leons

My son can sleep through anything, even since a tiny baby, at 4 months he slept through police and parademics banging their way through our ground floor flat at 11pm (another story), doors were banged, lots of shouting, radios going off, sirens, u name it, the look on everyones face when I said I cldnt leave as I had a baby asleep, no one cld believe he had slept through it all. My daughter however was a different story, thankfully we had no incidents as above, but I had to avoid certain floorboards, cld never dare to walk into her room, even now at 3 she will stir if I go in.

Happyland? and you can then add to it, with vet/school/hospital/roads/ etc. Its great, my kids have played with it since they were 18 months, (now 6 and 3, the big one still plays with it). It often comes up for sale here, or on ebay, TK Maxx occasionally have it.

I do. My son has been playing with this group since he was 4, he is now playing at 1030 with the older kids. Just turn up at 930 and speak to Dave who runs it. I think he calls it Little Kickers or something like that. Your son will be able to start immediately. Dave is brilliant with the kids, especially the young ones, they all love him. Highly recommend it.

We live in Brixton Hill, and have chosen Dulwich Hamlets as our team to support. My partner takes our 6 yr old to as many local games as he can and also takes an elderly local who has supported DH since 1948, he has attended many many games at home over the years and often travelled to the away games. Its a great afternoon out for a family, and as my son said "We won today, we scored 3 goals". Heres to a great season for DH.

What buggy do you currently have for the 3 year old? Could u use that with the baby in a harness/baby carrier for when your toddler needs the buggy, but maybe get him scootering too as that gets them moving quickly but doesnt seem to tire them as much as a long walk (or bore them)?. You may find yourself with a big phil and teds just for the baby in a short time as your son will need the buggy less and less. I bought a phil and teds just before my 2nd child was born but often thought I should have waited until she was a few months old and made a more informed decision of what might have worked better, I certainly used a harness more often and for a lot longer with her than my first too, I hardly used the buggy for first 4 months. You said your son didnt like the buggy board, I never used one, but Im sure when hes really tired, he would get up on it? He would probably just need to get use to it. Hopefully somone whose children have used one will be able to advise. on saying all that, the phil and teds are great, (now that im a childminder I find it invaluable), and you can pick them up 2nd hand in really good condition for a good price. U say you dont drive, neither do I, and I find the back seat of the phil and teds great for loading up with shopping or gear for a day out. I often have 2 kids in the buggy, 2 scooters hanging out of it, school bags, coats etc. If you do get one, be prepared to change tyres/mend punctures etc. Good luck. x

Def worth a visit for a 4 year old. If you collect Tesco vouchers you can also get tokens for free entry for both adults and children (under 3s are free).

My son is pretty similar, just about to finish reception and adores reading. And I agree its hard to know what to move on to, other than their school books. We have started to pick up some easy readers from the library. There is a particular series of books called Pirate Patch which my son loves to read himself but also loves as his bedtime story. We have also just picked up 2 new books called The Pirate Next Door and The boy who called Ninja, which are similar to what u describe (large format A4) but suit an older child (4-5yrs) both are great stories, my son and I think, and the visuals are fab. I have started some short chapter books with him too, something u can read over 2-3 nights, that way he doesnt seem to forget/loose track of the story, immediately one that comes to mind is another pirate series, I think is Nicholas Nosh, The Littlest Pirate (their about 60-70 pages long, 4 or 5 chapters). (My son isnt obsessed with pirates, just these seem to be the books that come to mind). I will follow this thread as I will be interested too to get some other recommendations too.

Great thread. Heres my opinion or buggy history. I love the bugaboo, think it looks fab, etc. But wasnt prepared to pay hefty price for it. So in an attempt to avoid buying the on trend buggy, I bought a mclaren esque for baby number1(cant rem brand, but looked exactly like a mclaren, similar price too - paid about 180). At 8 months, the buggy collapsed with my baby in it, the frame or axle just buckled, and I didnt abuse it by carrying lots of shopping etc. I did use it every day, walked lots etc. It was unrepairable, but also because (here's another lesson) I had bought it when I was about 4 months pregnant,the years warranty was up. So bought second buggy, similar type again. it lasted about 8 months. So I bought a 3rd buggy. Throughout my buggy history, I always had buggy envy. The bugaboos, the philteds, quinnys, etc. BUt I was determined to stick by my principals and not succumb to trend. But in the end I paid out over 400 in 2 years. Baby number 2, and I have a phil & teds and I love it. I dont want to go through 3 or 4 buggys again. 1 of them even gave me bad shoulder pain because it was lobsided after a couple of months. So maybe it is worth investing in the beginning. Or thinking about how you get about. If you walk a lot, like I do, get a strong durable buggy (for number 2 I did some research, p&t always came up as a strong durable buggy). Maybe McLarens are great if you walk some/drive some/bus some. Re the Bee..I think it looks fab too, but always wondered about big babies in it or toddlers? It just looks so small, I know my first child would have grown out of it within a year.

hi we took our 2 year on ferry overnight to Ireland too, and agree with everyone that it was no problem. In our cabin, which was better than some hotel rooms I have stayed in, there would have been plenty of room for travel cot.