August 2021 Babies - From Santa to Solids, Hohoho!

[PurplePansy05]

Here we go again!

I'd do another delightful intro, alas I've lost count which thread this is now and we all know our LO's names anyway 😁

So instead I will just say, Merry First Christmas together to you and your LOs! 🎄❤🎁

May the sleep regression pass as soon as they see Santa later this week...

...May they love weaning and may our kitchens survive...

...May 2022 be full of blessings for them and for us ❤❤❤

Oldcomers and newcomers welcome, as always! 🥰

Oh brilliant, now he's doing a poo and there are no toilets on this train. On it for another hour and ten 🙄

@Magik01 when DD was still in our room it wasn’t as much, we moved her few weeks back into her own room. I know we shouldn’t due to SIDS but it’s helped so much with her sleep and I just thought do all the changes in one, move to room and remove dummy etc rather than constantly changing.

@Ready2020 I’ve had to work hard on my pelvic floor, I’ve been doing a restore programme which has helped to but I’ve also bought some pelvic floor weights from Amazon which seem to be helping more, just takes consistency to do it for 15 mins a day. I found the Squeezy app just annoying and I couldn’t gauge any improvement.

@PurplePansy05 we used a travel cot too as in a between, really liked it and as you say if you travel with it it doesn’t seem another cost

Sorry to give you all a narration of my train journey so far - so there was baby change. I have never so much shit in all my life - it was everywhere! How he wasn't complaining I have no idea! I had to use almost a whole pack of wipes which is unheard of, and there was too much rubbish to even get it in the bin!! All sorted now though so hopefully he's empty 😂

His sick was a little yellow - is this ok? (FF)

@Daffodil21 do you get the train a lot? It sounds a nightmare! The HV told me yellow tinged sick was just the milk mixed with stomach acid but if its a lot maybe phone 111

@Fran919 thank you. It wasn't a lot so hopefully ok and the last of it. I get the train to go and see my family down south, so we live in NE Scotland and it takes a min 10.5 hours on the train to get there. We've been staying at both mine and DH's family for Christmas but he drove back a week ago, and we've got the train so we can spend longer down there and not have to worry about DS in the car for too long.

I just managed to use the loo at the station, ditch the bag of shit, AND get the earlier connection to Edinburgh despite the unhelpful station guard! I'm counting that as a win to balance out the literal shit 😂

Good chance I'll be kicked off this train 😂 conductor asked me to move (I'm sitting in the accessible area that says 'please give up these seats if required by a wheelchair user') and I refused 🙈

Fucking dick. Of course I will move if a wheelchair user needs it! 'I've got 3 kids, I get it'

'Well you've clearly never travelled on a train one your own with them for 11 hours then have you'.

If he wants the buggy put down, he can fucking hold him.

Sorry for train narration again, fuming!!

Just to add, Elliot is literally asleep in the buggy atm, which just makes him even more of a dick!!?

when I was on a packed train on my own with DS1 as a baby I got moved to first class for free! That conductor needs to go back to conductor school

@BertieBotts they did last time! On this exact train! I did laugh at 'needs to go to conductor school'. The conductor has changed now and so far haven't been asked to move

Sounds like your having a right day of it @Daffodil21 and it’s not even 2pm 😂😂

Hope the rest of your journey is poop and sick free without the twit of a conductor as well! How long are you at your families this time?

@Magik01 thank you! Had another unhelpful conductor on the next train, but I've left the buggy up despite her disapproval (she wanted me to keep it free for bikes! If a bike comes on I will move him!). Anyway we are on the last long train, annoyingly have a 1.5 hour wait at station before the last train but never mind. I'll be nearly back then anyway. I stayed with DS for 3 weeks, but my husband drove down later than me and drove back earlier than me. We're back in February as DH has booked a show for my birthday, but we'll all be driving that time. I'm not sure what's more of a challenge?! At least I won't be on my own then though.

He's currently asleep in his (set up) buggy, so hopefully he'll be asleep the whole of this train journey as he's only had two very short (20+30) minute naps since 7am!

Cannot wait to get home! I have missed my bed 🙊 and the cats! although DH offered me a spare room night tonight and he'll do the night. For once I may not take him up on it because DS has been a little bit of a pain through the nights lately and he does have work tomorrow. Im not sure I've ever been away for 3 weeks. I hope DS remembers where he lives!!!!

Oh Daff what an ordeal! I agree with Bertie, conductor school clearly needed!

I think Rowan might be teething, but it's so hard to tell! For a good 2 months now any time his hand goes near his mouth someone says he must be teething, and no teeth yet 🙄 but the past two days he's been so grumbly and there isn't any other reason so I think it must be it - he's 5 months today so I think it makes sense time-wise, so I've given some calpol which I'm hoping will help.

I've risked creating a scene with DH's family! We're going over to see them this week and usually his dad would do all the driving but I've said that he won't be driving Rowan and DH needs to - FIL is quite an aggressive driver and his age is also starting to show, I've felt unsafe in the car with him before and the one time he drove Rowan he almost crashed, so I put my foot down and hoping it won't cause an argument...

@biscuitcat definitely the right call! You can't take risks your not happy with to keep others happy. I would be putting my foot down too

You sound frazzled @Whatshouldbemyusername - sending lots of hugs x

How are the poor sleeping babies doing? Are you seeing an improvement? Last night Isaac slept for 2 and a half hours, fed, slept for another 2 and a half hours, fed, then did 1 hour 50, fed then asleep for another 2 hours. I’ve had a month or more of this now and il starting to get a little sick of it to say the least!!

Not sure what can be done to improve it? His naps are also still bad- I literally can’t put him down. I realise it’s ridiculous I’ve carried a baby while he naps for a whole 5 months but otherwise he would just get so overtired if I put him down that nights would be even more of a nightmare.

Urgh that’s more of a rant really from a frazzled mum.

@Daffodil21 your nearly home! I bet you can’t bloody wait get into bed, your a trooper doing all these long journeys with a baby! Well done you.

@biscuitcat definitely the right thing to do if you don’t need safe in the car let along having a baby! Even if it does cause some tension and/or friction you’ve done the right thing for you and your baby.

@Magik01 last night we had fed then 50mins fed then 4 hours (miracle!) feed followed by 2 hours 10 then 1 hour 5 then 1 hour 10 (though the last time dd was still asleep when ds burst through the door to see if we were awake yet 🙈) but believe me that was 100 times better than the night before when I literally saw every single hour of the clock with her. She slept maybe 45 mins at a time

I have decided to just lean in to Solomon’s sleeping pattern after hearing a horror story from a friend whose daughter didn’t sleep for more than ten mins at a time for 26 hours. DH and I are sleeping separately and doing alternate nights with Sol, who goes to bed at 6, sleeps very reliably until 11, wakes again around 3 then wakes for good at 6. It could be worse. Sure, I’d like to sleep with my husband and I’d like to have more than 3 hours, but I figure it could be worse. For the month until we get back to the U.K., we’re just going to lean into it…

Tried banana: much more successful than pear. A tip when using purée to wean: use a distracting such as a rattle or tapping the high chair tray, and they let you shovel it in much easier! Later this week: carrot and cucumber fingers.

Whoever recommended Solid Starts on Instagram - great recommendation!

@RandomCatGenerator thanks babe.

My husband and I are also thinking of going back to shifts till this is all sorted abit. That's a nightmare about your friends baby. It's scary!

So last night was pretty good. Slept from 7.30 to 3am with 2 dummy put backs. Then fed at 3 and went down until 6am then another feed then in bed with me until 7.30. She would have slept longer I think but I was coughing. She's been sleepy today too so I hope it's just her mood just now. We'll see how tonight goes! OH is away at bed time so I need to do it alone. Not great as if I get a coughing fit I can hand her over quickly and leave the room so she stays sleepy.

DD has found her screeching voice and has practiced it all day my head is splitting!

I succumbed to amazon advertising and bought a tummy time water mat. DD loves it though. She screeches extra loud!

MAGIFIRE Tummy Time Baby Water Mat,Water Play Mat for 3 6 9 Months Baby Infant Toy Newborn Boy Girl www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084SQJMQ3/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_V5N3TSN9TESF996PJ8PB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Oh that looks fun. Sleep I can usually put Alex down in the evening now around 8 and then he'll wake every 45 mins until I go to bed. So I get an evening in 40 min chunks then from 11-7 he normally wants to feed a couple of times although it can be every hour on a bad night. He normally stirs at 7 and if I can get him to go back down he'll sleep until 9. Last night he was up a lot in the second half of the night but when I got him changed in the morning he was soaked through so that was obviously why. Normally it's only a couple of wake ups in the actual night. We might get a single 4-5 hour stretch. It feels ok though, I am definitely of the lean in school of thought.

Naps can be really hit and miss, I can't put him down to nap either. He will nap in the pram though so if I can't get him down or just if I don't want to hold him, we put him in the buggy and push it back and forth then after about 15 mins we can leave it not moving any more. He only ever naps for 30-45 minutes but that's ok as if he slept longer I think it would keep him up at night.

I have an old version of Huckleberry which has the sweet spot nap prediction and it's brilliant. Makes such a difference to me for example today DS2 was home with an upset tummy and I could see there were 30-40 mins left until next nap time so I decided to use as much time as I could get out of those 30 mins to sort some washing and then start making moves on a walk. We ended up walking out just as the 30 min time ended and it was perfect as he got a good nap in while I got DS2 some fresh air. I'm really crap at noticing when it's been X time since the last one.

Sleep wise for us, night are hit and miss. He's fairly consistent at going down at 8-ish, then I wake him at 11-ish when we go up, for a feed. On good nights he'll be up at somewhere between 3 and 5, then again between 7 and 8, on a bad night I can see every hour! Naps were a nightmare when I was trying to get him to settle in a cot, but I've given in now and contact nap for all of them (or go on a walk/drive), and now that I'm doing that they're working well!

Well last night was a fluk then 🙃 DD has not settled at all yet.

We still do all naps in the buggy. At least I know it works. She's still falling asleep in the buggy thankfully. It was so sad to retire the bassinet. She slept in it so well.

@Smurf123 and @BertieBotts we sound like we have quite similar nights with none sleeping babies. Smurf was it yourself that is starting back work soon? Sorry if it’s not I can’t quite remember who it was! If so, how is it going?!

@RandomCatGenerator would also recommend the solid starts app it’s really good! You can search all kinds of food on it and it’s full of useful info.

@Ready2020 Isaac has found his voice today as well! It’s like a proper little screech, I did think it was cute when he first started as he seemed really excited he could make a new noise but I soon changed my mind 🤣🤣

Bertie I’m using Huckleberry as well but don’t have the nap prediction and I begrudge paying for it. To be fair I can usually gauge when he’s due a nap usually after 2 and a half hours and like Alex he only naps for half an hour at a time. Like he’s honestly like clockwork, I will start the timer on the app and when he wakes up it’s pretty much always 30 mins exactly 🤨

@biscuitcat how long does your LO nap for when you contact nap? It’s nice to know I’m not the only one, not that I wish it on anyone!

I don't pay for it, I have an older version of the app from before they took it off the free version. You can still get the old version but it involves knowing how to look for and sideload apks directly (and I don't know if you can do it for iPhone at all).