Bringing Up Baby Old Style ... 2013 and beyond

atypicalblonde

notanewuser wrote: »

No need to pur!e anything. Baby can eat whatever you eat from 6 months (just don't add any salt). Look up Baby Led Weaning.

Sorry I should have specified, I started weaning my daughter at 4 months as she was such a hungry hippo , hence the pureeing xx

optimistic-mummy

notanewuser wrote: »

No need to pur!e anything. Baby can eat whatever you eat from 6 months (just don't add any salt). Look up Baby Led Weaning.

i will be trying baby led weaning....

we have already been given a moses basket although if i hadn't been given one i would've saved the expense and put baby straight in a cot ...

i also won't bother with a baby carrier or anything similar as i suffer with back problems

how many sleepsuit and vests would everyone say would be needed and how often would i be looking at washing at that amount.... the only reason i ask is we were given loads of clothes for our son and brought loads of clothes as gifts so i used them some were never worn we had that many what's the ideal amount without running low or going over the top

also is it true when breastfeeding that if you introduced a bottle to early it can confuse them .... i was planning to independently breastfeed and allow baby to self wean off the breast when he/she is ready and not use bottles just introduce beakers once baby is weaning for water or juice would this be ok ??


ETA ... anyone whos planning to use baby sleeping bags ... i can't remember what they are actually called if you have a B&M nearby they had some in my local one for £6.99 pink blue or cream with a patten and bear on x

optimistic-mummy

notanewuser wrote: »

Just to say that Johnson's toiletries really aren't good for skin, be it babies, toddlers, children or adults.

You'd be better off giving that a wide berth.

i didn't know that ... i never used baby wash's on my son until he started weaning and was getting more dirty .... water did the job till then ...

oh also look out for the baby events they have some really good bargains sometimes x

whichwhydoIturn

When I was having my DD, my auntie told me to buy a regular double sheet & cut it into cot size sheets .It was a great idea , really worked out great , think I got 4-5 sheets from a big one. Just took a bit of stitching ,

optimistic-mummy

whichwhydoIturn wrote: »

When I was having my DD, my auntie told me to buy a regular double sheet & cut it into cot size sheets .It was a great idea , really worked out great , think I got 4-5 sheets from a big one. Just took a bit of stitching ,

thanks for the idea .... i'm thinking about learning to sew and maybe getting a sewing machine x

silverchair

optimistic-mummy wrote: »

i will be trying baby led weaning....

also is it true when breastfeeding that if you introduced a bottle to early it can confuse them .... i was planning to independently breastfeed and allow baby to self wean off the breast when he/she is ready and not use bottles just introduce beakers once baby is weaning for water or juice would this be ok ??

lactation specialist said that it can cause confusion (I think its called nipple confusion) as they have to use their tongue differently for the bottle.

bossymoo

I'd second baby-led weaning, great fun and no faffing smooshing food up. Plus they get to taste individual foods, as well as the texture. Having said that, both mine also loved those fruit pur!e pots you can buy, for puddings

Re nappies, we liked the mothercare smart nappy system. Our council was doing a trial when I was expecting my eldest, and the offer was 3 different nappies so you could try out and see which fit your baby best. I found them all very bulky as both mine had skinny hips. The smart nappy fit them both very nicely, and they sometimes had offers on kits, plus the inserts were really quick to dry (my DH had put one of those funny sock airers with the pegs on, in the airing cupboard for me so I would peg them in there and they'd dry overnight)

Definitely second hand baby clothes. The wee ones grow so fast they rarely ruin anything before its too small for them, so easy to find clothes in good condition. Not so much when you are looking for trousers for a lanky 4yo boy. Lordy I wouldn't dream of giving his old ones away what on earth do they do to the knees???

skint_breeder_5

Nipple confusion is best avoided in the early weeks until breastfeeding is well established for both YOU and BABY. Breastfeeding supporters will recommend avoiding both dummies and bottles in this time. Expressed milk or formula milk given under medical advice can be given in a plastic breastfeeding cup (it looks like a "shot" glass) your Breastfeeding supporter or Health Visitor can give you tips on using the cup so baby gets the milk instead of your baby's bib and babygro!

It is worth remembering that breastfeeding is a symbiotic relationship, baby gets hungry and wants to feed, if you ignore the time to feed (even by way of milk previously expressed/or collected in breast shells) you will become engorged (which is painful and can lead to infection if left) and your body will think it is producing too much milk so naturally cuts back which will leave baby getting hungry and more ratty.

In those first couple of weeks baby will need breastfeeding every 2 to 3 hours, which sounds horrific but is worth persevering for. Rather than reach straight for a bottle for OH to help out so you can get some sleep, try to agree for OH to do the "winding and settling" for you instead. Even if you are not sleepy, still hand the baby over for winding....go have a shower, make a cup of tea, so if OH comes back with baby saying he thinks she is still hungry or won't settle for him you will be more relaxed to take over again than if you have had to struggle through.

Going back to the Essentials list, getting some Colic drops suitable from birth will be a godsend. Although true Colic isn't present in newborns, they can still get uncomfortable trapped wind. Breastfed babies TEND to get less wind, but it is not guaranteed. You don't want to end up frazzled at 2am with a upset bubba and no shops open for several hours.

Baby toys - speak to your local Surestart Centre about joining their toy library. You can join for a flat fee (mine is £6 for 6 months) you get the right toys for their developmental age, then swap them as they get bored/grow out of them.

Baby weaning - make your own....if you are looking for good ideas that are very palatable for babies have a glance at the ingredient lists on Ell@'s Kitch£n pouches, work out the rough proportions, cook and blend up your own and freeze.

Horseshoe shaped breastfeeding cushion- which doubles up as Tummy time cushion

Bumbo baby seat (for use on the floor only) I never got to put mine away in between my 3 1/2 yr old and my 3 month old, would highly recommend (you can get a bargain on these on ebay if you are prepared to sit and snipe at the last minute)

Look for babygros with built in scratch mits that fold over baby's hands - no loosing them in the wash, in the car or round the supermarket

Join the supermarket baby clubs to get money off coupons for baby bits, but don't feel compelled to use them if you can get better value at a different store.

If you are pregnant now, check if you qualify for extra help, like maternity grants, healthy start vouchers, what you need to do and by when for things like SMP

HTH

pigpen

We used all sorts for cupfeeds.. egg cups, caps from bottles (had from previous child) just an ordinary small beaker, measuring cups.

I've never used scratch mitts.. I don't see how a baby can learn clawing their face is daft unless they experience it and it is better to learn early on when nails are softer.

I never sterilised anything.

I don't use gates/fireguards etc.. when they learn to go upstairs I teach them to come back down safely.. had our first ever 'fall' a couple of weeks ago.. but she is 20 months and was being silly on the stairs. She is constantly black and blue from falls etc it was expected tbh.

For older toddlers the littlelife backpack with a walking rein is fantastic!

Ikea antilop highchair is super-duper cheap and excellent.. most brands are stupidly huge but this is a nice size. My 2 y/o is huge and she was swamped in an ordinary highchair but this is perfect.

funny_bunny_2

Great thread with some super tips :T
I'm 25 weeks pregnant due August with my 3rd boy, my youngest is almost 5 years old and cause bubba was a huge surprise I've had to start from scratch as i'd sold/given away everything!
Got to say ebay has been a god send:D and I've had some brilliant bargains off there!
Bought a bugaboo gecko travel system for £56:rotfl:
Also I swear by the baby hammocks (Amby) to help baby sleep, had 1 for my son and I swear that is the reason he slept for at least 6 hours a night from day 1. (Another purchase off ebay for £40) also baby can stay in this until at least 9 months old and then will go straight into a cot.
I don't bother with baby baths as I use the sink or even better baby has a bath with mum/dad.
Plastic backed bibs are a god send when baby starts to dribble.
Can't think of anything else that hasn't already been mentioned at the moment.