August 2021 Babies - Running on Caffeine and Baby Smiles

[PurplePansy05]

Welcome to the chattiest post-natal club on MN!

We have welcomed 31 gorgeous new babies together 💖💙 ...

We have filled up several more like a hundred threads in the antenatal birth clubs chat...

...and now we have finally graduated and officially moved to the postnatal birth clubs chat! 🥳

Graduates of the August 2021 (and thereabouts) thread:

@Smurf123 & baby Sophia 💖
@wimbler & her baby boy 💙
@Jessicapebbles & baby Ebony💖
@Inmypjsagain & her baby boy 💙
@PurplePansy05 & baby Leo Alexander 💙
@WinterBabyof89 & baby Rosie 💖
@Winecoffeeteamum & baby Emily 💖
@Ready2020 & baby Rowan 💖
@Magik01 & baby Isaac 💙
@Hoares3 & baby Ellis 💙
@Daffodil21 & baby Elliot James 💙
@sarah13xx & baby Freddie 💙
@MrsB2019x & baby Ella💖
@biscuitcat & baby Rowan 💙
@Whatshouldbemyusername & baby Arya-Nyah 💖
@notinthestarsigns & baby Erin 💖
@Aaaaa1519 & baby Anum 💖
@Angelesque & baby Isaac 💙
@Millymay13 & baby Ethan 💙
@WolfMother326 & baby Alasdair 💙
@BertieBotts & baby Alex 💙
@RandomCatGenerator & baby Solomon 💙
@lucyrp & baby Evelyn Rose 💖
@HopefulB & baby Chloé 💖
@Mmr224 & baby Alasdair 💙
@Smallbean27 & her baby boy 💙
@Fran919 & her baby girl 💖
@Caz1226 & baby Dougie 💙
@Ava50x & her baby boy 💙
@dirtyfries & baby Frankie 💖
@ame88 & baby Lily 💖

Tagging @Dia12, @livingwithbees, @Sheisfee, @Alittlexmasmagic and @LottSE20 in the opening post so you know we're here as and when you wish to rejoin/share your updates 💐

Here we go!

@wimbler is the TT sturdy enough that it would be safe enough to have him in around my dog for example? He’s not doing to jump up at him but I’m just wary that he could even walk past and knock down the IKEA one.

@PurplePansy05 I was at my friends house the other day, her little boy is 9 months and she had him in one of those donut things. She said it was really good for nipping away quickly to grab something to stop him from crawling away

@sarah13xx we have a bouncy 1.5 year old cockapoo he's not managed to knock it over. (And he regularly climbs it to look for crumbs when ds gets down)

The Tripp Trapp is great if you like the design and if you particularly want an ergonomic chair for your child right up until their teens. My friend who have used it this way got one for each child and matched it to their kitchen table. They are very much a utility chair. It's fine as a dining chair or desk chair or for drawing at a table etc, but it's not comfy to relax watching TV and I don't think you'd really use it as what I affectionately call baby parking.

We have the IKEA one and it's fine. It does the job and DS2 abandoned it for good at about 2.5 so expecting to keep it for that long again and then get rid. By that age they're totally fine to use normal chairs so personally I don't see the need for a chair that keeps growing with them, but I know some people prefer it.

The great thing about the IKEA chair is you can chuck the entire thing in the dishwasher and you can take the legs off and bring it on holiday. The bad thing about it is you trip over the legs all the time because they stick out.

I also had a tommee tippee healthy care booster seat for DS1 which I thought was really good. That took him right through to about 3 and again then he just used a normal chair.

As for floor seats the best far and away is this doughnut thing from Galt called a play nest! Keep an eye out for them on marketplace but they aren't even expensive new. Argos and Amazon tend to have offers on them. I need to find ours because it's great for tummy time as well and then when they sit they can be propped inside it and it doesn't mess with their motor development. Some of the baby sitting chairs like bimbo do.

The IKEA chair is incredibly stable because th legs stick out. DS2 used to stick his feet under the table and push and he never fell over despite giving us a fright!

They tend to have then in the restaurant if you want to go and play around with one.

Aww thanks everyone 🥰

WRT baby parking spots there is a point where you just don't need anything like that any more because they are fine to just chill out (alright, cause utter havoc) when you leave the room. We have a playpen but to be honest don't really use it for containment. Things like a jumperoo can buy you a few minutes but essentially starting sporadically from about 3-6 months and increasing more and more from then, of you're not holding them and they are not eating or sleeping, they're playing so you can just leave them to it. In theory anyway... Some n babies and toddlers are more clingy than others. But anyway in a very wordy way I'm trying to say beware of companies trying to sell you a solution to a problem that doesn't exist! In many ways it can be good to just get to the stage where they outgrow the bouncer or whatever and make a decision then what you need, if anything at all.

@BertieBotts might just get the ikea one then and a nice seat cushion and mat for it. I’ve got a travel cot to buy for going away at the end of the month too so trying not to go overboard with everything. There’s things like that play nest I could get him for Christmas but will end up wanting to get my moneys worth if I buy it before then 😂 My ‘baby parking’ needs are mainly to factor in the dog, he is the main issue 🙈 I was at my friends house the other day and we were able to lie the babies on the rug in her living room. There was no dog hair, no dog charging in trying to lick their faces like there would be at my house 😂 It’s going to become more of a problem the older Freddie gets but hoping we will have moved house by then and have a ‘dog room’ and living room separately

A vote here for the IKEA chair, DS1 still sometimes sits in his at the table so it’s lasted well. It’s easy to clean, cheap and the legs come off for storage if you wanted too. You can get a chair insert so help ‘fill out’ the seat while the baby is little as well, and like @sarah13xx you can buy different designs to make them look a little nicer- there’s a few on Etsy. :)

I also second the glat play nest @PurplePansy05 our old neighbour brought me one when I had DS1 and it was so useful. I could put him in it while I was eating or just doing a quick job and know he was safe in there.

We are still struggling with Isaac refusing the bottle. Brought some tommee tippee ones and he doesn’t like them ones either. Had a bit of a cry tonight because I feel like I’m going to be tied to him forever. Then I feel so guilty that I feel this way as with DS1 all I wanted was for him to be able to BF, and now I’m wishing Isaac would take a bottle 😭

@Smallbean27 another DD here that rolls around after 3am. She's doing it now with still moments in between but it turns to full grouching the earlier it gets. I try to sleep through the earlier bits but tend to be awake later and take her into the bed fur a feed and a co sleep which tends to stop the wriggling.

Thanks for the advice re taking it one day at a time. I'm not great at that. I need to see an end in sight to this stage of baby so feel planning for it helps me cope. But it's maybe counter productive. I've got January in my head fit thinking about putting her in her own room and it's that countdown that gets me through the nights. Yes it's no guarantee of better sleep but it's the next step that will help my own mental health.

I'm booking in a body scrub massage for later. My skin feels all bobbly after pregnancy and birth. I also think my pelvic floor muscles need a bit of attention. I think I was doing OK until I realised I can't stop mid pee!

Oo I actually have galt play best too but haven't used it much yet. Dh came home with it from lidl last week.

We had a travel cot in the living room for ds for times like needing to go to the toilet etc we just put a bunch of his toys in initially and then someone gave us a bucket loads of ball pool balls so it became a ball pal and ds loved it 🙂

@Ready2020 it is impossible to sleep through when it gets louder!
He slept fine when I put him on the duvet next to me. Last night I moved the n2m away from the bed and put a light blanket underneath the sheet, to try and help. Although husband did the night shift so I have no idea how it went 😂

@sarah13xx Same considerations here too with my dog and cats, I'll need DS higher up ideally, that's why I'm working out what kit to buy for next stage and hoping to avoid buying too many unnecessary items. Now swaying towards IKEA, when I added up everything I'll need for a new TT it's actually well in excess of £300. I saw some other brands make similar chairs for a fraction of the price, I'm considering this too. I think using TT for baby parking (as well as feeding) with pets around was my main justification for spending money, but if you all it's not all that great for that then I am no longer sure if it is for us. Is TT heavy to carry?

Does the Antilop take a lot of space in your kitchen/diner? I still need to come up with something higher up for baby parking. All other times DS and the pets will be supervised by me, and we'll have baby gates. Maybe I'll just take him with me to the toilet or leave him in a stroller seat of the pram?

I have the doughnut bf pilows that I could use to prop him on a sofa next to me. Might get that nest but don't want it on the floor with all the fur, another thing to lift up for cleaning which will have to be more frequent!

@Magik01 The clingyiness of BF and in general is driving me crazy too now and we give two F top ups so I can imagine how crazy it must be driving you now. I feel your words big time. Have you tried giving him a soother from MAM first? He might then get comfort from the teat and take the bottle? Or do you think it's formula that he doesn't want? Have you tried different brands?

My DS is a loud sleeper in the early hours in particular, I just learnt to hear it and ignore it. Reassuring they're all the same! Some of these noises are like from a horror movie 🙈 xx

@PurplePansy05 it really depends on the person I think. As I say we use ours regularly and did even from baby. I thought it felt alot more sturdy but it is also more streamlined and less bulky which is great too. I don't worry about our dog knocking it over. I definitely would with the ikea one (my mil has it)
My mum started with a proper highchair like nuby or the like which she liked when ds was very small with the big cushioned back but then quickly preferred the tripp trapp so we swapped to it for her too.
Look second hand too though the wood ones come up but also get snapped up quickly. For us we have only we spent £130 and that has got us 2 tripp trapp chairs both with the baby set, 1 cushion and 1 newborn set.
Actually we also bought a tray new that was the only part I couldnt get used so it's about£40. But still grand total of £170 so its not bad going I don't think when we have had 3 years of use out of it so far.
It's also great to bring in the kitchen to let ds help bake buns or whatever as can have him at the right height. Sometimes he sits other times he just stands on the foot plate.
Its sturdy but not particularly heavy and easy to mave around rooms when needed.

The TT is heavy but very sturdy. The IKEA one probably takes up just shy of 1m squared floor space. The tray can be taken off too and the chair pulled right up to the table. As Bertie says I wouldn’t use it for baby parking (great term!) as it would be equivalent to an adult being sat on a dining chair.

A bumbo is also an option. They are a bit more comfortable and come with a little tray for toys etc too

@PurplePansy05 I had a bit of a meltdown last night because of it, poor DH hasn’t really seen me have a panic attack in a long time. It’s not formula in the bottle it’s expressed breast milk so it can’t be the taste he doesn’t like. I know some milk can taste funny when frozen but this is milk that is expressed on the day or yesterday and put in the fridge. He also won’t take a soother- tried three different makes and he won’t take to any of them dispute me trying a few times for each!

Even tried get him to suck on my little finger and switching- nope! I might try the cheap bottles that supermarkets sell. I feel the test is quite thin like a nipple. 😂 I feel like I’m going to be stuck forever though if he just won’t take a bottle at all!!

Also regarding the IKEA chair, in my previous house we only had a small kitchen diner (think newbuild house) and it fit nicely at the end of the table when we only had 4 chairs. Have you considered a baby bouncer for baby parking at all?

What sort of age/stage are you thinking? If you really need to isolate from pets then I think a playpen/gate is the best solution - Babydan do a 6 panel one you can open out as a fence across a room or put together like a hexagon with a door. They are pricey, but come up on marketplace periodically, so keep an eye and beware the cheap and nasty unbranded amazon ones.

The problem with solutions that keep them in one place like a seat is that once they are mobile, they are very intolerant of being contained like that. It has to have some kind of trade off - buggy/car seat moving, or one of the jumperoo/play station kind of things having interesting toys - and even this doesn't work unless they are in the right mood IME. A playpen is OK, as long as you make it fun for them and don't only use it as a container when you're out of the room, as they can move naturally there and don't feel restrained.

I can see for dogs it might be dangerous to let them in the same space unsupervised but for cats in my experience it's OK as cats tend to avoid newly mobile babies and toddlers.

Can I ask about baby carriers. Not the fabric ones. When can the babies have their legs out rather than in the M position. Google says its determined by baby. DD hates her legs being in the carrier but I'm worried about her hips being too wide if her legs are out.

What do you mean by not the fabric ones?

If you mean a buckle carrier, check the instructions as it should say in there.

But I am also a bit confused as legs out is the M position, legs in is usually called froggy legs.

Oh I thought the M position was for new born babies only with legs in. Clearly its not sorry. And yes I mean a carrier with buckles, not tied fabric. I have a second hand carrier but can Google it I guess. I just thought maybe it depends on age or size of baby in general.

Hope you’re all having a nice weekend ☺️ Just wondering what all your babies are like in the pram? Dd is fine in it if she is asleep and generally keeps her asleep but she is very rarely happy in there when awake which makes it a bit of a pain in terms of going out for walks etc as I need to get her to sleep first. I took her to the park with my mum and nephew yesterday and ended up with her in the carrier and pushing an empty pram round! I think it’s because she can’t see out, so maybe she would be better when we can use the pushchair attachment. Has anyone else used the pushchair before 6 months? Ours is suitable from birth so wondering whether to give it a go early. Putting her in the pram awake seems like putting her in her crib awake, which is also a no go!

@notinthestarsigns I've been using the pushchair attachment for about a month now. (After ds left an open fruit shoot bottle in the carrycot part without me noticing and it spilt everywhere)
It's suitable from birth too. Dd enjoys it with our big comfy little love car seat blanket lining it and it fits so much easier in the car that I haven't bothered changing back to the carrycot

Thanks @Smurf123, I might give it a go. And yes would be a lot easier in terms of fitting in the car!

Do you mean M shape Vs legs dangling perhaps? The dangling type are older style carriers which aren't hip healthy whereas the M shape is a hip healthy position. There's no minimum age for legs dangling it's just not as good for them. It is quite unlikely to cause any damage unless they already have something like hip dysplasia though so don't worry too much about it.

We haven't had much luck with the pram yet. Sometimes we can use it but yes tend to end up carrying the baby and pushing the pram. Car seat on the pram attachment is ok if we're in and out of shops. Haven't tried the pushchair seat yet, it's still under the bed covered in dust. But he's been in the lie flat lower seat of the Phil and Ted double, and loved that. I put a fleecy footmuff in it and it sort of swings from side to side like a hammock! I also used a normal pushchair seat for DS1 from birth, it was fine.

Thanks @BertieBotts. I had it in my head that all babies love the pram but maybe not!

In terms of carriers I have the Ergobaby Embrace which has been a lifesaver! A friend also lent me a baby bjorn mini but I haven’t used that. I might be wrong but it looks like the legs dangle a bit more with the baby bjorn which I was a bit worried about given we have a concern about dds hip.