Over the years, we've watched the Duggar family do a lot of growing up, from the earliest TLC specials to 19 Kids and Counting and then Counting On — not to mention its social media posts and YouTube channels. But now that we know Jim Bob and Michelle's super-sized brood as adults and older kids, it's easy to forget how little they once were. Looking back at throwback photos from their childhood is quite a trip.
Fortunately, the Duggar family's official Facebook page makes this pretty easy to do. Jim Bob and Michelle have shared photos of their kids in their younger years from time to time, and it's so much fun to see them when they were little and the family hadn't quite come into the spotlight it exists in now. That's back when Michelle made the girls matching dresses to wear!
Here are 18 photos of the Duggar kids as babies and toddlers. They've all been cute since day one — and looking back, we can see such a strong resemblance between them and their own kids.
Gone Fishing
Back in the day, Michelle didn't have quite so many kids, but it still couldn't have been easy to wrangle as many as she did to go fishing — especially not in that dress! Still, it looks like everyone was having a blast spending the day outside together.
The First Pair of Twins
As Jim Bob and Michelle's second and third children, Jana and John David also had the honor of being their first pair of twins in the family. Apparently, though, being that cute (and celebrating a birthday at the same time) was obviously very exhausting!
A Big Sister in the Making
Can you guess who this little lady is? We'd know that sweet face anywhere! This is baby Jana, who still has that same smile almost 30 years after this photo was taken.
The Oldest in the Family
Here are Jim Bob and Michelle's oldest four children, all sitting on the couch together (though not in order). From left to right, we have John David, Jill, Josh, and Jana — and Jill really looks like her son Israel here. So crazy!
Baby Jill
Speaking of Jill as a baby — here's another shot of her that really drives home the fact that both of her sons look so much like her. Don't get us wrong — we've always seen the resemblance — but now we can definitively say that Israel and Samuel are her twins.
Tiny Josie
As a baby, Josie had a long road to becoming the healthy kid she is today, including a lengthy stay in the neonatal intensive care unit after she was born prematurely. But she's a fighter, and she smiled all the way through it. Can we talk about how adorable she was as a little one? Even though the headband with the pigtails attached might have been a bit much.
Best Friends Forever
Jessa and Jinger have been thick as thieves for their entire lives, starting from when they were very little. This photo of them together as toddlers is just too cute. As far as we can tell, they've always been inseparable, and that bond has only grown stronger as the years have gone by.
Sweet Sisters
The Duggars captioned this snap "Christmas cuties," and we have to agree. How much fun it must have been for Jill, Jessa, Jana, and Jinger to grow up as sisters who were so close in age. Judging by this photo alone, it sure seems like they had a blast together.
Family Vacation
In this pic, the Duggars are on a trip to Silver Dollar City — an amusement park they still visit from time to time. Jana is standing next to her dad, while Josiah is the little guy in the stroller. Remember when they all used to color coordinate?
Smiles From Joy
It's rare to catch Joy without a big smile on her face, even as an adult, and obviously that's a trait she's held onto since childhood. She looks too cute here, grinning at the camera. Although commenters thought she looked like her nephew, Spurgeon, she also looks a lot like her own son, Gideon.
A Happy Baby Boy
Is it just us, or does baby Joseph look like he's ready for anything in this photograph? His outfit in the snap is so quintessentially '90s — look at that baby windbreaker! We're loving this and only hope he held onto this getup for his own kids to wear.
Piano Man
While we're on the topic of how cute Joseph was as a baby, here's another throwback photo of him, this time when he was a little older. As if his jeans and plaid shirt weren't cute enough, we love that he's perched in front of the piano. Michelle did make a point to get all of her kids enrolled in music lessons from a young age.
A Group Shot
We know how hard it is to get all of your kids to pose for a photo, so this must be one of those images that Michelle really treasures. Here are all of her oldest kids in one shot: Josh, John David, Jill, Jessa, Jana, and Jinger. So sweet.
Pool Fun
Though the Duggars didn't label who's who in this image, fans in the comments guessed that this is a photo of Jinger, Josiah, and Joseph, and we have to agree with that guess. We'd know Jinger's face anywhere, after all. She hasn't changed a bit!
Brother & Sister Love
Remember how we were saying that Joy always has a smile on her face? Here's even more proof of that, and we don't think anyone else in her family is capable of a grin this big! She's sitting right next to her brother, Josiah, who has somehow kept that same exact face as an adult.
Twin Life
Here's another set of Jim Bob and Michelle's twins — but they're just a bit younger than Jana and John David. A tiny Jedediah and Jeremiah are hanging out in their high chairs, drinking bottles, with some seriously '90s wallpaper going on behind them.
Sweet Toddler Joy
Here's yet another picture of Joy where she's all smiles, wearing a dress and posing so sweetly with those rosy cheeks. Just looking at her here, we'd never guess that she preferred running around and getting dirty with her brothers. She looks so serene in her dress!
Clowning Around
For the record, the clown in the photo isn't one of Jim Bob and Michelle's kids — it's actually cousin Amy! The little ones with her who are wearing matching dresses in the photo are Jana, Jill, and Jessa. We're going to need some background info on this.
