my lovely little bundle is a snacker.....and eats silly small bits.i am trying her on a routine of every 3hours only to see if she will eat more.it seems to be only kind of working...she does it fine from 3/4 o clock onwards but will eat nothing first thing or 12 ish..anyone any advice?should i cut back on the night feed...oh she is also teething...pain relief i dont knw what to give really..i dont want to give panadol everyday
sarah
feeding advice anyone??
Stop the panadol.
You can buy cooling teething rings and gel to massage on the gums.... she will be teething off and on for months. Panadol is really not an option.
As for feeding, there are two ways: Either shes decides when to eat or you do. Your choice. I fed my first "on demand" but not the next two.... There are tons of books to support both theories. I found it made my life so much easier to be firm about feeding times and I don't think perpetual snacking is a healthy long term solution.
I can't remember how old your daughter is.... but 3 hourly feeds is basically only for new borns. You need to gradually space them out. Mine quit night feeds at roughly 8 weeks. Last feed 10 or 11 pm, next feed about 6 am
You can buy cooling teething rings and gel to massage on the gums.... she will be teething off and on for months. Panadol is really not an option.
As for feeding, there are two ways: Either shes decides when to eat or you do. Your choice. I fed my first "on demand" but not the next two.... There are tons of books to support both theories. I found it made my life so much easier to be firm about feeding times and I don't think perpetual snacking is a healthy long term solution.
I can't remember how old your daughter is.... but 3 hourly feeds is basically only for new borns. You need to gradually space them out. Mine quit night feeds at roughly 8 weeks. Last feed 10 or 11 pm, next feed about 6 am
Last edited by Rosamunda on Mon Feb 12, 2007 1:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
she might find that sucking soothes her gums, so she is asking for frequent feeds and this is cutting down her appetite over all. Have you tried a teething ring? I think I used to rub some special kind of teething gel on the ring. Probably containing a mild natural anesthetic (oil of cloves ?). A pharmacist could help you.
Also your neuvola can advice you. Like Penelope says, there are two kinds of thinking: Some feed when the baby wants it, others like to feed at regular intervals. When I had babies everything was still strictly by the book, and feeding was 4 hours´intervals. The baby could scream its head off and still didn´t get food before the clock strike. Worked fine with the girl, but not the boy. At some point it became clear that I was starving him, he grew so fast that 4 hours rule just wasn´t right. If I could do it again, I would feed him whenever he wanted, every hour if needed.
Get a teething ring and massage the baby´s gums with your finger. Whatever you do, teething still hurts and the baby is cranky and cries. That just cannot be helped, so no Panadol.
Get a teething ring and massage the baby´s gums with your finger. Whatever you do, teething still hurts and the baby is cranky and cries. That just cannot be helped, so no Panadol.
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scoobymcdoo
- Posts: 675
- Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:46 pm
Sophie fed every three hours up until she was 6 months old...then we put her on solids. She stopped having a milk feed at night when she was 20 months old!
We fed Sophie on demand for the first few months (about 3 months) and then we gradually spaced her feeds out so that she took more in one sitting than snacking every 45 mins. We did this by offering her a bottle (expressed milk before you all jump on me) and gradually increasing the time between feeds. We started with every hour, then every hour and 5 mins, then every hour and 10 minutes. Gradually she learnt to go for 3 hours. I was hard though and took about a week, we let her cry for a few minutes (up to 5mins) before feeding her just to make sure she really was hungry or we distracted her from needing to feed by changing her nappy, reading a book etc. When she had eaten her fill I took the bottle away, through the rest away so I was not tempeted to give her anymore. It was hard but I couldn't keep up with supply and demand.
It worked for us, but then all babies are different as are parenting skills. Mine tend to be harsher than most people I know.
Teething wise Bonjela is great but not available here. Teething rings are good too as are sticks of lego that Sophie is currently chewing on- not recommended for little ones! We give a half dose of panadol just before the teeth break the surface, you can feel them about to break through and this is Sophie's worst time...like last night...a canine finally broke through.
Hannah
We fed Sophie on demand for the first few months (about 3 months) and then we gradually spaced her feeds out so that she took more in one sitting than snacking every 45 mins. We did this by offering her a bottle (expressed milk before you all jump on me) and gradually increasing the time between feeds. We started with every hour, then every hour and 5 mins, then every hour and 10 minutes. Gradually she learnt to go for 3 hours. I was hard though and took about a week, we let her cry for a few minutes (up to 5mins) before feeding her just to make sure she really was hungry or we distracted her from needing to feed by changing her nappy, reading a book etc. When she had eaten her fill I took the bottle away, through the rest away so I was not tempeted to give her anymore. It was hard but I couldn't keep up with supply and demand.
It worked for us, but then all babies are different as are parenting skills. Mine tend to be harsher than most people I know.
Teething wise Bonjela is great but not available here. Teething rings are good too as are sticks of lego that Sophie is currently chewing on- not recommended for little ones! We give a half dose of panadol just before the teeth break the surface, you can feel them about to break through and this is Sophie's worst time...like last night...a canine finally broke through.
Hannah
One of my boys has never been a great eater first thing in the morning. Just a glass of hot milk. Then he wants a snack about 10:30 which is fine because that's the time they have lunch in school anyway. They are all different. I guess if her weight is increasing smoothly then it's really up to you and what's convenient.
If she is getting a nighttime feed then skipping breakfast it is probably an indication that she is getting ready to sleep through the night - but you just need to tweek the timing a bit.
If she is getting a nighttime feed then skipping breakfast it is probably an indication that she is getting ready to sleep through the night - but you just need to tweek the timing a bit.
i have tried the feeding on demand too but it just ment she snacked and the 3hourly feed is better for her,i am also thinking that the feeding she does at night she should be doing during the day.i am not too sure about changing that around.as for the teeth,she wont eat the teething ring of course....i am trying every trick in the book to get her distracted but with the stretch for food and the teeth its a wee bit hard........of course§when there are people here tomorrow she will be super!
Some ideas
Hi,
Isabella is just teething too and I have been struggling how to help her with the process. I know you can order this homeopathic medicine from the UK via some organic shops - I have heard from some friends that it does help. You can also try this "Britts abroad" shop from where you can order Bonjela from. However, I am not sure how expensive this would be. If you are interested to ask them I can get you the details.
I have found one simple way which helps with teething and also gives the baby something to chew: Try "Laatupaakarin Maissinaksuja"! I got a bag from Stockmann's (should be able to get from many other shops too) and they are basically just corn crisps with no added salt and a tiny amount of fat (2%). I asked around my Finnish friends and they all said that they have used these! Isabella entertains herself by playing with them and chewing them and this also helps the itchiness in her gums and distracts her a bit from the irritation. Also ... at the same time you get a bit of food in the baby's tummy as sometimes when the teething pain is on they are not that willing to eat enough.
Hope this helps!
Marianne
Isabella is just teething too and I have been struggling how to help her with the process. I know you can order this homeopathic medicine from the UK via some organic shops - I have heard from some friends that it does help. You can also try this "Britts abroad" shop from where you can order Bonjela from. However, I am not sure how expensive this would be. If you are interested to ask them I can get you the details.
I have found one simple way which helps with teething and also gives the baby something to chew: Try "Laatupaakarin Maissinaksuja"! I got a bag from Stockmann's (should be able to get from many other shops too) and they are basically just corn crisps with no added salt and a tiny amount of fat (2%). I asked around my Finnish friends and they all said that they have used these! Isabella entertains herself by playing with them and chewing them and this also helps the itchiness in her gums and distracts her a bit from the irritation. Also ... at the same time you get a bit of food in the baby's tummy as sometimes when the teething pain is on they are not that willing to eat enough.
Hope this helps!
Marianne
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scoobymcdoo
- Posts: 675
- Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:46 pm
"Laatupaakarin Maissinaksuja"
Sophie loves these! She is still chewing her lego brick which seems to be helping her today!
Sophie started teething when she was 3 months old but she got her first tooth at 10 month old, she was my walking toothless wonder!
Sarah- you'll prob find that once she starts eating more in the day the nights will get easier. Maybe try being stricter in the day so that she takes more in then. Give a dream feed before you go to bed (dont wake her, just let her feed- they often consume more in their sleep) and that should see her through to hopefully 4am or later.
Hannah
PS Sophie's feed pattern at 3months was milk (breast milk) at 8.30am, 11.30am, 2.30pm, 5.30pm, 8.30pm, dreamfeed before we went to bed (11ish) then a night feed. Times obviously depended on where we were, but that was her 6 feeds plus night feed a day. It also meant that I could eat my breakfast, lunch, dinner etc without haivng to worry about her needing more food. We had to stick to every 3 hours otherwise she didn't sleep and she was such a cr@ppy sleeper anyway we needed to do anything we could to get her to sleep.
Sophie loves these! She is still chewing her lego brick which seems to be helping her today!
Sophie started teething when she was 3 months old but she got her first tooth at 10 month old, she was my walking toothless wonder!
Sarah- you'll prob find that once she starts eating more in the day the nights will get easier. Maybe try being stricter in the day so that she takes more in then. Give a dream feed before you go to bed (dont wake her, just let her feed- they often consume more in their sleep) and that should see her through to hopefully 4am or later.
Hannah
PS Sophie's feed pattern at 3months was milk (breast milk) at 8.30am, 11.30am, 2.30pm, 5.30pm, 8.30pm, dreamfeed before we went to bed (11ish) then a night feed. Times obviously depended on where we were, but that was her 6 feeds plus night feed a day. It also meant that I could eat my breakfast, lunch, dinner etc without haivng to worry about her needing more food. We had to stick to every 3 hours otherwise she didn't sleep and she was such a cr@ppy sleeper anyway we needed to do anything we could to get her to sleep.
Hi,
We had our boy on a three hour schedule as soon as he was three days old. After 8 weeks he was sleeping 5 or 6 hours a night. At 10 weeks he was sleeping 7 hours a night. Then every couple weeks his sleep increased a little more. We followed a book titled Baby Wise. It really helped for having a happy peaceful baby. For teething the cold teething rings helped a lot.
We had our boy on a three hour schedule as soon as he was three days old. After 8 weeks he was sleeping 5 or 6 hours a night. At 10 weeks he was sleeping 7 hours a night. Then every couple weeks his sleep increased a little more. We followed a book titled Baby Wise. It really helped for having a happy peaceful baby. For teething the cold teething rings helped a lot.
Eating
Hi everyone! Thought I would share my opinions on this too 
I think feeding on demand is the best for under two's. The way I see it is that the baby is the only one who know when she/he is hungry, and how much she wants to eat. If that means there will be lots of snacks instead of big feedings I dont see the problem there.
Parents need to be responsive to baby and listen when the baby gives cues, otherwise I feel the baby will become confused or start distrusting her environment. The baby will never understand why she can eat only when mom wants her to.
From Dr. Sears book, The Successful Child:
"The stage of devalopment that most influences how successful a child is likley to become is birth to one year! Because that's when caregivers can leave the most lasting impressions on a child's developing brain."
Actually snacking has advantacges, like having a happier baby around. All people are different, and for me even now as an adult I am very sensitive to my blood sugar levels, so (healthy) snacking really keeps me happy.
And also when the baby gets older the snacks she eats between meals can be a very important contribution to her daily diet. Like fruits, avocados, veggies, yoghurt, drinkable healthy smoothies with some "super foods" (like flaxseed oil, almonds or tofu) mixed into them...
From The family nutrition book:
"Respect tiny tummies. Keep feedings small. Wondering how much to offer? Here's a rule of thumb-or rather, of hand. A young child's stomach is approximately the size of his fist. So dole out small portions at first and refill the plate when your child asks for more. This less-is-more meal plan is not only more successful with picky eaters, but it also has the added benefit of stabilizing blood-sugar levels, which in turn minimizes mood swings.
As many parents knows a hungry kid is generally not a happy kid."
Another interesting view on meals for children:
"The distinctions between breakfast, lunch, and dinner have little meaning to a child. If your youngster insists on eating pizza in the morning and fruit and cereal in the evening, go with it-it's better than her not eating at all. This is not to say that you should be her short-order cook, filling lots of special requests. But why not let your toddler set the menu sometimes? Other family members will probably enjoy the novelty of waffles and hash browns for dinner."
By the way, everything a child likes doesnt have to be what adults like, belive it or not my son (5) loves the taste of fish-oil! He chews the capsules and wants more!
I think feeding on demand is the best for under two's. The way I see it is that the baby is the only one who know when she/he is hungry, and how much she wants to eat. If that means there will be lots of snacks instead of big feedings I dont see the problem there.
Parents need to be responsive to baby and listen when the baby gives cues, otherwise I feel the baby will become confused or start distrusting her environment. The baby will never understand why she can eat only when mom wants her to.
From Dr. Sears book, The Successful Child:
"The stage of devalopment that most influences how successful a child is likley to become is birth to one year! Because that's when caregivers can leave the most lasting impressions on a child's developing brain."
Actually snacking has advantacges, like having a happier baby around. All people are different, and for me even now as an adult I am very sensitive to my blood sugar levels, so (healthy) snacking really keeps me happy.
And also when the baby gets older the snacks she eats between meals can be a very important contribution to her daily diet. Like fruits, avocados, veggies, yoghurt, drinkable healthy smoothies with some "super foods" (like flaxseed oil, almonds or tofu) mixed into them...
From The family nutrition book:
"Respect tiny tummies. Keep feedings small. Wondering how much to offer? Here's a rule of thumb-or rather, of hand. A young child's stomach is approximately the size of his fist. So dole out small portions at first and refill the plate when your child asks for more. This less-is-more meal plan is not only more successful with picky eaters, but it also has the added benefit of stabilizing blood-sugar levels, which in turn minimizes mood swings.
As many parents knows a hungry kid is generally not a happy kid."
Another interesting view on meals for children:
"The distinctions between breakfast, lunch, and dinner have little meaning to a child. If your youngster insists on eating pizza in the morning and fruit and cereal in the evening, go with it-it's better than her not eating at all. This is not to say that you should be her short-order cook, filling lots of special requests. But why not let your toddler set the menu sometimes? Other family members will probably enjoy the novelty of waffles and hash browns for dinner."
By the way, everything a child likes doesnt have to be what adults like, belive it or not my son (5) loves the taste of fish-oil! He chews the capsules and wants more!
Re: Some ideas
I have found Chamomilla helping with the teething, you can buy it here: http://www.hakaniemenapteekki.fi/ Price was 8-9 euro and lasts long.Wheely wrote:I know you can order this homeopathic medicine from the UK via some organic shops - I have heard from some friends that it does help.