August 2021 - They've been here for half a year

[BertieBotts]

Can you believe it! Our lovely little ones are (roughly) halfway to their first birthdays.

Welcome friends old and new for discussion of sleep, teeth, weaning, milestones, navigating post-baby relationships and the whole existential dread of parenthood... I mean those amazing moments when they make your heart melt. Or produce a poo that makes the wallpaper melt. Oh, all of them. Nothing is off limits because it's just good to know that somebody else has been there.

And looking at thread it seems most people take their own after bad experiences or high cost to rent a dirty and likely inappropriate seat.

You know I see all these people on their fancy holidays online with their babies, I wonder what they all do? Something I’ve never seen mentioned!

I mean I'm sure it's doable, sorry if I've put you off @Inmypjsagain 😘🤦🏼‍♀️ I just hate the faff...it's bad enough with car, car seat and pram every day for me here, even though I bought really parent friendly items which are supposedly 'easy' to use...dragging all this stuff with me on a plane really makes me shiver now I've been using it a lot every day. Another thing is I'm not a resort type person. Well, I've never been. And I think the prospect of doing that is really off-putting, it's not what I consider a holiday and how I want to spend my money. Obviously that's a massive first world problem. But in conclusion I think I'd rather just not go abroad till DS is older and able to join the adventures. I miss being abroad though, it's getting to me now. My idea would work had there not been a two year pandemic just before baby, now I feel rather stuck with it all.

Rain covers are another PITA. Mine doesn't even fit with the footmuff it's so tight, and it's the OG accessory 🤦🏼‍♀️ xx

We have a universal raincover but no idea where it was bought from, but it's great as it has a huge window in it that is open while still having a "hood" over the hood of the pram to keep dry.

Holidays definitely change when you have small children. Self catering is nice or I quite fancy the idea of all inclusive with a kids club! Never would have thought that before kids. You do get the travel back again later. Some of my friends have managed to raise little flexible foodie backpackers! Others leave the kids with DH and go on separate weekends away, or leave DC with grandparents.

But I think a lot of people don't think that much about it so they either take their own, use nothing at all or use the hired option.

Getting the train solo with DS was totally fine, but getting a plane is where I draw the line 😂 even if DH was with me. It just doesn't like much of a holiday to me (plus I hate flying!! Hats off to anyone who manages it!

My lovely friend has taken DS for the day so I can finish off some wedding fair prep ready for Sunday. It's the first time he's been left with anyone except grandparents. I'm sure he'll be loving it though! So strange to be home alone on a weekday!!!

Others leave the kids with DH and go on separate weekends away

Life goals #shamelessadmission 🙌

Ladies, is bum shuffling an introduction to crawling? DS started doing it when sitting down, he sort of rocks to the front and back, tries to move forward with his bum and balance himself with his arms spread wide open 😂🤷🏼‍♀️ it's not a tripod position or rocking on all fours which I know are the first steps to crawling so I'm confused at what he's trying to do?! It looks as if he was riding a pony with his arms spread open 😂 xx

Yes doable but stressful. When I think how much we take just for a weekend away… I think the idea of going abroad is nice but we’ll figure it out later down the line. Honestly it’s too much to contemplate at the moment 😂 and at this rate I’d like any sort of holiday, resort or not. Can’t lie the idea of an all inclusive sounds pretty great right now- swimming pool, 3 meals a day prepared for you, drinks on tap, someone who cleans the room daily…. Sounds like heaven!

Can’t imagine a separate weekend away now, with wfh we’ve spent so much time in each other’s company that I’d find being myself for an extended period strange. @Daffodil21 did you have a productive day? I can’t imagine being home alone with the baby! Only time that’s happened so far is when my husband takes baby for a walk and I’m cleaning the flat 😂

Glad I’m not the only one with a rain cover issue, it never really fit the bassinet properly but it sort of lifts the footmuff up a bit? So like Bertie I think I’m going to order a universal one, I attempted to get the proper measurements of the pram last night and gave up 😂 will try again later, I’d like one that covers the whole pram and is easy to slip on. Bugaboo do a proper rain canopy but i don’t fancy spending another £60 when it won’t be helpful if we’re caught in a shower as it takes the place of the normal hood.

Does anyone carry around a little first aid kit in their pram? I have one, google has been helpful but a baby specific one put together by a mum would be helpful, I’m wondering what I’m missing. I’ve got tape, dressing, bandages, antiseptic wipes, plasters, mini sudocrem, calpol sachets and syringe, bonjela. What else would be handy?

@PurplePansy05 oh that’s exciting! I think some babies don’t bother crawling and bum shuffle, then they just go to walking. So it can be a pre cursor to crawling or an instead of (I think, I’ve just heard/read so many people saying their babies bum shuffled instead of crawling!) watch out, Leo is on the move 🏃🏼 !!!!!

@Inmypjsagain yes I did thank you. I was hoping to have the evening off but I didn't in the end, but I finished at 10pm instead of 1:30am which was a nice change! Aside from a bit of a pricing restructure and some website changes I'm all ready for the show on Sunday now. But I'm going to park all that until Friday as I really need some time on some actual fee earning design work, which I'll do this evening and tomorrow. (I sent my very first self employed invoice out last week 🥳) I'm really hoping for Saturday evening before the show and Sunday evening after the show totally off to just chill. DH is working all day Sat as well as the week so I'll definitely be ready for a chill by then (as will he I'm sure!). DS was less than 5 mins away which was good, and he was with a friend who has had a child. She sent me regular photos which was nice so I knew he was ok 🥰

I've had time during weekends in the house totally alone when DH has taken DS out while I've been working, but never in the week 😂

I also hadn't even considered a baby first aid kit! 😳

I don't carry around stuff like bonjela, calpol - that stays at home. I have got antiseptic spray, tissues and plasters in the changing bag which is more for the one that is running around! A muslin suffices to wipe a baby nose :) and is handy to carry to dry slides, swings etc that have been rained on. You could use one as a sling/bandage in an emergency too. When it gets sunny I'll add sun cream as I often get caught out with a spontaneous stop off on a sunnier day than I'd thought.

I would bring nappy cream if he was having particularly bad rashes but he doesn't so he just gets a plain old wipe if I change him when out.

At home we have calpol, ibuprofen, saline nose drops, chest rub, nappy cream, plasters, antiseptic spray, cough/sore throat medicine, mosquito bite soother, tweezers (splinters, ticks), after sun cream, thermometer, gaviscon. There are bandages and compresses in a car first aid kit somewhere. I usually find that cuddles are sufficient for most out and about mishaps and it's fine to wait until you get home. If it's a real emergency then there will probably be a first aid kit somewhere like in a shop etc? Or you'd be going to hospital anyway.

Wasp and bee sting remedy is also a good idea although you usually just need acid/alkaline to neutralise the sting so can use various household substances!

I don't carry any first aid kit with me atm. I have a full kit in my car & I'm a trained first aider in case of any serious accidents anyway. I always have my FA booklet with me which includes baby FA in case I needed to check something.

If I'm out without the car, I'll just carry the usual muslin cloth, Milton wipes & wet wipes. He's not walking yet so I didn't really think I'd need anything else. When he starts I'll add an antiseptic spray, maybe plasters...maybe something for insect bites and a sun cream as it might be in the summer?

You've actually reminded me I need to put a mini kit for him before we go away in the summer. xx

@PurplePansy05 one of Ivy's baby friends is both bum shuffling and crawling, i think its just a different method to get them where they want to be

Is anyone else's DC still not sitting unaided consistently? Ivy will for a while but doesn't seem as steady as others and will still topple over after a short while

@kagerou I put 'baby bum shuffling' in YT search to show you all and this is what he does, but he's not moving from A to B just yet, it's stationary atm 😂😂😂:

Looks like I have a scooter! It's so funny to watch him! xx

Alex isn't sitting either. I have to sit him in something (usually my legs).

@PurplePansy05 I think Rowan will be a bum shuffler! He still hates being on his front for more than a couple of minutes so just doesn't get any practice at getting into a crawling position, but his sitting is now actually quite good, so it makes sense to me that that's how he'll decide to get around

I would say re international travel, not to be put off by logistics! For the trips we've done so far I keep dreading it in the couple of days before and it's then all been fine and we've had lovely times, so worth it for us, especially as when I'm working it's much harder to take leave during term time so I'm taking advantage! We're being very brave in June and hiring a motorhome to go camping (probably more glamping really...) with the baby!

@Inmypjsagain for us, my DH works in the travel industry which makes it much easier for us! But I've found so long as I research properly I can find things quite cheaply

This is exactly the stage we are at (not my baby!)

It feels early yet to get any independent movement but I think they say second/third babies do it earlier so who knows :o

@BertieBotts yup we are at exactly the same stage! She can get pretty far backwards when she wants to 😂

@BertieBotts yes! we are getting this too!

That's reassuring haha

Ivy has a similarly aged baby friend that's super advanced (sitting perfectly, army crawling etc.) so I can't help comparing at times and worrying I'm doing something wrong!

@Inmypjsagain here I am just seeing your message 2 days later so yeah, things are going well 🤣 had a huge pile of orders to get out for today and very little sleep last night. Still living in this one bedroom flat with Freddie squashed in the snuzpod for another few weeks 😭🙈 how’s things with you?

Yes I have the summit! Things were going well til I burst the tyre the other day. Reinflated it but it just went back down and turned out it needed a new inner tube. Finally back working again now 🤦🏼‍♀️ It’s great though apart from that! Folds pretty much in half, very easy to fold though - you literally just pull a strap on the seat and it all snaps in half. The wheels come off with one click and I do sometimes need to take one off to fit it in the boot but I would highly recommend it!

Totally felt the same with the comparison thing and I totally didn’t think I’d be that mum after spending years as a P1 teacher telling parents they’d all get there, don’t compare etc 🙄 He has a friend that’s a good few weeks younger and seems to do everything before him but he’s quite big and I feel like that surely makes it harder 🤣 He has started to sit up this week but only this week and he’s 6 and a half months now. No signs of crawling at all. Occasionally pushes his bum into the air a bit but goes nowhere. Still feel like he’s getting nowhere near the amount of time on the floor as he should be when I’m so busy and he’s being hurled from one place to the next 🤦🏼‍♀️

I find it fascinating how our little people are now finding their own ways of moving around and exploring and they're so different! I'd love to know what Leo thinks about the world now, how curious he is and frustrated that he can't be as mobile as he'd like to be yet. And what makes him choose a bum shuffle over a commando crawl 😂🤷🏼‍♀️ He moves backwards too but I wouldn't call that a crawl, it's rolls and a mix of various more or less coordinated movements 😂 And I knew I'd say this, but not that I'd say this so soon, I miss him sleeping peacefully on my chest 😭 xx

Also asked MIL to watch him for the first time this weekend, she has taken him walks but as I’ve said before, she can’t do any time before lunch time because they’re not up til then so it’s just a walk when it suits her every few weeks. Her partner doesn’t go with her and I always feel quite uneasy around him. It’s horrible to say but he really gives me the heeby jeebies 🙈 He’s being dropped off at their house for the first time on Saturday morning for 2 hours max while I’m at a nail appointment. My mum and sister couldn’t take him so I had literally no choice 😂 They initially said no and acted like it was almost a joke when I said something was happening at 10am. They said ‘IN THE MORNING?!’ 🙈 Eh yes, in the morning. I’m now slightly freaking out that MIL won’t be up and he’ll be left with her partner who he doesn’t know at all and I don’t really know that I trust at all 😕 Very weird how you don’t think of these things until you have an actual child to leave with someone. Freddie has literally seen him once ever so I hate the thought of him crying while his smokey breath comes towards him 😭🙈 I’m totally over-thinking it but just so uneasy with the whole thing

Oh yes DS1 army crawled!! I had forgotten that.

I'm up with Alex because he can barely breathe due to all the mucus on his chest :( I'm actually quite worried because it feels very much like croup that my eldest used to get except he wasn't quite this little, also with having had covid a month ago as well. I think I'll take him to the doctor in the morning.