Kim Kardashian says being a parent is “the most challenging thing” and has had nights when she cried herself to sleep.

The US reality star, 42, said becoming a mother had been “the thing that has taught me the most about myself” but that there was “nothing that can prepare you” for the experience.

Speaking on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, Kardashian discussed personal topics including parenting, healing trauma and navigating the dating world as a celebrity.

She has four children with rapper Kanye West – North, Chicago, Saint and Psalm.

“Everyone says the days are long and the years are short, and that couldn’t be a more true statement,” she said.

“When you’re in it, I mean, especially when they’re babies and you’re feeding, there’s madness going on, it’s like full madness. It’s the best chaos though.”

She continued: “I would say parenting is the thing that has taught me the most about myself. It has been the most challenging thing.

“There are nights I cry myself to sleep. Like, what just happened? With all the moods and the personalities.

“There’s nothing that can prepare you… but you will figure it out.”

Kardashian said she wrote a letter to her children on their birthdays to help them appreciate her actions as a mother.

“Every year I write each one of my kids about a four or five-page letter on their birthday about what the year was like, who their friends are, silly words they’re saying, their favourite foods, all the silly things that they do,” she said.

“(It’s) a little journey of what the year is like and it’s so fun to see from the first year.

“Now, you know, one of them is almost 10 years old, and I know that they’ll appreciate this.“I know that they’ll appreciate everything that they might have thought I was being a little harsh on, me protecting them.

“I know that they’ll get it because I got it with my mom, and I know they’ll get it with me.”

Following her divorce from West in 2022, Kardashian had a nine-month relationship with comedian Pete Davidson.

“I think I’ll always be a hopeless romantic and always want to be in love and definitely love sharing my life with someone, and love creating a life with someone,” she said.

“I definitely will take my time. And I think there’s so many factors, especially when you have kids and being mindful of people that enter in your life.”

She added: “I truly think someone is such a solid person when they have really grounded relationships.

“Every relationship can be different. If you have just a mutual respect around… across the board, that’s I think the number one thing.”