Post by wanderingback on Feb 10, 2023 13:29:15 GMT -5
Just curious since most people here now seem to have kids over the age of 1, did your child’s personality under 6-12 months, match up to their personality now?
For example, if they were pretty easy to fall asleep or keep happy, are they now still pretty chill? And vice versa.
Post by undecidedowl on Feb 10, 2023 13:36:51 GMT -5
My kids personalities have stayed consistent. DS1 was a super active, needy baby that never slept well. That still describes him well at 11 yo. He does have ADHD which likely explains most of it. DS2 was a chill baby, slept well, go with the flow. He is 8 yo and still like that.
DS (6) was needy, quick to cry, and a horrible sleeper. He's now very chill, easy, and an amazing sleeper. DD (3.5) was a go-with-the-flow baby and a much better sleep than her brother (although the bar was low there). She is now needy AF, has zero chill, and an absolute nightmare sleeper.
ETA: I will say their current personalities set in around the 12-18mo stage and have remained consistent since then. I keep hoping that DD will revert back but so far...lolsob.
In broad strokes yes, although their personalities are ever growing and evolving.
My son was very chill and observant and loved being with us. DD was quite the screamer and still is at 5. But she was also more playful and mischievous, which stuck too.
My son was colicky, needy and generally miserable for most of his first year. He has been very easy going and people pleasing since he was maybe 2 or 3.
My daughter was a very easy going baby. By the time she was 1 it was clear that she is very strong willed, independent, and hard to persuade to do anything other than what she wants to do.
They are now 11 and 14, and I would say that their personalities have remained similar since they were toddlers.
NOPE. Not even close. DD was never happy as a newborn or toddler. She cried all the time, was born mad she couldn't eat real food or walk right away, and was honestly pretty tough until she could talk. She also had reflux and allergies that played into this.
Every year since 2 has gotten better and better though. At 12 she is amazing and chill and happy almost all the time. I can't even remember the last time she cried or got upset. Just a complete 180 from the first few years. What hasn't changed? She has always been a good sleeper and was never super picky.
They’ve both become pickier eaters and more difficult sleepers and have OPINIONS on everything. Babies are so much easier than preschoolers and kindergarteners lol.
I actually have a hard time answering this because *I* was so different with my first newborn vs. my second that it is hard for me to evaluate their "infant personalities" apart from what I was experiencing. It all feels very relative.
DD is 7 now. As a newborn, both of us struggled with sleep, and every little squawk that she made sent me into overdrive. I perceived her as really high maintenance and a difficult baby, but I probably had undx'ed PPA and I can't say for sure now that it was really her. It was definitely at least partly me. She's still a challenge, but in totally different ways. She's super affectionate, touchy, and loving, and her report card indicates she's very smart, but she struggles with self-regulating emotions and impulses. I see the same things at home. She's also very strong and athletic and willful.
DS is 3.5 now. As a newborn, he was super chill, and I was way more chill. He just wanted to eat and eat and eat, and as long as he got that, he was good. Over maybe the last year or so it's become clear that he is not as strong as his sister, but he has way more self control and patience. He's my kid that at 3, spends hours playing independently with Brio and Magnatiles on the family room floor. He also has a lot to say. He seems likely to be more analytical. He's also 3 right now, so he's less chill and more tantrummy about consequential things like what color his car seat is, and which shoe went on first.
Both kids STTN around 4 months old. DD took many more months to learn to put herself to sleep at the beginning of the night, and we had to CIO to get there. DS just did all that with greater ease - but maybe that ease came from me being more at ease? IDK.
On the whole I would say that their newborn "personalities" were mostly unrelated to how they seem to actually be as humans.
DS has always been a very chill, easygoing kid. I can clearly recall one of his first checkups when he was a few months or so old, and the doc actually said that he had a “very easygoing temperament”.
Mine are kind of 50/50. Mostly different from babydom, but some traces of consistency.
DS1 - fussy baby, couldn't put him down without crying, terrible sleeper, met all milestones super early (ran at 9mo, etc.). At almost-8 he's so easy and really, he's been that way since toddlerdom. He's got ADHD so hyperactivity and all that, but he's a GOOD kid. Rule follower with a generous heart. Old soul vibes. Still pretty physically talented. Still a terrible sleeper though.
DS2 - easiest baby in the world, happy baby, slept all the time, so chill and silly, hit milestones just in the nick of time so he wasn't really late at any, but almost late at all. At 4.5 he very disagreeable about eeeeeverything, has been called "impressively stubborn" by professionals, seems to believe rules were made to be broken, doesn't listen, looks you dead in the eye and smiles like he gives no fucks as you get increasingly agitated because he's actively doing the thing you're saying stop doing. Still not into physical stuff like riding bikes, playing any kind of sport. Still a good sleeper though.
Both of them were great eaters until about 2 and then all bets were off.
Nope. My kid was super easy and chill as a baby. I assumed I had hit the jackpot.
She’s still chill in many ways, and she’s generally a happy kid. But she has two settings- Joy and Rage. She’s either a cute little ray of sunshine who sings and dances almost nonstop and brings smiles to the faces of the people she passes in stores, or (like this morning) she is curled up under the kitchen table screaming at me that she’s never going to eat anything again in her entire life, because we stopped at Dunkin, I offered her a donut, she declined, and when we got home she regretted her choice, and she wanted to go back to Dunkin in lieu of going to school.
This solidified in later babyhood/early toddlerhood. I thought her rages were a phase, but five years later it seems the joke is on me. She started getting stuck in her meltdowns probably by 11 months or so.
ETA we also did baby led weaning. Our 1 yo was eating Indian, Thai, sushi, spices, vegetables, you name it. By age 3 her palette limited, and got progressively more limited. Now she’s a bona fide picky eater. And I know that’s common- curiosity when they start eating compared to a really restricted palette in toddlerhood.
DD had severe GERD so her personality basically consisted of crying. She was a terrible sleeper and didn't STTN until she was 14 months and wasn't consistent for a few more months. She was a difficult baby.
Thankfully this did not at all translate to how she is as a kid. She isn't perfect (she'd a kid) but she's pretty easy to parent overall. She was a pretty easy toddler/preschooler, too. She is motivated and independent at school, has plenty of friends, and is well liked by adults. She is kind but also not afraid to do her own thing.
For food, we also did BLW. She ate all sorts of things as a baby but she's more limited now. She's coming around, though, at 10 and is mostly not so particular that we can't deal with it. For example, she likes marinara sauce but hates meatballs now. No big deal to just not give her meatballs. She does't care if they are on her plate, she'll just move them. Stuff like that. I feel like we are moving beyond picky to just having preferences.
Post by madDawg228 on Feb 10, 2023 14:59:19 GMT -5
Yes. I have a 2.5 yo, and his personality is very similar to when he was 3-4 months old (when he was more interactive). He was very sweet and smiley at an early age (consistent smiles at 9w). It took him until 4 months to sleep well (2 wake ups a night to nurse, eventually to STTN by 12m-ish). He still STTN 10-12 hrs, depending on his 1 nap. Around 2yo he got to be a pickier eater, but that seems to be part of toddlerhood. He's meeting milestones a few months before every "deadline."
But he's only 2.5, so I'm sure his personality/behavior will evolve somehow.
My 1st needed constant interaction, and was a terrible sleeper. His personality was and continues to be consistent. There were no terrible twos, etc. Eight years later, he's still the same. He was recently diagnosed with ADHD plus his IQ is on the higher side. I did not pick up on him being gifted (ADHD has a way of hiding that), but I'm not surprised. He was talking in sentences around 18 months, and he's always been hyper inquisitive.
My daughter was extremely chill as a baby. She slept/napped more predictably, and could self soothe. She's 5, and is totally the same to this day. She will often put herself to bed, decide to take a nap, play by herself.
My baby was calmest when close to us but also determined to be independent. She was curious and constantly looking for a way to do something. She loved to laugh. She is 100% still all these things.
Post by sillygoosegirl on Feb 10, 2023 15:14:44 GMT -5
Some yes, some no.
She seemed very curious and observant as a baby, and still does now at 8. But I don't know if she is/was more those things than other kids, but possibly so because she'd often only settle down if I did things that other parents said would over-stimulate their babies, like wearing her facing out for extended time, etc.
She was very unhappy as a baby. Cows milk intolerance, and even though I cut it from my diet, it was still in a medicine she was taking, so she was still constantly in pain for a long time. Poor kid. She is now very happy most of the time. Well, not today, because she's sick, but generally.
I'd say what feels like the most noticeable aspect of her personality now is creativity, which obviously wasn't apparent when she was a baby.
Post by icedcoffee on Feb 10, 2023 15:27:41 GMT -5
My first cried all the fucking time. Like...the nurse at the hospital brought him back from the nursery and said "good luck with this one". Then he hit about 16 weeks and he was the king of chill. That lasted until about 3 when we realized he does NOT listen and talks ALL freaking day and that is where we have been ever since (he's 6 now). I think he is bound for greatness some day, but it will be a very long road (for me).
My second was born chill and has mostly remained that way since birth. He is your stereotypical 2nd child and I am too so I relate with him A LOT. He's 3 now and still pretty chill. I call him my lap dog because if you're laying on the couch he'll just walk up to you, dig his head into your stomach and lay down on top of you. He loves people's laps. He's quiet, but when he does talk I've realized he is VERY smart.
My youngest is only 15 mo so I'm not too far out to really judge that, but for the most part my oldest has stayed pretty chill.
I will say she was such an easy baby that I found the age 1-2 incredibly hard. Where my friends with more colicky babies enjoyed that age since they were heading more downhill on parenting difficulties I felt like I was going uphill since my kid was starting to have opinions causing more crying/screaming then I had previously experienced.
My second has always slept pretty good, but she is def more strong willed then my first. That started coming out around 8mo she would throw her self onto the floor in a tantrum lol and now at 15 screams/flails over any slight irritation she experiences. I expect that will stay as she gets older.
Yes and No. She is almost 10 and personality wise is the same. This is the baby who was sitting with us in her high chair for dinner at 2 months. FOMO is strong. She’s also been active since the get go. Bless the FP kick n play piano.
Sleep wise we’ve been to hell and back. Some may remember when she was 3 and I thought she would never sleep again. She’s been a great sleeper since 4, but it wasn’t consistent when she was younger.
My oldest (12) was happy to go to anyone and anywhere, slept 12 hours consistently from VERY early on. He’s now a pretty quiet kid, uncomfortable in new places, and now has been a bear about sleep since about 3. He still has trouble falling asleep and ends up on the floor in my room.
My youngest (9) didn’t sleep through the night until after 1, gave the stinkiest stink eye to anyone who would dare look at him, had essentially a permanent tear at the corner of his eye, and didn’t want to leave my side. He’s now the smiliest, friendliest, huge personality kid who is flexible with schedules, responsible, and an amazing sleeper.
Thank goodness no. My now 14-year-old had reflux and colic and cried for what felt like the entire first four months of her life. 6-12ish months was better but still very needy and clingy and not great at sleeping. But she was a super easy toddler and has been an entirely lovely human ever since then — independent, generally easy going, excellent at sleeping, so smart and creative.
DD1 is now 7.5. She was an extremely sensitive baby, hated all people that weren’t me, cried anytime we went anywhere new. It was really hard, honestly. That was evident at 3 months old and didn’t change. She’s gotten better as she’s gotten older, but she’s still a sensitive kid. Sleep wise, she was an amazing sleeper as a baby but started having night terrors at 3.5 and this lasted years, until almost 1st grade. So we were spoiled by a good sleeper at first but it didn’t last. Those years were rough.
DD2 was a super chill, easy going baby personality wise but a terrible, terrible sleeper. She’s now 4 and has become much more stubborn and opinionated (normal development) and sleeps decently now (no night terrors, thank goodness and knock on wood).
Post by thebreakfastclub on Feb 10, 2023 15:57:16 GMT -5
Yes! My boy is almost 10. As a baby, he was happy, got himself on a little routine, sttn early. As a toddler, he transitioned daycare rooms easily and was not sensitive to much.
Now as a 4th grader, he's happy go lucky, not bothered by much, makes friends and talks to people easily.
My DD was a very easy baby- slept well, wasn't colicky, super chill. At 11yo she still sleeps well, but is super energetic, constantly moving and talking (oh the talking). Some is the ADHD though. That being said, her personality is very similar to 2-3y in my opinion. She was never a defiant kid, and didn't really throw tantrums. She would push boundaries but in a normal, kid development way... and still does.
Not even a little bit! DD1 was a terrible sleeper. She was borderline colicky, frequently angry or upset, not at all chill/go with the flow. She hated being with anyone besides us (really, me) for like the first year. It was rough.
Now she is almost 4, and is amazing. Happy, helpful, doesn't really have tantrums or do any of the awful toddler things. She's a great sleeper now (we sleep trained at 11 months - we waited way too long to do that).
So far the twins are way more chill than their sister was, thank goodness. I hope that doesn't mean we're screwed for the toddler years 😅 Also shitty sleepers though.