AIBU to think self soothing is a myth?!

[nonamesareavailable]

Can babies actually self soothe? Mine won't go to sleep without a lot of help (pram, boob, rocking etc - often all of these!)...

Do babies ever learn to self soothe? How?! When?!

Also some babies won't even be put down asleep, let alone awake! Some babies wake up and scream the instant you put them down, even if you do it really slowly and inch away, and use a hot water bottle on the mattress.

Absolutely! And it is easy to see how it is biologically normal for them not to want to sleep separately, tough as it is for parents.

Also some babies won't even be put down asleep, let alone awake!

Exactly. DS would not sleep anywhere but on me for 10 months. It just would not happen.

YABU

Not a myth but all babies are different.

Mine was the opposite of this - he couldn't be soothed to sleep by cuddling or rocking, he could only sleep by himself in his basket/cot. Holding him, patting him, etc kept him awake and crying. Lie him down by himself and he would give a contented sigh and go to sleep.

I'm not saying this to be smug or say that I've got it all worked out - it was nothing I did, it's just how he was.

I've never left my son to cry and he selfed soothed from about 4 months when he started to suck his thumb. Put him down awake one night in went the thumb and 10 minutes later he was asleep. He'll do it if he wakes in the night as well. He does nap in the pram during the day with a blackout cover on when he's at home he won't tolerate going his cot when it's daytime I think he know the cot is for night sleep. At nursery they have magical powers and he'll go to sleep in one of the nap beds they have.

Also some babies won't even be put down asleep, let alone awake!

Yep ditto for me with DS1 for the first 9 months of his life. DS2 mildly better as in I could put him down once asleep but never awake. Both mine would just scream at a million decibels if I even tried that. If it is real, I don’t think it’s down to techniques / routines etc. I think it’s that you were very lucky!