How hard was your baby?

Question

All of my friends seem to have babies that do nothing but sleep! Its not that easy for me. My baby would refuse to sleep all day and get up a few times at night. Would love to hear about how your babies are so that I dont feel so alone with a baby that is a little harder to get in a routine.

I love my baby to pieces and wouldnt change a thing about her but would love to hear from other people who dont have perfect little sleepers. Its nice to know we arnt the only ones!

Answer 1

I live on a military base and we just got in (Army) so I already feel out of place.. I take my daughter to the playground and she is always the loudest most rambunctious kid out there. (She's almost 2.) The other military wives have perfect little angels in dresses with pretty hair clips that don't make a sound and are happy being pushed around or just sitting, even sleeping in their perfectly clean (how do you do THAT!) pink strollers. :) My kid is running around, stains all over her pink shirt, knees all skinned up, face dirty, yelling for no reason.

I felt a few pangs of jealously at first. But while I'm chasing my daughter through the tunnels and down the slides I feel lucky to have a "real," fun baby. She is awesome and unique and I wouldn't have her any other way. She has always been loud, even as young as 2-3 months, just fussing and crying.. all day and all night for a couple of months (boy, that sucked). I read that it's a sign of determination and a motivated, strong personality. I love my loud baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) She still won't nap sometimes during the day at all and fusses until she finally passes out from pure exhaustion at 6 pm, then she's up at 5 with Dada because he is leaving for PT. Oh well! :)

Ms_S... let me know if you ever move to Texas! :) My daughter needs somebody fun to play with!

Answer 2

When my daughter was first born, she had her days and nights confused. She would sleep all day while i had visitors and couldn't sleep, then be awake all night screaming until about 5 in the morning,then she would pass out and sleep from then on til about 4 in the afternoon, and the cycle continued for about a week. It was very draining on me. Once she finally got her days and nights in order she was a little better, althought she has only ever slept through a whole night in her life about 3 times, and she is now 15 months old. You are deffinately not alone, and it will get easier at some stage. Congrats on your baby.

Answer 3

You most certainly are not alone there!

My first was an angel, such a happy content baby. The second and third were a very rude awakening! They were never content to just lie on the floor, they had to be held and within 5 metres of me at all times or else they would scream!! I spent a lot of time just holding them to keep the peace!

Then they would fall asleep in my arms, but as soon as I went to lie them down anywhere they would wake up crying again . . . .aaahhhhhh!!

That was until I discovered the wonder of a swing! (mind you, not until I had the third!!) It was the best thing, honestly. If he was unsettled and miserable I would pop him in there and the motion would calm him, and even put him to sleep within minutes! Amazing things they are. I would really recommend you purchase one if you have not already, a real sanity saver! (mine was a fisher price papasan cradle swing, rocks side to side as well as front to back, he particually loved the side to side motion.)

Answer 4

lol, anytime I heard about a celeb baby or a friends baby who was "just starting to sleep through the night"  I swear I went mental!  I was like what magic are you spinning!!  Send some my way!!  lmao

From birth to 2.5 months old, to admit the truth, my baby was an angel, she was like a little doll who I could bathe and change and dress and but back into the cot or pram and not say a peep.  She had the odd difficult night but generally she was perfect!

THEN! ----AT 2.5 months, colic hit and I haven't had an east day since!  Because there was always another milestone to take its place, Colic, then teething, then vicious nappy rash, then a cold, then something etc etc etc   Then my girl went through a phase from 4 months to 6-7 months when I couldnt go to the bathroom or take a shower without her screaming her head off!  I tried taking a shower with her in the bathroom in her pram and she still screamed her head off....I know it sounds gross but sometimes I was only able to take a shower once every three days!  Because my husband was working 2 jobs and his parents are not with us, and my parents and family are in other countries.

  The last few months have been ok though, she is 13 months and two things have changed which are great.  1)  is that she can hold her own bottle and eat her own snacks (not meals, but snacks like biscuits or bread or pieces of fruit)  ...so that gives me a little break

2) she's been walking for about 2-3 months now so I make sure the floor is clear of anything small she can put in her mouth and then I let her run loose and she is perfectly happy until either meal time or nappy change time..... sometimes she makes a mess, but man its such freedom from when she just wanted my attention all day long!!!

Good luck!  And keep asking us mothers with older babies for tricks of the trade you might find out something brilliant that makes your day!! :)

EDIT - LOL xmslolab... I just read your answer.  I know Mothers like that.  You know how they do that....handy vacs! lol they are the type that as soon as the teeniest smudge appears out comes the baby wipes and who have "at home bibs"  and "outting bibs" and the outting bibs are all pretty and match the outfit.  My girl is like yours, loves screaming her head off because of the attention it gets  and is never still for a moment!  Its great fun!  :)

Answer 5

My baby is so far one of the ones you don't want to hear about but if you go to the Attachment Parenting International website and read the forum for nighttime and infants you will feel LOADS better.  

Answer 6

My first child was one of those dream babies. He slept through the night at 2 months old, he only cried when he was hungry, he was never too clingy but loved to be loved as well.

10 years later I am going through this all over again and expected the same thing. Boy was I wrong. She sleeps during the day and up all night (its getting a little better, she is 7 weeks now), she only wants to be held all day so nothing is getting done around the house, she screams even while being held sometimes and she is the biggest handful I have ever dealt with. But I love her to death, she is my little angel and it makes it all worth it when I get that rare little smile out of her ; )

Answer 7

My cousin's baby is almost 5 months now and doesn't eat doesn't sleep, has reflux etc... But we all love him to death.

Not all babies are easy but they are sure all our Angels.

My baby will be turning 1 this week, and she was the opposit of him.  She always slept, eating great, Loved the solids and always smiling and laughing GOOD baby.

Answer 8

My first had her days and nights mixed up for 6 months.  That was tough.  When she was almost two I had my twins.  I was sleep deprived for five years.  Whatever you do, don't give in to giving a bottle all night long.  It will rot their teeth.  You will pay for it in the long run and it does not help them sleep.

Answer 9

I traded mine in for a new one and it seemed to work out pretty good!

Answer 10

my first child (age 4 now) did not sleep I was lucky she didnt cry but i just had to sit and hold her all day and half the night lol my friend had her baby 6 weeks before me and he slept all the time i was so tired and jealous I asked my pediatrician how much she should sleep and he said like 18 hours or something and i said she doesnt and he said is she happy and i said yes then he said well its fine and the whole time i was thinking no its not i'm tired. good luck it gets better and then worse then better.

Answer 11

my baby was easy!! thank god!! i think that she developed her own night routine. beacuse the week after we came to the hospital she stopped asking for midnight feedings. she would go to sleep at 8 or 9 and wouldnt wake up till 5 or 6 to eat again!!! shes been like this for the past 4 months now!! she doesnt sleep through the day as much as she used to. shes 4 months so i guess thats normal. but yeah when it the lights go out she knows its time!!