₦airaland Forum

77FOT:
Please if you have the time share the full ingredients list with me and preparation steps.
Note: baby is 7 months .

Read this blog. It contains information on different healthy, affordable home made meals that can be given to a child from 7 months.

http://alphahandmaiden..com/?m=1

At this age, your child should be on a combination of milk (baby formula) and solids. Depending on the size of the formula, 2 - 3 tins of formula should last a month. I won’t be surprised if just one tin should last a month. Personally, I buy no more than 2 tins of baby milk or cereal at once. I don’t bulk buy. This is because a baby’s taste for food/preference changes easily and it’s unpredictable.

77FOT:
Less I forget:

Total request for financial assistance as at yesterday Friday 17-11-2017 :

A. via call #80k (he is a former neighbor.....he has issues with local money lender he borrowed money from)

B. via call #150k (met him during my NYSC years ago...helped him through School...he just left Youth Service wants to start a small business)

C. via call/sms #50k (visually challenged friend......we attend the same church.....wants to write Trade Test(NATEB) and Special GCE as a requirement for LASG job program for people living with disabilities)

D. via verbal/call #any amount (he is a junior colleague at work father's burial today)

E. verbal/call #any amount (former class teacher of my daughter....mother's burial on 25th Nov. next Saturday)

The month has not ended Oh!

Must you pick every call/reply every sms?

You need to switch to ignore mode and let people know things are tight for you as your wife is unemployed (her 30k stipend from NPower doesn’t count) and you’ve got 4 kids.

The only person that you should help on the list is the visually impaired person. Although I’m sure if he approaches the church, they will happily foot the bill for the exams. Tell him to approach the church’s welfare department for their assistance as things are tight for you at the moment and he should let you know their response.

The person asking for 150k is a joker. How long do you want to keep helping him? That money can go towards buying an inverter which will power basic gadgets in your home or towards your own personal savings.

Same with the person asking for 80k. He must be a chronic debtor. Those money lenders are known for their crazy interest rates/payback terms. Don’t be surprised he owes money in several places.

I will suggest you stop the monthly allowance to your wife and make it weekly.

Somethings can be handled by yourself such as refill of the gas cylinder and buying fuel for your generator.

Is your generator on 24/7? You need to have a “schedule” for that like having the generator on from 6pm or 7pm to midnight. During this time, you can watch the news on TV, watch primetime TV shows, charge your phones, wash the laundry with the washing machine and do any ironing if required. This will greatly reduce the amount you spend on fuel. You complain about not buying food in bulk because of electricity issue yet you are spending so much on your generator. Then what exactly are you using your generator for if not to ensure the fridge/freezer is powered for as long as possible? Is the generator on all day for your Mrs to watch African Magic? If that’s the case, then she should use her npower stipend to cover the monthly generator fueling cost.

You also need to adopt the strategy of bulk shopping. That is what I do. Beef and fish are bought in a carton after which I wash, season and grill everything in my oven and keep them in various ziplock bags in my freezer.Same applies to red ball peppers and scotch bonnet. Others like goat meat, tripe, etc are bought in lesser quantity but still enough to last for 2weeks to a month (or more) depending on consumption. I buy in bulk and dump them in my freezer. Items like sunflower oil and palmoil, I buy in 4 - 7 litres containers. Rice,beans, etc are bought in bags.

Diapers I buy in bulk (usually around 100 diapers) per purchase. Baby wipes I buy a carton (far cheaper and convenient than buying single packs).
Washing detergent I buy a big box of Ariel washing powder (265 washes).

Apart from the cost savings associated with bulk buying, it is also very convenient. I can’t imagine going to the supermarket every single day or week to shop.

Now regarding savings - have you heard of Money Market Fund (MMF)? I will personally recommend ARM, read the links below and contact them.

http://arminvestmentcenter.com/mmf/

https://arminvestmentcenter.com/faq/facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-arm-money-market-fund/

https://arminvestmentcenter.com

You can also shop around for banks that offer the MMF product and compare their interest rates. The good thing about investing in MMF is that you don’t need to wait till you have 200k or 500k or 1m like tbills. With as little as 5k, you can start the investment.

With MMF, you can top up for deposits as often as you like (even if it’s every single day). The odd 1k here, 50k, there, 200k here - you just transfer it to investment company’s account. Interest are paid quarterly (last time I checked, the rates are just about the same as tbills) and you can choose to reinvest your accrued interest. The only issue is with MMF, you have to be very disciplined as you have the option to liquidate your investment anytime you wish.

A major plus of MMF is that you can use it to build your “savings” and once your investment in the fund reaches say 1m, you can quickly liquidate it and invest in TBills or the federal government savings bond and lock that in for a year or more whilst you continue transferring all your spare funds into your MMF account. You can also use the accrued funds in your MMF account to pay off the outstanding payment on the land you purchased.

I will suggest you start this month. You can get your account open within 48hours if you have all your documentation ready. Once you get paid this month, transfer at least 50k (better still 100k) into your MMF account and survive on the funds you have left. It might be rough initially but with time you will adjust and get used to surviving on the cash you have left.

MMotimo:
No need to lie about reduced salary and no, you did not make a mistake by letting her know how much you earn. She is your partner and she should be able to manage that information wisely. Lying to your spouse is never a good idea and just breeds distrust. Who knows if she already thinks you earn more than the 400k and that her 250k is her own "small" share of a much larger pot?

If your wife cannot run the finances successfully, then you have no choice but to step up and take charge. It is not about being authoritarian but about recognizing that you are the head of that household and you have 5 dependants looking up to you to take care of them. You have to do what needs to be done for their financial security.

As for childbirth, take meaningful, specific steps to avoid any future pregnancy. It does not appear that your wife is particularly bothered about having many kids. Some women (not saying your wife does this) even think babies are a smart way of taking money from the family purse. Your budget on the first page states 50k for 1 baby. That is 20% of family upkeep. Some adults find it difficult to connect financial comfort to having a manageable family size. Kids are expensive and the number you have can determine how well or poorly you do with finacial comfort for your family. If it means you have to use condoms to prevent pregnancy, that is what you need to do if you are not 100% sure she's convinced of the need to stop having kids.

Cut your coat according to your cloth. Earning more does not mean you'd save more. It typically means spending more so you have to set a standard now, whether it's 5% of net or 10% or more, start putting money aside.

I totally agree with all the points you’ve raised.

Acidosis:
Family of 6, 250k per month?

I don't think that is too much in a place like P/H.


Some Bachelors earn 200k monthly and can't account for any thing. DSTV, fuel, transport and electricity bill gulp about 50k. Food and upkeep take a larger share, so what's left?

You've got TBills investment plus an asset (land). Worry less, it is not as bad as you think. To clear your doubts, sit with your wife, try to know what she spends on, and see how you can manage the budget.

It is not an easy task to take care of 5 people plus yourself. Some people are finding it difficult to maintain 1 girlfriend in spite earning averagely. Plus you also need to consider the fact that baby stuffs are expensive.. Bros you've got 4! As in 4!
You can't work with the same budget posted by people with 2 teenagers.

He does not have any investments in T Bills. Read his post again.

The only “investment” he has is the land and he’s yet to pay off the cost of the land in full.

At 25, they expect you not to go to work but to babysit your elder sister’s baby. Very funny.

Why didn’t your sister call you herself to ask if she desperately needed the favour?

77FOT

Are your kids not enrolled in any school?

I cannot see school fees/childcare expenses in your expenses breakdown.

Your biggest challenge is how to reduce the 250k you hand out to your wife every month. I doubt she would agree to a “cut” without a serious fight.

I really doubt she spends that much a month on general family expenses (minus school fees).

Why should she claim shopping at a particular market isn’t convenient for her? If items at that market are cheaper, why not choose a particular day and drive her there yourself, wait for her till she’s done with shopping and then bring her home.

4 kids with no investment or savings isn’t a good thing. You both need to sit down and have a serious heart to heart talk on your family expenses and how to get out of the financial hole you are in.

Finally, do you two plan on having more babies? I honestly can’t understand why a woman with very little income to support her husband will agree to have 4 kids in this current economic climate. I see how much very good schools are charging per term and how much it costs to send a child to a private university or even overseas to study . . . . Your kids future education wise should be your priority now and you need to start planning towards it ASAP.

mandysmum:
One last hit before I turn in for the night...


Mamas, abeg is it normal to have a pulling kinda sensation in your vaggie during pregnancy? Sometimes I have this sudden sensation down there as if someone is trying to steal my clits.

Then again, these days my heart starts palpitating for no reason. It comes as sudden as it goes. One minute my heart is beating as if I heard the trumpet sound,next thing it is gone. Am I the only one experiencing this? I asked my olodo doctor and all he could tell me was if I can afford an ECG. I was like huh! Am I dying?

Your doctor is not an olodo. He actually knows his onions.

Heart palpitations in pregnancy should any be taken lightly as it could be a sign of an underlying pregnancy related medical condition.

Asking you to get an ECG done in the right thing. The test takes no more than 30 mins and it's literally an ultrasound of the heart/valves and your heart rhythm is also listened to and plotted on a graph.

Please get an ECG done ASAP and keep an eye on the palpitations.

ahnie:
Obviously they don't!....

Apologise to the Beni lady and move on.

He without sin should throw the first stone !!! Nobody holy pass. We all have our challenges in life and they come in different form.

Next time, do not comment on personal issues/trials raised in a person’s personal diary. If you are pressed to offer any suggestions, then send them a PM.

You started this whole drama by commenting on her marriage struggles.

I read so many diaries here and I keep my opinion to myself.

A diary is an individual’s personal space to express themselves and it should be respected.

soonest:
We will only advise but the truth is that we are all adults and know when we've had enough.
As much as i agree with ahnie and the deactivator's advice but the mode is everything wrong, calling her out instead of pm. I have been on this thread for sometime, i remember when ahnie also brought her own issue of DV here except i'm making a mistake, she was advised to leave but i guess she didnt and shes enjoying her marriage now. I dont think her issue then was raised in another thread or section. Pls lets try and call a spade a spade.
Pls i'm not mouthed and i cant clap back.

God bless you for this.

Screenshots don’t lie.

She has deleted the post from her IG page.

And just for the records, she is yet to get NAFDAC certification for her products. She has began the process though

AlphaHandMaiden:
lol! ha ha ha .... see me laughing in Chinese bad man voice!

Agreed there was at least 2 pages of discussion on that photcopying issue, the least she should have done is read in full rather than a tiny conversation snapshot that does not capture the full story.

In my opinion, it wasnt worth even posting on IG.... she has just given ideas to at least 10,000 of her xyz followers who had not even thought of photocopying the book before that it is an option!

i am also surprised she posted the screenshot on IG. i read how you, feddy27 and some others stood up to discourage the idea of photocopying her book. if she had concerns on privacy, she could have made a subtle comment on the issue without any yeye screenshot. i guess what she wants is pity party from her IG a$$lickers.

she has effectively sown the idea of photocopying to her IG followers. i see a scenario where 8 mothers will contribute 1k each to buy the book and then they will photocopy it using their office photocopier and pass it to each other.

zaynie:
@ Helovesme, Oshey. She should have focused on Feddy's post and not the other person, at a point I thought her royal asslickers were attacking Feddy o.

don't mind her jare.

the royal a$$lickers boku for her page

hunniesuzie:
Na wa. You can ask on her IG sha for better/more accurate answers to your questions

pointless as she is going to end up deleting my questions, branding me a 'hater'/'ogi business rival' and blocking me.

jazzyjazz:
Issa wawu o my sister
As soon as I saw the screenshot on her Instagram page I just knew it

i went through the post on IG.

i would have expected that she gives specific credit and praise to Feddy27 for standing up on her behalf rather than going on a rant about 'haters' and what not.

that said, it doesn't look like her products are NAFDAC checked/certified (and this includes where the products are made and packaged). her page is full of talk of the products being 'nutritionist approved'. no talk or mention of the regulator -NAFDAC.

we really should learn to do things properly in Nigeria. if you are going to sell baby food to a very vulnerable group (babies as young as 4 months), it is only right to subject your products to rigorous testing and approval from NAFDAC. that we are covered by God's Grace doesn't mean we should not do things the proper way. and to think her background is in journalism so what sound educational background does she have in preparing/selling baby food?

at least she has stopped using the phrase 'secret spices in her recipe' when pitching her products as it appears she was called out for it. with baby food, full disclosure is mandatory. there is a risk of allergies so you need to let buyers know every single ingredient that goes into the final product. i am also told she has stopped her soya range. i guess that had to do with the controversy surrounding feeding soya to babies.

the 'haters' or whatsapp group she is complaining about must have some valid reasons/bad experience about her products. she should take on board criticism and work on getting her products NAFDAC checked/certified. the latter should take priority over writing/selling recipe books for 8k.

Fyngal1:
na wa for people sha. how did this end up on instagram? abi august secrets na nairalander?

of course, she is member.

hunniesuzie:
It has NAFDAC Number but it's not on the current labels as they were printed pre-certification.

Thanks for replying.

Oh. So she has been selling her products to babies as young as 4 months without NAFDAC certification all these while? Now I understand.

How recent did she get this NAFDAC certification and does it cover all her products?

Can someone please confirm if August secret’s “packaged ogi” has NAFDAC number/certification on the label ?

Giddyperson:
I'm just tired of them, have called them twice in the last 15 mins, they aint picking. If I say lemme drop by now, they would keep me in the "waiting room" for ten mins while they "decorate". Last time I was there, I could hear the child wailing while they hastily changed her, when I finally came in, the bodysuit she was wearing as inner wear was drenched with water (which she does by spitting whenever you give her water to drink) but I sha wondered how long she'd been wearing that in their AC room that they've refused to do something about but the main reason tho is that the cold is really affecting her, we didn't go yesterday (went to hospital) and half of today. I'm gonna find a creche that can't afford to keep the AC on all day but before that one of my sisters is coming to Lag today, she'd come and baby sit small.

10mins in the waiting room ke?

I am guessing your baby is not yet 12 months old. which sane crèche keeps the AC on all day for babies that age? or is the room not well ventilated? the cold will most definitely affect her. what is the age group of children in the 'babies room'?

a good crèche must listen to the concerns/instructions of a parent (whether or not they feel its ridiculous) and make necessary adjustments.

please start looking for another crèche and make sure you carry out appropriate due diligence and ask as many questions as possible.

NoQualms1:
Wow, thanks so much for the detailed explanation. I ended up giving her after confirmation from another doctor. She's still coughing but I know it will stop. God keep them for us.

Amen

How's your baby?

Any improvement in the last 24 hours?

its normal for her to cough as she has to 'cough out' all the phlegm.

the main thing to keep an eye on is her breathing. if it sounds heavy, laboured and as if she is grasping for breadth or any noticeable wheezing in her breathing, please take her back to the hospital ASAP.

how is she doing regarding food? you can start off with a slice of toast and jam/butter with a small cup of freshly squeezed juice (this was what was given to my son at the hospital after the first course of pendisolone/inhaler and he ate it all). she might not eat a lot but a bite/slice here and there will do.

goodfortun:
Lol! @zaynie; true Kent wait to launch it! But really; it tangles and hes in pain when combing. So I usually apply olive oil and comb in the bathroom upon that gan he's in pain. Or should switch to coconut oil??

Then; for the carrier??

I started using shampoo from day 1.

coconut oil is good or you can prepare your own hair butter (shea butter + coconut oil + olive oil).

Giddyperson:
Creche ko, I don't think she'd be there for more than this week, I dash them the rest of the money, creche hunt continues

lmao.

wat hapun?

NoQualms1:
The doctor checked her chest and said it's clear but said he suspects a type of asthma that it's symptom is just non-stop cough because that's how she has been coughing since middle of the night to the extent that she can't eat and is weak.

Just to add.

Do not exceed the dosage prescribed by the doctor/paediatrician.

I was given a full pack of predisolone and told to discard about 4 - 6 unused tubes. I did as I was told and even binned the rest to avoid the temptation of administering the drug in future as a “home remedy”. It is a very effective medication though as I saw remarkable difference in my son’s breathing and coughing in less than 6 hours.

I kept the empty pack though just for future reference and I still have the remaining inhaler tucked in my medicine cabinet.

NoQualms1:
Good day mamas.

Please I need advice.

My 21-month-old daughter was having cough and running temperature last week. We took her to the hospital and she was given amoxicillin to be used for a week. Three days after we started giving her, she coughed all through the night to the extent that she could not sleep. Had to take her back to the hospital and she was nebulized twice. The doctor then gave us piriton, azithromycin and prednisolone. The prednisolone is new to me so I decided to check it online. The information I saw on it was scary to say the least. Now, I'm scared to give her. Should I go ahead or not? Please help.

cc: soonest, all mamas

Please go ahead and administer the prednisolone asap as instructed.

If I remember correctly, the drug comes in small plastic tubes.

My son had similar scare some few months ago. It started as a rather chesty cough. I took him to the GP and the doctor I saw refused to give him any drugs and said the cough would stop on its own as his chest was clear.

Few days later, I noticed that on one night,his breathing was chesty and rather heavy. He kept coughing all night and my instincts told me something wasn’t right. I took him to A & E the next day. He was checked and the paediatrician detected a little wheezing in his breathing.

Right there on the spot he was given prednisolone and he had to use an inhaler. The relief was almost instant. He was monitored for about 3 hours and we were told we could go home. (I was initially told he was going to be admitted).

I was sent home with instructions to administer the final dose of prednisolone and the inhaler. I did as I was told, administered the inhaler for about a week and I took him back for a follow up check after 2 weeks ( I was told to return back to A & E immediately if there was any further symptoms). He was given the all clear during the 2 weeks check and I have not used the inhaler or any other drug since then (this happened in July).

I was told the prescribing an inhaler doesn’t mean the child has asthma and that the inhaler helps to open up the lungs hence helping with breathing. Attached is the picture of the device that was used to administer the inhaler at the hospital and I was also given the device to take home.

You can read more about wheezing in children. It’s basically a very bad cold infection

ifyalways:
Ticket : No big deal. Just buy for mom and infant. Infant tkt cost is usually about 5% of adult's.
No seat, you carry your baby. Flights within Nigeria is less than two hours, most are 45 mins and an hour so if you feed baby just before boarding, there might not be need for a second feeding or nappy change. Babies don't need Id for local flights.

Baby passport requirements :
Consent letter from baby daddy
Copy of baby daddy passport data page or voters card
Copy of mom's passport data page
Two passport photos of baby
Passport fees
Baby's biometrics will be taken on submission at passport office

@ bolded
in this era of child trafficking/abduction

I will suggest she travels with the baby's birth certificate to avoid any harassment or embarrassment at the airport just in case she is asked to provide proof that she is the mother of the baby.

cc goodfortun

spiceeamiee:
Ha! Mama! This singing and dancing sontin, we go get the time so? . This may actually work with my baby as she likes being tickled and talked to but where the time na? Maybe only weekends. You wrote about 6month old babies. My baby is only 4months and just took cereal for the first time yesterday but she is not taking it well so I'm thinking of mixing this one (rice cereal) with her pap plus formular while I buy Heinz which she can then drink alone (with formular). Hope say we no go purge sha

Apologies. I didn't realise your baby is 4 months old.

I am not an advocate of introducing solids that early. I am also not an advocate of ogi.

mixing rice cereal, formula and ogi together sounds like too much to feed a baby that young. personally, I will never do it.

I believe that a baby should be on strictly milk (breast milk or formula or both) for the first 6 months of their life.

Your baby is obviously not ready to be weaned. why not stop the solids and continue with just milk? There is no need to rush/force her.

at 6 months, they have better head control, greater sense of smell/taste/colour and their organs are more developed to process/digest solids. the chances of them becoming fussy eaters are also slimmer.

my son was on strictly milk (breastmilk+formula) for his first 6 months and he didn't have his first spoon of cereal till he clocked 6months 1day. Looking back, I have no regrets.

katchycouture:
My first child started school when he was 18 months, before the term finished he refused using diapers to school, when dressing him up he will say 'no pampers no pampers' and that was it, I had to follow him to school to tell his teacher to please always ask him to urinate then with time he started saying when he wants to wee or poo...

my son went through a phase when he would refuse to wear his diapers or pull his trousers/diapers down. the issue was that before I say jack robinson, he has pee'd on the floor or in the kitchen (which he found rather amusing and fascinating) or worse still pooed in his trousers. so I insist he wears the diapers and he keeps his pants on. he has been wearing pampers pull up pants since he was around 8 months so he pulls down/pulls up his diapers himself with ease. sometimes he wakes up with dry diapers in the morning.

the 'signs' are all there that he is ready to potty train but I won't do it till he clocks 2yrs 6months because once I ditch the diapers, that's it and I want to make sure the transition is accident/drama free. I am not in any rush at all.

spiceeamiee:
Please can I mix Gerber rice, pap and formular for my baby? I have only tried to feed her cereal twice: yesterday and today but she cries so much while being fed, spits out the food and then goes into a frightening coughing fit. I have tried using spoon and plate and a feeding bottle, no way. In fact since this afternoon,She has started crying at the sight of her feeding bottles. She thinks they are all cereals, even when I tried to give her water, She rejected it. I don't know if it's this particular cereal she does not like so I will get another flavour tomorrow but I would also love to vary her food since all she can take now is pap, cereals, formular formulae and breast milk

please see below. please note that the meals described below can be packed and taken to her crèche.

[quote author=helovesme post=]6 and 7 months - all my son's meals were puréed. After 7 months, I moved to mashed meals (yam, rice, boiled plantain, et al).

I boil Irish potatoes or sweet potatoes and then boil a combo of carrots, green peas, sweet corn, cauliflower and broccoli. Toss everything into a blender and add boiled chicken and blend. I add little sunflower oil and place the puréed food in ice cube trays and pop them in the freezer.

Sometimes, I purée just Irish potatoes and carrots. Sometimes, it's just sweet potatoes and chicken or beef.[/quote]

spiceeamiee:
Please can I mix Gerber rice, pap and formular for my baby? I have only tried to feed her cereal twice: yesterday and today but she cries so much while being fed, spits out the food and then goes into a frightening coughing fit. I have tried using spoon and plate and a feeding bottle, no way. In fact since this afternoon,She has started crying at the sight of her feeding bottles. She thinks they are all cereals, even when I tried to give her water, She rejected it. I don't know if it's this particular cereal she does not like so I will get another flavour tomorrow but I would also love to vary her food since all she can take now is pap, cereals, formular formulae and breast milk

I typed a long post on a similar issue. Please read below. Hopefully, you find it helpful.

[quote author=helovesme post=]most babies at 6 months do not eat 10 or 20 spoons of food. Most cases, 5 tea spoons at most and they are full. Don't forget that at that age, their stomach is still small and at that age, they still rely on milk (breast milk or formula or both). This is why weaning/transitioning a baby to solids is a gradual process. The fact that she's even taking a spoon or two means she's doing well for her age.

Before you feed her, you need to relax and be happy. Play with her. Sing. Compose all sort of songs for her. Laugh with her. Entertain her.

You also need to get her prepared for meal times. If you do not have a high chair, please go and buy one. You should also buy colourful plates and spoons for her. Sit her in the high chair and give her the empty plate and spoon to play with. She needs to know that's once she's sat in the high chair , then it's "yummy time" which means it's time for delicious food.

You can decide to do baby-led weaning (where you leave the food on the plate on the high chair table) and leave her to eat whatever she likes and make as much mess as possible or you feed her yourself.

Some meals are instant hit with babies. For example, ripe bananas. Get a really ripe banana, mash it really well and mix with water and formula till you have a paste and give her. While feeding her, move down to her level either by kneeling or sitting down and establish eye contact. Sing while feeding her, act like you are putting the food in your own and make interesting sounds like "yummy" "tasty". For every spoon she takes, make sure you sound very excited by screaming "yayyy", clapping and giving her a warm hug/kiss.

You must radiate positive vibes while feeding her. If after two or three spoons she's not interested, hug her, tell her she's a good girl for even eating at all and giver her toys to play with. Use the same technique at every meal time and see if she won't gradually increase the number of spoon she takes.

Never ever force her to eat or force food into her mouth while it's wide open just because she's crying. It can go disastrously wrong. It can lead to choking and even death.

You should also taste her food before you give her. Some baby foods (even the imported brands) are disgusting. If the food tastes like yuck, then there's every possibility that your daughter won't like it.

The same applies to formula. Different brands. Different tastes. Just the same way Peak milk tastes better than Cowbell milk. Look for brand she likes and stick to it. Some babies are just cut out to be high maintaineace. She might actually prefer a premium formula brand which will cost you more.

You need to be more experimental in the food you give her. Try all sorts till you find out what she likes. For example, puréed SWEET POTATOES is well loved by babies. It must be puréed to a fine paste with no bit and pieces. Add a dash of sunflower oil or a little butter and give it to her. Prepared Wheat is also another favourite with babies. It must be really really soft before you give it to her. Same with amala. Blend ewedu leaves with boiled deboned macreal fish, boil the mixture, allow it to cool down and give it to her with wheat/amala.

you can also try more nutritional and better tasting meals like pureed sweet/Irish potatoes mixed with chicken, mixed vegetables like carrots, green peas, etc and see if she accepts.

She's only six months old. Some babies do not start eating solids "seriously" till they are around 8-9 months old.[/quote]in addition to the points raised above, buy one pack of cereal at the time until you find a brand/flavour that she likes.

For now, go for a cereal that has got bananas incorporated in it. they are usually well liked by babies.

Aptamil has a creamed banana porridge cereal for babies. It already contains milk but you can add small scoop of formula if you wish

Cow& Gate also has a creamed banana porridge cereal for babies.

try either and hopefully your baby should like it

Giddyperson:
Biko nu I need help, my baby wakes up every hour, sometimes twice in one hour. I've not slept in so long i might soon run mad. What should i do, when would it end. She only used to wake up once or twice since birth and i thought by the time she's 6 months she would be sleeping through the night only for her to come and get way worse. I think it's partially my fault cuz she can't go back to sleep without bobby in her mouth, so now every little waking up she would wail until you carry her and bfeed then she would sleep off immediately. This happens like 8 times or more in one night. I'm trying to stop the excess bfeeding and try to tap her back or put her on my shoulder and rock her back to sleep but she just screams louder until you bring bobby. This post is getting so long, I don't even know what I'm typing again, I lack sleep. Biko nu help me before I run mad. CC: Helovesme, mama.

Apologies for late response. I have just picked this up in my mentions.

I laydown to breastfeed and my most comfortable method is to breastfeed with the left breast. that is, baby sleeping on my left side. I make sure there are no loose clothings or pillows around to prevent any risk of suffocation.

You should also try to adopt a late/bath time routine.

What worked for me is this:

Say for example, I am aiming for bedtime of 10pm, I will bottle feed my son with formula at 9pm. Then he has a bath for around 9.30pm. I use the boots night time liquid baby wash.

After bathing him (whilst still in the bath tub), I massage his entire body using a flannel with slightly above warm water. The massage takes about 5-10mins and my son loves it - I feel it relaxes his body.

Massage done and he is dressed up in night clothes -usually a onesie (light full body suit). I make sure the lights in the room are dim and I just lay him down and breast feed him. Sometimes I play a lullaby on YouTube (works wonder ). With this method, he only wakes up max once during the night. I sometimes tweak this routine by bottle feeding him with formula after bath time and then breast feed him till he sleeps.

zimunachimdi:
Happy sunday wonderfully made mamas.

Pls i need tips /answers on the following.
1.how to potty train my son. he will be a 1yr and 5months by next month.

2.I want to change his milk from peak 123 to ordinary full cream peak. hope it is in order?

3.is liquid milk good for his age. peak is the only liquid that i know which is full cream,others like three crown,olympic are filled evaporated. which one is better?

4. I cant hear a clear word from him yet. no papa,mama,daddy etc. hope I am safe?

5. I love you all. My regards to the family.

1. I personally feel its too early to potty train a male child at that age. My own idea of potty training is to stop diapers once and for all -both daytime and night time and when we are outdoors. At that age, a child is not really vocal/expressive and you might find the whole potty training process stressful and not successful. What is the point of potty training when you still have to wear diapers at night or when you are outdoors?

I am personally waiting till my son is 2yrs 6months before I potty train and this will be done with the help/support of the staff at his crèche. They have a process that when kids are being potty trained, they get stickers, hi-fives, praises etc for each time they use the toilet. At that age, kids can understand the rewards for good behaviour such as stickers, etc. I also spoke to a Health Visitor (community nurse) and she is also of the opinion that is the best age to potty train a child. I also read somewhere that kids that are 'forcefully' potty trained very early tend to bed wet later on in the pre-teen/teenage years.

2. Stick to full cream milk. I have read negative reviews here from other mums about peak 123

3. Powdered milk is the best. It is more economical and doesn't go bad like evaporated or liquid milk that must be consumed within 2-3 days and left refrigerated. Personally, I buy Nido Milk. Introduced it to my son when he clocked 13months and we have had no issues no far. It is not sweet and I use honey when required to sweeten his cereals, tea, etc.

4. I think at his age, he should have started speaking a few words, even if its basic words like 'baba', 'no', 'oh no', 'mama'.
I shared a very long post (click on the link below) with tips on how to improve communication in a child. Early intervention is key and you have to 'teach' him.
https://www.nairaland.com/971395/new-born-babies-u-new/1104#59781914

Giddyperson:
That's the thing, I can't do impromptu visits cuz they would not even let you enter the creche area like that, you'd first sit at the reception then they call the creche people, then they bring out your baby [s]before I'd transfer my kwasiorkor to the other kids I guess[/s] or more like time to clean up anything fishy. Anyway, can't even run, hubby is taking this creche thing hard enough, if I decide to change next month I would kuku kill him. @Hunniesuzzie

I would be extremely wary of a crèche that operates that way.

They have got a lot to hide.

Parents should be allowed free access to where their children are kept at any time. This is a service parents are paying for. All that talk of passing germs, etc is BULLSH*T. if they are that concerned, then there should be a bottle of hand sanitizers at the entrance of the babies room or they ask parents to take off their shoes.

I will not be surprised if the crèche is understaffed or there are too many babies in the room or the area is unkempt or the babies are left unattended to.

Personally, I show up at my son's crèche at anytime that suits me. I punch in the access code at the door and I am inside the building. Even days I know I will be coming in early to pick him up, I do not tell them. I just show up unannounced.

davodyguy:
This is terribly saddening.
I can bet with anything that it was front tyre burst.

I had my near death experience too in 2006, 11th February. At 149kmph, my front tyre answered and the car turned over 3 times, before one of the beams on the bridge stopped me from entering the Lagoon. The mark, is still on 3rd Mainland till date.

For those of you familiar with Adekunle exit, watch out for a sign of impact

Car was written off

149kmh is very fast.

That’s over twice the legal speed limit in some sane countries with very good roads.

I hope you’ve learnt your lesson and you do not drive that fast again.

Speed kills.