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.

@RandomCatGenerator if it helps i have seen cats loose their sight at a senior age and adjust brilliantly. Dogs tend to find it harder at any age but cats very quickly switch to other senses.

Has anyone moved their babies to forward facing in the buggy yet? I really think DS is ready and would love it, but I'm not sure if it's a big no no and I'm missing something?

Also this is going to sound incredibly obvious, and may not work for everyone but just thought I'd mentioned that introducing a comforter or muslin for DS to suck on has genuinely been life changing! He would only ever fall asleep in the day if he was being walked/pushed/driven, and now he will get himself to sleep (sometimes with a little fuss first mind 😂) by sucking on something

@RandomCatGenerator so sorry to hear about your cat! But it really sounds like you're doing the best for her so don't feel guilty ❤️

@kagerou @Daffodil21 ❤️ Thank you both. It means a lot.

Daffodil, yep, we forward face pretty much all the time - he loves watching the birds in particular. I rarely backward face / have him lying down.

@RandomCatGenerator great, thank you. I think I'll make the change

@RandomCatGenerator so sorry to hear about your cat, I hope she carries on doing well xx

@Daffodil21 when I use the stroller DS faces forward, and he seems happy like that! I still have him face me in the main buggy but I'm sure he would be fine if he forward faced too.

I think that Rowan might be showing signs of a dairy allergy 😩 this morning he had the tiniest little half spoon of porridge (then threw a strop so didn't have any more!), and his poor face came up all red, which it has done each time he's had dairy. I'm keeping a food diary at the moment and hopefully going to the GP this week, but I'm hoping it's something else!

@biscuitcat even if its is a dairy allergy, its one of the most common to grow out of (apparently I had one as a baby too though obviously don't remember now)

Someone on one of the car seat groups has just confirmed, with photo, the use of a Joie Tilt seat on an Easyjet flight and someone else has said they did the same on British Airways :)

Bertie, that's great. So can it be used without the base on the plane, and secured with a plane safety belt? The description says 3 point safety belt needed to secure, so I'm a bit confused how it would work in an airplane seat.

It does need a 3 point belt in a car. They just put the lap belt through where the lap part of the belt would go in a car. On that seat you literally just slot it through the back anyway. There isn't a base for that seat :)

I asked but they didn't want a photo shared outside the group which is completely understandable.

It does of course mean it's not tested etc being fitted in that way, so would be whether you're OK with that or not really.

Ok thanks, definitely will consider this option!

@WolfMother326 @BertieBotts I a fan of Joie - the Joie 360 spin is so easy to use, I’m really glad we bought it. However, the Joie tilt is very heavy - 6.5kg.

We are taking a flight in a few weeks and need a car seat at the other end for the hire car. Joie Tilt price wise looks manageable but that weight, as well as luggage and the pram, is a lot…

It's very light compared to other Group 1 seats, unfortunately they are heavier because of the size that they need to be to accommodate older children.

What about Joie Juva?

If you are looking at Tilt for a travel seat, it's worth comparing with Joie Steadi, as the Steadi has a headrest which means it does last that bit longer. Joie used to say you can use the Tilt until eyes are level with the shell but recently they have changed to say only until the head is up to the end at least for rear facing. Just worth bearing in mind as it's quite a short shell.

Just seen this on FB - study looking for parents using powdered formula. You get a £5 amazon voucher for participating.

swanseachhs.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_55BgeJYrnvF4Bfw?fbclid=IwAR3HB6GaQHVovkp2MKwL1Y4r5-5sgqLOrExLfalynNuIPrmAoyDi_imJma8&jfefe=new

For those who have traveled abroad / prepared to - how did your baby's passport photo turn out?

I've just had Ivy's done at a photography studio and it honestly looks like a baby mug shot!

not only does her face look spherical with no discernible neck, she also looks incredibly grumpy and has a wet patch from bringing up milk on her top

My partner said she looks like Kim Jong Un with more hair 😂

Tbh I'm almost proud that she's managed to capture the true essence of a passport photo despite this being the only one she's allowed to look cute in

Yeah baby passport photos are awful :o Luckily the rules are a bit less strict for young children.

It is easier if they can sit up, but if they can't yet. put them in a highchair facing a window, and tuck a white sheet or blanket in behind them, which a second adult holds up.

@kagerou that's hilarious. We did ours at home and it took a couple of tries but turned out cute! He's older now and has grown a lot of hair, so already looks different to the photo.

(Meant to say this is how we cropped and lightened it to meet guidelines)

@WolfMother326 that's adorable!

@kagerou thanks lovely - it definitely looks like a dairy allergy so we're eliminating dairy for a few weeks then apparently trying a 'challenge' to his system. Sadly including me eliminating dairy as I'm still BF-ing - I might start tomorrow as I have some amazing looking burrata in the fridge... definitely glad it's one he has a decent chance of growing out of.

@kagerou DS looks like a potato. It was taken when he was two weeks old and it is the WORST photo. I’m actually quite proud of how incredibly terrible it is - he’s really lowered the bar for bad pictures!

@WolfMother326 that's adorable - I'm pretty jealous though also kind of proud at how bad DD's is

@RandomCatGenerator I get what you mean about setting the bar! And honestly is it even a true passport photo if you don't look horrendous?

This is the photo - I swear in real life she has a neck and jawline!