Knomester

We have a hungry (nearly) 9 month old who loves eating. I make various mini fritters which I then freeze and reheat in the microwave for healthy ready made snacks - e.g. sweetcorn, carrot with quinoa and spinach, beetroot and feta, courgette with peas or chickpeas or feta, etc. Really simple to make - basic batter mixture is 2 tbsp flour, 1 egg and a splash of milk to which I add the other ingredients and any herbs or spices. As Fuschia suggested, most babies seem to like houmous which they can have with breadstick, pitta or rice cake dippers (or carrot if they're good at munching!). For main meals Baby Knomester has things like chicken casserole, ratatouille with pasta and cheese, vegetable & lentil curry with rice, creamy chicken an mushrooms with veg, mini fish pies with peas, cauliflower with green lentils, quinoa and lots if ginger and garlic, veggie chilli (with bulgar wheat and pulses), pasta with cheese sauce and veg, etc. Then at teatime I tend to give him easy to eat food because he's often tired, so soups (sweetcorn chowder, carrot & lentil, creamy leek & potato), risotto, houmous, eggy bread, mini cheese sandwiches, avocado, savoury muffins, homemade rice pudding (with no sugar), yogurt and fruit, etc. Hope this gives you some new ideas! Just let me know if you'd like any recipes and I'll try to write them down.

Thank you all. I've managed to pick up most things, but the pharmacist said piriton is on available for 12 months us over the counter and that we need a prescription for under 12 months. Have other people asked for a prescription before holidays in case it is needed or not used until 12 months?

We are heading off to sunny climes with Baby Knomester in a couple of weeks and so I'm starting to plan what we need to take with us. We've had lots of helpful advice about suncream and mosquito repellant here: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,620129,620136 but now I'm wondering what 'first aid' things we should pack (calpol, teething powders, thermometer, etc...). Baby Knomester is just over 8 months old. Does anyone have a good list or care to let me know what we shouldn't be travelling without? Thank you!

accidental duplicate post

We have been using coconut milk in mild curries, soups, dal, etc. Lots of good fats like someone else said! We also use quite a lot of quinoa. One of Baby Knomester's favourite snacks is carrot, spinach and quinoa fritters - great finger food. And Baby Knomester also loves risotto. We just introduced new foods one at a time in case there was any reaction.

We're booked to fly with BA in a couple of weeks. We have been told that we have a full baggage allowance (hand and checked in) for Baby Knomester who is 8 months. We can also take his carseat and buggy at no extra cost and can take the buggy up to the gate with us. Hope this helps!

No rules! I just want to make sure the buggy doesn't get damaged in transit and I've noticed that others on the forum have talked about having a bag to protect their buggies.

We had baby passport photos done at Shot by the Sheriff and were really pleased with service, quality and how easythey were to deal with. Just waiting for the passport to arrive now!

We need to buy a buggy bag for our Maclaren XT for when we fly to Spain in a few weeks. I just wondered if anyone has any pearls of wisdom? Should we splurge on the Maclaren one or will the cheaper models do the same job? Do we need one with wheels or not? Thanks in advance..!

It's all so subjective isn't it?!! For me, the best items we bought (other than the usual) were: 1. A good stretchy swaddle cloth (although I think I'd get one of those cocoon ones next time). Baby K was a wriggler and had a really strong moro reflex so would wake up with every movement. We swaddled for naps until he was 9 weeks and at night until he was 4-5 months and I really think it helped with getting him to settle and sleep well as he felt secure. 2. Feeding cushion. Someone else has mentioned the Thrupenny Bits cushions - mine was a godsend when I bought it when Baby K was 5 weeks old and we were struggling to feed because of various problems nit allowed me to have both hands free to concentrate on latching him on. 3. A sling (which suits you and baby). It's not easy choosing a sling - everyone has their favourite! Baby K hated the soft slings a friend lent me and took a long time to get used to being carried. We ended up with a Babybjorn Synergie which was invaluable in the early days for naps when he wouldn't settle in the pram. He also is the sort of baby who likes to see the world so doesn't like facing inwards when awake and the Babybjorn is great for him to face outwards comfortably. 4. Good sized pram. The only thing I was sure about wanting before Baby K came along was a pram with a carrycot (as opposed to the lie flat buggies) and I never regretted buying ours even if it is a little bulkier than the more streamline pushchairs. Baby K loved his carrycot! He napped in it in the day and would happily lie in it for walks, etc. He wasn't impressed when he outgrew it...! As for things which I didn't use, probably just the top and tail bowl and the bouncy chair (a Babybjorn in our case). He goes in it sometimes but has never really been a big fan - he's much happier stretched out flat on his playmat on the floor! Good luck! -

Baby K is in the same boat as anna_r's baby. When we were seeing midwives and BF counsellors about his feeding problems they used to tell me to turn his top lip out to get a better latch but it was impossible, the reason being that his top lip is attached in the same way. He hasn't got any teeth yet but I'm wondering whether it's something we ought to have looked at now for an opinion or wait until we know whether it causes him any problems...

Hi Ruth. I thinkyours might be the active or synergie which is the one I've already got. I need a sling that Baby K can face outwards in an ideally one that I can also wear on my back as he gets bigger. I've tried the new Beco Gemini which was great for me but the shape doesn't suit Baby K - he's small so his arms and legs can't move freely. I'll have a look at the ones you mention online. The Babybjorn Comfort is more like the ergo / Beco slings in that the weight is distributed better via a wide band that sits on the hips so I figured it would be more comfortable than my current one...

Hello I've been trying lots of different slings as I need to upgrade Baby K's sling to something more comfortable for me to carry which he's also happy in. I saw a lady with the Babybjorn Comfort the other day who kindly told me the model, etc but given the pricetag I would ideally like to try it out before I buy. Does anyone by any chance have one that I could pop round to try on one day this week? If not, does anyone know somewhere nearby that stocks them where I could try it? Thanks

I think there is also some advice not to introduce cow's milk too early because of an increased risk of allergies. A small amount of cooked cow's milk seems to be commonly accepted as being OK, although some seem to say even this shouldn't be given until a little later. I've decided to use organic formula in Baby K's baby rice / cereal for the first month at least (he is also exclusively breastfed - until starting the weaning that is!).

Hi Reren I think it's important to remember that what works for one baby's eczema might not work for another. I wouldn't rush to discount treatments because they didn't work for someone else. The Oilatum products didn't do anything for Baby Knomester but Epaderm keeps his (not severe) eczema mostly under control if we apply regularly. If you are concerned definitely ask for a referral to a dermatologist as they will be much better placed to advise and treat Baby Reren than a GP.

Oh Ruth I remember the back ache well... I was already doing pilates at the Sunflower Centre in Brockley (using the machines) before I found out I was pregnant because of spine problems so I carried on until 40 weeks and swear that it was that that kept me moving. I also started pregnancy yoga at King's on a Saturday morning which was great for learning what movements and positions helped alleviate the pain and restlessness. I did have an array of pillows, cushions, etc but really nighttimes were the worst for me so not sure if the pillows helped or not. Moaning to husband definitely helps. In fact it's the law that you must moan.

I also meant to say that quinoa is a great complete veggie source of protein. Perhaps not the most appetising for little ones, but you can put the flakes into porridge or into homemade flapjacks.

If, as others hae said, it mught help to increase the protein in your twin's diet and you want keep all eating the same meal together (rather than you having to cook two separate meals!) from what i understand, you can provide plenty protein without having to add meat to meals every day. You just need to remember to combine foods to complete the protein so that you have pulses with grains - houmous with wholemeal pitta, lentil dahl with chapati or brown rice, baked beans on toast, sweetcorn fritters (with flour in the batter), add pulses to pasta sauces (eg flageolet beans with pesto, canellini beans with tomato sauce like homemade baked beans, veggie casseroles with butter beans and dumplings, chickpea curry with rice, etc, etc. Wholemeal carbs (pasta, rice, bread, etc) also help you feel fuller for longer than white carbs which might also help. I'm sure you already know this being veggie yourself Fuschia so apologies if I'm stating the obvious!

I completely agree new mother! Ultimately that is all that matters and I am very lucky to have a gorgeous little boy. I guess before watching that clip I just didn't realise a c-section could be any different and it just reminded me of things like how I had to fight for skin on skin and even then not whilst I was in theatre.

We found that Baby Knomester responded well to swaddling and (during the day mostly) shushing. We cotinued to swaddle tightly at night until around 18 weeks and I'm sure it contributed to him learning to sleep well at night. When holding him we found turning him in to face whoever was holding him rather than facing out worked better because he was (and still is) a very alert and inquisitive baby so needed dark and no distractions to help him relax / sleep. It's a great method to try when nothing else seems to work in those early days!

My emergency c-section at King's couldn't possibly be anymore different to this... The team were lovely before and during, but Baby Knomester was taken away for what seemed like forever (but I'm reliably informed was more like 7 or 8 mins) with no explanation despite me shouting questions across the room. I wasn't even told that he was a boy straight away. Watching this lovely delivery makes me quite sad and reminds me of what I felt I missed (and was in some cases refused)...

Saffron - That sounds similar to what I was told at King's at the tongue tie clinic last year when we were also diagnosed with thrush. We were advised to use detinox to clear it up at the same time as other treatment for the thrush.

In the end we found that detinox was the only thing that got rid of baby Knomester's cradle cap and it took a couple of weeks of 2 lathers every day at bath time. It's just coming back a bit now after a few months so I'm trying the detinox again.

I've bought the harness but don't need it yet as Baby Knomester isn't mobile yet. My friend uses a set of toddler reigns to strap her little one in.

We bought a lovely red Tripp Trapp for Baby Knomester in the end and I'm really pleased so far. We did buy the cushions for the baby attachment and still need to wedge him in with things, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that he's a thin baby and not really interested in sitting up yet! I can see that they'll probably end up spending more time in the wash than on the chair once he gets cracking on feeding himself!