So babies sleeping through the night isn't a myth!

[onedayimightforget]

I've just met someone at a baby group whose baby has slept through the night since two months and can settle himself to sleep without someone in the room. I thought these people didn't really exist.

^

[tinkletinklelittlestar]

DC1 slept through early doors self-settled loved sleep blah blah. DC2 could not give a shiny shit about sleep and constantly fights it. What can I say, karma is a bitch.

[Littleelffriend]

I only have one. She's just over 6 months and has slept through since 5 weeks. From 7/8 pm until 6/7 am. The only thing I can attribute it to is that for the first week of her life she was poorly and we weren't allowed to pick her up apart from feeding. All we could do is put a hand on her tummy. This now puts her to sleep in about 5 seconds or she self settles. I fully expect my second to punish me.

[MySordidCakeSecret]

I have a 19 month old that sleeps from 7-around 9/half 9.. and then won't go back to sleep in his own cot even in my bed he can randomly be wide awake numerous times during the night!

[dhossell]

My daughter was 3 years old before she slept in anything more than 2 hour stints and 4 before she reliably slept through the night, we've always battled to get here to sleep aswell and still do now she's 5. She just has never liked sleep 😂 it killed me for the first couple of years then I think my body just got used to it, I still live in a permanent state of exhaustion though.

[Happyhippy45]

I had one that barely slept at night and took ages to go down but took naps during the day no problem and the other only cat napped during the day but slept no problem from 8pm till 7ish from a few months old.
All babies are different.

[Stillwishihadabs]

This is why I stopped at 2. Ds (dc1) slept 11-7 at 10 weeks, Dd slept 11-5 at 12 weeks. I am sure I would get.a.non sleeper next time.

[PopsyDaisy2207]

My youngest is 15 months old and doesn't sleep through 😡😴
I'm 40 and knackered 😂

[Stillwishihadabs]

Though I do think expectations have changed (ds was born in 2004) most if not all the NCT babies were sleeping through by 3-4 months, it was expected. HV told us if they started waking earlier again it was a sign to start solids. Once on 3 meals a day we were encouraged to go down to 3/4 milk feeds a day. All these babies were bf BTW.

[Stillwishihadabs]

My dsis has had her children this decade and they are bf on demand much longer and don't seem to sleep through until after 6 months. Another difference is they were put in their own rooms at 6 weeks as well, which I know is no longer recommended.

[MsJudgemental]

I heard that babies are physically able to go without a night feed from about 10 weeks onwards. Moving them into their own room (is it from 6 months now?) and then doing controlled crying, which takes 2-3 days, sorts it out. Worked for us but wouldn't work for you as you are co-sleeping. It's going to be hard to teach her that night time is for sleeping if you are always there to entertain her, and she will find it hard to learn the skills to self-sooth. Plus, you are always going to be waking each other up by moving or making noises. Not intending to criticise your parenting at all, just suggesting possible reasons for her not sleeping through.

[MsJudgemental]

I breastfed for 6 months, btw, and part-time for 12 months.

[WittgensteinsBunny]

I slept through the night from 6 weeks; my brother and sister were awful sleepers.

I read all the books when pregnant with PFB and knew just what to do.

I have not slept through the night for 4 years now. Although this week, touch wood, pray to the higher being m, whatever, DD2 (20 months) has started sleeping through and DD1 (3.5) only wakes briefly to climb into bed and snuggle straight to sleep. I have had the most sleep this week than I have since 2012.

This is all down to a wonderful sleep consultant we spoke to 3 weeks' ago. And soon we'all work on DD1 staying in her bed.

I know it's shit. I know it stings. I know it's crazy making. But you are not alone. ((((((Hugs)))))

[anniee8ava]

I haven't read all the comments but I thought it might be reassuring to know that babies aren't suppose to sleep through the night from a young age, they are at a higher risk of SIDS than a baby who wakes up. Also if you are breastfeeding it is totally NORMAL to have a baby that feeds at night, through most of their BF journey. Sure you can probably do some sort of 'sleep training' to stop the night feeds but if left to own course BF babies that sleep are the exception! And self soothing is a learned skill for babies of approx one year and older, her baby isn't self soothing, it probably is just a chilled baby with little needs to fall asleep. They are all totally different and who cares about how well they sleep, I don't know why everyone gets hung up on it! Enjoy your baby and smile and ignore the other mums. It's a competitive world out there.

[anniee8ava]

Wow just saw the comment above. Babies do need to be fed at night if they want it!! Maybe from 6months can drop one/all feeds but would you like it if you woke up hungry and no one responded to that need? Also controlled crying is damaging to babies, it teaches them that no one comes when they cry, so they sleep, but not in a relaxed state. There are other methods people can try if they want to 'sleep train'

[StillSeekingResponsibleAdult]

DS1 loved to sleep, slept all night, most nights from 12 weeks, mainly self-settled, had long daytime naps. I suspected people were exaggerating when they talked about how tiring babies were.

DS2 taught me about tiredness, didn't sleep through for years, rubbish naps.

They were both fed on demand, carried and cuddled to sleep in the early days (or in DS2's case until he was 4).

My friend who loved routine and did CC etc, had exactly the same, a perfect sleeper first time, awful second. I firmly believe good sleepers are born that way, not made, but I suspect people who only have good sleepers think it's something they've done!

[laurzj82]

I had a few friends whose babies slept through from really young. It's all changed now. DD didn't sleep for more than an hour or two at a time until she was 1 but since then sleeps like a log! 13 straight hours some nights (She's nearly 3) whereas friend's babies stopped sleeping through one of theirs still sleeps in their bed at nearly 3!

[Lifeonthefarm]

OP I was where you were when my baby was same age. He is now 8 months. He slept and napped really well until his first jabs and then things got so awful, I really don't know how I worked as well with no sleep.

He slept in his cot next to my bed. And often co slept. Also breast fed.

Things drastically improved when I did a version of CIO and moved him to his own room.
He will now settle himself to sleep without me in the room. TBH that happened after about a week of CIO, but that week was hell.

Annoyingly he occasionally goes through the night. So I know he can. But lately I've had to feed him two of three times a night at least. I'm not sure why but he settles himself to sleep at 7 but struggles in the middle of the night. However he does genuinely seem hungry, he is a very hungry baby.

I have no idea if I have done anything wrong at any point.
From what I've read on here luck of the drawer really does seem to be the only answer there is.

Also you mentioned changing to formula. My DS is combo fed and it's made no difference. Neither has going on to solids. I really need to wean him off the boob (working FT etc) but still don't want to, if better sleep comes as a result of it I will be amazed and chuffed which may soften the blow a bit.

Hang on in there. Lack of sleep is shit and does weird things to you

[Mum2jenny]

I think it depends on the babe. My first slept through from 5 weeks, my second didn't until he was over 2 years old. I think it's just pot luck. Both mine were breast fed if that's relevent.

[penguinsdontquack]

What happened to all babies being different? I keep reading things online about what my 7 week old should be doing regarding sleep/developing/playing etc! Ok she's a fairly good sleeper and I often worry she's getting to much sleep in the 24hour period but if she wants to sleep should I stop her or let her do as she wishes??

[PassiveAgressiveQueen]

both mine slept well, i decided it was genetic. sleep is really really really important to me so just think i passed that trait on.

[Funnyfarmer]

Dd1 cryed all night for about a week. Then quickly settled into a routine and slept through from around 3 months she nearly 16 now and a lovely teenager. Dd2 slept through after a few days. I used to wake her for feeds but the midwife said I was crazy and I should count my blessings and let her sleep. As a toddler all the mums at yummy mummy club used to hate me because I used to complain about how much I used to struggle to get her out of bed in the morning

[Funnyfarmer]

penguinsdontquack let her sleep, count your blessings. I've never heard of a baby getting too much sleep!

[YoureMyWifeNowDave]

DS is 15 weeks old and will sleep for 12 hours at night most nights
DD is nearly 6 and still wakes up at least once every single night

[fruityb]

DS sleeps through from about 9 till between 5 and 7. He's 12 weeks now and has done this since about 5 weeks. He knocked out his night feed himself, woke at 3am till this point, and occasionally won't have one later at night. He stirs in the night but tends to settle himself and quite often falls asleep himself at night with us. He can go from 7 till 7 some nights without a feed in between.

He is still in with us in his Moses basket and we are considering moving him into his own room after Christmas. However I can't always just put him down to sleep, he often does it when I cuddle him - can sometimes go off instantly when I pick him up or he sleeps on dad. He goes down well at night. I am dreading his own room as I don't know how he'll sleep without us there or how I'll be without him there. I wake up a few times in the night and always think it's him when it isn't! I foresee a few more difficult nights when we move him out. I know we have been incredibly lucky and we have tried to have a routine of feed, pyjamas on and quieter time at night but other than that nothing else yet. I just think he's still too little for all this yet.

I won't be sitting in the room with him however when he is on his own. Not starting that one, my folks never did.

[29redshoes]

I'm firmly in the "it's luck" camp. DD is a good sleeper and mostly sleeps through these days (she's six months). We don't seem to have done anything different to the other parents I know!

Slightly resent the insinuation from a couple of posters on this thread that people with babies who sleep through have probably done CIO!