5 Baby Temperaments & how it affects their sleep

It’s not you, It’s them!

If you’ve ever wondered why your baby doesn’t sleep like your friend’s baby, even though you’re both doing everything “right” - this one’s for you.

Because here’s the truth: it’s not you, it’s them.

Every baby is born with their own little personality, their own quirks, sensitivities, and rhythms. Just like adults, some are easygoing, some are intense, and some need a little extra support to feel calm and safe enough to sleep.

As a sleep consultant, I want to reassure you, your baby’s temperament plays a big role in how they sleep, how they settle, and how they respond to gentle sleep support.

Why Temperament Matters in Baby Sleep

When we understand our baby’s temperament, we stop trying to “fix” them, and start meeting them where they are. It’s not about forcing independence or sticking to someone else’s method. It’s about tuning in, noticing how they respond, and adapting how we comfort and settle them.

Let’s look at the most common baby temperaments and how each one relates to sleep.

🌤 The Angel Baby

The dream baby. Calm, content, and generally easy to please.

Sleep style: Angel babies tend to settle easily and adapt well to routines. They often fall asleep quickly and sleep through transitions with little help.

What helps: Consistency. Keep doing what’s working. Angels often thrive with gentle routines and may respond well to small tweaks in their sleep schedule.

If you’re lucky enough to have an Angel, enjoy it, and maybe keep this post handy for baby number two!

📘 The Textbook Baby

Predictable, steady, and right on cue with milestones. These babies are a little more sensitive than Angels but still relatively easygoing.

Sleep style: They often need a bit more reassurance before settling — think extra cuddles or contact naps. They might need a full 15–20 minutes of holding before being put down.

What helps: Gradual transitions. They respond beautifully to gentle, consistent routines and clear sleep cues. Patience pays off here — they’ll get there with love and time.

🌪 The Touchy Baby

Highly sensitive, easily overstimulated, and quick to react to change. Touchy babies feel everything deeply — sounds, lights, even your mood.

Sleep style: These little ones can find it hard to switch off, especially if they’ve missed their sleep window. Once overtired, settling can take longer.

What helps: Watch those cues closely — rubbing eyes, zoning out, or turning their head away are your signals. Keep the environment calm and dark, swaddle if appropriate, and offer a lot of comfort and reassurance.

Touchy babies often need you to help them feel safe enough to sleep. And that’s okay.

🌈 The Spirited Baby

Curious, determined, and oh-so-alert, these are the babies with serious FOMO (fear of missing out). They don’t want to miss anything that’s happening around them.

Sleep style: Spirited babies can struggle to wind down, especially in stimulating environments. They’ll fight sleep if there’s something (anything!) more interesting to look at.

What helps: Create a calm, dim environment and remove visual distractions. Gentle white noise can help too. Spirited babies need clear, consistent cues to know it’s time to rest, they’ll settle better once the world quiets down.

☁️ The Grumpy Baby

Intense, determined, and quick to let you know when something isn’t right. These babies can find transitions difficult and may resist sleep even when exhausted.

Sleep style: Grumpy babies might cry before every nap — no matter what you do. They don’t like being tired, but they don’t like going to sleep either.

What helps: Patience and persistence. Stick to a consistent routine, help them through transitions, and don’t take the fussing personally — this is just how they process the shift to sleep. They often thrive with hands-on settling and a predictable rhythm.

The Takeaway — “It’s Not You, It’s Them”

When we adjust our expectations and meet our baby’s temperament with understanding rather than frustration, everything changes. We stop blaming ourselves. We stop comparing. And we start to see sleep not as something to be “fixed”, but as a skill we can nurture together.

Your baby’s temperament doesn’t need to be changed, it just needs to be understood.

So the next time you wonder why your baby doesn’t sleep like someone else’s, remember:
✨ It’s not you, it’s them. And that’s perfectly okay.

Need Help Finding What Works for Your Baby?

Every baby is different, and every sleep journey is too. If you’re feeling stuck or unsure how to adapt your approach, I can help you tune into your baby’s unique temperament and find gentle, realistic solutions that work for your family.