baby's personality

[luli13]

I have a 15 week old DS who is really, really laid back. He ONLY cries when he is hungry (and even sometimes he doesn't, I just nurse him because it is time), wet/dirty, or sleepy. He has slept from 8pm-7:30am from 8wks on. He is a really happy, smiley baby who just plays on his play mat, sits in his bouncy and suck his teething ring. He coos and laughs all the time. Totally content.

He was born with Pseudoarthrosis of his Tibia (basically his tibia bone is fragile and he needs to have surgery in the near future, maybe several surgeries) and will most likely be diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis which is linked to Pseudoarthrosis. I include this info only to show that baby boy is not "perfect" (well, he is pretty perfect to us!) and we have definitely had our struggles since he has been born.

I also have a three year old DD so I know that babies go through phases and DS's behavior can change from one day to the next (hope I'm not jinxing myself by writing this post). My question is: for those of you who have had "easy" and laid-back babies, have their personalities/disposition stayed constant through toddler and adolescents?

[AngB]

I usually find that good babies make you pay for it later. DS was a really mellow, laid back baby, but then he got mobile and started getting his own opinions and ideas about things. He's only 15 months but I can tell that his toddlerhood is going to be rough. (And I worked in daycare with two year olds for several years so it's not like the age is new to me.)

My sister was the same way. My mom always says she was the BEST baby. She is anything but mellow or laidback now!

[luli13]

I usually find that good babies make you pay for it later. DS was a really mellow, laid back baby, but then he got mobile and started getting his own opinions and ideas about things. He's only 15 months but I can tell that his toddlerhood is going to be rough. (And I worked in daycare with two year olds for several years so it's not like the age is new to me.)

My sister was the same way. My mom always says she was the BEST baby. She is anything but mellow or laidback now!

Yeah, that's what I am afraid of! I am just gonna suck up all this happy baby time while it's here so I can think back fondly while I am pulling my hair out later.

[BabyBearsMom]

I wonder if it is a second child thing. My DD2 and my nephew (my sister's DS2) are both super chill, happy laid back babies. They are still babies, so I don't know how long this will last, but I'm enjoying every minute of it.

I don't know if I buy the "you pay for it later" because then wouldn't it stand to reason that if you had a hard baby they would be an easy toddler? My DD1 wasn't a super hard baby but must harder than DD2 and she is certainly not an easy toddler.

[Simon]

So far we sort-of follow that theory.

Ds1 was a *hard* baby and a super easy toddler/preschooler.
Ds2 was an easiER baby and hardER toddler, but still isn't that bad as a 2yo (knock wood). Nothing like I have seen in friends' Dc.
Ds3 is medium hard as a baby, and fingers crossed he doesn't become the toddler who makes us cry. (knock wood twice).

[crl]

Dd was a very mellow baby. She is NOT a mellow toddler. Not as hard as ds was (we adopted ds at 13.5 months so I can't speak to his baby personality), but definitely not mellow.

Catherine

[sophiesmom03]

DD1 was a mellow baby and toddler, now is giving me a run for the money at almost 9. I can see fun teen years ahead. :)

[lizzywednesday]

I wonder if it is a second child thing. ...

I don't know if I buy the "you pay for it later" because then wouldn't it stand to reason that if you had a hard baby they would be an easy toddler? ....

:yeahthat:

I was a "hard" baby and ran my mother ragged as a toddler. I only started to mellow out when I was a preschooler (so, around 2.5 to 3 yrs old.)

My brother, Ger, on the other hand, was a super-mellow baby despite eczema and dairy issues, and a fairly mellow toddler, but when he hit preschool, he was all tumble-and-fall. My father voted him the "least likely to survive 'til the age of 5" (he turned 30 this past fall) because of all the stuff he got himself into.

My brother Joe was also an "easy" baby, but he ran all of us ragged well into grade school.

My sister was a "manipulative" baby and I doted on her as a toddler, so I can't really speak to that. (By manipulative, I mean that she learned very early on how to act to get her way. She learned to recognize Joe's footfalls and would scream when he got close; this would slow him down enough to hug or cuddle with her gently, rather than his usual bear hugs.)

[maestramommy]

DD1 was a pretty mellow baby AFTER 12 weeks. DD2 was an even more mellow baby from the get go. Neither started giving us any real trouble until well after 3yo. Then it hit with a vengeance. I heard this thing about easy bay/tough toddler and vice versa. But DD3 was very difficult as a baby, and now she's very difficult as a toddler. Only thing that makes her a little easier now is her amazing ability to communicate, and her own rush to grow up.

[georgiegirl]

DS was a mellow baby (never cried for no reason and was always happy and smiley), but he started crawling at 5.5 months and walking at 9.5 months, and he has always gotten into so much trouble...climbing on the counters at a very early age, attracted to anything dangerous, that sort of stuff. He turns 3 tomorrow. He's still sweet when he wants to be, but he's pretty wild and very mischievous.

Dd was such a difficult baby and she was a relatively easy toddler...well she mostly listened to me and would never do something like run out into the middle of the street.

[luli13]

DS was a mellow baby (never cried for no reason and was always happy and smiley), but he started crawling at 5.5 months and walking at 9.5 months, and he has always gotten into so much trouble...climbing on the counters at a very early age, attracted to anything dangerous, that sort of stuff. He turns 3 tomorrow. He's still sweet when he wants to be, but he's pretty wild and very mischievous.

I also wonder how much depends on him being a boy. That whole rough and tumble boy play scares me a little! I am used to having a girl who likes to color and paint and read books to pass the time. She is definitely not a rough player so having DS in toddlerhood should be an interesting change. Plus, he has to wear a leg brace to protect his leg so it will be even harder to becasue we have to be really careful about how much trauma that bone gets. Ahhh, it is always something isn't it?

[citymama]

I guess I am not sure I understand your concern. Are you concerned he will stay laid back? Are you concerned he won't? Are you concerned the mellowness a sign of something else?

In the case of my two kids, their basic temperament was pretty well established by a very early age - 8 or 9 weeks. DD1 came out feisty, high maintenance, demanding, hyper alert and sensitive, and she still is all those things. She had colic and cried without being easily calmed. DD2 was mellow, laid back, easier to calm down, no colic, not particularly high maintenance. She's still all those things.

That said, DD2 is way way more mischievous and prone to typical toddler behavior than DD1. She will try and climb out of windows, turn on the stove, grab knives out of the dishwasher, run out of the house if the door is open, throws her food on the floor, does the kind of curious and naughty (and dangerous) things toddlers are known for. Our older one never did those kinds of things, and so while her personality is high maintenance, she wasn't getting into as much potential "trouble" as DD2.

[buddyleebaby]

My DS was a sweet, laid back baby and he is a sweet, laid back little boy...but that doesn't stop him from getting into all sorts of mischief.
He just follows his mischief up with smiles and cuddles.

[MSWR0319]

DS1 is 3.5 and was a hard baby and difficult child. Still is. He gives us a run for our money everyday. He is super intelligent which seems to be part of the problem. I'm hoping he mellows out a bit when he starts school. He's not mean or aggressive, but very mouthy and manipulative. The definition of "spirited" in "How to raise a Spirited Child" fits him to a T.

DS2 is 2.5 mo and so far is much more laid back, is sleeping more than DS1 slept at a year. I'm hoping the trend continues.

[daisymommy]

DD was just like your DS. So easy! And now...not so much. She's a real sweet heart, sensitive and kind. But a real spit-fire personality too. You would expect her to be a read head ;)

My DH jokes that all that time as a quiet baby she was watching for our weak spots and devising plans to take over, LOL!

[todzwife]

DD2 was a SUPER easy baby but is a spitfire toddler. She's fun, and not as intense as my first daughter so I can "deal" with her tantrums easier but she's not the mellow baby she used to be!

[Moneypenny]

DD was a very easy, laid back baby and still is that way at nearly 8 years old. I'm afraid she's going to make us pay when she's a teenager.

[luli13]

I guess I am not sure I understand your concern. Are you concerned he will stay laid back? Are you concerned he won't? Are you concerned the mellowness a sign of something else?

I am going to change my OP because I am not exactly *concerned*. Shouldn't have used that word. I think I have more of a worry that since he is so easy now he will be a terror later. No one, of course, can answer this for me. I know that. I am just interested in how initial temperment and disposition carried on throughout infancy and toddlerhood for others.

He just has some medical issues that will continue for quite awhile and while I imagine him going through surgery, etc, I hope he continues to be sweet, calm and happy! Thanks for all of your posts.

[megs4413]

My DS was a super easy/happy baby and remains a happy, laid back little boy. He's a joy.

My DD was a handful and is still very particular and very sensitive. She's a doll, though.

ETA: my DS has had nine surgeries. The first one was when he was nearly 6 months old. His neediness did increase somewhat, but for the most part, his personality remained unchanged.

[maestramommy]

I also wonder how much depends on him being a boy. That whole rough and tumble boy play scares me a little! I am used to having a girl who likes to color and paint and read books to pass the time. She is definitely not a rough player so having DS in toddlerhood should be an interesting change. Plus, he has to wear a leg brace to protect his leg so it will be even harder to becasue we have to be really careful about how much trauma that bone gets. Ahhh, it is always something isn't it?


LOL, DD2 was my mellowest baby, but she learned to climb before she learned to walk! She's still a climber, and lately has been doing things that make me cringe just a little. She also likes jumping from high places. Oy!

Not rough and tumble tomboy. In fact, very girly in dress, and takes a lot of pains with her appearance. BUT get her near a playground and the first thing she does is head for the climbing area.

[georgiegirl]

I also wonder how much depends on him being a boy. That whole rough and tumble boy play scares me a little! I am used to having a girl who likes to color and paint and read books to pass the time. She is definitely not a rough player so having DS in toddlerhood should be an interesting change. Plus, he has to wear a leg brace to protect his leg so it will be even harder to becasue we have to be really careful about how much trauma that bone gets. Ahhh, it is always something isn't it?

My DS broke his arm earlier this summer and I thought I would die from stress the first few days. He would jump off stairs (3 high) onto tile floor with his cast on and run around super wild. For some reason, the cast made him even crazier (at least for the first week it was on.). In my experience, my boy has been very boy...very rough and tumble. His big sister is gentle and loving...he's always tackling her. But I do like that he's toughened her up.

[mommytoC]

In the case of my two kids, their basic temperament was pretty well established by a very early age - 8 or 9 weeks. DD1 came out feisty, high maintenance, demanding, hyper alert and sensitive, and she still is all those things. She had colic and cried without being easily calmed. DD2 was mellow, laid back, easier to calm down, no colic, not particularly high maintenance. She's still all those things.

:yeahthat: