klove

Also try ME+EM http://www.meandem.com , great for classic basics with a twist.

Or try Marco at Studio Salon Education, 0208 670 6825, also in West Norwood. I often go to Kuki hair and he worked there for a few months while setting up his own salon, he used to be a Vidal Sasson trainer and really is a fantastic hairdresser and cheap for the quality of the cut. They're on holiday til next Monday I think, but seem to have quite a few appointments available so I'm sure they could fit you in around childcare. http://studiosaloneducation.com

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/dec/07/support-local-shops-small-business-saturday William Rose (plus photo) and Franklins farm shop mentioned in an article about the small business Saturday.

Congratulations in your new baby! There's loads you can do around here, we loved everything to do with Bessemer grange children's centre and the sure start centres are generally brilliant http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200246/activities_and_things_to_do/768/services_and_activities_for_under_fives Also Dulwich Library rhyme time on Wednesdays, although a bit manic, and Tippeetoes at All Fired Up on a Thursday is just for babies and a little more chilled. Also try EDtots http://www.edtots.co.uk/home which has a great search facility. I'm sure the autumn babies 2013 thread is still up and running which might be a great place to meet new mums too. Trick is to keep going to different groups until you find something you enjoy and that's friendly.

Has anyone been to Peckham pulse soft play with a crawling 10 month old? Or is it a bit too full on?

We ordered our highchair through them with absolutely no problems... didn't even realise they might be dodgy!

We were gifted a sleep consultation by someone who felt sorry for us and it was definitely not worth the money. They basically told me to just feed my son (six months at the time) only every three hours at night. That was it! Someone else leant us a consultation document which told them to do the gradual retreat method. It was slightly better because it gave them a night by night routine, just what you need when you're too sleep deprived to think properly! What helped us in the end was some advice from my health visitor mum (yes, I know what they can be like, but she actually really helped us). But she didn't tell us anything I hadn't read online. Night Nannies does sound great though!

Matthew and his team have completed a number of jobs for us, all of which were competitively priced and very well executed. As mentioned previously, he has a great eye for detail. He also managed to save us quite a bit of money identifying the cause of damp patch which I was convinced was rising damp. All in all, he's completely trustworthy and is a nice guy to have around. Highly recommended!

What?! I can't believe they would withdraw funding from such a fantastic service. For any one wanting to email PALs the email address is [email protected]

East Dulwich on location location location again... (Oh isn't Phil Spencer lovely?!)

Well done on getting him to sleep by himself! We really struggled with that and the subsequent waking up every three hours (at best) really did my head in. We decided to do some sleep training at 7 months and it wasn't as bad as we had expected. My partner was in charge at night and when our son started to crying, he went in and cuddled him rocking and humming... basically anything to calm him down and get him to sleep without the boob. He cried for an hour and fourty minutes, then went to sleep. The second night was exactly the same but by the fifth night he only woke up for about five minutes. We then stopped picking him up and just soothed him in his cot, shhh- patting him. Each night got slightly better until he slept through on night ten (woohoo!) Just to add that by this stage he had been eating really well for a month and I really felt it was just a habit he had formed, rather then hunger. I was so worried about all the crying but he woke up all smiles even on the first day and really bonded with his daddy with all the cuddling. Another massive plus was that it helped prolong his naps. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, there's so much advice out there but only you know what's best for your son (and you!). PM me if you need any more encouragement.

Based on recommendations on this thread, I've just finished Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali. And it's really fantastic! I'm not a Buddhist by any stretch of the imagination but this book makes you feel calm and centred just by reading it. Highly recommended for any mother who wants to become a little more chilled.

Save yourself money and buy supermarket own! We've used a lot of different brands and honestly I cannot tell the difference. 'Just for bums' from Kiddicare are good mainly because they come in bulk and you can send them back if you don't use them all, great for convenience but we're now using Sainsbury's own and they're just as good.

We'd definitely be interested, but agree the on getting the venues and pricing right. The Whitechapel Gallery does guided tours plus activity with curators for mums and babies for ?3, the Horniman does their free buzzy bees sessions. And then the Tate does lots of free family stuff too... but if you're offering something different that the museum/gallery's education departments aren't doing already (the Dulwich Picture Gallery doesn't do anything for that age group in the week) then there would be a definite market for it. Go for it!

I'm fed up with the amount of plastic in our house! Is there a toy library in Southwark? And has anyone actually used one and found it useful?

Emski, I could have written your post a few months ago! I wish now I hadn't worried so much about little klove's naps and just went with the flow. We started encouraging him at about 14 weeks to sleep in his cot which was hard work but he now does nap relatively happily in there now (he's now almost 7 months). But just to reassure you that their sleep changes so much in the early weeks that you are definitely not storing trouble with yourself. We made the mistake of getting into the habit of feeding him to sleep, but even now I'm philosophical about it all... you do what you can to survive! It sounds like you're doing a great job, so be kind to yourself.

I'm really curious as to everyone's answers as our son, 6 months, is such a poor sleeper. Own room, asleep by 7pm, up at 6am. Breastfeeds every three hours to the dot... its knackering! Husband's been brilliant and is 'on duty' from four, tries to settle him when he wakes up inevitably at 5 for a feed and then gets up with him at 6 and gives him a bottle at 7 (he won't accept bottle from me at all). I then get about 3 1/2 hours unbroken sleep, blissful. My main problem is feeding him to sleep but it's such a hard habit to break and I'm not sure how you prevent it.

My little boy was born there on Christmas Day last year and we thought the staff there were fantastic, very caring and professional. The only major problem was that they were really busy (apparently there was 'no room at the inn' according to one nurse, ha ha) and we had to wait ages for a room and then ages for an anesthetist and this was after an transfer from an tempted home birth. It just meant that a really stressful, painful situation was prolonged because of staffing shortages. But of course this could have happened anywhere so don't let it put you off Kings, just try and avoid Christmas Day!

Went to the sling library, as suggested - thanks, and Emily was so helpful. Would really recommend a visit she has a really good range and lots of advice. Decided on the manduca in the end but was impressed by the pognae sling too. Just goes to show there's more then just the baby bjorn out there!

Lots of free stuff on: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200246/activities_and_things_to_do/768/

Has anyone got any preferences? We have a three month old who is growing fast (and is uber heavy) and I'd like a sling that gives good back support before he cripples me. Narrowed it down to the ergo or manduca but it's such a lot of money I (or rather my partner) needs convincing its a good investment!

Just to add another recommendation for Greg, he's just hung a door for us and went out of his way to get the right door furniture and took his time fitting it into our wonky frame. Very professional, friendly and quite happy to work alongside a screaming baby!

There is a definite need! I've pm'ed you.

I was lucky enough to have the Lane look after me too and I cannot speak highly enough of all midwives in the team. The after care was particularly valuable and after a not great birth experience, their professionalism and kindness helped my recovery 100%. Friends who don't live in southwark had a couple of visits from random midwives after birth and were definitely jealous of the daily visits I was getting! (Although now at 2.24 in the AM I wish they'd told me how to get an over tired baby to sleep....)

And don't forget the march tomorrow! http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/demonstration-26th-january/