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

Q when I swapped day time feeds to formula I dropped a feed every 3 days however found this quite uncomfortable. When I drop the night feed somewhen in the future I will probably follow mship's advice as I'd imagine it's not as rushed and uncomfortable

French I did chuckle a little at the tennis ball incident - hope she's OK.

Thanks mship and 1st today I've given a lunchtime feed as formula and his bedtime feed will be too so will stick to this until next weekend and then add another one in the middle also.
Intend to keep his night wakings as bf, but as it takes me a whole day to express enough for one feed I think formula is going to be the way to go ready for when I'm back at work.
Tried mushed Carrot today - didn't seem to like it as much as broccoli though.

Rainy gloomy evening and Strictly is on, it's certainly September! French sorry that made me smile too, I'm sure she is fine though.

Dotty my dd has started to roll to her tummy now or sleep on her side. It's nerve wracking isn't it. If I see her I flip her back but I know I should just leave her.

Parenting advice too, urgh. Know it all parents always make my teeth itch. Like the others say just smile and ignore.

We've been out with dh family today, it was lovely but out nephew is a really demanding nearly two year old. He just doesn't stop, then everyone came back to ours and he started tipping out all ds carefully sorted Lego which made ds all upset because he is so ocd about Lego. Normally if they come we toddler proof the downstairs but we hadn't planned on people coming back so hadn't. Anyway DH is now in a foul mood due to the day being dominated by the demanding toddler and the Lego incident. He seems to be taking it out on me which has really annoyed me. I don't like to moan too much though because who knows what E will turn out like? Families eh...sympathy Vroc for your inlaw issues.

Yay to Strictly being back! Although with that plus it being a rainy day here today, it suddenly feels like the end of summer. What a lovely one it's been though, we've had such good weather most of the time and this is the first year in forever that I've been able to enjoy it, been outside with DS most days and I'm tanned, wooh! I never tan!

Dotty DS has slept on his front ever since he learned to roll, like Purple said nerve wracking at first but he's obviously so much more comfortable like that, I never flip him back (did the first few nights but it was fighting a losing battle!) Remember that the SIDS risk goes down to virtually nothing at 6 months.

And today DS is exactly 6 months! I can't believe it, it's gone so fast. He's such a joy.

Q I'm impressed your DS likes brocolli, DS spat it out! He's eaten it mixed with other things though. Today we were out so he had an Ella's pouch! I'm thinking about starting to introduce some meat soon, and starchy things like rice and pasta.

How much food is everyone else's babies eating? We've been weaning for 3 weeks and after about a week and a half DS really got it and now seems to eat quite a lot. Today he had a small bowl of porridge mixed with a large ice cube worth of Apple purée for breakfast, which he finished, and half an Ella's pouch for lunch (one of the larger pouches). My Annabel Karmel weaning book talks about a few teaspoons etc but I assume it's ok to give them more if they're clearly asking for it? DS opens his mouth wide for the next spoonful and waves his arms about in excitement! As soon as he stops doing that and needs coaxing to open his mouth I stop.

french, Dom and vroc thankyou, I will try and perfect my smile and nod. It just knocked my confidence a bit.

DS has been rolling back to front for about two weeks but doesn't really go front to back. He can, ive seen him! He rolls about like a whirling dervish when he is trying to fall asleep in the cot and often will roll onto his tummy. Then because he is half asleep and not happy about it he screams the place down until you flip him back over. However if he rolls onto his front during a deeper sleep he will happily stay there. Strange boy!

Me and Q my DS was going wild for his puréed broccoli this evening! After reading this thread I didn't think he would like broccoli but he loved it!

Me I am so lost about how much DS should be eating! We have only been weaning for a week so he is just having those first tastes, but like today with the broccoli I stopped because he had eaten quite a bit although he probably would have carried on quite happily and he finished his bottle so it obviously didn't fill him up too much. He had around 10 spoons but that was with purée on just the tip of the spoon not covering the whole spoon. Also how do you know when to introduce food more than once a day? Oh help! The topic is weaning at my post natal group next week so I must must must pay attention!

Dom, I feel your pain about the going back to work thing. Even tho I'm not planning to go back til Jan I'm already starting to think about how I'll feel about leaving him. I'm sure after only a couple of weeks it'll become the new norm for you. Hope it goes as smoothly and painlessly as poss.

Me, I have no idea how much they 'should' be eating. I had read with DS1 that babies should self regulate but Z never seems to stop opening his mouth! When I mentioned it to his dietician she said some babies don't self regulate...I think he's one of those and I do worry I'm over feeding him. As an example yesterday morning for breakfast he had half a weetabix with two scoops of formula made up with boiled water mixed with 1/2 a banana, then half a slice of toast! Bearing in mind he started on food back at the beginning of June tho. But even then he'd eat 10-15 full weaning spoons full of whatever!

I think he was on one meal a day for a couple of weeks, then two for another month then lunch was the last we introduced (as it's the least convenient one to give if you're out and about!) after he'd been on two meals for maybe a couple of months. We're now also giving pud after dinner.

Dotty, unsolicited (incorrect) advice is so frustrating. I go to a lunchtime slimming world group which is full, mostly, with retired women. Almost every week I get some piece of advice from one or another of them, especially if Z is fussing (which he fairly often is!). From 'the sun is in his eyes you need to turn him round' to 'he must be tired he's not he's hungry, why don't you walk around with him, babies love motion'. I just smile sweetly and seethe inwardly!

Had a horrible experience at the weekend at my sisters house. Playing with her DS (15 months) and my DS1 pushing a big plastic car back and forth. Z was lying on the floor next to me. At one point my nephew stood up, picked up the car and before I could react launched it with force from directly above him at Z's head . It immediately looked like his forehead had a dent it in, horrific. I scooped him up, screaming and got some peas which I held on his head for half an hour (which he continued screaming, mostly from disliking the peas I think). Meanwhile DS1 had pushed over his cousin in retaliation for hurting his little brother. Thankfully although initially it looked like a massive egg it has gone down loads. Thank god it landed on his forehead and not on his face as think he could have got a broken nose/cheekbone. I felt so awful but thankfully no major damage done.

Hi, can I join.. I have posted along time ago but never kept up with it. I have been following these threads tho.

My ds is 23 weeks the last week he has been waking again through the night for 2 bottle feeds however I think he is using it for comfort rather than hunger. He only takes 3oz of the feed. During the day he has 32oz (4 8oz bottles) I'm tempted to start weaning him? I don't know whether he is too young. The health visitor told me to wait until whenever I classed him as 5 months which is over a week ago.

Any advice? Thank you

That sounds scary missi ! I hope Z's feeling better now and the bruise is going all the way down. I had a scare earlier this week, tripped on one of DS's toys while carrying T, and we both crashed to the floor. I barely caught and cushioned her, at the expense of twisting my knee on the way down. No harm fine beyond a stiff knee, but I was sat there in shock for several minutes, with DS flitting around looking scared and hugging us. T was fine, I stuck a boob in while sitting on the floor and she was happy again.

We're going to two meals a day now, breakfast and tea as they're regular scheduled events. We all eat breakfast together weekdays, minus whichever parent gets the lie in weekends. T has porridge with a bit of fruit puree. Tea is mostly finger food, I need to get around to filling the freezer with more first taste cubes. If I were home longer we probably wouldn't bother with lunch for a couple of months, but as we have such issues with bottle/cup refusal, DH will start lunch when I go back to work on the 19th. She'll need the calories.

Hi confused your situation sounds like mine recently.

After previously not eating overnight, DD suddenly started wanting to feed 1-2 times, and it seemed that food was the only only thing that settled her - ie she was genuinely hungry.
So I started giving her a top up right before bed. So she has 5 X 6oz feeds roughly 6.30am -6.00pm, and then around 7.30-8ish I give her another 3-4 oz. It's like a dream feed by then as she's so tired, and it's worked a treat - a week so far with no night feedings, and she's gone to sleep at night with less crying too. She still wakes at night but re-settles fairly quickly without a feed. These things always change though!!

Your LO might be ready for weaning, but as someone upthread told me, weaning is not really about calories at this stage as it doesn't replace milk. I started weaning yesterday at 5.5 mo

Fflaux we were going a dreamfeed always about 11pm but he has now started waking before that dream feed.

He has his bottles 7,11,3,7 roughly then it was a dreamfeed at 11 but he has been waking at 10.30ish then again at 2.30. It's hard because we have a 4 year old dd who is up at 6am without fail. I might try tonight to do his dream feed earlier X

Thanks missi it's useful to hear how much Z eats, it sounds as if DS is taking similar amounts. He had half a mashed up banana for breakfast and then half a crumpet. Although very little of any of the finger foods I give him actually goes down, he just sucks at it really. The difference is Z could probably do with the extra weight whereas DS is chunky already mind you he may start to shed some of the chunk now he's on the move (albeit very slowly at the moment!)

Sorry to hear about Z's accident! Hope his egg bump is going down. DS had a bump a few weeks ago when he toppled over and whacked his head on his jumperoo - I felt awful. I have quite a few friends with older babies and I've found I really have to watch the 12-18 month olds - they have no idea what they're doing but they are all over DS, trying to crawl over his face etc!

confused welcome (back). I started weaning DS at 5.5 months too, I think he was just over 23 weeks. In terms of bottles could you try to fit another one in the daytime maybe if he's waking from hunger? DS has 5 bottles a day, roughly 5.30am (early riser!), 8.30/9, 12.30, 3.30, 6.30. If he's just waking for comfort though then does he have a dummy?

Me.. We have tried fitting another bottle in but that results in him taking less milk during the day I don't know how that works lol.

You would think with my 2nd I would know what to do but my dd slept through from 8 weeks and was weaned early on the advice of a pead because she had bad reflux (turned out she has cows milk protein allergy). Ds doesn't have that thank god but it just seems so different this time around.

How much sleep in total are your little ones getting in a 24 hour period?

I think my DS sleeps too much - he does 12 hours on a night from 8pm to 8am (and has done for a good few months) and naps maybe 2 hours in total for the day (usually 2 x 30 mins and 1 hour nap).

Does this sound too much? He gets super crabby if he doesn't get enough sleep, mind. not unlike his mum!

pixie the 14h of sleep is bang on with what is usual for this age according to a boots or perhaps bounty mag I read recently. I doubt my DD is getting that much - she sleeps 9.30 - 6 at night with perhaps a 20 min wake up but there is no chance she is getting 5+h of naps in the day. I wish..

missi, eek, that must have been scary. DDs young neices and nephews (I have grown up stepkids) need close watching but mainly for overenthusiastic kisses and hugs.

confused I think the 6 month weaning guideline depends on other signs of readiness e.g. Sitting unaided and hand to mouth coordination. DH is keen to wean DD but seeing her lack of enthusiasm for a carrot stick the other day (at c. 5 months) has convinced him to wait til 6 months. We do give her the odd taste here and there.

pixie my dd2 sleeps 7-6.30ish and usually has 2-3 hours of naps in the day so sounds like your ds sound about right.

Dd2's sleep has gone back to normal now (2 wakes, 10/11ish and 2/3ish) so think we are having a break from teething, though she's only got one tooth. But dd1 is teething her last molars and has been up early this week, twice at 4.45am me and dh are knackered. She was up at 5.30 this morning, so a relative lie in

Still two weeks till we wean dd2 now, she's 24 weeks. Starting to get a bit excited about it now. I have been tempted to give her stuff early but she's only just started sitting up unaided and her hand mouth coordination isn't good enough yet to consistently put stuff in her mouth so going to hold out till her 6 month birthday.

Yep, agree with all the others, 14 hours in 24 is bang on where they should be. DS doesn't quite make it I don't think, he normally sleeps 7pm-5am and then goes back down after a bottle for 45 mins to an hour, so roughly 11 hours, but he rarely has 3 hours worth of naps, I wish he would!

pixie I think you have a textbook sleeper! We get around 11-13 hours here, which I know is not enough, mainly because of crappy naps and fussing at night. I'm just hoping when she starts with her childminder next week that she'll fall into a better nap schedule and routine

Missi following R head bounce with the MIL she had an egg and the HV said (when noting it at her weigh in the day after...) it's better for it to come out than in, hope he is feeling ok now, and mship hope your ok after your fall..

Wow 14 hours.. We probably get 9 over night with a couple of wake ups, we have a new 4amwakeup at the moment but no where near enough daytime naps.. More walking then, that's my go to when all else fails, clocked up10km the other day!!

Hi Confused

I'm not sure how much sleep E gets at the moment, I'm too afraid to count up really as she had another wakeful night last night. She was such a good night sleeper but it's all gone a bit wrong. I just keep telling myself this won't be forever.

We are always told at work that bumps that come out are better. Poor babies with bumps! A big fear of mine is falling with E or also her throwing herself back (which she does sometimes) and clunking her head.

Sounds like the babies are enjoying weaning. E loved strawberries but isn't that keen on my purées. Carrot today which was really smooth and made with milk and she was like bleurgh! There is nappy evidence though that some bits are going in!

Dom hope you are ok tonight. Good luck tomorrow!

Thanks Purple. I've just shed a little tear putting DS2 to bed (though he's bumbling round the crib not sleeping!). Not so much at leaving him, he'll be fine, but because this is the end of an era. That's it. My time at home with babies is over.

Actually, it's good he's mucking around going to bed (now flapping a muslin at me) as its moving me to frustration rather than nostalgia!

Sleep wise before it all went to pot we were roughly getting 11 hours at night and then two 30min naps and one that ranged from 30-2hours.

Now who knows lol. Nap times seem to have stayed the same as before it all went wrong last week.

Tonight he is in his own room for the 3rd night (i thought maybe we were disturbing him causing the wake ups, doesn't seem to be the case lol) I'm off to bed in a min to try and get some sleep fingers crossed.

I've been reading your posts but only just managed to add something 150 posts into the new thread! You guys are still super chatty.

J has been eating for a few weeks now and tonight he had his first meat- beef casserole. As with everything he devoured it. Also tried Ds1's new school uniform today as he starts next week. Shed a tear as it seems like yesterday we were weaning him. It goes so fast.

Mship and Missi hope your all ok now. These things happen so don't beat yourself up!

Sleep wise, we get about 9/10 hours at night and combined probably 2/3 hours of naps. So going by everyone else that seems about average for this age. Can't believe J is 6 months already.

Dom you've capyured the feeling really well 'end of an era. My time at home with babies is over'. I'm trying to drink in my days with DD for the same reason. DH is 13years older than me and, understandably, doesn't want to be going to parents' evenings in his 70s so I won't be having any more.

After saying, to pixie that DD wasn't napping enough in the day she did at least 4h today - one in a 3h stretch that I accidentally on purpose roused her from. DH was home though and that makes puppy calmer and calmer puppy means more chilled atmosphere all around.

Hope return to work goes well dom

Good luck Dom hope your return to work goes well today.

Purple I feel your pain, DS is the same, used to be such a good sleeper and now it's 2 wake ups a night minimum, I long for the return of sleeping through!

After doing his first crawling on Friday DS has spent the weekend working hard on his new skill! He has got much speedier already and can pull himself across the room in seconds. Should say he is commando crawling, his arms aren't quite strong enough yet to get up completely on his hands and knees. The benefit is he will quite happily play on his own with minimal input from me for half an hour or so, just making his way round the room between his different toys. But of course I have to watch him like a hawk and suddenly there is so much that we can't just leave around - phones, charging cables, Xbox controllers (DH!), cans of coke on the floor (DH again!) - all are grabbed and, put in his mouth, and, in the case of the coke, knocked all over the carpet