How is a 6 month old diff to 1 year old?

[Jadefeather7]

Do you think it gets easier from 6months to 1 year?

I’m due to have another baby when my first turns 1 years old.

I’m finding him much easier at 6 months then he was at say 3 months. He sleeps well at night. He just whinges a lot during the day and needs constant attention otherwise he gets upset.

Just wondering what it’s like to have a 1 year old. I guess there’s more watching them as they are crawling/ walking. Do they start to self entertain more? Did you find it easier over time or the same or harder?

1 was so much easier than 6 months! And even better when she could walk (about 16 months). She only wanted to crawl everywhere as soon as she could move, so pram and sling became a nightmare. When she could toddle along with me on a walk etc it was all a lot easier.

I’ve only got the one DD aged 2.5, but often say if I could be handed children at 18 months I’d have about 6! I found the first few months the hardest by far.

Ps - my sister in law has the same age gap. The first weeks and early months were tough, but they are best buddies now, and so, so lovely together. She’s even gone on to have a third!

At 1 my DC still had a decent nap each day and slept well during the buggy which was good. Very wriggly during clothing and nappy changes as stronger than at 6 months so always was trying to escape them!

At 1 they are beginning to walk/sofa surf as a minimum so just need to be on it from a baby proofing perspective. At 1 for example mine would have tried to go up or down stairs but been far too dangerous to do it. At 1 mine was not trying I escape the cotbed yet so still contained when in bed, but I knew of lots of other 1 year olds that were escape artists!

My one year old (14 months now) is really good fun. Mostly entertains himself, and thinks he is the funniest thing ever. His communication is really good (words and signs) so it probably makes life a bit easier as I know what he wants most of the time. He’s not walking yet but he’s entirely mobile crawling and climbing so if anything it will probably make my life easier when he does walk as we’ll be able to go to the park and stuff a bit more. He’s definitely got a wilful streak and he already has some fairly significant tantrums but on the whole I’m enjoying this age a lot more than the baby stage.

12 month age gap between 1&2. It was a bit tricky the first few weeks having a brand new baby and a brand new toddler. But I got into the swing of it quickly! Number 2 was a much easier newborn than number 1. Almost 4&3 now and they're best friends, it's a really lovely age gap.

I'm in the minority it would appear and find it easier the older they get. My eldest was crawling 6 months, at 12 months she had obviously a better understanding than she did at 6 months and was saying some words and could communicate with me a bit. But some children can't say anything at 12 months so that's entirely dependent on your child.

I found 12-18 months quite nice. Ds was in a routine for food and naps, slept the night, was communicating (We did baby sign and he could ask for food/milk/nappy change- also cake!) and was mostly a lot less grizzly. Downside- constantly moving and had to be watched constantly or he tried to climb up, crawl into or generally destroy stuff. Also teething molars was brutal!

At around 11.5 months for my elder 2 there was a massive leap in development where you can see the transition from babyhood to toddlerhood. They start puzzling things out more, putting rings on stackers, figuring out how things go together, taking things in and out, more aware of their surroundings, able to point/ look something if you say where's your teddy etc. It's a lovely age.

Easier - sleep improved soooo much for my poor sleeper. Easier to feed them - they just eat what I have.
Harder - they’re mobile, have no sense of danger and you have to have eyes in the back of your head especially if they’re climbers. One of mine didn’t like signing and couldn’t speak (obvs) so could easily get frustrated and tantrum beautifully 😂
Generally I found age 1 easier than small baby age though.

I found the conventional 3 year gap difficult, as they had different types of needs - the 3 yr old mainly "intellectual", the baby almost purely physical. I felt split down the middle.

SO different.

They tend to be a bit more independent and not need as much entertaining because they can get about by themselves - but this comes with a flip side that they are into everything and you need to constantly watch that they aren't killing themselves.

You will want to have at least one (preferably two) rooms/areas in your house which are "yes spaces" - that means that everything there within reach is OK for them to touch/explore, anything dangerous/precious is blocked off or out of reach. That is to save you constantly saying no all the time and trying to get them out of things.

Embrace mess, at least in the short term. We have things like board books on low shelves, and don't mind if they all come out. Muslins are kept on low shelves. Indestructable toys are free rein. We have a shelf full of empty boxes as well (phone boxes, shoe boxes and the like) which has surprisingly been one of the most popular things in the house. All of these things are easy to tidy up and not easy to destroy or make a huge mess with. Toys with lots of small(er) parts are kept separately. I would also make a rule that food is only eaten in high chairs, in order to try and contain food mess.

My 1yo doesn't sleep but he didn't at 6mo either so if yours does maybe you'll still be lucky there.

Mine have 18 months between them and things I would suggest are- a "safe" room with a stair gate on where you can leave them to their own devices (with you in the room of course) while you feed/change the baby as my older one was a climber. A sling was my saviour. So much quicker getting in and out the car than lugging a double buggy around. We went to lots of baby/toddler groups.
It's going to be hard work but it will fly by. Its lovely watching the relationship develop between them. Mine have an amazing bond.

If you're going straight to formula and don't already have one, get a Perfect Prep machine.

It depends on the child. I never got a baby that just sat on a playmat, she was crawling at 6 mil this.

My one year old was so hyperactive and was running around like a crazy person at 12 months.

But others her age were more relaxed.

She also had colic. So for me a 1 year old and newborn would be absolute hell on earth. We can’t contemplate an age gap less than 3-4 years.

I’m sure you will be fine though! You will get through it and at least you get the baby heats out of the way.

• 6 month old.

My youngest has just turned 1yo. I'm finding it much harder now than when he was 6months to be honest. He's just started walking and I cannot take my eyes off him for a second or it spells disaster. He's also getting frustrated because he knows what he wants but can't communicate it so we're starting to see the beginning of toddler tantrums now.
He's also having a really hard time with teething which has really impacted his sleep. At the moment he's waking 2/3 times in the night and it's not unusual for him to be up for the day at 4.30am and as I'm back at work now I just have to get on with things. At 6 months his sleep much better but also I was on maternity leave and could have a nap in the day, or at least a lazy day not doing very much if we'd had a bad night.
On the plus side, not having to faff about with bottles and sterilising anymore is a relief. You also get more back at this age. He's initiating affection, clapping and dancing to music, developing a sense of humour. It feels less one-sided.

Get a playpen. I have twins (albeit teenagers now so no need for one now) but it was an absolute godsend. Life and sanity saver. Congratulations too.

It’s just different and some of it is personality dependent as to which age/stage you find easier or harder. For me, I find 6m-12m quite limiting in terms of naps, weaning, milk etc. I really liked the 12m plus stage once they are on one nap, eating properly and cutting down on milk. It is harder to supervise a 1 year old though as they have no sense of danger and are interested in exploring. I find the day goes much quicker though. I’ve got a 7m old at the moment and sometimes I just get a bit bored. She’s easier in many ways than a toddler (Public tantrums are hard work) but I get a lot out of interaction, first words, more interesting games so am looking forward to that stage.

The small age gap will be hard for the first few years but then you’ll have lots of advantages logistically.

Also it’s a bit of a generalisation but at 1 you seem to either have a walker or a talker. I think your experience of the 12-16m period really depends on which type you’ve got.

I had 13 months between my 3rd and 4th and found it very tiring. Obviously a new born needs feeding a lot so if your breastfeeding and have a toddler moving about it can be hard to manage. I tried to make the living room as safe as possible so that if he was trying to walk around and get into stuff, he wouldn't hurt himself. I once put the youngest in a bouncy chair while I got something from the kitchen and came back to find my 19month old shoving a spoon in the 6 months mouth as I had left the bowl and spoon on the coffee table and he was imitating me feeding his little brother. Basically I was very tired for about 2 years but once the youngest is taking more notice of the older one, they will play together and keep each other amused which helps. I think you have to be very organised and try to get them in good sleeping routines so that you can relax or catch up on stuff when they are asleep as it's a full time job keeping watching them while there awake.

I found 12 months so much harder because they are much more active and you can't take your eyes off them. I went back to work at 12 months and I was so grateful! At 6 months old I would have cried if I'd have to go back to work and leave her!

Agree with previous posters, 6-9 months was the easiest time for us. no more colics, but not walking yet. Bliss.

I’m finding my 1 year old much easier than 6 month. At 6 months DD was never the kind of baby I could leave to play with a toy - she wanted constant attention. My 12 months she was cruising round furniture and could get to what she wanted. I believe she became a lot less frustrated when she could move.

@Grumpos Nail on the head! 😂 My DD is almost 1 and it’s like she hit 10/11 months and decided she was 2 years older. What is it with the sudden inability to lie down for 30 seconds to have their bum changed? As soon as she feels me go to lay her down, it’s head thrown back, back arched, screaming, then trying to roll over whilst I’ve got her legs up so she ends up bloody suspended by her feet.

I’m with most previous posters, OP, it’s genrally more difficult just because you need about 30 sets of eyes. Mine is really wanting to walk at the moment and is a speedy crawler, and is also going through a ‘scream when you leave the room’ phase, so I’m pretty much attached to her 24/7. Though she will play mostly by herself if I’m sat nearby.

I’d say definitely invest in a good sling/carrier for the newborn so you can be active with your eldest slightly easier. I’m terms of keeping the eldest occupied, one thing that my DD absolutely loves is her treasure basket. I put it together when she could sit by herself and it keeps her entertained for a good while. Google sensory boxes and you’ll get some good tips but ours is just an old basket filled with all sorts we find around the house/pick up whilst we’re out (measuring spoon, cardboard clothes tags, leaflets, a loofah, takeaway coffee cup, etc).

I think it depends on the baby. My first wasnt anywhere near walking by 12 months and would happily sit and play with toys or read books etc

My second was walking by then and the second my back was turned would have climbed up onto a chair and then a table etc and had to be entertained a lot more

My DC was easier at 12m than 6 month but at 6 month she still just screamed most of the time so wasn't s typical 6 month old. Actually don't think she was a typical 12m old either tbf but that was still easier to deal with than permanent screaming. Also I was at work when she was 12m so had a lot of time apart which I'm sure made me get frustrated less easily etc than when I was with her all the time on mat leave as I really struggled with the relentlessness of it. Having said that, there is no way in hell I would have been happy to look after a newborn at the same time. Still not now she's 17m. You're a much braver woman than I! I know plenty of people do it successfully tho ofc.