Why I miss the infant stage:
1) Air travel (or really, any kind of travel) – A non-mobile baby seems a lot easier on a flight than a toddler who refuses to stay seated, would rather run up and down the aisle, and when seated only wants to kick the back of the seat in front of them.
2) Going out and about – When your baby is an infant, you can buckle them in the stroller or car seat and just GO—no tantrums about who puts on their shoes, or wanting one more sip of water, and then juice, and then a cracker.
3) The snuggles – Oh, how I miss the constant snuggles without baby wriggling away to run and find something more entertaining!
4) Simple meals – Milk and/or formula, and that’s it. No picky eating and trying figuring out what your toddler should/will eat or whether it’s enough of this or too much of that.
5) Dependence – Your baby depends on you for just about everything, and that makes it pretty easy to say, okay time to eat, okay, time to sleep—well, most of the time.
Why I'm treasuring the toddler stage now:
1) Personality – Toddlers are starting to show their personality, making jokes, singing songs—it’s so much fun to watch and interact with them now!
2) Big bear hugs – Like Amy said, toddlers give hugs with a zeal that is unrivaled. On occasion I’ll get a really heartfelt squeeze for a hug, or I ask her to squeeze as hard as she can when we hug—it’s the best feeling.
3) Fewer naps – Now we only have one midday nap to plan around as opposed to when we had two or three.
4) Communication – The explosion of language! She can tell us what she wants (or doesn’t want) and how she’s feeling—most of the time.
5) Independence – This is both a pro and a con, but for the most part, it’s fantastic when I can ask my daughter to help clean up her toys or help feed the dog.
Or maybe the grass is just always greener on the other side :)
How about you; do you miss the infant stage? What are you enjoying most about the stage that your child's in now?
I’m a first-time mom, employee of Bright Horizons and a foodie who loves to cook, travel, and laugh. In my free time, I like to pretend I know how to use my DSLR like a pro and do basically all things creative (major DIY-er here). I’m excited to share some of the ups-and-downs of parenthood as my husband, daughter, two dogs and I explore life as a family of five!
What to Read Next:
- Read more posts about the infant stage and toddler stage from The Family Room bloggers.
- Blogger Amy shares 7 Toddler Behaviors She Adores and 7 Toddler Behaviors that Drive Her Crazy.
