Why is my son mothering his toys?

[slatternlymother]

DS got a 'George Pig' for Christmas and he's been 'taking care' of him all day! Patting him on the back, sitting him on an imaginary potty, making him cups of pretend tea, telling him he's a good boy...

Is this a developmental stage? Why does he need to do it? I'm just interested to hear if anyone else's children do this? DS is 2.2 btw.

ds1 has a baby doll when he was 18 months and ds2 was born. He used to 'breastfeed' it, change its nappy and put it in a pushchair. They're both still kind caring chaps at 17 and 19

QT Thankyou. Thankyou. I found parenting for the first year incredibly hard, and I always worried (and still worry) that I'm a bit rubbish.

He's copying you, not siblings!

Hi OP! My DS asked for his own baby when he was around two - I wasn't sure what he meant (and certainly wasn't going to provide him with a little sibling) and it transpired that he loved the baby dolls at nursery and wanted one of his own. He chose his own baby doll, complete with pink babygro and hat, at ELC and looked after her very tenderly for years. Now he's eight, she has graduated to sitting on a high shelf in the living room with my old teddy - he likes to have her around but doesn't want awkward questions from his pals! It's an adorable phase and it's so lovely to see our sons being able to express this side of their natures.

My DS (2.4) has lots of imaginative play situations.

Today his toy dinosaur has been stealing his dinner and requiring a strict telling off - "Naughty dinosaur! That's my food. You can't do that!".

Then dinosaur gets put to bed - "noight-noight dinosaur". When dinosaur got upset about something, he said "oh dinosaur needs a cuddle".

I love love love this stage where he is role playing various things he has seen me or his father do. Enjoy it OP - it's so much fun!

DS is 22m and parents all his toys! He and a little girl at the chidminder's co parent a particular dolly. Even though neither of them talks that well, they "tell" each other to feed her, put her in the pram etc. It's really sweet. We bought him a pram and doll for Christmas, he loves it.

DD does this at 26 months and has done from your DS's age. I've always assumed that she was copying the nursery staff and never thought of it as parenting. Obviously DH and I both do all of this when she is at home, but I never linked it to our behaviour, no idea why.

My 7 yr old nephew LOVES my 5 mo DD!! Wants to hold all the time, stokes head and kisses etc. Also plays football and is a bit rough and tumble, I think it's sweet :). Makes them feel grown up too.

DD has never done this at all incidentally. She hasn't role-played as a parent or carer in any way and she's nearly five now so it's unlikely to start!
I guess they are all just different.

I say give the OP a break, tbh. She was only asking a question or two about her DS....Some posters on MN are very quick to have a go at others genuine queries! Give folk a chance!!

OP, I have two DSs and the eldest did not play much this way, I certainly have no memories of it. But my youngest does, and it's very nice to see it. Enjoy watching your DS with his nurturing side. :)

Aww how cute! My DS is 19 months and feeds his toys, gives them drinks, kisses them. It's just lovely. Toddlers are fantastic.

Ah, my DS got a doll for Xmas and he looks after it very nicely. He shares food with it too. It's so sweet.

My ds is very nurturing. We encourage it. I'm sure it will help him to deal with his feelings in later life.

I think it would be harmful to discourage it which I'm not suggesting you would Slatternlymother but plenty have/do in their quest for their 'boys will be boys' upbringing.

They all do it IMO
DS went through a phase of putting a nappy on his giraffe and putting him to bed with a muslin over him. We have a picture taken when DD was a few days old and we were all a bit exhausted, DS and his giraffe are lying on the bed, both with a sheet of toilet paper over their eyes - like a face mask in a spa :o

DD is now 3 and has been mothering her monkey for a while. Changing his nappy, feeding him, shushing us when he's sleeping and telling him off when he's naughty :o

Fives that's lovely.

I'm just pleased the toilet paper was unused
DD got baby annabell's brother for christmas from the PILs. After 2 years of sleepless nights for us, I was fairly smug at the thought of "baby luke" waking her in the middle of the night for no apparent reason (she now sleeps thorugh). Strangely enough, that was one of the toys she chose to leave at Granny's!

Ha ha!! I find being a parent hard but it's those things that make it lovely.

OP that is so sweet. Don't worry about the earlier rather spikey relies. As I have leant any hint that there are any gender differences will be stamped on in a trice. Boys and girls are exactly the same you know

FWIW DS1 had a doll and a pushchair when he was about 3. Remind him now aged 7 and you will get the stare of death

Ah that's so sweet. DS who's 2 now likes to pull a blanket on me if I'm lying on the couch. He'll also try to get me to close my eyes and if I make a noise he'll shush me.

Aww Thankyou for the lovely replies it's lovely to hear all the other cute stories!

DS does some funny things; at nursery he and a friend push a little doll round about in a pram, but I think that's more about racing tbh. I took him to Toys R Us and showed him the dollies and pushchairs but he wanted play food instead so meh.

He did tell George he loved him today though, and that everything was going to be alright. I'm not sure what catastrophe had befallen poor George, but there we are

My DS never does/did this and I find it quite sad TBH :( He had a very short phase of wanting to put toys to bed but that was it.

How old is your DS Bertie?

You're name is wrong Slatternlymother, you are doing a great job of parenting your DS. For goodness sake it is YOU he is copying. If he was smacking his toys or kicking them, you'd have something to worry about.

Bless him, he sounds as sweet as can be.
BTW my 11yo "mothers" his teddies sometimes, but only when no-one is watching.