September 14 babies - bring on the weaning!

[KitKat1985]

New thread for the Sept 14 babies. :)

Great list Cookie. Mine isn't even going to nursery (well, until aged 3) but even I found it useful.

Team, worry not. Everything is a phase. It will change and it will pass. The good stuff will change and pass just as the bad stuff changed and passes too.

Thanks for the supportive comments!

Having thought about it and chatted it through with DH, I think we are slipping into bad habits to "get through" each day, which is easier in the short term, but means we slowly move backwards. So, although it is going to be tough, we've decided we need to change things with a longer term aim in mind.

As of today we are going to alternate putting her down to sleep so that the stress of it isn't only on me and to try to break the sleep association with me. We are also going to try a slow no tears self settling technique. It will take longer, but for us I think it will work better than cry it out.

No idea what to do about the early morning wakings. I'm convinced she's still tired as she wakes crying and is grumpy until she has her first nap, but I just can't get her to settle, even cuddled up on me. I'm hoping that if we manage to get her to self settle, the early morning issue will somehow miraculously solve itself!!!

In good news, I started making puréed veg for the freezer in anticipation of weaning her in two weeks. Baby corn really does not purée, so I'll have to save that for when she's a little more used to food and ready for texture. But she was watching me make the purées like it was the most fascinating and hypnotic thing ever, so I gave her a tiny taste of carrot, and she was quite excited by it! I think she'll love it when we start properly

We only have a very vague routine, E is on 3 meals a day but it all depends on when he wakes in the morning. So basically every two to three hours we offer food or milk we offer food first as he eats better and will still drink his milk after. If we did milk first he won't eat after.

Glad my advice helps! :)

team I am working towards getting E to nap in bed instead of me and self settling.

I think DD might have an ear infection. She's been quite grizzly the past couple of days and has been rubbing her right ear. No temperature though. Might it be an ear infection. I've tried giving her calpol to see if that helps.

Cookie that was very helpful. Thank you v much.
Should I expect to be charged for extra settling in sessions? What sort of things can they offer me to smooth the process? And a general question: what sort of training, qualifications do staff have in nurseries?

I am still puzzled how one person is supposed to deal with three little baby! I am having difficulty dealing with one!!

In other news we went to parents and baby cinema today. It was fab.

Team maybe that's why she is going backward in sleeping?

nazly at least one member of staff needs to be qualified to level 3! Staff will be qualified in a nvq or cache level 2 or above. Some staff maybe training on the job. Most nurseries have a staff board that lists the staff the room that they are in and what qualifications they have this will most likely be situated in the front entrance. This is helpful to remind you if names :)

We don't charge for any settling in sessions but other nurseries may do, so definitely ask. Staff should be trying to gain as much information as possible from you about your lo.

I know three babies is shocking but it's helpful that is a group environment so you have all the staff supporting each other :)

team could it be teeth? Someone once told me that babies often pull and tug on their ear when a tooth is coming. Just an idea. I would guess that with an ear infection it would be quite painful so lots of screaming and possibly a temperature? I am guessing though!

And a general question: what sort of training, qualifications do staff have in nurseries?

My friend works in a Preschool Learning Alliance nursery (they are a chain owning lots of nurseries). She was totally unqualified for the first year she worked there. She is now working towards her NVQ, but still. People were sending their children to this outstanding nursery and yet there were lots of zero contact staff working there who had no childcare qualifications at all. .

...yet there were lots of zero hour contact staff working there....

Fate that makes me angry Zero hours contract is bad too... I am seeing how very difficult it is for my son to settle in, will not be able to cope if the staff changes frequently. In fact that is the breaking point for me, I just take him out if that happens.

As I said the girl working there was very nice, but she honestly did not know much about 6months old, and where they are with brain development. I defo knew more!

Holls you are not posting as frequently as before. About your weaning question some ages ago: Annabel Karmel 2014 book is pretty good and very cheap, specially if you get the kindle version; it has loads of recipe ideas and some good general tips. Have a look at amazon if you haven't seen it yet - I can also send you screen shots so you see if you like it. In the first two weeks that we were doing fruits and veg mainly, I did mix some spices with them which went down really well- best one was cinnamon.

Acron, was that you who wrote about treasure box?? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have read about it ages ago, but at the time ds could not sit on his own and I then completely forgot. As I read your post I spent probably 5 minutes making one for him before his breakfast, a few of his small toys, a few things from kitchen, some scarves, brown paper and a piece of survival blanket, a few little musical toys I bought for him and he hasn't played with it yet - just what I could find around at the time. He was sitting for more than 40 minutes totally amazed by the experience I will change some of the stuff after a few days so it looks like treasure (!!) again! :)

I think she does have teeth coming through, but she also seems to have a bit of a cold. She's very snotty and bunged up, so I've given her calpol, saline nose drops and I've put baby vapour rub on her chest. After all of that I managed to get her to take half of a bottle and she is now asleep in her cot, but quite snuffly so I'm going to spend the night in her room rather than getting up and down to check on her constantly. She won't keep her dummy in, I guess because she can't breathe through her nose, so her usual way of settling isn't available to her. She's actually fast asleep, but quite noisily squirming around. I guess she might normally squirm this much, just she isn't normally this noisy.

Love the treasure box idea! I'm going to try that tomorrow, although it suspect that DD will mainly enjoy emptying it

I have heard before Nazly thatit's quite common for nurseries to have high staff turnovers. Not ideal at all but common nonetheless.

Well J has had 2 good night's of sleep but I knew it was too good to last, ha! She's woken up and I'm having trouble getting her back off. If this current attempt fails I'll be resorting to cosleeping for atalented least a bit of the night.

I've made a treasure basket too, she can't use it yet as she's not sitting independently buy it's ready waiting! Just wanted to say though check any whisks you pit in there carefully as I know of someone who's whisk snapped and the metal wires could easily have done damage to her lo's face and mouth had she not been so quick to remove it from him.

Hope you're all having decent nights

Oo sorry for the typos in that last post. So tired clearly zzzZzzZzZzz

Team Jessica has also been rubbing her left ear the past couple of days. I also like you wondered if it was an ear infection but she has no temperature and I know it can also be a sign of teething, which given her frantic fist munching at the moment makes it seem the more likely option I think. Also I think ear infections can be very, very painful and she isn't showing any signs of being in pain. Obviously will keep an eye on it though.

Awful night again last night. I'm guessing that's to do with teeth as well. Bloody teeth.

In more positive news - the past two days Jessica has taken a bottle!!!! Am hoping to be done with bf by the end of the month, fingers crossed.

Am thinking in a couple of months time if things don't improve, (I think at the moment with weaning and getting her off bf it would be too much), I may consider sleep training. I don't want to do it, but I'm getting a bit desperate. Also I think by 7.5/8 months it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect her to go without night feeds any more. I don't like the thought of doing it but I think I can only go so much longer with bad nights, and when I'm back to work I'm doing 14 hour shifts (!) so really, really need to be able to sleep by then. Anyone else thinking about this?

Nurseries do often have high turnover, we find with some students they think all it is, is playing with children and babies when in reality there is so much more and when it comes down to it they decide its not for them. Our nursery has a very low staff turnover the longest staff member has been there 30 years, almost everyone is at least 5 years.

E has taken a liking to Ella pouches!

I've got a snotty little one too and think the lactulose is giving her painful wind too. I've taken it down to 1 dose a day to see how that goes. Two doses does get things moving but it seems to come flying out rather than just softening the stool (tmi sorry!). Motherhood = obsession with child's poo. We've had a bad couple of nights with the snotty-ness and wind and have ended up with crib pulled right against the bed to rock and have had to have white noise on all night to keep M settled. She's usually such a good sleeper, so I really am in awe of those of you that consistently have multiple wake ups every night. It's so knackering!

Spent yesterday afternoon making purees - carrot, sweet potato, apple and pear. 14 portions in the freezer ready to go!

Molly rolled over for the first time this morning. Back to front, even though it's supposed to be the other way first!

Those treasure boxes sound like a good idea. We do heuristic play at the children's centre, which is everyday materials, and Molly loves to chew a spatula lol.

Sorry for absence - been a bit manic. The boy has started rolling in cot and getting stuck and waking up at 4am. I am knackered.

DH was meant to have him while I went out for lunch yesterday. It didn't happen, DS came with me. I felt so let down and as hugely upset. Somehow he made me feel like a shit wife, and then I felt like a shit mum.

He seems to be trying to drop his 10am bottle. Tomorrow am going to try nap at 10, bottle when he wakes up, lunch, nap, bottle when he wakes up, supper, etc etc...

Why didn't your DH have him holls? Without even hearing the whole story I can tell you 100% you're not a shit wife or mum! Good for you too for still going, even though you had to take your DS, rather than just missing it.

not really sure. he clearly just didn't want to do it. I tried to talk him through stuff and he ignored me. so I just took ds with me. I don't know what the problem was - lack of confidence, fed up, god knows. he said he didnt have anything to do with him. I felt so let down.

Holls why are YOU feeling bad and as if you are shit?

He didn't have anything to do with him? WTF?

What's he expecting? To go paragliding with his son at 6 months. He just has to be there.

I'm so angry for you.

thanks Red. somehow I feel like I have done something wrong.

Red is completely right Holls. In a way it would be better just to have gone and left DS with him and then he would just have bloody well had to have found something to do with him. But then that wouldn't have been fair on DS and you would have worried, so it makes sense that you took him. Really unfair on you though, and especially worse that you feel bad about it! hugs

Why? What else are you supposed to do according to your DH?

What does he think you do with your DS on an average day? Ask him.

His excuse is ridiculous.

Perhaps you should just turn around and say to him, he'll have to employ a childminder because you haven't got anything to do with your son.

If he doesn't feel confident, what efforts is HE making to change that? Why is the responsibility all yours?

Holls you have absolutely nothing to feel bad about. DP has been a bit like that on a couple of occasions, what do I do with him, what's his routine etc. doesn't matter how many times I tell him. I had two days out in London last week so DP had DS both days & they got on absolutely fine & he enjoyed it. He also added he'll never ask me what I've done all day ever again as he now knows how much time & attention DS requires. Not sure why he'd dare ask me that anyway!

If he gets like that again Holls I'd leave DS with him & he'd have to get on with it.