Our older one has started sitting on her toys so her little sister can't reach them

banyan_diary_719027 Sept 2026

Our elder is two and has found a new strategy for sharing: she collects everything she cares about into a pile and sits on it. The younger one, who has just started walking with purpose, circles the pile and protests. It's funny for about a minute. Then someone is crying, usually both. My partner and I have different instincts here. She wants to step in early, I'd rather wait and see if they sort it out. Curious what has worked for others with a gap this small.

2 comments

silver_gecko_93527 Sept 2026
My daughter is an only child, so no direct experience, but my sister and I were close in age and I'm told I sat on her blocks for most of my early childhood 🙂 Our grandmother gave each of us a basket nobody else could touch. Apparently it worked.
mint_hammock_234127 Sept 2026
From the other side: mine is the grabber at daycare. They use a sand timer for turns with the popular toys, and even the little ones get used to watching it. Doesn't stop the crying completely, but it gives everyone something to look at that isn't each other.
- banyan_diary_719027 Sept 2026
  A sand timer is a good idea. The little one can't wait for anything yet, but she would happily stare at falling sand for two minutes. We'll try it this week.