bluesuperted

Hiya, I had this in a big way from 0-12 weeks. It totally freaked me out as he was baby number one. My Brierley midwives had to send round their most experienced midwife to tell me not to worry as he was gaining weight and really healthy. He used to vomit A LOT. 5 outfit changes a day plus! And lucky we bought a pale settee.... The midwife also reassured me after witnessing what I thought was a large full feed vomit 'that was nothing, barely half a feed!' Anyway I too was worried he was taking too much, but the best advice I got from the NCT breastfeeding line, was to feed MORE frequently, little and often so he wasn't really ravenous when feeding and it wouldn't hit his tummy so hard. This worked brilliantly and while we got occasional sick ups after 12 weeks it was far, far reduced in regularity and volume! I imagine the same would hold true for bf or formula feeding at this stage. Hope this helps! I had visions of never being able to leave the house and it was all unfounded in the end. xx

We're planning on going!

Was going to suggest specialist SLT as well. Not something I have enough experience of (am an almost trained SLT but only had adult swallowing placement) but there is a paeds feeding team based at King's if I remember rightly. Might be worth ringing the switchboard to see how to get a referral. Good luck with it all.

I really rate Asda Little Angels nappies... Better than Pampers IME and for the particular bottom I'm dealing with ;)

I may have a skewed idea of bum size - my 9 month old has been in size 5s for months (since 6 months I think) and was in 4s for ages before that. He is a fatty bum bum though.

I'd probably go up a nappy size as we get wee leaks only when nappy too small. It's not wasting money as she'll need size 4s eventually and you can still use the size 3s in the day.

The BLW cookbook is full of lovely ideas and about ?7. I use it most days (but am BLWing, although at 9 months it probably makes no difference).

I used to use touche ?clat too but then had an allergic reaction so switched to the Chanel one on the advice of a dermatologist nurse, it was quite good but never remember to use it now.... Hair wise my FAVOURITE thing in the world is now my Moroccan Oil sold to me by my hairdresser at GMs who realised how hopeless I am - means I no longer get massive tangles from not drying my hair before getting into bed. Naughty me but it's been a life saver, just use a tiny amount at night and never brush my hair or dry it!!! 15 mins a day saved!

Gorgeous, thank you! Duly bookmarked for regular re-reading. I saw this post yesterday and loved it too. http://attachmentparenting.org/blog/2011/05/09/love-is-not-always-flood-lights-and-fireworks-but-sometimes-it-is/ I'm entranced by my son's hands so I especially love that bit :)

Anna_r raves about said hilariously named Sandy Balls Snowboarder!

Have trialled the manduca and really liked it. Very streamlined and possible to cross the straps too.

I think the jumperoo depends on your baby's size and head control. My baby was huge/long at 4 months and had strong head control from birth it seemed so he was fine for short bursts, didn't even need a cushion underneath as his legs were long enough. He looked quite bemused the first few times though, he started to enjoy it at more like 5 months.

Agree agree Sophie - we spent the best part of two weeks travelling around the UK, in and out of relatives, cars, tourist spots, shops, beaches and didn't take a buggy. Not once did we regret it or even mention it!

Jumperoo is hideous but great, my LO has used it from 4 months to now - although he's much more interested in moving now he can crawl/pull up. And more flexible than a door bouncer (providing you have the space, big old footprint!) Edited to add, he's nearly 9 months old now.

Thanks Buggie :) I think my whole NCT group has either an Ergo or a Beco Gemini now, possibly to do with my general raving about them both! I agree with Molly and I don't do the facing out position - it puts too much of a strain on my back and is not as optimal for babies spinal development - but I know lots of people like it. Once they are big enough I find they can see quite a lot in the facing in position and my poor boy doesn't know any different so he doesn't mind! I will be moving him to the back when he is too heavy but at the moment we're both comfy with him on the front and I'd rather keep him where I can see him for now. Husband has tried baby on the back though and they both enjoyed it - baby went straight to sleep in fact. I love both the Ergo and the Beco Gemini, the Ergo is my old faithful and fantastic for naps with the built in hood. The Beco is sooooo comfy in the facing in position as you can cross the shoulder straps which makes quite a difference with a 23lb+ baby. You can buy a universal hood apparently but I haven't got one (yet). I do not use my buggy either and go here, there and everywhere with mine but I am a bit obsessed! Only when MIL comes and insists on it...(grr) it literally has not been moved from under our stairs since early March... Molly your Beco might be a bit different as I think the Gemini only came out in 2010. I also have a Beco Butterfly Duo which is still in its box... not sure if I'm going to keep it or resell. It has an internal harness which is supposed to make back carries easier but like Molly says I think with practice that should be doable in the Ergo/Gemini anyway. With the Slumber Roo site I think it's ?10.99 plus postage but you click on the hire section and then pay as normal - the money they charge you is a calculated percentage of the replacement cost of the carrier initially, but it's just a deposit at this stage. They are great, the two owners are super helpful and delivery is swift.

That's one of the things I love about demand feeding - it can work both ways and sometimes I would do a pre-emptive strike before going out and about - which was good when I was less brazen about nursing in public. Now I just whack them out anywhere. And today I knew I was going to be away from my LO for 2.5 hours in the late afternoon so I just offered a bit more this morning/lunch etc and felt really chilled that he would be fine without me for quite some time. I imagine the luxury of having just one small person will become very apparent to me when I end up with a newborn again at some point in the future Snowboarder! Ignorance is bliss for now :)

My husband is a primary school teacher and he rarely stands at the front to teach, he moves around the classroom and amongst the groups of tables throughout the lesson. He nevers sits down at his desk either, no wonder he's knackered when he gets home! Teaching is much less didactic and much more inclusive and collaborative (teacher/child, child/child) these days than when I was at primary school 20 years ago. It sounds a lot more fun in many ways!

Agree with snowboarder, but I too do it all wrong (and love it!). Just thinking back to my life 8 months ago, with a 3 week old... and it was feed, baby asleep on me, stare at him, feed rinse and repeat, husband made a lot of squash. 3 weeks is soooo tiny! I occasionally put him in his carrycot once he was asleep and he would sleep for 20 mins or so and then wake (not crying just wide awake) but if I kept him on me/in the sling he would sleep for ages. I definitely agree with the thinking that at this age, if you feed them, and then they cry afterwards at some point, and you think, no they can't possibly be hungry only an hour has passed etc... feed them again!

No major nap advice but just wondering if you are breastfeeding? I have no idea about timing gaps between formula feeds at this stage but when my LO was 3 weeks old I was demand feeding him roughly every two hours in the day (I feel like this went on til he was 6 months actually!!). He could well be growth spurting and hunger is waking him up. My son was/is on the 98th centile but I was of the opinion this meant he needed more frequent feeds given how tiny their tummies are at 3 weeks and how quickly breastmilk is digested.

Moos, yes I count my lucky stars with the no nighttime howling card! Also, I like this little blog post for days when the naysayers (in ANY direction) get you down. It's a variation on the 'it's just a phase' maxim but I like it a lot as it goes against the grain a little. http://sleepisfortheweak.wordpress.com/2007/09/14/things-i-will-not-be-doing-again/

And mine fulfils the middle criteria too (no crying when waking, quiet feeds). He randomly also slept through (up to 9 hours!!!) when he was pre-12 weeks!! After that it changed but now we do sometimes get some 6 hr blocks at night again here and there. There is always hope!

Hey Ruth, yes definitely different strokes! And as in all things mummy, there is a need to live and let live, especially if you are said unrelated man on train, MIL or friend without baby!? I consider us really lucky with baby E, he wakes usually 2x a night sometimes 3 but it's usually all very quick and I'd say on a normal night I could get nine hours (broken) sleep if I was physically capable of getting off my iPhone before 11pm! As it is we either all go to bed at 8ish and I read/email til 11 or he sleeps on us downstairs til same time and transfer him upstairs without waking him then get a few wake ups before the day starts around 730/8am. All quite?civilised to us at least and everyone is getting decent enough rest (although know this would be awful for some people!!) so therefore in no rush to change things. It's a far cry from 3.5hrs a night and I think I'd be demented with 10 months of that! It really does vary by baby and by family - that's what makes me mad when people butt in on YOUR particular and very individual situation with negativity. Being at the end of your rope and asking for advice is one thing but unsolicited lecturing (or unhelpful comments when you're following your own plan after much thought) is so annoying and can really dent your confidence.? Likewise we've never had one hourly wakings, I love night feeds rather than dread them and certainly the idea of a sleep clinic has never been a topic of conversation for us (going back to the Pantley thing, we're clearly not finding our lot a problem) so I really feel for those of you in that situation, it must be really hard. Ruth just saw your last post, wishing you a chilled out, sleep loving little one this time round! Surely it's your turn for some sleep luck now?? xx

I agree with Fuschia and Saffron - this wasn't a piece attacking another viewpoint, but rather it is a nice positive affirmation for elements of a parenting style that conversely always seems ripe for being attacked! Pretty much everyone from Health Visitor to family member to lady/man on the bus has told me to stop night feeding my little boy even though it doesn't bother me at all and means I wake feeling rested and completely happy with my decision. And like Saffron says even if you have all the belief instinctively that you are doing the right thing, it can be grating to have people constantly tell you you are wrong. A friend of mine (without a baby yet) is ALWAYS asking me (despite no complaints from me about sleep deprivation etc) when am I going to sleep train? When will he be in his cot? Really, when am I going to sort it out? Why is he still waking?!? My neighbour has a child who coslept til 19 etc etc! She is a lovely girl but the last time I saw her it made me feel so bad that I'm not that keen on meeting up again until my LO is a bit older because I feel like I've made my point politely and I don't want to have to make it aggressively! I have read parts of the Elizabeth Pantley No Cry Sleep Solution (which is a really good book from what I've gleaned) and she asks questions at the beginning about whether or not your child's specific sleep 'problem' is really a problem to you/your family, or whether it's the attitudes of those around you that are causing you anxiety and worry. For me, the latter is definitely true and until it starts causing me and my husband issues, we will keep going with the way we both are enjoying doing things. If it is causing you major problems and sleep deprivation then that is a different matter. I am lucky as my son feeds quickly and easily in the night unless he is teething/ill and he wakes up well rested and smiling so he is also not being done a disservice for not getting 12 hours straight at this stage. And as for more babies... I plan on doing things very similarly next time (not because I am arrogant but because things have worked well for us; although I know a new baby will have completely different needs and personality) within the very demanding constraints of being a second child. Everyone is different and it hasn't put me off at all, in fact, almost everyday I have to give myself (and hubby!) a stern talking to to not start trying again very soon!!

Sushi is great because you can order really simple stuff (rice, vegetables, chicken) and hold off on sauces if you prefer and of course no raw fish! We are doing baby led weaning so sushi has been a good meal out for us as easy to have a salt free, simple and baby-friendly small portion.

Haven't been with my little one but Moshi Moshi (upstairs by M and S in the station) is ace and I find sushi great for my 8.5 month old... (guess not ideal for pickier older eaters though...). There are proper seats not just stools.