Sept 08: We'll soon be weaning, and of a full nights sleep we're dreaming ......

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

Hello ladies.

Pull up a chair, grab a biscuit and lets start talking about puree vs blw and sleep deprivation

Ponymum, maybe she is just destined to be quite small?
One of my friends has 2 DDs, she's normal height but v slim, her two girls are always off the bottom of the chart although born at term and at a normal birth weight. I think the 3 yr old is still in 12-18 month clothes. They're perfectly healthy and fine though! Just small!
Try not to worry if you don't have any other reason to I'd say.

Ponymum I really wouldn't panic at all, but my fairly sensible HV has raised the question of whether T might have a urine infection that is affecting his weight gain (pretty slow, but still gaining, and he's totally happy and alert), and he's having a urine test next week. I thought she was talking rubbish, but a number of people on MN have said it's worth getting checked out, so it's worth remembering that although in 99.99% of cases slow weigh gain is totally normal (esp with BF babies), there are times when there's an underlying reason.

ponymum don't worry. C is 5 months in a few days and still in 0-3 clothes and newborn nappies. her dad and I are both shortish and plumpish, & somehow we've created a dainty little thing! I would get her weighed every 4 weeks or so, just to make sure she's still putting on weight (unless you know she is just from how she feels and so don't need to bother).

waterbabies saga update - went on Thursday to see if earlier session suited her but again she went into complete hysterics after 10 mins. instructor was wonderful & tried everything but even she admitted defeat. She wasn't tired as once out of water was smiley happy baby. Giving one last try at hydrotherapy pool an hr away, otherwise they can keep my ££ - not putting her through that again and I'll take her to local baby pool. I figured that I want the underwater photo but if she hates it, not worth it, IYSWIM.

Enjoy Valentines night everyone - DP & I have plans involving rack of lamb, bottle of wine, candles and C in bed by 7pm!!!

Ponymum, really don't worry, your little one is just dainty. DD1 was forever and still is in clothes for children much younger but she is very proportionate. Katie is also quite little and looks much daintier than many babies her age.

Katie had a very happy moment yesterday. She was in her highchair with a bit of toast on her tray. When I looked away she managed to get the bowl of oatporridge and tipped it over. She had the most exstatic look possible on her little face as she slid her hands around in the porridge and sucked it off her fingers.

hi all just a quick post, I've posted in the sleeping thread but will ask you clever lot to I'm trying to get els into his cot which is our room as we are still bed sharing. and was just wondering the best way to do it. I've also ordered the baby wisperer book, as i'm hoping it may give me some guidence.
Also Els WILL NOT go into any chair, such as his car seat, bouncy chair or high chair without screaming, this makes it really difficult to start the weaning process, I've even tried coaxing him in with some rusks but even this doesn't work, any ideas???
sorry to hear about your friend Carrie, all my love to her and her family xxx

Bookmarking....

Debs75 'They kept telling me it wasn#'t really the weather for ice cubes.'

PMSL

bec Sorry to hear you are suffering at the moment. Hope things improve quickly

Eandz How's Noah doing now?

Ponymum I'm quite sure there is nothing wrong with your lo, but those horrible charts make it feel like we are taking a test and aiming for 100%. Can you weigh her without having to liaise with a HV? - just for your piece of mind? Or perhaps wait until 25 weeks and then if/when they tell you to wean due to being small you can do so the following week without worrying about poor conflicting information.

Jenbot I was on hols this week. Did you go to the bfing group in the end?

ponymum and others with smaller babies, my ds is 20 weeks and still in 0-3m if he's in disposable nappies. Just remember that those charts are about the full spectrum of babies, some must be on the lower lines, otherwise those lines wouldn't be there IYSWIM.
Weaning is going brilliantly, ds has a little pot of baby rice with fruit/veg mixed in for flavour after his 11am and 5:30pm feeds. He is loving it and laps it off the spoon, soooo cute. It now means that all four of us sit round eating together which is gorgeous! MOving our dinner time to 5:30 has had the effect of making me eat dinner twice though coz I'm starving again by 9pm!

So why am I on MN on valentines evening I hear you say? Coz we've done a valentines babysitting consortium with our chums - dh is sitting for them tonight, they're sitting for us tomorrow so we can go out.

This morning dh brought me a full fry-up in bed with pineapple juice (my fave) and a bunch of roses. He hid pieces of chocolate orange all over the house in places I'd find them (in a shoe, the microwave etc) and in each one was a little note saying something cute, and the notes all made a jigsaw in the shape of a heart. It was the most gorgeously thoughtful thing I've ever seen . He's told me he's not booked anywhere for tomorrow night but I'm choosing not to believe him, I'll flip if he's telling the truth, I don't do spur of the moment!

barnpot ds hates chairs too. He wants to be in a straight line - either horizontal under the activity arch, or vertical in the activity centre, or even standing up propped against the sofa! He screams and arches in the bumbo. Thankfully we have a very flat bouncy chair so he doesn't have to bend in the middle to sit in it, so that's where he gets fed. I hope we do get to use the bumbo, coz we've got the tray this time!

barnpot I woudn't get stressed about putting Els in a chair if he hates it. I fed DD1 in all kinds of places. My favourite was the bath as it kept mess to a minimum .

Can he just sit on your knee for a start as he gets used to being at the table?

hi hi

oh wait, i should definitely post this:

finally saw someone about noah. was really mean, adamant and the pediatrician turned out to be great, then saw a specialist who was also great. noah has been getting much much much better .

so if anyone in the london area is looking for a good pediatrician: Nathon Hasson and a great pediatric gastrointerologist: Muftah ElTumi.

both quick, on the ball and sympathetic. i had arranged to see them privately but both practice on the nhs-- when they heard how long noah had been suffering and been bounced around they did everything on the nhs side and took care of us really well, so i guess when you go to the right person the NHS is wonderful. I'm feeling soo much more positive about everything now .

soooo happy.

how is everyone else?

Hooray for you and Noah! Soooo glad you're getting the help and support you need.
Gonna leave you now to watch the doc on Torville and Dean's Bolero, night night!

thanks CarrieBo! And thank you snowlight for asking!

i really hope it lasts.

Robyn just rolled over on the settee. It took her about 5 mins but she did it and she thought she was really clever.

yay for Robyn

Thank you so much to everyone for all this very sensible advice. Interesting comparisons too.. DD is actually too long for her 3-6 mth sleepsuits and vests so I have just gone and bought a whole lot of 6-9 mth stuff, even though she's only 22 weeks. I think she is maybe tall and slim, which fits with my family pattern. I actually had another comment today about how "dainty" and "wee" she is. But DH pointed out he was always the smallest boy in his class, then grew up to be a 6 ft rugby player. So I won't worry, but I will get her weighed just to make sure she's gaining.

snowlight does your comment mean that babies will definitely put on weight when they start weaning?

eandz I am SO GLAD you are getting such good help for Noah at last. Well done for perservering - you sound like a great mum.

We don't really do Valentines here. But I gave DH the crap card I made at NCT yesterday and he really loved it. (Picture me yesterday being forced to pick up glue stick and coloured heart paper by bossy NCT group organiser woman was determined to ask me Valentine card-related questions until I revealed whether I was (a) married, (b) with a partner, (c) single and had a baby with my gay friend. I was appropriately evasive. )

Yay Robyn! T (allegedly) rolled once for DP about 3 weeks ago, but has never repeated the feat, or even attempted to, so I'm not sure I believe him... (DP, not T, obv)

Eandz I'm so glad you've finally got some support with Noah, really hope he continue to improve.

Gosh, can't believe the weaning talk - it's so soon! We've decided to buy the Babydan chair - wanted the Stokke one, but babydan really is soooo much cheaper. Sad though, as i wanted a red one! will keep an eye on ebay for another week or two, just in case.

Ponymum No it doesn't, sorry. In fact, often they loose a little when they first start on solids because it's hard to get the calories into them via carrot rather than milk. However, it would seem (from MN) that the insane proposed solution from HVs for smaller babies, is to wean them.

I wasn't being very clear, but I meant that it might be best to keep yourself protected from early weaning advice until 26 weeks and possibly a bit beyond.

TBH, from your description though I really wouldn't be worried. Just look at the adult population to see the differences there are. And you KNOW she is growing!

BTW Baby Starlight is just below 50% and still in 0-3 clothes mostly.

still in some 0-3 clothes here too (and bodysuits too in rare occasions when she's in disposables). and I could still go free at museums at 10, though the free age limit was 6. I'm still on the small side, but DB, who looked about 8 til he was 14, is now 6ft.

ninja I stopped sucking my thumb only cos I had to wear night braces... at 9!!!

M's been sucking on a piece of pear last night while we were having dinner as she now makes us feel so uncomfortable when we're eating , so I thought she could at least start getting used to textures. not planning proper weaning yet though.

Oh Ponymum, forgot to ask...how old are our LOs atm in weeks?

Carriebo I live in Hull so not too far from you. So sorry to hear about your friend.
Whereabouts is Croydon?

Eandz great to hear you are getting somewhere, hope Noah is ok.

Saw my HV yesterday about Robyns weight. She asked me what I was going to do about weaning. I said I fancied the blw and she almost bit my head off. She said I should puree for a month or so and then introduce food slowly. I think she thought i was going to plonk a three course meal in front of her next month. she was a bit confusing as she said I should wait until she could sit up by herself, but I must start by 6 months regardless! I don't see her again till the 7 month check so I can do pretty much what I want.
She did however tell me that if I want to give her water when i start weaning then i should use a spouted cup not a teat. As Robyn won't take a bottle yet this might help when i stop feeding her myself. What do you think?

Robyn has started hitting herself repeatedly with one hand. She swings it backwards and forwards and catches her face and chest. It doesn't bother her she just looks cute.
She was really funny rolling over, as it took her so long she was laid on the sette with no nappy on with her bum in the air whilst looking at herself in the mirror laughing

Have emailed Cyteen, thanks.

I'm 15 min from Croydon - when is this meetup? I think charitygirl is just north of me too.

Famous last words on A's sleep - he's been grouchy all day and got another cold. How many rhinoviruses can there be round here? Just as well my request to the butcher for valentines dinner was "something that can be forgotten in the oven for an extra half hour while my baby has a strop"! Because he did, it was, but still lovely meal. Off to bed now...

debs - deffo no need for a cup/bottle with a teat. Use one of the really cheap Tommy Tippee lidded cups here or an open cup here or a combination of the two.