The massive and totally honest sleep questionnaire

[JumpingIn]

Let's bust those myths being spouted as THE thing your baby will/should be doing sleepwise for their age. I want to hear the reality, the good and the terrible. I want everyone to feel they can join in

General:
How old is your baby?
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not?
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?)
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far?

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night?
How many times on average are you woken up?
Where does baby sleep at night?
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult?
Does your baby fall asleep on their own?
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what?

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule?
Where do they nap?
How many naps?
Nap duration?
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap?
Do you do the same things consistently for naps?

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation?
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you?
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever?
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst?
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep?
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep?
And the best?

Let's do this! I'll do mine as soon as the baby lets me sit down

 

[LittleLala]

General:
How old is your baby? 10 weeks
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? Yep he sleeps generally very well
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) no
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? In the first 5 weeks, he barely slept at all. He would go for 5-12 hour stretches without sleeping. I think in the end though it came down to not having enough of a supply, he was always awake because he was always hungry. Now he is formula fed.

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? All up, about 8 hours.
How many times on average are you woken up? Once for a feed, and about 4 times to give him his dummy
Where does baby sleep at night? In the bassinet next to me
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? I just swaddle him in his bassinet and give him his dummy, and gently stroke his forehead for a while.
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Generally yes
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? Nope

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? No, he only naps if/when he is tired
Where do they nap? Usually in his vibrating chair, sometimes his bassinet if he is cranky
How many naps? About 2 a day
Nap duration? Sometimes 20 minutes, sometimes 2 hours (it's very inconsistent)
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? I used to, but now I don't
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? No, the only consistent thing I do is give him his dummy if I can tell he is sleepy/cranky and he will put himself to sleep. I don't force naps on him throughout the day if he isn't tired.

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? I did get sinusitis, and I'm sure it's because I was run down, but I usually get it around this time of year anyway.
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? No, he very rarely sleeps on me, I didn't want to start a bad habit (but obviously, if it were the only thing to work, I would do it! I even bought a sling just incase he was a clingy sleeper).
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? Yes, in the first week I was incredibly sleep deprived and only had about 2 hours in the first 4 days. I only started getting a bit of sleep after week 3.
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? No sorry
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? I have no idea.
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep?
And the best? I was told by a friend not to rock them to sleep, or else they would become dependant on being rocked to sleep, so I have avoided it. Also, to put them down while awake so that they aren't used to falling asleep on the breast/bottle. I haven't been given any bad sleep advice.

Hope this is helpful in some way

 

[Taurus8484]

How old is your baby? - 2.5 years and 7 months
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? - yes
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) - no
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? - they have both had moments eg teething, illness but in general its been the same since young age.

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? Both sleep uninterrupted 12 hours at night most nights. DS1 at 10 weeks. DS2 at 4 months.
How many times on average are you woken up? Currently none
Where does baby sleep at night? DS1 in bed DS2 in cot
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? Both self settle. Put them down and leave the room
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Yes
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? No....not sleep training but I let them both learn to self settle from early on.

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? DS1 has a day nap every second or third day. DS2 does but is a cat napper. 45 minute sleeps with an hour and half every now and then. Also have a feed schedule. Everything is done around the same time each day. Done this with both boys.
Where do they nap? Bed and cot
How many naps? DS2 2 or 3 a day. Wakes at 7.30am in bed at 7.00pm
Nap duration? 45 minutes normally
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? No
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Yes

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? No
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? Only in the early newborn days.
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? No.....not no sleep.
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? No
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? No
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? Let them cry it out
And the best? Learn to self settle

 

[JumpingIn]

Thank you ladies, keep them coming!

 

[JumpingIn]

rld is your baby? 20 weeks
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? He's a horrendous sleeper because he can't stay asleep for longer than a few minutes at a time
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) See sig. His trapped wind is also horrendous
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? It's always been like this

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night?Anywhere from half an hour to 6 hours
How many times on average are you woken up? Averaging 15 right now but only because I'm not asleep to be woken more than that
Where does baby sleep at night? Bedside crib, my bed, my arms...Wherever he can or will at that moment
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? We have a solid bed time routine. I must rock, sometimes for half an hour
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? No
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? I tried pick up put dow
:
Baby have a nap schedule? No, it'ssimpossible to implement
Where do they nap? Only on me
How many naps? Around 4
Nap duration? 25 minsYes
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap?
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Yes


Sorry I can't carry on on my phone as it keeps takibg me back to the top and deleting my text etc. Ill do it on my laptop laten

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation?
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you?
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever?
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst?
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep?
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep?
And the best?

Let's do this! I'll do mine as soon as the baby lets me sit down[/QUOTE]

 

[MindUtopia]

My daughter is a toddler now, but hopefully this provides some perspective for those with younger babies. I think sleep really is developmental and it's a marathon rather than a sprint.

General: She's 2.5 years. I think she's an average sleeper for a toddler compared to my friend's experiences. We've always tried to make sleep stress-free and I think that's helped, but she's never been one of those magic babies who slept anytime anywhere. No health issues. Sleep has always ebbed and flowed, a few easy months, a hard month or two, back to being easy, depending on what's going on with her at the moment (illness, teething, developmental leap, house move, etc.).

Night Time: She sleeps roughly 7:30/8pm to 7-:7:30am, with 1-3 wake ups. We have chosen to bedshare from birth, not in response to any sleep issues, it's just what we think is best, so she's either slept in our bed from the start of the night or once she was older and mobile, started in her own room and came in to ours when she was ready. Now she goes to sleep in her own bed around 7:30/8 and then she gets up and comes in to us maybe around midnight, which is usually her first wake-up. What we've done to get her to sleep has changed as needed. When she was very small, she was most often fed to sleep (not so much intentionally, but she would just fall asleep in the middle of the feed). She has been rocked to sleep. I've laid next to her and held her hand until she fell asleep, etc. As a toddler, she has a cup of milk and a cuddle and then she gets in her own bed herself and I read her a bedtime story. She sometimes falls asleep mid-story or she goes to sleep on her own after when I'm finished, depending on how tired she is. We've never done any sleep training.

Naps: She no longer naps, but she did have 2 naps a day until probably 18 ish months and dropped her naps altogether at 2 years, 3 months.

You: Never had any health issues because of sleep deprivation. My daughter used to sleep on me all the time until probably 8 months when she started nursery and would sleep in the cot there. It's never been a problem though. A wrap is great for those sorts of situations, so I could have my hands free, eat lunch, use the toilet, get some work done, etc. I've never had a night with absolutely no sleep. My husband and I always took it in turns so we both got enough sleep to function. In the first 6 weeks, she literally wouldn't sleep at all unless one of us was holding her. So we each did half the night so that the other could sleep. There have definitely been rough patches. Developmental leaps are particularly hard on sleep, and you often can't see when you're in that that that's what they are. You feel like it will be this way forever. The one that happens around 8-11 months was really hard, when she was starting to stand and cruise and having separation anxiety (paired with starting nursery). We literally had to eat in shifts while the other tried to get her to sleep because she wouldn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time in the evening. But when that passed, she suddenly just started to self-settle and go to sleep easily on her own (without us doing anything to encourage it). There was also another really tough one just before 2 years that paired with a language explosion. But they always pass and it helps to remind yourself of that.

I think she's pretty average for sleep as a toddler. I think we certainly have a much easier time at bedtime that most people I know. We've always kept it stress-free and just done whatever we had to do that worked. I think because of that, we don't have much fuss at bedtime. But she is still up at least once most nights, sometimes 2-3 times, which sounds pretty much par for the course for most of my friends with kids the same age, so I think that's all pretty normal. Many kids wake at night usually up til school age, and I'm okay with that.

The worst advice I've ever gotten was from the HV at her 8 month check. We had a conversation that went something like this: "How is she sleeping?" "Great, I think" "Well, if you ever want to teach her to sleep, what you have to do is stand over her in the cot with two fingers pressed against her chest and let her scream but don't pick her up. Eventually, she'll learn to fall asleep on her own if you just keep that up." (She started to self-settle and fall asleep on her own a few months later. I didn't have to do anything but keep doing what I had always done). The best advice is just to do what works for you. If it's working and your baby is happy and you're getting enough sleep to function, that's exactly what you ought to be doing. Don't read some book and think I have to do that even though that seems completely stupid and nonsensical. Before there were all these sleep experts, people just did what they felt worked. Your intuition is good. Trust it. We've never sleep trained. Our nearly 3 year old still sleeps with us sometimes. She's smart and loving and really well-behaved and generally sleeps easily unless she's unwell. We both get loads of sleep and function well at our busy, stressful jobs.

 

[Rainbow82]

Let's bust those myths being spouted as THE thing your baby will/should be doing sleepwise for their age. I want to hear the reality, the good and the terrible. I want everyone to feel they can join in

General:
How old is your baby? 5 1/2 months
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? Yes, usually. Doesn't feed or take long to resettle at night.
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) reflux-doesn't affect his sleep but he vomits almost all of every feed, to ensure he gains sone weight we have to dream feed him an extra bottle every night after he sleeps but as he has been known to vomit large amounts in his sleep we need to keep checking him.
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? Naps are more difficult now and nights are easier as no feeds but I'm up more times during the night to quickly resettle him.

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? 8-5:30 is
How many times on average are you woken up? 2-5 just to quickly give him his dummy or strike his face to settle him, no more than five mins each time.
Where does baby sleep at night? In cotbed next to us.
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? At night he no longer settles himself which he used to so it is a 30min process of rocking and singing Xmas carols. It's October and I am fed up of bloody Xmas carols but it's only yhing that settles him.
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Not any more.
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? No

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? Where possible two hour nap morning and afternoon
Where do they nap? On me, in bouncer, in cot. Rarely in pram if we are out but more likely if we are out he refuses to nap and I'm in for s bad day and night.
How many naps? 2
Nap duration? 30mibs-2 hours. Usually over 1.5hoyrs of at home.
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? Yes in the afternoon or if we are not at home. Sometimes nothing helps and he won't nap.
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Rocking and singing sometimes over 30 mins.

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? No, OH is amazing at sharing the load.
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? No
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? Yes, after all vaccinations and a couple lately from teething.
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? Of course. All of the above.
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? No idea, they are all individual so I try not to think about it.
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep?
And the best? Haven't read anything.

 

[kellyc1987]

General:
How old is your baby? 7 months
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? Both, good at night and crap in the day
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) No
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? Has slept through from about 3 months, bad at napping from 4 monthd

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? 7-5.30
How many times on average are you woken up? 0
Where does baby sleep at night? In a cot in his own room
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? Bath,say goodnight to his lamp, bottle, bed... Do not give a bath everynight
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Yes
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? Tried cry it out for naps but didn't stick to it

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? no
Where do they nap? Anywhere I can manage to get him to sleep
How many naps? 2-3
Nap duration? 30mins-1hr
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? Yes always
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? No

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? No
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? Yed
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? No
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? yes for naps
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? behind for naps
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? He will just drop off when he is tired
And the best? Use lavender room spray in his room before bed

 

[_Meep_]

General:
How old is your baby? 15.5 months.
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? No, not really!
Why/why not? She still hasn't really recovered from her 4 month sleep regression - sorry ladies!
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) Not that I know of, but she twitches a lot as she falls asleep!
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? For the first 4-5 months she napped all the time and never woke me at night by crying - instead, she would root around in her sleep, feed in her sleep and then go back into her cot asleep. Bliss! Now, she wakes me up crying every night. Lol.

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? Usually from around 7/8 pm to 7/8 am - 12 hours.
How many times on average are you woken up? On a good night, around 3.
Where does baby sleep at night? In a cot in her room ... then in bed with me after she wakes up.
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? My partner can usually get her to sleep within 10 minutes by lying on the sofa with her. She won't sleep for me at all lol.
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? I've never really tried putting her down to sleep alone as I am 99% sure it wouldn't work.
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? No.

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? She only has one nap a day now unfortunately, usually after lunch, though sometimes before if she is clearly tired.
Where do they nap? She is put into her cot after she falls asleep.
How many naps? One. Poop.
Nap duration? Anywhere from 20-90 minutes.
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? I do! My partner doesn't - swine.
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Yes.

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? Besides burning rage and feeling like shit, no.
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? Yes. The worst is when you desperately need the toilet.
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? Actually, no - at least, not because of baby.
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? Frequently ... I think we all have!
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? Maybe a little behind, if all these mothers with their toddlers who sleep through aren't talking nonsense.
What's the worst piece of advice you have read or been given relating to sleep? Omg. My MIL (dumbest person alive) is still under the impression that letting a baby get REALLY TIRED will make them sleep better and for longer. No hard evidence I can present will dissuade her from spouting her genius theory whenever she can.
And the best? Your baby won't still be waking up to breastfeed or sleeping with you when she is 18. Stick it out.

 

[mummytobe_93]

General:
How old is your baby? Nearly 12 weeks
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? Yes. Good sleeper compared to his older sister by a long Mile!
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) suffers with colic and reflux but is improving a lot
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? He used to be up all night, to up every single hour with wind and cluster feeding and then decreased to a few times and now it's only once or twice so improved a lot

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? Will usually do a 5-6 hour stretch w feed them a 3 hour stretch. Goes to sleep when we go to sleep
How many times on average are you woken up? 2
Where does baby sleep at night? In my bed or in the co sleeper
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? Feed to sleep and then sometimes he fusses so I have to leave him and pat his stomach with white noise on loud. Sometimes it's very difficult sometimes it's easy. It depends if he is over tired and fussy or not.
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Not usually
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? No and I wouldn't until he was older

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? No
Where do they nap? Usually on me or in the car seat in the car or in the pram
How many naps? Probably about 4 very short naps a day- naps are w nightmare
Nap duration? 20 mins on and off
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? Usually
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Not always sometimes I feed him, sometimes I rock him, push in the pram or go in the car

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? With my first I suffered with depression because of 7 months of no sleep. This time I'm ok
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? Yes all the time
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? Yes quite a lot to begin with
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Yes and cried
Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? Yes
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? No I think he his ok
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? To leave them to cry and feed on schedule at night
And the best? Mummy knows best, use your initiative. Also breaking the feeding to sleep early helps s lot as I had a nightmare with my daughter Trying to stop it as she got older.

 

[hlynne]

General:
How old is your baby? 4 1/2 months
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? Yes, I think he has always slept pretty well.
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) No
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? He has recently in the past week slept longer and naps longer.

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? 12 hours (only in the past week)
How many times on average are you woken up? Once
Where does baby sleep at night? Crib
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? Always the same....Books, bathe, feed (I used to feed to sleep but not anymore)
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Yes (only in the past week)
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? Yes, I guess. My pediatrician told me that he is definitely able at his age and weight to sleep through the night. So, he said to let him cry for 30 minutes. I let him cry one night (16 minutes and he was out. No tears, he just yelled every 30 seconds). Ever since I let him cry that one time, he has only woken up at night once. He yelled a bit and put himself right back to sleep. He just finds his hand and sucks on it for about 10 minutes. I am so happy I did that. Me and baby are so much happier!

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? Pretty much. Goes to bed 1 1/2 hours after he wakes at 7am. Sleeps for about 90 minutes. Then goes back to sleep at 2pm. Sleeps for about another 90 minutes.
Where do they nap? Crib
How many naps? 2, sometimes 3
Nap duration? 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? Before this week, yes. Not anymore.
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Yes

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? I have been sick a couple of times. I guess that was do to lack of sleep because I never get sick.
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? No
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? Yes, in the beginning
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? Yes!!! I pray over him all the time.
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? Probably advanced, but maybe on schedule.
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? Your baby will get better on their own. They don't need to be trained.
And the best? Letting him cry a bit, not CIO though.

 

[k4th]

General:
How old is your baby? 12 weeks
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? Yes - at night he sleeps pretty well, waking twice for a feed.
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) reflux that comes & goes. It went away for a while but seems to be back with a vengeance as of last night.
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? Just keeps going for longer stretches.

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? 6pm -7am with 2 feeds at 10.30pm & around 4am ish.
How many times on average are you woken up? Twice for feeds. Up to 4 times with reflux or to be resettled.
Where does baby sleep at night? In a crib next to our bed.
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? Always do the same thing. Feed whilst playing lullaby (same one every night). Lights off for this feed. Burp & then bounce gently on the bed whilst he drifts off. It's pretty easy now the routine is set - he can't resist the lullaby lol!
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Very rarely - if I'm seeing to dd.
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? No.

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? I'm attempting EASY, but it's not that easy!! he's doesn't like naps
Where do they nap? On me or in the buggy. I'm going to try & get him to nap properly in his cot next week when dd is back at school. I think he'll be more settled there.
How many naps? 3-4.
Nap duration? 30mins to 2 hours. No guessing which it will be
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? Yes - I pace with him. It kills my back!!
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Just the pacing. Need to get some consistency I think!

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? Yes, with dd though not ds. Mostly just run down, cold sores etc.
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? Yes. I've also sat in the car on my own drive for an hour afraid to move ds because I know that will wake him
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? No
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? Oh yes - again more with dd than ds. She was awful when she got overtired, so I make sure ds never goes over 1 hr 30 mins awake time before a nap. This really helped with my two!
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? Pretty normal I guess. I don't have many friends with similar ages babies though
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? "Let them sleep when they want to". Neither of my babies had any clue about when to nap & got so upset when they were overtired that settling could take up to two hours of crying (the worst it got with dd).
And the best? Watch for sleepy cues. First yawn, start to settle. Oh & the lullaby consistently every bedtime - we use the same lullaby with ds we used with dd - it can still send her to sleep now and she's 4

 

[jodilee6]

I'm on my phone so will summaries...

DS2 is 13 weeks and an okish sleeper.

He catnaps during the day so takes 3/4 45 minute naps a day, he's waking tired so could do with more sleep but just doesn't seem to be able to move through sleep cycles unless he's held or were out walking which isn't always possible with DS1

Night times he sleeps 8:30-5:30 waking for a feed then 5:30-7:30, he will stir around 2 & 4 but is easily resettled. He sleeps in a crib next to our bed but is getting too big, I'm not ready for him to go into his own room yet.

He has reflux which has flaired up and is bothering him more in the day rather than night, we're working on getting it back under control but meds don't seem to be helping at the moment.

We have no schedule at the moment tho DS is starting to take naps around the same times each day, he's held/cuddled to sleep for the majority of his naps but has been known to self settle if I can get him down at the right time.

My mood has had dips, especially in the beginning as DS2 couldn't sleep at night unless he was held which meant I didn't get much sleep to start with. I've often thought in my head "please just shut up and go to sleep" tho this is more when DS2 is crying as he's tired and DS1 is playing up!

I'd say he's on track for developments but is a grumpy baby so is hard to get smiles out of and I can count on one hand how many times I've heard him giggle!

 

[louiseee]

General:
How old is your baby? Nearly 5 months
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? Generally pretty good besides sleep regression and illness.
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?)No
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? A sleep regression at 4 month that resulted in hourly wake ups.

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? Usually about 8-10 hours,sometime's has the odd night feed.
How many times on average are you woken up? Once occasionally, more when poorly.
Where does baby sleep at night? In a cot in her own room.
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? Dummy and comfort blanket tends to work,sometime's rocking to sleep if she's overtired.
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? With a dummy, yes.
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? No.

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? No she sleeps when she shows tired signs.
Where do they nap? In her cot, in the pushchair when out.
How many naps? 3 or 4 usually
Nap duration? Can be anywhere from 20 minutes to one hour.
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? Yes, its harder then nighttime.
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Yes.

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? No.
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? Yes.
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? No.
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? Absolutely yes!!
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? On schedule i'd say.
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? Give baby rice in a bottle to fill her ha.
And the best? Do what you have to in the early days to get through.

 

[Larkspur]

Great thread and will fill out later when I don't have a toddler napping on me but I would strongly advise people reading to regard answers from anyone with a baby under 5 months old as provisional only!!

 

[_Meep_]

^ Haha!!!! Indeed ... IT WILL ALL CHANGE.

 

[Larkspur]

How old is your baby? DS 3y2m / DD 17m
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? DS great now, bad till 15/16 months / DD terrible
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? No
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? Both great till 4 months old, then became awful (waking 2-8 times every night). DS started sleeping through by 18 months and has generally been awesome since, DD still kinda sucks.

How long does baby sleep at night? Both 7-6.30 (11.5 hours)
How many times on average are you woken up? 1-3
Where does baby sleep at night? DS bed in own room, DD starts in cot then I cosleep in bed in her room
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. DS stories then lights out, DD nurse in dark then into cot
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Yes, both
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? No

Does your baby have a nap schedule? Both nap from 11am till 12.30pm
Where do they nap? DS his bed, DD cot or occasionally my lap
How many naps? 1
Nap duration? 1.5hr
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? No
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Yes

Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? Not on the whole though I am a bit more tired than I used to be. After a really bad night I'm more snappy.
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? Not so much now but yes, many times!
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? Only when kids are sick
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? Yes, multiple times!
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? DS seems better than most now, DD seems worse!
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? Just "let them grizzle for a bit". Haha, okay, if by 'grizzle' you mean 'escalate to hysterical sobs within seconds'.
And the best? They're not giving you a hard time, they're having a hard time.

 

[Taurus8484]

And the best? They're not giving you a hard time, they're having a hard time.

Love this.....so true

 

[Kirsty3051]

General:
How old is your baby? DS1 - 10 months. DS2 - 1 month.
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? DS1 - Yep. DS2 - Could be better but can't complain.

Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) - DS1 - Nope. DS2 - Nope.
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? DS1 - Not really. He's always been a good sleeper. DS2 - Probably too early to say.

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? DS1 - 19:30-08:30-09:00. DS2 - 22:00-07:30, wakes at least twice.
How many times on average are you woken up? 2-3 times usually.
Where does baby sleep at night? DS1 - Cot in his brother's room. DS2 - In his brother's cot, next to our bed.
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? DS1 - Bath, boob, lay down. He goes off by himself 9 times out of 10. DS2 - Bath, boob, cuddle, boob, cuddle, doze, boob, cuddle, doze. You get my point.
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? DS1 - Yes. DS2 - No.
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? Not really. We have a good routine that we stick to. Other than that, I follow their lead.

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? DS1 - Goes down at around 1pm and I wake him up at 14:30. DS2 - We have a rough routine but it's not as set as DS1's.
Where do they nap? DS1 - Cot upstairs. DS2 - On me, moses basket downstairs, in his swing, sling, pushchair. Wherever he drops really!
How many naps? DS1 - 1 decent nap. DS2 - lots of little naps throughout the day.
Nap duration? DS1 - 1hr30ish. DS2 - 20-40 minutes on average.
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? Both easy.
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Yep.

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? Not really.
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? Daily.
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? I've had a few nights where I've only managed a couple of hours total, but never none whatsoever.
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? DS2 most nights. I'm not good with the night feeds.
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? DS1 is perfect, couldn't ask for better. Not sure about DS2 yet. He could be a lot worse.
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? Switch to formula and add rice cereal to his bottle (DS2).
And the best? They're only small and depend on you for so long. Appreciate every second.

 

[xprincessx]

General:
How old is your baby? 9 weeks 2 days
Would you describe them as a good sleeper? Why/why not? Yes, she sleeps on her own in her moses basket and sleeps for a long period of time overnight
Does your baby suffer from any health conditions that affect their sleep? (including colic and reflux?) No
How has baby's sleep changed throughout their life so far? Yes, she now sleeps through the night and has done for almost 2 weeks now

Night Time:
How long does baby sleep at night? From about 7.30/8.30 - 6.30am
How many times on average are you woken up? None
Where does baby sleep at night? In her moses basket next to our bed
Describe the process of getting baby to sleep. Do you rock? Do you always do the same thing? Is it difficult? She has her sleepsuit put on, has her milk and we lay her down in her basket with a blanket covering her and her dummy, we leave the room and put the baby monitor on. If she loses her dummy and cries we go in silently and give it back to her, we then leave again and she falls asleep herself.
Does your baby fall asleep on their own? Yes
Have you done any kind of sleep training? If so, what? I don't know if you can call it sleep training but the above ^

Naps:
Does your baby have a nap schedule? No, she naps when she is tired
Where do they nap? In moses basket
How many naps? About 2/3 a day
Nap duration? 2ish hours per nap
Do you have to work your arse off to get them to nap? Nope
Do you do the same things consistently for naps? Yes, always the same as at night

You:
Have you suffered any health issues because of sleep deprivation? No
Have you ever found yourself unable to sit down/move because your baby is sleeping on you? No
Have you ever had a night with no sleep whatsoever? No
Have you ever begged your baby to go to sleep? Prayed to the gods? Got so frustrated you thought you might burst? No
Do you feel your baby is behind, on schedule or advanced in terms of their ability to sleep? Advanced
What's the worst piece of advice you have read our been given relating to sleep? "leave them to cry"
And the best? "Don't hold them while they sleep"

Now my DS is a different story. I held him every time he slept and ended up having to co-sleep from 2 months old until he was 3 and a half YEARS old. He went in his own room at that point but required cuddling to sleep (took up to 2 hours each night) and woke up to 4/5 times a night. He is now 5 years old and only since the summer holidays does he now go to sleep on his own...I was not going to make the same mistake again!!