Dairy free days...

Sorry for the radio silence again... It's been pretty tough going for Little T of late, but the experts think they might have got to the bottom of it... a dairy and soya allergy! It probably hasn't helped that all the little guy has been living off is his formula milk (which has dairy in it!) and yoghurt...

So now we are back to square one. Onto a new prescribed formula and quickly getting up to speed on the oh so many things Little T should avoid. I'm thinking of having some dairy free days myself so that I can really get a grip on things... Although I can't say I won't have a square of chocolate or two once Little T is in bed...  

Does anyone have any tips for us? I found this BBC article really informative http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/spotlight-dairy-free and we are off to see a dietician next week. 

We are really hoping this is the answer and I'm pleased to say that a lot of babies apparently grow out of allergies by age 5, but in the meantime... I'm all over the dairy free section of Waitrose! 

On a roll...

Sorry it's been a little while, but it has all been getting very exciting/busy getting my new business venture Nurturing Mums back up and running!  Suffice to say that I have been on a roll, but so has Little T!  The little man has been roly-polying left, right and centre. At first, I thought 'Oh my goodness - this is awesome', but I soon realised that your little one being on the move makes things all the more tricky.

At first, Little T was like a turtle on the wrong side of his shell who couldn't roll back...  'Wah, wah, wah' he wailed, until I would go and roll him onto his back again!

He soon realised that rolling was super fun.  So fun, that he could roll a couple of times in one direction, especially when in his cot.  This meant he got wedged in the bars, face planted regularly and woke up LOTS in the night to have a rolling rave.  We kept finding him having done a 180' in order to play with his toys... far more entertaining than sleeping obviously!

At first I thought, 'what a clever chap!', but then night after night of his adventures were causing him to wake himself up and cry with frustration!  After what felt like an eternity *5 nights* of broken sleep, Daddy H and I went in search of a solution...






















I think we were hopeful he would just stop doing it!  We spoke to friends and heard about the 'Sleepyhead' -->

It's a comfy pod that has sides that should prevent your baby being able to roll about too much and keeps them nice and snug.  It has rave reviews and friends who have it love it. Daddy H wasn't a fan of the price tag, but I was getting pretty desperate for full night's sleep...  Before he let me hit 'Buy' online in desperation at 4am one night, we decided to give a cheaper alternative a go.  We put rolled up towels in a similar curved shape to the Sleepyhead under Little T's sheets and couldn't believe it when it worked - he was cocooned in and started sleeping through again - hip hip hooray!

Have you found anything else helpful to get your little one to stop moving so much in their sleep?

A new adventure...

Sorry it's all been a bit quiet on the blog front of late... I've been busy behind the scenes planning my next adventure. And no... I don't mean another holiday... Although I am writing this from the Sourh of France...

When I was pregnant with Little T, I got loads of antenatal advice, but now he's here, I'm forever reading books, googling and chatting to friends about what I should or should not be doing as a new mum. Problem is, my friends are all new mums too and in truth, what works for one baby may well not work for Little T, who is quite a particular chap!  What I needed was someone with experience and expertise on how to get him to nap in the day, eat more solid food and explain what milestones are next.  This got me thinking that maybe I'm not the only one who is clueless and that attending some postnatal classes might be the answer! I went one step further and decided to buy a postnatal business - Nurturing Mums (www.nurturingmumsuk.com). 

Nurturing Mums courses are for mums with babies up to 9 months, where new mums can come and meet other mums and learn from experts on sleep training, weaning, first aid and baby development. The courses run for 5 weeks and start in North London in September.

They are relaxed and non-judgemental and give new mums an opportunity to get answers from experts about issues affecting their baby.

I'll keep you updated on this exciting new venture and if you know anyone due or with a new baby, get them to check out Nurturing Mums - my newest baby (sorry Little T)! 

Father's Day Guest Blog from Daddy H...

Hello all! I am Daddy H and can I start by saying what an honour it is to be That’s My Mummy’s first guest blogger just in time for Father's Day!

I’ve spent a couple of days wondering about what I should write about. There appears to be a plethora of “daddy blogs” that have sprung up over recent years, and to be honest, I hadn’t really heard of any of them. It still seems as though the role of being a dad (despite having change dramatically) still remains shrouded in mystery. So I sat down and read through a couple of those which have received widespread acclaim, including one by Tom of “Diary of the Dad” (http://www.diaryofthedad.co.uk/). It was great to see that Tom, along with most other new dads, had shared several of the same experiences as me – a relief to think I’m not doing anything particularly wrong!

So, now I have a little more confidence in my ability as having “successfully” negotiated the first six months of fatherhood (mainly due to the exceptional work of Mummy H), I settled upon celebrating reaching this milestone and all the good things that have gone on. 

Little T’s Achievements

The little guy has had so many (as one might expect when pretty much everything is new!) that I won’t list them here. Many of the activities would no doubt be mundane to most passers-by, but to a new parent they are like scaling Everest or locating the lost city of Atlantis (e.g. the first sleep through the night)! However, some of the most heart-warming have included seeing Little T smile for the first time, and laugh for the first time at ridiculously silly noises we make to try and keep him entertained. The older he has got (seems ridiculous given he is only 6 months) the more frequent these moments have been, and as we enter the second half the year it seems so much more is still to come - he has just learnt how to roll which has required the camera being kept out constantly!

Mummy and Daddy

Although becoming a parent is a massive game-changer, it’s not “the end of the world” as some might have you believe. Mummy H and I have actively tried to ensure that we keep time for ourselves, to do things that we did before Little T was on the scene. Some of these he has been able to attend, such as dinners out or weekend trips away, while other times we have been lucky enough to have the support of friends and family to do the occasional bit of babysitting! Having Little T has confirmed to me just how lucky I am to have Mummy H, while also making me proud to see our own small family unit flourish - it really is difficult to think of a time before Little T (until we an old holiday picture crops up on Facebook with two drinks in hand)!

Friends

While it can will initially it can lead you to feeling tried and exhausted, leaving very little enthusiasm for seeing friends/visitors, never underestimate what seeing a familiar face can have. We have been lucky enough to have a constant stream of people offering to help and support us, which has been invaluable. It has actually brought most of our friends closer to us, despite some concerns it might do the opposite (who wants to hang out with a crying baby??). For me it has cemented some friendships which I hope will now last a lifetime - and some of these have only recently come about as a result of having Little T. Attending a pre-natal course (with some like-minded people) presented the chance to get to know fellow first time dads in the area, and while our communication is not as frequent nor as entertaining as the mums’ (who still see each other almost every day) it is still another network that you always feel you could ask if you need some advice (or a escapist pint). 

What’s next?

Overall, the journey so far has been incredible. Being a dad is one of, if not, the most important job of your life.  Something incredible happens the moment you first hold your baby. All reservations and hesitations you may have felt about this life changing moment simply fall away. You know, in that moment, that your life has changed, but for the better and in a way you did not think possible. I can't wait for the adventure to continue!

How to go on holiday.... and actually have a holiday!

Well, Little T is quite the jetsetter...  following our jaunt to Dubai, I am writing this post overlooking the tumbling Tuscan hills.   A lot of new parents shy away from going abroad in the first year, as you worry that taking babies out of their familiar surroundings will mess with their routine and upset their sleeping patterns.  However, Little T is still at an age where he is so portable that we can take him out for dinner in the buggy, join us on our wine tasting tours and has long enough daytime naps that we can have a swim and a glass of wine (almost baby free!)  Holidays abroad also mean that you don't get stuck at home doing the boring jobs you keep putting off and ensures Daddy H has lots of quality time with the little guy.

My top tips for a stress-free baby holiday in the first 6 months are:

- Go short-haul... even if your baby cries the entire time (which they tend not to as they like the white noise sounds of the plane) you can deal with anything for a couple of hours!

- Take your own buggy that they are familiar with (and a snooze shade!), so that you can take your baby with you out to dinner.

- Pick somewhere baby friendly/accommodating.  Although you don't have to go for a super baby friendly hotel at this age, going somewhere they have baby listening or baby sitters, so you can eat dinner at your hotel in peace is a godsend.

- Go with family.  We are on holiday with my mum and dad, and there is nothing like an extra pair of hands!

- Tag-team in and out with your other half, so in addition to family time, you get some time to tan, gym, sleep... all on your own! (the luxury!!!!)

- Pick somewhere familiar.  We are in Tuscany in the same area we have been to for the last couple of years and although we are staying in a different place, it has been stress-free as we already know some fantastic places to eat and places to go.

- Be prepared.  Pack all the milk, muslin, medicines etc. that you can manage and having everything you need with you at the hotel makes life much easier!

-Enjoy!  It may not be quite so chilled as when you went away before you had a baby, but the pictures of Little T enjoying all these new experiences abroad are wonderful.

Taking it all in...

A salute to single mothers...

Just a quick post from me this week, as I have had very little time on my hands thanks to Daddy H being away at a residential work course... This means that I am all call for Little T morning, noon and night. Did I mention he's teething?! Interrupted sleep and Little T being solely reliable on me has been no picnic... then it made me think how so many women do this on their own every day!  I have already cried once, washed my hair only once and seen my friends and family so much that I have become a bit of a pest. 

Things that have got me through the week so far: 

- chocolate truffles;

- a new lippy;

- wine, wine and wine; 

- sunny weather; and

-planning my holiday next week! Wahoo! 

*Helpful* pieces of advice/questions you get asked when you have a new baby:

I'm not one to normally rant, but sometimes it helps to share some daily trials and tribulations... Here are some of my least favourite questions/pieces of advice that get offered up by friends, family and more often than not, random members of the public when your baby is in the middle of a crying fit!

1. Sleep when they are sleeping.  Great in theory, but not so great in practice.  I don't have a switch in my brain which suddenly allows me to pass out and knowing I could shower, have a cup of coffee or watch something on Netflix is far more appealing.  Also, you do know that as soon as you do go to sleep or any of the aforementioned activities, they will inevitably wake up!

2. Are they sleeping through the night? This is a very dangerous question to ask a sleep deprived parent and if you haven't been told that their baby is sleeping through the night DO NOT ASK - no doubt it will get shouted from the rooftops when it does happen.  I particularly enjoyed being asked this question when Little T was about 6 weeks old and I was up every couple of hours...NOT!

3. Are you breastfeeding? A super personal question that I have now been asked by about 5 members of the public when Little T has been tearful when out and about... wayyyyyyyyyy too personal! None of your business!

4. Have you lost your baby weight? Again, until you see me parading around the streets of London in the skimpiest outfit going, let's go for NO.

5. Why are they crying?  If only we knew then we would make it stop! It's a never ending guessing game of tired, hungry, windy, teething etc etc fill in the gap!

6. Never wake a sleeping baby.  At night, no - I totally agree, but in the day when your baby decides that they want to sleep for 4 hours - yes I will wake them, as I want to sleep tonight... feel free to take my place between 12-6am!

7. We didn't do it like that in my day. The inevitable comment from your parents/in-laws who don't understand why you don't just rub brandy on the gums, let them sleep on their tummies and think that they should be weaning from the moment the second they can hold rusks... *deep breaths*

Can you tell I'm a little sleep deprived today?! Rant over! Have a good day 😀