Hello

not sure if any of you remember me, I had my baby Thomas In may about a week after fairycakes! was on this forum for a few months during my pregnancy.

Haven't been on line for a while but am back now and hope I can join in again with all the chat.

Thomas is starting to wean now, just carrot as he doesn't like baby rice, but a few people keep asking me if im doing baby led weaning where he gets to eat what he wants or something? anyway I dont want to sound stupid and respond with "whats that then" so can any of you help? I don't really see how he can feed himself?? probably got the wrong end of the stick here!

anyway, what are your babies up to? and how are you all coping? Thomas never sleeps in the day and wont stop moving, he rolls over to the dvd player every 2 mins to play with the buttons and is just about crawling, which im dreading as I wont get a minutes peace! lol

any one want to chat, then that would be lovely

Trace and 5month old Thomas the menace!
xx

Glad to hear you and Thomas are doing well, it's really nice now a lot of the old crowd are gathering over here.

With BLW waitibg4baby is our resident expert who has actually done it. I'm planning to but as we're still a way off being ready I've only got a vague idea of the principles. It's not recommended to start before 6 months because younger babies might choke. The idea is that babies progress as they're ready - if they can pick it up, bite bits off and chew it then they're ready to swallow it. Good foods to start with are steamed veg (carrot sticks and brocolli are good because they're the right shape for a baby to grab). If you are doing stuff that needs to be spooned in then you let them have a go with the spoon as well. Apparently it is very messy but great fun.

I thought the baby whisperer book was really good. She has a nice middle of the road approach - not as prescriptive as working to a schedule but not as totally baby-centred, give up your own life entirely as attachment parenting. Having said that I don't follow her ideas all the time but by 5 months you've probably got a good idea what works for you and where you want to take her advice.

Ivo is really sweet these days, such a smiley little man. He's still stationary at the moment but rolls as far as his side so I think he'll be going all the way over before long. I'm loving being a mum although I did find it a bit isolating at first. We've joined lots of groups and activities and have made friends with lots of mums and similar age babies (not that the babies really pay much attention to each other yet but it'll be nice for them when they do).

Stella and Ivo xxx

Yes, I remember you from the expecting forum.

It sounds as if Thomas is doing well. Baby led weaning is generally started at 6 months (no food before this) and you don't offer any purees, just whole bits of food, generally fruit and veg at first I think, the idea it that the baby picks it up and eats by itself and learns to chew, if you type it in google you can read more about it, I tried to incorporate it with Eleanors diet, but she isn't too fussed on feeding herself, she prefers me to feed her, even finger type foods, like bread and toast. If you read more online about it, it will explain how baby is unlikey to choke and so on, that's often a big worry for Mums looking into BLW. Further down on the board you may be able to find other posts on it, it's an interesting idea, which I wished I had heard about sooner, before I started Eleanor on pureed food. I don't think you sound stupid for not knowing, I think it's a new concept and I didn't have a clue.

I'm coping well, a few ups and downs at the beginning (which seems like so long ago), I wasn't very confident about taking Eleanor out on my own, I felt silly and unable to do it in public, but I'm over that now! She's 6 1/2 months old, crawling, sitting, rolling, she has 5 teeth, 2 at the top and 3 at the bottom and is now eating a varied diet. On Wednesday I am taking Eleanor to GymBabes locally, to see what it's all about, so I am looking forward to that.
Last time I got her weighed she was just short of 19lb she is now on 3 bottles a day, 3 meals a day and an afternoon snack, of fruit.

I don't know what it is with babies and the TV remote? They all seem to love it.

I'm getting so excited about Christmas, planning it, what to buy Eleanor and so on, stockings and Santa coming by the house!

Has Thomas started teething? Eleanors first tooth appeared at 5 months and then 4 more, all of a sudden.

How much does he weigh now?

How is he sleeping? We have Eleanor going 6.30pm-7am (lovely!)

Glad you're back with us over here.

Rachael & Eleanor
xxxx

Hello

Thanks for the weaning advice, im going to borrow a book called the baby whisperer off another mum which is supposed to be good, have you heard of it?

Thomas has no teeth yet but been chewing fingers and dribbling for weeks! I go through about 10 bibs a day! seriously I have about 30 bibs and wash some everyday, he also keeps getting a rash on his chin and mouth! doc has given me cream and I use oilatum junior also which is helping

I got him weighed about 4 weeks ago and he was a little over 14lb I must get him weighed again next week at the baby group. Im so jealous you get a decent nights sleep! Thomas is in bed at 19.30 and at the moment he sometimes goes through to 07.30am but more often he doesn't. He often wakes around 3.30am and I have reduced this feed to 3 oz in the hope of getting him off it! He doesn't need it I think he just wants some attention! as soon as he is eating 3 meals a day at 6months+ I will ignore him at night as I know hes not hungry! He doesn't seem interested in food that much, but he is eating a little carrot and on 4 bottles of 7 oz a day then a little at night.

Anyway, we have had weeks of him sky diving (lol) babies are funny! and he now can get his legs under him and push up on his arms and wobble and then cry with frustration! and the latest thing is touching feet and pulling socks off and he also has grabbed his privates a few times when Ive changed him! he really grabs at himself, but he stopped that recently, I dont think he knew what he was doing just reaching and grabbing! lol

Gymbabes sounds fab and Eleanor sounds like she is doing really well! most babies dont crawl until they are 8 months so she is doing brilliantly! not that it matters as they all get there in their own little ways!

Thanks for chatting to me, its nice to speak to other mums in the same boat!
xx

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reading this post made me smile when you said about thomas grabbing hold of his bits and pieces! oliver went through a phase of doing this and seriously, one day i could not get him to let go, he got all excited jumping about and i actually thought he was going to pull it off! am pleased to say he is over that phase...............for now!!

i do give oliver food to pick up on his own and feed himself, but i spoon feed him some stuff too. he does like picking up his own food, but he does get frustrated with it sometimes. i find that the bits have to be quite big or he loses them in his hand and then gets rage about it all!

have fun!!
love kelly, oliver 8 months tomorrow and 15+3 bean
xxx

have heard of the baby whisperer but don't know anything about it at all.

He probably doesn't neeed that 3.30 feed if he doesn't always have it. Eleanor was sleeping through, but she went through a stage of waking in the night again, it only lasted a few days but I gave her water on those night feeds, since that she hasn't woken again, saying that, Eleanor wasn't sleeping through until she was on 3 meals a day.

Have you tried any other root veggies, sweet potato is another good one, a swede etc, you could mix them together too, HV's recommend most root veggies as first foods.
If giving Eleanor sweet potato I think it's nice baked, although I have boiled/steamed it.

Poor Thomas will hurt himself grabbing himself down there, they all do it I suppose! Espeically boys. Little tyke.

Rachael