KVT

I have set up a Facebook group. You can find it here https://m.facebook.com/groups/421811958308534?ref=bookmarks Or search for East Dulwich Winter Babies Group 2018/19

Hi all. I am due with my third (!) at the start of Feb. I have found these groups fantastic in the past and would love to meet others who will be on mat leave at the same time. From past experience I would suggest a closed Facebook group rather than a WhatsApp group due to the sheer number of posts on many different topics! Happy to set one up if others agree.

First of all, congratulations! It's tempting to buy loads of stuff, but actually, you don't need much for a baby in the first few weeks. You need somewhere for baby to sleep ( I used a Moses basket but the next-to-bed cribs are supposed to be excellent), a car seat, a sling, some vests and babygrows (at minimum 6 of each unless you want to be washing every single day!) nappies, a nappy bin, couple of cellular blankets, muslins, cotton wool for cleaning baby. Napisan or similar for soaking clothes after a leak. For you, get some massive comfy pants, and the biggest thickest sanitary pads you can find (surfboards as they are affectionately known), lansinoh nipple balm, some meals in the freezer as others have suggested. The rest you can buy as and when you need it Actually, one of the best things anyone ever bought me was a subscription to Amazon Prime, then when you realise in the middle of the night that you are nearly out of nappies/wipes/washing powder, or you decide you absolutely need to try a bottle/dummy/whatever you can order it for free next day delivery without having to leave the house!

Fernando has been helping us with our garden for about a year now. He is a pleasure to have around, very reliable, works hard and does a good job. He mentioned today that he has some availability coming up, if anyone is looking to get their garden tidied before winter. His Phone number is 07946757938.

I can also recommend Fernando, he has been round a few times in the last month or so and our garden is looking much, much better. He does things properly and always leaves everything tidy. Fernando works hard, and is a pleasure to have around. I have no hesitation in recommending him to others.

The FB page is a great idea Brissie, we had one when I had my first baby and it worked well (although we got a lot of spam from non-parents who joined). Thanks for offering to set up,will pm you. I can't make 26th but hope to meet you all another time.

Hi all I am due mid January with my second baby, the same week as my daughter's second birthday! I met some lovely mums through the forum last time and looking forward to doing the same this time around.

I liked Therapy on Melbourne Grove because they have the massage tables with a hole for your bump so you can lie on your front rather than your side ( which i remember being amazing towards the end after not being able to lie on my front for many months!)

We have got a smaller tree this year and put it on a table to keep it out of reach of a 10 month old terror!

A belated thank you to Laura and her colleague who did a great job of cleaning our filthy decking last month. They were friendly,thorough and efficient and got on with the job with no fuss. It has made a big difference to our garden and I will definitely be getting Laura and team to come and do a general garden tidy at some point. Many thanks.

Motorbike stolen on Fellbrigg Road at 5am ish on Saturday morning. Be vigilant everyone!

I bought a sewing machine last year and it is one of the best purchases I have ever made! I was pretty terrible at textiles at school and was forever getting the machine in a tangle but I think the machines these days are much more user friendly and hard to break. I spent ?120 on mine (John Lewis own brand) and it does everything I need it to do and more. I have made curtains and cushions and even some clothes for my baby. You can get a basic one for sub ?100, but it seemed to me that if you can stretch to ?120/130, you get a lot more machine for the extra ?20. You might be able to get a bargain in the summer sales maybe? Good makes are Jenome ( who also make theJL own brand I think) , Singer and Brother. The woman in John Lewis Oxford Street was extremely knowledgeable and helpful when I was looking for mine. They normally come with everything you need to sew basic things. You might want to buy some extra bobbins, and a zipper foot if you are going to do any dress making. Hope this helps!

There is another meet up planned for tomorrow (13th) at 2pm at Great Exhibition. See you there!