Were the 2's or 3's more difficult with your LO? I'm sure it depends on the child, but just curious to see your experiences. I know people who've said they didn't get really difficult until age 3 and some who say once the "terrible two's" passed, things got easier.
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DD1 just turned 3 on 4/28 and I swear it's like a switch was flipped around 35m and there's just a demon child that comes out! She's no angel during her 2s but the 3s so far are very taxing...
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3s haven't been terrible but it has been harder than 2. More whining, more emotions, etc!
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2 was pretty easy - 3 has been more of a challenge.
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@changingtides: 3! but 1 1/2 was hard for me just because she stopped napping regularly and our whole schedules changed. 3 was hard just because she really knew how to use her words and threw her emotions around and it felt like getting beat up.
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DD: 2 was harder than 3. Mostly due to her shyness and social anxiety. She came out of her shell a lot more at 3, was more independent, and even more verbal so I had a lot of fun having conversations with her (even if part of the time it was negotiating!).
Remains to be seen with DS. He is 2.
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About the same for us, slightly different challenges. . She's so much more independent and capable at three though it makes life a lot easier in that way.
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This makes me super nervous! DS is 2 and already a terror.
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3's were way harder with charlie. 2's were fine with him.
With Olive, the first half of her 2's were hard. She started throwing tantrums much earlier than Charlie. But from 2 1/2 - 31/2 she was great! Now she just started becoming so defiant at 3 1/2. So it's been a mixed bag. Overall she has been much easier than Charlie though.
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This frightens me greatly.
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I'm expecting a difficult 3 year old, but we'll see. The 2s have been mostly fine.
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I'm expecting changes at 3, especially with baby #2 coming a couple months before. She's pushing boundaries at 2, but nothing crazy.
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I am told over and over again that it's the 3s that cause gray hair.
I have a 2.5 yr old and she is definitely trying at times, but the main thing that is so hard with her is that she is always bouncing off the walls and wants to run off or do dangerous things. I have to constantly be on top of her bc she will bolt off or climb something in the blink of an eye. She has zero sense of danger/safety and I have daily heart attacks trying to corral her.
Having a newborn is easy compared to just keeping the toddler safe and happy. I spend 75% of my awake time negotiating with her. I feel like my nickname should be "The Negotiator."
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2's have been difficult. He's so vocal, getting more and more opinionated about everything. I swear it feels like a month ago or something, he suddenly just wanted to pick out his clothes. He used to be totally fine with what I was picking out for him. I feel like 2's have been all about negotiation, etc. I'm afraid for 3-4's as my SIL warned how bad they were for my nephews and niece.
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For my daughter, 3s was harder than 2s. She started preschool at 3 and hated the separation and it was just terrible for all involved. Her behavior at home changed too...it seemed. Now she's 5, loves school, and is pretty pleasant!
My son is 3 and half, and he's my easy going guy. Nothing is too difficult with him.
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Threes.
DS was a sweet two year old and DD has only been slightly more difficult at 2. There's a month left until DD turns 3 and I'm enjoying the calm before the storm right now because DS was a HARD 3 year old!!!
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3, no contest. Because that's when they start to piss you off deliberately, or at least was for us!
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@travellingbee: @ValentineMommy: Me too!
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3's .....it's only been four months since DS turned 3 and it's been taxing! His birthday can't come soon enough!
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Judging by the responses, if your kiddo is easygoing not big into tantrums, opinionated, etc. at 2, they might be a terror later at 3. I feel like since 2 and switching daycares, LO's gotten more vocal, opinionated, and wants to negotiate. If that's the rate he's going now, I'm scared of 3 or will 3 suddenly get easier?
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For me, 2s. DD1 was extremely difficult from 18 months to 3, it peaked around 2.5. It's like a switch went off after she turned 3 last month, and while still has moments, she's mellowed considerably.
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Oh boy, this makes me nervous....especially since DS will be 3 right when #2 is born. Fun times ahead.
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Three! Omg three!
But at 3-1/2 it's improving.
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@Mrs. Yoyo: ahhhh yes, what is it called again - defiance with a smirk?
Threes for sure. Twos were hard, but the threes just drive me crazy all the time.
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Three!!! Terrible Two is a hoax. For 3 years old, there were several times that I REALLY REALLY REALLY understand and sympathize why my mom beat me when I was a kid. LOL.
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Very challenging 2.5-year-old boy over here! The first half of his twos were fine, but the second half has tested us as parents. He's super verbal and bright, so it's also been such a fun period. But the whining and defiance and physical aggression... Yikes! Crossing my fingers for 3. We'll have a newborn then.
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My son was a breeze at 2 and 3 was more challenging, but not completely terrible. I'm curious to see how it plays out with my DD as she's only 19 months, but so far a much more challenging toddler than DS was.
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Looking back, 3 was worse than 2...2 was pretty bad, lol.
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@PrincessBaby: a thousand times this....
I think it is totally kid dependent. 18 months-2.5 have been really really hard for us due to exactly what you said, but things are slowly getting easier now that he can talk more and has some firm boundaries.
But for some of my friends they have said 3 was harder due to power struggles and tantrums.
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3s. And they have just started.
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DS is 2.5 and it hasn't been too trying us yet. So I have a feeling we're going to be in the 3s are harder camp...esp with lil bro due to appear in the next couple of wks...
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@Mrs. High Heels: We seem to be following this trend with LO so far, even though we just started getting into the 3s. They can be hard but because she's verbal and seems to be coming out of her shell, it seems easier.
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Oh lord, threenagers! I've gone through it twice now.
The reason it's so much harder than two is that you can no longer distract the child.The good news is that it is so much easier the second time around!
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Oh god this is terrifying. Two has been a challenge. Three is coming along with a new baby, yikes!!
@sometimesshesings: yup. Same boat. Scared!
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Three! Two was not bad at all for DS1. He's two months away from 3, and he's so emotional about everything now. And yes, he's a lot harder to distract. But I still think he's on the easy side!
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Two for us. We had a lot going on when she was two. Traveling for long periods, I was pregnant or had a newborn and then getting ready to move. So it messed with routines and schedules and I needed her to behave to get through everything. So I think we went through trial and error at two to figure out what worked best for her when there were temper tantrums or misbehavior. By the time she was three we had a good foundation of consequences and there were still meltdowns but bc I knew what action plan we were following they weren't as stressful. She threw less tantrums too.
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