Sept 08 - Is it day or night?

[lollyheart]

Hope no one minds me starting a new thread?

Yes that is right, you just have to put it over your head and pull the fabric that goes through the rings till it is perfect for you. Once your baby is inside you can readjust it. It is great.

I prefer the Kari-me. My baby uses the sleep position and has her naps in there.
Once you know how to make the knot , you do it very fast, but it is a pain to have all the material, 5 m, that has to go to the floor.

I just bought a sidecot bed,( It arrived this morning)and I am going to sell the things that are in excellent condition to make up the extra cost of that cot.I am still co-sleeping, well, she is sleeping. I just try to.Let's hope that solves the problem and I can sleep again.

Obviously it is first come first serve girls.

I meant a bedside cot. You can tell I am tired.

Headless I think it meets your criteria. It's the one I use the most.

Things I don't like are that I sometimes get the bands of material twisted (after a few times wearing) and it is a faff to correct because the rings hold it in place iyswim.

hth

I forgot to say it is not bright red. It is dark red. My Kari-me is the same colour and they call it BURGUNDY. The good thing about the Close it is that you can tumble dry it. You can't tumble dry the Kari-me.
I haven't washed the Close, because I haven't used it long enough to get dirty. Maybe I should just sell it without washing it, and the one who buys it can do it herself. I always wash what I buy in ebay, even if it is clean.

Starlight Hi,how are you? Have you washed the sling already?

Hi Potxola, no I've not washed it . Too scared to remove the rings!

Hello all!

A friend came over with the kari me (I think it's called) to let me try hers. It's a palaver but so so so much more comfortable that the baby bjorn.... But I can't decide between that and a wilkinet. The wilki looks a little less 70s hippy to me. My friend makes the karime or whatever it's called look all Sienna Miller but I don't think I do!

Here's another sling website she recommended

dd just sleeps so much during the day.... anyone else have the same problem? We pay for it later though. I even looked at Gina Ford's sleep book today.... are we allowed to mention her any more????!!

Starlight You don't have to remove the rings, only take the material on one side and remove it from the ring, wash it and then put it through the rings again(maybe that is what you mean) I have done it already and it is fine.When I bought it and read the instructions I had a go and it is easy, really.

Hi poxtola...could I have your close sling please if no one else hs already asked?

I have to do something with Toby - my bck and arms are really hurting from carrying him around all day

Let me know and I can paypal you x

hi becaroo You are the first who wants it since I decided to sell it today.
Can you give me an email address so I can send you an email though PayPal? I can post it to you tomorrow. I have had second thoughts today, but it needs to go because I am not using it.

My e-mail is [email protected].

Thanks!

sorry that should be [email protected]. Baby brain!!!!

I will do it right now and post it to you when I receive the payment.I am glad it goes to Toby. Hope it helps you.

tellme if you want me to wash it or you prefer to do it.It is clean.

I will wash it poxtola....thanks again.

Becaroo I have sent you two emails, in the first one I forgot to ask for your address for me to send it to you. Pay me with the second email, I HAVE cancelled the first one. My brain is also damaged by baby care and lack of sleep. My husband is putting the cot together now I AM GOING TO SLEEP TODAY!!!!!!!!!

No worries

Have just done it.

Hope you get some sleep today.... Toby having 2/3 feeds during the night and its VERY tiring....

Excellent! I have your address now. I will post it tomorrow morning. The post office is 5 min. away.
Thanks Let me know when you get it. I will ask for a proof of postage.
You should get it on monday in its box.
Lorea feeds 4 times during the night and falls asleep on the breast, that is why the bedside cot will help.

Crikey! ......and I thought 2/3 times was bad enough!!!

Shouldnt complain really...had Toby weighed today and he is now 11 lbs 1 and a half oz

Ipanemagirl congrats on being the first to mention Gina! I looked at her book while pregnant, thought it looked great in theory, looked it again when T was a week old and laughed hollowly, but once we got him onto a 2 hourly feeding routine at about 2-3 weeks (an hour on, hour off, more or less), I looked at it again, and we vaguely aim for her routine, but are happy with just going 3 hourly during the day if the day doesn't start at the right time.
Awful, patronising and dictatorial she may be, but T is so much happier on the days when we happen to get up at 7-7:30 and follow her feed and nap times. I think it's a lot more to do with the fact that he is big and robust enough to follow the routines without getting hungry etc and I am more relaxed on a routine and he picks up on it than any magic that gina works. If it wasn't her routine, I'd have devised one of my own by now anyway, as I just get too tense trying to go with the flow!
Interestingly, his colic is far better on the days he has fewer, bigger feeds as well - maybe he manages to get a decent dose of hindmilk then, and his digestive system also has time to deal with it properly before the next feed starts.

The downside of being a control freak/routine queen is that I get stressed by things like him not settling in his cot, and I have to mentally step back and remind myself that at 6 weeks it is OK if he sleeps in the pram or bouncy chair for one or two of his day time naps, as long as he goes down in the cot occasionally and happily.

Urgh, have to go and spend the day with DP's mad father and step mother tomorrow. Have to feed again in a minute, but will describe some of their antics when I get a chance!

hopefully, how does the routine work? I'd like to try one based on common sense, as I'm finding that DS is sleepy during the day and awake during the night and I'm so exhausted that I go around falling asleep. I really need at least a block of undisturbed three hours tonight!

I have also tried to get him to soothe with a dummy. Have bought like 6 different ones and he hates them all, including the mam, the avent and the funny orthopedic ones that have a flat bit. Will this ever change? Is there babies who NEVER like dummies?

Pacita welcome to my world - we have a massive tupperware full of dummies that T has rejected, although (see my post yesterday) he will merrily latch onto almost anything else.

In terms of routines, Gina's is basically a very regimented version of a rough 3 hourly routine throughout the day, so feeding at around 7, 10, 2, 5/6:15 (split feed with a bath in the middle) and 10:30, and then leaving them to wake themselves during the night, feeding as necessary. The baby whisperer (Tracy Hogg) is a similar idea, if you want a less regimented version.
The advice I was given if you want to begin thinking about a routine (by a couple of relatives who have wonderful, well brought up girls) is:

• start by defining the beginning and end of feeds, at night and day - i.e. make sure baby is awake for a reasonable length feed, not snacking, and then either having a nap or some active time (or both!) before starting the next feed. Aim to go 2 hours from start of feed to start of feed, with some sleep at least every other feed (even if its rocking, on your lap or whatever)
• try to push the gap from start of feed to start of feed to 3 hours for some feeds (those where baby is napping)
• don't let baby sleep for more than 2 hours during the day (7am-7pm), and never go more than 4 hours from start to start of feed during the day - this is the difficult bit, as it's so tempting to let them sleep, and if you're not prepared to wake baby, then probably you're better off not trying to implement a routine until he's more naturally in tune with the difference between night and day.

It took a few days, but once we had going 2 hourly sorted, T fell into a 3 hourly routine fairly quickly. When we were trying to establish it, we just tried to get him to nap in any way possible, only really stressing about getting him into the cot once I was confident that he was capable of going 3 hours from start to start or feed, so i knew he wasn't crying from hunger when I went to put him down.

Obviously this is only what's worked for a couple of people, and some people might even think this is extreme - I know some pro BF-on-demand- people will disapprove of what I've done, although it didn't affect my supply at all. However, if you think some kind of routine will help you, it's worth a shot. I think the key to beginning to regain some sense of order is defining the beginning and ends of feeds, so baby starts taking bigger feeds with some kind of gap between (even only a few mins at first, as you can be fairly confident they're not going to waste away!). the rest you can kind of take at whatever speed you feel comfortable with.

Sorry for the essay...

finally have five minutes, see I missed potxola's sling, but at least I'm sure it's gone to s.one that needs it like me! trying to carve a pumpkin with penknife, get dd in her pumpkin costume, take pics of ds and dd, all while carrying/feeding/soothing dd...it's been a bit of a nightmare day, depressing when I looked around to see dirty plates everywhere as I couldn't empty the dishwasher... (FGS, it's nearly 9pm now, enough trick-or-treating, got a baby and a 4yo sleeping, if you wake them you'll get the trick )

re Gina Ford - based my DS's routine on hers, and was very easy, but think it ds's natural routine kind of coincided with hers. It's a bit too strict (though a friend did followed it to the t), but found it useful for the increase milk supply routine. braodly sticking to it but dd is not as compliant (she doesn't sleep much during the day, just in 20mins chunks). but I think it's kind of a common sense thing and not very different to the old 3hr routine my mum was told. I think you need to find the right balance for you and baby really, but especially as first time mum it was useful, having no-one here to help.

Oooh I'm glad someone has mentioned she-who-must-not-be-named. hopefully I think you and I would get on famously! pacita I find it really useful and common sense BUT I still find myself with a 5 week old who is almost impossible to wake during the day (he keeps being given baths to rouse him!) and right now is awake at 8:45pm (having been asleep from 7 til 8), so her book is not the answer to everything. Maybe I'm not strict enough, but he's a 10min feeder (gina allows up to an hour per feed) and he can't stay awake as long as the routine suggests (other than in the early evening. Grrr.)

Going to bed now while dh does a stint.

Pacita great post. I'm trying to get my 6 week old into a routine of sorts, she's ok at 3 hourly sleeping but her feeds take up to an hour (and can go to about 1hr15) which is quite trying as it doesn't leave much time to achieve anything. But I'm pleased that routine seems to work. makes me feel hopeful that things will get easier!