Babies and Children who like sleep

[jellybean88]

My ds was always a great sleeper and still is I never thought of it as unusual and was quite proud of him but tried to not brag about it also yeah if people asked and I told them they'd say how it would never last etc.. Well he is 17 months now and just dropped from 2 2hr naps a day to 1nap and a quiet time so it did last , I don't know how other mums cope I take my hat off to them and I hope this next one is a good sleeper

[RhiChiChi]

My DD 1 was not a great sleeper - I think being an over anxious mum didn't help and in the end we resorted to less than favourable methods to break the cycle of constant waking, then screaming, constant resettling etc.... From about 10 mths to 18 mths (maybe a little longer) she was a great sleeper. Then when we moved her from cot to toddler bed, she could get out & it all went down hill again. She prefers sleeping with DH & I and I am just fine about it (well most nights unless she is really unsettled and keeping us all awake, which is rare). BTW she is nearly 6 yo now.

DD 2 on the other hand I consider to be a very good sleeper. Well, during the day she is a bit hit & miss but I am in & out of the house alot to take DD 1 to school and extra curricular activities, so her cycles are disrupted more. At night she wakes for 1-2 feeds but goes back to sleep by herself without any hassles and wakes around 7-7.30am. I consider myself to be very fortunate.

Having said that, people ask if she sleeps through the night all the time. I am honest and say no, because she still wakes for feeds. Depending whom I speak to generates either a 'oh, you are so lucky' or 'shouldn't she be sleeping through by now?, such & such is' or 'such and such sleeps 11 hours per night' responses.

I take a similar approach to PZ & Joeve - keep my response short and minimal. At the end of the day all kids are different and if you ask about their sleep you should expect different responses.