Jan/Feb 05 Babies chat!

[Deb_in_oz]

Julie b - olivia was 10 days overdue and i was wondering about the link with growth spurts b/c she did 3 mo a week andf half before 3 mo and now she is 1 1/2 wks before 6 mo.  :?

Christine - was wondering where you were.  Teething does suck for most babies!  we have an awesome product here that is a homeopathic range of remedies (by Brauer) and i used that LIBERALLY with Alex - it is ok to use ongoing and tastes nice so she liked her "special drink".  i don't know if it is available in the states.  i know when we ran out of it in the UK when she was 12 mo. i tried to buy some and you cannot get amything like it - the pharmacist was impressed when i showed them what i brought from Australia.

Julie - i don't scroll through 37 pages each time - i just go to the last page.  the only reason why i would be against starting a new thread would be because i think it is good for other moms (and us to refresh memory) to read from the beginning  so i worry they woudl prune the old thread - will PM the moderators and ask about this

[dkjokisch]

One more thing... since our lo's seem to be sprouting teeth right and left, I wanted to pass on a word of caution.  I was talking to a friend of mine last week, and she said her niece had just had her four top front teeth pulled.  Her niece is ONLY TWO YEARS OLD!!!  Her parents had gotten into the habit of giving her bottles of diluted juice when she got fussy, including leaving a bottle in her bed at night.  Though they brushed her teeth twice a day, her front teeth simply rotted away from all the sugar.

I had read that it was not a good idea to let babies go to bed with a bottle (and it is not an issue for us at this point as Maya is ebf), but I had never actually heard of anyone who had actually had to have teeth pulled because of it.

[julieb]

Julie: How big is Matthew again?  Asher WAS big compared to others his age, but he's slimmed down quite a bit in the last 2 months.  I think it's because he's so active and we haven't started solids yet (and most already have).  Don't worry about it!  They regulate themselves just fine!  Oh, and Asher is a screamer too!   :roll:   He sounds more like a pterodactyl than a boy!   :lol:

Deborah: My little sisters, back in the 80s, had to have crowns on all their molars by age 3  :shock:  because of going to bed with a bottle -- of anything, really!  The dentist said only water!!

Christine/Deb: We have Hyland's teething tablets and Boiron Camilia liquid capsels that are great homeopathic remedies here!

[2grlz]

Hi Ladies,

It will take me awhile to get all your names, so give me some time.

Thank you for posting your schedules, they helped me to come up with one that seems to be working.  DD has had two great days and I am hoping that this scheudle will work.  I am in the same boat as the mom who is up at 2:00, 5:30 and then 6:30 to start the day.  I am still hopefull that a decent schedule will get her to sleep in to 7:00 but I am just wishful thinking.

To the mom asking about Swaddling and the paci.  I had to stop swaddling at 6 months as Riley could bust out of anything that I put her in.  It just really made her mad.  So I switched to a sleep sac and that's worked out well.  My oldest DD slept in a sleep sac until 2 years old and I think it's what kept her from crawling out of the crib and also we never worried about her being cold at night.

My oldest DD is also a paci girl and still has one at night, for naps and on long car or plane trips.  It clams her down and she sleeps great; yes we did have to get up in the middle of the night sometimes but it was a quick one.  I prayed that Riley would like it too but no such luck.  I think the paci is a good thing as long as you can limit it and it doesn't interfeer.

I wish you all a wonderful night sleep!

[2grlz]

Christine - you can give Tylenol every four hours.  Becuase I never knew how much the teeth hurt my oldest DD I would give it to her if she was really cranky and it had been four hours.  It really seemed to help.  She also seemed to get teeth in bunches, 8 in two weeks while we were on vacation!

I do think it get's easier as the teeth come in.  The first four seem to be the hardest.

Good Luck.

[branwen]

I had to take notes just to catch up :wink:

First my update though- we are moving :shock:  :shock:  I am so excited!  Our house is going on the market in September.  Basically dh had a realization after we got back from our trip.  He missed "the west" CO, NM-so much, he feels he doesn't belong on the East Coast, so we are trying to move back.  It is a LOT of work.  I hope Eirwen will be ok as we will be apartment bound for awhile.  I am trying not to feel guilty about that. :oops:  It's not working...dh doesn't understand though, he's like, she'll adjust, she won't remember- it's not that really- I will remember though...maybe I am just being oversensitive :?

Eirwen has been wonderful the last few days, a little too perfect maybe :wink: I have been loving being a mom lately probably because she is being such an angel.  Only thing new is that she gets frustrated grumpy when I eat and she isn't...she wants to be included now, so I am trying now to give her solids when I eat so we eat together

Heather- when you go to lillypie there is an upload area down at the bottom after you make all of your selections.  Pics have to be on the small side though...like here.

JulieB- We don't go to church but I have been wanting to take Eirwen to yoga and other such stuff and it is very difficult because it seems that most of these times are her nap times.  I am just looking forward to the future I guess!  Your eating issues sound a lot like mine in the first 3-4 months.  Have you ruled out hind milk issues?  Do you still single side feed?  Are you against the meds?  You sound so together about it though!

Vidya- How is the independent sleep going? Any luck changing that?

Deb- Your girls are so beautiful!  Do they really have that dark auburn color of hair!!! :shock: It's amazing!  Eirwen's 6 month growth spurt was 2 weeks before and it lasted 7 days with 2 night wakings and 3 days of 1 night waking.  I think it would have been shorter but I had trouble getting my day supply up.

Schae- feel free to go slow on the solids.  I'm sure it's not your cooking.  He has another couple of weeks anyway.  I had to try again and again with Eirwen and even now I'm not sure she's into it every time I offer.

Tarri- so right about the month v. week thing!  I was getting so confused for awhile :oops:  Eirwen was 2 weeks early though so I have noticed that she "matches up" in development if I take those two weeks off...my doc is going by months now so I am too, even though there are 5 weeks in one and 4 in another...eeek...ugh  Oh, you're the resident expert with early teeth- any teething suggestions for those of us just starting??

Julie- how big is Matty! Please share!  I love big babies! You should be proud!  Are you still breastfeeding?  How is it going?  OH, and we don't swaddle, abandoned it way early...too much of a kicker...

Christine/Deborah- I read on another thread that Baby Motrin is better for teething and this seems to be true for Eirwen.  I think her gums are very swollen although nothing is poking through yet.  I gave her some and she was so much happier.  Told not to give on empty stomach though...and it lasts much longer than tylenol.  But you can also be more liberal with that too.

About the whole rotting teeth thing- I did postnatal yoga with a woman who had to have her son's teeth completely repaired at 18 months but it was due to breastfeeding!  I guess he was a REALLY long nurser (She was doing attachment parenting and would let him nurse as long as he wanted).  Just a word of warning for the breastfeeding moms too.

[branwen]

Jaime- I just realized that Eirwen is only 1 day older than Luke! How neat!

[alligirl]

Hi ladies!  Sorry to butt in, but I got a note saying that you all might be interested in starting a new thread.  I'm going to tale the last five posts and start a new thread with them, so  you can keep your conversation.  But I'm goilg to lock this thread so you aren't working off of two threads!

Happy chatting!

[thitz]

Hi Everyone,

It seems we have a new thread. :? 

We're on our 2nd night of wake-to-sleep.  So far I'm still not getting much more than 2 hours sleep in a row.  I've turned down my monitor as much as possible.  I hate it though because it's like at a certain point you can either here everything or nothing :evil: .

This morning she had her first solids.  I gave her about 2 tsp of rice cereal.  Very watery.  It mostly ended up on her chin but I'm so glad she didn't seem to mind the spoon or the taste!    It's just a matter of practice I think.  I know BW recommends pears to start but my dh is somewhat allergic to pears so I'm not going to give her any for a couple years I think.  I think next week I'll either try carrot or apple.  What do you think?

Emily is squirming all around her crib.  Now half her night waking is cause she's got her head stuck on the crib slats or her leg sticking out.  She usually ends up 90deg to how she should be and she's long enough that her legs and head touch the crib sides when she's like this. The other half of night wakings seems to be cause she's unswaddled her legs and wants to be tucked in.  I tried using the bolster again but it just ended up with her at one end of the crib and the bolster at the other.

Julie, swaddling is also becoming an issue with us.  She's swaddled from the waist down and I keep a loose peice on her chest that she grabs with her hand and pulls up to her face.  I'm not sure if I should stop.  On one hand it stops her from kicking her legs and scratching her legs (ezcema) on the other hand she wake up when she squirms out.  I think we'll have to bite the bullet soon though and stop the swaddling.

Branwen, Emily has teethed a lot but I found the tylenol did nothing to help her.  Yesterday I looked at the nov/dec mom's thread and they seemed to have better luck with Motrin so I'm going to try that next time.  Although my baby book says it's worse for them than tylenol.

Also, I can't remember who recommended the calendula cream for ezcema but it is definately helping a lot .  It doesn't get rid of it like the cortisone cream but it reduces the redness and dryness enough that I don't have to use anything else.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Tarri

[HeatherC]

Tarri, after rice cereal I gave applesauce.  I would mix it in the cereal, and she LOVES it.  They also make it in jars this way, with different cereals and different fruits.  Carrots were our first veggie, and I offered it first with a bit of applesauce, then slowly took out the applesauce.  She makes a face at every spoonful that is a different taste, but after she realizes it's okay, she carries on.  HTH

[julieb]

What a morning!   :shock:   Asher was up at 5, playing, and again at 6, crying.  I couldn't get him back down.  I was tired of fighting with him so I just got him up (6:20).  He started crying his head off at 7:30 so I offered him the other side, which he took.  But every time he stopped, he'd cry while I was trying to burp him.   :?  Then he spit up a bunch of what he had been eating!  He just wouldn't stop crying so I got him ready for a nap.  Cried through the whole diaper change and most of the (shortened) wind down.   :shock:   Currently sleeping.  I just can't go on each morning like this.  I used to have trouble getting him to sleep till 8, then I moved his schedule up till 7.  It was fine for a while, now I can't get him to sleep till 7.  I KNOW if I moved it up again, I'd just have a hard time getting him to sleep until 6 then!  :evil:   I think I'm gonna post a message on the nightwaking board.

Branwen: Know how you feel about everything being during nap times.  There have been several birthday parties and play groups we've missed out on.     Oh well! 
I fixed whatever imbalance I had and we had two better days and then it was back to more spit up.  I think I've exhausted all possibilities at this point.  So that's why I'm pretty sure it's reflux.  We are more on the homeopathic end of the spectum and try to cope with things in other ways before resorting to traditional meds (for Asher at least  :lol: ).  DH takes meds for reflux, so it was ultimately his decision since he knows what it's like to live with.  We would have resorted to the meds if we couldn't find another solution and Asher was still uncomfortable.  But Asher deals with it like a champ, doesn't even seem to phase him anymore!  It bothers us more than it does him, so that's why we've just let it go.   :wink:   I single-side fed up until a few days ago.  I've been offering both sides, hoping he'll take more in and sleep better at night since I haven't started solids yet.  Hasn't worked yet.     If anything, he's been overeating and spitting up more!  :lol:

Tarri:   We have the same problems at night.  Asher actually likes to sleep with his feet/legs propped up on the side of the crib.  Sometimes they fall through the slats and he gets frustrated.  He also has a blanket around his legs.  I think he gets in weird positions and get's disoriented.  I was the one who mentioned the Calendula gel/ointment/lotion/etc.  Glad it's helping.  They make different kinds with different dosages, so when you use that up, you could try a different.  I use the gel on Asher's diaper rashes, but the lotion doesn't do anything for them (used that on the cradle cap though).  Go figure!

[Jaime]

guess our chats have gotten too big for one thread!! 

deb - loved the pics of your girls.  i always think shots on the beach look so artistic.  i have a shot of dh holding each baby on the beach when they were 3 months old...

branwen - i don't think i ever put 2 & 2 together on the kids birthdays!  that's so cool!  good luck with moving & everything... i understand what you mean about being sentimental - after all, you're living in the house you brought your baby home to.  it'll always be special.

julie - we actually still swaddle, but only from the waist down; he's always had his arms free.  he's starting to get to the point where he doesn't mind (much) if he breaks loose, although sometimes when he cries he goes right back to sleep if i rewrap him.

christine - as long as you follow the directions on the medicine bottle, you should be okay.  i usually wait 6 hours on tylenol before dosing again though, or i only dose at night to help them sleep.  i'm like you - i never want to medicate unless i have to, and even then not for long.  usually the worst of teething is over in a couple days - at least with my kids!  sometimes the tooth hasn't broken through at that point, but they seem to feel better for a while.  i've also used baby orajel with a bit of success too (though not on luke yet)

hope i didn't forget anybody... i forgot to take notes on the other thread before i moved over here!  my mommy-brain is alive and kicking!  :lol:

[Schae]

Hello there

I'm just popping in to let you know that I'm still reading posts.. just not having much time to reply.

Good luck to those who are teething, not looking forward to that.

Someone mentioned a solids question, I started Luka on rice cereal and then moved onto butternut. I wanted to start with veggies, but we are now on pears and banana.

Vidya and Julie, I hope it comes right with the sleeping. It's really tough not getting any sleep.

We stopped swaddling early as well. But that was because we were tummy sleeping.

Branwen: good luck on the moving. When do you expect to move exactly? It must be bitter sweet leaving your home, but look at it as a new start, new experience for Eirwen.
And it's nice to know someone doesn't think my cooking sucks!  :lol:

Keep well everyone!

[Leah's Mom]

    I have my computer back!!!! I didn't realize how dependent I was on it until I got it back today. So I shall be back in business checking in on everyone daily!......Till school starts and I have to go back to work.   
So I have missed out on some of the conversation, since our thread was changed, but I'll do the best I can with what I have read.

Tarri - After cereal we went with veges and did the sweet potatoes. She loved them and still does. Then we went thru all of the veges and have only recently started the fruits.

Julie B - I understand your pain in the wake up time. We try and start our day between 6:30 and 7, but some days she will will be up at 5:30 and then that throws the whole day off schedule, to which I HATE becuase I am such a schedule freak!

Branwen - Moving? Good for you... I think? It's what you and DH want? Where do you think you'll go exactly, or did you mention that? Too many posts, I got confused! I'm sure Eirwen will adjust fine, but I understand where you're coming from. It will be a big change for her!

Schae - Nice to hear from you!!!!

Jaime - how's teaching going? I was watching the Today show today and they did a blurp about how schools in southern Florida are starting so early and how parents are not happy. How do you feel about starting so early? If you start this early, when are you done for the year? How are the kids adjusting to the sitter? I have such mixed feelings about going back. Some days I am excited becuase I love teaching and I really miss my kids, but then I look at Leah and it makes me sad to have to leave her.

Tracy - 8 teeth in two weeks?!?!?!?! Oh god, I'm just hoping we can make it thru these bottom two!!!!! The jagged parts are still sticking out, but the rest of the tooth has not come thru. She wants to chop on everyuthing. Including her daddy's nose!  I missed the schedule posting, but I will post mine later. I too am up a few times in the night, but mainly to pop that paci back in the mouth....maybe some day she'll learn to put it back in herself!!!

STRANGER ANXIETY ANYONE? Alright so my DD who normally will go to anyone and loves people freaked out today! I took her into the repair shop to pick up my computer and their was this old man in a cowboy hat. He looked at her and started talking to her. She started screaming so hard she couldn't catch her breath and was shaking her head back and forth (likes she was saying no!) I thought maybe it was just that man, but then my boy cousin stopped by today, whom she doesn't know very well and she did it again, when he started talking to her. Anyone else ever have this happen? Of course this starts right when I have to go back to work! I better start taking her to the sitter's house daily to get used to her!

Well take care everyone! I am off to make wedding invitations (my sister is getting married in October!)

[julieb]

Hi Christine, stranger anxiety started for Asher a couple months ago, but separation anxiety officially started on Saturday!  :shock:  He usually plays on his own very well but barely let me out of his sight all weekend!  This afternoon has been better.

School started today in my neck of the woods.  It's started in August here for years.  Some schools even start the end of the July!  They let out around May 25th and often have a week long fall break in addition to the winter and spring breaks.  I still think it's sad though and miss the long summer vacations (not that I've had one in ages!  :lol: ).  Good thing I plan to homeschool!   :wink: