AboutEvelyn Petersen Expertise I give parents advice that is candid, positive and practical. I give them ideas that work and that they can use immediately, not study. My advice is based on expertise and experience in the area of early childhood education that spans 40 years of work as a professional and as a parent and grandparent. See askevelyn.com
Experience
Past/Present clients Hundreds of parents and teachers in the US and other countries
Expert: Evelyn Petersen Date: 7/8/2008 Subject: 23 month old tearing up books
Question My 23 month old has been tearing up books every morning. She sleeps in a toddler bed in her own room. She only has stuffed animals and board books in her room. She sleeps through the night in her bed, but in the morning if we don't hear her right away she picks a book and tears it up. It doesn't seem possible that she can do that to board books but she does. She tears them into tiny tiny pieces too. I've tried telling her no, but she only has a 25 word vocabulary and it is hard to talk to her. She doesn't verbalize back anything. She is also very proud of her torn book. I've read online that it could be her having an emotional outlet and we did have another baby 4 months ago, but this behavior started before the birth of her brother. I don't want to take away the books she loves looking at them, but they are expensive and we can't keep replacing them! What could be causing it? How should we talk to her about it?
Answer Dear Crystal
She probably knew you were going to have the baby didn't she? Certainly her life was already changing in some ways because the baby was coming. It is still possible that this is an outlet for jealousy. To cope, get her more involved as a "big sister" to help with the baby under your supervison...she can fetch and carry things.
DO PRAISE her for all the tiny ways she helps you out
Also be sure to give her one on one alone time each day just for her without baby.
AND just take the books out of the room. Put them in your room where she cannot reach them. Then only use them with her to read and look at as a special thing between the two of you..Try these things to see if it helps. Evelyn
