Waking baby

Every child is different with their own rhythm. I can't remember it so well anymore from my girls, they are already preschoolers now. But we want a third, so I'll have to get used to it again But anyway, back to your question: my girls only started sleeping through when they were 3 months old. Exactly at 3 months. I had a crib next to our bed where I put them, and I would nurse them, so it was easier if she was next to me in her crib with the nursing. I never really asked for advice from the pediatric health center (consultatiebureau), I just followed my gut feeling. That felt better to me, the child came from me, so as a mother, I intuitively knew better. The pediatric health center says one thing now, and something else in a few years. Books are different from practice; it often works differently in reality. They can say do it this or that way, but in practice, it often works very differently. Like I decided to delay the vaccinations. I gave my girls the option to postpone until they were 1 year old. I also never followed their advice on other things like parenting. I think every child is different, so every child reacts differently. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. I did keep a routine, but not as strict as the pediatric health center suggests. Because it also has disadvantages: a child that is too used to the same routine every day will get very upset when things go differently. I just looked at how my children were and did everything from there. I wouldn't look so strictly at how it should go, but just when your child is a bit older, then start a bit of a fixed schedule. For me, it only started when they began sleeping through, so at 3 months. Before that, I just accepted that it was like that, not sleeping or staying awake. I would just keep your child with you for sleeping for now until your child starts sleeping through a bit. Then it will become easier to establish a fixed routine. Greetings, Madelene

I just want to start by saying that every child is different. The books provide a standard that almost no child actually fits. Mine is no exception, and thank goodness for that!

My daughter also slept really well at night and less during the day. Yes, she slept well on mom's arm, and wrapped up snug after a feed. A colleague of mine said something about this that has always stuck with me.. She said: we expect that a baby that has just come out warm from the womb, to be rocked to sleep and laid curled up, would suddenly just lie flat on her back to sleep without help.. I have to admit that I rocked my daughter to sleep a lot, and then laid her down on her side. That felt better for us and she slept much better because of it. My daughter never had a fixed routine and sleeps really well. She rarely wakes up and has been sleeping through (6 to 7 hours a night) since she was about 2 months old.

A friend always did everything by the book, and her child still doesn't sleep through (it's been 3 years now). She even had a sleep expert help her. Now I'm not saying that's the reason, it's also about the child, of course. But do what feels right for you!