How old were your children when you felt you were slowly getting your life back?

[chuckb4ss]

First time Mum in the baby phase and I dream of a time when my baby goes to sleep in his own room, sleeps through the night with no interruptions, whilst I take a long bubble bath and indulge in my night time skincare routine. I'm worried that this might not be until my child is in senior school? Please enlighten me

It got loads easier for me around 3 when he would reliably stay in bed all night until 6 am. Also he was more fun by then, we started enjoying eating out and going to museums and things I liked!

Probably when they were 3.5/4 - but I have two so the youngest was 3.5 oldest 6.5!

When the youngest got to about 4, the oldest was 6 - started being able to do some things on their own, sleeping great, etc

It got much easier when youngest started sleeping better (age 3) and went to pre school and even more so primary. But to date (secondary age DC) never got back to the pre-DC beauty regime! Social life also limited.

Work full time, commuting and with parenting / additional domestic work etc, so have limited time and choose exercise / relaxing / sleep over skincare!

It gradually gets easier, but agree that around the time the youngest starts primary it's been really noticeable.

Mine are 7 and 4 and I would say the last year has been much easier (lockdown notwithstanding!) No more nappies, both on the same schedule of meals/ bedtime, both sleep through. Old enough to entertain themselves, can be left to play and watch TV alone.

I still spend a lot of my time clearing up after them and stopping them bickering, but there's definitely a lot more opportunity for time to myself.

When Dd was about 3.5. She goes to bed pretty easily, sleeps all night consistently unless unwell.

She’s now just over 4, and I’m slowly introducing more things to get her independence (and so I don’t have to do it!!)

So she’ll pick her outfit out and mostly get dressed on her own, can get a glass of water/help herself to a snack, get her towel, shampoo etc ready for the bath. I’m always there, but it’s just little things that mean I’m not being forced off the sofa every 5 seconds

My eldest is 4 now. Completely uninterrupted nights were from when she was about 2.5 and no longer needed a wee in the middle of the night. So after that, we had lovely chilled evenings once she was in bed. Since she’s been 4 she’s had the odd sleepover with my parents (childcare support bubble) so we can focus on the twins.

Honestly, I’m not sure life will be “back” for some time, but when DD was 3 we used to be able to have friends over for dinner after DD was in bed, or for a film or board game. My parents would be happy to babysit for an evening if it wasn’t for the twins. But obviously weekends etc are very different from pre-children.

In terms of long bath etc, I had a lovely long bath last night. The twins don’t remotely sleep through (dreaded 4 month sleep regression in full swing) but stay down for 2 hours at a time. So all 3 kids in bed by 8pm and I had till 10 to have a lovely relaxing time with a glass of wine in the bath.

My youngest is a couple of months off 4 and I'm starting to feel like I'm getting my life back. She has been an absolute nightmare over the last year but for the past couple of months she's calmed down, I've got a part time job and finally feel like I have a purpose in life.

However, I've been able to have long bubble baths and time to myself since she was a baby and I was single parent when she was born. She slept through since she was 12 weeks old so I always get alone time at night which I'm grateful for. I would have really struggled if she hadn't been a good sleeper I was exhausted for the first few months and hallucinating with sleep deprivation but once she started sleeping through things were instantly better.

For me it was when my daughter started school.

School felt like freedom

Between 6-7 months, when she started sleeping through the night from 7pm to 7am. Having that evening time to yourself is everything!

Age 6 for me. I enjoy their company and everything feels more relaxed.

When the youngest is 3 or 4 (depending on maturity).

Around 2-3 feels much more manageable when they’re reliably sleep through and in the evenings and they can walk places etc. But unfortunately it’s also around the time you think it would be nice to have another one 😂

Dropped DD nap at 2.5 and she will now sleep 715pm through the night. That was a game changer for me to get my evenings and nights back!

A little bit at 3 when she started nursery school 2 afternoons a week.

The big moment was when she could get herself in and out of the car and do her car seat belts completely independently, which due to some developmental issues wasn’t until she was 7. There was a distinct shift around that time from being a constant caregiver to a dependent child being a parent to an independent person. Dd was in a somewhat serious accident when she was 9 and needed lots of physical care again for 6 months, the first month of which she couldn’t even sit up or shift position without my assistance. I was right back in that mode of my life really being all about hers so I do think a lot of it is that need to provide hands on assistance all day and night that makes a big difference.

It’s very hard isn’t it . I have asd and feel I’ve lost every second. I need little ten minute breaks occasionally and hate being touched and on alert all the time

Dts were easier at 3, a pleasure to hang out with by 4.5.

My 4th is 1 at the end of the month and I’m ready to get my life back now to a certain extent - I think when you have kids you never really get your old life back!!
She sleeps 13 hours straight at night so I am ready to start to go out in the evenings and am so glad I haven’t missed out on any of the this past year!
When they start school you really feel free!!

Just before We started to feel this when youngest was about 10 - mainly because older ones could then provide free babysitting

I think about 3; I’ve got a nearly 4 year old and a one year old and I can see that with my nearly 4 year old that’s when things start getting easier. They might sleep through by 1 but then the problem becomes that you’re trying to fit everything that you can’t do when they’re awake into that small stretch of time

In a few stages - 7 months when she slept through, 1 when she stopped BFing and I fet I had my body back, 3 when she potty trained. Around 2.5 she also suddenly became able to play independently for a bit / follow instructions / watch a bit of TV.

I’m looking forward to the day I can wave her off to the pub with the neighbour’s kid!

I felt like this but my daughter has slept very well since turning 1. The days are full of toddler wrangling but she sleeps about 11/12 hours at night

The light at the end of the tunnel becomes visible at around 2 as they start to be a bit more independent with play etc and probably more a bedtime routine so you get a bit of an evening but you have the terrible twos to cope with and then they hit 3 and they suddenly change into a dream and it picks up from there xx

When he started sleeping more reliably at age 2. As I was more confident I wouldn’t be woken every 1.5-2 hours, I started staying up to a more normal time (would go to bed not long after DS before that). Started having nice baths and pampers.

1.5 weeks away from baby 2 being born haha 😆 I was clearly more rested after a few months of good sleep 🙈🙈🙈

It is temporary, I promise! Do what you have to go get through the awful sleep deprived baby fog