MOOKS: Do you agree? Children's Ages, Ranked

[mcfelix]

I liked it when DS started walking! And I love that he's starting to form sentences now. He's almost 2 and I'm really enjoying this age.

[asoctoberfalls]

Jul 7, 2015 16:09:44 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

I mega disagree with this comment:

"Yeah, 1’s the best: they can walk so you don’t have to carry them everywhere, their personalities are starting to emerge, but they’re also just happy to be with you and do whatever you’re doing. You can sit them on the counter and they just stay there contentedly. Basically it’s like parenting a Muppet."

What the fuck?! C is an absolute delight, but she is a busy DEVIL. If I set her on a counter, she would be STANDING and then opening cabinets, and probably tossing anything off of the counter, and maybe eating/chewing whatever she found on it. NOPE.

She is also absolutely awful after a day at home. She needs to be out doing stuff.

Like maybe this was true from 12-14 months? By 16 months, ALL BETS WERE OFF.

I agree. That kid must have been a unicorn. I remember when ds was 15 months old thinking how utterly awful this parenting thing was, lol.

[rootbeerfloat]

12-18m is one of my LEAST favorite ages, so no. 3-4 is worse, but 1 is definitely not #1.

[dulcemariamar]

This is depressing. My DD is 2.5. I feel like I am just waiting for the storm to arrive.

[krystee]

I keep telling H we are in the easiest period now. He can't talk back, he can't escape, he can't manipulate, he's portable, we don't have to cook for him, and he has the best smiles. It only gets worse from here.

[rootbeerfloat]

IMO, some important milestones are:

when they STTN
when they eat regular food well enough that you're not transporting half your kitchen every time you leave the house
when you no longer have to buy diapers
when they can wipe and bathe themselves
when they can play outside alone without you having to hover; even better, when you can leave them home alone for short periods of time!

[mlt]

I agree with this list. I love 12-24 months. HATE 3.

[Brie]

I have liked 2 better than 1, by far. Effective communication + all teeth sprouted = far fewer tantrums.

[cjeanette]

Well parenting never really gets easier you just have new challenges. I think the first two years are a cake walk compared to the older ages in so many ways. This is probably pretty kid and parent specific.

[turtlegirl]

Jul 7, 2015 16:09:17 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Who says it will get easier when your kid walks?!

I love it!!! Both my kids have been soooo much happier once the could move on their own. Crawling and then walking is the best for me. They entertain themselves and play independently a lot better with more mobility. More independent play = happier mom and dad.

But neither of my boys have been super daredevil crazy or gotten into that much trouble in general. So that may cloud my opinion.

[deo]

For me, 1 is the worst and 3 & 4 has been the best. Between the ages of 1 and 2 kids can walk but they have no regard to their own safety and do not understand why they shouldn't do things like use a knife or run around in a parking lot. DS2 is such a dare devil for his age. 

[usuallylurking]

Jul 7, 2015 16:09:17 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Who says it will get easier when your kid walks?!

My H did. And then they started walking. Lollll. I always told him he was delusional for thinking so!

[cinco]

At quick glance it seems about right for us. My 3 year old is much harder than the 8 & 7 year old combined. She was a fairly easy baby, an average toddler, and now I just hang my head in shame over the monster that has been created. I don't remember my older two being that hard at 3 & 4 (DH does though. I must be blocking it.), but they are definitely easier as they get older.

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2015 16:09:17 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Who says it will get easier when your kid walks?!

ME.

CRAWLING SUCKS. Both times I could not WAIT for my kid to walk and I was so happy when they did.

[Deleted]

4 is better than 2 in every way, shape, and form. Also, 1.5-2 sucks and I don't see how DS2 (17 months) is easier than DS2 who is 8, almost 9.
I vote 9, 5, 8, 7, 6, 0, 4, 1, 2, 3

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2015 16:36:56 GMT -5 @starry said:

Jul 7, 2015 16:34:40 GMT -5 page said:

ME.

CRAWLING SUCKS. Both times I could not WAIT for my kid to walk and I was so happy when they did.

Crawling is gross. More accurately, we are gross people who do not keep our floors spotless. 

I was happy with walking once she wasn't injuring herself. 

i really don't understand the "just wait until she is walking!!!!" comments. Walking is amazing. When you are in a nasty public place like an airport or mall and your child is sick of being confined in the stroller, it is so much easier, safer, and cleaner to let a walker out to run around than a crawler. And my girls could pull up when they could crawl so it's not like walking made lots of extra things accessible to them. They got a little faster I guess but nothing that changed the game for me.

Crawling seriously is my least favorite phase, at least for the first year or so.

[itsme]

I think between the ages of 5-11 were great with DD1. She's now 14 and it is rough and is progressively getting worse. I also have an almost 3 year old. Although she is adorable I do not like the challenges she presents. I am getting attitude from the toddler and the teen. I have bad timing on having kids. I don't see DD2 getting easy.

[Deleted]

5 + is my favorite

18-36 months least

[timorousbeastie]

I'm hardly an expert on older ages, but so far 12-17 months is immensely better than 0-12 months. And DD was an easy baby, too. I just really like it more now that she's turning into a little person instead of just a blob. I absolutely love this age, even with little miniature tantrums that I'm sure are just going to get worse with time.

And I also didn't find walking worse than crawling. Like pp, crawling on dirty public floors is no good, and it's not like she can get into more trouble by walking to places she couldn't crawl to. Once the baby is mobile, all bets are off, so might as well have them walk instead.

[bunch]

Jul 7, 2015 16:19:41 GMT -5 rootbeerfloat said:

IMO, some important milestones are:

when they STTN
when they eat regular food well enough that you're not transporting half your kitchen every time you leave the house
when you no longer have to buy diapers
when they can wipe and bathe themselves
when they can play outside alone without you having to hover; even better, when you can leave them home alone for short periods of time!

Add in 'can buckle their own car seat' and that's where I am.  

The list of struggles is always changing, thank God.   Everytime I realize that one of kids has stopped one of the terrible things that they once did, I'm amazed.   I hear grandkids are great.

[chedifuen]

12 to 18 months is pure hell so this is clearly wrong with the number one slot going to one year olds.

I loved age two and would rank it near the top. I'm about to have a 9 YO and a 5 YO so I'm hoping rankings 2 and 3 are spot on.

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2015 16:09:17 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Who says it will get easier when your kid walks?!

Me, with the girls. Not with J, but oh definitely with the girls. It's so hard trying to take 3 kids anywhere by myself because I have to carry two and have J hold onto my bag. They also crawl all over the back yard and are filthy and ruin their clothes. And the fact that they dont walk has not deterred them from climbing every surface of the house and getting into everything. So in that sense it wont be any worse. So 3 walking kids will definitely be easier. So, so much easier.

[rbp]

I've heard one is awful (the suicidal dictator phase). M has been easy as pie from 5-11mo, but I guess the horrors of the first five months knock this age down a bit.

[deo]

Jul 7, 2015 17:03:54 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Jul 7, 2015 16:29:40 GMT -5 deo said:

For me, 1 is the worst and 3 & 4 has been the best. Between the ages of 1 and 2 kids can walk but they have no regard to their own safety and do not understand why they shouldn't do things like use a knife or run around in a parking lot. DS2 is such a dare devil for his age. 

I'm on my phone so can someone please bold the part about 3-4 being the best and insert the confused Britney or head-shaking Kelly Kapoor gif for me?

lol,  well my oldest is only 4 so I have no experience past that but right now DS1 is great to be around and it's easy to take him places compared to his almost 2 year old brother.  

I'd rather take a 3 or 4 year old on a vacation than a 1 or 2 year old.   Flying with DS2 when he was 18 months still gives me nightmares. 

[Deleted]

My grandfather always said (and now my mother repeats) little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems. I can definitely understand this reasoning. If you look at it on a very basic level, yes it sucks to have diapers and tantrums but compared to worrying about bullying in school or drug use as teens or something. Yeah, little problems.

For me it goes in waves. Hard, then a little easier, then hard again, little easier, hard again. Like right now, we are in an easier spot. All 3 are sttn, the girls have pretty much stopped the head banging tantrums they did for a few weeks, J isnt having any big issues. So right now, it's an easier streak compared to say 1 year ago when we had 2 exclusively nursing infants that alternating slwwping in 2hr shifts meaning I slept in 1 hr increments,and a newly 2yo that had just pt. Now ask me in 6 mos and it will probably suck again.

[magpie]

I'm not very far in (21 months), but I'd say it has gotten way easier since the baby days. Big milestones were:
-Growing out of colic
-sleeping
-walking (I find it way easier to have a walker...even though she is a runner! She is just much happier/more entertained when she can walk)
-weaning (no more pumping was awesome!!!)
-talking (she's still developing in this area, obviously, but I think that she can tell us what she wants a lot of the time and this helps...except when she wants something totally ridiculous and unfeasible).

[Marmee]

I think 6+ is easy compared to babyhood. The cutest is 15-24mo. The most work is 0-12mo for me because my kids are shitty sleepers. I'm/have experiencing several of these simultaneously & no way is each age "harder" or the same as the prior. My 2 yr old is twice as much work as my older 3 combined. Under 4 is 20 times harder than 6 & over IMO unless you have any easy baby & a bratty kid...lol. It is kid dependant though. My ranking is:

1) 9
2) 8
3) 7
4) 6
5) 5
6) 4
7) 1
8) 3
9) 2
1) 0

[abs]

LOL, my kid is only 4.5 but so far I am in opposite land. Newborn was the worst followed closely by one. Then two. It had some cute moments but wasn't super fun. Three and four however have been absolutely fantastic. I guess when your kid does nothing but scream and puke on you for the first year then everything gets better after that.

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2015 17:03:54 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Jul 7, 2015 16:29:40 GMT -5 deo said:

For me, 1 is the worst and 3 & 4 has been the best. Between the ages of 1 and 2 kids can walk but they have no regard to their own safety and do not understand why they shouldn't do things like use a knife or run around in a parking lot. DS2 is such a dare devil for his age. 

I'm on my phone so can someone please bold the part about 3-4 being the best and insert the confused Britney or head-shaking Kelly Kapoor gif for me?

My 3 and a half yr old is an asshole a lot of the time but this is my favourite age. she is a real person. She adores me. And she does mostly what we say.

[h]

Considering that I would rank 1 dead last, no, I do not agree. My oldest is almost 8, so I have only experienced the first 7 years. I would rank them as follows:

1. 7
2. 6
3. 5
4. 4
5. 0
6. 3
7. 2
8. 1