Finding life hard - intense stage of parenting?

[Roulett]

Our youngest has just turned one and we have an older child DS6. Initially when DD was born things weren’t too bad. Usually newborn stuff but DD adjusted brilliantly and DD was an “easy baby”. Now a year later she’s on the move, has started nursery and I’m regretting it even though I had to go back to work. She has picked up in the last 5 weeks, two tummy bugs, three or four colds, an ear infection. Many of this passes on to us. Therefore we all have no sleep and feel grotty all the time. Suddenly things feel overwhelming and I’m thinking is this just until she starts school? It’s non stop doctor and pharmacy trips and me being unable to work and it’s just so hard.

Ah its so hard. You do get phases of parenting like this. Mine are 10 & 12 now but I remember the younger days of feeling constantly at Dr. Or someone in house not100%. I think the tine of year makes a difference too. As it starts warming up it will get better. Toddle years can be bruttle and with the age gap you have lots going on. It will pass!

That’s the thing the age gap is good in many ways - no jealousy, older child is fairly independent, but logistically there’s a lot to juggle. The baby is always being dragged along to a birthday party or such like. I feel like from the moment I’m woken for the day at 5am (as I’m up in the night still too) it’s a baptism of fire - it’s so relentless

I found 10 -14 months so, so hard. Baby was mobile (running at 11 months!!), needed a ton of entertainment, but not quite old enough to do anything by himself. And although he was walking, he was tripping all the time, I had to have a hand on him 100% of the time. Sleep went to pot because of molars. Lots of bugs. Hand foot and mouth TWICE.

I gained a stone as I was living on sugar and coffee.

Awful.

Happy to report around 17 months he became an absolute JOY. Hang in there!!

It’s physically exhausting with babies/toddlers/young kids. Golden years seems to be from age 6 to 9/10, when you are still the centre of their world. Then you’ll wake up and boom you have a stroppy tween. From then it’s a roller coaster psychological journey til they hit about age 20, when they almost seem like responsible adults. You MIGHT begin to relax around age 25 or so.