What's the hardest stage between 0-5 years old?

[TVsh]

I'm just looking at my 8 month old, pulling himself up on everything, putting everything in his mouth. He's crawling so much now and I need to be on him constantly.

It's made me remember this stage with my 3 year old. She's still hard work, but she's getting a bit more reasonable. She's able to play on her own a bit. But it took ages for her to get to this stage and a bit less intense. I am remembering the stage when she started walking, she was just all over the place, never staying still. I would just spend hours on the floor with her. I couldn't let her out of my sight, even for a moment...

Anyway, I'm just thinking about what I've been through so far with my kids and I would say that the baby stage is hard, for sure... but especially my oldest, was quite a chilled baby and before she became mobile, it wasn't so so hard. So I would say that for me the baby stage was kind of OK. Age 8 months until 2 and a half is really very difficult.. 3 seems a bit easier.

What's to come ? Does it get easier after 3 again ? Or harder ? What were your hardest times, up to 5 years of age ? Just curious if you also found the baby stage a bit easier ? Or was that the hardest stage ?

Newborn stage sucked. My favourite stage has been from once they started sleeping through consistently at 8-12 weeks until around 18/20 months where they were just brilliant fun. They’d chatter in their own twin language and chatter to me, they were just lovely.

2-4 was complete and utter hell with them. Two feral children who fought non stop, had completely different interests and the tantrums and attitude had me googling if it was my shitty parenting, whether boarding school would accept them and would it ever get better.

Then they turned 4 and it became rather lovely again until fairly recently where they’re now nearly 5. They know everything, don’t listen to a word I say and I’m having to go heavy with the discipline to try to get them back in line.

But toddlers, that’s the worst stage. I wouldn't go back there again, no thank you.

I've always loved the newborn stage.

DD 1 was hardest from 6 - 18 months (bad at sleeping). DD 2 is hardest now at 3, the most wilful, impossible threenager ever 😫.

I've got a 5 month old, a 4 and a half year old and a five and a half year old. My favourite age is 4, my oldest is now getting more difficult and stroppy, pushing boundaries, driving me mad.

I love squishy babies but not looking forward to this next phase of eating, crawling and running off!

I've an 8 year old and an 18 month old.

First 12 months snuggly breastfeeding and people being nice to you because you have a baby.

12 months - 3 years?

Fuck my life. My toddler is mad, she's a little pinball. She does sleep all night though so she is forgiven a lot.

I think it's child and circumstances that dictate the hardest times.
With dt 9 months to 13 months was the hardest it was a bad winter, I was a single mum, they couldn't reliably walk so I was carrying two large babies, I couldn't turn my back because one of them would get to something while I was seeing to the other.
With singleton 6 weeks to 19 months was difficult because of illness that wasn't under control, within two weeks of the right medication was sleeping through, eating better and therfore generally happier which had a big influence on my mood because I wasn't constantly tired, worrying or visiting a and e at some ungodly hour.
My nephews and nieces were all very different too my sister would say 3 -4 was worst (was my favourite with all 3 dc) and my sil always said reception year was the worst.

Babies are lovely then it's downhill from crawling. Things perk up again around 3ish. Mines 6 now and I just wish I could stop time and keep him as he is.

4 year old if you have a highly sensitive, spirited child. From 18 months he just got worse and worse. I didn’t think he could top 3 but he managed: mega tantrums, defiance, the willingness to cut off his nose to spite his face.

He calmed down at 5 though he’s still as stubborn as a mule.

Completely depends on the child. DS was a nightmare between 0-12 months. Didn’t sleep, screamed a lot, couldn’t be put down, really frustrated…He’s been easy since 18 months and remains that way at age 3. His cousin, who is the same age, was an angelic newborn but nearly broke my sister from 18 months-2.5.

18 months to 3. Dd is 4 in May and tantrums have mostly stopped and she's so adorable now. I found as a young toddler it was relentless. The naps were hard work, always feeling like I had to schedule my days around them etc. She wouldn't nap in the car / pram etc

I have a 4 year old so I vote 4 🤣 There's been difficult periods but I'm finding this age particularly hard although he is quite a sensitive and volatile personality at the best of times

Depends very much on the child, apart from newborn! That's just horrendous! My DD was easy past newborn until around 3, then we had a year of defiance and attitude! My DS is a different story, I am going to say 0-5!! At his worst probably 2/3. But really he's just more challenging!

For me clearly 3 to 3,5. My son is now 4 and so easy to be with!

1st and third child- toilet training.
2nd- sleep issues until well past 3yo.
I enjoyed the actual baby stage, it was having these toddler issues that I found the hardest.

Baby stage for me. First 6-9 months. Both mine had cmpa and reflux. I cant remember most of that time now. Its like a long black hole. I was in a very dark place. I have loved it from 12 months. Yes teething and tantrums can be challenging but nothing has ever been even close to those harrowing screaming first few months. If I hear a baby crying unconsolably when we are out and about it makes me well up. They are 10 and 4 now and soooo easy. I always joke with dh that if I could have a ready made 12 month old I would have had at least 4. I
love it.

All of it. But so far, my 5 year old was worse when she was 4-4.5. Very stubborn and naughty. She is fine now although still lots of messing around at times which makes life frustrating - she can do lots of stuff herself but drags her feet (getting dressed for example takes forever).

Stages in order- hardest-easiest
14-18
10-14
2-4
0-2
4-6
6-8

From the age they are the move until they are about 2ish is the hardest. I found around 18 months old was probably the hardest (but pretty much age 1-2). They are fast by then and an absolute danger to themselves. U can't take ur eyes off them. They slowly start to get better about 2 and can understand a lot more and communicate.

My youngest has just turned 3 and she's so much better than a year ago! I actually have a niece that's turned 2 and I look at her and think oh god yeah I forgot how bad it was a year ago 😆

I think 3 is my favourite age though, the height of cuteness! She is so cute and funny! Says some hilarious things and also does funny things all the time. Although she's still hard work at times! The tantrums or moods are frustrating! Although, she tells me I'm her best friend all the time and she loves me, melts ur heart ❤️ If I cld freeze her in time I would lol.

Also got a nearly 6yr old and she is so independent now. Still wants cuddles though and her mummy a lot. Still tries getting in my bed every night along with her sister 🙈 We can do things together and it's all chilled, there's no tantrums etc she's well behaved and fun.

0-6m not that bad. After that it was really hard until she started school. She has always wanted to do more than she can. I was made for kids aged 5 plus only 😂

Different parents find different times hard!

I think 1 year to 1.5 is really hard - or whenever they’re just walking and want to do it all the time, won’t stay still but fall over the minute you take your eyes off them - so you have to watch them like a hawk. Or that was the case with my two.

Any stage when they’re very unwell is of course also very hard, regardless of age.

My favourite age is 5/6 until about 10/11. They are physically less in need of you to constantly keep them out of danger, but still want to be with you/ think you’re great 😀

For me personally, I would say the between 18 months to 2.5 years. They're still young enough where you can't have a conversation with them completely and still have trouble listening to you but old enough to run away my child is 6 now and I love the stage she's at. I enjoyed the newborn stage also.

Different challenges at different ages. None exactly easy or awful yet (have a 3 and 5yo). Both pretty velcro babies, but very jolly and comfortable babies if held a lot which we were able and willing to do. Hardly cried as babies. Both fun and sensible toddlers (as much as any can be anyway!), Not little ragers. Both terrible sleepers even cosleeping until 3. We have been so so so sleep deprived for so so long. Neither had a tantrum until 3...when understanding/communication is better and you can engage them in more activities so less simply chasing them about like happy drunks on a giddy night out (which is how I remember 2yos)...but more big emotions at 3 for both (in different ways). Our five year old had a very emotional third and fourth year, always seemed to be taking on too complicated an understanding of the world to then be able to process- asking about death, meat eating, crime and punishment, politics, environmental degradation, etc...we didn't actively introduce these things, she seemed to have a radar for sucking in troubling concepts and then chewing on them! Nothing went over her head, on the radio, parent chats, phonecalls...we had to be so careful! Also seemed to struggle with friendships...seemed to be yearning for peers attention a little too much and working so hard to make them like her it didn't seem easy or relaxing bless her. Five has been easier, she's learned which kids are likely to be kind and to let the others go. She's understood that we can handle whatever hard things we come across as a team. She seems less rattled by life. The one who is now a 3 yo shrieks like you've trodden on a shrew if you cut his toast wrong, and still won't walk if it's 'cold' or 'scary' and every day after childcare tells us about every single thing any other child did wrong (often exaggerated versions). He is very keen on rules and reporting misdemeanours (no idea why, we barely have any rules at home!) and he is very worried about being hurt or having things snatched even when the kids around him are genuinely not doing that. Our 5yo never did those things, so each is different I guess! But I wonder if he will find 3 and 4 tricky too and chill out a bit at 5 like she has.

Newborn sleep deprivation plus the difficulties of breastfeeding. It was a really awful stage for me that nothing has ever come near.

Age 4 was the hardest with both of mine, for slightly different reasons. But it depends on their and your personality. I found the baby age pretty easy, but they weren’t difficult babies.

Definitely depends on the child I think.

My youngest sibling I recall being a breeze from like 0- 6years old. Very chilled baby.

My DC, has been hard since birth. Will see when it gets easier.