stressed

[alison]

What's baby water? For formula?

[moonlight]

What's baby water? For formula?

yeah, for her formula. My mother has convinced me that tap water would make her grow gills or something worse.

[alison]

yeah, for her formula. My mother has convinced me that tap water would make her grow gills or something worse.

I buy purified water for dd, but bil says that I don't need to, because the water quality where we live is good. You could ask your pediatrician at your next visit about this. We also sterilize dd's bottles every night, but we can do it once/week at dd's age, according to bil.

[Pollyanna]

I'm so glad you had a nice night out. Lots of times when our kiddos were fussy as babies they would do great just being out and about, kind of a break for everyone. Hope today is a good day!

[alison]

I buy purified water for dd, but bil says that I don't need to, because the water quality where we live is good. You could ask your pediatrician at your next visit about this. We also sterilize dd's bottles every night, but we can do it once/week at dd's age, according to bil.

eta: I didn't mean to sound pushy here, but I just thought it by chance might help simplify your life...

[scrub-jay]

I buy purified water for dd, but bil says that I don't need to, because the water quality where we live is good. You could ask your pediatrician at your next visit about this. We also sterilize dd's bottles every night, but we can do it once/week at dd's age, according to bil.

As a former water quality lab microbiologist - a side note: There are stricter standards on drinking water than there are on bottled water - much stricter, so generally what comes out of your tap is pretty good. However, this varies greatly depending on where you are - every water district must report all of their chemical and microbiological averages every year (I'm sure you can request one of these annual reports). In my experience, whenever there is a problem of contamination, the culprit was more often than not - the consumer's home. Old pipes, copper pipes, etc. And those handy water-sprayers many people have on their sink - they create a great place inside for bacteria to thrive...I tend to drink tap water, but I do flush that apparatus out a little more than I would an ordinary tap.

ETA: I worked in the CA Bay Area and felt more comfortable drinking the water after working there than I had when I prior. I've done comparisons of drinking water vs. tap water..eeep! That being said, some water districts are better than others, source water makes a big difference. Good luck!
*End hijack*

That's what I did. She talked to herself for a while in the dark and then went off to sleep!. Thank goodness.

That, alone, at 3 months is HUGE!

FWIW, I never bought in to the "baby water" thing. All 3 of my kids had filtered water when they had formula, and no one has gills. I'd check where your area rates as far as water safety/quality and talk to your ped. I'd think water run thru a Brita would be sufficient -- the "baby water" people are really just playing on people's emotions and fears.

[MrsK]

Moonlight, sounds like our babies have been talking. BabyK is on the nonstop nursing and fussing routine -- I'm assuming that it's in anticipation of the 6th week growth spurt. I'm exausted, covered in spit-up, and achy all over. You are not alone. So glad that A had a good night after all. I hear that we do get the hang of this mommy thing eventually -- and then the rules change.

Question: At how old should we begin the bath-bottle-bed routine? I've been trying but it seems too soon for nightly baths -- and often BabyK will spit up in his hair in the morning or otherwise make a mess of himself during the day so I have to bathe him then.

[moonlight]

eta: I didn't mean to sound pushy here, but I just thought it by chance might help simplify your life...

No need to even say that! Your not being pushy in any way! I wanted to ask... when you say you buy purified water... do you mean like in a gallon bottle or what? Do you get it anywhere?

[moonlight]

That, alone, at 3 months is HUGE!

FWIW, I never bought in to the "baby water" thing. All 3 of my kids had filtered water when they had formula, and no one has gills. I'd check where your area rates as far as water safety/quality and talk to your ped. I'd think water run thru a Brita would be sufficient -- the "baby water" people are really just playing on people's emotions and fears.

Thanks for reminding me about that. I really want to find out how good the water is here. It tastes really good out of the tap, but I don't know if that is an indication of anything. :/

Can I brag on her a little bit? She's always been a good sleeper! The day we brought her home she was sleeping 4.5 hours at a time. At 8 weeks she started sleeping through the night. We've got the sleeping thing down... it's just all these other issues that stress me out.

As of now our issues are down to acid reflux, cow protein sensitivity, me trying to keep up my BM supply incase she gets over it anytime soon, and we are going to weekly physical therapy for a tight muscle in her neck that is causing her to look to the left most of the time. Fun stuff. But like I said, at least she is a good sleeper. <sigh>.

[moonlight]

Question: At how old should we begin the bath-bottle-bed routine? I've been trying but it seems too soon for nightly baths -- and often BabyK will spit up in his hair in the morning or otherwise make a mess of himself during the day so I have to bathe him then.

I'm glad you asked this and I hope lots of moms and dads post a response. The parent rag said last month to start bath time between 5:30pm and 6:30pm, but didn't really say at what age. My cousin's peds doc told her to start the bed time routine at two months of age. He also suggested that she pick a time that she can stick with while her son grows into pre school age.

We had a couple really bad nights where she was beyond exhausted but couldn't fall asleep at night. She was crying from 8pm to 2am. It was just awful. That's when I called my cousin and she suggested I start her on the night time schedule. She was 2 days shy of being 2 months old. My peds doc thought starting out on a night time schedule at two months old was a bit too early. But I had to do something. She was miserable without that structure at night. The only concern I have is that I'm going to dry out her skin too much by bathing her every day. Clearly she doesn't really NEED a bath every single day at this age. And DH doesn’t get to see her for very long. Sometimes not all. But that’s a whole other thread isn’t it??

[HouseofWool]

When you bathe them at this age, you don't need to wash anything. Just get them into the warm water. I used to have E do Caleb's bath when he was home. Sometimes that was their only contact during the day.

Otherwise pick a different routine. It can be as simple as pj's, bottle, bed. What ever works for you. Just do it at roughly the same time everyday. For Sophie, I am so busy getting Caleb's homework done with him that I don't have time for anything complicated. So, for us, it is: pj's, nursing, bed. If she is funky, then she gets a bath, otherwise no.

[MrsK]

At this point, I don't know if a bedtime routine at 5-6 would make sense for us. I mean, he needs to be fed at least twice between 5 and 10. If he is going down for 4 hours, I'd prefer those 4 hours be at a time when we want to sleep too. With him wearing sleepers and napping throughout the day, it seems to me that the bath is the only potentally once-a-day activity that occurs at this age (he's 6 weeks). Sometimes he likes the bath and it relaxes him. Sometimes he hates it and it winds him up. I've been trying to give him a bath at about 8 and then nursing him only in his room after that in hopes of getting him down for at least 4 hours around 10. Today, I managed to shampoo his hair when he made a mess of himself in lieu of giving him the full-on bath during the day. I'm trying to save the bath for tonight. Am I botching bedtime?

Incidentally, the only problem we are having with sleeping is actually getting him to go to bed in the evening. If he goes to bed easily, he'll sleep from about 10 or 11 until 3, wake to nurse at 3, and then go back to sleep until 6 or 7. It's the go-to-bed ritual that is a problem. On nights that he does not go to bed easily, he screams from 10 to 2. And he hates the crib.

[HouseofWool]

At this point, I don't know if a bedtime routine at 5-6 would make sense for us. I mean, he needs to be fed at least twice between 5 and 10. If he is going down for 4 hours, I'd prefer those 4 hours be at a time when we want to sleep too. With him wearing sleepers and napping throughout the day, it seems to me that the bath is the only potentally once-a-day activity that occurs at this age (he's 6 weeks). Sometimes he likes the bath and it relaxes him. Sometimes he hates it and it winds him up. I've been trying to give him a bath at about 8 and then nursing him only in his room after that in hopes of getting him down for at least 4 hours around 10. Today, I managed to shampoo his hair when he made a mess of himself in lieu of giving him the full-on bath during the day. I'm trying to save the bath for tonight. Am I botching bedtime?

Incidentally, the only problem we are having with sleeping is actually getting him to go to bed in the evening. If he goes to bed easily, he'll sleep from about 10 or 11 until 3, wake to nurse at 3, and then go back to sleep until 6 or 7. It's the go-to-bed ritual that is a problem. On nights that he does not go to bed easily, he screams from 10 to 2. And he hates the crib.

Where does he sleep well? Is it possible that it is something in the crib? The feel of the sheets, the crinkle of the mattress cover... Babies are so weird about sensations.

If a bed time routine isn't working and what you are doing during the day is, can you try to replicate that?

I never, ever have bothered with a bedtime routine. Some babies crave it, mine didn't. With all 3 I'd wait for the big "bedtime" until I was going to bed (for the first 2-3 months). 2 of my kids slept through the night at 8 weeks, one (Quinn) took more like a year.

I didn't bathe them every day, either. Every other was more like it. If they made themselves into a big mess inbetween baths I'd use a baby wipe to clean them up (works great on hair, too).

There is no reason to make having a newborn be more work, more steps, or more stressful than it needs to be.