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.

Happy First Birthday for tomorrow, Sophia! @Smurf123 🎉🎂💐🎈💖 have a lovely day celebrating!

Ah, ear ear re ear infection 🤦🏼‍♀️ constant!

Leo is into cruising when motivated, particularly if mummy is sat down holding something he definitely shouldn't be playing with, like a hot cup of coffee, a remote etc. The other day he wiped all the photos from my husband's phone as he grabbed it off the bedside table for what seemed like two seconds 😆 luckily, they were backed up.

He is also very hungry these days, I wonder if it's another spurt/leap? I'm now in a difficult phase of trying to transition him from formula to whole milk, it's not going great! I don't understand how to do this. The advice is to gradually wean them off the bottle between 12-18m, isn't it? But how am I supposed to give him whole milk if not in a bottle? He would take about 3 sips from an open cup so definitely not enough. Doesn't tolerate any other cups (although apparently does drink some water from a straw cup in nursery. Not from me 😒Even in a bottle, he's funny with whole milk, he'd have it with cereal but not a huge fan of it on its own. I'm feeling a bit stuck.

I read it's time to wean him off the dummy too to make sure his teeth are ok, but he loves it at bedtime and learnt to find it to soothe himself in the night, I really don't want to unsettle him. Is it really bad if he continues to use it to fall back asleep? xx

Ahhhh hi everyone! And happy birthday for those who have already turned 1, and for those coming up - less than 2 weeks for us, I cannot believe it!

@Smurf123 Rowan probably isn't a fab example as he's such a lazy bones, but as of yesterday (at 11.5 months!) he's started crawling - no cruising yet, he's like Sophia and loves to stand up but hasn't quite yet figured out what to do with his feet once he's there.

@PurplePansy05 I've found it tricky moving to a cup - he's only in the last week or so taken any significant amount of water, and will only really drink from an open cup (despite my having enough options now to stick a small shop). I'm still breastfeeding so haven't really tried with milk yet, but the one time I did he wasn't at all interested. This is the one I've found best so far if it's useful? It's not non spill so if taking out and about you have to transport it empty, but it's nice and soft and the liquid comes out of the straw bit really easily so Rowan seems to have figured out how to use it - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/TUM-Trainer-Designed-Feeding-Specialist/dp/B099KD1MWP/ref=mpssa113?crid=BWE6LBJGTTSR&keywords=tumtum+tots+straw+cup&qid=1659165130&sprefix=tumtu%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-3

Would mixing the whole milk with formula work to transition him? So maybe starting as 3/4 formula and gradually increasing the whole milk proportion?

Xx

Thanks a lot @biscuitcat, I'll order this cup and also try mixing! It's crossed my mind too but I wasn't sure if this works and wanted to ask what people are doing! xx

I probably wouldn't use a straw cup for milk as you never know if they are properly clean and I think they could grow nasties in them. Not so bad for water, but milk can get really gross. I remember having a straw cup as a child and I used to drink apple juice out of it, but one day I had milk instead and we ended up having to throw it away as it had these little flakes of dried milk that would come into my juice 🤢 I think I'd probably be tempted to keep using a bottle for milk feeds if it's a comfort thing but I know it's not really advised. Are you brushing teeth before or after bedtime bottle? It's leaving them with a bottle in bed and/or letting them wander around with a bottle of juice (does anyone even do that any more?) that is the problem IIRC.

Dummies defo okay to keep using - I wouldn't rock that boat personally!

We have lots of cruising here and he's also in the last few days figured out the push along walker things that we have, so he races across the room on those pretty much running-falling 😆I think we are also getting close to him copying some sounds - we have a book where the last page is "A-a-a-achoo!" and he finds that really funny and says "A-doo!" and then when I sneezed the other day for real he said "Adoo!" in the same kind of tone. He also has a banana every morning for breakfast and I think he's copying me saying "nana". Definite Mama/Mami and Dada too and a very loud Ba or a-ba if he wants attention. Tricky stage as you can never be quite sure if it's really a word or just a coincidence. That said, I didn't recognise DS1's first word for weeks and weeks and when I realised he was saying look ("ook!") I realised he'd been saying it for a couple of months and I just thought it was a sound. Achoo would be a great first word

The other thing he is doing is that he seems to have suddenly realised that we can collaborate with him, so if we're playing with something, for example these wooden jigsaws he likes now, he will pass us the piece to put back into the jigsaw, or he'll grab our wrist and bring our hand to whatever it is he wants us to activate. You don't have to fight the spoon off him because he willingly gives it to you understanding that he'll get more food etc. He's very expressive with arms wanting to be picked up etc. Not really getting anywhere with signs but he will frantically flap his arms as though he's trying to communicate something and you can kind of work it out from that.

We've had a bit of a rocky few weeks with sibling troubles etc but even the nearly 4yo is seeming to calm down and have sensible moments - it's actually making me really look forward to the next couple of years as I think it's going to be so lovely seeing them both together.

Lots of cruising here and a definite 4 or 5 steps across the lounge. She walks well with us holding her hands and we bought her first pair of shoes! She looks so cute and tiny when she walks. She says ca for the cat and can say hiya and ta. Though she thinks if she points at something she wants and says ta then she'll get it!

Question on milk. Rowan seems to have lost interest in breastfeeding during the day. I can persuade her to have a bit but she gets a big feed at night and morning and whatever she gets during the night. Should i give her cows milk now during the day seeing as she's not getting any breastmilk?

1 week until she's 1. Granny has bought her this trike thing that has 4 stages and can be a bike later on. Its a bit ridiculous as we were going to buy a second hand one but granny's eh!

@BertieBotts Ah yeah, good point about cleaning milk off these cups, I think I will only use them for water then. We brush teeth after the evening bottle, just before bed btw.

We've had some success, I've mixed up 2 ounces of whole milk with 6 ounces of formula and he had it all, for two days now. Phew! I am a bit concerned about using bottles and dummies for too long because both DH and I spent thousands on braces etc and teeth in general aren't great in our families without any treatments so I'm OTT on this.

He doesn't have any sugary drinks at all, but he eats some treats like ice cream or crumbs of cake etc. I've lost this battle once he had endless tonsilitis and I caved in with ice cream...nursery also gives them lots of homemade treats and he obviously likes them and it's now impossible not to share food with him. Meaning I'll have to stop having treats myself in front of him before he's completely sugar obsessed 🤦🏼‍♀️ probably a good thing, tbh!

Alex sounds very, very similar to Leo! I could have written a lot of this myself 🥰 what do you mean by rivalry, are they fighting for your attention?

Awww clever girl Rowan, she sounds amazing @Ready2020! Any tips on good shoes?? xx

I think if you brush teeth after the bottle then I wouldn't worry too much about it. The amount of time they actually spend with the bottle in their mouth isn't going to affect the shape of their teeth, the main concern is sugars on the teeth which isn't an issue if you're brushing after.

Not really fighting for attention although it's funny because when they are both tired if one is having a cuddle the other also decides they need a cuddle right now XD more that they fight over toys etc. Although they are quite good to be fair. We've taught Leo if Alex is trying to get what he is playing with, if he goes and gets something else for Alex he'll normally play with that and if he wants what Alex has, he can offer a trade and see if it works, and this seems to head off most disasters (they need reminding obv) also, that Leo can put his stuff on a higher surface that Alex can't reach easily, but if Leo is in a particular tired/moody/mischevious mood he'll just go and bother Alex on purpose which drives everyone nuts. And it's hard to get Alex to have any naps when Leo is home which is draining. Alex loves Leo but he does express affection with violent slaps at the moment so that is not always going down well XD we're working on it...

Ready no I wouldn't worry about giving cow's milk. A lot of babies are down to a morning and bedtime feed/bottle at this age. (Some others still want to feed a LOT - with breastfeeding it's really variable).

I think I am going to buy a ball popper toy (you put balls in and it pops them out) for the main first birthday present. He already has access to soooo much so I struggled to think of much to buy. Ordered some wooden letter blocks but they arrived and were tiny so I had to send them back. Everything goes in the mouth at the moment, he even carries toys around in his mouth, like a dog!

Hello all, hope everyone and babies (toddlers??) are well.

We've gotten 3 teeth in the past three weeks after none previously. Been such a rough patch but I think we're almost through it, just looks like one more about to break through.

I'm not sure how anyone is brushing their baby's teeth? Mine screams like a wild animal. I try to show him that I'm brushing mine, same as with wiping hands and face after meals. It helps a little but he goes crazy more than half the time.

For a birthday gift we bought a used pikler triangle and slide/climbing board. Does anyone have one of these?

We've finally moved into our new house after almost a year of waiting and it's such a huge relief although nothing is unpacked even after 10 days. Moving house/going back to work/starting nursery all happening at once! Has everyone now settled into nursery, for those who are going?

Happy birthday to all the little ones.

For tooth brushing I just let him chew on the brush for ages so it was a stress free thing building the habit/expectation that it would happen every day before bed. You could try taking a break and then going to this approach so he's in control. Then once he's used to the brush going into his mouth you can try to control it a bit and then it's just a normal fun thing to do. I also only brushed with water until he was used to the idea of brushing, so the taste of the toothpaste was a fun new addition rather than another thing to put him off. I didn't have any success with songs, games etc until they are older and can understand.

I've just bought a balance board for the kids and came to sing its praises because it's the most brilliant thing I've ever had in three kids. (Similar concept to the pikler triangle etc). If anyone is still stuck for a 1st birthday present I totally recommend it. It's been 10+ different things just in one day, and it doesn't matter if they fall off it because it's so low so it's totally stress free climbing and balancing practice for them. Alex crawls over it and slithers down the other side and shrieks with glee! I didn't get it for their birthdays as I wanted them to share it, I just saw it on offer and pounced!

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all ok? Ebony turned 1 on the 30th July. She's not walking however I've no expectations, her sister was nearly 2 when she took the plunge! She is however copying lots of words! Mama, dada, dog, more, no, Ebby, sissy!

Still ongoing issues from my miscarriage. We found out it was a molar pregnancy so I'm now under a specialist hospital and undergoing tests to see if further treatment is needed.

We have called a halt on more babies since this news, I'm fortunate to have 2 healthy girlies.

We had the girls joint birthday party today and it was fab. I'll put a photo up 😍

Ah Alex and Ebony are both gorgeous!

Sorry @Jessicapebbles to hear about your experience, but glad you're finding positivity in focusing on your girls.

Alasdair turns 1 a week from today. He's taking about 5 to 8 steps at a time and is generally the best thing in the world.

Happy Christmas and New Year! How are everyone's little ones?

Happy Christmas and happy new year everyone! Lovely idea to revive the thread, @WolfMother326

Solomon is doing very well - not walking unassisted yet, but enjoying cruising around and walking while holding my hands. We recently got a new cat and they’re having a lovely time - his favourite thing is playing with her fishing rod toy with her.

After a miscarriage in summer, I’m pregnant with our second child - due in July :)

lots of love to everyone

Hi all 😊 was thinking about this thread just the other day @WolfMother326

@RandomCatGenerator Aw lovely, congratulations! im due baby #2 in august, if it’s another section it will be just a week after his birthday! I was telling the August 2023 chat about how long this chat lasted! 😂

Congratulations to you too @BCxx ! How do you know when a c section will be? I haven’t done the NHS before (moved back to the UK bin February) and am finding it a bit confusing. Especially as it seems there are a few more hoops to jump through, I can’t just say ‘I would like a c section please’ like last time….

Merry Christmas everyone. Rowan is 16 months now of course and causing chaos. We're dealing with her moving to that defiant phase. She is throwing toys and practicing her screeching..... its hard to ignore the unwanted behavior I have to say. But she's a lot of fun still. Still no plans for another and that's ok with us

@RandomCatGenerator realised I’ve changed my name since last time too, my name was Sarah13xx on here! I’m just going by when it was last time, I think they’re generally in the 39th week on the NHS. I basically did just say I’d like one last time, although anxiety was the official reason. Im looking forward to not having to tie myself in knots this time over having to argue for one since I think they sway you more towards one rather than a vbac if you’ve had a previous section!

Ah @BCxx i didn’t want to ask about your name in case I’d forgotten - Sarah, I remember your old username!

useful info. My midwife still gave me lord of leaflets about VBAC but my tokophobia is such that I am adamant.

@Ready2020 hello! Yes we are having boundary testing today. This evening he threw his 360 mug and hit grandad’s wine glass squarely, smashing it. Just grinned when I shouted.

Ahh congratulations @RandomCatGenerator and @BCxx! Another one in the pregnant club here - expecting number 2 at the start of May! And also going for a section - long labour then EMCS last time was a total nightmare so I'm not interested in that again 😂

Rowan is also not walking yet, but crawling and cruising like a trooper - I think it's just inclination now as he rather likes being carried... though today has been a nightmare, have had to spend about 8 hours calling and visiting pharmacies trying to find antibiotics for his ear/throat infection, hoping I may have finally succeeded!

Glad to hear so many of you are well!

Hey everyone! Wow it's been a while. Merry Christmas and I hope you all had a lovely time. After our late miscarriage earlier this year we have decided against more babies - it would be really bad for my health so we are very happy with our 2 healthy girls. Ebony is walking now however only in the last few weeks. Hope all of your lovely babies are doing well x

Ah these are lovely updates! Congratulations @RandomCatGenerator @BCxx @biscuitcat on your coming babies! And @Jessicapebbles your girl is beautiful, I'm glad you've made a choice you're happy with.

Everything is going well with us. This autumn was all about adjusting to life back at work and with Alasdair in nursery as I didn't go back until September. It's been a bit bumpy but also great, as he loves it and we really like our new life in our new home in Sussex. We're thinking of another baby but not looking to try until spring.

Would be lovely to keep in touch!

It's lovely to hear how everyone is doing. Alasdair is doing well. He was walking really early, 10 months, chasing his big sister who is 14 months older. Sometimes they are really cute and cuddly together and sometimes they are thumping one another and we have no idea why.

My husband would love a 3rd, but I'm not sure. They were ivf babies and we were so lucky to have it work twice. We do still have 3 embryos frozen from the same collection but just don't know.

@biscuitcat ahh congratulations! I have wondered a few times since finding out I was pregnant again whether anyone else was having #2! Hopefully you’ll have the nice easy straightforward section I had last time, I’m hoping for a repeat of that. Wondering if I can request the same doctor, he was so good 😂

@Jessicapebbles sorry about your loss 😢 glad you are at peace with your decision now and happy with your two

@RandomCatGenerator yes I totally know the feeling. Even early on in my pregnancy last time I felt like I didn’t really even breathe for fear of the birth. This time I feel far more ‘normal’ like the way everyone else probably feels about it, purely because I presume I’ll get a section easily. I will still be on edge about going into labour early like I was last time but I’ll just need to cross that bridge when I come to it! I haven’t even had my booking appointment yet but I will stop her the section she starts telling me about VBACs.. eh no thank you 🙈😂

Hi all! We are doing well too. Alex is walking confidently but totally confused by shoes so he can't really walk outside any more as it's too wet and cold. He was doing some settling in sessions at nursery but the way the German system works is really overcomplicated and also, both of the younger ones have basically had non-stop colds and infections all through autumn/early winter, so he only did 3 days and now he can't go back until 9th Jan when his teacher is back from holiday!

He tends to struggle with his chest when poorly so we have been given a blue inhaler. We decided not to do surgery for the hypospadias. It's minor and the surgery carries a lot of risks that we just didn't feel were justified. We have another opportunity to do it when he's about 8 with not too much of an issue so we might think again at that point.

He's trying to copy lots of words but doesn't usually use them independently yet, only when prompted. But good at getting you to understand what he wants with pointing and so on. Favourite game/task currently is taking lids on and off and putting things into little containers. Also loves any kind of water play, especially running water, which is a bit of a pain TBH! He climbs everything and climbs out of the highchair so we more often let him sit at a small table with Leo. Has to be strapped into buggy or he climbs out of that too.

Big mystery here is how/when to move him into the room with his big brother. He is still sharing our room (and bed!!) but I can't figure out how to do the first bedtime step - there is no way I could feed him to sleep with big exciting brother there being all fun. And he doesn't yet fall asleep alone. I'm thinking of bringing the bedtime feed into the living room and then transferring him once asleep instead.

We had a funny milestone the other day when Alex wore one of Leo's old pyjamas that for the first time he recognised as his own, and was confused and wanted it back!

Pic from Christmas - he got a big tool set with real electric drill and hard hat!

Yes @BCxx - the leaflet about VBAC started off very positive, then as I was skimming further saw the line about the uterine scar potentially splitting and NOPE NO NO NOPE. No. Not for me. No.

ahhh @BertieBotts lovely to see you. it feels like seeing old friends.