Do Babies sleep like babies?
Discussion
It varies, a lot. Our first slept through from 6 months, at which point we moved her to her own room (before that she would wake for a feed and straight back to sleep once or twice per night), easy.
Our second was (and still is) very hard work. He's usually asleep before 8pm. Typically wakes at 10pm, midnight and 2am. First couple of times he goes back to sleep in his own bed, by the third waking he ends up in our bed, where he sleeps through (even if neither of us are with him). He's getting on for 3 and has always been like this. As a baby he was a very light sleeper, the slightest sound would seem to wake him.
We've tried everything we can think of, nothing has worked yet (but to be fair my missus usually gives up by the third wake up). Trouble is, he makes so much noise that the priority is getting him to sleep/quieten down before he wakes the others up.
Our third is 8 months old and he is as easy (if not easier) than the first. He does wake for regular feeds still, but goes back down easily.
Bottle fed babies tend to sleep better/longer through the night as formula milk 'porks' them out. Breast fed babies tend to feed smaller quantities, but more often, and they digest the milk more easily/quickly.
Our second was (and still is) very hard work. He's usually asleep before 8pm. Typically wakes at 10pm, midnight and 2am. First couple of times he goes back to sleep in his own bed, by the third waking he ends up in our bed, where he sleeps through (even if neither of us are with him). He's getting on for 3 and has always been like this. As a baby he was a very light sleeper, the slightest sound would seem to wake him.
We've tried everything we can think of, nothing has worked yet (but to be fair my missus usually gives up by the third wake up). Trouble is, he makes so much noise that the priority is getting him to sleep/quieten down before he wakes the others up.
Our third is 8 months old and he is as easy (if not easier) than the first. He does wake for regular feeds still, but goes back down easily.
Bottle fed babies tend to sleep better/longer through the night as formula milk 'porks' them out. Breast fed babies tend to feed smaller quantities, but more often, and they digest the milk more easily/quickly.
Cheib said:
Both ours did but I'll admit we cheated....when my eldest was about six months old we'd not had a solid nights sleep in six months so we decided to treat ourselves to a night nanny for a couple of nights. Purely so we could have two nights kip!
After reading about it we ended up booking one for a week and after three days my son was sleeping through solidly and has done ever since (he's now 5). We did the same with my daughter who is three.
My wife was very anti any assistance (she's a trained nurse/midwife) but it worked wonders.
Night nannies are about £100 a night....the £300 we spent on the first one with my son is quite possibly the best £300 I have spent in my life.
There's no magic to it but as I understand it when you go in and see your children in the middle of the night it's conditioning them to want/expect it. What they basically need to do is learn to go back to sleep on their own if they wake up. What the night nannies do is not that difficult but it involves being up for three nights solid which is not that easy when you haven't slept properly for six months and then have to cope with the kids or your job the next day!
Thats interesting. What do the night nannies do then? Just let them cry it out?After reading about it we ended up booking one for a week and after three days my son was sleeping through solidly and has done ever since (he's now 5). We did the same with my daughter who is three.
My wife was very anti any assistance (she's a trained nurse/midwife) but it worked wonders.
Night nannies are about £100 a night....the £300 we spent on the first one with my son is quite possibly the best £300 I have spent in my life.
There's no magic to it but as I understand it when you go in and see your children in the middle of the night it's conditioning them to want/expect it. What they basically need to do is learn to go back to sleep on their own if they wake up. What the night nannies do is not that difficult but it involves being up for three nights solid which is not that easy when you haven't slept properly for six months and then have to cope with the kids or your job the next day!
Do you go and stay in a hotel whilst they work their magic?
We do go into her if she wakes in the night, but its under a strict regime. She doesn't get picked up, or fed, just laid back down if necessary and told to go to sleep, 10 seconds in and out (she is in her own room), with strict time intervals between. Mrs Goat is not prepared to let the little one cry uncontrolled for hours on end which is what some people would recommend.
Gradually increase the intervals.
No baby will cry for "hours on end" unless something is actually wrong, and you'd probably know from the type of crying anyway.
I suspect, and don't take this the wrong way, that you aren't leaving enough time for babe to realise you aren't coming. And, given you always have come, you have that to unwind too....
And yes, the nanny probably would let them cry out. Or at least stick it out longer than you might. Two to three heart wrenching nights of this and I suspect you will be in a different place.
We recently had a scare with our little one that landed her in the children's hospital and as we naturally started to check on her a lot more we undid a lot of this conditioning (because that's what it is) and had to re-train her and ourselves.
No baby will cry for "hours on end" unless something is actually wrong, and you'd probably know from the type of crying anyway.
I suspect, and don't take this the wrong way, that you aren't leaving enough time for babe to realise you aren't coming. And, given you always have come, you have that to unwind too....
And yes, the nanny probably would let them cry out. Or at least stick it out longer than you might. Two to three heart wrenching nights of this and I suspect you will be in a different place.
We recently had a scare with our little one that landed her in the children's hospital and as we naturally started to check on her a lot more we undid a lot of this conditioning (because that's what it is) and had to re-train her and ourselves.
Edited by DoubleSix on Tuesday 2nd September 16:01
DoubleSix said:
Fotic said:
Both our two were consistently sleeping for 12 hours from about 5 months on. I can't pass on any tips though, they just did it!
Nah, you're not giving yourself enough credit. Babies respond to the environment and signals given off by the parent. If you've had two do the same then that is even more suggestive that you are getting it right from a parenting pov.Both of ours slept through from a few months old, waking for one feed and then going straight back down again until the morning, my grandson who is 11 months old is the same, we are all quite chilled people with a chilled household, no stressing, no worrying, no paranoid parents etc and good and stress free pregnancies.
Contrast with the brother inlaw who is a massive stress head, his 11 m old is an absolute nightmare when it comes to sleep, both him and his wife were paranoid when pregnant about what you should and shouldn't do and eat etc, they worry about everything, and aren't chilled people. Their son doesn't sleep through; never has done, there is no real routine, he is always up in the night and everyone is tired.
My sister's kids are almost three and 5, they are a bloody nightmare too get too bed and sleep through and always have been however my sister is alway son the go, they are in late, out early and she is always worrying about things and there is no routine or boundaries and she worried constantly through both pregnancies about what you can and can't do.
jshell said:
We shyed from Calpol as it's banned in so many countries.
f
k that... It's the nectar of the God of narcolepsy himself. Our first two girls were brilliant, slept 7-7 from 5months. Our third, a boy, is an utter b
d. Nearly 11 months old and only slept through twice. Great at going to bed at 7 but never seems to sleep all the way through.He's been very grouchy with his teeth and calpol has saved our sanity on several occasions.
dave_s13 said:
fk that... It's the nectar of the God of narcolepsy himself.
Our first two girls were brilliant, slept 7-7 from 5months. Our third, a boy, is an utter bd. Nearly 11 months old and only slept through twice. Great at going to bed at 7 but never seems to sleep all the way through.
He's been very grouchy with his teeth and calpol has saved our sanity on several occasions.
k that... It's the nectar of the God of narcolepsy himself. Our first two girls were brilliant, slept 7-7 from 5months. Our third, a boy, is an utter b
d. Nearly 11 months old and only slept through twice. Great at going to bed at 7 but never seems to sleep all the way through.He's been very grouchy with his teeth and calpol has saved our sanity on several occasions.
jshell said:
2 1/2 years of no sleep for us. Some babies sleep well, others just don't count it in amongst their priorities. Damned near killed me as I was an older father and travelling a lot.
Same for us, it's 25yrs ago now, but it's etched on my brain - we were in panic mode as our second was due. She suddenly started to sleep just before the second was born.She's a mum herself now, and in a "life's not fair" way, her daughter has been the most amazing sleeper ever since day one. Had to be woken at night for feeds. She slept for 15 hours the other night after we got back from the US. When she's awake she's properly mental though, like she's been over-charged!
Our daughter is almost 7 months old now. She has a couple of naps during the day and is like clockwork for these naps but she is a 'mare at night time. She'll settle for me at weekends but she's brilliant at psychological warfare with the wife during the week - it's a mexican standoff as to who crashes first. I can only dream about getting her to sleep from 1900 to 0700...
I agree about the Calpol though - she's teething at the moment and one shot of that and she's out within 20 minutes!
I agree about the Calpol though - she's teething at the moment and one shot of that and she's out within 20 minutes!
jshell said:
We shyed from Calpol as it's banned in so many countries.
!http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Calpol
Admittedly plain paracetamol liquid is what you want because it is safe
drgoatboy said:
I have a 9 month old daughter and she has never consistently slept through the night, she has on the occasional night, and sometimes for a few nights in a row but normally wakes at least once every night.
My nearly 9 month old daughter is exactly the same. There is always something going on: reflux, illness, teething, summer heatwave, being active, stubborn, and most recently s bit of separation anxiety we think.She has always been quite a light sleeper - easily stirred from naps, and is an incredibly active baby. Crawling at 6 months without encouragement, then climbing and standing shortly after, these skills seemed to affect her sleep as she would 'leap' into action upon waking. She can settle herself fine, but sometimes is stubborn and needs a lot of convincing to go back to sleep.
I think that is just how she is, and will sleep through consistently in her own time. All babies are different. I know others the same age that are just fat lumps that sit there doing very little, and they are the ones that sleep well too!
Hub said:
My nearly 9 month old daughter is exactly the same. There is always something going on: reflux, illness, teething, summer heatwave, being active, stubborn, and most recently s bit of separation anxiety we think.
She has always been quite a light sleeper - easily stirred from naps,
Obviously if there's something the matter then that needs to be dealt with, but light sleeping is often due to parents tip-toeing around. We were told to act normally - talk, walk up and down stairs, flush the toilet etc. We found when they were very young that they'd stir if it was too quiet - walk up and down stairs and they'd settle again, it's as if they just need to know someone is there.She has always been quite a light sleeper - easily stirred from naps,
Our granddaughter likes to have the fan on her room, and that's great as it blocks out other noise. Bit like Wayne Rooney needing a vacuum cleaner running to sleep! Funnily enough she's quite good for her age at ball skills.
drgoatboy said:
Cheib said:
Both ours did but I'll admit we cheated....when my eldest was about six months old we'd not had a solid nights sleep in six months so we decided to treat ourselves to a night nanny for a couple of nights. Purely so we could have two nights kip!
After reading about it we ended up booking one for a week and after three days my son was sleeping through solidly and has done ever since (he's now 5). We did the same with my daughter who is three.
My wife was very anti any assistance (she's a trained nurse/midwife) but it worked wonders.
Night nannies are about £100 a night....the £300 we spent on the first one with my son is quite possibly the best £300 I have spent in my life.
There's no magic to it but as I understand it when you go in and see your children in the middle of the night it's conditioning them to want/expect it. What they basically need to do is learn to go back to sleep on their own if they wake up. What the night nannies do is not that difficult but it involves being up for three nights solid which is not that easy when you haven't slept properly for six months and then have to cope with the kids or your job the next day!
Thats interesting. What do the night nannies do then? Just let them cry it out?After reading about it we ended up booking one for a week and after three days my son was sleeping through solidly and has done ever since (he's now 5). We did the same with my daughter who is three.
My wife was very anti any assistance (she's a trained nurse/midwife) but it worked wonders.
Night nannies are about £100 a night....the £300 we spent on the first one with my son is quite possibly the best £300 I have spent in my life.
There's no magic to it but as I understand it when you go in and see your children in the middle of the night it's conditioning them to want/expect it. What they basically need to do is learn to go back to sleep on their own if they wake up. What the night nannies do is not that difficult but it involves being up for three nights solid which is not that easy when you haven't slept properly for six months and then have to cope with the kids or your job the next day!
Do you go and stay in a hotel whilst they work their magic?
We do go into her if she wakes in the night, but its under a strict regime. She doesn't get picked up, or fed, just laid back down if necessary and told to go to sleep, 10 seconds in and out (she is in her own room), with strict time intervals between. Mrs Goat is not prepared to let the little one cry uncontrolled for hours on end which is what some people would recommend.
We stayed in the house....just knowing there is someone to look after your child is enough to help you sleep. Well it was in our case.
DoubleSix said:
Cheib said:
There's no magic to it but as I understand it when you go in and see your children in the middle of the night it's conditioning them to want/expect it. What they basically need to do is learn to go back to sleep on their own if they wake up.
Exactly. That's what my question was getting at.All the Nanny is doing is taking advantage of a little emotional detachment and experience.
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