck her thumb. She just started sucking her finger instead! Our dentist has told us not to worry, that it's not conclusive that thumb-sucking damages teeth. It looks to me like it has pushed back my daughter's lower teeth... but I am not a dentist. We have also been reassured that it is better to let the thumb-sucking end naturally and then sort out her teeth as forcing her to stop thumb-sucking could be quite traumatic for her.

I don't think I fully appreciated how much it would cost me to do it. I did strongly feel that I was my civic duty to say yes, but the timing was awful (the 2 weeks before christmas, I was busy at work already, we were going on holiday immediately afterwards...). I am glad that I did it, but it was not easy to accommodate. You can defer it or asked to be excused if you think it would be better to do it another time.

That is odd! I definitely did not get the full amount for registered care, so I hope this is an improvement. There was a daily cap on the total claim when I did it in December last year, and so a full day of childcare wasn't covered. All in, including the loss of earnings and extra childcare, it cost me over ?100 to do jury service!

It is common enough that I have met at least 3 children with filled/crowned milk teeth. I wouldn't expect the dentists at King's to suggest unecessary treatment, but you should see anotuerh dentist if you are not happy and want a second opinion. Many people reccomend the Herne Hill dentist at the corner of Half Moon Lane for kids, and my children happily go to the Denmark Hill Dentist near to Kings.