4 year old likes playing with his old baby bottles, baby stuff?

xolynn

Mom to Isaac Robert <3
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So recently my four year old son loves pretending hes a baby still! He wants to try and drink out of his old bottles, and hold him like a baby and feed him. He says he needs his "paci" hes never even used a pacifier since birth. He always was more of a thumb sucker. Im not sure how to handle this..let him go about what hes doing? I just dont want him to think he HAS to have a paci at this age. Im just hoping its just pretend play, pretending to be a baby. Any advice on this? Will it just pass if I just let him play as he wants or should I remove the baby items from the house?
 
I would just treat it as play and let him play, but don't let it encroach into non-play activities. Mine is 4 and certainly she does play being a baby sometimes and gets a blanket and asks to be held like a baby. She doesn't have access really to her old baby things as they've been put away, but she certainly will find a cup or a water bottle and play that it's a bottle sometimes (there's nothing in it though). I think that's fine as part of play. I wouldn't let it go so far that you are putting milk in the bottles and actually feeding him, or that all your meals become you spoon feeding him either. But I think as part of pretend or occasionally if it makes him happy does no harm. Mine occasionally asks to be fed when she's feeling silly. She was never spoon fed as a baby anyway, but it's cute and I don't mind playing along, but it wouldn't be at every or even most meals. I otherwise emphasise that she needs to eat like a big girl, so it's more just when she's feeling silly. She has found a dummy (pacifier) recently and was giving it to one of her toys, which was fine, but I wouldn't let her put it in her mouth. She doesn't need it and it's like 4 years old and she found it behind her toy cupboard, so it's sort of gross. I think it's fine to indulge it as part of play, but just draw some boundaries so it doesn't become part of a new routine or anything (like he's wanting to be fed at every meal or have a bottle before bed at night). You could even encourage him to play babies with his toys, so they become the babies and he can play with all his old baby things, but without always needing to be the baby himself.
 
Thank you! Yeah a lot of the time he wants me to spoon feed him at meals..I usually encourage independance though. He has a few toy babies he plays with which helps. I think he is just very interested in babies in general! Which is cute, he will make a good dad one day! Lol. Cant even imagine that right now..I want him to stay little forever :cloud9:
 
My dd is 4 and she enjoys pretending to be a baby sometimes. She likes me to swaddle her and she'll coo and pretend, but she doesn't have a paci or bottle as we have none in the house. I think it's sweet. She still loves baby toys too. Often, in the store, she'll go to the baby toys and ask to buy one.
 
This is just role play and it's completely normal. Basically all kids love playing families and playing at being the baby. There's nothing unusual at it at all, leave him to it.
 
Sounds like he is just enjoying imaginative play. My DD went through a phase of playing with her baby things like her rocket, bumbo chair etc. She didn't much care for them as a baby and seemed to get more enjoyment out of them through role play!
 

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