Pretending to be a baby. Jealous of baby brother. It's getting tiresome. Help.

[DuffyFluckling]

Dd is almost 3.
Ds is almost 1.

As far as dd can see, it is way more fun being a baby. Babies get carried everywhere. Babies squish their food into their hair. Babies throw their food on the floor and get given more food to throw. Babies hit and scratch and snatch and no one gets cross. Babies sleep in Mummy and Daddy's room, and usually in M & D's bed.

So, she pretends to be a baby.

I want her to be my beautiful, funny, intellegent, interesting little girl, not a crawling, grunting, hitting, scratching 'baby' who won't talk and who I keep having to talk to about all the various things that it's okay for a baby to do but is NOT ON for a nearly 3 yr old who knows better.

I have tried pointing out all the advantages of being a big girl, and the disadvantages of being a baby. She's not buying it. To be honest, my summary of all the fun things only big girls can do was a bit unconvincing.

I know why she's doing it. I don't want to be too harsh on her.

I've been fairly low key about it, and she doesn't know it is bugging me. It is though.

Course of action? Thoughts? Advice? Experiences?

Or do I just chant the mantra "this too shall pass"?

I know a 3 yr old who did this and a stint in the high chair and no sweets/chocolate, no TV, only baby toys to play with, no walking/running/playing in park etc etc soon convinced her being a big girl was best. Took about 4 hours of me actually treating her like a baby and explaining in a nice calm friendly way that she couldn't do X as babies are too little to be allowed.

Would this work do you think?

We've had this. Have you tried putting her in the cot for 'naptime'?
Not giving her any pudding because babies don't eat it?
Taking away certain toys because babues can't have them?
Presenting her with a bowl of mush while you eat her favourite dinner?
You need to create advantages to being a 'big girl'
I refuse to talk to my son if he talks in a baby voice.

She loves it if we play along. If I take a big girl toy away she is delighted that I'm playing the game too.

She likes napping in the cot.

Ds eats what we eat. Dd is not very bothered about food anyway. I don't puree for ds, but if I did she would be thrilled to have real baby food, I'm sure. She's always asking if we'll feed her like a baby. We don't actually feed ds like a baby, so I'm not sure where it all comes from.

Yy, I need to create advantages to being a big girl - but what? Tbh, she's not wrong - from her pov ds does have a better time of it.

Take her out by herself. Feed the ducks, do whatever a baby couldn't do. Talk about how much fun you are having and how poor baby can't have as much fun because she can't walk, run, play, throw, scooter, whatever. Keep repeating the same message.

You could give her a job to do with the baby, always getting the wipes for you 'Thank Goodness I've got such a big helpful girl, what would I do without my big girl etc etc'

I don't think treating her like a baby to show her how much fun it is to be 3 will work, its quite complex reverse psychology for a child of that age.Also the emphasis is negative, not positive.