7m old - have I got her EASY right? EWs recently started.

[sherry lynn]

Ernest's mom - I agree. I didn't want to argue with the HV. But I know that most of us on the birth clubs at this age had our little one's taking FULL bottles, plus eating a good amount of solids. It sounds like hunger to me too. I would let her eat as much as she wants.

[*Fiona*]

I actually think I agree with you both on the milk & the solids. My HV really hasn't been much help to me with regards to introducing solids. I feel like the blind leading the blind, not too sure what I'm doing, and as Kirsty is my first baby, i'm kinda learning as I go. As she was happily eating what I was giving her, it hadn't occurred to me to increase the amount of solids, until yesterday... I looked about online at how much an average 7m old is eating and it seems I'm really not giving Kirsty a lot at all.

So yesterday I doubled her food portions, I figure as you say - she'll eat what she can and refuse what she doesn't want. It seems common that a baby of her age would eat 1 full stage1 jar of savoury plus 1 full stage1 jar of fruit/pudding for each meal. 1 jar is approx 5oz, So now she is getting apporx 4-5oz worth of veggies plus a little fromage frais for lunch, and approx 4-5oz worth of veggies & same agin of fruit for dinner. 1/2 weetabix and 4 tsps of fruit for breakfast.

Plus will offer her whatever milk she wants across the 4 daytime feeds.

I think I've realised what may have been bothering her the past few days - she had a really unsettled night lastnight and I realised at 3am she has a cold. This is her first time ever being poorly, she's never had anything other than colic/teething. At 3am, I gave her calpol and 5oz milk which settled her until 6am this morning, bless her. She took all her milk at breakfast, wasn't fussy for solids but I'm ok with that, I don't often feel like eating when I'm sick, so as long as she takes her milk and picks at food, I'm ok with that until she's better. I gave her calpol with breakfast and she went back to bed at 8:30am, quite happily, she actually was "asking" for bed, very tired indeed. Seems like she will take after me - when I'm sick, all I want to do is sleep.

I had a cold earlier in the week which started out with a very sore throat for a day or 2, so that's probably what she has had the past few days. I'll give it a few days to settle & get over this illness then see how she goes - I'm sure you will see me back again 

[Ernest's mum]

Ah bless!! Let me know how you get on.  My LO is 6 months and he eats a fair bit so I would just go with her hunger for a while and see what happens. 

[sherry lynn]

I hope you guys feel better soon

[*Fiona*]

We had an awful night last night, she was sooo bunged up she found it difficult to keep breathing through her mouth - which inturn meant she couldn't use her dummy properly, bless her! She woke loads between 10pm and midnight, when I settled her in the bouncy chair for the rest of the night. Having her head slightly reclined helped keep her nose clearer. Poor thing.

I've increased her soids more as she just keeps accepting what I offer lol! She had a bottle at 5am today but that may well have just been with this cold. Poor baby, this is her first time being poorly but it's horrible! You just want to take it away for them.

[~*Nicole*~]

Do you have the suction thing for the nose. DD hated it but it took out loads of gross phlemy snot and helped her breathe. Also, running a hot shower and staying in the bathroom to breath the steam. Vicks vapor rub for babies to put on her chest. Some of them helped when DD had a terrible cold.

Hope she feels better soon.

and hey, if she's eating what you offer, great!

[*Fiona*]

Thanks for the suggestions, I don't have a nasal suction thing. But have been placing olbas oil drops on a tissue close to her today (incase you've not heard of it, it's a vapour which helps clear her airways and help her breathe better).

Once this cold goes I think we have some hard work to do to get her back on track. She went down for her morning nap fine today but resisted the afternoon one, I resorted to taking her for a walk in the buggy.

[sherry lynn]

I'm glad she slept in the buggy for you That's a good thing. Sometimes we just have to do things like that. You never know, sometimes they bounce back so much easier than we think they will.

[Ernest's mum]

Just be careful with the bouncy chair - not sure what country you're in, but in the news today in the UK, very very sad story about a little baby who got stuck under her bouncy chair on her parents bed.   Just thought I would share, sorry I know it's not nice.
Anyway I hope your LO gets well soon.  Poor thing.

[*Fiona*]

Can you link me to the news story please? 

[Ernest's mum]

Sorry Fiona I haven't been online for a while so wasn't able to get you that link...

How are things?  My LO's night sleeping has gone all wonky too.  He is 6.5 months and has started waking..lord only knows what is going on, hunger, teething, tummy ache....    not good...

Hope things are better with you.

[*Fiona*]

Aww that's ok, don't worry! We've never really allowed DD to sleep through the night in her bouncy, only those 2 or 3 nights due to her being poorly.

Kirsty is doing much better. I came to the realisation that she just doesn't quite fit into a specific EASY routine. We follow the sequence of EASY but not the timing as such. I just go by Kirsty, she seems to have set her own routine. She gets up around 7am each day (YEY for finally being consistent!!). Her day goes something like:

E- 7/7:30: 5oz milk, 1/2 weetabix with 2 cubes of fruit
A
S - 9:30: anywhere between 1 and 2 hours

E- 11/11:30: 5oz milk (depending on wake up time)
E- 12: solids
A
S- 2/2:30: again 1-2 hours depending on how much she slept in morning

E- 3:30/4: 5oz milk
E- 5: solids
A

6:30pm: bath, 8-9oz milk and in bed by 7/7:10pm

She is sleeping better at night and even if she does wake, she accepts her dummy and goes back to sleep. I'd say she sleeps solid 7pm-6/7am maybe 3-4 nights a week. 2-3 nights she wakes once but accepts dummy. And she was approx 1 night a week, being awake for a couple of hours but happy alone in her cot babbling! These nights are becoming less frequent now.

She appears to need a short A time between getting up & first nap and a longer A time between 1st & 2nd nap. She has been off her solids since having the cold about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Some days she will only eat a few spoonfulls, others she eats well. But whatever she eats (little or lots), she is as happy as usual, and no particular difference in her sleeping, so I just go with it, she will eat what she needs, eat when she is hungry.



I wonder if the age your LO is at is common for NWs? Kirsty became settled for the first time though the night when I weaned her off the breast around 6.5 months, but it only lasted about 1 or 2 weeks then she began waking again. Has he got any teeth yet? Kirsty still has none although her gums are bulging! Every morning I am sure I will see 2 little white toofers, and every morning... nothing! lol!

[sherry lynn]

Fiona - that is great news.  That is a really really good routine. She does fit in EASY. I think we get all caught up in the sample routines, and I don't think that is what Tracy really intended. I got all caught up in it too. So it seems that she is sleeping an average of 3 hours a day and having good nights, so that sounds about right on par.  

Great job listening to your little one. That's what it's all about   I hope things continue to go well for you. Thanks for giving us the update.

[*Fiona*]

I KWYM, I was too busy trying to fit her into a sample routine instead of going by what she needed. Thanks to you all for your help - I'm sure I'll be back in the near future with more questions!

[sherry lynn]

Yes, once we find this place there is always stuff to come back and get help on. I just put up my own post on the toddler board because we got our first NO nap day. YIKES!!