March 2016 - quick, a new thread!

[Swearwolf]

Sorry for the terrible title, I saw the old thread was up to 996 posts and panicked!

Ooh don't I feel important

Yeah your right! I hadn't really looked at it like that suppose when I feed at night I'm half asleep. Wish DS would go through without a feed

I can't help with amounts as I am still bf but C is definitely feeding for shorter periods now that she is having solids. I start the day with milk which tends to mean that she has milk about an hour before each meal then has a final milk feed before bed. I put my trust in the fact that babies are pretty good at self regulating and generally let you know if they are hungry and ignore anything that hv's say

Seen the messages today about how much milk babies are all taking.. ds was on 4 x 8oz bottles.

Now we have lunch &a dinner our routine seems to go;

7am 5oz milk
10.30am 5oz milk
12.30pm lunch
3pm 5/6oz milk
5pm dinner
7pm 8oz milk

Will wake in the night but the last few nights has just wanted dummy no milk. So we having around 23ishoz a day. Also offer him water with food but doesn't really take a lot.

I'm going to introduce breakfast soon when I do I'm worried he will cut down more on his milk, so I might start with porridge that I add formula too. Get abit extra into him.

Well my DS is still drinking loads of milk, despite being on 3 meals a day! I started writing it down again last week and he is having 28-32oz a day. I think I might start offering him less at the mid morning and mid afternoon feeds. Sometimes he doesn't seem to really need the mid afternoon one at all but then if I offer it he'll drink most of it. I haven't had him properly weighed for ages, not since we've been weaning, but I stuck him on the bathroom scales the other day and he seems to be roughly following where he was before.

I think they're quite good at self regulating though. I didn't notice any drop in how much milk ds2 was having when we started weaning but now we're around 6 weeks into it he definitely seems to be going longer between feeds. Last night he almost lasted the whole night without a feed which is crazy considering he usually wakes 2-3 times for feeds.

Ds1 has just left for the airport. I got a bit teary after they drove away but have managed to pull myself together now .

Ah trinpy just think how lovely it will be when you see them both again. Not sure how old your ds is but I love phone calls with my ds, its hilarious the things he chooses to tell me about his day.

Oh trin enjoy the alone time with ds2 I'll bet it's not that often you have time just the 2 of you.
I do think R would go longer between feeds, I just offer every 4 hours rather than waiting for him to cry.

Yeah you're right Q, ds2 and I never have time together really - he's already loving having all the attention on him! I'm planning on going on lots of nice shopping trips, quiet coffees, catch ups with friends, etc while he naps too!

That's actually been really helpful advice MrsElls, looking forward to them coming home is a much more positive way of thinking about it. They called from the airport but he was a bit too overwhelmed to speak. Apparently he got a bit mixed up and thought they were just going to pick up Granny and Grandad from the airport then coming back home again. It was a bit of shock when he realised he was actually going on the plane! He's only 2.5 so he doesn't really understand that he'll be there for a few days before he comes home again.

I'm starting sleep training tonight. I'm doing The No-Cry Sleep Solution, has anyone else tried it? I don't think I'm brave enough for cc yet!

Hi all, it's great to see the milk discussions as E isn't far off the amounts of others which I'm amazed at seeing as I fret so much. She does between 24-28 a day really. Me she is still hit and miss with solids but we have had a much better week this week so I'm feeling hopeful. Glad you have got an eating baby again.

My HV came yesterday and was so lovely and supportive- this isn't the shite one from last week. She went over E's weight chart and reassured me she isn't going to be huge because she started so tiny and just kept saying look at the line she is following it. She also assured me that babies don't starve themselves so on days when she doesn't feed as well as I want her too I have to keep telling myself that. I had to complete some questionnaires and I have come up with mild post natal anxiety which makes sense. She is coming back in two weeks and in the meantime wants me to see my GP to flag up that I've been anxious in case I need further support. She's also referring me to Mums Aid for counselling but it is a long wait. This suits me fine because I don't feel I need it at the moment so hopefully won't do. It's nice to know I'm on the list though in case things get harder. The nicest thing was she gave me a huge hug and said if you want to cry then cry it's normal.

French hope dd is ok. As for parenting fails I nearly lost E in the bath today. I was holding her sitting and she wiggled and then just slipped away. Ds was in with her and I had to get him to grab her

Trin I would feel the same as you with ds going away but strangely enough have no qualms about taking him off to my parents with me. He will have a great time though and I hope you do too. Good luck with sleep training, we've only done cc before but that was when ds was about 11 months. It was awful but worked but I agree I don't know if I could do it with a baby our ages.

Purple glad you got a good HV. Somebody who can sense when a hug is needed and doesn't make you feel awkward/petty/a wimp is worth a lot.

How was night 1 of sleep training trinpy? Weaning seems to have put paid to swift settling at night here but we are seeing if it gets back to normal before discussing new strategies. Hope your DS had a good flight and is settling okay away from you.

Weaning going okay here, quantities small* and mess huge but both finger foods and purees are being tucked into with gusto. Even those that get her screwing her face up and sticking her tongue out are sampled over and over. As I never really logged feed frequency pre weaning I couldn't say if milk feeds have changed and BF so no idea on quantities. Ignorance is hopefully bliss.

(* DD shows signs she'd eat her weight in fruity fromage frais but I limit due to sugar)

That's great news Purple, I'm really pleased you've got some support from a decent HV. Hopefully you won't need the counselling but its nice to know that it will be there if you need it.

They're so cute when they're trying new foods aren't they French? But yy the mess! I remember ds1 going through a phase around 10-11 months old of purposefully throwing food on the floor to see what happened - dreading that happening with ds2!

Day 1 of sleep training was... interesting. I'm following TNCSS book which recommends doing a sleep log to see how much sleep your baby is actually getting. He woke up 8 times last night! No wonder I feel so tired all time! He did spend all night in his own bed though so its an improvement.

I skyped dh earlier but ds1 was far too busy playing to want to talk to me. I was actually quite relieved because he's clearly having a great time and isn't homesick.

Glad your DS1 is enjoying it, Trin. Hope you're enjoying the peace too!

Well, DS2 is 6 months today! But he's really not into food! I know it's not something to worry about, but... you do, don't you. I need to get creative about what I send to cm/nursery with him too. He's been taking porridge & a fruit/veg pouch so far. I feel like I should send something home-made, or whole veg or something... I don't know! I don't remember what we did last time!

Glad ds1 is ok Trinpy.

french my DS's sleep has gone downhill since weaning, I'm not sure it's related to that though. I ended up calling the HV for advice yesterday as I'm exhausted, he's waking at around 4am every day and is so difficult to resettle. She had some suggestions but I'm feeling a bit sceptical about most of them tbh, we are going to try a bit of gentle controlled crying next week though. I think DS has just got himself into a habit of waking at that time and then he knows I'm going to come in and thinks it's playtime etc so we just need to break the habit. I might send DH in to do the reassurance for the first few nights although he copes so badly with broken sleep!

DH is working all weekend which is a shame as it's our family time, but it doesn't happen often. DS and I are going to a friend's today and if the weather clears up a bit, to the petting zoo!

Dom once DS has been weaning for a bit longer and is better with finger food you could send him with a little packed lunch. That's what I've been doing if DS and I are going out at lunchtime (saves faffing around trying to heat up pouches etc in a mug of hot water) and I do a little cut up sandwich with something like cream cheese, sticks of pepper and cucumber, sometimes half a baby bel, a small bit of fruit like a couple of strawberries or a satsuma. It sounds like a lot for a 7 month old baby but of course most of it ends up on the floor

Me dd has been waking at 4 as well in the last few days! She needs a feed by that point but she would normally wake up moaning whereas now she is waking chatting. She has gone back down but in an awake state and not the sleepy one I'm used too. Then she is up awake at 6.30 again. I can't complain too much as she is generally a good night sleeper but there is no way I want to be chatting at 4am.

Dh is away this weekend, he has just left with his mates for an overnight break to Brighton. I don't begrudge him really as he needs a break and has been very supportive in recent weeks so I want him to let his hair down a bit. However it is pissing rain and the builders have decided they need to work today and tomorrow so the non-caring side of me is

Posted too soon! Dom just wanted to say I get what you mean about the food. Dd takes purée sometimes and only fruit. The rest of the time I feel I'm giving her toast toast and toast green veggies thrown in. I'm sure we will figure it out too at some point.

Thanks for the food suggestions!

Now to car seats!
We've started thinking about what we'll upgrade to after DS2 outgrows his group 0 car seat.

With DS1, we got a Britax First Class Plus, which is ace, but enormous, and is in my car and will last till DS2 is 4. But we need another seat for DH's car.

Car seat technology has moved on since DS1 was a baby, and DH's car also has isofix. I'd like another ERF seat BUT it needs to forward face after 9kg in case DS2 gets as car sick as DS1 is was!

So we've started looking. At the time, the First Class Plus was an expensive seat at £150 (it's now around £100) but Holy Moly they're all around £300 now! Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm very taken with the Britax Dualfix, but it's expensive. I've also got a bit of a lack of trust in some brands (e.g. Graco high chairs and push chairs look flimsy and badly planned to me, and that - possibly unfair - judgement extends to their car seats! ).

So, if you've bought one or been looking already, what are your thoughts? (We'd like a group 0-1, if I haven't been clear - it's one of those posts you write over about 2 hours between bathing and settling two boys and making your own food!)

Dom it's funny you ask about seats as I was having a look today and was so overwhelmed by all the choices I kind of gave up so sorry I'm no help...
Just a quick question to those of you using sleeping bags for babies... Can you advise what tog I should buy for DS?

Watching the car seat discussions with interest as I have no idea what to get for DS next when he grows out of his group 0 one! I don't know how long he'll be in it because he's quite broad shouldered and also quite long - over 75th percentile for length.

FTM I have DS in a 2 tog sleeping bag at the moment and he has long sleeved pyjamas on underneath. His room is about 20 degrees now but will drop overnight to 18 or 19. We have a 2.5 tog for when it gets colder. For most of the summer he was in a light weight 1 tog one with short sleeved vest underneath.

I know there are so many, and some are iSize and some aren't. Confusing for me too and I've already bought 4 seats!

Sleeping bag tog will depend on the temperature of your house. I've put DS2 in what I think is a 2 tog tonight, with vest and sleepsuit as he was chilly last night in his 1 tog and it's colder tonight. The guide attached suggests he should be in a vest with this sleeping bag, but I find these guides tend to be a bit on the cool side (and my babies are warm people!). I'm not sure though. It's always a dilemma!

That's it, Me. The thermometer said the room was 18C earlier, we've since put the heating on so it'll be warmer in a bit, but then will drop overnight to something unknown (maybe I'll bring the weather station up to log overnight?!).

Babies are so baffling! Confusing food, confusing clothes, confusing car seats. Good job DS1 can adjust his clothing and covers himself (to an extent)!

I'm looking at the maxI cosi pearl as recommended by mship and someone but can't remember who and can't click back oops..
ftm last night ds was in a 1.5 tog with vest and sleepsuit but woke up feeling cold at 5amy the monitor said his room had dropped to 15 degrees so tonight he's in a 2.5 tog. He's not well though so not sure how he will be through the night. We shall see.

DD is in what I think is a 2 tog and sleepsuit. But tbh I'm guessing at the tog of all 3 bags I have (secondhand from sis) and just adjust clothes underneath according to weather - from naked to babygro. We dont have a room thermometer either...winging it is the name of the game here.

Thanks for the bags Q. DD has been up a few times a night the last few days, putting paid to early morning expressing, hopefully she will settle back down.

Thanks for the advice, sounds like I need a 2.5 tog one and then maybe a 1.5 or 2 tog too?

I've just come up and the thermometer is saying it's about 21C in here but it feels chillier. DS2, in his vest, sleepsuit and probably 2 tog bag (think this one was a TK Maxx one) is probably just right. I've got a cellular blanket on hand in case he feels colder later.

Both boys are coughing tonight. Boo.

Every time I pop onto this thread to catch up you are talking about something I was going to ask. It's like you read my mind or all us mums worry about the same thing!

Ds doesn't like anything on him when he sleeps. Iv tried sleeping bags and he just screams and is really unsettled. Blankets he just kicks off. Ahhh..

We have put the heating on so his room isn't too cold yet, it was saying 20 on the grow egg last night. But what can I do when it does get cold?? I have tried putting the grow bag on and leaving the legs undone but he still just cries.

Also car seats we have a maxi cosi pebble and brought the family fix base which holds the pearl aswell. But now reading all this information and how car seats have changed it's advised to be rear facing for longer. I am in now rush to go upto the next size car seat but as my children are both long my dd was in her forward facing car seat 4 years ago at around 10 months. Ideally I don't want to do that but also I have forked out £150 for a isofix base that only accommodates the forward facing pearl after