bluesuperted

Little White Alice is wonderful Eco self catering accommodation if they have availability - near Redruth. A drive from the beach but beautiful surroundings and a freshwater pool outside... We went when our eldest was a baby but would love to return now he's older.

I'm so sorry to hear you are going through this. Agree agree agree with all the support above, really good tips... He is definitely emotionally abusing you and that is as damaging as physical abuse. Here is a link on the Refuge site, makes for hard reading but points to the fact that you need to access help and support in getting you out of this damaging relationship. They have a free phone helpline on the homepage. http://refuge.org.uk/get-help-now/help-for-women/recognising-abuse/ Good luck and keep reaching out until you get heard xx

Museum of Childhood perhaps? Hopefully someone expert will have some more ideas!

I also did feed or sling to sleep for number two with toddler around full-time. It worked perfectly for us, the time of 4 then 3 then 2 naps a day passed in such a speedy blur that I never stressed about it as I knew it would change so quickly. Now number 2 has a quick bf or falls asleep in the sling after older brother's nursery drop off at lunchtime and I transfer her into bed where she sleeps for 2+ hours every day so being parented to sleep hasn't caused us any trouble - I don't use childcare but if I did I'm sure she'd sling/buggy or car seat to sleep in the same way.

http://m.zulily.co.uk/event/1007520?ref=newToday&pos=67 Not the best selection of carriers but does include the inserts and dribble pads if anyone is looking.

We have the Two Way Elite for our eldest and also love it, still very comfortable for him rear-facing at almost 4 and see it lasting several more years til he's 25kg. We got ours from Milton Keynes originally - I don't think Margaret sells the TWE but she knows all about it and can advise on it or equivalents. We needed a non-tethered one for our second rear-facing seat and so went for the Hauck Varioguard (18kg limit) which our daughter loves, really comfortable looking and very high so gives a good vantage point. The good thing about having the TWE already is that we know we can rear-face our youngest child til 6 or 7 years which is fab and meant we didn't have to choose a 25kg one (bit more expensive) given our age gap.

I think you mean Steve? Totally agree, he is brilliant. I did call him Dave the first time I met him though haha!

Bumping this for anyone else looking at upgrading to the next stage car seat.

Hi there, I've posted before recommending rear-facing and Margaret Bolt's excellent in-home car seat advice service. She is passionate and knowledgable about the safest car seats on the market and lots of friends have used her following my recommendation. Her number is 07752 253499 And here is the post I made a while back: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1288253,1288253#msg-1288253

It was on last Sunday.

Ha cross-posts! Agree the sensational butterflies exhibit is small but fab at NH, we grew our own at home (Live Butterfly Garden) which really complemented our trip.

Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green Various local waterplay parks (not typical of London but so fun in the summer for those ages, Brockwell is great and playground is fab too) Different central London parks eg Regents Park / Hampstead Heath Princess Diana playground / Serpentine Tate when you go to Southbank Children's theatre at Unicorn (London Bridge) That Emirates ride thing over the Thames A day getting red buses around the sights Kew Gardens Greenwich incl Maritime museum Museum of Docklands

I haven't been for a long time (12 years or more) so no recent or family-related recommendations, but Lucca is beautiful - easily accessible by bike as well as foot if I remember as correctly. Other local areas worth seeing are San Gimignano - gorgeous small town and if you get the chance then Siena is absolutely stunning - IMO it's like Florence but much much better, the Campo is gorgeous and the city has amazing churches and Renaissance art of course. Pisa itself is very touristy but there is lovely countryside close by. Have fun!

Loads of good ideas. The wormery idea sounds great and reminded me of the Live Butterfly Garden which I've done with E two years in a row - fun to have going on in the background. It's easy to do, not high octane stuff but my two loved it, especially this year: http://www.livebutterflygarden.co.uk Hope everything goes smoothly for his op, poor lad!

I have heard (on here) that the women/children's refuge on Barry Rd is desperate for buggies - might be worth contacting them as sure a family there would love a Phil and Ted's.

Also I highly recommend the Citymapper app for all bus users, it's priceless!

Love Myatts (any bus to Camberwell area), Blythe Hill (no water play, views, play, sand, 185 bus), Sydenham Wells (363, water play, play, lots of grass), Ladywell Fields (484 or 185, playgrounds, caf?s, jetties/streams, Hilly Fields (484??). Now also working out buses to Kelsey Park and Croydon Rd Rec as we live in Forest Hill. Crystal Palace is great and accessible by overground and step free at FH and CP. Variety is the spice of playground life!!

Oh good to know re Sydenham Wells as when we went about a week ago there were signs saying they weren't working and needed to be fixed. We went to Brockwell today (working) and also Croydon Rd Rec paddling pool (Beckenham) - great but probably 3+ to get real enjoyment whereas even our 1yo loved Brockwell.

I have a friend that did, when qualifying for breastfeeding contraceptive protection (as sillywoman outlines above). Baby was 5m, exclusively breastfed, no solids, feeding every 1.5hrs day and night, no periods. Needless to say she was shocked! The periods thing is quite difficult to gauge because you may well ovulate before your periods return, there are groups online dedicated to CTFE (catching the first egg)...

Fell pregnant (planned) while breastfeeding my toddler who was c.22 months at the time. Carried on breastfeeding til I was about 16 weeks pregnant (toddler 26 months) and it was a very gentle transition as my milk supply had diminished by then and we were both ready to wean. I did 'don't offer don't refuse' for literally a few days and my son stopped easily. I did cry a lot though, double duty breastfeeding cessation and pregnancy hormones!!

Ican are great, good idea Pugwash and Buggie, definitely might be worth a call/to provide advocacy. It's really bad, I totally agree but unfortunately the people at the coal face are not necessarily the ones to blame for this delay. Really hope you get sorted soon.

Nikki that sounds really frustrating for you and your little girl. Part of the problem is funding cuts and it is a crying shame as communication is the cornerstone for everything in life but sadly hasn't been ring fenced by this or previous governments, there is a shortage of SLTs and now a shortage of budget to pay for them. The trust's hands may be tied regarding sickness as they may not have the budget for long-term (or even ad-hoc) locums. I do think saying 'these people are unreliable' is unfair, SLTs, like many professionals in health, education, social care etc at the moment are struggling under increased workloads and swingeing cuts. But I fully agree that your daughter should be seen and would encourage you to call and complain again explaining your concern about her starting school and being able to communicate with those around her.

Also, NHS kids therapy, depending on the difficulty, may be given in groups of children or an indirect model (ie training to caregivers/teachers), which may or may not be more effective. This can be true of independent SLT as well but I think they are also more likely to offer direct therapy and one-to-one therapy sessions, again this comes down to cost.

Agree the difference is time... The NHS model is typically a 6 week or 6 session block with varying levels of intensity. A private therapist can be much more tailored and will probably allow/offer a longer time frame and more sessions. The therapists will be as good in either model and like anything there will be an element of oersonal preference and fit. In addition, some people mix private and NHS care - in this case the private clinician should offer to communicate with the NHS team to ensure good joint working practice. If you can afford it, in this time of austerity and prioritisation/waiting lists, go privately.

No downsides really!! The humming was just me trying to be balanced!! Re: saucepans ikea ones work and Le Creuset too so we were sorted, the ikea sets are really reasonable too. Seriously I am not normally one to go on about household appliances but there is nothing not to love about induction hobs! Yes our ovens are electric :)