MSE Newborn to 1 year (& beyond!) baby club 2

Mrshaworth2b

I really must get myself to play groups, however the thought of other mums telling me, what their lo can do and how brilliant they are really annoys me! I find that even my friends do it so I guess it'll be the same with strangers if not more so.

So my lo turns 6 months on Monday! And I'm so overwhelmed at how fast 6 months have gone by! I'm so proud of him! He's my first and I've never really been around children much in life so him learning to roll over, eat, sit is sooooo amazing haha! You would think I had never seen anyone do it before the amount of praise I give him!

Anyway, question about swimming, how do I take a 6 month old swimming? As in, can I go to a baby pool anytime, anyday? Are they warm enough? How do I dress him? How long do I go for? Do I need to get him a floaty thing or just dip him in and hold him? Anything to be worried/cautious with? Am I ok taking a baby who likes to throw up some milk?

katiechoc_2

I just let competitive mums blather on and don't get involved generally, easier than getting wound up about it! We compare our littlies when I'm with my mum friends but not in a competitive way, just a general interest sort of way.

Re swimming the first time I took G I put him in just a Huggies little swimmers nappy and he was fine - didnt want to shell out for a wetsuit if he went batty and we didn't go back. If he has favourite bath toy you could take that to play with otherwise I just sort of swoosh him through the water. Our pool has set times that the smaller (warmer) pool is open so might be worth checking that. Make sure you have his towel, fresh nappy and clothes all ready and organised for afterwards - getting him dry while I'm freezing and soggy is the worst bit for me, but our changing rooms are kept at an annoyingly arctic temperature.

Any tips for a baby going through a regression back to severe separation anxiety?

fluffnutter

katiechoc wrote: »

I just let competitive mums blather on and don't get involved generally, easier than getting wound up about it! We compare our littlies when I'm with my mum friends but not in a competitive way, just a general interest sort of way.

Re swimming the first time I took G I put him in just a Huggies little swimmers nappy and he was fine - didnt want to shell out for a wetsuit if he went batty and we didn't go back. If he has favourite bath toy you could take that to play with otherwise I just sort of swoosh him through the water. Our pool has set times that the smaller (warmer) pool is open so might be worth checking that. Make sure you have his towel, fresh nappy and clothes all ready and organised for afterwards - getting him dry while I'm freezing and soggy is the worst bit for me, but our changing rooms are kept at an annoyingly arctic temperature.

Any tips for a baby going through a regression back to severe separation anxiety?

Probably just lots of love. I think the more secure they feel, the quicker it will pass. Not convinced that the way to overcome separation anxiety is to separate yourself from them. Love bomb him until he's sick of the sight of you!

fluffnutter

Mrshaworth2b wrote: »

I really must get myself to play groups, however the thought of other mums telling me, what their lo can do and how brilliant they are really annoys me!

Punch them in the gobs. Make sure baby's not watching - bad example.

katiechoc_2

fluffnutter wrote: »

Probably just lots of love. I think the more secure they feel, the quicker it will pass. Not convinced that the way to overcome separation anxiety is to separate yourself from them. Love bomb him until he's sick of the sight of you!

Ha I think that'd take ALOT of cuddles! OH thinks if I pick him up every time it'll just make him even worse . Don't know what's caused it, just kicked off in the last few days.

PurpleFairy26

Yeah on the sale of your house sunshine. Fingers crossed for this time.

Nutella - have you thought of an aqua doodle for the flight. They do travel ones and you only need water. Each one has a different daring time it seems but if you did it early on in the journey you'll likely get 2 uses each way. It's also a toy your daughter can use on hols and back at home rather than just buying something specifically for the flight iyswim.

Back to substantial night waking a here. Not helped by 4 teeth in a week :eek: not what I really needed just as I started back to work full time

Oh well off to bed with fingers crossed x

lazywife

boo Jonno, get some sleep while you can.x

Gillyx

R.e groups, we haven't gone to any! ( :eek: ) mainly because the few I did go to, I struggled with as they were church based and almost everyone spoke a different language, so I really felt on the fringe of things, and really wasn't sure how to strike up a conversation. Now we've moved I have a few friends who have kids, so we're planning on things to take them to now, also I have family around and with everyone working different shifts etc, I'm sure I'll be kept busy I'm also hoping to get back to at least part time work so I'll probably end up struggling to fit it all in.

I struggle to gel with people when all we have in common are kids. Luckily I've met some amazing online friends that I speak to almost every day via phones etc and good to have people to check in with, when you're at breaking point

*Nutella*

Mrshaworth2b wrote: »

Anyway, question about swimming, how do I take a 6 month old swimming? As in, can I go to a baby pool anytime, anyday? Are they warm enough? How do I dress him? How long do I go for? Do I need to get him a floaty thing or just dip him in and hold him? Anything to be worried/cautious with? Am I ok taking a baby who likes to throw up some milk?

Huggies does a good step by step guide to getting started with swimming. We used to go to a baby & parent organised session with lots of singing and splashing - held at our local, brand new, local authority-run pool and a bargain at £3.20 I'd call your local pool (or check online, as most will have timetables etc. on their website) and ask if there are any classes and/or whether you just turn up and use a 'normal' pool, or whether they have a warmer, smaller pool that's more suitable for a baby. Ask if they have any toys or whether you can/should bring some. I'd go during the day on a weekday whilst older children are at school as it'll be quieter. You probably won't want to be in the water for longer than 20 mins max (probably less the first time), but see how you both get on. We were advised again using floaty things 'as they give you a false sense of security'.

A couple of other things to bear in mind: make sure you have the right change for the locker. Don't put a swim nappy on him before you leave the house as they're intended to stop number 2s from ending up in the pool and they leak wee. I learnt this the hard way Expect him to be knackered afterwards - not necessarily a bad thing, as he'll probably want a nap. Put your own swimming costume on at home so there's one less thing to worry about once you get there - changing a wriggly baby is a big enough task. Take two or three towels, and bring one with you to the poolside so you can wrap him in it as soon as he comes out of the water or he'll get cold. Allow plenty of time so you don't have to rush anything - and enjoy!

*Nutella*

katiechoc wrote: »

Any tips for a baby going through a regression back to severe separation anxiety?

I wish! We're going through that here too - my LO is only a week younger than George, so maybe 16 months is a common time for it? I pick her up, hold her and cuddle her whenever she wants to, even if that's at 2am (she ends up in bed with me every night at the moment) - I know some people might disagree with this approach, but if she needs comfort and cuddles, then that's what mummy will provide I'm telling myself she'll grow out of it (and I know she will), but it does get tiring at times...