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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Curious: your behaviour as a baby similar to your baby's?

25 replies

Melanienm · 14/01/2014 16:15

This is probably a stupid sounding question but I'm just curious; has anyone had any insight in to their own behaviour as a baby and then compared it to their baby's?
I'm wondering because my father says I was a very happy, calm baby, happy to sit on my blanket and watch the world and slept very easily, hardly any trouble at all.
Dare I hope that my little bundle, due in May, might take after me? Or is it just luck of the draw? Completely down to chance as the nature of the baby?
Of course, I'll need info from MIL on how husband was as a baby...

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DrivingToDistraction · 14/01/2014 16:41

I was a bit of a pain apparently who never slept and needed attention all the time, and so far both DC have loved to sleep and been quite placid overall!

JennyW1 · 14/01/2014 20:33

I was more placid and calm than my dd, according to my mum. But I would take memories with a pinch of salt. We've realised that my mum misremembers a lot of stuff, and 30 years makes everything look rosier! I think every kid is different anyway, so it'll be hard to compare.

Mehrida · 14/01/2014 20:39

Apparently when I was wee I used to scream so loudly that my auntie advised my DM to take me to the docs because it wasn't normal!

Fast forward 32 years and DS was by far the loudest screamer on the ward and is now the noisiest at nursery. So it's all my fault apparently!

HoratiaDrelincourt · 14/01/2014 20:42

Had to be CCed at 14+m ish for my parents' sanity.

HoratiaDrelincourt · 14/01/2014 20:45

I should say that DC1 and I are peas in a pod, for good and bad qualities, but he looks like DH. DC2 is DH and MIL has apologised but always looked like me.

I'm hoping DC3, who so far looks more like me, will also be like me in terms of compliance but DH in terms of confidence. Best of both worlds...

callamia · 14/01/2014 20:46

According to my mother, my baby is much better than i was.
This may be pure favouritism of her only grandchild though. Apparently, he sleeps better than I did though.

minipie · 14/01/2014 21:03

Of course, I'll need info from MIL on how husband was as a baby...

Yes you will. DH was hard work apparently and DD is exactly like him as my MIL likes to tell me frequently. I can certainly say that she is a "spirited" child and doesn't need much sleep...

contemplates finding a very laid back, sleepy chap to father DC2

JiltedJohnsJulie · 14/01/2014 21:55

Both sets of parents took delight in telling us how we didn't sleep until we started school and screamed constantly, so I wasn't too surprised when dc1 didn't sleep through till 5. Years not months...

Dc2 was a dream though and in dc1s defence, I think tongue tie was a major factor.

ElleCloughie · 14/01/2014 23:09

From what DPs have said I was quite similar to DD - both very alert from day one, looking around, watching things, great head control etc. However DM was also able to just put me down and get on with things without me protesting, whereas DD is the ultimate velcro baby. DMiL says that DH was a really, really easy baby, hardly knew she had him. So who knows?!

halestone · 15/01/2014 00:05

I have always been told that i was a brilliant sleeper and was a happy baby. I remember being told this from being very little. Apparently DP was the same.

However our little bundle of joy hardly ever sleeps. She has so much energy i am concerned that something is wrong with her.

lilyaldrin · 15/01/2014 00:09

I was a fairly difficult baby - cried a lot, didn't sleep well, very active, walked by 9 months.

DS was really placid!

OnTheRunAndUpTheDuff · 15/01/2014 00:57

Dh was apparently was the perfect angel baby, who slept through from day one and never had a tantrum as a toddler, at least according to mil

Ds evidently takes after me. My dad used to stick my head in the fridge as it was the only way to stop me howling.

CouthyMow · 15/01/2014 02:14

I was a non-sleeping, righteous PITA, apparently. It follows that 3/4 of my DC's are similar, and the other one is very like his (laid-back, sleepy) father...

Alexandra6 · 15/01/2014 03:22

MIL is always telling me that she was lucky because DH was such a "good" baby - usually when our new baby is being, erm, high maintenance! I hate the idea of good and bad babies as she's still great as far as I'm concerned! Anyway I had colic when I was a baby and cried quite a bit so I guess I'd be to blame if anyone is! I love my DD so much regardless of how much sleep I've had...she just has lots of character already!

cory · 15/01/2014 10:05

I've had two babies and they were as different from each other as chalk and cheese, so stands to reason they can't both have been like me. Dd very high maintenance, ds calm and placid.

Original poster

Melanienm · 15/01/2014 10:28

Thanks everyone! So interesting to read...
I will just cross fingers and wait - taking hope from the fact that my DH is one of life's great sleepers, he'd sleep 12 hours a night, every night, if he could and is constantly going to bed for 'rest' on the weekend. I call him Wombat (nocturnal and cuddly-looking Australian mammals)... so hopefully we'll get an easy, snoozy baby. Sorry if I'm pushing the idea of 'good' and 'bad' babies but I have to say some of the stories on here have me worried!
onTheRunAndUpTheDuff - Thanks for the fridge idea! ;-)

OP posts:

OnTheRunAndUpTheDuff · 15/01/2014 10:48

I was born in Cape Town in the middle of a heatwave. And I'm fairly sure he didn't actually shut the fridge door on me.

Rosencrantz · 16/01/2014 21:03

I'd be concerned that your dad is remembering you fondly through rose tinted glasses!

You were a baby. Of course you gave him shit, made him sleepy, drove him mad from time to time. Your baby will do the same!

Purplelooby · 17/01/2014 23:19

Oh yes, whenever my DS is being a pain-in-the-bum in some way, my DM likes to tell me how he is 'just like you were ha ha ha' and other such gleeful cries of revenge. I'm sure some of it is a bit made up but some is true. For example, I was not a tactile baby and would not let people hold me (I still don't do hugging with other adults), apparently DM would wait until I fell asleep to steel a cuddle. DS was exactly the same which was heart-wrenching. We were both difficult babies and easy but defiant toddlers.

spritesoright · 18/01/2014 11:03

Yes DM seems to remember me doing everything very early in terms of development but loves to tub it in that I never slept either and was a mischievous, energetic toddler.
So I'm not sure their memories can be entirely relied on.
Sleeping through from day one, REALLY?!

stargirl1701 · 18/01/2014 11:08

I was a perfect baby Slept through from 6 weeks, placid, rarely cried...

DD is nothing like me but she is like DH according to MIL. He screamed all day, every day and she popped him in the pram and stuck him at the end of the garden for 4 hours. He was brought in for feeds every 4 hours.

I did put DD in the kitchen in her pram and left her to cry while I had a cup of tea on a few occasions.

DD had silent reflux. DH had Pyloric Stenosis.

Clutterbugsmum · 18/01/2014 11:21

I don't know, but DD2 seem to be very like my sister.

From her love of bags, shoes and her own style of dressing.

MarlenaGru · 18/01/2014 11:29

According to my mother "I never slept", "slept through basic weeks", "had to leave me to scream when I was 18 months and refused to sleep" "was breastfed for 4 months" "was breastfed for 6 weeks" blah blah blah. She remembers the bits that best go with whatever story she was trying to tell me about how I was failing with DD.

DD never slept. Ever. She had reflux from a dairy allergy that was present even though I breastfed. She is still an awful sleeper aged 5. DH would happily sleep 24 hours a day whereas I am an early bird who hates wasting the day. I am hoping this next one takes after DH but will be avoiding all dairy from 36 weeks just in case!

BookroomRed · 19/01/2014 14:27

I was a lively, alert non-sleeper who talked early, an, according to his mother, DH was clever and mischievous practically from birth. Our 21 month old isn't one of life's sleepers (to put it mildly) and is a charming, flirtatious troublemaker with an enormous vocabulary for his age...

elsiewoo · 19/01/2014 15:06

I was an angel baby apparently. DD and DS, not so much....

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