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February 14, 2002
 | | | | | | | | Dear Dr. Jana,
Hi! I'm a new member to your site, and I thought I'd ask you a question in regards to my 20-month-old son. My question is, is it normal for him to play with cell phones, computers, and anything with buttons? Also he is not interested in playing with all the toys that we buy for him, instead he'll play with the radio, the VCR, and all that kind of stuff that he can disassemble. I'm not sure if he is just curious or what, but maybe you can provide me an answer to all my questions. I would really appreciate it.
Dear Mazdad,
Welcome to drSpock.com! Your question is a very common one and touches on several key toddler behaviors.
Your son's desire to play with (and take apart) things with buttons and small pieces is quite normal. While we all tend to pay attention...
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| FEATURED TOPICS | | | | | | | |
Helping Your Child Make Friends
Learning how to make friends is like learning how to walk: At first, children can only do it with the help of adults. But before you know it, they're charging off on their own. Here are some ways to support your child's budding friendships.
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Play Is the Work of Children
Dr. Spock explores how play is more than just fun and games. It's how children learn about the world around them...
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Sharing and Young Children
If your two-year-old doesn't share his possessions, he is behaving normally. Don't worry--he'll become more generous over time. Learn more here...
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| |  It used to be thought that young children didn't really play with other children. Before they're about three years old, children typically engage in what is called parallel play--playing alongside, but not interacting directly with, each other. That is true most of the time, but now we've learned that even very young children do occasionally interact with each other while playing. Learn more about the surprisingly complex topic of play in this week's issue.
| PARENTS ARE TALKING | |  | AUTHOR: flynnski
SUBJECT: another child biting my child at daycare! Help!!
DATE: January 10, 2002 |
I have had my son in this particular daycare since he was 3 mos. old, he is now 2 1/2. About 6 months ago this other little boy has started and i would say has bitten him well over 2 dozen times. When i picked up my son today, i was informed that he was bitten twice. I then decided that it was time to talk to the director about this problem...The first time that this child's mother was approached about her son biting her response was, "well, who provoked him". When I found out what her response was today (which was nothing)...I am getting ready to either ask to have that child removed from the center, have them separated, or just pull my child out completely. I really don't want to pull out my son, those daycare employees are his second family! What should I do??????
| | | THIS WEEK'S TIP | |
Toddlers often become upset when other children play with their toys. They see possession as ownership, and don't understand the concept of sharing until three or four years of age. If your child doesn't want to share her toys yet, don't punish or criticize her. And when you go to the playground, only take one toy with you. When she's not playing with it, pick it up before another child takes an interest in it. |
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