We've been dealing with a little bit of sibling jealousy / rivalry but not in the way I was expecting. DS1 is 2.5 years old and DS2 is 4.5 months. DS1 mostly loves his little brother, wants to hold him, talk to him, hand him toys (or throw them to him) and is very protective of him. He hasn't really had any regressions with potty training or sleeping. However, for the last few months he wants to be carried everywhere. I can force him into the double stroller but he will not walk places and will rarely ride on the ride along board of our Uppababy Vista or use his scooter. He wants to be carried everywhere. This has been compounded by the fact that DS2 hates the stroller as well and cries after a few minutes in it. If you pick him up he immediately stops crying. Have other parents gone through this phase? Have you found anything that helps and gets them walking or do I just have to wait out the phase? We live in the city and do a lot of walking so I can't just not walk places. I generally end up carrying him because I can't leave him to sit and cry on the sidewalk. He's very strong willed as well.
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My 28 month old also wants to be carried everywhere, specifically by me! Not daddy or anyone else. She CAN walk pretty long distances -- she does it with daycare-- but when she's with me it's "uppy" alllll the time. Sometimes I can distract her by making walking fun-- we play "I'm going to get you" and she runs ahead, or I say "can you run to that tree/sign/etc." and it's a game. last time we were in the stroller I distracted her by playing "I spy" or giving her snacks/my phone to watch Netflix on, which is its own set of problems....it doesn't always work though! I'm pregnant and my nausea kicks in when her leg hits my stomach when I'm carrying her, so it's a definite issue were working on....
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I straight up bribed. One fruit snack every time we got to a street corner. And loooooots of chatting and pointing to things and distraction.
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No advice but commiseration. We don't have LO2 yet but I'm pregnant and my LO is almost 3 and still loves to be carried. We live in the city as well and walk/use the stroller everywhere. Of course she is always happy to go in the stroller on the way out, and it's only on the way back that she will tantrum and demand to be carried. We have been using a combo of tactics, with moderate success. I keep reminding her that she is a big girl, but big girls are too heavy to be carried very far. And that as a big girl, she should learn to walk. Sometimes we do a count down ("when I count to 3, you need to be in the stroller") and that works. Sometimes we bribe with a snack. About 20% of the time, we literally have to strap her into the stroller screaming and just listen to her the whole way home.
The only thing that has helped me personally is to stop picking her up actually. I have a built-in excuse ("I can't carry you and baby at the same time") but now she doesn't really ask me anymore. DH hasn't quite been able to stop carrying her occasionally and I wonder if that's why she still does it. She doesn't ever do it when she's with me alone.
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Not dealing with any sibling impacts, but my LO is 4 and STILL wants to be carried EVERYWHERE. She wants to snuggle me 24/7 and be carried - only by me, very rarely will she ask DH to carry her. She still requests to be worn in the toddler tula too. She's small, but still, gah!
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Me too, no advice, but commiseration. My son is also 2.5 and also wants to be carried all the time. It's exhausting and frustrating.
@yoursilverlining: 4! Oh no! I can't do this for another year and a half!
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@catlady: I strap him in the stroller screaming too. When I say I can't carry him he just sits down on the sidewalk and cries or sometimes lays down. There have been a few times I've had to pick him up with one arm and his brother in the other just to move him out of the way.
@yoursilverlining: Oh no. I just bought a Toddler Tula with hope that he will get over it because it's not a hug carry but now I'm not so convinced. He's 29lbs so not super heavy but heavy enough
@nana87: Games are a good idea. I'll work on figuring some out for this weekend.
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We had a phase of this while I was pregnant and after the baby was born (she was 2.5 when baby was born). For us it was the worst on the stairs to our condo. We had many a screaming breakdown in that stairwell (from both of us). I had back problems while pregnant and it was really hard to carry her too.
Bribery helped (if you climb up the stairs without stopping or crying or fighting me you can watch a video), sticker chart, yelling... And sometimes I ended up carrying her under one arm and putting her straight into time out, screaming, when we got home. Similar issues after baby was born. She eventually got over it but I don't have any great advice on how!
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