Teaching a 16 month old to share

[Sarah Lou 80]

I know it's a concept that will take time for him to understand so I guess really I'm just looking for advice on how to handle the situation when my LO snatches toys away from another child.

He's usually really good at toddler groups but this afternoon we had a friend and her little girl of a similar age to LO visit and he didn't really like it when she played with his toys. I just felt like I was saying 'no' constantly. I would take the snatched toy back off LO and give it back to my friends LO and then find something else for my boy to play with. He then seemed happy with what I'd given him after having a mini meltdown!

I'm looking after my friends LO again tomorrow so just want to know the best way to deal with it. She was snatching too!!

 

[Bex84]

at that age they don't really understand as they are still in parallel play stage where they are more egocentric. It is also worse when other children are on their own turf and playing with their stuff (well I suppose I wouldn't be happy if someone came over to my house and wanting to use my stuff lol) I would just gently say we need to take turns, give other child back toy and then distract your lo, say a firm we don't snatch if he does snatch (by firm I mean low tone, but calm and quiet). My lo is a very good sharer but if one of her friends is over at our house and wants one of her favourites if she is not in the mood she does get upset, we generally keep things she does not want to share separate upstairs if someone is coming over though.

 

[hattiehippo]

I found using the idea of 'taking turns' was much more effective than saying for them to share. 16 months is very young and he will just be starting out on understanding that other people want things as well as him but you could tell him it's her turn first and then his turn. So he will still get it but he has to wait a little bit.

Expect lots of stropping at first as it obviously he wants it straight away but he will get the idea with time and then when he's 3+ you can extend it to sharing as well.