prdarling

I think earlier is easier! I got rid of my son's at 12 months and we had 3 nights of crying at bedtime Night 1 - 45 mins (of pure torture) Night 2 - 20 mins Night 3 - 5-10 mins After that there was absolutely no problem. There is no way I'd have been able to negotiate/reason with him at 2 - he was at his most unreasonable!! After 3 then we may have got somewhere but we just bit the bullet and got on with it. Worked great for us

I waited until my son was 2y 7months and he got it immediately, by which I mean no accidents at all in the first few days. Has obviously had the odd accident since (mainly at pre school where he's too distracted to remember, but even then, it's not that he wees on the floor, just that a little bit comes out before he gets to the loo) but within 4-5 days he was going on 2h long car journeys. He ditched the potty on day 3 and has done his wees standing up on a step at the loo and his poos also on the loo ever since. Personally I really don't see the point of rushing into it. You can start it at 18 months and it'll take 6 months or start it at 2 and a half and it'll take a couple of days. I know which I prefer :)

My sons go to Buds Pre School in the cricket pavilion opposite the Harvester on the south circ. They both started just after they turned 2 and absolutely love it. It's term time only and the sessions are Mon-Fri 9-1 plus Tues Wed Thurs 1-3.30. I also hear good things about Dulwich Village pre school PM me if you want specific info

I had my son's 3rd birthday party in the garden room at The Herne and his 4th upstairs at The Mag. Both were brilliant

I have just got back from camping so haven't spoken to anyone but as I have not received a phone call or an email I can only assume we haven't been offered anything. PM me will you Toast ?

Toast any idea when the Southwark next round is? Tor good news - I was feeling a little concerned when I read that you were second! I am now 6th for Fairlawn. Fingers crossed for some good news soon x

Tor I've just been told I am 2nd for Horniman. This is getting more alarming by the day

Tor I don't understand how you are 2nd for Fairlawn and we are 7th. Very strange indeed. I have been away for a week so I haven't checked up but I know that we moved back a place so are 5th for Goodrich. No news is bad news though re offers

Keef Sorry you are right, but it was originally called the Natural Childbirth Trust but changed its name to National and I doubt they abandoned their original principles :-S Don't get me wrong I'm not anti NCT I just think that there when you do the course there is a very strong sense of what you should be able to achieve which isn't always the case and this leves some people feeling upset

I did NCT and found they really put the psychological screws on re home births, breastfeeding and no intervention. The one girl in our group of 9 who ended up with a c-section felt like a failure and the 3 girls who eagerly signed up for a home birth after 2 weeks not-so-subtle pressure were disappointed when they were blue lighted to hospital. I can understand why they try to lead you away from epidurals etc (after all they are the Natural Childbirth Trust, so it's kind of the point) - statistically you are likely to end up with more intervention and possibly an emergency c-section, but they do make you feel guilty for even considering it. Nobody can explain quite how bad the pain will get (and if they did you'd never believe them ::o) and surely it's your right to choose how you deal with it I also objected to having a session about what happens if you have a stillborn baby. This is most definitely not what you need to think about when you are 36 weeks pregnant. Yes it's a terribly sad reality for some people but I rather think a bridge to be crossed as and when, rather than it then praying on your mind for the rest of your pregnancy

m-ah Out of curiosity why would it be as much as ?4k if you pulled out now? I was contemplating the same thing and understood that you had to pay a ?50 registration fee and ?1k non refundable deposit What is the rest for? Thanks PRD

new mother not extraordinary info at all. I have friends with kids at Herne Hill, DCPS and Oakfield - some half terms are 2 weeks long and HH & DCPS finish for summer about 8 July while state schools finish 22 July Rosemead may be an exception, but generally speaking private schools do have around 2 extra weeks in the summer

batgirl church schools seem to pretty much please themselves re applications, and yet are still funded by taxpayers like myself who wouldn't have a cat in hell's chance of getting in. Not what I would call a fair system full stop.

Oh crap toast that'll mean I have moved down one too. Would be nice to wake up and find it all over with

James don't take offence I was only joking Let's hope the 21st brings some more positive news following the shakedown - although I assume we'll have to wait until at least Mon 24th to get feedback?

Sorry don't know where you got GG from James - I said it's SE5! Now as our councillor I'm sure you know that GG is not in SE5!! The school I have been offered is Bessemer Grange. Is not practical at all. GG would be a relative piece of cake. Problem with using a school nursery is that as far as I know the hours are only 2.5 per am or pm which doesn't work for me at all - my 2 and a half year old currently does 9-3.30 at Buds. Don't know anything about Langbourne, never heard of it - not familiar with Lambeth schools but having a quick squizz at the Ofsted I would be immedately concerned by it being graded a 4 (exceptionally low) in the "Standards reached by learners." Maybe I am missing the point but I was hoping for something slightly more aspirational for my son :(

As suggested before keep in regular contact with admissions officers. I assure you they are sick of the sound of my voice.... come to think of it, I am sick of the sound of my voice Do visit the school/PTA/paretns you've been allocated - you could well find you do like it avoiding further angst I'm afraid it's not feasible to get my 4 year old to this school in SE5, then go all the way back to the south circ to get my 2 year old to his pre-school and then get myself to work in Battersea, 80% of the time on public transport. I just couldn't make it work

Sorry I have no idea where that stupid symbol came from, it was a letter b!

mrs.lotte yes I am feeling bloody raw, can you blame me? If parent have just moved into the area then fair enough, but if they simply have not got their act together then I am sorry but I don't see why my child should be penalised for this. In essence somebody's child is going to come out worse in this situation, so why in God's name should it be the child of the person who has done everything by the book? Why have a deadline if it is meaningless? I agree with Fuschia, I think the picture is not quite as rosy as it may appear. The situation around The Gardens/FHR/Dunstans/Ryedale/Dovedale etc tells a very different story. I desperately hope I get a place somewhere that A) I want to send my child and B) I can physically get my child to on time along with my other commitments of pre-school and work ....but in the meantime I keep having to field questions from my son about which school he is going to as it's the talk of the pre-school. It's just not a pleasant situation to be in

I find that's it's fairly easy to get a seat for an older baby - ie forward facing, but impossible to get a rear facing baby seat. Having said that, most of the cabs I have taken with my children have turned up with the most unsafe looking contraptions imaginable Do you have a baby seat that fits onto your pram? If not you'll either have to take it with you I'm afraid

Indeed - tell us your secret re Gumboots!

James can I ask whether these late applicants will receive preferential treatment and jump the queue or will they be allocated places which are left? Frankly if it's the former, that makes a mockery of all us parents who apply on time. Why should we bother if it makes no difference whatsoever whether we apply by January or we just stroll up in May?? Why should I be in effect 'punished' because someone hasn't got their act together? Could you please let me know how this does in fact work and whether I am winding myself up for no reason? It seems that the area around Forest Hill Road has become a black hole for schools and I fear this will only get worse next year when Heber doesn't have a bulge classe. The problem is not a local shortage or borough wide shortage of reception places but a lack of perceived attractiveness of some of our schools. James, the problem IS a local shortage. I live 465m from my closest school, or 4 minutes walk in layman's terms, and I can't get in. It's not a question of me perceiving a school in say SE15 or SE5 in a negative light, it's the fact that I simply can't get there, drop my baby at nursery and then get to work on time, all on public transport. I need a LOCAL school to be just that

I would definitely take the Friday off. Most people do, so if you want to be hooking up with other mums for play dates etc then this is your best option. I think that if you are only working 3 days you'll need to get stuff done and it can be hard to knuckle down on a Friday as katgod says there's a Friday feeling in most offices

I started my maternity leave with my first son at 36 weeks (this is the date HR gave me taking into account all the hoilday I had to use in that financial year) and I wish I could have waited until 38 weeks as I was going round the bend at the end. I went into labour 2 days after my due date thank God, because if I'd had to wait a further 2 weeks I'd have been driven insane. It didn't help that it was February/March either! I think I'd possibly have taken more kindly to it if it was summer and I could have enjoyed a stroll in the park a bit more. I too used to commute to Hammersmith and just flashed my enormous belly around until someone felt guilty enough to give me a seat - 99% of the time it's a woman who gives up her seat, men are unbelievably horrendous when it comes to this (I hope I shall be able to bring my sons up with better manners.) I can honestly say though that people were generally brilliant and I don't remember ever having to stand. Ryedalema is right though, you couldn't give a monkey's bum about asking people for a seat if need be and no-one will refuse you. Personally I think a couple of weeks is ideal, but unfotunately no-one tells the baby that and they turn up when they want!

I have to say that so far I have found the admissions team to be helpful and on the ball with their responses.. just need a place now.....