What baby behaviours predicted your child’s personality?

[Ketryne]

I’ve got a 4 year old DS and 7 month old DD, and I’m finding it really interesting seeing how differently they’ve mastered the standard baby milestones. DD has been sitting for absolutely ages and has started clapping a full two months before her brother did it, but she’s got absolutely zero interest in rolling. He’d already rolled in both directions and was desperately trying to get on all fours at this point.

I know it all levels out in a few months anyway, but I’m finding it entertaining to attempt to predict future personality traits in DD based on these differences. Is she going to be more socially engaged but less curious/active than her brother?

So, just for fun, does anyone think the keenness with which their kids mastered any of these key skills was an indicator of future talents/personalities?

Mine were absolutely different from day 1... all four of them.
DD1, cautious, a little anxious but easy going, did everything 'about average'.. walked at 11m, talked at 18m, potty trained jsut before she turned 2. Always wanted to do the right thing... still does.
DS1... desperate to move from birth; walking by 9 months, climbing the walls by 10! Very early talker, could ride a 2 wheel bike by 3 and skate by 4, toilet trained himself day and night before he was 2... sociable, and utterly reckless even as a baby... calmed down about aged 25😆
DD1.. slow to walk, slow to talk, utterly calm and easy baby, very sociable. When she finally decided to start talking age two, it was in complete sentences like she was waiting to get it right. Very calm affectionate baby, who grew into an amazingly calm , competent woman who just has a gift with people (and is a palliative care childrens nurse)
DS2.. totally laid back baby, could be handed to anyone... turned out he was autistic ...! (He's a lovely man though with disabilities)

They definitely had their personality traits from day 1!!!

I've now got two grandchildren.. DGS age 4 and Dgd 4 months... and the difference is already clear... DGS is like his wild uncle, and his baby sister is a calm easy baby like her Mum... same parents, different little humans!

DD was very vocal as a baby, always babbling, singing and experimenting with sounds. Now she is 8 she is still a little chatterbox! She was also velcro baby, and still loves constant cuddles!

My dd (teenager now) was really alert and active as a baby- walking at 11 months etc. Her brother (hitting secondary school) was very later to walk etc. They've very much evened out. Both are active and sporty so it didn't really make a difference.

Not sleeping for longer than 40 minutes until 7 months old.

Screaming every time she was changed.

8 hour long tantrums at 2 years old.

That’ll be autism!

DD was very bright and chatty and talked very very early. Lovely sensible conversations. Huge vocabulary. Loved books and animals and determined to do well at school obsessed with doing well. Hated dirt. Not amazing socially as she didn’t do mean girls but has a few friends that are all loyal and steadfast and similar to her - very academic. She’s a vet.

DS not chatty as a baby. Highly mobile - walking at a year. Very very very naughty and interested in gadgets and locks and keys. Can escape silently from anywhere. Hates spellings, doesn’t like work at school. As a teenager he just wants to play and do magic tricks! He likes maths and computing and he is very very very popular and sociable ! We will see….

This is really interesting. Sounds like some personality traits are innate and might impact how motivated they are to achieve things, but equally they all get there in the end and it might mean absolutely nothing! It’s probably only in hindsight you can see what actually mattered.

I love that your son likes maths, computing and magic tricks and is incredibly popular. Feels like TV and popular culture has suggested that couldn’t possibly be true! Good for him.

DD1 talked very clearly and in sentences before she was 2. Always loved numbers and letters and knew all her letters at 18 months - spotted by my DF when we watched Countdown together. Hated Reception at school as she wanted to read and do sums so the teacher put her with y1 and she flew. Now she's mid 20s and has recently submitted her PhD thesis at Cambridge. DD2 always more easy-going with a wicked sense of humour, even as a toddler. Quite stubborn and a trouble-magnet (like her mother!) but a kind and loyal friend. She is loving being part of a lab team at work. Both are scientists, great musicians and good cooks but DD1 is the mains/starters person and DD2 the desserts.

DD would hold her own bottle from a couple of months old, she hated being breastfed. She would go to anyone and was everyone's friend wherever we went, even when tiny. She was into everything and everything delighted her. She was never bored and found fascination in every situation. She's grown up to be incredibly independent, very sociable, still curious and equally as good at company and her own space. She didn't sit up for ages and her balance is still crap now. She put her left thumb in her mouth the day she was born and has been totally left handed ever since.

My daughters are very different to each other, completely different. However one thing I have noticed is that their behaviour as babies did NOT predict at all how they would turn out as they got older. I got them the wrong way round altogether, thinking that number one was too intelligent for her own good and would be trouble. Well ahead of her milestones (held her head up from birth, walking at eight months) and would never, ever sleep. She's turned out to be a very gentle child, very well behaved, no trouble at all, creative and sporty but not particularly academic. Number two was soooo much calmer and more relaxed as a baby. I even asked the doctor if it was normal for a baby to be that easy, I was confused because my only previous experience had been such hard work. And while she has grown up into an amazingly sweet and affectionate child, much more academic than her sister and a proper comedian, she's a firecracker. It's going to be very interesting and entertaining when she becomes a teenager 😥😁.

I have three, all teens now. DS1 was very very active as a baby - could go up and down stairs at 9 months, walked at 10 months, always running and climbing. He was an early riser too. Funnily enough he's the laziest of them as a teen and very happy to lie in bed till midday! He is quite sporty, but not more than the other two. DS2 was the latest to talk but is the chattiest now. He was always very cuddly and is still cuddly as a 15 year old. DD was the easiest as a baby, she was a good sleeper and didn't cry much. She's been an easy drama-free teen too. So some traits continued and some didn't!