When does it get easier?

CapitolBaby

Hi girls - visitor from 0-3 here!  Just curious when things get easier in the first year?  I have a 1 month old who hardly sleeps at night and cries a lot.  She's amazing, but has taken such a toll on me.  Maybe today was just an especially difficult day.  I keep hearing that at 3 months, there is some amazing transformation.. what do you think?  When do things get easier or more manageable?

ChiCubsGirl

My DD was colic from week 3 to 11.  It was amazing that around 3 months, it was gone.  Hang in there.  It gets easier especially once you have an established schedule.

JenShea

About 2 weeks ago for me...so 5.5 months. Stay strong. It can only last so long.

katie_cj

We had a huge turn around at 6 weeks. He had a good 3-4 days of constant nursing and not sleeping well, his traditional growth spurts and then he really started sleeping better, about 6 hour stretches.

 

Amigosa

It gets easier around 3 months and then again at 6 months, or at least that is how it was with my 2 LO's.

~Soleil~

It will get easier! Hang in there. Believe me, in a few months you'll wonder if she was ever really that small!

thaira

I seriously think it gets easier and easier everyday!  But I thought it was much easier at two months and then at three and honestly...every single month gets easier and so much more fun...!

Laurie12820

Hang in there!  DD started to get easier around 2 months.  You'll find that there will be some especially hard days, and then you'll have days where you can see the improvements. The lack of sleep makes everything seem worse.  It will get easier, hang in there! 

g8orell

I say it starts to get easier at 3 months, but noticeably easier at 5 months. Hang in there...we all know how you feel and you do survive it!! I think 4-10 weeks was the worst!

kmkaull2

One day at a time!  It got easier for me after a few weeks.  By 6 weeks we were in a good rhythm, and then when he started sleeping through the night at 12 weeks, we were golden.

I have loved the age of 6-9 months.  LO is so much fun right now. 

Hang in there!

Cityplanner

I think it got easier every day, although I didn't always realize it until I looked back over a period of time. 

3 months was better, but not the giant change that I had built it up to be.  6 months was the biggest shift for me.

Heather577

As far as sleeping goes, things started to get better around 4 months.  Not STTN better, but longer stretches and better naps.

Every month since then has been wonderful.

*jmacneil

About 4 months for us he started getting a lot better through the night but then around 6 months is got a little worse...but getting better now. Routine is the BEST thing you can get into i think. Talking to my sister about having a baby she laughs at me cause i say "so what, i didnt sleep for 4 months!" cause in the long run things so get easier and you totally forget how hard everyday was! thats why we always want more babes! Good luck, i hope you have great support, and dont be afraid to take some time for you!

meg1974

For me, it has constantly been changing. One thing will get better, but another thing will get worse. She started STTN around 2 months, but then she stopped at 4 months when she became more aware of her surroundings. Now she is down to one or two wakings per night, which is fine with me. But, her naps are terrible, and she now has separate anxiety that is exhausting b/c I have to hold her all the time. Her crying got a lot better at 3 months. 

I used to say "I can't wait until she is X age because X will happen," but now I just take it one day at a time and enjoy the stage she's at for what it is.  

lwrigley2000

Three months was a HUGE turning point for us. And then again at 6 mo.

I think understanding them and their needs is a big part of it which for me took a few months and by then we were starting to figure out a routine so a combination of those two things was big. DS also cried alot and didn't sleep well but by 3 mo, he was sleeping a little bit better (not STTN by any means) and either I was used to the sleep deprivation or finally took the good adivce of sleep when they sleep. By 6 mo my hormones were fnally starting to get back to normal and I was physically starting to really feel better (had a slow recovery from a c-section).

It truly keeps getting better and better. Hang in there.

Junebug0617

I say around 3 months also-my best advice is what others have told you about routine...I also suggest writing down naps and feedings-you are able to "see" a pattern and begin to look at a schedule with LO.  For me, that helped me distinguish the cries.  Also, it's always easier to get caught up in the difficult days-for me I can remember those days much more vividly even though she had many more good days than bad ones!!!!

 Just wait until around 5 months-you'll forget and begin to feel like a pro! Hang in there!!!

war_eagle

I just posted above about having newborn amnesia.  I *know* it was really hard at first, but now I can't even remember it ever being hard.  I say that to give you hope!  One day you will look back and think "that was a piece of cake, time for another one!"  lol

Best thing we did was read and follow Babywise.  Gets a lot of flack, but following the feeding every three hours (even if that means waking them up during the day), and doing the eat/play/sleep routine made things so much easier because once we hit that groove, I knew if he was tired or hungry and didn't have to try and guess.  It also made my day predictable and much less chaotic.

Hang in there! 

MrsDough527

It didn't get easier for me until 5-6 months. We got a real good schedule down and have been having a great time since then. DD has been STTN since 7 months and DS since 9 months. Plus, they are so awesome now. Hold tight! I promise it will get better!

kes3237

I think every baby's "turning point" is different.  I remember the 3 month mark being our hardest - except I don't really know why.  The point is that it will get better and you can't base it on when it happened for others.  You'll have your time!

cphillips1021

It got easier for us at 6 weeks.  She got better, and we also got better.. I think it's a mixture of both.  There are bumps along the way, but in no time, you'll realize that this screamy baby turned into your little best friend.  Hang in there.. it won't be long.

Lesley0228

The first month was definitely the hardest and after that it just kept getting better. By 3 mo, DD became a little less clingy and able to entertain herself briefly on the playmat and floor with toys. I was also getting a better feel for her natural schedule and how to most efficiently meet her needs (result she was less fussy). 6 mo was a major turning point. She started really enjoying toys and wanted to do things on her own, leaving me more time to breath. She was more easily entertained and just in general more happy and easy going by this point. She got to be really fun too! I also felt like I really got the swing of how to be a mom around then and DD and I had each other pretty well figured out. She started STTN soon after too and getting her to sleep got easier. Newborns are great, but if I had the chose, I would ask that my next baby be born at 6 mo old.

ETA: I didn't read the other replies until after I posted and was surprised how many other people identified 3 mo and then 5/6 mo. Must be something to those ages.

nikkimom77

Hang in there! It is really SO, SO hard in the beginning. I remember thinking that I wouldn't make it and it would never get better. Hardest point in my life, hands down...but, it does get easier. Not easy, but easier. For us, things did start getting better at three months. Sleep got better at 6 months. Now that we are hitting 9 months, sleep has gotten harder again because of teething and seperation anxiety. However, other than the sleep thing, things are so much easier. They are able to sit up by themselves, play by themselves! You'll be able to get so much more done. Just get through this part. I know how you feel...