Baby I was 18 weeks on thursday this week and the day before, she started solids. She is still being breast fed and hasn’t developed any pattern. She is, on average, having a feed every 2 hours around the clock. I was hoping starting solids would reduce that but it hasn’t and I think I might leave her for another couple of weeks as she isn’t really enjoying the teaspoon of rice each lunchtime.
This week she has also started using her bumble nappies regularly; mainly due to running out of disposables. I’d bought a a stack of disposables when they were on offer but those she has left now are too big for her. I dug out the bumbles that she tried once or twice before and she seems to be happy with them. I’m happy with them. Apart from the fact that they seem bulky (which I like when I cuddle her!) they seem to be as good, if not better, than all the brands of disposables we’ve tried. So far pampers, huggies, tesco and asda’s own brands haven’t managed to contain baby I’s explosive baby poo but twice these nappies have managed it. My problem will be removing the stains as I haven’t managed to get the yellow stains out of her clothes yet either! I keep getting told that sunshine will take the stains out but I’ve left vests outside for three days in brilliant sunshine (yes, in the UK we did have more than one day in a row of sunshine!) and the stains remained. I now have one stained nappy outside – which has frozen stiff – in the very slim hope that a little sunshine might do the trick. If not I’ll try a hot wash. I bought a cheap fleecy blanket from the pound shop today that I’ve cut into 13 strips to use as liners so hopefully the staining wont be as bad on the nappy though breastfed babies poo tends to soak into the nappy. I wanted to use cloth nappies after reading about how many disposables are taken to the tip and sit there for up to 500 years! Apart from ecological reasons there are economical reasons too. In the long run, it works out cheaper to use reusables, especially, if like me, you purchase second hand. I’ll let you know how they go and if they’re as practical for someone like me that likes a simple, easy life!
This week I’m pretty sure she is giggling too. I thought she’d giggled before but I’m sure she has now. It’s impossible to get her to repeat it though I’ve tried everythign. When it happens its a throaty chuckle which I’m sure even surprises her by the look on her face but gets an instant burst of laughter and smiles from anyone around her.
She is still getting a lot of attention when we go out. An elderly lady in Asda stopped me this week to tell me she is one of the most beautiful babies she’d ever seen which was lovely to hear. Baby I always gets lots of ooh’s and ahh’s when we’re out especially when she’s in her sling as she was today. Living where we do, it is very rare to see a baby in anything but a pushchair. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone else using one. You see them all around town, the moms with their babies in matching colour co-ordinated buggy’s. They buy new ones just to keep up with fashion! I know a girl that has had at least 3 for each child purely because of fashion and then there’s me, with my little one snuggled up under my chin in her sling. The surprising thing is the reaction. i was expecting snide remarks like those I’ve received already such as “What’s that? A curtain you’ve slung around her?!” which was from a relative! But no, many people are asking questions. I heard a dad telling his partner today that they should think of getting something like it for their little one as “I bet she’s lovely and warm in there!” which of course, she was. They’d spent some time trying to catch up with me to try to have a sneaky peak and I didn’t want to seem as if I was eavesdropping by dropping back to talk to them but they were most impressed. I don’t think many people around here have seen slings in use but I hope more people take to using them. I’d be lost without mine as she wouldn’t take to her pushchair in the beginning (still screams in her car seat every trip we make in the dark and some in the light too) and it was far easier when she was distressed to put her in her sling and take her out and about. She loves being close to me, being able to see and I also think a lot of the attention she gets is because she’s up where people can see her, when they realise I’m carrying a baby that is.
She is still a difficult baby. I’ve struggled with her this week. I still can’t put her down to sleep and she sleeps very little in the day. She had three 15 – 25 minute naps through out the day today and finally fell asleep on me around 10:30 this evening; she is on the sofa next to me and is fidgety. Dad and nan have struggled with her this week with nan hearing her screaming cry for the first time when she looked after her when i went to the dentist and dad having her scream at him when i went to the shop for ten minutes and again, when I went to the toilet. She is getting worse. I cannot leave her. She wont settle in her moses basket and is sleeping in bed with us.I cannot get anything done and am finding it frustrating. I then feel guilty because it wont last and she’s only upset because she wants to be with me. I keep hoping it will get easier as she gets older.
nappy debate links:
