I recently met Faisal Laljee, a local resident and the co-founder of kidsitter.co.uk who are positioning themselves as the "Uber" of babysitters. They provide local trusted and thoroughly vetted babysitters across the whole of London, having started off in Islington to great success. The beauty of the service is that they can now send you a babysitter in as little as 2 hours!

Founded by London Business School and Harvard alumni, KidSitter has a mission to connect parents with trusted and vetted babysitters. As such, KidSitter uses a thorough 5-step vetting process to ensure they work with only the very best babysitters, most of who are nannies, childminders, nurses and teachers. According to George Chan, the co-founder, “For every 10 babysitters who wish to work with us, only 1 will meet our criteria”. 
The idea for KidSitter was born when George, found himself disappointed with the lack of short-notice childcare options available for babysitting his 5-year old. “Parents can count on KidSitter to provide them with the peace of mind, that someone trustworthy and qualified is looking after their child while they enjoy a night out or run their errands”, adds George. After working together on the idea for over 6 months, the founders launched KidSitter in Islington last October and prompted by demand, have now increased their service to all of London. “We can send you a trusted babysitter in as little as 2 hours, across most of London, and our price is still only £12 per hour with no joining fees, booking fees or added extras”, said Faisal. 
Over 95% of parents who have used KidSitter have given a 5-star rating to their experience, with feedback such as:
“Reliable and wonderful service for families looking for someone trustworthy and competent to take care of their child.” 
“KidSitter provides an amazing service - they do everything they can to provide families with high quality babysitters”
All KidSitter babysitters have passed a comprehensive 5-step vetting process. They are all DBS checked, paediatric first-aid certified, reference checked and interviewed in-person. Bookings can be made securely online at http://KidSitter.co.uk in 3 easy steps. 

Kidsitters sounds like a great option for childcare. They will try to accommodate language and cultural preferences where possible, and as the business is still young and growing they are really focused on solving the childcare problem for us parents. I like that the business has been created out of the problem faced by a parent - they obviously understand the issues as well as what parents look for in a good babysitter.  

www.kidsitter.co.uk

London’s premier antenatal class provider Lulubaby are delighted to announce that from April 2016 their courses and classes will be available at the world-class central London-based private hospital, The Portland Hospital. These sound like exactly what I was looking for when I was pregnant, but could not find. 
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Lulubaby's classes are open to everyone, not just  those having their babies at The Portland. The classes at The Portland are perfect for women who work in the central London area and want to attend a class after work. They are also useful for local mums-to-be in the Marylebone,  St John’s Wood and Islington areas who will be able to meet new friends due at the same time for that much needed support during pregnancy and once their baby arrives. 
Lulubaby’s antenatal course consists of 6 evening classes run by many different healthcare professionals including a midwife, obstetrician, anaesthetist, paediatrician, GP, women’s health physiotherapist and lactation consultant.  Ladies receive up-to-date, evidence-based information which is balanced and unbiased. At least half of  Lulubaby’s classes focus on what happens after baby arrives – sleep, soothing and all the practicalities of managing birth and coping with a new-born. 
Partners are invited to most of the sessions and Lulubaby provide a detailed handbook for their clients to take home for reference.  They have a team of breastfeeding counsellors on hand to support once the baby has been born and they also provide paediatric first aid sessions and refresher classes for 2nd time mums.  They recently launched a maternity nurse and night nanny business, Lulunannies, to help provide their clients with top quality support at home once their baby has arrived.

The first Lulubaby at The Portland Hospital course is scheduled to start at the end of April 2016 for mums with babies due end May/ June. The cost is £525 per couple.  Lulubaby also recently launched their new service ‘Lulunannies’ - DBS checked maternity and night nannies on request.
visit www.lulubaby.co.uk for more info

In case you hadn't heard the exciting news - Take A Deep Breath pop-up cafe is coming to Marylebone! 

With afternoon tea for mums, and entertainment for children, the events sound great and tickets are selling fast. Go to www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk for more info and to buy your ticket. The events are running for the next 2 Wednesdays at Hardy's on Dover Street.

Its great to see a local mum being so enterprising - well done! So do come along to show your support and of course have some fun.

New Tata Isa French music session starting at marylebone library Wednesday 10th Sept at 10.30am

Tata Isla French Music classes arrive in Marylebone - Designed for preschoolers from 6 months old to expose them to the French language through music and song in a fun interactive way using puppetry and musical props. 

The classes will run on a regular basis from September and be drop in at Marylebone Library  . For further info anyone can contact at isebohn@gmail.com 

Tata Isla French Music classes arrive in Marylebone in September - Designed for preschoolers from 6 months old to expose them to the French language through music and song in a fun interactive way using puppetry and musical props. 

The classes will run on a regular basis from September and be drop in - first intro class on 3rd July free to all at 11.15am at Marylebone Library  . For further info anyone can contact atusebohn@gmail.com