8 Stress-Inducing Baby Milestones That Are Way More ‘Ugh’ Than ‘Awww’

If you have a baby who sleeps through the night, count your blessings. But the truth is, even babies who are more than a few months old can go through terrible periods of night waking. Sleep regressions are very, very real. One of the biggest ones tends up happen around four months of age. That means that even if you have a baby who is a super sound sleeper as a newborn, she may start waking and like … all the time. It's one milestone that is really rough on parents, but it doesn't last. It usually happens when there is a big period of growth, so hang tough!

It's so exciting when our little ones take their first steps. However, soon after they are full-blown walking and before you know it, climbing. Once they get their footing, they cannot be stopped. They're up on tables and the counter. Any available surface suddenly screams "climb me!" It's a really anxiety-inducing part of parenting that will leave your heart racing about 10,000 times a day.

Chances are when your little one learns to speak, one of the first words he will learn to say is "no." It's easy enough to pronounce and you likely use it a fair amount to teach him what he can and cannot do. But you will soon come to hate the word "no" because your baby will say it or scream it no matter what you ask, say, or do. Even if you didn't ask him anything, the answer is still no and you'll be scrambling to teach him some new words ASAP.

Ohhh, fighting sleep. Every baby does it at some point and it is the absolute worst. It means that your baby will be cranky and overtired all. the. time. She's aware enough to understand what sleep is but not why she needs it. So, she'll fight until she drops … or until you do. Basically, it will make everyone lose their minds, for a while at least.

Even babies who don't cry a lot go through a screaming stage. Most of the time, it has to do with separation anxiety. That means that he absolutely hates when you put him down, even if your arms are really, really tired. He hates it even more if you attempt to walk out of the room. The truth is, he's terrified you're leaving. But it makes for a very loud, very annoying baby stage.

Once your baby gets aware enough to realize that her wet (or poopy) diaper isn't really that comfortable to sit in, it might be time to start potty training. Hooray! But not all babies potty train overnight. In fact, almost none of them do. That means she'll just start taking her dirty diaper off and leaving it all over the house. It may lead to some intensely nasty messes. But don't worry. This stage is short-lived. Usually.

Few things are cuter than little gums getting their first teeth. But nature can be cruel. Those sharp teeth literally have to cut through their delicate gums to make an appearance. It can be seriously painful and your baby will likely be downright miserable for at least some of those first teeth. While chewing on a frozen wash cloth or teething toys can help, this stage basically sucks. For everyone.

On-the-move babies will get into just about everything. When they aren't scaling the walls, they're searching the floor for something hazardous to put in their mouths. Putting stuff in their mouths is how they figure different items out. But it's so scary to experience as a parent. You have to constantly clean and make sure there is nothing lying around that they might swallow. It's a losing game, though, because even when you think you've got it all, your baby will manage to find a coin or a button or something perfectly dangerous.

The good news is that your baby will learn soon enough that putting stuff in the mouth isn't safe. So, keep communicating, keeping bite-sized items out of reach, and pray for the next stage.