Graduated Elderberries. Thread 9

[Cavort]

The over 30's expecting or just had their first baby.

What new crib liner have you got mother, did I miss that? Sophia sleeps in her sleepyhead pillow (well she's meant to!) but I don't think she'll be in that too long as she's so long. So she'll be on a mattress next in her cosleeper and I was thinking of lining it with a sheepskin fleece under the mattress as well.

Mother having a read of this might be useful, although I would take most of the advice of the baby sleep 'experts' with a pinch of salt as babies are all so different.

Yes Hazle she sits well now and her balance is generally good, but she does topple over sometimes so we still put cushions behind her for peace of mind if someone isn't sitting with her. An she hasn't figured out to put her arms out if she falls forward yet so we've had a few face planting incidents. It's probably been about 8 weeks since she could first sit unaided for a brief spell, but it has taken her this long to build the strength and balance to sit for longer periods.

Alex I got a lambswool lined mini throw in the sales and used that in his crib, its handy that its bigger as I can roll the edges up to replace the towels I was using to make it feel snug and not too big. He seems to like it.

cav thats really interesting! H will stay awake for hours just in his bouncy chair or chatting away to himself, I'll try an make sure he naps longer. I've got him in the carrier at the moment because that puts him to sleep without fail.

Harvey sleeps in this alex

www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Swinging-Crib---Natural/477109,default,pd.html

It's big though so I have to have padding at the sides to stop him feeling tiny and to stop draughts.

Well that didnt work, lets try again. He sleeps in this alex.

was just looking at some photos from this summer. I know it's a terrible cliche, but they grow so fast, don't they? It's almost impossible to believe that this little boy laughing and squealing when standing in his jumperoo was just this little shrimp only a few months ago.

Go on, first wave of Berries, check your newborn photos. Amazing, right?

It is amazing Hazle, it's the amount of stuff they've learned to do that astonishes me. Every few days they seem to master some new skill!

Hazel funny you should say that, I'm sat here with H asleep on me, I was just looking at him panicking a bit that he already looks like a little boy not a baby. Think its because he is laying leaning on his arm like a little lad.

My little shrimp still loves nothing better than curling up with frogs legs at 3 weeks but already I've noticed some changes - her eyes are more open and focus better, and she's becoming nosey like her mum inquisitive and looks around lots when she's awake

It's been so good having my mum's help over Christmas - she literally falls over herself to change a nappy or wind Sophia! Am a bit confused though about the whole sleeping through thing - another older relative says babies "should be" sleeping through from a couple of months in. This just doesn't seem to be the case with babies I know?!

I think your relative is talking bollocks Alex!
I am also already noticing changes - just small things but like how much head control she has and how she's learned to control her own latch. She's also putting on a bit of chub and looking less puny and new. We did first bath today - in with me - and she seemed to like it!
I have been wondering about when we need to start constructing something more intentionally like a routine over here. Basically I have just been entirely following her cues - feeding on demand and letting her sleep wherever she is, which most of the day is on me or DP and at night is mostly in her cot (we are lucky I think - generally she is reasonably easy to settle in the cosleeper, sometimes she needs my hand on her tummy for reassurance but often she'll go 3hrs on her own in there). She is a pretty easy baby at the moment I think - she sleeps most of the time (I reckon that apart from feeding, she's awake and alert maybe 30-45 mins every 3hrs?), barely ever cries and needs no help going to sleep or staying asleep mostly. I am aware that all of this could change overnight so not co

...counting my chickens!
But anyway, my thought was (vaguely) when do I need to start making some structure in our day? Currently there's not a bath/bed routine for example, she just goes into her cosleeper after her late feed when we go to bed at 11ish/midnight, and in the day time just hangs around with us being asleep or awake as she sees fit! What did you lot do?

When you say she barely ever cries quod, how much are we talking? A short cry a day? More/less? I'm - Sophia is quite good I like to think but there are always a few tears each day!

Basically at the moment she cries when she wakes up and is hungry, and she cries sometimes when you take her nappy off and she gets cold legs and sometimes when she wakes up and finds herself alone in a cot rather than being snuggled, but in each case she stops crying as soon as she gets what she wants. Saying that we've had an exception on a couple of evenings where she's been a little bit grizzly and wanted boob, fed for 5 mins, fallen asleep, woken up and cried and repeat, but mainly she's very easy to satisfy and I am thanking my lucky stars for every day she is like this, believe me!!

Alex take no notice whatsoever of well-meaning older women who like to tell you that their babies slept 15 consecutive hours at night, were eating full roast dinners at 6 weeks, etc. Time just makes you forget how difficult having a baby actually is, which is a good thing otherwise nobody would ever have another one, but by the time the time your kids are adults I think your memory of them as babies is so rose-tinted it is practically warped. And the older generation think cooled boiled water will solve absolutely anything! Someone told me when I was pregnant that the only women you should take baby advice from are ones who have had a baby of their own in the last 18 months and I personally think that is sound advice.
Quod our routine here has just evolved on its own by watching her tired and hungry cues and responding. The only things we have added are cues to tell her that it's bed time for the night (bath, babygrow, feed, cuddles then put down) and cues to tell her that it's morning (feed, wash, get dressed, open curtains). Her current bedtime of between 7-8pm has been completely decided by her.

alex I agree with cav! They have obviously forgotten the days where you walk around on a zombified sleep deprived daze.

My sleeping H is back in town, second night of one wake up at 5am after going down at midnight. He woke again at 8am and I fed and put him back down as I'm a lazy cow and he's still asleep now. Growth spurt must be over thank god! Plus my boobs can cope with the milk demand again.

.... someone has switched our baby and replaced her with one that sleeps. Absolutely the best Christmas present!

Well, slight exaggeration there - one that sleeps for 11-12 hours overnight and wakes briefly to feed, but still a HUGE improvement on the sleepless monster baby we've had for the last few months who got up every feckin' night for 2 hours, sometimes woke several other times, and despite being able to sleep through a pneumatic drill during the day would wake at the sound of my duvet rustling at night.

It's only been 5 nights so I don't want to count my chickens but PLEASE let this last!!

How are everyone else's little cherubs sleeping?

Hazle I had a look at her newborn photos and I seriously do think we have a different baby now. If someone presented me with her as a newborn now I wouldn't recognise her.

After me saying mine is never awake of course she decided that she would be all bright eyed and bushytailed all night and fed at 1am, 4am, 5am and then was up for the morning at 7am, and has been awake since then and only just dropped off. Doubtless she will now proceed to sleep all day! DP is being brilliant and taking her off me between feeds in the night to change/rock/settle, and I am letting him sleep in in the morning in return. One small breakthrough is that she has learned to BF lying down, hurrah!

V slept fine, but decided that 7AM is the perfect time for vocal exercises. Not crying, just happily yelling and squealing. That kid is loud!

Oh yes Hazle, we have that as well. 7am wake up call followed by half an hour of rasberry blowing, cooing, squealing, "Da Da Da Da Da," "Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba," in the dark until one of us can be arsed to get up and get her. It would be cute if it wasn't so damn early!

Jealous of the good nights although they do give me hope! Sophia had a shocker last night, a four hour crying spree again - no idea if wind, reflux or colic but between DH, my mum and I we wore out the floorboards walking around winding her! Really hoping it's wind as presume that won't happen as often as colic/reflux. She seemed to have pain in spasms. She eventually passed out on DH at 1am and slept through to 6am, then a feed and another nap. The crying was so frustrating though as didn't know what to do - am not going to complain about our usual broken sleep anymore as it's so much easier to deal with!

She's got a tooth!

ooh first berry tooth, I believe? Congrats!

It's exciting but a bit freaky as well, I don't want her to grow up so fast!

Yep, no teeth here yet, although she should have a head full by now based on how shit her sleeping has been over the last few months.

Congratulations Purple, BFing is now officially an adrenaline sport!

Hi all

Just catching up. Hope you all had fab Christmases.

M's sleep all over the place - from sleeping 12.30-5.30am solid one night (yay, best in months) to up every 45 mins for the WHOLE NIGHT the next. Exhausting. First tooth came through on Christmas Eve which I think hopefully helps explain it, as well as us gallivanting all over the country visiting family.

Tonight we're back home and have finally moved him into his own room. Feeling very depressed that our little boy is growing up so bloody fast. Also dreading going up and down stairs all night if he has a shocker...

So fellow weaners (that sounds so wrong!) can anyone share any lovely exciting meal ideas with me? We've exhausted fruit and veg purées with varying levels of success, and want to start introducing more now he's six months today (HOW did that happen?!). He had carrot and turkey on Boxing Day and loved that, and I'm making cod and sweet potato tomorrow, but could do with some ideas....