What age do you think your kids were/are when life gets a bit easier?

[RoseGoldEagle]

I have a 4 year old, almost 2 year old and 3 month old. I adore them, but find it very tough, especially with our nursery being closed and DH working away a lot. Anyone tell me at what age it gets a bit better/easier??!!

Ive 4. Dd1 10 dd2 6 ds3 and dd4 18 months. Currently dd2 is the easiest closely followed by dd1 when she's not being a hormonal preteen lol

When the eldest hit 5, he also made his 3 year old brother easier, they go down and play or watch telly in the morning letting us lie in. Just waiting for the 3 year old to work out how to wipe his bum.

When they start school I found. DS is 7 and it gets easier every year. Hated the toddler stage.

Definitely found things easier at around eight but then everything went pear shaped at at fourteen

When the first lockdown hit mine were just 3, and 5.8. Now they're 3.10 and 6.6. They are so much easier now than in last March.

From about 4-11 then gets hard again especially from 13 up

When youngest got to 2.5/3 life became so much easier, and is a breeze now at ages 6 & 4... (I'll get back to you when they're 16 & 14😅) I've only got two though with a close age gap so they will happily play all the time, and very rarely argue or fight. If I had a bigger gap or more kids, I should imagine it would have stayed hard until they were all quite a bit older

I would say about age 3. You're over baby phase then and you can reason with them (some of the time!). There is another shift about age 7 when they mature further and again life gets easier. My tuppence worth anyway!

I think the youngest being 4-5, they are old enough to do absolute basics themselves like dressing, eating, etc and if you have older ones too they can sort themselves out a bit. Plus you can mostly trust them not to stick their fingers in electrical sockets or eat batteries.

It does depend on the child but I think 4 - 5 years.

You are definitely at a tough stage, OP, it does get much easier when they can dress themselves without being told, fasten their own seat belts, get themselves a snack, have the sense to understand danger (heights/cars/heat/sharps etc)

i found that stage very physically full on but very rewarding. The physical demands have lessened each year. (things like bathing, making food and snacks, pushing buggies, lifting them, tying shoe laces, having to watch them constantly) and attention spans have increased year on year too so whereas i used to get one 5 min peppa pig that was interaction free, I can not get the whole of a star wars film so thats easier. mine are 10 and 13.

There are different challenges though.

When my dd got to 2.5yo it got easier, as i don't need to be in the same room all the time, so i can cook dinner in kitchen while she plays or watches tv in the lounge.

She plays well on her own so qe get more time to ourselves as well now.

And her speech ia good so we can talk and explain things to her

Age 6

Thanks for these, am feeling a bit better that it does improve!! DD 4 is definitely the easiest and actually the baby isn’t too hard either, but DS is really challenging, and then combining him with the others’ conflicting needs is tough. Just had a break while he slept though so feeling a bit better!

In normal times 3-4. Covid times with homeschooling older than 9, younger than 12 (I have none between these ages so can’t be more specific)

Mine are 8 and 13....they are easy in practical ways..they can make their own food, be left at home together for a while. But they still need us. They have emotional outbursts. It is sort of easier but not easy if that makes sense.

Mine are 7 & 9 and I definitely feel like we're in a good bit, things got so much easier when they both went to school, I did not enjoy the toddler years!

By age5, when I was no longer required to wipe bottoms. Definitely crossed a line into easier territory then.

There are different challenges as they get older. I would say it's easier from 6-12. Then they hit their teens...

(in homeschooling, covid times though, all bets are off I'm afraid).

When the youngest was 3 and went to preschool. No naps, no buggy, no special foods, no milk, no daytime nappies, could feed themselves, go fetch things, could be funny and hold a conversation of sorts, had the ability to work an iPad....

It felt easier once ds turned 5.Hes nearly 7 and it gets better and better.

Mine are 8 and 10 and it’s a great age, probably my favourite so far. They don’t get up mega early and when they do they just go downstairs and amuse themselves. They don’t seem in constant peril like in the toddler days, they can be trusted to get on with things themselves.
I reckon it got much much easier from about 5 and 7.

I found it all depended on how many hours I was working/how stressful work was/how helpful their Dad was and how much support I had rather than their ages.

5 and 7, they can make basic food and drinks etc. and keep themselves entertained and safe.

And, finally, they let me sleep through the night and have lay ins.

It's such a relief.

DS easier age 3. DD easier aged 4.