July 2016 #3

[primarynoodle]

Hello all! Can't believe we're on thread 3! Let's kickstart with a then and now photo :)

Here's Annie at 4 months 4 days

julf it's taking ages for J's rash to go, I hope the doctor can shed some light on it- could it be anything food related? Out of interest what antihistamine is he taking? I've been looking for one to add to my baby medicine box for emergencies but none seem to be suitable for under 6's.

Sleep training is going well these last few days. The first day I spent 30mins singing to him and shushing while he screamed so I gave up but DH just sat quietly next to him on Friday and he dropped off within 10mins! So I just tend to put him in the cot, let him grumble and blow raspberries while I sit and catch up on mumsnet and he falls asleep by himself! I'm trying not to be offended that he doesn't like my singing :)

It just happened naturally and I'm looking forward to doing a few things for myself now that I used to enjoy pre baby with the time he's sleeping. Id like to rekindle my love of cooking and try some new recipes and get the house and garden organised before I return to work.

Argh!! Is there a six month sleep regression no one warned me about?! Sophie has woke within five minutes of being put down since midnight (I think- can't be entirely certain as feeling delirious)
Bring on the coffee

Same here sophiesausage. Had a really bad week of sleep ( or rather no sleep!!!). Can't decide if still suffering with virus as still coughing, it's because we are not really keen on weaning so hungry or have decided that being attached to mummy is desirable all the time. Come back my good sleeper!!! Xx

Sunday - think of it this way: he was stimulated by your singing! Yes, likewise we've found that a low-key, monotonous approach is more effective.
That's great that you'll have more time for housework/gardening Mumsnet now that there's a sleep routine.
The most recent doctor agreed with the previous two, that it looks like a viral/post-viral rash, which apparently is very normal in babies/children. Unfortunately J was a bit coughy/snuffly around Christmas, and has another cold/cough now, so the rash has probably just been dragged out between the two bugs. He doesn't seem unhappy though.
The antihistamine is piriton syrup. Photo attached. But it's is not allowed for babies under 12m except under prescription by a doc. My doc prescribed one daily (bedtime) dose of 2.5ml.

Hope the sleep improves ladies, it's horrible to go back to nightly wake ups once you've got used to more sleep again!

Thanks for the piriton pic julf, I'd just like to have something at home just in case because we have a history of multiple food allergies on both sides of the family.

I obviously spoke too soon when I thought I'd cracked the daytime naps- it's all gone to pot the last two days. He's having random short cat naps and then being grumpy because he's tired. Getting off to sleep well in his cot but waking after half an hour or so. I'm thinking it's the reflux flaring up so we are going to see the health visitor later this week and I expect the dose will get increased. Otherwise I have no idea what's up . I'd planned what I was going to do during today's nap times too (cook a nice stew and read a magazine) so now we are having to have something unidentifiable in a Tupperware box from the freezer. Could be bolognese, could be curry...

birchy and sophie -same here with sleep! Glad it's not just us!! Obvs not glad we're not getting sleep!!!

We thought it was chsnge of cot but maybe not....also M has decided he doesn't want solids now too

hey ladies,

How did the tub turn out Sunday? I am feeling ill today and abit sorry for myself but the food rations in this house are very nearly all gone and we have to go swimming before the dentist later!

Our sleeping is a bit rubbish here as well. R has been very restless at night but we have just had the top two teeth break through so hopefully it may settle down a bit now. (on another note four teeth eekkkk I am afraid of the biting!!)

We are moving the cot this weekend I think into his own room.

Julf how is J rash now, sometimes these things hang on but if he is happy, eating and drinking I wouldn't worry!

We are finally starting to spread out feeds here and with weaning as well I have managed to successfully leave the house for a couple of hours without returning to a screaming baby which is filling me with hope for KIT days and return to work as we are still only doing two meals. Going to up to three weeks from February. R is still learning to process his food so pooing has been a lot more sporadic here!

Hope everyone is ok, it is really cold here today!

We went on the swings at the park for the first time yesterday! He loved it!

Swinging success!

Lovely pic Rolly, were doing 2 purée meals and in the last few days have introduced a finger food meal when we're having dinner, cucumber sticks, organix crisp things, any soft veg I've cooked for dinner and other bits and bobs. Ben loves giving everything a chew, not sure if any goes in but it means we can eat our dinner in relative peace and he's learning about texture. Green beans and broccoli are a hit at the mo he usually cries when it's all gone

Oh wow, I can't wait to take J on the swings! I was actually just wondering a couple of days ago whether it was ok to do that now. I bet he'll love it. Rafferty looks like he's having a whale of a time!

J's rash has gone, pretty much. Still dry and itchy, but SO much better than it was.

Hi all. Bad sleep here too! I am really tryig hard to persist with the cot into the night and most nights manage to get past midnight putting her back in the cot but im too exhausted to do that all night so were still cosleeping until morning. She last till 2am in the cot the other night though i was so pleased! Shes waking up usually every 1-2 hours through the night so im not being too harsh on myself hope weaning is going ok for everyone - she loves pureed fruit but am still persisting with finger foods at every meal and im sooooo happy - she is drinking from a sippy cup! Even navigating it totally independently. Ive started my kit days and she took breastmilk out of it for mil! I feel liberated! Also pleased as my friend is trying to wean her 1yo off bottles and is having a nightmare bless her. My 6 months of bottle refusing hell has some silver linings i suppose... apilogies for the lack of paragraphs - the phone app for android doesnt let you break grrr. How is everyone doing apart from sleep and weaning? Annie is sitting and can roll (but never does) - no sign of crawling yet though phew! And still no sign of teeth!!

Our mystery meal turned out to be tomatoey chicken ragu that I didn't much like the first time we had it and a few weeks in the freezer hasn't magically improved it. Very disappointing when I was expecting to be eating chorizo and lentil stew. He's sleeping better in the cot again now so I might get a chance to cook this week.

Cheery have you had any luck getting M to take solids again?

Four teeth mrsrolly ! I can't see any sign of teeth here although plenty of teething symptoms and dribbling going on. Hope the cot move went ok, was it really sad? R looks like he's having a fab time on the swing, I took E to the park and he fell asleep! Julf I think you and J need to get down the park ASAP :)

Becks green beans are the favourite with us too! Need to give broccoli pieces a go too.

I'm after some more finger food ideas if anyone has any, things that can be chewed but don't break up too much, we had a slight incident with a large piece of toast that he broke off and it makes me a bit wary.

Oh primary it's completely ok to carry on cosleeping if you are up every hour each night, you must be shattered! Great that Annie has mastered the cup and you can have a bit of freedom and a break in the day if needed. No rolling from E yet but he's sitting very steadily and can get on his front from a sitting position so I guess that's the first step to learn to crawl.

Things are going well baby wise with us but it's looking like I'll need to go back to work sooner than I hoped so I'm going to have to get in touch with work this week and start discussing it. I'm really sad my maternity leave is coming to an end already just when I feel like I kinda know what I'm doing now!

Sunday I've done broccoli and cauliflower but really over cooked until they were really soft and just broke up in his mouth. Cucumber sticks and celery sticks are great. They don't break up and keep Ben entertained whilst we're eating our dinner. I'm going to try cooked carrot sticks next time I cook carrots and thought I might try baby sweet corn, mange-tout and asparagus spears. Kiddylicious do banana wafers that look like small surf boards. Ben loves these and the organix biscuit things and biscotti.

Tonight we are moving Ben into his own room. I'll be glad to get the space back in our room but will miss having him so close. .

Ben now spends almost all his time stood up and walking along the furniture. He'll have legs of steel!

Here's his favourite TV watching position!

Look at Ben!! That is amazing, such a pro. He looks ready to run.

We can roll here (but often don't) but we can sit unaided and his reach to get things is surprisingly impressive (he would rather nearly fold himself in two to get something than move)
I am also sure he said 'Ca' about his car last night but may be completely delusional about this although he will pick it up his car if you ask him to in amongst his blocks so who knows!!

Ha our cot moving didn't happen, Primary I think that is ace. we mostly don't get any time in the cot. He still spends most evenings sitting up with us! I really need to get on it (no matter how many times I type it it just isn't happening ha ha) I love co sleeping.Although restless teething baby isn't much fun and he likes to change side (not just for feeding) in the night so when he has fully figured out moving I can just imagining him climbing over me all night long.

I know I can't quite believe the teeth I can nearly feel the top ones now they are dropping down more fingers crossed the no biting continues

We need to do more finger foods they just go straight on the floor here purees however are eaten with great enthusiasm and we are moving onto lumpier purees which are also going down well. I am going to steam some carrots shortly so will report back.

Sad times Sunday, I have been into work a few times most recently to get something off my drive and I was very impressed I remembered my password!! I am just planning my KIT days to send to my boss (along with my holiday requests for the year :) planning in holiday makes me feel much better about going back - I would recommend it)

Hello! Sleep still tricky here. Sometimes we're gifted with a three hour stretch but mostly every couple hours, we're all awake!

Lovely pics rolly and Becs!

Sunday we can only get Mo to take solids if he feeds himself! We're doing blw whether we like it or not! He fed himself most of a bowl of porridge yesterday - some went in his eye for sure but some went in his mouth! We have to pretend we're not watching him or helping. Hilarious!

primary as the mother of a fellow bottle refuser, yoI've given me hope! What sippy cup did Annie take? We got given one for xmas but M not going for it so far....

Currently have a grumpy, teething bubba asleep on me after keeping us awake all night. Our sleep situation sounds similar too primary! Anyone else's babies been really off with teething? Mo sleepy and bit lethargic compared to normal. Could be start of a virus or infection but thjnking it could also be teeth. Saw GP who said to keep
An eye on him as temp 37, but no signs of anything yet. Wondered if this sounded familiar.....

cheery I'm finding E is more tired than normal during teething so there might be something in your theory. So funny that you have to pretend not to watch while he's eating! We are having to give E a spoon or finger food to wield while I spoon something in him.

Weaning still going well. Eggs ticked off the list today, gonna try fish later this week and then the dreaded peanut butter next week if I'm feeling brave. DH is allergic as is my brother so I hope it hasn't been passed down.

I'm waiting to hear back from my boss mrsrolly I'm not sure I'll bother using my KIT days but I've got a holiday booked later in the year and I really want to go away before I return to work. Might make it less painful!

Look at Ben go Becks! Hope the move into his own room went ok!

Sorry I've not been on much. I haven't even been able to read it. Hope everyone is okay.

Ru is wonderful but DH and I are having a hard time. I don't feel I can say any more on a public forum but I am feeling a bit lost and don't know how to make things okay. Missing my mum more than I have ever missed her. I know having a baby is tough on a relationship but this seems to go a bit deeper than that.

Oh bluebell - so sorry you're having a hard time. I think it's the toughest challenge on relationships as you've no time and babies are so demanding. Have you got anyone you can talk it through with? Xx

oh blue I have been wondering how you and Ru are. I am so sorry to hear it is difficult at the moment. The first year is truly the hardest and challenging for everyone and you have had such a tricky time with your feeding etc please remember to be kind to yourself. I hope you have some real life support to stop you from feeling alone. Also please remember all you have achieved beginning book writing some freelance work all before Ru was even half a year old!
Sending you strength and hugs.

Primary - love the ⭐️ s!
And that's great about A taking milk from a sippy cup.

Becks - how did Ben being in own room go?
Wow those legs!

Rolly - gosh, first word! Jasper used to say "gay" a lot, but I think it was just a sound rather than that he was telling us something 😄
I love co-sleeping too, but our (small double) bed just isn't big enough any more. I'm constantly being kicked in the stomach (by the baby, to be clear).

Cheery - that's hilarious about you having to pretend not to watch the porridge-eating spectacle!

Sunday - Ha ha, lol re your mystery ragu!
Solids: I've been feeding J cucumber sticks, steamed carrot sticks, steamed broccoli, banana, and a satsuma segment.
We had a gagging incident with green beans. Might steer clear of them for a while...
Sorry to hear that you've got to return to work sooner than hoped. Will you be returning to the exact same job?

What sort of thing are people doing with their KIT days? Catch-up chats with bosses, training, actual proper work for a day? I want to use mine if I can because hey, it's 10 days of full pay, but I'm not sure how to use them. I have fairly minimal intentions of going back to the same team (my old job isn't available for me anyway) so I need to apply for jobs elsewhere in the organisation. Do you think I can count interviews, prep, time spent on my CV etc as KIT time? Ultimately KIT is supposed to be about helping you to return to work, and as my team can't offer me my old job, it seems fair enough... Right?

Sorry to all of you who are struggling with sleep. Actually, ours hasn't been great recently, as J keeps on waking up and squealing loudly for ages because of his rash (which returned immediately after my last message). I took him to the doctors again yesterday and they say it now looks different, more localised, so it's probably eczema maybe triggered by an allergy. New cream and bath emollient, and return to the doc in a week. Meanwhile he's scratching his neck and his boys' bits whenever he gets half a chance. DH changed his nappy a couple of days ago and said that, when he put the new nappy on, J looked at him as if he'd taken away his favourite toy 😂
(Bluebs this reminded me of Ru!)

Oh Bluebell, just seen your message. I'd been wondering where you were. I'm so sorry things are difficult. If it helps at all, I felt similarly a few months ago and things are much better now. Big hugs to you xoxo

I'm sorry to hear that bluebs and I hope it's something you can sort out soon and move forward together. I think most of us can say we've had relationship difficulties in the last few months so you aren't alone. Did you manage to visit your friends in London? A bit of time apart can sometimes refresh things. Big hugs x

Yep same job julf but hopefully slightly reduced hours but I have a feeling the boss will say no. I'm getting anxious waiting to hear what he'll suggest. Hmmm I'm not sure what counts as KIT time, does your HR department have any guidance?

Sunday - yup I'm going to ring HR in the next couple of days to ask about KIT activities, but thought I'd canvas for views here first!

Sounds like KIT days to me Julf! In my work it is my manager signing off the form,I am doing a mixture of end of year meetings business planning for next year and a couple of "work at home days!"
Also probably Wat to much of a keeno on the 'ca' it's not happened again! He can pick up things he plays with alot when he's asked. My mum said it's because I talk so much nonsense at him he will talk early like my daughter to shut me up ha ha ha I am slightly worried when I go back to work my inane narration of what I am doing may carry on accidently!

Hope you hear from your boss soon Sunday and they let yoy have what you want. It is stressful waiting and then having to sort childcare etc

I have had a spate of home admin sorting of things I have been putting off forever (price comparison for energy, changing bank account life insurance) and Dh is teasing me that I need to go back to work.