Different advice for number 3

[tilder]

Hello lovely ladies. I am finally pregnant with number 3 and have been looking into the whole car seat issue (will need a bigger car to fit 3 in) and reading various threads have found references to rear facing for the first 2 years and car specific car seats. Am also informed by a recent first time mum that pureed food is the work of the devil and real mums do BLW (although not entirely sure what that actually means) and buggy seats should face backwards.

I know things change and move on, as they did between the first 2, but am a bit surprised on the number of things that seem to have changed in 3 years. Has anyone got any tips on what to expect? Am obv expecting the joys of childbirth (although memories of that are a little hazy, probably why we are on number 3) and sleep deprivation.

Congrats on your third.

Things have moved on since I had my DD almost 12 years ago - but I've not heard some of what you are suggesting. The main difference I think was I weaned DD at 4 months but now they say 6.

Yes if you get certain ISOfix carseats you will have to check it will go in your make and model - basically most cars newer than 2006 should be able to accomodate an isofix.

I did not want a travel system - and as my DD was long born and so far scans have shown that this LO is likiely a long one too, I did not want a group 0 seat to find I can only use it a matter of months. So I went for the Britax 0+1 - a good respected brand and the seat came in good in safety tests, it will stay in the car - it actually states 'It combines a rearward facing (birth to 13kg) and forward facing (9 to 18kg) solution that keeps your child safe to approximately 4 years old'
so I read from that you can keep it rear facing til 13KG but you can turn it round any time from 9KG. I've never heard that you should keep them rearfacing until 2 though honestly.

Also - I bought a 'suitable from birth' baby jogger city mini - as I needed a super light and small and easy to fold pushchair. It only faces forward, it's had some amazing reviews too. Again - never heard that it should rearward face. All this begs the question - why do most pushchairs face forwards if you are not meant to have them like that? Also - remembering DD loved being in the pushchair - watching what was going on, if you tried to lie her down she took a fit - was happy to sit up and be nosy though.

Thinking of this has just brought back the cutest memory. I can remember the first time she saw snow, She was 15 months old I was Christmas shopping in Newcastle and was walking down Northumberland street with my mum. She went crazy when I tried top put the rain cover over, she just sat staring at the sky trying to catch the snowflakes coming down

And please if you find out do enlighten me to what BLW is.

BLW is baby led weaning, where you basically plonk some pieces of food in front of your baby and let them get on with it. Doesn't work if you have a baby like mine with no interest in putting stuff in his mouth, and no teeth to chew it with.

I don't understand the rear facing pushchair thing - why would your baby want to look at your crotch all day when they could be watching all the other exciting things going on around them?

Thanks for the reply Eviepoo. I hadn't heard of any of these either until recently and wasn't sure of the basis of them. Our first 2 had a britax isofix forward facing until their heads started sticking out of the top and then moved onto isofix forward facing. Our buggies have always been forward facing as well (as most are) but a friend who recently had her first looked very disapproving at our buggy and lectured me that the baby won't get much interaction with me when in it. Which I can see to a point - but tbo when small they are generally asleep in the buggy and when older I have found obsessed with looking around. And I tend not to spend lots of time with buggies in anycase! I have never had much luck with rain covers either - but not for snow!

Will let you know if I find out about BLW.

cross post cattleprod. Thanks for the BLW definition. I think mine would get hungry quickly like that - sounds like the weaning off puree process but not convinced for weaning in general!

Doh - of course cattleprod when you say it - the acronym makes sense, I do feel a little dumb now.
TBH with DD I just mashed up some of my food (not pureed) for her - but I never cook with salt (except for steak) - people can add what they like at the table IMO, so I never worried giving her my mashed veg etc)

and I so get the why would your baby want to look at your crotch all day when they could be watching all the other exciting things going on around them I'm with you 100% and my DD would say the same.

tilder....I would have said the hours of me feeding and cuddling the LO will give the baby loads of interaction with me and seeing the world while out in the pushchair will give the LO interesting stuff to look at. I think some mums are a little bit obsessed about watching their babies constantly - understandable, but I wasn't like that and as I said DD would have been more grouchy :)

baby led weaning hi fantastic imo. They don't need teeth. No need to make special food and they can see and feel what they are eating, which apparently makes them more open to new foods. It's also really good for the development of their fine motor skills. The book by gill rapely is really good.

One more thing. If you plan on using formula the guidelines on making it changed about five years ago but the word has been very slow on getting around it seems. You need to use water that's 70 degrees and use the milk asap.

Congratulations. I hope you have a healthy happy pg.

Well I'm having dc2 and I'm looking into extended rearfacing for car seats. Much safer. Have a look on the products talk topic and car seats. Loads of info.

I also have a babyjoggercitymini- best buggy ever except it doesn't face me. I have got the carrycot for when it's tiny and brought a secondhand rearfacing buggy for walks when it's older. Suppose to improve social and linguistic skills but I just know if will stop me craning neck every two minutes to check on baby!

Unfortunately no major changes in childbirth except the new procedure that gives you an easy quick birth- oh wait that was just my dream!

I'm also expecting my third and I'm feeling very smug about being an experience mother - please don't blow it for me! I will be doing things the way I did for my other two because that's how it worked. That said, I actually did baby-led weaning (the mysterious BLW) largely because I couldn't be arsed to puree stuff.

What sort of car are you getting? I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to get three in the back seat of our car. My bigger two will be 6 and 4 1/2 and have high back boosters...

Congratulations, I have three and am pregnant with no. 4, with the eldest being 6 the month after no. 4 arrives. Little things do change but generally they still cry when they are hungry and get grumpy if they need a sleep.

The solids thing does seem to have changed and seems now to be between 4-6 months when your baby is showing signs. But heck at the speed they change that one it will be a different guideline again by next year : ) We accidently found out about BLW with no. 2, I tried giving her rice cereal at 6months and DC1 gave her a triangle of toast when my back was turned - she spat out the rice cereal and ate the toast, no teeth till 8 months! So I gave DC2 and DC3 a combination of purees, toast and steamed veg pieces from the 6 months. Does mean you need to watch very carefully as they eat but they seem to learn very fast how to chomp. Worked well as both were onto family food by about 10months whereas DC1 had to be encouraged to eat lumpy food after 12 months!

Car seats - she may have been thinking of some of the Scandinavian seats that rear face till the age of 4. There are a couple available now in the UK. If you are fitting 3 across a back seat it won't work : ) With three seats we found you need to go to a shop with the car and try seats to get a combination that works. We have found the Maxi-Cosi Robi to be the narrowest high back booster by about 2cm but that made the difference between them fitting and not. It is a painful process.

We found DC3 wasn't as interested in toys etc as there was too much going on around them to watch ie. siblings so I can't see why it would mind facing forwards in a pram.

RF car seats can work with 3 across - depending on your car and the seats that you have. They are becoming much more widely avaialble and there are quite a few now available in the UK. For more info have a look at www.rearfacing.co.uk, or call Vicky and Cathy at (V&C consultants - they also work for Essex County Council Road Safety Team, although happy to advise wherever you are) who have never failed to be incredibly helpful and informative for any car seat questions I've been unable to answer with google.

Re. RF buggies, BLW, etc - so much of it is (as ever) to do with the individual child. DD hated being in a carry cot but was too small for the buggy seat, so I got used to carrying her in a sling. She was happy and I was happy. When she got bigger I did tend to use the buggy RF - I liked being able to see her and talk to her and figured if she was going to be staring at something at groin height it may as well be Mummy's groin rather than the backside of the person in front of us. Again, she was happy and I was happy. We also did BLW - mainly because I was too lazy to puree. Her first Xmas dinner (about 9 months) included roast beef and all the trimmings :o