Camden’s 7-8 Month Update + Schedule
I cannot believe Cam is 8 months! Time flies even faster with baby #2. Wasn’t he just born?! I think the best part about it all, I know this and I’m soaking in all the time with him. I really try to be as present as possible when we nurse. After he’s done nursing, I’ll burp him and we’ll just hang in the rocking chair. We’ll laugh, and I’ll give him a 100 kisses. Seeing those cheeks up close and smelling his neck is just the BEST. Mike and I tell each other everyday how great Cam is. I think it’s a mix of not knowing what to expect having another child and the way they’d make us feel, but also I really do think Cam is the BEST. He’s literally smiling all day long. He loves to play, he’s so observant, and so cuddly.
New at 8 Months
At 7 months Cam started to sleep on his tummy! He initially struggled with only being able to flip to his tummy and not back, but he’s much more comfortable on his belly now and actually prefers it to sleep. He sits! This is such a game changer. He has more freedom and so do his parents, lol. He’ll sit and play with toys for a good chunk of time. His awake time is 3hrs which makes our schedule so much better and flexible. We can actually get out of the house, lol. He’s also at a really good age that if he doesn’t sleep long when we’re on the go, he can still rally and be fine. He knows his name when you call him, he can reach out to you when you put your arms out to him, and he’s getting his two front bottom teeth! He’s been a drooly mess lately and a little more whiny and clingy towards mom, but other than that he’s been a happy boy through cutting teeth. Oh also, so much hair! Little man’s hair is getting thicker by the day, yay!
Naps
During month 7 Camden would be hit or miss with longer naps, so we’d have to throw in a catnap before bed occasionally. But, we’re currently doing a shorter nap in the morning (1 hour) and a longer nap in the afternoon (2 hours). We are officially down to 2 naps! After our trip to California in June we started to stress less about naps in general. Just because we were on the go and had to be flexible with his sleep. Now at 8 months it finally feels like life doesn’t revolve around naps. We’re able to do more and if we’re out in the morning and he only gets a tiny nap in the car, we know he’ll sleep for his afternoon nap at home. He can handle himself much better with less sleep if we need him too if that makes sense.
Feedings
We didn’t have the greatest start with solids. After my last update, we actually stopped trying and gave it a rest for a good month. He just was not interested, kept spitting out the food or crying. We were supposed to go see our pediatrician, but we were in the middle of getting a new doc, so we didn’t get a chance to go in. Cam recently started eating some purees, so I feel like wasn’t ready. This is all very new-to-me since Harper ate right away and we did BLW. We just started giving him some purees, so we’ll see how this goes. Crossing my fingers it was a ready thing versus something being wrong or allergies.
Since we haven’t been doing solids, I kept his 5 nursing sessions rather than going down to 4. We’re still exclusively nursing, which I don’t mind. There’s enough time between feedings now that I can get out and do things and I don’t feel as trapped.
Awake Time
8 months is such a fun age! Cam is sitting by himself, although we always have pillows or his boppy near him in case he falls or if we walk away from him. He can sit with a bin of toys and entertain himself for quite a while. He loves to play with his sister. Anything she does will entertain him. He cruises around in his walker. Harper will ride her indoor wooden bike and they’ll play a game of chase while he’s in his walker, it’s the cutest! We love to go on family walks. He’s currently getting used to the swing at the park. He’s on his belly quite a bit, but he hasn’t pulled his knees up yet to start the process of crawling… which if I’m being honest, is a blessing lol.
We are doing 3-3+ hours of awake time! I feel like that’s such a milestone. There’s so much more time to do things.
Bedtime
We are doing the same bedtime routine as always. Lately, he’s been whining in his crib before he falls asleep, which is a new thing. I’m wondering if he needs to be awake a little longer before bed to help with this. Little man is still sleeping through the night.
He flipped to his tummy sometime during month 7, so we officially have a tummy sleeper. This has been tremendous for his flat head. I would say his head shape overall has changed drastically, which we’re so happy about.
Eczema Update
Camden’s eczema is doing MUCH better. I do think the worst is behind us and still really hoping he will grow out of it. We are still using the concoction our Derm prescribed us (read more about that here), but very sparingly with flare ups. We are bathing every other day and using aquaphor daily. So, so thankful we got this under control.
Favorites at 8 Months
Joovy Spoon Walker – This is Harper’s old walker. We loved it with her and are loving it with Cam. It’s a great way to have him vertical without one of us always holding him. He hangs in this mainly during dinner. Having his toys propped on the tray has really helped his hand eye coordination. He’s officially jamming in this. PT said to make sure he has time just standing stationary it in, so we spend doing that too.
Toddlekind Floor Mat (color: clay) – We put the extra mats we had upstairs in the play room where Cam does a lot of his tummy time. Now that he’s more mobile, the mats have been awesome!
The Honest Company Diaper Rash Cream – Right when Cam’s eczema was super inflamed he also had severe diaper rash. Like the worse I’ve ever seen. Did some research, and this diaper rash came highly recommended. It took about 5 days, but his diaper rash cleared up. We’ve been using it ever since and he’s had the cleanest tush!
Halo Swaddle – This is the sleep sack we transitioned to. I like that it has sleeves and that it’s the most similar to the Merlin (in hopes for a smooth transition).
Boppy Nursing Pillow for Sitting – I haven’t used this for nursing since after the first couple of weeks of Camden being born, but we recently pulled it out to help with Cam’s sitting. He’s sitting on his own, but it’s the perfect shaped pillow to help if he does fall backwards.
Amazon Muslin Bibs – Cam’s a big drooler, so the cute bibs we have from H&M weren’t cutting it. We’re still using our white muslin ones we love for nursing and at home, but I wanted to find something cuter in neutral colors. I found these and they’re pretty substantial. The come in a pack, so I just donated the colors I didn’t love.
Rey to Z Baseball Caps – Absolutely love these little hats! You can get them with any letter or you can do them without. We have the Baby size for Cam and they fit really well.
Mushi Teether – This is Cam’s most preferred teether right now.
8 Month Schedule
6:30am – wakes and plays in crib
7:00 am – grab him, change, and nurse
7:30am – awake time, go for a walk, play.
9:30 – Nap 1 (1 hour)
10:30 am – wake and nurse
11:00 am – play, solids
1:15pm – Nurse
1:30pm – Nap 2 (2 hours)
3:30pm – wake and nurse
4:00pm – awake time, play
6:30/7pm – nurse, bedtime