crystal7

I would echo belle and lochie. I have worked part time since having my first nearly 7 years ago and I find it harder than ever now (my youngest will start rec in sept) I felt very guilty leaving them as babies but they didn't have homework, school trips, forms to be handed in, after school clubs, Xmas concerts, play dates, parent workshops- the list is endless! It's a constant juggling act and schools aren't always great about giving parents notice about the next cake sale or parents evening. Obviously only you can decide whether to be a SAHP. Perhaps looks into part time work you can do from home in the interim or training opportunities. Good luck!

Coming to this a bit late but my child was at Heber until a few weeks ago (we have left ED) and your post surprised me. I think one of Heber's strengths is their communication with parents. I think there's a parents evening after half term but I always felt able to catch the teacher after school for a chat if I had any concerns.

It's about 2.5 hours, with an interval. My nearly 3 year old sat through it, popcorn helped! We were there yesterday and it was fab, Cuban gymnasts were amazing! Much to my amusement my husband was picked to go on stage! Not sure if he'll be willing to go next year...

What a lovely idea, lucky Not so sillygirl! Some great suggestions here. I also read (and re read!) Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea in my first year at uni.

After years of procrastination the crystal7 family are leaving lovely East Dulwich (sob) due to lack of space. I would love to make contact with any ex locals living there or planning a move to Hertfordshire. Any tips on relocating with children and how to settle into an area would be very welcome too! Whether or not I will be able to give up my EDF habit remains to be seen...

I used to breast feed my daughter on my childminder's sofa straight after work sometimes then again at bedtime.

bluesuperted Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Pippa21 totally agree with you. Will be boycotting > all homework (and letting the teacher know) when > the time comes. A love of reading and family time > will be my priorities for the time I get at home > with my son. My husband is a primary school > teacher and in full agreement with this plan, find > it very telling that so many teachers feel > homework is not necessary for such young ages. > Sincerely hope there is no homework when my just > 4yo starts reception tomorrow! Well said Bluesuperted!

My son hardly drank any milk from about 8 months. He ate really well including cream cheese, milk on cereal and yoghurts. He still had2 breast feeds per day but wasn't interested in milk. He was/is fine! At nearly 3 he quite likes the odd drink of milk now but it's not part of his every day routine. My daughter didn't drink much milk either but I breast fed her at night for ages. I'm sure she'll be fine!

Every day seems excessive! How are working parents supposed to cope? It's tricky to ask childminders etc to supervise home work which means for many children doing it before 7.30am or past 6pm is the only option. My daughter's school sets weekly homework. As a primary teacher I find daily homework baffling, added pressure for the kids and extra making for the teacher/TA!

Much prefer Biff and Dorothy both for fit and range of shoes available. My daughter's feet were measured in accurately at J Barnett a few months ago.

I've heard that if baby is conceived during ovulation (so on days 14-16 or whatever) it's more likely to be a boy. Something to do with female sperm being more likely to hang around until ovulation occurs !? No idea if this is an old wives tale or not. Last year's Heber reception intake was 40 boys and 20 girls. I think I generally know more boys in the area too...

My husband repaired ours with a repair kit from bugaboo, it was easy apparently.

I'm very happy with Forest Hill Road Group Practice, bit more of a walk though.

Running out of holiday activities, help!

My son is 3 in October and I can't see him ever being out of nappies! He had no interest in using the potty or toilet and will just poo and wee in pants and not even tell us. He won't even talk about it most of the time! I suspect he is ready physically but just doesn't want to, why would he when nappies are so convenient?! My daughter was potty trained at just over 2 without any fuss, she really enjoyed wearing pants and being a big girl! I'm going to try again in a few months. As others have said I would go back to nappies for a while, no point getting stressed. And nursery cannot refuse to change him! Good luck!

Does anyone know if the playground will be open on Friday? Or next week? We went this afternoon and it was closed, kids very disappointed! Thanks

Coram's Fields is great but probably a 20 min walk from Euston. Granary Square is supposed to be fantastic for little ones, there's also a nature reserve just next to Kings Cross which I've been meaning to visit. It's called Camley Street Natural Park.

I found my daughter could be a bit of a horror at this age, 3 is worse than 2 in my opinion! As previous posters have said, give yourself a break, life with a baby and toddler is relentlessly hard work. Absolutely don't mean is to sound patronising (and I forget to do it myself) but make sure you praise your daughter as much as you can. Every time she does something kind, grown up, helpful etc. it's sometimes hard to spit good behaviour but I find both of my children's behaviour improves with a positive approach. We used to give my daughter a marble in a jar for good behaviour, when the jar was full she could have a treat. My daughter used to say she didn't like me, wasn't my friend anymore, (she still does although now daddy tends to get those delightful comments). I just say well I love you but you need to to x,y or z. If you feel yourself losing your patience just implement timeout if she'll stay there. Otherwise remove her from wherever you are. Timeout is for parents more than kids! Like Yak I try to say sorry when I've snapped/been grumpy/shouted, I helps sometimes. Try and pick your battles. Would mealtimes be easier if you served picky things that you know she will eat? I used to let my daughter watch TV while she ate dinner on nursery nights but I know that's not for everyone. Like Belle it's only since having my second child who is approaching 3 that I realise how young it is. My eldest always seemed really grown up because of the baby but really I think her level of understanding was nothing like I thought. Good luck!

I'm a teacher and struggled to find term term only Childcare. The nurseries I found that offered this were only open school hours. As mentioned there are some childminders who are happy to have the school holidays off, I'd recommend putting a post in the family room classifieds of you haven't already. In the end I found a fantastic childminder who charges half pay in the holidays and it means I have the option of Childcare too. Teaching and parenthood are quite relentless and it's nice to be able to have the odd day off from both in the school hols.

Sounds like you're making progress! My 5 year old is still wearing pull ups at night in spite of being potty trained just after she turned 2. We haven't tried lifting yet, I was hoping it would resolve itself. She's had a few dry nights and often the pull up isn't very wet. Interesting about the impact of the amount of fluid they drink has. My daughter doesn't drink very much and isn't often thirsty. I've only really noticed as my younger child has grown up, he drinks so much more. Reading this thread I feel a bit less alone, as a previous poster said, no one really talks about school children still wearing nappies...

We just went straight to a single bed when my eldest was 3. As Vez says, handy for when you need to get in with them and it will hopefully last until they leave home!? We used a bed guard at first.

Ooh thanks for that Pickle, love Discover!

We used to say the prime minister's cat, great game to improve vocabulary!

Pugwash we used to play that game in the car as kids! I'd forgotten all about it. Kept us amused on long car journeys across France in the summer hols. Will introduce it to my kids when they're older.

I (or my daughter) has a bright pink and orange one. She's a small 5 year old and it's quite short on her though. You're welcome to pop over and borrow it tonight, we're in East Dulwich.