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Original poster

Just out of interest, how many people's DCs just drift off when they need a sleep?

14 replies

Renwein · 23/07/2009 15:57

Neither of mine have, though now DS1 is nearly four and we don't necessarily want him to sleep in the day he will just fall asleep watching TV or plonk himself on the floor and go to sleep. But DS2, nearly six weeks, seems to need a lot of help to go to sleep and cries if he gets tired. Is this everyone else's experience and is "they'll sleep as much as they need to" just a load of rubbish?

OP posts:
nomoresleep · 24/07/2009 19:51

Neither of mine have just drifted off - DS still needs a lot of help at 3 months and I can't put him down unless he's in deep sleep.

dycey · 24/07/2009 20:39

That is exactly what I have wanted to ask! And do ask myself a lot! DS1 is 5 months and drops off happily (no crying) in buggy - but groans and cries in bed even with dummy. A lot of rocking in the first 3 months. Now he is too heavy and too alert for arm rocking to work.

I have actually seen a baby drift off to sleep on her Mum's lap with no motion and no dummy and I was dumb struck!

Getting my baby to sleep has been my main occupation since his birth.

The other thing I want to ask - but maybe I should start a different thread for this - is if you let a baby cry themselves to sleep do they get better at falling asleep? Is it a learned skill?

nickytwotimes · 24/07/2009 20:41

DS has NEVER done this.
I have known one or two who did this and I was very

CurryMaid · 24/07/2009 20:41

Nope, my DD never has and she is coming up for a year.

She will drift off in the car or buggy but this is often preceeded by lots of screaming. She has never, ever just fallen asleep without my input.

nickytwotimes · 24/07/2009 20:42

...and yes, for the first 18 mths of ds's life, my entire life was taken up with trying to get him to nod off.

HumphreyCobbler · 24/07/2009 20:43

ds had only done it once in his entire life

while sitting on my lap while i complained to the health visitor that he never slept

Cicatrice · 24/07/2009 20:44

No. Fights it like a tiger.

He ONCE did it when we visited my cousin. Who talks a lot to very little purpose and knows it to give her her due. "I can bore anyone to sleep!" she said. If she lived closer I'd have had her round every night!

We did the No cry sleep solution thing and had strong routine, key words, sleep objects, He goes to bed nicely now, and sings to himself for about 15 minutes before sleep.

But he never did it as a baby.

Yurtgirl · 24/07/2009 20:46

Mine are 5 and 7 now and have never 'just drifted off to sleep' at parents of children who do!

CurryMaid · 24/07/2009 20:52

God my DD is going to a c/m next month and am already panicing about how the poor woman is going to cope with DD and her naps.

DownyEmerald · 24/07/2009 21:04

Curry - I wouldn't worry about the childminder at all. My dd now 3 has always fought sleep, I have spent ages feeding to sleep, reading to sleep, pushing to sleep, singing to sleep.

She started with childminder at 1, cm has very clear ways she does things, after a couple of days she was able to just put dd down and leave her to fall asleep. And she still does this and it works every time.

Warwickmum · 24/07/2009 21:20

My DS almost 6 months and seems much the same. Will drift off in moving buggy, will go off in car seat in car after some shouting/grizzling at times, but not if car seat anywhere else. Has fallen asleep in arms once during playgroup singing session!! I thought it was just me and that maybe I hadn't cuddled him enough when he was very little. A few of the other mothers from our group have babies that fall asleep in their arms/on floor/in car seat on floor and I have always wondered what I am doing wrong.

Original poster
Renwein · 25/07/2009 16:25

Good to know, I'm not alone... I was so hoping for a lovely placid baby so that I could cope with two DCs. CurryMaid, I'm already worrying about the c/m with DS2 and it's not happening till February! DS1 went to nursery at ten months had a few overtired days at the beginning but settled into napping properly after a few months. Currently, sitting with DS2 sleeping in the baby bjorn as too depressing to try to settle him in his cot. Now worrying that I am creating bad habits and that eventually the baby bjorn will stop working. I need to stop worrying!

OP posts:
4madboys · 25/07/2009 16:38

i was always at those with babies that did this, my first was a terrible sleep, didnt sleep properly till he was three yrs old and by then we had ds2, who wasnt much better, ditto ds3...... then ds4 arrived and OMG what a revelation, he has sucked his thumb since tiny and also likes to have a blanket but yep he would go to sleep wherever, even laid on the changing mat whilst i cleaned his bum, i couldnt believe it.

he is now 17mths old and has a good day time nap, i just pop him to bed and say night night and he sleep for a good 2hrs, three and a half yesterday and again at bedtime i just put him to bed and off he goes and generally sleeps a good twelve hours.

tbh i think its just luck, havent done anything different this time round, its just temprement etc, but i do feel i earnt a good sleeper after the first three

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 25/07/2009 17:00

DD never did but she never needed a lot of help either.
DS is 3 now and when he started crawling he started just sleeping where he was, I remember the first time he just set off at a crawl put his head down on the carpet and fell asleep has done it regularly ever since.
He fell asleep on the floor in his bedroom the other evening, he has tried to do it in the park in the middle of the grass anywhere he doesn't care.

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