8 months old

 Time fly's 

I can not believe Layton is 8 months, these last two months since I posted have gone so fast and so much has happened. With his growing and learning as well as us as a family. 

So update is truly needed, he had mainly first recently with adventure, and milestones. So will break it down again into sections. 

Sleep: he always been good with sleep in general, other then his colic stage as a baby, then whenever he had trouble with his tummy die to allergies. Which now we have seemed to have narrowed it down and cut things out he seems so much better. 

His had the odd hard night when teething, consipated or been out of routine. However now we have a good routine it seems to work. 

His daily routine/nap and bed. 

He get up mostly around 6-6:30. Then have breakfast at 7. Milk around half 8-9 and go back to sleep. Unless he hasn't had a bottle in the early hours he have bottle before breakfast, then just nap without milk. 

Then he sleep for around a hour - or two. He then be up from around 10 until 2 now which is good he gets a longer awake time in the day when we at be baby groups and out. 

If he didn't have milk to sleep he have it when he wakes if he did he have it later before lunch. He then has lunch around 11:30-12. He started getting grumpy if he hasn't had lunch by this point. 

Then he usually has milk around 2-2:30 to go back to sleep for after nap, this is average around 45 mins but can be half hour or over. But he usually awake by half 3. 

We then have dinner around half 4. Bath, story and bed around 6-6:30 where he have more milk. 

Feeding:

He has around 5 feeds a day. 

6oz mainly in morning then maybe two 5oz bottles in the day. Then a 7oz before bed then around midnight he have another 6-7oz. Which is around 30oz per day. However some days he have less as he gets distracted and doesn't drink much in the day. Others he have more in the night if he unsettled so really depends. But he got better with his milk as for a while he went off it when we started to wean soilds and he was not drinking enough, he was also very ill and teething. 

He has three lots of solids a day and some snacks. We do baby lead weaning as he choked on blended purree pouches but loved holding the spoon, so we gave him soild bits of soft boiled veg and fruits which is loved. He now eats mostly everything we eat, just chopped up abit.

We also hit 100 food tried by this point which I think is amazing, he so good at trying new foods and has also helped ariyah be less picky. 

Some of his favourite are: 

Brocoli

Meat- any meat

Cottage pie, 

Sausages casserole

Roast

Breadsticks and crackers.

He also has a sweet tooth and loves a treat, like custard and bit of dairy free Easter chocolate. 

Movements:

Again we have a very determined baby, just like his sister he is so eager to move. He was getting so frustrated trying to crawl, thus would just scream laying in his tummy flapping and kicking his legs. But he get so upset that he couldn't move then the minutes we went to help him he just pull himself to stand up. 

Like Ariyah he was standing and stepping and cruising before he crawled. He also was not much of a roller, which she never was eirther. Like he could roll and rolled at 5 months but just wanted to stand or sit all the time.

One thing he did do which ariayh never quite got and still can't is sit up from laying in his back, he would be able to be laid on his back and be able to roll to the side and sit himself up, ariyah never got this she would roll into her tummy and push back to her knees then bum to sit. (She still does this and hasn't got the tummy strength to just sit up). 

Now just before he turnt 8 months he started crawling, but still not very fast and still gets upset. He kind of drags himself with one arm and on ofe leg on the same side. But as soon as he near something or us he just stand up. He is more interested in walking. 

He been crusing and walking holding our hands since 6 months. He now cruises round the furniture or his toys easily and will walk with us holding one hand or just we just hold his waist. He so confident and tries to let go and walk alone 🤣. But then falls. He does stand with a while now and can  do one step in-between things. So I really do not think it be long. 

Why do we have such early walkers. We wanted him to stay smaller being our baby and our last however he has other ideas. Like Ariyah we tried to encourage him to crawl but he not interested. Think having a big sister constantly running around stealing toys he needs to get them back and chase her. Also where we go to toddler groups for ariyahs sake he around walkers or babies younger then him so he doesn't really see babies crawling. 

Communication:

He is such a happy babbly baby, well at least now we know about his allergies and cut things out. As he not in pain constantly now. He loves people and will smile and chat to everyone. At first he seemed shy and when out at baby groups he be very quiet then towards the end he start vocalising abit meanwhile he was so loud shouting at home. Where as now he seems to be less shy and he starting to babble and shout when we out too. 

He chats to ariyah and alway laughing at her, she got his first smile, laughs, words and now she saw him crawl fully first. 

His first proper word was hi to Ariyah. He can now say hi, Hiya, dada, daddy, yes, bubba, baabaa (for sheep) he shout wants seems like more and help. He is trying to sound out and copy words as a few times he sounds like he said things but was just ones. 

Milestones: 

He had many experiences and first, we been able to do alot that we weren't able to with ariyah due to being in lockdown with her. We makes sure we try and do as much as we can for both of now now we out of lockdown and covid is not as dangerous. 

He has been able to go swimming early and loves the pool, we go to the park, baby groups, farm. He experienced sand, swings, slide, soft play, swimming, farm, zoo, feeding ducks, funfair, flip out trampolines, messy play, sensory groups, parties, weddings, ect... going on trains and buses. Then just being out in the world. Which she missed out on at his ages sadly. 

Our next trips are to the beach, trans pride and hopefully a little hoilday. 

Other developmently milestones he reached are:

Sitting at 4 months

Rolling both ways 5 months

Two teeth so far, with two more coming

Pulling up and cruising

Crawling ish 🤣.

Warning and eating soilds. 

Playing peekaboo, or looking for hidden objects.

Moving toys or food between hands and hitting them together.

Responds to his name

Pinchers grips food, or small objects

Giving use something when asked,

Knocks down towers, trying to stack.

Still obessed with lights

Waves bye and hello. 

Puts rings on ring toy. 

Puts balls down ball dropper.

Tries to jump. 

Presses buttons on toys with intent. 

Shakes ratter, or bangs musical toys. 

Likes and dislikes

He loves people and being out, he loves food. He also enjoyed reading books especially touchy feely ones. He loves lights and sensory toys. 

He loves to just stand and bounce, also loves water. He slash in the bath it's very cute.

He is still cuddly and loves cuddles and kisses it's very cute. He even says awww. 

He also loves animals, he laughs and gets so excited when he sees the cats and stokes them so gently.

He doesn't like, being on his tummy. He also doesn't like getting dressed. He screams when we change him or get his dresses, as he restricted. He like Ariyah in that way likes to be free and able to do what he wants. Like he not a fan of the pram unless he is facing out so he can see. 

Overall he doing so well and getting so big. Can not believe he is nearing 1 and our tiny little baby is growing up. He now weights 17lb 8oz on the 25th percentile. While he is over the 90th for his hight. 

(Written in April 2022)

Weaning and allergies

 First trying food. 

So like with Ariyah we introduce food at 17 weeks, the day before he turnt 4 months as it was Christmas day so wanted to included him in the family dinner. We were avoiding dairy and coconut and starting for beg and fruits first

We gave him a rusk with his milk for breakfast only really two spoons full as he seemed to like it and he moved the food around his month trying to get a feel of chewing. Then at dinner he had blended boiled brocoli and carrot which he loved. 

As with ariyah we started with veg and blended/purree food. As he was young still however he seemed to be gagging alot due to trying to chew but the puree being swallowed before he realised, when we gave him a risk and a bite melt carrot sticks, or rice cakes to hold he was much better. Ariyah was the opposite and was not a baby lead weaning child. She was on puree for ages and still doesn't chew lol, she just stuffs everything in and swallows, we still have to cute her food small tbh. 

So this was new territory for us to do baby lead weaning with Layton. He loves holding the spoon and holding food to bit and chew. He was so much better with whole foods, like streamed brocoli or apple slices as he could chew until it melted small enough to swallow. Where is choked on puree, it was strange. 

Therefore at 5 months we have him thicker jars or purree like 7+ months ones as well as soft boiled fruit and veg, toast, pasta. He would have ready break for breakfast and banana. He also like yoghurt too. 

Foods he liked at this early weaning stage. 

• Banana
• Strawberry
• Brocoli
• Carrot
• Sweet potato
• Parnip
• Avacodo
• Yoghurt
• Mango
• Apple and pear

Did not like:

• Raspberry
• Califlour.  

Allergic reaction 

So recently a week before 6 months we tried him with scrambled egg, we were told to give him egg cooked first which he had alittle bit of Ariyah's Spanish dairy free cakes, he also had a bit of pancake only sucked it. However with the scrambled eggs he seemed to have a reaction. Therefore we are avoiding it for a while before we see the pediatrician again and get allergy tests done. 

His reaction was like when he had dairy and coconut in formula as a baby, before he got on this milk and was doing well. First he got weepy eyes, very watery and red and irritated. Then he got runny nose and wheezing. He was arching and pulling legs up again, screaming in pain like he had a stomach ach. He was very gassy and windy, farting and screaming. Like he did as a baby. He then got a rash about two days later. He also was in pain having bowel movements yet had watery muscy in his bowel movements again. Was also dark green and smelt. So we were back to how he was as a baby however now bigger, heavier and stronger where he threw himself arching backwards, he was only calmed held upwards with pressure on tummy and to walk up and down the room. He was sleepy and irritated. Doctor gave us antihistamines to give him twice a day which was helping bring the rash down. He also got what's called a strawberry tongue and heavy wheezing breathing. Cough and choking like it brought back reflux and colicy symptoms. It was a hard week where he was so unsettled didn't sleep and it took ages to get out his system.

Weirder thing is that since I have had Layton I have gone off eggs myself, they taste weird so havnt eaten them and they also make me feel sick. I've had upset bowels and other weird symptoms that I know thing is allergic reaction too. So I'm going to avoid egg myself with him and see what happens. 

At 6 months

We tried meat and fish, which he loved.

He loves food and so good now at picking it up and chewing. He has reached 60+ foods already. He does BWL and now at just 7 months he is on small food which he pincher grips up. He likes to feed himself with a preloaded spoon too. 

(Written in Feb 2022)

6 months development

 6 months, half a year already. 

This 6 months has gone so fast, I can not believe Layton is 6 months already. He growing so fast and getting so clever.

All he wants to do is sit and stand. He does not like laying down now, especially in the pram he wants to sit up and face the world. 

He is cruising and pulling up to stand when near us or the sofa however is so frustrated to crawl. It like half drags or worms like with his head but doesn't go far. He can spin himself round and pushes backwards to get things but mainly again to get us and stand up. He can however sit himself up pretty much from his back now, very strong core this boy has. He also can roll but not really a roller. Ariyah wasn't eirther just sat, crawled and walked well ran. So I'm sure he be the same. 

He is weaning now fully and doing well with should bwl food. I will do a post about the difference. But he loves his food however not a breakfast early morning eater. Nonetheless I'm not and never been a big breakfast fan. But is eating lunch and dinner now with bite melt snacks.