It's just gone 7pm and the girls are all in bed…yeeehhh!

I do love all three of them dearly but I do love this time of night too.

Well i'm a Mummy to three and I need to refresh and recover before the next day.

Even more importantly, they do too.

Busy days playing all day means we are all exhausted and ready for it.

Poppy's been at School in the week so she's even more ready.

We pretty much start winding down straight after dinner.

Quieter toys are played with, the mess cleared away. We might watch a little Cbeebies.

Then it's bath time for all three….lots of bubbly fun. All the girl love it, even baby Daisy.

Once they are all out, dried and dressed (quite mission when I'm by myself), its back downstairs for a little while.

This is my favourite time of the day.

Snuggles and stories my three little girls. A lovely end to a busy day.

For as long as I can remember we've had this routine.

Poppy likes to join in now she can read. She usually goes first.

Then it's over to Mummy and Daddy. who will read story after story until bedtime.

Books about little girls, princesses, animals, ballerinas and pirates.

They are not too fussy! Except maybe Rosie who always wants Goldilocks.

We are lucky, there's no fuss in this house at bedtime.

You see they just know what comes next.

I think that is the key.

We all love bedtime in this house.

Here they all are fresh from the bath and ready for bed:

My little cuties.

Won't be long until I'm off up too.

Night night.

Karen x

Daisy is 8 months now and to be honest it hasn't all been plain sailing particularly when it comes to sleep. We had a really good few weeks a little while ago once she was prescribed medicine and we introduced a black out blind. She was finally doing what I wanted her to: two long naps and 12 hours at night yeeehhh! Then we went on holiday and it all went downhill – she hated the travel cot. Well who could blame her when she has a beautiful Stokke Sleepi at home.

Once we got home I quickly got her back into falling asleep in her cot by patting her bottom and saying ssshhh. It worked but now we have a new problem, she doesn't seem to be able to settle herself again. This means whenever she wakes, be it 10 or 40 minutes after falling asleep or in the middle of the night she will cry until I go in but will settle in seconds as soon as I gently tap her bum. It might not take long but its not funny if she wakes several times in a night like the one before last.

With her Sisters I remember using a Baby Whisperer technique of staying in the room with them, letting them cry and occasionally saying “ssshhh” or “Mummy's here” until they fell asleep. That way they learnt to settle themselves but didn't feel abandoned. It worked and they slept really well from around 12 weeks.

With Daisy I have done things differently because (a) she has been so sick and (b) I haven't wanted her to disturb her Sisters, especially Poppy who has School in the morning. Maybe I should have just done it.

So I'm now I'm at the stage where I'm not sure what to do – to cry or not to cry? To pat or not to pat? They are the questions. What did you do? All advice welcomed.

Karen x

How can it be 8 months since my baby girl arrived, where has the time gone?

8 months ago I had a huge bump and was dying to meet her.

She arrived all little with wrinkly skin like an old lady and that gorgeous baby smell. All ten teeny tiny fingers and toes present and correct, long sparrow legs that she curled up under her and a cute little baby bottom. Her lips would move in her sleep as if she was dreaming about milk, she had big bright eyes that quickly turned brown and a tiny button nose.

Her Sisters took to her straight away just as she did to them. As she grew older and more alert she would smile at them as they cuddled her or offered her toys. Later her whole face would light up whenever they paid her any attention.

Eager to be involved in their games and join in she would scream with delight as they ran around squealing and giggling.

An affectionate little thing she loved cuddles right from the start, always snuggling and burying right in. Happiest when warm and cosy.

She grew chubbier, began to make noises and move. She learnt to roll, clap, sit, wave and point. Best of all she learnt to say Mamma and Dadda.

Where have those 8 months gone though? My baby girl has changed so much already. Its lovely to see her grow and develop but does it really have to happen so quickly?

Karen x

In my fluffy little world of pink there is no room for slimy green stuff. For four and a half years i've managed to get away with wiping “runny noses” and have never called it anything else.

so imagine my horror when Rosie (aged 21/2) tells me she has something up her nose. I tell her she has a runny nose and grab a tissue. But before I know it though, she has her finger up there, pulls out the offending article and shows it to me asking “what is it Mummy?”.

So what did I say? Well to be perfectly honest I kind of froze, wiped it away with the tissue and distracted her with getting her coat on (we were about to go out anyway). Terrible I know but true.

Oh my goodness, what am I like and how will I deal with it when they start asking about where babies come from?

Karen x

Being a new Mum is an emotional time regardless of whether it's the first time or third. Hormones are running overtime, lack of sleep makes you tired and emotional and it's a huge adjustment. Then add in an unsettled, distressed baby and things get even worse.

There can be a million reasons why your baby is more gassy, colicky then others and it's therefore really not helpful when people just say “so what have you eaten today?”. If they haven't yet they will because yes of course on top of everything else, it has to be your fault!

Regular readers will know that Daisy is 11 weeks old now and that she has suffered terribley with trapped wind. As both her Sisters had similar troubles I didn't panic too much, used drops to help relive discomfort and concentrated on positions that helped her relax and bring the wind up.

I have even made homemade gripe water which worked pretty well but she still has “off” days. I have been doing my very best!

Of course I have looked at my diet. Being vegetarian and breast feeding I am aware that I need to eat healthily and have a balanced diet for both milk supply and my Daughters health. I have done my research and a good breast feeding diet includes:

• At least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day
• Starchy foods (eg… bread, breakfast cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes)
• Protein – lean meat, chicken, fish (or replacements such as Quorn for veggies), eggs, nuts, lentils and pulses
• Milk and milk products such as cheese and yoghurt
• 10 to 12 glasses of fluid per day

I have also looked up food which can upset babies and they include:

• Caffeine
• Dairy (in particular milk but including eggs and cheese)
• Wheat
• Nuts
• Citrus fruits…. actually make that most fruits
• Certain vegetables including peppers, onions, cabbage etc…
• Tomatoes
• Pulses and lentils
• Chilli and garlic
• Chocolate (I've needed a bit of this recently once all girls are in bed)
• Fizzy drinks
• Alcohol (not that I'm drinking it anyway)

Aaaahhhhh! So what exactly am I supposed to eat? Apart from the alcohol I usually eat several of these daily. Is there anything left? Maybe potatoes, carrots and peas!

I am very confused (and hungry) so any advice or recipes would be greatly appreciated.

Karen x

So your little bundle arrives and they are gorgeous, everything you wanted but boy do they scream!

You breastfeed them as this is supposed to be best but each time you do they spend the next 1,2 maybe 3 hours in pain…sometimes screaming, sometimes crying and sometimes just squirming and uncomfortable. Oh add in a bit of sick too . Before you know it, its time for another feed, so the cycle begins again.

You mention it to the Health Visitor and GP, they don’t seem too bothered. After all babies digestive systems take a good 3-4 months to develop.

So what do you do?

Well little Daisy is 10 weeks now and for her they haven’t been the easiest 10 weeks. She has suffered terribly. I have tried all the usual medicines and even tried Colief but nothing seemed to make her comfortable. In between her being in pain you could see glimpses of a happy, smiley baby girl it broke my heart.

After each feed she would scream and squirm and was in obvious discomfort. It was always worse just before she did a pooh and when she finally did one she would be so relived she would just pass out.

I had discussed it with the Doctor and we had ruled out colic but queried  reflux. She thought it might just be her stomach taking a while to develop though.

So I continued with the patting and rubbing her back and bottom, found positions that she preferred like being over your knees or shoulder, watching what I ate and increasing my liquid intake. Nothing worked though.

Then whilst browsing the internet I came across a recipe for home made gripe water.

There were actually several recipes - some more complicated then others but I decided to start with the simple one. I am so glad I did as its amazing. The wind has poured out of my baby girl and last night she was so comfortable she slept from 6.30pm to 5.50am ….almost 12 hours, yippeee!

After 24 hours on the stuff I have a totally different baby. She actually smiles and gurgles after feeding, I can lie her flat on the floor after a few burps and she has no problems with poohing.

I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you:

Add 1 tsp of fennel seeds to 1 pint of water and bring to the boil

Leave uncovered and let bubble away for ten minutes

Cool and then serve between feeds

Keep covered and at room temperature for 24 hours then pour away

I’ve tasted this myself and its pretty good. A very light aniseed taste is all it has. Daisy seems to like it. She doesn’t take much… just a few sips at a time but it does the trick for her.

If you have a colicky baby this has got to be worth a try, fingers crossed it works for you too.

Karen x