MS Tips for keeping the really Little one's Warm?

pnq06

MadDogWoman wrote: »

Hi,

I dreamfeed my DD at 10pm (BF) it helps keep her going until 3am, before I did this she woke at all sorts of weird and wonderful times of night. It also means that she tends to start the day at around the same time (between 6 and 7am).

MDW

HI MadDogWoman,

Can I just ask if you too started dream feeding at 12 weeks like poohzee did?
Is there any reason why it can't be started earlier?

Suppose I should be googling or asking my MW but its always nice to hear from 'real' women who have tried it...

Thanks

poohzee

I really recommend if you are a first time mum to sign up to https://www.babycentre.co.uk for their weekly newsletters on your week by week pregnancy then onto you bubs weekly updates - also a really good forum on https://www.bounty.com, but my ultimate recommend is to go to antenatal classes of mums to be who are at the same stage as you. I have kept up with everyone from my class and all 10 of us are now great friends - there to help out, shoulder to cry and help each other out and have some child free night outs!! We see each other at least 3 times a week and all the kids are great friends too. Also a good MSE tip - we have one big birthday party for them all instead of seperate ones - much cheaper!

poohzee

Dreamfeeding is discussed a lot in The Baby Whisperer book - which I found great help - not to follow by the letter - but a good guide

heather38

i dream fed dd from day 1 to get her into a routine from the start and she slept from 7pm to 7am with no feeds from 4 months.
i didn't co sleep, but did often fall asleep with her in the bed when she woke for her feeds in the night. she was a 2 hour feed baby for 2 months :eek: i looked like a zombie!
tesco grobags have a tog rating 1 and 2.5. she doesn't have one now but i might get one for the winter as her room is cold and she often kicks off her blankets.

pnq06

This is my second one :eek: Although you wouldn't think it with all the questions

My little boy is only 5 but how things have changed!!! I had never heard of swaddling, dream feeding or sleeping bags when I had him. All my problems would have been solved if I had as he was BF on demand (that could mean every 30 mins :eek: ) and he would never keep blankets on. He also spent the first few weeks constantly attached to me even if I wasn't feeding him so I guess this is where swaddling comes in handy as its the closeness?

Thanks Heather, I'll have a look around and try to get my knowledge up before bubs arrives... Thats if my fish like brain can stay focused long enough- oh the joys of pregnancy :rolleyes:

dubgirl

Hi, i would like to second what other posters have said already about gro bags, they are brilliant. DS who is 2 next week is still in his (he is still in his cot at the mo, but probably not for much longer). My midwife always told me that a baby/toddler should wear one more layer than the parent and that would be enough. the concern was always about the baby getting too hot.

grannybroon

We have done Grobags with DGS 1 and 2 and will do it witht DGS3. They are fab and boys feel secure.

The minute they go into big boys bed - no growbag. They have to be mobile.

GB xx

MadDogWoman_2

pnq06 wrote: »

HI MadDogWoman,

Can I just ask if you too started dream feeding at 12 weeks like poohzee did?
Is there any reason why it can't be started earlier?

Suppose I should be googling or asking my MW but its always nice to hear from 'real' women who have tried it...

Thanks

I think I started it fairly soon after we got home from hospital she was 2 or 3 weeks old.

I was recovering from a c-section so I appreciated the extra sleep it gave me. I'd also get so full that the poor love couldn't cope with the flow and end up choking and have really bad wind.

MDW

poodlehorse

I'm basically just going to reiterate what everyone else has said:

Swaddling - brilliant. Stops them being frightened of their arms when they flail around or when they do that just going to sleep shudder, they don't really know that their arms are attached to them at that age. And yes womblike and so gives security. We did that until DS moved in to his cot from the moses basket (but that was only at 8 wks as he was HUGE and he wouldn't fit in the swaddle any more) and once in the cot he wore...

Sleeping bags - BRILLIANT also. Kept him in them until big boy bed. We originally were in a centrally heated house until he was 9 mths and the grobag was fine, in summer I used to put him in it with only a nappy as it was really hot upstairs but in winter he had the usual vest with poppers and babygro underneath, when we came here his bedroom has NO heating init and it is a really cold old house. We just put a blanket over the grobag as even I was cold in bed with my countless layers of clothes and a thick duvet so he must have been. I agree with the one more layer than adults though - that is what I was told. If you are really worried about the cold out a wee hat on but not one that ties on just the slip on kind and then soemthing on hands and socks for feet. I remember reading they shouldn't be used before 10lbs but if you swaddle at first you won't be using a grobag probably until then anyway. Didn't know why though so that is interesting.

Dream-feeding - We followed Baby Whisperer and it was a godsend. I agree you have to take what is right for you and your baby but dreamfeeding we did straight away and finished it by 8 wks as although it definitely helped initially I went to bed early a few times thinking I would just rest but fell asleep altogether and DS slept through to his next normal feed anyway around 3 so I didn't think by then it made any difference but he was eating loads through the day and was a big boy. I think it is recommended to do it for 7-8 mths or something. So do what feels right, I don't see the point waiting until 12 weeks as the point of it is to top them up with milk to get them farther through the night without waking. By 12 weeks DS was sleeping through and some kids are earlier than that (if you are very lucky).

I would definitely recommend getting the baby whisperer book out of the library, I found that it was a bit all over the place and I was reading this page then 40 pages on and then 27 pages back all on the same topic and my postpartum brain struggled to keep up but I eventually got DH to photocopy the sample routine 3hour EASY and 4 hour EASy and Feeding 101. I stuck that up and only went back to the book if I had a real problem once I had got the basics in my head. Boy those hormones really play havoc with the brain don't they? Not sure mine has recovered and it has been 2.5 years LOL

Good luck with everything

Gingham_Ribbon

I'll move this over to the families board now where you should get some more information and maybe ideas where to get grobags etc from cheaply.

Don't forget to ask your midwife and healthvisitor for advice. (If you have a midwife that comes to visit for a few weeks after the birth.) She's get a feel for how cool the house is and be able to advise you.