***************December 2006 ****************

[lucy5]

I can't access the thread with my rubbish Spanish internet connection. Could someone start a new thread and link it on the old one too. Thankyou. Hope alls well!

Oooo Margo, like the new name

I'm so dreading weaning as I think we will be having our kitchen knocked through just when he's 6 months and I go back to work so perhaps I should start early? It's just now with bf I don't have to worry about taking anything out with me, just a small snack for ds1. Then the pfaff starts with sodding ice cubes or jars that no-one will heat up for you.

How did you get on with reusables, Eli? I haven't used at night yet, I'm fearful of disturbing the lovely long nights he sleeps now. I worked out that he feeds for 4 hours a day most days (arrrgggh) but at least he sleeps well after all of that. My nips, no in fact my entire breasts were aching after a marathon feed yesterday afternoon.

On the sleep front - where do all of you with older DC's put your babies to sleep?

TodayI started with resolve to put DS in his cot for his morning nap - but after 40 minutes crying and mobile winding he slept for 20 minutes before waking up screaming.

A cuddle a play and a feed later he is now fast asleep on the sofa nestled in the 'V' shaped pillow I used when PG - this is exactly how his sister settled and I am so cross with myself for not remembering it sooner. He's off the ground (where his chair or mat are, he's warm and he can see whats going on so he's happy to sleep. How long will it last? I have no idea, but I am off to start my ironing. And DD is under promise of a trip to the park this afternoon if she doesnt wake him up.

AQ, DD2 goes all night - from 9 til 7:30 - in one reusable nappy. (Unless she does a poo, of course) With a good fleece or wool wrap, the reusables are fab at night.

(Really conscious that I sound like an evangelical real nappy advocate - I'm honestly not preaching )

milkshake, dd2 goes to sleep in her cot, in the car seat, or on the sofa. and yesterday she fell asleep on the changing mat while i got the tesco delivery in.

She has discovered her thumb which really helps. As soon as she is tired she starts sucking it so i put her to bed and she goes off by herself. If after a few minutes she is awake then i just get her up and try again a bit later.

She has baout 4 naps during the day which last between 20 mins and an hour.

DS2 falls asleep pretty much anywhere too, although I am now starting to think that I should put him in his cot soon.

Babypowder :please preach away, what reuseables are you using ? I did use some in the past with DS1 (6 yrs ago ) but I cant remember what they were and things have moved on sooooo much in that time.

Milkshake, I put dd in her bouncy chair (which lays almost flat or at an angle, rather good for refluxy babies) wherever I need her to be. Best places so far are next to the washing machine while on, esp if oven on nearby for warmth/noise, and on a big armchair in sitting room which keeps her out of drafts and dd1's playspace. Occasionally in her cot, in the afternoon, which is when she tends to do a longer one.

She napped a LOT yesterday, then was windy and stuffed up all night - white faced, very liquid poo, and not hungry today: she has another cold

AQ, ashamed to say I've managed one, which was soaked within seconds again so I must be doing it wrong. Also, she's too big for almost all the ones I ordered whilst pregnant so have to get some new ones - thinking of just going to waitrose for some Motherease, what do you reckon??

Re naps - usually, dd has 4 or 5, mostly about 30-40 minutes but often one of about 2 hours long in the afternoon. She seems to last 1.5-2 hours between naps now - and sleeps (with a couple of fast feeds) between 8pm ish and 7.30am ish. Is this normal? I've no idea, can't remember what dd1 did

elibean - this is what dd2 does.

sleeps from about 10pm until 8am then during the day she is up for about an hour and a half then naps then repeat until bed.

Eli, ds2 is napping about the same although nighttime sleeping is all over the place right now He's cramming his fist or either two first fingers in his mouth a lot so I'm thinking we must be in the teething phase now...

I keep thinking I will have it together enough to do cloth diapers soon, but soon never gets here

LFM, glad things are working out on the feeding/breathing/reflux front. Ds2 was eyeing my plate with interest last night

satin, soooo

Eli, DD2 sleeps for a total of about 1 hour during the day and that's broken up into naps She's 15 weeks! Can anyone remind me when they start having that big 2/3 hour kip after lunch, pur-lease?!
I've also noticed she's started to get quite "demanding" - wants me to look at her, talk to her, doesn't like it when I leave the room etc. Thankfully I have 2 other DCs who are very happy to help out

Eli, mine keep leaking too, it'll be the wraps tho that are the problem rather than the nappies fwiw? I have one ME, absolutely hate it tbh. I have fluffles and bambineos (fluffles dry easily, bambineos very slim fitting & absorbant) can recommend both.

Right, must try one at nighttime tonight!

Aha, bambinos sound good then. yeay I get to spend more money had lovely bamboozles but too small!

Thanks for the nap reality check...not doing too badly then, if only she'd magically turn into one of the eight hour at nighters I'd be ecstatic. Though to be fair, am pretty smitten as it is - gurgling and cooing like crazy now, and giggling with pleasure whenever she claps eyes on me. Been a while since anyone did that

ok, enough typing with one hand...

Um, Castles, we were having those big naps till a few days ago - now down to 45 mins every 1.5-2 hours. Here's hoping they come back soon!

happy birthday for yesterday Eli

my poor dd is streaming with cold. she has been all day. even her eyes are watering with it. she's meant to have her 3 month jabs tomorrow.

what do i do? do i just reschedule for the following week? (they do a weekly immunisation clinic) it wont matter if there is an extra week between them will it?

I've always rescheduled jabs when they have a cold. It'll be fine. In fact, I space them out on my dc's so they never really get theirs on time.

thanks jabber. dd has been so good. she obviously feels rotten but has barely cried - just the odd whimper really, loads of snot and wanting lots of cuddles. she's gone to sleep on our spare bed now so i've left her there. have a feeling it could be a long night

Poor thing I sooo hate it when they are sick. And, unfortunately, you are probably right about the long night ahead of you.

Castles I'm with you on the nap front!

ds has however been great today to make up for the past god knows how many days. He likes Tuesdays I think, it is our baby group day and somehow he always seems the happier for having a chance to beat lucy up on a play gym (there being a day between them but she was 3 weeks early and doesn't quite have the manic arm waving thing down yet bless her!)

Right rant warning ahead (and I have forgiven dp really I promise but rant needed anyway)

Ds was doing one of his uber long evening sleeps (ie didn't wake at 10) which is great, nice that he is capable of going longer so I dream fed him at 10 in the vain hope that it would push him through a bit but he woke at 11.15 anyway having not realised that he had a full tummy. A couple of sucks and he was back down. An hour later he wakes up, I sent dp who comes back 2 mins later and says 'He's hungry'. I get up, go in and ds is kicking his feet up full of wind so I go back to bed and send dp in again. An hour later dp comes back. Ds is now actually hungry but wind free. I feed, he doesn't settle, I end up dozing and cuddling unhappy baby til around 5am when he seems to calm down so I take him to bed with me. Of course he starts crying again. Dp wakes up and the following conversation takes place

dp: Now William come on you'll be back in your own room if you keep that up
me:and how will that help?
dp:well it will be better than this.

So I get out of bed again and am followed by a plaintive 'I didn't mean you....'

At 7.30am I'm dozing on the sofa with a finally sleeping baby when dp gets up and comes in and apologises and tells me he meant that he was going to get up and settle him. Right, and why didn't you then? Why on earth, knowing that I had only just come back to bed after being up for 3 hours did you not follow me and take over?

Ah well he did take him out this afternoon so I could nap and he does have a job interview and selection centre thing tomorrow and Thursday.

we're on 20 min naps here too grrrr (or sometimes just 10, I mean what's the point, what can I do in 10 mins??)

Indith, dp's are just sooooo annoying sometimes. Mine forgot to put the leftover risotto's (I made one seafood specially for him as I don't eat it, and another veggie) in the fridge & then said they were spoiled because he was busy putting the children to bed. Hmmm, it was 8.15 and he put ONE of the children to bed at 7.20. In the meantime sat on his arse playing computer games AGAIN. DS1 only came home at 5.30, dp had dinner with him whilst I was feeding ds2 in the other room, and he couldn't even be bothered talking to ds1, just sat on the mac the entire time. Of course, I am completely and utterly perfect in every way and cannot be judged at all.

Eli, meant bambineos (formerly wambamboos) not bambino mios which I know nothing about. Indith uses fluffles too, they're very very fluffy even dried on the line but my god does ds have a ginormous bottom in them!

Just got an e-mail from a friend who has her 40 week appointment with the midwife tomorrow. Sooooooooo glad to be past all of that

I use Motherease and TotsBots terries mostley. They do give DD a huge bum, but I love that look. And I use fleece wraps at night, but Motherease ones during the day. I haven't had a leak yet.

So that you can just pop into Waitrose and get Motherease. We don't have Waitrose up here

Indith, I am so with you on the DP front (I know you've forgiven him) DH is currently suffering with the same bug I've had. ManFlu is such a killer for them, isn't it? Mine could hardly leave the sofa all day. [stifling scream emoticon]

mostly

DD2 up most of night with cold. will cancel todays jabs.

another long day ahead