July 2016 #2

[Bluebell20]

A new thread as we (hopefully) move towards longer sleeps and lovely little smiles!

Bluebell I love that babygro!! So cute. We've had to cram the cot in our room. It's motivating me too lose weight as I'm struggling to fit between the bed and cot!! We're decorating DD's room in October (moving her into the big bedroom) then Ben will go into the box room at 6months.

Sorry ladies, have been out in the sticks at the in laws all weekend, minimal internet access, here's the link for julfin and bluebell

m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/6344352

H spent two nights happily sleeping in the travel cot, and I've had to accept (for identical reasons to bluebell) that he's so much happier with more space. We haven't got room for his cot, so he went to bed in his room last night. It's just across the hall and I had both doors wide open AND the monitor on extra loud, but I cried for a good 15 minutes about him being in there. And now I feel awful again, with all this talk of furniture Tetris, have we given up too easily?

Ruby don't feel guilty. DD was in her own room at 7 weeks old because our old house didn't have room for a cot. We had the angle care monitor with pressure pad and the door closed due to having 2 cats.

Ruby, I have not ruled out putting Ruben in his own room - but just going to try the furniture shifting option first. There is space for the cot in our room, theoretically, it's just that I'm not sure I can get it in and still be able to open the doors of the fitted wardrobe! And it will have to be at the end of the bed rather than at the side. You can only work with what you've got! My husband has been sleeping in the nursery for weeks and he can hear Ruben in our room quite clearly from there, so if that is where he has to go, so be it.

Traced a horrid fusty smell that I've been smelling for weeks to the floor under our kitchen cupboards today. General dampness, dust, and dropped food seems to be the culprit. Really hoping it's not properly mouldy. DH is on sweeping, mopping and mould treating duty tomorrow, bless him (this would be the pay back for the night on the tiles!).

Here is a picture of Ruben entertaining me with his foot and wrist rattles while I sorted out my sewing boxes!

Thanks for the article link btw. Shall save it for a night feed! X

Walked away from writing that last post and had realised we had another option - travel cot now up in our room after some shuffling, we'll try this, if only for my sanity.

Thanks Dats and Tam for the stain removal tips! And Dats - really helpful info re sleeping bags - ta!

Thanks Sock! And for the swimming/changing tip too.

Ruby - thanks for the link. Hope the travel cot works out well for you. And please don't beat yourself up about baby being in his own room, whenever it happens.

Cookies - I've sent you a fb request if you want to chat about post-natal anxiety. I don't think I can message you on MN because I use the app. You're right, there isn't much info on PNA. Like you, I wasn't depressed at all, which may be partly why it took a while to be diagnosed - it seems the medical professionals are on the look-out for PND but not PNA. Anyway, I'm always happy to chat.

Bluebs - ha! I wasn't meaning to brag! Was feeling very chuffed with myself though, because (8 weeks in), this is only my second day flying solo, so I was delighted to find that I'm much more competent than I'd feared! A few weeks ago when my PNA was at its worst I couldn't even move from one room to another without my mum holding my hand (true story), so Saturday's achievement was spectacular 😊
Well done you for sorting through all the clothes.
What a lovely smiley baby your little Ru is! Gorgeous!

Question: it occurred to me today that J only ever falls asleep when I either feed him or carry him. I'm absolutely fine with this for now (great excuse for lots of cuddles 😊), but I was wondering: At what point should we be encouraging them to go to sleep on their own?

8w+4d

I completely understand re babies in other rooms. My first went into her own room before now. Ok the place was tiny and cardboard walls but still. You can't create what you don't have ladies.

bluebell two gorgeous photos?! You're spoiling us today! Sorry to hear of mould problems. You're better than me- would have been a bigger punishment than scrubbing here I have similar issues with my Close Caboo, and everything I do involves bending down etc. I'm so sad! Good luck with the furniture Tetris.

flossie wow where are you venturing on Weds? Do you have any mirrors or toys Rose can look at whilst in the car?

I don't feel like it's cold enough in my house to crack out the gro bags. I'm so annoyed as I bought newborn - 3 month little swaddle pods but they aren't going to get used. I've attempted to swaddle with a large muslin tonight as it's super thin. Little bugger still isn't asleep (and has barely slept all day?!) on the subject of not getting used - I swear most of my 0-3 babygrows are going to go unused. Every day I try and put him in one he just ends up sweaty and have to change him.. And his ridiculously long feet/legs are right at the end of the legs..

ruby don't beat yourself up about it. Hope you feel better about the travel cot solution. Sometimes practically just has to win :(

Any other babies had their jabs?

Yay Ruby, great solution! Hope you feel better for trying it.

Julf, what a journey you have been on. You are bloody amazing. I want to hear lots of bragging, please - you deserve it! As regards falling asleep, DH and I have started to put a sleepy Ruben down in his basket, and then sing to him or gently 'sshhh' him for a few minutes so that he knows we are there as his eyes get heavier and heavier. This only works when he is just on the edge of sleep though so you have to time it right!

Cookies, having just sorted through the clothes I am alarmed by how many 3-6 month vests we have. I estimate 40. Might be more. Absolutely ridiculous - and we've only bought one of them! I doubt we will use them all. In fact I might keep the tags on some and use them as cheeky gifts to other babies.

Ru just slept from 9.30 till 2.15. Lush, but my boobs were pretty heavy! I'm having to express now following his feed!

blue I'm loving Those pics! Gorgeous babygro too ! Are those little slippers too? I want some (for me ) where are they from?
That's the problem with a long stretch when it starts or us a one off! Wake up with leaky boobs!! The glamour of it all!

juflin dd1 is 20 months. It's a lovely age in that she's picking up words everyday and is really starting to get a personality but at the same time she gets frustrated as she can't fully communicate. If she's tired then the world is ending!!! But on the whole she is pretty good!
Re falling asleep on their own I think that's something that they often can't do for a while maybe. 4-6 months? I'm not sure why I think. I really don't think you can spoil a little baby so as long as it doesn't bother you keep doing it.

cookies Grace is in 3-6 months already (6 weeks today) she is so long!!! Even on some of those the feet look snug and they're not very big in length. I hope she slows down a bit!!

flossie good luck on the car journey. That's so frustrating she hates the car seat, I'm sure she will fall asleep eventually for you. I find rougher bumpier roads is better than smooth but I'm sure you've tried that!

Re own rooms- I wouldn't worry too much. I have a friend who put her baby in there after two weeks as he was too noisy and kept waking her up unless you live in a mansion you will hear them. I'm just jealous you can get them in a bed. Grace will only sleep on someone or next to me on my bed. I can't even be bothered to try her on her own for a while now.

We've got our 6 week check today. Time is flying by. I just ordered my first matching clothes for DDs... DH not impressed and thinks they 'need their own identity' Yawn! It's just a bit of fun and I'm only getting a few items anyway. Here is the first ...

Anna they are Lamaze foot rattles - they come with wrist rattles, which are a blur in the pic due to enthusiastic arm waving! To be perfectly honest I had forgotten we had them until I unearthed them from the Cot Landfill yesterday afternoon. They are great though - will be using them daily as we don't have a baby gym!

I can hear Ru chatting away to DH upstairs while I eat my breakfast. It is the loveliest thing!

PS big fan of the matchy matchy jumpers! Soooo sweet!

anna awwww so cute! My cousins were always in matching stuff it was so cute! I can't wait for number 2 so I can do it as well haha. Annie is also barely fitting in 0-3 now at 10 weeks, although this is very dependant on the shop they've come from

bluebell I would say over half of the gifts we got have been exchanged for bigger/smaller sizes. Very useful with my crap maternity pay, were knitted out til xmas where hopefully we'll get more clothes as gifts! I have major envy for your craft stuff too btw

cookies have you not had jabs yet? I use 1 tog gro bag on cooler nights but mainly she's in a sleepSuit with a cellular, the gro egg is my god haha. I bought some grosswaddles too which haven't been used grr will have to eBay them I think!

julfin I am bragging about my stealth mumness! Pegged a full load of washing on the line while Annie was in the sling AND I was feeding! I was still banging on about it to anyone who would listen hours later . Also Annie will not sleep on me unless I feed to sleep, she just roots constantly! I do put her in her cot right on the verge of sleep though and she sends herself off as long as I'm lying in bed next to her. I wouldn't worry about it though, just follow their lead until it's unbearable for you

First baby group yesterday was fab and I'm meeting one of the mums at the rhyme session at the library this morning :) so glad summer hols are over! Pram isn't constantly being attacked by littluns on scooters anymore when I'm out and about anyone else started going to anything?

Erm, can I sneak in here with my last week in June baby?

Mr Grumblebum aka Logan aka LJ aka Little Bear is 12 weeks on Friday, and he's in 3-6 months as well, he's getting to be such a big little lad! 13lbs 11oz when the HV weighed him last week, and getting his next set of jabs Friday.

Here's my big little bruiser

Hi elefen. Logan is gorgeous! He's my wee boys birthday buddy too!

I'm going to be in desperate need of travel advice soon. Just booked all the stops and whistles for a trip down to the midlands for my best friends wee ones christening in late October. Shitting bricks already!

How do I get his bottles etc through security? I'd want to take the premixed bottles as well as a premade one for him.

Do I pay extra for the pram? There wasn't an option on the website to declare it.

How the chuff do I seat belt his car seat into the rental car? I only ever use the isofix.

How will I sterilise his bottles at the hotel? Will pouring a boiling kettle over them suffice? Will the hotel let me use their industrial dishwashers? Doubtful as its a premier inn.

Do I get large amounts of gin down me to help settle my nerves?

At least by then he'll be 4 months so must be a bit easier?

Aaaaaaaarrrrggghhhhhhh

socky- bottle-wise, pick up some sterilising tablets and a big tub. Use tub to take bottles and tablets, cold water + tablet = sterilised bottles!

See if the car rental place have isofixes spare you can borrow, or see if you can use it with a seatbelt (most I think you can use with a seatbelt, not 100% though). On the pram, phone them up tomorrow and ask, same with the bottles cos I have no bloody idea!

Mr Grumblebum was born on 24th June, a week early but a bruiser! He's hating the warm weather at the mo, right now he's on his tummy time mat on his back, ni a nappy, covered by a muslin fast asleep after a nice bath

Sock Milton do a travel steriliser which will sterilise one bottle at a time either with a sterilising tablet and water or in the microwave or you can use a big tub, I think it needs to hold at least 2.5l of water. When I went on a flight a few years ago I had to taste one of the bottles might be worth checking with the airline. I didn't pay extra for the pram just kept it until we boarded then the put in on the plane last minute.

Just a question for you all - what do your little ones sleep in when it's this warm?

Mine's in a little vest onesie under a muslin as our room is quite warm, if he gets cold I'll put a blanket on him (if he doesn't kick it off) or put his trousers back on....He's a tinker with sleep, he does not like swaddles or sleeping bags (he fights them, he likes to spread out) he kicks his blankets off, now he's in the travel cot he's sort of at odd angles and I think it's funny seeing where he is this time - and he's starting to roll back to side.....

Elf tonight Ben is in a babygro (that has no feet) and a 0.5tog gro bag. He's in his cot just under a slightly open window.

Welcome elfen. Logan is lovely!

Don't panic sock. You'll work it out. A friend told me last week that you can preorder bottles from boots or wherever in the airport to pick up airside after you've checked in if that helps. If not then give the airport or your airline a ring. You can take made up bottles through security but may need to have them screened or taste them. Most airlines seem to let you take one or two baby items for free so have a look at their FAQs on the website. For sterilising I would recommend Milton or alternative cold water steriliser. You can get liquid or tablets and could pick that up in the Midlands. As for car seat, which one have you got? We had to use the seatbelt recently on our Pebble Plus and it was fine (there was a picture in the instruction manual). It turns out that it takes the entire seatbelt in our car but in other cars has been much easier to fix as there's been extra belt to work with.

becks I've just been to check on him, and he's still lovely and warm even just with a muslin on him, he takes after his dad - he's a space heater, and Logan's the mini space heater!

Thanks tams he's lovely but he's a git in the heat, he hates it, we hate it.

Welcome elfen!

Ru is still sleeping in a vest plus babygro and light blanket. He doesn't seem overly warm, especially now it's little cooler at night. I could probably lose the best though!

Bit disappointed with my visit to the BF specialist today. She got me to do the position where he sits up straddling your leg and you lift the breast into his mouth. I found he was quite wobbly and I had to hold myself bolt upright to make it work. She said to try relaxing back when on the sofa at home, but when I did that his face just got semi buried in my breast and I hadn't got a hand free to help him breathe.

She thought it would be better for his wind so maybe I should persevere, but I really hate it! I felt that she was showing me her favourite position (she actually said it was her favourite) rather than thinking about what would work best for me and Ruben. Really frustrating, especially when I've waited weeks and then driven 45 mins to see her. She said to ring her again if I continued to have trouble but I'm not sure I want to. I cried when I got home and tried it out unsuccessfully, and it's the first time I've cried over feeding in about ten days. I felt I was taking a step backwards to feeling insecure and inadequate. I also feel guilty because she said it would reduce his wind, but I am not willing to try it again.

Boooo! Never mind.

PS what amazing practical tips everyone has given sock (and which I'm totally stowing away for future use). You guys are great!

Welcome elfen ! Logan is gorgeous :)

Bluebell, I'd have probably cried too out of sheer anger and frustration! Maybe that position would be easier when ru is older with more head control? Doesn't help now I know...

Annie was shocking yesterday, so marry and disgruntled! she is not a fan of the heat bless her.. Hope it's cooler today

Hello everyone - totally fallen off the thread. So sorry - missed loads!!! Mo had a bit of a tricky phase sleeping wise and just ran out of hkurs to reply - now really behind with all the news.

All fine though dats thanks so much for thinking of me. Hope you're having a better time of it now.

Cookies while I remember , I've got the Erg 360 and I found it too big at first with newborn bits but now it's ok. Mo is 9 weeks and he loves it. I find the caboo more comfortable but like other ladies, it doesn't feel secure enough for longer journeys. Though Ive looked like a mad lady pushing the pram around with Mo in caboo sling recently - he HATES the £600 brand new bugaboo that lovely grandparents bought him and loves the £15 sling that I hired. grrrr!!!

Blimey it's hot here! Mo feeding every 2 hours so my plan of starting to express inbetween feeds has totally gone out the window. Might have to start Mo on the odd bottle of formula so that I can express - I'm EBF at mo and I feel very lucky that we're able to but I'd like at some point to be able to get a haircut/go for a run, etc without worrying Mo will go hungry if I'm more than an hour and a half!

Jabs today - eek!!!

Also hats off to primary, anna, cookies, beaut and all the weight loss ladies - I'm in awe, seriously. I've got a bad cake habit here and can't seem to kick it. Haven't weighed myself - might happen at GP today terrifying. At the moment even my big jeans feel like aong way off..