[Bluenomi]

DD has always prefered to self settle, I could never rock her to sleep and I could only feed her to sleep if she was really tried and there wasn't the option of a bed. Even now as a toddler she donesn't want me in the room when she goes to sleep, I get sent out!

When she was little she'd grumble or cry a little as she settled but I could tell it was her going to sleep cry not a distressed cry. After a bit of that she's drift off to sleep happily all on her own.

[Pearlberry]

Mine went through stages. One month I would be able to just leave her, the next I needed to be with her. It may change when separation anxiety kicks in (or it may not)

[Schmig]

DD has always prefered to self settle, I could never rock her to sleep and I could only feed her to sleep if she was really tried and there wasn't the option of a bed. Even now as a toddler she donesn't want me in the room when she goes to sleep, I get sent out!

When she was little she'd grumble or cry a little as she settled but I could tell it was her going to sleep cry not a distressed cry. After a bit of that she's drift off to sleep happily all on her own.

This is my daughter all over. Never liked being rocked, never fed to sleep and hated being swaddled. She loves her own room and having her own bed. I had to put her in her own room in the cot at 12 weeks (rather than a bassinet in our room) earlier than I wanted to as I was waking her up at night! She is 3 now and a very independant child. She has always wanted to do things herself and I guess I just treated her like an adult from day 1. If she looked or acted tired I put her to bed and just left her to go to sleep. Always worked a treat for me. She is still a great sleeper.

[Fanny McPhail]

OP you appear to be discribing my DD! Rocking, patting, shushing always annoyed the crap out of her. Putting her down in bed and letting her sort it out for herself has always been her way.
I remember feeling sad because she didn't "need" me. Now at 19 months she is very affectionate and, while awake, is always kissing or cuddling me. When its time for sleep, I plonk her down in her cot and walk out of her room.
The only time she has fallen asleep on me was on a long haul flight.

[niggles]

My son is nearly 4 months now and still shows no signs of preferring to be held to sleep. He's always been happy to be swaddled and put down in his bed. From time to time my Dad (who needs to be cajoled to pry himself away from the baby ) will rock him to sleep and he's happy enough doing that when he's away from home. At home he settles best alone. As soon as we go in his room he starts to calm, as he is wrapped he grizzles a little but as soon as I pop in his dummy and put him in the cot it's almost like he sighs with relief.

[Balto1]

DS is like this. I have never needed to rock or pat him to sleep. He is six months now and still has never fallen asleep in my arms.

In fact, he will not sleep while I am in the room. Took me until he was six weeks to figure that he would drop off quickly once I was out of his line of sight.

[eskimoo]

Yep. DD has always settled herself to sleep. In fact, the only time she cries is when she is tired and being held. As soon as she's in her cot, she's happy and goes off to sleep by herself.
Only downside is that the cot is so comfy that she won't sleep in the car or pram

[50ftqueenie]

DD (now 3yo) was like this. If I tried to rock her to sleep she would scream. She was and still is very happy to go to bed. Many times she has asked to go to bed because she is tired. I think because difficult sleepers are so exhausting no one really hears much about the babies/toddlers who have no troubles. They do exist, it's just not polite to talk about it when others are doing it so tough

DS (6months) loved being rocked when he was younger and I have to say there is something delightful about having a baby fall asleep in your arms, but I'll take a self-settling baby any day.

[mm1981]

Yep, my 11 week old has from around 4 weeks.

Like you, I have a 2 year old. One night after 'helping' my baby to sleep for about an hour, I had to just leave him to attend to my 2 year old. Admirable he was crying quite hard, but my Toilet training son had had a poo accident that needed cleaning up. My baby screamed for about 10 mins before he fell asleep.

I gradually discovered that he actually stopped screaming as soon as I left the room, or of he did scream it was for less than one minute (with another child it was impossible to comfort him all the time).

Like you, I feel terrible (probably irrational) that he self settles at such a young age. My guilt gets to me sometimes and I go in and ''help" him when he is whining and he moves onto crying hystically and takes forever to go to sleep. So I have learnt to leave him.

He is such a happy boy, a bit different to my older son who was feed to sleep until he was almost one and still requires me to sing for about 20 mins before he will fall asleep.

[BadgerBasher]

Bean used to just grizzle intermittently for a while, then *plop* sleeping baby.
Recently she's had illnesses and now I have to carry her in the boba until she falls asleep and then transfer her to her cot.
I have to say I preferred her self-settling!