The Nappy Lady

Other option - sit on floor legs spread & get them to lie with their head in your crotch/lap looking up at you. They then naturally open their mouth & you can brush away. Persevere. It gets easier you just have to be determined & gentle yet firm about it being done, twice a day no matter what. Xx

Google 'Bishop' Jonathan Blake - lovely humanist minister.

Be warned girls he gets booked up at this time of year - we missed out on getting photos for family last Christmas because he didn't have any slots left. :-((

Snowboarder call Wendy at The Nappy Lady & have a chat. I'd agree Velcro too easy for toddlers to remove. Are you confident the switch now will work with new life, Childcare etc? You know I'm 100% pro cloth but equally I know you have a lot going on right now. Xxx

Aw I love this. It is so very true, and ironic that the moments we most need to capture for posterity (i.e. the early years which they will not remember), are the times when we feel we are looking the worst, and have so little time to spend on our appearance. Life is cruel!! Hubby is the photographer in our household, so he is the one who rarely gets to feature in photos (and is well trained to only take photos of me when he knows I will be at least semi happy with the result - bless him, after 17 years he knows me well LOL). Having said that, some of the photos he has taken without me knowing are the most precious. We do invest in a family photo session at least once every couple of years so that we have some shots of all of us together, plus it means we have a present for all the Grandparents come Christmas so it's a win-win situation!!! We actually had a session with the lovely Lorenzo only a couple of weeks ago and it was great fun. We are all excited to see the photos, hopefully later today! There is one really interesting thing about this generation of children - many of them are growing up with memories which have been 're-implanted' as a result of watching video footage of their baby and toddlerhood. My youngest at almost 4 can already recount her own birth story from having seen the (very brief and not at all gory) DVD we have of it, and both girls love to sit with us and laugh over films of themselves from years gone by, and sometimes I'm amazed by how much I have forgotten too until we watch a film again. It helps that my hubby has professional editing skills, but even without that, I think both video and film are such lovely ways to share family history and memories.

Sorry thought it was a well known term Sillywoman. Xxx

Just asked in my local pharmacy - it's not currently for sale, but is being 'reconfigured' & will be back On the shelf from mid October. It will not be a POM. Molly

This is fabulously funny, for those who haven't yet seen it.... The early lines "we used to be cool" as they are jogging down the pavement seem to resonate with me....sob..... Enjoy. x

I feel your pain - though I'm through it for now til my youngest goes into reception next year - at Ivydale the children do mostly get their own coats etc, but it is still done after parents arrive - I always thought the same as you - why not get them to fetch coats etc 5 mins before the bell goes? Maybe we just need to suggest this to our respective heads? It gets better - since Year 2 in my case you just drop off & pick up in the playground....bliss...except when you have to do a body check & send them back inside for the coat/lunch bag/homework book/instrument/myriad other things they are prone to forget!!!!! Xxx

Hi Polmoche, I've only seen Harris Girls (which I loved) & Kingsdale (also good but not quite as keen) so far. Seeing others over the next two weeks. Edited to say, nothing 'bad' about Kingsdale, I just didn't feel such a good connection with the staff. A lot of it is gut instinct I think. I'm in Nunhead so think we have a bit more chance with Haberdashers than those in ED, should we like it. We shall see!

Ah thank you. I didn't think it could be true but wanted to check! Two schools down & like them both, at this rate it will be hard to work out the order when the time comes! That is NOT a complaint. ;-)

Also, ask if you can have lunch there one day. At Ivydale you can pay about ?2 to the office before 9.30am and then pop in at lunchtime to eat with you child. It's a really interesting experience and helps you to see both sides of the story. It is pretty hectic and I was surprised how quickly I was in, fed & out, but then agsin there are masses of children to be fed so they do need to keep things moving. I think most schools offer parents this option.

Someone mentioned that if you like Haberdasher Askes, unless you put it first on your list you don't have a hope of getting in. Is this true? I assumed that as with primary allocations the ranking was not seen by the schools. Or, is it purely a popularity thing & how you get allocated your school according to preference too. Can you shed any light Renata, or anyone else?

Here too when needed. Same ingredients & different rules between number 1 & number 2 so we used common sense when necessary with careful dosage. Also if you have a friendly chemist try asking them if they can make something up for you. Muz in Krystal pharmacy did ths for me when C had a streaming cold & there was nothing to dry it up available off the shelf. Re Medised, last time I tried to buy it, it wasn't on the shelves - temporarily withdrawn from sale - is it back now?

Was going to suggest same re maybe toddler would watch cbeebies while you nap? Just make room child proof & gated if need be. Also we found we could make ours have an afternoon nap if we pay down with them. If need be tell a story "from your mouth" & be firm about "we are all taking a nap now". Even with a 8"7 year old we manage this sometimes & certainly with a 3-4 year old. They sometimes wriggle & fight it but if cosy with you in a dark room they usually give in - our mine do anyway....maybe try to have really busy mornings with physical activity if you can manage it to wear the toddler out - hard at this stage I know...but soft play, toddler gym, park etc?? Good luck...hang in there xxx

Hi Yes re siblings at Harris boys & girls ED as it was mentioned last night. I would check each other school individually - they have admission criteria on their websites usually. Distances - you woukd need to ask each school. Generally the more popular they are the shorter the distance, but of course the size of the school / intake will also play a part.

Thanks Renata, you explained this much better than I could! This is why it is worth looking at schools before year 6 - so you know the admissions criteria for the schools you prefer & can work towards them if need be. I also feel like I will stop worrying about it all so much if I actually go & see what is out there.

Hi all Just to say I went to the open evening last night (eldest is only yr 4 so we have 3 more years at primary but I was curious so thought why not). I was really impressed - the staff are all so enthusiastic & seem very settled - all I spoke to had been there 5 years plus - and the facilities are amazing. The students I spoke to were equally enthusiastic, eager to show off their work & a real credit to the school. All that plus of course the recent outstanding (in all areas) Ofsted - I'm not surprised about that now I've seen the school for myself. Do go and take a look if you have girls who are approaching secondary school, I think we are really lucky to have a school like this on our doorstep.

Re having school dinners - I made mine have them for almost 2 years but she was often coming home in meltdown from low blood sugar levels as often not eating much more than a slice of cucumber and a yoghurt. Teachers who observed lunch were concerned too so we tried pack lunches & she was a different child. Now she's year 4 we average 3 school lunches & 2 packed lunches a week (looking at the menus together) & it seems to be working. I thought I'd be able to make her have school dinners if I stuck it out but in the end it just wasn't right for her at that time.

Living Social have a deal right now ?19 for a full body massage (various types to choose from, male & female masseurs) at Hamlets Health Club - by Sainsburys DKH. Usual price ?60 so seems a good deal. I have bought a voucher but not used it yet so can't provide more info I'm afraid.

I had my first at home with them, about 8 years ago! No issues, and I know that Dawn (who delivered my first, at dawn!) was still working there 2 or 3 years ago - lovely lady. Good luck!

Hmmm, have to say I send peanut butter sandwiches sometimes & have never been told not to. The children I know with nut allergies seem very aware of it by school age & in any case children are watched whilst eating their lunches. I put a mini cool pack in with my daughters yoghurt & smoothie pouch drink & she has a sliced up kiwi in a pot every day - loves them!

Thanks all. Managed to sort it. Phew.

Hi all My Mum leaves tomorrow & journey planner refuses to offer the same route back to Victoria Coach Station that she used coming here. Can anyone advise if the C10 from Elephant to VCS will work for her? All other buses seem to leave her with an 8 minute walk to the coach station which isn't ideal for an 84 year old! Thanks in advance.

Snowboarder, in Porta Pollenca I'd recommend La Llonga restaurant which is just before the yacht club. If you've got a car book Es Guix in the mountains - restaurant with fabulous mountain pool - spring water - cold/refreshing! Book & ask about suckling pig in advance - Sundays or Mondays only I think. Well worth the drive up thru the mountains. We went round the island on the boat this year so tried lots if new restaurants in various ports, they were all great! Oh, Stay restaurant on the front in PP also amazing food & service, if facing the sea it's to the right of the yacht club/harbour about 5-10 minutes walk. Xx