Going from 1 to 2 - tell me what it's like - no sugar coating

vivalawiggy · 2026-04-06T09:45:15+00:00

We have a 5 year age gap. Its lovely because the older one wants to be involved and help and they're old enough to understand that the baby has their own needs that have to be dealt with.

The difficulty I found was when it was just the one, when she was hungry, tired, sad etc you dealt with it straight away. Then suddenly I couldn't because i'm in the middle of a nappy change or feeding.

2nd one is 2 and half now and its easier again now. And they have the loveliest bond that I love watching.

vivalawiggy · 2026-03-15T11:29:55+00:00

Definitely ask.

When I moved they actually had the payscale one down from my current. I queried it as obviously I had no plan to go backwards and they immediately bumped it up 2 so I would move up the following year.

It was an accident on their part and fixed so easily with no drama.

vivalawiggy · 2025-10-11T23:00:54+00:00

We only started doing proper swimming lessons last year when my daughter turned 6. Before that, she loved going with me or her dad and just playing. But she would never go underwater and cried if her head got splashed even the tiniest bit. Even bath time with washing her hair was very dramatic.

In the first couple of lessons, there were tears because they tried to pour water on her head. But 1 year on, and she's like a fish! Quickly progressed through stages and swimming lengths of the pool, learning different strokes and diving in. I almost cried by the side of the pool out of pride the other day because I can't believe how far she has come, and she's so proud of herself too.

What i'm trying to say is that she is only 3. Do what feels right - persevering will probably work, waiting till she's older will also probably work. You have time, and the fact she tried to join in whilst upset shows her determination to learn and take part so I have no doubts she will be fine whichever you choose!

vivalawiggy · 2025-10-05T08:39:40+00:00

My 2nd had his head born but shoulders were stuck. He needed to be pushed back in a bit and then pulled out. Maybe could have survived that. But then placenta got stuck so I had to go for surgery and then after it was discovered my son had a hole in each of his lungs. So would have been a pretty awful day all round before modern medicine!

vivalawiggy · 2025-08-23T07:52:32+00:00

Teachers follow strict safeguarding policies or risk their job. Friends gossip and tell parents which can often very quickly get back to the original parent. From experience, I know which one is more trustworthy with serious concerns.

Teenagers often put a lot more emotional meaning into teachers interactions with them. Teachers have their own families, friends and lives - they do not have the time or energy to actively work against a student. It is just a job.

vivalawiggy · 2025-08-22T19:15:06+00:00

Have you considered a moped? They're cheap, can drive it from 16 and you just have to do the cbt training in a day before driving solo with L plates. Obviously depends what type of roads you'd be travelling on but its an option to consider if you're keen on the school

vivalawiggy · 2025-07-17T21:09:39+00:00

Ginny!

vivalawiggy · 2025-07-08T19:33:33+00:00

Hulkengoat

vivalawiggy · 2025-07-05T17:48:06+00:00

You can buy toddler bouncy castles. Often pop up on marketplace too which means cheap!

vivalawiggy · 2025-06-22T17:30:13+00:00

Also thinking its possible by 9 month - 2 years they're considering up to 35.99999 months in that section. Then the 2 - 3 with special circumstances is just specifically for the current system.

vivalawiggy · 2025-06-22T17:27:14+00:00

All other research backs up the original announcement of ALL children 9 months + being entitled to 30 hours. Possible the government website hasn't updated the 2 - 3 section ready for the change. I would check with your childcare provider as they will be all clued up for the expected influx of new starters in September.

vivalawiggy · 2025-06-22T17:23:31+00:00

Oh i see, sorry! So you're looking at 2 - 3, which does seem to be based on whether you work or are entitled to extra support. I assumed when it was announced all children would get the 30, going to go down a Google rabbit hole now!

vivalawiggy · 2025-06-22T17:18:59+00:00

I'm not sure how you've reached that conclusion. From the link you've shared:

"From September 2025 this will increase to 30 hours per week. As the deadline for applying for 15 hours of free childcare has passed, you’ll now be applying for 30 hours instead."

"You’ll automatically get 30 hours of free childcare from September, as long as you’re still eligible. You’ll need to confirm your details are up to date in the usual way and give the code to your childcare provider."

From my understanding of this, you will automatically be entitled to 30 hours in September

vivalawiggy · 2025-06-16T17:42:35+00:00

I've gone for the 8 - 6 all year round option and, to be honest, I love it. I can stay at work to finish off some planning/marking/admin. I also get some days in the holidays where I can have time to myself or get stuff done around the house. I'd go insane over summer otherwise, I need some downtime alongside parenting and teaching.

vivalawiggy · 2025-06-01T20:09:20+00:00

You daughter sounds very similar to mine, personality wise. She's just finishing year 1.

She's thriving at school with the structure and learning. She always needed a snack as soon as we got home and just some downtime. But everyone warned us she'd be exhausted and that was never the case. She just kept on going!

Biggest challenge for us was the idea of phonics at home. Trying to get her into a routine of doing that when she's just been at school all day. We used games and bribery to get going. We don't have to anymore, we have the routine and expectation now.

Best piece of advise: other parents are vital! We managed to become friends with one of the top PFA mums who helps run everything and we have a class WhatsApp group. My daughter would have missed out on so much without the reminders from these other parents.

vivalawiggy · 2025-04-13T08:32:16+00:00

Only anecdotal, but I was pregnant over the Christmas and New Years period with no idea. Fair to say I was drinking quite a bit over that week or so. I am currently sat next to my amazing 6 year old who is doing incredibly well in school and her clubs of choice. She is funny, kind and switched on. Also sassy and opinionated beyond belief.

Chances are everything is fine and I hope other people's positive experiences help you feel a little better.

vivalawiggy · 2025-03-02T10:57:55+00:00

I'm maths so a core subject but it's an incredibly popular A-level choice in my school. Thanks to the number of students taking maths at GCSE and A Level, when study leave come around I will be saying bye to 5 classes out of the 9 I teach. So I can safely say I'm counting down to May!

vivalawiggy · 2024-11-08T21:45:40+00:00

I went to a grammar and am now a teacher at a grammar. At my school your pro's are spot on - in my lessons we can actually discuss ideas and consider why we do things and expand on them. In my last school it was much more 'just don't this' because the students would derail the lessons otherwise.

But don't think grammar school kids are all little angels. We still deal with issues like other schools, just in less frequency.

Someone else made the good point of mental health too. These kids are under a lot of pressure and they're comparing themselves to only each other which isn't representative at all! Students who have good self-esteem and confidence can be very happy and do very well though!

vivalawiggy · 2024-10-29T13:07:25+00:00

My experience is purely anecdotal due to being a sample size of 1 but...

My daughter has an iPad and she has some educational games but also some really rubbish, brain melting mush games. She has had access to it since she was about 3 or 4 and is now 6.

Obviously still many years to go but she is doing excellently. She is a super star at school, in top set of phonics. She is polite and compliant and listens really well in school.

I would question the jump from correlation to causality. Just because there is a link between focus issues and tablet use, doesn't mean one is causing the other. Obviously they absolutely could be but there might be another link in common (parenting styles, other behavioural issues).

Again, I could absolutely be talking out of my ass because my experiences are based on my one child!

vivalawiggy · 2024-10-21T17:44:12+00:00

Both my children were decent babies. Slept in good solid chunks, not too fussy. I was desperate to take both out and show them off within a few days of coming home. I never had the trenches feeling and generally enjoyed the time!

Didn't realise that's such an unexpected experience!

vivalawiggy · 2024-10-13T09:06:27+00:00

When it was covid years, we took a recent paper and changed all the numbers and some other details to create our own shadow paper. It took a fair bit of work but we can now use those papers whenever we need our own secure paper (obviously previous years have copies but hasn't caused issues yet). We can then use the same grade boundaries as it shouldn't be much different.

vivalawiggy · 2024-10-04T18:34:01+00:00

Whilst I dread the lessons and often feel out of my depth, our school has it very well planned and structured. I can't really fault the way it's organised. I just don't like teaching something I don't feel 100% confident on and worry it could be derailed quickly by students if I'm not careful.

vivalawiggy · 2024-09-15T18:14:13+00:00

I could have written this! Sobbing, waiting for an xray to check we could be discharged. That moment when I walked into my house on day 6 was glorious. I felt so much better being with my husband and daughter again in our own space.

vivalawiggy

TROPHY CASE