When do babies become "fun"?

[Anonymous]

Newborn: sweet, cuddly (she was an easy baby; others will say this age is a nightmare if they have a crier or troubles nursing, sleeping, etc.)
3-12 months: fun, cute
12-18 months: kind of a nightmare. Exciting to see them walk but a lot of exerting independence plus separation anxiety makes this age tough.
18 months-24 month: fun but very hands on.
2 +has been great--restaurants aren't nightmares anymore, she can have a conversation and has interests. She's almost 3 now and really has been a delightful 2-year-old. We'll see where 3 takes us. I've not heard good things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At 4 or 5, when you can hold a conversation with them and actually play with them.

Agreed. But, I love the newborn stage. Anything after that and before 4 is stress!

[Anonymous]

Got much more fun at 3-3.5 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Hmm. I'm not sure you want to frame a loving relationship with your child as "fun" or "not fun".
Don't you have feelings of love and nurturing right now? Every stage has its own beauty. You need to find it!
I can say that - DC1 was special needs from birth and would choke during the night as a newborn, which meant I didn't sleep at all. And DC2 was fine except she woke up more than 6 times a night every night for the first two years of her life (and needed to be put back to sleep).

People like you are the worst. OP is allowed to say her baby isn't "fun" and even still many parents simply don't have strong feelings of love and affection right off the hop. It's perfectly normal, love sometimes needs time to grow, no need to make OP feel bad.

[Anonymous]

Mine were tough newborns/babies. Around 9mo - 12mo. Once they start talking it's just more fun bc they say fun things and are funny

[Anonymous]

Varies dramatically from person to person. For me, it's about a week or two after the baby sleeps through the night (8+ hours), so right around 4.5 months (we sleep train right at 4 months). Because for me NOTHING is fun unless I'm getting enough sleep. And I really love babies once I've gotten some rest.

As far as the patterns and learning and things changing - I'll quote Joan Rivers - "It doesn't get better. You get better." That becomes your normal, you get good at troubleshooting, you learn more about parenting, you learn more about your baby. It becomes second nature, whereas at the beginning, it's all consuming.

As far as the worrying - also very individual. Even though I have a lifetime of clinical anxiety under my belt, I was not/am not a worrier or anxious parent (go figure!) at least so far (kids are still little). In fact, my very chill, laid back husband is more the worrier. This could be something you just get used to, but keep an eye on yourself. I know a lot of people (especially my fellow anxious friends!) who developed rough cases of postpartum anxiety, which isn't as quickly recognized and frequently screened for as PPD. If you're really ruminating on germs, for example, and can't seem to stop, you might want to talk to your doctor. It's super treatable, but most people I know let it go on too long before they sought help.

[Anonymous]

Totally kid dependent. Our first was a colicky newborn who turned into a very pleasant infant and toddler where it was always generally "fun" after those first hard months. Our 2nd was a dream newborn but he started screaming at around 7 months and didn't stop until he was 4. He's finally "fun" at almost 5.

[Anonymous]

Age 4 for us.

[Anonymous]

Lol they never get fun they just get mean and rude and whiney and demanding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think around 6 months to a year was awesome.

100% agree

Same. My favorite time too. Then pretty much 1-4 has been hell. Enjoy the innocence now

[Anonymous]

For me it got a lot better at about 10 weeks of age. My son is about 2.5 and it is a lot of fun though my son is quite stubborn.

[Anonymous]

I think most babies start getting fun a little after 6 months. They smile a lot earlier, but you see their personalities and their preferences come out. That said, I'm a huge fan of the toddler stage (walking, talking, and I think I'll enjoy my child more as she gets older (just judging from my experience babysitting/nannying and briefly teaching high school). It all varies depending upon personality. I know a lot of people that love the baby stage.