Can a baby be TOO good?

Flaxseed Please don't compare your little DGS against the milestones DDs friends babies have reached I for some reason have always found my DG's very laid back all 4 of my DDs sons have been very contented but hey when my DGD arrived we certainly knew we had her a totally different baby in every way always unsettled and very clingy she is the same now and she is 16 .

I could never believe my luck with such an easy baby, ate, slept and even after I had quite a traumatic c. delivery......she is just concluding her Enginereering finals so no worries there. I choose to believe that she was contented as we, compared with many new parents we met at the time and subsequently observed, were actually both extremely "relaxed" as I'm sure babies do pick up on emotions around them. So please don't get yourself anxious, enjoy and if anything is wrong cope with it "if" it ever happens

I can't give any medical advice, but one of my sons is severely autistic, and he certainly was not a textbook baby. He reached all his milestones in time, and was a very inquisitive baby from early on, started talking at 5 months, then sadly lost all his speech around 3-4 years. His sleep has always been an issue. His sleep pattern is very unpredictable and fretful, and now at 16 he can survive on a couple of hours of sleep per night. Let's just say, I haven't slept properly for over 16 years either. What I'm trying to say that sleeping through the night is not a sign of autism. In fact all the children with autism that I have met in my son's school have problems with sleeping, though at different levels.

The fastest thing our son ever did was being born! He was a very contented baby who has grown up to be an amazing laid back 40 year old. He was an absolute doddle as a baby and that has never changed. His elder sister was a very different kettle of fish but she has also grown up to be a delightful woman. Enjoy the peace and quiet and hope that it lasts!

Yes.
Why is anxiety so prevalent nowadays?

My first son cried a lot and didn’t sleep through the night until he was two. My second son hardly ever cried, in fact if he woke in the night he would just suck his fist not cry. He has always been happy and laid back but very shy until he reached adulthood. When he started school his teacher referred him for a hearing test as during play periods he would just sit and play with something getting very engrossed in what he was doing and not hearing the teacher when she spoke to him. If she had asked me I could have told her that he always used to amuse himself and would play for hours with his Lego. He has always been contented with life and didn’t strive for success in his studies or sport like his brother but his personality has brought him a lovely wife, a nice house, lots of friends and a job as a service engineer which he loves.

Please don’t worry, just enjoy his differences and him.

Yes I had the most contented baby who only ever cried a few minutes before feed time. My gd was also a dream baby, never seemed to cry or winge. I think it’s about how the parents are. My son and dil were very laid back as was I, so try not to worry and enjoy.

My 1st granddaughter was an absolute dream from the day she was born and even today age 16 ! Everyone who came into contact with her said it was just like having a little dolly to play with, she did everything she was supposed to and never made a fuss. She is still now very kind, very placid and a joy to spend time with. She was a one off tho, my other 4 GC have not been like her ! Dare I say they were “ normal” with the usual trials and tribulations .... not sleeping, colic, tantrums etc etc Just enjoy the baby exactly how he is ? they are all very unique ....

My second son was a very content baby, didn’t even wake at night after the first few days - in fact the midwife said to wake him up in case he got dehydrated. He has been a joy all his life (so far) more or less average in development goals etc, very bright but fairly average in his class at school, now has his own business as a decorator, never out of work, likeable personality, naturally kind and loving, and has loads of commonsense.

My daughter was really easy. She slept, ate and slept some more. Very smiley to everyone she saw. She's 36 on Wednesday and has 3 daughters of her own but she's fine and reasonably well adjusted. So stop worrying. Just enjoy it.

I had a very contented baby boy ( he’s 25 now). He slept very, very well and was a dream. The other ladies from my anti-natal classes were so envious to the point of being nasty, as their baby girls were all nightmares. My son was hardly ill and hardly cried. Even when he had chicken pox at 1, he was happy. He’s a very tall, well developed normal guy now. I’m sure you have nothing to fear.

...and he was two weeks early after I was induced, I was admitted to hospital at 36 weeks with pre-eclampsia as well.

Two of my three baby boys were "model" babies, the third didn't sleep through the night until he was two and a half. p

My grandson is 5 months old, has always been placid, now he can respond he smiles and chuckles at everyone, is happy for anyone to pick him up. He does have very calm parents and although his two step siblings are just in their teens they are similar in temperament, their mum has always had boundaries with them and routine and they don’t push their luck, so perhaps it is part nature and part nurture.

If you are anxious no doubt you will worry, but it does sound as if this is just a happy, content and relaxed baby.

My daughter's second baby is very content and smiley. I put it down to my daughter being much less stressed than she was with her first. Just enjoy him. Our grandson is a pleasure to babysit.

My friend's baby was so good & placid we often forgot about her. One day we left her out in the back garden in her walker (she was under a year) & only realised it had started raining when the dog started scratching the back door to come in! Baby was sitting there quite content trying to catch raindrops!! She is now a high powered business woman. (We were dreadful young mothers only just 21 & 2 and it wouldn't have occurred to us to worry!)

I can understand your concern. We 'study' our children/ GC more diligently these days and it is difficult not to compare them with other babies of a similar age. Because he is so placid no doubt the people around him are also calm and happy which reflects back in his behaviour. When he hits the 'terrible twos' you will probably be saying what a noisy, difficult little toddler he is!

My eldest son was a happy contented baby who smiled at everyone and very rarely cried, even if he was unwell - he just became quieter. He was a delight to have around and I was very thankful for that as I suffered from PND after his birth and if he had been a difficult baby I'm not sure I would have coped.

Once he had two brothers of course the usual sibling rivalry began followed by the teenage angst years. He is now a very happy and laid back 39 year old who, when his second child decided to arrive very quickly, calmly got on with delivering her without batting an eyelid! Both of his children were also calm, quiet, happy babies - till they got to about 2 1/2 !

I'm sure there is nothing to worry about. Just enjoy the peace!

I can only echo a couple of other posts here about autistic spectrum babies. My son has high functioning Aspergers and was a total and complete nightmare as a baby. When he was awake he was screaming - always unhappy, wouldnt be comforted, hated being picked up or nursed. Luckily he did sleep or I dont know how I would have coped. He was the very opposite of calm and placid. Daughter (who is not on the spectrum) never slept as a baby but was invariably cheerful and chilled out.

My gd was as good as gold as a baby. Always slept well and had a smile permanently stuck on her face.

She is now 2........

She will not do as she is told, hits her sister, is constantly naughty and wingey. Her mother is at her wits end. She thought her sister was bad but my goodness.

Enjoy the little darling while you can as when she reaches 2 you will know about it. ?

He sounds like my eldest gs who was a lovely, happy baby even when unwell. Everyone adored him and this continued through childhood. He is now a lovely, but often grumpy, and very typical teenager so make the most of yours now!

My youngest was the most placid and easy going baby until he was 2 and turned into a wild and boisterous toddler. Maybe make the most of this time assuming there are no major problems. Relax and enjoy!

I remember being concerned about my first son because he was so quiet, slept a lot, fed easily. In fact he was no trouble at all and I thought motherhood was a piece of cake. He's now 57 and perfectly normal, although has remained a quiet person.
Then I had another son who was the complete opposite in every way...all hell was let loose! But he grew up to be normal too.
So try not to worry too much, although I do understand how you feel, as I felt worried too.

Assuming his hearing is fine (and that's checked at 6 months?), do not worry.

My Daughter was a perfect baby, never woke unless I did it. Very contented and laughed a lot. She just loved her sleep and still does now she is 42. She was and is a high achiever.
My son was the same, but didn’t need as much sleep.

Flaxseed I did research into Autism at the Institute of Psychiatry, not all that long ago. I had to assess and diagnose Autism. So, please believe me, your delightful DGS is too young to assess. It is true that retrospectively parents of Autistic children do report a high number of "good" babies.

However, this is not a red flag and many babies who do not develop Autism are contented, easy-going and uncomplaining, like your DGS.

My middle daughter has 4 children, the 4th is amazingly easy-going. He didn't complain about anything as a baby. No. 3 as a toddler, amused us by doing so many weird things but also had marked speech delay. We were quietly watching in case any more "Autistic" signs appeared. I have Autistic relatives. DGS3 seems fine and dandy. No 4 is now a toddler and the two of them are a big handful getting up to all sorts of pranks.

My DD no3 has a second child, now 1yr old, who was also a baby who never complained, slept like a log where ever you put him and was just so easy it made you feel guilty! I shall have a word with him about this when he's older as his mum gave me a terrible time when she was a baby and I thought that at last she would find out what it was like... (She's one of those people for whom everything always goes perfectly so she thinks it must be my fault if she cried as a baby for example.)

I expect you can see where I'm going... Please stop watching and worrying over your lovely DGS and try to simply enjoy him! None of us has a crystal ball, so don't spoil today imagining bad things about tomorrow. Just let him be himself and love him for it. Let each day take care of itself.

Wishing you good luck with CBT, it's great stuff!