The Myth of the “Good Baby”

Some babies sleep through the night early.
Some babies wake hourly like it’s a personal mission.

And somewhere along the way, we decided one of these babies is “good.”

Let’s gently—but firmly—throw that idea away.

Temperament: The Thing No One Warned You About

Research in infant temperament shows babies are born with different neurological wiring. Some are:

• More sensitive to stimulation

• Slower to adapt

• More intense in expressing needs

This isn’t parenting. This is biology.

Studies by Thomas & Chess (the OG temperament researchers) identified traits like adaptability, intensity, and sensitivity that strongly influence sleep patterns—regardless of parental effort.

So when one baby naps anywhere and another needs a full production?
That’s not morality. That’s temperament.

“Good Sleepers” Aren’t Better Babies

They’re just babies whose nervous systems settle more easily.

And babies who need more support aren’t broken—they just require more regulation while their brains mature.

Spoiler: all babies eventually sleep.

The timeline is not a character reference.

The Takeaway

There are no good babies or bad babies.
Only tiny humans doing their best with the nervous systems they were born with.

And parents doing their best to survive it.