September 2014 - Into the new year!

[RedToothBrush]

Shiny New Thread for a Shiny New Year.

Off topic but has anybody booked a holiday for this year? We're off to France in May and July, can't wait!

Now just need to think of cheapo ways to fit in a few more and make the most of maternity leave

We've sort of booked something for October, but I suspect we'll do something else too. Just need to sort passports. Getting the photos done are a major pain. (DH needs to renew his too)

We have a cottage booked for a week in feb. About four hours from here. And then a week away in August which is about 12 hours away, I.e. Kent to Scotland! I think we'll have to break the journey on that one. It's too far to do at once.

Excited for our first holiday though!

We are planning a few days in centre parcs in March! Can't wait - no holiday at all last year and obviously the last month has drastically amplified the stresses of normal new motherhood!

We did a few days at centre parcs a couple of weeks ago and it was great. They are so well set up for families and there are so many babies I didn't feel like people were staring and like I was being a terrible mother when DD was screaming in her pushchair (overtired, do I just had to ignore it and walk until she gave in!). We are hoping for another short break around Easter, but that will be a last minute thing. Probably a cottage holiday somewhere in the summer.

Hoping to go for a budget break abroad in early June (somewhere with a relatively short flying time like the Algarve). For those for experienced than me though, I have a few questions about this. I'm planning for Jessica to be on formula by then and obviously she'll be about 9 months so should be taking solids by then. How do you manage sterilising abroad? Do you just take your own steriliser or is there an easier way? Also is it best to take milk with you or buy abroad? What about baby food? Is it easiest just to buy jars out there? I'm confused....

Oh and how do you take baby milk / food on the plane with a 100ml limit at security? x

I'm going to my family in portugal in may. seems a lot think about though!!!! we will have been weaning for 6 weeks then so not sure what will need in terms of bottles and stuff. going to get sterilising stuff out there I think.

kit kat was thinking same thing about formula and planes.

also had antibac gel on hands then held bs and then he put his hands in his mouth. should I worry?

Not sure about sterilisers and the like, as when I flew in November it was to visit family in Ireland, and they borrowed a steriliser from a neighbour/friend. We also bought formula over there.

But for the plane, we used the cartons. If you keep them sealed, and just pour into a bottle once you are through security. They do scan the cartons, but I think they are used to doing so. Its fine that they are over 100ml

Just took DS for his last lot of injections. The nurse said 'so he's sleeping through the night now then?' NO, no he is NOT. Is is common to be sleeping through at four months? It's probably been done to death but I'd love a whole nights sleep. We aren't even close here. Is it me? Am I offering the breast too quickly when I should be trying to settle him back to sleep. In some ways I think I need to try harder at night to not feed but when I'm in the throes of it I'm just so exhausted it's easier to just feed because I know I'll be back in my bed within ten minutes.

Sorry to deviate from the far more enjoyable holiday chat... :(

I'm normally fine with night feeding but I think maybe I'm just knackered because DS had this cold so I was up loads and now I think I'm getting it to.

one tired mummy

Honey

My DD first accepted the dummy - so that I had a means to settle in the night rather than breastfeed - at a few days past 7 weeks old. It is no coincidence that she then started sleeping though (11-7) from 8 weeks.

She was exclusively breastfed at the time. I started mix feeding at 12 weeks. I've not done a night feed since 8 weeks and do not expect to.

Having said that, is it common? I would say not. DC1 and DC2 both exclusively breastfed were not sleeping 11-7 until 12 months and 6 months respectively. DC3, formula fed, was sleeping 7pm-7am with no wakes or feeds from 5 weeks old.

Re Sterilising abroad: Thinking around the subject (because I've not take a baby abroad before), but you probably won't need to be sterilising by 9 months old. Once you are giving solids (which are not sterile) using bowls and spoons that are not sterile, on a highchair that (if you are anything like me) has crumbs and stuff in the cracks - plus baby will be picking up everything and putting it into their mouth. Then it becomes pointless to sterilise bottles. By that point you just have to accept baby will be exposed to some bacteria.

Yup, dummy helped here too. Sometimes he wakes up in the night and I just pop dummy back in and he goes back to sleep!

Today's B special has been to have a small feed, grumble, fall asleep, wake up and vom water type substance. Spoke to HV, who said not to worry see how he was after next feed. He is fine in himself! Then changed his nappy and he has a bruised looking willy so rang HV again…said to see GP about it. We have a GP appt tomorrow anyway so will add it to the list……they must love me!

I don't think its too cold. The gro egg says it's aroubd 18 degrees. I normally give a blanket at 17 because that's when I get too cold. So he normally has baby grow,2.5 tog gro bag and blanket when below 17 degrees. Does that sound right?

The dummy, he's had one since about 8/9 weeks. He spits it out straight away usually at night but will settle with it during the day. I always try it first at night before feeding but he just lets it go and wriggles and wriggles and whinges which escalates to a cry until I pick up and feed. Do I need to persevere?

Thanks for sharing your experiences fate. As we are so close to weaning I don't really want to introduce formula now just to get more sleep. Its reassuring that your children weren't sleeping through either, although I'm sure it wasn't great for you at the time!

Maybe weaning will help. But then I was told putting him in his own room will help and it didn't, not at all!!

You sterilise because young babies have an undeveloped digestive system which means their immunity to certain things is not as good.

I've seen it suggested you should sterilise spoons before 6months if you wean early. So post 6 months you can just wash things so they are clean rather than worrying as much about sterilising as its all to do with the immune system and digestion.

I feel like a mean mummy now, Em wears a long sleeved vest, socks and a 2.5 tog sleeping bag , she's pretty much sleeping through though so I don't think she's cold?
She runs hot like me so I have to be careful not to overheat her.

I can't remember who said about their baby bringing up clear liquid, Em does this a lot, my GP said its nothing to worry about.

We are going on a little holiday next week to a cottage in Norfolk, we've got our own swimming pool which will be nice, Ems been swimming since she was 6 weeks old and she loves it.

Have not read posts today
Just sharing this before I forget for anybody surprised how the hell their brain has changed so much since last year
m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/01/what-happens-to-a-womans-brain-when-she-becomes-a-mother/384179/

Hon ds is 5 months and does not sleep through (although if we define sleeping through by having a 6-8hrs block he does, but that just brings us up to 4-5am, so I am thinking not)
He wakes 1-2 times a night ; I spent some time worrying and planning for longer sleep; then I just gave up; it is a development thing and will arrive at different time for different babies; I decided I am willing to let it take its natural course; I also breastfeed but not as soon as he wakes; I wait until his little moaning are about to become crying. I also know from the way he feeds weather it is for comfort or hunger; and these days it is always hunger, but I had many night wakes for comfort...

I am trying to adjust my life around it; but then given he normally sleeps at least 6 hours in one block it is easy for me to say that...

I am prepared for many more night wakes to come: teething; sickness; etc.

All babies are different with regards to their night time temperature preference. I know with my four children they have had different preferences. From one who just had l/s vest and grobag in winter, to one who liked l/s vest, sleepsuit, blanket (tucked in tight) over grobag in winter. Plus two in the middle.

I think they just have individual preferences.

Honey - If baby is hungry then nothing in the world will settle him apart from a feed. You can try 'loading' him with feed during the day (ie feeding regular and often throughout the whole day), but it is difficult to change feeding routines like this once they start to become established.

Jessica is mostly bf (has a bottle of formula pre-bed as she sleeps a bit longer on that), but on average wakes 1-2 times a night for feed. If she's hungry then I don't think there's any harm in giving a feed, and I don't think she would settle back to sleep anyway if she was hungry. She's still pretty young so I think it's okay that she still needs some night feeding.

Thank you all. I am just tired today and overly sensitive so when the nurse seemed surprised that no he wasn't sleeping through it was a little hard to take.

holls DD also brings up a lot of clear fluid too - we've also been told nothing to worry about.

Team Glad you enjoyed centre parcs and found it baby friendly! Which one did you go to?

Ella Personally, I don't think it does much harm for kids to miss a few days school to go on holiday but am surprised their schools let you without a fight! It's been in the media quite a bit over the last year, and I thought it was not allowed at all unless there were special circumstances. I am just interested.

so behind on posting. my real name is becky, so I get called beccus. I am 37, live in nw London, dd1 is 2 and Lewis is our last. I think some people define sleeping through as 5 hrs. Lewis is ebf and is certainly not sleeping through. the last week has been really bad - stretches longer than 2 hrs have been rare. thk god he did a 5 hr stint last night, feel much better for it. I think he has either had a cold (he seems a bit snotty) or it is 4 month sleep regression.

Project tasting- sharing the experience:

One negative experience today: I binned the clevamama feeding thingie after two uses; I would advice against buying anything like that as it defeats the purpose.

Two positive experiences: 1. I made steamed carrot for ds in 5minutes; 30sec-1min prep time(peeling,cutting) ; put it in a little steamer in microwave; 3min later it was cooked; 1min rest to cool down. If it takes this much time I may manage it most days with no need to batch cooking and freezing or ready made jars

1. I gave ds a piece of red pear to try; he had a go trying to chew and suck it; he absolutely loved it ; but then I had most of it (all of it really) myself and it was very sweet and lovely; so no wonder!