When your baby first discover that they can crawl it is a significant milestone in their development but, it can bring with it problems which you must overcome. As soon as your baby is mobile everything within their reach is fair game. You will have to overcome sibling rivalry’s as they try to get their hands on big brothers or sisters toys for the first time. A peaceful long-term truce should be your long-term goal but, you will need a few strategies for limiting open warfare in the short-term.
As soon as your baby starts to crawl you will have to consider how you are going to restructure the layout of you house to prevent or minimise accidents. Certainly anything breakable needs to move up a shelf or two until it is out of reach. Electrical items need unplugging so they can’t be pulled over and, empty plug sockets need protectors. You need to put child locks on cupboard doors, tie back any wire that can’t be unplugged (e.g, telephone) and generally check everything to make sure your house is safe for a crawling baby.
Older children will get enraged that toys now can’t be left unattended without their younger sibling getting hold of them. Anything within reach is incredibly interesting to a newly mobile baby and, older brother/sister’s toys will fit the bill nicely.
On one hand you will need to take measure to ensure that the little one gradually gets used to respecting their older siblings space (bedroom) but, on the other you will want to encourage sharing and the joy of playing together. However, when you are mid tantrum from both children with them fighting over a plastic car such joys can seem to be beyond expectation. Don’t give up. You will gradually find ways to pacify the situation.
One way may be to provide each of them with a special blanket on the floor. Anything left on the blanket is then “off limits” to the other child. There could be a third blanket where they play together. Children often react well to rules such as this because it puts them in control and they decide when they play together and when they want to be alone.
However, sometimes you just need to take the baby out of the situation to prevent conflicts arising. You are in for years of sibling rivalry so from your perspective the less you intervene initially the better. Both children are bidding for independence, which is something you should try to encourage.
