What's harder? Newborn or toddler?

[MyNameIsMarya]

Just wondering. The last 3 months were hellish.
Baby constantly screamed (colicky) and isn't sleeping well at night yet.
No smiles until just recently. Just constant madness.
But I hear some people say toddlers are even worse.....
And then again some say toddlers are easier.
What do you think?

Post edited by MNHQ

I definitely found the newborn stage harder than the toddler stage. The newborn stage was relentless. The toddler stage could be difficult too - DD tried to climb everything in sight and was/is remarkably stubborn, but at least she slept at night and enjoyed a much greater variety of activities than she did as a baby.

Totally depends on the child.

Newborns are tough cos it's 24/7, no sleep etc, but toddlers have the whole 'eyes in the back of your head thing'. I literally did not sit down with DS when he was awake from aged 1-3.

Toddlers are harder because of the constant hypervigilance, but they do tend to be very funny which helps.
It gets easier when they turn 3

People who tell you it’s only going to get harder are assholes. Every child is different and every parent copes with different aspects of parenting differently.

Give me 20,000 toddlers scaling the side of a house naked covered in mud with nunchucks over one colicky baby.

People who tell you it’s only going to get harder are assholes. Every child is different and every parent copes with different aspects of parenting differently.

Give me 20,000 toddlers scaling the side of a house naked covered in mud with nunchucks over one colicky baby.

Totally depends. If you have a toddler who will scale cots, baby gates, book cases, kitchen cabinets, yank the tail of dogs and cats - then in for a hell ride.

If you have a toddler that needs to be taken out for a run in the park to be tired out for a decent sleep or they will be running. Arun t the house and terrible to get to sleep, - it will be tiring.

If you have a toddler who loves playing with others, enjoys play group activities, can be entertained easily with drawling, colouring jn, craft activities, playing in a sandpit - then it will be a doddle.

I prefer adventure to boredom. I would chew my own arm off rather than be bored. So toddler is best.

If you like monotony, newborns.

Give me 20,000 toddlers scaling the side of a house naked covered in mud with nunchucks over one colicky baby.

Me too. Any day.

I had a really nice, calm time with mine when they were newborns so I would've said toddler was harder. But a baby with colic is a whole different situation. I think having a toddler will be far easier than that.

I find babies harder than toddlers for sure! Toddlers are mad little tyrants but they give a lot more back and you tend to get more sleep and feel better physically by then x

Neither, they are both easy, 3-4 year olds are hell!

In all honesty, it depends on the baby/toddler, and your own strengths.

I don't mind lack of sleep or lack of routine, in fact I quite like living in that timeless existence. I like it when boob fixes everything and they are just adorable and snuggly.

I can cope with tantrums and randomness. I find it difficult when they start getting stubborn and I can't easily persuade or dissuade them from things. I quite quickly run out of patience and that doesn't help anyone. It's also difficult when they have boundless energy and you have to exercise them constantly and think about wearing them out. I am not an active person and I can't be bothered

I don't like either stage but my toddler is far far harder to deal with.
It's the constant whining, crying, paddying etc that drives me mad.
When one cries they set the other off and then that sets the tone for the day.

Toddler!

Toddler!

My toddler was awake from midnight - 4am, and then up for the day at 7. Ok, that's not every night, but it's enough nights. No chance of chilling watching boxsets, whilst she uses me as a human cushion. Nope, I've got to be engaged, mentally stimulating etc. And whilst shes not in boob/bottles every couple of hours, instead of whacking a boob out whilst sat on the sofa, I'm in the kitchen making meals and snacks with similar frequency and a lot more work.

It depends. My first had reflux and CMPA, absolutely horrendous for the first 4 months. He’s 3.5 now and definitely those first 4 months were the hardest.

My second had reflux and CMPA, another horrendous first 4 months. Now she’s 2, I look back on those early months fondly!

Yep same here. Which is why it is totally dependent on the child.

I think it depends on the child and on you. For me sleep deprivation is the hardest thing to deal with by far as well as lack of routine (newborn chaos) and I had a terrible sleeper for a newborn so once they were a toddler and slept 7-7 with a two hour nap in the day life was a million times better and I felt like I could deal with anything thrown at me. Plus as others say they've got a personality and they're interactive and fun. If actually used to make me angry when friends with kids the same age would moan about how hard toddlers were because it was the same people who were busy baking banana bread and sleeping loads when the kids were newborns, basically having a much easier time, but didn't see that. But that's my stuff really.

Toddler for me but I had easy newborns 🤷‍♀️

I think there's hard parts to all stages but overall having a newborn/young baby is hardest, especially if its your first. it's just such a huge change to you, your relationships, your life plus the constant demands of the baby! yes toddlers are constant too but once they're older they can go to nursery/childminder/family, you might go back to work, you'll feel a lot more normal, you'll probably have recovered from the birth, they're pretty fun, it's amazing to watch them having fun and giving them different things to do and experience. I have a 2.5 yo and a 5 week old.

Teenagers. I'd pay to have them as toddlers again.

The phrase "this too shall pass" is very true. Each stage is hard and each stage is good.

Teenagers

Newborn stage was easy bar health issues

She was a dream of a toddler bar health issues

Her teens have all but broken me 🥴

Eek this is a sobering read if like me you’ve a relatively easy baby but still finding it hard 😆

I think at nearly 6 months I’m still emerging from the newborn bubble and don’t have much in my life outside of baby stuff. Hopefully even if a toddler is bloody hard work I’ll have a little bit more of my own adult stuff going on to give me some balance 🤞🏻🤞🏻

They're just so different, it's hard to say. But even thought toddlers can be challenging, they sleep through mostly and that means you can handle things better imo. And you will have had much more parenting experience and got to know your little one really well by then so I wouldn't worry about it right now tbh. Each phase has its good and bad bits.

First: I hated the newborn stage she constantly cried. Toddler stage was ok not has bad has I thought it would be. The teenage years have been hellish.
Second: loved the newborn stage he was very content. The toddler stage has been challenging.
Third: loved newborn stage hes been really content so far dreading the toddler stage he's 9 months and can't keep him in one place before he off.