June 2008- Some are sleeping, others weeping and some are just eating

[poppy34]

Thought I'd start the new thread using paro's suggestion

Hi sophie - x posted! Sounds like you've been busy

Hi all

welcome back needahand glad to here you are now settled in new house.

Amberc Are you getting excited about your holiday, I know I am. What are you doing about formula while you're away? I was going to take a few ready made cartons and just buy when I'm out there.

sponge I wouldn't worry about who does what first, It really hasn't got much to do with intelligence, although it is hard not to be so proud of our little ones when they learn something new! If you look at threads on here, you'll see that children who weren't talking or walking until nearly 2 went on to become doctors and lawyers!

It looks like it might be a nice day here, a welcome break from all the rain! dh has to work, trying to get stuff sorted before holiday, so can't complain too much.

hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

meant hear, bit tired this am

Deb I just did what all the others on here did - it's in all the books I think. Put them down when they are tired not at regular times I have decided. Look for signs. I always put him for a nap in the same place as bedtime. Dark with blackout curtains so he knows it's sleep time. Also have a white noise machine which I used whenever he was supposed to sleep so it was a bit of a cue (although it's broken down now so thankfully he didn't need it any more!). Then put down in bed with a kiss and a bye bye. Used to immediately cry. Left him for 5 mins (of actual crying not fussing) and then went up, picked him up till he stopped crying (seconds) then put him down again with a kiss. Usually immediate crying but waited 10 minutes before repeating, then 15 but no more than 15 mins after that. The first time took an hour, second and third 30 mins, then 15. Now he never cries at all when I put him down. Just fusses a little and then goes off to sleep. He stays asleep for 1 hour and then wakes and I usually at that point stick a dummy in his mouth and he goes off again for another 45 mins. That's twice a day - think of all that spare time!! Do it - give it a go - nothing to lose.

Katyjo Yes I am excited and scared! Was worried with all the banking stuff that it might affect our hols but I don't think it will now as DP worked from 8am to getting home at 1am last night. I am taking bottles of boiled water and pre measured powder in a special container (which is great) and then will buy ready made airside. Our hotel has got 2 boxes of Aptimil waiting for us when we get there and nappies - it's fab! Also got changing mat, baby gym, steriliser, pre ordered baby seats, rental buggies, baby walkers etc I found it on the totstoo website on the mumsnet member discounts. Funnily enough was much more expensive than getting it from Expedia! My biggest worry is the plane journey. Not bragging as got on airmiles but we are going business class and I know Luke will scream and all the business class passengers will moan that they didn't pay extra for a screaming baby (as I probably would have once upon a time). Also is a night flight so everyone will try and sleep.

Luke has a horrible cold. He can't breathe very well so i have him taking a nap with the humidifier going with olbas oil. Hope it clears up by next thursday.

Hope everyone else is well. Do not know how you with hotels manage with little ones and older kiddies!! RESPECT!!

amber both of us! but fortunately had good night (and long nap this morning) so as I suspected she was just too tired.. is now back to something much more like normal (wasnt just the crying.. I could tell she wasnt herself as not interested in anything yesterday).

am impressed with how organised you are re your trip. I wouldnt worry too much re the flight - you're entitled to be in business class so sucks to the others! Plus probably easier there as more room for you to pick luke up ...also think laurat asked same thing re tips and someoen suggested trying to feed him at take off/landing - prob not easiest with luke but will he suck your finger or a toy to help ease his ears?

alipalli that does seem a bit much - I know what you mean about appreciating more help at weekend . dh pretty good so far. Am re newbies - have not managed to get one yet as always out (plus this week its a film I don't want to see). but will get there at some point..

DP forgot to put the Gaviscon in Luke's milk this morning and he immediately reverted to back arching, red in the face spluttering so definitely a positive Dr Amber diagnosis and a slap on the wrist for DP. Makes their poo go funny though - much thicker. I had to change his clothes within 30 minutes this morning!

Wow Amber you are really organised! I wouldn't worry too much about the flight its not really a long time. We took Hamish on a flight when he was 13 weeks and he slept all the way there and moaned all the way back but was fine. I am not sure how we'll manage with 2 but its a small price to pay to get a holiday. Glad everything ok with dp, I should know but is he in banking?
Its good to know you can get Aptamil in Cyprus. Enjoy your business class flight!

afternoon all, been really busy over the last few days and making the most of the sunshine.

thanks for the ravelry link, joined yesterday after i got my invite

left isaac with mil for almost 6 hours last night while we went for a 30th birthday meal, was lovely but daunting. expressed before we went and still managed 12 oz when we got home.

amber so glad your lukes sleeping is going better, enjoy your hols too.

the funeral has so far been organised and cancelled 3 times as my aunt does not want to take my (15/16 yo) cousin out of school for a day. AGH

nothing else to add really ... oh no there is Isaac has started commando crawling on his front along the bed, carpet etc, no rolling over but it means i have had to stop putting him on the bed on his tummy in the mornings

right watching atonement (sp) on sky plus so must concentrate

Poppy I think you meant Allnew rather than me, but thanks anyway.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments about Peter's photo.

Deb my attempt at limiting diary is okay so far (thanks to Penguin's virtual Magnum). Not sure whether there has been any dramatic change in Peter yet, but you aren't meant to see any improvement for 2 weeks. We had a good night last night: 10 - 2am; 2.20 - 6am and then napped a bit until 7am. A good test of how good a night it is is how much DH was disturbed. DH didn't wake up at 2am and so assumed that he had slept through...ha, ha, ha. Another of the food intolerance symptoms mentioned in the Sears sleep book is a "target sign" which is a red rash around the anus where the poo is too acidic and reacts on contact with the skin. This has disappeared for now. His cheeks (face not bottom) seem less dry, but his poor little legs still have red dry patches. They don't seem to bother him, but they bother me when I change his nappy.

Amber so pleased for you that the infant gaviscon is working wonders. I will hold off going down that route as Peter's unsettled tummy seems to be accompanied by a variety of other symptoms.

We have realised this weekend that Peter is beginning to get a bit big for his car seat his feet are poking out of the end. The upper weight limit for them is 10kg / 9 months (he was 7.6kg 2 weeks ago and had put on 1kg in the previous 3 weeks). I think we will be okay for now, as I think growth rates are meant to slow down a bit around now. By the end of October we may have to get the next seat up. This is a bit problematic as their head support isn't good enough to go forward facing for a bit. I think we will just ram him in the current seat for as long as we can

Car seats - feet poking out is fine it is when the head is poking out that you need to change.

whinegums the no biscuits was accidental and has been remedied with an apple pie this evening!

glad those of you with reflux problems are having some success with gaviscon! it must be so frustrating when they refuse to eat.

AH and needahand nice to have you back.

amber definately found feeding on take off and landing helpful. also, do you have one of the really small folding changing mats for taking into the toilet on the plane instead of a whole change bag? I've got this one, was much easier to manage. there's a little pocket for a couple of nappies and a wipe box too.

5gomad ouch, busy few days!

Laurat I have a changing mat (although that one looks lovely and compact but prob wouldn't get here in time for hol)and I have read a great tip. You put a nappy and a few wipes in a nappy bag, make up a few at home and just take one of your little parcels into the toilet. Use the bag for the old nappy and voila - empty hands.

We went a bit mental at Mothercare today. Bought a baby walker and a boucy door thingy plus a load of new clothes. The walker is great but by the time we got home it was 5 and that is Luke's worst time so i'll try it on him in the morning. His little feet only just reach the ground though!

PS Katyjo - DP is in bankng but not a trader or anything!

Amber A coincidence: we bought a bouncy door thing today too. The logic was that as he only likes being bounced vertically when he has wind this might be the machine to do it for us (wishful thinking emoticon). I think Peter was a bit spooked by it, although DH did get a smile out of him. Will try again tomorrow. Also, I was going to ask you about bumbo seats as I know you have one. I plonked Peter in one in Mothercare today to see how he went in it. Truth be told it was more of a case of wedging him in it. His legs are so fat that when I picked him up to come out of it, the bumbo came too and I had to tug it off. I am assuming this is not what happens with Luke?

Five yes I think he is fine in the little car seat for now. I just suspect that he is going to be too big and heavy for it long before he has the head control for a forward facing seat. I have seen a MN thread about this and it seems you can get bigger seats that are still rear facing, but it's going to be expensive. DH was brought up in a house where there were never any car seats. The story about how they took him home from hospital is alarming. As a result DH's approach is that as little as possible is fine. By contrast my father is the biggest worrier around and I was ahead of my time in car seat provision as a child!

hi everyone - a busy day of tidying here, so no time to post.

Thanks for the tips Amber- I did try today but I ended up feeding him and then he slept for 2 hours , so I made a proper Sunday lunch and also had time to eat it, listen to ds1 read and test ds2 on a song he had to learn!

Laurat - on take off(and landing) on the plane is the baby on your knee with the seatbelt round you both? Because if so, how can you feed baby?

Hedgehog - at your Aunt - surely one day off school for his Grandad's funeral would be OK.

You're sounding busy Sophie - hope s is better soon.

Ethan also looks too long for his car seat but no where near heavy enough for the next stage. He'll just have to bunch his legs up a bit more!!

Got to go, I'm all houseworked out - I even hoovered under my settees today in case the cameraman suggests moving them for one of the shots!! N night all, hope your lo's sleep well

Amber - You're becoming a complete guru! I've copied and pasted your mini CC guide for future reference. May try it this week for the extra time it'll give me.

Re: flying, travelling with babies was discussed in my post natal group last week, so sorry if you already know all this, but I was thinking of you and trying to remember all this stuff to tell you!

• A dummy may be better for landing and take off for FF babies because they suck a dummy harder apparently...? However my HV said that until babies are 6 months they should be fine anyway as their eardrums are not developed enough to 'pop'.
• You can buy disposable bottles if you don't want to worry about keeping and sterilising bottles whilst actually travelling.
• You can buy mosquito nets for cots and special stuff called sleep easy or similar that you spray on their clothes to repell mossies (no chemicals on their skin).
• Take diarolyte (sp) just in case....

AliP - Ryder has the target sign, but I assumed that was nappy rash...will have a look at my Sears book and see if it has the same info (it's a 0-5 years general book so may be too vague).

No more rolling over here - not sure DH believes me! BTW I really didn't mean to be competitive Mummy when I posted about it last week, I just wanted to tell people who'd understand why I was so excited! DH didn't really get it and there's no family to tell that would have been awake (DH's family are in NZ). Sorry if it seemed competitive, it really wasn't.

Hope everyone's enjoyed the weekend sunshine.

PP, please don't apologise! It wasn't aimed at you - I like reading all the milestones reached on here, even if it does sometimes worry me that Alex doesn't seem to do any of them! However, tbh, I struggle to remember how old all of the babies are so can't compare where Alex 'should' be! The only one I can remember is Luke (Amber's LO) cos he's Alex's birthday buddy. Luke is certainly much stronger physically than Alex cos Alex can't weight bear on his chubby little legs - he weighs too much!!

This particular mother was not just telling us about her daughter but going on and on about it in a way that was saying "my child is so much better than yours". Difficult to explain without recounting the whole conversation, but I wasn't the only one pissed off about it!

I do take all the points about milestones being irrelevant when they get to school, and I'm really not worried about Alex. He's still only 14 wks - if he was a year old and still just lying on his back smiling at me I'd be worried, but not now! I just don't know why some parents feel the need to put other children down to make themselve feel better - sad really. And I just hope she stops doing it before Alex is old enough to understand what she's saying .

Hope you've all enjoyed the gorgeous weather this weekend - better late than never!

Ali, we have a bumbo that has been lent to us by a friend - I have put a picture on my profile of Alex in it so you can see the fit for him. He must be much shorter than Peter cos his legs don't go right into the leg holes anyway!

He does look so cute in it though - and absolutely loves being in it!

hi all - a slightly difficult w/e, hence the disappearing act!

sophie my DH had the same prob with his card - are you with Lloyds?

whine/sponge/hh glad you are liking ravelry - I love it so much!

allipalli you may see a change re dairy quicker than two weeks - it was pretty immediate with storm - sorry you are missing your magnums. anyway, here is a dairy free alternative - and it's lovely, i promise!

amber i have been doing cc a lot more the last few days as storm has gone from settling v easy (mainly feeding herself to sleep ) to not settling AT ALL - I think she might be teething - boo. So have been gritting my teeth and leaving her for up to 10 mins before going in, patting and reassuring, and then leaving again for another five to 10 - it is hard, but it does work - glad you are also seeing results.

sponge sorry you are feeling inferior! If it's any consolation, I am always going on about how great storm is (I have become the parents I hated!!!) but it's only because I love her so much and am so proud of her - not because I feel 'better' in any way - am just excited about all her little achievements - I will try to dial it down a bit in light of what you said!

Oh dear, I really didn't articulate myself v well at all did I?!

My comments were not directed at anyone on this thread! TGF, believe me I don't feel remotely inferior in anyway, and neither do I believe that Alex is remotely inferior! Precisely the opposite! I also would hate anyone to think that I am not hugely proud of my little boy, because I am, and I couldn't love him anymore if I tried.

I am proud of the fact that he is even here, considering the terrible start he had in-utero and the chances we were given of his conception and subsequent survival. I'm proud of the fact that he is one of the most contented happiest babies I've ever encountered, I'm proud of the fact that he smiles all the time, and smiles at everyone, but always reserves his biggest smiles for me, I'm proud of the fact that he is easily the most gorgeous baby of all the RL babies I know, I'm proud of the fact that he sleeps 12 hrs a night and has done since he was 11 wks old, I'm proud of the fact that he now holds some of his toys himself, I'm proud of his gorgeous laugh when we're playing together, I'm just the proudest mum on earth!

Hmm, is that enough boasting?!!

What I was trying to say, and clearly did not say it well, was that being proud of your own child is lovely and natural and normal, what is less pleasant is saying to a mum of a child the same age that your child is 'better' than theirs.

Course, I know that Alex is the most superior baby in the world bar none, but I wouldn't dare say that out loud!

And please don't anyone change what they say about their LOs in light of my comments - I don't recall anyone coming on here and saying "my LO is doing x, y, z - god isn't yours doing that yet?"!!!

Keep the milestones coming, I'll join in when I have something to say don't worry!

deb easy for me to feed on plane as do it with a bottle! How nice is it to have 2 whole hours of baby free time? Also means that the time you do have with baby is quality and you CAN be arsed to sing songs and play.

green hope your CC works out for you - I know it has in the past. Teething! Wow - I can't wait until Luke has a cute little toothie peg!

Ali I have wanted to use this word in in sentence for ages and thank you for providing me with the opportunity but Peter is a behemoth! Much as Luke does not quite weigh as much - think 15 and a half/16 lbs his is all length so not fat at all - postively slender! He can get in and out of the bumbo fine. Peter is not extraordinarily fat is he - I have seen him! Those bumbos are meant for babies up to about 8 months old right? that he doesn't fit. Maybe he had a big nappy?

Sponge you have hit the nail on the head about competitive parenting. The difference between being proud and excited and being competitive is that proud parents don't put down other kids where competitive one do.

PP at guru! Will do dummy thing as easier - glad to hear their ears won't pop. Can't imagine Luke will get diarrhoea as since putting him on Gaviscon his poos are so thick it's amazing! MUCH easier to clean - must be like a solids baby only less smelly.

Oh sweet - Luke LOVES his baby walker and has made a few tentative steps although he can only just reach the floor. Don't go and buy one unless your baby has long legs. He wasn't so sure of the door bouncer. He wanted me to bounce him in it and he laughed but wasn't too sure what to do on his own! Hmmm - the £79.99 baby gym is a bit redundant now.

sponge don't worry - i wasn't thinking you'd taken offence! just feeling bad for how much i go on generally, esp in RL - am delighted you are so proud of your son - you should be - he is an absolute SMASHER!
and you should be bloody proud of yourself for fighting so hard to bring him into this world - you're both amazing!
i esp liked this line btw 'he is easily the most gorgeous baby of all the RL babies I know'
i bet we all secretly think that
also, if he's sleeping through that is a major milestone - and don't forget it. my poor SIL still has a baby who regular wakes hourly/ every other hour in the night and he is...15 months old - poor woman!

also - sponge/whine/hh what are you knitting and what's your ravelry names now? i am 'pumpkinjelly' in bristol - come find me!

TGF - yes it is, we are giving them one more chance and then changing, our business account is with Natwest so won't be difficult.

Hope everyone had a good weekend, Sebastian has started screaming for most of the day but bizarrly sleeps all night he has got a bit of a cold but not sure what else, hopefully he will get over it.

Tips on flying - feed on take off balances out ear pressure and 8 weeks and we will be on holiday.

deb they gave me a separate seatbelt loop for C which attaches to yours rather than ]inside the same belt, so you can angle the LO for feeding quite easily.

TGF I'm on ravelry too - hoitytoity - although have completely failed to photograph anything I've made yet!