Most and least favourite age of children so far?

[Lelophants]

Most: 7-9 months was fun for us. I also liked 2 months. Exhausting but easy in sense of feed, sleep on me, nappy, repeat. Still new.

Worst: 5 months was hell. Around 11 months was pretty awful too.

What fun/horrors do I have to come?

Do you know what, I don’t have a Worst or Best. Yet.

Loved different stages for different reasons. Find it all so interesting. She’s nine.

Fair enough @papermonster. I found some stages really difficult and struggled. I'm sure I'm not alone.

I’m a firm believer that the good ages of childhood are 5-10, not there yet as my eldest is 3. Loved 6-12 months. I really struggled around 18 months, so physical and no reasoning.

@Lelophants - come back to me when she’s a teenager and ask

I love it when they start talking. I'm not one for babies, but then mine herb slept. Mine are now 2, 5 and 7 and the older ones have the capacity to be good company when they aren't having a tantrum. And they sleep. I'm hoping I get a few more year out of that nice patch before the tween years which I'm very scared of! The 2 year old is hard work. It then he always has been.

14-18 is by far the worst.

I have 2 kids. My oldest was amazing at 4, he was still super cute but also more independent. He was a pain at roughly 11/12. My youngest was brilliant at about 2/3 but been a pain now ever since was about 4 lol (8 now)

all ages have pros and cons.

as a parent of teens I would say that the early years are fun, but physically knackering
but the teen years are emotionally stressful and physically easier!

Having done 0-19 so far I love the baby stage, hated 5 with a passion with all 3. I like about 7-11. 12 and 13 girls were a pita, but once through the worst of adolescence they have been lovely. I suspect the boy will have an adolescent wobble later than that, but I’m optimistic he’ll come out the other side.

Worst was the first 12 months. Loved the rest (youngest is 10 now). Once they start talking and become a little person it’s lovely.

0-5 awful
5.5+ good so far

Before I had children I loved babies and toddlers. Now I much prefer older ones!

My worst varies between 3-10 weeks when all 4 dc were in scbu. At the time of my dts birth, it was the hardest thing ever, dd1 and dd2 were in nursery/school, we were an hour away from the hospital.

My best is dd12. She's a nocturnal beast atm. Her chat is so fucking brilliant, so switched on.

0-4mo were the worst. The rest has been lovely, so far. DD aged 9.

0-10m not great due to ds never sleeping.
Dd is 4 and super cute, like a cute cuddly baby but clever and can have a conversation!
So im going with 4

Loved newborn- 14 months. Special lovely times, no work pressures, gorgeous cuddles, breastfeeding, coffee mornings and soft plays.

Hated 14 months to rising 3. Back to work, doing nights, shattered, tantrums, biting, having to follow them around all the time, worries about development (unfounded).

3ish onwards (have a 4 year old and a 9 year old) all lovely in different ways, with challenges too. Found friendship stuff hard with my first and got over involved. So nice though to do things we all enjoy on their own merits rather than just things for children. Family movie nights, nice meals out, lovely holidays. Love seeing them get their independence.

3-5 years has been my favourite. They are easy to look after and such great fun!

Worst 0 to 1
Best 1 to 25

I have always loved babies and genuinely worried how i would feel when my ds wasn't a baby anymore, every age has it challenges , worries but also you grow together. You have to take the little things as they grow...

Even with teens you get to watch a decent tv program with them, chat about the real world.

Each stage has good bits and difficult bits. 2 year old is cute and funny but demanding of time, energy and attention. 5 year old is inquisitive, considerate but also non-stop chatter box talking, constantly asking questions, observing things, singing, trying out new noises...7 year old calmer, more independent but argumentative and testing the boundaries.

4-12 are the golden years.

14 is not < despairing>

How can a child go from sunny, lighthearted and loving to a glowering rolling eyed thundercloud is beyond me.😖😣

DD: Struggled from birth until about 18mo. She had CMPA, wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep... Once she started sleeping at 18mo everything changed. From them until she was about 3 she was an angel - few tantrums, slept through, could take her anywhere. Then she started preschool and started being a threenager, but still mostly lovely. She's nearly 7 now and can be stroppy and cheeky but she's never been "naughty" (drawing on walls, etc) in her life. She still doesn't eat well, though.

DS: He was the easiest baby in the world until about 18mo. First few months were hard with crap sleep but at a normal level. He's 2.5 now and is, honestly, a demon. I adore him but he's hard work! Plus, he winds his sister up no end (and vice versa)... But he's lovely and sweet and funny when he wants to be. And he sleeps, and eats everything.

Tbh, they're both at a lovely age... on their own! When I have the two of them (most of the time) I find it really hard. Especially trying to entertain DS and help DD with homeschooling.

First six months probably worst. The rest has been pretty good so far (mid teens).

All stages have good and bad bits.

I struggled with the baby stage as mine were terrible sleepers and I found it a bit boring and relentless.

DS1 is 13 and I love this young teen stage- seeing him grow, mature and start to get his independence, at the risk of sounding like my Nan, he's turning into a lovely young man!

All great except 15 to 17..just for one of them. Others pretty good all the way except odd bits.

Two of my kids have been their absolute best selves the year before they started school (youngest hasn't got there yet!). I found the bit between newborn to 4/5 months terrifying and barely slept a wink. I had really bad post natal anxiety and was convinced they were doing to die. I had OCD and sleep issues.

Toddlers are wonderful and terrible in equal measure. I love the cuteness but don't manage the tantrums and chaos as well as I'd like.

I'm dreading their teens.