What age did you find hardest between 0 and 1 year?

[newmum234]

My baby is now 4 months old and I’ve seen people say on MN that it’s a hard age. I’m exhausted but less so than when DS was a newborn - it feels a bit easier now than at the beginning to me, though it’s still very grueling.

What age did you find hardest between 0 and 1 year and why? And which was the easiest period during that time?

So far the Approaching 4 month phase.

Newborn to around 15 weeks he slept 9pm-3/4am, fed, then slept until 7am. The last Few weeks he has hit the 4 month sleep fiasco, he now wakes every hour all night long to feed. Last night he beat his record and woke 11times between 9.30pm-7am.

I miss sleep.

Weaning and crawling ( so 7-10 monthish) I felt chained to the hous Any type of cafe or outdoor meet up was completely impossible. Constant cooking, pureeing and cleaning the kitchen floor. Was glad to go back to work. Found having a newborn to crawling a breeze tbh and once they were walking it was easier too. Mine did sleep though so didn't have the sleep deprivation.

The first few weeks weren't so much hard but we're totally bizarre - it was like this little alien had landed and everything felt so surreal. I actually found about 8 months hardest when DS started to become more mobile but couldn't do a lot so got very frustrated. Now he's a bit older (12 months), he can get around more and play games / look at books etc so he's easier to entertain.

First week with bothhorrible. Recovering from birth and episiotomy 😱 and trying to breastfeed. Week 2- 4 months was better. 4-6 months was great. Settled in a routine, sleeping through, starting baby groups. Sitting up and being more interesting. 6-9 months a bit hit and miss with introducing food and changing routines round. Still good though. 10 months onwardsback to work and the fun of leaving the house at 7am.

The first 3 months (luck of sleep and the fact that babies don't really do much other than eating , pooping and sometimes sleeping)
Then it's fun until they start moving....
Once they start walking it's really exhausting but fun until they are 3/4 years when you can start reasoning with them!

DS is 4 months and it's been rough and still is. First 12 weeks definitely were harder though!

Easy in the beginning and harder as they started teething and waking up more earlier.

The first six weeks I found hard in that I was still recovering, it was all new, the relentlessness and repetitiveness was next level; but similarly it was easier as they stayed where you put them down, you know largely what they're going to be wanting (milk or cuddles), and they still sleep a lot. I found 7 months-ish quite hard as he kept getting frustrated with not yet being able to crawl and just constantly was trying. I think each stage is both harder and easier in different ways?

Depends on child and you as well I think! First daughter after 8 yr ttc and IVF found first 3 months very difficult as I'd built it up in my mind but actually she was a super easy baby and thereafter easy. Second easy to start with as I didn't expect him to sleep but once I realised he wasn't going to sleep the whole of the first yr and to some extent forever since as he still isn't a good sleeper at 7! I would say though whatever phase it does pass!

4 to 6 months was the hardest, 6 to 9 months the easiest. LO is currently 10 months and we seem to have hit a fussy eating, sleep regression phase.

For me it depended on my children - they are both so different. I have a 2.5yo and 9mo.
My 1st was a nightmare until 6mo and she started taking regular naps, and my 2nd was a dream baby until 4mo when she stopped sleeping at nighttime (horrible time). So for me I my hardest time was around 4mo. It was also hard with two because I didn't have time to sleep during nap time (because the other one would be up then!).

I think I can cope with it after 6 months old though when they are much more interactive and are interested in what's going on around them.

I know this is an old old post but this made me laugh out loud as you're 'just beat his record ' comment is my life right now, cheers for first laugh of the day, mine woke 6 times between 8 snd 9pm and then every hour til 3 last night ! Hope it improves fast!

I found it hard to connect with him before he started smiling but other than that and the fear of him breaking it was all pretty easy before he turned 1 when he suddenly had triple the amount of energy, decided naps were no more and stays up late most nights 😂 Toddlers are much harder than babies as you have to watch them constantly to make sure they don’t climb on something, fall off and die 😅 It is much more fun than the baby stage though as they play properly and really interact with you 🥰