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.

@Daffodil21 glad to hear he's ok now - I know what you mean about being surprised it's had a big impact, as like you all the babies I know who've had it, have had it super mildly

@RandomCatGenerator I recognise that level of tiredness!! Hope you feel better soon xx

@PurplePansy05 weaning wise, Rowan still isn't massively interested in food so I'm not an expert, but I've been giving warm stuff basically from the get go as he quite often just has bits from our plates. He's so slow though and plays with it a lot, so I think most of it is room temp when he actually eats it!

I haven't done any shellfish yet as I don't eat it (fussiness, not an allergy!), and the smell makes me feel unwell so I'm no help there at all - your ideas sound good though! Could something like paella work?

Water isn't very successful here either, I've tried the same cups you have and he seems to take bits and bobs but most goes down his front. He loves to hold them and wave around, so I'm hoping with time he improves how much he actually takes on! Though with him, he's eating so little that I'd prefer he doesn't fill up with water yet as he still needs milk to get his calories in!

We started really trying with water at about 5 months as he was getting very constipated with solid foods. I use MAM bottles for bottle feeding (Tommee Tippee anti colic as well but they’re fiddlier, I prefer MAM), and have used them for water too. I use a little 160ml bottle with a 3 teat on it or a water teat, so it’s quite fast flowing. There’s a lot of mess except when I cradle him in my arms and feed him it after a meal - but he will have a good few pulls when sitting in the high chair so at least some is going in!

Sippy cups resulted in spluttering, munchkin he can’t get the hang of. So we’re sticking with the above for now!

Shellfish - and fish generally - is something I’d be interested to hear ideas on too!

@PurplePansy05 I had let my guard down a bit too to be honest. We've been going to baby groups etc without much consideration for Covid - I kind of just thought it's more of a case of when than if and in a way I'm glad it's done now. He was worse than I thought, but he was ok in the end. He hasn't really been ill except for a cold for basically a day, so it's probably been good for him to have to fight something? For me it has just been like a cold which is lucky. We actually caught it (I believe) from popping in at my friend's for coffee. She tested positive the next day and we were sat in her house for a couple of hours, with Elliot on her lap most of the time. But the way things are going we probably would have caught it at some point soon anyway. It's buggered up a few of my plans but nothing that couldn't be missed/delayed.

Your weaning ideas sound so nice. We are just so far from all the things listed here! (But can I come to yours for dinner?!). He's just happy on purées at the moment 🤷‍♀️ we'll move on at some point but for now it's working (although not actually atm because of bloody Covid)

Getting water into him is a struggle here too!!!!

@PurplePansy05 well done for making such a brave decision. I sometimes wish I had the same courage but I don't so for now we will continue to trundle on.

Baby weaning wise - oops I don't serve water at all yet - dd can't even handle a mam number 2 teat for milk never mind water. We have only just managed some success using the number one teat. But from my ds I learnt not to stress that one they will use a cup eventually. I have put the 360 out once out twice for dd and she thought it was a good toy to bang and fun to drop on the floor

Heat wise I make the baby porridge with usually just boiled water and it cools really quickly so she tends to eat it warm ish. It is pretty much the only spoon fed food she will eat still but will eat off our plates so will be warm but usually cold by the time she's done eating. Since having covid a free wild ago I still haven't been feeling much like a big meal so I really need to get better at diners for her it's hard finding the motivation when I'm not really eating and she usually doesn't eat much and ds only has about 5 safe foods that he will eat.

Covid wise dd definitely felt it though she has none of the traditional symptoms but she had sticky eyes sneezes and was clearly feeling miserable for 4/5 days. Ds age 4 on the other hand has virtually no symptoms a little bit of raised glands in good throat and it must have been a little sore as he ate even less than normal and I took him to the dr thinking he had tonsillitis before I then tested positive 3 days later so In hindsight I reckon he had it then

Ok that's reassuring to read none of our babies are particularly pro at drinking water or using a cup yet. Think I got worried that if before he goes to nursery and before the summer he's still so bad at it, it might become an issue in terms of dehydration and frankly who'll teach him then? Will they judge me for failing to teach him? But it seems the consensus is babies just get the hang of it at some point on their own? I'll keep offering after solids then. He still drinks a lot of milk anyway, probably 650-700ml daily.

I've stopped bf now too. I've done nearly 8 months which is longer than I hoped for and whilst a bit sad, I took it better than I thought. I've concluded it wouldn't work with my office/wfh schedule and that I'll stop now, few weeks before returning, for things to settle. On a plus side, I am relieved to wear normal bras and clothes again after so long. All nursing stuff is packed up, the absolute state of it! Some bras went strsight in the bin instead!

I keep asking about shellfish because I've always eaten quite a lot of it, same with fish, but couldn't think how to offer it to Leo. @biscuitcat paella indeed is a great shout. I think I'll puree the prawns, peas etc slightly and then mix up with rice for him, that will be his baby version. I realise he's been great with food, I'm feeling rather lucky as that's not exactly something I taight him, he was just born this way 🤷🏼‍♀️ I shouldn't have fretted about it probably as it looks like they all do what they want to do at the right time for them anyway! I will say though, he isn't a prodigy eating exactly the same food as me, he has the same food but served differently so I prep in advance, either puree a bit if the pieces are cut awkwardly for him, or split what's in in and offer BLW, or make a baby friendly version with less ingredients, adding yoghurt to make it less spicy etc. So he eats the same but slightly different if that makes sense, that's why it's usually lukewarm or cold!

Our big hits are now homemade pulled chicken sweet & sour with rice and apple slices boiled in cinnamon water - fab snack a d also great with morning weetabix as a puree 👌 xx

Yes defo they just get the hang of water. Keep offering and one day they'll just get it. Not sure about that aspirating into lungs issue, it must be quite rare? Did she say in the post what caused it? I thought it was something that happened when swimming or after falling into water (dry drowning).

We are using a 360 cup or a baby bottle with whatever teat it has on - it didn't occur to me to buy separate teats for water. Sometimes he's ok with the 360 and sometimes he ignores it or chews it. He gets a bit constipated with hard poos if I leave it too long so do just get the bottle out occasionally. But he can't eat much at the moment anyway because of all the phlegm

I don't give him food too hot because he has no sense of waiting for it to cool down yet so it would burn him, warm is fine, their mouths are a bit more sensitive than ours. You'll know immediately if you give them something too hot!

We also don't really eat prawns at home because I'm not keen on them.

@Daffodil21 Of course, you're always welcome for dinner I'll throw some homemade brownie in, too! I'm glad Elliot is getting better and agree it's inevitable we all catch it. I think I've had it few months ago as some things still don't taste right. But Leo just had 3 colds (maybe covid?). I think if he catches anything now I'm more relaxed than few months ago when he was tiny. I'm exactly the same, groups and being out every day now, he's mixing with a lot of people and other babies every week. It's doing him good so I'll continue, think maybe I should sanitise hands and still wear a mask though. On its own it's not going to make a huge difference probably though.

@Smurf123 I'm sorry to hear you and the children had it recently too and that your appetite still isn't quite there. Can you try batch cooking something nice that you like and just eating small portions and sharing with DD, and DS if he likes it? Just to save you time and effort and so you can start enjoying your food gradually again?

Porridge wise, are you buying baby porridge or trying normal? I've been thinking about normal but is it too early and can formula milk ne microwaved?

Here if you need a chat too, Smurf. It's not straightforward and I'm sure you know very well yourself. But the best word to describe how I'm feeling now I've made the decision os relief and I can see my way of thinking is changing already, for the better. xx

Oh okay I've just looked up that celebrity and it sounds like he has an actual medical condition which caused him to go blue in his cot a year ago and they have been trying to find out the cause ever since.

@BertieBotts it was that, a near-silent drowning She said she found him blue in his cot and that he's had multiple tests and the test which used fluorescent liquid has highlighted when he drinks normal fluids it goes the wrong way and some water goes into his lungs so he's on thickened fluids for the foreseeable. Apparently you couldn't just notice it which makes sense, I guess. I do wonder if this is a rare anatomical issue with some babies digestive system, I can't think of anything else and she didn't elaborate on the cause. xx

Yes all the articles seemed to mention a "diagnosis" but not mention any condition.

@PurplePansy05 it is a medical condition and it can go unnoticed for years called dysphagia. It's more often seen in children who have a disability of some sort so more common for children with cerebral palsy or Down's syndrome also or developmental/ learning. There are signs but they can go missed. It's unlikely he was only having issues with water milk would have been contributing too.
Some signs are persistent coughing over a long time, excessive drooling, recurrent chest infections/pneumonia.
I teach in a special needs school we had training on it last year to make us aware of it and how to thicken the liquids as we are having more kids come in with the needs but as I say they mostly have another condition. Speech and language actually deal with feeding difficulties so they can assess them and refer to hospital for further tests which can diagnose the actual swallowing disorder through x rays and things.
It's complicated but I don't think it's something you need to be particularly worried about especially as your ds loves his milk and food without too much difficulties.
Our training was literally just to give us an awareness of it and some of the causes/ signs to look out for im sure there's a lot more to it than what I know!

@PurplePansy05 I think food wise part of the issue is I'm just so tired and still also trying to get to the bottom of some stomach issues for me too. Been tested again for coeliac now. Plus ds eats nothing and it's a bit soul destroying at times. So I try and ensure one of his foods are incorporated into the family meal and then just tell him he can have anything on the table and it's had a little success in thing like the other day he asked could he have a strawberry could he lick it to see what it's like which for him is huge but he didn't eat any more than that of it. For right now his safe foods are homemade egg fried rice (but he won't eat scrambled egg on its own) plain pasta with butter and pizza. He will eat breads, oats and yoghurt, weetabix so breakfast is great. He's even got hit and miss with chips! 😫 it's bad when you get delighted that he actually tried a bbq Pringle and liked it and asked for more because at least it had a flavour!

Porridge for Sophia yes baby porridge but mainly because I still have some left from when she refused to eat it. She loves the aptamil 7month plus berry one mixed with a bit of the cow and gate creamy one 🤣 started alternating it with weetabix though and going to buy some ready brek when we run out to try it I think. If Leo has only had cold things you might find he prefers cold porridge which most people thing is weird but my ds eats overnight oats - oats milk yoghurt and fruit purée or just plain bowl of oats mixed with milk or with yoghurt he has never liked it hot though

@Smurf123 I'm going to try him on overnight oats with fruit puree - that's a great shout. I just couldn't work out if standard oats will be too big/lumpy/sticky for him to swallow.

Thanks a lot re dysphagia, that was super helpful to know. I never heard of it and it's amnoying the press just prints things without any context sometimes (although of course there's a need for privacy too, controversial whether she should be coming out and half discussing her own son's medical history without his consent with the Daily Mail and millions of readers, obviously revealing his identity...but that's just my opinion).

I'm so sorry you're not well and feeding yourself and DCs sounds really exhausting. Bless you, I'm sending love. I wonder if your DS could be affected by covid in a sense of anosmia or parosmia and this is contributing to his food choices now? xx

I've been serving DD her for food warm for a while. I thought she might like it better that way for flavour.... maybe not!

We're doing kinda OK with the sippy Cup but only a few mouthfuls at meals. I'm tempted to try the 360 sooky cup as I really need her to want to drink more not just at meal times as I'm still breastfeeding and only have until 2 May before she goes to nursery.

I've noticed she's sicking up a lot now these days. Maybe she's just eating too much....

Well we've just been to doctors as I realised his temperature had been high for 3-4 days now and apparently he has a viral flu infection with bronchitis and they've given us an inhaler! Poor baby. This should hopefully help his cough.

Oh @BertieBotts that's awful, poor baby! I hope he gets better soon. Speaking of, I'm about to check Leo's temp as he feels very warm for my liking and not his usual self xx

@PurplePansy05 so glad you've got the diagnosis you need and have been able to make such an important decision regarding DH.

I might have to end things with DP soon too, his MH issues (and unwillingness to address them properly) just create so much uncertainty that I don't know if I trust him to be the dad baby needs

Gosh I have missed a lot not coming on here.

I’m sorry to hear about your cat @RandomCatGenerator it’s so devastating when loosing any pet as they are part of the family. Just know that they had the best life with you and it was the kindest thing for them.

Sorry to hear all your poorly babies as well! Mine has been all snotty and chesty too.

Glad to hear that you finally have a diagnosis @PurplePansy05 and that your getting the help that you need. I’m sorry to hear about your marriage but kudos to you for having the balls to take action! I know there’s a saying that a baby can make or break a relationship and it’s so true. I know there’s other elements in there but I think it all has a knock on affect really.

In terms of water I kind of gave up with the cup for now. He didn’t really get on wit sippy cups either. BUT he is a master at using a straw! So that’s what we do for now. 😂

Still no teeth either or still unable to sit Unaided completely. He will get there I’m sure.

Anyone have a sleeping bag with sleeves? I dd gets cold at nights. This is wake up number 4. I've just turned the heat on. According to the baby camera her room is at 18 degrees. Though I think it feels cool but I was tucked in under my big duvet.
Dd does not like being cold though or being outside in the wind. Most of the time I end up putting the rain cover over the pram🙈 maybe I'm just clutching at straws in the hope of sleep 😴

I always thought sleeves were bad on sleeping bags because they don't let the baby regulate temperature or something. But all the German ones have them. Look up the brand Alvi. I'll see what other brands I can remember!

We have sleeveless but I normally dress him in a long sleeve vest and a sleepsuit in the bag. Although not now because it's suddenly got boiling here at night.

My kids have always wanted to be warmer at night than guidelines suggest.

@smurf123 we have a jojo one that has removable sleeves it is a 3.5 tog though but I think they did less tog.

@BertieBotts I thought that about sleeves too but then I've seen Australian ones with sleeves too . Though maybe I should just do a long sleeve vest with the sleep suit and sleeping bag never thought of that.. just need to get more long sleeve vest she grew out of hers recently and I hadn't bothered buying new ones thinking she wouldn't wear them so much in the summer.
It's getting warmer here too but it's not that warm yet plus it will prob only last a week here.
I'll also check out that brand.
Love to dream seem to have one with sleeves in a 1, 2.5 or 3.5 tog

Sleeveless bags here too, we've just switched to 1.5 tog. Bedroom is around 20C. He wears a long sleeve vest and babygrow overnight at the moment. He prefers to be warmer at night too though, so I sometimes put one layer thin blanket over him and tuck it in to make sure he can't pull it over himself easily. I was looking at long sleeve bags but they were more expensive than just using long sleeve vests that we already have 🤷🏼‍♀️ xx

I'm blaming sleep deprivation I'm not sure why long sleeve vests didn't even enter my head 🤣 going to try that tonight I have some of the smaller size that are a little short in the sleeves but alright otherwise.