When all was said and done, I think we can all agree that Prince George has more personality in his little finger than both of his parents combined. Even when he was a newborn, his parents seemed overwhelmed by him – he was apparently really fussy, he cried all the time and whenever he was photographed, he just seemed pretty grumpy. So how does his sister Charlotte measure up? According to grandpa Charles, Charlotte is nothing short of a dream baby, especially compared to her brother.
Our yen for royal baby news is bottomless — luckily Prince Charles is here to help. The Prince of Wales, proud grandfather to 6-week-old Princess Charlotte, tends to get gooey about her. So no surprise he was spilling a tidbit to a group WWII vets Wednesday about her sleeping habits.
“We were talking about grandchildren, he was saying Princess Charlotte does sleep through the night and it was much easier on mum than Prince George.”
That “Mum” would be Duchess Kate of Cambridge, and the person Charles said this to was identified by the official Press Association as Geoff Bradley, who was at a tea party for Battle of Britain pilots and aircrews hosted by the prince at his London residence, Clarence House.
Charles, who publicly said he longed for a granddaughter shortly before Charlotte was born on May 2, may not be entirely in the know about Charlotte’s nightly sleep patterns since he’s not living with her. The Cambridges — son Prince William, Kate and their two babies — are living full-time at their country retreat, Anmer Hall, on the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Still, if Charlotte has started sleeping through the night, it marks a change from just a few weeks ago. About two weeks after Charlotte was born, Will met with the British women’s soccer team and told them his eyes looked tired because the baby had been keeping him up.
And George? He was a midnight wailer for quite a while. When the Cambridges stayed at Government House in Wellington, N.Z., during their April 2014 Down Under tour, Will jokingly apologized for George’s tendency to wake up and holler at 3 a.m. He was nine months old at the time.
That trip that they took with George was when he was just nine or ten months old, and yes, he was still a “wailer.” That was the same trip where George punched a baby, threw a stuffed animal gift on the ground just as soon as he received it and cried when the Aussie prime minister tried to talk to him. It was glorious. I had hoped that Charlotte would be full of piss and vinegar just like her bro, but she sounds pretty docile and easy-going. Kate must be thrilled that she got an “easy” baby this time around.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
yes, years from now when she’s dancing on the tables with her skirt over her head at least we can say, “she was such a good baby.”
I love this comment. I can totally imagine this being the case.
Lol.
Ha, sounds like me and my sister. I was the quiet one who clamped on to my parents like a leech. I was happy as long as someone held me.
My sister on the other hand was fussy and colicky and cried all the time. Even my grandmother who had told my mom “All babies cry” admitted my sister was always screaming her head off. To be fair it wasn’t entirely her fault. We didn’t know then she was lactose intolerant so poor thing was gassy and miserable all the time. There weren’t a lot of milk/calcium substitutes back in the early 90s apart from soy milk (that we knew of).
It’ll be fun to watch Charlotte grow up along with George. Maybe they’ll bring both of them on the next royal tour?
I was hoping she was full of personality. I hope we have some video from the christening so we can judge her personality for ourselves instead of these PR soundbites.
I agree. It’s so much more fun picturing George ordering his mum and dad around!
Although I will not lie. If I were taking care of a baby, I’d pick the midnight sleeper over the midnight wailer any day of the week. 🙂
Darling, that’s what Calpol is for……. 😉 and if that fails, I hear night nurses are cheap!!!!
LOL, LAK. There might be one looking for a job shortly too!
My kids are like this too. The first one is still a wailer (ha!), he was colicky in the first few months, but now he wails because the dreaded 2 year molars are coming and oh hell it is terrible; thank goodness my 3 month old is an easy sleeper, easy smiler. People say siblings are mostly like that.
Huh. Same thing here. Baby #1 was so miserable all the time I actually asked the doctor if there was something wrong with baby #2 because he wasn’t screaming.
Interesting. Mine was like that, too. The first one cried a lot for the first 6 months, while the second one was quiet. Funny thing is, my third one right now cried even more than my oldest one before. A pattern, perhaps? 😭
I was the 2nd baby. My older sibling was peaceful. I screamed until I lost my voice. Some babies just scream and some don’t. It’s a random pattern that seems common when there are only 2 choices from 2 choices.
My first two were actually the opposite. My 1st was pretty much a dream baby–easy pregnancy/delivery, took to BFing easily, slept thru nights at 6 weeks, would be fussy for only 24hrs and then 2 teeth would magically show up, etc. I thought, “Wow, I’ve got this parenting thing DOWN! Too easy!” (Ya, right…) But my 2nd on the other hand…horrible pregnancy, traumatic delivery, acid reflux & didn’t sleep thru the night for a year, teething was miserable for months and months. At 7 & 4 they’re still that way–#1 is independent & easy going while #2 is high drama and go go go all day long. 🙂
Mine were the same way. First one was a dream baby who slept through the night at 6 weeks with very little sleep training and was the easiest kid to schlep along with me wherever I went. Baby girl came out of me hollering her orders and disagreeing with our parenting decisions despite eating every three hours and getting plenty of sleep and love.
But she’s the one to give impromptu “I love you’s”, hugs and kisses, so she makes up for her disagreeableness… 🙂
@Lk – I feel your pain!! My daughter had colic and was always fussy, she didn’t sleep through the night until she was almost 10 months. Now she’s getting her 2 year molars and she’s just miserable, which means I’m miserable. I was not prepared for this. I’m pregnant with my second right now and I’m really hoping it’s going to be an easy baby (easier than my daughter at least).
Have to ask – what is sleep training? I am rather old, and I remember potty training , but I have never heard of sleep training. Please educate me!!
So its ok to let a baby sleep thru the night when they are so young? I do too cos there’s so much I can take but I have been told repeatedly to feed her every 2-4 hrs. Yea well, I gave up after a week and now sleep at night. I still feel so guilty for keeping her hungry for hours.
It depends. If they are gaining an appropriate amount of weight — medical staff are usually okay with it. So ask the baby’s medical team, that should help with the guilt! 😊
And sleeping through the night might mean 6 hours, that’s what I considered a full night at that age. And as long as they are eating enough during the day 6 or 7 ours sleep at night is fine.
all babies are different. the 2-4 hours only really happens first month, then it levels off. formula levels off faster that I notice, my br baby woke up more often. if baby is hungry, feed is my rule. try sleeping with baby next to you in bed(in a cosleeper bed) so you can soothe, feed or change quickly. it will pass. just be patient and get some help from your partner.
Sleeping through the night means around 6 hours at a stretch. Their bellies can’t go too long without food. Still, to a sleep-deprived mom, that’s heaven!
Yes, its usually 6 hrs, max 7 but compared to the misery of breastfeeding every 3 hours, thats heaven. Especially when each feeding session takes an hour on average until she is full.
Interesting that I am still told to feed her often at 2 months, which makes no sense to me when shes gaining enough weight on average, not to mention trying to force feed a baby thats still half asleep is a complete nightmare.
Nur, I was lucky enough to have a husband with a late-morning work schedule which helped me get more sleep. I would feed them at 11p and when they started crying at 2-3 am, he’d get up and warm up a bottle of breastmilk and feed them. I got a solid 5-6 hours of sleep between 11p- 5a and he’d sleep in until 8 or so.
He really enjoyed those times of rocking and feeding them and said he actually missed it when they dropped that feeding around 6-7 weeks.
I wouldn’t be trying to force feed a kid who’s not underweight either. Kids are so resilient — mom’s seem to worry way to much these days over little stuff.
Surely if bubs is hungry, they’ll wake up and cry?
I knew people whose 6 week old would sleep from 10pm right through till 6am with no problems. Theyd check her during the night but she just loved to sleep
George is a baby with hilariously grumpy and colourful expressions. However I am not sure if he will grow up to be full of personality like his toddler self. I think people are projecting a lot of positivity onto him cos he is still wee and cute and artless, but with two insipid, spoilt and work-shy parents, a host of servants at his beck and call, and undoubtedly more fawning individuals whom he will encounter through his life, there is every chance that he’ll turn out not too different from his daddy. Let’s just hope he has a better work ethic.
You’re probably right. Adorable toddler precociousness could turn into not-so-adorable arrogance.
Yes, perhaps she does or doesn’t but one thing is for sure: the Duchess sure gives birth to big babies. Charlotte, in the photos, looks to be around three months old.
Then, remarkably, within eight weeks of giving birth, Kate’s abdomen is as flat as a pancake. Not even one hint of stretched skin. Amazing!
Could it be, that Charles both times footed the bill for some surgical intervention?
I was the same though, depends on genetics (my mum didn’t get stretched skin) and pre exercise, I was a amateur triathlete and did bikram 4 times a week, swam ever day I was pregnant unti two days before the birth…..it’s amazing how that helps your body just react better…..
However I now do sod all but chase a toddler about lol
CarrieUK
If you don’t mind terribly since it’s personal info, but was your labour rather quick? I understand if you do not wish to disclose any personal information such as length of labour.
As a fact, women who get sedentary during pregnancy usually have a harder time with labour. I would expect athletes to give birth typically within four or five hours or less.
Citresse
It helps A LOT!
It’s keeping your body in top condition for the trauma it will go through. And fitness isn’t just about muscles. it’s achieved with overall health.
Though it isn’t a guarantee you’ll have an easy labor. Just improves your odds.
She has a remarkably long waist and never looked huge. I don’t think she needed surgical intervention.
Lucky her. So many end up with mummy tummy including Kim Kardashian and Hank’s wife (I forget her name). Hank’s wife feely admits getting surgical intervention and she worked very, very hard to get a pre-pregnancy shape. There were just a few spots really, really resistant to exercise ie usually stretched skin needing tummy tuck.
They said technically 4 hrs 10 mins so really quick, waters broke at 6pm and the munchkin arrived at 7.22am, contractions all over the place till 3am then it all went well…..however she was a few weeks early and I wasn’t expecting her so all if eaten all day was a bagel, that was a fail, I was so weak and damn hungry!!!
My munchkin is 20 months of and OMG she’s been teething like a monster since she was 6 months old, she’s so great but still a faff at nights. Hopefully should we be blessed with a second it’ll be the sleep full nights we are due, I know this won’t happen lol
I hope George and Charlotte grow up close, I love my siblings 🙂
Aw, sweet sentiment about your sibs. I hope the royal babies grow up close, too. William and Harry certainly seem to be. And hope you get some good quality sleep soon! 🙂
….Kate must be thrilled that she got an “easy” baby this time around….
You by “Kate” you mean “Nanny Maria”, right?? 😉
And the night nanny as well. Maybe they’re feeding this one enough. PGTips didn’t sleep through the night for months because he was hungry.
Pretty much.
Charlotte seems a little young to be sleeping through the night. Maybe some grand parental exaggeration?
My son was sleeping through the night at around that age.
Does this mean they can dismiss one of the night nannies? oh no, that would be too sensible, saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars and such!
I don’t believe for a minute that ‘mum’ is ever disturbed.
Maybe Princess Charlotte is sleeping through the night because parents aren’t as “anxious” with the second child as they are with the first. Babies pick up on the emotional vibes of others, especially their parents. My first was always excited to try new things early on and she progressed at a fairly standard rate with cutting teeth a few at a time and walking at 9 months and speaking single words before progressing to sentences. The second did things on his schedule, working things out in his head first, such as not walking until 18 months because he was not one to toddler a few steps and fall down or cutting all of his teeth including the 2 year molars in one week at 15 months or talking until he could carry on a complete conversation. Imagine my shock when the very first thing he ever said at almost 2 years old was not Dada or Mama but a clearly enunciated, “What’s for breakfast?”
….but we also know via their very own helpful ‘we are normal’ PR soundbites that PGtips didn’t sleep well and cried a lot because he was hungry. That stopped when at 6mths when they started weaning.
Perhaps they learnt that lesson and are feeding charlotte properly.
Those pictures of the babies together are just too much. ❤