Pre-School and Daycare

3 Worse Than 2?

I hear this from almost everyone I know including my mother.  Three is worse than two.  Anybody find this not to be the case?  Anybody feel that 2 was the hardest?  

Re: 3 Worse Than 2?

  • DS turned 3 two months ago and I have to say that it's been way worse than the 2s. They can speak in sentences now, so you have to watch them like a hawk. DS will go up to someone at the grocery store and let them know that they are fat. 
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  • This was not the case for DD1 who will be 5 in June. She was a terror from age 1 through 2 and a half! So far DD2 is following that pattern. She will be 3 in August but she had way less melt downs and is much more even tempered now than she was a few months ago.

    By age 3 they understand consequences and have more impulse control but new negative behaviors do crop up. For my DDs though those behaviors do not out weigh the unreasonable unpredictable tantrums of the younger ages.
    My 2 girls, both born on a Friday the 13th, are exactly 2 years, 2 months, 2 hours and 2 minutes apart! And Baby Boy joined us October 11, 2013! image
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  • So far, 3 is definitely worse/harder (and that was even before DS2 was born!).
  • DD#1- 3-3.5 was 1000 times worse than 2.

    DD#2- DD#2- 1.5-2.5 were rough, but then she was a peach.

    DS- 2 was really awful, 3 was still tough because he still wasn't sleeping through the night and wouldn't speak in public and cried at the drop of a hat, but was better behaviorally in general.  Now at 3.5, he is a dream.  Seriously, an easy, happy kid. 

    If I had stopped at one kid I would have sworn it was gospel that the threes are the worst, but my 3 all had the stage at a different time.

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  • In some ways, 2 was the hardest for me with ds.  He went through a wicked hitting friends phase after his sister was born that pretty much made me stop going out on play dates.  That ended around the time he was getting closer to 3, so 3 and 4 have been much easier in that sense.

    As far as sassing, not listening and fighting with his sister, 3 was tougher than 2 for sure.  He was getting more willful and telling me how horrible of a job I was doing parenting...lol.

    4 has been a lot better in some ways, but I'm going through the 2s and 3s again with dd, so there's no rest for the weary.

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  • 3 was way worse with DS1.  DS2 has been worse as he gets closer to 3.  I can talk to him and reason with him so that is a change.    
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  • I think 1.5-2.5 was really hard because although she knew exactly what she wanted she couldn't communicate quickly and it escalated. A lot of power struggles during the "2's" as well. Potty training, moving to toddler bed, etc. She is still a drama queen at times, but now like others have said 3 is much more rational based and less impulse freak out. Good luck!
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  • With DS, two was mostly a breeze...three was rough, and four was bad! DD just turned two and she's already in full blown "terrible twos!" She thinks she's the boss and throws herself on the floor in full meltdowns.
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  • Your mom is right.
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  • Totally depends on the child/personality. My daughter now almost 4 has always been difficult, was difficult at 2- but WAY worse at 3. My step son-same age as my daughter was a lot more difficult at 2. Their personailites are complete opposites daughter spoke very well very early, she tends to be overly confident/fearless, outgoing, and stubborn. Step son is a lot more clingy, a follower- and listener. Loves to please people, and sensitive. 
  • 3 is hard.  In my case I expected too much from my 3 year olds.  They spoke in full sentences and did not sound like 'babies' anymore so I expected their behavior to be more mature, but 3 is still so very young.  They still have almost no impulse control.  Their frontal lobe is still immature.  They tend to make poor decisions and yet they long to be independent and do things themselves.  The mix of immaturity and a strong longing for independence  is a tough mix.  I am having a much easier time with my current 3 year old.  His behavior is not better than my older two, but I realize that it is appropriate and I can react to negative behavior with logic rather than emotion.   
    Smiley: April '05 Rocky: May '06 Tex: July '09
  • Yes! I thought two was ok but 3 was hell!
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  • imageEmilia0101:
    I think 1.5-2.5 was really hard because although she knew exactly what she wanted she couldn't communicate quickly and it escalated. A lot of power struggles during the "2's" as well. Potty training, moving to toddler bed, etc. She is still a drama queen at times, but now like others have said 3 is much more rational based and less impulse freak out. Good luck!
    Agree w/ this - 1.5-2.5 was hard - she knew what she wanted but couldn't communicate well. She also still needed alot of sleep and rest like a baby, but was so engaged she had a hard time chilling out when needed.
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  • With DS, 3 was worse than 2, and 4 has been worse than 3!!!!  Luckily, he's one of those kids who is much better behaved at school than at home.  He's shy outside of the house, so once he's in school, there is not a peep out of him.  After he's done with school, I guess everything pours out!

     DD is almost 3, but the past few months have been much better than last year (1-2 years).  There were times when i was afraid to take her out in public.

     I wonder if a lot of it has to do with their ability to speak and communicate.  DS was a late talker and didn't really start talking until almost 3.  Compared with his classmates, he is still a little bit behind in his sentence formations.  DD spoke earlier and is almost on par with her brother despite being almost 2 years younger. 

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  • 3 has definitely been harder for DD.  Actually, it all started around 2.5.  I am starting to see some glimmers of hope as she gets closer to 4, but am afraid to get my hopes up.  Of course, her brother was born when she was 2.5, so that plays into her dynamic as well.

    At 2, she had impulse control issues but generally responded pretty well to boundaries and redirection.  As she got older,  there was a lot more willful misbehavior, snotty backtalk, endless power struggles, and general drama.  It is exhausting.

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  • DS1 didn't really go through the Terrible 2s and then 3 was horrible.

    DS2 most definately went through the Terrible 2s and is worse at 3. I blame DH they have similar personalities. :)

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  • 3 has been far harder for us than 2. I was all smug like,"wow my kid is awesome!!!" Then 3 happened.

    Not to say my kid isn't awesome, but 3 can definitely suck it.

  • sorry...they are right.  3 is worse than 2 for sure!  I'm just wondering if I have to wait until 4 for it to endTongue Tied
  • With both of my girls. I would hands down say that 3 was way worse than 2.  If I recall, it was the worst from around 3 to until around 4 1/2.  2's were pretty easy in my house with both my girls.  Granted DD#1 turned 2 when I had a 3 month old in the house so her 2's are a blur to me!!!
    Jenni Mom to DD#1 - 6-16-06 DD#2 - 3-13-08 
  • I feel like 2s were a little harder than 3s, but even then DD was a pretty chill kid. I found the fact that they're not speaking well enough yet made it worse. DS was born when DD was 3.5 and I expected her to start being more difficult, but it wasn't until 4 (and a couple of months) that it got bad. The past few months, it's tantrum central around here: every little request, every little thing done "wrong" results in tears and screaming. So, 4 has been the most difficult age so far.
  • The hardest for us has been from 3-3.5. That time coincided with DS's birth so she was also adjusting to having a baby in the family, but her tantrums & outbursts were the absolute WORST then. So far 4 has been much, much better.
    S- March 09 E- Feb 12 L- May 15


  • So far for us the closer DD got to 3 to tougher her behavior started getting.  She's tough!  I am looking forward to this stage passing!
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  • 2 was challenging for us (especially with one of our boys), but 3 was definitely more challenging with both of them.
    fraternal twin boys born january 2009
  • 3 is way worse than 2.
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  • The worst for us was 2.5 to 3.5. Now that she is getting closer to 4, I feel like she's getting better. Each age has it's challenges but that was the worst for my DD so far! Not including her colicky newborn stage...
    DD ~ 8/30/09 DS ~ 10/13/13
  • aandgaandg member
    2 was really rough for DS. He started the "terrible two's" around 17 months and started coming out of it a bit before he turned 3. He still has his moments, but so far, 3 is much better than 2. DD is almost 20 months and she is now starting the tantrums, not listening, hitting, etc. So much fun to get to do it all over again so quickly!!
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  • DS will be 1 in 2 weeks and DD awas 3 about 6 weeks ago.  So far I think 1 1/2-2 1/2 was much worse than as she got closer to 3.  I'm sure many people will disagree, but I had mentioned to someone that I heard 3 was alot worse than 2.  She said she didn't find that at all, but thought maybe if people don't discipline their children well at 2 then they're really out of control by 3.  Kind of makes sense.
  • kellmokellmo member
    imagesschwege:
    I hear this from almost everyone I know including my mother. nbsp;Three is worse than two. nbsp;Anybody find this not to be the case? nbsp;Anybody feel that 2 was the hardest? nbsp;


    Definitly true for us!!
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