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Kind of in the middle! J has always been a quieter kid and pretty content no matter what. As a toddler now- he is still a really good kid- however he's much louder (he'll just randomly yell throughout a store lol) and he does like to exert his independence from time to find. He'll often insist that he needs to walk instead of being in the cart; but doesn't always listen if we do let him walk. Overall he's a great kid and well behaved, but like any toddler he has his moments and curiosity gets the better of him

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Lo was preeetty good as an infant; he would sleep in his stroller or the ergo, or people watch.

once he started to crawl, it was GAME OVER. He became super fidgety and would cry in the stroller or while being held. It got worse once he could walk! I have found that snacks and a pacifier help As does only taking him out when he is fed, happy, and not too tired.

I don't know that there is any correlation, at least for us.
#1 - Colicky until 9 months, couldn't even go to the grocery store. He has been my hardest child thus far, he still protests and makes a scene and he's 12
#2 - The perfect baby, happy smiling, content. She's 2.5 now and very independent and difficult for me to take anywhere, now if her Dad takes her it's a different story
#3 - She started out like her brother, cried through the grocery store every single time. Now that she's a little bigger she's perfectly content anywhere as long as I'm near!

LO is only a little over one, but she's always been great in public. She's definitely my little shopping buddy. she still likes to be carried in the ergo and smiles and says hi to everyone and look at everything even though she's mobile. The only thing that's more difficult now is that she's harder to distract when shd really wants a toy or random thing. She loves sitting in a high chair at restaurants and looking at all the people and eating different food keeps her interested rather than wanting to get out and move around. She really loves the ergo so that might have something to do with her being so happy out and about.

E was a dream as an infant, and is still usually really great in public, but we have to play offense more to achieve it. We try not to go out if he's near naptime/missed a nap/otherwise overly tired. He much prefers walking and pushing the cart instead of sitting in it. It takes longer to shop, but he's happy and calm and distracted.

Food is the ultimate distraction for him, so when we're at a restaurant we always try to ask for a roll or something even as we're sitting down. I also usually have a stash of goldfish crackers in my purse at all times. If for some reason that doesn't work, one of us will "reset" him by walking around outside with him. Reading a favorite book or pulling out his ABC flashcards also works most of the time.

If he ever has a meltdown that we can't immediately correct, one of us will wait and get our food to go and the other will take him to the car. I'm not going to subject other diners to my kid's tantrum.

I think it's entirely possible that you'll have a much easier time, though, if you go out regularly and have since she was born. We don't go out to eat much, so we have to actively try to engage and distract him.

We were the opposite. DS was difficult as a baby when out, but he has been a good toddler. We are also pretty strict, so we don't tolerate screaming/running around in restaurants. One of us will take him outside if there is a problem. But I think that has happened maybe once.

J's always been a good kid/baby. He's super active but always happy.

When my son is out in public, he is for the most part, extremely well behaved.

Home, that is another matter.

I voted no but it depends. she was SO easy as a baby but that doesn't last into toddlerhood. she has a pretty chill personality but by 18 months she started to be more antsy. she wants to touch everything at the grocery store and occasionally will do some throwing, which I hate, but it's not like she's screaming her head off. restaurants are a crap shoot but if it has enough food she likes and some coloring or other distractions, we can usually make it work.

I am always saying though how she cries WAY more as a 2 year old than as a newborn or baby.

She was a pretty easy infant - as long as we held/wore her, she was happy (and if she got grumpy, nursing helped calm her down immediately). I even flew internationally alone w/ her and amazed everyone w/ how easygoing and well behaved she was.

It got harder when she became mobile bc she wanted to crawl everywhere. She wasn't happy being held as much. She never tolerated her stroller or shopping cart. Once we hit a year and she started walking, it was much harder to take her out. Even though she's still super sweet and cheery, she would rather explore. She wasn't ever difficult bc of tantrums or behavior - it's more that she wants to explore and she's super quick!

I voted other because my LO just likes to be able to walk around on his own and explore. He's getting better with holding one of our hands at least. He does pretty well sitting at restaurants as long as we bring snacks while we're waiting for food to come and a couple other books/toys to keep him busy.

It's never an absolute yes or no for us, it really just depends on the situation and knowing how to chill him out when he gets worked up. He is used to going out and we have routines set up when we are in restaurants that keep him a happy camper.

Our key is that we try to set ourselves up for success from the beginning.