Baby/child personality

[LaMadrilena]

Just idle curiosity.

My DD (4m) is ridiculously cheerful. She wakes up giggling and spends most of the day singing or shrieking happily at Sophie the Giraffe. Meeting new people is the Best Thing Ever. I don't know how this has happened when her mum is an anxious, antisocial grump.

In your experience, does a child maintain their baby personality as they get older?

DD1 - yes. Same personality as a baby as now age 9. Poor sleeper, interested in absolutely everything, sociable, needs to be doing something at all times (thankfully can now entertain herself!), very up and down in moods and strong willed.

DD2 - nope. Was a quiet, sweet and cuddly baby. Now a chatterbox 6 yo who climbs everything and has catchphrases and dance moves. Still cuddly when you can get her to keep still! Basically totally different once mobile and talking.

Thanks for replying! On the one hand I'm over the moon that she's contented at the moment. On the other, I worry about modelling positivity and confidence later on when I'm so lacking in both

@LaMadrilena clearly you’re doing a wonderful job of modelling both already, whether you realise it or not. She’s not got it from nowhere

DD1 was alert, constantly overtired, needed pitch black and loud white noise to switch off enough to close her eyes and detested lots of people/busy places as she got overstimulated easily.

She’s still incredibly alert, dropped naps at 18 months but luckily sleeps well at night now. Exceptionally bright (according to her nursery) and now loves people and busy places to the point where she actively needs a lot of stimulation in the day to use up some of her energy.

DD2 so far seems much more chilled. Hopeless napper again though, which is a shame as I was hoping for long peaceful breaks when DD1 starts preschool in January!

@EmmaInParis I try not to let her see if I'm ever upset or stressed (although obviously there have been moments over the past 4 months!). But tbh it's easy to be cheerful with her because she's so easy-going, we're very lucky.

Not in my experience!

My DD was the stroppiest, most volatile baby. It was like trying to handle an unexploded mine, you never knew what was going to trigger her. But from about 5/6 she just kept getting more and more chilled out and laid back. Very little seems to bother her. It's like she's permanently stoned (she's not, she's 9!)

Her brother, however, was the sweetest, gentlest, sunniest-natured baby and toddler, he was just adorable and so smiley! From about 5/6 he's turned into the moodiest, mardiest, more melodramatic little soul. No one has it as hard as him. Honestly, you wouldn't believe what a terrible life he has. Won't stop him telling you aaaaaaall about it though.

@LaMadrilena clearly you’re doing a wonderful job of modelling both already, whether you realise it or not. She’s not got it from nowhere wink

Just because you act happy and cheerful in front of your baby doesn’t mean that they will automatically develop a happy and cheerful personality, does it? A lot comes down to genes and there’s not a lot you can do about those.

My smiley, content, easy baby is now a chilled, confident, friendly, always happy (a lot of them are very stroppy and unfriendly at this age!) almost 12 year old. She's well into puberty and the hormones have never made her grumpy (just more forgetful at certain times of the month!)

Her sister is a different story....