March 2013 babies - we all have our beautiful babies :)

[Kte]

Sharn: Sorry your OH was being a bit sulky. Seriously, even now I have to OH proof things when he takes care of Sophie and Chloe - he's a bit better with Chloe but I still have to prepare things. They just don't seem to have the forethought, I don't get it, how can you not! That's me who can pack bottles - so I can imagine how ultra hard it is when breastfeeding!

MrsC: Hope the fleecy blanket helps - have you tried the grow bags / sleep bags yet? I can't remember.

Anna: Glad Williams first night went well. Glad you had a nice holiday as well

I'm having a mini stress on, I went to make up Sophie's night bottles and the plastic seal was broken. Sophie was crying in the supermarket and OH had his usual stress on so I didn't notice. The foil was fine after I checked and checked and I used a spoon from an old pack as well as anti-backing the tub before getting the milk out but I am still paranoid. Typically it had to be on a Sunday when I can't drive and go and get some more to be safe. I'm sure she will be fine but I am still going to worry the whole night through.

 

[Kte]

MrsC: I always just used to let Chloe sleep when she wanted to. She went to nursery at 4 months old and used to nap there but they would just leave them to sleep unless I said to them to wake her after so long, but I just to let her follow her own pattern. I guess, I think if it's a freak period of extra naps, then go with it. The main thing is she still eats as much as she used to.

 

[MrsChezek]

Kte - I'm not familiar with formula packaging at all but I can see why you'd be stressed. I agree though, since you checked the foil and it was fine, I too would assume it's fine! Fingers crossed though... And I guess I'll just let Hayden sleep..I have been...but then her afternoon naps are all off...she won't go down until like 3:30 or 4pm and then wants to sleep until 6 or even 7pm! Which then throws off her bed time of course Can't she just function on a schedule like a robot?

*EDIT: Forgot to respond about the sleep sacs...she has been sleeping in halo swaddle sleep sacs until last night when we switched her to just a regular sleep sac. It's one of those thin cotton ones, but she had a tshirt AND a footless sleeper underneath so I thought she's be fine! Apparently not...so tonight I think I'm going to just put the footless sleeper and a fleece sleep sac on without the undershirt. It will take some time to figure out the layering...I remember when she was a little peanut, she'd be in an undershirt, socks, swaddle sleep sac and a blanket, sometimes two! She was always so cold...

I have a grow bag but I haven't unpacked it yet or washed it...I forget which tog it is too...will have to check and order more. I know we have two more of the cotton sleep sacs somewhere too but they got lost in the move...I didn't think we'd need them until 5/6 months! But this little wiggle warm is already flipping over so there goes swaddling...

 

[sharnw]

KTE, I wish Kaylee would take the bottle. I pump it out when shes sleeping when my breasts are full and sore but, She just won't have it
Any tips ladies???

 

[anna1986]

MrsC - when they r babies I have always just let them sleep. my toddler however I have to wake from her nap or else shed sleep all day n be awake all night. I wish William napped for long periods but he rarely naps for longer than 45 mins at a time.

 

[MrsChezek]

Anna - well it's all a phase! So hopefully soon William will sleep longer too...and Hayden might go back to short naps. Who knows!

sharn - have you tried different bottles? We found success with the Como Tomo bottle which is very wide and shaped much like a breast. You can find it on Amazon...

 

[sharnw]

Thanks MrsC
I am using tommy tipee and avent. I will give different types a go

 

[JenJen80]

KTE, I wish Kaylee would take the bottle. I pump it out when shes sleeping when my breasts are full and sore but, She just won't have it
Any tips ladies???

Same problem here have tried Tommee Tippee and Avent but she refuses. I'm going to give up for now and try again after our holiday.

 

[rose.]

Hi everyone! Sorry I have a lot to catch up on - had a nice busy weekend babysitting my nieces yesterday went well, my nephew had a football tournament so was only home for half an hour so it was just 2 kids and Alfie in the end! They were good as gold

Mrs c, I would really recommend grobags/similar type sleeping bags, alfie is in a 2.5tog with just a bodysuit (baby grow with arms and legs) underneath, the temp of the room ranges from 18-21. I have a 1 tog for when its warmer.

Sharn and Jen, I am going to try and reintroduce a bottle tonight as Alfie started rejecting around 6 weeks and I just gave up trying!! Would be useful if he was ok with them now though in case we go somewhere which is not bf friendly or OH wants to look after him for a bit.

Mrs c, I always let Alfie nap unless its evening and he's been napping for ages and he needs his bath and bedtime feed, he never sleeps for much longer than 2 hours in the day though - normally he just has short naps of about 30 mins.

Kte I am sure if the foil is in place it will be absolutely fine!

 

[AmyB1978]

Rose, glad the babysitting went well!

MrsC, how did Hayden do on her 2nd (and third?) night of being unswaddled? I don't have tips or advice on long naps as we have quite the opposite problem here! Lol at the robot comment, it is definitely always changing!

Kte, if the foil is in place then I am sure it is just fine, but I definitely understand your worry!

To those of you with bottle refusers... We've never had an issue with Emily even though we stopped any bottle shortly after the NICU and didn't reintroduce them until it was almost time for me to start working the Saturdays. I had been looking up tips, incase, and found some really long and informative threads on here, you might try searching for them.

Emily had more trouble going down last night than the previous night but it was still better then it had been. She's just fallen back asleep from a night feed and I will be trying to put her back down in her crib upstairs instead of in our room. As we transition to her room I wish our room was on the same floor/closer (not that our house is very big at all, it's not.) long term having her up and us down will be awesome but she's sooo far away!

Oh, and Emily, now that she's not swaddled, sleeps in socks, a onesie(vest), and a cotton footed pajama... Our house thermostat is set about 77 (25) and her room, being upstairs, is a bit warmer though we do have ceiling fans running constantly in her room, our room, and the family room.

 

[sharnw]

Rose glad baby sitting went well

GL with bottle feeding. Please let us know how little Alfie went

Thanks Amy, I will search for tips too

 

[Kte]

Thanks

Sorry I have no advice for the swapping. I used to use TT when I combi fed but that didn't last long as Chloe was on bottles mainly then anyway rather than boob. I was the other way around. With Sophie, after the first 24hrs of BF I switched to the TT bottles again and that's all she has been on. I'm shocked as they are supposed to be like boobs! Good luck

I decided to try some of the formula myself, I figured it couldn't hurt and if it did - it wouldn't be given to Sophie! I had accidently got some in my mouth before now so I knew how it should be, it's a bit like horlicks, best way I can describe it! I think I was more worried that I noticed at bed time, I was worried I would be asleep and not notice if she needed my help. She is fine though, so all worry over nothing, I do get paranoid tired brain though. Still, best to be safe and all that!

 

[paula181]

Arghhhhhh I am sooo mad right now, I have got an overbearing mil and fil and a partner who hasn't got a backbone to tell them fuck off and thinks they can have a say in how I bring my kids up!!!
Alfie is into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and mil and fil bought him a mickey balloon and said they had a Minnie one but he WON'T be having Minnie as its for girls!!!! WTF if my son wants a doll and a pram he can have it, I am into children playing with mixed toys. Even my partner said the same that Alfie won't be having girls toys, what's wrong with him trying to be on my side infront of them even if he doesn't agree with me!!!
Tonight I was looking at wallpaper and stickers for Alfie's room and because it has Minnie on them my partner has refused and said that won't be going up. Which involved in us having a blazing row and now I'm thinking of whether I can put up with this.
I feel like they are being overbearing, they ring me every day sometimes more to see how Alfie is, and they come round every other day! If he is wearing something they don't like they take the piss and say what are you putting my grandson in. It's sooooo frustrating, I might be being bitchy but I feel like they are being sickly. My partner says they are showing they care but seriously it's too much and we always seem to be arguing because of how they make me feel, I am ready to blow and I don't want t say something in the heat of the moment and regret it!!
It's got to the point that I don't like them and am ready to leave because of them and my partner not being on my side.

I feel so alone

 

[rose.]

Oh Paula they do sound difficult to deal with!! It's a shame your partner sides with them and not you. I don't really have much advice as I don't think I'd know what to say/do if my mil and fil were that overbearing!! Of course it is fine for kids to have both girls and boys toys! It's good for them in fact. My husband often jokes that Alfie can't have something as its too girly and he needs a more boyish alternative but I don't think he would be bothered if I had some stickers of a mixture. Big have you tried explaining to your OH exactly how he makes you feel?

Thanks Sharn, it didn't go so well but Alfie was beside himself screaming before his bath (I think he's got teething pain) and also very upset after his bath. I tried him on the bottle straight after the bath but he didn't suck it and just carried on grizzling while sort of moving it around his mouth. I then let him have some boob to calm down and then tried him on the bottle again once I had winded him. He wasn't interested so I poured it in to a different bottle and tried that. He did take a few small sucks but them seemed uninterested. When I offered him boob again he kept gagging so I'm not sure if he had just had enough or whether it was the bottle he didn't like! I will try again tomorrow in the day time when he's a bit calmer!! Luckily I only put 2oz in the bottle so didn't waste much, glad I store my milk in small quantities!!

 

[AmyB1978]

Paula, big hugs... No advice as our family is not local but I'm so sorry you are going through this!

 

[MrsChezek]

Big hugs Paula! It's hard when your OH doesn't stand up for you...I've had some issues with that earlier in my relationship with my DH. I hope you can get through to your partner and he actually hears how frustrated you are. It's not fair to you to be treated like that by your in laws.


I actually put Hayden down for the night for the first time since she's started sleeping for longer stretches and we started a bed time routine. I've been too afraid that she wouldn't settle and would just want more boob if I brought her upstairs to bed, but tonight DH was putting the trash out when I was doing the final feed, so when she was done I just went for it. I'm sooooo glad I did cause she was just fine and it was so nice to be there to tuck her in and send her off to dreamland Plus, now I'm not nervous about DH coming home late from work or doing a work dinner thing cause I have more confidence in being able to put her down on my own! Yay!

 

[Kte]

Paula. It's awful and I wish your OH would grow a bit of a backbone against his parents for you, but it sounds like they must have been like that with him hence he is backing down. When we had Chloe we had a falling out with MIL and FIL of sorts, my OH was backing me though but we withdrew grandparent privileges, it's harsh yes but you are his mother and have a right to how you bring him up, you shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable and they need to respect your choices. There are always going to be little bits and pieces were you don't agree but they do seem very overbearing and you are right on this issue and shouldn't have to restrict Alfie on what he plays with just to please other people. If they don't want to buy him something fine but they can't stop you letting him if he wants to play with something or if you want him to have something like the minnie mouse stickers etc.

I think industry is as much to blame encouraging people to have genderised toys, there are actually groups that petition against it. I'm quite aware of it since everything Chloe get's is potentially pink, even if its a DIY set/bench! It drives me insane. Boy should be able to play with girls toys and vs versa. Chloe loves George pig and has teddies of him and my nephew loves Peppa Pig, it's completely normal. I always wonder where it came from as in Victorian times pink was the colour for a boy and blue was the colour for a girl. Anyway, I digress on the colours thing. You are doing right by your little man exposing him to both women and men and that is all, it's healthy. I really hope you can find some backing from your OH - if not, lots of hugs and be strong for your little man and do what you feel is best, not what others think is best. You are not alone, make sure you cuddle him extra when your feeling that way

 

[Kte]

Yey MrsC

 

[rose.]

That's interesting kte I didn't know the colours used to be the opposite way round!

 

[JenJen80]

That's interesting kte I didn't know the colours used to be the opposite way round!

I had heard this just the other day lol.

I am desperately trying to pack for our holiday next week how much do babies need lol. It now means I have to pack light not getting very far though as M wants feeding or picking up I wish she would be put down to sleep in the day.