At what age did you start enjoying your DC?

[StrawberryMummy90]

I have 2 DD's (DD1 is 2yrs and DD2 is 2mths) and I obviously love them to pieces but after having DD2 I've realized I don't really enjoy the baby stage much at all. Feeding, sleepless nights etc. I don't enjoy them depending on me for their every need and I find myself daydreaming about DD1 being a few years older and being able to watch movies with her and having more conversation etc

Just wondered what age you started to really enjoy your DC or have you just loved every minute from the newborn stage and I'm just a selfish, shit mum!

Also OP, two that young is flippin hard - don't be so hard on yourself.

From about 3 and a half has been an absolute joy for me. She’s almost 4 now and I hope it continues! I’m not a natural parent at all and really struggled up until this point so it’s nice to finally enjoy her as much as I expected to.

I hate the baby stage.

I'd quite happily be pregnant longer and pop them out aged 3 when they can talk walk and poop solo.

Much more civilised.

Totally with you OP, and it is normal to feel like this. Personally I didn't enjoy the baby stages with either of mine. And the toddler stages are bloody hard work.

But DD is now 15 and a lovely well rounded teenager (they do exist!) and DS is almost 4 and becoming easier to deal with everyday.

The sleepless nights are no more, he's now fully potty trained and dry at night after a very long slog at it, his vocab is really good so we can have actual conversations... The older my kids get, the better it gets.

Although I am slightly dreading DS as a teenager, surely I can't have two who are good can I??

Loved babies, neither were too hard. Love the fact they were so portable, pick baby up and put them in car seat, pushchair etc.

Really rocky from 2 ish to 4 ish,. Willful, difficult to maneuver, very resistant all the time, constant wheedling, negotiating, bribing, threatening ( one more so than the other) just felt like pushing to unwilling people around all the time ( to parks, soft play etc).

By late 4 /5 - oh my goodness, an angel emerged, gorgeous, polite, wonderful, interesting convo, funny, civilized ( to a degree)!!

It's interesting as it seems those who disliked the baby stage preferred the toddler stage and vice versa. Even though my toddler is a little madam I do prefer this age to when she was a baby. I have anxiety and I think a big reason why I don't like baby years is because they can't communicate verbally what's bothering them and every crying fit etc I would assume the worst and go into panic mode!

Whereas now my 2 year old can tell me if her tummys hurting or if her poo is stuck in her bum

12/13. I think I’m a great mum and have a fantastic relationship with my son but not in the least maternal. I got pregnant through a slip up and knew whilst pregnant I’d only have one.

Whilst I did enjoy them as babies it was damn hard work and exhausting!

Since they've been 5 and 3 (now 9 and 7) I have absolutely loved it though - I have so much more energy, time for myself, time for DH and our relationship so win win all round! They're funny and great to be with, I look back in the baby days with fondness but have zero yearning to go back to that stage........

I love them being little but then that's just me and most people think I'm odd.

Give me a tantruming 2 year old over the annoying 20year old any day.

My mother's favourite phrase when I was small was I always love you but I don't always like you. And it is always true through sleep deprivation, weening, tantrums, vomit and poo I always love them to the depths of my soul (even the 20 yo) but I might not like them at that moment. 2 hours later when they are asleep on my lap I forgive them anything.
Ahhhh the delights of being a mum!

My favourite stage is now.....the youngest has just started school and I have one day a week to myself granted it is generally to do housework and walk the dog but still I don't have anyone wanting anything from me for 6 whole hours, amazing!
My only issues with the baby stage were a lack of sleep and teething, otherwise I enjoyed it.
Toddler stage, they are very cute when start walking and talking but a nightmare to control at times and I hated potty training, even though mine were good at it.
They definitely get more interesting as they get older but still hard work. Not sure when that ends, if ever!!

I have to say I'm not enjoying being a mum right now, mine are 7,5,2 and 6 months and it feels impossibly difficult right now. I'm right in the midst of the worst anxiety I've ever experienced and it feels like there's just no letting up! Children are generally difficult little creatures!

My DD is 2 and a bit and I love her at this age, she's so chatty and interested in EVERYTHING! 😂
I'm also 34weeks pregnant and I can't wait to have him and watch him grow and learn like she did.

Pixie, I’m always curious as to why people have multiple children when finding parenthood so hard and relentless. I found it to be so, and so stopped at one. I’ve never been maternal and had never desired to be a mum so maybe that’s partly it. I have a friend who had 3 and she used to constantly talk of the tiredness, the cost and I found myself not sympathising - she had 3 because she’d always wanted 3 but after her first the level of effort involved can’t have been a surprise. Simply curious as to what motivated you to have 4 babes x

pixie I'm also wondering the same thing if you don't mind me asking?

Although I guess I'm kind of the same, struggled badly with my first, things got easier as she got older and slightly more independent and then I had another one and am thrown right in the midst again! I also would like another in 3-5 years time.

I don't really know why? I've just always wanted 3 kids but I really do struggle...

I'm not Pixie but I could definitely have ended up doing that - the thing is that up until DS was 3 parenting him was a wonderful experience and I really did love it most of the time! So I could have been pregnant with #2 before I realised In fact I probably would have been - the only reason why not was because I broke up with his dad.

Then I don't know if I'd have had a third, though, because DS was so challenging at 4 and 5 years old and I think that would have been really hard with a baby/toddler to look after as well. But equally, DS might have been a totally different child because we would have been in a completely different situation, so hard to say. I think if DC1 had been going through a harder phase and come out of it somewhat then I might have been tempted in a fit of broodiness to go for DC3 with the mindset that the early years couldn't last forever But really who knows. I do want to have 2 more, so I'm either mad, forgetful or it can't have been that bad.

I love DS's stage now. I think he's fantastic. We can properly talk about stuff and he's developing opinions on things. I'm really looking forward to the teen stage.

I adore being their mum! Most of the time the good far outweighs the bad, since having my 4th though it's been really hard. She's a difficult baby and my inability to solve whatever it is that makes her so miserable is taking its toll! I know it's only a snippet in time though, it won't be like this forever. I know we will have some amazing times to come, along with some worse times too I'm sure x

I love the teenage years Bertie. The lack of a developed frontal lobe does make for lack of sensitivity but it will come! My lad and I are very alike which makes for blazing rows and the best of laughs. He’s a new much more improved version of me. Seeing them find their own path in everything from ambition to music and clothes is fabulous

Mine are 11,9 and 6 and I would like to keep them right here. I improved vastly as a parent when they hit about 5 and develop interests, have decent conversations and can help them explore things. I find the baby and toddler years very hard, enjoyable in their own way but I love this stage.