November 2014 - The one where we figure it all out... Or at least try.

[Arkkorox]

Couldn't see another thread ladies! Crap title I know but I couldn't think of anything else!

Thisis how on earth did you manage to put the nappy in the wash!

So I used the baby crack last night after dd had been awake making yowling noises for ages at 10pm and a tummy massage had done nothing to move any wind. She slept in her cot 11.40-2.47 which sounds shit but is a big improvement of late. Up for a tiny feed but she mostly wanted to burp. Took ages pacing in bedroom but it came up eventually. She slept in her cot 3.40-5.30 then and up for the day with a snotty nose at 6.30. Sigh.
I've decided infacol is crap for wind, hasn't helped dd2 at all in 2 nights and used to make dd1 worse too.

So going to give dd2 some butternut squash today and get this thang started. She is obsessed with rolling and looks not far off sitting unsupported so maybe having too much craic in general to sleep at night.

Music you will surely crack if you keep doing 24 hour parenting on your own with dh sleeping 12 hours a night in the next room?! Sorry but he should help with the older one at least. It is very lonely dealing with nights. I did manage to at least have a lovely 20 minute long piping hot shower yesterday evening during one of dd2's 45 minute sleep cycles - made all the difference to my sanity...

My dp also gets/needs to sleep at nights for his driving job and long hours BUT he always takes dd for a long walk both weekend days so I get a break, by Friday I'm climbing the walls for it. Its still exhausting and I only have one! I don't know how you're still sane. Both a hug and a pat on the back for you.

Thanks for advice on childminder, I think you're all right, the garden was designed for the kids so nothing but grass and toys. I'm just a bit over protective I think. So I think I've found the one!! But visiting for an hour then entrusting her wih the most important thing in the whole world seems too easy...

We've done 2 of our 3 nights away. Sat in a radisson bedroom now. Ds did crap sleep first night (no paracetamol, v dark room) and quite a good night last night (paracetamol and a lamp left on). Definitely think he's teething or at least having the teeth move around under the gums. The amount of slobber is something else! He's got one of those cheeky chompers bibs on with a rubber point. V good to chew but he can't keep it in so we're constantly replacing it in his mouth!

We've got a cheeky chompers too - but the only ones that don't get drenched through are the Primark plastic backed ones which are a bit big and clumsy. He loves them though, as they feel crinkly, so he's always sucking them.

I found Infacol utter shit tbh, but was very impressed by Dentinox. Gripe water worked well too. You need to use a syringe with both though as its messy otherwise.

First night in a cot last night - very impressed by the small Mothercare one (the Apsley?) as its very compact but still feels huge as he only takes up half of it at the most. I did struggle a bit to resettle without rocking, but he'll learn. happy mine still wakes up at 10.30, 2.30 and 4.15 (random...) so don't count on longer stretches in a cot. But at least I sleep well in between!

Oh and re: weaning. I'm basically going to avoid anything other than fruit and veg for the first while. Then with allergans introduce one a week. He's 20 weeks in the next few days but am going to try to get away with it until midway through April but we'll see!

I heard banana is good to start off with as is richer in calories than baby rice etc.

Btw, DH insists he's not 5 months till 11th April as he was born 11th Nov. But he'll be 22 weeks by then! Which do I go by?

anna I was thinking that the other day. He is 4 months today as born on 28th November but is 17 weeks. Now we are over 3 months I am going with months rather than weeks, simply because it is easier for me to remember.

We just got back from Centre Parcs. It was brilliant. Loads of swimming and playing. Also 6 other adults to look after him. I even managed to escape for a massage. He slept awfully while we were away but because we had other adults we got naps during the day and managed to have a lie in or 2. He woke up every hour on the last night away. Last night, first might back in the Snuzpod we got a solid 6 hours. Changes so often I am trying not to rely on anything!

Ha, ha Anna and catg83 - DH and I had same conversation re age! DD was born on Saturday 29th Nov, so 17 weeks to the day today, but it's the 29th tomorrow...I'm with you catg83 and am going with months from now on!

I've got one of those cheeky chomped things as DD was dribbling so much (teething?) that the folds in her neck were getting really red and yucky. They're great for absorbing all her drool, but she isn't at all interested in sticking the rubber pointy bit in her mouth - her entire fist (or sometimes just her thumb is much better she's decided...

Sounds tough going music. Just want to echo the thoughts of happy - think you need to sit down with dh for a talk. He might work long hours but your job is 24/7 & its not fair to expect you to do it allat home.

Re weaning, Took my ds a while to accept banana - its quite a sticky/mushy texture. When I weaned him his favourite first foods were root veggies, particularly parsnip & carrot. He also quite liked pear. Apple was a bit winky! I also found if he wasn't too keen, or for fruits like apple that are tart, mixing a little milk in with it would help.

We're nowhere near weaning stage yet. DD is 18 weeks (15 adjusted) & although she likes watching us eat, she's not grabbing at anything yet.

Since she had her jabs she's been waking twice at night for feeds but also waking at other times too - just generally unsettled. She's wanting to eat more frequently in the day too. I am wondering if this might actually be the 4 month developmental leap/growth spurt & not down to her jabs. She has started trying to roll & the last 2 days has spent most of her time awake squawking like a cockatoo!!

We're another with 4 months regression. Hellish nights, although weirdly the two in Paris were better than at home!

He's trying to roll like fury although I've not seen it happen in the day. Also think we have canine action to add to the two teeth he got at 2 months. All t shirts end up soaking an hour after putting on.

He's also been in the big cot for the last week, which is helping a bit with sleep as he was clattering into the sides of the bednest trying to rotate in his sleep. It's the same as ds1's cot so looks enormous!

haven't thank you, no relatives nearby and DS2 is exclusively bf and velcrobaby so not easy to hand to friends who all have their own children, I know this will pass but it's taking a long time! It's sad to see him in so much pain with his tummy. Twiglet thank you for the tip, tried the fennel seed mix this morning and he immediately did a big poo so it's helping thanks.
happy and omama my body gave in today and I've been sick all day and taken to my bed so DH has had to be on charge which is great! He finds out about stuff at work next week so I've said we need to hay after that as we used to be such a good team and we both chose to have children so need to sort it out. Greenstone and lady I'm on the case now! Trouble is DH has a history of mental health issues if he doesn't sleep properly so although it's harder for me to be the one up all the time, it's a better scenario than him being back on tablets/hospitalised-rubbish I know, he doesn't use it as one but it feels like a bit of a threat hanging over us in tough times.
Thanks for the support x

On the plus side, DS1 is being a darling and comes into give me hugs and kisses then toddles off!

We just went into Mothercare & tried a Bumbo, and he barely fit into it! Amd he's not a chubster, he's quite long and lean. But still his thighs were squished. Crazy.

So I got the Bright Starts copy one instead which had more leg space and turns into a booster seat for toddlers too. He was very excited, lol. Hopefully it'll give my arms a break!

We've got the mummas and pappas version of the bumbo and it's fab!

Anna and Ark I was given a 2nd hand Bumbo but haven't used it yet and don't have any idea when I would start to put DD in it....when can I use it? Do they have to be able to sit up unaided first? Mind you, DD is definitely a "chubster" - 17lbs at 16 weeks and 4 days - so hope she fits into it!

I don't think they have to sit up unaided - just that they can hold their head up. My Bright Starts copycat says from 4 months on it. We strapped it to the kitchen chair in booster mode and DS got very excited being sat at the kitchen table. It was lovely actually.

He slept through! He slept through! After having 4 nights this week of being up every hour or so I could weep with joy this morning. He slept 10-6 (I know it is technically 5 but I don't care!). He fed and went back to sleep till 8.30. Woo ooooo.

A friend is lookong out her bumbo for us today as he has started to seem to get frustrated lying down. He is a long way off rolling over or sitting up but we will see how he does. He was 95th percentile let time he got weighed so we will see if his legs fit! Will let you know how we get one. x

I honestly don't think dd would fit in a bumbo! She's got proper Chunky thighs!

Went out for my birthday last night, dd was great up until she got over tired and then sobbed on my mums shoulder for a while till she fell asleep, but we had a good nights sleep from her again 10-7 ( technically 6 but I'm taking It haha)
Dps stress and depression ( im pretty sure that's what it is) lead to him snapping at me at dinner so not as nice of an evening as it could have been but he apologised and I know he's struggling.
His mum has very kindly offered us the use of her caravan in the summer, dds first holiday is on the cards!

3rd and final night away done. Slept on the floor on a mattress with ds and DH had a sofa. Had discussions over dinner about weaning and of course everyone thinks he looks ready for food just because he watches us eat. Couldn't be arsed arguing so just smiled and nodded!

Took ds on a v windy ferry yesterday and he voiced his disapproval!

I hope the last 2 good nights are the start of something good not just a blip!

Ark would he go to a doctor? Tablets have been a lifesaver for me. I don't know how anyone gets through hard times without them, tbh. I'd have been a basket case by now without them as I was definately headed down the panic-attack route.

I'm finding resettling without being able to rock the cot really challenging. Its basically Dream Sheep + hand on chest. Takes twice as long and if you do something wrong its back to square one. But I know I need to persevere. I'm also trying to give slightly less milk at night so he drinks more during the day - just enough to resettle, 2 or 3 oz only. Its all a bit dicey though!

I'm not looking for him to sleep through, right now I'm just trying to train him to settle with minimum intervention. Then I don't care how much he wakes!

Don't have any tips I'm afraid anna. DD is fine to settle in her static bednest but only with dummy in. At the moment she continually pulls it out which is sooooo annoying and she will NOT settle without it. Tried pick up put down and she just didn't stop crying even after five minutes of being held and cuddled! We just have to wait til she's completely knackered and then finally she'll take the dummy and not pull it out. Would really like to ditch it but I just don't know how we'd stop her crying without resorting to rock to sleep which is just as annoying as dummy!

Congratulations Catg, well deserved night!

Am insanely jealous of your lovely uninterrupted night's sleep catg & ark!! DD has still never slept through & we are still getting up twice in the night to feed her. She's only taking small feeds in the day of 3-4oz every 4hrs at the moment, and will not take more so I don't know how we will ever ditch these bloody night feeds!

moggle my dd is exactly the same with her dummy. Continually pulled out, but cries for it back as soon as its gone.. Takes absolutely forever to settle her because of this. Am trying to introduce a comforter in hopes she may ditch dummy herself - worked with ds around 6/7 months so keeping fingers crossed!

Great news catg!!!

babydolly still up pretty much hourly last night including 2 hours at 2am. At 7.30 I took her into her dad. Woke up at 9.30 to an empty flat, he took her out in rain and wind so I could sleep, 2 hours sleep on my own, I was a different woman today! Then breakfast at a nearby hotel and then he took her for another walk and I had a bath in peace. Followed by a cozy day at home and dd in a great mood. Today was one of my favourite days we've had since she arrived now if she an top it off with anything less that 5 wake ups I'll be over the moon!

Also, hairdressers for the first time since October, didn't succumb to the new mum urge to have a totally new do, settled for a trim and top up of my highlights!!