Do you think there are 'good' and/or 'bad' babies?

Question

When brayden was little (first 3 months) I described him as a bad or hard baby. B/c he cried all the time and never slept. Well as I look back I see I was doing things wrong and probably could have cut that crying down. Example:more burping, more swaddling. Do you think there are good and bad babies or is it just how parents respond?

Just wanted to get everything thinking this morning!!

Answer 1

There do seem to be 'fussy' babies and ones that are more serene.

Some infants do not like to have parts of their bodies touched, so they cry a lot because (let's face it) babies get handled a lot.  Other babies can sleep through a train rumbling by.

Answer 2

I do not believe that a baby can be bad. I believe that when a baby is crying it is because the little one is trying to tell the parent something. I think that how a parent responds to the baby will often create good or bad results. But a baby is never BAD.

Answer 3

Yes I think babies have different personalities reguardless of how "good" their parents are at calming them.  Just like kids who can disobey more or less despite how well they are disciplined.  I also look back and think I could have done things better/differently with my son...but I bet he would have still cried more than average.

Answer 4

no there are some babies that are just more difficult than others, could be collic or other things...every baby has a different temperment its just a matter of knowing your baby.

Answer 5

"Good" or "bad"  babies is an unfair differentiation to me.  Some babies cry and don't sleep because something is wrong with them.  For example, my daughter had colic but when she was placed on the right medication, she became what you would call a "good" baby.  Some babies simply don't need as much sleep as others from birth and are for this reason harder for new parents to deal with, but that doesn't make them "bad."  But yes, sometimes the parents are doing something wrong that cause bad behavior;  the ironic part is that with another child, the parents' behavior might not cause a problem with another.  In other words, I don't think there are "bad" babies, but I do think some require different treatment or handling so as not to bring out the worst personality tendencies they may be born with.

Answer 6

No, just easy and difficult ones..lol.

I had four babies (now all grown up)...compared to other babies they now seem rather easy, but

1) I kept them on a flexible schedule

2) Interacted with them while awake but alos gave them 'me' time so they learned not to expect constant entertainment, age appropriate of course

3) breastfed all 4 and watched what I consumed

4) made my own baby food to avoid preservatives, etc.....

5) Never let them cry it out when little....I think letting a small baby wail like that is cruel....by the time they were close to a year, tho, at bedtime I encouraged them to get themselves back to sleep on their own-easily done.

Good/bad babies...nope, no such animal.

Answer 7

Honestly, I think its how a parent responds. It sounds like your baby was colicy. I do think there are more difficult and demanding babies but I wouldn't call them good or bad. That would infer an intention, such as the baby is doing it on purpose to p**s you off, which does not exist at all. At that age it is total innocence. Now I know of a 2 and a half year old who killed 4 kittens by slamming their heads in a refridgerator door. That is scary. Babies, not so much. :)

Answer 8

Ok I'm going to answer this and hopefully without being ridiculed!

I honestly do think there are good and not so great I guess. and we have the GOOD....Hes always slept all night (since a month old) his eating and weight is perfect, he's always smiling and happy, never cries unless he's in pain and we're always told he's the most happiest, cutest baby anyone's ever seen so I think he was just born good...We got lucky...

*edit* Like Garnet said easy, so we got blessed with a very easy baby....

Answer 9

I think there are easy and hard babies, not good or bad.

My first was SO easy.  She was happy, grew like a weed and picked up on things very quickly.  She fussed very little and was just the sweetest thing in the world.

My second was a handful, in fact she still is.  She was a very unhappy baby, she cried constantly.  No amount of burping, swaddling, walks or endless carrying would calm her down.  She's had contracted every virus in the world, she's been sick more than she's been healthy.  She was a hard baby to deal with and while it has improved as she's become a little more independant we still have a way to go.

I would not trade either experiences for the world.  They are my angels and I love them both tremendously!

Good luck!

Answer 10

I think it may be a little more of a baby being more 'needy' than other babies.  Not a big deal, but sometimes it just happens.

However, I do understand what you are saying... I thought Johnny was a needy baby at first... And then I found out I was doing everything all wrong (like you, lol).  Soooo - that was my fault! :)

Answer 11

I don't think that theres good or bad babies, they are all just babies!

What will make a difference is things like how much support you have (it's easier to cope with all that crying if someone else can take over for a bit and let you have a break and some sleep), how well the 2 of you bond, how confident you are, how much information you have from the health professionals and whether the baby suffers from colic etc, and how quickly it is diganosed and treated.

none of these things makes a good or bad baby or parent, just gives different relationships and experiences.

I might change my mind on all this in Feb next year when my first one makes it's appearence!!

Answer 12

There is no such thing as a 'bad' baby, because 'badness' would indicate that he was intentionally being mean or misbehaving -- something babies are not capable of.

There are certainly babies that are higher needs, or have difficulty communicating their needs in ways that we can understand -- but that doesn't make them 'bad.'

Answer 13

There are no such things as bad babies.

There are babies with difficult temperaments.

It's just all in the way that we repond to them.

Three of my kids were easy. The fourth is quite ornery and stubborn.

I would never refer to my little one as "bad" though.

She's just who she is...little headstrong sweetheart!