December 2012 Babies Half a year already and still kind of sane.

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Fx for you Mama, I tried sleep training earlier this week and J just cried until he was sick I'm going to give it a few more weeks and try again.

I'm having a grumpy day, or more accurately j's having a grumpy day and it's put me in a bad mood! Roll on bedtime, which was put back to 8 yesterday and it was much easier to get him down.

As if to confirm that her body clock is all out of kilter T had 4 hours sleep before 2pm today. Gave me some lovely quiet time with dd2 (poor middle child) but T only had 5 mins shut eye on the boob at 5 and so was desperate for bed by about 7 (normal bedtime 8ish). She's been a bit clingy when she has been awake today which is not that unusual actually -I think she just doesn't want to be left out so likes being up on my hip so she can see what's going on.
Even though I'm exhausted I think I'll find it hard to get any sleep tonight as I feel anxious about doing the sleep training. I know it needs to be done and I know it works but withholding the thing that will stop her crying instantly just feels crappy.

I just did my first bit of 'sleep training'. T went to bed at 7 and was asleep by 7:10, at 7:15 I tried to get my nipple back which woke him and made him demand more... Repeat till 8pm. So I thought I'd try some pu/pd. I didn't let him cry for long each time, maybe 30 secs, and I stayed in contact with him the whole time. Taking an idea from our swimming lesson training I've decided to say "sleep time T" every time I put him down. 35 minutes later we compromised - no boob, but sleeping with mummy instead of in his cot.

I just hope he stays asleep for a while now. It's horrible though, the past 3-4 tines I put him down he was sleepy but crying in his sleep. I don't want my baby falling asleep sad :(

Hales - I think you asked yesterday of I think T is allergic to all dairy. I think he probably is, it certainly affects his reflux when I have milk. I also wonder if me having milk is causing his eczema. I don't really want to go dairy free, but I think I should try it again now. I'll also see about getting T allergy tested at the doctors.

Good luck WL and stacks with sleep training. Today was a mixed bag for us - 2 naps which took over an hour of crying and reassurance, and one nap and bedtime which were achieved with less than 3 minutes of grumbling. It is horrible when you know that she'd be happy with a dummy and some rocking, but I have faith that she'll pick it up quickly and benefit from it. And actually, putting her to sleep always took at least 10 minutes and was inconsistent in how successful it was to transfer her, so while the 'bad' experiences were terrible, the good ones were fantastic.

Moreover, I take a lot of solace in the fact that the 2 times I had to abandon pu/pd as it had taken more than 40 minutes, and we took a 15 minute break before starting again, she was all smiles during that time. It really doesn't last, that trauma, especially when we're talking about days or 1-2 weeks (not months, obviously). And I am so goddamn proud of her today, sleeping so peacefully without a swaddle, without a dummy, and having got there on her own. Little trouper.

Hi everyone. Still having phone issues, so bit more limited when I can catch up.

(Very) belated happy half birthdays to babies Isthat and Hales.

WL and Mama - good luck with sleep training.

With food, we're still pretty much doing blw although I'm not evangelical about it. N has had some purees and I attempt to give him his porridge with a spoon. The thing is that he wants to feed himself with everything, but has limited success locating his mouth with the spoon at times so breakfast in particular is a rather messy affair. He really loves feeding himself veggies - I give him steamed sticks, florets or whole green beans/asparagus spears etc and he just gets on with it. I do think the fact he has teeth helps though.

He's also cracked moving forward. It's not quite traditional crawling yet, but he pushes himself up onto all fours and sort of jumps forward with his legs together. He can get himself quite some way, especially if he's got his eye on one of DS1's toys (which is always totally unsuitable for him). Interesting times ahead I think!

Hmmm I went out tonight for an hour leaving The Little Mister with my cousin (The Mister is working nights) and when I got back The Little Mister was hysterical. My cousin said that he had been fine and happy until about 10 minutes before and then he got really upset.

The thing is, I am due out again on Thursday night for a meal for my BIL's 30th and I am worried about going out and leaving him with my sister.

I thought that if I expressed some milk she can give him it in a sippy cup if he gets really upset and it hungry.

I think I am just being silly. We will have to take 2 cars anyway and the restaurant is only 10 minutes away. If the worst happens my sister can phone me and I can come home.

I don't even know what I am asking. Someone tell me I am not going bonkers!

ispy DS2 moves faster and further for a piece of paper than any toy that may be around strange child!! He got more of a crawling motion earlier. My living room is now baby proofed though :) I just have to make sure I sweep all the bastard crumbs the other 2 leave in their wake

FoD you are not going bonkers! DH decided that he's going to the cricket tomo (got free hospitality tickets) so I'm having to leave DS with mil while I go to my running club, and I'm dreading it!

fod not bonkers at all, only natural to worry about him being upset. It's particularly hard when they're normally settled by bfing. As you say, resto is 10 mins away so only 10 mins of upset (but I know that's easy to say and 10 mins can feel like a lifetime!)

ispy the bunny hop sounds very cute - see if you can upload a vid to fb.
I've been putting off coming to bed (well lilo) but here I am. Done a dream feed so the boobs will not be out before 1am at the v earliest! I know sleep training needs to be done for the good of my whole family and we were all much happier after doing it with dd1&2 but normally I don't leave them to cry at all so it's a big deal.

WL, Mama and Stacks good luck with the sleep training it will be worth it in the end. What is pu/pd though?

FoD not bonkers at all, it's horrible to think that your baby will be upset. 10 minutes may feel like an eternity to get back if you need to but at least you know in reality you can get back quickly if you need to.

I am loving the cuddles i'm getting at the moment, i love the way H wraps her arms around the back of my neck and pulls me close I just wish she would stop holding her arms out to cuddle perfect strangers, even though they seem eager to get the cuddle especially the old women in the chemist i am not passing her to strangers.

Isthat H prefers crisp wrappers to toys

Ispy it does sound like your DS will be fun to watch when he gets moving

First wake up after dreamfeed here. She's just playing happily. If she starts to ramp up I'll feed her, but then settling is up to her. This feels like the pointy end!

Hales, pupd is pick up put down, a type of training where you let the baby cry but with you close by and picking them up briefly to console them.

Ds spends all bloody night moaning and rolling and fidgeting I am at a loss as to what to do. I've had about three hours sleep he just keeps waking up and shouting or getting his bum in the air and wriggling about

Well T woke at 1.45, largely thanks to DH being an ejit and accidentally turning on her bedroom light when taking dd2 for a wee! I fed her as it had been 4 hours since the dream feed. Put her down thinking she was asleep (so not really the aim but she was quickly back in the game! Cue over an hour of not much actual crying but lots of shouting, cuddling, rocking, bouncing etc and she's asleep in her cot. She's being quite wiggly though so we'll see.

Good luck .mama
Ear plugs spotty!?

hales that does sound adorable.

No because he wakes up and it just escalates so he's been practically crying for the past half an hour. I'm about ready to throw him out the window. He's not doing it in his sleep

Baby just slept for 7 hours 51 minutes! He's never done that before!!

Wow fod!
spotty how do you normally quieten him down or do you just have to ride it out?

T just woke up after a 3 hour stint :-)

Well done baby fod and T!

hales another one here for crispackets, those and a muslin square keep him happy.

Ds woke about an hour ago, fed, changed and he's now settling himself witn help of ewan. I just want another hour...

2 x3 hour stretches in one night - that's the best sleep I've had in weeks! Still going to hand over to DH now!

I settle him down he needs settling down or it just escalates into crying but he just keeps doing it over and over again. I'm so tired I didn't get back to sleep until gone four and he was up just after half six. He's also keeps grabbing my neck/mouth/chin when he feeds and it really hurts!

Sounds like a mix bag of nights all round!

Reading all the sleep training stories with interest as we may trying next week when we put her into her own room
. Can't complain compared to some of your nights but she wakes normally between 3/4am and nothing I do can settle her except for coming to sleep in our bed. Lovely to have the cuddles and wake up to her cute little face but don't sleep well at all with her there and conscious that back to work beginning of august and worry about performing well when half asleep. Next week we're going to move her into her own room and try and tackle it- predict a disaster!!

Awful night. Poor thing wasn't happy at all :(

A very mixed bag. for you spotty and Isthat.

FoD - wow! And good results WL.

We had a pretty good night. She woke up and played for an age around 2.15am, I fed her around 3 and she settled herself back to sleep by 3.30am. I wonder if this could be the tail end of jet lag? She was really just wide awake and playing. One very big benefit of being out of the swaddle last night was that she could just play - has her hands free to play with her comforter, scratch the side of the cot etc. When swaddled she'd start complaining pretty quickly.

She's down for her nap again. Been playing for 10 minutes but I wonder if she'll start to protest more vigorously soon. :( I've cancelled my plans for the next 2 days to focus on this. Hope it pays off, I would have liked to go swimming today!

IsThat I identify with the crumbs. The lounge floor was spotless on Wednesday until DD got home and covered it with chocolate biscuit crumbs. A went for a wriggle across the room and had a face covered in them!

Sleep was ok to start. He went from about 10.15 to 3am, which is good. But then he fed and wriggled from 3-3.30 and woke at 4 and 4.30, before my alarm went off at 5. So I'm shattered. Then I had to wake him up to feed etc before I left for work at 6.30.

Glad I left fairly early though. I got to just down the road from the office and realised my new trousers had split & frayed from the crotch to half way down one thigh. Thank goodness for Sainsbury's and a credit card.

But, I got in and then had a call from my boss at about 8.30 to say he was elsewhere today, that he assumed I would work from the more local to me office tomorrow, and he'll catch up with me at some point soon.

I've read the internet. Not sure what else to do if I'm honest. I think this might be a fairly short first day back.Bloody typical, and actually annoying.

Whoops Barbeasty!

Ds has just gagged his way through three tiny bits of sandwich. It's all learning though isn't it?! I know they say best of both is best for babies but we only eat brown, generally seeded, it'll be ok won't it? There's no seeds in the bit I gave ds...