I guess it depends on what you define a "perfect" baby. I thought my first was perfect and she was... too perfect - she slept well, rarely fussed, was happy to sit or lie down and play with her own hands or even her bib for ages. It ended up that was because she had an under-responsive vestibular and proprioceptive system that caused major delays and still effect her greatly. My second is more wakeful, chucks little tantrums when he doesn't like something, pukes up because he's rolling around and putting pressure on his tummy as he explores, and squeals like a banchee just to hear his own voice and I think it is wonderful! Well, maybe not the squealing, some days that does my head in because it's so loud and high, but it's his happy attention noise. My DD is perfectly unique and DS is perfectly normal - both are perfect.
I guess my point is, that what can be seen as a negative in a babies behaviour, if not caused by something physically wrong but personality, can also be their greatest strength. Likewise what can be seen as good behaviour might actually be an indication of that child's weakness. Does that make sense? A baby might chuck tanties because they are strong willed, while this doesn't make them an easy baby, it will hold them in good stead as teenagers when they''re dealing with peer pressure. It's all about how those traits are steered more than whether or not one is right or wrong.
What a great thread - this exact thing happened to us! And now we are pregnant with number 2, it's worse - people keep telling us because we had a perfect DD, the next one will be a terror
DD has been a great kid but I think our expectations were that she was going to be difficult. You know, you hear so many horror stories that as first time parents we were prepared for a nightmare and when we didn't get that, it was a welcome surprise. DD is still wonderful, she eats, sleeps and plays very well. She absolutely has her moments but in all seriousness, she is a pretty easy child. The expection to this has been illness which has wreaked havoc on her sleeping but regardless she is still happy so her smile pretty much makes up for any short lived sickness sleep deprivation.
I got the whole, "you just wait for #2, you will get a little terror compaired to DD1". Now I can't help but blow rasberries at them. More the fool them for saying such silly things.
DD1 was a great baby, Laughing non stop always happy a real ray of sunshine. DD2 is a very serious baby, takes alot to get her to smile but when she does she is a shining light too. They are both great feeders, sleepers ect.
I was worrying that Will wouldn't be as "perfect" as Pip, but he's sleeping through (mostly) and sure, he's a spewy baby, but he's a happy spewy baby - I think that's because we're taking it as it comes and we go with the flow - we aren't forcing anything onto him and he's thriving! So Congrats on your wonderful parenting attitude, and enjoy the bubba while he's just perfect!
My DD1 slept all night, rarely cried, went to anyone and smiled constantly. My DS screamed all night for 8 weeks, wouldn't sleep during the day anywhere other then his cot and was a difficult feeder. DS2 has only just started having a nap during the day and previously has been awake from 8am to 10pm. She is going through a 'mummy' phase and only wants me.
All my babies were perfect - to me - and they still are! Who cares what anyone else thinks? Tell them that you think your babies are just perfect however they are.
but guess what?! they can all suffer in their undies 'cause they are BOTH perfect lol! very different but totally perfect (in my totally unbiased mama opinion haha)
Ok, mines over 1, but i found he was pretty textbook until about 6 months, then all hell broke lose and i'm still trying to wrangle it in *sigh* (hell, that is)
Ignore them, and enjoy your happy little man. Maybe he'll stick it to them
I sometimes think my memory very convenietnly forgets the tough times and that's a good thing They were never that bad and i have wonderful memories from my boys, even when they were tough the feeling of acomplishment once we got through those times is what i remember the most.
DD (#3) has had some reflux troubles and in the times when that was not yet being treated she was nothing like my boys but once she was being treated i kept thinking ot myself 'this is the baby i know she is meant to be'.
I've just had a lie on the ground with her while she had a play so placidly just staring at me most of the time. She's perfect whether it's a good day or a bad day.
Same goes for the boys as pre-schooler and toddler when they are being really cheeky. They are still perfect just the way they are.
I thought I'd lucked out with DD - a sleeping baby! - but since the 4-week mark it has deteriorated significantly. Should have kept my smugness to myself.
But she's still absolutely adorable and the happiest, smiliest little thing.
And despite spending most of his first 12 weeks screaming and not sleeping much in the first 2 years or so, DS is also an incredible kid. If that's what it took, then I wouldn't want to change anything.
Lol. Sorry If I could change the word "perfect" in this thread title I would. I ment happy, sleeping babies... : )
Thanks for everyone's replies. At the moment ds is waking once in the night and is having the same sleeping/eating habits as dd did. Now just need to brush up on a routine.
Here is hoping he stays a happy, sleeping baby. : ) Was very interested in how they changed from newborns to a few months later, so thank you to those that shared. : )
Well, I only have the one. But he is the perfect child.
My friends don't agree, but they're biased. Their children are not more perfect than Liebling. They are just blind and call his interactivity, adoration of me as a play-mate, high energy levels, strong personality and strong will, and 2am philosophy "hard work". (Even in the small hours, I still love hearing "but Mammy, when I wake up I don't sleep, do I?")
I am sure should I have another, that child will be perfect too. As if a child of mine wouldn't be perfect! I'm a geneticist married to an engineer: we produce perfect children (LOL). And that's what I tell people when they even hint Liebs could be improved.
BUT i get told my DD is perfect becasue she has never fed less than 4hrly, she has always been a calm and placid baby who hasnt needed to be settles, and she has slept through from 6-7 weeks.... oh and coz she put herself into a great routine
now dont get me wrong, of course i think she is perfect but not becasue of her behaviour!
i realise we are very very lucky to not have a unsettled baby.
i spoke to my MCHN about it, when DD was about a month old, saying how i hope she stayed as good as she was then and in my MCHN's experience, the babies that are still super placid and calm at 4ish weeks tend to stay that way, how true it is, obviously you wouldnt rely on it, but its been pretty true for us
I had 3 of these 'perfect' babies. They all fed 4 hourly and slept at least 8 hrs at night from birth. I was told to wait until they were toddlers, then I'd know what I was in for. Well, they became toddlers and they weren't too bad, just normal inquisitive toddlers who got up to mischief but they still weren't the screaming banshees I'd been told they would become. We got through that phase and then I got the 'wait until they're teenagers' comments (because good babies obviously means they'll be terrible teens ). I have 2 in high school now, they're still mischievious but they're not off the rails.
Maybe because I'm a calm person I have calm children?
Don't listen to 'them'.
I have to add that after I had my 1st everyone said my 2nd would scream all night. She didn't, neither did my 3rd.
Last edited by Tinks; April 1st, 2011 at 07:59 AM.
My first was a fantastic sleeper and a very content baby from birth. I started to worry that there was something wrong with her because she never cried. She did go through a difficult sleep stage at about 7-8 months but it was short lived.
Dd2 was a terrible sleeper in the beginning. The night she was born she cried every hour and it didn't improve much until she was 12 months. But she had reflux and it made lying down difficult.
I hated that people felt smug because I got a baby who didn't sleep as well as the first. Why the he'll they care what my babies do is something I will never understand.
I'm fantatic and nodding and smiling and not entering into conversations about it though! Lol
Last edited by Junglemum; April 1st, 2011 at 08:24 AM.
Mine were the "perfect" sleepers up until 4 months. I was told with both that it wouldn't last - and it didn't. We basically went through the newborn stage at 4 mths. Up until then they slept for 8-12 hours every night - fed and went back to sleep again. I remember at my MG when DD was 8 weeks old, all the girls were talking about how they were up 1-2 hourly and I was getting 12 hours straight and no feeds in that time and had no idea what was to come.
I was also told that #2 would be a terror because DD was pretty good once we got through a few months of sleep issues and went back to being a very happy sleeper. Turns out that DS was pretty much the same - we had issues but he loves his sleep. Amazing how many people fixate on sleep as the indicator for a "good" or "bad" baby isn't it. Hang in there, just nod your head and know that these little creatures have this unfailing ability to keep us on our toes and can change in an instant (or may not!).
#1 was the perfect baby, except for that one time she didn't want to go to sleep. Yeah, one time. I used to take her to restaurants, movies, whatever, and didn't think anything of it. She used to sleep 16 odd hours a day and only dropped below 12 hours a day when she was about 7 or 8, now she sleeps 10 hours each night. Turned into an argumentative toddler and an even more argumentative tween and is only just growing her logic circuits and actually agreeing with us now, at almost 10 and a half. I don't need to say "I told you so", she's actually noticing things herself and telling ME, its like ... wow, FINALLY, all these years of pain ...
#2 is the crabby grouch from hell who never sleeps and didn't go to bed before midnight until she was 14 months old. She's still horrendously grumpy when she first wakes up or when she's tired, and considering how little she sleeps that is quite a lot of time each day. She's quite easily upset and takes a long time to warm up to new people. If I had her first, I would have never had any more kids ever again O_o. But she's quite easy to reason with and play with so the polar opposite of #1 in almost every way.
#3 seems to be the average of the two. Doesn't sleep all that much and I don't think he'll sleep overnight until he's weaned, but doesn't turn into a hellspawn when he's tired and he's happy when he wakes up. And he's a really cute happy smileypants most of the time. Not the perfect baby by any stretch though, again because of the sleeping.
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lol! very different but totally perfect (in my totally unbiased mama opinion haha)
). I have 2 in high school now, they're still mischievious but they're not off the rails. 
Maybe because I'm a calm person I have calm children?
and had no idea what was to come. 
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