January 2013 Part Two: Coos and smiles but not always so much sleep...

[SpringFlowers]

Our first thread has almost finished so I thought we'd need a new one!

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I will try earlier bedtimes. I'll need to wake her earlier from her afternoon nap though. Or maybe I should drop the nap....

pascha we've never actually tried just putting her in bed and walking away. Well, I have accidentally as I popped out of her room to get something. She cried and cried. I'm too much if a softy, I can't bear the crying bit. But if I don't try it I can't see the self settling happening....

My washing machine makes a weird whirring which makes me think dexters crying... I go check (everytime) and hes fine!

ive got two definatly 2.5 togs two which dont say what tog and two that say he cant wear them til 6 months. Il try one tonight i think.

What if you try doing that in the daytime while you potter about upstairs? Not to get her to sleep but to get her to associate the crib and you leaving the room for a moment or two with nothing to worry about? And don't drop the nap. Good day naps = good night sleeps (eventually)

It's only really bedtimes she minds us leaving (I think), e.g, in the morning when she wakes i come and go a bit whilst getting myself up and she lays there happily for a bit (is not walking yet so cant escape on her own). I might try to get her bedtime earlier and earlier over the space of a week, and then maybe tackle the self settling once the bedtime is earlier. I think she might just be a 10 hour sleeper though, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised!

So what are all your toddler routines then, if you don't mind typing them out? I'm wondering how different her routine is to everyone else's?

On the washing front, I do about 2 loads a day and also use the tumble drier for everything. I think our electricity bills will be massive this time round.

apple thinking about it no we don't really have a good bedtime routine, well, apart from get into sleeping bag and drink milk (and then all the rocking and singing!). She plays right up until that point though, so I will try something calmer before bed, like a story etc (actually maybe not a story, books get thrown after about 30 seconds!!)

Birdies i agree with pascha don't drop any naps yet she will still need them for a while and all mine slept better if there was a nap in the day (as long as not too late) otherwise they get overtired and everything is 10x harder! Also i've noticed they tend to drop the nap by themselves when they're ready.

Also i could never leave them to cry and would try to just pop in and out so they know you are still there when she needs you. Is she in a cot or bed?

Good luck x

Ooh x posts!

Example toddler routine disclaimer no longer have any toddlers pre teens who new level of work

6.30 teeth/bath (with warning before you go up)

After bath into pjs then into bed with story shes chosen. Then tuck her in and say night night.

Not sure it matters what you do just that its routine. So she can predict whats happening next and feels comfortable with it. I try to keep it as calm and quiet as poss not anymore crowd control

I think you are right establish routine first then tackle settling but she may surprise you and after a few days settle herself

Agreed don't drop the day time nap!
DS always wakes at the same time no matter what time he goes to bed, I'd get a good routine in place, like bath bottle bed then she expects the same thing.

DS was a fab sleeper 7-7 without fail, until we moved him into a bed 4 weeks ago and he will.not.go.to.bed!!
It's 9.30 before he is asleep most nights and he now gets up in the night too
His 10wk old sister is sleeping better than he is ATM!

Ds1 routine goes

6.45pm upstairs with dh, teeth, eczema cream, pjs, kiss mummy and Danny goodnight, a couple of stories with daddy in the chair then into bed, kiss, night-night.

He's usually down by 7.30 latest. We changed cot to bed at the weekend and it doesn't seem to take any longer. He is 2.6 and we are only now stopping a formal nap because he won't in the bed. Still slept 45 mins in the car today though. Its a real nightmare if he goes the whole day without any sleep at all, we have tears and tantrums and boundary pushing en masse .

Ceejay LO only really self settles for his morning nap, later in the day I usually have to take him out, or sling or bounce. My DP, DM and DSis can all rock him to sleep, mummy doesn't have this ability.

Lora I have a lovely Baby Dior sleeping bag lent by a friend. It has a hood and pouch so is much warmer than the kind with arm holes. It also means he is more swaddled and can't wave arms around.

Hope you are all good. Am sat here bf on sofa while everyone else is eating my birthday cake at dining table :)

Happy birthday Meringue ,make sure they save you some cake.

Dr went ok, she has viral infection. Got gaviscon for the reflux, bloody faff that stuff is

Happy birthday, Meringue33!! Get some cake inside you!

Sorry to hear LO's unwell, Lost, and hope she feels better soon.

Bubs continues to bring up milk after feeds - how would I know the difference between what's normal and reflux or some kinda intolerance??

Blardy football, again?!

Happy birthday Meringue! Hope someone brought you some cake over.

DD1 routine - 6.30 Pjs, milk, teeth, (since DD2 arrived) kiss Mummy and baby goodnight as feeding on sofa and go upstairs with Daddy, read one book, kiss, lights out. That's it. We get 7-7 and she hasn't figured out that she is no longer in her cot so could get out of her bed whenever she fancied. She chats to herself and waits for us to go in, in the morning.

Sorry about the temp lost Molly's sick too, but we've escaped a temp so far... HOWEVER I need your advice on one of our fave topics of conversation... She hasn't done a poo in 24hrs. Google tells me it's normal sometimes with breastfed babies, but I never had it with DD1. Anyone else had this? She's her normal happy self despite the snuffling but we've gone from dirty nappies after every feed to this.

Always something to worry about, isn't there?!

Happy birthday Meringue Get that cake down you, you need the calories!

I imagine you are in for a biig poonami sometime tomorrow Angie . Seriously though, I wouldn't worry unless its at least another day unless Molly seems unwell. We've had the occasional day without any poo but its usually followed by about 3 the next day.

Happy birthday meringue!

angie it's very normal not to poo for 24 hours. My DD now goes about once every 3 days. My HV said that happens as they get older. She's known one bf baby go about 7 days without pooing and all was fine.

It is a poonami though as pascha said! Usually involves 2 baths!

Just popped in quick since I haven't been on for a while - supposed to be looking at a budget ...

Happy Birthday Meringue!! Hope your dc spoil u with a good nights sleep

About toddler bedtime - have any of you watched bedtime live on tuesdays?? dd goes to bed fairly well (except only I can put her to bed, not dh ) ... but they have some good ideas i think??

Sounds like you've all got pics up - all mine are on my rubbish phone, and I check mn on pc...will prob take a long time for me to transfer them

Can I get your opinions ladies on what feed to drop? Ds currently feeds 6ish and then is in cot. If dh feeds ds at 10/10:30 then ds sleeps till 7/7:30...but dh has been complaining about doing the late feed with his studies and I'm in bed super early...so do I stay up to do late feed (or go to bed & set alarm?) or do I let him sleep from 7/7:30, then do a 2/3am feed?? I did gina with dd, so dropped 2/3 am feed first, but just read another book that says should drop the 10pm feed first so am confused :-( Ds is also not drinking a full bottle at 7, so should I cut down 10pm/2am bottle amount - but scared he'll wake earlier?

Also - which is cheaper, asda or tesco - desperate to save some money to go home to SA for a visit, but can't decide with the tesco points...

ps - sorry haven't caught up all the threads - hope everyone is doing ok????

Ha ha, thanks all. I feel much better about it now.

Yes, we have had a couple of poonamis in the past so I imagine that after a gap this big, we will be in for a shocker. Just keep your fingers crossed it's not in the middle of the night...

Happy Birthday Meringue!

I went for an intoxicating afternoon tea this afternoon - afternoon tea served with cocktails in teapots and teacups! Hubby "worked from home" so that I could go. Bailey point blank refused the bottle I'd left so I ended up coming home at 5 and have spent 3.5hrs feeding him on and off as he'd missed one feed and would've been due the next one.

Getting pissed off with him not taking bottle from hubby - means I can't do anything. Not sure if it's stubborn-ness from Bailey or poor technique from hubby.

Your volumes of washing sound horrendous! I'm 2 loads every couple of days and I thought that was bad!

Happy birthday meringue

After all the talk of.bedtime routines etc i spent.this evening trying to get rampaging 4 year old to go to bed. Fwiw pretty sure the little diva is still acting up because of Ivys arrival but that doesn't make her constant bad behaviour any easier!

On the bright side all 4 dcs are now tucked up and sleeping in their beds :)

Happy if i didn't do at least 2 loads a day we woukd drown in dirty washing! As it is i can't keep up :(

Wux- DD2 has what I call mild 'laundry' reflux. Some days she only projectiles once other days it has been 5-6 times. It doesn't seem to bother her too much and weight gain is ok but a few times she has choked so decided to consult the doc. I knew they would give gaviscon it just thickens the milk really to help keep it down. But I'm in two minds as it's pain when bf to administer and it causes constipation. (Deal with one problem only to create another)

Angie- I think it's considered normal up to three days. Eat a load of prunes and up your liquid content should sort get out.

Another bf poop ? - Are your poop explosions bright yellow water consistency? I had mush for a while but ATM it's very runny. Guessing it could be due to illness though.

Thank you guys! LO is now fast asleep in my mum's arms, I am upstairs being granted an early night, so tired and feeling almost weepy at leaving my four favourite people in the universe downstairs without me :(

...will hopefully only last about ten mins til I nod off :)