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I think it's mostly luck...especially at the beginning when no one has a clue what they're doing so it probably has very little to do with how the parents act. I'll let you know for sure when the next baby comes along I agree with @Cherrybee: though that attitude plays a major part in it...along with your expectations!

Luck, mostly. But also attitude. Our daughter has always been a terrible sleeper, but I'd still categorize her as an "easy" baby. I didn't expect to sleep much, and she is incredibly easy going and happy during the day!

Part luck for sure. Because some temperament is clearly nature, not nurture. But to compliment that, I think some babies feed off the energy of the household. I aim to be as relaxed as possible and I swear when I have been at my most stressed/anxious, my LO feeds off my energy and mirrors it.

@Mrs. Confetti: I agree!

I had a very difficult time with the newborn stage and felt like my daughter was very challenging. However, I was stressed to the max and PPD was rearing its ugly head. I had supply issues with LO, which possibly/probably stemmed from feeling overwhelmed, which led to a hungry (and understandably grumpy) baby, which led to a more stressed me. So yeah, though it's easier said than done, I think the more relaxed you can be, the better!

Luck!!

I made friends with two HBers during my mat leave and it was interesting how all our babes were almost the same age, but all three were quite different in terms of their sleep. One LO STTN (12 hours) since 11 weeks and was also very easy to put down to sleep for naps and night. The other friend's LO was always up multiple times during the night, constantly bf-ing, and difficult to put to sleep. And my LO was somewhere in between! We all also EBF for over a year and are pretty like-minded in our views on things.....so i think a lot of it was luck! Which gives me hope and scares me for my next LO!

Honestly, I think it's mostly just luck at the beginning (at least in terms of how well they sleep). I think attitude starts to play a role once the baby is a little older.

I have a "dream baby"--fairly good sleeper since the beginning, intensely independent, cool with being set down, not high-maintenance, not colicky, not reflux, switched easily between bottle and boob early on: and I think this was COMPLETELY luck. I do agree with Mrs. Confetti that as Lettie has gotten older, she has mirrored our attitudes and we are both easy-going people and I like to think that maybe has a little bit of it, but honestly I really just think we lucked out to have such an easy-going baby. I still sometimes wonder when the other shoe is going to drop and we're going to have a tough go of it, haha! But our parents said we were both really good babies (we were the oldests)--it was our sisters you had to look out for!!

It's really luck in my opinion but that luck can change also. My DH and I felt super lucky to have such a sweet newborn, a dream baby in every aspect! She slept well and could sleep in the car and in her infant car seat while on errands, she ate on schedule, and met every milestone on schedule according to the textbook studies. We really just tried to count our blessings at the time and knew the bubble would burst at any moment. So we just tried to live in that moment and not think of anything else.

Sure enough now at 13 months, things are a lot different! Fun but so different! LOL! She is keeping us on our toes now....so feisty, throws her food, knocks things down, tears her books up. Etc. Things can always get better or take a turn for the worst so just live in the present moment..."expect the worst but hope for best". I do agree attitude will help you manage whatever that may come.

It might be a mix but more luck than parents IMO.

Support systems are also huge!

Even when an infant is securely attached as @Sapphiresun: described (and that attachment/bonding is important whether or not one practices "attachment" parenting) a lot of things depend on temperament and that is something you're born with! And a lot depends on sleep which is another thing we as parents have limited control over.

Edit to add, my answer is mostly based on EARLY early parenthood. Like 3 months and under. Definitely the first year. As time goes on of corse nurture plays a huge role! But even then the way we nurture our children has to take into account their personalities and lots of things beyond our control like their classmates.

Luck!

A lot of luck and just a little bit of attitude! Sadie was an incredibly easy and flexible baby (and now toddler). She barely cried & was sleeping at least eight hours straight by 7 weeks. Anyone can be a happy parent with lots of sleep! Of course no matter how easy the baby, there are hard parts. There are long nights, worries, stress... in those moments, it's how you handle it. Relax and follow your gut!

That said, I am confident that baby #2 will be a whole new world for me. No way I'm lucky enough to get two this easy. I'm terrified!

For me sleep deprivation is the absolute hardest thing about parenting, especially in those early weeks/months. If you are blessed with a good sleeper right off the bat, the yes, everything will be easier and happier. The only time I felt depressed after having LO was after going one week+ without sleeping more then an hour at a time- that messes up your brain!

Luck!

@Kimberlybee: I agree!!

Easy babies are nice but it can change quickly. DD who was a pretty easy baby (in my opinion - we still had our challenges, screamed in the car seat, couldn't latch well, took bad naps but was easy in that I didn't have to work to get her to sleep), is now a very tantrumy two year-old. DS, on the other hand, was a very difficult baby (never STTN, wouldn't nap except on me, screamed and cried all the time) was a great toddler, super laid back and easy. Then a difficult preschooler and now (for the most part) is back to being laid back and pretty easy.

I don't think it's luck, I think each child goes through their own phase of being easy/difficult.