AIBU to wish I had an easier baby?

[KStar1404]

I struggled to conceive and so I know how lucky I am to have a healthy 9 month old - but god it’s hard. He’s never been an ‘easy’ baby - he had bad colic as a newborn and struggled with reflux. Got better when we started weaning but then he was very frustrated at not being able to crawl / move. He is now mobile but hates being contained - cries in the pram, jumperoo, play pen - and he never sits still for a second, which is making it impossible to do anything when he is awake. I know all babies have challenges but when I go to play groups and things I feel like other babies are just a lot more ‘chilled’ and happy to sit / amuse themselves. I know I shouldn’t compare but he also has a cousin a similar age who is like a little Buddha - he is the most placid baby I have ever met whereas mine has been so wriggly and strong willed from word go. I’m probably just feeling down cause he’s teething and being extra fussy but god when does it get easier?

No advice, just sympathy OP, I think mine is of a similar temperament! I'm astonished at everyone who manages to take their babies/toddlers on flights, as I don't think there was ever a point that he would have been content to be held on my lap for any significant length of time.

Mine is 22 months now, and watching him run around and enjoy life is great (although we really need to get him used to reins, which he obviously hates!). At 9 months I think we just made the most of any good weather, went to the park with a picnic blanket and bag full of snacks/toys and let him crawl around to his heart's content. In a way I'm now a bit of wistful for those days as there's no chance of a sit down when we go to the park now!

My baby was like yours and a lot of the others described here. It was exhausting! And very limiting with what I could do with her as there’s no way she would tolerate being strapped in for even short train or car journeys. If I went to a cafe I’d get about 5 minutes before she would try to climb out of her high chair. I remember going on a picnic with some other mums when she was about 10 months and she was practically climbing trees while their babies just sat beside them playing with a toy.

It got much better when she could walk and burn off energy at parks and playgrounds. One day soon you’ll be able to go to a park and let them him run on ahead of you to get those wiggles out.