Stairstep children and parenting
@Mom_In_2004and5 (15)
United States
November 23, 2006 1:13am CST
I have 2 living daughters and 1 Angel daughter...
My oldest daughter just turned 2 years old this month and my younger daughter just turned 1 year old this month. My Angel daughter would have been 5 months old this month. Anyone have suggestions about parenting stairstep children? Does it make it easier or harder when they are that close in age to try and get them to do similar things at the same time?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
30 Nov 06
I'm sorry you lost your daughter. That is just awful.
My oldest 3 were like that--each a year apart. They are 6, 5 and 4 now. (born in June 2000, October 2001 and November 2002) It was hard at first because they were all very little but at different levels developmentally. Like when my oldest was 3 and wanted to do art projects. We rarely did them because her brother and sister would want to join in but they weren't able to do any of it alone so I would have to spend almost all of my time helping them or keeping them out of the art supplies.
Actually that is still a problem. We were trying to do a project earlier this month and the older two were doing okay with it but my 4 year old's motor skills aren't that great so I spent 90% of my time helping her cut and glue her project, meaning the other two were on their own for the most part.
And it was just this past summer that both girls (6 and now 4) are able to and interested in the same kinds of toys--namely Barbies and Polly Pocket. Now they fight over the toys. The younger one got some Bratz for her birthday earlier this month which caused my older daughter to have a meltdown because she didn't get any and her sister got the ones she wanted (the dolls were from my father). She ruined her sister's birthday and spent the next week trying to convince her sister to give up the dolls to her. It was awful. But that is just my daughter.
@Mom_In_2004and5 (15)
• United States
30 Nov 06
Mine are starting to go through that already. The oldest will be playing with a toy and the younger will reach for it. The older will say "nooooo" and pull it away, but the younger keeps going for it and the older will tell her "Noey". I haven't tried art projects with the oldest yet because I figure doing it one on one will be easier, but they both wake around the same time, go to bed at the same time and usually nap at the same time - so there's no real way to keep the 1 year old out of it.
@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
30 Nov 06
When the kids get fighting over a toy I just take it away. I have done that since they were toddlers. They usually forget about it after a few minutes then I give it back. I actually think the easiest time was when they were toddlers because they were basically doing the same things. Especially when my oldest two were little. The learned to talk at the same time because my daughter was a little on the slow side with that but my son was way ahead for his age. So they both started talking conversationally at the same time. It was cute. They actually developed a language of their own like twins do. Then they taught it to their baby sister when she was older.
My oldest daughter stopped taking naps right around the time she turned 2 so I never really ever had all 3 of them napping at one time. The younger two would sometimes nap together and I could usually convince the oldest to spend some quiet time in her room. That ended when she learned to open the door around the age of 3 1/2.
@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
30 Nov 06
When the kids get fighting over a toy I just take it away. I have done that since they were toddlers. They usually forget about it after a few minutes then I give it back. I actually think the easiest time was when they were toddlers because they were basically doing the same things. Especially when my oldest two were little. The learned to talk at the same time because my daughter was a little on the slow side with that but my son was way ahead for his age. So they both started talking conversationally at the same time. It was cute. They actually developed a language of their own like twins do. Then they taught it to their baby sister when she was older.
My oldest daughter stopped taking naps right around the time she turned 2 so I never really ever had all 3 of them napping at one time. The younger two would sometimes nap together and I could usually convince the oldest to spend some quiet time in her room. That ended when she learned to open the door around the age of 3 1/2.
@nithinchinni (2307)
• India
21 Dec 06
i am sorry .......i dont know about this things.but i can get you information regarding this.i will give you informaiton within two days.
@camara_me (615)
• United States
26 Nov 06
My two are two years apart and they got along just fine. They fight now that there grown up. Never try and get them to play together. Let them do it on there own.
