December 2007 "The one where babies walk the walk... and talk the talk"

[Arcadie]

I'm sorry - I couldn't last out. Welcome to the new thread.

Yes I can I don't feel that strongly but it does get on my wick when you get those virtuous judgy types that proudly claim that their darlings NEVER watch TV and only play with handcrafted wooden toys and bake with mummy every day!
I think Cbeebies is pretty educational! I avoid the commercial stations because I don't want him watching adverts, especially as he gets older but I really am not convinced that TV is quite as bad as people make out. If that's all the child ever did, i.e. parents NEVER played with or entertained them, just left them in front of the TV all day every day then I don't think that is very healthy. But TV is part of our life and I'd rather not turn it into something which is withheld or a treat, IYSWIM?

Hello all, hope you had lovely weekends,

on TV I put in on for boys to get stuff done, we have milkshake in morning and cbeebies for half hour before naps at lunh and then I do put ITNG on but they so aren't interested, ds2 wanders off and gets books for us and ds1 usually asks for one of his Bob builder DVD's (he's just learnt the theme tune and its so cute hearing him sing it). I find cbeebies quite educational, both of mine have loved Something special to help them learn baby signing (although the presenters are very irritating)

tired today - Toby not sleeping, think its prob due to him being ill and me sleeping on his floor, now he wants me to stroke his back or hold his hand EVERY time he wakes in the night, not sure how to break him of the habit - any ideas? tried leaving him to cry, after 20mins, with me going in every 5 or so I gave up as too hard - I guess really I should have done it for longer...

BT I used to feel like that about commercial stations but then discovered that fifi and peppa and thomas and noddy and rupert (you get my drift ) are all on c5 so I do now let them watch that! Luckily dd so far seems completely uninterested in the ads but I am dreading when she startes saying "I want..." about everything she sees!

Had a good weekend, friends for dinner on saturday and to a kids party yesterday morning. Was dreading the party as it was at a soft play centre and I HATE them but they'd hired it out privately so it was actually ok

DS is ill now though, woke up at 1am just whimpering which immediately worried me because he normally cries loudly as soon as he wakes then I went in his room and could feel heat coming from his cot, seriously it was like there was a radiator on full blast in there . Took his temp and it was 40.3. I made dh go and get the calpol from downstairs while I stripped him off, then remembered insy's advice about giving the initial doses together (I did know to alternate the two but didn't know the bit about giving the first dose together so thank you insy)so sent him downstairs again for the neurofen. THEN ds was bf but wasn't getting a let down so I sent him downstairs again for some water, poor dh . The double dose obviously worked because after half an hour his temp was down to 38.8 and after and hour it was 37.9 He was doing that horrible panting thing as well, that always scares me! Anyway he lay next to us for a bit then sat up and said "bed mine" so I took him back to his cot and he went to sleep, woke once again before morning but his temp was down and he went straight back off. Still not right though temp is only a little bit up. He's really subdued and clingy, he wouldn't let me put him down so he is in the wrap on my back, just like the good old days (except he is now a huge heavy lump )

clairey poor ds, glad the double dosing work for him tho hope he's on the mend soon

We love c5 here, makes a nice change to cbeebies, ds1 (3 in may) isn't too interested in adverts yet although he did spot the lelli kelly shoes one the other day and say 'I like pretty shoes' and dh told him he couldn't have them because they are too expensive quite an impressive answer from a guy who looked slightly (and unnecessarily) freaked when ds1 got a doll for xmas

Clairey, hope he feels better. It is really horrible when they're ill.

I must admit to letting DS watch quite a bit of telly. He loves Milkshake in the mornings. I can't seem to muster the motivation to be all virtuous and ration it. We take DS out every day to run about in the park or play with friends, we read him books, listen to music etc so if we put cbeebies on for a while I see nothing wrong with that.

we've also discovered cbeebies radio on BBC7 in the morning in case you want a change, might be better for lo's when they are a bit older but its on 5am ( way too early) till 8am so we sometimes have it on at breakfast - stops ds1 wanting to have it in front of telly, I don't think he listens to most of it but good back ground noise and songs he recognises

eeek am I the one you're all going to hate - my DC watch hardly any telly - maybe 30 mins a week or something - BUT in my defense I don't think I'm an awful smug judgemental type and DH and I hardly watch any telly either so I suppose it never really occurs to us to put it on. I certainly agree that they can learn a lot from watching it but I personally am not that keen on having it on, especially as we have only the 5 channels and our telly is about the size of a postage stamp! However, my house is always an absolute state and I'm sure the two things are related...

clairey - poor DS - glad the double dose worked and he has cooled down. Also about what you said about your DH. Have you done the whole going out on dates/having one night a week when you cook a nice meal for just the two of you etc? DH and I recently had a night in a hotel without the DC and it was fantastic - it had been such a long time since we just lounged around in bed staring at each other and being loved up - highly recommend it!

glad you had a nice holiday cazzy

Going to our local primary school tomorrow to see if DD can start in January - can't believe my little baby is already getting ready for school (but also and [proud]!)

But you don't live in a Yurt, Skid, so we'll let you off

Actually I have to say DS don't watch very much scheduled telly, no soaps or dramas, etc. Only thing we watch regularly is sci fi such as BSG & Star Trek (but not Enterprise bluegh!) and Top Gear! We did watch that Henry VIII thing though, that was good.
We do have a vast DVD collection though!
And we did watch the first Britain's got Talent, some of the acts were hysterically funny - though I am very proud, for those of you who watched it, the frumpy woman with the amazing voice? My mum and DH were taking the mickey out of her and I had a go and told them not to judge by appearances! And I had tears in my eyes when she sang, she was truly something special
My favourite funny act was the man who said he danced like Gene Kelly, especially when Ant & Dec had to drag him off the stage!

Hi All.

To add to the skid BT Insy Wizz Clairey and all discussion on TV. Irrespective of what you think of amount of TV watched, what do you think to the idea of it being a treat or reward or bribe incentive for good behaviour? Weekdays DS (and therefore DD who just goes with the family flow as befits a second child ) isn't allowed to watch TV during the daytime unless Mummy's too knackered to complain it's a special treat or some very boisterous friends have come round for a playdate and both their Mummy's would like some natter time.

But evenings it is put on as a treat for having not messed about in the morning before we get up ( see hamster thread for reasoning why), and to enable me to prepare delicious and nutritious family foods that we can sit and enjoy in a calm supportive environment.

Basically I find he brains his little sister less if he's watching "Lightning McQueen" or "Nemo". Tends not to be a lot of TV but more likely a Disney DVD ( which he doesn't watch all the way through. Often. )

Any ideas on the reason for DD( the one who's the Dec birthday) suddenly deciding to scream herself to sleep? Last 11 months has gone to sleep at 7ish happy as Larry. Last 4 nights, same routine, same everything. Screamed for 2 hours. Ggrrrrr. Calpol, ibuprofen, Mummy cuddles. (very small writing TV) nothing seemed to work. Calms right down when being cuddled. Screams as soon as put in cot. Eventually snuffles off to sleep with whimpering shaky indrawn breaths. Poss teething canines. Are they A LOT worse than any other teeth? She has molars. Any thoughts?

Oh and happy Turtle Day.

LOL @ your Telly treats!!
I think we all have an ideal way to parent, but we end up compromising on something, tbh!

Nights are grim at the moment, ds has been very unsettled and has been spending at least some of the night in bed with DH and I. He can be a pain, he'll sleep for a couple of an hour or two then wake up and want to snack (if I try to pull the duvet right up he pulls it down, he knows where the goodies are ) or he mucks about trying to clamber over me to get to daddy (He sleeps between me and the bed rail).
At this point I end up putting him back into his cot where he immediately goes back to sleep! Has been driving me made, but when he wakes up he cries and cries and points frantically at his bedroom door until I take him into our room!

Unsettled nights and screaming here too - full moon?!

another one with unsettled nights - resorted to looking in the books, baby whisperer seems to think its all about getting the balance of daytime and night time sleep at this stage, Toby is trying to do 1 daytime sleep but sometimes naps in morning, grizzles till afternoon nap and then struggles to settle so I guess I need to work on getting him to one nap... not sure how to do that, ds1 was also crap settling at this age but then I was pg again so maybe rubbish at dealing with it
canines have been the worst for us, all 4 together and he's really struggled so that could be the problem arcadie?

tv works as a treat or reward for us, ds1 also asks if he's allowed to put it on which I like

Another thought that my good chum reminded me of today is that major developmental steps often coincide with night time / day time misery. Something to do with new neural pathways being made and synapses synapsing and all round brain storm created by learning to crawl / walk / talk / compose sonatas. DD has just started really blossoming on the speech and particularly on the signing front ( yes Sing and Sign geek here) so I'm wondering if that might be it. .....

Oooh Arcadie we are sing and sign geeks too! There was someone else on here going as well - Dundee maybe?

You're abs right about developmental stages - DDs sleep was DIRE (well, even more dire than normal - our normal is quite dire to start with) when she learned to roll, then sit, then crawl, then walk. Dear God what will she be able to do tomorrow?!!

Well Ds was better last night, we have stopped putting a vest under his pjs a few nights ago because of the warmer weather, and also we have used a dummy strap to attach his dummy to his sleeping bag (Yes I know you are not supposed to see what I mean about compromises?).
Last night he stayed in his cot the whole night, woke up twice for booby and that was it! Which is a big improvement to his recent nights waking 3-4 times!!

Arcadie we had an AWFUL time with canines. They seem to all come through at the same time which can't be nice. Not sure why worse than other teeth but DD2 was not only unsettled but had terrible nappy rash. Tonight she's been driving me absolutely spare by going "ahh ahh ahh" continuously and I mean continuously, not for any obvious reason. Finally put her to bed (early) at 6.50pm and can still hear her doing it on the baby monitor!

think canines are bad because they are little points that get bigger so they just keep pushing more of the gums even when they have broken through if that makes sense

sing and sign geeks here too!

I think you're right about developmental stages arcadie, not sure what stage ds2 is going through but ds1 seemed to be developing his creative/imagination side about 2.5yrs and we had crap sleep then, would find him sitting in middle of room looking a little confused or getting up in night to play. Since he started nursery his talking has come on loads, he often talks in his sleep now and we have the occasional nightmare.

had maternity photos done last night - love them, have desire to show them to people in rl as some are v flattering but that would be weird imo, going to see if I can scan a couple to share with you guys instead! (just pretend to be interested it'll stop me embarassing myself to the 'real' world)

just remembered I think 16mo ish is another on set of seperation angst, could be causing sleep problems? ds2 is more clingy at mo and wants us to be with him while he settles for sleep but I did put that down to him being ill...

I think I have PMT, have just read a couple of threads in active convos and got really annoyed by some posts!

DS has been sleeping ok (though still waking early)but dd has been up a few times the last couple of nights.

Insy we are the same with naps, dd was on just one from 11months ish but ds still has two most days and is grizzly in between and difficult to settle for the second. Have tried making him hold out for the morning one but it means I can't get anything done all morning because he is crying and clinging to me.

Skid am, don't think there is any way dh would lie on a bed gazing at me lovingly, he'd either be watching tv or jack russeling me! He's never been that affectionate tbh (unless he wanted sex in which case I might get half an hour of affection), I always intstigated it but haven't had the energy lately. We don't have babysitters for evenings so can't really go out anywhere but we should make more of an effort at home sometimes instead of just flaking out on opposite sides of the room.

Also eek at your dd starting school!

re Canines, I didn't really notice dd's much but she was at least 2.5 before they started coming through so that probably made a difference!

My health saga continues...I saw a diff doctor yesterday and he has referred me for blood tests. I still have the ulcer and he also noticed I have a form of hyperventilation syndrome. I don't have it where I breathe rapidly or pant but apparently I don't use my diaphragm to breathe so only do shallow breathing and that could be related to the dizzyness/tiredness. Also interesting is that it explains why I was unable to push properly when I was giving birth! He was actually a really nice doctor (shame he was only a locum or I'd ask for him every time!) and asked me loads of questions about childbirth, the age gap between the dc, how I'd found it after ds was born etc. Afterwards he said that was partly to assess the hyperventilation by getting me talking but also to see if I had any anxiety or depression (which can cause it). Then he said he dreads patients like me because I am what he'd call "a coper" and it can be really difficult to diagnose us properly eg stress wouldn't (usually)cause me to become depressed but can manifest in physical symptoms. One thing he picked up on was he asked how I found it after ds was born and I said it was fine because dd had been great and not jealous, she was really independent etc. Then he said so ds was an easy baby? And I said no, he screamed non stop, couldn't put him down etc and he said that would have been most people's first answer whereas I focused on how good dd had been and only mentioned the problems with ds after he questioned me further.

I have breathing exercises to do to try and get me breathing properly, can't quite work them out though!

Then the blood tests will show whether there is anything else eg thyroid...

Feel like I'm falling apart! (esp as also have blocked duct so left boob is really painful )

insy that starts to make sense. DD came to work with me one morning last week and was clingy which is really unusual for her and this morning insisted on taking favourite soft toy with her which is unheard of. Happy enough for me to go though and came over and gave me a big kiss before I left which isn't normal.

Thanks for your votes of confidence in my neuroscience/dental diagnosis. Lovely to be supported! ( Will be lovelier when DD goes back to being good sleeper)

Claireybee How horrible for you to be facing yet another different, troubling diagnosis. Really hoping the docs get to the bottom of the problem. You know the boob drill, warm then cold flannels, expressing, feeding from a different position, sticking paper clip up the blocked bit... Can't imagine why I never went into medicine... evil

And LOL at "Jack Russeling" I have a lovely mental image of what that must entail...

Insy If it's possible to say this in a way which doesn't sound weird, lesbian or stalkerish: "I d love to see your photos. Scan them and put them up!!"

And BT Glad DS sleeping a little better.

I'm so glad someone else said that their DH wouldn't gaze lovingly at them either! TBH I wouldn't be gazing at him either though - we'd both either be watching TV, reading or catching up on some much needed sleep! Is that bad?!!

We only had one wake up last night too - but it was at 4am and that to me is so much worse than eg 1am, as it is so close to getting up time!

What sing and sign have your wee ones done then? DD has done 2 terms of stage 1, but now I am gutted as the teacher has sold the franchise and the person who is taking over isn't doing any stage 2!