The above incident had me referring again to a study published in the
Medical Journal of Australia Vol 161 1 August 1994, pp 202-206.
"The sleep patterns of normal children" Armstrong KL, Quinn RA &
Dadds MR.

This is the definative work on  sleeping habits of (Australian)
children's to 38 months.  It is a very nice piece of research because
they surveyed 3269 parents, with a 96.5% response rate!!!, over a one
week period.  The parents had to report on their child's sleeping
habits over the past 24 hours, plus answer a few questions related to
their perceptions of their child's sleep behaviour.

What did they find?
1. There is a wide range of normal childhood sleep behaviour.
2. Circadian rhythm is not well established until four months of age.
3. Daytime sleep becomes less regular with increasing age, the most
marked reduction in length occurs around 3 months of age. However, a
surprising 11%  under 3 months of age  don't have a daytime sleep
every day.
4. Frequent night waking that distubs parents is common from 4-12
months (12.7% disturb their parents 3 or more times every night)
5. Night time settling requires more parental input from 18 months.
6. Nearly a third of parents have a significant problem with their
    child's sleep behaviour

Sleeping through the night:  71.4% did this on at least one occasion
by 3 months of age, but many of these relapse into more frequent
waking in the 4 to 12 month period.  It is not until after 24 months
that regular night waking (requiring attention) becomes much less
common.

While the study did not address breastfeeding, it is relevant
because a lack of understanding of "normal" sleep patterns can lead
to comping, early solids, belief there is not enough milk, etc.  The
authors claim it also leads to misdiagnosis of gastro-oesophageal
reflux and overuse of sedative medication. A worrying 31% of 25-38
month-old children were disciplined (mostly smacking) to get them to
settle.  27% of parents let their children cry, 11% at less than one
month!

I like the study because it is fact over mythology, and very
reassuring to the mothers of babies who don't settle easily or don't
sleep through the night.  Very useful in parent education - it comes
complete with a summary chart.

Ros Escott
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"In every work the beginning is the most important part,
especially in dealing with anything young and tender." Socrates