What was your favourite age of your baby?

[EmmaInParis]

Hi, first time mum here to 4 month old daughter and curious to know what other parents’ favourite ages and stages of the first year or two were? We’ve had some lovely weeks so far and some where I’ve felt like I’m hanging by a thread! Would love to know some of the phases to look forward to and why you enjoyed them, especially as we’ve hit another whingy week this week!

When they can start chatting - after 1 but before they serious tantrum. Honestly beyond the new born stages I like it all.

I've got three children. A 3 year old, 21 month old and a 12 day old newborn. For me I definitely prefer the newborn stage! I find this stage the easiest and most pleasant (although I do enjoy seeing toddlers personalities coming through).

9-18 months was gorgeous! In fact anything after the first 6-9 months which I've hated on both occasions

Gosh, all of them for different reasons.

The first 6m, I found to be a gentle transition to Parenthood with lot of cuddles and I had more time to do stuff and go and do things that I'd wanted to do for years but was too busy. So much time going on holidays, weekends seeing friends, parties.

6-18m, it got much harder work (and slept worse than a newborn), but they started becoming so much more rewarding, and it was lovely to see them learning so much and getting mobility. They were just so cute.

18m-3: really hard work (still didn't sleep), but I loved/line seeing their in vocabulary come on, and the start of being able to have conversations. There's really none of the lazy lunches with friends of early parenthood any more and it s hard to even have a conversation with friends a lot of the time. But they are starting to turn into fun people.

3-4 (as far as I've got). No more naps means there is no let up, and my one never stops talking, though thankfully finally sleeping better. They are genuinely funny, and can be so loving and kind, and that's lovely to see. They can be genuinely great company, but they can also be deeply annoying. My one doesn't like it when other people are talking - the attention has to be on her 🙄

I guess for quality of life, I'd say I loved the first couple of months best. For spending time with them, I'd say around 2 was my favourite.

I absolutely adore the, they can't move from where you put them but can smile and giggle stage.

I think all stages have their pros and cons though and I am a bit addicted to having children.

My twins are only 15 months, but so far I've enjoyed them more and more with each passing month
It's wonderful to see their little personalities start to come through, and they're getting very funny now as they waddle around and start to communicate more. I didn't dislike the early days, but they're so much more fun now. It's brilliant, I've never enjoyed anything so much in my life.

My son is 2yrs 10months and I am liking him more & more the older he gets. Hardest for me was 6mths - 18mths ish.
He has a personality now, chats a lot and is funny.

Newborn was great. She was a cuddly potato that slept most of the time. And when she wasn't asleep, her needs were easy to meet. And most importantly, if I had to put her down, I could turn my back for more than a second and she'd still be where I left her.

6 - 13/14 months was incredibly hard. DD was figuring out how to move and was finding it incredibly frustrating. Coupled with weeks upon end of awful nights, a useless DH, and an inability to be put down in the day for naps meant that I was utterly depressed. Oh, and then lockdown started shortly after DD turned 6 months. So all the baby groups, which were an absolute life line throughout the newborn phase, were suddenly ripped away. What was left can only be described as an unending tedium of just me and her. At least the weather was nice.

13-14 months - Now (20 months) is just so much fun. A major turning point came when DD started sleeping through the night. I returned to work about the same time. Then (finally) DD started walking and beginning to talk. Bliss. Now things are starting to open up it's only getting better. We've been to soft play twice this week. I don't know who had more fun, me or her.

Newborn.

The first week

I hated the newborn stage because it was so incredibly dull. The phrase 'enjoy the cuddles' inrritated me so much (still does).

My son is 14 months now and I enjoy him loads more. I love watching him toddle around and go about his day. Obviously I have a load more to come, but this age has been my fave so far.

With my first I really enjoyed 18 months till about 3. Hated the newborn stage.

With my second I loved the first 4 months, he was such a chilled baby. He's 15 months now and such a handful but slowly getting easier.

Have a two year old and have enjoyed it more every passing month.

Was not a fan of the first 6 months - after that I found things got progressively easier and more fun x

I love the 6-9 months age!!! A baby but can go longer without a feed, starting to play but plenty of naps.

I hated 1-2 yrs old- so physical, limited communication = plenty of tantrums.

Mine is about to turn 3 and as a general rule I enjoy her the older she gets atm. Definitely the past year more than when she was younger despite the covid winter lockdown. The first year was the worst..!

9-12 months. He started tantruming from 12 months

'We’ve had some lovely weeks so far and some where I’ve felt like I’m hanging by a thread!'
This is parenting, mine are now 12,12 & 17 and I still have weeks where I find one of them difficult but love the company of another (they all seem to take their turn).
I loved newborn stage, then the 6 month stage where they're able to sit and play and show their personality, and then when they talk. My favourite stage is 3-4 they are so inquisitive, chattering and not influenced by school friends yet! Mine all had a stroppy stage around year 2, but then pre secondary was great.
As they get older I've found its physically less tiring but emotionally harder.
The tough weeks will come and go you just have to hold in there.

Now she's 2. She's just so sunny and delighted by life. And unintentionally hilarious.

Each stage has lovely rewards though.

0-4 months was lovely for us she slept all the time and barely cried but she was also
Sick a lot which was messy 😂
She's nearly 2 now and every day she surprises us with words and reading and she's getting so clever but she also had an absolute attitude and she's currently at the pushing it stage.

Newborn and then 18 months - 3.

There are lovely bits in between but those two are my absolute favourite.

Thanks for all the replies! Really interesting to see the variety and clearly lots to look forward to (as well as brace myself for!) I’m loving how chatty my little girl is at the minute, more than makes up for the whingy spells. Can’t wait to see more of her little personality emerge x

I’ve got a newborn just over 3 weeks old and a toddler 18 months. I realised I like the newborn stage because it is so easy compared to toddler age (except for the crying and not knowing why they’re crying sometimes - my toddler at 2/3months had colic or something, she cried for hourssss and I did everything but she wouldn’t stop)
My toddler is really active and at that terrible two stage early, throwing tantrums and not listening and always winding me up 😩
It’s hard work!
But then again I like that she can speak a bit now and also understands a lotttt. I used to find newborn to couple months boring because they can’t interact much, was waiting for her to grow older but then I miss when they’re small!
I would say I like both ages in different ways. Both can be quite challenging 😅
I don’t know how people with more than 2 kids let alone young kids close in age do it lol!

Around 14 -18 months. Learning loads, starting to chat, before they got stroppy and wanting their own way all the time!

Really lovely idea for a thread OP. I’ve a 17 month and a one week old. Already they are such different babies. With my DD I loved 8 months plus (the crawling, the personality, the shared smiles, even the feeding mess was entertaining watching her develop into herself. She’s hard work now but can make me cry with laughter, and her strops/tantrums are challenging, but also very funny!!).

I found the dependency of the newborn period hard and if I’m honest, I didn’t enjoy it and spent a lot of time in the early weeks feeling guilty that I wasn’t liking it! But my newborn seems to eat and sleep and so far has been a breeze compared to my Dd (who cried a lot and didn’t sleep - to be fair she was NICU, so I suspect had a bit of a tricky start).

Ummm about 3! I love how they have the communication skills to tell you what they mean, but they’re still young enough for it to be completely bonkers at times or hilariously literal. Also they are a bit more independent, start to enjoy playing with siblings more, and less of a worry in terms of for example running into the room. I love this bit.