May Toddlers - still toddling along!

[helsy]

Oi! Over 'ere!

I'm using my sick leave well and have just booked a holiday in Oban - we're going to see Balamory and sea eagles, hopefully.

that is very cute bozza. i am stunned daily, by dd's development. they grow so fast.

she is fine btw, thank you for your posts. bless her. just a purple bruise on her head. she went off by the time i had finished my frantic post - (sorry about that) - and slept through. guess it was just a headache.

what probs were you having with sleep bozza? dd really took a step back with going to bed a few weeks ago and it lasted a few weeks too, but seems to be better now. although, the last couple of nights, when i've said 'bedtime' and carried her through, she really has struggled to get out of my arms and has a bit of a paddy. b4 she just snuggled into me with her bear. i guess it's part of the growing up and understanding what things mean stage.

Glad she is OK Egypt. Both mine have lumps on their heads atm - DD walked into a pool table on Sunday and DS walked into a wall last week.

Problems with sleep (returned again last night) are not at bedtime at all - she's fine then. We have two problems, sometimes she wakes up in the night and cries and we have to go and settle her. Settling is usually pretty easy but if it happens 2/3 times in a night its not what you want at this age. But the main problem is that she seems to be waking up too early. She goes to bed at 7.30 and is starting to wake up between 5 and 6. We try and settle her but it only lasts 5-10 mins and then she starts up again. She is on one nap a day between 1.5 and 2 hours between 12 and 2. DH's solution is to stop her morning milk!

hmmm. dd did this for a while too. she also wakes 50% of the time, only just the once though. i have tbh, i gave her milk at 5 or 6 - a whole bottle, and it filled her enough to settle her for a good couple of hours. big no no, i know... rewarding for waking, but i just couldnt get my head round the fact that she was hungry after that long. after a few days, she stopped waking then anyway. i also often give her it if she wakes in the night i have to say. maybe there's my problem - why she doesnt always sleep tnrough. but, its only if she wakes during my sleep hours, as i can't be doing with the hassle of pacing the floor or cc. sorry, i don't know what to suggest other that crying it out method, which i hate. so not much use to you really. i'm sure others might have some ideas. have you posted separately on this?

No I haven't because every time I think I will post she has a good night. Obviously wary of me coming up with some tough new strategy for her. The middle of the nights aren't as bad as the early mornings. And I don't really see how you can do cc at that time so well because by the time you get her back to sleep it would be time to get up (at least on my work days). And letting her cry it out wakes DS up which is not great when he's just started school. Although closing his bedroom door seems to have helped. We're clever here.

hmm, really wouldn't have a clue how to help other than the milk, really. have you tried that? i know you may run the risk of her waking for it but she's waking anyway, and if it helps her have a couple of more hours, i would do it.

Poor you Bozza, have you got a blackout blind? Do you think that would make a difference? Could she be waking because it's light?

Not really Ponka because its dark when she wakes up. No blackout blinds but fairly heavy curtains. I assumed (having been here before...) that she would get better with the darker mornings. But uncannily this week she has slept fine alternate nights and been a pain the other nights so we're on for a good one tonight apart from that she has started with a cold.

Was quite impressed with myself today - we had quite a fun afternoon. DH playing golf and I took DS and DD to a huge Borders book shop for a good browse through the Children's Book Dept. Then we went into the cafe there and I bought them both a smoothie and a large choc chip cookie to share at. DD ate her part of the cookie and then went hyper running around the book shop with me tugging at the reins behind her..... Then we went home and got the easel out and did painting (draped DD in DH's old shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a peg securing the excess material). Then we made marshmallow krispie bars. And I had the tea (OK only sausage, mash, cabbage and peas) ready for when DH got home at 6.40. Thats impressive for me.

Hope everyone is OK (especially you pregnant ones) and I'm off to bed because I've been awake since 5.20 am....

Sorry Bozza I cant help you. DD still wakes 5 nights out of 7 bewteen once or twice a night. Im taking the wimps way out though and the first time she wakes I give her milk after that she just gets laid back down. My friends DS was waking at 5am and she started leaving him to cry. I know that after 3 days he just woke and moaned and then went back to sleep and now he sleeps until 7am.
Ive spent today looking through magazines trying to figure out what to get DD for xmas. At the moment she only really plays with her push along and books.

We started leaving dd2 to try to get to sleep alone - it took a few weeks of DH sitting upstairs while she screamed (I can't do it), but now she does it with a little bit of a cry then she just lies quietly and sleeps from about 8 - 7am, but it's all very recent and I know I'm going to regret saying this. We did stop giving her milk to get her back to sleep, too. It's also helped with mornings where she no longer cries to be taken out of the cot as soon as she wakes up.
I've just started thinking about Christmas presents for dd2 as well. I think a happyland or little people set would be nice for this age.

kbaby sounds like your friend's way might be the way that worked - would definitely go down that route if it was every day but it isn't. Anyway she has a cold atm so have to be kind so just going to sit it out for the time being.

Christmas presents. Hmmm. We are planning on getting DD a kitchen. She loves to potter at DS's work bench and so I think a kitchen might go down ok. DS already has a tea set and play food. I'm trying to think what we got DS at this age (although being a Feb birthday he was a bit older). Think it was a brio train set but he was nearly two. I think we also started off the duplo collection at that age although he was a bit older before he got into it. DD is currently playing mainly with books, shape sorters, doll's buggy and teletubbies. Oh and DS's toys. We are also thinking of adding to the ELC Happy Land House we got for her birthday.

Snap Helsy!

Ooh, ever since we got Broadband I keep getting cut off almost every time I try to send a message on MN . I'll have to try and remember what I said an hour ago and hope for the best this time.

Working at home today as you can see .

After my confident announcement yesterday about Dd2 sleeping through, she obliged by waking up every hour last night and ended up in our bed with me on the day bed. She pulls my hair when she's trying to sleep and it hurts and keeps me awake, but DH doesn't have enough to pull so she just strokes his head!

She was crying when I put her in nursery today but I've just called and apparently she's fine and crayonning.

Dd2 is in trouble at school already - please tell me it can only get better(She's in class 1). The teacher, who is about 12, says that Dd2 is "challenging" and "testing" her. Well, more fool you for falling for it, frankly (sorry if I've offended any teachers - I'm sure cocky kids are a nightmare, but Dd2 really is a good girl and probably the brightest in her class).
She has to come home with a smiley face from the teacher in her diary every day this week.
Anyway - this thread is about Dd2 not dd1. Dd2 has been walking a bit - not to get things but just between Dh, Dd1 and me. She did at least 12 steps without falling over last night. She responds to applause, in fact she sometimes leads the clapping if she's done something she thinks is good!
Some of the Fisher Price Little People sets are reduced in Toys R Us at the moment and also some of it is 3 for 2 so I'm hoping to get three sets for Dd2 for Christmas this week.

Hello, hello!

Aww it,s soo lovely Kiera is walking everywhere i still get a tingly feeling when i see her

christmas presents!! Argh! guys!!! actualy we're thinking of starting shopping this weekend or the one after. The thought of lugging pram plus baby through the mad christmas shoppers any later fills me with fear

Helsy- i hope sleeping gets better for you, and you kbaby!

Oh Egypt- how scary for you hope dd is ok now.

So spook is settling in well but we are having a nightmare with his teething. He is biting EVERYTHING and we are having to be sooo firm with him, which i hate but is toaly necessary.

Kiera isn't eating anything again and is dropping off the bottom centile. I hate it, it's horrible i am sooo damn stressed about it i can hardly sleep atm. I am just praying she grows through a growth spurt or something. I actualy met a 2 year old the other day who apparently is exactly the same and always has been and she's fine so Kiera will be as well. That's what i'm telling myself anyway!

Hi to libb btw! i have lost my mobile phone damn it, so can't text and don't have your number! i think you have my hous phone so call me on that for a chat sometime

Love to all xx

Hi.
Cat, dd2 did sleep through last night but she was very tearful for about 20 minutes before falling asleep, and she woke up screaming at about 5.30 and came in with us. She sounded frightened, so I'm wondering whether she's starting to notice the dark if you know what I mean. May leave a light on tonight.
We're getting a babysitter for Christmas shopping. We're going to toys r us one evening and doing as much as we can in one go.
Cat, what does the HV say about Kiera's weight? Is she worried?

Anyone got a male HV, by the way? Just wondering.

Helsy -My health visotor is male, and i can't stand him. He's useless. He is concerned though, and so is the doctor. Doc wants to see her again in a couple of weeks, and the HV wants to see her again in a month at the weigh in clinic. HV came up with nothing more constuctive that "do what you're doing and i'll see her again, it is quite worrying" and doc suggested a dietican but i've heard from various people that dieticans aren't great with babies this age. She was lovely tho and very reassuring, she said she did look very thin, but still full of energy. She said it'll take around a month to see any significant changes in her weight, but to take her straight back in if she starts loosing energy.
Doc looked at a food diary i'd been keeping and said basicaly Kiera is surviving on the abslolute minimum really.

Basicaly everyone is at a lose as to what to do now. She did eat a good amount of fish pie (for her) at lunch tho, so fingers crossed but tbh i'm not hopeful.

Argh! sorry guys what a rant! Helsy i bet you're sorry you asked!

No no, sometimes you don't realise what other people are going through when they just say "trouble with sleeping/not eating" until they actually go into details. Really sorry for you and I hope it does turn out to be a phase. HV sounds as uncommitted as ours (female). Are there things she will eat?

Helsy- no nothing. It used to be cheese on toast was a guranteed meal, but now she only picks at it. Fromage frais sometimes goes down well and bits of cheese. No vegatble will pass her lips, fruit gets the thumbs down. Bread and butter she normaly quite likes, but apart from that...nada.

Well Cat I know its not helpful to tell you to be patient but I don't think you can do much else. Why do you think that a dietitian would not be helpful? Is she otherwise developing well?

DD had a fight at nursery today. Well the report in the accident book said "DD had a disageement with another child about a toy which resulted in the toy hitting DD and causing a bruise on her left eye". My interpretation is a fight. And she has now done 3 nights of sleeping 7.30 - 6.45.

sounds like the toy did the trick then bozza!

sorry, will post more later......got tea on the go!

We just bought dd2 the Fisher Price Little people castle, animal sounds zoo and airport all for 40 quid - 3 for 2 at Toys R Us for Christmas. (One will be from grandma). The thing I wanted (discovery village) had been half price too, but when we went in today it had gone back up to full price .
Well, since I boasted about the sleeping it's all gone haywire. Dd2 has struggled to get to sleep alone every night this week, and she's also waking at about 5.30 crying. Marvellous.

They did make it sound like it was down to the toy didn't they Egypt? I'm always amused by the wasy they right things in the book in the passive tense "DS was sitting there like an angel for once which resulted in him getting bitten on the right buttock" - that sort of thing.

Helsy - me too. When will we learn not to post about how well they are sleeping? And typically DH was away last night. DD started up about 11.30 (so just nicely time for me to get to sleep). Was up to her about 7/7 times by about 2.30 when I brought her in with me. She didn't seem to be in pain and much too early to be hungry so I wondered if she was having nightmares. When she got in our bed she immediately started on the "I want milk now" cry but I rolled her over and she settled. But every so often would jerk (like she used to startle as a tiny) and I would have to soothe her. Then she started messing so went back into her cot for an hour plus at 10 to 6. But the radio came on at 6.30 because I have to have them both at CM/nursery by 8.

You've done well on the shopping front helsy. Have just agreed with DH which trike to buy our nephew for his first birthday. But since our budget is not going as well as hoped it will have to wait until pay day - only Friday.

Just had to do a searh on "our" threads to find out what DD's first word was for her baby book.

bozza, i meant the toy did the trick as to her sleeping through! obv not last night though. sounds like she is entering a light sleep and startling herself out of it. maybe you being able to soothe her back each time will do the trick - teaching her that it's ok, etc.

Actually Egypt it was only the one night and she has been much better since then so not sure what to put it down to.

We're off out tonight -don't do it very often - and have an 18 yr old from up the road babysitting. Trouble is she doesn't know dd2 very well, so her mum is panicking. We're 10 mins walk away so I've said we'll get her to sleep before we go and will come back if there is a problem ie she wakes up and gets upset because she doesn't recognise the babysitter. Cross fingers for us! Hope you're all ok.