December 2012: 1st birthdays and 1st/2nd Christmasses

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Exactly ISpy - what's the point battling him to take a bottle when I'll have to battle it off him again in 6 months? And why, when I've done all that hard work in the beginning, would i stop now when it's easy?!

I reckon bf and ff are the same amount of work, but with bf it's all in the first 3-6 months whereas ff it's spread over 2 years. Obviously that only applies to when all goes smoothly - recurrent mastitis/thrush etc swings the balance well towards ff imo!

Interesting responses on bf. We're no milk from 6am-7pm and trying to get back to mo milk settles at night after Christmas. I'm horribly torn though ss we really want a small gap between the next and am hugely of those like nut who are while still bf. I seem to be the only idiot in the world for whom bf even twice in 24 hours is adequate contraception! (Still no af - never thought I would want to get it back.)

So is it better for O to have a small sibling gap like my brother and I have, and like, or to be allowed to drop the last two naturally? I don't want to push him but it looks like there's no chance till we stop completely. Sorry to be a bit mememe but it's driving me crazy.

I'm happy with the gap between my two, which is 2.5 years, if that helps at all? Stopping bf won't harm him in anyway but at the same time you'll never get this time with just him back so maybe make the most of it?

Poor nut! Hope you feel better quickly and can enjoy the rest of your holiday.
spotty also super jealous. We'll be camping for 4 days in August and a sun holiday if we're lucky. Hoping DH and I will get away for a weekend for my birthday in March - that's what my maternity returners payment (paid in feb) is earmarked for.
utopian you have to do what you think is right for all of you. I'm sad that I stopped bfing dd2 at 9 months when id like to keep going with T for a while yet, but at the time it was right for me.
Fx T sleeps through again tonight - would be so awesome.
Washing machine man seemed to think zanussi would pay up for repair as it's fucked already and could have been faulty since day 1. Hoorah!
New Years resolution 2 - I have a DVD and pizza for DH and I tonight. Time together - how novel!

In other news - T was sick up dhs nose this morning! 'Twas most amusing. Luckily it was just morning milk overflow and not foodie!

I'm with Spottyand think 2.5yrs is a good gap (so far), and SIL has 2 years (more or less) between each of her 6 and that's worked well.

If stopping feeds is going to make you feel guilty, especially if it still takes you a while to get pregnant, it might be better to just see what happens- so long as that isn't going to leave you more guilty!

I was feeding until about 3 months pregnant, and af cane back at a point that would have given a 2 year gap, but it took 6 months of trying.

wl thanks. I'm feeling much better this evening. It's been lovely watching DH and DS play together and go out together. Although I've missed them I feel like I've really had some great sleep and rest.

Utopian in all honesty I'd happily swap! My af came back when DS was just 4 months old and feeding like a normal greedy guts. I had horrible af and pms crazy hormonal woman which I really wasn't expecting. I think when DS was about 6 months old I had a check up at my gyne (they are mad keen on checking you regularly in Germany) and she said that unless I was planning a baby straight away to be careful because my body had obviously decided it was ready. I didn't ask how she could tell.
I wanted a small gap but would also have been happy with about a 2 year gap I gave up feeding DS in the lead up to our wedding and if I have my dates right conceived in the week after our wedding.... Hmmm it really isn't something you can always plan.
I'm sorry you're stressed about it, but like someone else said, the time you have now with DS 1 on 1 is precious and in a few years you'll never notice if it's 20, 24, 30 months difference you'll just be happy with your beautiful amazing little people running around causing mayhem. X

Ahem I obviously meant usMNetty hugs!

wl hahaha at sick up the nose! DH gets really jumpy if DS gets in the bathroom when he comes out of the shower... Apparently DS appears very interested in dh's balls

beasty 6?! Blimey! DH freaks that I like the idea of 3... What kind of car do you drive when you have six? The mind boggles. I'm one of four and that was complicated. I read a statistic that in Germany I think less than 5% of kids have three or more siblings... That seems really really low to me.

I'm obviously bored. I'm waffling on and everyone should be asleep. Hope you're all enjoying good nights!

They don't drive!! They have a tandem which at one point had a baby seat and towed a 2 seater trailer, with older DC who didn't fit on their own bikes. Luckily they live in Oxford, so cycling is okay and public transport isn't bad.

DH was one of 5, but with bigger gaps- this SIL was 1 yr younger than the oldest girl, and 2 years older than brother no 1. Then almost 10 years until DH came along, and another 3 years to the youngest brother.

The rest of the siblings have between 0 and 2 children. But it still makes Christmas expensive!

Hope you all feel better soon.

Glad you're feeling better Nutella.

At the sick WL!

I'm a bit worried ds might burst dinner was:

3 healed tbsp of colcannon
Half a sausage
3 carrot batons
1 large brocolli floret
1tbsp red cabbage
1/2 a mango
A biscuit

His tummy is hanging over his trousers

Back to nursery tomorrow for dd.

Please can people share their breakfast/ lunch ideas?! Porridge is now a total no no..DS is going through a fussy phase so keen to try new things for him to throw on the floor (!!)

Honey on toast is well received- thanks Pidj!

Wow Spotty!!!! He's a brilliant eater!!

And a strawberry

There's a good thread in chat atm called what's your 1yo having for breakfast.

Breakfast here:

Toast with pâté, cheese spread or marmite.
Cheerios
Shreddies
Crumpet
English muffin
Brioche

Lunch:

Soup
Sandwich
Pitta
Houmous
Cheese on toast/cheese toastie
Beans
Breadsticks
Cheese
Fruit
Malt loaf
Crumpet
Cheese scones (so easy to make and you can do mini ones)
Have tried egg but he doesn't like it

That's all I can think off

Thank you Spotty I have cut and pasted your list :)

I'll also check out that thread- sounds v useful .

Breakfast is toast, Cheerios, pancakes (!) or fruit pots.

He's not great at lunch although would eat a kilo if cubed cheese if I let him! He has bagels or crumpets or philly sandwiches.he only really seems to want finger food but I don't want him to rely on just a couple of things. I really fret about a balanced diet!!

Weetabix here, sometimes with pureed fruit although he's on a low-fruit diet atm due to his pooing at night issues. Then a banana and afterwards if he's still hungry he gets yoghurt and/or toast.

Mid morning he gets a handful of my cereal (cheerios and crunchy nut cornflakes are popular!) and a flapjack (homemade) or biscuit

Lunch is scrambled egg, soup, sandwiches (peanut butter, sardine in tomato sauce, hummus, tuna mayo) or cheese on toast, jacket potato (useful if out, we share) or leftover dinner. Then a yoghurt if he hasn't already had one and more fruit, a pear or satsuma

Mid afternoon half a bagel or a honey sandwich or half a muffin in costa shared with me

I also have a big eater

DS had a hot cross bun for breakfast this morning. He also likes fruit toast. He'll eat porridge if I mash an overripe banana into it.

I am terrible at thinking of dinner ideas. My dinners tend to be quite low fat and obviously DS needs more fat. I tried giving him pasta in a homemade cheese sauce yesterday. It was completely snubbed. He eats tonnes for a few days and then has a few off days. It all balances out.

N still likes porridge, but other breakfast options include Cheerios, toast and fruit. He generally just has a smaller portion of whatever we're having for lunch and dinner - he's not remotely fussy .

I don't know if those of you in the North West (or those who could travel) have seen this. Looks like it could be fun.

We have porridge, toast with philadelphia or fruit puree spread, cheerios, fruit wheaty things and on occasion my pain au raisin when my reflexes aren't quick enough

Lunch is often cheese or ham sandwiches with cucumber and tomato (he sucks the insides out,) or potato etc.

Supper is small portions of whatever we have had earlier in the week as I just cook extra and freeze it. If we need salt we add it after I've siphoned off his portions - risotto, fish pie, shepards pie and anything involving chicken are winners at the moment. He's still a fiend for natural yoghurt too..

Also thanks for talking sense into me about gaps. I have to remember a few months is actually pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme, and gives me time to make sure I do right by O.

Oh ds likes homemade pizza actually egg is the only thing so far he won't eat. I haven't tried him with curry yet as dd doesn't like it.

Thank you so much everyone :)

I am reassured that DS eats similarly to other LOs. Although he doesn't really share our meals although he stole half my toastie at m&s today as I'm worried about the salt thing. Are they ok with some salt ie seasoned meat now they're 1?? We don't put salt in veggies or anything else..

I use salt in cooking. Not in veg or anything, but in casseroles, shepherds pie, spag bol. Not salt on it's own but stock cubes, the reduced salt ones ds eats exactly the same as us.

Glad you're feeling better utopian. I really wanted minimal gaps but it didn't work out that way. Stressing about every month the gap getting bigger was def not a good thing. In the end we ended up with exactly 3 years between dd1&2 and it works well. I honestly think there are pros and cons for each age gap and being close or far apart doesn't make them any more or less likely to get on well.

Does DD being sick in her swimming lesson but getting it all either in her hand or down my cleavage beat being sick up a DH's nose? Either way, impressive. Nothing went in the pool, and I just had time to shower myself clean before A's lesson.

We're bad mumsnet parents. I forgot to pack a cup of water for A to have in the pub after swimming. So when they had their dinner, he had some of DD's fruit shoot. The way he reacted, it might as well have been drugs! Oops. Just waiting to spot an AIBU thread about it... DD decided she'd prefer a glass of water, so at least our halo is partially intact.

At the sick on DH WL.

Wow all of you have really big eaters. H is not interested in food at all she'll have a couple of mouthfuls then push the food away and will purse her lips together and refuse all other food. I'm refusing to stress out about it though, apparently till i was 3 i would only eat strawberry yogurt and spaghetti hoops.

All i've managed to eat today is half a bacon butty. As thats all i managed before i had to go and visit my grandad who was admitted into hospital yesterday. And then i went to work but there was nothing left for me to bring home and H is asleep in my bed so i can't make myself anything.