June 2008: weaning with every flavour baby rice . . . . and loving it!

[spongebrainbigpants]

new home!

Amber- get you, dicing with death. And it's only a Monday!!

Sponge- I thought your pants were lovely!!

PP- were you a short waddling bird when pregnant?

Debs- so sorry I missed you...have sent instructions home with Hedgehog that she must have cream tea on your behalf at the earliest opportunity (plus she is still bfing and I am not so she can afford the calories!!)

Only just managed to get on here tonight. Have skimmed through but taken in too much.
Thanks for the sympathies girls. I was in floods of tears earlier as the house seems so quiet. DH is away for the week and DS1 is staying at my Mum's. L is asleep in his bouncy chair and normally my cat is on my knee for a cuddle. DH called and I just burst into tears. I know I am being over emotional but I am so bloody knackered and work is just CRAP. So much for training on a new job. I am being pulled in all directions at the moment with most of my time being spent on my old team. Been up since 5am to get the boys ready and over to my Mum's for 6.30 so I could be in work for 7am.
Right better go to bed as it's another early one tomorrow.

BDQ - Fleur has 6 feeds a day of which are FF @ 11am 3pm 7pm and 10.30pm And she has anything between 3oz and 7oz very rarely 70z though more likely to be 4oz. I always worry she doesnt get her milk intake especially now with solids but she seems happy and gains weight except weiged her today and she has lost 70g!!( 2 ounces)
Thinking that dropping night feed will be our next plan of action in getting her to sleep better

Oh and feeding goes up and down too

Glad meet up ladies had fun

Fleur was grizzly today think that spike is really cutting through she has been literally biting her hands, diarrhea and loads of drool plus a slight fever so im keeping an eye on her and giving calpol tonight later to see if that helps.

Oh i mentioned i had made some dried fruit puree that looked (like) crap, well it wouldnt freeze so i made it into sticks rolled it in beaten and bashed rusk biscuits and they froze into sticks which are fab for teething she sucked away on one today while frozen and it calmed her So if you want recipe!! ill post it!

Amber You're brave!

BDQ Mia is FF she has 5 feeds a day (about 30mins later than S) I make up powder 8oz per feed (although that actually makes nearer 9oz iykwim) she has anything between 6oz and a full bottle but I guess she has about 35oz a day. I still give a dream feed and won't be stopping it until I start solids.
I did read GF when I had ds and she suggested bringing the df foward from what I remember, I have done this with Mia (when having an early night) and she takes less at the df and more in the morning so I guess they make up what they are missing that way. If you just stopped the df they would probably wake in the night looking for it.

That was meant to say NOT taken in too much.

I'm off.....................

X-post paro I wouldn't worry about Fleurs weight gain, I drove myself scatty about Mia and now she is FF I don't weigh her at all, mostly because I know she isn't gaining anymore weight on formula and it makes me , baby's are very smart, I think you would be suprised how much bm she is getting from you. 2oz is nothing, she maybe had a week where she didn't gain, which is totally normal esp around this age they are so active! She might have been due a big poo last week.

deb have been thinking of you and creams teas, and DH has just announced that he is having next week off so I shall be off visiting farm shops in your honour - Are you a clotted cream, Jam or butter person?

I would second what everyone else said about the LL meet up was nice to meet some more mummies, we are all definitely yummy (although don't tell anyone that I am not really small and spiky)

I have just had a relaxing hour and a half in the bath which was bliss and the right type of wet, considering I had to ring everything out when I got home (DH thought that the washing machine had flooded the porch when he got home as it was so wet)

re FF - I thought, and may very well be wrong, that if they were draining 7oz then you had to make 8oz etc.

Thanks all. Think I'm going to stick with the df for now. Maybe. Oh, I don't know! HV coming next week, might ask her opinion. Maybe I'll put a thread on the feeding topic

Paro - get the recipe posted, you know you want to!

don't know why I didn't see your post Libra Our family dog died a few years ago, she was 18 and I was 11 when we got her. I found it so difficult going to my Mum's as I expected her to come bounding over. It is soo difficult, big hugs for you! xx p.s. You're amazing I find it difficult getting to nursery for 9am and ds only goes one day a week!

Aberdeen - Great news on the house.

Amber - You are a brave, brave woman, just one response that I can see so far though. Let us know if you need back up.

Bless you P&P - Forget pregnancy, I'm still a short waddling bird now, mainly due to the size of my thighs!

I am a spooks widow.

Tumble dryer being delivered tomorrow.

I was up every hour last night and up properly at 5am. Please suggest something - did we ever get anywhere with this dummy replacement bollox? I can't remember who was having this same problem. It's driving me mad. Should I just leave him to cry? Can't take much more of this.

Oh Amber you poor thing! Sending much love and sympathies your way.

What was the dummy replacement thing? I wouldn't worry if Luke needs a dummy to sleep. (ATM I wouldn't worry if Luke needs a rocket up his ar5e to sleep, anything that gets you both some rest is fine.) He'll grow out of it eventually.

I don't really know what to suggest, I have a few baby books (feels like hundreds) and will have a look thru today if you like?
There's the baby whisperer "pick up, put down" method that I was planning to try with R for daytime naps today? Basically you pick the baby up if he crys and hold him (don't rock him, just pat his pat and shush him) until he calms down and then put him straight back down. The idea is that he knows you're there if he needs you, but doesn't rely on you or aids such as rocking to get to sleep by himself. Does it work? I have no idea, but will keep you updated although apparently it can take up to 2 weeks(!!!) to work.

Thanks hun - he doesn't cry and need to be picked up he needs to be turned or have the dummy stuck in his mouth. he's so used to going to sleep with a dummy that if he wakes he forgets how to go to sleep without one. He does have a nasty old runny nose today though and he can't breathe properly poor thing. night nanny is coming tonight thank god. At this rate we'd be better off giving her a salary. We thought we'd only hve her a few weeks until L started sleeping better and he is now worse than newborn!

I love it that we post on other threads then run back here to our sanctuary where we know we won't be flamed! I go to bed some nights thinking 'oh dear, that comment about weaning is going to start a fight' and then find I'm quite disapppinted in the morning if it hasn't kicked off!

Well after 2 weeks of waking in the night Esther slept thru last night!!! Yey. And Theo took a bottle last night too after refusing for weeks (and slept thru but he mostly does anyway). So just got to get esther to take a bottle AND sleep thru and we've cracked it.

DH is off work this week and he is currently giving DTs their breakfast while I come on here . It is a lovely break for me.

Amber, unfortunately the only quick way to sort Luke is to take the dummy off him and have three nights of crying . There are other ways (I don't know what they are but I know they take ages!!) but if you take it off him and do controlled crying it will be sorted by Friday. It is hard tho. You'll have to take the dummy from him, put him to bed, let him cry for five mins, then go in and pat him on the tummy (or do pick up, put down - I don't pick up tho) say 'shush, shush, time for sleep' or something similar for 1-2 mins and then leave the room - even if he is still crying. Then go back in 5 mins later and do the exact same thing, then 10 mins, then 20 mins. Some say extend it to 40, 80 mins etc but I would never leave mine for more than 20 mins without going in to give them reassurance that I am still here. Just keep going in every 20 mins until he drops off. When I was doing it with my DTs I gave them both 5ml Calpol too just to rule out teething pain etc cos when they are crying that much you think 'what if they are in pain... etc' so if you give Calpol (which is not harmful even if they don't need it as long as you don't OD) you can rule that out. You and DH have to be really set on it, get yourself a bit worked up for it cos it is really hard. You have to be determined. I would recommend it having seen the results myself but it is not for everyone. Good luck.

Amber see www.askbaby.com/baby-sleep-training.htm or google controlled crying for similar sites

Amber sorry you had a rubbish night. We've decided against trying to wean S off the dummy for the moment, and he seems to have settled again this week. He slept till around 6am this morning.

'No cry sleep solution' has a gentle dummy removal plan, which is basically when they wake up put the dummy in till the nearly fall asleep, take it out, if they cry put it in and repeat process until they fall asleep without it. Sounds pretty time consuming though.

S is sucking his thumb more this week and I wonder if he's doing that in the night when he loses his dummy. He can definitely fall asleep without it but we have gone through stages where we're up a dozen times in the night to put it in.

PP are you not a spooks fan?!?!?!? How can this be!?

morning all,

amber I shall send you virtual hot chocolate and hugs, I have no solutions but will be thinking of you tonight.

PP enjoy your new tumble drier

Isaac has a new playgym now, it is this one. Been having a look on that site and they have some georgous looking toys, that are slightly different from the ELC/Mothercare fare you get over here

I am still not dry after my expedition to London yesterday, and can't decide whether to walk to our NCT mums and babes group or drive.

BDQ when Isaac found his thumb it did correspond with him sleeping for longer, but we never really used a dummy for sleeping anyway so really nothing useful from me there either.

I think I shall stop trying to give advice now and do some virtual (pretend) shopping

Hedgehog I'm supposed to be getting dressed and going into town, now I'm going to stay in my pj's and check out that website! DS has S.

Neenz meant to say earlier, great progress with the DT's!

I started a thread on the dream feed in the bottle/breast feeding bit and people were nice

aw amberc -no advice but hugs... is it the dummy that is stoppign the sleep mainly or something else? Sorry bit slow this morning...

(and you're not doing too badly on mauling front)

not much to report here although sorry to miss london meet up - anyone any good tips for best way to get carrot or other similar foods out of babygros? Soak in nappisan?

hmmm - Luke doesn't need a dummy for anything other than sleeping and I thought that was good - how wrong was I?! I might get night nanny to try the controlled crying tonight and put some ear plugs in. I did that for his daytime naps and it worked although that seems to have gone tits up a bit too as he's so restless that I started to pick him up a bit. Any ideas about the turning issue - I can wean him off the dummy but until he ccan roll on his own he'll stil want to go on his side.

P&P I bought a Sophie this morning on the internet - perhaps i'll stick that in the cot! Seemed to keep him quiet yesterday.

Neenz - I should not dare say that the human body is anything other than a perfect baby making/carrying vehicle on MN should I..? It's not called the miracle of life for nothing is it - it's a bloody miracle we manage it!

Hedgehog - am loving the toys on that website. Are they sold in the UK?

the only other solution I can suggest is using daytime naps to wean him off but I seem to remember amberc that luke isn't a great one for daytime sleeps.

and agree neenz that this is our shelter ..

PP the baby whisperer method is quite good - tried it a bit here..edie a lot better but still needs some holding to get to sleep but can now be pout down half asleep.. need to find time to crack on with putting her down cold as it were but was leaving that til weaning bit better (having given into fact that she won't ever nap for more than 30 -60 mintues a time). I do agree that daytime is better - I find trying to do anyting new at bedtime just the end as by that time my patience is definitely at its lowest.

bdq no real advice re dream feed - I dropped it as didn't seem to make much odds to sleeping through etc - I do occasionally (like last night) reinstate it if she is up /and seems hungry but not noticed any real change in behaviour once it went

Thanks poppy I think I might try dropping it next week. I guess my worry is that only leaves 4 feeds a day and tbh I don't really want to squeeze another one in during the day as he's such a fussy feeder at the best of times! At least he practically sleeps through the df so it's hassle free . Right, off to get dressed and hit the shops.

Morning

amber - Im so sorry bout your nights,It was me with hourly waking, i go in and out of bedroom every hr or so after 2am to replace dummy too!!! AAARGGGGGHHH Not weaning off it yet as she can sleep without so think waking is something else

Having said that and this might interest you BDQ We tried to give fleur dream feed at 10.30pm she refused it so put her back down cause we had disturbed her she cried 10 mins later thought ok try again, nope only dummy then she slept til 2am had FF feed then and slept til 5am with one wake at 3 for dummy. (we didnt calpol in the end) Soo much better so Im dropping DF again tonight and see what happens, DP was also late back from work so she went to bed later and she had tea at 6.30pm cause we were out so doing all the same again and we shall see

Neenz hehe with feeling disappointed re boards i fancied a rant bout flavoured rices thought someone might slate me for using them or thinking stuff was funny but no WELL DONE with DTs yey!!!

BDQ - i also have got nice comments on sleep too!!! wow!

Ok favour to ask I am trying to contact thomascook airlines and i cant phone the number on website from abroad wondered if the number 0844 855 0515 is freephone? Does anybody know how to contact them from abroad ive tried thomas cook but they say oh no you have to phone the airline. Could somebody phone it or maybe you know where to find a number for them that i can phone from abroad Thanks xxx Trying to sort luggage allowance for fleur at xmas