August 2021 Babies - They Had To Be Gorgeous, Just Look At Us

[PurplePansy05]

Welcome to the chattiest post-natal club on MN!

We spent a year together chatting about all things pregnancy and baby...

...we've tried and tested countless baby products...

...exchanged hundreds of tips...

...talked about all the big things in life, all the little things, the good times and the tough times...

...we had a good laugh together 😁...

...and somehow we now have gorgeous 3 month old babies without looking a day older ourselves 😅 (must be that good laugh!)

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 💖

Sorry if I've missed anyone, please join in! xx

Wow so many typos. I don’t spray the Lamaze toys, don’t know where that crept in from! And toys 40 degrees in the washing machine!

Wow @sarah13xx that's amazing!!! Well done!

DS has this fox toy that he LOVES. I wipe it pretty regularly with a Milton wipe because he puts it in his mouth and we have cats (it always ends up on the floor or on the sofa), but he hates the taste when it's just been wiped! He's somehow ended up with 4 comforters so I regularly give him a clean one, and throw them in every time I do a wash. Play mat has only been washed once 🙈 and the cats sit on it..

DH definitely isn't as hot on cleaning though 😂

@Inmypjsagain I'll be honest, I don't clean them anywhere near as often you do. I'm not saying this or that approach is right or wrong, I just genuinely never thought to clean his toys as much or wash them! 🙈 I think since we've been doing baby sensory for months now and he'll be in nursery in the spring, I've concluded he's more likely to get all the germs and more from there no matter what I do 😆 Sophie is his fav so she gets a regular wipe over. I think you need to be careful with both cold water steriliser and steamer as many toys aren't suitable for cleaning using either/one of these methods.

I've legitimately never cleaned the wheels on his pram either. They get a quick knock before getting in the car if needed and I've invested in LVT parquet throughout downstairs which gets hoovered and mopped a lot anyway 🙈 xx

Oh and re weaning, I follow _myfirstmeals and a couple of others on insta. I received a weaning pack from my HV too and read through the Unicef weaning guide which is available online for free and found that rather informative. That's it for now, I'm not planning to start until he's just shy off 6 months old, so still over a month left xx

We have definitely hit the 4 month sleep regression and she's not even 4 months yet 🥴 she's gone from going down easy ag anywhere between 6-8 of an evening and sleeping 9 hours roughly until 4/5 in the morning to waking every 4 hours or less and is much more difficult to get to sleep 🥴😭 I was totally fine with her not sleeping through and waking in the night as I liked waking and seeing her but now my body is used to the sleep and now I have to wake again it is very hard work especially since we've had a bad cold in this house for the last week which has somehow floored me 🥺

@Inmypjsagain I second feedeatspeak

@sarah13xx I also like
Sr nutrition (U.K. based / wrote wean in 15 she’s very realistic)
Childrens dietician (U.K. based)
The.baby.dietician ( us based I think)

@lucyrp oh no, we started it about 2 weeks ago I think and she’s 4 month next week.

I’ve cracked though ladies, I know it’s controversial but I’ve bought into a sleep plan which was the catalyst for removing dummy. First night last night and I’m going to cautiously declare it a success, 2 little night feeds, 2 settles from myself but a lot of self settling and a few good stints of 1.5hr to 3.5 hrs. Let’s see what naps are like today and tonight!

Did you use dummy a lot @Fran919? Is there a particular reason why you've decided to wean her off now?

Thanks for the recommendations re baby weaning pages ladies, if anyone knows of any more good UK based ones,I'd be grateful if you could share xx

@PurplePansy05 she had it for every nap time and car journey and sporadically throughout the day, this was because her reflux at the time wasn’t under control and the dummy helped to create excess salvia and helped ease that however it was starting to go the other way where I think she was looking for it whilst on her mat etc which I didn’t want to do. I always wanted to wean off at 6 months anyway but when she wasn’t settling with it / going in and out for sleeps it wasn’t helping her and just thought I’d bite the bullet. I know it helps prevent SIDS but we don’t have any other risk factors. I’ve got no issues against them I had one till I was 5 but for us I don’t think it was working. She doesn’t even appear to ask for it today, quite happy on the mat and with her Muslin comforter for bed

@PurplePansy05 thank you and it’s good to know as it gives me some perspective. It sounds odd but I sometimes feel I could spiral a bit with things like that, as in things getting a wash constantly so it’s good to know other people dont and that I need to calm down! I’ll consciously try to wash less and the point about nurseries is so true, it’s going to be a total germ fest! Think I’ll keep washing the playmats weekly though, the amount of milk spew and drool on that thing is ridiculous 😂

@lucyrp oh no that’s horrible, hope it’s quick and passes. Our sleep regression is evident in the day, he fights naps so much, I’ve been tracking and he naps for about 1 hour 30 a day. He then cries for half an hour before sleep but is still sleeping 12ish hours. I’m dreading the wakes up at night!

We also have 5 comforters but I have no idea how to use them, he doesn’t seem interested! Do I just keep in his cot?

Also- babies who can measure how much they drink, we’re having at least 11oz each feed, our bottle is only 9oz so we have to make more. I know each baby is different but it just seems like so much! Surely not another growth spurt?

@Inmypjsagain we don't give him it in the cot, just in the day in his bouncy chair or high chair, and only recently now he's started to play/hold things. Sometimes he tries to eat them 😂

@Inmypjsagain we introduced a comforter but it was a fleecy jellycat one so just used it for stroking her hair at bedtime etc and letting her give it a sniff and then move it away when she’s asleep however I’ve now bought a cuski? One it’s bamboo so breathable and has a weighted knot in it so if she was to pull it on top of her head it would fall off. They say they are NHS approved how true that is I’ve no idea but seem to be used in NICU etc.

That’s a really good point about bottles! We’re only just on 8oz in the morning but she’ll probably only take 6/7 and 6 for the day and 2/3 in the nights but she’s never been one to take a big feed. Does anybody know if they’re any big bottles, we use NUK & MAM I think MAM does a 320ml anti colic one but its £13-£17 for 1 on Amazon. Is it me or is that extortionate?!?

When is the general rule to change bottles even if the size is ok, of course no damage etc?

@Daffodil21 what is it with babies eating everything 😂 baby particularly liked to eat his Lamaze peacock’s face!!!!

@Fran919 oh we have a cuski, we were given it. We were also given a baby dior one (! Very generous but really???!!!!), white company and marks and Spencer ones. They’re all really nice and soft, we slept with 2 of them to make them smell like us and stroked his head with it but maybe he’s too young? I guess when they’re older they’re more likely to snuggle it?

We use mam, we only changed bottles when we outgrew the little ones (which we’re now using for the extra milk when he finishes the big bottle) and haven’t considered changing them really. MAM Easy Active Baby Bottle with MAM Fast Flow Teats, Twin Pack of Baby Bottles, Baby Feeding, 330 ml, Colour: Assorted (Designs May Vary) amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DP0AWS2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_WPMJWH7TM2Y4W4HFPERE]] I saw these, they have boy ones too, but they’re not anti colic or self sterilising. But can’t you stop sterilising bottles at some point? I actually don’t know when that is… we haven’t bought a steriliser so I’d rather avoid if I can. We have Milton but I think it makes everything smell bad (and surely it must taste bad too)

You are all so domestic goddessy :o I never clean toys unless they are minging. I chucked a couple of things like the play mat in the wash before I got it out again as it was dusty from being under the bed for 2 years. And I put things like teethers through the dishwasher every so often. We have a Sophie but I don't wash it as I don't want water getting inside, apparently they go mouldy. I will probably throw it away when he's grown out of it for that reason.

Doing a lot of exploring by mouth here.

Re weaning I think you can either pick up a guide (and there are loads, everything from Annabel Karmel to Gina Ford to Joe Wicks and BLW guides, plus all the baby food companies and parenting clubs e.g. Boots/Emma's Diary give them out for free) or you can just wing it, I've always found the wing it method to be great. Once they are at least 4 months/16 weeks old (but IME closer to 5m aka 20/21w+) if they are interested in food and it's safe for them I just put them in a highchair or sit them on a lap and let them touch and explore it. Maybe once every few days when there's a good moment. Then once they really get proficient and enthusiastic with amounts, which could be weeks after starting, no rush - I introduce one meal a day which could be spoon fed or baby led. Breakfast is easy for spoon feeding, because you can do the same thing every day and keep the exploring going for lunch/dinner/whenever (not necessarily every day) working around their naps other feeds and whatever else you have going on. DS2 had weetabix mashed with formula and I tried some of the baby porridges too, though "baby specific food" is not necessary (it's all marketing). The exploring bit is fun because you find yourself buying stuff for them separately or just when you're eating/making stuff thinking I wonder if they will like this? And keeping the "exploring" mindset takes the pressure off to start.

Then when it starts to feel like breakfast is not enough - IME you just know - you'll have a range of foods that they have already tried little bits of, so you'll have a good idea of what kinds of things will/won't work for main meals and that gives you a bit of variety to try. You don't need to be an amazing chef, simple is good, and don't stress about this/that/the other theory that makes them magically love vegetables and not fussy. It makes absolutely no difference. They will still want to live off crisps when they are 13. Some children go through a fussy phase and some don't. Defo good advice not to force them to finish a plate. If you feel anxious about making sure they get enough I def recommend Kids Eat In Color and looking up Ellyn Satter Division of Responsibility.

Once you have 2 set meals a day then you'll start to work out how naps fit around them, if you're not in a nap routine already and suddenly your whole day has a structure and that helps a lot with the groundhog day feeling of babies. So it's a great time and before you know it, the rest of the year flies by and it will be their first birthday!

At first food is just in addition to milk, so if you've been increasing their milk then you can stop increasing once you start solids as solids do that job instead. Follow their lead, especially if BF (you can continue to feed on demand) but normally you would start tapering down milk feeds towards the end of the first year, which for many people coincides with returning to work.

Normal growth slows down and plateaus after 4 months so don't worry about this either. It does mean they stop rocketing through clothing sizes at such a fast rate.

Drying clothes in sunlight, even in the rain/through a window will get out the majority of weaning stains with the exception of curry/turmeric. That is a dye so don't feed them curry in your favourite outfits.

Ideally sterilise bottles for as long as they are used for milk feeds. It's because milk is particularly great for bacteria to grow that you sterilise.

But I just chuck them in a tupperware or plastic lunch box with half a cm of water in the bottom in the microwave for 2 mins, wait 3 mins after it's finished and count that as steam sterilised, it's the same process.

If you are filling the bottles and feeding straight away then there's less of a problem especially if they are definitely well-cleaned. Apparently in the US they just put them in the dishwasher, and don't sterilise at all.

Less domestic goddess more frazzled overcleaner 🙈

Thank you Bertie, always such great advice about everything! Think I’ll use your steaming approach for the bottles though worry about the lack of anti colic… but saying that… is that just gimmicky? Who knows.

I’m not really looking forward to weaning. Seeing my niece eat genuinely makes me want to heave, food everywhere, spat out, re eaten. Ugh. Hoping when it’s my own I’ll be more forgiving and less grossed out 😂 he’s definitely interested in food at the mo, in that he’s fascinated when we eat and has reached out to touch things but I worry about him putting stuff in his mouth, but I wonder if I could give him something just to play with?

Also good to know growth slows down, atm I feel like I blink and he’s grown!

@Inmypjsagain we went to our friend's house yesterday and he kept trying to eat his Freddie the Firefly - 'noo that's not your toy to eat!' 😂 obviously we're going to have to get him one now!

I'm glad to see I can probably relax a bit on the sterile wiping of things he eats!

@Daffodil21 we have Freddie too and I think the face is a good shape for eating! He has also spewed up a lot milk on poor Freddie too 🧸 we also have the fish, flip? But he’s not that interested/eating him yet x

@Inmypjsagain oh no poor Freddie 😂 he seems to be putting everything in his mouth lately, including his bibs. I've ordered some 'teething bibs' which are probably just a gimmick but I'll report back!

@Daffodil21 yes to the bibs too, I always think he’s trying to get the dribbled milk out 😂 but at this point he puts everything in his mouth, then he puts his fist (it really is his fist, like the entire hand) and starts making noises and he sounds like an alien! But very interested in the teething bibs, had no idea such a thing existed!!! But it’s hard to tell if it’s teething or just baby exploration, some of the NCT babies have been teething since about 7 weeks! But only one has a tooth cut, I’m not sure teething lasts weeks with no teeth through? Anyway I’ve got bonjela on standby… and if anyone has come across dribble bibs/bandana that are mega absorbent please let me know. We have JJMB and M&S but they get soaked in minutes and it soaks through to his baby grow! Poor thing keeps wearing his feeding time bibs and I feel they ruin his outfits 😂

I use the Bandana ones and just change them constantly, I know it's gross but I leave the wet ones to dry and swap them out, then wash them after a few days or we'd run out, and we have loads of them.

I think anti colic bottles might just be marketing, not sure, but either way they are just a lid aren't they? So you could just put the anti colic lid on a larger bottle. If they are the kind with a straw down the middle then you'd need to make sure it's the same size, but all wide neck bottles and teats are the same and all narrow neck ones are the same I believe.

Actually no, Milton doesn't make stuff taste bad. I only use Milton cold water steriliser as well as their wipes and washing up liquid. The latter doesn't have a smell or flavour. The wipes do, but all wet wipes do anyway, and it's not awful. The cold water steriliser leaves a slight scent and possibly flavour on sterilised items, however I've used it for bottles, dummies and some teethers and if you follow the instructions regarding how long they're supposed to be in for, there's no issue at all. If you leave them in overnight they might smell of Milton but then I poured freshly boiled water over immediately after taking them out and the smell was gone. Leo never fussed over it.

He is in love with his comforters. He kneads them before falling asleep and I take them off him once he shuts his eyes. This is the only thing that helped with him being a velcro baby, worth their weight in gold! xx

@Daffodil21 I saw these teething bibs, please let us know if they're any good! My worry is he spits and drools so much, they'd be in a wash non stop and I don't think they can be tumble dried? Or can they?

Re normal bibs, the absolute best ones here are from Sainsbury's. Then Next & M&S.

I was also given extra large bibs for weaning and bought the long sleeved ones for this, too.

@BertieBotts I feel I'll be asking for some more weaning wisdom come January For now, is there any science behind starting solids with a morning meal? I've seen such a mix of ideas, but mostly suggesting to start mid-morning or over lunch xx

No science, just convenience. They are tired in the evening so it's not really the best time to introduce something new.

@BertieBotts I have no idea what makes them anti colic tbh, I bought them after he was born in a panic I think! I think I’ll try these bottles then, thanks. Do the dried bandanas not smell, think that’s what I’d be worried about, everything just seems to smell like sour milk!

@PurplePansy05 do you not think the cold water steriliser smells a bit like bleach? I’ve now bought some other brand from Amazon to see if it’s got a different pong but it wouldn’t surprise me if I’m just sensitive to it (bleach smell can trigger migraines for me!) Noted re bibs, I’m gonna have to do an online order for Sainsburys as nowhere locally has clothes.

I’ve got lots of those bibs that are basically full body suits for weaning 😂 possibly a bit ott but what I’ve witnessed it looks like it’ll be carnage!
And with weaning, I was also told you start veg first so the baby doesn’t get a taste for sweet things…. I really have no clue but I’d have thought mashed banana is a bit tastier for your first ever food than broccoli!!!

@PurplePansy05 clearly you've never licked a Milton wipe?! 😂 I've not actually tasted what I've wiped but I did lick the wipe after he pulled a face eating his fox after I wiped it - it's grim!

Good point about tumble drying - they probably can't be. I shall report back.

@Inmypjsagain I think the Milton cold water smells quite strong as well, but my husband has licked something after it's been in it and says he can't taste it. I actually tried!