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Parenting - The Joy, Trial & Tribulations.

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There are some beautiful Babies amongst the Price Scopers!!

What really worked for us was Schedule. Routine. Our kids were so Scheduled, they told us when it was time for things. Nap time, snack time, lunch and dinner.

When Son was born, the hospital gave baths in the middle of the morning, so that's what I did for the first month or so. Then I read, or heard, giving the bath before bedtime becomes a wind down signal.

Have dinner. Play a bit with Mom and Dad. Have the bath. Get all cozy in fresh PJ's. Have the bedtime bottle and off to "Night, Night." So I switched our routine and it really helped.

We had a nightly ritual. Read a story or sing a little song. Bedtime prayers. Hugs and kisses. "I love you." And "Good Night." Off to bed and most nights, that was it for the night.

We also taught patience right away. No jump and run at the first sound of coo's or a cry. We'd leave them in bed to occupy themselves until they told us they were ready to get up. In the mornings, they would play with their feet or watch birds out the window or play with toys in their beds, sometimes as much as 30 minutes before they were ready for us to come get them up. I think babies need "Me Time" just as much as older children and adults do.
 
Date: 2/9/2007 1:10:09 PM
Author: NYCsparkle
Hi moms! I have the medela pump in style and its great. now that my little bean is 6 months its harder for me to store my milk. does anyone have tips to increase my supply? i don''t want to have to supplement with formula.
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My health visitor told me that the more you breastfeed - the more you produce. I suppose the problem there is that you may end up feeding/pumping/feeding/pumping all day! I felt like Daisy the cow! Was worth it though, nothing like breastfeeding your baby.
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NYC - your little one is so cute!

Sometimes my supply dips, and what I do is relax, stay at home and ''re-lactate'' by expressing every 2 hours during the day and 3 hours at night. A couple of days of doing this will see my supply increasing. I have never taken any herbs but I have heard that you can take fenugreek like VA suggested, or mothers milk tablets? Chrono might know more about that!

Finding neverland - What about going on holidays? I am sure we will be out and about a lot of the time, and I am looking for tips on how to ensure my little one does not get unsettled by all the travelling. I hear ya about the routine bit - ever since we implemented a sleeptime routine the past week, Button has been quite good. He is also taking more scheduled naps during the day.
 
NYCsparkle,
The best way to increase supply is to nurse/pump more often. It isn''t really how long you pump but the frequency, preferably every 2 hours or at most, 3 hours. A day or two of this "power pumping" will trick your mammaries into thinking your baby is having a growth spurt and they will increase their output. I have also heard that some moms pump after breastfeeding; you will not get much but the extra stimulation sends a signal to the body to make more milk.

Fenugreek alone did not work to well for me. For some, Fenugreek taken together with Blessed Thistle works better. However, those with peanut allergies should not take fenugreek as they belong to the same family. I prefer Motherlove Herbal Company More Milk Plus tincture. I previously bought mine from http://naturalbaby.stores.yahoo.net/832516.html

My eldest child thrives on routine. He has his meals at set times, naps at a certain hour and before going to bed at night, has his night time routine of bath, PJs, books, kisses & hugs, and sleepy time music. We started this with him as a baby and seems to work well for both him and us. He knows what is expected of him and we schedule out activities accordingly. We''ll see about my littlest one; we''ve started simple routines for him too but aren''t too stringent since he is still very young.
 
Date: 2/10/2007 7:32:48 AM
Author: JadeLeaves


Finding neverland - What about going on holidays? I am sure we will be out and about a lot of the time, and I am looking for tips on how to ensure my little one does not get unsettled by all the travelling. I hear ya about the routine bit - ever since we implemented a sleeptime routine the past week, Button has been quite good. He is also taking more scheduled naps during the day.
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Those tough times, Jade. Traveling.

When you said Holidays, I''m guessing you meant what we call vacations??!!

When we did trips and vacations when they were small, we worked with them. They ride much better if you travel around their schedule. We were lucky to get 2 hours at a time in the car before we''d have to stop and let them run around a bit. If we were going any distance, we might make it a 2 day venture getting there. Stop and spend the night in a Hotel/Motel on the way. And a Hotel/Motel with a POOL is a MUST. Pools are great energy burners!!

As much as possible, we tried to keep with their routine. Breakfast at the same time. Lunch at the same time. Dinner same time. As much as possible, the same bath and bed routine. Also, we didn''t travel a whole lot until they weren''t taking morning naps any more. That gives you the morning to run and then you have quiet/nap time in the afternoon. Everybody, even Mom and Dad, can enjoy a little down time. Then you can go for a while again in the late afternoon/evening before bed time.

Also, fast food restaurants work better with little ones than sit down and order type restaurants. I hate to say it, but we were regular patrons of McDonalds for quite a while before our kids'' tastes broadened and they developed the patience to wait on their food before we moved on to other restaurants. BLECH!! But things are different today. Not a lot of restaurants had "Kid Meals" when ours were little.

You don''t have to work around the kids when you travel. We just found it made our lives easier if we did.
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Yes I meant vacations - i keep forgetting that you guys use different terms. Eg, cots are cribs over in america, and dummies are blinkies, holidays are vacations..

My son is only a bit over 4 months old, so still has a morning nap, longer afternoon nap and short late afternoon nap everyday. I am feeding him on demand and he is usually pretty good about going 3 hours on the dot in between bottles, but sometimes he wants something to drink at 2hrs or can go for longer, so we don''t really have scheduled mealtimes for him.

He doesn''t nap very well in his pram and it is going to be hard planning our day around his naptime, but we will try!
 
Date: 2/9/2007 1:10:09 PM
Author: NYCsparkle
Hi moms! I have the medela pump in style and its great. now that my little bean is 6 months its harder for me to store my milk. does anyone have tips to increase my supply? i don''t want to have to supplement with formula.
Click to expand...
A weekend nurseathon. Do NOTHING but nurse all weekend and tell your dh to bring you food and plenty to drink. Take fenugreek by the bottle and be prepared to smell like pancakes for a week or so... just nurse nurse nurse and by monday your supply should be up. Supply and demand is the only surefire way to increase supply other than medications that I have taken that I would NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT RECOMMEND.
 
Hello mums!

I have a question regarding starting bub on solids. How old was your little bub when u started him/her on solids? What foods did u start them on? How much food should you give? How do you know when they''ve had enough? Do they cut their intake of milk when they start solids?

Button wasn''t very interested in his milk, and I was worried he wasn''t getting enough, so hubby said to give him some farex rice cereal. He loved it, and we''ve now given him pumpkin puree and apple puree. Once he started having pumpkin/apple, he didn''t want his rice cereal anymore! What can I do to make it more interesting for him?

Any pointers muchly appreciated!
 
I started all three on rice cereal at maybe 4 or 5 months. I waited on fruits and veggies. Due to allergies I have been told it is best to wait til at least six months if not a bit longer, but I am not sure that holds now. I then started one veg, I think carrot, and did it for 3-5 days to make sure there were no reactions. If that went well, I would try a fruit, by itself, maybe pear or apple, for 3-5 days and so on. I kept alternating, doing green veggies more toward the end (peas, broc, spinach) and non white fruits (blueberries, plums, raspberries) because I think carrot, squash, apple and pear are the easiest on the digestive system to start with. It is a painstaking process but worth it. I recall seeing a rash after 4 days with one of the things. I am sure your ped will give you some good guidelines too, my oldest is 5 so it has been awhile...
 
I waited until both mine were 6 months before food. I read the book "what to expect the first year" with my first and followed every suggestion to the letter, introducing one fruit or veggie at a time and staying with that veggie or fruit for 1 week b/f introducing the next. Now, with my second I was much more lax and started giving her whatever jar was in closest. But i pretty sure I didn''t give her anything until she was pretty close to six months. I have friends who have done the rice cereal when their babies were 4-5 month and they did just fine.
 
I''m sure that your pediatrician will have good advice. But, I do believe that the general guideline is 6 months for the first solid. The idea is that your infant should be exclusively fed breastmilk early on because he needs all of the proteins and special fats contained in it. Solids are simply intended for supplementation at this time. I did that and introduced rice cereal at about that time but my daughter didn''t care for it too much. She didn''t care for cereal until I mixed it a bit with baby fruit juice--needed the bit of sweetness. Then I introduced one veggie (carrots, sweet potato) or one fruit (apples sauce, bananas, etc.) at a time to eliminate concerns of allergies. I also made sure she got organic baby food because I figured whatever she is taking in is such a large part of her little body, so I wanted to be careful.

Your baby may be preferring the sweetness of the fruits you''ve introduced and rejecting the more bland cereal. You may have to jazz it up with a bit of apple juice or apple sauce. But, I''m sure that you''ll want to continue concentrating on the breast feeding and replace only one feeding with a solid. Some mothers do say that babies who get more solids sleep more soundly through the night but I didn''t let that be the guiding purpose for feeding. I was always concerned about not over stimulating my baby''s immature G/I and immune system too early.
 
Date: 2/20/2007 4:11:49 AM
Author: JadeLeaves
Hello mums!

I have a question regarding starting bub on solids. How old was your little bub when u started him/her on solids? What foods did u start them on? How much food should you give? How do you know when they''ve had enough? Do they cut their intake of milk when they start solids?

Button wasn''t very interested in his milk, and I was worried he wasn''t getting enough, so hubby said to give him some farex rice cereal. He loved it, and we''ve now given him pumpkin puree and apple puree. Once he started having pumpkin/apple, he didn''t want his rice cereal anymore! What can I do to make it more interesting for him?

Any pointers muchly appreciated!
Click to expand...
I started my firstborn the day she turned 6 months... my 2nd was grabbing food and eating it way earlier... he was a shark - 8 teeth by 6 months old with excellent chew - he was eating pieces of steak LOL... my 3rd gagged on everything and had nothing but breastmilk until he was 14 months old LOL

When I did introduce solids I would mix the cereal with a bit of juice usually... then I would kinda push it in a line in the middle of the bowl and on one side I would put a veg and on the other a fruit and I would give mixes. One bite might be all cereal, the next part cereal part fruit, the next all veg, the next all fruit, the next part veg part cereal and I would just kinda make every bite a little different.

I also didn''t keep them on rice cereal very long - it is sooo gummy. I moved on to oat and barley baby cereals but would occasionally do rice for variety.

My kids are fantastic eaters - will try anything.
 
Date: 2/20/2007 9:18:55 AM
Author: mrssalvo
I waited until both mine were 6 months before food. I read the book ''what to expect the first year'' with my first and followed every suggestion to the letter,
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bahahaha yeah - this is exactly what I did with my first... and with my 2nd I was a bit more breastfeeding gung ho so was planning to wait until 8 months but then jaws emerged from my loins and by 8 months I have a pic of him eating corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes LOL!!! Then the third was the opposite LOL Funny how kids are so different!!!
 
I think some kids just prefer solids to milk and vice versa. The problem with the solid food lovers is that they do not get enough of the essential nutrients and fat needed to grow. I don''t know what you can do to make little Button like it more other than to be sure he is hungry when it is offered.

My first started rice cereal at three weeks. I know this is not recommended and I''m not encouraging it, BUT, he was a hungry guy...so I fed him. At three months, before bed, he would have a 9 oz. bottle with 2 oz. of formula. 30 minutes later I''d nurse him for about 10-15 min. to ''top him off''. He is/was a big kid. Not overweight, just always hungry. My second loved to nurse and wasn''t too interested in solids. We didn''t start cereal until he was 5 1/2 mos. His fave was mashed banana with mashed avocado. My third started solids at 6 mos. She was just happy with nursing, too.
 
I started Yvette on single grain rice cereal just shy of 5 months. She wouldnt eat it so I tried single grain oatmeal she wouldnt eat that either. I stopped trying for a few weeks and started again. When I started her back up I skipped cereal & started green veggis. I would try each veggie for 3 days. Again she would only eat maybe 5 spoons worth. From there I went to fruits with the same results, she would only eat 3-5 spoons. My daughter HATED/HATES babyfood. She didnt eat well until we put her on table food. Now, she eats like a champ. I guess she didnt like the texture of babyfood plus it's not seasoned like table food. She has a lot of catching up up to do weight wise. Yvette is toothpick but very healthy & meeting all of her milestones.

They say you shouldnt start solids until 6 months but I personally dont think you need to wait that long. I think AAP is worried about food allergies but even more concerned about overweight kids/overfeeding. Your baby will let you know when they have had enough to eat. Yvettes slaps her tray & spoon and makes funny faces, she will also start hurling food on the floor.



BTW just in case anyone uses Earth's Best they are recalling Wholesome Breakfast Apple Peach Barley 2nd Foods in 4.5oz jars with lot code PF6J14 NP and expiration date of EXP 14 SEP 08 A imprinted on the top of the jar. Also, gerber is recalling some of it's graduate meals due to mislabeled items.
 
I only have one child, so I had no chance to become more mellow with second and third children. I started my daughter on rice cereal at six months and one day. I then, carefully, introduced one vegetable at a time in the order that the pediatrician recommended. I believe that one was supposed to intoduce green vegetables (one at a time) before yellow. I, also, was using the What to Expect the First Year as a guide.

As far as being a power of example goes: I was going through one of my rare thin phases and eating Japanese food myself when my daughter was an infant and a toddler.

Whatever the reason, my daughter developed very healthy eating habits. The mainstay of her diet is salad. The item she almost orders in a restaurant if we go out to eat is Caesar salad. When we were discussing an admissions essay she had to write about herself we laughed at a description of her (which we feared might be too frank) as, "a lazy herbivore". It is really true, but probably not what the schools want to hear.


Deb
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Date: 2/20/2007 5:26:48 PM
Author: VegasAngel
I started Yvette on single grain rice cereal just shy of 5 months. She wouldnt eat it so I tried single grain oatmeal she wouldnt eat that either. I stopped trying for a few weeks and started again. When I started her back up I skipped cereal & started green veggis. I would try each veggie for 3 days. Again she would only eat maybe 5 spoons worth. From there I went to fruits with the same results, she would only eat 3-5 spoons. My daughter HATED/HATES babyfood. She didnt eat well until we put her on table food. Now, she eats like a champ. I guess she didnt like the texture of babyfood plus it''s not seasoned like table food.
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My daughter had the same reaction to food, which-in her case-was rice cereal. Since I stuck with rice cereal, she had to get used to it. I have a video of feeding her for the first time. I had no idea that food would disgust her as it did. She makes hideous faces as I try something that I assume will be new and pleasant.

Deb
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My son is teething and he is in sooo much pain.
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..please give me some different ideas on how to soothe him...i''ve tried humphrey''s #3, frozen cloths, teething rings...the usual stuff...is there anything else i can do?
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Date: 2/22/2007 9:21:38 PM
Author: NYCsparkle
My son is teething and he is in sooo much pain.
39.gif
..please give me some different ideas on how to soothe him...i''ve tried humphrey''s #3, frozen cloths, teething rings...the usual stuff...is there anything else i can do?
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The only thing that has really been helping my daughter is motrin.
 
I used Hyland''s Teething tablets; a homeophatic remedy, for my son. It worked well for us.
 
Date: 2/23/2007 12:21:19 PM
Author: Chrono
I used Hyland''s Teething tablets; a homeophatic remedy, for my son. It worked well for us.
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me too. you can get them at target or walmart. My daughter used to be so fussy when teething and within just a few minutes after I gave them to her she''d calm right down.
 
Date: 2/23/2007 1:11:41 PM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 2/23/2007 12:21:19 PM
Author: Chrono
I used Hyland''s Teething tablets; a homeophatic remedy, for my son. It worked well for us.
Click to expand...

me too. you can get them at target or walmart. My daughter used to be so fussy when teething and within just a few minutes after I gave them to her she''d calm right down.
Click to expand...
Me three...I always wondered if I took the whole bottle would I feel suddenly calm and happy hehe? i think they have chamomile and a small amount of caffine (not a stimulant in children in small doses) in them. My ped. said they were fine for babes.
 
Date: 2/23/2007 1:49:33 PM
Author: Miranda

Date: 2/23/2007 1:11:41 PM
Author: mrssalvo


Date: 2/23/2007 12:21:19 PM
Author: Chrono
I used Hyland''s Teething tablets; a homeophatic remedy, for my son. It worked well for us.
Click to expand...

me too. you can get them at target or walmart. My daughter used to be so fussy when teething and within just a few minutes after I gave them to her she''d calm right down.
Click to expand...
Me three...I always wondered if I took the whole bottle would I feel suddenly calm and happy hehe? i think they have chamomile and a small amount of caffine (not a stimulant in children in small doses) in them. My ped. said they were fine for babes.
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Have you tasted any? I did try it once and it tasted like milk/vanilla-ish. It had no effect on my mood though.
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Date: 2/23/2007 2:58:05 PM
Author: Chrono

Date: 2/23/2007 1:49:33 PM
Author: Miranda


Date: 2/23/2007 1:11:41 PM
Author: mrssalvo



Date: 2/23/2007 12:21:19 PM
Author: Chrono
I used Hyland''s Teething tablets; a homeophatic remedy, for my son. It worked well for us.
Click to expand...

me too. you can get them at target or walmart. My daughter used to be so fussy when teething and within just a few minutes after I gave them to her she''d calm right down.
Click to expand...
Me three...I always wondered if I took the whole bottle would I feel suddenly calm and happy hehe? i think they have chamomile and a small amount of caffine (not a stimulant in children in small doses) in them. My ped. said they were fine for babes.
Click to expand...
Have you tasted any? I did try it once and it tasted like milk/vanilla-ish. It had no effect on my mood though.
11.gif
Click to expand...
Yep...I even tried a few to see if I would feel different...No luck...
 
thanks for all of the advice...my supply is slowly coming back again and teething is teething...i bought humphreys tablets and they seem to work.
 
Thks for all the tips on starting solids! I think button is a bit clogged up from the solids, and I have been giving him diluted prune juice twice a day. I''ve been told water helps too, but he just spits it back out!

What sort of foods should I offer to get his system moving again?
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So far he''s tried and loved:

pumpkin
sweet potato
carrots
green beans
apple puree
pear puree

hated:

avocado
broccoli

likes rice cereal with fruit puree.

He really has a mind of his own - when he doesn''t like certain foods, he will purse his lips and I can''t get anything into his mouth, but when he likes something, he opens his mouth really wide and reaches for the spoon! I have so many videos of him trying new foods and it''s hilarious!

NYCsparkle - those teething tips will come in handy for me too when button starts teething!
 
Date: 3/7/2007 10:22:29 PM
Author: JadeLeaves
Thks for all the tips on starting solids! I think button is a bit clogged up from the solids, and I have been giving him diluted prune juice twice a day. I''ve been told water helps too, but he just spits it back out!

What sort of foods should I offer to get his system moving again?
9.gif


So far he''s tried and loved:

pumpkin
sweet potato
carrots
green beans
apple puree
pear puree

hated:

avocado
broccoli

likes rice cereal with fruit puree.

He really has a mind of his own - when he doesn''t like certain foods, he will purse his lips and I can''t get anything into his mouth, but when he likes something, he opens his mouth really wide and reaches for the spoon! I have so many videos of him trying new foods and it''s hilarious!

NYCsparkle - those teething tips will come in handy for me too when button starts teething!
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Prune puree. Works like a charm! All of the cereal would plug up my little guy (well, he''s not so little now at 5''2" and 100 lbs.).
 
I''m finding it hard to get hold of prunes at the moment
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Carrots seems to do the trick for now, plus the prune juice. How do I mix it up so that he won''t get so clogged up again? Now that he''s tried a few different foods, can I mix the food I give him in one meal?
 
Date: 3/7/2007 10:32:32 PM
Author: JadeLeaves
I''m finding it hard to get hold of prunes at the moment
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.

Carrots seems to do the trick for now, plus the prune juice. How do I mix it up so that he won''t get so clogged up again? Now that he''s tried a few different foods, can I mix the food I give him in one meal?
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I made a lot of my kids'' baby food, but, never prunes. I wonder if blending prunes (plumped in juice) and some prune juice would work. Yes, you can mix foods once he''s tried them and not had any allergic reaction to them.
 
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