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Welcome to SE23! You should join the SE23 Mums page on facebook. It is very busy and friendly and there are plenty of local meetups.

I also had an epidural and forceps for my first birth. Birth number 2 couldn't have been more different. only about 3 hours in total, half an hour maybe in pain. as a result i only needed gas and air. Of course every birth is different but I have heard of a lot of second births that went much quicker and were much easier.

I work four days a week and I am about to return to work after baby number two. Our childminder for one child cost us just over a grand per month. So you have to calculate how much you would earn working four days (I had to go 80%). Does your company offer childcare vouchers? (Not that they make a huge difference nowadays). Then add travel costs to work, probably another ?130. So that's easily 1200 pounds off your net salary, I.e. Your costs of going to work. Oops, just realised I just did what the previous poster said not to do. But burying your head in the sand is also not good. I would also suggest looking into whether your partner could potentially do a day of childcare. Childminders tend to take between 6 and 8 pounds per hour, some have a fixed daily rate of fifty or so pounds, Having children you change your lifestyle. We don't often eat or drink out, have cut down on weekend trips, wear fewer branded stuff, buy lots of kids stuff second hand, food shop more wisely (often go to aldi), have uk holidays rather than going abroad etc etc. Oh, and once your child is at school you still have to consider the costs of wrap around care and holidays. I could imagine that having your parents not too far away can help during school holidays.

For us it was a combination of bribery and moving him into a big single bed. We bought him a playmobile toy and told him that he would get it if he sleeps in his own bed all night for something like four nights (make it achievable). We kept reminding him during the day and at bedtime and also when he joined us in bed at night. Eventually it sank in and he started staying in his own bed until morning. We still praise him every time he sleeps through the night (and he ia four now..)

Welcome to SE23! We are in Honor Oak and the two preschools that I have heard lots of good things about are Busy as Bees in St Saviours hall and Chelwood nursery school on the Brockley side of Honor Oak. Neither is right around the corner from you but may still be worth checking out! When I enquired with them a year ago for a place for my son both had spaces for some of their sessions. Also, there are lots of childminders in the area. How about you join the SE23 Mums FB page, I am sure you will find lots of advice there!

There is a baby jumble goes to school in St Hilda's in Honor oak on 6 December. http://babyjumble.com/774-2/

Hi, you could post this on the SE23 Mums Facebook group. There are often childminders on there.

Hi Tara, I have to disagree with above comment regarding avoiding anyone with a satisfactory rating. It's always worth meeting people and making your own impression first rather than relying on a rating by an institution based on which boxes they were able to tick about a childcare setting. Both childcare settings we used for my son got a satisfactory rating at one point or another and it was in both cases due to some (in my opinon minor) procedural issue. In my opinion (shared with all other parents I spoke to) both childcare settings were excellent and ideal for our son. We used a childminder for both our son and will be for our daughter. In both cases I went with my gut feeling about both the person and their home and how they came across when I first met them. You really have to click with them on a personal level. My son never settled in the travel cot at the CMs so he always had a long nap in the buggy. Worked for me. His CM did use time out but I didn't mind. I am of the opinion 'it takes a village' and I trusted her judgement. She had brought up 3 well-rounded children and had looked after lots of children, many of them over years. My son was very happy in her care.

I have to disagree with above comment regarding avoiding anyone with a satisfactory rating. It's always worth meeting people and make your own impression first rather than relying on a rating by an institution based on which boxes they were able to tick about a childcare setting. Both childcare settings we used for my son got a satisfactory rating at one point or another and it was in both cases due to some (in my opinon minor) procedural issue. In my opinion (shared with all other parents I spoke to) both childcare settings were excellent and ideal for our son. We used a childminder for both my son and will be for my daughter. In both cases I went with my gut feeling about both the person and their home.

This is an old thread but I spent an entire evening ironing on name labels and by now, half term, all but one have fallen off, most in the first wash. Sharpie (or even bog standard biro) is the way to go for us.

Scooter didn't work for us at all but my son loved his balance bike. He just learnt to ride a proper bike and having used a balance bike before he had a very smooth transition. I think whether a scooter or a balance bike works (or both) is dependent on the individual child. You may want to borrow them/ buy cheaply second hand before forking out for a new one. For us the mini micro was a waste of sixty quid.

Check out Beecroft in Brockley.

How about dulwich wood? Think it's undersubscribed but I may be wrong.

I could have written your post! We have been on Nelly's waiting list since 2010 (!) and they didn't offer us a place either, in fact I never heard from them for those years. And we paid 40 pounds if I remember correctly.

We also got the blinds from Ikea, they are brilliant. Bought blackout curtains and curtains and poles at John Lewis's. We went for the off-the-shelf stuff as custom made was very expensive.

We also set off at about 5 and it took us about 4 to 5 hours to North Cornwall with one short break for petrol in London and another one just past Bristol for breakfast. On the way back we left on a Monday and set off at about 8:30. It took probably around 6 hours with most of the traffic in the London area. I remember heading further south on the A30 in Cornwall on the Saturday and the traffic going North was incredible! It was one huge traffic jam full of holiday makers! We were glad to be returning on a week day rather than during the weekend, especially with Saturday being changeover day in many places.

We just got a normal single for our four year old. We can snuggle up with him in it which is great for reading bedtime stories. I don't really understand the point of toddler beds unless there is a space issue. If you're worried about falling out you could always get a bed guard.

Another vote for playmobil. Our four year old son loves it and you can build up a collection over the years. Not cheap though, have a look for offers on amazon or Sainsburys often have stuff on offer.

Check the Olde House. It's a complex of cottages on a working farm near Padstow. They have outdoor and indoor play areas, an indoor pool and lots of animals. The area is great with lovely beaches nearby and plenty of attractions to see.

Hi there, I saw your post had no replies yet but quite a few views. I think ED is a great choice for your situation, there are plenty of families, parks, schools etc. I think it all depends on your budget, also do you want to rent or buy? Also, you have to check if the commute from ED works for you There are great areas for families nearby, such as the ones mentioned in your post, but also Herne Hill, Forest Hill, Honor Oak, Crystal Palace.. Usually nurseries have long waiting lists so a childminder may be a better option. You could get lists from the council, and often they advertise on here or on childcare.co.uk.

www.partyrama.co.uk have good party supplies that do not break the bank.

Another vote for the IKEA potty. Also relatively pleasing on the eye so to speak. We have a Tippie Toes seat for the loo, bought off Amazon for a fiver. It is nice and sturdy and incredibly good value for money. A friend of mine has a kiddyloo seat, i.e. a seat with steps attached, they are great but quite pricey.

Hilly Fields on the bus. Views, lovely cafe with a mud kitchen and a fantsstic playground with water play.

Our son loves his puky bike. Very sturdy and has a proper base where he can rest his feet. Not cheap though but we will reuse it for our second.

Did I miss something? Which free school is it?