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March 2016 - quick, a new thread!

998 replies

Swearwolf · 29/08/2016 07:54

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

Ooh don't I feel important Grin

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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15
TheMshipIsBack · 25/10/2016 20:07

DD's night time sleep training is going pretty well so far. (Well, last night was a bad one, but tonight was good! Only 30 minutes crying.) She is sleeping in her cot till after I go to bed, and last night actually almost slept through, it was 5am when she woke wanting a feed, and she fell asleep again beside me afterwards till almost 7. Nap times is another story altogether, but DH is determined and we know it's a harder one to crack.

No crawling or pulling up to stand on her own yet, but DD is thrilled to be helped to standing and will hang onto furniture for half a minute or so. Very glad she's in her well padded cloth nappies as she lands on her bum several times a day! She's starting the "da da da" babbling, which gets big smiles from DH. DS is trying to teach her to crawl - he crawls around on the floor in front of her saying "Look! This is how you do it! Come on!"

Dottydoodoo · 25/10/2016 21:20

Me yay for the double nappy trick! I'm pleased that you and Mship are getting a bit more sleep, it sounds like it's going really well. Fingers crossed that it will continue!

Mship your DS sounds so lovely, bless him! My DS loves standing. He held onto the coffee table this morning for a split second without me holding him. Desperately need to get some of those padded corners for it now!

On the way up to bed this evening DS did a huge, real, projectile vomit Shock! Help! He had been fussing with his bottle and then crying as if something was really wrong which is not like him at bedtime, and then splat! He then giggled through his bath and story, drank the rest of his milk and is now sound asleep. I think it's probably that he ate too much dinner, but I still have The Fear! Goodness me! I went and got the Bumbo seat today and DS sat in it for about 15 mins this afternoon. He absolutely loves it! He had his toys on the tray and was having a whale of a time playing and watching The Chase. I wish I had bought one sooner now, but meh!

Dottydoodoo · 26/10/2016 21:14

I am pleased to report that there has been no more sick, and no other nasties. DS's eyes must have been bigger than his belly last night, goodness knows where he gets that from!!!

How does everyone cut up their finger foods? DS had banana today which I had cut into big round chunks, how you would normally slice a banana but big. He managed to get it to his mouth and was really enjoying it, and then stuffed the whole chunk into his mouth! I had a meltdown! I think it probably would have been too big for him to choke on and I managed to quickly hook it out with my little finger. I then held it for him but they say not to do that as it's more of a choking risk? It has made me even more nervous about finger food and I don't want to be because DS loves doing it himself. Has anyone else's baby done this? Do you think if I had not done anything he would have spat it out by himself? Argh!

We are doing really well with the Bumbo, thank you so much Me for the suggestion. DS is managing little longer periods of time sitting unaided, and managed to steady himself when he wobbled yesterday. He's only sat in it twice! It could be a coincidence, or just Sod's law that as soon as I buy one he masters sitting!

DomesticAnarchist · 26/10/2016 21:30

Glad there was no more sick, Dotty.

Have you tried this with bananas?

March 2016 - quick, a new thread!
Me624 · 26/10/2016 21:44

Dotty glad the Bumbo seems to be helping with ds's sitting.

I tend to mash banana but if I do give it to DS whole I tend to just give him half a banana and let him hold it. Dom's idea is a good one because it will make it less slippery for him to hold.

I don't know why I'm so relaxed about finger food but I am, thankfully. DS has never choked and rarely gags. He regularly puts huge pieces of food in his mouth and generally it just comes back out with a bit torn off which stays in his mouth, then when he's finished chewing that he goes back for a bit more. The only thing I sometimes have to hook out of his mouth is skins - I give him apple, pear, nectarine etc with the skin left on and he eats all the fruit but hasn't worked out to spit the skin out.

Sleeping has continued to be good all this week - last night he slept through until 5.45am! - but I still don't want to count my chickens!

Swearwolf · 27/10/2016 09:09

I'm the same as me, I'd give her half a banana as it comes, and do pear etc with the skin on. I did see a useful tip for giving them slices of more slippery fruit like peaches - cut into big slices, but cut little triangles into the sides so they can grip a bit more easily. And apparently, if you peel a banana and then push your finger into the end, so down the banana, it naturally splits into long slices. I haven't tried this though.

S is going great with the finger food, she's pretty much baby led weaning herself as she's mostly refusing purees. It's all really messing with her guts though, she's having about five poos a day but they're really solid. Poor sausage, hopefully it's just her adjusting and it'll settle down.

OP posts:
DomesticAnarchist · 27/10/2016 13:12

Afternoon all! Glad to hear of good sleeping and eating.

I made DS2 a teeny omelette for lunch today. Seemed to go down fairly well (alongside the crusts I cut off DS1's sandwich - indulgent mother that I am!).

All of a sudden DS2 is taking significantly less milk. He'd cut feeds right down to

1frenchfoodie · 27/10/2016 19:50

Dom I knew somebody here would know the term for swapping from day to night feeds and there you go without me even asking!! DD is reverse cycling since she started nursery last week. Feeding at 2am. 6am and sometimes 4am too while just snacking on milk during the day. It takes the pressure off me to express but I got too used to sleeping from 9-6 over the last few months and it is exhausing!

swear that banana thing where you push your finger into the middle, having cut the very end off works well - it divides into 3 long, easily grippable bits. DD has a bit of a vilcan death grip though and just squeezes the bits straight into mush, I may need to try the technique in the pic Dom linked.

Mship dadada babbling has just started here too along with baba, it is very cute, especially combined with what sounds like 'hiya' that she has been saying for a while. I had a dream a couple of nights ago that her first word was 'neanderthal', seems unlikely Smile

Dottydoodoo · 27/10/2016 21:14

Dom thank you for the banana tip, I shall try that next time I pluck up the courage to give DS banana! Failing that I will try Swears technique although knowing my luck I'll just end up with mushed up broken banana on my finger! I bought some organix sweetcorn rings today and they went down very very well.

Me your DS's sleep sounds amazing! Long may it continue.

Dom my DS is very interested in everything around him suddenly too, I'd say over the last couple of days or so. We were in a cafe today and he had about four old ladies all cooing over him, and he was absolutely loving it!

frenchfoodie my DS told everything it was a dada about a month ago, and has now given up! Baba started today though, and when I was getting him ready for bed I could have sworn he said bugger! It was just random babbling and we don't swear so hopefully he's not going to pick up bad words but it took me a little by surprise!

DomesticAnarchist · 28/10/2016 22:28

Evening all.
I've come to see if anyone is around: DS2 has a temperature. He's asleep, has woken and fed at the usual time. I've swapped him into a lighter sleeping bag and given him some calpol (only 2.5ml, he could probably have had 5ml since he's such a chunk, but he barely took the 2.5ml dose).

He's breathing quite fast, and coughing. But he's had a cough, on & off, for ages. I can't tell if the fast breathing is just because he's not properly asleep (lots of little grumbling and whimpering, like he's feeling rotten, poor dude). His chest isn't pulling in. His main issue seems to be with snot.

He's probably fine, right? There's nothing a doctor could or would do right now, is there? He's not lethargic as such as he keeps stirring and looking for his dummy!

DomesticAnarchist · 28/10/2016 22:35

He's dropped off properly now and his breathing sounds entirely more normal! I am so quick to panic!

Swearwolf · 28/10/2016 22:42

Oh no dom your poor boy. I don't know what I'd do, but as far as I know as long as he's alert and rouse-able and his temperature isn't above 39 it's not worth a midnight trip to the out of hours. Maybe call 111 if you're worried?

S has a horrible cough too and is all clammy Sad

OP posts:
1frenchfoodie · 28/10/2016 22:46

Glad he has dropped off Dom, I was going to say it sounds like DD who has had a stinker of a cold for weeks. But I'd not trust myself to advise anyone else as it is just so tricky. Hope you get a good sleep yourself.

DomesticAnarchist · 28/10/2016 22:50

Thanks Swear. We haven't actually got a thermometer (well, we have a forehead strip one somewhere). We used to have a digital ear thermometer but it was so wildly variable we couldn't trust it. I think it got binned when it's batteries gave up. I realised with DS1 that it was very easy to feel 'unusually hot' with your hand! But I've got no idea how hot.

Since he's dropped off properly his breathing is completely normal. I'll hold off on calling for now.

I've had a scratchy throat and a headache for the last day or so, so I think he's probably just similarly virusy.

Poor little baby. Building an immune system is no fun when you're little.

DomesticAnarchist · 28/10/2016 23:23

Oh, thanks 1french. He's had this cold for ages too. I think it's fairly normal! I just had a little panic in the dark.

And rather than admit it to DH I shared with mn!

He seems cooler now. Hope a good sleep will see him right tomorrow.

Hope your little one is ok too Swear.

Dottydoodoo · 29/10/2016 07:21

I hope your little DS is alright this morning Dom. My DS had a cold that I thought had gone but it seems to have made a reappearance. Poor babies Sad

Me624 · 29/10/2016 07:42

How's your DS this morning Dom? Those thermometers do seem to be very inaccurate don't they, we have one for DS and it gives all sorts of wild ear readings. I haven't used it for months.

DH and I have both had colds but DS seems to have escaped it ... for now! He will be starting nursery in a couple of months and then I'm sure he'll have every bug going.

I've just been sorting out all his nursery stuff this week - loads of forms to fill in and then DH and I are each sorting out childcare vouchers with our HR departments which is a load more forms! Even with the vouchers the cost is eye-watering! Makes me wonder what we spent all our money on before!

DomesticAnarchist · 29/10/2016 09:28

Morning, the calpol brought his temp down, but it was up again by 6am. Calpol brought it down again, he slept and seems fine now. I have a feeling today will be sponsored by calpol!

Hope your DS is ok Dotty.

Me, the cost of childcare is one of the reasons we have a 5 year age gap. And I think it's cheaper here than in the east.

Swearwolf · 29/10/2016 09:48

Glad to hear he's a bit better dom. Apparently the baby ibuprofen is better at getting a fever down if you have any of that. S sounds like a wee seal, but she's happy in herself.

Cost of childcare meant a three and a half year gap here, it's a shame as we probably would have had three but I'm now worrying that spacing them so far apart will mean too large a gap between the oldest and youngest. In the SE here, so housing etc all too expensive to manage on one wage. We cut down childcare costs a teeny bit by staggering our hours, so I started early and was home by 4, dh worked later so he could drop off at 8.30, which saved us about £10 a day. That was with a childminder though who charged by the hour, all our local nurseries charge by the half day so that wouldn't have made any difference. Childcare vouchers helped too.

This time I'm hoping to go back three days, so I'll only be working when the boy is at preschool and will only need wraparound care for him, and make up the shortfall in wages with some freelance work in the evenings and weekends when we won't need to pay for childcare. I've got a meeting at work next week about it, it sounds really formal, I'm shitting it.

OP posts:
TheMshipIsBack · 29/10/2016 09:49

Dom get a cheap digital thermometer, it's very easy to get an accurate rectal temperature in babies, just use a little petroleum jelly and don't use that thermometer for anything else! When DD was feverish a couple of weeks ago, we just checked during nappy changes. I hope DS2 is feeling better soon, do give the full 5ml Calpol dose if he'll take it - FIL's a pharmacist and made a dose by weight table for us, at 9kg you're just fine for 5ml. I try to get that much into DD but she hates it and I never get the whole thing in anyway!

Night time sleep training is going brilliantly, nap time is not so much. Really struggling with getting more than 30 minutes. Time change tonight will mess it all up again probably Grin

Trinpy · 29/10/2016 10:15

Glad to hear the calpol is doing its magic Dom. These things always seems to get worse at night don't they? I hope he feels better soon. If you did want to get a thermometer then I can recommend the basic boots digital one that you can use underarm or under the tongue. Always been accurate for me and the battery lasts years and years. I barely used it with ds1 but ds2 seems to pick up every virus going and while he's still tiny I like to make sure his temp stays below 39C.

Oh no I hope your ds is OK Dotty.

Me I'm dreading the nursery fees! How many hours are you putting your ds in for? I'm starting ds1 on two mornings a week from Jan and that's scary enough. Full time would probably bankrupt us! Luckily we've got my mum nearby to look after ds2 and my Dh can (hopefully) work his hours so he's home mon-weds. I don't know how parents without flexible working and family nearby manage.

Ds2's sleep has been completely ruined ever since he had the hand foot and mouth the other week. Even though he's better he's still waking on average 8 times a night. If I leave him he cries, if I try to rock him/cuddle him he arches his back and makes this loud whingey whining sound. I've no idea what's wrong, it's so frustrating.

DomesticAnarchist · 29/10/2016 10:40

Thanks for the tips.

"I don't know how parents without flexible working and family nearby manage" Two types of childcare helps here, when there's a problem with one the other can often step in. And the cm will be a bit more flexible than nursery. And the gap, so we've got one FT and one wraparound. So far we haven't had to call on friends for help. And we have the holidays off, which is a huge help.

Me624 · 29/10/2016 11:05

DS will be in nursery 4 days a week, with my DPs having him the fifth day. Actually there's very little difference in the price of 4 days vs 5 days, all the nurseries round here give a discount for doing full time. My DPs wanted to have him a day a week though and I'm happier that he'll be with family one day, next best thing to being with me. We're in the SE and the cost of 4 days is £1100 a month Shock it goes down a bit when he turns 2 and the ratios change, then again at 3 when he gets the free hours. i think the childcare vouchers will save us about £100 a month off that so net cost to us is about £1000. Crazy money! Neither of us can work flexibly but we are lucky to have both sets of parents nearby and they will help out for emergencies and illness as well as my DPs having him regularly a day a week.

1frenchfoodie · 29/10/2016 15:42

Wow Me £1100, crazy mony indeed! More like £700 for 4 days here (cambs) but sadly any saving goes on my commute to London (£750 a month).

Thanks Trinpy, now I know what to spend my boots points on. It has felt a bit remis having no thermometer but others had also shared tales of crazy readings.

Mship, same story here re sleep training, CC now has DD going down at night with little to no fuss/crying but when DH tried the same during the day it took up to 45 mins of crying. We know nursery isnt going to let her wake everybody else doing that so it seems pointless, if not cruel to persevere at home. I got her to nap with me on our double bed just now, much needed now I am back at work full time!

FirstTimeMummy25 · 29/10/2016 18:10

Hope your DS is better today Dom. We have a digital thermometer and I don't find it very good think it's from mothercare. Do it's interesting to hear all your stories. Glad to hear some of your sleep training stories too. Glad. It's going well/better for you.
DS went through a bad sleeping stage of waking at 4 for 2 hours but fingers crossed we are not out the other side. Not looking forward to the clock change though, any suggestions on how to make it as painless as possible? Or is it a wing it and hope for the best situation? Confused... Childcare is so expensive I'm back to work on 8th November and I'm dreading it, we didn't go with a nursery as that was £1000 a month we want with a childminder which is around £600 per month so massive difference I'm going back 4 days a week though although it's pretty much full time hours.
I don't think we will have another baby until childcare costs have got better for us such as wrap around I don't think we could afford it very easily.
DS has majorly cut down his milk intake and I can't get him to drink water either so panicking he might end up dehydrated! Going to get him weighed on Tuesday for the last time before going back to work so will ask the health visitor what to do or if it's something to worry about.
Hope your all having a lovely weekend!