Babies of Oct-Dec /04

[Jadynsmom]

Hi everyone,

Alli- Thank you for reassuring me that Jadyn's teeth won't bother bfing too much.  I really want to bf as looong as I can.  I love the bonding time and also I'm cheap.   :wink: Those formulas are too pricey, if you ask me, and these boobs are free. :lol: I told my husband I want to go even beyond 1yr.  He thinks I will change my mind, esp when ALL her teeth are in.  We'll see.

Jennifer - Glad ds is doing better, even without swaddling.  My lo flips and plays in bed as well.  She's so cute!! I will hear this little noise and I go up to check on her and she's on her back with her legs up in the air and she's trying to touch her toes.  Of course, that's not so cute when it's sleeptime!!
Just this morning I put her on her back and watched as she tried to flip to her tummy.  She flips from her tummy to back already but has been having trouble flipping from back to tummy, esp at night.  She's a tummy sleeper and won't sleep on her back!  So hopefully her practicing now will help her during sleep.

Mimi, My husband and I literally run when Jadyn cries, any kind of cries.  She hardly cries and is so happy that if she cries we figure she needs us.  I have to race to get to her before my hubby!! :wink:  We figure she's only a little baby for so long and we want to be there for her all the time and let her know that.  That's awesome she's crawling!! I can't wait til see my lo crawling.  I bet it's so cute.

Sharon-I think I will finally start solids this week.  She woke last night at 2:50am and would not go back down til 4:50am!!! Wow, I'm not used to that.  She did sleep in til 8:30am but still.  I don't see how moms that have to get up for nightwakings do it.  They are more of a mom than I am.

Gotta go, lo is up after 1.30 min nap & she didn't wake for her 45min!! Yeah!!! She;s cooing right now.  hope all of you are having a great day!!

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Kathy it makes me soooo happy to hear Jaydn is such a happy wee thing!
Good on you!   

And Jennifer I took much comfort in you saying your friends said six months is hard...'cause whooooo man we've been having a tough time!
Though dd is still sleeping through with only 1-2 wake ups and the bump on her gums is going up and down...

One new thing is she's started babbling.    goo goo and da da da and it's the most wonderful sound I think I've ever heard! I recorded it and played it back for her and she laughed her head off like it was the funniest thing in the world!  ~sigh~  I'm soooo in love... 

Talk to you all soon,

Sharon

[Jadynsmom]

My lo ate her first bit of solids today - 2 tblspoon of rice cereal mixed with ebm - and she ate it all up and liked it!!  

Sharon - she is a very happy baby but I think her teeth are finally bothering her sleep, esp at night.  She's doing this moaning and last night and the night before she screamed about 10mins into going to bed.  She definitely was in pain! :cry:  I gave her Orajel (hates it) & Tylenol (loves it).  Boy, I sure hope this teething is going to be over soon.

Do I give her cereal for breakfast (1hr after bf) and also for dinner (5:45pm) for a couple of weeks and then add in fruit or veggies?  I'm so confused with this solid foods!!  I just wish I only could give her bm and not worry about other stuff!!

Thanks!

[Jakes_mom]

kathy,

so happy to hear your lo is enjoying solids, not every baby takes to it so quickly.  When i began feeding solids i researched a few baby food websites, i really liked Gerber.com  they, along with my ped suggests feeding rice cereal for 3-5 days (increasing the consistency each day) after rice is then wheat and then barley.  after your lo has tried all for at least 3 days each then you can start veggies and do the same for each type.  i started feeding my ds breakfast and dinner and now we are on the fruits.  he eats a fruit and ceral for breakfast, lunch is 1\2jar fruit & 1\2 jar veggies, dinner 1\2jar veggies and cereal.  hope i helped. 

jennifer

[Jadynsmom]

Thank you Jennifer for you reply.  I got on the website and read the guidelines for cereal and then introducing fruits & veggies.  I guess I am supposed to give rice cereal for about 4-5 days and then try barley & oatmeal for the same period.  And then after she's ok with that introduce the veggie or fruit?  Can I not just stay with rice cereal, rather than introducing barley & oatmeal?  I gave her 2tbl spoon of cereal at 5:30pm and she gobbled it up.  I wished I had made more.  Then I bf her at 7pm and she nursed for her normal length.

She's been kinda clingy and fussy a bit lately.  She woke up from her catnap really fussy and would not let me put her down.  I had to hold her in a sling while I tried to do things around the house. :?  On a good note, she went down for nighttime very easily, like she used to.  She moaned for only about 5mins and I patted her for about 5mins and she was calm enough to go to sleep.  I am so proud of her.  I did give her Tylenol & Orajel also. :wink:

She has been staying awake longer & longer and I'm kinda confused as to what her ideal wake time is.  She just goes with it, no matter how long her wake time is.  Like today, her big sissy had to go to summer camp and it was 45mins before her nap time.  I just went ahead and let her watch Baby Einstein and then took Lexi to camp.  On the way there, she was very quiet and not too sleepy.  On the way back, she was out, with her little cute mouth wide open. :lol:  So she stayed awake for almost 3hrs!!!  Of course, she did wake after 45 mins.  But her second nap, which is usually 45mins, was a little longer - 1hr40mins.  She stayed awake 2hr30min from her catnap til her bed time.  I wonder if I should just keep that her regular wake time, rather than the 2hr wake time.

What's your lo's wake time at 51/2mo or 6mos?

[Mum to Ella Rose]

We kind of do the same as Jennifer food wise...I think I posted it before for you Kathy in the other forum. Let me know if you want it again here...

As for naps dd seems to be settling in to a new routine on her own. It's shaping up like this...

Anywhere between 5 and 6 she starts babbling. Sometimes she'll doze again until between 6:30 and 7.  We go in, open her blinds, and she plays for a few minutes more while we get her stuff ready.

7 bottle
8 breakfast
9 nap  lately exactly 1 1/2 hours from when she went down. To the minute sometimes!
11 bottle
12:30 lunch
1-1:15 nap usually two hours
3 bottle
5:30 supper   
6:15 bath
6:40 bottle
7 (sometimes 6:45) bed

So it's turning into 2 1/2 hours awake time. Because she's usually awake by 6:30 even if she's not up. 7 is a rare day and then her nap begins about 9:15. She still won't catnap for the most part and does get crankier in the evening.  I have noticed I can no longer let her "kitty cat" nap in the stroller etc. I did that today during a walk and she fell asleep about 12-12:30 and that threw her off for the afternoon. Wouldn't nap again and was just a fuss budget all evening until she took another cat nap in her swing from 5-5:30. She's currently down, without any problems, for the night.    I'm finding she naps better all around with the longer awake time. We kind of slid into it just by watching her closely and learning the new cues. I think someone else said it here before...there's very little yawning these days just different tired noises. Though I think we need to try and extend it even a bit more to alleviate the evening length. It's just too long!  But she's so tired by "nap time" and she's napping so well... I don't know. Curious to hear what others are doing...

Oh and the bump in dd's lower gum is back.... still waiting! The teething oil is helping as is the Tylenol.  Poor things cheeks are like little apples they're so red! 

Sharon

[dixiedutch]

Kathy, we started solids about the same time as you did and only did rice cereal, fruits, and then yellow to orange to green veggies. I have not done oatmeal or mixed grain cereals yet. There are so many theories out there about when to do what...it makes my head spin....

Mimi, I know what you mean about attachment parents. My mom's group is ALL attachment parents. Sometimes, I feel that teaching Juliana independence is a good thing -- I am the only one who doesn't carry the baby around all day and sometimes I feel that I am such a bad mother. Juliana was a very fussy baby and quite strong-willed. She cried ALOT.

6 months has been a bit easier for me because she's become more independant and naps much better. It takes a great deal more to keep her entertained though.

I am starting to feel a bit more lonely though. I have more time now that she naps to think about loneliness....

caroline

[caljaccol]

I think the important thing to take from Tracy is to try to follow a routine.  IMO a baby that knows what is going to come next is going to be much happier.  Some children might need lots of cuddles to be happy others not so much.  Last summer, I witnessed first hand what children (and these were from age 3-9)who have no routine are like to get to eat, sleep, and do anything else with.  That gave me one more reason to make sure my kids had routine in their life.

I thought I would post my routine on an average day with my 6 month old:

7:30am wake
1/4 c. cereal
8oz bottle
8-9:30 play (loves bouncing, rolling, rattles)
9:30 nap
10:30 wake
8oz bottle
11 play
11:30 lunch (veggie)
12 cat nap
12:30 8oz apple juice/water
1-2 nap
2 play
2:30 cat nap (time when I have to pick dd1 up from school and she always naps in the van)
3 8oz bottle
-4:30 play
4:30 supper (fruit, meat, veggie)
5:00 cat nap
5:30 play
6:30 bath
7 8oz bottle
7:30 bed

My question for everyone,  what do you do to entertain your lo's?

My dd has discovered mirrors lately.  If we walk past one she gets a big grin on her face and chatters.  She will spend hours in the bathroom chatting a way at herself!

[Noelle]

OMG - she can do it!!! I just had to share!!!!    As I was on the site, I turned over and Zoe was on her tummy!!! She rolled all by herself for the first time!!!(from back to front)  And without me even coaxing her.  I thought my kids would never roll!! Woo hoo!!!   (can you tell I'm excited  :wink: )

Thanks for letting me share!! I don't post much on this thread, but I love keeping up with it! 

[Jakes_mom]

hi ladies,

Kathy, the ped told me to try and introduce oatmeal and barley after rice just to rule out allergies.  if you feed dd twice you can still give her rice cereal during one of the feedings.  they say to wait for multi grain till they are much older.  but everyone is right, you will get different advice from everyone. 

well here is our schedule, as i mentioned earlier, ds choose his own routine.

6\630 up&bottle 7oz
630-8 play with gymini or excersaucer
8breakfast-1\2jar fruit & 1\4tbsp oatmeal (doesnt like rice)
815-845 baby einstien video
845-930-nap
1030-bottle 7oz
play\errands
12\1230-nap
1 lunch 1\2jar fruit & 1\2jar veggies
230 bottle 7oz
3\330 nap
play (usually cranky time, wants to be held and walked around the house)
5dinner- 1\2 jar veggeis&1\4barley
530 bath
630 baby einstien video
7bottle 5oz
715bed

DS has always taken short naps, tried to make longer but more work then its worth.  he sleeps through with a dreamfeed at 10pm and rarely wakes during the night. 

As for activites, he gets bored very easily.  It seems every afternoon he wants to be carried around so i am working on new activities.  it is difficult because it is really hot here (florida) and i dont want to take him out in the heat.

[Mum to Ella Rose]

aawwww come here when you're lonely Caroline!    I'm usually lurking trying to get advice on my parenting!

What is the deal with wheat and mixed grain anyways?  In Canada they say 6 months right? And is it a good idea to give cereal (whatever kind) 3x a day? Or can they have it once, or twice? There are such differing opinions as to how much per day. If dd is drinking an average of 25 oz. of formula too, then how much cereal should she be getting? I like to give her veggies and fruit but with cereal at every meal it seems like sooo much food. I also posted this in the weaning forum, but maybe someone here knows too... what about spices, onion, etc. Is it okay to start introducing it in veggie stock? Sorry for all the questions and thanks for the help!

Jennifer we watch baby einstein before nap time every morning too.  :lol:

We also use exersaucer, jolly jumper and lot's of walks in the stroller.  Sometimes we bang pots and pans, chew on tupperwear, play with teddy bears, leave her with some toys on the carpet, read books (though she just chews them) We also sing a lot, play music for her and sometimes just sit and make silly faces for her or give her some good bounces and wiggles till she laughs. Dd also loves the baby in the mirror so we spend a lot of time doing that. Sometimes if she's fussy we are doing a change of scenery every 10 or 15 minutes. We just try to intersperse quiet activites with more boisterous ones. Don't know if that helps but that's our activity!

And big congratulations on the rolling over Zoe!! 

Sharon

[Jadynsmom]

Congrats Zoe.  Now you won't be able to keep her from doing it all the time now. :lol:  Doesn't it feel like a world event when your lo does something different that she's never done before?  I think it's magnificent!!

Well, I'm not going to stress out about solids and just go with it.  I've got Sharon's routine on my refrig & and also Jennifer's so I should be ok.  I'm just going to give her rice cereal for two weeks for breakfast (1hr after bf) and dinner (1hr 1/2 before bedtime bf).  And after 2wks, I'm going to introduce veggie & fruit during those two times.  Then after about a month, I will finally introduce lunch (veggie).  She had 2 tbls mixed with ebm yesterday and today she had 3 tbl for breakfast and 4 tblspoon for dinner.  I think she would have kept on eating at dinner time if I'd offered.  She started crying when I stopped at 3tbl so I made 1 1/2 more to make her happy. She definitely lets me know if she wants something or doesn't like something.  Boy, am I in for it.  Her personality is so sweet and then there are those times when she gets frustrated (can't get the toy in the exersaucer in her mouth to chew), she starts yelling and banging stuff. :lol:

She has been fussing a little for bedtime and rolling and rolling and I've been concerned that I would become a prop of patting her til she's asleep.  So I talked to Matthew's mommy and decided to put her in bed and just walk away.  Oh my gosh, it worked.  She talked & rolled and lost her paci.  I just let her roll for about 10mins and went in and without any talking, rolled her to her tummy, put her paci in and left and then SILENCE, she fell asleep without any patting!!!!  No patting whatsoever!!!  I just walked away and she didn't cry at all!!  Wow.  Matthew's mommy said at this age, she should be able to fall asleep independently and when she does that, her 45mins wake will disappear.  I can't wait to see what happens this week.  She also told me that after 6mos, not to go in to try to put her back to sleep before she wakes because me going in & trying to help will actually do the opposite and wake her!!  I will keep you guys posted.

Jadyn loves her Einstein videos also!! If I need to iron or clean up, I will put her in her highchair downstairs and let her watch it (our tv is huge, so she needs to be up higher).  She loves it.  She gets mesmerized.  I put it in today 3times.  I felt kinda guilty though, not spending time with her.  I put it in French version.  Who knows, maybe she will get something? :wink:  They didn't have it in Korean :wink: (I'm 100% Korean)  My husband has some French in him though, I think.

[Mum to Ella Rose]

That's some goooood eatin' Kathy!    glad she likes it.

I've decided to hold out on wheat cereal until 8 months. (we don't have any allergies in our family) Though I did give her (and still do) oatmeal which apparently has gluten in it... she has both oatmeal and rice cereal every day. (though we did move to brown rice at 6 mo.) 

And the banging in the exersaucer is too funny! Ella does the exact same thing. She can only be in it for brief periods of time. She loves it but overloads and just starts beating everything.  :lol:

Ella has just learned how to put herself back down after the 45 minute mark.  She too babbles and rolls then you can hear her find her soother and she conks out again. Or it escalates until we go back in and put the soother in. I'm supposed to be weaning her off it right now but her naps have been great and now that we know it's teething I don't want to muck with it. We walk away immediately too. I think I said that before... can't remember but dh had to teach me not to stay in too long or I just get her going again. If we reassure then leave she ususally goes right back to sleep.

She actually has two little "cuts" and blisters on her lower gum now so I know she hasn't been sick or just cranky lately. I find immense relief in knowing what is actually wrong!

Have you seen the "language" baby einstein video? Dd likes it but she likes Mozart the best. The language one has French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and I can't remember what else but it's pretty cool... No Korean though, sorry Kathy!  :wink:

Sharon

[lil'monkey]

Hello ladies,  I'm so glad that everyone is doing fine and like Kathy I think that I will posts some of your schedules for dd as well.  It seems that she is definitely getting very whiny/frustrated if she can't get a toy or gets bored too quickly.  Ahh...  I missed the good old days when she wasn't so vocal and LOUD!!! :lol:

Isn't Mathew's Mom great?  I've followed alot of her suggestions and they worked wonders.  Kathy, I know what you mean about just walking away and letting them sleep.  Sharon suggested the same thing to me and since then, I never bothered to camp out by dd's room to listen for that 45 min stirring.  And the amazing thing is dd just rolled over, bang the mattress a couple of times and then went back to sleep.

I have to confess to you all, dd doesn't like Baby Einstein.  She prefers... Barney!!! :oops:  Yes, my baby will grow up singing that dreadful "I love you" song instead of becoming a renown intellect. 

Now that her naps a great again.  Her nighttime is another story.   :roll:   I'm all for dd practicing her skills at rolling, crawling and trying to sit but must she do them at night?!?  Last night was the worst - I was up for a total of 3 hrs trying to get dd untangled and unwedged.  I was prepared for this wakings so I decided to wrap her legs for the last week but yet she still manages to do all these things while asleep.  Babies are amazing aren't they? :lol:

Well, SIL called and wondered about dd.  I told her the truth about her sleeping, eating and well basically everything and now I'm kinda regretting it.  You see, sil believes that babies should fit into our lifestyle and not the other way around.  That is, babies should eat at certain times and sleep whenever and whereever ( sil & mil thinks tht dd sleeps too much - 1 nap is enough).  I think that next time she ask, I'll just say that dd is just fine and leave it at that.

Have a good day everyone!

[Jakes_mom]

i am almost affraid to jinx it but... i have my angel back.  ds has 4 full teeth and was misearable for weeks.  the last few days have been wonderful, he is playing independantly and sleeping well.  yahhhhhhhhh!!!!  anyway, how do you put a pic near your name and how do you get the thing that tells the age of your lo??