August 2010 - new thread ladies!

[Chulita]

New thread cos we've nearly filled the last one!

*Been in full use :) iPhone strikes again!

Another vote for washable nappies here - we have tots bots stretchy - I LOVE them!although they can look rather bulky under some clothes.I just can't wait for the warmer weather so they dry quicker!

Evie has been full of cold so we're not going to swimming this morning, she is a lot better the anti-biotics have worked a treat but I don't want to run the risk of it coming back as last week the pool was freezing!

We have our first session of baby massage this afternoon and I'm not quite sure what to expect?? Anybody else been?

Weaning is going well, she now has 3 lots of food a day. About 50ml each time, the only thing she has refused so far is avocado (can't say I blame her for that one).

Evie is desperate to crawl,when she is on her playmat she constantly turns onto her tummy now and moves arms and legs but finds it hard to get a grip on laminate floor, think we may have to buy a big rug this weekend!

Sorry to hear that so many of you are still suffering with sleep problems - I hope it gets better soon.

What activities do you all do with your little ones? (spot the clueless first time mum)..... we have a mother and baby group on a tuesday morning, gym babes starts next week on a thursday, swimming on a friday morning, followed by baby massage in the afternoon. We normally go swimming again on a Sunday with DH , and spend one day at my mums. Inbetween we do lots of walking, play etc.... I'm naturally quite insecure and shy (although nobody else seems to think so), and finding it hard to meet other mums,any help / tips gratefully received... thank you

gosh... that was a long post - apologies - just feeling a bit down this morning

We have the stretchies too! They're fab :)

Alex loves avocado! It's my favourite too so it's a relief lol. He hasn't refused anything yet. We are vegetarian so I'm keen for him to like as many things as possible so he has a very varied diet.

morsbagmum sorry you're feeling down and that Evie's full of cold. Re baby activities, it sounds like you're already doing quite a bit! I found the best thing was to find a toddler group that I really, really liked, and make sure that I went all the time and got talking to people. The one I go to has a sort of sub-section of people who meet up socially as well (coffee mornings and drinks evenings), so that's worked really well. I've never been a big one for organised activities, so the only things we go to regularly are one toddler group and swimming (for DS1). Otherwise, we go for walks/in the garden, pop into town for some shopping once a week, go to the supermarket, and sometimes go to friends' houses for the morning/afternoon (all people I met through toddler group). What an exciting life!! We also occasionally go to a Tumble Tots type thing at the local sports centre. Other friends also do music sessions (the JoJingles type stuff). Oh, the one other thing I would suggest is checking out your local library. It's a great place to hang about on a rainy day, and as well as books, the children's sections often have a couple of toys. Many also do a 'Bounce and Rhyme' type session, which DS1 still loves even though he's three. And the best thing is, everything through the library is free! When the weather's better, we also go to local NT properties (we're very lucky to have an NT-type place in the village, with gardens and adventure playground). There's also a little local museum that does bits and pieces for kids. I think one of the things I learnt early on with DS1 is that young children actually need very little to entertain them, as long as you do get out and about. 'Pottering around', whether it's in the woods or the supermarket or the library, will keep them entertained for quite a while .

S has got a streaming cold today, which explains why he hasn't been too keen on his solids for the past couple of days. I can't really remember how fast/slowly they start with solids. We've only been offering them for a week, but even at a good meal he'll only take perhaps a teaspoon in total - is that normal?? I think DS1 is coming down with something as well. He refused to eat even a single bite of lunch today, then asked to go to bed (he doesn't normally have a nap any more). So it looks like we're back to being ill for a while . On the plus side, S now seems to be making a habit of sleeping until 7-ish, with perhaps one or two brief wakings in the night for a quick chat to himself, so things on that front are going well .

elusive I think it takes them a while to get the hang of it (well, some babies do) S wasn't really that bothered last week but yesterday he ate a mushed pear and today he's had an apple with baby rice so he's wanting more all of a sudden.

morsbagmum we just go to a couple of groups but we just moved here so I'm trying to make some friends. I'm going to try the bounce & rhyme at the library soon and we go to a church group on a Monday and a bf group on a Friday. Otherwise we just go to the park and wander. As elusive says children don't need much to be happy!

vix are they actually stretchy nappies? We've got BG which have done us 2 happy, leak-free years with L but they don't stretch that much when they're on so S finds them painful. Cos he's got reflux and bloating I think they dig in too much and restrict his guts...

Yes they're really stretchy with the 3 settings from newborn to potty. Not had any restrictive problems with them and now he's a but bigger his bum doesn't look quite as bug lol

We go to stay and play on Mondays, sensory play and baby massage on Tuesdays, buggy buddies (a walk) Wednesdays, nothing Thursdays then baby yoga on Fridays! And try to go swimming every other week.

thanks for all your kind comments - I feel a lot better tonight, the baby massgae group was really good and Evie seemed to really enjoy it.

Happy weekend everyone.

What do I do with Daniel? oh dear... I just hope to get through the day finding enough time to feed him enough!

Vix, sounds like you are doing great! But the sleep sounds dreadful. Have you tried a cranial osteopath for A? After having a traumatic labour/birth be might be suffering a little... one of my twins had a bit of a problem after a forceps birth, I think he had a blockage where the forceps had pressed down on his head. Anyway two sessions with the osteopath he was like a different baby! I would definitely recommend it - it's got to be worth a try!

Glad you're feeling better morbagsmum

Hi all. I had over 6 hours sleep in a row last night so I'm off to run a marathon/ climb a mountain or something else energetic like go to the post office

Morning

I have namechanged, but i was previously she of the ginormous baps

F has the last 2 nights woken, not hungry, but falls asleep next my skin, but wakes when i put him in the cot, thinking he may be cold, but not sure what else i can put on him tbh. The last 2 nights he has had a long sleeved vest on, babygro or pyjamas, thick sleeping bag and socks on his hands, then i end up putting a cardigan on him during the night when he wakes because he feels cold.

It is 17.9 degrees in our sitting room this morning.

Neenz - you are the second person to recommend that to me. Alex was stuck inside me for a good 10 hours (I had an obstruction in my bowel - ouch!!) and although I managed to push him out after 2 hours I think it was quite hard on him - so this is something I'm considering. I'll let you know! 7 wakes last night but I must have managed many hours broken sleep because I was in bed from 7.30 until 9.30 this morning!!!

Good for you girls - its amazing what a good stretch of sleep can do for you!! x

Vix I think it is definitely worth a try - with my DS they said he was a bit out of alignment due to his forceps birth and the forceps had blocked some tubes to his eye, so he had a gunky eye and probably a terrible headache! He was crying as he was being treated but stopped as soon as they did their thing over his head! And then he slept like a dream after that whereas before he was so unsettled, would only fall asleep on my chest and then I'd have to wait 30mins before putting him down or he'd wake up . Bad times.

I have Daniel in two sleeping bags atm. One 2.5tog M&Ps one that I put on him as normal, and then a 6-12mth one just over his legs and zipped up to his waist. Keeps him nice and snug. I do think the cold affects their sleep.

dave that name's going to take some getting used to :)

S has wanted feeding every 2 hours for the last 12 hours and did his usual waking at 5 lark. He's currently trying to crawl across the floor and throwing up all his last feed bit by bit. I really want to get back to bed so I might try re-feeding him and getting him down...

girls go T! That's brilliant :)

Hello all, in a good mood today despite E not sleeping particularly well (not down til 11, then waking at 2.15, 3.45, 6.30). We decided we were going to start on baby rice today and E did really well, took a good few spoonfuls and knew to open her mouth for the spoon, altho looked a bit confused at the taste. Then this afternoon I put her down for a nap in her cot with the white noise and she self-settled without any crying!

I've been able to get her to nap really easily in her pram at home but for a week or so I've been trying to get her to sleep in the cot for at least one of her naps, but after half an hour or so of protest I've always ended up putting her in the pram where she fell asleep v quickly. She's never (or not since she was teeny) self-settled in the cot, apart from after night feeds when v sleepy. Happy days!

Hope everyone else is having a good wknd.

morsbagmum, we do bumps to babies on a thursday and baby stay and play on a friday, sometimes go to baby screening at the local arts cinema on a wednesday and am starting swimming course in a couple of tuesdays time. But Monday to Wednesday usually consist of lounging around and, like neenz says, feeding!

Hi all

dave and Chulita, I too have my DS wrapped up warm. He was waking in the night with cold hands, yet my room temp was 21 degrees, so he now has a blanket as well as the sleeping bag and he is now snug and warm. I know they go on about babies being too warm, but I don't want him suffering with the cold either. Anyway, he sleeps much better now.

I think my T is odd. I have been doing the BLW thing, and all is going well, Yes I know he is only 23 weeks, but hey he started grabbing the food and I've never stopped him. Well today, he had choice of Potato, suede or brussel sprout... and he went for the sprout, so much so, he wolfed it down . I hate sprouts, so he must take after his dad. Well hopefully this means he will like his greens, or maybe that is asking for too much.

I go to a music group with T and I have a coffee morning with other Mums. Much of the other stuff near me are for older children. But I must admit I am starting to find it harder to keep him entertained. Anyone else with the same problem? Any solutions? I spend most of my day on the floor with him, playing, and he spends a small amount of tme in his tippy toes door bouncer, but he is getting restless.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend. Take care xx

Wow dogwalker you put me to shame! I make as much time as I can for play but Alex spends a lot if time watching (sometimes 'helping') me with chores or work. I always engage with him and he finds me very entertaining lol but I'm afraid he does spend a lot of time amusing himself whilst I cook or clean. I'm lucky because Alex seems to enjoy just being with me and amusing himself with toys and a good chat!

I'm sure you're doing a great job of keeping your LO stimulated and happy :)

Been trying so hard to get Alex to accept bottles again. I stopped expressing at around 12 weeks because it was messing up my supply (I was leaking like mad whenever I expressed) and now he refuses all teats. My last hope were the NUK teats that are latex and shaped like nipples. He's rejected these. Will keep trying but it's so frustrating because it's such a waste of time and milk to keep throwing it away! I've tried all the usual tricks like dh feeding him without me, different holds, sneaking it in during a breastfeeding session. Nothing working so far.

We're going to try offering J water and daddy cuddles when he wakes at 2am rather than milk - wish us luck! He's still waking every 3 hours which is just ridiculous.

Things we do each week - I don't do all of these in any given week, but this is roughly the things we do:
Monday - sing and rhyme at the library
Tuesday - baby group at the children's centre
Wednesday - music session at the children's centre
Thursday - church baby group, coffee/cake with friends
Friday - buggy bootcamp fitness class or swimming

Waking every 3 hours seems pretty good from where I'm sitting :) We get woken every 35 mins some nights!! Though usually hourly....

oh crikey Vix, that sounds bad. Yes, i suppose it could be worse, and he's suddenly (touch wood) got good at self-settling, which makes a massive difference.

Sympathies... this too shall pass and all that.

Wow poor you vix- I'm amazed you can still type!

I've been really determined so far and he's been in his cot since 8pm. Have fed at 10.30, 1.30 and 4.15. Changed nappy at 4. Aside from that he has woken and cried 17 times so far and it's only 4.30.

If he was in bed with me he'd have woken around 4 times by now.

This isn't right is it?!

Cranial osteopathy is a dead cert but does anyone have any thoughts on whether I should force the got issue in the (possibly vain) hope that he will get used to it and sleep for more than an hour at a time.

Tonight the longest stretch he has slept is 1 hour but mostly he's sleeping for between 10 and 20 mins before crying. He's clean and dry, in a sleeping bag with a blanket (feels totally right temp) and is smiling and happy when I go to him. Right now I'm in the middle of his obligatory 'happy hour' that always comes with a 4am wake up where he just wants to laugh, squeal and kick for an hour. I have to say I'm finding it particularly hard to see the joy in it after less than 2 hours sleep so far :(

Sorry for the long me me me post, honestly not after sympathy just wondered if anyone has any ideas!!

Force the got issue should read cot issue!

Vix have now been down since 5am with S. Joy.
TBH we use the cot for the evening sleeps but when it comes to the first 'nighttime' feed about 1 or 2, 50% of the time she'll come in with me and 50% DH will pop her back in her cot (which may or may not work) until the 3.30/4am feed. Our feed schedule looks pretty similar to yours (S probably feeds slightly more regularly) but we don't have the waking in between which must be so depressing!
Oh and S also won't take a bottle.... given I'm desperate for a decent sleep in one go t'is a bit annoying (also meant that our planned fancy dinner in London became a trip to a nearby lovely gastropub, which became a quick trip to Prezzo with a voucher while her grandparents looked after her with fingers crossed she slept the duration (about 1.5 hours!)....
Not v helpful I know, but at least you might feel like you're not dealing with it alone!