He's almost 3 and she is 2 months old and ever since I brought her home he wants to hold his face so close to her all the time and sometimes they bump heads and she screams from pain. I keep telling him "not so close" and he keeps doing it, what should I do? Let it go? Punish him?
2006-11-28 02:15:34 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
This is a very common behavior. Toddlers are naturally curious about babies.
Although, it's common, though, this isn't what you want him to do.
Try the following ideas out and see if they help:
--Make sure he understands that he used to be that little too. And that when he was a baby, he didn't like people to put their heads against him.
--Show him the proper way to handle a baby. Say something like "Do you see how your sister cries when you do that? Would you like me to show you how to make her happy instead?" And then show him how babies like to be very gently patted on their back. Show him how babies like it when you sing to them.
--If these don't help, explain to him that you are not going to let him play with his sister unless he follows your directions. Give him time-outs away from the baby.
I hope these ideas help. Best wishes.
2006-11-28 02:26:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They will be bumping heads alot in the future, but for now, make sure he can't get that close unless you are there with them both to prevent it.
Try not to punish him, as it can make him resentful of the baby. Just keep reminding him to give the baby some room, and one day he'll catch on.
3 year olds are very curious and have a hard time remembering the rules. Good luck!
2006-11-28 10:21:01 · answer #2 · answered by revmissus 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
My son does this too, he is almost 4 and our daughter is 3 months. He seems to think she can't see him or something, he will get an inch from her face and try to make her smile. What we finally did was implement a "baby bubble". When he gets to close to her we tell him he is in the baby bubble and he needs to back up or he can't talk to her. He loves to make her smile so when he is told he's in the baby bubble he backs up immediately so he can keep talking to her. Hope this helps :)
Oh, and as a side note, there are times when he gets to help with her too, he doesn't always have to stay a foot away from her, we only do the bubble thing when he is getting to inyourface
2006-11-28 10:43:52 · answer #3 · answered by totspotathome 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My two year old constantly squeezes my two month olds cheeks. I can't get her to stop. Toddlers are just curious. Just keep your baby out of reach of your son unless you are there to closely monitor. Give him time and new ways to interact with his sister such as holding her hands/feet or rocking her seat. The less fuss you make about the head stuff the sooner he'll drop it. He may be trying to get a bit of extra attention.
2006-11-28 11:56:06 · answer #4 · answered by Kitty33 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get him a babydoll to press up against.
He is jealous which is normal. He does not need to be punished.
He needs to not do this,but u need to distract him from doing this by giving him some other activity like playdoe or drawin stuff.
Tell the child to draw a pic of the baby , distract him in some
positive way without sounding mean.
2006-11-28 10:56:00 · answer #5 · answered by sunflare63 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My son does the same thing to her sister who is 3 months..... hes trying to get to know her and be close to her.....
Have you tried the "be nice....." and show him how to do it.... put your face close to the baby, but not to close and say "see? this is how you do it" or show him how to pat her head nicely, or give her a small hug..... or pat her belly.....
Show him other ways to be close to his sister without hurting her.
And if he doesn't stop, then I think being firm and telling him no is a good thing..... you dont' want him to hurt the baby, even if he isn't trying too.... then he will know that its wrong... and tell him to say sorry to the baby, not you.....
Good luck!
2006-11-28 10:38:22 · answer #6 · answered by mrs. ruspee 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The baby is new to him. Being close is his way of showing affection. Kinda like bonding. He's too young to realize that what he's doing causes pain to the young child. If you reprimand him for showing what he thinks is affection, he could become resentful. Be firm so he won't hurt the baby, but teach him to be gentle.
2006-11-28 10:26:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
He is just curious of the new member of the family. When they bump heads it probably does not really hurt her, but startles her more than anything.
Let your son get to know the new little person in his own way.
2006-11-28 10:20:13 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
There's no reason to punish your son just because he's curious about his new baby sister. Its natural for him to want to be close to her. Just simply talk to him and ask him to be careful and explain to him why he should be.
2006-11-28 10:30:55 · answer #9 · answered by tranquil1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Show him how he IS supposed to interact with her. Tell him that she can't see him well when he gets that close. Show him exactly how close he is supposed to get to her face and say, "Now she can see you better" and stress how much she LIKES it when he does it this way. Praise him when he has good interactions with her.
2006-11-28 10:27:15 · answer #10 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋