I was talking to someone on Mumsnet the other week (she knows who she is) and she was pretty stressed out about her wee baby and I was sympathising. Anyway, she then said something along the lines of '...but I thought that your daughter was perfect?' Not in a bad way, not at all... but it got me thinking.
Make no mistake my daughter is not perfect, and we all have our off days together, but I suppose I'm trying to write this about BLW rather than how annoying she is when I'm trying to change her nappy. (Which is unbelievably annoying, for the record... practically a two-man job. The wall by her changing mat sometimes looks like the scene of a dirty protest in Barlinnie).
Anyway, I'm going to have to think about it, I'd hate to be all 'la la la this motherhood thing is a breeze' because, well, sometimes it's not.
I am in all honesty not finding BLW particularly difficult, but then I think that's partly down to my overwhelming sloth rather than Babybear's natural gifts. I fell for the 'until they're one it's just for fun' mantra, hook, line and sinker so I just never worried about amounts. Plus, and I must put this in as a Top Tip one of these days, my friend once told me never to count food amounts over a day, always over three days to a week, and that has been fantastic advice.
However, I do find myself getting a little freaked out by the idea that she now has to take a certain amount of vitamins etc and that her milk isn't doing the job. And every time she cuts a tooth she does just stop eating altogether. At the moment she seems to be landing about five teeth at the one time and there hadn't been much food consumed in the last few days so I was obliged to wheel out the big guns and do a roast chicken, broccoli and roast potatoes. We had a result, which suggests that, like her mother, Babybear can rise above pain when the effort is paid back by golden-skinned, burnished poultry.
Anyway, I'm rambling. What are our BLW anxieties, I suppose I'm trying to say. Let's start a list. And then someone tell me how I can change Babybear's nappy without her kicking her ankles into it and flicking the contents across the room, and I'll be delighted.
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Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
Comments
Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
Bunny
on Thu 01 Feb 2007 11:54 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
Food counting?! I mean, I know how much food I give him but how much he actually eats is another matter... I do sometimes envy my friends who can say with assurance "oh yes, she had 4 cubes of sweet potato and 2 of chicken today"... don't get me wrong, I'm VERY happy we took the BLW route, it's just that I give him a banana and it disappears. Great. And then I find some of it in his pocket, some under the cushion on the highchair, and DH steps in a bit later on. So how much did he actually eat!!!
My bigger worry is that he has a fairly dull diet. Bananas, pears, lots of veg, the occasional bit of chicken or fish... I have great intentions of doing all the fab recipes on here, but when you have a child who doesn't nap, has a hissy when you dare to leave the room, and refuses to sit in his highchair for more than 10 seconds without food being involved - the cooking part gets tricky! (We always have pudding first. The aforementioned banana is devoured/thrown/hidden while Mummy tries to cook at warp speed). But otherwise, and I know those are pretty feeble complaints, it has been a great experience and I'll confess to being a bit evangelical about it sometimes! Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
actually, bunny, the one chane that seems to have taken place since Babybear has turned one is that she hardly makes any mess at all now. we have even (gasp) stopped putting something under the highchair.
Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
GillK
on Thu 01 Feb 2007 17:33 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
Do you think we all worry a bit too much about huge variety? I didn't try Chinese, Indian or Italian food until I left school and now I love all three. In fact the only veg I remember my mum serving up was peas, and fruit wise, bananas were as exotic as it got (God I sound like that Monty Python sketch 'they don't know they're born today....') so so long as it's not monotonous in a chips and sausages way do you think it matters? I haven't started BLW yet (LO's too young) but I think you all sound as if you're doing a brilliant job of giving your children good healthy food. And I'm sure your child gets more variety than they would have if you'd gone down the 2 dozen frozen carrot icecubes in the freezer route.
Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
Loll
on Thu 01 Feb 2007 21:20 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
I also have a child who won't sleep, too mobile to leave on her own etc. I'm afraid that in order to get any cooked food down her neck, I - please don't judge me- cook with her in a hip sling. I give her a rice cake/whatever as a distraction, do minimal chopping, put all pans on the back burner with handles facing away so she can't reach... yes I know, it's a salutory tale waiting to happen, but otherwise I would have to strap her in her high chair and leave her to scream. And so far we haven't had a hint of a mishap because I am VERY careful.
All my clothes have semi-masticated rice cake mashed down the front, though. Re the nappies, have found humane restraints work a treat. Just strap the little buggers down. Some great products here . Re: Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
Bunny
on Fri 02 Feb 2007 09:25 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
I like the idea, Loll, but if I tried that with The Weeble, I'd be in traction! He weighs a ton!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
Loll
on Fri 02 Feb 2007 10:27 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
It's true that I do now have one shoulder lower than the other...
Was sharing the nappy issue with a friend. She says that she "makes it into a game and blows lots of raspberries". Lordie, if I even attempted a raspberry, I'd end up with a face full of sh*t. And while Grizzles is producing three gargantuan poos a day, have no worries on quantity. Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
Loll
on Fri 02 Feb 2007 10:32 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
I do worry that I give her a bit too much fruit though. I tend to resort to it if nothing else goes down. That or cheese on toast
BUT, it's still better than jars, which is what most of my friends have resorted to after getting thoroughly sick of pureeing. Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
Bunny
on Fri 02 Feb 2007 11:12 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
I bought some tubs of fruit puree (organic, of course!) as store cupboard emergency supplies - not sure why; in case Waitrose runs out of fruit?! Anyway, I was looking at them today, and the lid says "Use by 30/10/07". Too frightening to think what can keep banana and mango edible for ten months! So Weeble isn't getting them.
I had one for brekkie though; lovely taste, but ugh! what a revolting texture puree has!!! Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
schment
on Thu 01 Feb 2007 20:47 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
I had similar issues (still do sometimes) where nappy-changing can turn into a wrestling match. Can Babybear walk/stand well? Now that Lil Bean is really sturdy on her feet, I've found removing the nappy while she is standing up can help reduce the unwanted "redistribution" of its contents. Putting the nappy on while she's standing is not the easiest but much easier than putting it on a her when she's wriggling around and throwing a fit...
My major BLW worries only start if I look on the net at sites that talk about nutrition for babies. I mean, am I supposed to be giving her vitamins? calcium supplements? Do any of you give them? I'd rather not but then worry that she's not getting all the vits and mins that she needs. Most days she eats tons of whatever is on offer but the worry wart in me starts to wonder if it's the right stuff... Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
BAT
on Fri 02 Feb 2007 08:18 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
Hello,
If I have learnt anything between the birth of Flump and Pipsqueak, it is that you don't take figures too literally. The first time around I did. I REALLY did. Like, counting how many hours sleep Flump had had and comparing it with the norm!! Same with milk quantities. In both, we were sadly lacking. The result? A healthy happy (and normally tantrumming) toddler. So this has given me the reassurance that you do not need to worry about quantities of anything. Nappy changing, however is another matter. Once again, I have resorted to the standing up technique. By no means risk-free, but less noisy. You are all doing a fab job. Who wants a perfect mum? Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
I do worry a bit about how much Minky eats, although her appetite has improved in the last month. She also makes much less mess nowadays. I do spend a lot of time thinking about variety whilst Mr Moomin says "When we were cavemen we would have eaten the same thing every day." Yeah, well don't complain when it's beans on toast again.
The biggest worry at the moment is milk intake. I might have mention that I'm stopping breastfeeding (!) and she's still not drinking any formula. It fact she has drunk nothing this morning. I can't imagine slight dehydration helps her eczema. Nappy changes are a nightmare. She scratches and scratches her legs. So, we're doing them standing up. We have middle-class-guilt reusable nappies so they are easy to popper up whilst standing. Oh, and Loll, cooking whilst carrying the baby - at least you are doing something productive. I was showing Minky the sound the wooden spoon made when you hit the saucepan and I caught her finger on the pan. She did one tiny eek and I assumed all was well. Five minutes later I noticed a huge blister where I had burnt her. Bad mummy. 10 lashes. Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
BAT
on Fri 02 Feb 2007 08:26 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
oh, and another thing. Once they're 2, the consumption probably goes down, not up. Flump quite regularly has 1/2 bite of her dinner and decides she doesn't eat that, actually, mummy. She used to eat EVERYTHING. If that happens, she survives! she may wake up ravenous the next morning, and wolfs porrdige, fruit and toast, so it all evens out.
Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
Bunny
on Fri 02 Feb 2007 11:14 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
Mr Moomin sounds like Mr Bunny. "People have been having kids for thousands of years without worrying about all this stuff..."
Yes dear, and people have been losing their teeth by age 20 and dropping dead at 40, so can we roll with the times, please! <rolls eyes in exasperation> Re: Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
GillK
on Fri 02 Feb 2007 14:13 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
According to an NHS weaning booklet I was given (so feel free to take notice or ignore according to your view of the NHS) vitamin drops should be given from 1 year up to 5 years which maybe implies that up to 1 year milk provides the essentials, and vitamins from food are a bonus? Which kind of fits with the 'until they're one it's just.....' idea. I was also interested to read that finger foods should be provided from the beginning of weaning and that babies should be 'allowed to feed themselves using their fingers as soon as they show an interest'. It sounds a bit like BLW in all but name. Unfortunately they then ruin it all by going on about suitable first purees. I'm starting to feel a bit sorry for HVs because if the official guidelines sound confused, what chance do HVs have of interpreting them wisely?
Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
tracyj
on Mon 05 Feb 2007 22:18 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
Hello,
Glad my angst seems to be the same as others - variety, quantity, guilt at not cooking enough, too much cheese on toast! As far as the nappy changing goes Aitch, a different song every nappy change seems to keep Pumpkin amused for a smidgen longer than a few seconds. Today's song was Nappyon, nappyon, nappy-on-on-on (sung to the tune of the William Tell Overture). Fine until you have to do in public..... Thanks for the post, Tracy Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
We sing "bum-change" to the theme of Black Beauty. Oh the shame...
Re: Re: Re: Am I making Babybear sound too perfect?
by
Loll
on Tue 06 Feb 2007 20:50 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
Can't believe I'm sharing this but here goes...to the tune of Santa Claus is coming to town
Baby's (insert name) having a poo, It's smelly and brown, It's making her grumble, it's making her frown. Chorus Baby girl is having a poo! Baby girl is having a poo, Baby is haa-aving a po-oo! Baby's having a poo, It's stinky and small, It smells a great deal but there's not much at all. Chorus Baby's having a poo, It's sloppy and green, But mummy's wiping her bum, oh she's getting it clean. Chorus End Re: nappy songs
by
Thell
on Tue 06 Feb 2007 11:26 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!ROFL! good job i wasn't drinking tea just then, or it would have been sprayed all over hubbie's darling pc!! Re: Re: nappy songs
oh my lord...
i'll run that by Babybear in the morning, see what she thinks. Re: Re: nappy songs
by
Bunny
on Wed 07 Feb 2007 11:02 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
Too late for me Thell... oh well, I've just discovered that nappy wipes are good for getting tea off keyboards.
I'm almost (almost) looking forward to Weeble's next nappy so we can try that out... brilliant! Re: Re: Re: nappy songs
by
Loll
on Wed 07 Feb 2007 11:45 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
I actually have a verse dedicated to pretty much every shade and texture of poo but I shall spare you all. For fear of seeming insane.
Re: Re: Re: Re: nappy songs
yeah, you wouldn't want to risk that, would you?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: nappy songs
by
Loll
on Wed 07 Feb 2007 15:20 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
um...more insane?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: nappy songs
by
GillK
on Thu 08 Feb 2007 13:33 GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
My favourite song to sing at nappy time at the mo' is Rehab by Amy Winehouse complete with mum and baby jiggling and appropriate stupid faces at the 'nooo nooo nooo' bit. In retrospect perhaps singing songs about alcoholism to your baby is unwise (goes stands in corner... and waits for social services to knock on the door)
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: nappy songs
by
Lolly
on Sat 24 Feb 2007 20:45 GMT | Permanent Link
I don't feel half as bad/crazy as I once did for singing "splash mat" to the tune of Akon's "smack that" now. Or Britney Spears "I was born to change your nappy" (I was born to make you happy).
Christ, we should compile our own CD !!! Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: nappy songs
PMSL at 'born to change your nappy'.
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