Newborn vs. Toddler

Funny story, before Lucy was born I read a ton of pregnancy-related stuff, but not a whole lot on infant care.  It made the transition from belly baby to outside baby much harder than it had to be. 

(Ok, so that wasn't really a funny story...but a true story nonetheless.)

In an effort to avoid having another overtired, cluster-feeding babe, I've been reading over this blog and some of my new mom posts.  (And I may or may not have gone so far as to make a newborn "cheat sheet", which I then taped to the inside of the kid's cabinet in the kitchen.) 

One thing is for certain, taking care of a newborn is a lot different than taking care of a toddler...  And I think I'm finally starting to feel more comfortable with this whole 2U2 thing (you know, just days before this kid arrives).  Now I'm just trying to figure out which one will be my "easy" kid.

I'm leaning towards Lucy... 

I think a newborn's need for to-the-minute scheduling is the biggest, most stressful difference.  It's intimidating.  Keeping a newborn awake for an extra 15 minutes might mean missing the window for naptime.  Letting a newborn fall asleep mid-nursing session might mean early waking, weight struggles, and supply issues.  The circumstances aren't quite as severe for a toddler.  If Lucy stays up late or doesn't finish a meal, there isn't usually any repercussion.

On the flip side, Lucy (like all toddlers) can be a sassy, sassy girl.  When she wants something that she can't have, she shrieks.  Her world is ending.  Her bones turn into noodles, and she melts onto the floor in a sobbing mess.  And she's a busy girl!  She is always on the move: playing with toys, examining household objects, rearranging the cabinets...  She requires constant supervision and activity.  As long as a newborn is fed and dry, they're pretty much content to lay around and observe.

There are other considerations, of course, like (not) sleeping through the night, THE MESS, the ability to multi-task.  Either way, the diaper situation sucks.  Newborns poop constantly; but it's water soluble, so they can go straight in the machine.  Lucy poops once, maybe twice a day; but the contents of those diapers are absolutely foul.          

Maybe I'm being a little neurotic, because I'm desperate to do a better job with this one so out of touch with infanthood, but, as of right now, I think toddlers are easier to handle.  It'll be interesting to evaluate once Parker has arrived.  What do you think?