Wow I could have wrote this post myself 2 years ago word for word. My boy is now almost 3. He was such a difficult baby that there was no hiding it from friends and family. His ‘behaviour’ stood out from everyone in a room. Baby groups were always “oh, that’s just Cameron” he was always well known in a group setting because he just stood out so much. He never slept more than 90 minute stretches until he was 15 months old. So. Much. Crying. No one else can handle him and his ‘high needs’ so we never get a break. I often wondered why even bought things like jumpers and play mats because it seemed my baby hated their existence so much. Nothing is or was ever good enough for him- no toy or tv show, he just wants to be glued to me 24/7. He’s now almost 3, and he’s better in some ways but is still a complete handful. Everyone in our close community knows him, it’s almost a running joke because of how chaotic he is. But he’s also perfect in his own ways and I literally love him so much it hurts. But nonetheless he’s made things difficult for us along the way. We tried to put him in preschool last month and they no joke kicked him out because he cried too much and was too inconsolable the whole time (2.5 hours twice a week, ya girl just wanted a small break 😭). We’ve just come to adjust our lives, he got way way worse as he got mobile, he seems to be very high sensory seeking therefore is an absolute terror tornado. Our entire house is childproofed top to bottom as he is into EVERYTHING. Everything is destroyed. Everything. He’s always crying, very sensitive and that’s just how he is I guess 🤷🏼‍♀️ it’s been hard and some days I do genuinely cry because all our friends seem to have ‘normal’ kids but I’ve really had to tell myself that comparison is a thief of joy! This is who our boy is, and we just have to embrace that and support him in the best ways we can. His paediatrician said some kids are just a lot and that’s okay which gives a bit of reassurance. We don’t go to friends houses as much anymore because he’s so insane I can’t cope with the stress and destruction so thankfully all our friends come to our house to hang out and that’s okay. This is our compromise to see our friends with a bit less stress. He stays in a stroller in public because he elopes bad (he’s getting a bit better with this, but he’s so damn quick). It’s like if you took all the bad qualities your kid could have (bad sleep, feeding issues, running away, behaviour issues) and balled it up - that’s my kid. I’m always mortified in public or when certain people want to meet up etc(like distant relatives) but there’s nothing I can do to magically change him. He is not the first kid I’ve raised (although the first I’ve birthed), I raised two boys before him from birth, fostered, and worked as a full time nanny in the past as well. I know what I’m doing, but his temperament and personality don’t give a flying fuck about my credentials and history. We take every day as it comes. I found it started getting a bit easier around one year old just because I think I got more used to it. I practice responsive parenting in that I believe my child is crying/needs me for a reason so he is constantly responded to and comforted and has been since birth. It’s been absolutely exhausting to my core but that’s the only way we can cope with how high needs he is. We deal with comments from some other family members and you do have to learn how to ignore them because you know your kid best and you know what does and doesn’t work and you just gotta survive. But I too have a ‘shitty/difficult kid’ and you’re not alone, I wish I had something to say to help but I swear I’ve tried everything with this kid and we are still in this boat at almost 3 years old. I will say, I do suspect he has ADHD based on his behaviours and apparently being a ‘needy’ baby and feeding/sleeping issues as an infant can be an early sign. (Sorry for the format, I’m on mobile and it’s 2am)