Do you think babies need to be taught to sleep?

[CrankyAndTired]

Do you think its possible to teach a baby to sleep?

If it is possible, do you think its appropriate to train a baby to sleep?

Or do you think that it is natural, normal behaviour for babies to need resettling during the night?

What is your attitude towards your baby's sleeping patterns? :detective:

[CrankyAndTired]

:flowerz:Bump:flowerz:

[SassyMummy]

I never taught DD to sleep. She just did so easily on her own.

I can't take any credit for that.

I think she just was a good sleeper because she was just born that way.

[Queen]

Some kids yes! Mine in particular, I do not know what I do wrong :o but my kids just do not sleep, they are not sleepers.....
They fight sleep all the time, always have and at 3 my DD1 still does.

[Mrs Nietzsche]

I don't know, it is so difficult.

My DS got worse and worse, to the point of waking up every 30-40 mins. I had to night wean him (cuddles instead of boob) and then move him into the cot next to the bed (instead of in with me) and all of a sudden he is sleeping 7 hour stretches.

I can't understand it and I can only assume that he really had just got into bad habits or sleep associations.

It is distressing for him because he would prefer to be with me, with boob, in bed.. but as I am right there with him rocknig him etc I can't believe he really feels abandoned or anything.

I believe that crying is distressing for parents for a reason, but I don't believe that nature intends for parents to be matyrs to their child's appalling sleep patterns for years.

[Phyllis Stein]

Taught, no. Supported until they work it out themselves, yes.

In answer to your OP:

Do you think its possible to teach a baby to sleep? No. I think it's possible to teach them not to ask for support or communicate their needs. I also think it's possible to help enable them to sleep, by creating the right environment and meeting their needs as individuals. Very different to 'teaching' IMO.

If it is possible, do you think its appropriate to train a baby to sleep? No, I don't think it's appropriate to withhold support or comfort, ignore a child's crying, create strict routines which don't allow for individual differences or otherwise try and force a child to sleep.

Or do you think that it is natural, normal behaviour for babies to need resettling during the night? Yes. :) Though I have to admit that I didn't start pregnancy thinking that, it took reading widely and critically to push through the conventional understanding of babies sleep, i.e. that premised on behaviourism.

What is your attitude towards your baby's sleeping patterns? Flow with it. We created gentle, flexible routines, happily feed to sleep and give milk to resettle when necessary. We've watched him go from a 'difficult' but completely normal sleeper, who changed sleep habits week to week, mostly waking 3+ times a night, to a fairly reliable sleep pattern of waking at most twice a night and happily resettling himself most of the time.

We figured that as adults, we had more ability to adapt and adjust than he did. We also had faith that he'd work it out in his own time and he did, luckily only by around 14months. All we had to do was provide the right environment, support him, give him unconditional love and comfort and seek support for ourselves when it we weren't coping.

[Mathermy]

I don't know, it is so difficult.

My DS got worse and worse, to the point of waking up every 30-40 mins. I had to night wean him (cuddles instead of boob) and then move him into the cot next to the bed (instead of in with me) and all of a sudden he is sleeping 7 hour stretches.

I can't understand it and I can only assume that he really had just got into bad habits or sleep associations.

It is distressing for him because he would prefer to be with me, with boob, in bed.. but as I am right there with him rocknig him etc I can't believe he really feels abandoned or anything.

I believe that crying is distressing for parents for a reason, but I don't believe that nature intends for parents to be matyrs to their child's appalling sleep patterns for years.

I think I agree with Maire.

I don't believe they need to be taught to sleep , because obviously they sleep inside the womb but I don't think that is what you meant.

I do not think it is natural nor reasonable to expect newborn babies to sleep through the night, the thought of trying to 'teach" such a young baby anything makes me strongly uncomfortable. Nor do I believe babies are being manipulative or malicious in their poor sleep habits or their dislike of separation.

I do believe good sleep hygiene for both adults and babies can be beneficial. By this I mean bedtime routine, dark room, appropriate bedclothes, less stimulation at sleep time, well fed etc.

[84zsazsa]

I dont with DS...I have stuck it out so far & allowed him to improve when he is ready as he has grown...but thats how I parent in general & he is only 10mths so in my eyes plenty of time before other then discipline for him to learn things before I have to take his direction & 'teach him things.

He is Boobie fed & up until probably 7mths was still waking 3hrly at night. On his own he just started sleeping from his bedtime of 7pm to 3am before he wanted a feed & then sleeps til morn...I dont find this a prob & am happy to keep doing that til he grows out of it. It was exhursting at times but I pushed through it & YES survivied...:laughing:

Everyone is different also too...where some may not find that a prob others would go mad from it!! I also except that some bubs will still wake constantly well after 2 which I imagine could get very trying...so I think it truely is up to each individual parent.

Danni

[WorkingClassMum]

I think parents need to be taught what is 'normal' for an *average* baby.

How often do we hear "Is he a good baby- does he sleep?" with the inference being a baby that doesn't sleep is BAD.

There is a serious lack of education/information about baby sleep patterns.

Once there is an understanding about normal and average and expected sleep patterns etc, we can then have a better discussion about optimal sleeping habits for babies and therefore their parents

[CrankyAndTired]

Taught, no. Supported until they work it out themselves, yes.

In answer to your OP:

Do you think its possible to teach a baby to sleep? No. I think it's possible to teach them not to ask for support or communicate their needs. I also think it's possible to help enable them to sleep, by creating the right environment and meeting their needs as individuals. Very different to 'teaching' IMO.

If it is possible, do you think its appropriate to train a baby to sleep? No, I don't think it's appropriate to withhold support or comfort, ignore a child's crying, create strict routines which don't allow for individual differences or otherwise try and force a child to sleep.

Or do you think that it is natural, normal behaviour for babies to need resettling during the night? Yes. :) Though I have to admit that I didn't start pregnancy thinking that, it took reading widely and critically to push through the conventional understanding of babies sleep, i.e. that premised on behaviourism.

What is your attitude towards your baby's sleeping patterns? Flow with it. We created gentle, flexible routines, happily feed to sleep and give milk to resettle when necessary. We've watched him go from a 'difficult' but completely normal sleeper, who changed sleep habits week to week, mostly waking 3+ times a night, to a fairly reliable sleep pattern of waking at most twice a night and happily resettling himself most of the time.

We figured that as adults, we had more ability to adapt and adjust than he did. We also had faith that he'd work it out in his own time and he did, luckily only by around 14months. All we had to do was provide the right environment, support him, give him unconditional love and comfort and seek support for ourselves when it we weren't coping.

I totally agree with everything you've written Phyllis.. and its beautifully written to boot! :yelclap:


I do not think it is natural nor reasonable to expect newborn babies to sleep through the night, the thought of trying to 'teach" such a young baby anything makes me strongly uncomfortable. Nor do I believe babies are being manipulative or malicious in their poor sleep habits or their dislike of separation.

I do believe good sleep hygiene for both adults and babies can be beneficial. By this I mean bedtime routine, dark room, appropriate bedclothes, less stimulation at sleep time, well fed etc.

:yes::yes:


I think parents need to be taught what is 'normal' for an *average* baby.

How often do we hear "Is he a good baby- does he sleep?" with the inference being a baby that doesn't sleep is BAD.

There is a serious lack of education/information about baby sleep patterns.

Once there is an understanding about normal and average and expected sleep patterns etc, we can then have a better discussion about optimal sleeping habits for babies and therefore their parents

Totally agree!! The amount of times I've been asked "Is he a good baby?" And replied.. "yes, he's a great baby! But he has trouble sleeping for very long.." :p

One of the best books I ever read on this subject was a Gentle Sleep Methods books - which was actually quite light on implementable methods, but really got the point across that its NORMAL for babies to wake for the first 1-3 years of their life..

These mysterious babies that sleep straight through 7pm-7am are in the minority and lead the rest of us to have false impressions about what our babies should be doing..

[BigRedV]

I never taught DD to sleep. She just did so easily on her own.

I can't take any credit for that.

I think she just was a good sleeper because she was just born that way.
My DD was the same. She just learnt to sleep herself, without CC :confused: I don't know why but she has always been a good sleeper at night. During the day, however :rolleyes: :laughing:

I can't take credit either. When she was about 8 weeks old, she would do lots of smiling in the evenings. Once she stopped smiling, she would get really grumbly. I soon figured out that after she had been smiling at me, she would get tired. So, I used to put her in her bassinette next to our bed while she was smiling and lay on my bed, looking at her, smiling back. After that, she would just go to sleep by herself, no crying, nothing, just straight to sleep. At around 4 months, DD slept through the night. She sleeps for 12 hours a night, sometimes 13. She doesn't even like being cuddled before bed :crying: and sometimes when she is tired and ready to go to sleep for the night, she goes and bangs on her bedroom door and whinges till we put her in her cot :eek:

I have no idea what to do with the next bub, when it comes along. I think I will be on BH getting lots of advice about a screaming baby that won't sleep :yes:

[misskittyfantastico]

"Is s/he a good baby?" GAHHH!! I hate that question. No, dude, they nick the car without asking and drink all the cooking sherry. Stupid people *mutter*.

Sorry, just had to get that out. Do I think babies need to be taught to sleep? No. With my first, I did. I thought that she just needed to learn, that I needed to be tough, that I needed to train her. I read Tizzie, and Gina and tried desperately to MAKE HER SLEEP. What a nightmare. I really think that I stuffed it up big time with her. That I lost her trust.:( Then I found Bubhub and discovered that it's okay to parent gently, okay to soothe and feed and love your baby to sleep. Things have been so different with DS, because from the onset, I had no expectations, no need to MAKE him do anything. I feel so darn sad that I didn't do this when DD was small.:(

[CrankyAndTired]

"Is s/he a good baby?" GAHHH!! I hate that question. No, dude, they nick the car without asking and drink all the cooking sherry. Stupid people *mutter*.

Sorry, just had to get that out. Do I think babies need to be taught to sleep? No. With my first, I did. I thought that she just needed to learn, that I needed to be tough, that I needed to train her. I read Tizzie, and Gina and tried desperately to MAKE HER SLEEP. What a nightmare. I really think that I stuffed it up big time with her. That I lost her trust.:( Then I found Bubhub and discovered that it's okay to parent gently, okay to soothe and feed and love your baby to sleep. Things have been so different with DS, because from the onset, I had no expectations, no need to MAKE him do anything. I feel so darn sad that I didn't do this when DD was small.:(

:hugs::hugs:That shift in expectations makes all the difference doesn't it?

I'm looking forward to starting with your attitude with our next little one.. It took a few months of pulling my hair out with Rome to realize he would show us the way and we didnt need to MAKE him do anything..

[Leisa21]

I don't think you can teach them how to sleep :no:. My son woke up every 30 minutes from newborn until 6months. I BF him dozens of times a day. I weaned him off the breast = sleep thing because I was a wreck and he started sleeping two 1/2 naps per day and 4 hours straight at night. It was great. Everyone said that was bad but we thought it was great. He didn't sleep through longer then 6 hours straight at night until he was 12 months old and even now at 20 months old we need to resettle him.

I wont let him cry to sleep and if he wakes at night and doesn't want to be resettled in his own bed he comes in with us. I wont let him sit up and party like a rock star all night but I don't expect him to scream to sleep and then sleep in a cold dark room alone all night. I don't even want to do that. Not to mention since DH started night work I struggle to sleep. I like the comfort of another person with me. Why shouldn't my son? He sleeps 11 hours straight at night with the odd wake up but he's only awake for a minute or so.

I think its normal for them to need to be resettled. I don't think they should be waking every 30 minutes because they need more sleep then that but I can't stand when I hear people say that if by 6 months they're not sleeping through the night they need to be left to CIO.

[JabberJaw]

:no: Babies learn to sleep in there own time, when they are ready. I have always done whatever necessary to try and get sleep myself aswell as get bub back to sleep so have been co sleeping with all my kids. Each of mine has been different eldest DD took till 3 years of age till she slept by herself, DD2 was around 1, DS well he was one of those dreamy babies who slept well from birth woke maybe once twice on a bad night, and DD3 is 17 months, still breastfed on demand and she demand frequently all night :laughing: maybe 3+ times she wakes on a good night. But like i said we co sleep so it barely interferes with my sleep, i just pop my boob in her mouth and we go to sleep (wake up hours later with her still there :laughing:)

I swear some people IMAGINE they have babies that sleep through. Its a fallacy....(for most) my friend constantly blames my breastfeeding on my sleepless bub, as her baby sleeps through, funny thing is her baby does not sleep in the day, goes down later than my bub and is awake for the day at 4-5 am :eek: so her bragging is not what i class as sleeping though!!!! I think i actually lose less sleep than her.

So after all that my answer to OP is still NO, babies learn in there own time, just as they learn to crawl, walk and run. They need to be supported and nurtured through it, there is no point teaching a 3 month old to walk when clearly she isnt ready, just as there is no need to teach a 18 month old to sleep, when she clearly isnt ready. IMO anyhow :D

[Mrs Nietzsche]

Tabula, it is interesting to see you say yuo stuffed up. I was just developing a theory that people who are really defensive of CC are that way because they are invested in it, having used it with their own child.

So far as I know, and I am very happy to be corrected! there's no evidence of using extinction methods on an older infant causing any harm, in an otherwise supportive and healthy context. Ie, if yuo leave your older baby to cry a bit then they are okay as long as they are cuddled and stable etc.

All these threads are hitting home for me as I am struggling with this right now.

With my DD, I never ever pushed her sleeping in the slightest way and she probably didn't sleep through until about 2-3. However she didn't wake frequently.

With DS it was getting too much for me on some nights.. but my major concern was another baby on the way. DS was waking every 30-40 mins for boob and it just won't work once I have another baby.

I have tried to be as gentle as possible in night weaning him, it did instantly have him sleeping much longer periods (he is 12 mths)

I wish there was a book or something that could tell me what to do. I guess I am trying to balance minimising any distress to him with preparing the way for another baby and being aware that my own mental health might be under threat if he is still so intensive at night once the baby arrives.

The change in his sleeping behaviour was so instant that it's made me feel that it might have been something he was kind of ready for anyway but who knows

[CrankyAndTired]

Tabula, it is interesting to see you say yuo stuffed up. I was just developing a theory that people who are really defensive of CC are that way because they are invested in it, having used it with their own child.

So far as I know, and I am very happy to be corrected! there's no evidence of using extinction methods on an older infant causing any harm, in an otherwise supportive and healthy context. Ie, if yuo leave your older baby to cry a bit then they are okay as long as they are cuddled and stable etc.

All these threads are hitting home for me as I am struggling with this right now.

With my DD, I never ever pushed her sleeping in the slightest way and she probably didn't sleep through until about 2-3. However she didn't wake frequently.

With DS it was getting too much for me on some nights.. but my major concern was another baby on the way. DS was waking every 30-40 mins for boob and it just won't work once I have another baby.

I have tried to be as gentle as possible in night weaning him, it did instantly have him sleeping much longer periods (he is 12 mths)

I wish there was a book or something that could tell me what to do. I guess I am trying to balance minimising any distress to him with preparing the way for another baby and being aware that my own mental health might be under threat if he is still so intensive at night once the baby arrives.

The change in his sleeping behaviour was so instant that it's made me feel that it might have been something he was kind of ready for anyway but who knows

:hugs::hugs: No advice but I feel for you. We're planning another bub too and I'll be in the same position as you in a years time if DS hasn't started sleeping more soundly..

I like the gentle weaning you metioned a few weeks ago, cuddles instead of milk but so far Rome insists on the bottle to get back to sleep.. But he's only 9 months old and I'm not pregnant yet so I'm happy to continue doing whatever minimizes his distress and gives us all the most sleep.. But it will be different when another baby comes along..

Let us know how it goes?! I'm sure I'll learn a few more techniques to try from you..

Ps. Do you have the gentle sleep methods book? I can send you a copy if you'd like, I thought it was a lovely book.. :)

[MummasPrinces]

Some kids yes! Mine in particular, I do not know what I do wrong :o but my kids just do not sleep, they are not sleepers.....
They fight sleep all the time, always have and at 3 my DD1 still does.

My kids are exactly the same. Night or day they fight it.

DS1 used to be a breeze, he'd settle himself and slept through from about 12 weeks. Now though due to other issues he doesn't like to sleep.

DS2 he's been a cr@p sleeper from moment dot. At the moment he refuses to sleep at night unless he's in bed with me, has my boobs mm's away and even then he's up every 1/2-2 hours. I haven't had over 3 hours of sleep a night in the past 3.5 months. :dizzy:

[Annabella]

Taught and trained? Probably no. But I think they definitely need to be encouraged to sleep well. Sleep is important for development and growth. I think babies need to be fed through the night for the first few months, but after that most are ok. I also think, under most circumstances it is good for babies to self settle. This is not saying parents should not settle a crying baby or anything of the sort, but if you know your child is overtired, I don't think it hurts for them to have a cry to fall asleep.

DD1, from a very young age decided she didn't want to go to sleep at night (she was ok once she was asleep). She would be wrecked and still trying to stay up, and she still does it now. If she does stay up late she is AWFUL the next day. It is my job as her mother to make her go to bed, regardless of if she cries and carries on. I know her better than anyone and I refuse to let anyone tell me its damaging her to let her cry occasionally, as sometimes it was the ONLY way she would fall asleep.

[DreamBelieveAchieve]

I taughts DS2 how to sleep and it was the best thing i have ever done! For the first 13 weeks he was a shocker! always screaming, wouldn;t settle, wake up every 21 bluddy minutes! He was put onto all sorts of medication for "silent reflux" hat didnt work.

i then started to focus on his sleeping and making sure that he was only up for 1 1/4 hours before being put back down for a sleep. That time included feeding, changing, playing. He was wrapped and if he woke at 21 mins i would re-settle him in his cot, not pick him up just shh shh shh him. After an hour i would let him get up.

[misskittyfantastico]

Tabula, it is interesting to see you say yuo stuffed up. I was just developing a theory that people who are really defensive of CC are that way because they are invested in it, having used it with their own child.

So far as I know, and I am very happy to be corrected! there's no evidence of using extinction methods on an older infant causing any harm, in an otherwise supportive and healthy context. Ie, if yuo leave your older baby to cry a bit then they are okay as long as they are cuddled and stable etc.

All these threads are hitting home for me as I am struggling with this right now.

With my DD, I never ever pushed her sleeping in the slightest way and she probably didn't sleep through until about 2-3. However she didn't wake frequently.

With DS it was getting too much for me on some nights.. but my major concern was another baby on the way. DS was waking every 30-40 mins for boob and it just won't work once I have another baby.

I have tried to be as gentle as possible in night weaning him, it did instantly have him sleeping much longer periods (he is 12 mths)

I wish there was a book or something that could tell me what to do. I guess I am trying to balance minimising any distress to him with preparing the way for another baby and being aware that my own mental health might be under threat if he is still so intensive at night once the baby arrives.

The change in his sleeping behaviour was so instant that it's made me feel that it might have been something he was kind of ready for anyway but who knows

It is indeed tricky. TBH, I think that you're right in trying to find a balance. I don't know what sort of routine or system you have in place, but I've found with DS that everything must be very slow, gentle and consistant. He's actually not too bad, boobwise through the night, unless teeth are bothering him.I don't know any stats - not an expert:p, but I use a few sleep association things with him - same song and blanket etc. It has helped us.

[Annabella]

Oh and a PP said something about babies sleeping through being a fallacy, mine definitely slept through (well about 8 hrs at about 8-10 weeks, not newborn) so no fallacy :) However I breastfed too so its definitely not that :)

I do think sometimes tho, if the titty's there, babies will wake for it even if they don't need it. Like someone else said, when she took the feeding option away, baby started sleeping much better, even tho she gave him/her cuddles instead. I like that idea.

[Looshkin]

Tabula, it is interesting to see you say yuo stuffed up. I was just developing a theory that people who are really defensive of CC are that way because they are invested in it, having used it with their own child.


It appears very much this way to me, although I am an outsider and am not emotionally invested either way. I guess for some it would be easier to defend past acts based on misinformation than to (what it seems like) loosing face or admitting the possible emotional damage of the right hemisphere from long periods of a developing brain flooded with cortisol.

Maire, from what I noticed you mentioned you night weaned but provided other comfort/reassurance to sleep, I always assumed comfort was interchangeable yk?

I have wondered this, in the case that something went wrong and I was unable to breastfeed, bottle feeders wouldn't always be able to feed to sleep as a bottle doesn't last as long etc so other comforting would need to be utilised for the same "comforting" affect.

Anyway.. I dont understand the need to 'control' the comfort divvied out.. the idea of forcing independence seems like it would only produce forced independence?

I really really don't understand why I can receive comfort from my partner when I'm crying or distressed (hugs etc) but 20 years ago I shouldn't have received the exact same thing according to some books..this doesn't seem logical to me.

[Mrs Nietzsche]

Maire, from what I noticed you mentioned you night weaned but provided other comfort/reassurance to sleep, I always assumed comfort was interchangeable yk?



Sadly no, though it might be for a bottle feeder?

I still feed him to sleep. But once he wakes, wanting boob, I cuddle/rock him instead. He was/is very angry about this and the first few ngihts it would take 30 mins or so for him to go back to sleep (maybe 40 min the first night, 20 the next, gonig down). He kept waking every 40 mins the first night, wanting boob, I would rock him isntead. The whole time he fights to try and get to the boob. However it only lasted 2 nights and then he just started not even bothering to wake up, or just waking a bit and settling himself.
He still wakes around 5-6am and is insistent on boob, ie absolutely shrieking for me/boob so that is fine by me (he is in the cot next to the bed so I just pull him over to me, i moved him into the cot after a couple of nights of night weaning - he is only a few inches away from me but i now don't wake him when i go loo etc, and the boob temptation isn't so close for him).

I've just been researching this all a fair bit and I believe that breastfed babies do have pretty different patterns to formula fed babies, especially where they co-sleep.

I do feel sad about all this, espcially when we are holding hands through the cot bars lol :gloomy:

eta - Zelt your last sentence just reminded me, I also came across some sites on adult attachment theory, apparently very similar process happens in couples

[Mrs Potts]

Maire, what you have described is exactly what I would call "teaching" your child to sleep. And I do believe that it is necessary for some children, for a variety of reasons.

In my case with DS, he couldn't put himself to sleep. Once he got to sleep he was OK, but he couldn't settle, most of the time even rocking/cuddling/etc wouldn't work. We did end up CC'ing him and it worked.

We haven't needed to "teach" either of the girls. We were just very lucky that they each self-settled (without tears) from an early age. Both of them have slept through (more or less) from about 4 months.

[Mrs Nietzsche]

Well, I just fed him to sleep, and he actually rolled off and away himself, made himself comfortable, babbled for a couple of seconds and went to sleep. So a huge difference.

I kind of do believe in my case, with DS, he was reaching for boob with every tiny minimal disruption from deep sleep without really needing it.

eta - It hasn't sunken in yet, but I must say that it is pretty nice to know that he'll be asleep now til 5am or so. I've actually even had some dreams lately!

[MsMummy]

I don't expect my baby to "self settle" as I don't think he necessarily has those skills yet (he's only 10.5 months old).

(although he used to put himself to sleep with his thumb, which was great, until he spontaneously stopped sucking his thumb when he started crawling...:().

I gently encourage him in certain areas. For example, I feed him to sleep (we all sleep in the same bed) and sometimes he keeps trying to crawl away and keep playing,d espite the late hour. So I turn all the lights off and keep puttng him back at the breast until he nods off.

[Jender]

I don't know about "teaching" but I have encouraged my two to sleep well. I have spent a lot of time listening to their cries and noises so I understand what is crying and what is settling. I put them down for naps at a rough-ish same time each day but adjust times depending on how long their naps are.

DD slept from 7 to 5, quick b/f then sleep again til 7 at 10 weeks. By 16 weeks, went 7 to 7. She is now 2.5 years old and is still a great sleeper.

DS is 5 months and sleeps 7 to 7 with 1 or maybe 2 breastfeeds a night. He self-settles with a "lovey" - Elizabeth Pantley No Cry Sleep Solution suggestion. He settles well after a feed.

Both are happy and settled during the day.

And babies do need to sleep in blocks of sleep at night. They need it for development and people who say their babies wake every 2 hours at 12 months "just because its what they do" and don't take any action to assist their babies are not helping them. Their babies are probably very overtired! As are the mothers.

If you encourage good sleeping very early on - there is less need to break bad habits and less need for drastic CC-type stuff.

JMO

[Mrs Nietzsche]

jender, although I would dearly love to believe you on the babies need blocks of sleep bit.. I have to say that's not my personal experience.

DS walked early, talked early, is extremely confident and so on. It has been a source of great mystery to me how he could wake every 40 mins all night and still spring awake in the morning fresh as a daisy.

Since he has started sleeping longer blocks his behaviour and day-time naps have remained exactly the same.

I guess a baby that is spending periods of time anxious/ crying/ unsettled during the night would be a different thing though and that would affet behaviour during the day.

eta - actually a co-sleeping baby who wakes up to breastfeed probably isn't really 'waking'.. eyes never open, never cry, etc (unless access denied)

[Mathermy]

jender, although I would dearly love to believe you on the babies need blocks of sleep bit.. I have to say that's not my personal experience.

DS walked early, talked early, is extremely confident and so on. It has been a source of great mystery to me how he could wake every 40 mins all night and still spring awake in the morning fresh as a daisy.

Since he has started sleeping longer blocks his behaviour and day-time naps have remained exactly the same.

I guess a baby that is spending periods of time anxious/ crying/ unsettled during the night would be a different thing though and that would affet behaviour during the day.

eta - actually a co-sleeping baby who wakes up to breastfeed probably isn't really 'waking'.. eyes never open, never cry, etc (unless access denied)

DD did this too. She didn't sleep through the night till she was past two. And she was a happy little sod at 1, 2, 3 and 7am. I wasn't so much. She would wake up and start playing :laughing:

babies are different, just like us bigger people :)