If you had an easy or more demanding baby…

[twobabiesandapup]

…did their temperament stay the same as a toddler or change? Reason I ask… I always felt like I had the easiest baby alive with my first, he slept well, ate well, smiled constantly and very rarely cried. He’s now a toddler and whilst he’s hard work and runs at 100 miles an hour with the standard tantrum/defiance/boundary pushing…(!) I still consider him to be super easy as he’s so funny, playful, happy and silly. My second however… 😂 she’s still a newborn and equally very smiley and happy but my god is she demanding! She has the angriest little face when she cries, she doesn’t give you a minute grace when she wants her milk and is impossible to settle during her 6-9pm witching period and seems absolutely furious that we don’t know what she wants! So I’m here speculating as to whether her temperament will stay like this as she gets older or if she’ll ever chill the hell out! What were your experiences of your baby vs their toddlerhood? Were they relatively similar or did they change as they got older?

My first was a nightmare baby, but very well behaved toddler, never had any problems in teenage years and now is a pleasant (very independent) young man.
Dc2 was a nightmare till could sit up, constantly wanted holding, entertainment and generally was a very nosy baby. Of all 3 was the one who could be passed around. Had difficult times during primary school but now in late teens is coming into own and definitely the easiest of the three to parent.
Dc3 was the most placid well behaved baby, who then became a defiant, too independent for their own good toddler and then the easiest during primary years but then hardest during teenage years.
So you never know what's round the corner, with dc1 and 2 I had them in a sling even at home alot of the time which helped but remember each stage passes its not forever.

DS was a tricky baby, didn’t sleep, fought every nap, would scream bloody murder when he was hungry, turned into an absolute dream at 18 months, never had a tantrum, very sweet, kind boy. He’s 16 now and the teen years have been good too. He’s very laid back and easy going.

Dd was a lovely baby. Slept through from two weeks, easy going. Didn't walk till 17 months so stayed where she was put.
Then she turned 4. We don't talk about the year we called' fucking fours".
Beyond that? Polite child, outgoing but still easygoing.
Not a nightmare teen but definitely a typical teen.
She's 18 now, has her moments but we generally feel we got off lightly🙂

One of my DC was easy as a baby and toddler, except a short ‘threenager’ phase. A”Also easy in the primary years. Since around age 11 their moods and behaviour have been far more challenging, I suspect due to some home and school challenges they’ve had and hormones.

DS1 hated being a baby. He fought everything with every fibre of his body.
He got easier and easier. Preschool age was a delight. And I've yet to experience teenage horrors from him (he's 16).

DS2 was chilled as a baby, and has continued to be so.

Mine followed the patterns they started out with.

DC1 was a fractious, unsettled baby and a whirlwind toddler with epic tantrums. She is now a young adult and has ADHD. She is still a whirlwind but doesn’t have tantrums anymore 😂

DC2- placid, easy, predictable, smiley, sleeps a lot, eats a lot. Stayed the same throughout and has the same character now at 17!

DD1 was a baby who slept poorly and could not be put down. Did not sleep through the night until she was four years old. However was an easy child and not a difficult teen, I've seen MUCH MUCH harder .
DD2 easy baby and easy child. Pragmatic and empathetic and still the same as a late teenager. Bit of a worrier and a perfectionist but always good company.

Ds1 was an incredibly difficult baby just seemed to be allergic to sleep, or even just chilling out. Constantly awake and angsty and not able to be put down.

two years later ds2 came along and out of necessity we just had to sleep train him. It wasn’t a pleasant experience but he
sorted himself out and had been a delight ever since (is now 12)

My first was a mix. Didn't sleep for shit. Ever.
However was very easy baby otherwise. Happy, smiley, relaxed.
Has been pretty typical with different phases as a toddler etc, but no tantrums, throwing things, hitting. Is 11 now and pretty easy going, if a little sensitive.
2nd also didnt sleep for shit and was a very unhappy baby for a good while, but it was mostly due to allergies that took a while to get on top of. He is a bit of a contrast in that he is loud, and not very often still. He is funny, thoughtful and kind.
They are very different from each other in some way, but have their similarities too.
Thankfully they get on brilliantly.

DS1 super easy chilled baby, he’s a teenager now and has always been thoughtful, quiet, chilled, patient etc.

DD2 very demanding baby, wouldn’t be put down etc as you describe, is now 6 and still demanding, emotionally volatile, easily frustrated etc. she’s sensitive, thoughtful and kind too but she definitely followed the pattern from birth

DD was the toddler with the worse tantrums, seriously never seen anything like it. She’s 17 now and been a dream teen. Those tantrums are a thing of the past thank goodness.

One was the easiest baby ever- grew up to be easy/lovely.

Two and three were both difficult, clingy/miserable/screamy/defiant- both grew up easy/lovely.

Number four is the same as 2 & 3, but is only one so we will see!

Yes, is the short answer.

My demanding first continued to be through the toddler years and school. He's now 19 and wonderful - very independent and hardworking, but I would say still quite hard work!

My mellow second has continued to be so. He's stubborn, and at 16 we have a few teenage issues, but on the whole he's pretty chilled.

The funny thing is, ds1 always needed to be in complete silence with blackout blinds to sleep, and woke up if you so much a breathed outside his door, whereas ds2 could sleep through a hurricane. Now, as an adult, ds1 sleeps in an eye mask and earplugs and still needs complete sensory deprivation. Ds2 can fall asleep with the TV blaring, lights on, music playing on his headphones...in fact, he struggles to sleep in silence, which is exactly the same as when he was a baby. I find that fascinating!

DC1 was a nightmare screamy colicky baby who turned into a lovely fun toddler.
DC2 was an easy baby (apart from being a bottle refusing permanently attached limpet!), who then turned into a demonic toddler with non stop tantrums...

Mine are young adults now but their personalities and temperaments were definitely set from newborn.
Dd was a high needs baby, needed lots of attention, barely napped and was difficult to settle at night but then slept well, always on the go and wanting to move on to the next step. She’s now 23, mature, independent, confident, excelling in her graduate job, nobody’s fool.
Ds was much more placid, happy with whatever he was doing, napped anywhere. We had a slight sticky patch in his mid teens probably because he’s easygoing and compliant he succumbed to peer pressure so I found him vaping (might also be his laidback tendencies that made him rubbish at hiding it! ) He’s 20, progressing well with his apprenticeship and thinks there will be opportunity to move into a permanent job when he qualifies, he’s calm and confident, still a home boy.