MSE Newborn to 1 year (& beyond!) baby club 3

Crabapple

The gates I have don't have a bar at the bottom. It helped as we were able to put them in a little bit higher than suggested. Children can't get under but the cats can and that saves us a whole lot of plaintive mewing when they can't get to where they want!

I don't think my eldest slept through until about 1, or only on occasion. Little one doesn't at 4 months but generally only wakes once for a refuel and is then down until a reasonable time (well 6, but these days that counts as reasonable!). I have a friend with a 20 month old who has only slept through once in his life...

All babies are different. If you are really worried about getting up in the night then look at something like the 'no cry sleep solution' for ideas on ways to encourage lo to sleep longer.

I think I gave up telling people that my daughter didn't sleep through. I know my friend has. Everyone is full of great advice whether you want it or not but you have to work out what is best for you.

[I appreciate that I am giving advice! You are perfectly entitled not to take it! But please don't let other parents make you feel like you are doing something wrong if your baby won't sleep all night long.]

BeNiceToMySelf

MrsH big hugs, must be so awful to see your child so distressed x

Bangton according to the lead HV, developmentally a child sleeps through at 2.5 years and any earlier is a bonus! The hard thing about groups of mums can be the compare and contrast and even worse when your LO is the unique one! Especially when it comes to sleep and just a bit more would make a big difference to you. I get the advice of not feeding LO at night but it's the quickest way to get him back to sleep and myself back to sleep. The HV lead said just say 'the HV says it's OK' and people tend to back off. You might find that these babies that sleep through might go through another regression or become more antsier at night another time. I don't really believe my LO is always gonna give me as much sleep as he does now - it's too good to be true!

My OH is pants when it comes to sleep. He has started to do the first wake up at 2/3 this week but that's cos he's only just gone to bed and he's not really asleep. That's made a huge difference to me even though LO does want a bit of BF before settling back down. There's a second wake up at 5ish which I do.

Oscar_the_Pug

Bangton and BeNice, my LO is 10.5 months and only occasionally sleeps through. She also tends to wake twice: I do the 1st (usually somewhere between midnight and 3), and OH does the 2nd (usually between 4 and 5). She mostly goes back down til 6 or 7am, but recently we've had to let her cry a bit before she goes back to sleep. A few months back she would drift off to sleep at night and for naps peacefully but since separation anxiety hit she's lost the knack. I wanted to avoid CIO but the other week I was at the end of my tether at 5am after a really bad night so left her and within 10 minutes she was asleep and stayed down til 7!

*Nutella*

Bangton wrote: »

Can I just ask about pressure gates on the top of stairs? I'd read they were a trip hazard because of the bar at the bottom. I never purchased mine the other day because my partner was moaning about drilling the walls. Ideally we don't want to, but I take it those of you with the lindam gates find them ok trip wise?

For those who's little ones sleep through..When did they start sleeping through? I went out with a group yesterday and they pretty much all sleep through and are younger than my son and were kind of commenting that I should start offering water at night. I must admit right at the moment I'm exhausted with getting up in the night as he often won't settle easily after. I thought it was pretty normal to get up still at 8.5 months but now I'm questioning myself.

We've never had a problem with the Lindam gate at the top of the stairs - you naturally lift your foot when you step onto stairs anyway - but we did trip over the one that blocked off the kitchen a few times before we got used it. After a few days that one was completely fine as well. I'm glad we went for gates that didn't involve drilling - quick and easy to put up and move around if you ever wanted to use it somewhere else (e.g. I can see us using the one we had for the kitchen for LO's bedroom once we remove the sides of the cot bed) and no marks anywhere. They really do stay firmly in place.

My LO is 2 and still doesn't sleep through the night. We stopped night feeds at 6 months and she always has access to a bottle of water, but she wakes up at least once a night without fail

SmlSave

Bangton You ask about sleeping through the night - DS starting sleeping through at 30 months, that's over 2.5 years! I'm hopeful that DD will sleep through earlier but please don't feel stressed if your lo doesn't sleep through yet. I could give you a list of the useless, annoying and basically upsetting advice we got given on the subject.

Staircases, you can get ones that don't have the bar at the bottom for the top of the stairs. We've got one and it's brilliant. Can't check the name of it atm as DD is lying on top of me.

We've just survived DS' third birthday party and god am I knackered. DD was a star and was passed around to everyone. She's almost 4 months now and is trying to roll which means she's waking up more at night to practise which means I'm getting kicked awake!

Gillyx

Sorry not been around for ages, they don't recommend pressure gates for the top of the stairs as with enough force they will move, so if baby ran at them it could take the whole gate off and them they'd fall down too. I know it's far fetched but that's the reason they don't recommend. Hope that helps.

Hop everyone is well. Potty training in full swing here

Edit: sleeping through there is no normal, for some kids it'l be 3 days, for others 3 years. I wouldn't concern yourself with what others are doing, focus on your LO, there are gentle methods of encouraging sleeping through but if you're not that bothered then it will pass eventually, I promise. If it makes you feel any better or worse I don't know :rotfl: my. LO actually wakes more now than he did at 6 months, he's almost 2.5, he's either dropped his teddy, or his water cup, or his teeth hurt, or he's had a bad dream, or he's not sleepy, etc etc. :eek:

*Nutella*

Summary of Day 1 of potty training in the Nutella household:

- Number of puddles on the floor: 4
- Number of wees done in potty: 3
- Number of wees done in toilet: 1
- Number of wet knickers: 6 (she used two to clean up puddles)
- Number of exhausted mothers: 1

50/50 floor and potty/toilet doesn't seem too bad for Day 1?...

(Oh, and then there was a poo that was partly on the floor and partly in the potty because mummy didn't react quickly enough )

*Nutella*

Evening all

Gilly, nice to 'see' you - hope all is well with you and your little man

I just made the most amazing chocolate and coconut muffins - I was craving something sweet and we didn't have any biscuits or chocolate (and I can't leave the house as LO is asleep and OH is at work), so decided to get baking. They're soooo yummy! Also just finished making a batch of granola. Now slumped on the sofa watching junk TV and eating aforementioned muffins

Hope everyone is well and had a good day x

Bangton

The posts about sleeping through have been so interesting. Thanks - I certainly feel better. It might not sound like it but I'm not that bothered that he doesn't. I think what bothers me is feeling like the only one and like I'm doing something wrong in feeding him. It is the quickest way like Benice says!

I haven't really talked sleep in ages with other mums and so was a little stunned to be the only one when I assume babies don't sleep! !

We're having particularly bad nights at the moment so I think it's a discussion that's hit me when I'm weakened through lack of sleep! !

CD - hugs for the husband issues! a baby and a dog (I couldn't cope! !)

Nutella - the muffins sound gorgeous! I'd also say day one of potty training has gone well. At least something has gone in the potty!!!

We're getting our stair gates today. We seem to have a wider gap than standard so I've struggled to get any locally. so its off for a drive to get the lindam ones that I think everyone has!

gilly - I thought pressure gates weren't recommended at top of stairs because of the bar and because they weren't as sturdy as you say. We've decided not to gate the top of the stairs as the wall doesn't start where the stairs are! ! We'd have to put the gate on the first step! so we are gating the hall instead (he still can't get to the stairs! ) and then gating the bottom. I'm torn with the kitchen ... can you still have a gate with a door there too??!@

SmlSave

We've never gated the kitchen, only one cupboard has cleaning stuff in it and DS soon learnt not to open it. The other cupboard kept him entertained while I cooked as he'd empty the entire thing! It was a very small kitchen lol