Dd 15 months “plays” with 3 year old.

[Breastfeedingworries]

Okay Sorry posting this in the wrong place I know. It’s nearly 8am and I’m in bed with a bit of time on my hands (unusually)
I have no one really to talk to about all this and It’s so tricky because you can just sound like that mum. I’ve posted about her before.

I’m wondering about my dd she’s nearly 15 months but actually the “playing” has been going on since she was around 13 months. I can’t find any information on toddlers playing this early with others. Mostly I’m reading about parallel play near others, but in solitude.

Examples of the interactions, laughing, crawling after each other chasing, playing peekaboo behind furniture,my dd loves to be dragged backwards downstairs or held upside down (this is all safely supervised!) dd and 3 year old friends sons play. She’ll giggle and laugh, and crawl back waving her feet at him to drag her around.

My dd seems so old for her age, she has a long attention span, always has done from a very young age. She’s very patient, weirdly so. She will offer toys to other children and seemingly “share” her own toys (even though I thought that isn’t possible for her age) I don’t want to drip feed with different examples myself detailing my own thread.

So basically does anyone else have a similar experience? I’m worried about her as she seems so different to her peers. It may seem positive now but worried about her not connecting with children her own age. Thanks

Derailing* happy to give detail but know everyone hates a drip feed! So apologised and will keep just to the social emotional topic.

There’s 3.5 years between my DSs and from very early on (like maybe under a year & 4) they would play wrestling games with each other. That kind of physical play of chasing, hiding, wrestling is quite common for young toddlers ime.

It all sounds perfectly normal behaviour ... well except the part where you allow her to be pulled downstairs ... that’s so very far from normal.

She sounds like a lovely little girl. Some babies just are quite gregarious and sociable. My friend had a DD like that, her face would light up when she saw another baby

I’m actually pleased it’s not unusual. Thank you x

This sounds great. I don’t understand the concern. My 11 month old plays.

It doesn’t sound unusual, but I wouldn’t allow a three year old to drag a 15 month old backwards down the stairs.

My DD is 15 years old so my memory is hazy. But she was at full time nursery at that age and I'm pretty sure she was playing to some extent. Babies play 'peak a boo' from a younger age and that's not parallel play earlier. It doesnt sound like an issue to me. Maybe she's just a bit more socially advanced? They all even out in the end.

But what does she do with other 15mo? That is what they are talking about with parallel play. Here your DD is being engaged by a 3yo and is responding.

Oh I don’t allow her to be pulled downstairs or actually held upside down by the 3 year old! muddled brain this morning. It also sounds so brutal typed out. It’s gently done, we have really spaced out long carpeted stairs so it’s a like sliding. It’s a converted bungalow.

Thank you, her eyes light up whenever she sees any other children. She’ll go over and give them toys. Even offers her main favourite sleeping toy to a crying baby once.

I can't really remember that far back but dd2 was captivated by dd1 as a baby it was like she wanted to be her? They've always got on reasonably well most of the time so it's possibly a good sign I think.

Yes our older one loved things like peekaboo and tickling etc at that age, with adults and older children. She also used to offer her toys to other toddlers. But she couldn't do what she does now she is older which is to play with the same toys in a wider "game" with other children. They make up funny games together etc. That's what I thought the distinction was compared to parallel play.

At 15 months mine would happily sit and do shape sorting, simple puzzles etc for ages and had a really long attention span. It's just their personalities starting to come through I think unless you have other causes for concern.

She sounds absolutely lovely, OP

Yeah it’s completely normal

Thank you, and everyone’s so nice this morning! Appreciate it :) x

It’s really not a good idea to allow play on the stairs, they’re likely to try it when you’re not there to supervise.

Normal her too, but why would it be a problem anyway??? Even if she was years ahead, 5 year old play with 2 year olds, and 10 year olds with5 year olds.

All sounds totally normal. My 18 month old loves playing with his big siblings -who are school age, will chat to them, play boo, pass cars, play uhoh (a game where they fall over on purpose). What he doesn't do is play pj masks with his big brother - share imaginative play as equals - that is what they don't do until older as far as I know.

Actually now I think of it , DS always played with DD who is 2.5 years older from a very young age. Certainly by 15 months when he was mobile he would chase after her and play games.

Completely normal.
It natural for a child to give something to another child to please them. There's been loads of studies in to it.

www.washington.edu/news/2020/02/04/altruistic-babies-study-shows-infants-are-willing-to-give-up-food-help-others/

I have two stair gates, the layout would be stair gate|......step.......step......step.......step........| gate

Sorry I haven’t counted the dots, but if you get what I mean. Not step and play isn’t unsupervised.

Thanks all now I feel bit embarrassed but am very pleased it’s normal part of development. :)

All sounds normal and good fun to me, agree re being careful about playing near stairs though. I almost broke my brother's arm whilst playing peek a boo around a corner with a single step when we were younger, he was so startled he jumped backwards fell off and landed funny 😳

I loved listening to mine playing together, enjoy it while it lasts 😉

22 months between my boys who are 3/5 and the 3 year old has been playing with him since he was walking at about 13/14 months. I think it's perfectly normal

They are absolute best friends now too

It's quite normal for children to like playing with older children because they are typically more predictable and patient than children their own age, so make the play more fun for them (not snatching toys, letting them go first).

You are overthinking