Questions 10/1

[nessness]

I have ear infection questions:

1. DD got an ear infection last night and will start amoxicillin today. What are the chances she'll be okay to be around other kids by Sunday? I'm scheduled to volunteer in the church nursery and will need to bring her with me.

2. With the amoxicillin, would you start probiotics today or wait to see how it affects her? Any brand recs?

3. Was it a rookie mom move to bring my kid to the ER with an ear infection? She spiked a 104 fever out of nowhere which freaked me out, but in hindsight I wonder if I should have just given her some Tylenol and waited to take her to the pedi this morning.

[meltoine]

1. They're no longer contagious after 24 hours on abx, so she'll be fine by Sunday.

2. Start now. I can't recommend as I've never used kid probiotics.

3. I would probably have waited it out, but our pedi told me that even in the ER they can't do anything but Motrin/Tylenol for a fever, so if that's the only symptom it's better just to stay home and avoid the germs at the hospital. Even for febrile seizures, there's really nothing they can do.

[bowies]

When do toddlers start using silverware? If we give him a spoon now it just becomes a toy.

[bananapancakes]

Oct 1, 2015 7:52:03 GMT -5 bowies said:

When do toddlers start using silverware? If we give him a spoon now it just becomes a toy.

I asked this a few weeks ago. L is doing really great with spoons right now (mostly with cereal and yogurt) but the fork is still hit and miss. I always give him a fork with his eggs but he usually holds it with one hand and eats with the other!

[fortnightlily]

Ear infections aren't really contagious to begin with, unless they were caused by an underlying virus, which the antibiotics aren't going to affect anyway. But the usual rule is 24 hours after starting antibiotics you're good to go.

Culturelle and Florastor are the probiotics I see recommended the most. They're expensive, but I always give them to DS right away because I don't want to see his tummy get upset (much less have daycare make me keep him home for diarrhea).

[shelbyann]

My DD just got an EI too.

1. The EI itself is not contagious. You should be fine to take her around other kids.

2. We use Culterelle Kids (from Target). I would go ahead and start them, I try to be consistent with them even when she's not on on abx.

3. I would have called the pedi's after hours line, they probably would have said Tylenol/Advil and wait it out until morning. I understand though, seeing a number that high on the thermometer is scary!

[noodleoo]

We will be starting with purees at 6 months. Do we need special spoons for baby or can we just use a teaspoon?

[brandienee]

When do you start a nighttime ritual for sleep?

DS is a great sleeper, but won't go down until 11. I wonder if that's because it's when we go down or not. He usually cluster feeds from 6 or 7 on and won't sleep till 11. But then he is good till 4. He takes long morning naps too. (This kid seems to have my morning aversion. Lol)

[timorousbeastie]

DD's pee has been unusually pungent lately. Is this a sign of a problem?

[mcfelix]

Oct 1, 2015 8:09:40 GMT -5 brandienee said:

When do you start a nighttime ritual for sleep?

DS is a great sleeper, but won't go down until 11. I wonder if that's because it's when we go down or not. He usually cluster feeds from 6 or 7 on and won't sleep till 11. But then he is good till 4. He takes long morning naps too. (This kid seems to have my morning aversion. Lol)

We started DS on a bedtime routine at 2 months, at our pedi's suggestion. We put him to bed at 7 pm. Two years later, his bedtime is still 7-7:30. We plan to do the same thing with DD. I've started putting her in our room in the Rock and play around 8 pm (we usually go to bed around 11) but in a few weeks we will move Her to the crib in her room. Fingers crossed!

[ssmjlm]

Oct 1, 2015 8:04:38 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

We will be starting with purees at 6 months. Do we need special spoons for baby or can we just use a teaspoon?

We bought some spoons just b/c I felt like our even our small spoons were too big for her mouth.  But you don't "need" a special spoon.

[nessness]

Oct 1, 2015 8:04:38 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

We will be starting with purees at 6 months. Do we need special spoons for baby or can we just use a teaspoon?

I'm sure you could use a teaspoon, but I liked the plastic baby spoons. They're smaller than a teaspoon, soft on their gums, and like $2 for a set.

[smock]

Oct 1, 2015 8:04:38 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

We will be starting with purees at 6 months. Do we need special spoons for baby or can we just use a teaspoon?

I'd get some plastic spoons designed to be chomped and chewed by babies. 

[bdubs419]

Can someone remind me of some easy solids to start with (so far we have just done purees and puffs)? I know DS1 was eating lots of different foods at this point but I am forgetful as to what we did at first to ease him into eating solids.

DS2 is 8.5 months.

[namasteak]

Do you feed your NB everytime they wake up MOTN? Ds2 was up every hour last night and I wasn't sure ...

[kershnic]

Oct 1, 2015 7:44:29 GMT -5 nessness said:

I have ear infection questions:

1. DD got an ear infection last night and will start amoxicillin today. What are the chances she'll be okay to be around other kids by Sunday? I'm scheduled to volunteer in the church nursery and will need to bring her with me.

2. With the amoxicillin, would you start probiotics today or wait to see how it affects her? Any brand recs?

3. Was it a rookie mom move to bring my kid to the ER with an ear infection? She spiked a 104 fever out of nowhere which freaked me out, but in hindsight I wonder if I should have just given her some Tylenol and waited to take her to the pedi this morning.

1. We've brought DD straight from the doctor where she got diagnosed with an ear infection to daycare for the afternoon, with the doctor's blessing.  (With advil she was acting fine, so it's not like we were leaving a miserable baby.)  They're not contagious.

2. We've never given probiotics with antibiotics.  I'd wait until you see a sign you need them.

3. I would have waited unless medication did not bring the fever down.  The ER is annoying and expensive and 12 hours until antibiotics wouldn't make any difference in the grand scheme of things (again, as long as the Tylenol was alleviating her discomfort).  

[namasteak]

Oct 1, 2015 8:47:24 GMT -5 aeg511 said:

Oct 1, 2015 8:42:18 GMT -5 namasteak said:

Do you feed your NB everytime they wake up MOTN? Ds2 was up every hour last night and I wasn't sure ...

Mine literally slept with my boob in their mouth for a couple weeks/months.

They never really took a paci, so yes, I fed them.

This was DS1 and I was really hoping to avoid it with DS2!

[bcarp30]

I have the worst pain right above my pubic bone at the end of the day. It sometimes feels worse on days I'm less active and driving more but OMG it hurts. Any time I stand up I feel like my crotch is doing to rip apart. Normal? Any stretches I can do?

ETA 17w4d w/ #2, so I'm sure it's pregnancy related.

[genet313]

Oct 1, 2015 8:47:24 GMT -5 aeg511 said:

Oct 1, 2015 8:42:18 GMT -5 namasteak said:

Do you feed your NB everytime they wake up MOTN? Ds2 was up every hour last night and I wasn't sure ...

Mine literally slept with my boob in their mouth for a couple weeks/months.

They never really took a paci, so yes, I fed them.

Same. DD didn't like her paci until very recently, about 7 months.   She was also super small, so I always fed no matter what so she got the calories.

[olivesyou]

Ear Infection - I don't think they are contagious, but I could be wrong. I always noticed a difference in temperament within a day of taking the ABX, LO should be back to normal by tomorrow. Amox never messed up littleOlives tummy too much, its the other one (white liquid)... I can't remember the name now that always did a number on him. Go ahead and give the probies if you want to, they can't hurt. We use culturell kids.

Spoons - a tea spoon seems like it will be too big for a babies mouth, and the hard metal doesn't seem especially comfortable.

Toddler silverware, I always gave LO a spoon even if he was eating puffs or something. It was more just getting him used to it as tool we use with meals. He didn't start using them until after a year old, probably like around 15 months.

Easy solids to start with - mashed bananas, avocados, apple sauce, steamed and mashed carrots, sweet potatoes. Maybe watermelon too, but I can't remember if we started with that

Bed time routine starts almost immediately. It will change obviously, but I like to set the tone for night time. This is what we do when we are going to bed, etc. I also find it helpful for baby sitters, if its always the same the kids go down easier regardless of the situation

[AmyRI]

Oct 1, 2015 8:15:47 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

DD's pee has been unusually pungent lately. Is this a sign of a problem?

If this is the only symptom, I would lean towards not a problem. It could be a change in diet or dehydration. If it continues, comes with a fever, or she seems uncomfortable when she pees, get her checked for a UTI.

[namasteak]

Ds2 has gained almost 2lbs in 2.5 weeks so I'm not worried about weight gain. It was only 1 really bad night but I'm scared its a sign he will sleepi me DS1 did so I'm trying to think of solutions.

[spk926]

Oct 1, 2015 7:52:03 GMT -5 bowies said:

When do toddlers start using silverware? If we give him a spoon now it just becomes a toy.

We started to give DD a spoon around 9 or 12 months. Yeah it was kind of a toy at first but the only way to learn something is by exposure and trial and error. By 16 months she could completely feed herself with it. It was messy, but she had the hang of it and knew how to do it.

Oct 1, 2015 8:04:38 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

We will be starting with purees at 6 months. Do we need special spoons for baby or can we just use a teaspoon?

I would get baby spoons. All the teaspoons I have are deeper than they are wide. You can get a 16 pack for like $3 at Target. They're easier to clean than a teaspoon too. It's worth the $3.

[genet313]

DD is 8 months, I've been BF/pumping the entire time.   I normally pump about 12 ounces in 3 sessions at work.  In recent weeks, it dropped down to 11, sometimes 10.  I used to do an extra session at night (like 11 PM) where I'd get about 3-4 ounces to make up for any shortfall.     But I dropped that in the past couple of weeks b/c DD has been taking less milk while I'm at work.  No change in BFing at home.  

The past couple of weeks, I'm pumping 13+ ounces at work and only in 2 sessions.  I'm not complaining b/c I'd love to drop a work session, but does this seem normal?  Happen to anyone else?   

She's recently doing that thing we don't talk about, giving me about a 8-10 hour stretch w/o a feed, but I'm not waking up engorged, just very full.  She nurses like a champ in the AM.   Is my body just producing the same ounces but at a different time maybe?

[curbsideprophet]

For the ear infection questions....

I would not have gone to the ER for a fever unless told to go by my pedi. We rarely go to the doctor for a fever let alone the ER. If she was lethargic or unresponsive then yes go to the ER. I probably would have called the pedi for a fever of that temp. If it came down with meds I would just try to keep her comfortable.

I would be hesitant to give antibiotics so quickly. I would want to see if it resolved on its own first.

As for Sunday if she still has a fever I would not take her around other kids.

[Deleted]

Any gift ideas for a 4yo boy? His mom tends to stay away from gifting toys, and prefers art supplies, but I have no idea what to get him. They have plenty of Kinetic sand and i know he's obsessed with the do-a-dot markers.

[mrssandro]

Oct 1, 2015 8:04:38 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

We will be starting with purees at 6 months. Do we need special spoons for baby or can we just use a teaspoon?

www.amazon.com/Nuby-Safe-Feeding-Spoons-4-Count/dp/B002GAY07Q/ref=dp_ob_title_baby

These are nice if you are looking for a spoon rec. 

[nessness]

Oct 1, 2015 8:39:25 GMT -5 bdubs419 said:

Can someone remind me of some easy solids to start with (so far we have just done purees and puffs)? I know DS1 was eating lots of different foods at this point but I am forgetful as to what we did at first to ease him into eating solids.

DS2 is 8.5 months.

blueberries (cut in half), mum mums, beans (if you use canned, rinse them well to lower the salt content), tofu, peas, corn.

[bluelikejazz]

Oct 1, 2015 10:04:55 GMT -5 @roseyposey said:

Any gift ideas for a 4yo boy? His mom tends to stay away from gifting toys, and prefers art supplies, but I have no idea what to get him. They have plenty of Kinetic sand and i know he's obsessed with the do-a-dot markers.

I just bought this for my 4yo nephews birthday and my brother says he loves it!
www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/melissa_doug/solar_system_floor_puzzle.cfm