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Original poster

to say that actually some babies do sleep through quite early

103 replies

PrivetDancer · 01/12/2009 13:32

It winds me up when people say that other mums are basically lying if they say their baby slept through from an early age.

You often see on here something like 'Don't believe them - people class sleeping through as 12 - 4' etc etc.

I know sometimes it's because someone is despairing and needs to know they're not doing something wrong. But some babies do sleep through early, is it wrong to give new mums hope that they might get a full night's sleep sometime soon?

I can categorically state that as a one off my DD slept from 9.30pm to 7am at 8 weeks old (I wrote it on my calendar!) - and it was a regular sleeping pattern by about a month after that. Anybody want to call me a liar or say that's not really sleeping through?

For the record - this isn't intended as a boast - I don't think I did anything 'right' for it to happen, we were just very lucky, and I fully expect a nightmare non-sleeper if we have another baby.

OP posts:
ArthurPewty · 02/12/2009 18:31

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devotion · 02/12/2009 18:32

my 1st dd was a dream baby and slept 9-9 or 10-10 from 8.5 weeks and she was bf. they always say bf babies dont sleep through.

i of course thought it was my fantastic skills that achieved this but was proved wrong when dd2 woke every two hours up to 8mths and took 16 mths to sleep a reasonable length of time :

its just down to the baby i guess not always what you do, i tried EVERYTHING they suggest 2nd time and she just took her time to give me a good nights sleep.

i remember people telling she obviously was not getting enough from my bm so i tried giving her a bottle of formula at 10pm about 7mths but it didnt help so stopped it.

she is now 3 and a great sleeper but she did put me off kids for awhile ;) (love her really) pregnant again so we'll see which sister this little one will follow.

devotion · 02/12/2009 18:33

LeonieDelt - god that sounds hard, how do you function? have you tried sleep clinics? cant be good for you being so sleep deprived.

ArthurPewty · 02/12/2009 18:34

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ArthurPewty · 02/12/2009 18:37

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ln1981 · 02/12/2009 20:07

what a wee shame,

i cant even begin to imagine what it must be like having that little sleep.
i bet the first time they manage to sleep through though you will be up evry hour or so to check them too.
i guess you just gotta wait for something to 'click' into place.

ds1 slept through pretty much from a few days old(he was bf)
dd was a wee bit older-about 6 months (she was bottle fed)
And ds2-yet to happen and hes now 2 and 1/2!! but my worries are really nothing to yours LeonieDelt.

sayithowitis · 02/12/2009 20:37

It's like having a child who is academically able as opposed to one who is talented with sport. The sporty kids parents are allowed to proclaim in their loudest voice that their is about to play football/rugby/picking your nose and farting at the same time, for England, but if you dare to mention the fact that your kid did well in their SATs, GCSEs, A levels etc, you are the boastful one!

FWIW, DC1 slept through ( 10pm til 7am) from 8 weeks. Eveybody assured me that DC2 would not be the same. They were right. He was doing it from 4 weeks. I have no secret. I was just lucky. But don't call me a liar because my child was doing something earlier than yours! ( You might be interested to know that now they are late teens/early 20's, nothing has changed. they would still sleep through a herd of elephants!)

laweaselmys · 02/12/2009 21:24

DD slept through (10.30-6.30) at 8 weeks, and 7-7 at 4 months. I found it annoying that because DD slept well I was assumed to either be lying or not allowed to have any part of the (mostly sleep related) conversation at baby groups!

I still reckon that I got the better end of the bargain though. I have so much respect for people who cope with that sleep deprivation long term, especially when they don't have somebody else around to do some of the night shifts

mummytowillow · 02/12/2009 21:37

My daughter slept from 11 til 6 from 5 weeks, I was so smug ...... until she turned 2 and now she has me up two or three times a night

But nothing wrong in being pleased that your LO sleeps through xx

ArthurPewty · 03/12/2009 07:57

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Original poster
PrivetDancer · 03/12/2009 21:53

Leonie, I am speechless, and fairly sure that would actually kill me. Or somebody.
You have my sincere sympathies but I'm well aware they are of no use.
Is there any way you can have a night away occasionally just to have a full nights sleep?

OP posts:
NellyTheElephant · 03/12/2009 22:25

I was very lucky with all of mine sleeping through (by which I mean approx 7pm to 7am) pretty early at 8, 10 and 12 weeks. All were exclusively bf. In truth I think I was pretty smug with DD1 now I look back. People either didn't believe me or grimly said she would relapse but she didn't - she was a brilliant sleeper until.... well NOW (aged nearly 5). She regularly wakes up with nightmares poor thing.

DD2 (slept through at 10 weeks), relapsed at 13 months - she started habit waking around 4am, which drove me insane! Luckily she got over it after a couple of months but is still (aged nearly 3) liable to wake up maybe once a week because she can't find her comfort blanket (which she is usually lying on top of... arrrgggghhhh!!).

DS slept through at 12 weeks, he's now nearly 8 months. Probably once or twice a week I hear him fussing and chatting at around 5am, not crying, but it still wakes me up. He'll drop off again after about 10 mins or so, but sadly I often don't.......

My point is that with 3 children - all of whom are really very good sleepers - I would say I'm lucky if I get away with 3 or 4 nights a week undisturbed sleep. But it's different when they are older, it's not that god awful grind and exhaustion of feeding and settling a newborn.

It is a major step when they sleep through though and you can't help feeling pleased when your baby manages it.

pinkmagic1 · 03/12/2009 22:28

My DS slept through from about 9.30pm to about 6.30am from about 5 1/2 weeks. My 2nd child a DD did not sleep through until 18 months. Devine retribution, I think!

treedelivery · 03/12/2009 22:43

Leonie - would either of them wear ear plugs? Or those ear band for swimming?

Just a thought, probably really annoying and obviously daft to one so sleep deprived, so sorry for bumbling attempt to help . If had magic wand would wave it at your dds. Good luck for tonight.

sweetkitty · 03/12/2009 22:44

DD1 slept from 11-8pm at 6 weeks and from 8.30-8pm at 9 weeks I remember thinking what all the fuss was about babies and sleeping, she was BF too and my periods returned 4 weeks after lochia stopped as she had such big gaps in feeding.

So I thought "let's have another one" when DD1 was 9 months of course got DD2 who never slept more than 2 hours at a time, then DD3 who was the same.

Oh pregnant again................

Stripycat23 · 04/12/2009 11:23

DS1 slept through from 10 weeks.
DS2 slept through from 8 weeks.

And I am smug about that.

HOWEVER...

it's taken me 11 MONTHS to potty traing DS1. I don't want to even think about how gross dirty pants are particularly when it happens EVERY DAY. I swear my poor washer groans when it sees the laundry basket. So anyone who potty trains in a blink if an eye

Swings and roundabouts.

Right, I'm off to have a

PopsyWind · 04/12/2009 11:44

9mo DS's sleep varies so much I would find it impossible to say whether he was a 'good' or 'bad' sleeper!
I do think plenty of people will only report a best case scenario, and its easy to put a positive spin on the truth.
eg a demand fed baby might be fed at 6 then go to bed and feed again at 9,12 and 5. This could either be described as '3hrly night feeds' or 'sleeping through' (depending if you're talking to a competitive mum or not!)

duchesse · 04/12/2009 11:50

First one was a complete nightmare sleeper, second was better, third better still. Fourth is a dream, and has slept through the night since she was a month old. Back in the bad old days of total round the clock sleep deprivation with my son, I have to say I would have doubted anyone's claims that their child slept through the night that early. I do know that if you spoke to many of hte people who said that their child slept through the night at x number of weeks, they actually meant about 5 hours- ie midnight to 5 am. Not really a full night, but obviously comforting to them to say that.

I do however feel utterly blessed with this baby. It is not anything we have done, I do not feel in the slightest bit smug about it, and the LAST thing I would do is go around telling other young mums how well she sleeps because I remember only too well how SHIT it made me feel as a parent that mine didn't. So I make evasive answers or avoid any discussion about sleeping patterns, whilst at the same time silently worshipping at the feet of my darling baby.

Sn0wflake · 04/12/2009 11:56

Mine started sleeping from midnight till 6 from about week 5 or 6 and it got longer from there.

It's making me consider just sticking to one because there is no way another baby is going to be as chilled as him and I'm ashamed to say that I have found it challenging none the less. I'm rubbish when I'm tired.

nicewarmslippers · 04/12/2009 14:04

dd went 7 to 7 at 8 weeks, honestly! She was exclusively breast fed (carried on untill 14 months). She lietrally never woke at night again after 10 weeks. I thought that was normal at the time...... how wrong I was (I have a non sleeping son)

She is still an amazing sleeper-won't wake for anything even to do a pee so wets the bed most nights despite us lifting her at least once! So there are downsides..... though haveing experienced a 2nd child ds who only started going 7-6 a few weeks ago at 14 months I think i'd take bed wetting at 4 over not sleepign as a baby!

comewhinewithme · 04/12/2009 14:12

I have got 6 dc and my eldest one used to wake up 6 times a night.

All the others slept through more or less from 6-7 weeks including dd who was born in May and is bf.

I hate telling anyone because they never believe me.

However my 8 year old often wakes up now twice a night and tries to get in bed with me .

mummymilky · 04/12/2009 17:04

Just joined so this is my first post!

Other mums often think I'm lying/exaggerating when I say that both of ours have slept right through every night from a few days old. DD1 (now 3.5) started at 4 days and DD2 (now 4 months) at 8 days (standards are falling, clearly!). Both were fairly big babies - DD1 10lb 2oz and DD2 8lb 12.5oz - and always very contented. DD2 now sleeps 11-12 hours every night and we often have to wake her up in the mornings!

As payback for being such good babies, they'll probably be terrible teenagers!

ArthurPewty · 04/12/2009 17:46

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Ivykaty44 · 04/12/2009 17:58

apparently I slept through the night at 3 days old, wish i could slep through now

both mine were pretty good as babies - later it has been very different as teenagers - so to all you that have babies slepping through at an ealry age think twice because you don't know what that baby may bring you in the way of sleepless nights later in life

karma has a way of biting you on the bum.....

carocaro · 04/12/2009 18:25

Yes but I have found that they boast about it no end as if this makes them and only them a decent mother.

When you have a baby who does not sleep throught the night, it is hard to hear over and over again about others who do. Tact and diplomacy are key here.

There was 1 mother who had to get it into practically every other sentance, she now has a nightmare tantrum throwing 2 year old and I felt so happy last week when she was having a massive hissy fit (again) and my DS2 was all angelic on his chair eating his muffin! Sorry but true.

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