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Thanks telemum for reassurance - above comments about the deceptive catchment area did slightly concern me but at the same time I remembered that Stillness is a large school!

we live in HOP near stillness. Hope to send our son there! Families in our street seem really friendly and like the school. Would be interesting to hear from others.

as mentioned it is technically very easy but they can be difficult to get in and out. lots of wiggling and pulling and pushing. they are quite heavy. advice to pick a supplier that does the job i.e. currys is a good idea imho. just check the height before buying :)

how about the La Quercia in Honor Oak? It's an Italian family owned restaurant. Food (not pizza) is delicious and they keep a lot of toys for children. See http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d788358-Reviews-Le_Querce-London_England.html

We moved into the area last year so this is our main school choice. We know that our neighbors who have their two kids there are very happy with it, so are friends of a friend. We would be applying for next year. You may also want to post this on se23.com.

Strawbs Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I had the chameleon but decided not to travel with > it and got a maclaren instead which you can gate > check i.e. keep with you until you board and if > you are transiting anywhere you get it back for > that time. In fairness I mostly had the baby in > the carrier but it was helpful for my bags etc (I > was travelling alone to australia).. the all in > one fold on the maclaren is also great for when > you are travelling, much much easier. Just a > thought. Good luck and have fun! x we did the same, an XT. also OP should bear in mind bugaboo might not in hire car boot or at least hog the whole thing!

We are not in this situation for another year yet but following this with interest. I don't really get this 'having 6 choices' thing. Surely you would only have a chance to get into a school of which you are in the catchment area no? We just checked and we are in the catchment area of only one school near us (i.e. well within the last published distance). So what's the point in putting any other school down that is too far away anyway? I don't think it's a choice, it's more like 'tell me where you live and I tell you which school you will go to'. Or am I missing something?

This was it http://www.micro-scooters.co.uk/product/mini-micro-scooter-neon-orange-limited-edition/ with a blue pull strap.

We only just realised that we must have left our son's scooter at the cafe in Peckham Rye Park a few weeks ago :-( I know it's a long shot but maybe there is someone really nice reading this forum who found it. It was almost brand new - orange base micro with black wheels and blue and pink handles and a blue strap. We only realised it now because we thought it was in the boot of the car just as usual. We have already contacted the cafe but they didn't have it but said they had a scooter around a few weeks ago. Please help. :-(

90 quid for the 2500 at currys at the mo. quite fancy one myself! http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/panasonic-sd-2500wxc-breadmaker-white-09848022-pdt.html

Have you looked at Carinthia in Austria? I have heard it's a real family destination.

Has anyone made the journey via London Bridge this morning? Or just going via London Bridge to work in the morning around 7 or 8ish? We have tickets for the stadium at 10 and are in Dulwich Village so were thinking about taking the train from North Dulwich or Herne Hill. I need to know if we make a mistake going via London Bridge/Jubilee Line at this time of the day with all the commuters. Thanks!

Thanks for the reassurance n11. Mellors, thanks for the link. This must mean that the catchment area has shrunk again since the previous year. Wonder if this is a continuing trend? Anyway, let's hope for the best!

Hi, we are roughly 430m away from Rosendale School and thought this was a safe bet. But now not so sure as we do not know anyone from further away who got in just based on distance rather than siblings.Could there be any issues getting into the school because of preference to siblings? It's all a bit of a nightmare.... Thanks a lot! xx

In theory I loved the idea of a water birth or at least using the pool. But when I was in labour no-one would have gotten me into water! I absolutely did not want to get myself wet! And a friend of mine felt the same. And I had even ended up in one of the rooms that had an inflatable pool! Chances are a lot of women feel the same way so your chances of getting a pool may be quite high after all!

Can you recommend any toddler groups/activities around Dulwich and Herne Hill? Now that our boy is nearly one I would like to give him a bit more stimulation than just being at home... Ideally something where I don't have to commit myself but can just come whenever I feel like it and have the time.. Thanks!

Hi, we have had the Bugaboo Cameleon from birth and recently bought the Maclaren Techno XT for our now nearly 1 year old. The Maclaren is definitely very practical and easy to use on public transport and for travelling. Also, our boy sits quite nicely in it. But I have to say I still love the manoevrability of the Cameleon! It's so easy to push and steer, just a lot smoother than the Maclaren. When our boy was tiny he slept mostly in the pram and the Cameleon was a godsend. So, if you intend to go for long walks it's definitely the pram to go for (if you don't mind shelling out the cash). They also have fantastic resale value. I don't think there is a single pram out there that does everything you want. Most people end up buying at least two prams/buggies for their kids. One for the first 0-12 months or so and then a buggy when they are bigger. Agree with above post that proper prams are just much nicer for babies when they are really small. From my own experience it makes sense to buy a high quality pram/buggy. We thought about skimping on the buggy but now that we are using the Maclaren so often we are glad to have spend the extra ?100 or so that it cost over a cheaper brand. And if costs are an issue - have a look at second hand prams/buggies. You can often find used prams in very good condition.

Not sure if this is of any use to you as I can only talk about my experience with my now nearly 1 year old. Have you looked at naps? We have had long awake periods (and still sometimes have) and found that reducing day-time sleep can make a difference.

Hi, has anyone taken their baby swimming at Dulwich Leisure Centre in Crystal Palace Road? I would like to go with my nearly 1 year old but just wanted to check beforehand. Did you find that the pool was warm enough, how are the changing facilities, is it very busy etc etc? Thanks!

Don't have one but friends and family have them. Yes, they are nice but they all said that for weaning the plastic highchairs with the big trays are actually more practical. My nephew (2 years) definitely prefers his Ikea Antilop highchair (only around ?11). Just to give a slightly different point of view, but love the design myself...

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I never go on the train 'that late' at night (having a baby means early nights...). Cheers

On http://www.easyblindsonline.co.uk/ you can get blackout blinds that attach to the window frame with velcro which avoids the problem of light flooding through on the sides. I bought one for my baby's bedroom but have not fitted it yet. Using gro anywhere at the moment but it does not fit very well, still letting in a lot of light.

Hi, my sister in law is coming tonight from Gatwick airport and I told her to get to Dulwich by train via London Bridge. She would take the train from London Bridge between 10 and 11 tonight. Is it ok to be on the train for a woman at this time of the night? Thanks

Hi there, they meet at 12:30. Also, there is a class in Dulwich park on Thursday mornings, they meet at 10 am by the Court Lane gate.

'Wonder Weeks' by van de Rijt and Plooij. Lovely lovely book about baby's mental development week by week. Helps you to understand baby's behaviour and developmental leaps and gives suggestions on how to play and stimulate baby. Only bought it now at age of 37 weeks. Wish I had bought it much earlier.