April 2006 (new thread) - Pick up the pace!!

[NattyandThomas]

hey guys, brand new clean thread.. thought it might inspire you guys to WRITE something once in a while! lmao

Hi
I had my baby (DD - mean daughter, not sure if right?) on April 15th (due 2nd). I've looked into this site now and then and it's often cheered me up (like when I was worried that DD wasn't moving as much at the end of preg). Didn't write at first as the first 7 weeks DD had constant colic; hardly slept, screamed day and night (but did swallow lots of meconium stained fluid before birth so digestive system was messed up), even after didn't find time to read for a bit, but have enjoyed reading now. I have found a few things that have helped with weaning tho - DD was trying to eat everything in site and going loopy when she saw us eat solid foods. I also bought the Antigua highchair and have found that a seat in Vertbaudet
\link{http://www1.vertbaudet.co.uk/cgi-bin/Vertbaudet.storefront/451a73fd0004213027bc0a0b004405ac/Product/View/1254444}

(if link fails - vertbaudet, beaba) adds extra support - I use the beaba strap around the back of the pushchair and under DD's chest, prob help in most highchairs, & it's brilliant in baby swings as can pad them out so DD loves them. The boots organic babyrice smells and tastes better than another one I tried(DD likes if if I try too - then thinks it's our food). I've found it mixes best by putting warm milk into the bowl first then sprinkling on the rice, other way it seems to get lumpy. Also I have found that pear is a big hit - a little bit seems to help with most foods. My DD is also only doing part rolls, but can situp a bit on her own (before doing a slow side roll). She has just started to sleep 7-7 most nights, for 2 months she was up at 4.30/5.30 for half an hour to 1 hour for a bottle. But for 4 months it was 2 times a night (often up to 2 hours). I hope you don't mind a gatecrasher to the site. I did have something to ask too. Has anyone tried taking their baby to groups yet (to stay with them at first)? Is there a good age to start this? I don't have other babies/children in my family/about for DD to see/play with.

hello and welcome sunny devon.

wrigglejiggle do you make up the rice with water or milk? I think its meant to taste a lot like milk if you use milk.
I do it by putting 3oz water, 2 scoops formula and about 3 teaspoons rice in a bottle with a proper lid (rather than teat) and shaking it, that seems to give a good thickness and no lumps. And if you leave it for a bit it gets thicker

Hello sunnydevon and everyone else

I went along to a baby massage group with my dd, it was fab! since then I haven't found another appropriate group to go along to in our area. We have a local toddler group but all of the children are, well, toddlers as you would expect and I would rather go along to a group where I can learn something rather than just chat...perhaps I'm not a sociable person?.
My dd was born on 26th April but wasn't due til 1st June so she isn't sitting up or doing rolls and she isn't the least bit interested in our food. I'm not getting stressed about that but the thing I am getting stressed about is returning to work, I still have about 5 wks left but I don't know how I'll cope. Has anyone got any tips or advice please?

I know this might not help too much Sunnydevon, but in New Zealand we have a walking group where Mums and pre school age children of all ages meet and we go for walks of about an hour with our littlies in buggies and back/front packs, then have morning tea at a local cafe. Georgia really enjoys seeing other children and has just started trying to interact with them (really cute).

Sunnydevon, I don't think little ones this age would get too much out of local Mother and Toddler groups but there are some great things around for babies if you do fancy doing something different. It's always good to meet other Mums in RL. Music classes, signing, massage, that kind of thing. The local libraries here in the North do something call shake rattle and roll, which is a singing session for babies and toddlers and they are great. It might be good to see what your local NCT offers, too. I'd just look in your local paper and/or on something called Netmums on the web. This has lists of local things to do.

Sunnybob, I think these groups where you just sit around and chat are pretty daunting for most people. Re. going back to work, are you going back full-time or part-time? Is DD going to a nursery? I don't really have any tips or advice except that it's really worth thinking things through logistically so you aren't rushing on that first day. For me, with DS1, it was hard but I had to do it and I got used to it. I quite liked having that bit of my life away from home in the end. Good job really because I'm just about to launch into it again at the end of next week!

DS2 is finally on the solids. He's pulling some right faces! I'm not sure he's really impressed. I've been giving him purees but I think I might give him a banana to chew on over the weekend.

Hi, thanks for the suggestions re. meeting other mums. The Netmums site looks really good. I think that maybe I'm worrying that she isn't interacting with other babies/children because I read somewhere that it's good to start at 5 months. But books aren't always helpful - I'm used to learning what to do and then following it through - my job is very practical. So having a baby that one day enjoys something and the next day looks at me as though I'm barmy is is a completely different experience - and the most amazing one too.

Sunnybob -I don't want to go back to work either. I have found a creche (and luckily will have help from both Nans) - they'll let me visit several times - first staying with DD and then leaving for short periods. Also, I've left DD for short periods with both Nans and she has been fine (in our house tho). Could you so some short sessions with the creche/childcare first?

I go to mother and baby swimming, which is great, then to a mother and baby group. I also go to aquanatal an ds goes into the crech there. It gives me a break (famly live an hours drive away and dh works long hours) and he seems to have fun.

I go to NCT bumps & babies. Went to NCT site - got branch info & E-mailed to find out where my nearest sessions are (I actually started when I wanted to talk to BF counsellor). Want to start swimming too, but I think they are structured coures here which I don't really want - I would prefer a 'drop in if you feel like it' type session.

Well I started back at work 3 days/week last week. Am hating it at the moment. I am out all day, then when I get in at 5ish I have to do spellings & reading with DTDs, feed DTDs, bath/shower DTDs (& de lice at teh moment) & get them to bed - all before 7:30. So by the time I get to sit down with DD3 shes ready for bed too. I just feel I am missing out on 3 whole days & at a stage where she is developing very quickly. I am going to give it a couple of weeks & if I still feel the same I will try and changed to 4 half days + 1 day.

At the moment she is rolling both ways. She can sit for a few seconds without support. She is desperate to do more than just lay on her back under her gym.

Am going to buy highchair this week I think - even if it is just so she can watch us at the moment. She did try to grab a handful of my tea last nice but it was just rice so not really the sort of thing she could get in her mouth (it was spicy anyway). I was keen to do BLW, but I was looking at a couple of threads the other night which put me off (re. choking & the mess) so I am not sure now. Plus I don't think our diet is the most suitable. It is not that we eat alot of the wrong food but the way we eat it. We eat a lot of minced beef - throw the veg in the dish rather than serve it seperately type stuff (spag bol, chilli, cottage pie etc, stew). I may go more traditional with finger foods alongside from the start rather than relying soley on finger foods. Oh I just don't know - I am too indecisive. I can't even decide which high chair to buy...

I worry a bit too about ds not interacting with other people enough. He screamed when someone else held him the other day which is unlike him. We were going to 'bounce and rhyme time' at the library one afternoon a week but I've just started doing an hour a week at work (last school year I started teaching GCSE astronomy as an extra GCSE after school and so I wanted to carry on with that) and its on the same day as bounce and rhyme.
We alo go swimming one day a week, the local pool has 'mother and toddler' time but it just means that noone else is allowed in the training pool, its not an organised session and since the schools went back its been usually very quiet.
I had been meeting up with a few mums and babies from antenatal class but that seems to have stopped being a regular thing. I want to keep meeting up as otherwise I sometimes feel like I don't really do anything as I don't know many other people with kids but they all seem so busy. I don't have any family any where near either so don't get much of a break or interaction with anyone except ds during the day.
Might try to do something like baby signing classes just to get involved in something. A couple of the local churches do services for pre-schoolers midweek. I don't go on a Sunday very often (used to but never seem to get there anymore) but think ds would enjoy it.

He's still not rolling over from back to front but is sitting up on his own really well. Still falls over when he gets over excited but is doing well. At the moment he finds everything hilarious and seems to laugh all day, its great

My dd has just started screaming at ahyone who holds her including her dad I'm hoping its just a faze? Has anyone else experienced this as a regular thing?
We are also starting mother and baby swimming classes once school heads back for the new term.
Still can't roll from back to front but can sit for a few seconds unaided and can stand leaning against the sofa for a few minutes.
Now has also started wriggling if sitting in my knee so ending up sliding down leg to floor, but really wants to do more - help the house isn't ready for this!!!

DD3 seems fine with other people - including nursery. She has started to get really upset if everyone leaves the room she is in. Sometimes she will cry if I leave the room even if there are others there.

Mine doesn't really care who is holding her, but she wants someone to entertain her CONSTANTLY! Whenever I put her on her back she rolls onto her front within a split second, and then complains when she can't roll back the other way! Very different from DS, who didn't roll at all until he was 7 or 8 months old (he's autistic, and I think that may have been an early sign). DD also wants to sit and stand all the time, she's now almost supporting her weight with her legs.

I've started weaning too because she stopped gaining weight (even though she still seems to be bfing really well - weird). It's not going too well though, she seems to hate everything I offer her except maybe sweet potatoes. I've totally lost my enthusiasm about it and just keep going because I remember how long it took DS to start eating properly!

This is the age when they start to get really cute though, do you find that as well or is it just me? TBH I find very young babies a bit boring, but now ... boy is she cute, I'm falling in love with her more every day!

ds is breastfed, omly put on 1lb 5 weeks, not worried though as it must be right for him.
Started blw even though only 24 weeks, its great, sat on the sofa eating a banana, he got every giddy, grabbed it with both hands and in his mouth. Think that means he is ready for solids.
Is anybody else having a realy bad week with there lo? The last two nights benn up and down (last night screamed from 2.30 till 4 then again from 5). Saw gp today for a check up on reflux, got to give it at least 4 times a day, and one of those has to be in the night.
And he is teething, thing they are ready for coming through.

Thought we had cracked sleeping through the night. Silly me. She was up 3 times between 12 and 6am last night! Oh well. Have started weaning. She loves baby rice! Probaby shlouldn't have dropped the dream feed though - maybe it was too soon.What is evryone else doing?

I'm back at work for a couple of weeks (freelancing). Have got an amazing nanny looking after dd1 & 2. Much better than me! Pity I can only afford her for 2 weeks....
Bought a babydan highchair which she seems to like although she can't sit up on her own yet.

Hard to type as got fingers crossed. Have just put Cameron to bed at 8.15pm and hoping he'll stay asleep and not want fed until the morning. Had been cutting back the late feed and tonight have dropped it completely. Gave him a feed after bath instead (was having tea, then bath, then bed, then another feed at 10.30).

I would be happy if the little monkey would sleep from 10.30, cant remember the last time i got moe that 3 1/3 hour sleep without ds wanting a feed.

Same here, DD never goes for more than 4 hours between feeds. She also wakes up every morning around 4 o'clock and spends about half an hour talking happily to herself before going back to sleep. Why?? She still sleeps in our bedroom, but not for much longer I think!!!

so glad i am not the only one, starting to feel like i am the only one with everyone saying there lo are only up once. to say, even thought about formula at bed time to see if he will sleep longer, but to worn out to bother, boobs are there ready, dont even have to wake up properly.

Littlepiggie we're on formula and dd2 doesn;t sleep through! It is reassuring not to be the only one who is up several times a night. All my neighbours seem to have 'angel' basbies!

ds up 4 times last night!............ i think.

2 days ago she was in bed at 7:20pm, woke up at 8:30m - she did have her ususal middle of the night chat though (I am glad we are not alone).

Will somone tell me what i am doing wrong!
last night in bed at 7, up at 10.45, 12.45, 2.30, then again, ? what time, then 7am, then another hours sleep in our bed. I am soooooooooo tired.
My friends mum was on about how tired my friend is with over 6 weeks still to go, she will get the shock of her life when lo is born.
Dh told har that i'd had an early night as i was very tired, she then said 'oh * is v v tired'. dont you just hate people like that!

Getting up 5 times a night to go to the loo when you're pg is sooo much easier to bear than being wokend every couple of hours by your lo!

Had a very similar night to you last night littlepiggie, and will probably switch off the computer now and go to bed! The thing is, the little mite doesn't even sleep during the day, she has one or two 20-minute power naps, then has to be put to bed at 5pm because she gets so grumpy! It's doing my head in at the moment. I think I'll soon move her into her own bedroom and get a bit tougher on bfing her back to sleep... But tbh I think some kids are just naturally wakeful and only learn to sleep through when they're older. My DS was a really bad sleeper for the 1st year of his life and now he sleeps 12 hours straight every night without fail (well, almost).

Thought I had cracked the sleeping thing to with starting solids but this week it has all gone out the window. I seam to have joined the rest of you in being up anywhere between 3 and 5 times a night and I'm shattered!!
Think we are back teething again, thought this a couple of months ago when we went through this but still no teeth!

snap angelhunter - it all looked so good for a while. And now we're up a couple of times a night beween 12 and 7am - actually she hsn't slept later than 6am in a few days and that's even tho she's going to bed a bit later.