I have a 4.5 DD and an 18 month old DS. My favorite age so far has been 2 years old. My DD could finally communicate what she wanted. I didn't need to carry her around as much and she could climb stairs and get in and out of her chair. She started playing more independently and I found it easier to identify activities that she could do for longer than 5 minutes such as playdoh or stickers. The littlest things seemed like the biggest treat to her like raisins or new crayons. She also started to interact with other kids more so when we would go places I didn't need to be right by her side at every moment. I didn't need to carry around as much stuff like special snacks or milk because she could drink out of regular straw cup without spilling. There's just such a huge leap in independence and communication that everything feels easier.

For us things started getting better when your DD was 18 months and older DD was 3.5. After younger DD turned 2 things got much better. The two girls play together all the time! if it weren’t for my 14 month old son this working from home would be very easy. Girls are now 6.5 and 4.5. They fight sometimes, but love each other and play beautifully together all day long. I think we were lucky we had a very sweet and patient DD1 and a very precautious DD2. Hopefully our boy will join them in the next year...

The magic age at our house has been 3, not 2. But it did get better at 3!

Anonymous wrote:It's a lot less physically demanding. Once your kids are out of diapers, you don't need to carry so much with you whenever you travel. If you have multiple kids, they can play together, so that you actually have a minute to yourself. You can actually sleep through the night. You can begin to reason with your child.

+1. They can begin to feed themselves, giving you a chance to eat at the same time as everyone else.

Sadly not for me. Between 2-4 is still difficult because their are potty training accidents, tantrums, naps to work around, and generally bigger behavior issues to resolve and work through. But preschool does provide some relief. For us about 4.5-5 is when things were much better

It's a lot less physically demanding. Once your kids are out of diapers, you don't need to carry so much with you whenever you travel. If you have multiple kids, they can play together, so that you actually have a minute to yourself. You can actually sleep through the night. You can begin to reason with your child.

I felt like things were better when the youngest turned 3. Toilet trained. Could nap anywhere.

My youngest is 3.5 (oldest is 7) and it has gotten better in some aspects (more independence), worse in others (more sibling conflict which requires a lot of energy to manage).

-Kids now play together but have frequent conflict mostly due to the youngest
-Youngest is pretty independent and vocal (uses the bathroom by herself, gets dressed by herself, gets most of her own snacks, and is very verbal) BUT she's stubborn as hell
-Youngest still needs an afternoon nap but resists because "she's a big girl now"
-Youngest still wakes up at 6:00 a.m. sharp
-Oldest will read books to youngest (which is super sweet)

Things I love:
-no more diapers
-no diaper bag (although depending on situation, we may still bring a change of clothing for 3.5 year old)
-the entire family eats the same food for every meal (we've always made this a priority but as my youngest gets older, there's less deconstructing of meals and more willingness to try new foods)
-early bedtime and sleeping through the night
-seeing the sibling bond grow (notwithstanding the conflict mentioned above)
-longer and more interesting/fun family outings

Honestly for us the big life change was the summer before my youngest turned 5. I'm sure there were smaller wins before then, but I remember a really dramatic shift that summer

It didn’t get better until preschool for us, x2.

At 2.5 and 4.5, my kids started playing together, without me.
My 5yr old can control the TV and get snacks for his brother.

But after 2, having a potty trained kid who can tell me what he wants with words is au much easier than a toddler.

I have nothing to add but am following this with GREAT interest. Oldest is almost 4, youngest is 1.

Tv

Sleep.
Sleep.
Oh, and sleep.

My kids can get their own breakfast and could starting when the older one was 6 or 7. They play together. A lot will depend on your older one's personality and how responsible he/she is with the younger one.

Give me some concrete things to look forward to, please! Oldest just shy of 4 and youngest 16 months. I've read/heard that things get much better after youngest hits age 2. What are some specific things I can look forward to? Sleeping later, hopefully (youngest currently waking up at 5), anything else?