To be fed up of people implying I'm lying?

[CeliaLytton]

This comes up time and time again regarding sleep. People ask me when my DC started to sleep through the night, so I tell them. I get incredulous looks and asked how I did it and I can tell they don't believe me.

I don't wear a sign round my neck, I am never smug about it, we didn't do anything, we were just lucky. But why does nobody believe babies can't sleep 12 hours at 6 months?

I get that when people say this, they are trying to make parents of non sleepers feel better. But my DC were much later than average to walk, talk, crawl, pretty much everything. I didn't expect anyone to say, 'oh, those people who said their children walked at 14 months are lying, they just can't remember'

I am always full of sympathy over lack of sleep, it is a killer. But my DC did sleep through, luck of the draw, and I am not bloody lying!

(I know I am unreasonable to care, but I wouldn't mind if more people said it's not the norm, or it's just luck, but to imply that every single parent with a sleeping child is lying seems not to be the right way to go about it)

[JockTamsonsBairns]

It's not so unusual for a baby to be sleeping through at 6 months is it?

I have 3 DC's. The first two were fabulous sleepers which, I'm ashamed to admit, I put down to my wonderful parenting skills. As payback for being such an utter twat, my third DC didn't sleep through until she was two and a half. Those two and a half years of sleep deprivation with 3 DC's to look after during the day were awful, I could actually cry when I look back and remember the sheer exhaustion I felt.

[ALittleBitOfMagic]

Both my dcs were great sleepers . Both were about 6 weeks when they started sleeping through the night . I thought when ds was born he would be a terrible sleeper because I had been lucky first time . Turns out I was lucky twice !!

[DeWe]

I was told 6 months was average for sleeping through.

Dd1 slept 12-14 hours from about 8 weeks. And that was true whatever time we put her down. If we went out and got back at midnight, she'd sleep through to gone 12 midday, and go to bed at her more usualy lime of 8:30 that night-and sleep her usual 12 hours again.
By 9 months she also did a 2-3 hour sleep in the afternoon.

Dd2 was a terrible sleeper until she was given medised at 18 months.

Ds would have slept like dd1 if it hadn't been for ear infections. His sleep went: Day 1-3 awake with ears hurting. Day 4 not too bad, about 6-8 hours sleep. Day 5-8 awake with tummy ache from the antibiotics. Day 9-10 sleep 12+ hours. Repeat...

Other than the ear infections, I did the same with them all, all totally breastfed, all bathed, fed and put down to sleep. Dd2 hadn't read the instruction manual I guess

I never had anyone say anything other than "lucky you" if I said dd1 was sleeping through.

Dd2 did crawl at 5 months and walk at 9months, to make up for it, I suppose.

[VikingLady]

I believe you! DD slept through from 3.5 months but had been sleeping 6hour stretches before that. I never mentioned it unless someone asked how she slept, and even then hedged it around with how I knew it was luck, bet the next one wouldn't sleep til 10, that she'd feed for 7 hours without a break in the afternoon ...

Apparently this was smug. When I asked for advice amongst friends about what appeared to be major developmental delays, several 'friends' said it was payback for the sleep, and bet I wasn't so smug about having it easy now!

We're not really friends now. And their babies are ugly.

[Tinklewinkle]

I believe you too. My eldest slept from around 9pm - 7am from 8 weeks, then 7 - 7 by 6 months.

No one really believed me either.

Then my youngest came along and didn't really sleep more than about 3 hours at a stretch until around 18 months, which was seen as confirmation that I was lying about my eldest.

[WestieMamma]

My daughter on the other hand has never slept for longer than 4 hours and has turned screaming and crying into an olympic event. She's 20.

[WestieMamma]

I believe you. My son is 6 months old and sleeps through for 12 hours most nights. He also never cries so I expect everyone will eventually tell me I just can't remember him crying too.

[trish5000]

They dont believe you, often genuinely, because some people only believe things if they have seen it with their own eyes.

Also, if there baby isnt, and 3 other peoples children they know isnt, they expect the whole worlds babies to be the same.

Also, a lot of people lie, so they expect others to lie to them and cover things up as well.

[DreamingOfTheMaldives]

I should add that last night, however, he was awake from 2.30am until 5am after we'd had to do a full strip off due to an exploding nappy.

There was no jigging from me this morning.

[Crowler]

When my kids were babies, it was considered normal to have them sleeping for 12 hours by 6 months.

[DreamingOfTheMaldives]

DS is now 10 weeks old but has been sleeping for 7 or 8 hours some nights since 6 weeks. Sadly it isn't every night but on those nights he does, it's heaven looking at the clock and seeing it is 6.30am and he is waking for the first time!

On Monday night he slept from 7pm until 10pm and then 10.45 when I went to bed until 630am. He then had a quick feed and went back to sleep until 8.30am! I was almost doing a jig when I got up I felt so refreshed

[mitchsta]

*before 6 months

[mitchsta]

My friend's DS was sleeping through the night before 12 months. He's almost 1 now and she has to wake him up in the morning or he'll sleep until 10ish! I don't think she's lying. Just lucky!

[SantiagoToots]

YANBU, I'd be more surprised to think people are lying if their children aren't sleeping through at 6 months.

[lookatmycameltoe]

wibblyjelly my DD walked at 8.5 months. Crawled at 3 months. Smiled from newborn and even tried to sit up at 2 weeks old. She is now a VERY average 5 year old!

I was not impressed though as a friend of mine's DS walked at 5.5 months - I did not believe this was actually possible and if someone had told me I would not have believed them...
There is something very weird/spooky about a 5 month old baby walking.

[LST]

Ds slept easily 8-10 hours at 10 weeks. By 6 mo he was sleeping 12 every night. I expect no sleep at all with the next one...

[noswingpark]

My 4 children have all been so different. First one didn't sleep through until 4! He didn't even nap in the day after 6mnths and would be awake until 1 in the morning when I would sometimes resort to driving him around! He walked at 10mnths but couldn't chew until he was 2, the sleeping got so bad the hospital prescribed him sedation! My second child slept through from about 5mnths. My 3rd started sleeping through at 2.5yrs just after we had the 4th child. We used to be up more to daughter in the night than baby! Baby (almost 1) slept through from 8 weeks 7-7. He was born over 10lb and is still following the same line, but he didn't sit until almost 8mnths but by 10mnths was walking on his own. Quite sad really because he is my last baby he is too grown up.

[wibblyjelly]

DS has been walking since 8 and a half months, and I feel I have to prove it by saying dh walked at 9 months, due to the disbelieving looks. I don't bring it into conversation, I only say it when people ask me when he started.

[SkinnybitchWannabe]

Definitely envy I think.
All my 3 ds were (and still are) fabulous sleepers.
Youngest was sleeping 7 hrs a night at just over 3months.

[ShowOfBloodyStumps]

Loads of babies sleep through at 6 months. Loads more don't. I don't know anybody who thinks it's impossible for a 6 month old to sleep through.

If they're accusing you outright of lying then you need better friends. Otherwise, I assume they're just doing the incredulous double take of a sleep deprived parent and not actually calling you names.

[sunbathe]

I believe you op. We're all different.

For example, I became pregnant the first month I tried, every time. Pregnancies were easy and breastfeeding was easy too. Simply my experience, not a boast.

On the other hand, babies' sleeping was problematic, walking and talking was late (very late for my oldest) and potty training a nightmare!

[Blondeorbrunette]

My little fella slept through from abt six weeks, he walked at 15 maths. I have a daughter that rarely sleeps past five thirty and she walked just shy if ten maths and my third child I can't remember!

My early riser was also very early to talk.

[Handbagsonnhold]

I know what you mean.... as dd now 3 has always been an amazing sleeper even from a few months old.... We always had a bedtime routine and always put her down awake.... But I'm one of those mums who if we out for lunch and someone would say "ah isn't she well behaved" I'd say "oh enjoy it while you can she won't be for long" I've got friends the same who say they almost 'apologlise' for their little ones fab habits.

Got number 2 on the way who I'm sure will be an absolute nitemare just to prove me wrong ...ahhh I'm doing it again!

[Whereisegg]

My dd slept through reliably by 8 weeks, and was out of nappies in the day before 1.
I have never been outright accused of lying re the nappies but have had many 'looks'.

Pointing out that ds was closer to 3 for being reliably dry usually helps.
I mean if I was going to lie, I would do it about both of them surely?

He also didn't sleep through til 14 months.
No idea why people are questioning 6 months though

[gingysmummy]

my ds slept from 6.30-9.30 from 4 months old he barley napped through the day though to noisy i think