Moms of 2+ kids

kelseyhh

Tonight I'm babysitting my 2 1/2 yr old nephew. Emmett goes to his house everyday for daycare, so they know each other well. My nephew is being really mean to Emmett. He shoves him over hard whenever Emmett tries to play with something that he is playing with. Emmett is also being really possessive of all of his toys, which I've never seen before.

Anyways, I'm exhausted from playing referee all afternoon. It was a constant battle of B's turn, now Emmett's turn, and constant fighting and crying.

My question is; is this normal sibling behavior or do you think it's because they are in a different environment than usual? We aren't quite ready to have another LO yet, but this is seriously worrying me, haha! I know tht siblings fight, but man, I'm exhausted!

Also, is it normal for a 2 1/2 year old to be so aggressive? It probably is, but I thought I'd ask. He seriously shoves and hits Emmett all the time. I've seen him do it in the morning when I drop Emmett off, so I know it's his usual behavior. I'm just wondering how much is normal toddler behavior, and how much is due to a lack of discipline.

jesselayne8

Normal. My 3yr old and 18 month old are either hugging or hitting 24hrs a day. My older one did a lot of biting when DS was younger. There was a period of about 3 months were he always had teeth marks on him somewhere. My younger one tortures his sister by grabbing her princesses and running away laughing.

Edit: I try to let them work things out themselves but I do intervene when things look like they are headed toward violence.

surpriseaddition

I think there are a few things going on here. First, your nephew and Emmett are only about a year apart, and are both boys. My kids were about 2 1/2 years apart, and were boy/girl. Although my DD was jealous of the baby, she was older (4 years) by the time her brother was a toddler and could control her actions better when he was getting in her things, wanting the same thing, etc. He also seemed less interested in her things, because I think there was some gender preference for a lot of toys. My DS really didn't want to play with her baby dolls - and would rather play with a train. My DD didn't want most of his toys either. I didn't push these stereotypes...they just sort happened. My daughter now plays sports, and my DS is actually more nurturing and caring to LO than his sister, but back then they were pretty stereotypical. In any event, your children will be further spaced, so I wouldn't expect the same if you had another. Siblings will get into fights, but also end up the best of friends. I'm sad LO won't have a sibling her age. In fact, I'm watching a friend's DD who is only 3 months. LO is super jealous, and I'm so glad I never had my kids so close together. The positive is you now have an appreciation of the hard work your sister or SIL is doing caring for Emmett for you. Sometimes people think watching another child is a breeze, but it is a lot of refereeing!

FmrAFBrat

Normal..I have to watch my 3 year old very carefully with my 19 month old. One minute they are playing nicely & the next minute ODS is trying to tackle or choke YDS over a toy or ball.

mommatotwo2

My kids are 5 years apart so it's a little different for us. Unfortunately, DD2 often "beats up on" DD1.  She bites and hits her sister, pushes her away from me, etc.

DD1 is very good about being kind to her baby sister and understands that the way DD2 is treating her is just because she is a baby. They are also very loving to eachother at least half the time, so that helps.

coffeeandbooks

my sister and I fought like cats and dogs for most of our childhood!