There's nothing quite like a second baby to throw a wrench into things, and it's a big challenge having a newborn when your first child is a toddler. Juggling nighttime feedings, erratic sleeping patterns, crying, spit-up and a nonexistent schedule with temper tantrums, sleep problems, potty training, a new found need for independence, picky eating and naughty toddler behavior is not for the faint of heart.

And yet.

Don't throw darts at me for thinking this, but I'm a firm believer that having two toddlers -- one older, one younger -- is much, much harder. How am I so sure, you ask? Because I am smack in the middle of that very situation as we speak. I have an almost 2-year-old son. My daughter is 3-and-a-half-years old. And the madness seems like it may never end.

Here are eight ways having two toddlers in my midst (a.k.a. my children) is harder than having a toddler and a newborn.

1. They're mobile. Yes, once the baby can crawl and pull up, it's only a matter of time before he'll be walking (and running, jumping and climbing). Gone are the days of plopping down my infant to run after my toddler. Now there are two Speedy Gonzalez, Tasmanian Devil-types running around, wreaking havoc on me, my house and my sanity. The upside? On the rare occasions I get to sleep, it's a deep, deep sleep. Like the dead.

2. They're well-versed in the word "No!" I went from having one miniature person stamping her foot, crossing her arms over her chest and saying "No!" when she doesn't get her way -- to two. When I was in toddler and newborn land, I had a calm, sweet, little baby boy who usually went with the flow to balance out his sister.

3. They have a love-hate relationship with sleep. Toddlers are impossibly adorable, pint-sized creatures. But they're a bit of an enigma in some ways -- like how they avoid going to sleep like the plague. Newborns, on the other hand, love to sleep and do it a lot, even though they get up overnight to eat. Picture doubling those delightful toddler bedtime battles and dealing with two different sets of them at the same time. Exactly. Sleep is good, toddlers! Please give your poor, desperate parents a rest!

4. They're picky with food. Ah, yes. Food. Something to throw on the floor, spit out, say "No" to 1,567 times a meal, play with and either wolf down or reject (or both!). Newborns are simple: They drink milk hungrily and willingly. End of story. Food is yummy, toddlers. Eating is fun! Why can't you do it without a fuss? While you're at it, why not gobble down something other than mac and cheese for once?

5. They are old enough to fight. Question: What can toddlers possibly have to fight about? Answer: Everything. And don't think that just because one is still in the baby babble phase, the bickering won't happen. It will. When an innocent parent like me tries to break up a toddler fight, I am not dealing with rational human beings. I'm dealing with two highly emotional types who have no impulse control, can't tell right from wrong and are stubborn beyond all get-out. Breaking up a spat between two feral cats sounds way easier. Babies can't fight. They just lie there. It's blissful.

6. They want everything the other one has. My daughter has a sudden, inexplicable interest in trucks. My son decides he loves barrettes and beads. It doesn't matter what it is: If one toddler has it, the other one wants it. And then it's back to #5 we go. When my son was a baby, he didn't care what he played with -- he was happy with any toy we put in front of him.

7. They want different things at the same time. Having a pair of toddlers means trying to please two extremely strong-willed little children and their opposing wishes at once. If you're like me, you'll succeed about 1 out of every 10,000 times. But hey, at least toddlers are patient, right? This can happen with a baby and a toddler, too, but it's different. Babies often truly are patient, unless they're really hungry.

8. They're both obsessed with Mommy and vie for her undivided attention. This would be totally sweet and flattering, if it weren't so darn stressful at times. Though they do get along a lot of the time and are kind to each other, my little cutie pies still want me all to themselves quite a lot. They compete over everything -- from sitting in my lap to getting me to read them a bedtime story (since, of course, they usually want different ones at the same time). Though as an infant, my son also wanted Mommy a lot, he was generally okay if I had to tend to my daughter first or interrupt caring for him to care for her.

In spite of all the tricky moments -- the sleep deprivation, the bald spots from patches of hair I've ripped out, the extra frown lines and the chaos (mental and physical) -- I know I'm blessed, and this phase won't last forever. These two beautiful, tiny little people are my children, the ones I've always hoped for, and they're growing up fast. We only have them this way, at these ages and stages, for a relatively short time, long though it may seem now.

So I need to savor my double-toddler life while I have it. Because I know that when it's gone, I'll miss it and the toddler versions of my two amazing kids like crazy.

Do you agree? Which do you think is more tricky -- two toddlers or a toddler and a newborn?

3 Things to Read Next: