Not the dummy, dummy!

Baby A has been getting much more active, much more hyper lately. We know he’s not an easy baby – he’s not the sort you can leave to play by himself, that’s for sure – but he seems to be getting harder and harder to control.

So….we’ve had to resort to using a dummy to calm him down. He’s really getting attached to using one, so we try and limit it as much possible. As soon as he has it in his mouth, he relaxes and just concentrates on sucking on it. Yep….it’s a great way to shut him up.

I’m still not quite sure whether it’s good to use a dummy. You hear all sorts of things, such as damaging the gums and future speech problems. But until we get him interested in watching TV (I know, we’re terrible parents!) it’s going to have to be the dummy.

….Actually, what the hell, we won’t give him the dummy OR television. He can cry all he wants but we won’t give in.

Maybe.

Not so sweet dreams anymore

I spoke too soon. I’ve been saying all this time that his sleep has improved but I think I’ve jinxed it. The last five days have been pretty tough going, as he has been waking up a lot. And when Baby A wakes up…..we wake up. Sigh.

It’s happened so suddenly that, even despite our sleepless nights early on, we’re finding it difficult to adjust again. Mummy A, to be fair, has suffered the most. She has been really generous in letting me sleep on a work night. We’re not exactly sure what is causing it, but reckon it’s a combination of three things:

Feeling hot, hot, hot

The temperature has been pretty warm in the evenings (still been raining though – what do you expect in the UK?). We’ve been putting a blanket on him at night but – if he’s anything like me – we reckon the heat has been making him uncomfortable.

Roly Poly

Baby A in his "prisoner of war" trousers

Baby A does like his cot. It’s nice and spacious, a sturdy, bouncy mattress. The cot is actually a second hand gift from Mummy A’s cousin…..would you believe it is actually more than 14 years old?! You wouldn’t think to look at it – it still looks brand new…..they sure don’t build ‘em like they used to, that’s for sure. 

So, it’s a nice cot…but lately I question the wisdom of setting it up sometimes. Whilst the crib (which incidentally was another second hand gift in immaculate condition – for those prospective parents out there, it’s worth looking out for a second hand one, they just don’t age!) had a habit of tilting when he moved too much, it had the advantage that it was smaller.

An advantage, you say…why is that? Well…there’s less room for him to roll over. Once he’s on his stomach, that’s it…..everybody has to know about it. And at a decibel level distinctly above recommended limits. In the middle of the night.

Teething

He’s been chewing his hands more and more nowadays – could this be part of the reason? Or the main cause, even?

Those terrible teef

Well, we’ve found out why he keeps sticking his hands in his gob – he’s teething. Of course he is….it’s always obvious once you know! He’s approaching 20 weeks now, so it’s about the right time.

Not that it necessarily solves anything though – he still wants to drool all over his fists. So, great, now we know….er….so what do we do then?

Not much I guess. 

Except wash his hands regularly. We bought those teething soothers as well, although he drools ten times as more than normal with it – we changed his bib within 10 minutes! Still if it helps, especially if he cries less…..

Incidentally, that still doesn’t answer the question why his hands smell of vinegar….