Bad Cereal...

Yes, rice cereal is B.A.D! I gave in this past Saturday and we gave Jack his first little bit of rice cereal. I have to admit I was excited; excited to feed him with a spoon, excited to see how he did with the spoon, excited and hopeful all would go well...

He did awesome with the whole spoon concept! From bite 1 he was waiting with an open mouth! And once I figured out I needed to put the spoon in a bit farther he never even spit any out! So obviously developmentally he is ready for solids. I was hopeful after the great experience of the actual feeding/eating...

6 hours later however - I regretted it! Jack was screaming in pain, pulling his legs to his chest and passing gas like I've never heard! Poor guy! He would cry and cry and toot and toot and wiggle around so uncomfortable! I seriously haven't heard him cry like that in over a good 2 months - it was an all out screaming cry! I tried to hold him, rock him, calm him, I even ended up swaddling him - nothing was helping, so I finally gave him some gripe water and that seemed to settle his tummy and he fell asleep!

Needless to say it's going to be a few more weeks before we try cereal again! And I might even skip the rice and go for oatmeal b/c I heard it doesn't give them gas/constipation like the rice can...we'll see. I'm just like when is he going to be able to eat normally? I mean he still can't even digest a "regular" formula for goodness sake! Is he is going to be a toddler and living off milk? YIKES!

xoxo

1/2 Swaddle + No Boppy Lounger!

That's right! We are down to only swaddling Jack's lower half! He was starting to just get too hot in his Miracle Blanket since it's cooler at night and the air isn't kicking on as often and he was starting to wake up like at 3:30am b/c he was hot and sweaty! After a few nights of these HOT FITS I decided to bite the bullet and try leaving his arms out of his swaddle...and he did great! He slept just as good as a full swaddle, except he looks much cuter now while sleeping!

Another big weekend milestone - he is OFF THE BOPPY LOUNGER! That's right (again!) he is now sleeping just on his pack n play bassinet mattress and crib wedge (for reflux) even though now that he has the ability to move from not being on the lounger and his arms being out he MOVES alot during the night! He starts out on his wedge feet facing EAST, then he will be turned feet facing NORTHEAST, then he will turn even more feet facing NORTH...he hasn't made a complete 180 yet, but I think it will come! One night he turned one way and the next the other way - it's so cute! Although now that he isn't necessarily sleeping on an incline since he is moving so much I thought his reflux might act up, but it hasn't seemed to bother him one bit! Yea!

So this week I'm going to do 1/2 swaddle then this weekend I'm going to try nothing and just a footed sleeper - Tonya and I were talking and he definitely has an issue with his feet being uncovered, but I'm hoping that if his sleepers have the footies he will be OK?!?! We shall see.

xoxo

swaddling...

My post this morning got me thinking about another "sleep" issue. Jack has been swaddled from day one and he loves it. Even when he is fussy sometimes just swaddling him and letting him lay by himself is the only thing that works. I like to sit by him and rub his belly and that calms him down and/or puts him to sleep sometimes and that way he still knows I'm close by and I feel I'm comforting him without actually holding him.

I have to admit we don't hold him that often or for extended periods of time - I know there is major debate and different opinions on the whole holding a baby too much theory, but I do it more because I want him to be independent (as much as an 11 week old baby can be), but in the same breathe I do not want to be misunderstood as a parent that does not respond to their baby. I totally don't let him cry it out alone, I hate hearing him cry - any cry, for any reason! I immediately go get him and pick him up or put his mute button (pacifier) back in his mouth if it falls out, etc. etc. etc. I never let him cry and try everything within my power to soothe and comfort him as quickly as possible.

Anywho, got off topic. OK - Jack loves being swaddled, but he is getting to the point where he can sometimes get 1 arm or even 2 arms out, but he will continue to sleep or he goes back to sleep - assuming he woke up and wiggled his way free...so I guess we don't really have a problem per se yet, but when should we transition from swaddle to swaddle-free sleeping? I mean is it bad, weird, odd, restricting to have a 6 month old that is still swaddled? Right now he is sleeping on his Bobby Lounger in our bed right next to my pillow (I know I said I would never do it, but I did and I'm not going to make an excuse for it). Up until about 6 weeks old he had slept every night in his pack n play bassinet, but this is when the reflux started and it scared me that he would wheeze and cough and spit up - even though he was only 2 feet away from me, so I moved him into the bed. I am planning to start putting him back in his pack n play TONIGHT, but he will still be in our room - I don't want him in his own room...yet...I would miss him I think.

So opinions on swaddling? When is enough enough? I don't mind swaddling him and he likes it, but I also don't want a 5 year old in a giant burrito!!! See picture...




xoxo