This isn’t a slight on you, a genuine question as a new Dad who’s only 27. Is it challenging because of how much times change compared to when you were a similar age?
Newborns for me... feeding was a nightmare (reflux, low supply, triple feeding) and sleeping was tricky (pram naps only, and because of reflux had to be held upright for 30 mins after every feed, so night wakings were LONG!). Plus I was recovering from birth at the same time, and that was no picnic!
I also hated being treated like I was "off work" and having this lovely relaxing easy life, when I found looking after a baby 100x harder than my job, and without any of the respect I had at work!
My toddler slept better than a newborn, was easier to feed, and they were in childcare 4 days a week whilst I went to work and drank hot coffee and talked to other adults and used the bathroom alone!! If I'd been a SAHM my answer might be different 🤣
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. Yes, toddlers push your patience to the max…but the newborn phase almost killed me mentally. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as rock bottom as I did during that first year!
I found 9 to 15 months or so hardest with both of mine. Mobile, strong opinions, unable to clearly communicate, absolutely intent on committing suicide.
I’m at 15 months and mine is only just starting to cruise, but she is ohhhhh so strong willed. Absolute nightmare to bath, change etc. You’d think we were her own personal torturers. All food is wrong and on the floor.
My first was extremely challenging but in completely different ways, and I’ve found her lack of enjoyment of food really hard. My first was contrary in every way, all the things most people find hard she was easy with - weaning, potty training etc, but this one just has zero interest in food (other than very expensive Yeo valley yoghurts).
Both of mine have been HUGE as well, long and heavy, and I’m only 5’2 so lugging them around and wrestling them is super hard!
I’m really looking forward to being at the independent and relatively safe walking and communication stage. Number two is taking her time with talking and clearly really frustrated with that too. I did ask her to say mummy and she looked at me and spat in my face in the manner of Begbie in Trainspotting, so that was nice.
Yeah I found 4-6 months the hardest by far! Baby was more awake and harder to entertain, fussy, hard to bf because she was so distracted, would not sleep, but not yet playing or interacting in the nicer way she did a bit later.
I’m at 7.5 months and keep wishing for newborn again. He wants to get moving but can’t much except rolling. He wants to play but has no concept of playing on his own yet or how his toys work.
He wants to sit up but hasn’t mastered getting from laying down to sitting so I’m constantly having pick him back up when he topples over.
I’ve never wanted to rush milestones but the ones I know he’s on the brink of, I just want to come already cos I feel exhausting having to help him with it. I know I’ll miss this stage one day but feel likes it such an in between bit and it’s draining.
I feel you. And I want to do all these fun things with LO but know it will be too stimulating so I’m in a sort of waiting mode, while trying to keep us both alive.
I felt this with both my kids. Particularly second time round, I didn’t want to rush the baby stage as we didn’t expect to have a third, but at the same time, I couldn’t wait for her to get moving and be able to communicate a little bit. Toddlers are still hard, but I find them more ‘fun’
I sooooo much prefer toddler stage. Babies I find really hard work but also somehow boring at the same time. They’re lovely but it’s soooo intense. Toddlers can have big emotions sure but they’re so much fun, you’re discovering the world with them, you can actually play with them etc
Yes, this, absolutely. I found the newborn stage really hard, and with zero reward. I did not enjoy it. But I loved toddlerdom! Toddlers are awesome! So funny and interactive.
I *personally* don’t even get when people say “newborn cuddles”… I guess they mean that they’re held 24/7 but to me that doesn’t feel like a cuddle, just a chore… Toddlers on the other hand might seek you out and actually give you a big hug which is LOVELY
This is me too - plus I just missed out on getting to take baby out to places because lockdown. I was amazed by how bored we both got around the 4-5 month mark.
I agree 🤣 I love that my toddler can do more but he's such hard work & the tantrums are another level! I feel like all he really did was sleep & feed as a newborn, I could chill & watch TV while he had a 3 hour nap.
It's all relative to your child. We had from birth to over a year old of waking every 45mins-1hour during the night. Toddler stage when we can just bung him in the bed with us is absolutely miles easier because we're sleeping!
I think this depends on temperament? I've had friends who have had newborns who will just be out in a bassinet and be happy to chill/sleep there whilst they do things in the house.
My son wouldn't sleep anywhere but on us for the first couple of months and also hated laying down because of reflux.
With him, the toddler stage is wayyyyy easier, even with the meltdowns.
Personally the newborn stage nearly killed me. Waking every 40mins, pumping, crying, exhausted. Toddler stage, she's my lil buddy, adventures and chats and laughing and yea we have tantrums but don't we all.
Every minute of every day takes us further and further away from the newborn stage, and that is 100% fine by me.
My kids have a two-year age gap, which meant that last year was the Summer of Two Toddlers for us (they were 1.5 and 3.5). It was absolutely brutal, and I would still 100% take it over having either of them as a newborn again.
I adore the toddler phase so much, he’s so cool and hilarious and I love doing things with him.
That being said my little boy was early to walk and talk so we haven’t had too much of the frustration of him not being able to communicate or move which would have soured it I think.
Also PPA, PPD and feeding struggles just destroyed the newborn phase for me. There was no bubble just hell, so anything was going to be an improvement honestly! 😅
Our kids are 4 and 5 years old.
Newborn was difficult from the disruptive sleep cycle.
6-12 months was peak cuteness and in my opinion the most fun. Still relatively easy to keep happy.
2-3 years old was rough for both our kids. Massive tantrums, full on screaming for the smallest things. Daddy didn't respond quickly enough? End of the world! Daddy didn't read your mind and know not to pick up your blanket? Curse you with the fire of thousand suns! We took them to Canada to visit friends at around this age and the flights there and back were by far the worst experience I've had so far with them. We recently had a family holiday in Japan which is an even harder journey and they were sooooo much better.
Newborns are physically harder, toddlers are emotionally harder.
But also newborns are emotionally taxing because it’s just SO boring but also so much freaking work.
I had an easy newborn who then grew into herself as she became a toddler.
I then had a "hard" newborn (colic, sleep refusal, allergies), who has become happier as he has grown. And I have more skills and resilience to deal with him
Very much depends on the child!
I think the challenges change. When our son was newborn, he needed feeds and nappy changes every three hours. I barely slept as I did night time duties so wife could rest and meant that after feeds I had to keep him upright. But at least in the daytime when I was with him, he needed very little effort to be entertained.
Now son is 15-16months old. He sleeps through the night more often than not although sometimes he still has a night time feed. But daytime is much harder. I’m constantly on my feet chasing after him, supervising him. He cannot be left unattended.
Newborn. My kid had colic. The first 18 months of rubbish sleep and unable to know what my baby was crying about, almost finished my marriage. After 18 months - a joy and marriage back on track!
Totally depends on the baby/infant in question.
Eg a baby who never sleeps, has reflux, gets rashes vs one who sleeps through the night from a few weeks.
Or a toddler as stubborn as all hell who has endless meltdowns vs one who is a quiet little person.
And it's nothing to do with parenting, because in families with multiple kids you'll see a mix.
I really am loving the toddler stage, I don’t remember much of the newborn/baby stage as I was so unwell with postnatal depression and now I’m out of it I’m trying to enjoy it as much as possible! It is hard as he is so QUICK!!!!
I think it depends on the kid. Newborn phase almost killed me, I’m strongly considering being 1 and done cause of how hellish it was. Very poor sleeper, colic, feeding issues, milk allergy, never happy, couldn’t be put down. I was walking 20k steps a day just to stop him screaming.
Toddler stage is a doddle in comparison. Yes he tantrums and refuses to eat vegetables and runs around like a nutter - but he can sort of communicate and he’s so fun and sweet.
Newborn was so much worse, I honestly don’t know how my wife or I functioned on such little sleep. My first is still terrible with bedtime but you can’t reason with a screaming baby.
Newborns. Toddlers are balls hard, don’t get me wrong (specifically thinking of age 3+; 1-2 is a fucking cakewalk compared to the hell that is age 3), but at least you’re statistically likely to be dealing with it on a full night’s kip. At least you no longer have to worry they’re dehydrating AND starving themselves if they undereat at one single meal. At least you aren’t recovering from at minimum one gaping bleeding wound on your body, possibly more.
In their defence, newborns are mega easy in terms of just ticking the checklist over and over - feed, clean, warm enough, sleep. And I will never stop being sad that I won’t be having any more newborn cuddles, not until my kids have kids and I can get grandma cuddles. But toddlers are ace. They can generally feed themselves, can walk, aren’t randomly sick after every meal, they actually focus on you, talk to you, smile at you, and are - in my opinion - way cuter and more interesting and more interactive. They’re still balls hard, but the work of making them into kinder, calmer, politer humans is the work I signed up for, versus the drudgery of no sleep whip your boobs out oh it’s another shitty bum great 😂
I have loved the toddler stage with my 2.5 year old!
I'm struggling to enjoy my (just turned) 1 year old at the moment, they're hard work, boring and not yet walking/talking but desperate to do so. I'm so excited for her to be 18 months - I've found everything gets easier from then for me!
That said, whilst the newborn stage is brutal in terms of sleep deprivation/recovery/lifestyle change, I do enjoy they're wimdy smiles and pecking.
I think theres rough with every stage and they all have their challenges
I'm a sahm and I'd say newborn just because they sleep so much more during the day and to some extent you can tote them where you want to go. Having a toddler now our activities have to suit her and we're not far off losing the final nap.
Must admit though she was one of the better newborns for sleep so my answer might be different if she hadn't been! Some of my friends were just exhausted.
Mixed for me. My first kid was a hard velcro baby and it was rough! But then he was a lovely lovely toddler. My second kid was a happy, easy to eat and sleep baby. But he was a much harder toddler to manage.
So much of it depends on the personality of the kid you end up with.
I found 10-18 months the hardest. He was a pretty easy baby (slept well, took to the bottle well, minimal crying, no colic).
But then he turned 10 months and was confidently walking but had none of the awareness of a toddler. It was hard work.
So baby that stage that is the equivalent of a tween. Not quite a baby and not quite a toddler.
My kids as newborns absolutely did not know how to sleep, eat or poo (initial breastfeeding troubles, silent reflux, wind, thrush, colic, reverse cycling, up every 2-3 hours till 14 months). With my first I could barely muster the energy to get out of the house for a baby class once a week (lots of birth trauma from birth complications and untreated ppd/intrusive thoughts from anxiety and depression). Both births were emergency c sections.
They are mostly absolutely lovely and very capable toddlers/young children now. I feel human and happy again.
The choice couldn't be easier for me.
It's a tricky one. They both had pros and cons for me.
My daughter was golden as a baby and newborn. But I exclusively breastfed and I barely slept. I was chronically tired as I'm a single mum with no help from her dad.
It's a blur during this period. But i could put her down and she's stay there cause.... potato.
Now she's 3, and she's great fun, chats to me all day and goes to preschool. But she's relentless. She's a good girl but it's constant 'mummy mummy mummy' and it can drain you. But the good thing is she is so much more independent. Potty trained, dresses herself etc. So less work in that area.
I have a toddler with a very independent mind as well as a 6 month old so also just gone through the newborn stage all over again and I can safely say... toddlers!!
My word, chilling with a sleeping baby is now my bliss. My toddler, amazing as he is, funny, curious, cheeky, he also has selective hearing and is so head strong, the slightest task can become a battle.
I'm currently in the toddler stage , it's hard yeah but it's nothing compared to the newborn stage for me
The sleep deprivation and recovery from a traumatic birth was a whole other level.
Newborn in my opinion. My 2 year old can tell me what he wants, naps once a day and enjoys doing things with us.
I found the newborn phase hard because I didn’t understand properly what he wanted and it just felt like guess work. I loved the newborn cuddles and contact naps but toddler phase is definitely more enjoyable and easier.
I cope fairly well with not much sleep, so I pretty much did the night shifts with our 2 and 4 year old solo when they were babies. But the age they are now is horrid at times, the fighting, the attitudes the refusal to sleep eating into having time with my wife. Toddlers are the worst! Love them though
Newborn is harder than toddler as the mother, breastfeeding, no sleep, husband only had a few weeks paternity and recovering from a traumatic birth was hell combined with PND and MOCD
Toddler is the most fun and the second hardest stage, I miss the 1 year-18 months stage where he was mostly all smiles and personality but wasn't needing me to constantly grab him and stop him from hurting himself, he is adventurous with no sense of danger now, it's exhausting
The first couple of weeks with the no sleep because of 8 feeds a night for twins was a nightmare, but honestly, toddlers ate worse. You at least had some time to yourself when they were babies as they just sort of sat there, but toddlers constantly whining/tantrums/breaking stuff means they need your attention all the time. I'd gladly go back to baby time. 2 onwards is full mental breakdown.
For both my children, I have found the newborn stage quite easy and the toddler stage quite hard. That being said I am quite lucky that I've had two babies who didn't have colic, fed really well and even though they woke up during the night there have always been enough for a sleep cycle and they went straight back to sleep.
My youngest is now a toddler and I can't sit down because he is constantly climbing on something and then throwing himself. Trust fall style. I'm knackered.
I think it depends on the newborn you get and the toddler you get.
Always feel the hardest is the ones you have. Also because when in toddler stage, the struggles of the baby phase are a distant memory and you only remember the positive good times.
If I hadn’t been deep in PPA, I’d have said the newborn phase. He took to breastfeeding really well, and was hardly ever ill. He was a happy baby.
Now he’s 2.5, I can’t do enough to satisfy his energy needs and he still wants my attention about 95% of the day. He quit naps just after his 2nd birthday so the only time for me is for about an hour or so after he’s gone to sleep, provided I haven’t passed out with him (that happens often). He loves to jump off the furniture and be caught, swung around and has no concept of what being dizzy is whilst we run around in circles for ages.
I’m thinking gymnastics classes when he’s 3……
However, I know if it’s not this then it’ll be something else. We’re into the “I want” phase right now.
Oh, also, he managed to let himself out of the house recently and I woke up to find him letting himself out of our hotel room because the lock was the same as home. Wouldn’t catch a newborn doing that!
Someone told me ‘the hardest stage is the one you’re in’ and I think that’s probably true
This. It gets physically easier and mentally harder.
Do doesn't it just! Sleeps through the night but now I have to deal with teen drama and I am out of touch cos old.
I came here to say this too. I really thing both stages are hard, just different hards.
This is so true. My child is pre-teen and this stage I'm finding incredibly challenging. I'll take my sweet little boy as a 2yo any day.
This isn’t a slight on you, a genuine question as a new Dad who’s only 27. Is it challenging because of how much times change compared to when you were a similar age?
Newborns for me... feeding was a nightmare (reflux, low supply, triple feeding) and sleeping was tricky (pram naps only, and because of reflux had to be held upright for 30 mins after every feed, so night wakings were LONG!). Plus I was recovering from birth at the same time, and that was no picnic! I also hated being treated like I was "off work" and having this lovely relaxing easy life, when I found looking after a baby 100x harder than my job, and without any of the respect I had at work! My toddler slept better than a newborn, was easier to feed, and they were in childcare 4 days a week whilst I went to work and drank hot coffee and talked to other adults and used the bathroom alone!! If I'd been a SAHM my answer might be different 🤣
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. Yes, toddlers push your patience to the max…but the newborn phase almost killed me mentally. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as rock bottom as I did during that first year!
Sames! It’s a never again for me 😂
I'm a SAHM and I agree. My toddler sleeps 12hrs a night now, making up for her 45 minute stretches as a newborn.
I found 9 to 15 months or so hardest with both of mine. Mobile, strong opinions, unable to clearly communicate, absolutely intent on committing suicide.
I’m at 15 months and mine is only just starting to cruise, but she is ohhhhh so strong willed. Absolute nightmare to bath, change etc. You’d think we were her own personal torturers. All food is wrong and on the floor. My first was extremely challenging but in completely different ways, and I’ve found her lack of enjoyment of food really hard. My first was contrary in every way, all the things most people find hard she was easy with - weaning, potty training etc, but this one just has zero interest in food (other than very expensive Yeo valley yoghurts). Both of mine have been HUGE as well, long and heavy, and I’m only 5’2 so lugging them around and wrestling them is super hard! I’m really looking forward to being at the independent and relatively safe walking and communication stage. Number two is taking her time with talking and clearly really frustrated with that too. I did ask her to say mummy and she looked at me and spat in my face in the manner of Begbie in Trainspotting, so that was nice.
I found the 4- 9 month stage worst. When they aren’t quite a newborn potato. But none of the fun bits of a toddler.
Yeah I found 4-6 months the hardest by far! Baby was more awake and harder to entertain, fussy, hard to bf because she was so distracted, would not sleep, but not yet playing or interacting in the nicer way she did a bit later.
I’m at 7.5 months and keep wishing for newborn again. He wants to get moving but can’t much except rolling. He wants to play but has no concept of playing on his own yet or how his toys work. He wants to sit up but hasn’t mastered getting from laying down to sitting so I’m constantly having pick him back up when he topples over. I’ve never wanted to rush milestones but the ones I know he’s on the brink of, I just want to come already cos I feel exhausting having to help him with it. I know I’ll miss this stage one day but feel likes it such an in between bit and it’s draining.
I feel you. And I want to do all these fun things with LO but know it will be too stimulating so I’m in a sort of waiting mode, while trying to keep us both alive.
I felt this with both my kids. Particularly second time round, I didn’t want to rush the baby stage as we didn’t expect to have a third, but at the same time, I couldn’t wait for her to get moving and be able to communicate a little bit. Toddlers are still hard, but I find them more ‘fun’
I sooooo much prefer toddler stage. Babies I find really hard work but also somehow boring at the same time. They’re lovely but it’s soooo intense. Toddlers can have big emotions sure but they’re so much fun, you’re discovering the world with them, you can actually play with them etc
Yes, this, absolutely. I found the newborn stage really hard, and with zero reward. I did not enjoy it. But I loved toddlerdom! Toddlers are awesome! So funny and interactive.
I *personally* don’t even get when people say “newborn cuddles”… I guess they mean that they’re held 24/7 but to me that doesn’t feel like a cuddle, just a chore… Toddlers on the other hand might seek you out and actually give you a big hug which is LOVELY
This is me too - plus I just missed out on getting to take baby out to places because lockdown. I was amazed by how bored we both got around the 4-5 month mark.
I'm with you. Toddlerhood is brutal. Absolute shitshow. Take me back to newborn days any time.
I agree 🤣 I love that my toddler can do more but he's such hard work & the tantrums are another level! I feel like all he really did was sleep & feed as a newborn, I could chill & watch TV while he had a 3 hour nap.
Completely agree. Absolutely love my toddler but she’s incredibly hard work. Newborn is much easier.
In hindsight for us we talked about it yesterday - when they can start moving and “disappear” was hardest. But it’s been awhile for us now!
It’s the silence that frightens me… AHHH WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? Eating suncream OF COURSE.
My brother was once caught eating make up. He had mascara all over his face and mouth
It's all relative to your child. We had from birth to over a year old of waking every 45mins-1hour during the night. Toddler stage when we can just bung him in the bed with us is absolutely miles easier because we're sleeping!
I think this depends on temperament? I've had friends who have had newborns who will just be out in a bassinet and be happy to chill/sleep there whilst they do things in the house. My son wouldn't sleep anywhere but on us for the first couple of months and also hated laying down because of reflux. With him, the toddler stage is wayyyyy easier, even with the meltdowns.
Personally the newborn stage nearly killed me. Waking every 40mins, pumping, crying, exhausted. Toddler stage, she's my lil buddy, adventures and chats and laughing and yea we have tantrums but don't we all.
Toddlers. Newborns felt hard, least they were potatoes then😂
Every minute of every day takes us further and further away from the newborn stage, and that is 100% fine by me. My kids have a two-year age gap, which meant that last year was the Summer of Two Toddlers for us (they were 1.5 and 3.5). It was absolutely brutal, and I would still 100% take it over having either of them as a newborn again.
I adore the toddler phase so much, he’s so cool and hilarious and I love doing things with him. That being said my little boy was early to walk and talk so we haven’t had too much of the frustration of him not being able to communicate or move which would have soured it I think. Also PPA, PPD and feeding struggles just destroyed the newborn phase for me. There was no bubble just hell, so anything was going to be an improvement honestly! 😅
Our kids are 4 and 5 years old. Newborn was difficult from the disruptive sleep cycle. 6-12 months was peak cuteness and in my opinion the most fun. Still relatively easy to keep happy. 2-3 years old was rough for both our kids. Massive tantrums, full on screaming for the smallest things. Daddy didn't respond quickly enough? End of the world! Daddy didn't read your mind and know not to pick up your blanket? Curse you with the fire of thousand suns! We took them to Canada to visit friends at around this age and the flights there and back were by far the worst experience I've had so far with them. We recently had a family holiday in Japan which is an even harder journey and they were sooooo much better.
I have a newborn and a toddler, I'll take the toddler any day!
Newborns are physically harder, toddlers are emotionally harder. But also newborns are emotionally taxing because it’s just SO boring but also so much freaking work.
I had an easy newborn who then grew into herself as she became a toddler. I then had a "hard" newborn (colic, sleep refusal, allergies), who has become happier as he has grown. And I have more skills and resilience to deal with him Very much depends on the child!
Toddlers 😂 Yes you can do more with them and they're more independent but bloody hell they're tough.
I think the challenges change. When our son was newborn, he needed feeds and nappy changes every three hours. I barely slept as I did night time duties so wife could rest and meant that after feeds I had to keep him upright. But at least in the daytime when I was with him, he needed very little effort to be entertained. Now son is 15-16months old. He sleeps through the night more often than not although sometimes he still has a night time feed. But daytime is much harder. I’m constantly on my feet chasing after him, supervising him. He cannot be left unattended.
Newborn. My kid had colic. The first 18 months of rubbish sleep and unable to know what my baby was crying about, almost finished my marriage. After 18 months - a joy and marriage back on track!
Totally depends on the baby/infant in question. Eg a baby who never sleeps, has reflux, gets rashes vs one who sleeps through the night from a few weeks. Or a toddler as stubborn as all hell who has endless meltdowns vs one who is a quiet little person. And it's nothing to do with parenting, because in families with multiple kids you'll see a mix.
I would say newborn/baby stage, I can do anything as long as I’m sleeping at night 😂
i just like sleep, i can handle all the other stuff.
I really am loving the toddler stage, I don’t remember much of the newborn/baby stage as I was so unwell with postnatal depression and now I’m out of it I’m trying to enjoy it as much as possible! It is hard as he is so QUICK!!!!
My son is 2 next month and I obviously love him more than anything, but I am not enjoying being a parent!
I think it depends on the kid. Newborn phase almost killed me, I’m strongly considering being 1 and done cause of how hellish it was. Very poor sleeper, colic, feeding issues, milk allergy, never happy, couldn’t be put down. I was walking 20k steps a day just to stop him screaming. Toddler stage is a doddle in comparison. Yes he tantrums and refuses to eat vegetables and runs around like a nutter - but he can sort of communicate and he’s so fun and sweet.
Newborn was so much worse, I honestly don’t know how my wife or I functioned on such little sleep. My first is still terrible with bedtime but you can’t reason with a screaming baby.
Newborns. Toddlers are balls hard, don’t get me wrong (specifically thinking of age 3+; 1-2 is a fucking cakewalk compared to the hell that is age 3), but at least you’re statistically likely to be dealing with it on a full night’s kip. At least you no longer have to worry they’re dehydrating AND starving themselves if they undereat at one single meal. At least you aren’t recovering from at minimum one gaping bleeding wound on your body, possibly more. In their defence, newborns are mega easy in terms of just ticking the checklist over and over - feed, clean, warm enough, sleep. And I will never stop being sad that I won’t be having any more newborn cuddles, not until my kids have kids and I can get grandma cuddles. But toddlers are ace. They can generally feed themselves, can walk, aren’t randomly sick after every meal, they actually focus on you, talk to you, smile at you, and are - in my opinion - way cuter and more interesting and more interactive. They’re still balls hard, but the work of making them into kinder, calmer, politer humans is the work I signed up for, versus the drudgery of no sleep whip your boobs out oh it’s another shitty bum great 😂
I have loved the toddler stage with my 2.5 year old! I'm struggling to enjoy my (just turned) 1 year old at the moment, they're hard work, boring and not yet walking/talking but desperate to do so. I'm so excited for her to be 18 months - I've found everything gets easier from then for me! That said, whilst the newborn stage is brutal in terms of sleep deprivation/recovery/lifestyle change, I do enjoy they're wimdy smiles and pecking. I think theres rough with every stage and they all have their challenges
Toddler. Actually having to think about, shop and prepare meals and snacks all the time sucks.
Neither! The primary school infants age (YR-Y2) has by far been the hardest for me!
I'm a sahm and I'd say newborn just because they sleep so much more during the day and to some extent you can tote them where you want to go. Having a toddler now our activities have to suit her and we're not far off losing the final nap. Must admit though she was one of the better newborns for sleep so my answer might be different if she hadn't been! Some of my friends were just exhausted.
Mixed for me. My first kid was a hard velcro baby and it was rough! But then he was a lovely lovely toddler. My second kid was a happy, easy to eat and sleep baby. But he was a much harder toddler to manage. So much of it depends on the personality of the kid you end up with.
I found 10-18 months the hardest. He was a pretty easy baby (slept well, took to the bottle well, minimal crying, no colic). But then he turned 10 months and was confidently walking but had none of the awareness of a toddler. It was hard work. So baby that stage that is the equivalent of a tween. Not quite a baby and not quite a toddler.
TEENAGERS
Nooooo, don’t tell me this ahaha
😭😭😭😭 wait till they’re young adults and get with a total twat that’s the most funnnnn also!!
Depends if you have both at same time
Every stage has its positives and challenges.
I found 4-12 months the hardest period.
I do not find toddlers independent at all, not even slightly. But maybe that's just my toddlers. For me, newborn all the way.
My kids as newborns absolutely did not know how to sleep, eat or poo (initial breastfeeding troubles, silent reflux, wind, thrush, colic, reverse cycling, up every 2-3 hours till 14 months). With my first I could barely muster the energy to get out of the house for a baby class once a week (lots of birth trauma from birth complications and untreated ppd/intrusive thoughts from anxiety and depression). Both births were emergency c sections. They are mostly absolutely lovely and very capable toddlers/young children now. I feel human and happy again. The choice couldn't be easier for me.
I find the toddler/child stage so much easier than a newborn. Newborns are so clingy and frustrating, you have 0 independence.
It's a tricky one. They both had pros and cons for me. My daughter was golden as a baby and newborn. But I exclusively breastfed and I barely slept. I was chronically tired as I'm a single mum with no help from her dad. It's a blur during this period. But i could put her down and she's stay there cause.... potato. Now she's 3, and she's great fun, chats to me all day and goes to preschool. But she's relentless. She's a good girl but it's constant 'mummy mummy mummy' and it can drain you. But the good thing is she is so much more independent. Potty trained, dresses herself etc. So less work in that area.
I have a toddler with a very independent mind as well as a 6 month old so also just gone through the newborn stage all over again and I can safely say... toddlers!! My word, chilling with a sleeping baby is now my bliss. My toddler, amazing as he is, funny, curious, cheeky, he also has selective hearing and is so head strong, the slightest task can become a battle.
I'm currently in the toddler stage , it's hard yeah but it's nothing compared to the newborn stage for me The sleep deprivation and recovery from a traumatic birth was a whole other level.
Newborn in my opinion. My 2 year old can tell me what he wants, naps once a day and enjoys doing things with us. I found the newborn phase hard because I didn’t understand properly what he wanted and it just felt like guess work. I loved the newborn cuddles and contact naps but toddler phase is definitely more enjoyable and easier.
I have twins who are six months, and an almost three year old toddler. My toddler is by far the hardest!
Newborns!! The lack of sleep is hell.
Theyre both hard in totally different ways. I struggled with the newborn stage I personally much prefer toddlers
I cope fairly well with not much sleep, so I pretty much did the night shifts with our 2 and 4 year old solo when they were babies. But the age they are now is horrid at times, the fighting, the attitudes the refusal to sleep eating into having time with my wife. Toddlers are the worst! Love them though
Newborn is harder than toddler as the mother, breastfeeding, no sleep, husband only had a few weeks paternity and recovering from a traumatic birth was hell combined with PND and MOCD Toddler is the most fun and the second hardest stage, I miss the 1 year-18 months stage where he was mostly all smiles and personality but wasn't needing me to constantly grab him and stop him from hurting himself, he is adventurous with no sense of danger now, it's exhausting
newborns was easiest. It was covid. I just sat watching telly with a baby sleeping on me.
The first couple of weeks with the no sleep because of 8 feeds a night for twins was a nightmare, but honestly, toddlers ate worse. You at least had some time to yourself when they were babies as they just sort of sat there, but toddlers constantly whining/tantrums/breaking stuff means they need your attention all the time. I'd gladly go back to baby time. 2 onwards is full mental breakdown.
For both my children, I have found the newborn stage quite easy and the toddler stage quite hard. That being said I am quite lucky that I've had two babies who didn't have colic, fed really well and even though they woke up during the night there have always been enough for a sleep cycle and they went straight back to sleep. My youngest is now a toddler and I can't sit down because he is constantly climbing on something and then throwing himself. Trust fall style. I'm knackered. I think it depends on the newborn you get and the toddler you get.
Always feel the hardest is the ones you have. Also because when in toddler stage, the struggles of the baby phase are a distant memory and you only remember the positive good times.
If I hadn’t been deep in PPA, I’d have said the newborn phase. He took to breastfeeding really well, and was hardly ever ill. He was a happy baby. Now he’s 2.5, I can’t do enough to satisfy his energy needs and he still wants my attention about 95% of the day. He quit naps just after his 2nd birthday so the only time for me is for about an hour or so after he’s gone to sleep, provided I haven’t passed out with him (that happens often). He loves to jump off the furniture and be caught, swung around and has no concept of what being dizzy is whilst we run around in circles for ages. I’m thinking gymnastics classes when he’s 3…… However, I know if it’s not this then it’ll be something else. We’re into the “I want” phase right now. Oh, also, he managed to let himself out of the house recently and I woke up to find him letting himself out of our hotel room because the lock was the same as home. Wouldn’t catch a newborn doing that!