Easiest and hardest age 2, 3 or 4

[mumofatoddlerhelp]

In your experience which age was the easiest and hardest from 2-4? My ds has just turned 3 and age 2 was extremely hard! So far 3 isn't any better, will it get better at 4?

2,3,4

I found two horrendous. Ds is pretty strong willed but didn’t have very sophisticated verbal communication for a long time. Then I had a baby when he was 2.7 which set us back quite a bit.

At three it’s hard to say. Many things are easier but there are a couple of ongoing issues I’m struggling with.

2 =delightful, easily distracted and sweet
2.5 =relatively hellish
3 = getting more interesting but also easily led into mischief by small friends
4 = absolutely wonderful age, the best of the lot

2 and 3 was just awful, 3 + 3/4 a turning point and was mostly lovely by 4 :) hang in there!

1. Every Time!

DS1 and DS2 - 2
DD - 3

TBH I found all of them OK. Parenting DD as a teen was more difficult.

I expected 2&3 to be difficult but 4 took me by surprise at just how challenging DD was at that age - particularly in the 6 months before she started school. Real battle of wills.

Terrible twos
Threenager
Fournado

Not sure any of them are easy, but the kids do get more interesting as their own people as they get older.

2 was the hardest, physically have to watch absolutely everything.

5 is my favourite age, so you’ve got that to come. At 5 they’re a little bit train-able, can do some things for themselves, and are still little and cute but completely crazy and funny.

1 was way worse than any of the above.
It just gets better and better as they get older - still waiting for the awful teens to hit, and we are half way through those.

I didn't find those years much different in terms of difficulty level of child personality personally. It got slightly better in terms of mess/constant care.
But it's all good from 5 for me. 😁
My eldest is 13 though so having enjoyed the last 8 years, I'm braced for the wheel to turn again. 🫣

3 Definitely the worst!

Ime 2 is the best. They are cute, snuggly, nap, eat reasonably well, and the tantrums are both short, and generally over such ridiculous stuff it's quite funny.
4 is the worst, the lungs are bigger, the energy is higher, and the tantrums are about stuff I am actually expected to resolve somehow.
Not what you asked, but eldest turned a corner at 5 and began improving again, got my fingers crossed the youngest does the same.

I think it really depends on the child. One of mine was pretty easy all the way through (until 15!). For the other two 4 was a really difficult age ( but 2 and 3 not easy).

I'd say 2 as they are into everything and don't understand danger. Plus they have nursery at 3 then school at 4 to tire them out.