Do babies ever learn to sleep through by themselves?

[mummyrunnerbean]

Just that really. Or do you always have to train them, whether gently/cio/cc? DS is five months, and on good nights wakes up three times, bad ones every half hour. He's currently in our room so it's not too bad but I'm dreading puttin him in his own room. People keep saying I'll have to train him, but I keep hoping he'll just 'get it'. Am I being silly?

Both mine learnt to sleep through by themselves. Ds1 in particular was a dream baby, fed 10pm, 2am then 6am and up for day since newborn. By 8 weeks he dropped the 2am feed. By 12 weeks he slept 10-6. At 6 months he slept 6-6. No need for any sleep training. He's now 4.6 and sleeps 7.30-8.30. Ds2 had reflux but at 3 he sleeps 7-8.30 no sleep training either as we co slept until he eventually slept through in his own bed at 13 months.

Yes. My DC2 was a terrible sleeper and she v nearly broke us. She was entirely nocturnal for the first few months then 'progressed' to 2 hourly wakings until she was 14 months. Twice weekly she would perform her speciality which was to be awake between 1-5 am. Nothing would get her down. I was back at work by this point and had to get up at 6 am!
She started an occasional sleep through when she started walking at 14 months and this increased gradually until now when wakings are mainly illness/ teething related and therefore in my mind legitimate

Yep mine slept through for ten hours with no night feeds from about 9 weeks. 12 hours now she's 7 months. I think it's genetic, my whole family were good sleepers as babies.

Yes Mine bf in the night twice usually at about your age (way more often if I'll/teething) and then it went to once (can't remember when). Then at 10mo I started giving him a cup of formula before his nighttime bf and he started sleeping through and pretty much has since then. About a month later he stopped having a nighttime bf after his cup of milk and gave up bf entirely at 13mo by himself.

Happened naturally for us at 4 years (although by that stage he was only waking once or twice a night).

Yes. But not until 21 months. IME they either do it naturally quite early or you are looking at well past one.

Lots of sympathy. DS is currently breaking me with hourly waking

My ds was a terrible sleeper, waking every 2 hours and it was awful, but at 13 months he was suddenly sleeping through brilliantly, hes now 14 months and goes 8pm-7.30 am perfectly, its amazing! We didnt do any training and Ive never let him cry, it just happened when he self weaned. Hes such a happy boy so im glad we rode it out!

Mostly by the time they get to uni they are probably reliably sleeping through...at least id like to hope so. Our 4 and 6yos still wake horrifyingly regularly, albeit not every night. The 10mo has me veeeery close to breaking point right now.

Yes.

DS1 - still feeding once or twice a night at 18 months, but by 2.5 was sleeping through beautifully, and easy to put to bed.

DS2, sleeping through at about 8 months, will sleep 7-9 if you're next to him to these days (just over a year)

We co-sleep, DS1 moved into his own bed at 2, then back in with us about 2.5 when he got sick then back out again a couple of months after that, and has had his own room ever since. DS2 we'll move into his own bed in our room soon, then into a share with DS1 once we can talk to him and persuade him that DS1 isn't so exciting.

All three of mine. Was so much less stressful for us all to just let them crack on in their own time

Yes - 13 weeks and 8mo for our two. Both rarely wake up now at 17mo and 2.9

Yes, although it doesn't feel like it will ever happen in the early months

Yes they do eventually

Dd was around 2 when she finally started sleeping through, she's now 4 and very very very rarely wakes up at night (only if she's I'll really)

Ds is now 14 months and has slept through most nights for the last few months, he occasionally wakes for a feed but I've discovered it mainly happens when he gets too cold. I'm sure he'll go through a period of night waking again when he's teething, etc so I'm just enjoying the opportunity to catch up on sleep myself whilst he's being so good.

Both mine improved dramatically once put in their own room at 4 months - went from waking 3 times a night to only once which is manageable. DC1 starting sleeping through the night regularly at around 10/11 months as I stopped BFing.

Could never do CC as I feel, as tough as it is, they're waking for a reason - be that only comfort. Good luck!

Yes at ds at 2.5 months (11-7) ebf too..Dd at 3 months (10:30-7:30) she was mix fed.

DS1 did at 3 years, DS2 and DD did at around 8-9 months. The only thing I did differently with the subsequent two was not to get into the habit of breastfeeding to sleep from birth.

Yes, both mine just did it. We didn't do any sleep training with DD and she was in her own room from about 5 weeks (hated being in with us ). I think she was around 7 months when she started to sleep through - it just kind of happened gradually. She was an early waker for a while but that sorted itself out eventually. DS was in our room until about 10 months. I eventually realised that he was always sleeping beautifully until I went to bed when he would start waking up through the night. Dragged his cot into his own room and he slept through immediately - he was ready for it and I think the smell of milk was maybe waking him up greedy little bugger.

I have no issues with sleep training but was lucky enough not to need it really. Good luck with it, it's a difficult decision.

I sleep trained quite early with mine to get him self settling, but he still woke for feeds until about 7.5 months then dropped them by himself. We had a little period of early waking but with his natural upping of solids and a little rejigging of his schedule (slightly later bedtime) he now sleeps 8-7 (or later!)

Both mine were great sleepers from 4 and 5 months. Both ff by this stage, never ever co-slept, and didn't run in to every sniffle and whimper. Also encouraged reliance on teddies and blankets for comfort, no back patting at four in the morning here.
It may not be for everyone but those methods worked for us (or it could have been pure luck!) and sleep was never an issue.

I'm watching eagerly - I;ve read lots about this, and continue to worry that have made a large rod for my back but most things I read suggest sleeping through & falling asleep are neurological stages and skills that babies can vary hugely with - and not much hurres it along. I'm hoping my co-sleeper decides he wants his own bed as a big boy sometime this year.....I did read something that a survey of mums who did CIO reported less than 50% success rate so that cheered me up about my slack non sleep training ways

DS was a terrible sleeper from the start - we toyed with doing sleep training but ultimately we couldn't decide on any method so we went with it. Fed him to sleep, fed him back to sleep, co-slept at times.

He started sleeping through at 13 months. Now he's nearly 15 months and only wakes if ill.

The irony is that I am now pg and walking up multiple times a night to go to the loo or try to get comfy in bed!

Good luck with whatever you decide, sleep deprivation is so horrible and feels like it will never end.

All babies are different.

Agree, all babies are different! My DD slept through the night (well 8-5) from about 5.5 months coinciding with moving into her own room, but no training of any kind. She is BF and still is now (once a day first thing) at 13 months and sleeps 7-7.

dont worry puggle my ds was a co sleeper,I had my mattress on the floor of his room and he came in on first wake up for the night, but hes now totally fine sleeping through in his own bed (hes nearly 15 months but been doing it for ages now) and we didnt have to do anything it just happened, so dont worry!

Thanks rasta - not been helped by the 1 year health visitor check that my husband was home for. According to her "babies will never sleep unless you do CIO." I'm trying to point out that that sort of statement is a load of tosh but its nice to hear some real world experiences that back me up!