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

Thank you ILikeToMoveItMoveIt that's really kind of you to offer DH is actually over in the UK quite a bit (he's there for 10 days at the moment ) so he will generally pick me up anything I need...I'm finding it interesting how differently things are approached over here (well that will be right from the beginning of the pregnancy then!) I think it's one of the main things we can do for our LO's - teaching them to enjoy good food - from a health & a pleasure perspective, so I've tried to read up on weaning as much as I can.
(wanders off to look for a meatloaf recipe...)

Sorry, that post sounds very disjointed & messy! I've got DS1 all grumpy, tired & hungry from karate, I've got DS2 struggling to settle as he's over tired, dinner bubbling away etc etc...& I'm MN'ing! Concentrate Jenpet, concentrate!

hooray Starlight.....youre getting started now on the weaning! my dd2 lurves dried bananas and apricots...she cant get enough of it!! today she had fish pie - we had fish pie last night whilst she had mashed potatoes with vegs.

ds1 and I made salmon on croute with new potatos and broccoli today (from Gordon Ramsey's cookalong, had it on the sky+) which ds1 and 2 both gobbled up. DS1 made the mistake of leaving a bit though and ds2 reached down from bumbo and grabbed the left overs and ate them too (at the same time as his yoghurt, mmm yum), I was very impressed with both of them.

That sounds yummy debi although I don't think A is as adventurous as your DS2. He grumpily refused breakfast (banana and plain yoghurt) and lunch (yeseterday's soup with toasted bagel) today. So I gave him a fruit salad for dinner which he gobbled up and also rubbed in his hair.

Other 1st time blw'ers, are you finding it difficult not to worry about them refusing foods? I think because he ate so well yesterday I thought we'd 'cracked it'. But he was probably full so didn't fancy eating till dinner.

Am idly curious about how tonight's sleep will go. Last night he was up between 1:45 and 3:15. Alternating between trying to get to sleep, crying and sleeping on DH's shoulder. But then didn't wake till 7:20.
No night is ever the same!

We too are having ridiculously changeable nights - last night T crashed out from 8pm-1:30am, tonight he needed resettling at 9, and is up again having a feed already. Slightly frustrating. Also frustrating that he actually had a bottle last night, and I'm wondering whether that made him sleep better. I don't want to stop BFing yet, but if it means decent sleep I might be tempted... Will prob try a bottle again in a couple of days and see if it has the same effect.
Have to say I'm seriously losing interest in the night feeds now. I know it's normal, natural etc for a baby to still be feeding 2-3 times a night at 6 months, but it's still pissing me off!

T had a piece of cheddar today - his face was a picture! The annoying thing about the infrequent poos is that I have no idea whether he's swallowing anything. I suspect it's only miniscule bits, but I think he might be swallowing the odd bit.

hi all, inconsistency rules here too! I'm pretty sure its the difference between breast and bottle feeding, it was so much easier to get ds1 (bottlefed) into a regular routine. Oh well!

And dont talk to me about potty training. Have tried ds1 (3.1) for the nth time he is just not interested! At least this time he sat on the potty 40 odd times, even if some of it was with his clothes on, but still no wee produced, he is adamant that he wont do a wee on the potty. Did a chart where he got a sticker for every time he sat on it, 6 stickers = a wrapped present from the box. Also told him he could bypass the stickers straight to a present if he just did a wee on it! But no... Daddy has also shown him weeing standing up, we've put a ping pong ball in the toilet, and had the nursery toy home with his potty to show him ho! Guess he's 'not ready'

Still waiting for my cheque to come through from the NCT sale so I can see the tiny amount I made. And I must get round to sticking my maternity clothes on ebay...

Gardening is the order of the day as I had a lovely day at a garden centre yesterday and bought lots of lovely bedding plants.

oh and weaning...despite me thinking I would wait til 26 weeks and do BLW, I made some carrot and apple mush last night, gonna occasionally try him on that to see if he is interested, then really go for finger foods at 26 wks. Also bought some ellas kitchen and plum baby stuff that was on offer at tesco. I figure that the ones with bluberries/strawberries in must be cheaper to buy than to make

when can they have weetabix?

There is no consistancy regarding night time sleep here either. It's usual that M only wakes once in the night, but that can be anytime between 2-5. I just can't work it out, so have given up trying to! Whilst I am only having to get up once, I have to say I'm getting rather weary of the night time feed. I honestly didn't think I would still be getting up in the night at 6 months.

weetabix is from 6 months.

No problem jenpet but if you ever find you need something, just let me know

Am very impressed with the Salmon en croute debithescot, will it be foie gras next week

ILTMIMI i feel exactly the same way, I was sure I would have him sleeping through by 4 months and here we are at 24 wks... Last night he woke at 10.45 and 4.45, wouldnt settle after that despite 2 feeds. Am trying to keep the feeds to a minimum in the night as it doesnt seem to matter how much he has in the night as to how well he sleeps after that, IYKWIM, and i figure that the less he has in the night, the more he will have in the day, so maybe the less he will wake the following night. Wishful thinking though...

ILTMIMI and plusone I feel the same. I knew we'd have a few months of no sleep, and I knew we'd have 4 month growth spurt hell, but I really thought that once we'd got past that I would have a baby that slept through till morning from their 'last' feed at 10:30-11pm. Last night he fed at 10:15, needed resettling at 12, 1 and 2, fed at 3:30 and 6am. That's pretty sh*t by any standards!
I'm trying not to get demoralised by it, but I can feel the lure of something like CC, in the hope that if he learned to settle himself in the evening by himself he'd settle back to sleep in the night more easily, without needing a feed.

hopefully i too have been considering CC / offering water, the only thing that has stopped me so far has been that he has been poorly with his tonsils. He's given it to me know and i know how sore my throat has been and how thirsty i am, so presuming thats how he felt too and dont want to deny him little drinks if he's still poorly (still bit croaky / coughy)

maybe next week though...

hopefully, plusone, thank you thank you thank you.

I have also had a run of really crap nights and it's getting worse. I am tired and run down, and on my third cold sore in a row. I don't know what to do, but will try CC if it will help.

diego went to bed at 7:30, needed resettling at 10, fed at 11, was up at 1:30, would not resettle so I fed him. He fell asleep close to 3. Was up again at 5:30, at which point I was so tired I took him into my bed, got my boob out and I managed to grab some sleep as I fed him, then up at 7. I have not done this since he was a very new newborn, and this morning I felt the epitome of crap parenting.

What does one do? I don't want to wean till bang on 26 weeks because they say that you should be careful with eczema babies. But then again other people say that you should introduce solids when they are feeding more often at night. My brain is too tired to make a decision. I am giving him his first ever bottle of formula (aptamil, 200ml) this evening. I'll let you know how it goes.

just tried alfie with carrot/apple mush, he was desparatefor it, grabbing the spoon and putting it in his mouth by himself, but did not like the taste or maybe the texture, made him shiver!! dont think he has the tongue poke reflex thing, so think will try himon some porridge or rice (is ready brek ok at 24 wks??)

oh my goodness, is there a 23 and a half week growth spurt???!!! Today he has fed at
4.45
5.30
9
9.30
10.30
11.30
and i think he might be hungry again...
gonna go out instead and try to get him to wait

plusonemore was the carrot & apple cold? I find S does not enjoy things that are cold as much as he does the lukewarm food & it makes him "shiver". He's just polished off homemade veg & barley soup, a WHOLE quarter of my Croque Monsieur and some bits of cooked apple, done a massive poo & gone to sleep (sometimes I wish I had his life!)
Pacita sympathies, it is so hard not sleeping. I know I'm in the minority, but I still swear by you-know-who's routines (with a bit of adapting to suit!) However, we've still been having a dream feed at 11 ish before I go to bed, so I'm trying to drop that by the time DH comes home - I'm reducing it by 1 minute every night! He doesn't seem that bothered really, I think it's me that will miss it most!
Despite S's good night sleeping I still managed to be awake half the night with something scratching about on the roof - eek! Am hoping it was our two cats (when its warm the tiles heat up & they sometimes sleep there during the day) but at 5am it was a wolf in the loft AT LEAST! Maybe a whole family of them...

yeah i warmed it a bit, lukewarm i guess. wondering if its cos of all the antibiotics i have been forcing down him? prob not, prob just a shock!

hopefully, plusone and pacita, thank you thank you thank you. (yes pacita I did just copy and paste your post)

We have also had a few nightmare nights. Ever since ds2 was ill his sleeping is terrible. Since he got better its got worse not better. I know exactly what you mean hopefully about expecting the sleeping to be good by now. DS1 wasn't a good sleeper but I think h was better than ds2 has been this week at the same age. As ds2 was such a good sleeper as a newborn I htought he's be sleeping through by now but now. Last night he was up at 11.30 (fed), 1, 2, 3 (fed at 3.30) and up for the day at 6.

His sleeping during the day has gone tits up too, he was doing 2 hours at this time of day but keeps only doing about 45 mins then needing re-settled. I'm finding it so hard.
can't work out if its just him being a pain in the bum or if there's a reason for it.

digitalgirl was it you or A you were talking about when you said: "Alternating between trying to get to sleep, crying and sleeping on DH's shoulder. But then didn't wake till 7:20." that summed up how I feel in the middle of the night.

Don't normally make posh food like that btw, had spare puff pasty in fridge, salmon was on offer in Sainsburys so thought I might as well do that, it was very easy and very yummy. Back to normal food tonight. Its dh's birthday and he has requested pizza and peace to watch the Aberdeen game on Sky. Fair enough.

You all seem very advanced on this weaning lark. We have tried it at a few meal times ans Robyn loves mangetout, i think cos she can bend it round her fist as she shoves it in her mouth. She has fed the dog more than she has herself.
She is also starting to teethe so cucumber is great for that she just chomps away and when you look most of the inside has gone. She then gives you it back because it has gone warm.
today she had little gem lettuce dipped in lentil and bacon soup, she sucked the soup off then gave me the lettuce back to reload.
not sure if blw is eqsier then purees yet. on one hand i like that she can choose what she wants but on the other hand am not sure how much she is getting.

On the Leeds meet I am fine regarding days but it woulsd have to be when dc's are at school.

Happy half-year to Erin - where has the last 6-months gone to

At baby group today they were taking handprints of babies for mothers day, so has made a lovely keepsake.

Weaning is going ok-ish. Baby rice is not popular, but butternut squash was much more preferable. I just hope she is not a fussy eater like I was (and how DH still is).

Poxtola we are still occasionally co-sleeping if dh has nodded off downstairs, and after her 5 or 6am feed i usually keep her in with me.
Both other dc's slept in bed with us at some time, ds did for 6 months at 18 months old every night and they both sleep fine on their own now so i don't think it gives them any attachment issues.

DebiTheScot, feel free to copy and paste as much as you want! It feels better to know i'm not alone.

Also, I cannot for the life of me get him to nap in his cot. Whenever I put him down he wakes up - I don't even try to do the leaving him there, or there will be hysterics. It does make me feel slightly inadequate...

Sleep has gone haywire here too btw debithescot, hopefully, plusone and pacita!

It is probably mostly the cough, but we're also getting poos at least every 2 hours for some reason, so I can't just try to settle her, I end up waking her up fully by changing her, pah.

Oh! Then our phone went at 6.11am this morning when C was actually asleep, so I jumped up and woke her and that was time to get up then.
There was nobody on the line. Phone calls before 7 are never good news so I was pleased, although still annoyed!

ok, i've got some stupid questions that maybe someone can help with:

1. Giving water. They tell you not to give water ever to breastfed babies. Since i've not started weaning, can I give him water now? how much? and if not, when is it ok?

1. What water do you give them? Is mineral water ok (e.g. evian), or does it have to be cooled boiled water?

1. Diego is just now snacking at my boob (any semblance of routine is totally out of the window these days). He's been eating here and there, and you know what? I was so fudge brained today that I don't even know how much he's had. My question is: I'm intending to give him 200ml of formula at bedtime in an hour. Will I be overfeeding him?

Thanks, ladies. It's one of those days.