I will never be someone to tell you that you're supporting your baby too much, giving them too much attention and love, or "creating a rod for your own back" when it comes to sleep. Until your methods of settling are not working for you or your baby, and while you're both happy, keep on going!

Your baby is only small for a moment in the grand scheme of their lifetime, and they've spent the first 9 months of their existence being kept warm and safe by your body and the sound of your voice. Yet, so much pressure is put on parents of young babies to "teach them to self-soothe or they'll never learn!". Nonsense! 

(And I don't say that just because 'self-soothing' or self-regulating is not a skill to be learnt but a biological process that your child's brain will eventually be developmentally ready to do)...

The best way you can encourage sleep time to be calm and comfortable for all involved, is to show them that they are not alone, that this period of time apart from you that lies ahead, is not forever and that you'll always be there if they need you. My favourite way of expressing this is to talk about co-regulation leading to self-regulation: The more you support your little one to calm, and respond when they indicate that they need you as you move away, the more they will trust that, no matter what, you are there to keep them safe. 

And yes, some babies are just born with a very calm temperament. They are the type of baby able to be put down in their bassinet at the first signs of tiredness, wriggle a little until their eyes gently close. Other babies, just aren't wired that way and they need more help to unwind and switch off. They need the warmth of your cuddles, and the reassurance of your voice. 

But just because one baby is mostly very calm and easy to settle to sleep, this doesn't mean they won't need more help some days than others. Your Baby's sleep, just like our sleep as adults, is dependent on so many things: the environment we're in (are we somewhere new, is it too hot or too loud?), the day we've had (is our brain buzzing with lots of new information we've learnt over the last 12 hours? have we been apart from the person we care about most and just want that bit more time before sleep takes over? When did we last eat?)...

So, try not to be disheartened if your 'easy' baby has seemingly lost the ability to sleep without a cuddle or a feed. 

One day, whether that's next month, next year, when they're 3, 7 or 12, they'll turn to you as you go to lie down and cuddle them to sleep, and ask you to pass them their teddy, or their book. They'll tell you 'I'm ok now. I'm ready to fall asleep a different way' (but don't worry because maybe the next week, they'll welcome you back for a cuddle-to-sleep with open arms). 

I'm not ashamed to say, at the grand old age of 28, I still enjoy a cuddle in bed with my mum and some days and weeks, I need more support from the people around me than others. Never let anyone tell you that it's not ok for your baby, so small and so new to this big old world, does not sometimes (or perhaps always...for now), need that same support.