Jan/Feb 05 chat - Thread #3

[bianca'smum]

Thank you all so much for your welcomes. 

You have another Aussie in your ranks, we live in sunny Brisbane, Queensland Australia.  And boy is it hot here today, Bianca had her first swim at 7:30am in the morning!

Brushing Teeth - I have been giving Bianca a toothbrush with a little bit of toothpaste on it when she has her bath each night.  She just chews on it and actually as she has got older is starting to rub the brush along her teeth and gums.

1st Birthday - I have no idea, but better start working it out quick, my little girl turns one on the 21st.  Probably a BBQ with the family and the next door neighbours, they have 3 boys, one of which is a month older than Bianca.

Can I ask anyone if or how they intend to put their little one's across to cow's milk?  Do I have to wait until Bianca is 1 (She is only two weeks off.) or is it worthwhile to introduce one of her feeds each day now with cow's milk and slowly increase it over the next couple of weeks?

[Daniel's mummy]

Janelle - I think the general advice is to wait to 1 year before introducing cow's milk.  Having said that we have already started Daniel on cow's milk once or twice.  He doesn't seem to mind the difference in taste too much.  What we have done a few times is mixed the 2 together - half formula and half cow's milk.

[Leah's Mom]

Janelle - My doctor told me to introduce cow's milk at bit before her first b-day. (He wanted her to be introduced to it before her one year check-up, that way we can discuss any problems there may me.) I've heard conflicing info, but we plan to go cold turkey with the cow's milk. This way you will be able to tell if they have any reactions to it. So, cow's milk day for us will be Saturday, Jan 28th - the weekend works best for us because that is when I am home. OMG, that's only three weeks away!  :shock:

[thitz]

Janelle, I'm holding out on milk till we have our allergist appointment this month.  If they test milk and she's fine I think I'll start switching her over one bottle at time.

Us, well the sippy cup I bought didn't go so well.  You have to really suck hard on the hard spout and she didn't like it.  So I'll be returning that!  I think we'll try the soft spout cups.  Does anyone use the straw cups?  Do you still tilt these ones back?

[klt]

I heard also that you can start mixing it in food/cooking before giving it straight.  Here they told me that since she eats so much of everything that I should give her semi skimmed.  Apparently they used to say full fat but recently changed to recommend it only if your lo is not eating all food groups well at 1yo since they started having obesity issues.  Do they say that in other countries too?

Kate

[Leah's Mom]

Tarri - Yes, we use a straw cup. I bought it at Walmart and it has the nuby straw. We also use the nuby sippy cups. (Nuby makes the soft spout.) No, she doesn't need to tip back the straw cup.

Are all of you planning on turning you LO around in their car seat at exactly a year? I'm getting anxious to put Leah forward facing, she just hates facing backwards. I'm actually thinking she should be forward facing, she is so long that she has to bend her knees because her feet hit seat.

[Daniel's mummy]

Christine - Daniel has been forward facing for a couple of months now.  Here in the UK they suggest changing them anytime from around 9months once they reach a certain weight.  He was too big for his rear facing one (his head reached over the top) by about 9 months so we switched then.  He LOVES the new seat as he can see so much more. The only thing is he definitely doesn't sleep so long in the forward facing as he used to in the rearward one.  Maybe it's because he can see more or it could simply be because he's older and more into everything.

We are getting desperate here - Daniel REFUSES to take milk from anything but the bottle.  This afternoon I put a couple of ounces of milk in his sippy cup.  He would not have any of it.  So I went and tipped it into his bottle and he polished the lot off in about 30 secs flat.  Do all of your los take milk from sippy cups or just juice/water? He will happily drink juice with his meals from the cup but nothing else.  Any advice?

My poor SIL - she was in hospital for 7 days after her dd was born (she got HELLP syndrome).  She's since had really bad mastitis, which has just turned into abscesses both sides  :cry:   Tuesday she ended up in hospital getting them drained.  Today she's back in again coz they've got bad again.  And to top it all off they think her lo has it too.  I didn't even know it was possible for the baby to get mastitis, but apparently so.  She is soooo positive through it all it puts me to shame.  Makes me feel bad for all the times I complained about little things.  She is going through all this with a smile on her face and I've not really heard her complain once :shock:   Hopefully she'll be on the mend soon now.

[julieb]

Just a quick note, gotta prepare for errands while Asher sleeps...

Kate, they're quite vocal about whole milk until age two here in the US.  But they also are very vocal about cutting down the fast foods and unhealthy snacks for children in order to stop childhood obesity.  Even though Asher eats a lot, he's in no danger of being obsese, so he'll get whole milk since it's much better for babies.

Whole Milk Day -- not sure what day we'll do it, but I plan on introducing wheat, eggs, and dairy before I schedule his 1 year check up in case we have any problems.

Car seat -- we were going to leave Asher RF until he hit the limit (33 lbs) or his legs couldn't fit anymore.  But lately with REAL shoes on, he's quite cramped.  I figure he's only 26-27 lbs though.  So I think we'll end up turning him around his birthday anyway.

Speaking of REAL shoes -- I made the mistake of getting shoes with laces.  He loves to untie them.  Will get velcro next time.  :roll:

Sippy -- When I taught Asher how to use a sippy, he had EBM.  But I got lazy and only give him water now (has never had juice).  I gave him some extra EBM couple times since and he wouldn't take it.  When I introduce milk, I'll only give it to him in the sippy, but I may have to buy a new sippy so he doesn't get put off (seeing a familiar sippy but unfamiliar taste).

Hope all the sickies are feeling better quickly!!   

[Jaime]

Whole milk - we're going cold turkey once the formula's gone - sometime in the next month! 

Car seat - i cannot wait to turn luke around.  i think he'll be much happier on longer car trips when he can see all of us.  thankfully, the seat we have is great for rear-facing, so he's not cramped at all - even as big as he is!  but it does seem to bug him that he has no idea where we are sometimes. 

Cups - for a while, luke was drinking water out of a straw cup, but since this cold he's lost interest, which i guess makes sense.  i think we'll just play with sippy cups when it comes time to drink milk out of them.  haven't decided yet; i may do milk out of a bottle for a little while until he doesn't mind the taste, and then switch. 

Kate - i've heard that whole milk is great until they were age 2, when you are supposed to switch to skim milk.  my ped had never heard of that though, so i just went to 2% when jaina turned 2, cause that's what we drink.  who knows?!

anyhow, luke is getting better - just in time for the rest of us to get sick!   :roll: oh well.  cute luke thing - he is "scootching" so much faster now, and boy does he know where he wants to go to get into trouble!   :lol: and he has the cutest grin when i catch him...

[dkjokisch]

Janelle - We're going to wait until our 1yr ped visit to introduce whole milk, and Maya has weight gain issues (only 16lb, 6oz as of our sick visit last week), so we'll definitely be doing whole milk when the time comes.  We have already used it in cooking for her.

Christine - Again, since Maya is so scrawny, she will be rear-facing for quite a while yet.  The minimum requirement here is 20lb AND 1yr, but they do recommend leaving them rear-facing as long as they fit comfortably.

JulieB - I have to laugh.  Maya can undo velcro, so I bought lace-up shoes, and I double-knot them.  Her feet are so narrow, though, it's very difficult to find ones that fit.  Of course, last time MIL was here, she spent 1/2hr teaching Maya how to untie and remove her shoes.  This is after spending 1-1/2wks with us and knowing that the only to keep socks on her feet is to put shoes on her.

Tarri - We have two different Nuby soft spout ones, but the handled one she didn't like, and the one without handles was a bit awkward (not the lack of handles, but the height of it).  I was looking for the Nuby straw one (never found it) when I found the disposables.  We also have two Tommee Tippee ones, but she didn't do well with either.  When we introduce milk, I think I'll put it in the no-handle Nuby cup.

[thitz]

Christine, that's good that you don't have to tip up a straw cup, cause I think what happens is emily sucks on the spouts of the sippy's but nothing comes out so she gives up.  So my next purchase will be a straw cup!

Car seat, we bought a convertible car seat a couple months ago with the idea that we'd like to keep her rear facing as far past her first birthday as possible.  I've read so much stuff that babies are way safer in the rear facing position, and I'd hate to take a chance I could regret.

Kate, that's interesting about the view of obesity linked to whole milk.  In canada they recommend whole milk.  I think we'll try whole milk cause I'm worried that she's going to need the calories cause she'll probably drink less out of a cup than a bottle.

Jamie, that's awesome that Luke is scooting so much.  He must be thrilled to go places

Hazel, I remember that Tracy talks about the milk in sippy cup problem in the book.  I believe she says to offer a cup with what they're used to and a cup with milk at the same time.  Can't remember the rest of the details but it's in there somewhere :wink: 

Us, I can't believe how far Emily's come in the last two months :lol: .  She's fully walking now, is nesting plastic cups together, passing me toys, bringing a toy from one location and putting it in a box somewhere else .  It's wonderful!  I'm very proud of her.  (still no pulling up or crawling :wink: )  Have a good night everyone, Tarri

[Leah's Mom]

Tarri and anyone else!  :wink:
This is the straw cup we use. The Nuby one. I love it. Plus it is insulated. I bought mine at Walmart. But this is the site I found with a picture!
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/thebabybungalow/nunosp9ozins.html

[Deb_in_oz]

car seats - olivia has been front facing for months now (can't remember when but definitely around 9 mo)

milk - already in food and then we do whole milk for 1st 2 yrs here.  i agree with tarri that since they tend to drink less milk than formula or BM it is good to have the concentrated fat source. recently learnd that low fat milk apparently has more calcium so i guess it depend on what you are trying to achieve

Tarri - i am so amazed at emily - i almost choked on my coffee when i read that she is doing al that stuff since she and liv are the same age (then told myself just to be happy for Emily, etc and let go of my guilt that i don't do enough with liv to encourage these things)

Jaime - glad to hear luke is better, sorry for the rest of the family. i am just gettting to the end of my cough finally and alex is still struggling slightly but now Liv and Dh are the worst - Dh actually took thurs and fri off sick  :roll:  and slept loads (lucky him)

our update- not sure what the root cause/change is of our success now (we have simultaneously moved to earlier nap times, had a cold front/rain move in = darker and cooler, and liv is ill) but the results are 1) no shh/pat required for sleeps as she is not standing up in cot 2)her naps have been great with some days of 1hr 30 in the am and still 1hr 30-2hrs in pm and 3) wake up has been between 7-7:30 this week  :shock:  of course i wake up coughing at 4-5am or think i hear liv at6am and have to sit up and listen closely - all for nothing  :roll:

[HeatherC]

I have been trying to get Kelsey to drink formula from a sippy for months now.  I had heard that babies often refuse it, so I've been trying to prepare her for the big switch.  I offer it at breakfast and lunch.  You will laugh, or might be the same way, but I have 10 different sippy cups!!!!  She takes her watered-down juice extremely well from one cup, so I tried others for the formula/eventually milk.  She just won't even try a different cup.  So we're back to her usuall cup.  The most formula she's ever taken from it is 3 oz, which was wonderful, but it must have been a mistake that she was very thirsty and wouldn't take anymore once she realized what it was.  I still try everyday, though, and today she did 1 oz.  Maybe when I give cold milk (since her juice is cold) she'll be more accepting.  I think I'm going to start mixing her formula with whole milk and wean the formula down.  She hasn't had any food troubles other than the banannas, so I think she'll be fine.  My friends did that and it worked well.
As for the carseat, I know Kelsey is over 20 lbs, but I think RF is easier right now and she doesn't complain.  It will take some getting used to to strap her in the other way.  Her feet don't hit the seat, plus the seat helps keep her toys from falling too far.
Tarri-sounds like alot is going on at your house.  It really is amazing all the developments they make all of the sudden, isn't it.  I meant to tell Julie B that Kelsey also got the drop-n-roar dinosaur and dh taught how to put the balls in.  Funny thing is that now she likes to put them back in where they come out and try to get them out herself.  And I love to watch her try to figure out her shape sorter, or hand me something but take it back real quick.  It's been fun!

As for shoes, how long does she need to be in the soft, flexible leather ones?  Her's have gotten so dirty already that it's embarassing.

Can anyone remind me why I was complaining about Kelsey not eating finger/table foods?  I've created a monster!!!  I can't keep her hands off my plate and she's stuffing herself.  I see know how it's possible for them to decrease their milk intake once they eat more solids.  I thought Kelsey would never fall into that catergory.  She's taking about 5-6 oz after lunch and before bed, when she used to take 8.  Is that okay now since she's close to 12 months?  I guess if she takes awhile to accept milk that she'll get full enough on food and water/juice and I'll just make sure she has enough calcium from other sources.

[julieb]

I scored at the second hand store this afternoon!      I found the FP Incrediblock!  Looks new, half the price, with all of the original blocks plus extras!  I was SO hoping someone would get it for Christmas or his birthday, but it's pricey, so we'll just give it ourselves.   Also saw a Leapfrog activity table for $20, but I'm not so sure about it.  People rave about it, but Asher seems too "busy" for it.  He seems to need more physical toys.  I also picked up one of those old-fashioned corn poppers for playing outside.

Also went to Wal-Mart (I only go when I'm desperate) looking for playground stuff (like a toddler slide) but they don't have their displays up yet.   :?  Hopefully they'll have stuff before his birthday.  It's Arizona!  They should have this stuff displayed year round!!  I'd like to get him a slide (or set) from his great aunt who sent some money.

Oh, I wanted to say earlier, Asher's cognitive skills have seemed to take a leap lately.  If I tell him we're gonna take a nap, he'll grab his luvie and go stand by the gate waiting.  I brought out a new stuffed animal I had been saving for him and started calling it "Lambie" and within two days, he already knew it by name.  Then yesterday, we were playing outside and I was showing him leaves and grass.  By the end of our conversation, he pointed to the grass or a leaf if I asked him!  I'm so shocked!  I never never babies could understand so much so young!  Oh, and he's now OBSESSED with putting things in holes!  Driving me a little nuts because he's putting toys in other toys that aren't supposed to go together and things are getting stuck!  Oh well, at least he's learning what fits.  I think he's been inspired by all these new sorting toys he got for Christmas.

Deborah --  :lol:   I figure he'll be able to undo the velcro as well, but at least I can re-velcro faster than re-tie!  I thought of double knotting, but I think the untieing will just annoy me more than having to do velcro.  We'll see!  :roll:   He's good at leaving his shoes on, at least, because he knows it means we're either going for a car ride or outside to play.  And I never put socks on him except for sleeping.  Though I finally got some non-skid ones today, so we'll see.  His feet never seem to get cold though.  And while you can't find shoes thin enough, I can't find them thick enough!  :lol:   Asher has a somewhat wide foot, but that's not the problem!  It's really thick and tall!  Pudgy little feet that are hard to get into these tiny shoes!!  :shock:

Straw cups -- I saw some clever spill proof straw cups by Nuby today at Wal-Mart.  They have slits in the straw!  (Christine, that's the one I saw too)

Heather, those shoes are washable, you know.   :wink:  We just put real shoes on Asher last week and he's been walking for over 2 months.  But that was because I lost his shoes for about a month!  :oops:  Otherwise, we would have just kept the robeez about a month -- until they seem to walk well and stable, and might start walking on new surfaces that need more sole protection.