Do you have a child up to 5 years old? Share your questions for expert midwife and health visitor Claire Bailey - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

Having children inevitably brings with it questions and worries. That’s why we’ve invited midwife and health visitor Claire Bailey to answer your questions on all aspects of your baby or child’s health and development.

• Everyone who shares a question on the thread below by 2 August will be entered into a prize draw.
  
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher.
  
• Claire will then be back online to answer some of your questions.
  

About the expert Claire Bailey
A dual-qualified nurse, midwife & health visitor with three beautiful children of her own. Currently working as a health visitor, Claire loves working with families, supporting them and their babies through the good and the hard times.

Here’s what MAM has to say:
“We’re MAM and we love babies. We believe that only the best is good enough for them! That’s why for over 45 years we’ve been developing extra-safe baby products that combine attractive, innovative design with proven medical benefits. So, parents can feel confident, and babies feel good.”

Good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ
Insight Terms and Conditions apply

[SnowyMouse]

Is a perfect prep safe to use with infants?

[NewMumQuestions]

Should I wake a 3 week old for feeds during the night? She is heavier than her birth weight and is formula fed.

[AlanJohnsonsBeamer]

I'm always so anxious to let my 7mo do BLW. I have been feeding him purees and mashed foods - he loves a wide variety. I have started giving him the odd melty Organix (occasionally), steamed carrot/broccoli (which he isn't really interested in) but I'm utterly terrified of him choking. Is there anything I can do to help with my confidence as a FTM?

[Sleepybumble]

What can I do to encourage my 4 year old to use the toilet at the right time instead of waiting till they are desperate. I'm worried they will wet themselves at school

[greenmarsupial]

What can I do to encourage my baby (8 months) to take formula at nursery? He is EBF at home because he won't take formula from a bottle or cup.

[Bellaphant]

What advice would you give for a nearly two year old picky eater? She eats very 'beige' food but also seems to have a low appetite: she'd leave a slice of cake after picking the icing off, for example.

[Wildflower2022]

how can I encourage my 10 month old to stop biting? He has always done it and we have tried ignoring it, telling him no calmly and detaching him when he is going to bite but nothing has worked thus far.

[AwkwardPaws27]

DS is 14 months, eats solids well but still breastfeeding to sleep/overnight. He keeps waking up in the night with trapped wind & is inconsolable until he farts (which can take a while!). I'm cycling his legs, rubbing his tummy clockwise etc to help but is there anything else I can do?

[TinyBearCub]

Is there anything we can realistically do to help our just turned 5 year old be dry at night or should we just wait it out? She has only recently stopped having frequent small accidents during the day. No medical issues/infections.

[Mumontherunn]

Any practical advice on how to end my bf journey? DS is 14 months and loves the boob, but my working hours are about to change and make it very hard to continue. I currently bf morning and evening. I am worried I will miss this special time with him

[Wishingforthesunn]

Any advice on how to get my just turned 3 yo to settle for his Dad for bed ? If I'm not home he gets extremely distressed, not a tantrum genuinely distressed. He is fine if im not here during the day , and goes childcare 3 days a week no problem.

[MerlinsBeard87]

Is it good for a four year old to experience a preschool setting before starting school?

[googledidnthelp]

I still breastfeed my 2 year old to sleep but nursery can get him to nap. Am I likely to be able to make that transition without weaning and still feed in the night? He doesn't sleep well.

[Wobblyheart]

Would the following behavior be a cause for concern at 9 months and three weeks old? My son consistently turns and flips objects and toys, spending approximately 70% of his time engaged in this activity. He crawls from one toy or object to another, repeatedly flipping them back and forth for several minutes. Moreover, he is fascinated with looking underneath rugs/mats/ and also quickly flips through book pages, showing minimal interest in the pictures but rather enjoying the act of turning pages and constantly flipping the books upside down. Thank you!

[5monthmama]

Not sure how to help 7 month.old sleep better, still breastfeeding to sleep between 4/7 times a night.

[Wobblyheart]

How to stop my 9 month old baby from sucking and biting my arms to soothe himself? He refuses a dummy and breast. He takes bottle but often needs extra soothing after milk.

[dreamcatchmee]

Advice to help my nearly 8 month old take to a bottle/cup of expressed milk? He's been exclusively breast fed from birth and I want to be able to leave him with my partner so I can attend longer appointments and KIT days at work.

[fuckityfuckityfuckfuck]

How would you try to talk/teach a preschooler about their older siblings disability? (ASD)

[Tired6789]

Is there a,12 month check with health visitor or 2 yrs? Or both? Does it vary by area?

[Alloveragain3]

Have you been seeing more little ones with food allergies and is any training being offered to you and your Co workers on allergies?

[skkyelark]

How common is it for babies not to have outgrown reflux by about a year? My DD is still suffering at 17 months - much, much better than it was, almost always 'silent' reflux now, but still there.

[BreeTown]

My 4,5 years old son (has speech and development delay and an asd diagnosis) absolutely hates being told what to do. And if you try to show him how something works he gets frustrated. (A good example is showing him how to hold a pencil and helping him write- it leads him to anger and throwing pencil on the floor).
Any tips on how to battle this? He is starting reception and I am dreading having to do any type of homework with him.

[MavisMcMinty]

Hello Claire, I wonder if you had your children before or after becoming a midwife and health visitor, and if it was before, the main thing(s) you learnt in your training that you wished you’d known at the time you had your babies?

[BonBon8493]

My 15 month old can pull to stand and cruise but cannot kneel and I worry that he won’t have the core strength for a while to walk independently. What can I do to encourage kneeling and when do I worry that he isn’t walking?! Thanks! X

[ClaireBaileyMAMexpert]

@SnowyMouse

Is a perfect prep safe to use with infants?

Hello @SnowyMouse , thank you for your question. Bottle prep machine manufacturers claim that the machines prepare the water to the exact temperature that you have set, every time it’s used. However, The Food Standards Agency has raised concerns about the 70°C hot shot of water that bottle prep machines release, stating it kills potential bacteria in the infant formula, they state that this is incorrect information, and the hot shot will not kill all the bacteria present. First Steps Nutrition Trust has said that there is not enough evidence that bottle prep machines are safe to use for preparing powdered infant formula. the official advice is that you use cooled, boiled water at greater than 70°C to make up your powdered infant formula, and this is recommended by the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency. However, current research states 50% of parents have used a prep machine, so new research is due to be carried out very soon. My advice would be if you are going to use one, make sure everything is sterile, follow the guidelines with changing filters, and use freshly boiled cooled water in the machine every time. I hope this helps.