lucyA1308

After a break over Christmas, Playtime concerts returns with a harp recital on Tuesday 22nd January. Keziah Thomas www.keziah.co.uk is playing for us this coming Tuesday. 10.30-11.30am. All Saints church, West Dulwich, Lovelace Road, SE21 8JY. 45 minutes of classical music given by professional musicians, presented in a fun and relaxed environment so that babies and adults can all enjoy a concert experience. Followed by juice and biscuits. ?6 per adult.

I often wonder the same thing. My daughter mostly wears wellies from September - July ( I do remember a brief spell of sunshine last year, but other than that it was mainly wellies). our are even cheaper - ?6 from Sainsbury's, yet I do spend much more on properly fitted Clarks shoes which get worn much less. I think Shoes need to fit because if they are too big, they will fall off, or the child won't walk properly, which is not so much the case with Wellies. you can easily tell if the wellies are too tight, and I think this is the thing to watch out for regard childrens feet.

I know lots of threads about party venues, but I am looking for one in the Sydenham area. We live right opposite St Barts church, but they are having their church jumble sale that day. The Grove Centre is often used, but I am wondering about any others people may know of. Thanks, Lucy

Beckenham Spa. Peckham Pulse.

I also hope that the poor child who should have been visited has been visited. If there is an "at risk child" who needs attention, and there notes are still in a muddle, then that child will still be at risk. I think for that child, whether there is a real need or not, they need to be reminded that your child wasn't the one who should have been visited, and they needed to visit someone else.

I shouldn't worry too much. He would most probably be growing out of needing 2 nap times any way. I had 1 child who never wanted to nap, and so was quite relieved when baby 2 liked her nap times. Once things got too interesting at home though, it did get tougher. She is now 1 and is down to 1 nap a day. This is fine for us because she can play with her big sister until lunchtime, then nap after lunch. Your little one is not far off 1 years old, and might quite naturally be more interested in the activities at nursery, and will adjust to the nursery routine. I would say let him enjoy it. The nursery staff are also very well trained to watch for signs of tiredness, and will put children to nap if they do need it outside of regular nap times, but ultimately it is easier if they can get them all to nap at the same time, rather than each child at different times.

Italian Swiss borders are beautiful. I can't remember how old i was - possibly older than 8, when I first went on a family holiday there, but I can remember romantically thinking that would be where I would go if I got married and went on honey moon. Many years later it was where I had my honeymoon. italians are great with kids, children are loved and made a big fuss of, they can eat as much gelati as you will allow.

I run Playtime - classical concerts for babies, which takes place once a month in West Dulwich. I am hoping to find a nother venue, so that I can do 2 a month, catering for dirfferent localities. I thought Bweckenham would be a good spot, but don't know what venues are good. If anyone has any experience of going to / running classes in Beckenha,, I would be glad to have any tips about venues. A piano would also be preferable. I know St George's cghurch has a piano. I will try them. Any other suggestions would be great. Thanks,

Tate modern is always good. Musical slide and more in the under 5s zone, for 3 yr old and 7 mnth old. lots of interesting modern art for teens to start getting interested in. Lots of it for free.

I imagine that if your sister has a group of mummy and baby friends, then she too will have spotted a difference. I hated the competitiveness of mummy and baby groups with my first child, but it is inevitable, and she might have concerns of her own about his development. like someone said above, she might be glad of your support if she is also worried. Let her know that you are there to chat to if she wants.

Christmas is definitely a different concept for a 3 yr old than it is to a 2 yr old. Last year she was very sweet, and knew a few Christmas carols, and talked about someone called Miscas (Father Christmas). This year, she can't get to bed because of the excitement, and wakes up in the might wondering if it is Christmas yet, so she is over tired during the day, and really emotional at the slightest thing. 2 more sleeps to go here.

I imagine that this suits slightly older children than younger ones, and parents have to bear in mind the unpredictability of a toddler's mood. My 3 yr old saw Father Christmas in Wimbledon today, but, although intrigued, was still too scared to get too close, like last year. I know that paying out for this event is not for her, but that is no fault of the event. Older children will enjoy the crafty present, and the activities inside, and it would be worth the entrance fee. A younger child won't always understand it all, but it sounds like fun for those who can get more out of it.

4 months is meant to be a key growth spurt time, so it could be normal. When they are so young, you don't want to deny them the food they need if they really are hungry, but also having had it nice and easy it is a shame to feel like you are going back a step. I am someone who gets very little sleep between 3yr olds nightmares and 1 year olds coughs and colds, so i can't offer any advice, but well done for the 1st 3 months, and good luck for the next bit.

fairy wings over a white shirt. I got wings in the toy shop in beckenham, but I imagine there are many other places that sell them.

Yes, I'd like something for my two. They love singing and dancing. I am a musician, so music is all around them, but I'd like to take them to something right for their level. I did kodaly when I was younger, and it is a greeat tool. Let me know if there is a class going. Fridays or Saturdays might work for us too.

apart from diet, children naturally find it difficult to co-ordinate wiping and blowing. We make it a fun game to do blowing and wiping (including lots of funny noises from me). They do seem to pick up one bug after another, and if your lo is not good at blowing the nose, and just wiping makes it sore, it will always seem like a constant runny nose.

Yes, Sainsbury's no -spill ones are great. They have a soft spout, and when turned upside down don't let anything leak out, unlike the regular Tommee Tippee.

For a small family, we have gone for a couple of pheasant from William Rose in the past - a lot cheaper, and tases much the same, and less time to cook. When we did have turkey, a good recipe was one of Nigela Lawson's which suggested marinading the turkey overnight, this makes the turkey really suculent after cooking it, as it can sometimes get quite dry. I am sure the recipe can be found on the internet somewhere.

dressing up outfits?

Hello there, I am looking for a jolly nursery rhyme CD that we can use for my daughter's 1st birthday, and maybe for car journeys. We do a lot of singing in our house, and have an older daughter too, so I am looking for something more than just the normal incey wincey etc. Something quite lively and bubbly, that the little ones can have a bit of a bop to. She loves to dance, and so I am wanting something a bit fun and different to what I can do just singing myself. if anyone has any good suggestions, that would be great. Thanks.

i couldn't find anywhere which sold small singles, we just went to Mothercare and dot, what they called a child's bed, but it was in fact a normal single bed. My 2 1/2 yr old was a bit daunted, but I imagine a 3 yr old would be fine. it means that you always have it. No need to change later on, or try to find specific sheets / duvets / matresses to fit now.

Chocolate brioche are regular breakfasts in our house, as are muffins / pain au chocolate/ or other pastry type. sometimes my 2 yr old asks for ham - well they eat ham and cheese for breckie in Germany, so why not? The poor wee girl who is just given a mars bar on the way to school, I don't think mars bars are nice at any time of day, and certainly not a meal substitute, but I do try not to judge. I would hate to think that people were judging me in passing, for all the things I might or might not have done.

I gues I will never manage that list. I can never get a nappy on quickly - my kids have always been wrigglers, and crawled away the moment they learn how to. And Housework???

All the advice here about what others did is not really necessary if you seem to have made up your mind, but I would urge you to make sure your partner is really on board with your decision. The bonus of being able to breast feed is that the food is always there when ever your baby needs it. No warming up / cooling down milk, while the baby is crying with hunger. Sterilising bottles. Coming down to a cold kitchen in the middle of the night to re-load the next bottle etc etc. (These are just the reasons that I prefered to breast feed, but that is not to say breast feeding dowen't have it's down sides too). I just felt that I could quite happily get on with breastfeeding without creating too much extra work for me. If you do decide to bottle feed, do make sure that your partner is cool with this, and will be some help to you with the preparing - particularly in the early days, when you still feel very tired.

I was against NCT classes - mainly because of (for me) the prohibitive cost, but also like you, I felt confident about managing my levels of pain, and also I was in a situation where I had to return fairly to work fairly quickly. I felt vey envious of other mums who were going to be on lovely long maternity leave, and enjoying all of that side of thig, and so I didn't join. I sort of whished that had done though, as so many people have kept in contact with their own NCT friends, and the kids all grow up together with a nice strong bond. I have heard stories of NCT parents swapping babysitting days and lots of other nice supportive things. I might have quite enjoyed it had my own circumstances been different.