When, if ever, did your baby get easier?
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Anonymous
Then you'll have some other parents saying that, oh, they don't stick to a schedule and they have "made" their baby easy-going by not worrying too much about nap or food schedule. Always made me roll my eyes. Yeah, my baby can skip the schedule, but I'm going to pay for it later in the day. Sometimes that is worth it, sometimes it is not, but don't tell me that I'm making my baby "need" a schedule. It got better around 9 months for us (crawling age), but really just gradually got slowly better as she got more and more ability to assert control over her little baby experience. She's a great 5 year old now. She still can be particular. |
Anonymous
| Different ages have different problems. Different parents have different strengths/weaknesses and stress points that also make them feel like different ages are easier/harder. I do think the phrase "little kid, little problem, big kid, big problem" is true. The difficulties just change over time. All of that said, in the younger years, I found that there was an improvement at 6-8 months when my child's colic finally fully subsided and he had a bit of personality and a noticeable improvement at 12 months when my child finally started sleeping through the night. Tantrums started at 2-2.5, so it was a different type of exhaustion, but I no longer felt like my kid was going to kill himself on the regular and we could more easily communicate with him, both of which made some things easier! Overall, I've felt that things have gotten easier over time (with the newborn days being the worst because of the pure exhaustion). |
Anonymous
Yep! This was my exact thought upon seeing the title of this thread. My LO was also a “particular” baby. Maybe “temperamental” is a word that some would use. She was also a pretty particular toddler. She’s just pretty opinionated and strong-willed…which are good things! Now that she can speak and has a lot more independence, she is SO much fun. She makes me laugh. As a baby, though, that manifested as a lot of fussiness and irritability. It’s hard to be a baby. You have no control over anything! |
Anonymous
| Mine has been intense since the day she was born. She's 10, and she's still intense, but she's so smart and so much fun. Personality is forever - you'll get used to it! |
Anonymous
Didn’t look through all the responses but would first say that I know as a first time mom you don’t know what you don’t know, but be grateful that your child does not have a medical issue or colic. My first had colic and it was six months of non-stop crying. Crying all the time - day and night, totally inconsolable. In terms of your child being particular, that could just be their personality (not easy going, more particular) or it could be a phase. I’m sure plenty of people have weighed in with anecdotes that highlight both possibilities. You may want to read about the big five personality traits: https://artsci.wustl.edu/ampersand/parent-trap#:~:text=Researchers%20considered%20the%20so%2Dcalled,%2C%20openness%2C%20conscientiousness%20and%20neuroticism. As your child ages it will be easier to see patterns of behavior that are aligned with various traits. |
Anonymous
| My first born was like this and never he is defiant loud and tantrums at 5, everything a fight. My second was a cutie pie baby and the easiest toddler. Parenting is hard. |
Anonymous
| My newborn and baby did have colic and he just got sick a lot from day care. You name it, he got it. His first 3 months were rough, then the colic went away but the day care sicknesses started. I would say apart from the sicknesses he was a pretty easy baby from 5 months - when he started walking. Then he was hell on wheels from 13 months to 2.5. Then he started getting easier, and was a very delightful 3 and 4 year old and up. |
Anonymous
| Idk this is obviously so individual because my particular kid was an easy baby compared to 1-2 1/2. That year and a half was just hell. No one can tell you how your kid is going to act. They are, quite literally, all different. |
Anonymous
+100. Also, for me, two tough things began at 4 months that led to crankiness: Teething, and frustration about wanting to move around but not being able to. The second one takes time. The first one -- Tylenol! |
Anonymous
For me, it was objectively super easy until 3. 3-year-olds are demon spawn. 4 is a lot better (though not perfect by any means). |
Anonymous
|
My dd was like this. She is an anxious and sensitive kid still to this day. But she’s also amazing. Agree to teach sign language because she was frustrated at the lack of communication before she could talk.
And this is a bit down the road for you, but pick and choose what you will do to make your kid comfortable. Routine is important to them, but if you jump to always accommodate that then they become inflexible and afraid of change. I say allow sleep to be the most important for routine and then pick and choose the rest. |
Anonymous
Agreed. Also, being able to dress oneself and feed oneself. For us, two milestones were huge. First, it got much better when could sleep through the night - because we were not so sleep deprived. Later, things were much better near 5th birthday when DC could and would do all of the above. |
Anonymous
| Age 8, still particularly particular. He's and all around difficult kid and has been intense since week 1. Sorry, sometimes it happens! |