October 2011: our growing, rolling, sleeping (we hope) and growing more gorgeous by the day babies

[LittlePebble]

Our third thread!

Ed was this it?
www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20146780/

Yeah that's the one. The highchair I had for DS was about £80 from mothercare and was plastic tat and a PITA to clean and took up a lot of space. IME the simpler the design the better/easier to clean

Yes, sorry, the top of her hair Scheh - God the top of her head would be disturbing wouldn?t it

Hope you get the appointment soon Strawberry. We are hoping to put P in her cot this weekend but waiting for the sheets for her mattress (only got mattress on Wednesday) and a washing machine at the moment

P still falls sideways after being sat against the settee for a few minutes but she does keep watching me eating (which is often) and drinking so I am hoping she will be up for a bit of blw in a few months

Glad things are looking up for your Sil Sassy

Can I ask a question about self settling? Eli will only sleep if he's fed/rocked/driven/ pushed etc. I feed him to sleep each night but am so far unable to get him to drop off in his cot. I have read they learn to self settle anywhere between 4-7 months and do not want to rush him by doing controlled crying but do want to teach him to settle himself. Any suggestions/ what you are doing etc. gratefully received!

LP didn't know about 4-7 months as always fed to sleep but my ds's always been great sleepers.

Snow here got to travel back home today

pebble is your blocked duct clear yet? You probably did this but the other day I started to get one and I took a hot gel pack and stuck it in my bra, fed from that side first each time while massaging sore spot (ouch!), then kept reheating and replacing the gel pack. It seems ok now a couple of days later.

I'm also wondering about self soothing. L just never does this and until his reflux has gone I don't even want to try. We did cc and pupd with other boys and I'm not looking forward to any of it. I wish he would just get it.

great news sassy

cheshire snap on the washing machine (ours has been frozen up )

pebble I think scheh did a good post about settling a while ago.

jabs must be different here as M had his 4 months jabs on Monday and he only had 2.

This week he seems to be crying a lot more and wriggling all over the place. Every time I put him down, next time I look he's managed to spin 180 degrees!

Continuing our flat head discussion we had a physio appt yesterday she suggested we get cushion/pillow to encourage Max to sleep on his side. Like this:

www.babypark.nl/baby-sleep.html

Has a bit by his stomach so he can't roll over onto his front.

Someone else was talking about a pillow earlier that's used a lot in Sweden(can';t remember who). Not sure if this is the same style?

The physio said she thinks it's got so crazy the whole sleeping on back advice. HCP are afraid (or not allowed) to even suggest babies would benefit from sleeping on their saide because of the dangers of SIDS. So she's not "advising it officially", just giving us the info to choose for ourselves. Otherwise at 5 months the next step is a helmet. She did make me feel better though by saying she's seen much flatter heads!

I'm heading into work today for a meeting ahead of my return in 2 weeks

Jnice blocked duct is under control at the mo thanks, like you I do hot pack (a nappy filled with hot water ) and feed feed feed if I feel it starting to engorge. Milk blister is still there so just keep putting olive oil in my bra lol!
What's pupd?

Engels I know Scheh did amazingly but don't think I can go the tough love route yet so hoping for a magic solution that doesn't involve leaving him to cry

little what I did wasn't tough love at all! It wasn't cry it out etc. When he started getting tired (I know he can only do 60-90 mins awake, so I look out for the signs around then, yawning, grumbling etc). Then I take him upto his cot, where he has props that make it clear to him It's sleep time, his wind up mobile, comforter that he ONLY gets at nap/sleep time, and I turn the slumber bear on too.

Then I kiss him, and leave. However I go up every 3-5 mibs and kiss/stroke/reassure him, so he doesn't think he's been left. Which is really no different to pushing the pram apart from the motion. Then after 10-20 seconds I walk out. It took him about 2 days to get the hang of it, but he self settles really well now.

I found that if I didn't go up and just left him to scream like sassys technique he would just get more and more wound up and hysterical, obviously assuming he'd been abandoned. But going up every 5 mins he knows you're there, its just bedtime. Occasionally we still have a tough one, but that's usually because he's decided he wants another feed.

I don't think it would he as easy without the little rabbit blanket we have, he just munches on it to sleep, and might moan or shout at it. If he's not properly crying I don't go up, because that's just him dropping off.

Now he can just drop off on his own, and naptimes aren't the huge ordeal they used to be. This way is a lot kinder for hik, he only crys 2-10 mins, whereas he'd be screaming all day from exhaustion before, and could only sleep 10-20mins in a go. It would take over an hour to settle him and he would be so so upset, so this way is a lot more pleasant for him, hes a much happier baby!

I found that all the rocking, singing, even just my presence was a distraction stopping him from sleeping and making him more tired and miserable. Now he's a lovely happy baby and life is much easier! I'm big on routine though, and he seems to like that, his bath is always between 6-6.30, which was a daunting prospect before we started it, but is actually really easy.

I don't think max wants me to go to work. He's spent the last hour screaming. I think he was hungry but too worked up to feed from breast (and they felt pretty empty). Gave him a few oz that I had in the fridge and he lapped it up but was still screaming away. Got some out the freezer and while I was defrosting it the little devil fell asleep.

I've heard that going back to work can affect supply because of stress/anxiety but I didn't expect it to happen!

I understand why so many people stay at home at least until they've finished bf-ing - this is stressful. Heartbreaking listening to him crying but he's sleeping now. And breathe...

Well my gran has been taken into hospital, she is on meds for lots of things and they think she's been on too high a dose of one which has built up in her body an has cause her HR to go down to 38bpm
so C off to MIL this pm and mhairi and I off to visit

Oh Edward, sorry about your gran, hope M gives her lots of snuggles and makes her all better!!!

scheh this is not said in a bad way at all BUT-

what you'll find, if you go back and read my posts is these sentences roughly

i dont do controlled crying with eva yet as she is too young.

with j & i, i would go up the 1st time and then maybe a 2nd, but then i wouldnt go up again.

that you need to learn the difference between a distressed cry and a whingy cry. (i would never ignore a distressed cry)

when your dp was struggling with c and you couldnt stand by- i said- could you not let him try a bit longer and go for a walk if it is so distressing for you.

dont want my tough love advice to be twisted into a complete unloving bitch stance!

i went to the hairdressers with all 3 kids for 3 hours and there was barely a peep out of any of them. i did 2 buses there and 2 buses back at 30mins each on tues to go for a court appointment and there was NO peep out of any of them. complete strangers are amazed. They are happy contented kids cos they dont need constant attention.

i made my mistakes with chloe and i learnt from them.

im quite happy to give advice and quite happy for people not to take it- like i say all the time, people find there own way- but please dont misquote me.

hope your gran is ok edward x

we are getting ready for dp's return today. he isn't going back to the navy anymore . im so happy! no more struggling alone for 5 days a week, no more only seeing another adult once a week and no more going to bed on my own for 5 days a week. no more being lonely and basically a single mum with none of the benefits

Aw ed hope everything is ok . And yay sassy!! You will be so happy. I don't know how you do it with 4 kids!!

Finally got our hen night tshirts finished at 12.30am last night!! Must admit, they look good . So happy we made them ourselves!! Will post a photo of us 2mrw on fb group. We have just have the hen 5 clues as to where we are going, so just waiting on her guessing! I can't wait . Just bugging me how loaded with the cold S is . Not liking the idea of leaving her, but I know she will be fine. Lots of snuggles with her today inbetween getting packed. Hope everyone is having a good day

that was ment to be a face ed*

fuzzzy thats exciting :) am very jealous, have lots of fun! It must be tough leaving her for the longest time yet, but she'll have such a great time getting spoilt, and just think how lovely it'll be coming back to her :)

ed :( hope your gran is ok, am sure seeing M will cheer her up no end :) hopefully now they know the mistake with the meds ( ) she'll improve.

engel it must be so hard going back to work. Part of me is desperate to get back to work, to start weaning so I can go to stables more and be a bit more independent, the other part of me withers at the thought :( am sure he'll get used to it and will be so excited when you come home, rather than C who will no doubt get fed up of the sight of me..!

Sorry Sass, it's just different techniques, I remembered when you mentioned about leaving them and not going up... where is it...

"Isobel has been crying hysterically every night recently. the other night we got to 24mins with no signs of stopping- and we are taking breaking her heart type crying. went up to her. nothing wrong,. just doesnt want to go to sleep. dp went up twice the night after and then i left her last night cos she knows now someone is going to come if she cries. so, in affect by now doing tough love,"

"just had a lovely relaxing bath,. where eva cried the whole time and i kid you not, as soon as my foot touched the bathroom floor she fell asleep."
I must've misread Isobel as Eva in the first.

Urgh, we're going to Manchester tonight to see MIL, as DP has football tomorrow. I used to love going to stay there because she spoils me rotten, really but now I dread it as it's all "when are you going to stop bf?" "shall I get him a bottle?" "does he need a supplement?" "you'll find bf isn't enough for him..." And fingers crossed I don't walk in on her again at 10pm, having taken him out of his cot to play with, and giving him a bottle . The thing is, it's not just against what I want to do, it's bad for my boobs! I can't go 7pm - 8am without giving him a feed, is she trying to give me mastitis?!

....Yes, well, he's 20 weeks tomorrow and still EBF, I don't even give him the occasional bottle of formula before bed anymore, because I found it made bugger all difference to his sleep pattern. So THERE, mil.

I'm still not dressed yet, trying to put off the inevitable I think..... (Have done hoovering and washing, though).

not to be pedantic, but it says i went up to isobel. and eva was crying not screaming and actually in the bathroom with me!

i think it's your wording- 'just left them to scream, like sassy's technique' it implies im a heartless bitch and it sounds like fighting talk where im from.

i do not ever leave them to scream. i will leave them to cry- if it is a whingy cry.
i said isobel was heartbreaking crying and i went up to her. there is a world of difference between that and ignoring them when they cry.

sorry to hear about your gran ed.

sassy wonderful news you must be so pleased. I can't imagine having to look after 4 kids without DH here.

I ma such a muppet. when i was rushing around and getting milk out the freezer earlier I managed to take out a frozen pizza and leave it on top of the freezer instead of putting it back in so it's defrosted. I know what I'm eating tonight

I reckon I can still blame this on baby brain.

As well as being a muppet I'm also very sad...I've just downloaded loads of Disnet films so am watching Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin tonight (DH is out and there's nothing on TV).

Hope everyone else's evening is as sophisticated as mine

engel i know im getting so excited. we have just blown up ballons and put left over party food from christmas in the oven!

j & i have had a whale of a time playing with the balloons. realised they've never seen them before- poor neglected kids!

i think j and i would love jungle book, going to get it for them. tried at xmas but couldnt find it in shops tesco

Engel, I love Disney films, beauty and the beast, lion king and little mermaid are my favourites. It breaks my heart ds has no interest in them yet!

Oh and jungle book! Dh loves that and he watched it for the first time aged 26!