Things I will not be doing again

Now Loudboy is nearly one (where did the time go?) it’s a good time to reflect on his first year and the things I will definitely not be repeating if (IF) we have another baby.

1. Settling to sleep in his cot.  Took weeks and many tearful nights (me and him) where I was trying for hours to get him to sleep from a sleepy/awake state in his cot.  I had read the books.  This was Important.  What they don’t tell you is that as soon as you manage it they have a big developmental spurt/develop separation anxiety/restart teething and refuse to do it ever again.  Save yourself the angst until they’re ready to do it by themselves.  Oh, and it makes s** all difference to the number of wakings/settling themselves back to sleep/going back to sleep in the cot. 

2. Consistent naptime/bedtime routines.  Again, takes ages and then everything changes (see 1).

3. Getting the baby out of your bed and into the cot.  See 1.

4. Worrying about breastfeeding.  Loudboy fed well from the beginning.  He just fed often: every 2 hours (or less during a growth spurt) for the first five months.  He was gaining weight, was happy and settled, developing well, so of course I didn’t worry if he was getting enough/latching on well/feeding too often.  Ha. Of course I did.  Completely pointless.  Feed the baby when he’s hungry, get used to feeding in public and ignore anyone who tells you babies only need to feed every 3 or 4 hours.

5. Worrying about weaning.  You get to 6 months, offer a bit of pureed carrot and they refuse it!  Disaster!  They will starve!  Er, no.  Takes some babies longer to get interested in food, but they get there eventually.  Loudboy now chomping his way through three meals a day and pinching everyone else’s food when he can get away with it.

6. But the books say… Endless arguments with my husband as I was wearily trying to get Loudboy to sleep/eat/nap ‘but The Books Say to do this’.  Husband: ‘It’s a waste of time, it isn’t working, give up and do something else’.  I hate to say it, but he was right.  Dammit.

Take 3 zucchinis …

One of the hardest things when you have a baby and are super duper tired is to find the time to be a domestic goddess. From time to time I still like to impress my partner with dinner ready when he gets home. It doesn’t always work despite my good intentions, sometimes the Imp has other ideas and that’s okay. And I don’t always have the motivation. But when it does work, I feel like a super woman. So here is my failsafe recipe that can be thrown together very quickly and baked in the oven. It’s even quicker if you’ve got a grater attachment on your magimix. And a dishwasher. If you don’t please leave the dishes for your partner 😉

Oh and where I come from, they call courgettes zucchinis …

Courgette/Zucchini Pie (it’s like a frittata, but easier)

3 courgettes/zucchinis, grated

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup self raising flour

5 eggs

1/2 cup olive oil

pepper

Mix oil, eggs and pepper then stir into mixed courgette/zucchini, onion cheese and flour. Pour into greased baking dish and bake in moderate oven.

That’s seriously it. I can even make it in my sleep deprived state. If you’re so sleep deprived that you can’t, get your partner to make it. Or your mother. Or your next door neighbour.  I can’t remember how long to bake it for, it’s probably 45 mins-an hour. I’ll report back as it’s in the oven right now.

You can also cut a piece and give it to your baby if they are doing the baby led weaning thing, as long as they are ok with eggs. Mine had a bit of a reaction so I’ve taken some of the pre-egg mixture, added some ricotta and put a few spoons in the muffin tin. No idea if it will work but was worth the experiment. Will also report back if successful. I’m on a mission to have the Imp eat similar to our dinners though it takes a bit of creativity on my part.

Nb: If you don’t feel like being a domestic goddess, you totally don’t have to be. Being a mother is a job well done without having to do anything on top!

Myth No. 623: Giving solids will help your baby sleep through the night

From about 8 weeks of age, I had various pressures to feed the infamous baby rice to the Imp to help him sleep. I shrugged off these well meaning interfering people and decided to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months. In fact, it’s a hell of a lot easier to just put them on the boob than the mess making involved in the Imp throwing food everywhere. The Imp sleeps a lot better now (generally, not always) but it doesn’t seem to bare any relationship to food intake at all. In fact, he doesn’t really eat all that much, unless I bring out the avocado. I think it’s just because he’s older (and maybe a little wiser), so we get some better nights in our house.  

 

Lady, no amount of this grub is going to make me sleep!

Will giving formula or solids at night help baby to sleep better?

Is my baby ready for solids?