My baby is 3 months old, how much harder does it get??

[nate71]

We are also going to be homeschooling

I don’t know what kids and babies are like at l so this is all new and we are learning as we go

 

[bernard05]

@nate71 IMO, the baby phase is as hard as it gets. And I have a teenager. Every milestone, communication leap, and bit of independence made things easier. I enjoyed the wild toddler years, the pre-school, little kid, pre-teen, and now teenager. The baby phase was hard. It was hard on my mental health, hard on my physical health, and hard on my marriage.

Everything since then has been relatively easy. Maybe because I usually get a full night's sleep and no one has puked on me in ages.

 

[maryanne76]

@bernard05 This. I feel like when people say it doesn’t get easier, they’re forgetting about getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night (MAX) for months and feeding baby every couple of hours, bf or not. The biggest leaps of improvement for us were: 4 months (self-soothing and sleep training), 5 months we moved her into her own room (not recommended until 6 but none of us were sleeping so we took the leap and it paid off beautifully), 7 months sleeping through the night without feeds plus she’s now waving and giving kisses.

At this point, I get a regular 8 hours of sleep a night and a few hours to even watch tv. She’s mostly happy and interactive throughout the day but not yet crawling around/getting into everything.

I felt like you at 3 months and I can’t promise you’ll have the same timeline as us but your baby will reach those milestones and each one makes it much much easier. Hang in there, OP. It really does get better.

 

[receiverofmercy]

@nate71 Some things get harder, some get easier. It’s always always changing. Someone somewhere said of parenting “no matter if you love the stage or hate it, it will end.” Parenting is completely bittersweet.

 

[kingdomseeker7]

@nate71 It gets easier around two when they walk and poop and pee by themselves and sleep a little longer.

 

[sofa24h]

@nate71 I think it depends a lot on what kind of parent you are. I absolutely hated the newborn phase! Would never do that again.

For me it got easier around nine months and then again after potty training. We get to do so much more now! Of course it’s now an emotional rollercoaster and a power struggle, but the more she grows, the more she gets it.

 

[katrina2017]

@nate71 It gets harder when they start standing and trying to walk lol I'm up to that point

 

[pauls1015]

@nate71 It gets much easier. I found the first 3 months the hardest, then the next 3 months improved a little. After that, things improved massively weekly, it shocked me how much better and easier it got.

 

[wizkid1982]

@nate71 Toddler phase was WAY harder than baby for me. Was planning to homeschool as well but the pandemic made me change my mind REAL FAST.

 

[jobob_0]

@nate71 way harder. As much as I did not like the baby stage, I look back on it now fondly now.We almost did not survive age 3.

 

[cookiedough7177]

@nate71 It depends on your baby. I know it’s a non-answer but it’s true.

The baby stage was THE hardest for us - but other stages have their own challenges. (Walking, teething, eating real food, separation anxiety, illnesses, sleep regressions, etc).

3yo is currently my favorite and so far, easiest, stage.

For other families, it may be opposite.

 

[seeker0]

@nate71 You’ll get opposite opinions based on who you ask. As evidenced in your responses here.

For me, 3 months was the last “easy” month. I think it gets harder every month now. (Mines almost 3yrs). But it also gets a million times more fun every month. So it’s a good balance.

 

[bjlytle7]

@nate71 The earlier months were hardest for me compared to toddler years so far — because of post partum hormones, nursing discomforts, recovery from traumatic birth, and sleep deprivation. While every stage has challenges, which means you are always going to be learning as you, I highly encourage you to make it easier on yourself and your family by prioritizing your health! Talk with your doctor! If they suck, find another one. Find time to get fresh air and space away from child and walk and take a multivitamin. The days I’m fatigued, sick, or just not eating what I should are hardest.

 

[newlifewithjesus]

@nate71 People will have difference answers to this question, but the hardest times for me have been 3 years old. I would take newborn/first year anytime over my three year old. Thankfully he is close to 4 and starting to mellow out a little bit.

 

[iada]

@nate71 Okay, so my baby is five months so I'm not much further ahead than you are. However, everything is so much easier now that he sleeps at night. I am really enjoying life so far and he's a joy.

 

[yasooooo]

@nate71 What's hard changes as they grow, and you also change and grow as a parent.