Starting solids

Last month, a lot of people in the online mother's forum I follow had started solids. I have heard conflicting reports of whether or not starting solids helps babies to sleep better. I personally think that people also need to factor in age of baby, and that babies eventually (hopefully) sleep better as they get bigger.

Now, doctors recommend 6 months, but not too long ago they were saying 4 months. There are big changes that happen to a babies digestive system and because of that there are important reasons to avoid solids until 6 months:

Baby will have greater protection from illness (if exclusively breastfed)
Baby's digestive system will have time to mature
Baby will be developmentally ready for solids
Baby will have a lower risk of obesity in the future
Starting solids will be easier
Baby may have more protection from iron deficiency anaemia
Breastfeeding mums will more easily maintain milk supply
Breastfeeding mums will be less likely to become pregnant
Breastfeeding mums may loose the baby weight more quickly

For more information and referencing on the above, see this site: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/delay-solids/

So how do you know when your baby is ready?
Here are some developmentally ready signs, as found in Kellymom

• Baby can sit up well without support.

• Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.

• Baby is ready and willing to chew.

• Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.

• Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

Looks like, for Pi, it is still a while off. While he seems eager, he can't yet sit up by himself. We are super eager to start the fun of solids (I am sure the after about a week of cleaning pumpkin off the floor, we no longer will be) but will wait until it is best for Pi.

Save our sleep routine for baby on solids until 6 months

ROUTINE FOR A BABY ON SOLIDS UNTIL 6½ MONTHS

Feed times
7 am
11 am
3 pm
6.20 pm

Solids
8 am
12 noon
5.20 pm

Dreamfeed
10.30 pm

Sleep times
9 am
1 pm
4.30 pm (possible nap)

Bedtime 7 pm 7 am

If your baby wakes before 7 am, delay her milk feed until 7 am as this will encourage your baby to sleep longer. Otherwise, wake your baby at 7 am and give her a milk feed.

8 am Give your baby breakfast. Feed your baby until she turns her head away. I recommend you give your baby two courses, one savoury and one sweet.

9 am Put your baby to bed awake and allow her to self-settle. This means without the help of you or a dummy.

11 am Give your baby her milk feed. This feed will start to get smaller as your baby gets older and is eating more solids.

12 noon Feed your baby two courses of solids, one savoury and one sweet.

1 pm Put your baby to bed awake and allow her to self-settle.

3 pm Wake your baby up and give her a milk feed.

4.30 pm If your baby has not slept well, you might want to encourage a nap in the car or pram. At about 6½ months your baby no longer needs this nap.

5.20 pm Feed your baby two courses of solids, one savoury and one sweet. If your baby is now skipping the nap at 4.30 pm, try giving solids at 5 pm to allow a bigger space before the milk feed.

 6 pm Bath your baby, or give top-to-toe wash.

6.20 pm Give your baby her milk feed. Your baby needs to finish this feed at least ten minutes before bedtime.

7 pm Put your baby to bed fully awake and allow her to self-settle.

10.30 pm Dreamfeed.


*Hall, T. (2011) Save our Sleep. Sydney, New South Wales: Pan Macmillan.

Sleep training, training... kinda- Day 3

Last night, he slept so much better.

After he went down around 7, he woke up just three times until he was 'awake' for the day at 6:30am. Because he only woke 3 times, I fed him all the times (10pm, 1:30am, 4:30am). Every time I lay him down he went straight back to sleep too. Also, at the start of the night he woke up 30 minutes in and cried for 4 cries and then settled himself. Miracle!!! Obviously we have a long way to go.

I was bad today, without realising, and cheated with his first nap. It was only an hour after wake up, and I was still sleepy and in bed watching him play, so when he started rubbing his eyes, I took him into my bed, in my arms and gave him my thumb to help him sleep. I didn't think it was that bad a thing to do, but for his second nap he REALLY fought going down. I think I need to be consistent for his sake. I kind of messed him around a bit too, as I went out for a very long lunch (longer than we intended) with friends. He was such a champ though. I am so proud!

Here is roughly what his day looked like. I didn't put in activity times, but always do things with him from one nap to the next.

6:30- wake and feed
7:50-8:25- nap in my arms
9;20- feed
10:25-10:50  nap in crib. 18 minutes to go down, lots of crying, but no rage crying. Picked him up 4 times to calm him.
11:40- feed
12:40-1:15- nap in pram while at a restaurant.
1:40- feed
3:40-3:45- car (One minute he was awake, the next he wasn't. The interesting thing is I had been rocking him in his pram while I was talking to friends for at least 20 mins and he didn't sleep. Then in the car and he was playing with his book and then 2 minutes later he was fast asleep.)
4-5- (I tried to extend his car nap by putting him in his crib and giving him my thumb. That didn't really work, so I took him downstairs and bounced him in his bouncer. He had at least 45 mins that way).
5pm- feed
7pm- sleep.

He went down really quickly and without fuss- I think about 10 mins, but maybe less. In fact, by the time I put him in his crib he was already sucking his thumb. I stayed with him until he was almost asleep, but with my hand off of him, and then left the room when his eyes were more closed than they opened. He even rolled onto his belly about 10 mins in but after a cry or two, settled himself.

Success in putting him to bed, I think!

Sleep training, training... kinda- Day 2

Little Pi woke up at 6:30 again today. Maybe it is because he is sleeping a little bit more at night. (3-2-2-3-1.5hrs in a row). I changed him and dressed into his day clothes at 6:30, but I was still tired to I brought him back to bed to play with his mobile. While that only lasted for a little bit, he was still rubbing his eyes so I thought it might be time for him to have more sleep too. I held him, and gave him my thumb, just as he wasn't settling without help, and I didn't want to stress him out too much.
He ended up getting another 40mins or so, I think, and so did I. Magic!

6:30- Awake

7:15-7:50- Nap in bed with me
8 am - feed

9:55-10-50- sleep (protest cries/fussing for 20mins) did it on his own. He still woke up cranky though.

11:13- feed

1:05-1:25 sleep (in pram while we went shopping, fell asleep with white noise and rocking in 3 mins)

2:00- feed

3:30-4pm sleep (small cries/ fussing for 25 mins) did it on his own- he was probably over tired too as he was almost falling asleep in the car.

4:55- Feed (he was so grumpy getting to this feed though, but happy as Larry after)

6:50- Bed- Took about 20mins to get down. Lots of 'mantra crying' with some sad little tears. He got there though, all by himself again.

I really hope he gets use to putting himself to sleep. It's hard to watch him not have fun, but I think it is a great skill for him to learn.  The biggest problem at the moment is he wakes up crying in his crib. Not sure if it is because I am not there, because he is hungry, or still tired. Or maybe he is just not use to it yet. Lets hope it's a phase.

Sleep training, training... kinda- Day 1

So, I have been humming and harring about sleep training again- I believe my last thoughts on the matter were to wait until 6 months. I still feel that way, with sleep training semi-booked in for mid October (there is a three day weekend so DH will be home to help and Pi will almost be 6 calender months). Until then, I have been reading lots of books, including the no-cry sleep solution, and lots of online articles from the 'secret of the baby whisperer' (I have ordered the book, just awaiting it's arrival). For the last week I have started getting desperate again, which I why I 'reopened' the idea of sleep training sooner. We had a bad night of him waking up constantly (he already normally wakes 5+times a night), but this time he refused to go to sleep- or stay asleep- unless he was nursing. I figure I have created bad habits. So, once again I hit the research and it has led me onto four basic paths.

There seem to be 4 grades of sleep training:

Fading: where the sleep aid is gradually taken away, results take between 3 weeks - 3 months.

Pick up/Put down- Pick up the baby when he cries until he is comforted, put down the baby; repeat each cry. The baby is able to fuss on their own, though. You can choose to leave a hand on them to soothe them, or leave the room (whichever works best for baby)

Controlled crying- going in to the baby at intervals, but gradually staying away for longer periods of time.

Crying it out- leaving the baby to cry until he works out what to do (many people say that they don't really learn to self soothe though, instead just to accept you aren't coming back).

In October, Pi will be just shy of 6 months and we will try the 'pick up/put down'. I don't think I could do controlled crying, or crying it out. It already breaks my heart when he cries (Probably why I don't get much sleep, I am too soft).  They do say that controlled crying/crying it out should only be used after the baby is 6 months anyway.

I still don't mind nursing him during the night, but once or twice would be far more preferable to 5+ times. So, in the meantime while the clock ticks closer to October, I have started 'fading'. Basically at the moment Pi uses my nipple or thumb as a pacifier, and he needs that to sleep. I am trying to get him to use his own thumb. I think it is a kinder teaching method.

Last night I without my thumb for as long as possible- turns out, I could for the entire time! There was a bit of grumbling, but no tears and not really crying, and he eventually put himself to sleep. I think in about 20 mins. I lay down next to him and sang 'twinkle twinkle' (I have been singing that every time he goes to sleep for months, and only at sleep time), and shushed and patted/rubbed his back/belly. I couldn't believe it worked.  During the night he only woke up 4 times. I nursed him back to sleep 3 of those times, and used my thumb for one of them. I don't know if he is hungry, or not, but I figure until 6 months I don't want to withhold food.

I decided that from now on, I would have Pi nap in his crib (when possible). So for this morning's nap, I did the same; and success! He still only slept for his 30 mins, but I figure one step at a time. After all, he only sleeps for 30 mins in his bouncer, usually.

His next nap took about 20 mins for him to go down, and he slept for 25 mins. There were a few crocodile tears, but he didn't get super upset like he does. He did wake up from this one really upset though. Which is unlike him. I think because I tried to extend his awake time (to 2 hours) so he was super tired (I won't do that again, or not until official training begins). Or maybe he wanted to get to the next sleep cycle. I tried to help him back to sleep- first with my thumb, (no luck) then with feeding him (He calmed and had his eyes closed). I don't think of it as a big regression though, as my main aim is to teach him to fall asleep by himself.

His third nap only took 10 mins to get down, and some whines, but down without too much fuss. He slept for 30 mins and woke up screaminhg again. Not sure if it is because he woke up alone, he wanted to sleep longer, or if it was because he was on his belly. I think it was on his belly as he can cry during the night if that happens.

His fourth nap took 30 mins to go down. He was scratched on his nose right as the start- so bad he bled! So he as quite worked up because of that, and because he was so tired today. I think putting him to sleep is weairng him out a bit...It's wearing me out. That nap lasted

His fifth nap (he has so many as he sleep for 30mins) took,, and lasted for 45mins. At about the 20-25min mark I went in and rolled him from his tummy back onto his side (I tried to roll him onto his back, but he just wouldn't budge). Maybe that was what helped him to sleep a little longer. Maybe not Either way, he woke up crying again, even though he wasn't on his belly. Maybe it is just waking up in a new place without me there. I hope he gets use to it.

Sleep that night was surprisingly the same as the night before. About 20mins to go down (he is starting to fight it a bit more, maybe he knows he is on his own). He slept until 10pm, then up again at 12, 2, and 5. I fed him at 10, 2 and 5 as I am trying for him to go at least 3 hours without food. Otherwise his nappy gets too full.

I'll keep logging his 'fading' progress here. I figure it's a nice way to get him prepared for a bit more of a strict routine. now is a good time too, he as passed the regression, but doesn't have separation anxiety which pops up around 6 months. I don't want to withhold his sleep aids, just give him the chance to learn to soothe and sleep on his own. After all, if I never give him the chance, how will he learn.

Neckercheifs...

When I lived in London, I was never the biggest fan of H&M. Maybe because my English mates RAVED about it, so I was thoroughly disappointed. Now, however, I love it! They change their range constantly, and sometimes I will see both the most beautiful and the most hideous clothes in there. Mostly beautiful, though. 

The H&M in Terrace Mall- Tsujido- has a small range of maternity and nursing clothes (I wear their nursing tops just about every day) but they have a great range of baby/kids clothes. I always go NUTS in it and leave wanting to spend hundreds of dollars- or should I say, tens of hundreds of yen.

This has been one of my latest purchases- a pack of three bibs that are neckercheifs/bibs. They look so cute and jazz up my plain onesies- and match a lot of outfits too. They also catch Pi-chan's drool exceptionally well.

See- cute, hey!

AWOL

So, I had kinda disappeared for a while there. Sorry! First, it was dealing with all that grizzles during the wonder week (ahem, I mean month and a bit), and also I had my mum and dad come to visit.
I am glad to report that the wonder week- or at least the fussy part of it is over. Yay! The sleep regression, however, continues.
He is getting a little bit better, doesn't put himself to sleep like he did, but the outright screaming is lessening. Though now, thanks to the wonder week, he can roll (both ways), but can't roll from stomach to back; so when he wakes up on his tummy, he cries... a lot. I am yet to time how long he sleeps for- I was doing every feed, every sleep for about 15days, but stopped it a few weeks ago- but I think he sleeps for about 4, then 3, then 2, then 1, then 30, then 30, then 30. I really would love it if he would start to sleep through or wake up only once or twice, but Pi is growing so well that I can't be upset (I can be tired though, right). In fact, while I have a crappy sleeper (night time and naps), I have a little boy with the sweetest personality. I am so lucky.