does interrupted sleep hurt babies?

[nothanksbye]

Ok so DD2 ( Beryl) does not sleep through the night.
She is 20 months old.

She wakes 3 or 4 times a night and one of those she breastfeeds.

she is never awake long..just gets a cuddle and goes back to sleep.

at midnight she usually breastfeeds for about 15 mins.


so to be honest, I dont mind it so much but everyone else around me tells me I am damaging her. Through lack of sleep and independence.

She goes into her cot and falls asleep herself...at night she goes back , just after a cuddle.

so please am i damaging her?

she is pretty happy and has a 3 hour sleep in the day...

any info appreciated.

[kar]

I think you can only judge it on whether she seems well rested and happy during the day.
My son's mood improved dramatically when he started to get more stints of uninterrupted sleep, but it was very obvious he was tired all the time.
I don't think it's damaging or not damaging as a blanket rule.

The lack of independence thing sounds a bit silly tbh. She's a baby. Why should she be independent? And how does waking for a cuddle show she's not?

[Ana Gram]

What?? Damaging her?? How??

She is gorgeous and happy and loved. :hugs:

[elleandsam]

That's not damaging, if she's happy and active during the day then I'd say she's getting enough sleep for her.

[share a book]

I think you can only judge it on whether she seems well rested and happy during the day.
My son's mood improved dramatically when he started to get more stints of uninterrupted sleep, but it was very obvious he was tired all the time.
I don't think it's damaging or not damaging as a blanket rule.

The lack of independence thing sounds a bit silly tbh. She's a baby. Why should she be independent? And how does waking for a cuddle show she's not?

Exactly! I got the same type of things said when DD was much younger because she wasn't having day sleeps from a very young age. Was told that keeping a baby up from 6am to 6pm was "cruel and damaging" yet she was then sleeping from 6pm to 6am and she was happy, settled, active, alert, all the signs you look out for. I never watched the clock for sleeps, nor measured her feeds (my boobs don't come with measuring cups!) but rather watched her temperament. That's the best way to judge.

That last bit about the independence, I fully agree with that too, she's a BABY and does not have to be independent! She needs to depend on her parents and she needs to know she CAN do that!