Which age is the hardest?

[KathyMCMLXXII]

Please someone, tell me it's 13 months

Obviously it's going to vary, but I wonder what people think?

(Personally I'm finding it way less stressful than when she was a newborn and we worried about if we were doing it right all the time, but physically much, much harder - oh how I miss those hours spent sitting on a sofa breastfeeding in front of Richard & Judy....)

I'd say that every age so far has its lovely moments and its not so lovely moments.

DS is 2.8 and DD is 10 months so I know there's lots more to come as well .

A particurly frustrating time was when DS couldn't talk but knew what he wanted. Once we started to understand him, that eased some of the major problems .

Sorry - all the ages are just different. Different problems and nice bits with all ages so far (my eldedst is 5.8). but yes the just starting to walk bit is a bit of a handful as youor little one if anything like mine were seems to bump his/her head constantly as they fall over/fail to stop/can't turn corners /think they can run before they can walk - but its so nice to wach the expressions on thier faces as they realise they can do it - and carry toys too.

17 is bloody nightmare. They think they are adults, but fail to see the danger out there.

lol, sobernow

very funny sobernow!!!

I'd say it depends on the child. I have a very active 19 month old but I started to find him much easier at 12 months old. He is much more active so I am more physically tired but he generally sleeps well now and I am much happier being physically tired than the utter exhaustion that sleeplessness brought me. He has massive temper tantrums but he responds and is very loving too which I find more fun than when he was a baby.

As a baby he cried so much and slept so little I was beyond exhausted. So for me toddlerhood is much easier than babyhood. See it all varies. A a lot of people agree the teens are the worst though - we'll see.

newborn without a shadow of a doubt

one of the best is around the 19/20 month mark when they start to become too cute for words, staggering about learning new things all the time

To my suprise I'm finding my 5 year old dd incredibly hard work; but I'm assuming it's a combination of her temperament and being in her first year of school. You'd think she was 15 not 5 at times - dh and I think we are experiencing a preview of what she will be like when she is a teenager. Gawd help us!

God, yes, newborn is ghastly.
I'd have another if they could be presented to me at 5 months old.

But then they reach 2 ish and do get more demanding again. DD2 is 23 months and beginning to wear me down.

so far I'd say I could take or leave toddlers.

newborns are delicious (2/3 of mine were very easy) and over 4s can be very sweet. toddlers are sweet but at the same time rather grim.

Hmmm. Thanks for all the answers.
Dd is not lacking in cuteness at all, it's just the simplest thing is such a lot of effort - changing a nappy generally means chasing her round the bathroom/restraining her, and meals involve her throwing stuff onto the floor.
(Mind you, would be easier if I wasn't pg....)
She's at that point where she sort of understands the word 'no' and is so fascinated by it she has to keep on doing the forbidden thing just so she can watch your reaction [eye-rolling emoticon].
Alison222 - yes, her achievements are what keep me going - she's learning to stand up at the moment and whenever she manages it for more than a few seconds she celebrates by punching the air with her fists - so sweet....

I think its about 13 to 36 months

dd2 is 15 monhs at the mo and I just can' keep up with her ability to move so quick and destroy so quick, no sense of danger, no respect for dd1's stuff, raging tantrums when she can't have dd1's things ugh

all of them are hard work

Thanks Trinityrhino, LOL while throwing self of cliff....

it's definitely doesn't help when your pg, I'm only 12 weeks on saturday bu the exhaustion ugh

I know what you mean about chasing them fora nappy change, washing hair makes her cry, dd1 doesn't want her ruining her games, d2has started yanking dd1's hair when she can't get her toys off her
the other day dd1 sat in the playpen just to get away fro dd2 but then dd2 started throwing things in at her grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Newborn. Definitely.

I don't know if it is just me but every stage brings different worries. Now i have a teenager, i think why did i think newborns were so hard!

Mell2, I feel like most of my newborn anxieties were self-inflicted - the way I obsessively recorded the length of every breastfeed in case she wasn't getting enough, the time we took her camping and I was up half the night staring at the thermometer - doh!) We were very lucky with our dd - no major bf probs and she slept through from seven weeks, so I almos think part of it was feeling I ought to be anxious because everyone else is when they have newborns so I was finding things to worry about!
But then, retrospect is a wonderful thing!

I thought it was 2 but now she's 3 I definately think 3 is worse please tell me 4 get's better [hopeful emoticon]

sorry for rogue apostrophe there!

Between 2 and 3. He is infuriating. I really appreciate how easy babies are now. Plus ds2 is a very easy baby anyway

I think age 1 to 2 is the worst because they can get to everything but have no real sense of danger and you can't reason with them either.

I think newborn, just because of the sleep deprivation, it's hideous.
My ds is 13 months too and he's a lovable little rogue, into absolutely everything in a way his sister wasn't at the same age. I can do two things that help if I've had enough sleep.

1. Concentrate on how marvellous he is and how lucky I am to watch his little brain and body develop.
2. Distract him away from danger with alternate stuff to trash as opposed to removing him while his little legs pedal in absolute fury