to think this nursery is the very embodiment of gentrification in London?

[roundaboutsroundabouts]

I won't name the group of nurseries as I don't know if that's allowed (is it?) but I've just seen them referenced on instagram by a scandi toy brand. They are all in vair gentrified hipster parts of London and the fees are fcking EXTORTIONATE - £90 a day for the under-threes. I know that isn't unusual in London (although in my much cheaper part of London I only pay £55 a day). It holds a "curated" "programme" of monthly "events" (including pilates). The children get a daily smoothie - tomorrow's is beetroot, banana, ginger, berry, lemon and hemp. It describes itself as "design-led" and it's all vair tasteful scandi wooden toys in neutral colours. Design led?! Why does a NURSERY need to be "design-led"?!

You just know that everyone who sends their child there is going to have an ombre "lob", wear clothes from Arket, carry a fjallraven kanken backpack, own a bugaboo or a babyzen yoyo, dress said children in varying sludge colours from Mini Rodini, and have linen bedding in their Victorian Terraced house with white painted floorboards and scandi style planters.

I am BVU I know. But it is so irritating. I grew up in London, the child of an immigrant, and I feel like it's just an endless line of artisan coffee shops and overpriced farmers' markets these days.

I think you enjoy the benefit of a nice life you can’t begrudge other incomers for getting in on it - it just means you’ve been there longer that’s all, you’re still part of the more affluent side

Apples are incredibly good for you. But they are cheap and easily available, so have no cache.

I’m defo less angry since coming off Instagram. It was actually making me hate people. I used to follow a lot of the nature-parent type things mainly for ideas about doing nature/messy play type things with DD. But you end up looking at really pretentious stuff and in my head I say “oh fuck off”
It’s cos it’s “in yer face” and people are competing as to how worthy/eco/right on/etc they are and it’s 100% about what you say and how you appear. Stealth boasts and carefully set up photos of DC playing with wooden toys eating vegan food whilst wearing an itchy looking pure wool jumper do wind me up. Whereas in real life you wouldn’t notice

Jenny I’m sure. Cute to hear though if they can do ma four ways

I feel weird about my place in the class system too, roundabouts.

One of the things I love about living abroad is the fact that there isn't a class sysem. Since I've lived abroad not one person has asked me 'What does your dad do for a living?' or, 'What uni did you go to?'.

I think you enjoy the benefit of a nice life you can’t begrudge other incomers for getting in on it - it just means you’ve been there longer that’s all, you’re still part of the more affluent side

Of course, but it doesn't mean I can't be angry about the divide between rich and poor.

Most of us who think we are set are only a few paychecks away from being poor.

Where in Stoke Newington or Brixton is the forest they take them to for 2 or 3 hours every day for Forest School? .

I live near Brixton, and I am really sure there is not a forest on Tulse Hill.

I don’t think anyone has ever asked me what my father did for a living! I’m 45

Meh. As long as there are options for other parents who perhaps can't afford/can afford but don't see point in it then I can't see a reason to complain.

My God, I love Scotland.

I’m not even in London and I can’t picture the exact woman you’re speaking of. Why do people pretend they don’t know what someone’s talking about?

I would raise an eyebrow at the mash-up that is a "curriculum that blends influences from Rudolf Steiner, Reggio Emilia and Maria Montessori"

In fairness it says

Our curriculum takes influences from a variety of different pedagogies including Reggio Emilia and Maria Montessori, but doesn’t constrict our practice into fitting one approach to suit all children

I think it sounds a lovely environment for children tbh. The menu is quite silly but if you break it down to it being - porridge for breakfast, hummus and breadsticks for morning snack, soup for lunch, an apple for the afternoon snack and a veg. curry for dinner it sounds very 'normal' and the type of food you'd serve at home.

Going outside every day is great too. There is an awful lot of positive things about this place depending on how many children they take in at one time.

The fees are so high though. God forbid anyone who might have twins!

The £90 per day is before the early years subsidy is deducted, isn't it?

WTF is a period property premium, @

@FenellaMaxwell the extra amount of money you pay per square foot for a Victorian/Edwardian property as opposed to a similar-sized but more modern one. No need to be rude.

If private schools ceased to exist, then we would have even more pressure on an already creaking system !

If private schools ceased to exist, then the ruling elite would have an incentive to fund education properly.

Sure of course I didn’t say otherwise

It sounds like you’ve been there a while, so you were still apart then? Just fewer people in the same group as you. I could understand more if you felt you were one of the ones doing badly from it

If private schools ceased to exist, then the ruling elite would have an incentive to fund education properly.

This x10000

The elite would find another way to divide I’m sure if private schools went kaput

I'm not really understanding your point marsha

Are you saying because I am financially comfortable I am not allowed a negative opinion on gentrification?

I didn't get most of the references to labels etc as I'm not in London but I know what the OP means. It's amazing to me what people will pay for.
I like wooden toys so I buy them from charity shops. I like kids being outside so I take them to the woods, I don't pay for forest school. I like fruit so my kids eat apples, satsumas, plums and bananas. Most berries etc I find extortionate prices. I couldn't care less what label their clothes are but I do like bright stuff as I hate the stereotypical pink for girls and beige for boys. H&M is usually quite good for this.

No not really just musing on what post about when they feel angry at something like inequality

I do feel angry about inequality yes. Am I not allowed to?

Sure but laughing at people of a certain type is what you go for, I do think you want to be above them

Anyway I don’t mean it too unkindly people get sneery I guess

I understand the anger about private schools and expensive nurseries in terms of cost and social division.

I don't understand the anger about wooden toys, smoothies and Mandarin. My DC's nurseries were nothing like that, and those brand names mean nothing to me, but I can't get worked up about it

I don't understand the anger about wooden toys, smoothies and Mandarin

Because those things generally speak to a certain demographic of parent. The nursery is appealing to that certain demographic.

I don't object to a strawberry and banana smoothie or whatever. I do object to one with matcha or hemp or chia in it, partly because fashionable health foods make my teeth itch and partly because those things simply are not affordable to so many.

It just gives me an icky feeling.

I didn't say anything about Mandarin BTW.